Benny

Fuck it, here's the next two. I think you all know what's coming up next...

3. Super Mario 64

Original format: Nintendo 64. Released: 1996

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 3. Number of votes: 26. Voted best game of all time by: el Croux, Colonel Panic, Seven and alexander)

Back when the Nintendo 64 launched, it was already more expensive than the Playstation, which had been out for a little while and had some great games. To really push the system, Nintendo needed something revolutionary, something so completely mind bogglingly brilliant that it made everything else that came before it seem clunky and hard to control.

Enter Mario 64.

Introducing so many industry firsts it’s exhausting: full 3D platforming with working camera controls being the icing on the cake.

The full freedom of movement afforded by the analog controls made games like Tomb Raider seem old fashioned and limited - this was how 3D games were meant to play. Picking it up now, it is still a lesson in how to get so many things right first time, and while 3D cameras in games have actually come on in leaps and bounds since then, the fact that it took every other developer perhaps almost a decade to eventually catch up speaks volumes.

That’s all very well from a historical perspective, but does it still really hold up today? The answer is yes, oh absolutely yes.

Playing the game today is still as much of a joy as it ever was when jumping and skipping through those first delirious moments outside Peach Castle - a subtle training ground to let the player get used to the controls in their own time and with gay abandon, whether scaling the trees dotted around or going for a relaxing swim in the moat.

Every level is infused with the sheer genius Miyamoto was already famous for for the previous Mario games, and the fact that it made the transition to 3D with all the charm intact is staggering.

The wild flights of fancy seen in the Galaxy titles may not exist here, but there is a consistency of quality throughout the entire game that just keeps expanding as you uncover more secrets, levels and beautiful moments of wonder.

It has not aged, and has arguably only because more impressive over time for how few games have matched it.

Perhaps the greatest 3D platformer ever made. (I’m still thinking Galaxy but you all have spoken!)

2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Original format: Nintendo 64. Released: 1998

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 4. Number of votes: 29. Voted best game of all time by: Benny, JohnnyNolan, Made of Ghosts, Ryan, Triple A, krenzler, ymaohyd and *chin*)

If Super Mario 64 is what 3D could achieve as applied to something like Super Mario World, then Ocarina of Time is what happened when Nintendo thought how they could do this for A Link to the Past.

From the first moments you wake up in Kokiri Village and run out into the clearing surrounded by fireflies, Ocarina of Time transports you to a world of more unprecedented detail, charm, and character than anyone has ever managed to instill in any other game ever made, either in the Zelda series, or other Nintendo titles.

Every single location is a joy to explore, with more hidden secrets, characters and mini games than other games could dream of. It has such an abundance of overflowing ideas that it’s easy to see why there was so much material left for Majora’s Mask.

The controls for their time were something of a revelation, with the auto jumping and the brilliantly implemented z-targeting system (as a way of getting around the problems of sword fighting in a 3D space) that was aped but many other games since, and Link felt as much an extension of yourself as was possible at the time, and it still impresses with its simplicity.

The dungeon design is also second to none, with pacing absolutely spot on throughout (Water Temple notwithstanding) and their layouts, puzzles and atmosphere has not been bettered in any other game, even Nintendo’s own Zelda titles.

There is just something indefinable about the feel of Ocarina of Time, even when compared to other Zelda games, it has a magical and timeless quality to it that still gives one goosebumps when seeing the opening title screen again, even today.

The greatest action adventure, and the best game ever made. Oh wait… or is it?

Enjoy.

6. The Last of Us

Original format: Playstation 3. Released: 2013

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 23. Voted best game of all time by: Down by Law)

There are a few games on this list I decided specifically I had to play so I could give my own thoughts, and The Last of Us is one of them.

Does it live up to the hype? Well, not in all respects, but in some ways it actually exceeds it. It takes a while for the story to get going, but this is to the game’s advantage, as so few stories in games take the time to truly flesh out their characters or indulge in significant world building.

The sheer detail in every environment of the game from the abandoned cityscapes to the absolutely peerless sound design (this deserves special mention as it might be some of the most immersive sound work I’ve come across in a game), creates a world that feels tangibly real in a way that has only been reached a scant few times in the past, such as in the stark beauty of Half Life 2’s wastelands or Red Dead Redemption’s vast prairies.

It is perhaps a shining example of both how far games have come and yet how far they have yet to go. Borrowing gameplay and set piece elements from other genre milestones such as Resident Evil 4, Manhunt, and the Uncharted series, it is often a game that struggles to match it’s extremely solid and satisfying gameplay mechanics up to the requirements of its own world immersion, as characters that have been given so much flesh and blood and feeling outside of gunfights become invisible ghosts ignored by enemies when trying to sneak past them. It is a compromise made to remove potential gameplay frustrations, though in practice the gulf between interactivity and narrative conceits is made that much more stark, especially when you enter some new areas and see so many chest high objects strewn around in ways that seem especially forced - which admittedly is only a problem for those used to the ubiquity of these mechanics - and at odds with the organic nature of nearly everything else in the environment design.

It is in some ways because of these small niggles that The Last of Us is shown to be such a staggering achievement, as they are the only blemishes on what is otherwise something so truly out of this world in its overall execution that it has set a high bar in gaming experiences for both what is possible in story driven gameplay experiences, what should be possible, and what should be built upon.

Above all else, The Last of Us is about going on a long unforgettable journey, with companions you come to care about, and what better way to tell such a story than by being able to make that journey with them.

The greatest interactive movie game ever made.

5. Halo: Combat Evolved

Original format: Xbox. Released: 2001

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 2. Number of votes: 22. Voted best game of all time by: Jon and APM)

Ah Halo. Though I didn’t get into the sequels much, I think that was partly down to the fact that the campaign mode in the original Halo did everything so well, and felt so absolutely right, that none of the other entries in the series have ever matched it since.

Even ignoring the many gameplay elements it used that have been copied endlessly since: recharging shields, two weapon restriction, co-op campaign play, Halo managed to somehow just get every element of the whole game working so deliciously and perfectly together that it was one of the most addictive games ever made, even in single player.

The way the enemies interacted with the player was something that had never been done to such an incredibly emergent extent before, and it’s still possible to play the game today and be surprised at how they interact and respond to various threats and situation. Every single combat encounter would unfold in new and surprising ways, often no matter how many times you restarted a section or played through the game again.

And play through it again and again you would, because the sheer unbelievable brilliance of levels like The Silent Cartographer was enough to keep you coming back to it, and the desire to become a god at combat despite the unpredictable nature of every firefight was a strongly addictive brew that made the game seem to posses some sort of diabolical infinite longevity, such were the imagined possibilities.

And it didn’t stop there - the multiplayer mode allowed for 4 player fps gaming on consoles with a compulsion not seen since Goldeneye, and while subsequent entries in the Halo series may have improved upon this aspect (while losing perhaps a lot of the single player appeal), no-one can forget their matches in the original game. These were battles fought with the skill acquired through hundreds of campaign mode hours, which could only have happened due to the sheer quality oozing from every pore of the package.

The greatest First Person Shoot-em-up ever made.

4. Super Mario World

Original format: SNES. Released: 1990

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 6. Number of votes: 23. Voted best game of all time by: suzzopher, sith, Fuddle and Fry Crayola)

I never played Super Mario World until quite late, as I was a Megadrive kid back in the day. But owing to the wonders of the Gameboy Advance, this tragedy was soon put right…

If Super Mario Bros 3 hinted at the potential Shigeru Miyamoto had to be one of the single greatest designers in the history of the gaming medium, Super Mario World is the game to alleviate all doubts.

There are many games which could be described as clever, genius even, but Super Mario World has so many levels of pure fun, frustration, curiosity and delight that it’s almost absurd.

There is just something utterly magical about the way every level is so different and yet perfect a creation and yet fits in so brilliantly among all the others, with ideas and little touches overlapping throughout in new and interesting ways.

The design of the characters has not aged one bit, and there is a subtle humour in every single sprite and interaction throughout that even Nintendo themselves have yet to match.

The joy of discovery is one of the most powerful feelings that videogames can evoke, above all others, and Super Mario World is one of the finest examples in games of this one concept being at the forefront of its design ethos, if not perhaps the finest.

The greatest 2D platformer ever made.

These days, if you say something bad about Anita Sarkeesian, you get arrested and thrown in jail.

I'm back! I always seem to be trying to update this when I've got a mental amount of things to sort out including in this case moving again, but here are the next four entries for your pleasure. I'm going to be updating the next 4, then 3, then 2, then of course number 1, just for fun and also because there is one on the list which I haven't actually played yet but I want to form my own opinion of before I write about it, just so I can have all the top 10 in my own words. Anyway, at long last here are the next four!

10. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Original format: SNES. Released: 1991

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 7. Number of votes: 15. Voted best game of all time by: nightwaxon and Hylian)

Link's Awakening may have its fans (now myself included), but A Link to the Past remains the daddy of all top-down Zelda titles.

Improving on the original Legend of Zelda in almost every way, and introducing gameplay elements so good that when the series transitioned to 3D Nintendo pretty much copied them or tried to adapt them wholly for 3D environments. The light and dark world mechanic has been copied in so many games since and probably still remains the best implemented example of this idea in any game.

Puzzles are much more difficult than in recent Zelda games, but never feel unfair, and the graphical style has still not ages in decades. The world map taken as a whole in particular is a thing of pixel art beauty, and shows an absolute mastery of level design that Nintendo have struggled to match in the series ever since, with a few notable exceptions.

The best action-adventure (or Zelda) game ever made? Almost.

9. Dark Souls

Original format:Playstation 3/Xbox 360. Released: 2011

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 14. Voted best game of all time by: berties paw and Yasawas)

A new entry into the list, deservedly shooting right into the top 10, Dark Souls is a creation of absolute, staggering genius.

Taking the core gameplay mechanics from Demon’s Souls, with some subtle changes, Dark Souls expands upon that game with a world of startling interconnected beauty - areas are no longer separated into self contained levels, but weaved into each other in often surprising and fiendish ways.

The entire landscape of Lordran gets into your psyche and in some ways feels almost as real as actual real world landscapes and castles, as they have a background history that is woven into the very fabric of the game, from the creature design, items, descriptions, and vague hints from the many characters that you meet in your travels.

The combat mechanics are a thing of tactile brilliance, as every every parry, every blow, and every blocked attack has a real sensation of weight and presence. Your decisions made in developing your character from their clothes to their strengths in every aspect feel like more than simple statistics - every number and every item used to wear accounts for significant changes in how your character feels to play, and how your behaviour changes as you interact with the world. It goes beyond what is found in most RPGs and actually gives an unprecedented sense of being at one with your avatar.

The game’s difficulty can be punishing but only bolsters the sense of involvement, as each death hardens your resolve as it feels like the cruel tricks played on you are there to only increase your curiosity and determination to unravel every secret and hidden revelation.

Dark Souls is now already part of the collective gaming unconscious, and is informing the design of games developed ever since and, like so many on this list, will now be remembered for hopefully decades to come.

The greatest RPG ever made.

8. Fallout 3

Original format: PC/Playstation3/Xbox 360. Released: 2008

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 17. Voted best game of all time by: GoneFishing, Ork1927 and tonymg)

Unlike Dark Souls, I have to admit this entry into the top 10 was a complete surprise! Not that it is a surprise that it has many fans however - Fallout 3 is a truly excellent lesson in RPG craftsmanship.

From the inspired opening section, where you live out your character’s childhood, to your first tentative forays into the burned out nuclear wasteland, everything you do feels weighted with consequence, and player freedom is given the respect it deserves.

As a first person RPG and shooter experience, this shames all pretenders such as Bioshock, with actually well thought out character progression systems and surprisingly intelligent and addictive combat with the pausable elements.

Above all though, Fallout 3 is perhaps most notable, like so many in the top 20, for the absorbing world it creates, and once you have entered the Vault, you will never go back...

Perhaps the greatest open world game ever made.

7. Goldeneye 007

Original format: Nintendo 64. Released: 1997

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 5. Number of votes: 22. Voted best game of all time by: Nick R)

Some people have tried to argue that Goldeneye 007 has not stood the test of time, and that it does not arguably belong in any list of top games to play today. This is false.

The graphics may have aged terribly, but the remixed Bond theme soundtrack is still one of the finest ever made, and in the same way that DOOM is still fun to pick up for a quick blast through the corridors of hellspawn, and always will be, Goldeneye has the same spirit of fast, fun, and punchy gameplay, that is still not being demonstrated by so many of the bloated, cut-scene heavy, cover-based, bullet-sponge enemy filled First Person Shooters today.

The mission based levels that introduce different objectives at different difficulty levels was a brilliant idea, similar to for example the bonus missions in Tie Fighter, and is something criminally underused today. On easier difficulties you could happily blast your way through levels at breakneck speed, which is superb fun, constrained only by your own ability to slaughter enemies. No Call of Duty style cut-scenes to disrupt the flow of play here…

And does the 4 player mode still hold up? Perhaps not as much as it did, owing to some particularly bas framerate issues (though not as bad as Perfect Dark), but to be honest, in today's world of very capable emulators, those issues can be ironed out to leave what remains as still a brilliant diversion.

Goldeneye might be nearly 20 years old, but it still has the power captivate even as just one quick session can turn into hours, and for that it should be recognised.

Still genius, still fun, still the greatest Rare game ever made.

The best FPS though? Stay tuned.

I'm going on holiday this weekend, and won't be back for a good week or so, so here is the next 5 so you can speculate about the top 10!

15. Final Fantasy VII

Original format: Playstation. Released: 1997

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 12. Number of votes: 18. Voted best game of all time by: BZ LiMuBai, Jamie John and Rayn)

Final Fantasy fans are seemingly unanimous that this is the best in the series, and the news of the remake being in the works brought with it some incredible outpourings of joy.

It represents a unique point in gaming history where Square shunned Nintendo to bring their flagship series to the shiny new Sony console, and in many ways it seems like their shifting allegiance may have been what encouraged many other RPG developers to also jump ship, making the Playstation the JRPG fans platform of choice for many years.

Final Fantasy VII stands among them as one of the finest ever made. With a large cast of actually likable characters, and story that would be right at home in an anime film (Akira springs to mind - if you are going to be influenced by anything that’s not a bad film to pick), the 60 hours or so you are absorbed in this world are unforgettable.

While the graphics and CG cut scenes look very dated these days, and in many ways have not stood the test of time unlike the game’s 16 bit forebears, the soundtrack is still one of the greatest ever composed for a game, MIDI rawness and all. The battle system also remains one of the finest to this day, with great scope for mixing and matching spells and abilities without too much complexity.

Square worked some indefinable magic with Final Fantasy VII, which they have tried to replicate in every game in the series since, but so far very few have come close. When the remake is finally finished, we can find out if a modern take will respect its legacy.

14. Shadow of the Colossus

Original format: Playstation 2. Released: 2005

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 10. Number of votes: 19. Voted best game of all time by: Bazjam)

If Ico existed alone, there would be at least one game that could be pointed to again and again as an example of the videogame as a uniquely valid storytelling medium, but for the team’s next game they managed to outdo themselves with an experience that builds on the lessons they learned when crafting Ico’s unique atmosphere and sense of place, and soars to majestic heights of story, atmosphere, wonder and awe.

The opening scenes are instantly engaging, introducing you to a world that feels completely unique, with just faint shades of Ico for those familiar with its sunlit hues. This is a game that takes its time, and understands narratively the need to hold back until exactly the right moments to take your breath away.

From when you first begin to ride across the landscape, the simple pleasure of interacting with your horse is a wonderful experience, and the animation and control feel crafted in such a way that you are not controlling the animal, but that you are encouraging it with how you move the reigns, a huge step beyond similar interactions in other games.

If Ico felt like a castle that was alive and aware of your every move, here the landscape itself feels barren, yet not lifeless, but rather untouched by any people for centuries. Stone structures rise out of the mist indicating long forgotten civilizations, all overgrown and mossed over, begging to be explored.

There are no checkpoints, no minimap, no collectables. Just you, your horse, a vast plain stretching before you, and the one simple goal to save a loved one, though it is not clear how. And you are on your own.

The environment itself feels like it is just waiting to divulge its secrets to the unwary traveller, and the task of finding the titans that are your ultimate destinations is left to you to decide whatever pace you choose to take it, or even not the order you are directed. You are encourage to get lost in this unique fantasy landscape.

And when you finally reach the titular guardians, the sense of scale is utterly staggering. Few other games have reached the same level of awe inspired by these wondrous creations. Many other games have creatures as big, or bigger than some in Shadow of the Colossus, but nearly all of them fail to instill them with the same sense of scale and majesty.

Looking up at the first Colossus you meet, you would be forgiven for simply standing and staring, as the incredible beast shakes the earth with each step towards you. The sense of panic is palpable, as the game does not give you any clues or hints as to what you are supposed to do, and there has been no helpful fellow traveller to give warnings or suggestions. It is just you, your wits, and the giant. And the resolve to toppling him is exactly what will help you win.

There is an exhilaration in dealing the first blow, and the music, which is perhaps one of the finest, and most rousing ever composed for a game, swells to the task of matching the struggle of epic proportions. The creature will try to shake you off as you are of holding on to the moss that covers it like fur, one button on the controller held down as surely as the protagonist holds on for dear life.

And soon the struggle will end, and the feeling of triumph will be tinged with relief, and sadness. The creature of stone and earth, that is the watchful guardian of this untouched natural paradise lies slain, not through malice, greed or accident, but the hero’s necessity.

And that guilt will linger, as you push forwards to the next unforgettable struggle.

13. Advance Wars

Original format: Game Boy Advance. Released: 2001

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 19. Number of votes: 16. Voted best game of all time by: mdn2 and Vaguely Heroic)

While I have my love for games produced by the Gollop brothers, I have to admit that on balance this is possibly the finest crafted turn-based strategy game that’s it’s possible to play on an electronic device.

Chess is rightly considered one of the world's most perfect boardgames, as the interaction of the pieces and the number of possibilities create incredible variations with just a few simple rules, and there is nothing that stands in the way of success than the player’s own skill.

In Advance wars this spirit of simplicity and purity makes for a game of unrivalled tactical depth: each unit is perfectly judged against the others and they are as close to specialised in their roles as those on a chessboard. There is no room for random chance or errors - unlike many strategy game ever single action has a guaranteed outcome depending on unit used and it’s positioning on the battlefield. Randomness simply does not come into it, so you always know the outcome is entirely of your own making.

This actually extends into getting the highest rank on single player missions: to do this you often have to do a sequence of moved in virtually the exact way required to get just the right response from the computer opponent, which in many ways has more in common with a puzzle game, as it’s a case of finding just the right sequence, and finding this is an absolute pleasure.

That’s before even talking about the visual design, which is simple but not simplistic, eye catching, and has some great characters.

The finest strategy game ever made? Well, if it was not for Tetris, this would certainly not have had much competition to be perhaps the best handheld game ever made at least.

12. Shenmue

Original format: Dreamcast. Released: 1999

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 20. Number of votes: 13. Voted best game of all time by: jerellis1, crisy and Oh Danny Boy)

The sequel may have upped the pace, and tweaked a few things to improve the gameplay, and added many great new features, but at its core it is still borne of the brilliance of the original Shenmue.

People are sometimes down on a lot of games for using non interactive cut scenes and traditional storytelling devices, but Shenmue loses absolutely nothing for doing that, and is perhaps one of the finest examples of that tradition in gaming.

Right from the opening credits, you are transported to another time and place which will completely consume you. In classic martial arts movie style, you are set on a quest for vengeance, but it is in this case, at a very very leisurely pace.

The world of Shenmue and the people inhabiting it feels like absolutely nothing comparable in other games. 80s Japan was for many a look into a new and beguiling place they would never see, and does something that is seen very rarely in gaming, if ever: it doesn’t just take you to another world, but to another culture.

Ryo taking his shoes off as he enters his house, the capsule collecting, rifling through drawers… The level of detail contained in Shenmue was for it’s time unprecedented, and still impresses today for how it doesn’t ram this down your throat: the interaction is just to make you feel more there, not to get any particular achievement.

Despite his quest for vengeance, Ryo as a main character come across as incredibly polite, has a strong moral fibre, and cares about even minor characters. His interactions with the people he knows on his street makes you feel like you have somehow stumbled into suburban Japan are looking through a window into a real community. It is refreshing to step into the shoes of a protagonist that is actually innocent, likable and kind of dorky.

The trials of Shenmue are those of the real world: needing money to buy a ticket and thus either needing a job or pocket money are things that come up naturally, and it is incredible how this never gets boring. It is the brilliance of what seems like a simple and realistic (kind of) tale that doesn’t need a fantasy world or space marines as window dressing, but just one boy, a small town, and some sailors.

And that is a story worth being involved in.

11. Metroid Prime

Original format: Gamecube. Released: 2002

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 27. Number of votes: 18.)

How does one replicate the sheer majesty of Super Metroid in 3D? A question that many people may have asked before Retro Studios gave their answer: Metroid Prime.

Being trusted with one of Nintendo’s most well respected franchises and delivering with such assuredness was no mean feat, and Metroid Prime is an incredible piece of design.

From the first moment you step onto the game’s alien planet, the visual design and ethereal background sounds and music transport you into the most amazingly atmospheric world since, oddly enough, Super Metroid. Seeing the world reflected in Samus’ helmet is a neat little touch, and goes a long way to making you feel connected to your character, and is just one example of the sheer detail packed into Metroid Prime.

As you scan your environments for clues of how to progress, you marvel as small drops of rain splash on your visor, and strange creatures shuffle their way along amazing alien landscapes.

Very few games have the detail to really make you feel like you are exploring a truly alien world, but Metroid Prime feels like you are a very capable space tourist, uncovering wonder after wonder as you traverse each area with your new abilities.

And these abilities are unlocked at just the right times, and just the right places, replicating the wonderfully paced and complex design of the original Super Metroid.

The fact that it all controls perfectly in 3D is also incredible, and bounding across the levels and grappling hooking across chasms feels effortless.

An absolutely staggering achievement.