Board 8 > David ranks his top 100 games of all time, with write-ups

(+) Yeah! (+)

profDEADPOOL posted...

The standalone Gwent beta is pretty good also

I seen some of it and it looks interesting! I managed to get a Beta key but then couldn't get it to launch on my computer for some reason.

The fan on my laptop died out on me a little while ago as well, and so I've been avoiding gaming on it to prevent it from overheating. When I do get it fixed, Gwent is one of the first things I plan on taking a look at.
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I really need to play The Witcher games someday but they look like such a huge time commitment and there are so many other games I want to play too. Maybe next year!

I also read the Dark Cloud 2 write-up just to see if you raved about the same things my brother always did. I hope I have a chance to play that someday as well.
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Mobilezoid posted...

I really need to play The Witcher games someday but they look like such a huge time commitment and there are so many other games I want to play too. Maybe next year!

I usually try to avoid getting into a series at any point other than the beginning, but I was essentially forced to with The Witcher 3 because of my lack of a gaming PC, and it ended up being fine! Every recommendation I've seen has said that it's worth checking out all three of the games, but 3 is easily the best in the series and I don't think you'd be missing anything by just starting there. It'd definitely be a slightly smaller time commitment.


Mobilezoid posted...

I also read the Dark Cloud 2 write-up just to see if you raved about the same things my brother always did. I hope I have a chance to play that someday as well.

I feel like I could go on and on about that game, but my write-up was already full of me just throwing out a bunch of the great things about it. Did I end up touching on some of the stuff your brother enjoyed?
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*Thumbs up for FFXII and Kingdom Hearts*

FFXII has always been one of my favorite FFs and KH (especially KH2) are some of my favs as well. I'm looking forward to the FFXIIHD and KH3.

This is an enjoyable topic to read through TC. Lists are always fun to do x3
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SugarFlakes posted...

FFXII has always been one of my favorite FFs and KH (especially KH2) are some of my favs as well. I'm looking forward to the FFXIIHD and KH3.

Kingdom Hearts 3 has been my most anticipated game for a long time!
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davidponte posted...

I feel like I could go on and on about that game, but my write-up was already full of me just throwing out a bunch of the great things about it. Did I end up touching on some of the stuff your brother enjoyed?

The main thing I remember him liking was the whole photography aspect, so yes, you did!
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So, I just finished the final 3 write-ups, and all 3 of them ended up turning into mini-stories about the games and my experiences with them, rather than me really talking about their mechanics and gameplay. When I set out to write about the games on this list, I wanted to inject some of my personal experiences into the write-ups, and while some had more of it than others, I think the final 3 write-ups illustrate what I was trying to get at with that.

They're all pretty long (around 700 words each), but I think they'll be some great reads and I'm excited to post them on Wednesday. I know it can be tough, or boring, for everyone to read about something they don't really have much interest in, especially when it comes to games, but if you're only going to read through 3 write-ups on the list, those are the 3 that I would recommend.

Some of the earlier write-ups felt forced, but I think my natural writing style was able to come out in the top 10, and especially the top 3.

I'm not really sure what the point of this post was, so I'll just say that it's an excuse to bump this topic!
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6. Mass Effect 2 (PS3)

The lone Mass Effect game on this list comes in at #6. I knew very little about the series before this game, considering it was an Xbox exclusive. I still haven't ever played the original game, but I heard good things about the series around the time this came out on the PS3, so I decided to pick it up and give it a shot.

So what is Mass Effect? Well, it's a sci-fi epic action RPG, with elements of an open-world, a million different side quests and activities to do, and a great story. As many of the previous 94 write-ups have told you over and over, I like when games contain elements of these. As the previous two write-ups will tell you, when a game has many or all of these elements, and does them well, it can end up being one of my favourite games ever. Mass Effect 2 contains everything I love and have always loved about video games, and delivers them all in a polished package.

I've mentioned how I can forgive lackluster gameplay or story when the other is phenomenal, but Mass Effect 2 delivers what might be the best of both worlds. Cover shooters can be great, but this is so much more than that. The RPG elements of both the combat and character progression system helps, but beyond all that, the shooting feels good, the enemies are interesting, and the level designs are great. Combined, you get an experience that few games outside of the series can come close to.

Shepard isn't the most complex character, but that's because he is the embodiment of the player, and having real choice and real options on how you want to play was a lot of fun. The supporting cast here is fantastic. Everyone has different motives, personalities, and attributes, and finding a way to balance those and keep everyone happy was just as interesting as the combat sequences. I never even played the first game, and yet over the course of my 50 hours with this game, I grew attached to these characters. After every mission, I'd do a lap around the Normandy and talk to every member of my crew, just to see what they were thinking. I won't lie, I researched the optimal party construction before one of the final missions in order to ensure that everyone would survive, because I couldn't handle anyone not surviving the mission.

I'll end with the story, which was fantastic. Space politics was fun, and it always felt like there was a real, looming threat throughout the game with the Reapers. Shepard's story is a great one, and I'm still kind of pissed about Mass Effect 3 and how it ended. The DLC was awesome as well, nearly rivaling that of The Witcher 3. Shout outs to Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker for giving me a reason to stay in that world for a little longer.
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5. Resident Evil 4 (GCN)

This game is the perfect example of what I've always wanted from Resident Evil. In the RE5 write-up, I mentioned how I preferred the move away from horror in the series. I dislike horror, but I recognize that this series was built on horror, and Resident Evil 4, being the beginning of this transition away from the genre, felt like the perfect blend of horror elements the series is famous for and grand action sequences that it later became associated with.

I've bought this game a couple of times now. I originally owned it on the Gamecube, then got it for the Playstation 2, and when it got released on the PS3 I bought it again there. It's only a matter of time before I buy the PS4 remaster, because every time this game becomes available, I think to myself, "Yeah, I could go for some RE4".

I've done everything there is to do in this game. Multiple playthroughs, ultimate weapons, different costumes. I feel like I've experienced all that this game has to offer, and yet I continue to go back to it, not to see something new, but rather for the chance to do it all again.

Oddly enough, this game doesn't really contain any of the things that I've spoke endlessly about that I value in video games. The story and characters are generally cheesy, which is expected, and something I've grown to love about the series, but neither of them are anything special. it's just fun to play, and there's nothing really more to say about that. The shooting feels good, there's a bunch of variation in enemy design, and nothing is quite as satisfying as shooting a head off.

Every game in my top 10 comes with an explanation of why specifically I think it's great, or a bunch of nostalgia and stories about my experience with it, but Resident Evil 4 doesn't really have either of those. It's just a perfect game that I've loved to play over and over, and will continue to go back to.
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4. Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)

I love the lore in this series, as well as the origins and motives of its original characters. It's why I think Birth By Sleep is a great game, and it's part of the reason why I think Kingdom Hearts 2 is the best game in the series, and one of the best games of all-time.

The first game will always have the nostalgia factor going for it, but if I look past that, I can easily say that Kingdom Hearts 2 is better in almost every way. The combat is still there, still great, and the addition of different limit forms added another aspect of strategy to it. My one gripe with the combat in this game, however, is how magic and MP were handled. In the first game, you had multiple MP bars, with spells costing anywhere between 1-5 bars of MP. The second game gave you one singular bar, and a Cure spell cost your entire bar of MP. Magic also felt weaker in general in the second game, and with so many new moves to use, it came to the point where I only really used MP for curative or defensive reasons.

Other than that, though, everything about this game is better, and great. The series came into its own here, and the original characters and story were brought to the forefront, and were the main focus, whereas the Disney characters and worlds seemed like the vessel that brought you to your next story point. The Disney stuff is great for the nostalgia, but I was always interested in seeing and fighting the next Organization XIII member, or learning about their history, and I'm glad that the game went in a direction that facilitated my curiosity.

Speaking of Organization XIII, as cheesy as "We want to collect hearts" is as a motive, I think there is something really interesting about the design of the characters, what it means to be a Nobody, and how they eventually would end up fitting into the grander story. Kingdom Hearts is a complicated series with a lot of spin-offs, and games like Chain of Memories and Birth By Sleep, which delved deeper into the Organization and its history, gave me a greater appreciation of this game on subsequent playthroughs. Before BBS, I also had a lot of fun trying to figure out the Organization members' real names as kid.

This series is great, and probably my favourite behind Final Fantasy. As I've said before, I've never outright disliked a Kingdom Hearts game, but Kingdom Hearts 2 has always been the peak for me. New combat systems, characters, and ways to play are cool, but at the end of the day I want to play as Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I've been waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3 for a long time, and I'm hoping it contains even some of the magic that this game has.
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Top 3 tomorrow!
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man Spyro 1 is def the best.
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RE4 is like one of the five video games I would say are legit perfect.
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davidponte posted...

I'm still kind of pissed about Mass Effect 3 and how it ended.

To this day I'm kind of glad I never ended up playing ME3. You rank ME2 a lot higher in your top 100 than I do in mine but at least we both agree it's a great game! Reading your write-up made me want to replay it
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Robazoid posted...

davidponte posted...

I'm still kind of pissed about Mass Effect 3 and how it ended.

To this day I'm kind of glad I never ended up playing ME3. You rank ME2 a lot higher in your top 100 than I do in mine but at least we both agree it's a great game! Reading your write-up made me want to replay it

I was hoping that we'd get some sort of remaster of the trilogy before Andromeda released so that I'd get a chance to go through it all again!
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3. Super Mario World (SNES)

It's been awhile since we've seen Mario on this list, but this game is far and away the greatest Mario game of all-time, and frankly, will always be. I'm extremely nostalgic towards this game, but even without the rose-tinted glasses, this game is still an all-time classic.

I've thrown around the phrase "I've played this game my whole life" more than a few times over the course of these rankings, but if I thought that one game truly fit that description, it'd be this one. I feel like I remember every instance of myself completing this game over the course of the over 15 years I've been playing it. I'm struggling to remember what I had for Lunch a couple days ago, but ask me where I was every time I've beaten Super Mario World, and I'd have a story to tell you. The Super Nintendo, along with the Sega Genesis, were my introduction to gaming, and SMW is a part of some of my very first gaming memories. It's also a part of my recent gaming memories, as I completed a 96 exit run in January. When I think about the future, it's a memory that I'd like to pass on to my kids, and hope it can be one of their first gaming memories as well.

Why is this game so good? Honestly, I'm not sure where to begin, and what I can even really say that anyone hasn't heard before or experienced themselves? I mean, it's Super Mario World. At the age of 22, I'm on the younger side of B8, but I'm sure a lot of people here have similarly fond memories of this game and their childhood. I played this game before any of the NES Mario's, so I don't even have the "wow" factor that one would get having been around for the transition from 8 to 16 bit Mario. All I can really say is that this game is still the epitome of platforming to me. It's incredibly simple, but hard enough to master that even today I find myself getting better every time I play it.

The music is great, both the overworld and individual level designs are clever and varied, Yoshi is a fun character, and above all else, it's just fun to play. Some of the secret exits are difficult, yet mind blowing when you actually find them. At the age of 4 or 5, it wasn't hard to stumble upon the Star World and then the Special World, but it wasn't until 5 or 6 years later that I came across the Top Secret Area, and it took me even longer to find all 96 exits by myself. For a long time, this game had a new experience in store for me every time I played it. My girlfriend doesn't even play video games, and even she's a casual fan of this game. She's never heard of those aforementioned secret areas, and when I showed them to her for the first time, it was like 10 year old me all over again.

That last bit doesn't really have anything to do with my specific experience with this game, but when I think about all the time I've spent with Super Mario World in my life, and all the great memories it's brought me, to have it still provide a new experience to someone else just makes me feel good.
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2. Final Fantasy X (PS2)

Most of the games on this list are accompanied by some fond memory, but all 3 of the final games to be ranked evoke extremely vivid memories and emotions stemming from experiences surrounding them. All 3 of these final games are highly regarded, and you'd have to not be a fan of gaming at all to not know what they're about. So, in saying all that, what I was trying to get at is that rather than explain how I love the music, story, characters, and battle system of this game (I'm still going to end up talking about them), I feel like recalling some stories about both this, and the #1 game, will help explain why I enjoy them as much as I do.

FFVII was my introduction to the series, and I loved it. I was young enough when I first played it that I didn't really factor in the "7" part of the title and what that meant, so after my initial time with it, I moved on. I specifically remember going over to my dad's place a couple years later, and he had gotten me this "Final Fantasy X" game, and it was at that moment that it clicked and I understood what it was, and what those numbers meant. Before starting it, I knew that I'd likely be in for something great based on FFVII, and it took about 6 seconds of hearing To Zanarkand before I knew that I had begun something extraordinary.

I feel like as I've grown as a gamer, this game has grown with me, and as I get older, I get better at it. Today, it's easy to research a game and optimize your first playthrough so that you're getting the best equipment, aren't missing anything, and are prepared for what a game throws at you, but that was never the case back in the day, so my first run of this game ended to Seymour Flux on Gagazet. I moved on, and came back a couple years later, not determined to beat it, but just to experience it all again. My second run of this game ended to Seymour Flux on Gagazet, so really, I hadn't learned anything. I feel like I could write a novel about my time with this game, so I'll fast forward and briefly mention that I lost another run a couple years later to Overdrive Sin, and it wasn't until the PS3 remaster that I buckled down, beat the game, fully completed the Monster Arena, got all the Celestial Weapons, etc. I even bought this game again on the PS4 without any intention of really playing it. I just want to know that the option is there.

I'm not sure what exactly that previous paragraph accomplishes in this write-up, but I think it partly shows how vivid my time with this game is to me, even after countless years and countless playthroughs. The scenes and story points that blew me away the first time still blow me away today. I'd likely still get emotional at the end of the game even though I've seen it before. This game just feels that powerful to me.

Okay, I'm going to try to not ramble, so I'll briefly mention that the soundtrack to this game is extraordinary, and that the story isn't far behind. The characters are iconic, and other than FFVII, nothing beats this cast. The battle system is what I wish every JRPG was. ATB is a great way to modernize the basic turned-based combat of the older games.

Final Fantasy X is good.
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Who are you, tabii?
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1. Final Fantasy VII (PSX)

This is likely the least surprising placement for a game on this list. Based on my other write-ups, and the fact that I've constantly used this game as the benchmark that I've compared everything else to, it wouldn't be hard to guess that FFVII would come out on top. If I mentioned every fond memory I have of this game, I'd ramble on long enough that no one would really read it all (which is probably already the case after the last two write-ups), so I'll limit myself to two of my early, potentially interesting memories.

I remember the moment I bought this game. It isn't particularly exciting, but I can't tell you when, where, or how I've come to own most of my games, let alone one that I first played nearly 15 years ago. I went to the Toys 'R' Us near my house (which is the same Toys 'R' Us I now go to with my sister), and my dad told me that I could pick out a game that was $19.99. FFVII had already been out awhile at this point, because I specifically remember it being the Greatest Hits version of the game. Anyway, I picked out this and another game that I can't remember, and couldn't decide which to choose, so I looked at the back of the case, and the quote at the top said "...quite possibly the greatest game ever made." Maybe it was destiny at that point, and maybe I've had that quote in the back of my mind ever since that moment and have used it to confirm my bias. Regardless, I'd like to think that Gamefan Magazine played an integral part of getting this game to this spot.

In classic me fashion, I was bad at the game and only really got as far as halfway through Disc 1 in my first attempts at playing it. It didn't really matter though, and it might be weird, but I can remember thinking that this was the greatest game ever made since the first time I ever played it. A few years later, I got my first computer, my first taste of the internet, and a printer. I discovered a website named GameFAQS very early on, and immediately checked out the FFVII section. I found this really cool walkthrough, but I wanted to be able to use it at all times, so I decided to print it. Before printing, I realized that it would come out to 64 pages, knew there was no chance that was going to happen, and so, resigned, I figured I'd ask my mom anyway. Despite being incredibly young, she wasn't very tech savvy, or I'd like to think she wasn't, because I otherwise can't describe why she immediately said yes when I asked her. So I sat at the printer, and printed out a 64 page walkthrough for Final Fantasy 7.

I think I spent more time reading the walkthrough than playing the game at the time. Like I said, I wasn't particularly good at the game, and my runs usually petered out around Nibelheim. Some kids read books as a kid, but I read the FFVII walkthrough, front to back, more than once. It's like a story to me, I was obsessed with this game that at this point I hadn't even played for very long. I knew the entire plot, every boss, all the secret locations, and none of it came from playing the game. I took that walkthrough with me everywhere.

Write-up continues in the next post
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I've got a confession: for nearly 15 years, I've touted this game as the greatest ever to friends, strangers, and people online. The first time I completed this game (or even Disc 1), was when it released on the PS4 in early 2016. I would defend this game like crazy, though, and honestly, I feel like I've always been qualified, because I can bet that even in not playing it all, I knew more about it than most.

It was actually for this same reason that for a little while, I had FFX as the #1 game on my list. I had these fond memories of FFVII from my childhood, and I knew everything about the game like the back of my hand, but maybe it was all nostalgia? After my PS3 remaster playthrough of FFX, I firmly believed it was the greatest game of all-time. I mean, I already knew everything about FFVII, and surely playing through it wouldn't change my mind, but I was wrong. Even though I knew every boss, every enemy, every character, it didn't compare to actually going through it all. My 2016 run of this game on the PS4 was the greatest gaming experience I've ever had, because I got to experience all those things I had read about and had seen in videos, and reading through a walkthrough couldn't compare to the real thing. Everyone wishes that they could experience their favourite game for the first time again. I got to do that, in 2016, with a game that I had already been cherishing for 15 years. I don't think anything will ever compare to it.

But, hey, this game is great for a lot of reasons! One of the best soundtracks ever. Sometimes I'll watch someone on Twitch play it at night so I can hear the music before I fall asleep. The story? Iconic, emotional, confusing, even. Cloud is my favourite video game character of all-time. Sephiroth is easily the best villain of all-time. The whole cast is great. I could go on and on but I think this is a good place to stop, and a great way to end this list.

I'm obsessed with Final Fantasy VII, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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I printed out so many guides as a kid
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Wow that's a pretty strange relationship with a game, but cool too. I wish I could relive my favorite games in a way like that.
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And there it is! As I mentioned a couple days ago, those last 3 write-ups ended up turning into long stories that involved a lot of reminiscing, which is why I think they'll be enjoyable to read even if you haven't played the game, or don't like the game.

I'll reply to any comments and post a final ranking in a few hours, as I'm just about to head out of the house, but before I do that, I'd like to thank everyone who stuck around and commented, or even just read through the list!

Comments are fun, but as someone who doesn't always comment when I read through these kinds of topics, it still feels good to know that people are out there reading it.

Also, huge thanks to @Robazoid, whose previous topics were the reason I came up with the idea for this list. Not only that, but you made an effort to comment on the write-ups almost every day, which I know was tough because of how different our gaming tastes are. You definitely didn't have to do that, but I'm glad that you did, so thanks!
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pjbasis posted...

Wow that's a pretty strange relationship with a game, but cool too. I wish I could relive my favorite games in a way like that.

Everything surrounding my relationship with FFVII has been pretty strange, which is why almost every moment of it has stuck with me for this long!
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I'll read the write-ups sometime while I'm at work and comment later because I've actually played two of those games and intend to play the third, but first I'll respond to you thanking me. I'm just glad my ranking topic inspired someone else's! It's always fun to talk about video games so I was also glad to comment every day that I could.
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Those were some good write-ups! It really goes to show how true favorites are such personal things, too. Like, we both agree that FFX is a great game for similar reasons but you have all these memories attached to it, resulting in a much higher placing than I give it. There are a lot of games I rank highly because they're great, but there are personal stories behind my true favorites. You made that deep personal connection clear in those write-ups is what I'm trying to say

Your FFVII story about knowing a lot without really playing it reminded me of a similar experience I had with Super Metroid. A lot of my early gaming memories were watching my older brother play games, so I knew an awful lot about SM despite never really playing it myself. I remember finally going through it for real in my teens and it was magical. I knew most of the secrets but I didn't have the muscle memory of actually playing it myself so I still got lost and had to figure it out as if it was the first time.

Anyway, I've rambled enough. It was a good ranking and I had a lot of fun following along! I'm sad I didn't know more games but seeing all those console exclusives made me wonder if this was how people felt seeing all the obscure Steam junk I had in my ranking topic. Thanks for taking the time to do this!
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Mobilezoid posted...

Those were some good write-ups! It really goes to show how true favorites are such personal things, too.

It's the reason why I can't fault anyone's opinions when it comes to games. There are some good and bad games on my list, but more often than not, they're there because of the experiences surrounding them, and I'm sure others have different experiences for different games.

Mobilezoid posted...

A lot of my early gaming memories were watching my older brother play games, so I knew an awful lot about SM despite never really playing it myself. I remember finally going through it for real in my teens and it was magical. I knew most of the secrets but I didn't have the muscle memory of actually playing it myself so I still got lost and had to figure it out as if it was the first time.

This definitely parallels what I went through with FFVII, and it's almost indescribable how magical it ends up being when you get to go through something you thought you knew so much about and already have memories of for the first time. It's something that has definitely stuck with me since I got to experience it a year ago.

Mobilezoid posted...

Anyway, I've rambled enough. It was a good ranking and I had a lot of fun following along! I'm sad I didn't know more games but seeing all those console exclusives made me wonder if this was how people felt seeing all the obscure Steam junk I had in my ranking topic. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

It's interesting how different people's gaming history can be. For me, many of the Playstation platformers and the characters from them are iconic, and instantly recognizable. It's kind of odd to think that they don't have the same effect on others, since they've been a big part of my gaming life, but going through your ranking and seeing a whole bunch of games that were foreign to me did help put it into perspective.
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Here are the final rankings:

1. Final Fantasy VII (PSX)
2. Final Fantasy X (PS2)
3. Super Mario World (SNES)

4. Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)
5. Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
6. Mass Effect 2 (PS3)
7. Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)
8. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4)
9. Jak II (PS2)
10. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! (PSX)

11. Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
12. Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4)
13. Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
14. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)
15. Resident Evil 5 (PS3)
16. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)
17. The Legend of Dragoon (PSX)
18. Digimon World (PSX)
19. Gran Turismo 2 (PSX)
20. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PSX)
21. Digimon World 3 (PSX)
22. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
23. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)
24. Star Wars: Battlefront II (PS2)
25. Need for Speed: Underground (PS2)

26. God of War III (PS3)
27. Ratchet & Clank (PS2)
28. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
29. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
30. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (PS2)
31. Pokémon Gold (GBC)
32. Def Jam: Fight for NY (PS2)
33. Star Wars: Battlefront (PS2)
34. The Simpsons: Hit & Run (PS2)
35. Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PSX)
36. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories (PSX)
37. Beyond Good & Evil (PS2)
38. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
39. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)
40. Super Star Wars (SNES)
41. Shining Force (GEN) (Sega Smash Pack 2 - Comix Zone, Kid Chameleon, Sonic 2)
42. Dark Cloud (PS2)
43. Crash Bash (PSX)
44. La Pucelle: Tactics (PS2)
45. South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3)
46. The Last of Us (PS3)
47. Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)
48. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)
49. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)

50. Mega Man Star Force: Pegasus (DS)
51. Borderlands (PS3)
52. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2)
53. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (PSP)
54. 007: Nightfire (PS2)
55. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS3)
56. Scarface: The World Is Yours (PS2)
57. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2)
58. Mega Man Battle Network 6: Cybeast Gregar (GBA)
59. Hotline Miami (PS3)
60. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)
61. Roller Coaster Tycoon (PC)
62. Tales from the Borderlands (PS4)
63. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (PS2)
64. L.A. Noire (PS3)
65. Far Cry 3 (PS3)
66. The Walking Dead (PS3)
67. Super Mario Galaxy (WII)
68. Rocket League (PS4)
69. Super Mario Bros. (NES)
70. Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (PSX)
71. Counter-Strike 1.6 (PC)
72. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 (PS2)
73. Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
74. Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4)

75. Sonic the Hedgehog (GEN)
76. Burnout Paradise (PS3)
77. Borderlands 2 (PS3)
78. WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain (PS2)
79. Fallout 4 (PS4)
80. Grand Theft Auto V (PS3)
81. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)
82. Resident Evil: Director's Cut (PSX)
83. Streets of Rage 2 (GEN)
84. Sleeping Dogs (PS3)
85. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX: Tag Force (PSP)
86. Mega Man Legends (PSX)
87. Mario Kart DS (DS)
88. Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3)
89. Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
90. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
91. Assassin's Creed II (PS3)
92. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4)
93. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP)
94. Wario Land 3 (GBC)
95. Rogue Legacy (PS4)
96. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)
97. Saints Row: The Third (PS3)
98. World of Final Fantasy (PS4)
99. Far Cry 4 (PS4)
100. Pokemon Omega Ruby (3DS)


I'll likely bump this topic for a few more days before letting it purge.
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Save it to the wiki!

Also, it's been fun following along. Thanks for all the effort! I'll even forgive the Kingdom Hearts ranks.
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trdl23 posted...

Save it to the wiki!

I might do that. I have all the write-ups saved on my computer but it'd be nice to have them somewhere that will always be accessible.

Thanks for following along!
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bump
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I am actually let down that no NHL games made the list.
Especially knowing that you like Sports games and in the Streets of Rage 2 writeup where you said that her Genesis was basically a NHL/SoR2 machine.
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LOLIAmAnAlt posted...

I am actually let down that no NHL games made the list.
Especially knowing that you like Sports games and in the Streets of Rage 2 writeup where you said that her Genesis was basically a NHL/SoR2 machine.

I actually had two NHL games that made it to some of the final cuts before I settled on the top 100, and if I did an honourable mentions, one of them would have surely made it!

The first is NHL 94, on that aforementioned Genesis. However, when I really thought about it, I realized that it had only made it that far because of how highly regarded it is, and not because of my experiences with it. I probably played a game or two of it every time I went over, but it never really felt more meaningful than "I like sports, and this is a fun sports game."

My favourite NHL game, though, is 2004. It's tough to rank sports games, because objectively, 2017 is a better game than 2004, but that was the year that I have the fondest memories of playing. I specifically loved the GM Mode, and how you had your own office that you could upgrade. When I look back, that's the one thing that I always remember about it. In the end though, I don't think that was enough to get it on the list.

If I grouped together "sports games" as a whole, it'd probably make the Top 10, though. Those are my Call of Duty, as I'll happily pay full price every year for a roster update.
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last bump
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Anything with FFVII as no.1 is automatically a good list in my books.
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