Game Informer's Top 200 Games

[Harakiri]

I'll provide a bit of commentary where I can but I found this list to be both good, and hilariously bad.

BOLD: Games I strongly agree with

ITALICS: Games I strongly disagree with

 

 

200. Beyond Good and Evil

199. Tactics Ogre

198. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

197. NHL 09

196. Call of Duty

195. Ultima

194. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

193. Jak 3

192. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

191. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

190. The Chronicles of Rid[bleep]: Escape From Butcher Bay

189. Kid Icarus

188. Planescape: Torment

187. Infamous

186. Marble Madness

185. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

184. Vagrant Story

183. NFL 2K5

182. Samurai Shodown

181. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (It was alright, but not one of the best games ever...)

180. Max Payne

179. NBA Jam Tournament Edition

178. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

177. Tekken 3

176. Castlevania

175. Dig Dug

174. Gunstar Heroes

173. Lode Runner

172. Ikaruga

171. Bully

170. Ridge Racer

169. Braid

168. Tempest 2000

167. Doom II

166. King's Quest VI

165. Peggle

164. X-COM: UFO Defense

163. Robotron: 2084

162. Far Cry

161. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

160. Thief

159. Battlefield 1942

158. Pong

157. Devil May Cry

156. Gauntlet

155. Crackdown (Repetitive, and while it had some fun moments, it was an average game)

154. LittleBigPlanet

153. Asteroids

152. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht

151. Fable

150. ActRaiser

149. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos

148. Super Mario RPG

147. Super Castlevania IV

146. Power Stone 2

145. Unreal Tournament 2004 (Should have said the original because 2004 was not as good)

144. Burnout 3: Takedown

143. Assassin's Creed (Is this the same repetitive game I remember everybody hating when it first came out? I have played it, and it is another average game)

142. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle

141. Civilization IV

140. Diablo

139. Wolfenstein 3D (This should take the place of Halo or Goldeneye)

138. Call of Duty 2

137. Madden NFL '99

136. Star Fox

135. Final Fight

134. Borderlands

133. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

132. Quake II

131. Pilotwings

130. Kingdom Hearts II

129. Homeworld

128. Metroid Fusion

127. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee

126. Twisted Metal 2

125. Shadowrun

124. Warlords

123. NHL '94

122. Panzer Dragoon Saga

121. Lemmings

120. Mega Max X

119. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

118. Team Fortress 2

117. Fallout

116. Advance Wars

115. Command & Conquer: Red Alert

114. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

113. Earthbound

112. Final Fantasy XII

111. Tetris Attack

110. Halo 2

109. Crash Bandicoot: Warped

108. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

107. Gears of War

106. Resident Evil

105. System Shock 2

104. Batman: Arkham Asylum

103. Donkey Kong

102. Heroes of Might & Magic III

101. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowwind

100. Portal

99. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

98. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (The best in the series, should have taken the place of, at least, San Andreas)

97. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

96. Counter-Strike

95. Silent Hill 2

94. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

93. Skies of Arcadia

92. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

91. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal

90. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

89. God of War II

88. Baldurs Gate II: Shadows of Amn

87. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness

86. Super Smash Bros. Melee

85. Metroid Prime

84. Shadow of the Colossus

83. Okami

82. Left 4 Dead

81. Super Mario Bros 2 (This was the worst Mario game to grace us...how it made the list I'll never know)

80. Final Fantasy II

79. Kingdom Hearts

78. Command and Conquer

77. Ninja Gaiden (NES)

76. Mario's Picross

75. Super Bomberman

74. Tomb Raider

73. Rock Band 2

72. Mortal Kombat II

71. Age of Empires

70. The Sims

69. Dr. Mario

68. Double Dragon

67. Soul Calibur

66. Zork

65. Fallout 3

64. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

63. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

62. Star Wars: X-Wing

61. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

60. Arkanoid

59. Adventure

58. Mass Effect

57. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

56. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

55. Ico

54. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

53. Battlefield 2

52. Pac Man

51. Super Mario Galaxy

50. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (Snake Eater deserves this spot more)

49.Guitar Hero

48. Deus Ex

47. Super Mario World

46. Grand Theft Auto IV

45. Final Fantasy Tactics

44. EverQuest

43. Final Fantasy X

42. Pokemon Red and Blue

41. Resident Evil 2

40. Gran Turismo

39. Halo: Combat Evolved

38. Mega Man 2

37. SimCity

36. Civilization

35. StarCraft

34. Sonic the Hedgehog

33. Super Mario Kart

32. Goldeneye 007

31. Tecmo Super Bowl

30. Elder Scolls IV: Oblivion

29. Half-Life

28. Diablo II

27. Bioshock

26. God of War

25. Street Fighter II

24. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

23. Galaga

22. Contra

21. Super Metroid

20. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

19. Metal Gear Solid

18. Resident Evil 4

17. Chrono Trigger

16.Mike Tyson's Punchout!!!

15. Final Fantasy VII

14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

13. Super Mario 64

12. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

11. World of Warcraft

10. Ms. Pac-Man (Shouldn't Pac Man the original be here?)

9Super Mario Bros. 3

8. FInal Fantasy III

7. Metroid

6. Doom

5. Half Life 2

4. Grand Theft Auto III

3. Tetris

2. Super Mario Bros.

1. The Legend of Zelda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems like a rushed list. Adding Call of Duty Modern Warfare one and two and quite a few other newer games just doesn't work. Some games I can see on the list, but a lot are just plain random. Assassin's Creed especially was a really lame edition to the list. When it came to series, they performed pretty poorly, Vice City should be in the San Andreas spot, MGS 2 should switch with MGS3.

 

Other than that I am glad to see something other than SMB as number one. A lot of this just seems like a popularity contest though, not as much good games, but popular games. That may be why Wolfenstein 3D got beat by it's grandchild Halo. What the hell? I do agree with the placement of Half Life 2 though, as a fanboy. It's mostly because it introduced so many new concepts and also created an amazing atmosphere.

 

Discuss where you think things should be placed and how you feel about the list.

 

Before people ask, I agreed that Uncharted 2 was one of the best games ever because it was the most cinematic game ever, and conveyed a strong story and had an Indiana Jones movie sort of feel instead of a blocky third person shooter. It was smooth and should be what a lot more games feel like.

[Dizzle229]

Legend of Zelda? Really? [cabbage] list.

[Ice_and_Spec]

What's wrong with Legend of Zelda? It's a good game.

[Dizzle229]

What's wrong with Legend of Zelda? It's a good game.

 

Good, not best.

[Jaziek]

morrowind is lower down that oblivion. Clearly, it is [cabbage].

 

Also, there is nothing wrong with WoW being that high. Whether you like it or not, it is, purely from a objective design standpoint, one of the most finely made games of all time.

[stevepole]

I hate lists like these because more often then not it is just someone's opinion and when its top 200 it more of just a list of 200 good games.

[Danqazmlp]

Halo at 39th? How did it get that high? It is just generic FPS #4539. It added nothing new, the only saving grace were the graphics at the time as an early Xbox release, which are now outdated badly.

 

Portal at #100, and BF:1942 at #149 both should have been much higher, both added much more to the gaming industry than a lot of the things higher.

 

They seem to have been influenced by popularity in some of their choices, instead of what was actually good.

[Nadril]

Can't say I agree with Half life 2 above Half Life. Damn fine game, yes, but it just can't beat the first which is placed at 29th?

 

Final Fantasy 7 at 15th? CoD4 at 13th?

 

 

Legend at Zelda (the original) at number 1? Were they trying to go for the most [developmentally delayed]ed choice ever? I mean I could almost see OoT in a high up place like that, from a console gamers perspective, but the original is not that great of a game. It's obviously bogged down by a Myriad of ancient [wagon] design issues and the game just does not stand the test of time like other classics (Doom, Tetris, Diablo) have.

[Riku3220]

I also disagree with the original LoZ being #1. It really wasn't that great, even for a game of it's time.

 

I also think The Sims shouldn't have beaten KH1 and 2, TF2, Borderlands, MGS4, and everything else it beat. The Sims has got to be the most boring game I have ever seen. It's like an RTS but without any action going on! It's watching fake people live a normal life. Most everything that you can do on The Sims you could do in real life if you would get off of the computer!

 

But yeah, this list is crap just for having The Sims in the top 75.

[Distracted]

This is a strange list, I don't really like it...

 

Oh, and about Halo not bringing anything new, I'm not sure about this, but I remember hearing this, didn't it introduce regenerating health? Like I said, I'm not sure, but I heard this in a Halo ODST review.

[Wisp]

Assassin's creed, though repetitive did deserve a spot I think.

 

I don't really get these lists. What makes the 140th game worse than the 139th, for example (I just made a just random selection there).

[Demoli]

Very ramdom list.

Like everyone else said by now, it seems like a popularity contest rather than a proper top # list.

Super Metroid Should have been higher, Zelda OoT the same and Super Mario Galaxy ditto.

Also, is portal and System Shock 2 even there? [/PC]

Also, all Metroid Primes should have been there, and way up there. And Brawl? And Earthbound?[/Nintendo]

Odin Sphere? Jet Grind Radio? Shadow Complex, why is Braid so low? [everything else]

Having the original Zelda in nº1 is really dumb. I am i huge zelda fan and i never enjoyed the original, WW, TP and OoT are much better, and having the original Mario ebat SMB3 and SMG, aswell as Metroid beating Super and prime(s) is Just BS

 

Just say'in

 

(One good thing, FF6>FF7, seriously that game rocked)

[Nadril]

This is a strange list, I don't really like it...

 

Oh, and about Halo not bringing anything new, I'm not sure about this, but I remember hearing this, didn't it introduce regenerating health? Like I said, I'm not sure, but I heard this in a Halo ODST review.

 

I don't think it was the first but it did popularize it.

[Uldric]

System Shock 2 and Deus Ex should have been better placed. Plus the original Half Life should have placed higher then number 2.

Pokemon at 42? Would have put it in the top 10 at least. And no Monkey Island or Grim Fandango? Wow... At least Baldur's Gate 2 made the list and the original Sim City.

[Youmu]

Tetris for #3? SERIOUSLY?! Puzzle games like that are really boring. :mellow:

 

Melee should be placed higher, and why doesn't that list have Brawl or the original 64? :o

 

Then again, this list is just Game Informer's opinion...

[JoeDaStudd]

List of ones which I've played and definitely don't need to be on the list.

185. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

165. Peggle

155. Crackdown

148. Super Mario RPG

143. Assassin's Creed

111. Tetris Attack

81. Super Mario Bros 2

69. Dr. Mario

16.Mike Tyson's Punchout!!!

10. Ms. Pac-Man

 

These should be higher up in my opinion

177. Tekken 3

116. Advance Wars

 

Theres a fair few big games which are missing which I would definitely have in my top 20 let alone top 200.

Having the original Zelda in nº1 is really dumb. I am i huge zelda fan and i never enjoyed the original, WW, TP and OoT are much better, and having the original Mario ebat SMB3 and SMG, aswell as Metroid beating Super and prime(s) is Just BS

Did you ever play the original SMB on the NES?

SMB and SMB3 are the best 2d platformers you're ever likely to play and there both completely different.

[Harakiri]

Can't say I agree with Half life 2 above Half Life. Damn fine game, yes, but it just can't beat the first which is placed at 29th?

 

I can see where they are coming from.While Half Life was an amazing game, HL2 did introduce an advanced physics engine that many companies try to copy. I have never played an FPS where you pick up barrels and place them around to jump on, and nor have I played a game with such an amazing atmosphere. While HL had a bit of atmosphere, it was more from a cheesy sci-fi most of the time.

 

Tetris for #3? SERIOUSLY?! Puzzle games like that are really boring.

I have to agree with the magazine a bit though. They say it has been ported to every console, can be bought on any phone. All this from a friggin' guy with one super computer in Russia. It's pretty amazing that a game so little has become so large, but that also leads into the fact it is more a popularity contest than a best game list...It should have been in the teens and made way for games that paved the way for others to come.

[Demoli]

List of ones which I've played and definitely don't need to be on the list.

185. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

165. Peggle

155. Crackdown

148. Super Mario RPG

143. Assassin's Creed

111. Tetris Attack

81. Super Mario Bros 2

69. Dr. Mario

16.Mike Tyson's Punchout!!!

10. Ms. Pac-Man

 

These should be higher up in my opinion

177. Tekken 3

116. Advance Wars

 

Theres a fair few big games which are missing which I would definitely have in my top 20 let alone top 200.

Having the original Zelda in nº1 is really dumb. I am i huge zelda fan and i never enjoyed the original, WW, TP and OoT are much better, and having the original Mario beat SMB3 and SMG, aswell as Metroid beating Super and prime(s) is Just BS

Did you ever play the original SMB on the NES?

SMB and SMB3 are the best 2d platformers you're ever likely to play and there both completely different.

 

 

Yes, i have them both on my Wii and like them very much, i just expressed how i think SMB3 and SMG> original SMB, specially SMB3, as it improved it in so many ways that the original felt very pale. SMG was and still is one of the most outstanding games i have ever played, and my nº2 pick as best mario game (smb3 is the best)

[Azvareth]

Max Payne but not Max Payne 2? For shame. Also where the hell is Tribes 2.

[Shiny]

This is just a pretty screwed up list, overall. Ms Pac-man? WTF. Pac Man itself is incredibly dull. I agree with Half-Life, I only played a little bit of the second, and found the first more enjoyable. This is me playing the game 10 years after it was released. I think Diablo II should of been higher, as well as Portal. I don't know how fable made it onto the list, it was just a really average RPG, with a really short story. Meh.

 

A pretty crummy list.

[Sam]

Everyone's going to have a different opinion, so I don't really see why they made this list anyway.

[PoorLepRecon]

No list can accurately determine the top 200 games since everyone's criteria is different.

[Youmu]

Yes, i have them both on my Wii and like them very much, i just expressed how i think SMB3 and SMG> original SMB, specially SMB3, as it improved it in so many ways that the original felt very pale. SMG was and still is one of the most outstanding games i have ever played, and my nº2 pick as best mario game (smb3 is the best)

I haven't actually played SMB3, but I agree with what you said about SMG.

 

And, as the last 2 posters have pointed out, everyone has a different opinion about the top 200. Though, this is a bit more of a popularity contest (look at the highest ranks), as Ratchet pointed out.

[pennywise]

These types of lists are ALWAYS terrible.

[Dax]

These types of lists are ALWAYS terrible.

 

I shall agree. Opinions annoy me. Especially in things like these.

 

Assasin's Creed is very repetetive, should go way back, maybe drop off the list, there are better games. Vice City beats all other GTAs, San Andreas was a let down for me, I don't know why, maybe Las Venturas as a whole had a play in it? I hated those missions/that place.