The VGC Top 100 Best Games of All Time, #40-31 - News
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 21 May 2009 / 57,078 Views
Welcome the 7th installment of VG Chartz’s Top 100 Games of All Time. These tiles have been hand-picked by the fans and enthusiasts of the community and represent the best of the best. Today’s list is 50% RPG and 100% awesome.
40. Tetris
Ah yes! The game from Russia that conquered the world in ways Stalin could only wish Communism had. Tetris is the brainchild of Alexey Pajitnov and has become the best known puzzle game in the world since he created it in 1985. The game has made an appearance in every console and handheld generation since its release. The best known release of Tetris was on the Gameboy in 1989. It went on to sell 33 million copies and started reaching out to expanded markets almost two decades before WiiSports. This puzzler knows no demographic boundaries. Whether you are a hardcore gamer, casual player, male, female, young, or old chances are Tetris fits perfectly in your library.
Platform: It would be easier to list platforms it did not appear on.
39. Half-Life 2
Many things make Half-Life 2 memorable. It features amazing gameplay, a gripping story, and our hero – Gordon Freeman. Interestingly, those are not the only contributing factors to this sequel’s success. Much of Half-Life 2’s success is a product of the game’s dedicated community and Valve’s development of Steam and the easily modded Source Engine. When a copy of Half-Life 2 was purchased (on PC), not only did you get a stellar game, but it comes with a ticket into a community that to this day offers new gameplay experiences and multiplayer modes. Few games can boast such a robust community-driven diversity.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
38. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Oh how we all enjoy playing in Rock Star’s sandboxes! San Andreas makes its mark for completing the daunting task of giving us a game that offered everything that was good about its predecessors sans the fat. Most notably, the game city of San Andreas was larger than both Vice City and Liberty City but needed no disruptive loading as players explored every nook and cranny. San Andreas also allowed you to mod your car, complete rampages with a buddy, and customize your character in a way that effected the game experience. Despite all the improvements it was still just an excuse to commit crime and kill hookers – which is awesome.
Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2
37. Super Smash Brothers Melee
The idea was simple: bring all of Nintendo’s loveable and cuddly characters together and let them beat the ever-loving dog-squeeze out of each other. This game has stolen countless hours of gamers' collective youths and most will never regret a single lost moment. Like its predecessor, Melee is addictive, accessible, and has loads of frenetic gameplay. But the game added tons of multiplayer modes, bigger stages, and depth that made it perfect for tournaments. Secret techniques and exploits fostered one of the most competitive communities in gaming while never alienating younger and casual players. The balance is amazing and there are easily hundreds of different ways to design a competitive and enjoyable match. Super Smash Brothers Melee is a timeless king of the hill game.
Platform: Nintendo Gamecube
36. Secret of Mana
What makes dungeon crawling, monster killing, power leveling, and damsel in distress saving more fun? Doing it all with two other friends! Secret of Mana is remarkable because it took everything that made a single-player RPG great and made it multiplayer. The quest in Secret of Mana was epic and the fact that you could experience the game with your friends or siblings was an unbeatable deal. This doesn’t even scratch the surface; in true Square fashion the game comes complete with a rocking soundtrack and a great cast of characters.
Platform: Super Nintendo, Virtual Console
35. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Finally, a great shooter that is not based on World War II, some distant future Sci-FI dystopia, or a terrible mix of both. Call of Duty 4 features precise controls, customizable weapons, and beautiful graphics. The story is also very unique as it strikes that perfect balance between a realistic military plot and future high-tech gadgetry. Nothing seems implausible or Sci-fi in this game and yet it never rests on the laurels of historical engagements as countless other First Person Shooters do. But the money-maker, the reason we go back to this game over and over again, is the multiplayer. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare features all the standard fare that we have come to expect ever since Halo 2. In addition, Infinity Ward added a very compelling leveling up, upgrade, special abilities, and customizing system that allows players to tailor their character to a particular playing style.
Platform: PC, Xbox360, PlayStation 3
34. Skies of Arcadia
Sometimes all that’s needed to make a great RPG is awesome airship battles. It’s true; just think of how many times you wanted to commandeer the Highwind in Final Fantasy VII and do battle with a Weapon. Skies of Arcadia recognizes this opportunity that has been overlooked for years and exploits it. It also gushes with a great steampunk-inspired graphical style and Jules Verne-esque story. Everything about Skies of Arcadia is designed for the RPG otaku and this game does not disappoint.
Platform: Dreamcast and released on Nintendo Gamecube as an enhanced port named Skies of Arcadia Legends.
33. Final Fantasy VIII
The VGChartz community loves RPGS, there is no denying this. Even a title that many regard as the ‘black sheep’ of the Final Fantasy series has found its way to the top half of the list. Final Fantasy VIII gets much criticism for Square’s decision to discard the much loved Materia system in favor of the Junction battle system. No matter how you feel about the Junction system, there are many people who regard this iteration as the best in the series. Square designed a much more mature aesthetic for this iteration of Final Fantasy and backed the style up with an equally mature and memorable plot. The story and the characters that revolve around it feature the same quality that we all have come to expect from Square. The pre-rendered environments were improved over the previous installment and the summons became more integral in turn-based strategy. Final Fantasy VIII may be a departure from the formula, but the result speaks for itself.
Platform: PlayStation, PC
32: Final Fantasy IX
Why is it that this game is so loved? It’s not the intriguing fantasy story with a hint of steampunk design thrown in. It’s not the long awaited return to the ‘big-headed’ character designs. It isn’t the beautiful music and inspired FMV. It’s not even the traditional active turn-based battle system that harkens back to FFVI on the SNES. Of course, all of these things play a major role in Final Fantasy IX's impact on gaming. However, the reason we hold such a warm feeling towards this game is because it is a love letter to old school RPGs. This Final Fantasy embodies the heart and spirit of the traditional fantasy-based Japanese Role Playing Game. This game also had everything we could want in an at-its-time modern RPG. The fact of the matter is that Final Fantasy IX wonderfully showcased the breadth of Square’s experience gathered during the 5th console generation and packaged it all into a killer game. Also gamers love Vivi.
Platform: PlayStation
31. Diablo 2
It is my personal theory that Blizzard Entertainment made Diablo II for no other reason than to give fans their freaking Cow Level. Of course, Blizzard Entertainment packaged their sarcastic retort in one of the greatest action RPGS ever made. The hack’n’slash dungeon crawler seems standard enough, but when coupled with free online multiplayer over Battle.net, LAN multiplayer, and five different classes this game sets itself apart from the rest. Diablo II also featured levels that would be randomly generated with random item drops and random monster stats. Yes, I used ‘random’ three times and as gamer math goes - random cubed equals perfection.
Platform: PC, Mac
Missed one? Check out a previous installment!
Numbers 50-41
Numbers 60-51
Numbers 70-61
Numbers 80-71
Numbers 90-81
Numbers 100-91
The VGC Top 100 Best Games of All Time is based entirely on votes by our members. The source for the list can be found here . Only games released before January 1st 2009 are included.
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Counter-Strike FTW!!!!
As I stated before, the closer this list gets to the bottom, the more
debatable it will become. The list is already getting a little wacky imo ;)
I will try and geuss the top 5 of this list...
In no direct order it will be...
-Final Fantasy VII
-Super Mario Bros
-Zelda Orcorina of Time
-Golden Eye
-Some random game that no one has heard of.
The first three are the biggest contenders for the #1 spot.
So I think we have all I'll see from my top 5. Valkyria Chronicles and PSO will not show, but FFX will.
I voted for final fantasy 9 and skies of arcadia legends. both are in my top 5 games of all time. Epic titles and one of the few rpg's I have beaten more then once.
Why Cloud is on the logo of top 100.
It sure that Final Fantasy vii will be first :D
They used my screenshot for San Andreas (the one on the left) :D
Gee..i wonder what will be #1...Final Fantasy VII or Mario.
I only disagree with Skies and FFIX. Both are too high IMO. Still, not bad, not bad! =P
Also @ SK's list:
Even aside from KZ2, there is no way that no FF will make the top 10.
Diablo II is locked in and we're not even in the top 20? Travesty. HL2, well, I'm less educated on that but don't argue with the people calling BS there.
@ strategyking92:
- already proven wrong by lafiel
- Since Nintendo is Japanese and we haven't seen CT, FFVI, FFVII, etc., I think that's obvious.
- Agree. I mean, how many people would really put Pong in their top 5?
- I don't remember seeing FFI, II, or III, and they're way too obscure to make the top 30.
- I'm sure you're right.
- WRONG!!! STARCRAFT BITCH
- Since all the Halos are out and both Gears, and KOTOR, etc., I'd guess you're right.
- How many are on the list already? I'd be really surprised if there were even 3 more.
- Disagree. We KNOW Starcraft is coming up, so I only need two more to be right. Are there any Mario Karts left? Or an SSB? Any fighting games would meet your criteria.
- Since I'm afraid it's FFVII ... I certainly hope so.
Glad Skies of Arcadia got that high.
I love Secret of Mana!!
*#74.
I don't really care and it doesn't bother me but this list gets worse and worse each time.
I can't wait to see what kind of junk places better than Diablo 2.
I am still upset that Xenogears was #72.
Glad to see FFIX over VIII. FFVIII sucked big time. It almost made me lose faith on the franchise.
i laughed my head off when i saw hl2 so low. and then i laughed some more when i saw a grand theft auto game right after it. HL2 shoulda been numba 1
Tetris is still a great game
The only 2 games I liked were Diablo 2 and COD:4. I do not like HL2, San Andreas, Tetris, FF8, Secret of Mana, or Smash Bros. Never played Skies of Arcais or FF9, but I'm almost positive (JRPG) I wouldn't like them.
wow now i know it's user voted but from what i've read from most of these users are that there is a lot of fans that are still stuck on the classics. Don't get me wrong I love the classic video games but there are games now that shun some of the classic games. Though there are some classics that have been attempted to be re-done but you only see companies fail at it.
@ CrunkE4 )
this list is generated from user votes - anything can happen if enough users voted for a game, but I doubt we'll see Wii Fit on this list
Very well and good.
Only a little thing, maybe you can insert at the 41st position, Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction directly a this point.
WOW WTF Modern warfare is one of thos shooters no one can hate if your not going to put that game in the top 10 then at least in the top 20. The rest of these game on the list are damn good but modern warfare should be higher. The way this list is going I wouldn't be surprised if they put wii fit on the list TERRIBLE
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Well this list is pretty much showing the demographic of this site, which is pretty young, but actually I can't complain. The 3 console games I nominated are/will be (if Goldeneye isn't on there I would really wonder) in the list at least. If you didn't grow up with Tetris you might just not feel the charm of it. I still play it on my mobile, when I'm on the underground trains.
And for my two PC-games picks:
I didn't really expect the original Colonization masterpiece from 1994 and the Patrician 2 from 2000 on that list, as one is too old and the other one not know very well outside Germany/ Europe.
I'm glad to see that Tetris is on the list and that people are still stealing my lines.
Wow! glad to see FFVIII and IX to be on top 100. I surprised at SoA it should be a lot higher on top 100-70 something but WTH! it still deserved it.:-D
Diablo 2 also deserved to be on top 100 and secret of mana 2.
@9Chiba says:
"tetris is russian??? wow, you really do learn something everyday"
Yes it is ... and Hungary is a country!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAMA9P-4qCk
FF8...eww
@ StrategyKing92 )
I'm taking your first bet, because there is an obvious flaw in it - Killzone 2 won't be on this list, because it was released after 01.01.2009 and the last sentence of the Chart post reads
"Only games released before January 1st 2009 are included.", so well, I already won ;) .
People just dont get it!!! These games of the last 15 years are ok but not breathtaking games. Breathtaking games are, space invaders, donkey kong, mario bros. These games were way ahead of their time! There's nothing like that nowadays well maybe nintnedo still have similar playable in some of their games as yesteryear but nobody else comes close!
Glad to see Skies of Arcada get recognized. The Dreamcast version is better than Legends though.
tetris is russian??? wow, you really do learn something everyday
Damn, and I hoped that Blizzard would get D2 and SC on top 20 at least. I'm not that into War3. Wait, wait! Maybe LOST VIKINGS get into #10! =D
Super Mario already appeared? Can't recall. If not, it's totally in the #10.
StrategyKing, if Killzone 2 is in the top 10 I will actually leave VGChartz forever.
Everyone else, this isn't always necessarily about people saying "my favorite isn't up here but it should be."
As someone mentioned Diablo 2 is a masterpiece, one of the most loved games of all time, to this day STILL has tons of players.... a decade later and also remains one of the few games that is truly timeless. Much like some might argue for some Final Fantasy or Zelda games. It's not about saying I love Diablo 2 so you should too, it's about saying recognize and respect the enduring popularity and love certain titles have and think to yourself there might be something to that. You might not like Starcraft, I thought it was okay, but I can't deny the fact that it is still played heavily today when countless newer strat games have come out. Same with Diablo 2. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean that it isn't great. Zelda OoT will obviously claim a top spot and I think it is just alright, but I would never argue that people love the hell out of it or that it is mostly universally praised.
Not everyone saw the post with the voting in it. I certainly didn't. They say it was prominent but I never saw it all. But even if I had of voted, one vote wouldn't have changed the order of things.
Agreed but can't really complain about this list this time.
I feel ashamed that the Half-Life games got only a little beyond half the list in the voting, Episode 2 is the single greatest piece of FPS action ever conceived imo.
If a game thats nearly universally loved by critics and with over 6 million in retail sales (plus 3 million for orange box and whatever it sold on steam) is this low on the list then it just goes to show how disproportionately console orientated this site is.
Which we all knew anyway. Lets hope starcraft gets places where it deserves to be.
In the previous installments part theres a mistake where it says 50-51
HALF LIFE 2 NOT IN THE TOP TEN?
I'M SORRY BUT THIS LIST IS JUST STUPID.
Tetris at #40? Really?
I think the lack of PC fans on this site is being shown through these lists :(
HL2 and D2 being this low is somewhat of a travesty...
Final Fantasy VIII has no business being in a top 10,000 games. No, not exaggerating, it's that horrible.
Secret of Mana gets a pretty good place. I'd have it a little higher, but nice to see it get some recognition.
Tetris...wow, how it is that low is beyond me. Maybe Dr. Mario is above it? I hope so! But doubt it.
Yes. Vivi.
Things are starting to get interesting.
Ahhh, Secret of Mana was my #1, but glad to see it at least made top 50. Now where's Earthbound?!
My guess for some of the top ten titles (not in order):
Zelda OoT
Final Fantasy 7
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario 64
Gran Turismo
Metal Gear Solid
I still can't get that Street Fighter II was much higher on this list.
Tetris at the 40th position? I hardly play it anymore, but I am pretty sure it deserves a top 5 position.
secret of mana, ff8 and ff9 are far too low...
Ugh, Half-Life 2 is criminally low.
I've kind of given up on this being an excellent list, so we'll see how the rest turns out.
cod 4 and melee should be higher
CoD4 before Melee? Bull...
I played HL2 on XBox and I did not like it that much. For me it was a game without any story. I never found out exactly why I´m here and there. After I finished the stupid endboss I watched the dumb endmovie.
But these Three-leg-walkers was a cool installment. That was exciting.
Why all the vehemance about the order of the list and what games beat out others? This list is simply reporting the results of the votes freely cast by members of this site, or those who bothered to vote at least. If you didn't vote you can't complain. And if you did vote and don't liek the outcome, well tough more people have a different opinion than you, grow up. About half of the games on this list I never had any interest in playing, probably 10% I'd never heard of until this list, and their descriptions haven't exactly made me want to go out and buy. About the only game listed so far that I've always wanted to play but never got to is Diablo II.
It's been an interesting and enjoyable list to read so far.
FFVIII to low
HL 2 is WAY TO FUCKING low!! god damn people who hate PC games
Honestly, I'm offended to see HL2 so high.
@ LtSombreChief
I Think FF VII and MGS 4 are the only games that can make appearance to the top five but it cannot be there's Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros Brawl, metroid and of course Wii Sports ^^^^^_^ LOL, no seriously there is Resident Evil 4 too well we'll see.
What makes dungeon crawling, monster killing, power leveling, and damsel in distress saving more fun? Doing it all with two other friends! Secret of Mana is remarkable because it took everything that made a single-player RPG great and made it multiplayer. The quest in Secret of Mana was epic and the fact that you could experience the game with your friends or siblings was an unbeatable deal. This doesn’t even scratch the surface; in true Square fashion the game comes complete with a rocking soundtrack and a great cast of characters.
Platform: Super Nintendo, Virtual Console
I never even know that there was multiplauyer!!
Before people complain about this or that game being so low, they should post the 5 games they voted for.
Nice to see Skies of Arcadia getting some acknowledgment. <3
@ Aidman
if i see the top 5 go only to Nintendo games then obviously they didn't look at every game properly
The Legend of Zelda :
1 Ocarina of Time
2 A Link To The Past
3 Link's Awakening
4 The Wind Waker
5 Twilight Princess
6 Majora's Mask
7 Oracles series
8 Phantom Hourglass
Super Mario :
9 . Galaxy
10 . 64
12 . Bros
13 . New Super Mario Bros
14 Super Smash Bros Brawl
15 Metroid Prime
16 Resident Evil 4
17 Final Fantasy VII
18 MGS 4
19 Prince of Persia - the sands of Time -
20 Soul Calibur
these has to be in the top 30 if not then this top is totally subjective ^^
20
Yes! Diablo 2!
It's great to see that Skies of Arcadia was not forget but...maybe it's a little overrated
Not gonna even bother Digging these anymore. They will only make VGC a laughingstock of the internet and the butt end of jokes.
Tetris is way too high up on the list. I was expecting to see it in the 80s, not the 40s.
Vivi!!! So glad to see XI ahead of VIII as I thought it was the much better game. Loved a lot of the games on this list.
Final Fantasy 6, 7, and 10 will all appear before it's all said and done.
Expect 10 in the next list. 6 and 7 will both be in the top 20.
Expect 6 in the top 5 though.
Well, at least Secret of Mana made it into the top 40. I'll join with the rest and bitch about HL2 being so low.
@outlaw
I think you are going to win, because I forgot FF11 was part of the main ones :-( And FF3 was only released in america recently on the DS. Oh well, I wonder how many actually will be though.
man o man, Half Life 2 only 39. P.C games really get pwned on this site
San Andreas over HL2? oh god, wow. This site just lost a point with me.
FF8 over FF4. Go figure. I mean i knew more people bought it... but still.
@ strat
I'll take the bet on all the main Final Fantasies being on the list. There is no way in hell that FF1, 2, 3, 5, or 11 will make it.
I am now taking bets everybody!!!!
I have plenty of things to bet on!
- All of the top 10 will be nintendo published, except killzone 2.
- JRPG's or japanese games will make up over 50% of the rest of the list
- The Atari 2600 will not have one game in the top 20.
- All of the main final fantasy games will end up on the list.
- The top ten will have a game will a lower metacritic score than at least 5 games on the whole list.
- A pc game will not be in the top 15. (ruined with half life 2 being so low)
- There will not be another xbox exclusive on the list.
-
At least 6 games on the entire list will be pack-ins (game comes with dance pad/guitar/gun/etc)
9.only 2 of the remaining games will have prominent online play (or have MP being more important or better than SP)
10.Over 88% of vgChartz users will disagree with the #1 game.
At the end I'll make a thread and see how many of these were correct :-)
It'll be fun everybody!
Man these lists are tough for people here to take--they're proof positive that not every person on earth shares our own exact tastes... an obvious thing to most, but not gamers! ;)
"My favorite game ever is only ranked #43--this list has lost credibility!!!"
Heh.
@vic_viper, I would kindly have to disagree with you sir :)
Tetris and GTA SA FTW!!!!!!!!!!!
Diablo II should be higher :(
gta sa and HL2 both deserve to be in top 20
tetris only #40???? what the hell? this is the best game ever made, so many versions came out you can't even count and only #40?
Final Fantasy VIII would be my #1 game of all time. But it should at LEAST be ahead of IX on this list. Good to see VIII got recognized though.
Skies of Arcadia
BOW
hm.. Skies of Arcadia way up there ? It sure has a big following on VGC... still, I think it's far from being the best "old" Sega RPG
Can't wait to see the top 10
Tetris not on the top 10?
GTFO!!
Lol@ Jpl78, yes 30 games are better than Diablo 2, and that's putting it generously. If there's any justice then Vagrant Story will be in the top 30 and soundly thrash it.
Glad to see San Andreas and the best FPS this gen (better than Halo 3 and Killzone 2) Call of Duty 4 on the list.
The only reason Halo is more popular is because Halo continues to get new map packs and the new Elite bundle, while CoD4 gets no updates and its sequel, World at War, is out.
If you pc guys want some love, you're at the wrong site. HL2 was woefully average and is lucky to have gotten this far. Nice to see a classic like Secret of Mana getting some love. From here on out pc fans, expect an even more console-heavy list. Proportionally, I expect your responses to be equally angry and hilarious.
@JPL78, I voted for Diablo 1 instead of 2. Decided to go with the original even though Diablo 2 is a lot better.
Final Fantasy VIII nr.33!!!!! no way it should be number 1!!! :(
(oh well i'm glad its on the list ^^)
yeah, I was expecting at least Tetris among the top 10
and "Nothing seems implausible or Sci-fi in this game". Yeah, I'm sure that they have won Stalingrad because of the infinite spawn machine, secretly developed by the AI programmers of Infinity Ward
Gogo Diablo 2. Could have done better though.
Same with HL2.
PC games really aren't that popular here I guess
So 30 games are better than Diablo 2? I'm sorry but no. The voters in this contest suck and have no taste and this has been proven more and more with each new reveal.
Secret of Mana, FFVIII & FFIX well deserved to be in the top 100. Good list
Its gonna be fun to se what top 10 looks like...anything can happen on this list appearently... i hops some more zelda titles are gonna drop onto the list soon...not too soon though =)
Hell yea for Diablo 2, lol
Lots of fun and frustration.
