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IGN's Top 100 Games

dirthead

Banned
My issues with this list?

First, 100 games and ZERO sports game representation. None. Not NBA JAM, not NFL 2K5, no NHL ‘94, no Tecmo Super Bowl. That’s bullshit of the highest order. I get the stereotype that video game nerds are supposed to loathe sports games and all, but to not see any on a list of 100 games is ridiculous.

Second... zero Genesis/Mega Drive games. The platform that gave Nintendo a run for its money in Gen4, and... bupkis. No Sonic games, but fucktons of Mario games. No Streets of Rage at all? No Phantasy Star titles? Sorry, but for a website that allegedly represents video games on the whole, this looks terrible. Like, that the people who compiled this list are barely 21 and added a few “old school” games because they’re “cool”, like Donkey Kong and Ms. Pac-Man.

I could go on and on about the inconsistency in the rankings and how some are obvious attempts at clickbait with the sole purpose of pissing people off for “engagement” purposes, but the two main reasons I listed are strong enough for me to dismiss this list like the piece of trash that it is.

Yeah it's just a straight up dog shit list.

I mean, Contra on the NES is better than Gunstar Heroes or Contra 3? Sure. I really fucking believe you.

I guess Pokemon Go is better than NBA Jam and Samurai Shodown 2 (yikes).

I guarantee you that no one working at IGN right now has played Donkey Kong for longer than 5 minutes. I'd bet large quantities of money on that.
 

yodine53

Member
Nice surprise to see Rise of the tomb raider in the list and with that spot! It's the 6th best ranked game of this generation. Excellent game.

On the other hand, Uncharted 2 is too slow for a game of that caliber and influence in the industry.
 

jono51

Banned
To be honest, that list is fucking awful. It more like a top 100 of "i read forums instead of playing games and don't actually have any opinions of my own"


seriouslys, its like they just like they looked at someone elses top 100, jumbled them up an thought "that'll do"

imagine being paid to play games and not even want to do that


. swallow a fuckin tide pod whole bitch ass fucking garbage moron
 
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iconmaster

Banned
It’s not terrible. Good to let juggernauts like Minecraft and Fortnite have their due rather than ignore them because they’re too popular.

My only immediate quibble is SMW all the way up at #1. It’s a very enjoyable Mario, but I think not as memorable as some others (like Yoshi’s Island).
 
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Tranquil

Member
I found the top ten list elsewhere and it's pretty whack.


10- Super Mario 64
9- Red Dead Redemption
8- Half Life 2
7- Tetris
6- Super Mario Bros 3
5- Zelda Breath of the Wild
4- Super Metroid
3- Portal 2
2- Zelda A Link to the Past
1- Super Mario World

SMW, BotW, portal, half life, and RDR in the top 10 is just lol.

Half Life 2 belongs in a top 10 greatest list.
 

Bryank75

Banned
IGN is a Nintendo site primarily, they have some good Xbox people who are really passionate about it like Ryan but I wouldn't go to IGN for PlayStation anything and this list reflects their identity as a media outlet.

They really have nobody I trust covering PlayStation, except for maybe Dornbush (his reviews are decent). Anything written by O'Brien is a dumpster fire.
 
Oh God not another one of these shit lists. What's with these Journalists shilling so much for Nintendo? Are they getting a little something under the table? Anyway I'm going to rearrange some of these for the heck of it.

100. Pokemon Go <--- Seriously, is this even a game???
99. Borderlands 2
98. Divinity: Original Sin 2
97. Dishonored
96. Final Fantasy VII <-> The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (yeah... how do u like it now?)
95. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
94. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
93. Burnout 3: Takedown
92. Fallout 2
91. Undertale
90. League of Legends
89. Mega Man 3
88. Thief II: The Metal Age
87. Soulcalibur
86. SimCity 2000
85. Inside
84. Contra
83. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
82. Monster Hunter World
81. Resident Evil 2 Remake <-> Tetris
80. System Shock 2
79. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
78. Persona 5
77. Fortnite
76. Fable 2
75. GoldenEye 007
74. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
73. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
72. X-COM: UFO Defense
71. Suikoden II
70. Battlefield 1942
69. Dota 2
68. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (where's the better Mario Karts?)
67. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
66. Spelunky
65. Donkey Kong (where's DKC???)
64. The Sims
63. Rock Band
62. Red Dead Redemption 2
61. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
60. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
59. Silent Hill 2
58. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
57. Mass Effect
56. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
55. Rise of the Tomb Raider
54. Batman: Arkham City
53. The Witness
52. Journey
51. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
50. Overwatch
49. Deus Ex
48. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
47. Ms. Pac-Man
46. Counter-Strike 1.6
45. Left 4 Dead 2
44. EarthBound
43. Resident Evil
42. Diablo II
41. StarCraft
40. World of Warcraft
39. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
38. Fallout: New Vegas
37. Final Fantasy VI
36. Mass Effect 2
35. Pokemon Yellow
34. Bloodborne
33. Metroid Prime
32. Resident Evil 4
31. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
30. Metal Gear Solid
29. God of War (2018)
28. Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt <-> Portal 2
27. BioShock
26. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
25. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
24. Minecraft
23. Halo: Combat Evolved
22. Half-Life
21. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (WTF is MGS2? MGS2 > MGS3 imo)
20. The Last of Us
19. Doom (1993)
18. Chrono Trigger <-> The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
17. Portal
16. Dark Souls
15. Street Fighter II
14. Super Mario Bros.
13. Halo 2
12. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night <-> Super Metroid
11. Grand Theft Auto V
10. Super Mario 64
9. Red Dead Redemption
8. Half-Life 2
7. Tetris <-> Resident Evil 2 Remake (Tetris is a classic, but better than REmake 2, I think not!)
6. Super Mario Bros. 3 <-> Super Mario World
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild <-> Final Fantasy VII (F you for putting VII so low!)
4. Super Metroid <-> Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SOTN > Super Metroid imo)
3. Portal 2 <-> Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (no way Portal 2 is better than Witcher 3)
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past <-> Chrono Trigger (F you Zelda get off the top 10 list!)
1. Super Mario World <-> Super Mario Bros. 3 (SMB3 > SMW)

There's still A LOT that I disagree with this list and A LOT missing that should be over others, but if I attempted to recreate this list from scratch it would be a completely different list.
 

PerfectDark

Banned
Minecraft should be top 20. I grew up with original Nintendo. Minecraft is my 4 and 6 year olds whole world. For me not a top 100 game for my kids its #1.

My list for gaming for like 30 years.

Diablo 2
Star Wars Galaxies
WoW
Super Mario RPG
zelda link's awakening
Chrono Trigger
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 1,2,3
Perfect Dark
Goldeneye 64
Mario Kart 64

I can name a ton more.

IGN is not qualified to rank games. They give Madden a 8 or 9 every year and its by far the worst video game ever made and nothing changed for the last 15 years.
 

Birdo

Banned
Ocarina of Time at 25. lol cunts.

Also, Fable II being better than FFVII?........ What? Something is wrong at IGN.
 
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FCKAFD

Member
really tried to get into zelda breath of the wild but always gave up after 1 hour or so .didnt even make it out of tutorial lol. should i give it another try? i dont really like walking simulators
 

FMXVII

Member
Red Dead Redemption at #9?

...did IGN mean nein?


Because that right there invalidates even their good picks as being weighted dart tosses with aim-assist enabled, in the dark.

Yes, that is a mangled metaphor.

Which itself is a metaphor for this list.
 
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FMXVII

Member
Super Mario World was always a weaker Mario title it just gets a lot of nostalgic sentiment due to being a SNES launch title. I'm not even sure it cracked my top 100 now that I think about it.

THANK YOU.

IMO, SMB2 Doki Doki is better.

As is SNES Yoshi's Island.

SMB3 is the best of the old school, by far, though.

And SM3DW is maybe the best damned thing Nintendo has ever done with the character, since making him the villain of Donkey Kong.

I'd put the WiiU 2D Mario games over SNES SMW.
 
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mcjmetroid

Member
IGN just proved they haven't played many retro games with this list.

You can't take the order too seriously but the lack of anything non Nintendo bar Tetris pre 1994 says it all doesn't it?

Where the hell is 16bit Sonic even?
 

mcjmetroid

Member
My issues with this list?

First, 100 games and ZERO sports game representation. None. Not NBA JAM, not NFL 2K5, no NHL ‘94, no Tecmo Super Bowl. That’s bullshit of the highest order. I get the stereotype that video game nerds are supposed to loathe sports games and all, but to not see any on a list of 100 games is ridiculous.

Second... zero Genesis/Mega Drive games. The platform that gave Nintendo a run for its money in Gen4, and... bupkis. No Sonic games, but fucktons of Mario games. No Streets of Rage at all? No Phantasy Star titles? Sorry, but for a website that allegedly represents video games on the whole, this looks terrible. Like, that the people who compiled this list are barely 21 and added a few “old school” games because they’re “cool”, like Donkey Kong and Ms. Pac-Man.

I could go on and on about the inconsistency in the rankings and how some are obvious attempts at clickbait with the sole purpose of pissing people off for “engagement” purposes, but the two main reasons I listed are strong enough for me to dismiss this list like the piece of trash that it is.

Ya I 100% agree. I could care less about their rankings, it's just the games they chose to include.

It comes off like a list from someone who is only 21 and has no business making a list like this.

This list was staggeringly bad, great if you're under 30..
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
1-CC3-ED4-C-2-BC4-493-B-BF06-F5394-A0-B9157.jpg


Super Mario World will always have a special place in my heart. I can’t exactly argue about its position on the list.

Seeing Pokemon Go at the top makes me want to pull my hair out.
 
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Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
I don't know why lists like these upset people. They're just opinions. Nothing wrong with that. I love reading/watching these lists. It's really enjoyable to see how varied views can be on all-time lists. (even when I don't agree at all)

I wouldn't even say a list like this rises to the level of "opinion." This is such a safe list that it reads more like a bunch of games that a wide array of people would recognize, rather than something that somebody actually thought through.
 

Generic

Member
Based IGN is pandering to me with all the Nintendo love, I see it and I respect it.



Yes, it's incredible. The way it manages to tell a logical and somehow even emotional story with basically no written words is still unmatched. The map design is still the best for Metroidvanias and the game released 25 years ago and hasn't been matched during that time. It's a special game.

The Super Nintendo truly is the GOAT.
What story?
 

Scopa

The Tribe Has Spoken
Half Life, LoZ:OoT, Witcher 3, Metroid Prime, Mass Effect, Resident Evil, Baldur’s Gate 2, Deus Ex & Thief II all below The Last of Us.

Nah.
 

nush

Member
Easiest clickbait in the word is to make a top "X" list, gamers fall for it every time. Like, share and subscribe.
 
Super Mario World is straight up better than Mario 3 in every day. I have NO idea why everyone's tongue seems to be deeply embedded in 3's ass. It's so overrated.

Maybe in Earth-Opposite.
Super Mario World has more interesting mechanics (cape, flying, Yoshi).

I hate SMB3's non levels. The screen scrolls for 3 seconds and the level ends. Really fun. I like levels with some meat on their bones.

I PREFER SMW's music to SMB (subjective).

Oh and I actually like SMB2 USA more than SMB3, so. It's a better game.

SMW's levels are too big for a Mario game and focus on exporation at the expense of platforming challenge.

The cape breaks the game by letting Mario glide down in his descent, making jumps less critical precision wise, and also destroy most enemies and projectiles.

"In numerous interviews, Miyamoto has mentioned how he was unsatisfied with Super Mario World’s final build as it was missing out on planned content he felt was crucial to the completion of the game. As a result, Super Mario World is actually incomplete which is a rarity for Mario games of that era. Concepts had been left behind and put on hold, but World holds that rare title of the unfinished 2D Mario."

Oh snap!

I think the music in super Mario World is fantastic, especially combined with all the iconic sound effects - opening a haunted house door, stomping on and then kicking a turtle, or the rubber band noise while flying with the cape. All the little pops and clicks echoing in the background add so much to the atmosphere. I also loved the cape in SMW. It's superior to the raccoon costume in every way for me. The hub world in SMW is so much better and still plenty of secrets to discover. And let's not forget the introduction of Yoshi. The game visually is a delight. So colorful and imaginative.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt though because I actually like the first two Mario games better than SM3 😋

As above, the cape broke it for me.

Yeah it's just a straight up dog shit list.

I mean, Contra on the NES is better than Gunstar Heroes or Contra 3? Sure. I really fucking believe you.

At least Contra 1 didn't get caught up in miniboss fights. (And I love GH.)
 
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My own thoughts:

Divinity Original Sin 2 being present is awesome, but only at 98? That and Baldur's Gate II being eclipsed by Diablo II and The Witcher 3, with no Planescape: Torment on the list?

Bioshock outranking System Shock 2?

Mega Man 3 instead of 2?

SMW at #1? LttP at #2 with no Link's Awakening? Mario 64 the only 3d Mario when it's far from the best of the lot?

Also, they should have placed Donkey Kong '94 instead of the original.

Too many Grand Theft Auto games, nothing else to represent Final Fantasy or Castlevania (I've played better than SotN), and not a single Dragon Quest.

Oh God not another one of these shit lists. What's with these Journalists shilling so much for Nintendo? Are they getting a little something under the table? Anyway I'm going to rearrange some of these for the heck of it.

100. Pokemon Go <--- Seriously, is this even a game???
99. Borderlands 2
98. Divinity: Original Sin 2
97. Dishonored
96. Final Fantasy VII <-> The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (yeah... how do u like it now?)
95. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
94. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
93. Burnout 3: Takedown
92. Fallout 2
91. Undertale
90. League of Legends
89. Mega Man 3
88. Thief II: The Metal Age
87. Soulcalibur
86. SimCity 2000
85. Inside
84. Contra
83. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
82. Monster Hunter World
81. Resident Evil 2 Remake <-> Tetris
80. System Shock 2
79. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
78. Persona 5
77. Fortnite
76. Fable 2
75. GoldenEye 007
74. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
73. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
72. X-COM: UFO Defense
71. Suikoden II
70. Battlefield 1942
69. Dota 2
68. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (where's the better Mario Karts?)
67. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
66. Spelunky
65. Donkey Kong (where's DKC???)
64. The Sims
63. Rock Band
62. Red Dead Redemption 2
61. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
60. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
59. Silent Hill 2
58. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
57. Mass Effect
56. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
55. Rise of the Tomb Raider
54. Batman: Arkham City
53. The Witness
52. Journey
51. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
50. Overwatch
49. Deus Ex
48. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
47. Ms. Pac-Man
46. Counter-Strike 1.6
45. Left 4 Dead 2
44. EarthBound
43. Resident Evil
42. Diablo II
41. StarCraft
40. World of Warcraft
39. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
38. Fallout: New Vegas
37. Final Fantasy VI
36. Mass Effect 2
35. Pokemon Yellow
34. Bloodborne
33. Metroid Prime
32. Resident Evil 4
31. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
30. Metal Gear Solid
29. God of War (2018)
28. Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt <-> Portal 2
27. BioShock
26. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
25. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
24. Minecraft
23. Halo: Combat Evolved
22. Half-Life
21. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (WTF is MGS2? MGS2 > MGS3 imo)
20. The Last of Us
19. Doom (1993)
18. Chrono Trigger <-> The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
17. Portal
16. Dark Souls
15. Street Fighter II
14. Super Mario Bros.
13. Halo 2
12. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night <-> Super Metroid
11. Grand Theft Auto V
10. Super Mario 64
9. Red Dead Redemption
8. Half-Life 2
7. Tetris <-> Resident Evil 2 Remake (Tetris is a classic, but better than REmake 2, I think not!)
6. Super Mario Bros. 3 <-> Super Mario World
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild <-> Final Fantasy VII (F you for putting VII so low!)
4. Super Metroid <-> Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SOTN > Super Metroid imo)
3. Portal 2 <-> Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (no way Portal 2 is better than Witcher 3)
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past <-> Chrono Trigger (F you Zelda get off the top 10 list!)
1. Super Mario World <-> Super Mario Bros. 3 (SMB3 > SMW)

There's still A LOT that I disagree with this list and A LOT missing that should be over others, but if I attempted to recreate this list from scratch it would be a completely different list.

Only one I agree with you on is SMB3 over SMW. (Haven't played RE2Remake yet, but Tetris in various iterations, i. e. 99, Tetris Effect, TGM 3 is god tier.) Super Metroid is far superior to SotN in terms of design and ease of backtracking (so are Aria and Dawn of Sorrow), Donkey Kong Country was derivative and inferior to DK '94, and WItcher 3 has a wack combat system and far from the best WRPG. (Divinity: Original Sin 2, which by contrast had an awesome one, barely made the list, and Planescape: Torment wasn't even on the list when it should have by all rights been near the top.)
 
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Bakkus

Member
Like every single game on this list is a 'Triple A' title. What a joke.
The map design is still the best for Metroidvanias
I disagree. Maridia is a chore. You don't get the water armor (or whatever it's called) before much later after you've finished There is no way of opening that metal door from the right side, so if you wanna return you have to travel in a long circle around the entire world.
 
I disagree. Maridia is a chore. You don't get the water armor (or whatever it's called) before much later after you've finished There is no way of opening that metal door from the right side, so if you wanna return you have to travel in a long circle around the entire world.

Really? I really enjoy Maridia, I love how you reach it and getting the space jump is really nice as well. There's also that room with the cubes in the background, I'm a sucker for that kind of art style. I do agree with your last point though, it's a hassle to return to. Thing is, there's no Metroidvania that doesn't feature at least one navigation issue.
 
Really? I really enjoy Maridia, I love how you reach it and getting the space jump is really nice as well. There's also that room with the cubes in the background, I'm a sucker for that kind of art style. I do agree with your last point though, it's a hassle to return to. Thing is, there's no Metroidvania that doesn't feature at least one navigation issue.

True. Symphony of the Night has even more of them.
 

IKSTUGA

Member
Super Mario World, the best game of all time, really? There are like 10 better Mario games out there. There are lot of good games on the list, but positioning is whack.
 
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