• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

IGN's Top 100 Games

Roufianos

Member


I know these lists are entirely subjective but some of the decisions here are real head scratches in my opinion:

Minecraft is higher than MGS.

Modern classics like TLOU, God of War and RDR2 are way too low.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider shouldn't be there, let alone that high.

6 of the top 10 are Nintendo games.

Edit: Full list posted below by Furozen:

100. Pokemon Go
99. Borderlands 2
98. Divinity: Original Sin 2
97. Dishonored
96. Final Fantasy VII
95. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
94. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
93. Burnout 3: Takedown
92. Fallout 2
91. Undertale
90. League of Legends
89. Mega Man 3
88. Thief II: The Metal Age
87. Soulcalibur
86. SimCity 2000
85. Inside
84. Contra
83. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
82. Monster Hunter World
81. Resident Evil 2 Remake
80. System Shock 2
79. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
78. Persona 5
77. Fortnite
76. Fable 2
75. GoldenEye 007
74. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
73. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
72. X-COM: UFO Defense
71. Suikoden II
70. Battlefield 1942
69. Dota 2
68. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
67. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
66. Spelunky
65. Donkey Kong
64. The Sims
63. Rock Band
62. Red Dead Redemption 2
61. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
60. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
59. Silent Hill 2
58. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
57. Mass Effect
56. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
55. Rise of the Tomb Raider
54. Batman: Arkham City
53. The Witness
52. Journey
51. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
50. Overwatch
49. Deus Ex
48. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
47. Ms. Pac-Man
46. Counter-Strike 1.6
45. Left 4 Dead 2
44. EarthBound
43. Resident Evil
42. Diablo II
41. StarCraft
40. World of Warcraft
39. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
38. Fallout: New Vegas
37. Final Fantasy VI
36. Mass Effect 2
35. Pokemon Yellow
34. Bloodborne
33. Metroid Prime
32. Resident Evil 4
31. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
30. Metal Gear Solid
29. God of War (2018)
28. Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
27. BioShock
26. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
25. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
24. Minecraft
23. Halo: Combat Evolved
22. Half-Life
21. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
20. The Last of Us
19. Doom (1993)
18. Chrono Trigger
17. Portal
16. Dark Souls
15. Street Fighter II
14. Super Mario Bros.
13. Halo 2
12. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
11. Grand Theft Auto V
10. Super Mario 64
9. Red Dead Redemption
8. Half-Life 2
7. Tetris
6. Super Mario Bros. 3
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
4. Super Metroid
3. Portal 2
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1. Super Mario World
 
Last edited:

Fake

Member
IGN making a TOP games list?
TxkzN48.jpg
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
Not giving IGN the click and since shadow, minecraft, tlou, gow, and rdr2 shouldn't even be sniffing the top 100 it seems I'm not missing anything of value.

And i bet that their "Top" is Zelda Breath of the wild in the 10 best...

So Hell no im gonna click it
 

Petrae

Member
This “list” needs to have a “Clickbait” tag. Like the hipster-ass Paste list that fellated indies recently, this thing has little value.
 

kunonabi

Member
And i bet that their "Top" is Zelda Breath of the wild in the 10 best...

So Hell no im gonna click it

I found the top ten list elsewhere and it's pretty whack.


10- Super Mario 64
9- Red Dead Redemption
8- Half Life 2
7- Tetris
6- Super Mario Bros 3
5- Zelda Breath of the Wild
4- Super Metroid
3- Portal 2
2- Zelda A Link to the Past
1- Super Mario World

SMW, BotW, portal, half life, and RDR in the top 10 is just lol.
 
Of the Top 10 games, I've only played RDR, Tetris, Super Metroid and Super Mario World. All VERY good games, but I wouldnt rate them higher than my classics like Doom, Street Fighter 2 and Baldurs Gate 2.
 

JimiNutz

Banned
Lots of Nintendo.
I saw a video where they broke down their decisions and apparently they removed a lot of Mario and Zelda titles from the list this year so it would have been even more Nintendo heavy last time.

Also, I know it's all subjective but I tired Super Mario World for the first time recently on Switch and really couldn't get on with it at all. I don't understand the big deal about that game, especially when you play it in this day and age.

They also said the they tried not to place games on the list because of their relevance/innovation at the time and tried to place games based on how they play now, which makes the list even stranger...
 
Last edited:

Roufianos

Member
good list, subjective though. rise of the tomb raider is on that list but no gears or war

Yea I was gonna say that in the OP but wasn't sure if maybe I just missed Gears.

Bizzare. Omitting a game that's the template for cover based shooting over a bloated Uncharted clone.
 
Based IGN is pandering to me with all the Nintendo love, I see it and I respect it.

Is super metroid that good? I remember playing it, it was fun, but top 5 games ever good ????

Yes, it's incredible. The way it manages to tell a logical and somehow even emotional story with basically no written words is still unmatched. The map design is still the best for Metroidvanias and the game released 25 years ago and hasn't been matched during that time. It's a special game.

The Super Nintendo truly is the GOAT.
 

dirthead

Banned
Super Metroid has legitimate atmosphere. Some of the best music ever put in a game. It's up there.

The list is still shit. Pokemon Yellow ahead of World of Warcraft. Yeah I'm sure.

Another piece of crap list that pretends that Samurai Shodown 2 doesn't exist even though it's objectively one of the best games ever made. Entire genres with no representation (not a single beat 'em up on the list even though Guardian Heroes is better than most of the games on the list).

Typical trash slapped together by a 17 year old intern.

Have to love that SF2 footage from some crappy Amiga port instead of the arcade game. They have to be trolling.
 
Last edited:
Super Mario World is fantastic and I have no issue with IGN putting it at #1 overall. A subjective list is going to be subjective. I would have put both Minecraft and World of Warcraft in the top 10 personally and swapped Ocarina of Time with Breath of the Wild. Not sure the reasoning for putting both Portal and Portal 2 in the top 15. That is kind of dumb imo. It's also weird that Halo 2 and Halo CE made the list but Halo 3 is no where to be found. I'm not the biggest Halo 3 fan but there are many who claim it is hands down the best of them all. No Age of Empires 3 or Warcraft 3 seems like a huge omission too. And yes where is gears of war or Forza Horizon?
 

ROMhack

Member
Some great games for sure but it's a very mainstream. More like a list of games people really liked rather than one that feels curated or personal.

I guess that's what it's meant to be.
 
Last edited:

RAÏSanÏa

Member
Crafting is one of my least favourite things to do in games and my immediate reaction is to punt Minecraft right off the list. However, I can appreciate the depth of that gameplay in Minecraft and that others might love that shit.

These rankings are mostly meaningless and Super Mario World is a good uncontroversial choice for number 1. That was a solid game that nearly everyone played through to 100% that owned a SNES. Tubular.

List reminded me of how many older games I still need to get around to playing.
 

kunonabi

Member
Lots of Nintendo.
I saw a video where they broke down their decisions and apparently they removed a lot of Mario and Zelda titles from the list this year so it would have been even more Nintendo heavy last time.

Also, I know it's all subjective but I tired Super Mario World for the first time recently on Switch and really couldn't get on with it at all. I don't understand the big deal about that game, especially when you play it in this day and age.

They also said the they tried not to place games on the list because of their relevance/innovation at the time and tried to place games based on how they play now, which makes the list even stranger...

Super Mario World was always a weaker Mario title it just gets a lot of nostalgic sentiment due to being a SNES launch title. I'm not even sure it cracked my top 100 now that I think about it.
 

Tenaciousmo

Member
Yes, it's incredible. The way it manages to tell a logical and somehow even emotional story with basically no written words is still unmatched. The map design is still the best for Metroidvanias and the game released 25 years ago and hasn't been matched during that time. It's a special game.
giphy.gif
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Super Mario World is straight up better than Mario 3 in every day. I have NO idea why everyone's tongue seems to be deeply embedded in 3's ass. It's so overrated.
Let's see, SMW has...

- longer, emptier levels
- easier difficulty
- rehashed powerups and fewer powerups
- worse platforming physics (subjective)
- worse music (also subjective)

The fact that SMB3 vs SMW is even a discussion shows how weak SMW is. No one seriously compares SMB3 to SMB1 and 2, for instance.
 
Last edited:

SpiceRacz

Member
Let's see, SMW has...

- longer, emptier levels
- easier difficulty
- rehashed powerups and fewer powerups
- worse platforming physics (subjective)
- worse music (also subjective)

The fact that SMB3 vs SMW is even a discussion shows how weak SMW is. No one seriously compares SMB3 to SMB1 and 2, for instance.

I love both, but 3 is better for the reasons you listed. There's so much more creativity going on in that game. Also, I recall Miyamoto even stating that SMW is unfinished.
 

dirthead

Banned
Let's see, SMW has...

- longer, emptier levels
- easier difficulty
- rehashed powerups and fewer powerups
- worse platforming physics (subjective)
- worse music (also subjective)

The fact that SMB3 vs SMW is even a discussion shows how weak SMW is. No one seriously compares SMB3 to SMB1 and 2, for instance.

Super Mario World has more interesting mechanics (cape, flying, Yoshi).

I hate SMB3's non levels. The screen scrolls for 3 seconds and the level ends. Really fun. I like levels with some meat on their bones.

I PREFER SMW's music to SMB (subjective).

Oh and I actually like SMB2 USA more than SMB3, so. It's a better game.
 
Last edited:

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
List is a fucking abortion.

There is no consistent rationale driving the placings a fact that is easily borne out by simply extracting like-for-like games from the list and placing them in order of their ranking. Say for example, lets just look at the classic arcade machine's listed and just put them into historical context of impact, lasting interest, innovation and influence. So Ms Pacman is the 2nd best arcade game ever made?

Fuck right off.


All I got from that list is that there are a lot of Nintendo fanboys contributing to it.
 
Last edited:

SpiceRacz

Member

"In numerous interviews, Miyamoto has mentioned how he was unsatisfied with Super Mario World’s final build as it was missing out on planned content he felt was crucial to the completion of the game. As a result, Super Mario World is actually incomplete which is a rarity for Mario games of that era. Concepts had been left behind and put on hold, but World holds that rare title of the unfinished 2D Mario."
 

Romulus

Member
Half Life 2 deserves it imo. The gameplay variety, enviroments, physics, atmosphere, believable characters all sell it. The facial animation is better to this day than some modern games and its 15 years old. It's just an incredible achievement. Even the gunplay is really fun.

"Strider!" I still love those bleak sequences with the friendly AI too, it had a War of the World feel at times. And the flying fortresses, man, what a ride.
 

Furozen

Member
100. Pokemon Go
99. Borderlands 2
98. Divinity: Original Sin 2
97. Dishonored
96. Final Fantasy VII
95. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
94. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
93. Burnout 3: Takedown
92. Fallout 2
91. Undertale
90. League of Legends
89. Mega Man 3
88. Thief II: The Metal Age
87. Soulcalibur
86. SimCity 2000
85. Inside
84. Contra
83. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
82. Monster Hunter World
81. Resident Evil 2 Remake
80. System Shock 2
79. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
78. Persona 5
77. Fortnite
76. Fable 2
75. GoldenEye 007
74. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
73. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
72. X-COM: UFO Defense
71. Suikoden II
70. Battlefield 1942
69. Dota 2
68. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
67. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
66. Spelunky
65. Donkey Kong
64. The Sims
63. Rock Band
62. Red Dead Redemption 2
61. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
60. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
59. Silent Hill 2
58. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
57. Mass Effect
56. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
55. Rise of the Tomb Raider
54. Batman: Arkham City
53. The Witness
52. Journey
51. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
50. Overwatch
49. Deus Ex
48. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
47. Ms. Pac-Man
46. Counter-Strike 1.6
45. Left 4 Dead 2
44. EarthBound
43. Resident Evil
42. Diablo II
41. StarCraft
40. World of Warcraft
39. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
38. Fallout: New Vegas
37. Final Fantasy VI
36. Mass Effect 2
35. Pokemon Yellow
34. Bloodborne
33. Metroid Prime
32. Resident Evil 4
31. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
30. Metal Gear Solid
29. God of War (2018)
28. Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
27. BioShock
26. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
25. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
24. Minecraft
23. Halo: Combat Evolved
22. Half-Life
21. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
20. The Last of Us
19. Doom (1993)
18. Chrono Trigger
17. Portal
16. Dark Souls
15. Street Fighter II
14. Super Mario Bros.
13. Halo 2
12. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
11. Grand Theft Auto V
10. Super Mario 64
9. Red Dead Redemption
8. Half-Life 2
7. Tetris
6. Super Mario Bros. 3
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
4. Super Metroid
3. Portal 2
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1. Super Mario World
 
Let's see, SMW has...

- longer, emptier levels
- easier difficulty
- rehashed powerups and fewer powerups
- worse platforming physics (subjective)
- worse music (also subjective)

The fact that SMB3 vs SMW is even a discussion shows how weak SMW is. No one seriously compares SMB3 to SMB1 and 2, for instance.
I think the music in super Mario World is fantastic, especially combined with all the iconic sound effects - opening a haunted house door, stomping on and then kicking a turtle, or the rubber band noise while flying with the cape. All the little pops and clicks echoing in the background add so much to the atmosphere. I also loved the cape in SMW. It's superior to the raccoon costume in every way for me. The hub world in SMW is so much better and still plenty of secrets to discover. And let's not forget the introduction of Yoshi. The game visually is a delight. So colorful and imaginative.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt though because I actually like the first two Mario games better than SM3 😋
 

dirthead

Banned
"In numerous interviews, Miyamoto has mentioned how he was unsatisfied with Super Mario World’s final build as it was missing out on planned content he felt was crucial to the completion of the game. As a result, Super Mario World is actually incomplete which is a rarity for Mario games of that era. Concepts had been left behind and put on hold, but World holds that rare title of the unfinished 2D Mario."

I believe you. I just still prefer it to SMB3.

Out of all of them, Yoshi's Island is far and away my favorite. It's not even close.
 

Shifty1897

Member
I actually have no issue with this list. I'd move some things around because I like JRPGs more and online multiplayer games less but all in all, not bad. I appreciate the high placement of both Portal games.
 

ROMhack

Member
List is a fucking abortion.

There is no consistent rationale driving the placings a fact that is easily borne out by simply extracting like-for-like games from the list and placing them in order of their ranking. Say for example, lets just look at the classic arcade machine's listed and just put them into historical context of impact, lasting interest, innovation and influence. So Ms Pacman is the 2nd best arcade game ever made?

Fuck right off.


All I got from that list is that there are a lot of Nintendo fanboys contributing to it.

I kind of agree with this. The actual numbers feel pointless because it's basically a list of 100 great games (do you actually need to order them??)
 
Last edited:

-Arcadia-

Banned
Then again, the numbers creates contention, which is probably the purpose of it.

I’m willing to bet they do huge numbers every time. Gamers have been arguing about these lists for as long as I can remember, I guess seeing these media outlets as some kind of arbiter of quality, and getting mega triggered when their favorite doesn’t win, or somebody has a different opinion.

That probably translates to gigantic amounts of clicks and free advertising.
 

DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
A top 100 is just a jumble. An enthusiast for a given genre might be able to have enough genuine experience to give a fairly accurate Top 100 for that genre alone, but once you start comparing cross genre it's not about objective quality and more about popularity, "historical significance", and the authors' personal preferences. Notice how most of these lists have no shmups or puzzle games yet several FPSs and platformers, sometimes multiple entries from the same genre.

It's still fun to see what people like, though.

I think the music in super Mario World is fantastic, especially combined with all the iconic sound effects - opening a haunted house door, stomping on and then kicking a turtle, or the rubber band noise while flying with the cape. All the little pops and clicks echoing in the background add so much to the atmosphere. I also loved the cape in SMW. It's superior to the raccoon costume in every way for me. The hub world in SMW is so much better and still plenty of secrets to discover. And let's not forget the introduction of Yoshi. The game visually is a delight. So colorful and imaginative.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt though because I actually like the first two Mario games better than SM3 😋
Well, we're comparing top-tier games. It's not about loving one and despising the other (unless you're D dirthead apparently).

I also love SMW and I think it's a much cozier game to play (the save feature helps). I think it fails to surpass SMB3 in a lot of ways, but I already listed so there's no reason to delve into it again.
 

ROMhack

Member
I’m willing to bet they do huge numbers every time. Gamers have been arguing about these lists for as long as I can remember, I guess seeing these media outlets as some kind of arbiter of quality, and getting mega triggered when their favorite doesn’t win, or somebody has a different opinion.

That probably translates to gigantic amounts of clicks and free advertising.

I saw a guy's blog once where he explained that he only puts up 'best ever' lists because they get good SEO, otherwise nobody would ever find his stuff.

So yeah, you're probably right. They're very clickable.
 
Last edited:

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Too high?

:)


Well yeah, its only the (only) game that turned JRPG's mainstream in the west for a few years, was a poster child for the benefits of CD-Rom and Playstation, spawned multiple game and movie spin-offs, has been in print and selling (in some form) almost constantly for the last 20 years, and is still so beloved that a AAA remake of its first third is one of the most hyped releases of 2020...

Yeah that sounds like #96 alright....

Laughable really.
 

Petrae

Member
My issues with this list?

First, 100 games and ZERO sports game representation. None. Not NBA JAM, not NFL 2K5, no NHL ‘94, no Tecmo Super Bowl. That’s bullshit of the highest order. I get the stereotype that video game nerds are supposed to loathe sports games and all, but to not see any on a list of 100 games is ridiculous.

Second... zero Genesis/Mega Drive games. The platform that gave Nintendo a run for its money in Gen4, and... bupkis. No Sonic games, but fucktons of Mario games. No Streets of Rage at all? No Phantasy Star titles? Sorry, but for a website that allegedly represents video games on the whole, this looks terrible. Like, that the people who compiled this list are barely 21 and added a few “old school” games because they’re “cool”, like Donkey Kong and Ms. Pac-Man.

I could go on and on about the inconsistency in the rankings and how some are obvious attempts at clickbait with the sole purpose of pissing people off for “engagement” purposes, but the two main reasons I listed are strong enough for me to dismiss this list like the piece of trash that it is.
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
I found the top ten list elsewhere and it's pretty whack.


10- Super Mario 64
9- Red Dead Redemption
8- Half Life 2
7- Tetris
6- Super Mario Bros 3
5- Zelda Breath of the Wild
4- Super Metroid
3- Portal 2
2- Zelda A Link to the Past
1- Super Mario World

SMW, BotW, portal, half life, and RDR in the top 10 is just lol.

See =P...
i dont have to see the video to guess their top

Yes... this top is write for Chimps
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom