My Top 20 Games List
Dragon is doing a much more thorough job of this, giving each of his top 20 it's own post, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents worth.
So, in no particular order (but kinda sorta in order), here's my top 20, and the consoles I played them on:
Yes, the vast majority of games here are either made directly by Nintendo, or are on Nintendo consoles, and there are no PC games. I've only ever owned Nintendo consoles (bar the original Xbox), and Nintendo are the best games company in the word, bar none. I'm not a PC gamer either, never have been, and probably never will be. Let the shouting begin.
UPDATE: Holy shit! I forgot about Metroid Prime! Okay, it'll have to be a top 21 list so. Or we could lose Sonic, or Banjo.
UPDATE: Other honourable mentions:Super Smash Brothers Melee, Manic Miner, XIII, Pikmin, Street Fighter II (Arcade), Mario Golf, Star Wars Episode 1 Pod Racer, 3D Ant Attack, Super Monkey Ball, Carrier Command, Rainbow Six 3, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Chuckie Egg, Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron 2, Halo 2, Pokémon, Every Mario game ever, Every Zelda game ever.
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4.1
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Comments
My list has quite a few in common I suspect, although there are probably a handful of PC games there too and GTA:SA and Burnout 3 I have on PS2 rather than Xbox.
Posted by: QE | December 5, 2007 12:44 PM
Half-Life 2 is a PC game when all's said and done. Just because it's available on other machines now doesn't detract from it being primarily a PC game.
Posted by: Tom | December 5, 2007 1:38 PM
*sigh* if you are going to exclude all PC games because you have never played them, then rename the list "My top 20 Console List".
Posted by: SK | December 5, 2007 2:25 PM
...and feel the shame at never having played the likes of Xcom, Civilization, sim city etc
Posted by: SK | December 5, 2007 2:26 PM
Ooh I love Goldeneye!! I am only 10% nerd though, shh!
Posted by: Babs | December 5, 2007 2:44 PM
Tom, Half-Life 2 may indeed be a PC game when all's said and done, but I played it for the first time on the Xbox, so that's where it made my list. The Xbox version is no less amazing than the PC one, from what I've heard.
Seamus, it's not my top 20 console games list, it's my top 20 list of games I've actually played. I've never played games on PC, so why would I include PC games, let alone any games I haven't played? If you made a list would it be titled "my top 20 PC games list (because I don't play console games)"? Games are games, regardless of platform, unless you're a PC gaming snob. And no matter what platform(s) you're talking about, The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time is still the best game ever. Have you played it?
...And I feel no shame for not having any particular liking for Strategy games, much as you love them.
Babs, Goldeneye is the absolute canines' cajones, and most FPS's still pale in comparison to it today (Half-Life excluded).
Posted by: Matt | December 5, 2007 3:19 PM
Oh is there one for the Wii called Red Steel? I liked that one too, until it started to actually frighten me. Tetris is also great. My friend Conors band Abam sample the music from Tetris during their live sets, tis coolio!
Posted by: Babs | December 5, 2007 3:24 PM
Red Steel is pants, allegedly, but has some interesting ideas, and stands as being the first First-Person Shooter on the Wii.
Tetris is definitely one of the best games ever, and I defy anybody to make an argument against it being so.
Posted by: Matt | December 5, 2007 3:31 PM
What is wrong with SNAP! - as in the card game.
:-P
Posted by: NKL | December 5, 2007 4:54 PM
For playability...
Nothing will ever trump Sensible Soccer on the oul Amiga 1200...
For fanaticism...
Nothing will ever trump Championship Manager which later morphed into Football Manager...
Posted by: TUG | December 5, 2007 5:31 PM
I played a lot of Sensible Soccer on my friends' Megadrive when I was but a teenager, and you're right, it was brilliant.
But ISS98 on the N64 is the best football game ever.
Posted by: Matt | December 5, 2007 6:34 PM
Hmmm. I will respond to this nightmare of console madness on my own blog. Er, next week, prolly. Off the top of my head, though:
- Deus Ex
- Half-Life
- Portal
- Battlefield 1942
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert
- Bust-a-move
- Wipeout
- Doom
- Counter-strike
- Starcraft
- Grand Theft Auto 3
- Dawn of War
- The Weakest Link
- Time Splitters
- Shadow of the Collosus
- Mechwarrior 4
- Diablo
- Voyager: Elite Force
- Okay, Tetris
To suggest that ANY console-driven FPS is better or even equal to its PC equivalent is just out-and-out fucking retarded. There is no WAY you can say Goldeneye is better than the PC FPS games that were out at the same time (Quake, HL). Controlling an FPS with a console controller is sheer torture compared to using a mouse.
Posted by: Destructor | December 5, 2007 10:45 PM
Nice list Dan, and thanks for reminding me about Timesplitters! Myself and my Dad used to kick seven shades of shit out of the zombies in level 1 of TS2 on the cube, many years ago.
Oh, and Goldeneye came out 3 years before Half-Life (ie, not 'at the same time'), and heavily influenced many aspects of Valve's game. Quake I know next to nothing about, having played it all of two times, briefly. This is a list of the top twenty games that I HAVE PLAYED, as I have stated already. Twice.
And controlling an FPS with a mouse is sheer torture compared to using the Wii Remote, so nyah-nyah to you!
But seriously, the Weakest Link? Are you on drugs?
Posted by: Matt | December 5, 2007 11:40 PM
Any old soldiers remember: "Matchday 2" on the Amstrad CPC 464???
Or even, Spy Hunter!
Posted by: TUG | December 5, 2007 11:50 PM
Amstrad CPC? What are you, like a hundred? :-)
Many's the 10p I spent on Spy Hunter when I was a young whipper-snapper, let me tell you. Brilliant game. They brought out a remake recently though, and it sucked monkey nuts. Did you know there's an Easter Egg in MS Excel 2000 that lets you play it?
Posted by: Matt | December 6, 2007 12:00 AM
Yes my list of games is also my favourite out of games I have played. I understand the concept, but that doesn't mean you can bandy about lies like "Goldeneye is one of the best FPS' ever." without adding "...that I have played."
The Weakest Link on PS2 after a night on the turps with some friends is just game-playing gold.
Posted by: Destructor | December 6, 2007 1:30 AM
I think if the post is titled "My Top 20 Games List", adding "that I have played" would be a bit redundant, don't you?
Although I do get your point.
Aah, you mean like playing "Who Wants To Be A Millionare" over comms with 15 other people in the middle of a show, while you are all working on the 52nd show in a 96-show run can also be tremendous fun. If you know what I mean.
Posted by: Matt | December 6, 2007 1:54 AM
I'd forgotten about Deus Ex: it's probably still one of the best written FPSs ever, better than many RPGs.
Bust-a-Move! Woohoo! Does that count as a guilty pleasure?
If I do one of these lists for myself it'll be after everyone else has finished, because I've forgotten half the games I've liked and seeing Matt's and Dan's has reminded me of several.
Posted by: QE | December 6, 2007 9:22 AM
Mine is going to be a while. Nice to see some debate though. And Dan - get that list blogged!
Matt: Half-Life came out 1 (one) year after Goldeneye, not 3. A lot of people do rave about Goldeneye but I also fall into the camp of FPSs work better on PC than on consoles. Sure, I'm willing to conceded that the Wii-mote might be a good alternative but having tried both Deus-Ex and Half-Life on the PS2, while good conversions, the whole experience is dumbed down by having to use a joypad and having features like target lock.
I'd like to play some of the Zelda games but I don't think buying a console to play a couple of games is a worthwhile investment.
Dan - Elite Force over Jedi Outcast/Jedi Academy? Is this some crazy Trekkie thing?
Posted by: Tom | December 6, 2007 11:04 AM
It is nice to see some debate alright. It's been very quiet around here recently (mostly my fault).
I concede that Goldeneye did, indeed come out a year before Half-Life, and not three. But Half-Life was still influenced in many aspects by Goldeneye. Goldeneye was many (non-PC gaming) people's first experience with an FPS, and as such remains a seminal game.
I'm also sure that FPS's do indeed work better on PC's than consoles (Wii excepted, perhaps), bar the whole "shelling out of two grand to play games" bit.
You should plonk down the bread for a Wii, that way you can play several generations worth of Zelda in one handy package. I think it's worthwhile anyway.
Posted by: Matt | December 6, 2007 11:47 AM
My only experiences of FPSs on consoles were Goldeneye/Perfect Dark and Red Faction. The former had controls that while not quite as comfortable as using keyboard and mouse did a good job of keeping the gap as small as possible. The latter I didn't play much of: the twin sticks thing just never suited me and I went back to playing PC FPSs rather than try and get used to it.
Using the Wii remote for FPS is something I haven't yet got around to, but that I look forward to.
Although I wouldn't recommend it just for Zelda, it is true that the Wii will give you access to quite a lot of it, and it is great for certain other things too. Rumour has it (wink wink) that A Link to the Past (which is one of my favourites) plays nicely on PC emulators.
[Although I must admit last time I tried I got to a bugged dungeon room a couple of hours in, couldn't get past it and couldn't be bothered to start again. I should get it for Wii Virtual Console, just so I've got a version I can moan about].
Posted by: QE | December 6, 2007 2:05 PM
I'm sure Goldeneye did have a lot of influence on later FPS games, especially the stealth aspect which featured heavily in the Thief games and Deus Ex, but Half-Life definitely wasn't.
Posted by: Tom | December 6, 2007 2:55 PM
I humbly bow before your superior knowledge, O Draconian One. You are, of course, correct. Again. Serves me right for not doing adequate research.
And you're actually even more right than you think, as Perfect Dark (Goldeneye's sequel in all but name) was actually heavily influenced by Half-Life.
Going back to your previous comment though, you may think target lock is pants, but have you ever played the Metroid Prime series, (GameCube, Wii)? That's the one instance I've found target-lock to be actually an incredible addition to the game, rather than a "dumbing-down", as you say. It's actually one of the stand-out features that makes an already good game, great.
And I still think you should definitely get your self a Wii and a triple dose of Zelda (Link to the Past, Ocarina Of Time, Twilight Princess, in that order).
And yes, QE, you should totally get ALTTP for your Wii VC. Best fiver you'll ever spend.
Posted by: Matt | December 6, 2007 7:04 PM
You are all wrong...
:-) Just kidding, some good games listed in the post and these comments. Some additional games that would make my top 20...
- Dungeon Master (ST version and Amiga version)
- System Shock (PC)
- 1942 (Arcade)
- Dark Cloud 1 & 2 (PS2)
- Black Tiger (Arcade)
- Bust-A-Groove (PS)
- Ico (PS2)
- Ferrari 355 Challenge (DC)
- Oblivion (PC)
- Head Over Heels (Speccy)
- Crazy Climber (Arcade)
- (far too many to list...)
Posted by: SharkyUK | December 12, 2007 6:23 PM
Sorry Sharky, you work in the games industry, so you're not eligible to vote. Some very nice games there on your list though.
Posted by: Matt | December 12, 2007 9:49 PM