Game Informer's New Top 200 Games of All Time

[The Real Gamer]

Hey guys. Just received GI's 200th issue! Congrats to GI! I've been a subscriber for 2 years now and although I don't agree with their reviews all of the time, every issue has been a blast to read.

This is definitely their biggest issue they have made of all time, so this top 200 list was very thought out by them. Some of these may surprise you, and others will be typical.

NOTE: I only posted the top 25, if you would like to see the whole list, click here

Enjoy, and post your own opinions!

1. The Legend of Zelda (NES, 1987)
2. Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1985)
3. Tetris (PC, 1984)
4. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2, 2001)
5. Half-Life 2 (PC, 2004)
6. Doom (PC, 1993)
7. Metroid (NES, 1986)
8. Final Fantasy III (SNES, 1994)
9. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1990)
10. Ms. Pac-Man (Coin-op, 1981)
11. World of Warcraft (PC, 2004)
12. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1992)
13. Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996)
14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3/360/PC, 2007) <---Dam straight *****'s!
15. Final Fantasy VII (PS, 1997)
16. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (NES, 1987)
17. Chrono Trigger (SNES, 1995)
18. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2005)
19. Metal Gear Solid (PS, 1998)
20. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998)
21. Super Metroid (SNES, 1994)
22. Contra (NES, 1988)
23. Galaga (Coin-op, 1981)
24. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS, 1997)
25. Street Fighter II (Coin-op, 1991)

 

[F8AL]

Why is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time so low???



And congrats to CoD4 making 14th place! Awesome game!

 

[Neo Exdeath]

IMO, Chrono Trigger and Mike Tyson's Punch Out deserve to be higher.

 

[justaway12]

Super Mario Bros. should have been much, much higher

Spoiler

olololololololol Bias, well, it most likely is since it's my favorite game ever.

I'm surprised OoT wasn't higher, personally, I disliked that game =/ but it was still loved by many.

 

[The Real Gamer]

@F8AL

Good question. I guess GI didn't want to be cliche?

EDIT: SSBM got #86. I think that's pretty good considering that Twilight Princess was #90.

 

[Yoshi]

Melee is at #86, while Left 4 Dead is at #82?
Er... I don't agree with some of this list, but it's very good to say the least.

 

[Chronodiver Lokii]

Yaaay Contra
-is STILL attempting to beat it on VNes-
I can agree with a lot of this list. A bunch of classic games -nods-

 

[황미영]

I'm glad FFVI was placed higher than VII that **** deserves it. VI is an amazing game, if it had been the first one to be in 3D I think it would've been as memorable and fantarded as VII. I also believe Chrono Trigger deserves a bit higher.

I lol, at the lack of FPS games in top 25. Tee-hee.

 

[SkylerOcon]

This coming from a Zelda fanboy, I have no clue why they repeatedly place the original Zelda on their top games of all time lists. That game aged terribly. Any of the Zelda games from the SNES onwards, I could understand, but the original LoZ just flat out did not age well.

Glad to see that ALttP beat out OoT though... but I'm also severely disappointed by the lack of Majora's Mask (can you tell me if it placed at all on the list?).

I assume the Final Fantasy III they're talking about is Finaly Fantasy VI, so they at least know whats up when it comes to FF games. Doom also hasn't aged well, it has no business on the list. I also would've placed Half-Life 2 over GTAIII, but that's just me.

Overall, this list is weird. The lack of games beyond generation 5 (PSX/N64) surprises me. We had CoD4 and RE4. I just find that as weird, because I think plenty of games released in Console generations 6 and 7 could've easily made top 25. For all I know though, they all barely placed after the top 25... anyone know where I can find a full list?

 

[The Real Gamer]

I lol, at the lack of FPS games in top 25. Tee-hee.

Half Life 2, Doom, and CoD4.

That's a pretty badass group of FPS's imo.

@Skyler
The link to the full list is in the OP.

 

[CRASHiC]

I laughed at putting any FPS other than Half Life or Half Life 2 in the list at all. Tee-hee. YOU DO WHAT IS STANDARD! AND YOU DO STANDARD THE BEST! AWARD FOR YOU!!!!

 

[justaway12]

Skyler, MM is 65th

http://www.nintendoeverything.com/?p=28230

The link is also in the OP.

Braid is on the list <3

 

[Ryu Shimazu]

I too liked FF6 owning 7, being a fan of 6 over 7, wishing they'd redo it. I think the original zelda shouldn't be on there, ocarina of time could be 1 but not that. And honestly, pokemon red/blue were like what 48? the new generation should've been there, seeing as the old ones, if replayed, have so many issues..but meh. Also FFX should've been higher, it was an amazing game, 6>7/10 in my thoughts, but yeah.

 

[The Real Gamer]

I too liked FF6 owning 7, being a fan of 6 over 7, wishing they'd redo it. I think the original zelda shouldn't be on there, ocarina of time could be 1 but not that. And honestly, pokemon red/blue were like what 48? the new generation should've been there, seeing as the old ones, if replayed, have so many issues..but meh. Also FFX should've been higher, it was an amazing game, 6>7/10 in my thoughts, but yeah.

What you don't understand is that the old gen is what made the new gen today. The games may be far inferior by today's standards, but back in the day they re-defined gaming as a whole, which what I think GI based most of the list on.

 

[Ryu Shimazu]

This is true, sorry about that. Zelda may have "aged bad" but for it's time, the only game more deserving is FF1, which is the birth of most rpgs sort of. Apparently since I paid for the internet wii channel I got FF1 for free on my wii recently, really excited to play that again... even if I recall Red Mage / Ninja / Black Mage being worthless in the end... (Knight, monkx2, white mage ftw... i think?)

 

[N.A.G.A.C.E]

i also don't get wh the LOZ is #1 i mean its a good game (it has aged badly) but i would say even on the NES it was not the best game of its type. I personally think Crystalis is better then the 1st LOZ.

Also Metal gear solid being above Loz OOT is a joke. don't get e wrong i played metal gear solid and liked it but i just don't see how they can put it above OOT.

Also idc what anyone else says FF9 is better then FF7. Also calling FF6 FF3 confused me for a min.

Psychonauts not even making top 200 is a crime.

i liked power stones 1 more then 2 (imo its better)

i am sure there is more to say but i don't have time right now.

 

[urdailywater]

I think Super Metroid should be # 13 at least.

I disagree with this highly and therefore will write 15 paragraphs and an essay explaining why.

Later.

 

[Neo Exdeath]

. Also calling FF6 FF3 confused me for a min.

I agree. They also called Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy II.

 

[Brightside6382]

This list horribly fails. No Placescape Torment or Baldurs Gate 1 or 2 in the top 25?

 

[eighteenspikes]

Too much fanwank, this list is pretty much "Top 25 games you can buy a tshirt of from hot topic"

 

[unknownPresence]

is this soley for consoles?
there are plenty of PC games that deserve to be on this list.
games that are console mainstream dont count, like cod4

 

[The Real Gamer]

games that are console mainstream dont count, like cod4

Here's what GI said about CoD4 in the top 200 list:

"Modern Warfare left a crater in the gaming landscape large enough to unseat the Halo juggernaut as the most-played game on Xbox Live. The multiplayer won over the hardcore with its best-in-class controls, addictive level progression, creative game modes, and customizable weapon loadouts. As great as the multiplayer is, the watercooler moments took place in the balls-to-the-wall single-player campaign. The sniper mission, the nuclear blast, the AC130 - Modern Warfare's frantic action set pieces created a new high bar for craftsmanship in video games."

I'm not trying to prove a point or anything. I just thought you (and many others) might have been curious about the mindset of GI's decision on placing it so high.

 

[unknownPresence]

actually, taking a closer look at this. what i said is kind of invalid. I personally felt halo 1 was stronger than cod4. but above everything else im amazed that WOW is in the top 25, and starcraft isnt in the top 10. starcraft is the best game of all time IMO

 

[G U R U]

ITT: Angry fanboys

 

[A17]

God of War is better than God of War 2?

I Approve. The sequel had a new adventure a LOT of cinematics, but now that I think about it it does feel like a remake of the first, though i believe GOW2 had a longer storyline than GOW1

 

[황미영]

Half Life 2, Doom, and CoD4.

That's a pretty badass group of FPS's imo.

@Skyler
The link to the full list is in the OP.

Three when there is an overwhelming amount of RPG, platformers, adventure, and action games.

Lol at the hot topic comment, if that was true I would be wearing a Kefka shirt! D;

I also agree with the Halo1 comment. When I played it when it first came out it was a breath of fresh air. But with all the FPS games we have it's more of a cluster ****.

OH SHI- Pilotwings got a spot?! Niiiiice! xD

 

[Zip.]

I'm glad FFVI was placed higher than VII that **** deserves it. VI is an amazing game, if it had been the first one to be in 3D I think it would've been as memorable and fantarded as VII. I also believe Chrono Trigger deserves a bit higher.

^ Major cool points for this guy XD

 

[SkylerOcon]

What you don't understand is that the old gen is what made the new gen today. The games may be far inferior by today's standards, but back in the day they re-defined gaming as a whole, which what I think GI based most of the list on.

Then perhaps the list should be called the most influential games of all time. Not the 'Top 200', which directly implies the best 200 games. I hate it when people mix these two terms up - it would be stupid to deny the original Zelda's massive influence, but it would be double stupid to say it's the best game of all time.

Also didn't notice the list was the in the OP until like... right after I made my original post ;_;

 

[Spire]

Putting OoT as #20 just looks like another attempt to deviate from the norm and make a list where they mostly ignore it. Everyone knows it's the best and one of the most influential games of all time.

This list is victim to exactly as Skyler says above - mixing "best" and "most influential". No wonder they were able to list 200 games, because their bounds were open to both scales.

 

[F8AL]

actually, taking a closer look at this. what i said is kind of invalid. I personally felt halo 1 was stronger than cod4. but above everything else im amazed that WOW is in the top 25, and starcraft isnt in the top 10. starcraft is the best game of all time IMO

I approve of this post. Starcraft is one of the best games ever created by man. It's a shame starcraft isn't in the top 10 because it's still played a lot and there is a lot of hyper/expectations for the sequel, Starcraft 2. (whenever it's coming out...)

 

[:mad:]

A Zelda game, not number 1 on a best game list? Blasphemous! How dare they!

 

[F8AL]

A Zelda game, not number 1 on a best game list? Blasphemous! How dare they!

Yeah, I know eh? I'm just so used to OoT being #1 because most "top games of all time" lists I've seen have that game as #1...(maybe as a template?)

 

[:mad:]

I'm just so used to OoT being number 1 on every list I see, so this is a shock to me.

I'm somewhat impressed with the top 25. The rest just seems off.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Then perhaps the list should be called the most influential games of all time. Not the 'Top 200', which directly implies the best 200 games. I hate it when people mix these two terms up - it would be stupid to deny the original Zelda's massive influence, but it would be double stupid to say it's the best game of all time.

You're actually very right and I agree. The list does look more like a top 200 most influential games now that I really look at it.

Here's what GI said about OOT for all who were wondering:

"A massive critical and commercial success, OOT became the standard to which all other action/adventure games were held. Fans of the franchise were enraptured by their first chance to explore Hyrule in 3D. The improved graphics also allowed for more complex and creative puzzles - the most notable being those that exploited the time traveling mechanic. New abilities inherent to a mature Link were balanced by challenges solvable only by the pintsized version of the protagonist, resulting in dozens upon dozens of missions and sidequests between the alternate existences. Combined with Koji Kondo's unforgettable melodies, challenging dungeons, inspired boss battles, and an epic finale, few can forget their lengthy and immensely satisfying time in Hyrule."

I think OOT really should have been at least in the top 10...But #20 is just an obvious attempt to stray away from the norm.

 

[황미영]

Hmm... The whole time traveling aspect of OoT wasn't that big of a deal... Now in Majora's Mask, it played a much bigger and innovative role. I would definitely put MM above OoT. But that's because I love it more. xD

 

[GreenFox]

Pretty good list but I dont see CoD4 being 14th...

 

[F8AL]

Pretty good list but I dont see CoD4 being 14th...

And why is that?

 

[StinkomanFan]

I'm just glad a Silent Hill game made it.

 

[n88]

Why do so many lists like this place the first game in the series over superior sequels? I realize that the first attempt was probably more original and all that, but still. The original Legend of Zelda? You've got to be kidding me. Ranking Metroid over Super Metroid and Metroid Prime seems plain wrong.

 

[Jimnymebob]

That list was unique, but a bit crap. Final Fantasy IV and Sonic 2 being so low is confusing, and as much as I'm not a fan, Mario 64 and Oot should have been higher.

And I lol'd at Beyond G & E being 200th.