Benny

I hope you like surprises, because we got yer SURPRISES, RIGHT HERE!

 

 

 

95. Puyo Puyo Tetris

 

 

Original format: 3DS/WiiU/Vita/PS3. Released: 2014

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: new entry, number of votes: 5. Voted best game of all time by: bradigor)

 

I’ve never played this or, I have to confess, even heard of it, but it looks like an unholy amalgamation of two of the best puzzle games ever made, which sounds brilliant and I’m going to have to get the Switch version when I finally have one.

 

Here’s what bradigor thinks, as it’s his favourite game of all time:

 

“The top spot in these lists is usually reserved for Tetris on the Gameboy, but after a long hard think, I now prefer this version of the game for ‘pure Tetris’ alone. Then you add in the various modes, the standalone Puyo Puyo and the vs aspect and it is the perfect package for the two best puzzle games of all time. I have owned this on Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita on import and now have the EU Release on PS4 and will also get it on the Switch when I get one of those too.”

 

94. Mario Kart 64

 

 

Original format: N64. Released: 1996

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 94, number of votes: 5.)

 

Hmm. I loved it back in the day, and it was superb in multiplayer mode, but I can only assume including it now is down to nostalgia, as there is a certain title available now that makes it completely redundant… But nevertheless, here is what I said in 2015:

 

“Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how loyal you were to Sega), I had a Megadrive rather than a SNES growing up, so most of the SNES titles I played were either played at a friend’s or discovered later. The upshot of this was that Mario Kart 64 was my first introduction to Mario Kart. And what a glorious introduction it was: despite the investment into four N64 controllers for it being bloody expensive, gathering around with four friends (or eventual enemies) to shout, scream and share in the unbridled joy of fucking someone up with a blue shell is something this game can still deliver, decades after release. It built the foundations for every other follow up to refine into perfection.”

 

93. Crusader Kings 2

 

 

Original format: PC. Released: 2012

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: new entry, number of votes: 4.)

 

I absolutely adore grand strategy games, and for this reason have spent countless hours on the Civilization series. I usually try to keep abreast of what is going on in the strategy sphere, but this is one title I have never heard of until now! Suddenly a new game is added to my must play list…

 

Here is a more knowledgeable Danster to explain:

 

“This was a surprise to me, it really was. Bought on a whim after recommendation from a friend I promptly fell in love, as did my king. Based in and around the 11th and 12th centuries CKII is a game of dynasties. Your goal? To continue your family line and increase its power by breeding, selecting, cajoling, conquering,  making pacts, strategic marriages, assassinations, throwing parties, spying... all the trappings of a 4x game by the masters of 4x Paradox with an added twist. I never ever thought I'd sit and scroll through lists of princesses that are suitable matches for my heir. Oh clever and a good spy? Ah but she is going to be lustful and jealous too, hmmmm. Oh crap I forgot to throw a feast for Christmas! And what's this? The French are invading?? But we're cousins you idiot!”

 

 

92. Halo: Reach

 

 

Original format: Xbox360. Released: 2010

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: new entry, number of votes: 5. Voted best game of all time by: K)

 

You’d better get used to the surprise entries in this list. I long since fell out of love with the Halo series ever since the second one, but K adores Halo Reach, and you can feel his enthusiasm all over what he says here:

 

“A love letter to a game series and to a fictional planet, Reach evokes the feel of a world at war better than anything, apart possibly from The World At War. Short of an Olivier voiceover, it’s difficult to see what else Bungie could have done to bring the world alive – as it is, it takes you from desolate mountain farms, through desert skirmishes all the way into orbit, showing you whole battlefields glowing like coals amidst the tropical storms and scattered glitter of coastal cities. The single player was practically perfect; the multiplayer was kind of scuppered by the faddy nature of Xbox Live – a year after release, it wasn’t uncommon to see triple figure player numbers in team deathmatch playlists – but the infinite replayability and infinite carnage of Firefight mode kept the game alive. It’s difficult to envisage a more complete package than Halo Reach.

I guess the main thing I love about it is the sense of place, and the sheer scope - it feels like they pushed the Halo combat and environments as far as they could go. I love the rainy, lonely mountain environments of the first level, the glacial moraine of the second, and the moody cities from later on.  The story is trash, but the actual setting and sense of participating in a global conflict is unparalleled.”

 

 

91. WarioWare, Inc

 

 

Original format: GBA. Released: 2003

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: new entry, number of votes: 6.)

 

Finally a game I’ve actually played! A new entry to the list, now we can talk about why this game deserves to be here and how criminal it was that it wasn’t in the 2015 list.

 

The basic concept: take hundreds of “micro” games that emulate the basic actions that you would perform to play any number of a multitude of other games from all history, distilled down into the very essence of minute to minute gameplay, and fire them at you constantly every few seconds, speeding up the requirement for your reactions the better you do at them, and wrap it all in Nintendo’s most whimsical and humorous presentation ever.

 

It’s so much more than the sum of its parts: both a celebration of Nintendo and general gaming history and a love letter to every single second of frustration and elation that has been experienced by every gamer, on both the most tedious and epic of tasks at the very core of the mechanics of every single game ever made.

 

It’s metatextual on more levels than nearly every other game could only dream of, and it’s an essential gaming artifact that should be remembered for decades.

 

Summed up by @Jolly: "Wario isn't an evil Mario. If Mario's your best friend, Wario is your drug-addled mate Mad Dave. Probably not the kind of person you want to live with, but fuck me he's a lot of fun to be around."

Are you all sitting comfortably? Then let us begin... THE TOP 100.

 

 

 

100. Pokemon Red/Blue

 

 

Original format: Game Boy. Released: 1996

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 60, number of votes: 6.)

 

A huge drop for everyone’s favourite animal abuse simulator. Here’s what I said in 2015:

 

“Here we have what is perhaps Nintendo’s finest RPG ever made. My introduction to the series was actually the Gold/Silver iteration, but the original release is the best on balance, just because you are in with a decent chance of actually catching ‘em all and still holding down jobs/school/relationships/life essence.

 

With more freedom than that offered by many Japanese RPGs, you are essentially left to your own devices to complete the game’s objective however you see fit, while giving a sound thrashing to the in-game trainers and any of your friends that were sucked into it with you. I mean who needs a social life when everyone you know has this instead, right?

 

The franchise shows no sign of slowing down either, with each installment an essential purchase for fans and captivating generation upon generation of children and adults with that special Nintendo magic.”

 

And sith said this year:

 

“Like WoW, these games were digital crack. I remember my grades dropping drastically during the first 6 months of release, cue several stern letters being sent home from school, these games were worth all the telling offs in the world. Everyone I knew was hooked and we were all competing to be the best. This was of time of no easy access to online guides or cheats so I worked out everything for myself. My yellow team of Mewtwo, Charizard, Gyrados, Articuno, Vileplume and Dragonite all at level 100 was unstoppable. I destroyed everyone in my high-school and was truly proud of myself. Who needed girls back then!”

 

 

 

99. F-Zero X

 

 

Original format: N64. Released: 1998

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 44, number of votes: 6.)

 

Why do you hate speed? Dropping down massively despite what I said in 2015:

 

“beating the Gamecube installment, F-Zero X is perhaps one of the finest racing games ever made.

 

The one thing Nintendo were clearly thinking during this game’s development was: is it going fast enough? No? Then reduce the polygons! Still not fast enough? Reduce the resolution! Still not fast enough? Take away all the textures! Still not fast enough? Send our lawyers on a plane to Oxford to get them to rewrite the definition of speed in the dictionary, at gunpoint. (That’s Nintendo’s lawyers for you.)

 

So with a game so fast, how can you control it? With difficulty, that’s what, and yet the carefully considered controls are in typical Nintendo fashion an absolute pleasure to wrestle with, with almost as much deftness required on some tracks as that required to navigate a course in Super Monkey Ball.

 

F-Zero X isn't really a racing game - it’s art.”

 

 

 

98. Grand Theft Auto III

 

 

Original format: PS2. Released: 2001

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 65, number of votes: 5.)

 

It’s getting on a bit these days, but still has some incredible freedom that you don’t tend to get in many games. I said in 2015:

 

“The best of the 3D GTAs? Maybe. Though it does not have the distinctive style of Vice City, or the refined controls of later installments in the series, this is the last Grand Theft Auto game to still offer the truly freeform play that was introduced in the first two games in the series (the second of which was in some ways my favourite GTA game, so Chinatown Wars was a great diversion).”

 

And Sun Tze says: “Still the most amazing GTA experience for me. Love this and Vice City pretty much equally and think every subsequent sequel lost something when it came to the most important aspects: avatar and vehicle control. This was the soundtrack with songs you had forgotten about instead of a collection of greatest hits. Always liked that.”

 

97. Silent Hill 2

 

 

Original format: PS2. Released: 2001

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 62, number of votes: 5.)

 

You still can’t put a measure on this level of horror. It’s as creepy now as it ever was. Here’s what I said last time:

 

“Probably one of the most unsettling, scary and brilliantly written games ever made. I'm getting creeped out just typing about it.

 

I have to admit these kinds of games have never been particularly my cup of tea, as they can get too intense for me, but that just shows how brilliant Silent Hill 2 is, as no game has really come close to reaching the same level of psychological horror. I actually had to watch it being played through by someone else and that was bad enough…

 

The team that created the Silent Hill series seem to be able to tap into a deep and dark part of the psyche, and to be honest, despite being unlikely to play it myself or the resulting game that was now canned, the fact Konami removed PT and halted what was being worked on after that preview is just the stupidest, most rubbish thing ever. Or maybe sparing us the horror was for our own good in the end?

 

Either way, brrrr.”

 

Down by Law says: “As far as storytelling in games goes this was light years ahead of everything else at that time. The gameplay's a bit creaky and dates but the atmosphere, soundtrack and script still impress”

 

 

96. Valkyria Chronicles

 

 

Original format: PS3. Released: 2008

(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 90, number of votes: 5.)

 

Now recently remastered with a stunning looking HD release, this is still a wonderfully charming game with its own unique feel.

 

“I really hate Anime weirdness with a passion, so this comes as the highest praise I can give in some ways when I say that DESPITE this game having a large amount of that, I absolutely loved it, warts and all. It probably helps that the game is also an excellent strategy RPG with a very interesting real time/turn based battle system, that manages to capture the feel of being in a war zone being pelted by enemy fire while also allowing for the tactical scope and relaxing interaction of turn based titles.

 

The art style is exceptional and the game looks like you’re taking part in a high budget Anime series (for good or ill), not just visually but in terms of the breadth and quality of the characters. And there are so many characters to unlock throughout the game that you will likely get quite attached to your own little hand-picked team…

 

There is just a sheer exuberance to the game which will come as no surprise to Skies of Arcadia fans, as this shares a director with that game. We may not have a sequel to Skies of Arcadia, which is criminal, but in many ways this is the next best thing.”

The Complete Top 200

 

Jump to the writeups and pretty pictures:

100-96

95-91

90-86

85-81

80-76

75-71

70-66

65-61

60-56

55-51

50-46

45-41

40-36

35-31

30-26

25-21

20-16

15-11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

BONUS ROUND 1

BONUS ROUND 2

BONUS ROUND 3

3

2

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1

SPECIAL AWARDS PAGE

FORMAT WAR AWARDS

FORUMITE AWARDS

THE ONE FAN AWARDS

CHARACTER AWARDS

GENRE AND GAME OF THE YEAR AWARDS

 

SHAMEFUL OMISSIONS

STATS

 

EDGE TOP 100 COMPARISON

 

All the scores are now tallied, with over 100 forumites casting their votes for over 600 games. There are an absolute tonne of amazing games that have only just missed the list, so to honour that here are the 10 runners up that only just didn’t make it.

 

Runners Up (110-101):

 

 

10. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

 

 

Original format: PS4. Released: 2016
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A, number of votes: 6.)

 

A surprisingly low ranking to what was the game of 2016 for many, Uncharted 4 sees Naughty Dog pulling out all the stops to produce what may be one of the most exhilarating roller coaster rides in gaming history. A technical masterpiece, with scripting and character work clearly showing the experience they gained from working on The Last of Us, Uncharted 4 sets the bar for action gaming incredibly high. Is it considered by Rllmuk to be the high point in the series? We’ll see.

 

 

 

9. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

 

 

Original format: Wii U. Released: 2014
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A, number of votes: 5.)

 

Gaming historians can now all agree that the original Donkey Kong Country was never a case of graphics over gameplay, and Shigeru Miyamoto himself has long since said he was wrong to suggest it. But how did the modern remake fare? Well, Retro Studios show an intrinsic understanding of what made the originals great, with a technical flare that made for stunning platforming set pieces. It can only make one wonder, what could Retro Studios achieve if they returned to the Metroid franchise in 2D…?

 

 

 

8. Final Fantasy IX

 

 

Original format: PSX. Released: 2000
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 79, number of votes: 4.)

 

Sadly dropping out of the top 100, but still loved by many. Here’s what I said in 2015:

 

“One of the most charming entries in the Final Fantasy series and a last hurrah for it on the original Playstation. Compared to the previous Playstation installments, there was no real main character, and none of the agsty bollocks that went along with the last one at that (cheer up Squall, Rinoa is totes into you for fooks sake). The character designs also harked back to much earlier final fantasy games, and every single one was as lovable as the next.

 

The story focus would sometimes switch regularly between the characters with a system Square called Active Time Events, which in practice was a way of splitting up characters but showing events from different perspectives throughout the story - it often felt in this way like a much more grand narrative than typical Final Fantasy games, simply by using this framing device to give you many pieces of the overall story at once.

 

Final Fantasy IX also returned to the earlier games in the series for its battle system inspiration, allowing you to define classes to character to fill specific roles, and in this way felt far more customisable and with I would argue deeper mechanics than the previous Playstation installments. The built in card game Tetra Master is a bit more complex and confusing than the one in Final Fantasy VIII I think, but I found it much more fun to play, and is a welcome returning element to the gameplay. Nobuo Uematsu returns for the soundtrack also, which is still one of the best you will find in any game.”

 

 

 

7. Fez

 

 

Original format: Xbox 360. Released: 2012
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A, number of votes: 5.)

 

I could have sworn this made it into the 2015 list, but perhaps it was another close one. Which is a shame, because Fez is one of the most interesting games ever made. The construction of every level feels like a work of twisted genius that would have made any other designer weep. But somehow this staggering auteur work holds together and gets your brain to think in new and flabbergasting ways.

 

 

 

6. Outrun 2

 

 

Original format: Arcade. Released: 2003
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 99, number of votes: 5.)

 

Falling just a few places bumping it out off the top 100. I still never managed to play it. No-one did a writeup for it this year so here’s what Treble said in 2015:

 

“Thanks to the wonderful S0L and the Sumo Digital team, this is a game as amazing on all its home platforms as it is in the arcade. Whether you’re talking boggo OR2 or its feature-stuffed v2.0 release in C2C, SEGA’s mini-renaissance (with this and After Burner Climax) brought back the fun, the immediacy and the blue skies it had so desperately been missing for many, many years. OutRun 2 is both an homage to the original and a reinvigoration; a template – cut from crystal – for how to treat your intellectual property. Whether you want to sharpen your skill and compete against the clock, score points or just cruise through a sun-filled wonderland in a supercar, OR2 is an amusement park ride on your best day, every time you switch it on.”

 

 

 

5. Elite Dangerous

 

 

Original format: PC. Released: 2014
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A, number of votes: 5.)

 

Ah Elite… What an amazing experience it was and still is. I never thought I would play a game that I could have described as majestically boring, but that’s exactly what Elite Dangerous is. The concept is essentially the same as the original Elite: fly your spaceship between various star systems, buying and selling goods, getting into scraps with pirates and trying not to get blown up by the police or smear yourself all over the walls of space stations you are trying to dock with. But it’s the feel of everything that makes it so good. I would say it’s almost imperative to play the game with a proper flight stick setup if able, as the game is designed absolutely to live up to those sim like elements. I have not played it in VR, but I’m reliably informed it makes it the greatest experience ever made. But even without that, it’s the masterful and unique control of each ship, including the unbelievable sound design that makes going from star to star a wonderful, occasionally relaxing, sometimes stressful, beautiful journey.

 

 

 

4. Wii Sports

 

 

Original format: Wii. Released: 2006
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A, number of votes: 5. Voted best game of all time by: DC LEMON)

 

Quite staggering that this never made the previous list, as it has so many fans. DC LEMON seemed to love it as well as it was his number 1, though he never mentioned why… It’s easy to see the appeal though: a fantastic selection of party games that can be played by everyone with no previous gaming experience or any need to learn how to hold a joypad. For this reason alone Wii Sports is one of the most important games ever made, and it sold bucketloads. It’s also superb fun.

 

 

 

3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

 

 

Original format: Game Boy. Released: 1993
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: 33, number of votes: 6.)

 

A massive and unfortunate drop in the rankings for one of Link’s finest outings. Here’s what I said in 2015:

 

“One of the most tightly and cleverly designed Zeldas I have ever played, even more so perhaps than A Link to the Past!

It doesn’t take long to get going either, with the opening scenes incredibly short and to the point, and it doesn’t take long to get a hold of your sword for the first time and start slashing away at all the grass for those sweet sweet rupees. Future 3D Zeldas completely fail in this regard, as usually you are forced to complete all sorts of bullshit before this simple pleasure is no longer denied to you.

 

The sheer charm and humour in all the characters and enemies you meet is wonderful, and there are many little nods to other Nintendo titles. Dialog is also mercifully short and to the point, keeping the pace of the game just right for a portable title, but which to be honest would benefit the game’s bigger console siblings.

 

Perhaps one of the finest examples of how a game can be an utterly epic and absorbing adventure with the barest minimum of pixels and musical bars, shaming all flashy modern story driven games.“

 

 

 

2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

 

 

Original format: Wii. Released: 2011
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A, number of votes: 3.)

 

A highly controversial Zelda title, it probably pissed off as many people as it utterly enchanted. This division in opinion is down almost entirely to how well players got on with its new and entirely unforgiving control system, where your movements with your controller directly mirrored Link’s sword, extending this into puzzles and combat requiring highly precise movements. For those that it worked for however, and barring a few other strange design decisions, this was an absolute joy. The characters are some of the most joyful ever created for a Zelda game, and when the combat works the feeling of being the protagonist is difficult to match. This was also the first Zelda title to feature fully orchestrated music in the style of Mario Galaxy, which gave it a wonderful epic feel.

 

 

 

 

1. Bayonetta

 

 

Original format: Xbox 360/PS3. Released: 2009
(2015 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A, number of votes: 6.)

 

Another odd omission from the 2015 list, it didn’t quite make the top 100 but here is its moment of glory. I never actually played the game to any great extent, but from what I did experience I could tell it was going to replace Devil May Cry 3 in many people’s eyes as the perfect evolution of games in this style. The single fact that the combos are not rigidly defined, as you can cancel out of anything and string them together in any way that you see fit, elevates this game to almost a performance art in the right hands. That alone is enough to make it worth trying, regardless of its presentation.

 

NEXT TIME: THE TOP 100 BEGINS!

 

 

2015 list here: