Whatever this elusive, defining ingedient actually is, there can be few arguments that the fifteen games below don't meet at least one of those criteria. We'll be revealing which games our readers voted in as the five greatest ever made very shortly. Until then, we'll get on with covering the games that you voted in at positions 6 to 20. As you'd expect, they're all absolute first-class gems, and they should all be played, if not owned, by every gamer worth their salt. Enjoy the list, and feel free to refresh your memory as to which games made spots 21 to 100 at the links below:
100-81 | 80-61 | 60-41 | 40-21
20
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
GameCube, 2003
D: Nintendo | P: Nintendo
408 points
It requires considerable bravery to take risks when you're already winning, and arguably even more courage when it comes to defying the expectations of Nintendo fanboys. Yet Nintendo took both of these risks when they dared to meddle with the much-loved Zelda universe back in 2003. By opting for cartoony, cel-shaded visuals, rather than the more realistic graphics that much of the Nintendo fanbase craved, the company managed to anger tens of thousands of Nintendo fans, provoking a ferocious, maddened response that even Shigeru Miyamoto would later admit he was surprised by.
Such an angry outburst was rendered obsolete upon the release of the game however, with critics lining up to praise it, and customers coughing up their hard-earned cash for a copy in their millions. Admittedly, the game does have its weak spots - it dips alarmingly in the final third as the hunt for the Triforce pieces gets underway - but mostly this is classic Zelda, with ingenious puzzles, absorbing dungeons, spectacular bosses and a quite brilliant cast of characters. And those cel-shaded visuals? Well, they're not half-bad either.
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19
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
PlayStation 2, 2004
D: Konami JPN | P: Konami
438 points
Metal Gear Solid 3's switch from post-millennial sneaking and neck-snapping to Cold War jungle espionage and sniping represented a worthy and necessary step forward for Kojima's series. Set in claustrophobic Russian jungle, the ever-handy radar has disappeared (as it's 1964, it's yet to be invented) and you've got to hunt for your rations by slaughtering snakes, munching mushrooms and culling crocs, or watch your stamina ebb away.
However, although removing such luxuries as the radar and easily accessible rations could have marred what proved to be a pretty successful formula in Metal Gear Solid and its sequel, this new approach actually results in a game that rewards players who think on their feet and use their initiative more than ever. Suddenly, items such as the sonar, motion detector, anti-personnel sensor, directional microphone and thermal goggles become your closest allies, while concepts like the 'Camouflage Index' further encourage forethought and preparation. It feels tremendously rewarding. This lesson in evasion and survival is punctuated by some of gaming's most surreal ('The Sorrow') and tense ('The End') boss encounters, and comes lovingly wrapped in an engaging, enjoyable narrative. Pretty much essential, and one of the very best games you'll find for your PlayStation 2.
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18
Super Mario Bros.
NES, 1985
D: Nintendo | P: Nintendo
453 points
As the grandfather of 2D platformers everywhere, there's little doubt that Super Mario Bros. is fully, utterly deserving of its place in this top twenty. Spread over eight worlds split into four sub-levels each, the game was Mario's first appearance in a side-scrolling platformer, and would quickly become the most influential exponent of the genre, thanks largely to it's scrolling levels and innovative use of power-ups.
Not that the game is here solely for its achievements as a trailblazer - twenty years on, this is a title that plays every bit as intuitively as in 1985, with a fluent difficulty curve that feels just as well-honed as it did two decades ago. Back then, from the very second you flattened that first Goomba to the point where you vaulted Bowser for the eighth and final time, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that 2D platforming would never be quite this pure again. And you'd have been right. Well, almost...
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17
Chrono Trigger
SNES, 1995
D: Squaresoft | P: Square
457 points
In 1995, Squaresoft pulled out all the stops in an effort to create the greatest RPG of all time. Final Fantasy's director Hironobu Sakaguchi and composer Nobuo Uematsu, Dragon Quest's director Yuji Horii , and artist Akira Toriyama were recruited as the 'Dream Team' of RPGs, and the SNES time travelling epic Chrono Trigger was the result of their collaboration.
Rarely has a game (or film, for that matter) handled the concept of time travel with quite the same degree of imagination – even today, only Majora's Mask comes close. The story begins in the year 1000, where main character Crono's friend Lucca has invented a teleporter. It malfunctions, and the chain of time is broken and must be fixed. While on this initial mission, a much larger problem with the universe becomes apparent, and many interesting characters from time periods spanning thousands of years join Crono on his quest. Chrono Trigger was also notable as one of the first turn-based RPGs with no random encounters, and all battles took place directly on the game screen, so most enemies could be avoided. While still revolving around waiting for attack bars to fill, there were many attack options, since every character had combined attacks with other characters. -- David Low
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16
Final Fantasy X
PlayStation 2, 2001
D: Square | P: Square/SCEE
466 points
As the opening instalment of the Final Fantasy series released on the PlayStation 2, Final Fantasy X was a game of firsts. It was the first game of the series to utilise fully three-dimensional graphics instead of pre-rendered backdrops, the first to support voice acting, and it was the first Final Fantasy to spawn a direct sequel in Final Fantasy X-2.
Not that the game should be praised solely for such mini-landmarks however, for Final Fantasy X is also one of the most well-rounded titles of Square's franchise. Toshiro Tsuchida's Conditional Turn-Based Battle System results in battles that are more fluid and rapid than in any other Final Fantasy game, while the Sphere Grid system marks an innovative new direction for the RPG genre. On the technical front, the graphical muscle of the PlayStation 2 manages to conjure up some of the prettiest visuals of this current generation (in particular, the facial animations are top-notch) and the soundtrack is, you'll be unsurprised to hear, wonderful. A truly modern RPG, and a fabulous experience right the way through.
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15
Halo 2
Xbox, 2004
D: Bungie Studios | P: Microsoft
473 points
Bungie's sprawling, epic sci-fi shooter may not quite be able to match all the achievements and innovations that the first Halo mustered, but there can be little doubt over the game's quality. A quite astronomical budget and sky-high production values ensured that the title was always unlikely to be a failure, though parts of the final package must have turned out even better than publisher Microsoft expected.
After all, while the singleplayer missions may not live up to the majesty of those in the first Halo, there's little doubt that the multiplayer mode supercedes that of its predecessor. Featuring a bewildering number of game styles, options and features to twiddle with, some glorious multiplayer maps, and a first-class line-up of weapons and vehicles, this was the title that introduced Xbox Live to hundreds of thousands of living rooms. And rightfully so, we say.
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14
Super Smash Bros. Melee
GameCube, 2001
D: HAL Laboratory | P: Nintendo
485 points
This colourful fighter-cum-platformer clearly remains a firm contemporary favourite, primarily thanks to an absurdly enjoyable multiplayer mode - only a handful of games can come close to matching the thrill provided by a four-players-on-one-couch session of Super Smash Bros. Melee. No doubt the popularity of the title can also be explained by the sheer speed and frenetic nature of every fight, not to mention the eye-poppingly large cast of Nintendo characters; as we mentioned in our Super Smash Bros. piece, who wouldn't want to take a baseball bat to Pikachu's smirking face? Well, we would anyway.
The appeal of the game can also probably be explained by its rather innovative nature - like its predecessor, Melee distinguishes itself from most traditional fighting games in that simply inflicting damage does not guarantee victory. In normal play, winning requires that the opponent be forced out of the stage's boundaries, similar to a ring out. Attacks both inflict damage and knock the enemy back a certain distance; inflicted damage increases that distance, and so sufficient damage must be accumulated before attempting to KO an opponent (usually with a forceful 'Smash' attack). It's an original approach to a genre seemingly obsessed with health bars, but most importantly and simply of all, it's just an absolute blast to play.
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13
Halo: Combat Evolved
Xbox, 2002
D: Bungie Studios | P: Microsoft
504 points
Criticising Halo seems to come easily to many, but perhaps that's because the things it did so well weren't instantly recognisable. Take, for example, the imposed two weapon limit, a quite brilliant masterstroke of design, and one that forced the player to approach combat far more strategically than in the vast majority of other first-person shooters. Or the AI, which was terrifyingly clever once the difficulty level was ramped up, while even on easier settings it was admirable. The layout of the controls on the Xbox pad as well, with grenades instantly accessible at split-second notice and with the sticks sensibly utilised, was immaculate. 'Combat Evolved' indeed.
Conflicts are deep and engrossing, with battlegrounds that seem to stretch for miles and that all feature superbly-depicted skirmishes and battles between AI-controlled armies of humans and Covenant played out to a grand, orchestral soundtrack. And we've not even touched on the multiplayer yet, almost certainly the most refined on a console since Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. They're all parts that combine to make Halo a resplendent, scintillating whole, and just a little less easy to criticise.
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12
Super Mario Bros. 3
SNES, 1988
D: Nintendo | P: Nintendo
537 points
After the rather ill-fitting Super Mario Bros. 2 had left NES owners slightly cold, few could have expected that the follow-up would have such an enormous impact on gaming. Widely regarded as being the best-selling 'standalone' (i.e., not bundled with a console) videogame of all time, Super Mario Bros. 3 is simply a masterpiece of the platforming genre.
Although in many ways the game represented a return to the style of the first Super Mario Bros., it also introduced new ideas of its own, with a non-linear game world structure, unique inventory system and diagonal scrolling of the screen, all traits that would influence future platform games throughout the industry. The title combined these innovations with a standard of level design that arguably no game before or since has equalled, and a depth that many modern games simply can't compare with.
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11
Metroid Prime
GameCube, 2003
D: Retro Studios | P: Nintendo
589 points
The signs leading up to Metroid Prime's release had hardly hinted that such a refined, original and innovative slice of adventure gaming was about to enter our lives. From the moment it was announced that the untested Texas-based Retro Studios would be at the helm of such an important project, there seemed to be a distinct lack of trust in Nintendo's choice of developer. And if this weren't ominous enough, let's not forget that Metroid Prime was withdrawn (reportedly at the request of Shigeru Miyamoto) from an E3 2002 showing due to 'control issues', just over a year before it's release.
As it happens, any such concerns over the project were unnecessary; Metroid Prime is a stunning piece of software. Defiantly ignoring several first-person shooter conventions, the game is unique in so many ways, from its emphasis on exploration, the innovative layout of its controls, and of course in its brilliant use of visors that assist the player. Meanwhile, a sprawling, detailed world and spectacular bosses remind you that, yes, this is a Metroid game you're playing. And a pretty damn magnificent one at that.
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10
Burnout 3: Takedown
PlayStation 2, Xbox, 2004
D: Criterion Games | P: EA Games
622 points
In 2004, over a quarter of all games published were racing games of some description. While PALGN would never condone such creative stagnation, there was one silver lining to that statistic: one of those racers was Burnout 3: Takedown.
And what a racer it is. Incorporating white-knuckle speeds with the eviscerating thrill of head-on crashes at over a hundred-and-fifty miles per hour, Criterion's game is a role-model for what every great racing title should be: slick, competitive, breathless, adrenaline-inducing and simply gorgeous to look at. It's true to say that it's not the deepest game on the grid, but it's certainly the most thrilling, and laps the competition with consummate ease.
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09
Half-Life 2
PC, 2004
D: Valve | P: Vivendi Universal
649 points
Just as Half-Life (which can be found at #27 in this list) is recalled fondly for giving an increasingly stale first-person shooter genre a swift kick up the backside with its real-time story-telling and scripted events, it's likely that Half-Life 2 will be similarly remembered for injecting a genre dominated by the braindead likes of Doom 3 with new life.
Utilising the Source game engine and coupling it with a heavily modified version of the Havok physics engine, Half-Life 2 was (and still is) critically acclaimed for the kind of advances in computer animation, computer graphics, artificial intelligence and physics that came along once in a blue moon. The resulting game is an endlessly deep, massively immersive and vital experience; just like its predessor, it's one of those rare titles that offers a tantalising glimpse of the future, moving the goalposts to such a degree that it reshapes the genre. Don't believe us? Just wait until you see the Gravity Gun. 'Nuff said.
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08
Metal Gear Solid
PlayStation, 1998
D: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan | P: Konami
690 points
The roots of the Metal Gear franchise may lie back in the late 80s with a pair of NES games, but it wasn't until the first 3D game in the series, Metal Gear Solid, that Solid Snake really grabbed the imagination of the public. The game is still eminently playable today, seven years after release, and even now feels like something of a masterclass in stealth gaming. Featuring hugely imaginative bosses (Psycho Mantis must easily be one of the most original bosses ever conceived in any videogame) and a story centred around a firm anti-nuclear message, it's a game that positively drips with atmosphere.
Its influential and groundbreaking use of spoken dialogue, an intricate plot, and cinematic presentation can be seen in many modern adventure games - from Splinter Cell to Chronicles of Riddick, virtually every 'stealth' game released since Metal Gear Solid is indebted to Konami's game. Momentously important, and a landmark in the truest sense of the word.
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07
Tetris
Game Boy, 1989
D: Nintendo | P: Nintendo
765 points
In Russia, there exists a well-known old puzzle game, rather like a jigsaw, which requires the solver to take a number of tetramino pieces and tile them, so that they fit perfectly onto a rectangular board with no gaps. Allegedly, it was this decades-old conundrum that struck a chord with Russian programmer and Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, who was not only suitably inspired to make a game that became the subject of numerous legal tug-of-wars between some of the biggest names in the industry, but also one that can justifiably lay claim to being a phenomenon.
Indeed, the videogame landscape could well have looked vastly different to how it does today had Pajitnov not created his endlessly deep puzzler - it was, after all, the game that helped make Nintendo's original Game Boy the best-selling console ever, propelling the company's initial drive into the handheld market. Such colossal sales figures are not unjustified either. Even today, the game remains universally popular thanks to a premise and design that's nothing less than utterly compulsive. 'PLEASE TRY AGAIN' pleads the on-screen message when the falling blocks reach the top of the screen and it's game over - since its 1989 release, tens of millions of people have been only too happy to oblige.
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06
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
PlayStation 2, 2004
D: Rockstar Games | P: Rockstar Games
817 points
If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery, then the Grand Theft Auto games have every right to feel like the most flattered titles in history. Since Grand Theft Auto III first appeared in 2001, the market has been flooded with inferior copies and abortive facsimiles. It's a tribute to the selling power of the series of course, but also to the undeniable brilliance of the games. San Andreas is almost certainly the best of the 3D GTAs, boasting a game world so broad that it can feel overwhelming to a veteran player of the games, never mind any newcomers.
Set in 1992 and with a soundtrack of period artists to match, many of the missions which take place in the game are fairly obvious imitations of California-based phenomena from the early 90s, such as the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Naturally though, whether or not you attempt the missions is, as usual, entirely upto you. It's tempting to forget about them, for in the case of Los Santos, Rockstar North has managed to recreate a world with a scope and detail that simply can't be found in any other offline videogame, bar perhaps Morrowind. The new, RPG-esque elements (controlling your appearance and fitness through diet and exercise, for example) merely add to the sense of total and utter freedom, resulting in the very finest example of sandbox gaming.
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_______________________________________________
So we're down to five, and we'll be revealing which games you reckoned to be the best five of all time very shortly. Until then, if you have any qualms to put forward about the fifteen games above, feel free to air them here. And once you've done that, take some time to reflect on the 95 games that have been voted in to our Top 100 thus far:
100...Final Fantasy XI [90]
099...Soul Calibur 2 [93]
098...NiGHTS Into Dreams [94]
097...Disgaea: Hours of Darkness [95]
096...WipEout 2097 [99]
095...The Sims [100]
094...Silent Hill 2 [103]
093...Quake II [105]
092...F-Zero GX [106]
091...Advance Wars: Dual Strike [107]
=89...Super Smash Bros. [108]
=89...Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge [108]
088...Gran Turismo 3 [109]
087...God of War [110]
086...Age of Empires 2 [111]
085...Warcraft III [112]
084...Super Mario Sunshine [114]
083...Star Wars Battlefront [115]
082...Conker's Bad Fur Day [116]
081...Chrono Cross [117]
080...Counter Strike [119]
079...Metroid Prime 2: Echoes [120]
078...Golden Sun [121]
077...Fire Emblem [122]
076...Diablo II [123]
075...Civilisation III [124]
074...Advance Wars [125]
073...Phantasy Star Online [127]
072...Lemmings [128]
071...Call of Duty [130]
070...Unreal Tournament [132]
069...The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening [133]
068...System Shock 2 [134]
067...Katamari Damacy [135]
066...Eternal Darkness [136]
065...Doom [137]
064...Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic [138]
063...Rez [139]
062...Tales of Symphonia [140]
061...Final Fantasy VI [143]
060...Grim Fandango [146]
059...Beyond Good & Evil [153]
058...Planescape Torment [157]
057...Killzone [161]
056...Banjo-Kazooie [162]
055...Pokémon Gold/Silver [165]
054...Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening [170]
053...Sonic & Knuckles [173]
052...Soul Calibur [185]
051...Final Fantasy IX [191]
050...Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle [195]
049...Burnout Revenge [198]
048...Sonic the Hedgehog [201]
047...Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty [204]
046...Gran Turismo 4 [209]
045...Mario Kart 64 [214]
044...The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind [217]
043...The Secret of Monkey Island [220]
042...Secret of Mana [226]
041...Pro Evolution Soccer 4 [228]
040...Baldur's Gate II [232]
039...The Legend of Majora's Mask [237]
038...Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [238]
037...Deus Ex [243]
036...Grand Theft Auto: Vice City [250]
035...Kingdom Hearts [256]
034...Street Fighter 2 [262]
033...World of Warcraft [269]
032...The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past [292]
031...StarCraft [301]
030...Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [304]
029...Super Metroid [309]
028...Super Mario Kart [314]
027...Half-Life [325]
026...Final Fantasy VIII [337]
025...Super Mario World [342]
024...Perfect Dark [353]
023...Grand Theft Auto III [361]
022...Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island [385]
021...Ico [401]
020...The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker [408]
019...Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater [438]
018...Super Mario Bros. [453]
017...Chrono Trigger [457]
016...Final Fantasy X [466]
015...Halo 2 [473]
014...Super Smash Bros. Melee [485]
013...Halo: Combat Evolved [504]
012...Super Mario Bros. 3 [537]
011...Metroid Prime [589]
010...Burnout 3: Takedown [622]
009...Half-Life 2 [649]
008...Metal Gear Solid [690]
007...Tetris [765]
006...Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas [817]
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