FBG FFA Countdown - The Greatest Video Games Ever - project on hold (5 Viewers)

[titusbramble]

I do not believe this countdown has happened before, and as I have been a participant but not an organiser of any of these sorts of countdowns, I want to return the favour and collate one. This is very simple. Tell me your favourite, greatest, most influential, however you want to rank them, video games of all time.

I'll let people rank up to 100 games. Your #1 will score 100, your #2 will score 99, and so on. You are under no obligation to pick 100 games, partial lists (as I submitted for the TV countdown) are obviously accepted (Now bolded for relevance as I've seen this pop up a few times). So even if you're an extremely casual gamer, and don't have a huge interest, chuck a list in! Your view counts! I will add a modifier based on the number of players that pick a given game, so that something that is picked my multiple people will gain some preference over something that is rated highly by fewer people. I'll basically go total points times square root of people picking.

You're all going to have plenty of time to compile your lists. I'm posting this now so that I can reveal during the English football/soccer down season. You have at least until the end of April to submit your lists. There is no rush so you all have a lot of time to think about it.

Given the nature of this countdown, compared to previous countdowns saying things like greatest film, TV show or whatever, there are a fair few things that are a lot more ambiguous compared to things we've done before. As such, I'm going to ask for the following as a courtesy:

1) Please list the game title as released in the United States. If a game has never been released in the US, just post whatever the game was called in its native area.
2) If there is ambiguity in relation to what the game you are wanting to pick is called, please clarify. Final Fantasy 3 is a different thing in the US and Japan. Super Mario Bros 2 is similar. There are two games in the same franchise just called Doom. A year or platform of release will likely suffice.
3) Similarly, if a game has been re-released on a different platform with a different name, please look up the original game and use that. Thinking particularly with things like Super Mario Advance etc.
4) Compilations of games will not be accepted. Please do not pick Super Mario All-Stars, The Orange Box, Sonic Mega Collection etc, please pick individual games on their own merits.
5) Please list just the base game. If something is added to a game that can even be remotely regarded as downloadable content, list the base game, and just consider any additions that you like as something to push it higher up in your rankings. Sonic 3 and Knuckles - just Sonic 3 please. Starcraft: Brood War - just Starcraft please.
6) PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO READ IN RELATION TO SPORTS GAMES - there are many games series whereby a producer will more or less release the same game continually with minor improvements, roster changes and the like. It would be unfair to list every single iteration as of itself, and it would be similarly silly to try to create points in the series where a game "evolves" into a new game as that is going to be wholly subjective. The original John Madden Football is clearly different to Madden 25, but determining a point where either one is sufficiently different to a future/prior incarnation is ridiculous. In these instances, if you want to pick the franchise, please just indicate something like "Madden (franchise)".

I am not sure as to how many games I will list in the countdown. I would guess that a cutoff point of 100 points (i.e. including everyone's favourite) would be a sensible point. Anything that gets that many gets included. Please submit via DM as an unnumbered list with your favourite at the top.

Spoiler: My list as an example which I will include in the countdown

Super Metroid
Tetris
Super Mario Bros 3
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Elite
Metroid Prime
Starcraft
Championship Manager (franchise)
Street Fighter 2
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
Ocarina of Time
Super Smash Bros: Melee
Ikaruga
Chuckie Egg
Goldeneye (N64)
Doom (1993)
My Summer Car
Contra
Mario Kart 64
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Earthbound
Zelda: Link's Awakening
Super Mario Bros 2
ActRaiser
Mega Man 2
Super Bomberman 2
F-Zero
Wipeout
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Chrono Trigger
Pac-Man
Streets of Rage 2
Super Mario World
Donkey Kong Country
Wolfenstein 3D
Super Mario Bros
Speedball 2
Sim City
Smash TV
Pilotwings
Grand Theft Auto III
Angry Birds
Mortal Kombat 2
Maniac Mansion
Majora's Mask
Pokemon Red/Blue
NBA Jam
Gears of War
Halo 2
A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda
Space Invaders
Repton
Donkey Kong
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Gran Turismo 2
Metroid Prime 2
Psycho Fox
Duck Game
Starcraft 2
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Mike Tyson's Punch Out!
FIFA (franchise)
Super Mario Bros - The Lost Levels
Super Smash Bros: Brawl
Parodius
Twilight Princess
Grim Fandango
Captain Skyhawk
Blades of Steel
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Uniracers
Stunt Race FX
Super Mario Kart
Bubble Bobble
Snake Rattle n Roll
Micro Machines V3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
Command and Conquer - Red Alert
Frogger
Pong
Prince of Persia (1989)
Lemmings
Duke Nukem 3D
Portal
Batman (NES)
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Destruction Derby
Road Rash
Nintendo World Cup
Gradius
Jalopy
Fallout 4
World Class Leaderboard
Granny's Garden
Pole Position
Madden (franchise)
Worms
Ridge Racer
R-Type

 

[The Gator]

possibly

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I expect more lists than the book countdown but less than the tv countdown

 

[belljr]

Zaxxon......game changer 1981 ish Arcade

 

[Scoresman]

Count me in.

 

[Scoresman]

Would something like a major MMO expansion count as a separate game or does it fall under rule 5.

Like world of Warcraft vs wrath of the Lich King?

 

[AAABatteries]

I’d love to participate and probably will some but I basically stopped playing in my early 20’s and only played some kid games with my kids. I’ve basically not played any of the modern style games.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I basically stopped playing in my early 20’s and only played some kid games with my kids. I’ve basically not played any of the modern style games.

Same here, all my games were 20th century. While I also played others, of his spoiler list I only played 8 or 9 of those.

 

[AAABatteries]

1.01 - Leisure Suit Larry

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I’d love to participate and probably will some but I basically stopped playing in my early 20’s and only played some kid games with my kids. I’ve basically not played any of the modern style games.

If I don’t count the games I only played with my kids, my most played video game is probably still pong from 40+ years ago, unless FreeCell or Wordle count as video games.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Zaxxon......game changer 1981 ish Arcade

Long time FBG poster by that name IIRC

 

[scoobus]

Interested

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

Outside the Wii, i havent played videogames since 1990.
I was king of the arcades though in the 80s.

Should be fun to read through it though

 

[Desert_Power]

Giving it a dot. Probably will participate. Still play but mostly Switch and Xbox, so that is limiting.

 

[Dennis Castro]

So all of the Mario Kart games should be listed individually and not as a franchise?

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

yeah, most of my games are x-box/nintendo/computer games. I only played sega/playstation games at my friends houses. 100 is a lot. Haven't looked through all my games yet but just thinking about the games that I really liked I only got to 30. I know we can send in less than 100 but I think something like 50 would be a better reflection of this site while I think we'll still get enough unique entries on this list to make a longer countdown.

 

[shuke]

I’d love to participate and probably will some but I basically stopped playing in my early 20’s and only played some kid games with my kids. I’ve basically not played any of the modern style games.

Same, which is why the majority of my list is going to be arcade games or Atari 2600.

 

[shuke]

Zaxxon......game changer 1981 ish Arcade

1.01 - Leisure Suit Larry

Guys, stop. Put it in a list.

 

[TripItUp]

I will be submitting the correct list...good times

 

[Corporation]

Interested!

 

[Scoresman]

I can definitely put in 100. Been gaming for 35 years.

Sound like I’m going to have to front load modern games with all the talk of Atari and classic arcade games.

I might be the only one to add 3DO games!

 

[belljr]

Zaxxon......game changer 1981 ish Arcade

1.01 - Leisure Suit Larry

Guys, stop. Put it in a list.

That's all you will get from me. I have no desire to create a list....

 

[belljr]

I can definitely put in 100. Been gaming for 35 years.

Sound like I’m going to have to front load modern games with all the talk of Atari and classic arcade games.

I might be the only one to add 3DO games!

I don't care I liked Madden 3do

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I have played one of those games, if I go for 100 I might have to add it

 

[Frostillicus]

Mobile games?

 

[Frostillicus]

I do not believe this countdown has happened before, and as I have been a participant but not an organiser of any of these sorts of countdowns, I want to return the favour and collate one. This is very simple. Tell me your favourite, greatest, most influential, however you want to rank them, video games of all time.

I'll let people rank up to 100 games. Your #1 will score 100, your #2 will score 99, and so on. You are under no obligation to pick 100 games, partial lists (as I submitted for the TV countdown) are obviously accepted. So even if you're an extremely casual gamer, and don't have a huge interest, chuck a list in! Your view counts! I will add a modifier based on the number of players that pick a given game, so that something that is picked my multiple people will gain some preference over something that is rated highly by fewer people. I'll basically go total points times square root of people picking.

You're all going to have plenty of time to compile your lists. I'm posting this now so that I can reveal during the English football/soccer down season. You have at least until the end of April to submit your lists. There is no rush so you all have a lot of time to think about it.

Given the nature of this countdown, compared to previous countdowns saying things like greatest film, TV show or whatever, there are a fair few things that are a lot more ambiguous compared to things we've done before. As such, I'm going to ask for the following as a courtesy:

1) Please list the game title as released in the United States. If a game has never been released in the US, just post whatever the game was called in its native area.
2) If there is ambiguity in relation to what the game you are wanting to pick is called, please clarify. Final Fantasy 3 is a different thing in the US and Japan. Super Mario Bros 2 is similar. There are two games in the same franchise just called Doom. A year or platform of release will likely suffice.
3) Similarly, if a game has been re-released on a different platform with a different name, please look up the original game and use that. Thinking particularly with things like Super Mario Advance etc.
4) Compilations of games will not be accepted. Please do not pick Super Mario All-Stars, The Orange Box, Sonic Mega Collection etc, please pick individual games on their own merits.
5) Please list just the base game. If something is added to a game that can even be remotely regarded as downloadable content, list the base game, and just consider any additions that you like as something to push it higher up in your rankings. Sonic 3 and Knuckles - just Sonic 3 please. Starcraft: Brood War - just Starcraft please.
6) PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO READ IN RELATION TO SPORTS GAMES - there are many games series whereby a producer will more or less release the same game continually with minor improvements, roster changes and the like. It would be unfair to list every single iteration as of itself, and it would be similarly silly to try to create points in the series where a game "evolves" into a new game as that is going to be wholly subjective. The original John Madden Football is clearly different to Madden 25, but determining a point where either one is sufficiently different to a future/prior incarnation is ridiculous. In these instances, if you want to pick the franchise, please just indicate something like "Madden (franchise)".

I am not sure as to how many games I will list in the countdown. I would guess that a cutoff point of 100 points (i.e. including everyone's favourite) would be a sensible point. Anything that gets that many gets included. Please submit via DM as an unnumbered list with your favourite at the top.

Spoiler: My list as an example which I will include in the countdown

Super Metroid
Tetris
Super Mario Bros 3
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Elite
Metroid Prime
Starcraft
Championship Manager (franchise)
Street Fighter 2
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
Ocarina of Time
Super Smash Bros: Melee
Ikaruga
Chuckie Egg
Goldeneye (N64)
Doom (1993)
My Summer Car
Contra
Mario Kart 64
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Earthbound
Zelda: Link's Awakening
Super Mario Bros 2
ActRaiser
Mega Man 2
Super Bomberman 2
F-Zero
Wipeout
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Chrono Trigger
Pac-Man
Streets of Rage 2
Super Mario World
Donkey Kong Country
Wolfenstein 3D
Super Mario Bros
Speedball 2
Sim City
Smash TV
Pilotwings
Grand Theft Auto III
Angry Birds
Mortal Kombat 2
Maniac Mansion
Majora's Mask
Pokemon Red/Blue
NBA Jam
Gears of War
Halo 2
A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda
Space Invaders
Repton
Donkey Kong
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
Gran Turismo 2
Metroid Prime 2
Psycho Fox
Duck Game
Starcraft 2
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Mike Tyson's Punch Out!
FIFA (franchise)
Super Mario Bros - The Lost Levels
Super Smash Bros: Brawl
Parodius
Twilight Princess
Grim Fandango
Captain Skyhawk
Blades of Steel
Euro Truck Simulator 2
Uniracers
Stunt Race FX
Super Mario Kart
Bubble Bobble
Snake Rattle n Roll
Micro Machines V3
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
Command and Conquer - Red Alert
Frogger
Pong
Prince of Persia (1989)
Lemmings
Duke Nukem 3D
Portal
Batman (NES)
Rollercoaster Tycoon
Destruction Derby
Road Rash
Nintendo World Cup
Gradius
Jalopy
Fallout 4
World Class Leaderboard
Granny's Garden
Pole Position
Madden (franchise)
Worms
Ridge Racer
R-Type

I've played 42 of these

 

[TheAristocrat]

I'm in.

Are we going to put ET in the top 15 to compete with boxed mac and cheese pasta ranking and top cheese list?

Side question: Have any of you actually played ET? I'd wager I put over 30 hours into it before I could drive. Truly awful.

 

[Todem]

I am an addict of video games and will absolutely submit 100 games ranging from as early as the Atari 2600/Intellivision era all the way to the current console generation.

 

[Hastur]

Same as others above. Most of my video game life was in the 80's and 90'. I'll start working on a list.

 

[McBokonon]

I'm in.

Are we going to put ET in the top 15 to compete with boxed mac and cheese pasta ranking and top cheese list?

Side question: Have any of you actually played ET? I'd wager I put over 30 hours into it before I could drive. Truly awful.

I had it as a kid and played it. I can’t remember if I thought it was terrible but I remember being frustrated by it.

 

[lsutigers]

I'd like in for this one and will begin a list also.

 

[tjford]

.

 

[Scoresman]

Up to 82 games and just getting into the PS1 era. This will be... difficult.

 

[SWC]

I am an addict of video games and will absolutely submit 100 games ranging from as early as the Atari 2600/Intellivision era all the way to the current console generation.

help me out based on this what was the game for earlyish pcs where you controlled a tank and you set the angle and power and the type of bomb and the tanks would have little sayings like from hells heart i stab at thee and stuff like that it was fun and we put it on the one computer back in the tool room back in the day and would screw around with it at lunch take that to the bank bromigo

 

[Northern Voice]

Can we start whining now? I'll start:
"Portal" but not "Portal 2" in OP's list is insanity. If I do a list, it's probably #1

 

[Gally]

I don't think I could name 30 games. It would be more interesting to this old guy if it was just a list of arcade games instead of all the games out in the now. Video games (in general) are way too complicated now. It was much more enjoyable to play when you had a joystick and maybe a button or two to fire or jump or something like that. The more complicated the controls the less fun the games became (to me).

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I’m IN!!

For calling you all dumb and wrong!!!

 

[Scoresman]

There are two franchises that are collectively making up about 25% of my list. That's crazy.

 

[Chris B.]

Are mobile games allowed? Or console/handhelds only?

 

[Dr_Zaius]

So all of the Mario Kart games should be listed individually and not as a franchise?

Yeah it's definitely going to be tough to draw a line. I agree that "Madden" really needs to be one entry, and I think I agree that the Mario Karts should be separate. But what about the Civilization games or Final Fantasy series? It gets tricky for sure.

 

[titusbramble]

Will make a bunch of replies to queries when I'm back from the football, but cool to see a fair bit of interest already

 

[BrutalPenguin]

So all of the Mario Kart games should be listed individually and not as a franchise?

Yeah it's definitely going to be tough to draw a line. I agree that "Madden" really needs to be one entry, and I think I agree that the Mario Karts should be separate. But what about the Civilization games or Final Fantasy series? It gets tricky for sure.

This times 100 for me. I liked all the Final Fantasys I've played, but don't remember which was which.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I think madden and ncaa-I guess most sports games other than one offs should be 1 entry but other video game series get their own entry

 

[The Gator]

Championship Manager (franchise)

This the same as Football Manager?

 

[The Gator]

I’m IN!!

For calling you all dumb and wrong!!!

GoW ranking just went up

 

[Dickies]

I'm in. I can probably order out my top 10 games of all time, but the rest will just be 90 other games that I particularly enjoyed or are iconic enough that they should be in a top 100 list.

 

[titusbramble]

Would something like a major MMO expansion count as a separate game or does it fall under rule 5.

Like world of Warcraft vs wrath of the Lich King?

What I am mainly trying to cut down on is if an expansion is reliant on the initial game for it to be playable at all. I would want to say they should probably be counted as the same, but if anyone wants to fire in a query, do so (DM probably better). In this specific example, that I am in a Discord server where a good chunk of the users are based on being a WoW guild will make it easier, I can't say I've ever played an MMO, but I can work out a ruling for you.

Outside the Wii, i havent played videogames since 1990.
I was king of the arcades though in the 80s.

Should be fun to read through it though

Arcade games absolutely count.

So all of the Mario Kart games should be listed individually and not as a franchise?

What I'm trying to get with this "franchise" thing is a spot where if you were to ask someone what games they like, and the default answer would be to not name a specific one, then you would refer to it as a franchise. I'm also trying to avoid the situation where we have 20 different people listing 20 different versions of Madden or FIFA or whatever on account of just picking a version just based on Brady or OBJ being on the cover that year. In the case of Mario Kart I think there is clearly enough distinction between iterations of the game - you have different tracks, you have different characters, you have different weapons, you have different game mechanics and so on. Maybe think of it as an EA rule - if they are releasing a game year on year, count it as a franchise. I get that this is arbitrary as anything, I'm just thinking what is the fairest thing to go by.

Mobile games?

Sure. I've included one myself.

Are mobile games allowed? Or console/handhelds only?

To extend, if you think it is a video game, I'll allow it as a video game. I won't allow things such as physical pinball machines, slot machines and the like, but generally speaking the scope is wide.

So all of the Mario Kart games should be listed individually and not as a franchise?

Yeah it's definitely going to be tough to draw a line. I agree that "Madden" really needs to be one entry, and I think I agree that the Mario Karts should be separate. But what about the Civilization games or Final Fantasy series? It gets tricky for sure.

Civ and FF are clearly all distinct games.

Championship Manager (franchise)

This the same as Football Manager?

I mean this is a weird one, I am referring to the series that was started by the Collyer's as the name I listed in 1992 or there abouts, which then became the Football Manager series after SI and Eidos had their spat where SI retained the game engine but Eidos retained the CM IP. I'm not referring to the later Championship Manager games, nor am I referring to the Football Manager games released by Kevin Toms for home computers in the early eighties.

As to whoever said 100 is a lot - yes it is, but in the context of:

a) I've stated there is no need to submit all 100, I'm just going up to that point to allow those that want to go into full depth to be able to do so. You don't know that many? That's fine. Don't feel forced to list games for the sake of listing games.
b) A group of speedrunners and other retro gaming enthusiasts, myself included, did a project called NES Odyssey around this time last year, where as a community we beat 800 games in one week. Every single one that was released on that format. That's one console. Steam was estimated to have over 30,000 games available for sale on their platform several years ago. Grok estimates that there are over five million video games available - granted, the vast majority of them are going to be junk, but that is a large number.
c) This may feel like a new medium for many, but it really isn't. When the current VP was born, Pong was 12. It's been around relatively forever. You could curate a list that nobody would blink an eye at and not list a single game from this century - heck, at least 70% of my list is from the 20th century.

 

[shuke]

I'm in.

Are we going to put ET in the top 15 to compete with boxed mac and cheese pasta ranking and top cheese list?

Side question: Have any of you actually played ET? I'd wager I put over 30 hours into it before I could drive. Truly awful.

Of course. We kept playing trying to figure out if there was some secret thing we had to figure out. Nope, just a dumb game.

 

[Scoresman]

So all of the Mario Kart games should be listed individually and not as a franchise?

Yeah it's definitely going to be tough to draw a line. I agree that "Madden" really needs to be one entry, and I think I agree that the Mario Karts should be separate. But what about the Civilization games or Final Fantasy series? It gets tricky for sure.

This times 100 for me. I liked all the Final Fantasys I've played, but don't remember which was which.

Final fantasies have to be separate. They are all very different games.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

FTR I’m picking a particular year Madden. I chose Madden 10 because that’s the best version for my tastes - imo it has the best balance (you could actually play defense and player weight mattered)

There won’t be another Madden on my list.