Rllmuk Top 100 Games 2022 - It's over!

[jonamok]

That’s some damn fine copy in that Elden Ring post. Bravo Sir.

[Wiper]

I'm choosing to imagine this is occurring right now in Japan in response to the rllmuk awards:

 

 

[Benny]

Firelord also had a banging C64 SID chip tune:

 

 

 

 

@Darwock - in case you're wondering: the Elden Ring review is on the previous page and it's completely spoiler free and only contains a couple of very early area screenshots.

[BitterToad]

I played basically nothing but Elden Ring for six months this year. My brain tends to get bored with things very quickly and I often find myself with anxiety staring at 8 things I’ve played for an hour each with no motivation to crack on with anything. 
 

Not Elden Ring though. It essentially became gaming for half of my thirty third year on the planet. And for one hundred glorious hours I was never bored. There was always something new to see and something comfortingly familiar to battle against. As someone who’s been obsessed with From’s games for years it was the complete package of everything they’ve done well for a decade all done twice as brilliantly as they’ve ever done it before and shot through with this incredible freedom that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else outside of our number one game. 
 

Unfortunately due to my mad anxious brain I did become a bit fatigued exactly around the time the game started to bottle neck and point me towards an ending. And I was left banging my head against two bosses, the only two things really left to do in one of the greatest gaming… fuck that one of the greatest experiences full stop in my life. 
 

And so I took the decision to simply walk away. Completion isn’t the endgame in an experience as otherwise utterly perfect as Elden Ring. Who cares about finding the princess when you’ve had 120 incredible hours looking for her?
 

Anyway having just read some of the best writing I’ve read about a game that’s been endlessly written about since release (seriously excellent stuff @Benny) I’ve decided that tomorrow is the day I go back in. Not just for Malenia, not just for the Beast, but to get on my horse and ride around The Lands Between and revisit where I spent a gloriously happy half a year. I’m genuinely excited to ride around and see everywhere amd everyone again. 
 

And once I’ve had my fill I’ll be going after those two bosses and finishing off rllmuk’s third favourite game of all time. Mark. My. Words. 

[Broker]

Full list:

 

Spoiler

100 Bubble Bobble

99 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

98 Soulcalibur

97 Doom Eternal

96 Planescape: Torment

95 Civilization IV

94 Halo 3

93 Doom

92 XCOM: Enemy Unknown

91 Mario Kart 64

90 Deus Ex

89 Red Dead Redemption

88 Day of the Tentacle

87 Wave Race 64

86 Outer Wilds

85 Animal Crossing: New Horizons

84 Resident Evil 2

83 Horizon: Zero Dawn

82 Disco Elysium

81 Super Monkey Ball

80 Hollow Knight

79 Rhythm Tengoku

78 Pokémon Red and Blue

77 Halo: Reach

76 Prey (2017)

75 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

74 GoldenEye 007

73 Batman: Arkham Asylum

72 Final Fantasy VI

71 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

69 Bayonetta

69 Dragon Quest XI

67 Tetris Effect

66 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

65 Fez

64 Demon’s Souls

63 Super Mario Bros. 3

62 Stardew Valley

61 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

60 The Beatles: Rock Band

59 Streets of Rage 2

58 Streets of Rage 4

57 World of Warcraft

56 Spelunky

55 Grand Theft Auto V

54 Rock Band 3

53 WipEout Omega Collection

52 The Last Guardian

51 Chrono Trigger

50 WarioWare, Inc: Mega Microgames!

49 Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan

48 The Witness

47 Advance Wars

46 Hades

45 Persona 4 Golden

44 Shenmue I & II

43 Metal Gear Solid

42 Returnal

41 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

40 Minecraft

39 Portal 2

38 Ico

37 Return of the Obra Dinn

36 Super Mario Kart

35 The Last of Us Part II

34 Slay the Spire

33 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

32 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

31 Street Fighter II

30 Tetris

29 Fallout 3

28 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

27 Yakuza 0

26 F-Zero X

25 Shadow of the Colossus

24 The Legend of Zelda: Majorca’s Mask

23 Outrun 2

22 Red Dead Redemption 2

21 Super Metroid

20 Portal

19 Super Mario Odyssey

18 Super Mario 64

17 Final Fantasy VII

16 The Last of Us

15 Half-Life 2

14 Mario Kart 8

13 Super Mario Galaxy

12 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

11 Metroid Prime

10 Mass Effect 2

9 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

8 Rez

7 Dark Souls

6 Super Mario World

5 Bloodborne

4 Halo

3 Elden Ring

2 Resident Evil 4

1 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

 

[Benny]

It's missing those glorious HOTPICKS

 

Plus I'm not quite done yet.

[SMD]

3 minutes ago, Benny said:

It's missing those glorious HOTPICKS

 

Plus I'm not quite done yet.

 

C H I B I  R O B O

H

I

B

I

 

R

O

B

O

[Benny]

Haven't played it I'm afraid, but there is that lovely new games that passed the forum by thread it would fit right into I suspect.

[Benny]

When I said I wasn't quite done yet I obviously meant STATS. We all love STATS. But it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm knackered.

 

And then I might even do a rapid fire rundown of the NEXT 100 runners up. Because I'm insane.

[Broker]

16 minutes ago, Benny said:

When I said I wasn't quite done yet I obviously meant STATS. We all love STATS. But it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm knackered.

 

And then I might even do a rapid fire rundown of the NEXT 100 runners up. Because I'm insane.

Awesome. I fucking love STATS.

 

TBH I’ve been keeping a running list because it might be useful for something I’m doing at work, so I figured I’d just dump it here.

[Ry]

I'm surprised Burnout 3 didn't make the list! 

[the_debaser]

6 hours ago, Broker said:

24 The Legend of Zelda: Majorca’s Mask

I love the idea of Link heading to Tokyo Joes before finishing the night at BCM. 

[joemul]

Out of all the amazing musical scores From have used and created, the score for Caelid will stick with me the most. It’s just so menacing, that low-level buzzing noise. It’s dread made aural. 

[Rayn]

16 minutes ago, joemul said:

Out of all the amazing musical scores From have used and created, the score for Caelid will stick with me the most. It’s just so menacing, that low-level buzzing noise. It’s dread made aural. 

 

It's a bit funny. I went into Elden Ring totally blind, it was a game that wasn't even on my radar before its release and it was merely the review buzz that made me bite. 

I loved the game from the very first moment and it was the only game I played for a couple of months. I basically rinsed it on my first playthrough, but during my first days playing the game I had, at the time, one issue with it and that was the soundtrack. 

For some reason I was yearning for some memorable tunes, a musical score in the classic RPG sense that would have me hum along as soon as the melodies settled. The endless single note strings in several of the areas did my head in at times and I even ended up turning the music down during some sessions. 

In hindshight I realise it was genius and a great way to compliment the atmosphere of the various areas. 

[Danster]

Thanks for doing this @Benny. It's takes a hell of a lot of work writing all those words and compiling the lists. Thanks also to your collaborators

 

And well done rllmuk for another top hundred of fantastic games. Great stuff.

[PeteJ]

I really enjoyed Bloodborne and Dark Souls (1 and 3, never tried 2), but had no plans to get Elden Ring. I missed all the trailers, not because I was staying radio silent, but because I just wasn't interested. 

 

My life at the moment doesn't really allow for games like Elden Ring. I can snatch the odd 20 minutes here and there on a game if I'm lucky, but generally I don't bother. 

 

Elden Ring gets released, I get immediately caught up in the hype and I find myself downloading the game on launch date, swearing at the slow speeds because obviously I needed it immediately. I send a photo to my brother of the title screen with the words "what have I done". An hour later, his response "you git". Suddenly, we both had Elden Ring, both with the expectation of bouncing off it quickly, and both immediately overwhelmed. 

 

Fast forward to something like June, I think....I awake from my Elden Ring slumber. Over a hundred hours on the clock, the credits roll. 

 

The garden is overgrown. Cobwebs everywhere. Bathroom light has been broken for months. Shed is still falling down. Work tasks building and building, customers getting angry. Partner very patient, but not quite understanding my sudden desire to play that game again. 

 

It's like I'd joined into gaming trance like no other. If I wasn't playing Elden Ring I was talking about it, reading about it or watching others do the same. Every evening, desperate to get kids to bed

so I could login and maximise my Elden Ring time..., lunch breaks, before work...

 

An explosion of gaming addiction and obsession to which I've never experienced before, and I regret nothing. What a game.  

[Darwock]

I’m a bit concerned about all the people saying “over 100 hours later”. After last night’s session I’m at 377 hours and I still haven’t explored the whole map or found the remaining shardbearers 😕

[dataDave]

Just now, Darwock said:

I’m a bit concerned about all the people saying “over 100 hours later”. After last night’s session I’m at 377 hours and I still haven’t explored the whole map or found the remaining shardbearers 😕

 

That's the way to do it.

[Benny]

Christ, and I thought I was taking my time and had really sniffed everything out there was to see when I finished it at 250 hours.

[Qazimod]

Is being a fan of the Zelda series a prerequisite for enjoying BotW? My limited experience of the 8-bits, 16-bits and N64 games was a bit samey and boring, but I get the feeling that this one would be a bit more unique?

[Benny]

5 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

Is being a fan of the Zelda series a prerequisite for enjoying BotW? My limited experience of the 8-bits, 16-bits and N64 games was a bit samey and boring, but I get the feeling that this one would be a bit more unique?

 

Not in the least. In fact it may even be helpful not being a fan.

[SMD]

6 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

Is being a fan of the Zelda series a prerequisite for enjoying BotW? My limited experience of the 8-bits, 16-bits and N64 games was a bit samey and boring, but I get the feeling that this one would be a bit more unique?

 

One of the biggest criticisms the game got from Zelda nerds is that it didn't give them the same tropes they want from a Zelda game.

 

For what it's worth I love the series and loved BOTW but I also don't need every game to be the same.

 

There are tiny references all over the game world but nothing that would detract at all from your experience. It's designed to be new for everyone.

[acidbearboy]

43 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

Is being a fan of the Zelda series a prerequisite for enjoying BotW? My limited experience of the 8-bits, 16-bits and N64 games was a bit samey and boring, but I get the feeling that this one would be a bit more unique?

I asked this very question at the time of its release as I hadn’t enjoyed a Zelda game since Link’s Awakening on the Gameboy, but I was encouraged to give it a try and I’m glad I did (so much so that I put it at the top of my list). I didn’t notice many Zelda traditions on my play through and I think the game would hold up if you swapped out Link, Zelda and Gannon for a new IP. The world itself is the star, not the characters. 

[Darwock]

1 hour ago, Benny said:

Christ, and I thought I was taking my time and had really sniffed everything out there was to see when I finished it at 250 hours.

I set myself one new goal for every night that I play - whether it’s exploring a town or a tomb, finding a way to a particular point on the map, getting to some loot I can’t reach, or fighting a boss. If I die in the process I do a co-op session to recover the lost rune arc and gain another so I have more than I started with, which usually turns into a proper mission trying multiple times to help whichever person summoned me. I should add that I’m quite averse to leveling up, so never go charging about recklessly at full speed.

 

I’ve played almost every night* since the launch week following this process and have always had new things to do. I can’t believe I haven’t finished it yet.

 

*I have taken a few more nights off recently after my in-game fate took a twist that took the wind out of my sails a bit. Need to get my mojo back.

[Benny]

It's definitely possible for play time to get extended with jolly co-op and various other distractions. I think I can probably add another ten hours or so onto that 250 that were spent having glorious invasions for PvP larks in various locations. I would usually try invading in a major dungeon for about an hour after I'd explored it.

[robdood]

1 hour ago, Qazimod said:

Is being a fan of the Zelda series a prerequisite for enjoying BotW? My limited experience of the 8-bits, 16-bits and N64 games was a bit samey and boring, but I get the feeling that this one would be a bit more unique?

BotW was my favourite open world until Elden Ring.  It's definitely worth playing I think, it's got a very unique charm and feel.  Plus. That climbing, dude!  Best sense of freeform exploration ever.  I prefer ER overall, but BotW is masterpiece, no doubt. 

[Siri]

1 hour ago, Qazimod said:

Is being a fan of the Zelda series a prerequisite for enjoying BotW? My limited experience of the 8-bits, 16-bits and N64 games was a bit samey and boring, but I get the feeling that this one would be a bit more unique?

 

As others have said, it's a very different type of exploring compared to the archetype the other games had.

 

It took me multiple goes over the years to get my head around it, as a fan of LttP and Link's Awakening - it's more open world than any Ubisoft game that dares utter that term, asks the player to think and simply travel the vast environment surrounding them instead of immediately heading to the next part of a plot line. In a way, it's the essence of what Zelda was supposed to be in Miyamoto's head when he was out mapping the countryside around him as a kid.

 

Instead of hacking hundreds of bushes to get money for a fairy jar, you're on a conveyor belt of finding and destroying weapons you've found in the open, with your strategy changing for each encounter as a result, freeform and kinetic. When you find a chest, you really find one - it's not just a crack in the wall, it's a crack in the face of a cliff that you need to climb.

 

It all felt boundless and effortless, and there's such nuance with how things interact with each other, that you can't help falling in love with it even after accepting that LttP is the GOAT. It's just a fantastic take on what Zelda should be.

[Wiper]

Just to add to the chorus, as a non-Zelda fan,* I really liked Breath of the Wild. Not personal top 20 good, but very much worth playing.

 

 

*outside of Little Big Adventure and Beyond Good & Evil, of course

[Thor]

I actually really loved the GB and SNES Zelda games, but the N64 and later games all left me cold. BoTW did not leave me cold. It's a truly great game - it's by no means my personal favourite game, but I can see why it is for many.

[Darwock]

In my slightly trollish earlier post I wasn’t joking when I said my kids are a lot more excited to play Four Swords+ than BOTW. I wonder how they would have reacted if I introduced them to Windwaker. Whatever the switch game has going for it is not as attractive to them as the retro Zelda stuff.

 

(me neither for that matter, it’s another one I haven’t played)