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EGM's top 200 games

Well Pong certainly helped the industry as a whole, but it didn't really lead to a load of new games like it. There are different ways to have an impact.
 
Mama Smurf said:
Well Pong certainly helped the industry as a whole, but it didn't really lead to a load of new games like it. There are different ways to have an impact.
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It lead more to dozens of companies making the exact same game and releasing it as something else.
 
Heian-kyo said:
I personally think this list is awful, and I greatly disagree with the inclusions of games like Pac-Man and Pong in the Top 10. Are they important games to the history of the industry? No doubt. Are they great? They were. But like 90% of the films made before the 1940's, they simply don't hold a candle to what has been released since.

There are many games from the pre-NES era I would consider both great and important; yet there are very, very few that I believe are worthy of inclusion on a list such as this. A truly great game is one that transends time, and the NES Super Mario's are an excellent example of this.

A few entries I grossly disagree with, either being too high or on the list at all:
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Stop posting. You are worthless and an ebarassment to the gaf community
 
djtiesto said:
Halo deserves to be #17 way more than Goldeneye deserves #16 though, if you ask me. Halo will at least be playable 10 years from now as it has a consistent framerate, decent control scheme, and some semblance of level design (well, at least the MP levels). Plus Halo is still pretty important in the scheme of things - it broke the FPS to the console game masses, introduced the dual analog control scheme that's now the console FPS standard, had impressive graphics for its time, and started a fairly unique mythos.
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It's For Their Time. Was there anything even close to GE when it came out?

Shouldn't Pong be #1?
 
114 : Card Fighters' Clash : NG Pocket Color
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Dig it. Decent list, actually. PDS as 80th is a crime against humanity, especially after the likes of Halo 2, but I'm sure more than a few staff members haven't even played it... Some of them hadn't even played Bomberman prior to this past year. ::coughs:: Just compiling a list of 200 games like this is incredibly difficult, and I respect that they took the time to do it. Seriously, the difference between like 131 and 181 is so small, it's stupid to quibble. There are just some games I would've listed that they didn't, but that's always going to happen.
 
Gigglepoo said:
It's For Their Time. Was there anything even close to GE when it came out?

Shouldn't Pong be #1?
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Console FPSes? Sure, there was Wolf 3D, DOOM and Turok... as well as lesser known games like Disruptor and Brahma Force. I don't think it should be included on the list, because I personally think its a very bad _game_, regardless of its influence.
 
Speevy said:
Does that say Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow? If you're going to pick Splinter Cell, at least choose the best one.
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They did, sure the Single player sucked ass like any other Splinter Cell game out there.

But good god the multiplayer was the best thing ever to gaming.
 
You know if I had to make of list of the top games, I wouldn't even bother ranking them, just place them in alphabetical order cause people are always never pleased over any ranking.
 
This list fucking blows. Even if they are going by Their Time it still reeks of bullshit when Super Metroid ranked #1 last time (therfor best SNES game) but somehow Super Mario Kart ranks higher this time (was that even in the top 20 last time?) Even more bullshit is that Majora's Mask ranked #7 (or was it #6?) and OOT was right behind it, but now Majora is ranked #155, yet OOT is ranked #8. This list obviously does not go by Their Time when obvious fuck ups like these (and many more) were allowed. And for the 2 people in this thread who said Winback fucking rocked, I agree. I loved that game.
 
Ganondorf>Link said:
This list fucking blows. Even if they are going by Their Time it still reeks of bullshit when Super Metroid ranked #1 last time (therfor best SNES game) but somehow Super Mario Kart ranks higher this time (was that even in the top 20 last time?) Even more bullshit is that Majora's Mask ranked #7 (or was it #6?) and OOT was right behind it, but now Majora is ranked #155, yet OOT is ranked #8. This list obviously does not go by Their Time when obvious fuck ups like these (and many more) were allowed. And for the 2 people in this thread who said Winback fucking rocked, I agree. I loved that game.
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You do realize that there are probably a lot of different editors with different opinions voting this time, right?
 
Soul4ger said:
You do realize that there are probably a lot of different editors with different opinions voting this time, right?
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Should that make a 147th place difference between OOT and MM when last time they were right next to eachother? :lol
 
Ganondorf>Link said:
Should that make a 147th place difference between OOT and MM when last time they were right next to eachother? :lol
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Why not? First, you have to take into consideration that some of the editors may've never played Majora's Mask, and left it off their lists entirely. Then some may not have liked it as much. It's entirely feasible.
 
Pac-Man and Pong are just copout answers. Most would agree that Ms. Pac-Man is just a far better game and way more influential when it comes to the history of the game industry. I don't understand what qualifies these games to be on the list- importance in history or enjoyment? Because while pong was the ultimate casual game it's simply not designed to be a great game. And how does Super Metroid jump from their top spot to somewhere in the 20s or 30s?
 
sonarrat said:
Sonic the Hedgehog at #56 is just dumb. It blew everything else on the market out of the water.
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On the Genny library, yes. Sonic 2 especially. Just combing through ebay it appears to be the most owned game.
 
Heian-kyo said:
I personally think this list is awful, and I greatly disagree with the inclusions of games like Pac-Man and Pong in the Top 10. Are they important games to the history of the industry? No doubt. Are they great? They were. But like 90% of the films made before the 1940's, they simply don't hold a candle to what has been released since.
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People have already said it, but you didn't catch the whole point of the list (the title of this thread doesn't help)--it's the top 200 games of THEIR time. -The games are ranked according to how big a deal they were when they came out.-

It's all explained well in the issue....you should go buy it! :)
 
sonarrat said:
Sonic the Hedgehog at #56 is just dumb. It blew everything else on the market out of the water.
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?? Sonic was, even at the time, very shallow and fairly derivative. It was perhaps the best mascot Mario wanna-be, and it brought some new things, but overall I'd say #56 is okay-to-generous.
 
Ganondorf>Link said:
Should that make a 147th place difference between OOT and MM when last time they were right next to eachother? :lol
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Lots of games that were refinements or variations of previous games didn't have the same impact of their predecessors.

Majora's Mask kicked ass when it came out (it -is- still on the list), but comparing it to how blown away and totally hooked everyone was when OoT launched...it's a pretty big difference there, in my mind.
 
Phantasy Star Online? This game was important? It had an impact?
NFL 2k not even on the list?
No Jet Grind Radio? That game was huge.

Hell, this makes me confused. Is it how important the game was for it's time, or how good of a game it was compared to others in it's time? If it's the latter then whoever came up with the idea to do this needs to be shot.
 
How about their next top 200 games list (which I expect in about 7 months, after 6 more covers with next gen consoles on them) they make it based one thing: how fun the games are today. I highly doubt Pitfall would be on there.
 
My main gripe with EGM's list is the number of trendy choices. Just because a game was good for its time doesn't mean it should earn a high spot on the list (or at all for that matter). Two words: Tomb Raider (#35). Quality with regards to era should be a factor, but only if the game still holds up.

Secondly, if a sequel is a better game, credit the sequel. Phantasy Star is ranked higher than the sequels purely because it came first. Same with Virtua Fighter 2 being ranked ahead of Virtua Fighter 4.

Here are my other thoughts... some stuff repeated since I wrote the list first. It's presented with crappy formatting since bulleted lists seem to be disabled.

*Baseball Stars at #58. Good.
*NFL 2K1 makes the list, and not any other version. Good.
*The NBA 2K series needs some love. NBA 2K1 for DC deserves a nod.
*NO JET SET RADIO?
*No Silent Hill?
*No Ace Combat 4?
*No Excitebike 64?
*NO HOT SHOTS GOLF?
*NO WAVE RACE 64?
*Metal Gear Solid 2 is anywhere near this list and Metal Gear Solid 3 isn't?
*As much as I love Shenmue, it doesn't deserve to be on the list... Shenmue 2 does.
*Double Dribble for the NES? C'mon.
*Tomb Raider #35, let alone on the list? C'mon.
*Tecmo Bowl for NES at #33? Tecmo Super Bowl is 10x the game Tecmo Bowl is.
*Kaboom for 2600? C'mon.
*Pac-Man at number fucking TWO? C'mon. Leave Ms. Pac-Man on the list, bump it up 50-to-100 spots and get rid of Pac-Man.
*Tony Hawk 2 should be on the list and not Tony Hawk 1.
*Super Mario Kart should not be near the Top 20.
*I'm glad Phantasy Star got so much love, but they put the wrong two games in the Top 50. PS2, PS4 are the best two games in the series.
*Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram needs Top 50 honors.
*I love RBI Baseball, but it's not a great game.
 
Alex Anderson said:
Just because a game was good for its time doesn't mean it should earn a high spot on the list (or at all for that matter).
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Actually, that's EXACTLY what it DOES mean--because the list is the TOP GAMES OF THEIR TIME.

If it was just a top games list, I would agree with you and many of your suggestions.
 
I <3 Katamari said:
How about their next top 200 games list (which I expect in about 7 months, after 6 more covers with next gen consoles on them) they make it based one thing: how fun the games are today. I highly doubt Pitfall would be on there.
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So you're sick of these lists and asking that they be done exactly the same as they always are at the same time? OK.

BTW it's been over 4 years since the last EGM list, but I know it seems like someone is always doing one. We did one at issue 100, 150, and now 200.
 
djtiesto said:
Console FPSes? Sure, there was Wolf 3D, DOOM and Turok... as well as lesser known games like Disruptor and Brahma Force. I don't think it should be included on the list, because I personally think its a very bad _game_, regardless of its influence.
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And that would be exactly why it's your problem, and not the list's problem. As already mentioned, 8 million people bought the game and loved it for years, as did countless others who joined in endless 4-player sessions.

Like it or not, Goldeneye introduced multiplayer FPS action to console players, and in this respect Wolf 3D, Doom and Turok don't even bear a mention. Goldeneye also introduced stealth elements to console FPSes, varied mission objectives, tons of cheats/secrets, and near-endless varieties of multiplayer games. For these reasons and others, millions of people across the globe enjoyed this game for untold amounts of hours, blasting the crap out of each other.

They remember the game fondly for this. You don't. Tough shit, it most definitely deserves a spot high on this list.
 
Does anyone here still read EGM (or hell, any gaming mag) religiously?

Personally, I thought it turned to complete crap once they went to the ugly new red/white layout, ruined their review section's column layout (which wouldn't be as bad if they didn't put games like Mega Man X Collection and Infected in the "wrap-up" section -- all the games should get the same treatment, especially a big game like MMXC), got rid of the system color coding (which made it look more organized and easier to look at in general -- red/white for everything is ugly), and actually got RID of the preview section.

That's probably what bothers me the most. Instead of a normal preview section that is separated into sections for each system, every issue is now some "special preview" section that focuses on one thing. I just want a damn previews section.

I used to love EGM though. They seemed a lot more fair with reviews than they do now and their layout before this one was probably their best ever. That's just me though.
 
The good:
174 - Snatcher (should be ranked higher though)
161 - Bionic Commando (see above)
153 - Y's Book I & II
138 - Wario Ware
136 - Phantasy Star IV
135 - Ice Hockey
119 - Castlevania III (should be ranked higher - at least above the original CV)
108 - SMB 2 (well deserved, should have scored higher too - this game was HUGE back in '88-'89)
105 - Karate Champ (I used to play this game all the time as a kid (on the Macintosh though))
58 - Baseball Stars (impressed by the high scoring - greatly deserved though)
55 - NBA Jam (TE was better, but the original had the most impact so ok)
53 - Mega Man 2
44 - Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (well deserved)
1, 2 , 3 and 4 are the perfect choices IMO, so kudos to EGM

The bad:
165 - Double Dribble (good game, but does not deserve to be there)
156 - Legendary Axe (really? seems like a token TG-16 game thrown in there)
152 - Cybernator (good game, but was it really big or important in its time? I can think of many more deserving games on the SNES, like Axelay for instance)
139 - RBI Baseball (why?)
118 - Pro Wrestling (really?)
88 - Super Mario World (should have scored MUCH higher in the list)
84 - Gunstar Heroes (great game, but more of a cult favorite than a bonafide big game of its times; should have been lower)
83 - Super Mario World 2 (in its time, Donkey Kong Country 2 was much bigger than this game; should have been lower than Super Mario World as well)
78 - Daytona USA (should have scored much higher - this game is still getting some love to this day in arcades)
66 - RC Pro-Am (way too high on the list - not sure it even deserves to be there)
50 - LoZ: ALTTP (50? Really? Should be higher)
11 - Metroid (Super Metroid was much more important in its time than Metroid ever was IMO)

Misses:
No Ninja Gaiden (I or II) on the NES?
No Donkey Kong Country? WTF? The first two games were huge in the mid-90s
No Dragon Warriors?


All in all, I think this is a pretty decent list. Sadly, next EGM list issue will probably be the top 100 games of the decade (kiss the NES, SNES, Genny, etc. goodbye).

P.S. Odd that Final Fantasy V was the highest scoring of all the FFs last time, but is nowhere to be seen now (however, it shouldn't even have been in the last list in the first place ).
 
I was going to lament how my copy never arrived in the mail, but after taking a look at the list, I don't feel so bad.

Its funny how the top 100 list for issue 100 was fairly tight, and then the top 150(?) list for issue 150 was okay but spotty, and this seems like an absolute mess.

I agree that the last 100 seem completely random, but guess what, given all the time and resources that was available, its shouldn't be. I'm only complaining (as is everyone) due to some basic games being MIA for no good reason. Okay, Rez not being on the list pisses me off cuz its my top game of all time, but no MGS3? Get the fuck out of here.
 
Amir0x said:
Gameboy classic, imho, is one of the worst popular systems of all time. In my view - it's just my opinion, of course - it had about five games total that stand any sort of test of time (Zelda, Pokemon *sigh*, Tetris, etc...). It was simply too held back by its technology. GBA is quite a different story in my opinion.

Oblivion: Who cares about N64, that system sucked
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Who cares about the N64? Any real gamer knows that the N64 was a better system than the Gamecube.
 
Pellham said:
Who cares about the N64? Any real gamer knows that the N64 was a better system than the Gamecube.
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That's strange, as I consider myself a "real" gamer and think that not only was GameCube better than N64, but that N64 is the worst console Nintendo has put out.

N64 truely was only for a few great Nintendo games.

There were a couple disappointing sequels to N64 games on GC: Wind Waker, Sunshine, 1080, Wave Race, Star Fox. Wind Waker and Sunshine were still amazing games though (and TP looks to make up for Wind Waker anyway), while 1080 and Wave Race were still good (just not as good). Star Fox Assault was.. well, forget that one.

Then you had updates to franchises that were on N64: F-Zero GX, Paper Mario 2, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Golf were all better than their N64 prequels. DK Jungle Beat blew away DK64 and was one of the most purely fun platformers this gen. MK Double Dash? Still a great game and people argue over it being better than MK64 or not all the time (I tend to think so myself -- there was just more to do and it has the most fun multiplayer races in the series, although the battle mode wasn't as good).

Then you had new games: Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, Pikmin, sequels to Prime and Pikmin, and even Odama coming out soon.

Nintendo's games, you can argue were better or not on N64 or GC (I say GC is a little better, but they're close), but where GC is clearly better is in 3rd party games: REmake, RE0, RE4, MGS:TTS, PSO1&2, PSO3, Mega Man: NT, Soul Calibur 2, Baten Kaitos, Super Monkey Ball 1-2, Tales of Symphonia, Viewtiful Joe 1-2.

I personally can't see why anyone would think GC sucked compared to N64. Maybe I'm missing something.
 
Galaxian (-) >>> Galaga (28) >>> Space Invaders (7)
Lady Bug (-) >>> Pac-Man (2)

Don't care about innovation, somebody would've come up with shooting/colleting stuff sooner or later.
 
The bottom line is that "best games of their time" is a ridiculous list to try and compile. I don't care whether Ocarina of time was better in 1999 than Metroid Prime was in 2002. These games don't just exist within the year and month which they were released, and while initial impact should certainly be weighted in determining a game's greatness, to give it anywhere near the priority that it is in this list is completely meaningless.
 
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