• Top 100 Video Games

  

  Written by Zeromage 226 Comments
  Last Updated:: February 1, 2009

  10. Pac-Man

  Over the course of my quasi-centurion life I have dabbled with various substances to no true good effect. My brain being semi-addled as it is, it still doesn’t help me answer the question: “What the hell is Pac-man?” Off the bat you are playing as a 2-D profile of the Wal-Mart smiley, traveling through a darkened labyrinth consuming balls while being chased by four coloured specters. As if that wasn’t trippy enough the specters each have different names. Despite the flashback-inducing imagery, the game 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.

  9. The 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…

  8. Donkey Kong Country

  Rare took the Donkey Kong brand name and transformed it into one of the strongest adventure games for the 16 bit medium. In DKC, you had the freedom to move back and forth between levels and play multifarious side games. Meeting your family along the way proved to be a creative and imaginative leap for the Donkey Kong. Getting to talk to DK’s cranky grandfather or his cool surfin’ buddy gave the DK brand name pizzazz and nuanced not seen in any adventure game before, let along the Donkey Kong series. DKC was also a big leap in terms of graphics. Rare took traditional 16-bit graphics and made them into the most innovative graphics for the 16-bit era. Donkey Kong looked as colorful and animated as ever throwing barrels and pouncing on chompers. Rare took an already successful series and made it even more successful, an accolade which is recognized in our top 5 video game developers of all time.

  7. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS)

  Who stops playing this game once they have started? Maybe when one is deleteriously affected by looking at a screen too long? Maybe when one wants to go out into the actual wilderness and pretend to be a bounty hunter? For those who are fans of Super Metroid, this is its brother. Similar in layout and theme, this game stands out as one of the best games ever made for Playstation. The map is large, the story is large, the game is a monster. Just when you think you have obviated Dracula’s castle, the whole thing turns upside down, and you realize that your just 50% of the way through. The bosses are some of the most innovative bosses to come out of the Castlevania series, and of course, there’s the Soundtrack by the renowned Michiru Yamane which is often played live at concerts in Europe by the demand of those who realize the power in the techno/symphonic pieces. The Castlevania series is never wrong. It’s always just a question of which one is the best.

  6. Super Metroid (SNES)

  The only bad thing about Super Metroid for the SNES are the hand cramps you will get from playing it so much. In Super Metroid, the successor to Metroid for Nintendo and Gameboy, we see Samus back on Zebes fighting old enemies from her prior outing; Craid and Ridely are back, not to mention the plethora of new space pirates trying to get a lock of Samus’s flowing hair. The suspense of this game has been unmatched by any other. As you are about to fight Craid, the music in the room before changes to the somberness of a Beethoven Sonata, and you come across a previous journeyman being eaten up by space insects. This type of engagement with the player is often lost in the “high-tech” musings of current video game makers. Between the valence of the soundtrack and the emotional ending where “you-know-who” comes to save you, you are in for a one of the most amazing video game experiences of your life. When playing this game for the first time, know that you will never be able to play it for the first time again…

  5. Final Fantasy 3 (USA) (NES)

  What can 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.

  4. Chrono Trigger (SNES)

  The theme music for 600.AD is perhaps the most recognized RPG theme in RPG history. Hit up Youtube now and you will find variegated renditions, from the simple piano mimicry, to obscure oboe afflatuses. This is just the music though…There’s also the game…made by “Sqauresoft”, which means it’s impossible that it wasn’t a great game. The theme of Chrono Trigger was arguably the best, most thought out idea for any RPG ever made. Taking advantage of the idea of the chronology of actual world history, you were to adventure across every span of the world’s totality, even to the “end of time” which gave you goose bumps knowing you were on the brink of timelessness. The creators of this game must have been reading Hegel before and during the development in this game, as creating a game with the theme of personally following out the logic of history, was surely an ode to Hegel’s essential philosophical insights. Philosophy aside, this game was effulgent and munificent in its delivery. The entire game, you think that the last boss is Magus, until you beat him and realize that he becomes one of the members of your party. Its here you realize how much time you spent playing this game, and how much more time you will have to spend to get at the real ending. Like all great RPG’s, this game had a series of fake endings, where you could play the game 15 hours and get a bad ending with the world being destroyed, to be completely unsatisfied in your “accomplishment” up to that point. The realization that you have more times to explore with their own massive story lines in these lands led to a feeling of grandiosity, the hallmark of all square soft games. Chrono Trigger is up there with Final Fantasy 3 and Secret of Mana as some of the best accomplishments in gaming history. It’s with this knowledge that one then wants to understand what was going on in the minds of the creators of these games. To make games like this required inspiration and muse not needed in modern game making that merely requires “sex appeal”. Video games did have a golden age. Chrono Trigger represents that golden age…

  3. Starcraft

  Starcraft is incredible on every level. An epic battle between the mindless overlords of the Zerg, the superior technology of the Protoss, and the corrupt government of the Terrans. We here at OW must have played this game for years of our lives. In fact DM and I used to play in high school during our CAD class. This game was also incredibly addicting many a night I said one more level, five or six times before passing out face down on my keyboard. Only to find that my base was leveled and I need to start again.

  We all have fond memories of waiting for the dial up to connect so we could duke it out on battle net. At the time I was a master of the zergling rush. They were definitely my favorite s. I’ve always been a huge fan of the borg or mindless species with genius overlords the zerg were perfect. Plus the whole plot twist with Kerrigan becoming the queen of blades and overthrowing the overmind was even more awesome. Here at OW we are all very excited about Starcraft 2. In our opinion this is the Blizzard’s best universe.

  2. Super Mario Brothers 3

  Ask most people what their favorite Super Mario Brothers game is and more than likely they’ll tell you that its Super Mario Brothers 3, and with good reason. This game is packed with tons of power ups, from the almost useless frog suit, to my own personal favorite, the Tanooki Suit. The game is also packed with so many different types of levels, varying from desert worlds to ice worlds, that you’d think you were in the Star Wars galaxy traveling from Tatoonie to Hoth. But this variety of power ups and levels isn’t the only reason this game is loved by millions. Its the little things. Like a level where you get to ride around in a giant shoe and actually stomp on spinys (tell me you haven’t wanted to do that since you first saw them in SMB1). Or a the massive number of secrets in the game like the treasure ships and white mushroom huts. This game was truly epic from beginning to end, making it one of the best video games of all time.

  1. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

  It’s difficult to rate a game over its predecessors…the predecessors that established the series as popular in the first place. Zelda 1 and Zelda 2 were both amazing games and were the first in the series that brought adventure gaming to the forefront of the gaming industry. Nonetheless, there are times when a game is so good, it takes precedence over its own founding. Super Metroid is one of those games, Zelda: Link to the Past is the other. Link to the Past walked the thin line between maturity and puerility better than any game in adventure and RPG game history. The story line develops with a slightly tragic sense that never overbears the actual gameplay. The map is big, but not so big that one is overwhelmed with the sheer time it’s going to take to run through the game. The game is perfectly thought out. The transition from the light world to the dark world with the “mirror” gives a perfect level of puzzle solving in changing worlds to affect the other world when need be. The graphics are sometimes stunning, like the forest area with the gentle mist passing over the area until Link recovers the Master Sword inside. The top of the mountains radiate with powerful backgrounds of lighting and vistas, and the towns are detailed with a type of quaintness that other games simply skimp on. Most of the musical score for “Link to the past” have been used by every Zelda game afterwards, even more so than the original, ubiquitous motif of Zelda 1. This game delivers on all levels of what makes great games. Those not into adventure games find themselves enjoying this game regardless, because of its simplicity and not having to wait through hours of dialogue to know what they need to do next. Those into adventure games love this game because of all the palpable fantasy themes reoccurring throughout. “Link to the Past” is the best example of a game that transcends all tastes in video gaming.

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226 Comments

1. #1 Bladerunner says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

   Terrible list imo.I realise this list is your opinion, and i respect that. Im just pointing out that my opinion differs from yours vastly

   1) Its a whore-fest of old games, lots of true modern classics were ignored. No half life 1,2, gta, resident evil, call of duty, fallout, civilization? Seriously???!!

   2) Toe jam and earl? give me a break….

   3) Not a single fricking N64 game? Majoras mask?! Mario 64?! Goldeneye?! Perfect dark?! OCARINA OF TIME?!!!!!! sheesh

   3) Just ONE ps2 game in the entire list? no shadow of the colossus? no okami? no gran turismo? no god of war? OMG

   4) Correct me if im wrong, but i dont think i saw a single racing game in there… wtf?

   I do agree with most of the top 20 though. Chrono trigger, Castlevania:SOTN, Zelda LTTP…. epic games
2. #2 Dopeycunt says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 9:36 pm

   Seems like the author does not have a whole lot of experience playing catalogs of games on different systems, and probably stuck to Nintendo systems when he was a kid. Only the big-name (obvious) Sega titles are here, and a distinct lack of PSX, XBox, and PC games.
3. #3 Wolf says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 10:12 am

   …dodgeball beat DigDug?
   already bad things happening and im only on page 1
4. #4 Wolf says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 10:20 am

   Ducktales made the top 20?…
5. #5 dude says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 12:19 am

   while this list may not be well rounded (at all), it makes for a pretty good reference on which old roms I should be investing my time in.
6. #6 pd says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

   so your saying nhl 94 and a dodgeball game are better then say castlevania iv and contra 3 bullshit and there two games off the top of my head.
7. #7 Justin says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:45 am

   I didn’t know N64 was such a crappy system.LOL.What an ass list and an ass website. Terrible what you are putting into these viewer’s heads.
8. #8 Justin says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:50 am

   Oh and I also forgot to LOL @ having Madden 2004 on there without NFL 2k5.Props for putting Star Craft on there though,best game ever made.
9. #9 Azelfknight says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 8:44 pm

   Zelda 2 is the worst Zelda ever…just saying.

   This list is okay, but with way to many old ripoffs of each other in the platforming department. A link to the past is one of my favorite games and glad others recognize it too, but so many good game aren’t on this list that it makes me shake my head. Here are games that deserve more credit, in no order, Halo, Ocarina of Time, Fallout 3, WOW, Mario Kart 64, and more…
10. #10 pelham123 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    It’s nice to see a more personal top 100 list for a change, an enjoyable read. Cheers!
11. #11 Fedricco Rabaya says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    Hey people can someone tell me the Mario game when the story is about a dream of Mario? There are 4 characters to choose from: MArio, Luigi, Princess and the Mushroom kid.
12. #12 Salo says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    Super Mario 2.
13. #13 nick says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:56 pm

    good list, but you guys really need to play golden sun.