ILX'S 100 GREATEST VIDEO GAMES EVER

also fond memories of Commodore 16 Pacman clone 'Exorcist'

Pac-Man's character design is based on a pizza with a solitary slice taken out. True fact.

#46: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cf/Castlevania_SOTN_PAL.jpg
http://top100media.ign.com/top100/2007/images/ign_top_game_15.jpg
Developer:KCE Tokyo
Publisher:Konami
Original format:PlayStation
Highest position:#4, deej

Pac-Man's character design is based on a pizza with a solitary slice taken out. True fact.

NO IS HAMBURGER I READ IT IN MAGAZIN

Pac-Man is cool and all, but Ms. Pac-Man is the really enduring classic. One of the few arcade games I've ever really felt a zen with, if only for a few isolated moments.

SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT IS THE BOMB. I don't know what any of us could say that hasn't already been said, but for me it's really the pinnacle of everything I love in a 2D game...you find cool shit with cool animations to reward you, you whack AWESOME enemies with a huge variety of weapons, you explore, find secrets, discover that your new gear lets you get into things you couldn't get into before, DISCOVER THAT THE WHOLE TIME YOU'VE ONLY BEEN IN HALF THE GAME, raise levels without having to really worry about it too much....it's really really really a blast.

The only flaws: the "magic" system with its special moves a la Street Fighter just never drew me in... and unfortunately they built in levels of power you could achieve that were preposterously beyond anything necessary to complete the entire game. I can't remember the scale of the levels for Alucard, but basically the last twenty or fifty or something are superfluous. You get great visual payoffs for maxing out the Familiars, but there's nothing left to fight that you need them for - always thought there should have been another set of areas that you can't even access until you're at a certain level of power, then you're strong enough to break down some wall or something. But I also think it says something that just fighting shit and leveling up in this game is enough fun, on its own, to be entertaining long after you're able to beat the damn game with no problem.

#45: Dance Dance Revolution series (1998-)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Dance_Dance_Revolution_North_American_arcade_machine_3.jpg
http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/5462/2h/images.gamezone.com/screens/29/7/7/s29707_ps2_4.jpg
Developer:Konami
Publisher:Konami
Original format:Arcade
Highest position:#1, KenC

I'm on the run this weekend so I can't post much but just wanted to say that I'm happy Contra made it on the list and I hope it wasn't just my crazy high vote for it that got it there, because that's a totally fun shooter still. When you get the spread gun (btw loved that name at age 13) it was the kind of thrill that you didn't get until Doom, and even then it wasn't the same b/c of the first-person perspective. Plus destroying the HUGE FUCKING HEART at the end!!!!!!

i voted for Contra because of it's influence on Turrican and loads of other things

#44: Wii Sports (2006)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Wii_Sports_Europe.jpg
http://fallingsky.blogs.com/falling_sky/wii-sports-20061020011945307.jpg
Developer:Nintendo EAD
Publisher:Nintendo
Original format:Nintendo Wii
Highest position:#7, Upt0eleven

DDR is awesome. Should've been higher.

unless you are a clumsy oaf, so becoming a torture device from HELL (with added public humiliation sob)

#43: Micro Machines (1991)
http://www.nesplayer.com/features/aladdin/box/micromachines.jpg
http://www.fabricoffolly.co.uk/images/games/micromachines2.gif
Developer:Codemasters
Publisher:Codemasters
Original format:NES
Highest position:#2, Stet

Hah, how did i know that kenc was going to vote DDR as #1

I like you can tell just from my 2 "highest position" mentions so far that I'm a lifelong Nintendo owner who doesn't really give a shit about gaming, and just voted for 10 games I like to represent for the philistine non-gamer demographic. I'll probably be highest position for at least 2 other games.

unless you are a clumsy oaf, so becoming a torture device from HELL (with added public humiliation sob)

-- zappi

Nah, I am both a clumsy oaf and a ph4ttey, and I still love it to bits. Although challenging people whilst drunk at ATP at 4am is NEVER A GOOD IDEA.

#42: Portal (2007)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Portal_standalonebox.jpg
http://www.stuffwelike.com/stuffwelike/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/portals.jpg
Developer:Valve Corporation
Publisher:Valve Corporation
Original format:Xbox 360
Highest position:#3, bnw

So...you like, make portals? To other rooms that have portals in them?

ohwait, I get it, one of those is a portal to the other?

IF ONLY I HAD SOME WAY TO GET TO THE ROOM I'M ALREADY IN

would Cube have made a good video game (before being a film)?

#41: Singstar series (2004-)
http://www.gameparents.com/reviews/images/PS2_Singstar_90s.jpg
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/11/06/icon1_singstar_wideweb__470x312,0.jpg
Developer:London Studio
Publisher:Sony Computer Entertainment
Original format:PlayStation 2
Highest position:#2, Ledge

#40: Arkanoid (1986)
http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/the_fairway/game_pages/game_boxes_large/arkanoid.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/Arkanoid.png
Developer:Taito
Publisher:Romstar
Original format:Arcade
Highest position:#9, antexit, emil.y

had that at #11. remember the arcade cabinet with the dial control.

Feel a bit weepy even looking at Chuckie Egg.

Arkanoid was what they had in my local swimming baths and I was never feeling it.

what was that version where the bricks disappear to reveal nude anime girls?

Arkanoid:Base 57

These oldie games (i.e. games I actually recognize, because they're from the time I still played them) are doing surprisingly well. I predict a surprise victory for Pong!

#39: The Legend of Zelda (1986)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/Legend_of_zelda_cover_%28with_cartridge%29_gold.png
http://www.gamethink.net/IMG/png/NES_Legend_of_Zelda_1.png
Developer:Nintendo R&D4
Publisher:Nintendo
Original format:Famicom Disk System
Highest position:#8, bnw

I was a bit unsure about having it top 10, but it's just ridiculously addictive. Must make bricks disappear! Kill them!

(I had a whole load of the oldie games in my list = repping the non-real gamers front)

xpost

Possibly the last time invaluable appeared on box art.

Wasn't Zelda one of those games where, once you've finished it, you actually have to play the whole damn game again, except that it's harder?

#38: Another World (1991)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Another_World_Coverart.png
http://img.hexus.net/v2/gaming/aw/aw_large_1.jpg
Developer:Eric Chahi
Publisher:US Gold
Original format:Commodore Amiga
Highest position:#1, abanana

Dammit, I missed the unveiling of Marble Madness. Once again, I will desperately try to get people to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_25_rzqh-BI

I played another version (I think?) of Another World called Out of this World, for SNES. Really sweet game.

Same game, it was called "Out of this World" in America, for some reason.

#37: Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Fftbox.jpg
http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/ga/buzz/feature/vg11/hg07_finalfantasytactics_vs.jpg
Developer:Square
Publisher:Square
Original format:PlayStation
Highest position:#2, lamp

Jeez, the cover of the game up there goes out of its way to mention TWICE that the game took 2 years to make.

I should have made FFT my #2 (it was my #3). Absolutely perfect game, at least until you get Orlandu near the end, and he's so goddamn awesome that the difficulty balance is thrown off. Whatever though, by that point you've had like thirty 40 minute long battles in a row and it's nice to finally kick some ass.

Unfortunately, Square Enix responded to the massive praise for the game's (relatively) serious and mature storyline by making the sequels all about little kids and turning the bloody battles into little wittle judged contests.

#36: Katamari Damacy (2004)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/KatamariDamacybox.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Kata27.jpg
Developer:Namco
Publisher:Namco
Original format:PlayStation 2
Highest position:#1, Ess Kay

Thought that would have more no 1 votes.

That (Katmari) makes elven games I voted for so far. I thought pretty hard about making FFT my #1 vote since, aside from the Civilzation series, it's the game that I've spent the most time playing. It's also the first game that motivated me to contribute to GameFAQs.

Absolutely perfect game, at least until you get Orlandu near the end, and he's so goddamn awesome that the difficulty balance is thrown off

The great thing about Tactics is that you can make it as hard or as difficult as you like. I've finished the game using only Oracles and I've got a save file where I used the Level Up/Down trick to max my party's stats. 999 damage every hit. All the hidden characters kinda suck tho.

Another World was amazing but still, no Flashback

The hidden characters DO kinda suck.

I don't know, though, can't you make pretty much any game as easy or difficult as you want? I remember playing Mario 3 upside-down hanging off the couch (and I've heard of other people who have done that as well).

(xpost)

#35: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/Mi2cover.jpg
http://www.worldofmi.com/images/categories/3/screen03.gif
Developer:LucasArts
Publisher:LucasArts
Original format:PC DOS
Highest position:#6, upt0eleven

i can't choose between that and the first one

Arkanoid...it was in the lower tiers of my ballot, and once again it's a game that really stands for a small but delightful genre, Breakout clones. The obscure Blockbuster for C64 was possibly a little more robust and varied, but Arkanoid nails down the formula - you bust bricks, and also you occasionally get some power-ups to make things easier (or harder for that matter). It also may have originated the brutal twist where the ball keeps getting faster and faster, which is hard, but also makes you gradually feel like an IN THE ZONE badass, ONE WITH THE GAME as you intercept the ball at seemingly impossible speeds.

Monkey Island 2, I'll refrain from comment since I assume the first one will show up eventually...

The first Zelda was great...cool sounds, difficult in a way that was never really cheap...you could, slowly, make progress in the thing even if you weren't born to game. It didn't show up in my ballot - I think I figured that Link to the Past was basically the same game but better across the board.

#34: Sensible Soccer series (1992-1998)
http://www.atari-shop.nl/jaguarusedgames/sensiblesoccer.jpg
http://amiga.nostalgie.free.fr/disk/simulation/screenshots/sensible.jpg
Developer:Sensible Software
Publisher:Sensible Software
Original format:Commodore Amiga
Highest position:#1, blueski

^had that as my #2 game. Just... amazing, I don't think a game has ever _played_ as well as it.

Damn, I've gotta head up to lol campus and do work for most of the afternoon. I'll be looking forward to seeing the rest of the list when I get back home though.