Topic: Edge: The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time

I didn't even bother reading really, the fact that Deus Ex isn't on the list was enough for me to write it off.

I'm pretty sure that's only 10.

I can understand rating games in a genre (shooter, platform, racer etc...). I can understand ranking games by year. I can understand placing games in order by series (best games in Zelda or GTA), or even by gaming platform. But to compare all games ever is just ridiculous, and to limit it to 100 is ridiculous. Tetris cannot be judged against The Last Of Us, it's like comparing apples and Czechoslovakian traffic wardens. Tetris is one of the most innovative, addictive, original games of it's generation, but it has no story, basic graphics, and endless gameplay on one screen. The Last Of Us is a narrative story with revelations and character development with a massive world and a huge graphics budget. It can't be called original, but it is a refined version of a genre of game. TLOF is not the sort of game I like, but I see it's a technical and narrative marvel.

Best of lists are hideously subjective, and should be taken as opinion and not fact. Next year certain games will disappear from memory as graphics get better or narratives are more realistic and interactive, but it's likely those are truly ground breaking (Tetris, Mario, Ocarina, and even Minecraft) will never be forgotten.

Aaand we can let this thread go now, because nobody will write anything better than what Mr. Gawain has just composed.

You know, from a perspective of modern gameplay design though, I think the biggest omission might be Gears of War. That game was the "Halo killer," if there even was one, not in the sense that it replaced Halo as the FPS of choice like CoD4 and on did, but in that it made TPS games just as big and viable. With no Gears of War, there would have been no The Last of Us (though RE4 also had a big part in that and it's in the top 10, so there's that).

I edited mid-post when I found the video. I didn't want the post to be as big as it was. I originally copied the top 20... same dif, you can find the 20 in the link.

If you're gonna make a list, at least make an original one I suppose. It's pretty good if you assume as I am that what they were going for were games that you would recommend to new players today.

Pleased F Zero GX is on there and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is so high up. It seems an odd thing to say given how well regarded it is, but I think Galaxy 2 is often underrated. For my money it's only beaten by Super Mario World as Nintendo's best game ever.

"I disagree. It's a very good game, but I think Donkey Kong is the best game ever."

Implying that narratives become better when the player has more control over things!? LOL NOPE. The Last of Us absolutely demolishing every generic story Telltale has ever cobbled together alone is enough proof that the best intentionally written stories are always going to be able to do things that the best interactive stories could only dream of.

Just look at books; the best stories there don't start with "Choose your own adventure."

Oh please, The Walking Dead Season One blows pretty much anything Naughty Dog has ever made out of the water in terms of providing an involving, compelling narrative. Granted, the role of player choice in their games is exaggerated, as the major points of the story happen the same way regardless of the choices you make.

Has there been any serious attempt at writing a serious novel that adopts "choose your own adventure" elements? The closest thing I can think of is certain types of Visual Novels.

LOL, DOUBLE NOPE! Conversation over. Have fun wherever your headspace is.

It's a slightly unusual list. I get the idea they were trying to be contrarians to some extent. Most top 100 lists end up looking roughly the same otherwise.
Another site had recently put Dark Souls as the best game ever as well. I think it was gamesradar?
It's definitely in my top 10.
I'm a bit more cautious about making these grand statements about new games though. I think you really need to know how they age before you decide. Which is why FF9 and Ocarina of Time are probably my 2 favourite games. They both play brilliantly still 15 years on.

What are those issues?

It's especially true for games because of how technology progresses but it's true for everything. I've actually made a point of writing down what my favourite album is for every year. About five years ago I turned it into a list on a particular website. Every year I go back and update it with a new addition. Every year I've put a new album on the list. This has been going since 2002.

The ones I still rate as my favourites? They were the ones that I had time to sit before I put them on that list. Either because I gave the album time to grow on me or because it was an older album that was still relevant enough that it was still visible. The albums I said were "my favourite album" within a year of it coming out? I generally don't rate as highly a few years down the track. Some are still good but none are "this is the best thing ever".

Same deal with games. I want to say that Splatoon is the best game ever made and right now I feel that way. But I highly doubt I'll feel the same way a few years down the track. As much as I don't want to admit it. Five years from now I might end up saying that Super Mario 3D World was the best Wii U game.

Lots of recency bias on here.