The 25 Greatest Video Games of All-Time

(This is a highly personal list. Influence and popularity were not absolute criteria for making the grade. Replay value and memorable gameplay experience were the most crucial factors.)

1. Super Mario 64 (N64)
2. Super Metroid (SNES)
3. Goldeneye (N64)
4. Metroid (NES)
5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
6. Ninja Gaiden (NES)
7. Super Mario Brothers 3 (NES)
8. Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2)
9. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
10. Super Mario Kart (SNES)
11. Snoopy vs. the Red Baron (PS2)
12. Dig Dug (arcade)
13. Kid Icarus (NES)
14. Metroid Prime (Gamecube)
15. Excitebike (NES)
16. Mega Man (NES)
17. Breakout (Atari 2600)
18. Wii Sports (Wii)
19. Super Mario Brothers (NES)
20. Vanguard (Atari 2600)
21. Defender (Atari 2600)
22. Duck Hunt (NES)
23. Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)
24. Space Jockey (Atari 2600)
25. NHL '94 (SNES)

By system:

Nintendo Entertainment System: 9
Atari 2600: 4 (the Atari 2600 was the center of my relationship with my older brother. This is why you have no idea what the hell Space Jockey was/is, but it made it onto my list.)
Nintendo 64: 3
Super Nintendo Entertainment System: 3
Playstation 2: 2
Nintendo Gamecube: 1
Sega Dreamcast: 1
Nintendo Wii: 1
arcade: 1

Yeah, basically it's Shigeru Miyamoto's world; we just press reset on it.

By franchise--

Mario: 4 (will be 5, once I have Super Mario Galaxy)
Metroid: 3
Zelda: 2

Smash Brothers could have been the fifth Mario; that was a tough one to omit. But I have no qualms over leaving off Majoras Mask or Link to the Past, Zelda fans. The latter is a great game, but I'm not sitting in front of my Nintendo Wii, wishing there was just some way I could get my grubby hands on that cartridge all over again and play it until the cows go back to the Lon Lon Ranch. (Ocarina of Time, on the other hand, has reaffirmed its grip on my "quality time", a grasp I relinquished some years ago after deciding I'd sooner successfully mate chickens with salamanders than conquer that goddamned water dungeon.) Majoras Mask is a fantastic concept, very intense and maddening in the time and effort it requires of the gamer. "Maddening" being a frequently delightful word in the world of video games, actually. If the graphics and gameplay combine to create an undeniably addicting experience, no quest is too difficult, no enemy too persistent, no dungeon too reliant on boots. This is why Ocarina wins in the Zelda universe. I would rather spend countless hours exploring the vast expanse of Hyrule than spend determinate hours wandering around North By Northwest Stopwatch Town, or whatever the hell, gathering up enough rubees so's to buy some aspirin at Ye Olde Rite Aid to cure this pounding headache.

Wait, aspirin? Uh oh...that's not a mask! That's an allergic reaction!


Nintendo Legend of Zelda Super Mario Brothers Atari 2600 Playstation