I was actually surprised to end up with 5 pc games in my top ten. However the age of all my favourite pc games (eg. 6+ years) is pretty indicative of where pc gaming is at these days IMO.

I'm showing Tie Fighter as having 2 votes, but only 6 points. Not enough to make the top 100. X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter got 2 votes too, but pulled 13 points with them, so it made the list.

I think there were a lot of Nintendo games because there's a tendency to give sentimental favorites more weight and the majority of people here had Nintendo systems while growing up. If you look at current generation only, Gamecube had 3 games in the top 100, while PS2 had 7 and XBox had 4. If you got back a generation, N64 and Playstation both had 5.

10. River City Ransom (NES)
This was the first game i had ever played that interjected some character build-up (buying skills etc.) into a beat 'em up. I still swear by the tumbling skill that lets you do spinning jumps.

9. Goldeneye (N64)
This started me on FPS on the console and was something my siblings and even my dad got into playing. Proximity mines, oh how i love thee.

8. Halo 2 (Xbox)
I was trying to stay away from picking newer games that might not have the legs i think some of the older ones day but i couldn't not mention Halo. While there are many things that aren't as good in it as other games it being on Live has kept me playing the damn thing every few days for many hours since the thing launched 11/9/04. Plus i enjoy the storyline as developed in the books and the ilovebees website.

7. Tie Fighter (PC)
X-Wing was fun but damn Tie Fighter took off. We used to play this in the computer labs in college. I still want to be a hand of the Emperor when i grow up.

6. Puzzle Fighter (PC was where i first played it)
I like puzzle games. I like puzzle games where you compete against one another and this game was incredible. Cute graphics combine with actual differentiation between your character choice (via the patterns of blocks they drop) made it a favorite for a long time. I wish it still played in XP or i could get it on a compilation disc for my Xbox.

5. Diablo (PC)
I actually enjoyed Diablo II more but the first one got me hooked playing on a LAN with a roommate. I enjoyed having set classes with multi-path skill trees so you could play the same character differently.

4. Dune II (PC)
This was the first RTS game i ever played and holy crap did i love the genre. Starcraft i think was the pinnacle of the genre but Dune II kicked it all off for me.

3. Wasteland (PC)
A dark post-apacolyptic RPG where you can shoot mutant dogs and decide to fire your gun in bursts or not. I liked how the game referenced certain paragraphs of text in the manual that you had to read instead of cramming it on-screen with that crappy font.

2. Loom (PC)
I sing the praises of this game every time history and games is mentioned. It was the high point for the point and click adventure genre and had brilliant usage of music in game. I remember learning new spells i could weave with notes from listening to the drips of a liquid from a broken beaker.

1. Planescape: Torment (PC)
Hands down the most incredible story driven RPG i have ever played. The setting and atmosphere was perfect. Scenes where you could choose to talk a character out of existance rather than fight them made this game something more than a game to me. This shit was art.

I didn't put either on my list, but I'd put Halo over Halo 2. I care more about single player, and I prefer single player in Halo over single player in Halo 2.

My reasoning was the same re: Halo 1 vs 2.

Btw, not to pick on anyone in particular, but I think the games we include should be ones that are the pinacle of their genre or at least still hold up well today. I don't think there's any point in including a game in a top 10 games of all time list if it has been surpassed serveral times over by other games (even if it "started it all"). I mean, I would have like to include a c64 game or 2 (barbarian! last ninja!), but there's not really any games on that platform that I would play over some of the newer games out today.

Then, I might have a different idea of what a top 10 games list should be :).

Would it be possible for you to upload the excel document? I would like to see the complete list.

Or, you could e-mail it to me at rdaming at hotmail.

1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Metal Gear Solid
3. Deus Ex: Invisible War
4. Halo
5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6. Resident Evil 4
7. Star Wars: KOTOR
8. Ratchet & Clank 3
9. Goldeneye
10. Burnout 3

Any particular examples off of our list so far that you would consider?

On the flip side, there's a pretty decent amount of "modern" PC games that made the list, from the late 90's to 2000's. I'm surprised and happy that there are as many PC games as there are currently, as these forums feel very console-centric to me. Looks like a decent mix of nostalgia and recent games.

Anyone surprised by games that made it or are exceptionally high, like other lists from other webpages?

Well to quote xmiyux:

In this case if he thinks Starcraft is the better game (and I can't imagine anyone could really argue) he should just pick it. I suspect others have made similar choices out of sentimentality which don't truely stand up today.

This is arguable I suppose, but I can't see how Goldeneye belongs in a top 10 list. PC vs console debate aside, fps is now one of the most popular genres on consoles and there are at least 10-20 fps games better than goldeneye now. Sure it was one of the first really good console shooters, and split screen 4 player was fun back in '98 (?), but one of the top 10 best games ever in '05? I don't think so..

Ok here we go :).

Baldurs Gate 2 - my top pick. Flat out best rpg ever, console or pc. Only 2 people voted for it?

Suikoden 2 - my favourite Japanese console rpg, goes for a pile of money on ebay. I'm the only one who voted for it at all?

Goldeneye - cmon people, this game has not aged well, add the fact the n64 controller is not really great for fps (you at least need 2 analog sticks).

Halflife 2 - I've had trouble getting into this, but it's surprising how far it is down the list considering how much 'B3ST GAME EVAR!!" you see about it.

Funny to see FF7 is the highest rating FF game. Bring on the FF7 hate!!

Goldeneye was actually what made me pose the question, since I've always felt it was overrated coming from playing PC shooters throughout those years. Of course, I didn't even think much of Halo either.

And let's take a look at this other example...

If he thinks Halo 2 is the better game, he should just pick it. Just because Halo 1 came out first and it was "ahead of it's time" is no reason to pick it. ;)

I don't think there's any way you can seperate nostalgia and sentimentality from the gaming experience when you're making a list like this. Old favorites are always going to have a place. Think about it, what if Citizen Kane wasn't released back in the 40's, but instead was released tomorrow in exactly the same way it was back then? Would you expect critics to marvel over it for decades to come, and proclaim it the best movie ever? No, but because it did come out when it did, it's always going to have a place at the table on the list of greatest films of all-time. Same way with videogames.

Well, it probably is the most played FF game also.

Alot of people compile their "top lists" not only based off how good/fun a game was, but also the impact that game had. For example, Doom. Little question there are a ton of FPS games now better than Doom...but how many had the impact it did? It's the game that pretty much started the multi-player craze.

For consoles, Halo is the same type of thing. Halo 2 may be better..but Halo, without question, had the bigger impact.

I don't even think that it's necessarily the impact that the game puts older, "inferior" games on people's lists. A key component is the fun factor that you had at that time in relation to everything else that was out at the time.

Using the Doom example, experiencing the ability to mow down a dozen demons with an amazing collection of weapons for the first time is going to feel a lot more fresh and new to you at the time, and in turn generate a lot more excitement playing it; gamers remember those moments that "wow" them.

Yeah you picked me up on that I guess.. probably didn't explain myself properly but I truely had more fun with Halo 1 vs Halo 2. Really, since I don't have xbox live, I am only assuming that Halo 2 is the better game in this case (based on reviews etc.). I genuinely agree with the other guy that the single player in Halo 1 is more enjoyable than Halo 2.

Also there's a bit of a difference between a dune 2 vs starcraft comparison, than a halo 1 vs halo 2 comparison I would say :).

YGM. I'm not sure how to upload it, or else I would've.

It is funny. Finished #1 on GameFaq's list and #2 on our list. I think for most gamers, FFVII was their first FF game they played and for them it was their favorite and most memorable of the series.

#5 on our list. It was #6 when the votes were last tabulated, and it appears on only one list that counts (and one list that doesn't count because it is unordered) since then.

I agree, I think some of my games definitely have some context of the time I was playing them.

I think there are many games on the list that have not aged well. The gameplay mechanics of Metal Gear Solid seemed pretty clunky playing the remake MGS TTS. Doom, as some already mentioned is pretty dated, most any recent FPS has surpassed it, but it is hard to ignore the impact of the game.

I would place Halo 2 above the original, even the single player. I found parts of Halo much to repetitive. especially the Library level. I never felt that in Halo 2.

As for Goldeneye, I can't really comment on how it has aged, I have not played it recently to see if my memories are just nostalgia. However in its time it was pretty groundbreaking. Objective based missions and bullet hit detection are two of things I hadn't seen in a FPS. If you look at the PC games before this they were still along the lines of run and gun Doom style, Duke Nukem and Quake were 1996, a year before Goldeneye in 1997, Half Life came out in 1998. Unfortunately Goldeneye was subject to the controls of a console at the time, which are clearly not as good as a mouse and keyboard, however I don't think the game can be faulted for that. The multiplayer was great but I can see how this doesn't compare to the PC multiplayer at the time, I think GE was mainly great for its single player.

Sure I'll wish I never found this site, but alot of the games listed in this thread can be played here:

http://www.everyvideogame.com

Ok, I'm having another dreadfully slow day at work, so I went ahead and did a little comparison of our list to Gamefaq's.

Here are the games that made our list, but didn't make Gamefaq's:

16. Civilization
26. Secret of Monkey Island
27. Gabriel Knights: Sins of Our Fathers
28. NHL 94
31(tie). Ms. Pac Man
35. Baseball Stars
36. Warcraft 2: The Tides of Darkness
41 (tie). Civilization 2
41 (tie). Star Control 2
41 (tie). Tecmo Bowl
45 (tie). Quake 2
47. Galaga
48 (tie). Sonic the Hedgehog
51. Tomb Raider
53. Day of the Tentacle
54 (tie). Call of Duty 2
54 (tie). Worms: Armageddon
59. Panzer Dragoon Saga
60. ESPN NFL 2K5
61. Samurai Showdown 2
62. X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter
68 (tie). Mortal Kombat 2
70 (tie). Adventure
70 (tie). Silent Hill 2
74 (tie). Battlefield 2
74 (tie). King's Quest 6
74 (tie). Marvel vs. Capcom 2
74 (tie). Rollercoaster Tycoon
74 (tie). Soul Calibur 2
79. Counterstrike
80 (tie). Doom 2
80 (tie). Heroes of Might & Magic
80 (tie). Metal Slug 3
80 (tie). Planetscape: Torment
80 (tie). Shenmue 2
80 (tie). The Sims
80 (tie). Ultima 7: Black Gate
87 (tie). House of the Dead
87 (tie). M.U.L.E.
87 (tie). Mafia
87 (tie). Nascar Racing 2
87 (tie). RBI Baseball
87 (tie). Sim City 2
87 (tie). Socom: Navy Seals
87 (tie). Street Fighter Puzzle
87 (tie). System Shock 2
87 (tie). Ultima Underworld
87 (tie). Under a Killing Moon
87 (tie). Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Servant

Here are games that made Gamefaq's and received votes here, but didn't crack the top 100. Our ranking comes first, Gamefaq's is following each game.

101. Resident Evil - #53
102. Gran Turismo - #92
103 (tie). Final Fantasy 10 - #12
103 (tie). Suidoken 2 - #57
103 (tie). F-Zero - #99
136 (tie). Shenmue - #69
141 (tie). Metal Gear Solid 3 - #21
141 (tie). Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos - #60
141 (tie). Final Fantasy - #76
155 (tie). Command & Conquer: Red Alert - #75
173 (tie). Dragon Warrior - #77
173 (tie). Ico - #79
173 (tie). Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - #87
173 (tie). Shining Force 2 - #94
194 (tie). Final Fantasy 9 - #42
194 (tie). Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - #45
194 (tie). Final Fantasy 2 - #50
194 (tie). Secret of Mana - #52
194 (tie). Mortal Kombat - #58
194 (tie). Call of Duty - #80

Here are the ones that made Gamefaq's list, but didn't get a single vote from us.

Final Fantasy 8 - #17
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - #26
Pokemon Red - #28
Xenogears - #32
Devil May Cry - #40
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - #41
Chrono Cross - #43
Perfect Dark - #44
Half-Life: Counterstrike - #49
Fire Emblem - #54
Advance Wars - #55
Age of Empire II: The Age of Kings - #56
Pokemon Gold - #59
Burnout 3: Takedown - #62
Metroid - #65
Skies of Arcadia - #68
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater - #70
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - #74
Battlefield 1942 - #78
Tales of Symphonia - #81
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - #82
Tekken 3 - #84
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - #86
Gunstar Heroes - #88
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - #89
Madden NFL 2004 - #91
Phantasy Star 4 - #93
Vagrant Story - #95
Grim Fandango - #96
NiGHTS Into Dreams - #97

Here are the games on both lists, that we ranked at least 15 positions higher than Gamefaq's.

2. Street Fighter 2 - #47
4. Super Mario World - #23
9. Super Metroid - #24
15. Legend of Zelda - #30
20. Halo 2 - #85
22 (tie). Mike Tyson's Punchout - #71
25. Super Mario Kart - #61
31 (tie). Unreal Tournament - #90
33 (tie). Tecmo Super Bowl - #84
37. X-Com: UFO Defense - #100
38. Deus Ex - #67
39. Contra - #63
48 (tie). Fallout 2 - #73
48 (tie). Pac Man - #66

Here are the games on both lists, that we ranked at least 15 positions lower than Gamefaq's.

29. Halo - #9
33 (tie). Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - #15
52. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - #35
54 (tie). Half-Life 2 - #25
58. Metroid Prime - #29
63 (tie). Final Fantasy Tactics - #19
63 (tie). God of War - #48
63 (tie). Super Smash Bros. Melee - #6
67. Kingdom Hearts - #16
68 (tie). Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - #11
70 (tie). Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - #38
87 (tie). Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask- #46

And finally, the small amount of games where both lists were in fairly close agreement.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3 - #5
3. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - #2
5. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - #4
6. Final Fantasy 7 - #1
7. Chrono Trigger - #3
8. Goldeneye - #7
10. Metal Gear Solid - #8
11. Resident Evil 4 - #14
12. Diablo 2 - #20
13. Grand Theft Auto 3 - #27
14. Final Fantasy 3 - #10
17. Half-Life - #31
18. Super Mario Bros. - #22
21. Starcraft - 37/6 - #18
22 (tie). Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - #36
24. Super Mario Kart 64 - #13
30. World of Warcraft - #39
40. Tetris - #34
44. Earthbound - #37
45 (tie). Doom - #33
54 (tie). Baldur's Gate 2 - #64
63 (tie). Soul Calibur - #51
70 (tie). Gran Turismo 3 - #72
87 (tie). Shining force - #98

I can't believe i forgot Grim Fandango - although it still wouldn't beat Loom in that genre for me at least.

As for ranking Dune II above Starcraft i think it becomes a question of where you want to lay your priorities in your list. I struggled with giving credit to a game i attributed as spawning a genre versus giving credit to the game that defined the genre. In the case of Halo (and FPS on the console) i gave the nod to Halo 2 as defining the genre due to Live, buddy lists, matchmaking, voice communication, and having some magical blend of slower pace, run and gun, strategy, suffient amount of teamwork required etc. Granted Goldeneye really spawned the genre on the consoles but I think Halo 2 in particular defined it.

Dune II was where you guys caught me ;) I actually rewrote my list a couple of times trying to decide between Dune II and Starcraft (although now that someone reminded me of Age of Empires II i might drop both to go with that one) as i think Dune spawned the genre (in my mind at least) with having a larger map where you chose which area you wanted to take for your family (That was Dune II right, and not the newer Dune 2000 or something?). Starcraft on the other hand had extremely well balanced races that had clearly distinctinve strategies for each one. Plus the queen of the Zerg in Brood Wars (was her title something of the blades? or swarm?) was not only pretty hot ;) but also a fascinating character to me in how she altered the dynamics of the hive mind.

Either way those are my reasons. You guys just caught me and called me out on what i considered the main weakness in my list :p

edit: I totally forgot my favorite fighting game of all time was Bushido Blade on the Playstation. The fact that each character had a different fighting style that was actually semi-realistic and interacted with the environment in a reasonable fashion made it a favorite of me and all my friends who were into the martial arts. I knew that if i was wielding a naginata i could not let the wakazashi draw me into the bamboo forest. His blade would cut cleanly through them to hit me while the haft of my weapon would be stopped by the bamboo. Incredible fighting game... i just wish a good sequel would come out. Bushido Blade 2 was horrible.

Wow -eek- Thanks for the painstaking work.

And of couse, to be fair, there are a lot of games on the Gamefaq's list that I loved (as did many others here), that wouldn't crack my top 10 but would easily make my top 100. We're not really comparing apples with apples, but still we're pretty close anyway. Here's where the difference would be most noted : Franchises -- Even those who love the GTA games would be reluctant to rank more than one in the series in their top 10, so VC and SA might have a lower ranking than they might deserve. Ditto Halo, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, etc. Also as we have a healthy respect for the older console games, there's less representation in our top-10 lists for very recent games (CoD 2 excepted). Still it did turn out to be a pretty impressive list, nevertheless