I don't necessarilly subscribe to this list, but it is interesting to see what they think, and their reasons why. My top list would look somewhat different than IGN's; it would have A LOT more RPGs in it for one thing.
1. Super Mario Bros.
10. Resident Evil 4
1. Super Mario Bros.
2. TetrisSuper Mario Bros. is gaming.
Carved into those deliberately fashioned pixels is the collective childhood of an entire generation of gamers -- many of whom have gone on to work in the industry, creating the videogames that we all play on a daily basis. As one of the foundations upon which the industry was built, Super Mario Bros. not only set the standard for 2D side-scrollers, but for videogames in general: gameplay that is demanding but not frustrating, pixel-perfect controls, inspired level design and a musical score that, to this day, remains synonymous with videogames.
It will not remain that way forever, as the industry matures and gamers are weaned on entirely different experiences the influence of Super Mario Bros. will inevitably fade, but for now we give tribute to not just a videogame, but to the videogame. For many of us, it's the reason we're still involved in the industry to this day.
A masterpiece.
3. Cid Meier's Civilization IIIt's the puzzle game. Not a puzzle game, THE puzzle game; the most-played, most-imitated, most influential puzzler of all time. Nothing else comes even remotely close.
Just sit back and think of all the games that descend from the notion of blocks falling down into pits. Some of those, like Puyo Puyo, are hugely influential in their own right. (Compile's game gave us the sub-genre of combo-focused puzzling, from which springs favorites like Bust-a-Move and Super Puzzle Fighter.)
It all goes back to Tetris, though -- little chunks of four blocks falling down into pits. It embodies the neat mixture of simplicity and depth that's the mark of any classic puzzler, and even more importantly, a game of any genre.
4. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeSid Meier's Civilization II took an amazingly balanced strategy game and somehow, despite all odds, made it bigger and better. For the sequel, the difference was in the details... and boy is there a lot of details.
Amazingly enough, in a game with seemingly infinite choices, Civ 2 doesn't require you to memorize a manual or micromanage. The game's intuitive interface makes handling 6000 years of global domination a breeze without having to worry about the little things. The choices Civ 2 offers are remarkable: you can take the world by force, perfecting your combat skills, use diplomacy to unite the nations, or focus your efforts on a way to just get the heck off the planet, among countless other options. The game even provides you with advisors (in the form of FMV clips which were all the rage in 1996) whose unadulterated goofiness could temporarily take your mind off the conquest at hand.
Civ 2's brilliant cohesiveness and innumerable permutations make it a game that can't easily be put down, or forgotten.
5. Super Mario 64Few games make it to the top of every best-of list. And only a few deserve it more than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Nobody knew what the hell an ocarina was before 1998, but valiant and musically inclined Link got a lot of mileage out of that little clay flute. It opened doors, shifted blocks, summoned horses, fairies and scarecrows, changed the weather, turned night into day and broke the time/space continuum. It carried a nice tune, too.
Link's latest rescue mission stacked more challenges in one dungeon than most games had in total, and looked better doing it. That would've been enough, but Ocarina broke ground with context-sensitive buttons and target lock-on features, innovations we take for granted today. Ingenious puzzles made you timeshift between teen and pre-teen Links to use new skills in the past, or plant seeds you'd reap in the future. Ocarina of Time never ran out of coolness, not only bringing Nintendo's other franchise into 3D, but brilliantly expanding the concepts Mario 64 pioneered.
This was adventuring made epic... and timeless.
6. Half Life 2It was a defining moment. You slapped Super Mario 64 into your brand-new N64 and the man himself smiled at you in glorious 3D, speaking his first words: "It's-a me! Mario!"
Considering nobody else had ever attempted to make a third-person, free roaming, 3D platformer before, it's amazing how Shigeru Miyamoto made the first into one of the best. These were uncharted waters, and Miyamoto eased players in by making unfamiliar camera controls into an easily understood part of the story. Franchise standards subtlety evolved into new standards. Finish lines: out. Retrieving Power Stars: in. Warp pipes gave way to hubs and puzzles. Huge levels encouraged exploration, then presented a variety of engaging tasks when you finally got down to business.
Despite all the changes, tight controls and the pure sense of joy punctuating every jump made this unmistakably a Mario game. One of the greatest. He'll never abandon his 2D roots, but Mario 64 brought a gaming icon to life like never before, and it remains an example by which all others are judged.
7. Super MetroidHalf Life 2 doesn't innovate so much as it perfects the FPS experience. Developer Valve's atmospheric, thinking man's shooter sets a benchmark by which all others can, and should, be compared.
The stand-out portions of Half Life 2 don't really involve shooting at all. The Source game engine makes it possible to interact with environments on an unprecedented level allowing for baffling physics puzzles and entertaining kills. The crux of the Source engine is the Gravity Gun, which may be the most engaging virtual toy ever created. We're pretty sure lifting and throwing things in real life was never this fun. The game's open ended plot leaves many questions unanswered and left us feeling like a Headcrab without a host. Thankfully, more of the story has unfolded in subsequent episodic content, somewhat satiating our hunger for Half Life. There is no excuse for poor AI, boring guns, generic storylines or long, dark halls in a post-Half Life 2 world. You hear that, developers? No excuse!
8. Legend of Zelda: Link to the PastIt's not hard to love Samus Aran. A smoking hot babe with a huge gun always deserves praise. It also helps that she stars in some of the best games ever made. While her 3D endeavors are stellar, Super Metroid for the SNES still holds a place as a defining action platformer that raised the bar for story at atmosphere, as well as gameplay.
Solid platforming, combined with a plethora of powerups and some truly epic boss battles are just some of the highlights of the game. Part of what made Super Metroid so great was the non linear approach and secret areas that made exploration so key to beating the game. It's a technique that's been used by many other titles, including some of the later Castlevania series. Super Metroid also created a world that really sucked the player in. The use of music and the environments create a sense of isolation and desperation that few games this day have been able to achieve as well.
Super Metroid wasn't necessarily graphically astounding, but it had an artistic vision that never let up, contributing to the fluidity of the game.
9. Final Fantasy IIIWhy it made the list: After the experimental Zelda II, Nintendo brought the series back to its top-down roots for its 16-bit premiere. But from the very moment Link stepped out into the pouring rain at the start of his quest, we knew this was a whole new experience.
A Link to the Past took its pointy-eared protagonist on a quest across not one, but two beautifully realized worlds, all detailed with art that is still the envy of pixel-pushers to this day. More importantly, these locales were as great to play as they were to look at, with brilliant level design and the perfect blend of action and puzzles that made every area feel important.
In many ways it was A Link to the Past that brought the Zelda series to maturity. While it would still see many future innovations as it made the leap to 3D, they all owe something to his SNES adventure and its perfectly realized vision.
The last of the 16-bit Fantasies was met with real hype and anticipation. RPGs were becoming more mainstream, and fans drooled over screenshots for months before its release, imagining what it would be like to experience.
It was a subtle evolution, really, and the game was less complex than its Japanese-only precursor, Final Fantasy V. But FF3 boasted visuals that finally showed off the hardware, and fresh world that was a major departure for the series, blending elements of sci-fi and a steampunk aesthetic with the tried-and-true fantasy.
But it's the characters that really stand out in our memories. It took the time and care to develop each and every character in its huge ensemble cast with a series of flashbacks that gave us insight and helped them to come alive. And let us not forget Kefka, the certifiable psychopath that was the villain in this tale. He stands the test of time as one of the most memorable bad guys in RPG history.
10. Resident Evil 4
Source: http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_1.htmlResident Evil 4 was released for the GameCube on January 11, 2005. Though no-one knew it at the time, that platform's Game of the Year had already arrived. That same year RE4 featured in our Top 100 list and for good reason, many of which still apply to this day: terrific atmosphere, memorable action sequences, relentless AI, tight controls, and a surprisingly robust weapon system, all encased in a visual package that is easily the most graphically impressive ever seen on the platform.
An amazing game in its own right, RE4 is made all the more remarkable in that, as the sixth entry in the long-running series, it carried the weight and expectation of an entire franchise's legacy with it. Though it retains the core essence of previous Resident Evil games, by removing vestigial, yet hallmark gameplay mechanics, RE4 managed to forge an identity all its own and in the process revitalized the flagging series.
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