Future Publishing's Golden Joystick awards have been a mainstay of the UK games industry for a while now (the awards first began in 1983), and this year we're being offered the chance to vote for the 'Ultimate Game Of All Time' to mark 50 years of gaming.
To get to this stage, The Golden Joystick Awards assembled a judging panel of industry experts and legends, including Katsuhiro Harada (Tekken series), Debbie Bestwick MBE (Team17), Gary Penn (DMA Design, Grand Theft Auto), Keith Stuart, Keza MacDonald (both from The Guardian), Shahid Ahmad (former lead of Sony’s Strategic Content Division) and a wide range of journalists from Future's gaming brands – such as Edge magazine, Retro Gamer and GamesRadar.
This team had to narrow the initial 150-game shortlist down from the 1.1 million-odd video games which have been released since the arrival of Computer Space way back in 1971 – the first commercially-available game. This list was then whittled down by the judging panel to 20 games, taking into account elements such as critical reception, legacy, commercial impact, social impact and their own personal view.
In case you were wondering, here's the final shortlist:
- Minecraft
- The Last of Us
- Doom (1993)
- Tetris
- Super Mario 64
- Street Fighter II
- Space Invaders
- Portal
- Pokémon GO
- Super Mario Kart
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Dark Souls
- Metal Gear Solid
- Half-Life 2
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Pac-Man
- SimCity (1989)
As you can see, there are a fair few additions there from the world of Nintendo, as well as some notable omissions – but, as Future is quick to note, there was a method to the madness:
The judges repeatedly faced this challenge: how many titles from a particular franchise should we include? How do you assess which game from a particular series deserves elevation above all others? These decisions were long-debated - to a depth you might not believe - but by leaning into the judging criteria listed above. Quite often, a game was chosen that’s not even *technically* the best in its own series.
The awards will also allow you to vote for the best gaming hardware of all time, too.
Head over to the Golden Joystick Awards page to place your vote, and let us know what you make of that 20-game shortlist by leaving a comment.
[source gamesradar.com]
Comments 79
Please not Pokémon GO. Any mobile game that requires a constant server connection by definition cannot be a timeless game.
Honestly, I'd give this one to Minecraft if it were up to me. That is TRULY a timeless game.
Those games on the list are not even Ultimate Games All the Time for me.
Dance Dance Revolution & The Sims are my Ultimate Games All the Time.
This is criminal!
Not one JRPG on the list.
No you can't count Dark Souls as one no matter how great it is.
When taking in all aspects, I feel like Tetris should win. It is timeless and still played regularly today.
There are some good choices on this list but like with every award, they are just an opinion. I don't think any of the games on this list would be considered for my Ultimate Game Of All Time. Alot of these games were very influential on modern games though and that is something to be respected.
Pokémon Go???
It’s not bad but I wouldn’t call it best of all time.
Anyways, some great choices. The Last of Us, Minecraft, BOTW and SM64 are my personal favourites, but definitely interested to see the result even if it isn’t one of them.
Some of my all time favorite games are on this list. Tetris is the correct answer, though.
I do think Minecraft is a huge contender, though.
As much as I love Breath of the Wild, I'm not sure if it should win as "greatest" for "all time." Also, even though Mario 64 is a genre defining game, I've discovered that it doesn't hold up quite as well as I would have expected. I feel like Ocarina of Time does that better.
Pokémon Go should absolutely not be considered for their poor treatment of players and poor quality of service as a whole.
A bit weird not to include any Sega games especially as they dominated the arcade scene for quite some time but we have Pokemon Go?
I can see the arguments for many games on that list, especially when their influence is taken into account which also suggests Ocarina should have been here.
Out of those I'd probably go with Mario 64 as it was such a huge leap into 3D and controlling a character in that space that no game at the time got anywhere close to but also the likes of Street Fighter 2, Doom and Half Life 2 are true greats as well
I enjoy Pokemon Go purely because it is addictive and has the Pokemon license but to be nominated for this award is laughable.
Mario 64 has aged like milk.
Breath of the Wild as Ultimate Game? Yeah, why not.
While fun, I don't think that Pokemon Go would really be a contender. Maybe Super Mario 64 world.
Not a bad list, but I would have chosen Ocarina of Time instead of BOTW. Also, RDR2 would have been a perfect inclusion too
Just say no to lists.
Doom should be your FPS rep. Halo, Portal, Half-Life 2 and Modern Warfare are fine first person games but they're incremental improvements over conspicuously absent FPS late 90s entries (Half-Life particularly. Then there's the absence of trailblazing immersive sims like Deus Ex).
Mario 64 and Mario Kart make these kinds of lists because people just don't have the gumption to admit that everyone would pick their not-that-different-enough successors 99 times out of 100 if presented the option.
To then put Super Mario Bros. 3 on here but not the original speaks to how arbitrary the criteria are.
Breath of the Wild and The Last of Us are both in my personal top 5, but just feel weird in a "greatest of all time" list. They will be superseded, if they haven't already.
Pokémon GO fits the criteria perfectly IMO, such as they are. Easily my least favorite game on the list but that's not what they're asking.
Out of all of the above I would have to say Halflife 2 or Portal, I just love those games.
Where is Super Mario World??
Super Mario Bros. 1 is missing in this shortlist. It invented not only the modern platformer, but also the modern video game. The other two games of almost the same impact are Super Mario 64 (invented the Third-person 3D game) and Doom (FPS).
"BotW, Super Mario 64"
Seems legit.
"And Pokemon GO"
Ingress has left the chat
Seems like a daft award to have in the first place. Way too broad.
And eep how is pokemon go there but not blue red or gold and silver.
I can't find Balan Wonderworld on the list.
Out of the games on the list, Breath of the Wild would be my favorite pick, but Half-Life 2 would be a very close second. Doom's another one I'd say is deserving of the award given the way it paved the way for an entire genre, but Half-Life 2 is pretty much the FPS formula perfected in my opinion. There are a pretty fair amount of genre-defining games here, though.
Of that list, Tetris and Street Fighter II are the only real contenders.
I wish people would stop circle jerking about BoTW.
It's a good game, but you're pretty inexperienced in open world games if you think it's that good.
The fact Pokemon Go is even considered is a joke as well being in the same list as the other games. Out of the games listed i pick Dark Souls or BotW.
@geordie Been playing and loving open world games most of gaming life and i think BotW is one of the best there is, funny how opinions.
Those are some nice selections.
I appreciate the thought but this just isn't a fair... anything. No single game deserves to win or lose
Portal 2 is better than Portal. And it's my favorite game of all time as my propic might suggest
Pokémon Go doesn't belong there. Super Mario Kart isn't a patch on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Otherwise, not a bad list but I'd have made room for Super Mario World somewhere.
Sensible World of Soccer!!
@Max_the_German It's historically significant but it's not the best in the series. GTA3 is more historically significant than GTA5, but few would argue it's a better game.
I love so many of these games, but Halo: Combat Evolved was just so EPIC in its time. Such a well orchestrated masterpiece!
Half-Life 2 is absolute perfection. That is why we will not get Half-Life 3 ... they are afraid that nothing will surpass HL2 and they are right!
A mobile game has no place on that list
There's a couple there that I'm a little confused on (SMB 3 over 1 or World? SimCity over The Sims/2?) but overall, it seems decent enough for what it is. Not surprising to see Pokemon Go is the controversial one, but I can kinda see why it was included (after all, it was instrumental in popularising mobile and AR games).
In any case, it'll be interesting to see which ones win.
@FiveDigitLP I agree that Tetris is a timeless puzzle game that will always remain fun. On the sidenote, I would pick Zelda, because there is no longer running series that has delivered that many top rated titles- almost all Zelda games are rated 95+ (give or take) but Breath of the Wild is a game that respects all that came before, raised the bar even higher, and beautifully consolidates all Zelda games withing the World of BOTW in terms of soundtracks, items, costumes, puzzles- its genuinely such a well crafted game, where everything has purpose, not mentioning the rich physics that enable multitude of solutions to combat and puzzles, and such potential to wonderous glitches. Tetris is timeless, but if we take a true evolution of gaming, that is Zelda- a franchise that inspired the top games today, and also every Zelda has such a high standard, that the overall quality that each release sets, is unmatched, plus the gameplay diversity is exceptional- fighting, puzzles, adventure, diverse tactical approach within the game. AAAAND to RPG fans- yes, I agree, that at least 1 Dragon Quest deserves to be on the list too- since its one of the oldest RPG series out there, that even inspired Zelda.
Some fantastic games
@SuperCharr sorry to get your hopes up, that was just sarcastic. I thought the very first trailer was anouncing a trainwreck despite the unexplainable hype and I was right from day one.
@FiveDigitLP I would also pick Ocarina of Time- have been replaying it recently and the variety of things, atmosphere,....the game is so exceptional, plus one of the best soundtracks out there- Breath of the Wild is at least on par with OOT- its not better, but not worse. BOTW add a lot, but the core things are still in Ocarina- like there was no glider, but you could use the Cuccos, all the spells-Dins Fire, Nayrus love- -Urbosas Fury/Daruks Protection- are all the powers from the heroes, in OOT you didnt have so many weapons, but the three had its purpose. Also it was the first game where if you held biggoron sword, you couldnt use shield, so sacrifice defense for power- something later used in Demon Souls and Dark Souls. Ocarina is a beast, and Breath of The Wild is the best modern interpretation of OOT so far. If Ocarina cannot be on the list, BOTW should be.
Several great games on that list, but to me it's hard to look past games such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Tetris. I doubt many will still play, say, The Last of Us or GTA V in 2050.
Strange that important games such as Pong and Asteroids are omitted, though.
@geordie complete opposite. BotW is far and away the best open world game ever created. Fallout 3 was special, and many others but BotW had more unbelievable moments than all open world games combined.
Perhaps it just wasn't your cup of tea?
Poor samus. I would have expected Super Metroid on this list. Metroid defined a genre and super Metroid is a timeless classic.
The fact Ocarina of Time isn’t on this list tells a story in itself, why do they bother with nonsense like this? So subjective.
I voted Super Mario 64
I'm not saying it should win, but it's notable that there's not even one Resident Evil on the list, yet Metal Gear Solid has a place. Silent Hill nowhere to be seen.
Would have to go for half life 2, a masterpiece. Though I think the original is one of them most influential games of that era. Both should be on the list.
@quinnyboy58 OoT is also a subjective choice. This is why having a vote like this is so nonsensical. Everyone has their favourites and it will look weird to them when it's not represented. Choosing one winner is impossible
Some strange choices and omissions... from the list, in many ways I'd have to go Tetris, had it on gameboy, and now i have mentioned it I can't get the theme song out of my head. It still stands up today, with the same graphics, gameplay, etc. I still refer to it whenever I pack a suitcase, a car, a van, etc...
Super Mario Bros (original version) would be my choice though, IF it was on the list!
And NO Sega at all - that's not right. Out Run to represent driving games for sure
I would pick Ocarina of Time over BotW, and maybe GTA SA over GTA V.
The last of us while a populair game, feels a bit out of place here. I would prefer to see RDR2 in it's place.
Got to be Zelda, awesome game, that finally made all those Zelda dreams a reality.
That’s a terrible list. It’s also a terrible award to hand out. This is just silly playground politics.
Mario 64 deserves the win here. Botw is my favorite, but most of the games on the list wouldn’t exist without Mario 64. Easily one of the most important games of all time
Looks like they tried to give representation to certain genres or franchises but when it came to FPS some of the judges had their personal favourites they insisted on getting on the shortlist. Not a single JRPG because none of the judges like JRPGs and they had to squeeze Halo on there or Jeff was gonna walk.
The obvious winner is Tetris.
It is the videogame equivalent of chess, as playable now as it was 30 years ago.
The best gaming hardware of all time is obviously the Dreamcast. It packed in so much innovation at the time, much of which we take for granted now. It was Sega firing on all cylinders and we got classics like JSR, Skies of Arcadia, Shenmue and Phantasy Star Online. The great launch titles of the GameCube and Xbox like Panzer Dragoon Orta, Super Monkey Ball, Outrun 2, JSRF and the like were obviously all Dreamcast games that got shifted during development given they ran on NAOMI architecture in the Arcades.
Second place has to be the Xbox 360. That basically set the template for every console since in terms of online service, DLC, downloadable games etc.
I genuinely wouldn't list any Nintendo hardware in the top 3.
I also can't see past Tetris as the overall winner, and I think Minecraft is probably its closest competitor. Not that I think they're both the best games ever personally, but I think that they most closely match the criteria.
@JohnnyC Yes, I agree. But I cannot take any list for the GOAT seriously which lacks Super Metroid.
A F2P mobile scam like Pokemon Go doesn't deserve to be on that list.
Pokemon go? Really!?
Super Mario kart? That's the worst one, Double dash and 8 deluxe are the best ones.
Mario bros 3 instead of Mario World?
Zelda botw instead Ocarina of time or Majoras mask? Botw is just better gameplay-wise, those games have better story, bosses, dungeons, characters, soundtrack, etc.
Metal gear solid instead of Snake Eater?
No jrpgs nor metroidvanias at all!?
Super Mario Kart aged terribly. It's not timeless at all.
This final list is underwhelming. Out of these finalists, probably Tetris or Street Fighter 2. MGS and SMB3 runners up.
Despite the presence of GTA guy and Tekken guy, I’m not going to think about this any further or apply any value to the final choice.
I voted Tetris as number one, and pac man as runner up. They (along side Mario) feel like the biggest ground breakers in gamings history, but there are a tone of games nominated here (and many which are not) that I can also see strong arguments for.
I really liked botw but it’s not even the best Zelda game.
I own 17 out of the 20 games listed. WINNING!
Tetris and Pac-Man are pretty perfect games. They are just as playable today as the day they were released.
This is my take on each of the games on the list.
I love me some Zelda... but nope.
My personal top would probably be Super Mario World. Good length, straight forward controls and gameplay, and a very impressive technical leap at the time.
However!
Tetris - 100%. Easy concept (for all audiences), easily adaptive controls if required (for all audiences), and seriously timeless as all generations still enjoy it to this day (for all audiences).
A game that has lasted and thrived for this long that can be enjoyed by any and all gamers, with such accessibility and inclusion, needs to be crowned. Even if the notion of a single best game ever just does not compute — in my mind.
Mine would be bioshock followed by God of war (2018)
Pac-Man or Tetris. They're both pretty perfectly designed. I'd kind of argue for Pac-Man though because it feels more video game-y. And I feel like it gets more pop culture references
I feel like Tetris winning would piss the least amount of people off
If the same franchise has 20 games that are the best 20 games ever, include all 20.
Anything else is forced inclusion without merit.
Breath of the Wild is my favorite game of all time, so obviously I would choose it to win.
Alot more Nintendo games should be on here in my opinion.
Botw is a 7 out of 10. Good game but nothing amazing. Honestly the only Zelda game on switch it beats is the og hurtle warriors in my opinion
Breath of the Wild
SMB3
NES
SNES
Wow, there’s actually people in the world who think Minecraft is the best game ever? The best. Ever. Really?
Dragon Quest has to be on the list. It defined and started JRPGS, It's was first to a lot of things in gaming and has a massive legacy as well as being responsible for the creation of the Final Fantasy and Pokemon series and many more. On top of all that it's the biggest game series in Japan.
from that list for me it's Metal Gear Solid.
All Internet vote awards are Twitter campaign trash.
@blindsquarel I agree with ya. While it's did some things right, It didn't really re-invent the open world genre. In some ways it made the same mistakes.
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