The VGC Top 100 Best Games of All Time, #30-21 - News
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 24 May 2009 / 77,159 Views
By Patrick Maxwell, Daniel Share-Strom, and Benjamin Cornelisse
30. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
The second generation of Pokemon games added 100 new Pokemon to the mix, a new nation to explore, two new elemental pokemon types, and new night and day phases which have become staples in the series. You play as Gold (the default trainer name) as you travel around Johto defeating the eight gym leaders, battling the elite four, and then having the chance to go to the original region, Kanto, and defeat harder versions of the eight gym leaders there. Almost matching its predecessors in terms of sales, Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal is in the top ten best selling games of all time. Pokemon as a whole has set the world on fire with tons of spin off games, an anime, movies, toys, pokemon themed trains and jets, and once the number trading card game in the world, just going to show how big gaming has become and has cemented pokemon a big place in history.
Platform: Gameboy, Gameboy Color
29. God of War
The first of the now renowned series, God of War came out in early 2005 to a lot of praise from reviewers and fans alike. Now the game has its fifth iteration (third in the main storyline) set to come out in 2010 and is one of the most anticipated sequels for many gamers. It started the tale of Kratos, wanting revenge for Ares, the god of war, tricking him into killing his family. The game is famous for its story set in Greek mythology, violent gameplay, and some of the most fluid combat in the brawler genre. For many fans Kratos and his story will always be one of their favorites and is why God of War is one of the top games in history.
Platform: PlayStation 2
28. Earthbound
Released at the end of the SNES's life, Earthbound was one of the best RPGs on the SNES but was overlooked by many. Over the years the fans have created a cult following around the game on the internet, and even have many dedicated sites to a game they consider legendary. In the game you play as Ness, a little boy from Onett whose world was turned on its ear when a meteorite landed near his house. What came out of this space rock? A bee from the future named Buzz Buzz, what else? Buzz Buzz informs Ness of Giyagas’ plan and so Ness’ adventure begins. Earthbound has some of the most creative writing, humor, and stories of any RPG which can span from being serious and touching to hilarious within the same scene, which gave the game its unique feeling and made the game such a hit with its fans.
Platform: SNES
27. Shenmue
Shenmue was one of the most innovative games for its time, featuring weather changing day to day, open world gameplay, quick time event gameplay, and all with stunning presentation. Today those are standards we have come to expect from games, but Shenmue was one of the games that set that bar. The story revolves around Ryu, setting out to avenge his father’s murder. Ryu has to go around the port searching for clues which included looking for sailors, getting into brawls, and epic cut scenes with quick time events. Still infamous for having one of the most expensive gaming budgets in history at 70 million dollars, if you thought HD development costs were insane it has nothing on Shenmue. Now could you tell me where I can find some sailors?
Platform: Dreamcast
26. Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo is the game that launched a thousand ships and single-handedly carried the Xbox into the spotlight. An interesting story, fantastically fun weapons and vehicles, sprawling vistas, cooperative play, and plenty of opportunities to try different tactics drew in millions of fans. But it was the endlessly customizable sixteen-player multiplayer mode that kept players coming back for more. Like all of the best multiplayer games, Halo is one of those experiences where every match has at least one epic moment you wish you had been videotaping. Remember that time your two friends were sniping at each other from opposite sides of the map, and you got bored, hopped in a ghost, and smashed into one just as he drew a bead on the other? (I know I do!—Dan) Plasma grenades were great, too. Is it a blue spider?! GET IT OFF!
Platforms: Xbox, PC, Xbox Originals
25. Super Metroid
Set just after Samus recovered the ‘last’ Metroid larva and delivered it the the Ceres Space Station in Metroid II, Super Metroid was lauded as much for its atmosphere as it was for translating the series’ much-loved exploration-based gameplay into sixteen glorious bits. In a bid to recapture the kidnapped Metroid from her arch-nemesis, Ridley, Samus explores areas both old and new, gaining new powers, surpassing new obstacles, and defeating new foes. But the non-combat areas, when Samus is simply running from point A to point B, with their haunting music and intentionally-depressing weather effects (like rain), are probably the most memorable parts of this Super Nintendo masterpiece.
Platforms: SNES, Wii Virtual Console
24. Super Mario Bros.
Ah, Super Mario Bros, the game that is impossible to hate. Probably the biggest surprise here is that it wasn’t higher on the list, which just goes to show how diverse VGC’s user's tastes are. While not technically where Mario got his start, when anyone picture’s gaming’s mascot, the first thing that comes to mind is Super Mario Bros. The revolutionary ideas it brought to the video gaming world (such as scrolling and hidden paths) are matched in their importance only by the iconic gameplay, colourful graphics, and iconic music. Everyone remembers running through World 1-1, hopping over the pipes, tossing turtle shells and juuust missing the top of the flagpole. That is, if the first Goomba didn’t take all their lives.
Platforms: NES, SNES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Wii Virtual Console
23. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Recently chosen by VGChartz as the Gamecube's best game, the members have awarded The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker a place among the 25 best games ever made. Fans didn't exactly warm up to it when Wind Waker was first shown , though. They demanded a realistic Link, not this cel-shaded toon figure. However, those who opened up to the artstyle discovered an amazing game, ironically owing much of its quality to its style. The kingdom of Hyrule is long drowned under the sea and the world is made up of several islands. Link travels across this vast sea in search of his sister, while battling the evil Ganondorf, solving challenging dungeons, and helping out the fantastically designed inhabitants of the Great Sea. Sure the sailing, can get a bit boring and that Triforce quest wasn't really that interesting, but one look at that gorgeous, vivid world is enough to make you forget all that and embrace Wind Waker as an amazing Zelda.
Platform: Gamecube
22. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
This game being launched alongside Wii is probably part of the reason why Nintendo's fifth console was such a big success at launch. Sure, those looking for a new experience stuck to Wii Sports, but the traditional fan probably anticipated Twilight Princess much more, and with over 50 hours of great Zelda gameplay, it definitely delivered. As often in Zelda games you start of as a young boy, Link, in a small village in the Kingdom of Hyrule. Near the beginning of the adventure, the hero finds himself trapped in wolf form in the Twilight Realm, a dark parallel world where the Twilight King rules. A small creature, Midna, offers to help you on your quest to free Hyrule of the Twilight. You'll play part of the game as a wolf, which is a great addition to the traditional Zelda gameplay. In that wolf form you can use your senses to find routes, hidden items and you’re even able to defeat enemies that are hard to beat in human form. In the Wii version of the game motion sensing is used to control the Master Sword, while the pointer makes for a big improvement in using the boomerang and bow. However, the best use of the Wiimote is for fishing, which is transformed into more than just a mini-game thanks to the motion controls. The biggest Hyrule yet is a fantastic experience.
Platforms: Gamecube, Wii
21. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
After the great but still slightly disappointing second game, creator Hideo Kojima brought his famous stealth series back to where it belongs with Snake Eater: at the highest level of gaming. In the struggle to achieve world peace and world dominance in the Cold War period, rivaling governments are secretly developing weapons technology that could threaten the future existence of life. Set in Cold War-era Russia, the story centers on FOX operative Naked Snake as he is summoned to travel deep into the heart of enemy territory in an attempt to rescue weapons designer Sokolov and sabotage an experimental superweapon. Where the earlier Metal Gear Solid games were set in a primarily urban environment, Snake Eater adopts a 1960s Soviet jungle setting, with the high tech, near-future trappings of previous Metal Gear Solid games being replaced with the wilderness by using camouflage, close-quarters combat, stalking and interrogation.
Platform: PlayStation 2
Missed one? Check out a previous installment!
Numbers 40-31
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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wheres 11-21? ff8 better be there!
Personally, I hated Shenmue. It was so boring. It's nice to see WW pretty high up though.
Earthbounddddddd. Woot.
In Pokemon gold and silver, there is a SPELLING ERROR (Bolded to be noticed)
It should say "The number one trading card game", but leaves out the "one" part.
What an odd description of Twilight Princess. Link doesn't start out as a young boy, in fact, its the only game where he's teen/young adult (minus for the Philip-CDI, but we wont go there)
I'm kind of stumped to what is going to be on the top 10 now, minus for an appearance from Ocarina of Time yet (Which is my personal #1). I also wouldn't rank any MGS in the top 20, I find the series dull.
really cant believe this!if super mario bros is not at #1 spot it should be at least at the top 3 spot
21, 22, and 23 are all on my top ten list, and the latter two were the top 5 list I posted to vote for this list.
Halo CE should be over Wind waker. Halo was the single game that kept (if u can say that) the xbox afloat.
WTF is SMB doing this far down the list.
Ah well, as long as SMB3 makes top ten it will all be alright.
Snake Eater 21!?!?
Shame of you VG Chartz users, for shame!
Well my favorite is ffx <3
not a bad list
Counter-Strike FTW!
God of War, Metroid, Super Mario Brothers, and Halo: CE FTW!!!!!!!!!
Halo:CE should be much higher. While I can see Halo 3 being in the middle of this list, Halo:CE was epic...
Hmm... the only game out of these 10 I've completed was Halo. I've played Super Metroid and Mario Bros for a bit. Seen someone else play MGS3, Twilight Princess, and God of War. None of those 3 made me want to pick up the controller. The other 4 I've never even seen in person. Of the 3 I played, it'd have to be Halo, with SMB getting a nostalgic nod. I simply don't like Metroid's cumbersome controls.
Going off on a tangent here, I haven't noticed a Contra game yet.
Glad twilight princess got over Wind Waker, good to see a lot of good games in this list. I hope SMB3 and Pkmn R/B/Y make it to the top ten, has anyone seen Zelda:LTTP? if not I hope that's coming - it better be :)
Skies of Arcadia and Earthbound are already spent, they're my two favourites. Super Mario Brothers 3, Ocarina of Time, and Final Fantasy 8 are my runners up. Oh, Civilization II would be on my top list as well.
Super Mario Bros should in top 10
Yay for Pokemon G/S/C hope Pokemon Red n Blue make it to Top 10
Shenmue and Earthbound. 2 games that I really need to get around checking out.
Glad to see MGS3 and Pokemon: GSC in such high positions.
How Super Mario Bros is not top 10 is beyond me. I guess too many kids on this site.
.... Twilight Princess over Super Mario Bros.?
...
...
There are no words in ANY language that adequately convey the absolutely astronomically epic fail that is...
MGS4 top 10?
Earthbound? Shenmue?
Come on seriously?
The only ones they got right are Halo and Pokemon
Oh, HECK NO!
WIND WAKER > TWILIGHT PRINCESS!
Wind Waker? OVER FALLOUT 3? get out. Now.
Wow, not bad. I'm expecting to see a few Zeldas in the top 20-11! =P
Wasn't Shenmue on the Saturn as well? And I didn't know Twilight Princess was on the Gamecube, either.
Woot! Pokemon GSC! And hell yeah Twilight Princess is better than Wind Waker!
GoldenEye
And Ocarina of time.
What's left. MGS 1, MGS 4, FFVII, FFX, SMB3, SM World, SM64, Chrono Trigger, Resident Evil 2, A Mega Man game probably 2, Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow, maybe a Metroid Prime, maybe a Tekken game, what else?
@ KungKras
Good thing, because every Metal Gear Solid should. :-P
EARTHBOUND NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was supposed to be #1.
I hated wind waker but loved twilight princess good call on it being one better then WW.
I do not like how Pokemon crystal is in with silver and gold. Crystal should be by itself.
No metal gear should be above Super Metroid D:
Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and MSG3 should all be behind Halo, while Pokémon should be in front of all four of those games. Well, no more Sexbox games will be on the list guaranteed. It saddens me that MSG4 will no doubt be so high up, I liked what I played but it's not top 20 material.
Also, why is Super Mario Bros so low? Blasphemy!
Good list. Every game listed is amazing.
It's a shame that the best game ever is only #30 on this list.
Good to see Super Metroid high though.
What???
twilight princess, better than wind waker ???
For me, i thought that twilight princess did'n have is place on the list.
But for the rest, GREAT!
probably one of the better lists so far.
Hurray for MGS3! ^__^
Well at least all games that are here deserve to be... I could argue that Halo shouldent be, but I have to face it as a gaming phenomen alone it has to have a place in the top 100 :P
Wind Waker is much better than Twilight Princess IMO. Oh well.
Also, I thought that Super Mario Bros. would be much higher.
Super Mario Bros number 24??? I was pretty sure it would be in the top 10.
Wow, very nice list.
Few of my favourite games are here :) Love GoW.
MGS4 and SoTC both in the top 20. I would think they're both in the top 10 as well.
Nice List. Shenmue needs to be in the top 10s. It's an amazing game.
Pokemon Gold/silver/crystal totally deserve their place at the top 30. Sales are massive and the games are pure awesomenes. I really can't unterstand why Nintendo after Gold/silver took so many features away. (Where are my two regions in Sapphire/Ruby and Diamond/Pearl ??)
Shenmue deserves top 10 easy, and if you never played it, you suck
Sega 4 Life <3
Great list, and i include my joy for the new site. great work!
Shenmue in 27th place..................... FANTASTIC.
So few Dreamcast owners back in the day yet this game finishes 27th, great result for a game on a console that was criminally overlooked.
Where would this game have placed if the Dreamcast userbase was anywhere near the ps2's userbase?
Well Done Dreamcast, Sega and Yu suzuki fans for getting this magical game in to such a high position in this chart.
Still to this very day my fave game of ALL TIME.
Great list so far. I'm really looking forward to the next installment.
Expanded commentaries forthe top 10 games, PLEASE!!
I'm very to see Pokemon so high. It's easily the worst RPG so far.
mHm... Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow will be in the top 20 if not the top 10...
C'mon Sonic 3 or Sonic 2, Pull on through!
Seems fairly good so far, my only discrpency being HL2's position.. should havebeen much higher
Just so long as OoT is in first place i will be happy
SHENMUE! fave game ever.
but disagree with Wind Waker below TP,personally find WW as the best Zelda I played...even over OoT
the game that had a 40/40 from the FAMITSU magazine is ranked 23 in here well I don't need to see much more !
The Legend of ZELDA franchise is bigger than the MGS and the Final Fantasy too even with the most subjective ratin ever OCARINA WILL BE THE ONE WHATEVER HAPPEN.
I personaly think halo should be WAY higher than twilight princess.
Halo sparked a whole lot in games. Even know i rather play halo 1
over twilight princess
super metroid only ranked 25th?....the original super mario bro ranked 24th? what the hell, they should both be in the top ten...no doubt about it. Has final fantasy 7 been on the list? i would hate to see that one grab the first spot, it belongs to ocarina, no doubt...
MGS3 should be higher - especially since number 4 is likely to eclipse it considering the VGC community. Still a decent list. A lot of the right titles in a lot of the wrong places - but that's to be expected.
Halo Combat Evolved at 26?!?!?! Is this really the best videogames of ALL time? Halo Combat Evolved shouldnt be in the top 50!
@Dark Chaos yeah but Shenmue on the dreamcast IS much better and it was released on there first
@PeteyPeeps says:
"This is a JOKE right??? HOW DARE YOU PUT halo ABOVE Shenmue ... Absolutely DISCUSTING! ... yeah WHO THE HELL IS MAKING THIS LIST?...Also, i would say Wind waker was MUCH better than twilight princess ... This guy picking these games is on drugs"
You mean us the community since it says at the bottom of every countdown that votes are based entirely by the members of Videogamechartz which is us.
Great to see God of War and Pokemon Gold
Halo CE has nothing to do in a Best Games of All Time list...man, that game bored me so much
YusukeUnlimited says:
The original Super Mario Bros. is not in the top 10?!?...wtf?
Cause it ain't the original silly
I dont agree with God of war being over GOD OF WAR II, but in any case the list is ok so far
Simulacrum is right.... pokemon gold should be higher!!!!!!
Also, Tp should be a lil bit higher too
The "oh noez list failz" comments are kinda old just so you guys know, these lists are made by the community, it's really about hey these games are great, they're loved by our community, after that it's basically a popularity vote, if your favorite game made the list, be happy :D
@ Maxwell
But how? ;_;
Good list.
In my book MGS3 is basically the second best game i've EVER played [2nd only to No.4] and i'm glad VGchartz comunity shows some love for this masterpiece ^_^
Shenmue was an incredible game as well !
Twilight Princess? You've got to be kidding me. It's not a bad game, but it's so out of its element being as high as it is. It belongs nowhere near the top of this list. Super Metroid on the other hand should be much higher than it is. So sad. Kids today.
Anybody who says that Pokemon doesn't deserve to be there is simply NOT a gamer. Like it or not, is a very influencial, succesful game that created a big impact on the game culture.
You can not like it but your tastes had nothing to do with reality.
No way Pokemon deserves to be there.
LOL @ Disolitude
How does pokemon not deserve to be in the top 100? The series is a beast and probably the biggest IP ever created, it will soon collectively outsell the collective of Mario games and Mario has been out for twice as long and for many one of the biggest icons in gaming.
When Halo, Ratchet and Clank or Mario is painted onto a jet then you can argue if it deserves to be on the top lists.
@OkeyD
You should play Earthbound NOW! >:\
I really wanna play Earthbound one day :(
I'm actually shocked that MGS3 and Wind Waker aren't in the top 10.
Yay, Twilight Princess infront of Wind Waker! Still, that's not low enough >_>
You people can argue and while all you want...but most true gamers know that these while these games are amazing and deserve to be on this list (except for pokemon)...there are better games out there which will be in the top 20.
MGS1, RE4, Mario 64, couple of Zeldas, Final fantasy 3 (or 6 depeding where youre from), Chrono trigger, Castlevania 3, Mario Gallaxy, Gran Turismo 3, goldeneye...
Quit being babies...
what the hell? first Tetris is in the 30s and SMB in the 20s?! are you insane? who makes these lists?! I don't wanna imagine the top 10 x_X
This is a JOKE right??? HOW DARE YOU PUT halo ABOVE Shenmue ... Absolutely DISCUSTING! ... yeah WHO THE HELL IS MAKING THIS LIST? Shenmue is top 10 EASY! ... just because alot of people didn't play it doesn't mean that it should be so low. Also, i would say Wind waker was MUCH better than twilight princess ... This guy picking these games is on drugs
been looking over the posts and i think these will show up from here on out: Super Mario Galaxy, Resident Evil 4, MGS4, Super Mario Bros 3, Legend of Zelda: OoT, FF3, FF7, FF10, super mario world, LOZ: MM, Brawl, LOZ: Link to the Past, maybe KH. i didnt count, but im pretty sure OoT will be first. 2nd's hard to tell
Twilight Princess at 22. are you kidding me? and SMB at 24, who made this list anyway?
Earthbound, never heard..
But pretty good list, too bad I most likely won't see Grandia in top 20..
Xen you figure a lot of people are voting for mainstream hits like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy games. Some niche favorites are going to be knocked out of the top 10 man :P
Snake Eater at 21? oh god, fail redefined. It should be in the top 5! what the hell are you voting for instead, people?
SMB at 24 is a runner up to that fail.
Great list! I can't wait to see FFIX and Zelda: Ocarina's position
Epic list.
Oh God. Earthbound #28 rocks! I didn't even expect it to be put on the list, let alone recognized so well. #1 in my book no doubt.
@Dark chaos shenmue 2 was ported to xbox, shenmue 1 was only for dreamcast
Dang wind waker almost beat twilight princess.Oh well. If Earthbound made it this far (which didn't sell well) Pkmin will have a chance on the list
Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Metal Gear Solid 4, The legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VI,VII,X, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Pokemon R/B/G, Gran Turismo 1 and 3 and I don´t know what other game is left.
@Dark Chaos
Shenmue II is for Xbox the original is still exclusive to the Dreamcast.
The original Super Mario Bros. is not in the top 10?!?...wtf?
Also Shenmue is for Xbox too.
Wow I thought Halo would be higher up
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