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

[emjay2kay]

Super Mario Bros. 3, Jet Set Radio, Skies of Arcadia, Elite and Secrets of Monkey Island didn't make the list either, going by Benny's runners up list. I'd have been surprised if they (and Okami, being 100) didn't get a place but Candy Crush did.

[Fry Crayola]

Okami made the list - being in 100th place by definition is in the top 100.

[BeeJay]

Super Mario Bros. 3, Jet Set Radio, Skies of Arcadia, Elite and Secrets of Monkey Island didn't make the list either, going by Benny's runners up list. I'd have been surprised if they (and Okami, being 100) didn't get a place but Candy Crush did.

I was joking, the real game is dota 2.

[Benny]

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.

 

[Mentazm]

I've not played so many of these games. Or played maybe a few hours Max before quitting, wondering what all the fuss is about.

[BeeJay]

I've not played so many of these games. Or played maybe a few hours Max before quitting, wondering what all the fuss is about.

Apart from advance wars, Same here.

[emjay2kay]

Okami made the list - being in 100th place by definition is in the top 100.

I know that thanks - I even point out that it is 100th. My point was obvious enough I thought - add a game not already in the top 100 to the top 100 and Okami drops out.

I was joking, the real game is dota 2.

Apologies. I took "I guess that says a lot about this community" as a comment on this place being snobbish or something which made me think you were serious.

[Wiper]

Well, three brilliant games there (albeit two aren't quite as good as their immediate sequel), and the great Metroid Prime, too.

And then there's Final Fantasy VII - which, I have to say, I disagree with Benny on: "Final Fantasy fans are seemingly unanimous that this is the best in the series" doesn't quite ring true; plenty of FF fans would vote for VI or XII, it's more that is was the game with the widest appeal in the series.

Of course, I don't really like the series at all, so I've no horse in this race anyway!

But yeah, otherwise? A great selection.

[Fry Crayola]

I know that thanks - I even point out that it is 100th. My point was obvious enough I thought - add a game not already in the top 100 to the top 100 and Okami drops out.

You reckoned without my spectacular ability to misread!

Apologies, good sir.

[emjay2kay]

Ahh, not to worry - I was in a cranky mood so apologies for my arsey tone.

Anyway, that's a great selection of games, and pleased to see Shenmue so high up. Still think the second is ever so slightly better, but I love it nonetheless.

I'm actually surprised at myself that I completely forgot Advance Wars from my list. Might have been low down in my 20 but I thought it was brilliant. I don't think I gave it an honourable mention. For shame.

Trying to think what's going to be in the top 10. Have Halo and Goldeneye come up yet? Surely not. Must be a couple of Marios left as well.

[Down by Law]

Last of Us would be a deserving #1, it's not come up yet.

[toythatkills]

And then there's Final Fantasy VII - which, I have to say, I disagree with Benny on: "Final Fantasy fans are seemingly unanimous that this is the best in the series" doesn't quite ring true; plenty of FF fans would vote for VI or XII, it's more that is was the game with the widest appeal in the series.

I think the thing with FFVII is that it's everyone's first Final Fantasy. Obviously not everyone, really, but it came out at the right time and on the right console. Half the people on rllmuk were in their mid-teens to mid-twenties and we all had PlayStations, so it was just in the right place at the right time.

Being the first Final Fantasy game for a lot of people, and maybe the introduction to the genre as a whole for many too, it will always be looked on fondly by people even though Final Fantasy XII is actually the best Final Fantasy and that's a verified fact so don't anyone even bother arguing with me

[Treble]

I don't have a lot invested in the FF series but I've dabbled, and 7 has the best, most heartfelt and interesting story I think* It manages to be both silly and affecting at the same time, without compromising the plot. That's not easy in a 60 hours-plus game. And the most important part of an RPG.

I don't think any successors I've played (8,9,10,12,13) have been anywhere even close, each and every one has fucked up one element or another, whether it's a shit protagonist you can't relate to, a whole bunch of characters with zero actual character or good characters and a blah plot, they've never had that alchemy again storywise, even if the game system itself has been technically better.

*disclaimer: never played the pre-7 games.

[Down by Law]

Lol at whoever negged my post, it's a great single and multiplayer game. In fact I'm playing some multiplayer right now ! Sorry if you've had to have a crywank because your game already appeared

[Dig Dug]

Whoever was talking about their number 1 not being in the list, mine was Fire Emblem: path of Radiance and I know for a fact that didn't make the cut.

[mogawoods]

Lol at whoever negged my post, it's a great single and multiplayer game. In fact I'm playing some multiplayer right now ! Sorry if you've had to have a crywank because your game already appeared

Hey! That was me. No crywanking here tonight (over videogames, at least). I don't believe I voted in this poll and don't really care what the results are. I'm also not much of a negger - I neg a post once every few months, maybe - but the suggestion that The Last of Us is the best game ever made deserved my entire day's neg quota in one. It's only a pity I couldn't use them all. I mean, the game's all right, I guess. The characterisation and dialogue and animation were are well above average and presumably what you loved so much about it, and the bit with the giraffes, no doubt, but the gameplay itself was a dull combination of mediocre third-person shooting and stealth-by-numbers, hardly the crowning achievement of the medium to date. I suppose The Last of Us might be a worthy winner if your idea of the ultimate video game is a beautiful and deeply poignant animated film with some tiresome, uninspired gameplay between scenes.

[Down by Law]

I just like the way the heads go pop when I shoot them with the shotguns

[Qazimod]

Re-reading comments at the end of TAR's Top 100 thread of 2007 is entertaining...

RE4 number 1?

f**king rofl, give it a few years and it wont even make the top 10.

Ico, SotC and RE4. Forum 'favourites' that will be long forgotten once people realise they don't 'have' to like them.

Oops!

Wonder how many of the top 10 will still be there if this poll is repeated in 5yrs time? SMW almost certainly, OoT probably, but any others? I doubt it.

2007 top 10:

10. SotC (#14 this year)
9. Ico (#26 this year)
8. Super Mario Kart (#23 this year)
7. TLoZ: LttP (#10 this year)
6. Super Mario World (#4 this year)
5. Goldeneye (#7 this year)
4. TLoZ: OoT (#2 this year)
3. SM64 (#3 this year)
2. Halo (#5 this year)
1. RE4 (#1 this year)

[sandman]

Hey! That was me. No crywanking here tonight (over videogames, at least). I don't believe I voted in this poll and don't really care what the results are. I'm also not much of a negger - I neg a post once every few months, maybe - but the suggestion that The Last of Us is the best game ever made deserved my entire day's neg quota in one. It's only a pity I couldn't use them all. I mean, the game's all right, I guess. The characterisation and dialogue and animation were are well above average and presumably what you loved so much about it, and the bit with the giraffes, no doubt, but the gameplay itself was a dull combination of mediocre third-person shooting and stealth-by-numbers, hardly the crowning achievement of the medium to date. I suppose The Last of Us might be a worthy winner if your idea of the ultimate video game is a beautiful and deeply poignant animated film with some tiresome, uninspired gameplay between scenes.

Couldn't agree more. It's a good game, nothing more and seems made for non gamers if anything. A game for HBO addicts rather than gaming addicts.

[Stanley]

Yes I can just imagine someone with no interest in games putting 12 hours or more into one. That's exactly how The Last of Us did well, by appealing to non gamers.

[Mentazm]

Last of Us would be a deserving #1, it's not come up yet.

Brown game that's repetitive after the first hour? Nah.

[womblingfree]

Brown game that's repetitive after the first hour? Nah.

[Down by Law]

No, that's Gears of War mate

[Wiper]

So glad to see so many gamers of taste appreciating TLOU's true quality, here. We can all commiserate its distressingly high placement together! And, speaking of which...

Re-reading comments at the end of TAR's Top 100 thread of 2007 is entertaining...

2007 top 10:

10. SotC (#14 this year)

9. Ico (#26 this year)

8. Super Mario Kart (#23 this year)

7. TLoZ: LttP (no show yet, or one of the also-rans outside of the 100)

6. Super Mario World (no show yet...)

5. Goldeneye (no show yet...)

4. TLoZ: OoT (no show yet...)

3. SM64 (no show yet...)

2. Halo (no show yet...)

1. RE4 (no show yet...)

Why is it that, with the exception of Halo,* the only great games in that list have already come up? Looks like it's going to be another awful top 10...

*well, Goldeneye too, but that's a game that really needs to stay in the past, it's aged painfully.

[sandman]

If TLOU is number one I'm going to have a big cry.

[Down by Law]

A big crywank.

[womblingfree]

Goldeneye doesn't need to stay in the past, it needs a 60fps HD re-mastered re-release. Pisses on Halo in terms of content and challenge.

[toythatkills]

There's nothing quite like The Last of Us in how much it suffers simply from being a game. There must be fifty times when all sense of tension is just ruined because you walk into an open area with hundreds of low walls and, well, it's not like there's not going to be a shootout now, is it? As far as gameplay goes you always know what's coming, it's predictable and as a result it can be really dull. If they'd just removed about 50% of the shooting sequences and replaced them with a genuine threat of peril, it'd be a much better game. Knowing that something might be around every corner is much scarier than knowing it'll definitely be there because videogames, then crouching behind a conveniently placed low wall and taking pot-shots at swarms of identical dudes. And it's full of fucking box-pushing and switch puzzles!

Everything aside from the gameplay is pretty amazing and overall it's a great thing to play because all that other stuff is good enough that it being not that good a game doesn't even matter. I think my opinion of it is coloured slightly by the fact that before I played it, everything I heard about it implied that it was the most revolutionary videogame ever, so when I played it and it was full of stupid game tropes I was more disappointed than I'd maybe have been if it wasn't built up that way.

Left Behind is also infinitely better than The Last of Us, that thing is fucking brilliant.

[Down by Law]

I can only assume some of you never played it on Survivor, where every combat encounter is tense as fuck cus you've got no supplies and have to think on the fly, and a couple of bullets will kill you . It's about 10 x more intense and exciting than any other difficulty level. Then you've got the multiplayer, where you actually have to think to survive, and blends the crafting and shooting from the single player effortlessly and even adds it's own meta game where you have to really think about your loadouts and try to keep your clan alive. I'd play that over Gears of War, where you play as presumably 200lb space marines who dive about like ballerinas trying to shotgun each other to death.

The waist high cover argument applies to 99% of other 3rd person shooters - Mass Effect , Uncharted, even forum favourite Vanquish is full of them.

I know it's cool to hate popular stuff, but when you've go mentazm complaining about the game being brown (which is pretty funny, as for a post apocalyptic game it's awash with colour) is then jizzing over Mad Max, a game where you drive around a brown desert. Sandman's funny, as he says it's a game for HBO watchers and complains that Metal Gear Solid V doesn't have enough cut scenes in it.

Nice work guys !

[joffocakes]

I felt The Last of Us' combat, especially in close-quarters, could be pretty buggy and frustrating. Sections where you're forced into combat when you wanted to use stealth and mêlée attacks swinging through enemies' bodies.

The fact it has a decent script and voice acting far better than most games before it are what elevates it, rather than the gameplay itself. I definitely enjoyed the experience a lot (I played through it five times for the trophies) but it's not a game suited too well to replays because of how much story content slows the pace. I was definitely finding it tedious by Grounded NG+.