Well okay, not 100 years but AFI had such a good title for it...
Anyway, if IGN can do it, so can I. From 100 to 1. These are my personal favorites and games that have had a lasting impact on me, so no, they won't be exactly like the generic best games ever lists, but may be similar because some games are just damn good.
100. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC)
Made the list thanks in no small part to the unforgettable scene upon Omaha beach.
99. Forza Motorsport 2 (360)
Realistic, polished, and fun, something I don't find often in racing games.
98. Mr. Driller (DC)
Unusual, I know, but this is a game I constantly popped back into my Dreamcast for it's simplistic pleasures.
97. Jet Force Gemini (N64)
Not the best Rare game, but the great-for-its-time 3rd person shooting and co-op made it memorable.
96. Mafia (PC)
Realistic, sometimes too realistic. A compelling story made it memorable.
95. Timesplitters 2 (PS2)
Goldeneye for the PS2 age. Fun singleplayer settings, even better multiplayer with very original characters and modes.
94. The Sims 2 (PC)
The first game was flawed and frustrating, so is this game, but something I enjoyed messing around with for a few hours.
93. Mario Tennis (N64)
Not Mario's best cash-in game, but really addictive, fantastic multiplayer, and cool courses and characters.
92. Final Fantasy VIII (PS)
Good soap-opera plot and characters,well-built system,but a bit overwhelming in terms of difficulty and interface.
91. Condemned: Criminal Origins (360)
Freaky, atmospheric with coolmelee combat. Jumps the shark at the end, but one of the creepier games I've ever played.
90. Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)
Too easy, but very cinematic, compelling story and generally great characters made this satisfying. And a great ending.
89. Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Great FMV scenes, Auron's speechs brought the game to life with an intriguing plot and a unique but flawed sphere system.
88. Super Street Fighter II (SNES)
Not much of a fighting game fan, but the ****c characters and arenas were a part of my childhood with the SNES. Blanka for life!
87. SimCity 3000 (PC)
To be honest, I may be thinking of 2000. But really, this game was all about going big, then blowing it all to hell. ****c fun.
86. Star Wars Rogue Squadron (N64)
Simply well made. Good variety of vehicles and missions made it fun. Not overly difficult like it's sequel.
85.Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
One of the scariest games ever, hands down. An eerie plot and terrifying sound effects will kept this game in my nightmares.
84. NBA Street Vol. 2 (PS2)
For someone who hates bball games, this was great. Over-the-top and a complete change of formula made me a lifetime fan.
83. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC)
A bit too vast for me, but the freedom was something unseen at that point and made Morrowind something to come back to.
82. Dead Rising (360)
Defintely overly difficult and irritating save system. But is the dream game for anyone like me who loves Dawn of the Dead.
81. Pikmin 2 (GC)
Never played the first, this game was wonderfully innovate. A great twist on an RTS game, though got too difficult too fast.
80. Crackdown (360)
Short, but did what GTA didn't dare to do. Add the element of superhuman powers. Mindless fun for hours on end.
79. Rainbow Six: Vegas (360)
Flawed, but compelling campaign. Great setting, graphics and cover system. Multiplayer was fun for ranking up.
78. Wave Race 64 (N64)
Waves changed how racing worked, making it much more fun than the typical racing title. I came back to this many times.
77. Pokemon Snap (N64)
When released, seeing my favorite Pokemon in 3D was awesome, getting pics was more fun than it had any right to be.
76. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)
Not the most praised Kirby game, but for me, it was insanely replayable with the levels and graphics some of the best on the N64
75. Doom 3 (PC)
Say what you will, this is the scariest game I've ever played. The criticized flashlight actually made the game better and scarier.
74. Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (PC)
The last of the true Rainbow Six. Planning out missions and terrorist hunts were great, the weapon selection was fantastic too.
73. SSX 3 (PS2)
I rented this for no real reason, and ended up loving it. My first SSX, but definitely memorable. Fun hills and characters.
72. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (GEN)
Sonic always frustrated me a bit, but Sonic 3 stood out because I actually owned it, Knuckles made his appearance too, yay.
71. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (DC)
This was great because my favorite characters all got to duke it out in face-paced high-res 2D action. Tag-teams were a blast.
70. Super Mario Kart (SNES)
Single-player could often frustrate me, but multiplayer, especially battle, was epic in my childhood.
69. Rampage: World Tour (Arcade)
As a child, and still today, this simple pleasure of climbing buildings and smashing and eating anything in sight never gets old.
68. Halo 2 (XBX)
Great to me not for the multiplayer, but for the compelling story no one gives it credit for. Adds so much to the Halo story.
67. Donkey Kong Country (Super NES)
Not a game I played a lot, but a game I liked a lot. Great looking even today and challenging while still being fun.
66. Saint's Row (360)
Looked like a cheap-knock off, but turned out to be more fun than GTA. Better missions, but activities and great physics.
65. Full Spectrum Warrior (PC)
Combining tactic 3rd person shooting and RTS was too bold for some, but I thought it was brilliant and it worked.
64. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
The formula is old, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Wii makes it feel new and the setting& tone reminds me of an old fav.
63. Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
Daring and original, with Zelda inspired gameplay and a story deeper than most realize. The ending left me wanting more.
62. Fight Night Round 3 (360)
Jaw dropping graphics, no HUD, and the famous control scheme all together made Fight Night 3 the best in series. Still love it.
61. Duke Nukem 3D (PC)
Even when I was young I recognized this as a Doom knock-off, but it's humor and areas were fun enough to make an impression.
60. Dead or Alive 2 (DC)
Maybe it was the girls? Maybe not? But DOA2 wasalways in my DC, cool fighting system and dropping people off ledges was fun.
59. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GC)
I hated the cel-shading at first, but once I played it, it rocked. They really work, and the sailing is fun too, until the Triforce maps.
58. Age of Empires (PC)
****c RTS. Great units, structures, resourcesand epic battles. Truly original and the map editor made it a game of my childhood
57. Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now (PC)
I played this game as a kid, against the wishes of every American politician. And it was hilarious fun, I'm not crazy from it, yet.
56. Empire Earth (PC)
Empire Earth took what was good in era-specific RTSs and put them into one. The ages were great and the units were even better.
55. Halo 3 (360)
The story was a bit hazy, but it was truly cinematic, epic, and the co-op is fantastic. Forge keeps me playing for hours.
54. Super Mario 64 (N64)
Something I didnt experience until Wii VC. Didnt have the same impact on me, but I can appreciate it. Collecting stars is addictive
53. Pokemon Blue (GB)
In it's time, it was more fun than any other game. I took it with me everywhere, connecting to others added a new level of fun.
52. Halo: Combat Evolved (XBX)
Breathtaking graphics, a reason to system link, co-op for hours, Halo had so many reasons to play, I just had to play them all.
51. Devil May Cry (PS2)
Cheesy and over-the-top but truly bad ass. Dante was one of the slickest characters ever and the gameplay was fun if simplistic.
50. Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (PC)
Lesser known, but one of Monolith's best. Great FPS no matter if your a giant mech over a city, or a human roaming the hallways.
49. Jet Grind Radio (DC)
One of the Dreamcast's best. Soaked in ****and originality and fun, free-roaming gameplay that I got hooked on.
48. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (PC)
Strong improvements over predecessors, and unique multiplayer madeit not only the prettiest game at the timebut the most fun
47. Quake III: Arena (PC)
Cool characters, great arenas and quad damage. Unfortuantly, it was short and lived mostly online, but overshadowed by UT.
46. Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butchers Bay (PC)
Surprising. Had the best melee combat ever, some cool stealth elements and great visuals. A cinematic story didn't hurt either.
45. Call of Duty 2 (360)
About as good as the first with a satisfying campaign and simple yet fun multiplayer. Very passionate campaign made it great.
44. Claw (PC)
Monolith's brilliantly difficult 2D platformer was original, memorable and featured a cat pirate. How could I forget it?
43. Splinter Cell (PC)
I neverthought a spy-themed game could be so realistic while being fun. Complicated but extremely rewarding and is a ****c.
42. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (360)
Easier to follow and progress than Morrowind, Oblivion is pretty and fun to do quests and to mess around. Rage spells = hilarity.
41. Spider-Man (N64)
As a big Spidey fan, this game satisfied me a lot. Limited freedom and web-swinging felt natural. All the best baddies helped.
40. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)
The missions sucked, this game is just ****c for it's freedom, for it's violence for it's no brains necessary entertainment.
39. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Unlike Mario 64, I didn't wait years to play this. The mini-worlds concept is creative, fun, and the graphics are great.
38. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC)
New challengers were neat, new arenas fantastic, graphics phenominal. Continued the ****c gameplay but with new fun tweaks.
37. Bioshock (360)
Genius plot and setting that disappoints at the end, but the amazing graphics, world, enemies and plasmids make it a keeper.
38. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (PS2)
By adding civilians, larger areas, scripted events and online, Tony Hawk became my reason for buying a PS2. I don't regret it.
37. Resident Evil 4 (GC)
Unsure of it at first, I quickly grew to love RE4. Overly tough but, the combat system is fantastic and graphics even better.
36. Goldeneye 007 (N64)
I didn't own it, so it wasn't the godsend to me thatmany people swore by, but many of the levels and multiplayer are ****c.
35. Star Fox 64 (N64)
Several different ways to play through, different endings, years ahead of it's time. This game truly rocked.
34. Mario Party (N64)
Some of the best mini-games ever, and ridiculously fun multiplayer makes it a party game for the ages.
33. StarCraft (PC)
I sucked at it, but it's level-editor helped me create an unfair advantage for myself. Amazing units and design, ****c sound FX.
32. Rollercoaster Tycoon (PC)
Managing became fun, hiring staff, making people puke, creating your own rides, then deliberately crashing them. Timeless.
31. Perfect Dark (N64)
I actually owned it, so it meant more to me than 007. Great for using bots, cool levels,plot, and some of the best guns ever.
30. Quake (PC)
Iconic. Despite not playing too far in to the campaign, Istill love it. Great enemies and the nail gun and rocket launcher still rock.
29. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (PC)
The first game was cool, this was ****c. Great to look at, insane fun to invade and conquer. Plus it was easy for people like me.
28. Gears of War (360)
A gun with a chainsaw on the end is like love at first sight. The best co-op ever made and ridiculously addictive multiplayer.
27. Call of Duty (PC)
An epic WWII storyas goodas Band of Brothers. I'llnever forgetwhen the Germans were bring us coffee thanks to Call of Duty.
26. Guitar Hero II (360)
The first GH I bought. Afterwards, listening to rock constantly made me imagine little coloured circles flying towards me.
25. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (N64)
Few games are awesome enough to actually make me want to learn to skateboard. The coolness of TH made me want to, it rocks
24. Super Mario Bros. 3 (Super NES edition)
I'm talking the All-Stars version. ****c levels with great suits that I've played more times than I can count and still love it.
23. Super Mario World (Super NES)
Just a bit better than Bros 3, introducing Yoshi, some great castles,and the cape all help Mario World be as great as it is.
22. God of War II (PS2)
The first game was only so-so to me, this one truly rocked. An epic first boss battle that was better than most games last boss.
21. Portal (PC)
Few games dare to be as creative as Portal. Using a simple portal gun and solving puzzles and conspiracies proved to be ****c.
20. Worms 2 (PC)
Friends& Iwould play this for days on end, creating our own arenas and finding ways to kill each other in unique ways.
19. Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2)
Itis the most fun a racing game can be. No more am I penalized for hitting enemies, now I smash them to hell! Glorious!!!
18. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)
Good vs. evil, at the time this idea was exciting and rewarding. It actually challenged my morals which is no small feat.
17. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (GEN)
I had this on Genesis, and 4 players and a few hours to spare made my childhood very repetative but very fun with TMNT.
16. Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)
Absolutely hilarious, I played it when I was very immature so the jokes really worked for me. The multiplayer is still fantastic.
15. Battlefield 1942 (PC)
This single game dominated an entire summer of mine. No other game could overthrow it, it rocked. Planes, boats, tanks, wow.
14. Half-Life (PC)
Shoot AND think? Half-Life changed everything, greatpuzzles and a weird sci-fi plot made me come back to it many times.
13. Super Smash Bros. (N64)
So much fun, it's not even fair. The best Nintendo characters ever in a street fight. Cool arenas and awesome powerups = ****c.
12. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
Disgustingly under-rated. The unique timeline added new elements to the game and the masks were creative and fun. I gotemall
11. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2)
Say what you will about the plot and Raiden the game was still addictive and compelling, it had intelligence to it andwas cinematic
10. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
My first SNES game. The graphics were creative, the concept was great and the gameplay original and addictive, very memorable.
9. Unreal Tournament (PC)
UT defined early online shooters. The modes were fast-paced and frantically fun. The maps and guns were perfect, and smacktalk
8. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
Beautiful is the best way to describe it. A Zelda game where the puzzles and bosses are the same thing. Just fantastic looking.
7. World of Warcraft (PC)
Haters don't know the BURRRRN of Warcraft. Addictive and unusually satisfying, partying and socializing is unnervingly fun.
6. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
Intelligent and political, the most realistic plot of the series, heavily inspired by great filmsand an emotional ending.
5. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (PC)
Almost as good as the original, fantastic graphics and physics and great comic cutscenes, a bit short but great enough to forgive.
4. Doom II (PC)
The game that I played young and inspired me to love video games as I do today. Addicting, satisfying and tricky, plus the BFG.
3. Counter-Strike (PC)
No online game compares. Several maps were flawless, teamwork was essential and the weapon selection was great. Still amazing
2. Max Payne (PC)
The story was over-the-top but ambitious, great art, wicked gameplay and the slo-mo made the game extremely cool.
1. Half-Life 2 (PC)
How did Valve manage to top HL1? They did. The gravity gun changed how I think about physics and gameplay. Nearly flawless.
1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
The music, the items, the locations, the dungeons, the vastness, the amazing finale, the length, the endless sidequests. Everything about Ocarina of Time is fantastic, the game is as flawless as a game will ever come. Years ahead of it's time, it perfectly translates the 2D titles that I wasn't too familar with into a great 3D world. Nintendo did it before with Mario and later with Metroid and show they now how to evolve a series. I doubt ay game will ever be able to top OoT for me, it's just too damn perfect.
Games to add somewhere:
Global Operations
Quake II
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