Top 100 games of all time (Rllmuk 2015 edition) - Results now showing: No. 1

[Benny]

Not even slightly; the voting was months ago, the Shenmue 3 announcement a few weeks. A shame, as I'd have liked to see it storm into the 20s on a wave of awakened nostalgia

All I can say is that the sequel alone got a LOT of votes.

[Yobo Ahoy]

I love the ps1 graphics as an aesthetic in itself, I've never played Syphon Filter and watched a video of it the other day on a phone and thought it looked great, you don't get that kind of bold clarity and angular polygon graphics nowadays. I think people will come to appreciate -in an abstract way- the early 3d games that went for realism in some form because they're so different to what we get now. There is a purity to them. I'm not shocked that they aren't photo realistic as I think I remember.

Agree on this. I liked Counterspy recently for this reason, everything's very angular, minimalist and linear.

[Benny]

Oh what's that? Another update? Oh all right then...

 

 

65. Grand Theft Auto III

 

 

Original format: Playstation 2. Released: 2001

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 33. Number of votes: 5. Voted best game of all time by: InsideOutBoy)

 

The best of the 3D GTAs? Maybe. Though it does not have the distinctive style of Vice City, or the refined controls of later instalments 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).

Now rated higher in Rllmuk’s top 100 than San Andreas, perhaps people are looking back at this instalment with more fondness in hindsight? I never actually played GTA III as much as Vice City though, so I will leave you the words of InsideOutBoy, who rated it his favourite game and summed up its appeal very nicely:

“A living, breathing city in 3D and the freedom to go crazy in it, the ultimate playground. It basically put every game you'd imagined playing as a boy into a game and draped it in great (for the time) graphics and great music. For me this is the pinnacle of the GTA series and I’ve played them heavily all from the first onwards. All the perks and realism of a modern GTA game with none of the boring story driven shit of later ones. Most of all, it was the last GTA where you could approach almost any mission in a Deus Ex open/free way.”

 

 

 

64. Chrono Trigger

 

 

Original format: SNES. Released: 1995

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 81. Number of votes: 7.)

 

Ah Chrono Trigger. I discovered this quite late as not owning a SNES back in the day plus when it was released PC games were starting to capture my interest, but it doesn't matter when you discovered Chrono Trigger, as you can play it today and it is still as fresh an experience as it ever was, and hands-down shames nearly every other RPG ever made since.

The obvious point of comparison for this game is with that other, more interminable RPG series of Square’s: the Final Fantasy series. And this is actually a good comparison to make, as Square have rarely captured with that series the same depth of storytelling, incredibly likeable characters, sense of fun, inventiveness, charm and utter flawless brilliance that they managed to knock out of the park with Chrono Trigger.

The visual design has held up far better than the Playstation installments of the FF series, as the pixel art has as much appeal as it ever did, perhaps even more so these days. And the MIDI music score by Yasunori Mitsuda is of a quality up there with Nobuo Uematsu’s best. There are gameplay innovations introduced here that Square were seemingly bafflingly reluctant of reusing for other games, which is a shame - the non-random battling with enemies that you could actually avoid and where the battles actually took place on the same screen as the one where you met the enemies on was a breath of fresh air compared to nearly every other RPG. It makes even Final Fantasy XIII, with all its wiz-bang graphical technical wizardry, look positively archaic with its immersion breaking random battle screen transition effects that seem cumbersome and stupid by comparison. In Final Fantasy XII they at least tried to do the more Chrono Trigger style of encounters, and it was much better for it.

It’s not worth going much into the brilliance of the game’s story, as so much of this game just needs to be experienced for yourself without any prior knowledge, but suffice to say, it is one rip-roaring, time spanning adventure that is almost unrivalled in gaming in general. If you've not played it yet and you have any interest in well told stories in games at all, I urge you to seek it out. You will be rewarded richly, and then some, by one of the finest games ever made.

The fact that it is ranked much higher than on the previous lists suggests that it has possibly been gaining more fans over time as people discover its greatness, or how much better it is than modern fare, which is a very good thing.

 

 

 

63. Gran Turismo

 

 

Original format: Playstation. Released: 1997

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 6.)

 

I have to confess, I've never got on with the Gran Turismo series. I really tried hard to give it a go on the second Playstation instalment and see what the fuss was about, but I was seemingly completely incapable of actually playing the game properly.

However, it can’t be denied that the series is one of the most detailed driving games in existence. There were many Turismo series entries picked in people’s top 20s, but the original Playstation release has come out on top. Very surprising that the last top 100 did not feature a single Gran Turismo game, as it is clearly beloved of many and has been for some time. For a simple summing up from a fan more knowledgeable than me, here’s Vaguely Heroic:

“Unfortunately I haven't found a driving game since to captivate me quite like Gran Turismo did. The car handling was perfect, and the tracks sublime. “

 

 

 

62. Silent Hill 2

 

 

Original format: Playstation 2. Released: 2001

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 48. Number of votes: 6.)

 

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.

 

 

 

61. Project Gotham Racing 2

 

 

Original format: Xbox. Released: 2003

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 70. Number of votes: 7.)

 

More detailed driving games? You betcha! Though I owned an Xbox I unfortunately missed out on this at the time, which is a shame as it sounded great, and it has gained significant ground compared to the last top 100 placing.

For an excellent write up, I will leave you with GoneFishing:

“If there ever was a right game at the right time, it was this one. While I was never impressed with the rather clinical and sterile Metropolitan Street Racing and the first Project Gotham Racing, PGR2 blew things right open with its great circuits, well balanced kudo system, fantastic car roster and wonderful online play. It was one of the first proper Xbox Live games and it was a revelation. Racing Ferraris through Moscow. Cat and mouse, a mode invented by the community rather than the developers, on the Nurburgring. It was like living in the future, although sadly I think the enormous high and sense of community of early days Xbox Live has never been matched since.”

[Down by Law]

Wow, I really thought Silent Hill 2 would've been a lot higher. Still got my favourite attract mode FMV (remember those?) all these years later.

[Hylian]

Mario 64 hasn't aged has it? It was and is magical.

Few will agree as well, but I don't think Goldeneye has either, i think if a game was so playable then then now it remains so, and give me 3 willing people, the basement, grenade launchers and I could play it for 20 hours straight. People's expectations change, the way they play games has, and I don't think the games that reached for realism now fail because all we see are fuzzy grey shapes that make up the surroundings. I love the ps1 graphics as an aesthetic in itself, I've never played Syphon Filter and watched a video of it the other day on a phone and thought it looked great, you don't get that kind of bold clarity and angular polygon graphics nowadays. I think people will come to appreciate -in an abstract way- the early 3d games that went for realism in some form because they're so different to what we get now. There is a purity to them. I'm not shocked that they aren't photo realistic as I think I remember.

Regardless, what was once amazingly playable then is not now obsolete because of modern ideas. I could never play Tomb Raider because of the controls and I doubt I could now. The controls weren't the point though. I could play the remake they made a few years ago to finally get through it, but..it'd be like experiencing the mechanics without the essence, the soul, i feel like with the most groundbreaking stuff you can sense the excitement the creators had when making something so unprecedented and new.

When I played Goldeneye at the time I got used to the slowdown when there's loads of explosions, but as a whole it never dragged like Perfect Dark did in most situations. I wish there were other FPSs like Goldeneye coming out, which are largely linear, more about fast movement and clean shots, through corridors, with enemies always placed in the same position, so it's pure trial and error, over the entire course of the level, that you can be flexible enough to make a few mistakes/take a few hits and still carry on, but largely you are trying to perfect a run, and you get into that zone where what was once a tricky bit becomes easier and quicker because another part has replaced it for most trickiest moment and there's that feeling over constant refinement and improvement that is so satisfying that you can't achieve without failure and repetition. It's not archaic and dated to me.

...with objectives that become more complex on later difficulty settings. Silo on 00 Agent for instance for a speed run, the empowerment you feel legging it through that, knowing where every guard is placed, taking them out with your silenced pistol before they even know you're there, trying to judge how many shots you can take as you just run for the final stretch and squeeze past all the bodies. Only, really, Timesplitters got the speed run thing, the ditching all attempts to shoot enemies except for the ones that are in your way.

You make a great case for Goldeneye, and actually after I posted that I had a rare opportunity to play it again 4 player and it was a lot of fun. But I do think there's a nostalgia effect on voting and many recent games supersede the originals (Mario Galaxy and 3D World are clearly better than 64).

[Benny]

So I know it's only Monday, but it seems I may have just churned out another update... Whoops!

 

 

60. Pokemon Red & Blue

 

 

Original format: Game Boy. Released: 1996

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 68. Number of votes: 7.)

 

Storming ahead 8 places, 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 instalment an essential purchase for fans and captivating generation upon generation of children and adults with that special Nintendo magic.

 

 

 

59. Civilization 4

 

 

Original format: PC. Released: 2005

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 4. Voted best game of all time by: matt0)

 

Oh God, while we’re on the subject of timesink gaming that will destroy your social life…

The Civilisation series is and always has been one of the absolute pillars of gaming excellence, and Civ 4 is no exception. I would put forward an argument for the fifth game in the series for myself, just because I have spent so much time with it recently, but this is widely regarded as the better game.

The sheer detail and complexity in the Civilisation games rivals that in the most expensive board games, but with all of that safely handled by the computer so that you can get down to the serious business of establishing Gandhi as a totalitarian despot.

What might seem boring on paper is perhaps one of the greatest triumphs in gaming of substance over style, and once it has its claws into you you will not resurface for days. Trust me on this.

 

 

 

58. Super Mario 3D World

 

 

Original format: Wii U. Released: 2013

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 6.)

 

I am alas a latecomer to Nintendo’s recent great white hope, which I’m sure has been the case for many, yet this instalment in the Mario series has stormed straight up near to the middle of the top 100.

And justifiably so! Taking elements and ideas from nearly every other Mario game to date, along with it’s own fresh inventiveness and inspired touches that are up there with the best Nintendo has ever produced, it’s easy to see why it has become such a fast favourite.

The 4 player mode is a thing of delirious brilliance, and the sheer energy of the game puts so many ponderous modern titles to shame, with brilliant pacing and not a single technical issue in sight. Every world is constructed of such sheer solid perfection it is almost offensive.

This is Nintendo at the top of their game, and it should be enjoyed by everyone.

 

 

57. Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe

 

 

Original format: Atari ST. Released: 1990

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 38. Number of votes: 8.)

 

I never owned an Amiga, or indeed an Atari ST. I was poor. However, that did not stop anyone who I knew that had either going on about the sheer brilliance of Speedball, and manhandling me around a joystick to play it. You can keep your Sensible Soccers and your Pro Evos - this is still the ultimate pitch-based sports game.

The sheer addiction factor was enough to break joysticks, cause blisters and ruin friendships, long before Super Mario Kart was a twinkle in Shigeru Miyamoto's eye.

The gameplay is fast, smooth, tight and glorious. The decline of The Bitmap Brothers is a crime.

 

 

56. Day of the Tentacle

 

 

Original format: PC. Released: 1993

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 95. Number of votes: 7.)

 

I'm going to come right out and say it: this is the single greatest point-click adventure ever made. That’s right, not just Lucasarts’ best, or Tim Schafer or Dave Grossman’s best, but just simply the best.

The fact that it has risen so dramatically in position since the last top 100 is incredible in of itself, but more and more people are starting to realise I think just how much Day of the Tentacle knocked even the Monkey Island games into a cocked monkey’s fez.

First, there is the humour, which is just more madcap, mercurial, and unpredictable (if that’s possible) that Ron Gilbert’s adventures, which has lent it perhaps in some ways a more timeless quality. It has its own rules, and the weird world the characters inhabit is more specifically off-the-wall than anything similar in gaming outside of perhaps Toejam & Earl (a classic now sadly forgotten).

Grim Fandango may have more class and production values, but Day of the Tentacle succeeds over this, not just in terms of the exuberance of its storytelling (and the time hopping adventure does have some lovely surprises), but for the sheer twisted yet largely logical brilliance of all of its puzzles.

The first two Monkey Island games, despite their excellence, are often guilty of making solutions deliberately obtuse to serve the humour, but Day of the Tentacle seems to have achieved the perfect balance between hilarity and function - a tightrope act that all games of this type struggle with, yet here it is done deftly and still with more success than any other adventure game that I can think of since. A staggering achievement when you consider just how many puzzles are contained in the game - as far as value for money goes this takes the cake. It even has the entire Maniac Mansion adventure game that it vaguely refers to the events of included within the game. Take that, Shenmue, for pre-dating with the game-within-a-game concept!

If you haven’t played Day of the Tentacle, then play it right now - I'm not sure you even need to wait for the recently announced remake (which will hopefully be SWEET), as the visual design still holds up even today, with just utter utter bags of character, and brilliant voice acting.

[Wiper]

Day of the Tentacle and Speedball 2

Delighted to see both of them brushing against the top 50, well deserved. And I agree with everything you say about DOTT, it's simply the finest adventure game I've ever played.

[Benny]

Incidentally, there could be another slight delay before the next update, as I realised there are a few on there I actually would quite like/need to play first...

[MarkN]

I should perhaps give Day of the Tentacle another go, but I got really disillusioned with it because I solved a couple of the puzzles by accident. My memory's terrible, but I think there's one where you freeze a hamster that I did without ever knowing why I'd want a frozen hamster (seemed like a daft thing to do at the time so I gave it a pop), and another I solved through time travel, and never knew what the actual puzzle was. I enjoyed the bits I played, but lost faith because I was solving stuff I hadn't even seen yet.

Civilization 4 though - hell yes. Civ is the only game where me and a couple of mates have a term for the state you get into when you're playing it - a "Civ Hole". "I'm in a Civ-hole right now" says you're gone for a few days.

[Benny]

I'm spoiling you all I know, but on with the show!






55. Street Fighter IV (All editions.)



Original format: Arcade. Released: 2008 (first iteration)
(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 5.)

I have to admit, I never really got into the Street Fighter series, or indeed fighting games in general until Soul Calibur, so much of the popularity and obsession around it was alien to me. However, all that changed when I thought to try out the fourth (ha ha) in the series.

The fighting system is actually quite simple to learn, but rewards dedicated players with such insane levels of depth that its easy to see why this has been the competitive fighter of choice for years since its original release, with refinements and character additions since then just balancing it more and more into an incredibly unbeatable package, the current Ultra edition being the one mainly voted for the most on this list.

I became obsessed with the Super edition for a short time and would play it religiously online after work every evening, even with my lowly PS3 pad, just to get better at the game and be competitive. I wouldn't normally do that with most games but something about SF4 just taps into some primal urge to beat strangers into a pulp

Nothing comes close to getting good enough to be able to beat a line up of people with Dan and look flashy doing it. I have now, sadly, lost any skill I had for that short, blissful time.







54. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2



Original format: Playstation. Released: 2000
(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 69. Number of votes: 8.)

Absolute, addictive excellence. Thats probably the best way to describe this - I actually only ever played a demo on the original Playstation as I couldnt afford the full game, but it was so much fun I fired it up again and again. And again.

And I didnt care that I was replaying the same course over and over - the controls were so tight and the trick system so much fun to dick around with that trying to beat my own high score on just that park was an entire game itself.

I may not be qualified to comment on the full game from this, but even if just this part of it was the whole game, that alone justifies its placing for me.

Lovely stuff.






53. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker



Original format: Gamecube. Released: 2002
(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 28. Number of votes: 9.)

Derided by some absolute idiots on release for trying a radically different graphical style, this is perhaps the most beautiful and charming Zelda game ever made. (Play the HD Wii U remake for a party in your eyeballs.)

But this is not just skin deep - the tried and true 3D Zelda game mechanics that were introduced in the N64 era are here polished to perfection and the lighter tone is just so much more vibrant, fun and jolly you cant help but sink into a blissful fug while playing it.

This doesnt mean the game has been dumbed down, oh no, as I believe Wind Waker has some of the most fiendish dungeons outside of Majoras Mask.

The sailing mechanic is a wonderful addition, and despite it making some of the journeys in the game a tad long, the overworld is still typically packed full of discovery, and puts the more recent Skyward Sword to shame.

If those who have never played a Zelda game before ask me for a recommendation, I always point to this one, as it is still one of the most visually timeless, accessible, and dare I say it, fun, in the series.





52. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim



Original format: PC, Xbox 360, PS3 . Released: 2011
(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 8.)

I have a confession to make - when I started to play this I repeated the exact same steps I followed with Oblivion: installed game, created character, explored opening dungeon, completed opening dungeon, stepped out into the open world, dicked around a bit with some fauna, found a village/castle, annoyed some villagers, then promptly forgot about the game and never played it again. Oh but not before installing and fiddling with some mods first in Skyrim.

This is perhaps just a sign that these games are not for me, or perhaps its just because I find them so daunting. Its easy to see why: the amount of things to do in Skyrim is absolutely staggering, perhaps more so than any other RPG in existence. And as a barometer of player freedom it beats nearly everything else, including the GTA series. (Except Minecraft, but then thats a law unto itself.)

As I have only my own limited experience to go on, I thought I could perhaps play this properly before doing this writeup, but I have to be honest with the sheer size of the game that would mean you could all have been kept waiting months, if I even got that far, so I think I will leave you with this comment from Oh Danny Boy, who has summed up, succinctly I think, why so many people love it:

The game I always imagined I would one day play







51. NiGHTS into Dreams



Original format: Sega Saturn. Released: 1996
(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 46. Number of votes: 6. Voted best game of all time by: MW_Jimmy and Treble)

Alas and alack! A game I always wished I had played back in the day. Though not being one of the few brave souls to invest in a Sega Saturn probably didnt help with that

MW_Jimmy and Treble both did excellent writeups for this though, and I feel it will honour their favourite game to put extracts from both of them here:



MW_Jimmy:

NiGHTS into Dreams is actual magic.

For every single other game on this list I can play them, and in my thoughts, I can pull mechanics and design apart and spot how it may have been constructed. Nights constantly has me asking "How the bloody hell does this game even exist?!". Nights has no touching stones to conventional genres, and forged it's own unique path. A game in a undefinable genre of it's own. It is both a brilliantly realised dream-world which the pure joy of flying around is enjoyment enough and a high-score chasing game for those that figure out how the game is meant to be played. Stages morph and bend and areas are repeatedly shown in new views. It's a dream-world that is both alive and not quite there. Scenery feels like a swirl of colour and objects exist but don't belong. Music morphs too through the A-Life system which constructs music in a unique composition almost every time you play ("The music has changed!" is still one of my favourite things to say when playing).


Treble:

Everyone here knows what the game is and how it plays, but the hardest thing is to explain is the sheer joy it gives me. Partly its the graphics; that amazing dream-like universe that feels like a Disney or Pixar paradise in your hands, but with a dark edge that drives your intent and provides a perilous edge. Partly its the controls: on the dedicated Saturn pad, the execution of moves is perfect, with nothing beyond your capability bar (it feels) your imagination. Its a game so good that it was impossible to sequelise with one putative sequel released having almost nothing in common with the magnificent original.

It doesnt differentiate between gender, and is about the unity of us all in our greatest moments (as cheesy as that sounds) where being a floating dandy whos essentially a trapeze artist without wires is the most badass thing you can aspire to. Freedom, infinite improvement without pressure, loveliness without heartbreak, NiGHTS: Into Dreams stands alone as a defining moment in gaming history; something to aspire to as well as admire and love.

[sith]

Hmm, did you consider all Street Fighter IV versions different games?

[Benny]

Hmm, did you consider all Street Fighter IV versions different games?

Nope, as they are closer to updates and expansions than full sequels (see original thread for the reasoning on this). For simplicity, the entry just means any version

Actually the Ultra iteration had the most votes, so I might put that on the entry name anyway.

[sith]

So only 5 people voted it in their top 20?

Crazy!

[Benny]

Well it does mean at this point that, of those that did vote for it, they rated it very highly indeed!

[Benny]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have reached the halfway point! Theres no going back now...

 

 

 

 

50. Super Monkey Ball

 

 

Original format: Arcade. Released: 2001

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 54. Number of votes: 9.)

 

Ah Monkey Ball. One of the most teeth grindingly frustrating and yet incredibly rewarding games you can probably ever play. The video gaming equivalent of one of those games where you have to thread a loop over and around a piece of copper wire without setting off the buzzer, only much more sadistic.

The Gamecube controller suited the game perfectly, and had just the right level of fine control for the game to never feel like it was anything other than entirely your own fault when the hapless simian plummeted to his death.

The multiplayer modes are truly something else, and can elevate a party from mere jocularity to rioting in seconds.

Its a shame the sequel relied too much on stupid random chance on some of its courses, as then player death lost some of its sting when it was not always your own hands that were to blame, but the original is still one of the purest slices of gaming excellence of perhaps the last 20 years.

It is also one of the few games that can be played entirely one-handed

 

 

49. Spelunky

 

 

Original format: PC. Released: 2009

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 5.)

 

Speaking of sadistic..

Until taking the first votes and writing up the top 100, I had literally never heard of Spelunky. Which is a shame, as after giving it a go for the purposes of this short review, I can confirm that it is one of a select breed of games that really seem to understand the importance of player freedom.

Every level is randomly generated, which in some ways can be off-putting, as they are not courses that you can learn, but the ability to approach the descent into every cave however you choose means that every encounter and every trap, every split second decision, is something completely unique and situational, never to be repeated exactly the same way twice.

And its so immediate and nicely designed, you dont really care when you die for the umpteenth time, as you can instantly pick it up again and get straight back into the hunt for treasure.

A bit more variety wouldn't go amiss, but this comes highly recommended from me, and I barely play games any more!

 

 

 

48. Mario Kart 8

 

 

Original format: Wii U. Released: 2014

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 8.)

 

Absolutely utterly astonishing. That's what Mario Kart 8 is.

People criticise Nintendo all the time for supposedly resting on their laurels, or not bringing out games very often, or just churning out sequels to their franchises But absolutely none of that matters: Mario Kart 8 is Nintendo at the absolute top of their game, and shows the company understands how to make some of the most exhilarating racing ever with tracks of such utter genius and brilliance that youll catch yourself gaping in awe as you tear around them.

It is also an incredible technical feat - people talking about frame rates can bore one to tears, but the fact is that by carefully considering how to make the most playable experience, Nintendo have worked some utter magic with the Wii U hardware to make a game world that would not look out of place in a Pixar movie, is rock solid, and can hurtle along at an incredible pace. So much so that they felt confident to put F-Zero inspired tracks in the game, which takes massive balls.

Its hard to decide really when picking the best Mario Kart in the series, as so many of them are wonderful but, for me, this one may well take the cake, eat it, bake another, and run off with the chef.

 

 

 

47. UFO: Enemy Unknown

 

 

Original format: PC. Released: 1994

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 5. Voted best game of all time by: Scouser_In_Exile and Scribblor)

 

I am an absolutely massive unapologetic raving fan of Julian and Nick Gollop. If you dont know who they are, get out.

Actually thats a bit harsh. Get out, play UFO, come back, whinge at how hard it is, go away again, fall in love with it (hopefully), then come back.

I have to admit though, its not the easiest game to get on with, but I am still flabbergasted that it did not appears in the last top 100, so I am stupidly pleased that it has now hurtled into the top 50.

The Gollops coded some of my favourite games from the 8bit era - being a huge fan of board games they also instilled in their strategy titles some incredibly complex systems and rules that allowed for incredible emergent gameplay across maps in games like Laser Squad, and its a craft which has steadily been refined and adapted into every game they have worked on.

UFO is, perhaps, one of the most complex strategy titles outside of the Civilization series, and some of its systems can seem completely impenetrable to newcomers, perhaps the reason for a lot of it being streamlined in the recent Fireaxis remake. However, this complexity allows to truly unmatched strategic depth that nearly every other game of this ilk can only dream of coming close to.

You begin the game with a small base, charged with defending the earth against an alien menace, and from that point on you pretty much have to micromanage every aspect of the operation from the number of beds available for new recruits to the alien containment facilities to house captured enemies for your scientists to research and uncover the secrets of.

And thats just one layer of the game. Pick up an alert of a UFO on the world map and then you must scramble fighter jets to intercept, giving orders as they close on their targets.

Shoot one down, and its on to the main meat of the package: tactical squad combat. This will make you tear your hair out in frustration on the first few tries, as the aliens are ruthless and efficient, and your soldiers squishy. But spend enough time on missions and you can start kitting them out with weapons to start turning the tide Until the aliens upgrade too

The tactical combat system is, while clunky in terms of interface by current standards, still incredible in depth, and still has more options that the recent remake. Soldiers can be set into position to return fire given the right number of action points saved after each turn, and this is essential for survival, as you will never know where the aliens are until you are right on top of them (a small concession was made in the remake where they would run for cover when spotted, so that you wouldn't be faced with a situation where a soldier would turn a corner to be face to face with some slavering beast, only to be summarily killed. Which is a shame.)

The pace is glacial, the going tough, but this is hands down one of the finest strategy games ever made. Perhaps THE finest.

 

 

 

46. Batman: Arkham Asylum

 

 

Original format: PS3, Xbox360. Released: 2009

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 10.)

 

Coming completely out of nowhere, or so it seemed at the time, Arkham Asylum does perhaps better than any other game, apart from maybe Spiderman 2 on the original Playstation, at making you feel genuinely as though you are in control of the actual character from the comics. Or at least in this case, the grimdark version of Batman.

Truly wonderfully constructed level design, that was sadly diluted in the games sequel, lets you weave your way in and out of ducts, over rafters, and atop gargoyles, with a Batman that is absolutely perfect to control and feels as brutal and efficient as this Batman should feel. The combat system in the game is so good that it has since been aped by many other games since, and has a brutal balletic rhythm to it that can make other games feel leaden and unfocused, especially the Assassin's Creed series.

But combat for Batman should always be a last resort, and the stealth elements in the game are judged excellently, with scope for tackling nearly every room however you see fit.

The boss battles are a bit crap though it has to be said, but that aside, this is truly a masterclass in character and level driven design, which has shades of Metroid at times, and is an essential play even for non Batman fans.

Give it a go. Be the Batman.

[Down by Law]

Arkham Asylum - best 'it's gonna be shit' but it was actually fucking mega game ever

[Benny]

Special bumper edition ahoy! Lets do this thing!

 

 

45. World of Warcraft

 

 

Original format: PC. Released: 2004

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 29. Number of votes: 6.)

 

Ah WoW… How I love to hate and hate to love it.

It needs no introduction really, what with being a bona fide gaming phenomenon that has fired its seed into popular culture and, despite a mass exodus from the servers at one point, is still a significant force to be reckoned with in its sheer number of users.

I had a lot of friends who played WoW, and I avoided it for a long time just because of what appeared to be its sheer all consuming ability to ensnare people body and soul, and take them away from life for the periods it got its hooks into them.

My friends were so consumed that on the few days when they were not in front of the PC they would talk only about World of Warcraft, and nothing but. It got to the point where I was so annoyed that we couldn't play literally any other multi player game together because they were busy raiding or farming or whatever bullshit they told me at the time. So I decided, fuck it, if you can’t beat them, join them, and decided I would see what the fuss was about.

Big mistake.

Or was it? As while, yes, the exact same thing happened to me for a few months as it had to my friends, I was playing in the most incredibly rich, detailed and entrancing fantasy world where I could be whoever I wanted to be with other people all gamely partaking in this mass illusion (delusion?) with me, and I never wanted to leave. I met and befriended people I would never speak to in real life and forged bonds with them, I trolled gold farmers mercilessly and delighted in riding roughshod over the opposing faction’s lands with my buddies and taking part in effectively full scale wars where every single character, every role, was another human being, and there were literally hordes of them.

The community aspect of Phantasy Star Online was just a taster for World of Warcraft, and no MMO has since managed to capture the magic of those heady initial days of WoW, and perhaps never will.

Of course, a lot of this was probably helped by already having people I knew that I could quest with, as without the social element it’s, well, crap.

So I emerged after a few months, as it had taken over my life, but do I regret it? In some ways. But then, of all things we do as humans, social interaction is something we can all appreciate, and going down the pub is not frowned upon, so why should instead meeting up at an in-game pub with your friends and then riding out on a giant cat and then slaying some Alliance scum be any less worthwhile?

I'm still not going back to it, mind...

 

 

 

44. F-Zero X

 

 

Original format: Nintendo 64. Released: 1998

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 91. Number of votes: 9.)

 

Rocketing up the rankings, and 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.

 

 

43. Wave Race 64

 

 

Original format: Nintendo 64. Released: 1996

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 97. Number of votes: 6.)

 

Water. Why can no game developer get water right? Why is it never used in a way that has actual gameplay consequences?

Nintendo, again, with a racing game where they actually asked these essential questions and did something about it. The feel of moving over the undulating waves as you navigate each course is an absolute joy and while I was completely crap at it I didn't really care as the feel of the game was just spot on and so incredible for such a simple concept.

The fact that we've not had a Wii U version is just rubbish.

 

 

 

42. WipEout HD

 

 

Original format: Playstation 3. Released: 2008

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 7.)

 

Two futuristic racers in one update? Sure, why not.

And yet they couldn’t be more different. Speed is still a major factor in WipEout HD, but one distinct advantage it has over other racers is the sheer gorgeousness of the visuals, and it has been refined from the previous instalments into a game that is actually playable.

The learning curve is absolutely spot on, and the amount of content here is incredible. Quite a surprise entry into the top 100 in fact, but well deserved.

 

 

 

41. Resident Evil 2

 

 

Original format: Playstation. Released: 1998

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 58. Number of votes: 8.)

 

And here is where I have to hang up my gaming hat: I have never played Resident Evil 2. I have played nearly every other instalment in the series, but not this one. I know I know…

Anyway, a favourite among fans, and for many still the best in the series, here is sith to tell us why:

“Tough to choose between the original and this game. In the end I preferred the 2-way connecting story of the 2nd game. Either way, I was only 13-14 when I played these games and they scared the hell out of me. I'm not sure if the control system and how your character moved was intentional but my god they made for some tense moments. Resident Evil 4 is a better game sure, but Resi 2 is a standout moment in gaming for me, it's the only game that ever scared the crap out of me, story was pretty good too. Capcom I love you always and forever.”

 

 

 

40. Persona 4 Golden

 

 

Original format: PS Vita. Released: 2012

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 8.)

 

While I was taking votes for the top 100 one game that kept coming up was Persona 4 Golden. I was like: what the hell is Persona 4? I mean, I’d heard of it, but had no idea it had such a huge following. I have to admit I’ve not played this one either, as my staying power for RPGs is limited these days, but I will leave you in GoneFishing and Wiper’s capable hands:

 

GoneFishing:

“I've never been much of a JRPG player. While I'm often enthusiastic at the start, the relentless grind, heaping on of cliche after cliche, dreadful random battles and identicast of emo characters wear me down quickly. These days I don't even try it anymore, as every time I'm promised 'it's different, honest!' and every time I end up with a spiky haired hero wielding a sword three times his own size fighting blobs in caves anyway. Then Persona 4 Golden came along and I didn't really know what to make of it as it seemed to skip loads of the cliches and even had an -gasp- interesting plot. So I bought it and started playing. And playing. There were still dudes with spiky hair, but these times they actually had something to say. The whole relationship stuff. The forging of persona. The battles only in certain sections and when you choose to go in. All the funny stuff in school and town. The family ties. A truly magical and utterly absorbing game in which I happily sunk close to 100 hours.”

 

Wiper:

“The little* JRPG that could. A genre I thought I would never get on with - some games had come close (Skies of Arcadia, Phantasy Star, Lost Odyssey) but even the best writing, most enjoyable stories, most enticing worlds to explore were ruined by the random battles, the grinding seemingly essential to the genre.

And then Persona 4: Golden appears, and blows those issues out of the water. Instead of grinding mindlessly between dungeons, here you get to drive your character's social life, affecting both their home life and their performance in battle as their social ties influence their world. Here we have a story that isn't about saving the world, or uncovering conspiracies, or other Big Significant Events, but instead about protecting a small town from a murderer, while helping your friends to get over their personal demons. And let's focus on that last part a little more: here's a game whose main moral message isn't that Might Makes Right, or that Tyrants Must Fall, or any variants on the typical Hero Saves The World fare, but rather that nobody is perfect, and that acknowledging the parts of ourselves that we don't like and learning to work with them is crucial to help us move on and improve as people. When was the last time you played a game that tried to touch on a theme like that?

Just an incredibly impressive game. The yellow colour scheme and snazzy music are pretty neat too.

*not so little”

 

 

 

39. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

 

 

Original format: Nintendo 64. Released: 2000

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 26. Number of votes: 8.)

 

People usually list Ocarina of Time as the greatest Zelda game, or even A Link to the Past. And I would often be one of them. But despite that, I actually know in my heart of hearts Majora’s Mask is the greatest of them all, and would happily argue it might be one the greatest games Nintendo has ever made, or indeed anyone.

I really would love to go into detail about why, and this game definitely deserves it, but so much I would like to talk about would spoil the many layers of utter genius the game is plastered with, and the process of discovery with the game’s themes, characters and individual little moments is so utterly delightful it should be played with as little knowledge as possible.

Just one thing that I will add: very few games, if perhaps any, are able to tackle concepts like grief for example, let alone hope to explore them, and yet Majora’s Mask does.

The greatest game that isn’t the best game of all time.

 

 

 

38. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

 

 

Original format: Genesis/Megadrive. Released: 1992

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 44. Number of votes: 8.)

 

Where did it all go wrong for Sonic? Somewhere after this game some would argue, but before the rot set in Sonic was still absolutely brilliantly thrilling platforming, and the second in the series is perhaps the best, even though the original is the one I more fondly remember.

Taking the groundwork established in the first game, adding another character, and focusing on the one thing that set the first Sonic game apart from the rest: blast processing. Sorry I mean speed.

This simple concept that made the Sonic games great seems to have eluded Sega since the early nineties and it has been utterly ruined by incomprehensible bullshit at every turn, but Sonic 2 is still a fantastic game, and any number of stupidly designed and pointless characters can never take that away from us.

Probably.

 

 

 

37. Streets of Rage 2

 

 

Original format: Genesis/Megadrive. Released: 1992

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 53. Number of votes: 7.)

 

There will probably never be another Streets of Rage.

I don’t mean literally (although that might be true too), but just that these days I challenge you to find one game with such sheer brutal focus on one element and one element only: just walking forwards and punching everyone you meet into a bloody pulp.

The soundtrack is also possibly one of the most awesome you will ever hear - I mean I’m practically having a mid-life crisis right now over how I will just never hear anything as good again.

There is no accounting for taste of course. As in, if you don’t like SOR2 you probably have no taste, but all I can say is, it’s jumped way up into the top 50 rankings since last time, which either means more people are discovering how incredible it is, or some sort of cosmic justice is going on.

 

 

 

36. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan

 

 

Original format: Nintendo DS. Released: 2005

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 31. Number of votes: 8. Voted best game of all time by: shirubagan)

 

Ah, alas, I didn’t go the distance (ha) and try to import this when it came out. But I do know it is an incredible game. MW_Jimmy:

“Ouendan is the best music rhythm game because it's also the most intuitive music rhythm game. A design based on taps and holds, it draws out my natural reaction to the music and makes a game out of it. The soundtrack is brilliant in it's diversity which picks out every facet of modern Japanese pop and rock and places them into storylines of mild peril. There might be a cultural barrier with Ouendan (if so, try Elite Beat Agents), but for me it is beautifully easy to understand and capable of drawing moments of real emotion.”

 

[Marlowe]

It certainly feels like racing games went through something of a golden age during the N64 and Gamecube generations. There really hasn't been anything half as compelling since, probably down to online multiplayer now being so heavily prioritised in everything.

[Qazimod]

I'm pleased to see P4G placing so high (well, for a "best of all-time" list ) - P3 already blew apart my preconceptions about JRPGs, P4 cut out some of the flab and downtime of the previous game, and Golden was essentially the definitive version of P4. Great work with the write-ups as ever.

[Yobo Ahoy]

'Worroror! You're way out in front!'

'OK. Ooooooo-k. Maximum powerrrr!'

Games just don't have daft soundbites like that anymore. For shame.

[Benny]

I agree, I miss those. Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament had some of the best too.

"M M M MONSTER KILL!

[emjay2kay]

Me and my friends still quote Turok 2 for cheap laughs.

"Cerebral bore, activated"

Great write ups as ever. I could play Streets of Rage 2 forever.

[emjay2kay]

Will someone please bump Benny off in Mafiascum so he has time to come back to this?

Cheers

[Benny]

Sorry for the delay, it's been a mental few weeks as I try to organise moving house yet again and of course mafiascum is distracting too... Anyway, I should hopefully be able to update another one soon after this but for now it's time for the next 5 entries!

 

 

 

35. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

 

 

Original format: Playstation 2. Released: 2004

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 64. Number of votes: 9.)

 

After the crazy story shenanigans and controversion player character choice of the second in the Solid series, fans were truly ready to step back into the shoes of Solid Snake proper for the follow up. Which they sort of did but didn’t in this game. Let alone starting off in a completely different time period. That Kojima...

Naked Snake is basically Solid Snake in mostly all but name though, and Metal Gear Solid 3 took the gameplay into an interestingly lower tech new direction with some very clever survival mechanics, and the stealth in many ways required a more considered approach than in the previous games.

The story is still just as bonkers as ever, but this time has a bit more of a sense of intentionally camp fun to it, and feels like a bit of a Bond movie romp throughout, which personally I think suits the Metal Gear series much better than the tone of the previous games. (Which yes I agree were not overly to be taken seriously to begin with…)

Special mention must be made for the boss battles, which are perhaps some of the most strange but brilliant in the entire Metal Gear franchise. The fight with The End in particular is fantastic.

 

 

34. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

 

 

Original format: Playstation 3. Released: 2009

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 11.)

 

The Uncharted series present interesting dilemma for me: I can never safely say I truly like how the gameplay works, how the levels are constructed in a way that funnel you down a set path, how the writing of the characters is completely at odds with their in-game actions, especially Nathan Drake, and how there are a lot more identical cover based shooting sections than puzzle solving or environment traversal.

However, despite those franchise issues, I still bloody loved Uncharted 2.

The first game was a technical tour de force, and introduced solid shooting and platforming mechanics with excellent set pieces, though there were definitely far too many shoot outs for the duration. The sequel I think gets everything they were trying to achieve with the first title much more balanced, with a more even split between shooting sections, on rails set pieces, puzzles, platforming and cut scenes.

This is not so much a game you play, as allow to take you along for the ride, and in this sense is one of the most finely crafted rollercoasters in gaming. It does take a while to get going - witness the opening boring stealth section where Drake has to brutally brain damage some museum guards that have families to successfully sneak past them - but once it’s in full flow it is almost impossible to stop until completion, such is the craft in the pacing at work here.

So regardless of what you think about the quality of “game” at play here, it’s undoubtedly a landmark title, and while it might not be as representative of the gaming medium as something like say, Minecraft, it’s still stands on its own as one of the most stand-out set piece driven, big budget cinematic experiences around.

 

 

 

33. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

 

 

Original format: Gameboy. Released: 1993

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: 22. Number of votes: 7. Voted best game of all time by: Grobbelboy)

 

I have to admit the delay in this update has been partly down to wanting to play this before writing about it, as it is one of the few Zelda games I had not yet played. Even though I have only just started playing it really I can already safely say it’s 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.

 

 

32. Demon’s Souls

 

 

Original format: Playstation 3. Released: 2009

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 8. Voted best game of all time by: charley farley)

 

The debate among fans rages on as to which it the finest in the Souls series. One thing that cannot be denied is that both Demon’s and Dark are utterly peerless experiences, offering subtly different twists of gameplay and world construction in each game.

Whereas Dark Souls weaves its world in a complex network of interconnecting paths and secrets, Demon’s Souls impresses in its own way with the masterful way each of its warped to levels are a perfectly judged and complex self contained whole. They have more in common with individual dungeons like that of the Zelda series, with their own internal logic and fiendish tricks, traps and enemies. You could argue the sequel does this within each of its self contained areas anyway, but here the levels feel almost like separate puzzle boxes that have to be returned to and explored multiple times to unlock all of their secrets.

Utterly unforgiving and perhaps slightly more punishing than its sequel, Demon’s Souls remains the connoisseur’s gateway drug of choice into the Souls series.

 

 

31. Red Dead Redemption

 

 

Original format: Playstation 3/Xbox 360. Released: 2010

(2007 Rllmuk top 100 position: N/A. Number of votes: 14.)

 

For sheer unadulterated atmosphere, Red Dead Redemption is completely peerless, beating even the GTA series for its truly unparalleled world building.

Proof that Rockstar have never just been a one-trick pony, Red Dead Redemption might just be the first and last word in Cowboy simulators. Riding around the desert on horseback just admiring the landscape is an absolute pleasure, and few other games (such as they are) can evoke the feeling of being in a classic Western with such panache.

If it were just a scenery looking simulator it would be great, but the GTA style mission structure has you taking part in the entire smorgasbord of Western tropes such as cattle rustling, dice playing, shootouts, and erm, zombie hunting (the DLC expansion is excellent).

The shooting mechanics are also evolved from the GTA series, enough to make shootouts tense and satisfying affairs. Nothing quite beats lining up a shot with a distant assailant in some bushes (no zooming here), firing, and seeing a body slump into view. Just like a cowboy film!

The story is also perhaps the best Rockstar have ever written, and is more gripping and carefully paced until the end than perhaps any open world game has a right to be.

The finest game Rockstar has ever made? Maybe.

[Wiper]

It's back! And with the first grouping of 5 games where not one of them am I happy to see in the top 100. Though Red Dead is alright, at least.

Thanks for the write up as ever, though - I look forward to seeing the other high-placing games!

[Down by Law]

I've never understood the appeal of Red Dead - the controls are clunky, the gunplay and action scenes offer few surprises and the combat has that odd thickness to it that GTA IV had, the story wasn't particularly dramatic outside of one admittedly well done part near the end....I thought it was an absolute slog, and I love westerns.

It had some beautiful scenery and a great day/night cycle, but that's all I really liked about it. Now Max Payne 3 on the other hand...that was Rockstar firing on all cylinders. Possibly because you didn't have to ride a horse across a barren wasteland while people talk absolute shite for 10 minutes.

[joffocakes]

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the top three turns out, especially how you're going to explain Street Fighter IV being number 1 despite having already been number 55.

[Vemsie]

I always loved how empty RDR dared to be. You could ride for ages and only encounter a few animals while taking in the beautiful scenery, it's everything Ubisoft's loud open worlds full of busywork aren't.

Majora's Mask is way too low btw, but nice to see Waverace in the list.

[Benny]

Majora's Mask is way too low btw.

I agree. If it was my own personal list I'd have placed it nearer the top 20, but the public has decided!

[Jamie John]

RDR is overrated. I went back to it recently and lasted about five hours before I got fed up of trying to convince myself it was fun. The main character is a complete wazzock and it's clunky as anything, as Down By Law said.

Surprised that MGS3 is this low. I was reckoning on it being top 20 material for some.