• Top 10 Video Games of All Time

  

  Written by Zeromage 54 Comments
  Last Updated:: March 1, 2008

  The Old-Wizard staff spends much of their time contemplating what the greatest games of all time are from every system in all ages. Whether it’s a drunken night, a sober night, a math night, or even a romantic night with our girlfriends, we at Old-Wizard can’t keep our minds off what the greatest games of all time are much to the dismay of our significant others. After long hard work narrowing down our top 100 favorite games, we finally became settled with what our top 10 video games of all time were. These were not chosen lightly as there were obvious omissions that made us question even defining what a top ten list of video games would look like. Would half of the list consist of Legend of Zelda games? In order to make sure that didn’t happen, we decided to include only one game from any franchise. We weren’t dismayed by this problem though, and put down what we thought were the ten best games ever. We think our descriptions of our favorite games of all time will speak for themselves in defense against other suitable choices. We know there will be games on this list that readers will agree with. We also know that that there will be games on this list that will make readers want to send viruses over to our server in hopes of never having to read these choices again. Regardless, we feel these next ten games will be remembered for years to come.

  10. Contra (NES)

  Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start. This is the most recognized code in all gaming history. Much of the time people get it wrong when trying to restate it to others, but for the most part they have the pattern down. Without this code, it was basically impossible to get anywhere in Contra. While extremely difficult with only three lives, you give yourself 30 per level with this code and were in for an amazing Rambo style gaming experience. This is one of the games you think of when you think of Nintendo; a consummate side-scroller with enough extra detail to never make it boring. The weapons are awesome, the bosses are menacing, and the two player mode is exactly how a two player mode should be. Having your partner take the lower route while you take the higher one in the first level breeds a kind of comradeship not experienced since Wedge and Skywalker. Fighting the boss in the 3rd stage with his (or her?) 2 massive tentacles proves to be no match for 2 skilled players. The whole game is not just side-scrolling. The 3rd water level is more like mountain/jump climbing. The 2nd level is more 3D with your player moving up the screen rather than left to right. While the ending is generic, it may prove to be rewarding enough for players who like to imagine riding away on helicopters with islands blowing up. Great, timeless game…Case Closed…

  9. Pac-Man (Arcade)

  A simple labyrinth type setup, this game will increase your heart rate faster than finding out the brakes on your car just failed. Found in pizza parlours across the nation, this game has no point, other than getting the highest score possible. Starting off easy, you move your bodiless figure through a maze eating little digital pellets. We don’t know if these pellets are food, or fuel, or if they even taste good, but for some unknown reason, every single one must be devoured. If you get tired of eating pellets, you can always go after the exotic fruits that randomly appear near the center of the maze.

  Once you eat all the pellets in a maze you move onto the next level, and the fast-paced furious munching continues. Despite the pointlessness of the game, it is highly addictive. There is a certain thrill in evading ghosts and a merciless retribution found when it comes to eating them. Hours can be spent challenging yourself to attain high scores and greater level achievements. Can you pass though the ghosts around this corner? Can you evade the Blinky and Pinky trap?

  While there is no background story or disernable plot, woven into the game is a complicated philosophy. The four villanious cast members: Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde share a commonality: They are united kinsmen who have placed a jihad on Pac-man. Aside from the ghost’s differences in naming, they maintain a unified front once they emerge from their crypt to chase Pac-man. Together they stand. Clyde, with his uncharacteristic name is held in the same esteem by the other ghosts. Pinky, questionably a female, is given the same voting rights as the rest. Together they stand, divided they fall. The lesson learned is that you should be accepting of differences when you are united with a common goal, even if you’re named Clyde, who made me wet the bed at night as a child. Pac-man: The most basic arcade game out there, revered by the adults that suckled on its tender joystick in their youth, yet all the while teaching us a lesson that can change the world, if we all just learned to accept Clyde.

  8. Mega Man 2 (NES)

  With the conspicuously poor game cover of Mega Man 1, no one expected the blue bomber to last past a single game, until those who were able to get past the cover actually played Mega Man 1 and were surprised at the playability of the game. Even with this in mind, no one could portend what was in store with Mega Man 2; additional bosses, more techniques to master, an always evolving, intricate story line. You were transferred into a different world with Mega Man 2. How surprised everyone was when they came across the dragon boss in the first level of Wily’s hideout; they asked “Can graphics be this good?”, or when they encountered the monster cat in Woodman stage, they stated “Graphics will never get beyond this”. Of course, all great games have great music. Is it possible that there is any other video game more covered by video game bands than Mega Man 2? The Motown shuffle of Flash man stage, the hook at the last sequence of the Woodman stage loop. This isn’t just good video game music. This is great music for anyone who listens to music in general. One could go on and on about this game, but the fact is, one won’t understand until they experience it for themselves.

  7. Secret of Mana (SNES)

  Secret of Mana is without a doubt one of the top 5 RPG’s ever created and easily in the top 10 games ever created. It was a Squaresoft RPG for SNES, meaning it was going to be one of the greatest games ever created with the kind of thought put into it that a great philosopher would put into his magnum opus. Great RPG’s have the character of reading fiction, but having absolute real-time interaction with the book your reading. Playing this game is on par with reading “the lion the witch and the wardrobe” for the first time. Right away, from the cover of the game, you could tell that this game was going to be incandescent and massive in breadth. Three heroes overlooking a massive tree in the middle of a massive forest served as the game cover. The largeness of the theme would be equaled by the actual game itself that was huge, but never ever boring. The big advantage that Secret of Mana has over other RPG’s is the multi-player action that was never found in RPG’s afterwards. You could play this game with two other people and take it on habitually with them, after school, and even on Friday nights when everyone else was gearing up for banal pseudo social hour time. It’s unbelievable to think that no other RPG afterwards utilized this power, and understood that there are groups of people who want to go on massive RPG adventures together. For some reason, the RPG theme is understood as primarily single-player. This is a mistake by the creators of these games that “Mana” cashed in on. Every single tune in this game is memorable, which makes you wonder why every single tune in new games are never memorable. Every single land in this game is filled with beautiful, distinctive themes, which makes you wonder why RPG’s on new systems, with all the new technology involved, pale in comparison to the impact of this 16 bit installment. There’s a little saying that goes “It’s not the Arrow, it’s the Indian”. This may be the best example of that maxim in gaming history. One could write about this game forever, but it’s not to be understood by what others write about it…

  6. Final Fantasy 3 (USA) (SNES)

  What else can really be said about this game, other than it’s possibly one of the best games ever made? FF3 was the flagship of the Squaresoft RPG games. Squaresoft could make games that were so good that it was painful to judge one over another. The pain that is conspicuous on a gamers face when asked the question, “What’s better, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, or Final Fantasy 3?” happens without any reservation. Final Fantasy 3 is best recognized as the primere classic RPG with a turn-based fighting system and a length that almost seemed never ending. Just when you thought you were 90% done with the game, the whole world basically gets blown up to pieces, where you travel with your friends to the surviving colonies looking for answers on your quest to restore the balance of the world…quite a task for 4 kids, much more interesting than a day job though. There is not enough space in this review to be able to go into the sheer massiveness of the story line. There is a lot to follow. Along the way, you meet many more characters; up to 14 playable characters you would use and gain experience on. All the characters were loaded with attitude and identity that would continually develop throughout the game, giving this game a replay value beyond belief. All the lands and towns were striking making you want to go back to them just to hang around them, especially if you liked the music in those areas. The soundtrack to FF3 is one of the most popular soundtracks in gaming history. It’s difficult to review this game because it’s so big and detailed. All that needs to be known though was that it was made in the 90’s by Squaresoft, which means it needs to be played in its entire length to be understood. For those wanting to dive into a virtual fantasy world away from the real world, there is no more perfect game to take up your time.

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54 Comments

1. #1 Jeff says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 10:37 pm

   My My My someone has a high opinion of NES/SNES as being the all time best games. You should really take a poll of gamers I mean a real poll and let them decide as they will know this much more than that of old.wizard….
2. #2 Furry Apple the Pear Tree says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 10:55 pm

   Secret of Mana should have been #1
3. #3 Chad says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:12 pm

   What about Super Mario World/All Stars? That’s the best cartridge ever, by far.
4. #4 old-wizard.com says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:16 pm

   Since our criteria stated only one game per franchise, we definately regret Super Mario world couldn’t make the list, as we decided Mario 1 was the best of the series.
5. #5 Alex says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:22 pm

   This list doesn’t surprise me at all. Once again the Old-Wizard shows that they have no idea about video games. Sonic and Knuckles? Hello?
6. #6 New-Wizard.com says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:28 pm

   Ever play any games from this century?
7. #7 Mike says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

   This list is pretty solid. Contra is my PERSONAL pick as #1 game ever, although I understand that it’s not necessarily everyone else’s. Also, Super Mario 1 is my favorite of the series. I still have the instruction book. Nice job.
8. #8 YUDO says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 12:02 am

   This is a good list. Nothing wrong with having Nintendo and SNES games. 10 times better than the trash released today.
9. #9 Lapiz says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:14 am

   Sorry Yudo and Old-Wizard, nothing is better than Fumito Ueda’s games, and they’re from the first half of this decade.

   This list is trash, i.e. Nintendo
   (They’re synonyms.)
10. #10 Phil says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:55 am

    Where’s Super Mario 64, Blaster Master, Sonic 2, Donkey Kong??
11. #11 TheGamesta says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:58 am

    I agree with Lapiz with the fact that Shadow of the Colossus at least deserves a spot on this list. That is hands down one of the best games ever! However this list isn’t off base at all. It’s definitely a more solid list than the “Worst of” list.
12. #12 ibwhiteboy says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    The problem people have now is that they are stuck on trashy games like GTA where there is no character development or deep deep plot lines. The NES and SNES games of our time were some of the deepest and most entertaining games because the game you are looking at on this list were literally front runners to ANY games out there now. Without these games, games today would not be as they are.
13. #13 old-wizard.com says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    It was tough leaving off Blaster Master, but it did make our top 100 video games list. Check it out: http://old-wizard.com/?p=14
14. #14 Tristan says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:41 pm

    This is a decent list. I can understand why some more modern (3D) games are not on the list — they lack that sort of timelessness that these games have.

    If you asked me for a Top 100 list, off the record, I probably wouldn’t include many 3D games from the PSX-PS2 timeframe because those games haven’t aged well. There are exceptions, mind you, like Ocarina or Mario 64, but I probably wouldn’t include Perfect Dark or Goldeneye because those are hardly playable by today’s standards. I think 3D gaming has only recently hit its stride in terms of lasting playability for 3D games; in other words, 3D games are finally starting to age well.

    Anywho, Tetris is not on this list, and as Gamespot once remarked, “they will be playing it long after all of us are dead.”
15. #15 Lapiz says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    How dare you iwhiteboy!
    How DARE YOU!

    GTA has no character development, but Nes and Snes games were somehow the “deep deep” frontrunners?
    The ones with no story, 1 dimensional characters in a 2 dimensional environment?
    Somehow, THEY were deeper than GTA?

    (Although I don’t take GTA to be a shining example, GTA did INVENT the free-roam, and is therefore a frontrunner, i.e. not descended from the trash on the list, and GTA is certainly better than Nintrash.)
16. #16 Lapiz says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:23 pm

    To add to that above comment, most people list the BEST as the best, not the first as the best, iwhiteboy.

    Meaning that, since other games have done everything SOOOOOO much better than Nintrash, they’re better games. Imagine that.
17. #17 the REAL zeromage says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    Lapiz is mad cus his parents are poor and couldn’t buy him a Nintendo. So now he’s a huge fag.
18. #18 TheGamesta says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:39 am

    Atleast Lapiz is right. What I find annoying is the unwarranted prejudice against wildly popular franchises – ie. GTA, Final Fantasy, Halo. I’ve always gone by the idea that a game can either be technically “good” or “bad,” but whether a game is fun or not is completely relative to the player. For instance, ibwhiteboy obviously has a hate for the GTA series, however as a gamer, I find it hard to believe that another so-called gamer can deny GTA’s influence and undeniable innovation in gaming. Whether one simply doesn’t have fun with the game doesn’t change the fact that GTA3 was a technical feat in gaming. Disregarding it from being a forerunner with a lack of any real story is not only ignorant, but sacrilege in itself against gaming as a whole.
19. #19 old-wizard.com says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:25 am

    We don’t have any prejudice against Halo or GTA, as you would see if you read our top 100 video games list. That being said, the hype surrounding GTA4 is annoying the shit out of me.
20. #20 TheGamesta says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:47 am

    Don’t misunderstand me, I was in no way referring to Old-wizard with my previous post. I was only generally speaking. However speaking of the GTAIV hype, while at times ridiculous, is pretty well deserved in my personal opinion.
21. #21 poon says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:59 am

    I’d like to know why ‘lapiz’ hates nintendo so much… all he says is it’s trash without giving any reasons as to why. some of the greatest and most timeless games were pioneered on a nintendo.

    I didn’t check the 100 list but I hope earthbound is on there somewhere.

    it seems to me that as the games become more and more technologically advanced and get better and better graphics, game designers forget to add the important value of a good story and likewise gamers grow further away from looking for a good story. so much weighed on the detailing of graphics nowadays. I’m not saying graphics should not get better what I’m saying is that graphics should not precede story.
22. #22 Perod says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    This list only proves you are fairly young, have only played a few games, are only aware of a few influences, and overemphasize musical scores over gameplay.

    Fighting
    Old PC
    Old console
    RTS
    FPS
    Recent console

    Assuming ‘top’ means the most influential on the industry, the only game in your current list that might belong in a top 10 is Mario 1. Several of the rest don’t even belong in a top 100.
23. #23 TheGamesta says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    I’ll admit that a lot of these games don’t belong in a top ten ever list. But Perod, seriously?? Pac-man wasn’t influential?? C’mon!

    It hurts me to say this, but with the exception of Contra(even though it’s quite possibly my favorite NES game), ALL the games on this list BELONG on a top 100 list. Don’t be so jaded man. Name a 100 games better than SOTN… I dare ya.
24. #24 doug says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    Yeah I agree with gamesta. perod sounds like a moron.

    also, how does putting legend of zelda or secret of mana on a list of ten best games of all time make you think the author is young? each and every one of these games belongs in a top 100 list, and with the exception of mario 1 (which should be replaced with mario 3) they all belong in the top 10. maybe not contra, but contra at least belongs in a top 100.
25. #25 Frosst says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:57 pm

    Dude, your list is a little one sided. You really need to have a few more Nintendo games.
26. #26 MARC says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:33 pm

    Maybe you should have called the list “top 10 nintendo fanboy games with the odd non-ninty game thrown in just so we don’t sound like complete saddos”

    once again you demonstrare your lack of knowledge of true video gaming by excluding games from the three greatest consoles of all time( sega saturn, pc engine, neo geo, thats the thinking in japan anyway, where they actually know something about videogames, unlike old wizard.
    Sorry, but your over the top fanboyism of Nintendo is sad, yes they made good games( for children mostly), but so did a lot of other companies. The nes and snes are just two consoles in my very large collection, obviously you need to get some more consoles and games so then you can maybe have a better overview of what videogames are out there. LIKE ME!!!!!!!
27. #27 old-wizard.com says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:46 pm

    “thats the thinking in japan anyway, where they actually know something about videogames, unlike old wizard.”

    Japan knows more than Old-Wizard? I highly doubt it.
28. #28 MARC says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:11 pm

    ” Japan knows more than old wizard? I highly doubt it?”

    They knew enough to create Nintendo and the games you obsess about, so yeah, they do………
29. #29 the REAL zeromage says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:55 pm

    MARC loves wieners
30. #30 StuffGuy says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:52 am

    If you’re going to pick a game from LoZ, make it Ocarina of freakin’ Time!

    Maybe this should be Top 10 2D Games, there’s not a polygon in sight.
31. #31 Frosst says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:54 am

    Halo, GTA series, Gears of War, Metal Gear, Civilization, Tetris, Goldeneye, Doom, Street Fighter, Pirates!, Starcraft, World of Warcraft, Quake, Elder Scrolls, Diable, Starcraft?

    None of these are on your list?
32. #32 Tristan says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:26 am

    (01) Halo
    (02) GTA series
    (03) Gears of War
    (04) Metal Gear
    (05) Civilization
    (06) Tetris
    (07) Goldeneye
    (08) Doom
    (09) Street Fighter
    (10) Pirates!
    (11) Starcraft
    (12) World of Warcraft
    (13) Quake
    (14) Elder Scrolls
    (15) Diablo
    (16) Starcraft

    Yeah, somehow these 16 games didn’t make the top 10? Dumbass.
    None of these are on your list?
33. #33 Unreal_Soldier says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:52 am

    What about the other systems ?

    not a bad list but it is far from whole.
34. #34 old-wizard.com sucks says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    Shitty list. i particulary love all the PC games there.
35. #35 Jake says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

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    [url]http://njdokj.info/aef0f6d09d8d74b03d4a701cacec8498/25ef59b492a9279b0b7cbfd6b638403d[url]
36. #36 MMH says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:14 pm

    I’m 100% behind the choice of LttP as the #1. I’m not sure why there are so many objections to this list, as half of these titles routinely top10 on major gaming sites.

    And who would’ve thought that a site with “wizard” in its name would have a preference for RPGs? >_>
37. #37 RyanB says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

    Contra = #1
38. #38 Flectarn says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    “GTA did INVENT the free-roam, and is therefore a frontrunner”

    3 words for you.

    Streets of SimCity
39. #39 Dav says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:22 am

    Interesting that there is only one game on the list that was not on either the NES or SNES. While those are in my opinion the two best systems of all time, the people here take their fanboyism just a few steps over the limit.
40. #40 James McCloud says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:16 am

    this should be called “Top 10 2D games of all time”
    then i would agree with it
41. #41 Alba says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

    I find this list outstanding- glad to see FF VI, Mana, CT and Link to the Past all put points on the board.

    I think this certainly says much about the type of individual this genre attracts.

    “Old” games discussed here focus heavily on plot, ethics, character development, music composition, aesthetics, social commentary, and problem solving.

    They are games for the intellectual. They take time. They take thought. My current research in this area demonstrates some of the outstanding benefits of engagement in such activities.

    If you’re lacking in these two areas- significant time for a project combined with the sharp mind to do it, go back to playing Halo.

    Dr. XXXXX XXXXXXX
    Professor of Neuroscience
    Stanford University
    450 Serra Mall, Stanford, California 94305
42. #42 Eddy spaggheti westwrn says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:42 am

    no tetris?? Seriously?? If your trying to kick it old school you have to realize that there were other things besides nintendo out there. You have no adventure games on here, no sonic and no tie fighter, oh and you completly left out tetris. i can agree with SOTN but Soul Reaver took Link to the past to new to way better places, and mega man2, while influential, has been done better a thousand times. And if this is trying to be a best of all time list there is no bioshock/systemshock/systemshock2 or Deus Ex or Fallout, wtf!! this is another nintendo fanboy list
43. #43 renee lee says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:35 am

    hi im not your tipical gamer.. but who is?
    your list is ok but for me (a 24 yr old chick who has played various games since i was about 7..)
    1. guitar hero!!
    2. rockband!
    3. the force unleashed
    4.lego star wars complete trilogy of course
    5. sonic the hedgehog (like the sega megadrive series with tails eg sonic 2, sonic and knuckles..)this is what got me hooked on games!!
    6.tomb raider (the old ps1 games, particularly the 1st 1 and the latest ps3 game also)
    7.alex the kid
    8.crash bandicoot!! (again the old ps1 games..)
    9. drakes fortune
    10. tekken series
    sould calibre series is worth a mention too, along with singstar series and parapa the rapper (who else remembers that?)
    and bubble bobble!!
44. #44 John says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:11 pm

    All I see is a list of old games..
45. #45 Stan says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:09 pm

    First time I see a Top 10 list without Ocarina of Time
46. #46 10000spawn says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:44 am

    ico yo
    + shadows of colossus
    + fallout1 & 2
    + hl2
    + rez
    + n
    word
47. #47 Relayer71 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:12 pm

    Secret Of Mana?
48. #48 DekuNutEatingStalfos says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:54 am

    Woah, woah, WOAH! Did you just put Super Mario Bros. above Super Metroid?
    No, I must be seeing things, because that’s just not possible.
49. #49 wtf? says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:16 pm

    omg no donkey kong country? those are the best games ever o.o
50. #50 Razgriz says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    im sorry, but halo? from halo 2 the series sucked. the original was a good game. it had basically never been done before, thats why it was good. ive played every game on this list and i think that they all deserve their places. although i dont agree with the last, (LOZ:MM was a better game) some of the other suggestions were just horrible. i love my pc and 360, but id pick my nes, snes, and n64 over them any day of the week. and any of those square haters, download zsnes (an emulator) and play SOM, LTTP, chrono trigger and ff6 (not ff3). then ull see what old wizard means when he talks about character development. and lapiz? u suck. the main character of GTA3 didnt even have a name. SUCK DONKEY ASS.