Sitting here with our tea and biscuits, we often debate the important issues of the day. Issues such as: whose turn it is to buy the sugar?, what to have for tea?, is it justifiable to buy a movie in HD when you’ve already got it on DVD?, and which biscuit is best for dunking? But one question remains unanswered; a question that has caused more disagreements and raised voices than a Labour Party Conference. Just what is the best videogame in the world ever?
With a combined gaming age of over 100, the five of us have played more than our fair share of gems (and rubbish) over the years. And as we can’t agree on the best game in the world ever, we’ve compiled our individual top 20 favourite games of all time.
Some of them may not be the most technical or re-playable games in the world, but they mean something to us in some way or another. Some of them created a genre; some took it to a whole new level; while others are just good old fashioned fun. Some of these you will no doubt agree on, others will probably leave you shaking your head in disbelief.
In no particular order (after about number 5), mine are:
1. Saturn Bomberman – SEGA Saturn (without doubt, the best multiplayer game EVER!!)
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Xbox 360 (the best single-player game ever)
3. Alternate Reality – Atari 800xl version
4. Mario 64 – N64
5. Silent Hill 2 – PlayStation 2
6. GoldenEye – N64
7. Super Puyo Puyo - SNES
8. Tempest 2000 – Atari Jaguar
9. Magical Flying Hat Turbo Adventure, AKA Decapattack – SEGA Mega Drive
10. Street Fighter 2 – PC Engine
11. Splatter House – PC Engine
12. Resident Evil – PlayStation
13. Galaga 88 – PC Engine version
14. Super Mario Bros. 3 NES
15. ChoroQ – PlayStation
16. Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time – N64
17. Tomb Raider - SEGA Saturn
18. GTA: Vice City Stories (PSP)
19. Super Mario World - SNES
20. Wii Sports - Wii
Dave:
OK, here goes. There were so many that could and possibly should have been on this list. And I’m sure I’ve overlooked some crackers:
1. Super Mario Kart – This game has taken up months of my life
2. Football Manager Series – This one is possibly touching years of lifetime consumption.
3. Sensible World of Soccer – In short, the most in-depth action footie game of it’s time.
4. Virtua Tennis 3 – I’ve had some amazing multiplayer duals on this bad-boy, it’s still my game of choice in the online office.
5. Football Manager Live – THE most addictive game I’ve played ever.
6. GTA 3 – My life was taken over by this game for a month. I even started talking in an Italian accent and everything!
7. Worms – The ultimate war game, Noggin, Smidge and the gang – I salute you!
8. Arkanoid II – Simple game, hugely addictive, massively frustrating.
9. Wizball – I was enchanted by the originality of this Atari ST classic.
10. Formula One 97 – Myself and a friend got very good at this game and had some Prost / Senna like battles.
11. Chuckie Egg – Delicious!
12. Super Grand Prix – An Amiga classic, race as an F1 car, a tank, a motorbike or even a dragster – classic racing!
13. Kick Off 2 – Oh the fun myself and my brothers had playing this footie sim. It was the game of choice until SWOS came along.
14. Starquake – I got lost on this wonderfully large world of caverns and caves many a time. Avoid the evil crosses!
15. Tetris – The only game that allowed me and my mum to compete on a level playing field.
16. Brian Clough’s Football Fortunes – It’s a computer game, and a board game; and it was the only management game where you could lose two of your star players in a car-crash – what more does a football fan need.
17. Grand Theft Auto – We’ve got a ten thirteen at South Miramar
18. Ikari Warriors – Multiplayer Rambo style brilliance.
19. Ski Challenge – Classic simple skiing action.
20. Super Mario Bros. 3 – Lovin’ that racoon suit.
The ‘so close’ contenders were…
Sim City
Striker
Pro-Cycling Manager
Super Bomber Man
New Star Soccer 3
ArchangelUK:
1. Turrican 2 (Atari ST)
2. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GC)
3. Tales Of Symphonia (GC)
4. The Legend Of Zelda: Link To The Past (SNES)
5. Llamatron (Atari ST)
6. Sonic Triple Trouble (GG)
7. Sid Meier’s Colonization (PC)
8. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC)
9. Star Goose (Atari ST)
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PC)
11. Star Wars: Original (Arcade)
12. Time Crisis II (Arcade)
13. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GC)
14. Soul Calibur II (GC)
15. Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (Wii)
16. Double Dragon
17. Sonic 2 (MD)
18. Shadow The Hedgehog (GC)
19. Bomb Jack (Atari ST)
20. Unreal Tournament (PC)
Juuuust missing out:
Billy Hatcher & The Giant Egg (GC)
Crazy Taxi
Halcyon: The Fringe (PC)
Half Life 2 (PC)
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Need For Speed Underground 2 (PC)
Offroad Thunder (Arcade)
The Big Cheese:
1. Civilisation (Amiga)
2. Total War: Rome (PC)
3. X-Wing (PC)
4. Football Manager 07 (PC)
5. UFO Enemy Unknown (PC)
6. Super Return of the Jedi (SNES)
7. Sensible World of Soccer (Amiga)
8. Star Wars Lego the Complete Saga. (Xbox 360)
9. Mario 64 (N64)
10. Kick Off 2 (Atari ST)
11. Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (PS2)
12. Grand Theft Auto- Vice City (PS2)
13. Midwinter II Flames of Freedom (Amiga)
14. Grand Theft Auto- San Andreas (PS2)
15. Elite (ZX Spectrum)
16. Arnhem (ZX Spectrum)
17. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Megadrive)
18. NHL 2004 (PS2)
19. Tracksuit Manager World Cup Edition (C64)
20. Half Life 2. (PC)
Mark O:
Compiling a list of my top 20 games is tricky because it means excluding the hundreds of others that I have enjoyed over the years. I obviously also love the Total War series, but I have left them of this list to give you an idea of what else I play.
1. Crackdown – Xbox 360
A hugely entertaining game that is fun in both single and multiplayer. With all of the bosses now defeated, my hunt for green and blue orbs continues!
2. Final Fantasy VII – PSOne
This was my first real introduction to RPG’s and remains a firm favourite 10 years later. I proudly dedicated 81 hours of my life to exploring this epic world and racing my prized Chocobo!
3. WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw - Playstation 2
Having played all 9 titles in the series, I am so fond of the games that I even moved to Los Angeles at one point to work on two of them!
4. Bioshock – Xbox 360
One of the greatest single player FPS games of all time. If only it had a multiplayer mode it’d be perfect!
5. Grand Theft Auto 3 – Playstation 2
The leap into 3D corrupted my fragile little mind!
6. Call of Duty 4 – Xbox 360
I’m a huge fan of the COD series, and the latest entry is the best yet. I have recently become quite partial to the Domination mode on Xbox Live.
7. Knights of the Old Republic – Xbox
The best Star Wars game. Ever.
8. Worms – PC
I still cannot resist the charm of throwing a sheep or banana bomb at the enemy to hear them retaliate in a high-pitched voice “You’ll regret that!”
9. Fight Night Round 3 – Xbox 360
This 360 launch title has still yet to be assigned to my “gathering dust” pile, and I currently have a 20 match undefeated streak on Xbox live!
10. Crimson Skies – Xbox
Crimson Skies was a very pleasant surprise, and is definitely worth checking out.
11. Super Mario Galaxy – Nintendo Wii
While all Mario games probably deserve a place in this list (well, except SMB2), his latest adventure is a current favourite.
12. Metal Gear Solid – PSOne
Fantastic espionage action with unique boss battles. A bit text heavy though!
13. Guitar Hero 3 – Xbox 360
Who’d have thought a brightly coloured plastic guitar could provide so much fun!
14. Ape Escape – PSOne
With a unique analog control system, Ape Escape was one of the best platformers on PSOne.
15. Tomb Raider – PSOne
The T Rex scene on level 3 was an iconic moment in gaming. As was jumping off the waterfall and purposely missing the water! :o)
16. Crash Bandicoot: Warped - PSOne
The third in the series was packed with humour and had gorgeous visuals.
17. Timesplitters 2 – Playstation 2
There is something indescribably brilliant about being able to run around as a duck and throw bricks at the gingerbread man in a supermarket.
18. City of Villains - PC
Superheroes are more fun than goblins – fact!
19. Super Monkey Ball – Gamecube
Monkey boxing rules!
20. Dancing Stage: Euro Mix – Arcade
The best pre-Wii Sports exercise around, and for some reason I’m actually quite good at it.
RSS FEED
Comment # 1
My Top ten games:
Pirates! Sid Myers - C64
GoldenEye - N64
Mario Kart - N64
Street Fighter 2 - arcade version
GTA Vice City - PS2
The Last Ninja – C64
Half Life / Team Fortress Classic - PC
Orc Attack – Spectrum 48
Sonic The Hedgehog – Mega Drive
Manic Miner – Spectrum 48
Posted by Mike E. on December 17th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Comment # 2
No Shenmue love? NO SHENMUE LOVE…
(In the order they come into my mind in other words completely random order)
-Shenmue series
-Panzer Dragoon series
-Jet Set Radio series
-Total War Series
-Skies of Arcadia
-Shinobi 3 Return of the Ninja Master
-Saturn Bomberman
-Chu Chu Rocket
-Sonic 2,3 S&K and Sonic Adventure 1
-Half Life 2
-Yakuza series
-Alien Soldier
-Devil May Cry 3
-Shining Force 1,2 & 3
-Phantasy Star 2 & 4
-Streets of Rage series
-Worms series
-Monkey Island series
-Toy Commander
-Kid Chameleon
-Comix Zone
-Killer 7
-Team Fortess 2
-Paper Boy
-PowerStone 2
-Xwing vs Tie Fighter
-Virtua Fighter 2, 4Evo & 5
-Street Fighter 2
-Mario Kart 64
-OutRun 1 & 2 C2C
-Star Fox 64
-WarCraft2
-Seaman
-Dragon Force series
-Vampire BloodLines
-F Zero GX/AX
Posted by Ryan/Sharky on December 17th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
Comment # 3
Did Sega forbid you to list Shenmue or what?
Posted by tropicali on December 17th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Comment # 4
“Did Sega forbid you to list Shenmue or what?”
LOL not at all tropicali; it just appear in my top 20, but it is a corker of a game.
Posted by Martin - the fat ninja on December 18th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Comment # 5
Well guys remember that everyone has different opinions and its very nice to see so much diversity in your lists!
I am not sure if you wan tto see it but here is my list in no order:
1 Sonic on the master system since it was the first game I fully finished when I was about 9 or 8 at a friends house.
2 Panzer Dragoon Zwei as it was one of the first sega saturn game my mother got me for christmas and I loved every minute. It was funny because I didnt even know one single word in english as I was about 10 and lived in Portugal, but I still enjoyed playing it.
3 Sonic Jam mainly because I never got myself a mega drive as I had a master system and then went straight to a Sega saturn. I still played most mega drive games at a friend’s house but being able to fully finish every sonic game on this disk felt very special!
4 Nights into dreams which I managed to finally get when I came to live in England and became an instant favorite. I just really like the music and how it changes depending on how you treat the little nightopians. My favorite level from the game has to be Soft museum from Claire’s dream stages. :d
5 Phantasy Star Online as it was the first game I played online ever and I have many fond memories of playing it along with some friends I made for life and this special girl. I still go down to Ragol every so often offline with my fonewm. : )
6 Ecco the dolphin which I really only got into when it came out this year on the xbox arcade! I just started playing and before I knew it I was going through my 2nd playthrough already. I am also very proud to be number 5 in the world leadboards.
7 Legend of Zelda Twilight princess as it was my first zelda game I owned and it just amazed me in every way. In Christmas last year I was quite ill and this game along with my brand new Wii I got on the 7th for my birthday that was the 4th made it a lot better. I still think it is one of the best wii games I played and definetly one of my all time favorites.
8 I recently played through Eternal Sonata and just had to include it in this week mainly because of the music. The storyline just made me want to play it even more and it is definetly one of the best RPG I ever played. Also I liked how I learned a lot about Frederick Chopin and some of the music he composed which are masterpieces.
9 I couldnt avoid to mention Sonic Adventure as it was the first dreamcast I played on a demo pod, and going down the beach being followed by that whale, brings back memories everytime.
10 Resident Evil Code veronice for its excellent storyline, fantastic level design and being the first game in the series I completed!
11 I have to include the Metroid prime series for its incredible storyline and how the levels always made me think a lot about my next move. The 3rd game in the series although easier was just a perfect ending to what became one of my favorite games series.
12 Also another of nintendo’s legends is Super Mario Galaxy which managed to improve what was already beyong good. I really liked how each level brought a whole new idea which meant I was always looking forward to the next level.
13 I include shenmue mainly for the fun that was exploring the cities and doing all the activities. Also it had some very funny jokes and I admit that I never had played anything like it before.
14 Also couldnt go without including streets of rage as it is just one of the best fighting games I played. The music is great and each level brings a whole new level of fun to the fight crime campaign.
15 Ninja Gaiden for the xbox was just the most tough challenge I ever faced in a game. It was one of my favorite xbox games and I just cannot find a fault within the game.
16 Another panzer dragoon game that I played through was Orta which managed to grip me for hours playing it. I really liked how the storyline was related to the SAGa game for the SEGA saturn and each level was a pleasure to play through.
17 Ristar is also something that is on my list just because of how much fun I had playing it. I really like how each level has its own features and how Ristar adapts to them with individual animations.
18 Baten kaitos is one of my favorite ever RPG and spanning 2 disk it contains many twits, lots of fighting and a lot of exploring. Since I really like RPGs this was like a dream come true.
19 I liked Headhunter on the dreamcast mainly because of the ideas it had such as the bike driving and levels.
20 And finally to finish I would like to include the comedy that is 3 dirty dwarfs simply as I never played anything like it. When I fist put the cd on my sega saturn I was expecting a side scroller but it was so much more. The 3 characters are just so funny and having bosses like a man with a coat made out of dogs made it for a rather unique ride.
These are just some that came to mind as I have a huge collection of games that I enjoy playing.
Posted by Diogo on December 18th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Comment # 6
I agree with quite a lot of the previously posted games but I think Castlevania: Symphony of the Night deserves a mention
Posted by Lee on December 18th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Comment # 7
Don’t forget this week’s XBLA releases - S.W.O.S and Tempest. Even though S.W.O.S didn’t make it into MY top 20, it is a cracker of a game and well worth the 800 points. I’ll be getting them both.
Posted by Martin - the fat ninja on December 18th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Comment # 8
Having looked at Mark’s top 20 I can’t believe I left off Metal Gear Solid. I think I was stuck in retro mode. Arrrrrhhhhhh. I have to agree with him on COD4, this game is taking up a lot of my time at the moment.
Posted by Martin - the fat ninja on December 19th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Comment # 9
Ok - From the top:
1. Blades of Steel - NES
2. Civilization - Amiga
3. Pirates! Sid Myers - Amiga
4. Chaos - ZX Spectrum
5. Sensible Soccer - Amiga
6. Golden Eye - N64
6. Championship manager/ Football manager
7. Wario Tennis - Virtual Gameboy!
8. John Madden 97 - Playstation 2
9. Grand Turismo - Playstation 2
10. Life & Death - Amgia
11. Rookes Drift - Amiga
12 Ghost Recon - Xbox 360
13. Super Mario - NES
14. Mario Kart - N64
15. Top Gun - NES
16. Paper boy - ZX Spectrum
17. Wii Sports - Wii
18. Anything which used the power glove on NES
19. Winter Olympics 200ish - Playstation 2
20. Sega Rally - Megadrive
Posted by Nick Johnson on December 19th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Comment # 10
1) Super Mario Kart - SNES
Half-Life 2 - PC
2) Street Fighter 2 Turbo - SNES
3) Goldeneye - N64
4) F-Zero - SNES
5) Sensible Soccer - Amiga
6) Speedball - Amiga
7) Paperboy - ZX Spectrum
9) Advance Wars - GBA
10) Super Tennis - SNES
11) Super Mario World IV - SNES
12) Burnout 1 - PS2
13) Daley Thompson’s Decathalon Challenge - ZX Spectrum
14) Devil May Cry 3 - PS2
15) Super Bomberman - SNES
16) GTA 3 PS2
17) Tekken PS One
18) Pro Evolution Soccer 5 PS2
19) Far Cry PC
20) Jet Set Willy ZX Spectrum
Posted by Mark Sutton on December 19th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Comment # 11
Wow, difficult one this. I suppose I’ll put my answers down regarding the games that sucked my life dry or either turned my ever so slightly insane.
1) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
WipEout
2) Mario Kart
3) Goldeneye 64
4) Metal Gear Solid
5) Super Street Fighter
6) Manic Miner + Jet Set Willy
7) Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
9) Gran Turismo
10) Final Fantasy series
11) Monkey Island
12) Streets of Rage
13) Half Life 2
14) R-Type
15) Chuckie Egg
16) Bomberman
17) Far Cry
18) Call of Duty 4
19) Puzzle Bobble (arrg)
20) Ant Attack
Posted by Michael on December 19th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Comment # 12
Here’s mine. Probably missed out a few, but the top 5 are definates
1. Zelda 3: A link to the past (SNES)
2. Final Fantasy 7 (PSX)
3. Goldeneye (N64)
4. Resident Evil (PSX)
5. Mario Kart (SNES)
6. Guitar Hero 3 (XBox 360)
7. Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Arcade)
8. Initial D Street Stage (Arcade)
9. Sword of Vermillion (Mega Drive)
10. Feud (ZX Spectrum)
11. World of Warcraft (PC)
12. Half Life 2 (PC)
13. WCW Vs NWO Revenge (N64)
14. Elder Scrolls: Morrowind (PC)
15. Silent Hill 3 (PS2)
16. Sim City (PC)
17. Dawn of War (PC)
18. Monkey Island 2 (PC)
19. Ultima Online (PC)
20. Toejam and Earl (MD)
Posted by Mike H (SEGA) on December 19th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Comment # 13
How times have changed…. Nintendo games in a Sega best games ever list!
Posted by Gnargle on December 20th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Comment # 14
Not in any order (Except the top two)
1)Goldeneye
2)Super Mario 64
3)F Zero X
4)Mario Kart Series
5)Soccer Kid (Atari) (Actually all Atari games were top)
6)STALKER
7)HL2 Episode 1
8)BioShock
9)Super Smash Bros
10)UT2004 + UT2007
11)Enemy Territory
12)Max Payne 1
13)C&C: Tiberian Sun
14)GTA Series
15)Metal Gear Solid Series
16)Microsoft WW2 Simulator
17)Monkey Island 2
18)Diddy Kong Racing N64 (Amazing game)
19)Worms PC
20)Shooting game on PC I can’t remember, used to be at the Arcades to, Police Shooter or something…
Posted by Sammy El-Tawil on December 20th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Comment # 15
So, here is my list of best games (I love them all, no matter what number it has):
1)Sonic adventure DX director’s cut - Hey, what else would you expect from sonicfan? =)
2)Final Fantasy 7 - Best storyline and best JRPG ever!
3)Fallout 2 - Greatest non-japaneese RPG!
4)Billy Hatcher and the giant egg - non-stop fun from the first to last stage!
5)Need for speed Hot Pursuit 2 - best NFS!
6)Devil may cry 3 Special edition - fantastic gameplay!
7)Lineage 2 - My type of MMORPG! =)
8)Sonic Riders - awesome speed and lovely characters!
9)Pokemon Emerald version - Gotta catch’em all!
10)Streets of rage 3 - one of the best games on Megadrive!
11)Ecco the dolphin: The tides of time - Unique gameplay! (also I like dolphins)
12)lemmingballZ 3D - one of the best freeware games I know!
13)Jets&Guns GOLD - best scrolling shooter! (and best music either)
14)Oni - one of few really good anime games, which created by non-japanesse developers!
15)Every extend - this game is a killer of my spare time! X)
16)Sonic the hedgehog 2 - It seems to be the best Megadrive game!
17)Rayman Raving Rabbids - No comments! =)
18)Digger - my first game! (I was only 4 years old, when played it the first time, but I still remember this game)
19)Sid Meier’s Colonisation - I played it from dusk till dawn! =)
20)Space rangers - outer space and absolute freedom! ^^
P.S. please, forgive me my poor english…
Posted by Flink_TH on December 21st, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Comment # 16
Heres my 20 best games
1)The Shenmue Series for a start love they games and want another one to be made
2)Sonic The Hedghog (X360)
3)Super Mario Galaxy
4)All The Zelda Games
5)Super Smash Bros
6)GRAW 1&2
7)The Halo Series
8)Super Mario 64
9)The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (X360)
10)The Rest Of The Sonic Games
11)And The Rest Of The Mario Games
12)Star Wars KOTOR 1&2
13Mass Effect
14)The Metroid Prime Series
15)Age Of Empiers 3
16)Call Of Duty 4
17)Blue Dragon
18)Assassins Creed (X360)
19)Shadow The Hedgehog (XBOX)
20)Pokemon D&P
Posted by Craig N on January 12th, 2008 at 12:41 am
Comment # 17
1) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
2) Sensible World of Soccer (Amiga)
3) Bomberman
4) Super Hang-On
5) FIFA 2005
6) Formula One (PSX)
7) Virtual Tennis (Xbox)
8 ) Need for Speed Underground
9) Canis Canum Edit
10) EA Sports Cricket 2007
11) Sonic The Hedgehog
12) Mario Kart (SNES)
13) World Championship Snooker (PSX)
14) Toejam and Earl (Mega Drive)
15) Silkworm (Amiga)
16) Speedball 2 (Amiga)
17) Out Run
18) Wii Sports
19) Guitar Hero 3
20) Mortal Kombat 2
Posted by Phil G on February 14th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Comment # 18
sega make more games of sonic for pc
the games of sonic are the most cool for me
make more for pc
Posted by jose luis on August 12th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Comment # 19
make sonic adventure 2 for pc
Posted by jose luis on August 12th, 2008 at 1:07 am
Comment # 20
the more best are
sonic the hedgehog wii
sonic riders wii
sonic unleashed
sonic adventure 2
sonic adventure directors cut
sonic heroes
sonic riders
Posted by jose luis on August 12th, 2008 at 1:12 am