Game Informer's Top 200 Games of all time

Thoughts on the list?

1. The Legend of Zelda (NES, 1987)
2. Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1985)
3. Tetris (PC, 1984)
4. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2, 2001)
5. Half-Life 2 (PC, 2004)
6. Doom (PC, 1993)
7. Metroid (NES, 1986)
8. Final Fantasy III (SNES, 1994)
9. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1990)
10. Ms. Pac-Man (Coin-op, 1981)
11. World of Warcraft (PC, 2004)
12. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1992)
13. Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996)
14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3/360/PC, 2007)
15. Final Fantasy VII (PS, 1997)
16. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (NES, 1987)
17. Chrono Trigger (SNES, 1995)
18. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2005)
19. Metal Gear Solid (PS, 1998)
20. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998)
21. Super Metroid (SNES, 1994)
22. Contra (NES, 1988)
23. Galaga (Coin-op, 1981)
24. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS, 1997)
25. Street Fighter II (Coin-op, 1991)
26. God of War (PS2, 2005)
27. BioShock (360/PC, 2007)
28. Diablo II (PC, 2000)
29. Half-Life (PC, 1998)
30. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (360/PC, 2006)
31. Tecmo Super Bowl (NES, 1991)
32. GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997)
33. Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)
34. Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA Genesis, 1991)
35. Starcraft (PC, 1998)
36. Civilization (PC, 1991)
37. SimCity (PC, 1989)
38. Mega Man 2 (NES, 1988)
39. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, 2001)
40. Gran Turismo (PS, 1998)
41. Resident Evil 2 (PS, 1998)
42. Pokemon Red and Blue (GB, 1996)
43. Final Fantasy X (PS2, 2001)
44. EverQuest (PC, 1999)
45. Final Fantasy Tactics (PS, 1998)
46. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3/360, 2008)
47. Super Mario World (SNES, 1991)
48. Deus Ex (PC, 2000)
49. Guitar Hero (PS2, 2005)
50. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2, 2001)
51. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, 2007)
52. Pac-Man (Coin-op, 1980)
53. Battlefield 2 (PC, 2005)
54. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox, 2003)
55. Ico (PS2, 2001)
56. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3, 2009)
57. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (PS, 2000)
58. Mass Effect (360, 2007)
59. Adventure (2600, 1980)
60. Arkanoid (Coin-op, 1986)
61. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GB, 1993)
62. Star Wars: X-Wing (PC, 1993)
63. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64, 2000)
64. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, 2004)
65. Fallout 3 (PS3/360/PC, 2008)
66. Zork (PC, 1980)
67. Soul Calibur (DC, 1999)
68. Double Dragon (Coin-op, 1987)
69. Dr. Mario (NES, 1990)
70. The Sims (PC, 2000)
71. Age of Empires (PC, 1997)
72. Mortal Kombat II (Coin-op, 1993)
73. Rock Band 2 (PS3/360, 2008)
74. Tomb Raider (PS, 1996)
75. Super Bomberman (SNES, 1993)
76. Mario’s Picross (GB, 1995)
77. Ninja Gaiden (NES, 1989)
78. Command & Conquer (PC, 1995)
79. Kingdom Hearts (PS2, 2002)
80. Final Fantasy II (SNES, 1991)
81. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES, 1988)
82. Left 4 Dead (PC, 2008)
83. Okami (PS2, 2006)
84. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, 2005)
85. Metroid Prime (GameCube, 2002)
86. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube, 2001)
87. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC, 1995)
88. Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC, 2000)
89. God of War II (PS2, 2007)
90. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, 2006)
91. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2, 2004)
92. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC, 2002)
93. Skies of Arcadia (DC, 2000)
94. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GameCube, 2003)
95. Silent Hill 2 (PS2, 2001)
96. Counter-Strike (PC, 1999)
97. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Genesis, 1992)
98. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS3/360, 2009)
99. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2/Xbox/GameCube/PC, 2003)
100. Portal (PC/360, 2007)
101. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC, 2002)
102. Heroes of Might & Magic III (PC, 1999)
103. Donkey Kong (Coin-op, 1981)
104. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3/360, 2009)
105. System Shock 2 (PC, 1999)
106. Resident Evil (PS, 1996)
107. Gears of War (360, 2006)
108. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3, 2008)
109. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PS, 1998)
110. Halo 2 (Xbox, 2004)
111. Tetris Attack (SNES, 1996)
112. Final Fantasy XII (PS2, 2006)
113. Earthbound (SNES, 1995)
114. Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri (PC, 1998)
115. Command & Conquer: Red alert (PC, 1996)
116. Advance Wars (GBA, 2001)
117. Fallout (PC, 1997)
118. Team Fortress 2 (PS3/360/PC, 2007)
119. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox, 2005)
120. Mega Man X (SNES, 1994)
121. Lemmings (PC, 1991)
122. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn, 1998)
123. NHL ‘94 (SEGA Genesis/SNES, 1993)
124. Warlords (Coin-op, 1980)
125. Shadowrun (SNES, 1993)
126. Twisted Metal 2 (PS, 1996)
127. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (PS, 1997)
128. Metroid Fusion (GBA, 2002)
129. Homeworld (PC, 1999)
130. Kingdom Hearts II (PS2, 2006)
131. Pilotwings (SNES, 1991)
132. Quake II (PC, 1997)
133. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC, 1997)
134. Borderlands (PS3/360/PC, 2009)
135. Final Fight (Coin-op, 1989)
136. Star Fox (SNES, 1993)
137. Madden NFL ‘99 (PS/N64/PC, 1999)
138. Call of Duty 2 (360/PC, 2005)
139. Wolfenstein 3D (PC, 1992)
140. Diablo (PC, 1996)
141. Civilization IV (PC, 2005)
142. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (PC, 1993)
143. Assassin’s Creed (PS3/360, 2007)
144. Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2/Xbox, 2004)
145. Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC, 2004)
146. Power Stone 2 (DC, 2000)
147. Super Castlevania IV (SNES, 1991)
148. Super Mario RPG (SNES, 1996)
149. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC, 2002)
150. ActRaiser (SNES, 1991)
151. Fable (Xbox, 2004)
152. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (PS2, 2003)
153. Asteroids (Coin-op, 1979)
154. LittleBigPlanet (PS3, 2008)
155. Crackdown (360, 2007)
156. Gauntlet (Coin-op, 1985)
157. Devil May Cry (PS2, 2001)
158. Pong (Coin-op, 1972)
159. Battlefield 1942 (PC, 2002)
160. Thief (PC, 1998)
161. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (360, 2005)
162. Far Cry (PC, 2004)
163. Robotron: 2084 (Coin-op, 1982)
164. X-COM: UFO Defense (PC, 1993)
165. Peggle (PC, 2007)
166. King’s Quest VI (PC, 1992)
167. Doom II (PC, 1994)
168. Tempest 2000 (Jaguar, 1994)
169. Braid (360, 2008)
170. Ridge Racer (PS, 1995)
171. Bully (PS2, 2006)
172. Ikaruga (GameCube, 2006)
173. Lode Runner (Apple II, 1983)
174. Gunstar Heroes (SEGA Genesis, 1993)
175. Dig Dug (Coin-op, 1982)
176. Castlevania (NES, 1988)
177. Tekken 3 (Coin-op, 1997)
178. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS, 2005)
179. NBA Jam: Tournament Edition (Coin-op, 1993)
180. Max Payne (PC, 2001)
181. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3/360/PC, 2009)
182. Samurai Shodown (Neo Geo, 1993)
183. NFL 2K5 (PS2/Xbox, 2004)
184. Vagrant Story (PS, 2000)
185. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (SNES, 1995)
186. Marble Madness (Coin-op, 1984)
187. Infamous (PS3, 2009)
188. Planescape: Torment (PC, 1999)
189. Kid Icarus (NES, 1986)
190. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Xbox, 2004)
191. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2, 2004)
192. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (GameCube, 2002)
193. Jak 3 (PS2, 2004)
194. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (DC, 2002)
195. Ultima (PC, 1981)
196. Call of Duty (PC, 2003)
197. NHL 09 (PS3/360, 2008)
198. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox, 2004)
199. Tactics Ogre (PS, 1997)
200. Beyond Good and Evil (PS2/Xbox/GameCube, 2003)

Heroes of Might & Magic III got shafted by about 101 spots, but even experts make mistakes.

158. Pong (Coin-op, 1972)

facepalm

They even left out a lot of great titles like Battle City(Tank), Ice Climbers, Battletoads, Streets of Rage, Vagrant Story, Heretic, Syphon Filter, Perfect Dark...

104. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3/360, 2009)

Seriously... 🤨
In all honesty, the games rated lower are better than this game.
*ahem* Earthbound, Oddworld... *cough*

171. Bully (PS2, 2006)

Again, facepalm

While the game is indeed entertaining, the game's replay value is mediocre at best.

143. Assassin's Creed (PS3/360, 2007)

facepalmfacepalm

How in the blue hell could a game so repetitious, that it exemplifies that very definition, even be included in the Top 200?

i have this magazine. (my friend has it actually, let him borrow it and i keep forgeting to get it back so thanks for the reminder) but this one's special and it'll stay with me nicely stashed along with about 20 other video game mags that i've kept since i started playing video games eons back.

The original zelda at number 1? No.... just no.

This list lost all credibility after reading the number one spot, the Legend of Zelda on the NES defnitley started one of the best franchizes, but it was not a very good game in itself.

Questionable choices

Originally posted by Quincy
Questionable choices

A bit slow, that list was from almost two months ago now.

Anyway, I've already debated it to death at work. I don't agree with a lot of it.

What is the list based on? How do they decide what deserves first place and more?

i thought i'd be Super Mario Brothers for the NES as the #1 game. What is it with mario getting the shaft as of late. He's like the superman of video games. he reigns supreme but nobody will outright acknowledge it. i don't remember seeing a list with mario at number 1 in ever.

I have no problem seeing Zelda on the top. Mario is a classic, but so is Zelda. Both are good games, and Marie and Link both are legendary characters.

Of course, I would still want to know how they construct this list. What they base it on. It is hard to say "This game should be at the top and not that one" when we do not know how it was decided.

It's not a bad list to be quite honest. But because I crashes with my own list of top games....I can't really comment.

Top Games Missing from the list?

Golden Sun (gba) - one of the top GBA titles released.

Streets of Rage (megadrive)- for obvious reasons, one of them being the greatest midi 16bit OST in existance.

Donkey Kong Country (snes) facepalm

Grandia (saturn)

Nights Into Dreams (saturn) ffs, who made this list?

SFIV - one of the best revamps of an established ip in gaming history.

Commandos 2, defo an unsung hero in strategy games. And how did Halo 2 make it aswell as Halo? And Gears 2 didnt manage to make it?

Retarded list is retarded.

Originally posted by Quincy
Questionable choices

The list is a bit stupid really, it seems to think that the original games are the best.

Mario 3, World, Galaxy, 64 are all better than the 1st.
Most Zelda games are better than the original.

The same goes for a lot of the list.

I stopped reading after Grand Theft Auto III since I knew the list would only go downhill and continue becoming more inaccurate from that point on.

Originally posted by §P0oONY
The list is a bit stupid really, it seems to think that the original games are the best.

Mario 3, World, Galaxy, 64 are all better than the 1st.
Most Zelda games are better than the original.

The same goes for a lot of the list.

The list is also based off of what those games did for gaming today, thats why all the originals are ahead.

There needs to be a cut off point, at some point (time wise). The title isnt 'Gamings top 200 most INFLUENTIAL games' It's 'Greatest 200'

doom 94' > MW1? GTFO. PC elitist scum might drink Dooms Nutjuice because it was "teh first of it's kind", but that shit doesn't wash with me. It's a recent list, and it should be a relevent one. Im 27 and my first console was a Megadrive, so Pac-man means didly squat to me, gaming royalty it may be, playing it today is meh, wheres my PS3 controller and mw2 kthx.

Ive owned alot of consoles and was quite a heavy importer for many years , especially the Sega years. SNES MDrive/MCD/32X/Saturn/PS1/PS2/GCUBE/PC/ALL Nintendo handhelds/PS3/360 /Wii. I consider my self a today gamer, and an average voice of people of the 16bit generation. And i can say with the upmost confidence that beyond all retarded arguments, Conkers Bad Fur day is better than F***ing Tecmo Super Bowl (lol at it even being in the top 50 and nights into dreams not even making the cut) lol i say!

Id like to see the list compiled asking people under 30 , specifically under 30's because the gaming boom started at the 16bit era, snes and megadrive led the way to the 5year technological generation gap and the release system employes today.

And that Ikaruga should say (Dreamcast) and Super mario Brothers 2 was a travesty and has no right to exist.

Great(est) is a matter of definition. It's next to impossible to say "They are wrong" without knowing on what they based the list.