• Top 100 Video Games

  

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

  30. Diablo

  This game was scary. Late at night, sitting at my computer, fighting off hordes of demons, goat men, skeletons, and other baddies often led to a night of bizarre dreams and nightmares. Even the way the lights shone out of the church’s windows was creepy. Blizzard basically has three universes that it works in, Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo. Each is unique, detailed and story driven, and no story line is scarier than this one. The dark lord himself, Diablo, has returned and he has brought back some friends.

  The principle of the game was simple; a church in a small town has been invaded by the denizens of hell and you are sent in to take care of the problem. Sort of makes you wonder why you became an exterminator in the first place. In an even more interesting twist it turns out the church was built on top of catacombs, which were built on top of caves, which were built on top of the entrance to hell. If I were the owners I would have sued not only the construction company but also the land developer, architect, and surveyor. I would imagine such a unique area would be hard to miss, but then again it might have been a union job so… Anyway I digress. Like most Blizzard games Diablo was also addicting. Every time you find the stairs to the next level you don’t want to wait till the morning to start hacking your way through. Eventually you kill the dark lord and for some reason plunge some sort of crystal into your head and then wander off. I guess that makes for a good sequel. I never actually finished playing Diablo 2. I can’t remember why.

  29. X-Wing (PC)

  No modern day flight simulator game will ever capture the “feel” of the original Star Wars movies better than the X-Wing games for the PC. The problem with new Star Wars games is that they LOOK GOOD. I know this sounds crazy, but its the same problem I have with the Special Edition of the movies, and the Prequel Trilogy. I’d much rather watch the unmastered versions. The new ones are too polished. Its like I’m watching Star Trek. Star Wars was cool because the ships were dirty, and the characters were all scoundrels. It was a grittier, and almost more realistic vision of space. With the polished Naboo fighters that we see in the new movies we lose that gritty feeling. Same goes with the sleak new video games. The fighter consoles and computers all look too new for a Star Wars ship. If you want to really FEEL like you’re back in the original movies, go play X-Wing for the PC. Along with the B-Wing expansion pack, these are the best Star Fighter games ever made.

  28. Street Fighter 2

  From behind the jet fighter hanger on an air force base, to the streets of China town, this bad ass circle of fighters could be found pummeling each others faces and bodies…For the second time. Matching up against each other for no apparent reason other than to fight bare-fisted, fueled the anger within these timeless characters. Executing power moves derived from their background and heritage, these characters represent intense and mystical fighting in the most entertaining of fashions. Simply put, Street Fighter 2 was a game made for competition. It encouraged two players to battle it out against one another in a one on one death match, fighting each other for pride, bragging rights and more importantly control of the machine. This is perhaps the best fighting game to ever be released on any gaming platform. It also established many genre gameplay standards that persist even to this day: two-in-one combos, quarter-circle-forward and charge motions, along with many others that are still the foundation of many of today’s fighting games. With a simple premise and subtly deep design, Street Fighter 2 established itself as a cultural icon for the youth of the time and easily deserves a spot on this list.

  27. Ninja Gaiden (NES)

  Ninja Gaiden was released in 1988 and developed by the acclaimed “Tecmo”. You hear the signature auditory themes of Tecmo games most conspicuously in Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden though, was known for its constant enjoyment. The controller movements were fluid and the levels were innovative, within the boundaries of a traditional side-scroller. Ninja Gaiden was also the first time there were cut scenes in an NES game, and the cut scenes were well worth the wait unlike the cut scenes in some games that came afterwards. The dialogues in the cut scenes were sophisticated and the emotional gestures of the speakers were believable. Ryu often would be listening with one eye at the speaker, and another behind an enclosed structure, acting all shifty-eyed, and ninja like. Being able to use ninja stars proved to be one of the best surplus items in side-scrolling history. They were quick, powerful and realistic in their delivery. The boss’s were sometimes slightly difficult, but not so difficult that you would stop playing out of fear of never being able to destroy them, like in “Ghouls and Goblins”. The story revolves around Ryu trying to find his father who left Ryu a letter saying he was leaving for an unknown territory to duel an unknown enemy…Yes, the story lines back then were satisfied in the most basic themes. Regardless, the story does develop with its own character, especially in the innovative cut scenes. There would be sequels after this first Ninja Gaiden, and none of them came close to this first one.

  26. Mike Tyson’s Punch Out! (NES)

  Mike Tyson’s Punch Out! is without a doubt, the most popular boxing game ever made. The fighters were filled with loads of character, not to mention diversity between them, which was missing in all boxing games afterwards. While Ring King had boxers who all had the same moves and merely changed skin color, Punchout had fighters from different countries, with different attitudes, and different parlance in belittling little Mac in-between rounds. The game has been played by everyone who has ever held a controller in their hand because of how remarkable the playability of the game was. It was simple, but not so simple that you could easily pass through the game. The gradual difficulty level in the fighters sequenced perfectly, until you faced Tyson, where, with one wink and shuffle, you were on the ground wondering how it’s ever going to be possible to defeat Tyson. Indeed, with courage, disciple, and audacity, he could be defeated, and you can say you knocked down the famous Mike Tyson (at a time when he was actually going past 3 rounds and not practicing cannibalism in the ring). This game continues to be played today by everyone with a computer or old dusty NES sitting in the corner screaming at its owners saying “How can you play all these shitty new games, when you can fight a Russian alcoholic who’s allowed to box under the influence”. Boxing games afterwards always paled in comparison.

  25. Metal Gear (NES)

  Metal Gear for the NES was one of the more memorable games for the ubiquitous system. Made by Konami and released in 1987, this stealth game would advance the possibilities of what games could cover in their still early age. No longer did fighting and spy games have to be 2D-scrollers moving from level to level with no freedom in your tasks. Metal Gear appealed to gamers much of the same way that Zelda did in giving the player complete freedom to move where he wanted; even if he wanted to get lost in areas he couldn’t traverse because of lack of equipment needed in other areas. The sense of largeness in the total space in the Metal Gear world would beleaguer the player into a feeling of grandeur. The amount of weapons that Snake could use was consonant with the map and other complexes you had to visit. Even the boss’s in certain areas would talk back to you like an old spy thriller from the 50’s. Having to answer your radio transmission proved to be yet another memorable aspect of Metal Gear as you could take a small break from your meticulous missions to talk to various comrades and captains about the mission as a whole. Some tasks and enemies did prove difficult not simply because of the hand controller skill in defeating a shifty boss, but having to procure the appropriate weapons to defeat them like the tank in the courtyard that blocked Snake from moving past it. Other tasks involved escaping a prison cell showing how elaborate game playing had become since the earliest console systems. Game playing became much more cerebral after metal gear, something that needed to happen for those who were more cerebral in the first place.

  24. Castlevania (NES)

  When I was 8 years old I remember being at KB toys with my brother and father looking for a game to pick out. I wanted “Breakthrough”, and my brother and father wanted “Castlevania”. I had a hissy fit and ended up having my wish fulfilled when my father purchased Breakthrough. Sometimes its better that wishes don’t come true. This is a perfect example. Castlevania is one of the greatest games ever made. The music is spooky, the enemies are excessively diabolical, and the difficulty level is just right. As Simon Belmont, you travel through Castlevania on search for Dracula at the top doing nothing but sitting in a big red chair drinking wine…or blood…whatever it is…it doesn’t matter. The obstacles in your way prove to be fun and not annoying, like having to pass by spike levers with precision timing. The boss’s prove to be enjoyable battles where having the right auxiliary weapon makes the battle easier. The levels are big and differentiated perfectly between each other. In other words, this game was well thought out. Medusa would stick in your mind after the game, so would the grim reaper. The boss’s and enemies had a colorful character not seen in “haunting” games for the time like the awful “ghouls and goblins”. The Castlevania series would go on to be massively successful, from Castlevania 3, to the enormous Castlevania “Symphony of the night”, which was also one of the greatest games of all time. Everything started here though with this simple, massively entertaining side scroller.

  23. Super Mario World (SNES)

  Super Mario World for the SNES was one of the first games developed for the new system, and showed off all the new advantages of a 16 bit system. Boss’s would fly at your screen taking up the whole screen, 3D imagery stood out from the world map showing much more depth in graphic technology at the time, and worlds were larger with more memory in the cartridges for the new system. Super Mario World utilized all these extras in the jump from 8 Bit to 16 bit. Super Mario World for SNES was mostly like Mario 3 for Nintendo, except there were even more hidden areas to uncover and much more radiant looking enemies to contend with. This game had a style and entertainment value of its own distinguished from previous Mario’s. Yoshi was a great new addition, as you could ride him around and gulp enemies Tony Robins style, along with spewing out fireballs in a quicker fashion than Mario ever could. Also conspicuous in this game was the stereo imaging of the sounds and the music utilized by the new 16 bit technology that made a drastic effect of the mono-auditory technology of the 8 bit NES. Bowser was bigger and better than ever with a massive helicopter shooting projectiles at Mario from all angles. In the end, Super Mario World was another great Mario game with the additions of the new systems technology. The importance of all new Mario games on new Nintendo systems though was that none of the greatness of the original Mario was ever lost, for all the spice and progression of technology. Nintendo understands that what first and foremost makes a good game is creativity and imagination.

  22. Star Tropics (NES)

  Star Tropics was a later game in the history of the NES. It came our at a time when the games for the NES were becoming noticeably worse. Star Tropics though was an absolute success, giving the player the feeling of playing an adventure game on par with Zelda. The story line is top notch involving celestial events like meteor showers and constellations that guide you on the tropical “C-Island” when trying to find where your uncle has gone missing. The story develops with tons of layers manifesting in each area of the island. The game play is just difficult enough to keep the player interested and not disparaged at a difficult boss. The puzzles in this adventure game are equal to the actual fighting; making this more of thinking man’s adventure game than the usual suspects. You are always on your feet in Star Tropics whether it be encountering mystical shamans and dolphins or fighting the islands indigenous marine life. The big payoff in this game though was when you realize that you have to use your actual instruction booklet to help you traverse part of the game. Inside, you saw a blank page that you had to parch in water just enough to find a blue message with information and a code from your uncle on how to move on to open up a space ship. This annexed feature to the game added even more to its spirit and affective force that was felt for a long time even after the game was completed. Like all great games, this game made an impression on the gamer from the unique game play to the often unnoticed quality of the soundtrack. It would not be inappropriate to say that Star Tropics was the last great game for the revolutionary NES.

  21. Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness

  The sequel to Warcraft is infinitely better than the first version, and was what got me hooked to blizzard games. It had better graphics, better units, and a better plot. The best part of the game was the sea units. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than destroying one of the troop transport ships before it got a chance to land. All those drowning soldiers gave me endless joy, which scares me a little. I always loved building a massive navy and just bombarding the shore before launching a ground attack.

  This game was also just plain fun. All the units had funny little one liners if you poked them too many times, and even the buildings looked awesome. The expansion to this game was also great and incredibly difficult. Blizzard is one of the few companies that is able to make a game difficult but preserve the fun as well. In many cases game designers choose one over the other. But blizzard being the great company that they are always takes the time to master every piece of the game before they release it.

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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.