Poll: What is the best video game of all time? (read the post)

[zombflux]

I hated all of the games in the poll, with the exception of Tetris- which doesn't really even fit here.

You do know that Tetris is the third best selling franchise of all time, right?

Yeah. But I don't really think of it as a video game. I realize it is, but still...

 

[AcacianLeaves]

So...no one read my post or even glanced at the source material link I provided then, huh?

Guess I should have assumed that would happen, although I kind of did.

Look, for those too lazy to click on a single link and would rather type and entire diatribe against me, allow me to explain.

The link is a collection of "Top 10" lists from the gaming industry from across the globe, derived from various sites, magazines, articles, etc.

At the bottom of this huge database of "top 10" lists, is a summary and estimation of what the world's collected opinions are of what the 'best game ever' is.

It comes in two forms - a direct count of who has the most spots on the various top 10 lists, which goes like this:

1 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (28 out of 38 lists)
2 Super Mario 64 (25 out of 38)
3 Tetris (appears on 22 out of 38)
4 Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (20 out of 38)
5 Street Fighter II (16 out of 38)
5 Goldeneye 007 (16 out of 38)
6 Super Metroid (15 out of 38)
7 Final Fantasy VII (12 out of 38)
8 Final Fantasy III / VI (11 out of 38)
9 Super Mario Bros. (10 out of 38)
10 Metal Gear: Solid (9 out of 38)

Then someone calculated a weighted total, giving 10 points to games that get a #1 spot, 9 for #2, etc. This is what I based my choices on:

1 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (163)
2 Tetris (136)
3 Super Mario 64 (133)
4 Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (98)
5 Super Metroid (71)
6 Super Mario Bros. (70)
7 Goldeneye 007 (61)
8 Final Fantasy VII (59)
9 Resident Evil 4 (49)
10 DOOM (45)

I took this list of 10 and made a 'one entry per franchise' rule, which eliminated Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

So in other words this is not my personal top 10 list, this is a collected top 10 list based on top 10 lists across the industry, so stop bitching about it to me okay?

Not that anyone is going to read this, either, so I guess I'm just wasting my time.

 

[AcacianLeaves]

Yeah, that's right: no 'Other' option. I know its a sin and somewhat distorts the results of the poll, but I did my best to research games that are widely considered to be contenders for the 'best ever' title in gaming. I basically used the source I listed below, enacted a 'one entry per franchise rule', and these are my results.

So vote based on the options available, even if your personal favorite isn't here, what do you consider the best game of all time?

If your answer is 'none of the above', then vote for the game you think best deserves the title - or don't vote and complain about it.

(Source of my Research: http://www.filibustercartoons.com/games.htm )

No RTS? -BEEP- you man. -BEEP- you.

OT: Tetris. I only played like 1 of them. Tetris!

P.S Whats your avatar from?

It's a Troll from the MMO Dark Age of Camelot.

Also, stop censoring yourself and tell me how you really feel

I find it odd that you quoted my post but apparently didn't read it

 

[Abedeus]

None of the above.

 

[traceur_]

Final Fantasy 7. But I would have thought FF10 is more widely regarded as the best one.

 

[AcacianLeaves]

A poll with this question will never, ever work because you can't put everyones opinion into 6 games

I acknowledge this, this is more satisfying my own curiosity to see what the Escapists think about the industry standard 'top 10'. I kind of like the response I'm getting, it shows how much tastes can differ. But even the author of the source material acknowledges that there is no 'standard top 10' anything, this is just an interesting representation of what the world feels as a whole.

 

[AcacianLeaves]

Final Fantasy 7. But I would have thought FF10 is more widely regarded as the best one.

Ew. ew ew ew ew ew ew ew EW. Fortunately no, the only list with FFX at the top spot was a 2006 Famitsu Reader's Poll from Japan. That is an interesting list, the entire top 10 is made up of mostly of various Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior games.

 

[IxionIndustries]

None of these in my opinion.. And if your going to go with a retro selection, at least put Starcraft or Warcraft up there. Those pratically defined the RTS genre.

Also, am I the only one who is tempted to pull out a Kanye West here?

 

[AcacianLeaves]

None of these in my opinion.. And if your going to go with a retro selection, at least put Starcraft or Warcraft up there. Those pratically defined the RTS genre.

Thank you for not reading the post before responding. I thank ALL of you.

 

[traceur_]

Final Fantasy 7. But I would have thought FF10 is more widely regarded as the best one.

Ew. ew ew ew ew ew ew ew EW. Fortunately no, the only list with FFX at the top spot was a 2006 Famitsu Reader's Poll from Japan. That is an interesting list, the entire top 10 is made up of mostly of various Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior games.

Not just the Famitsu thing, but it comes up more often than FF7 in the "favourite game" threads around here.

 

[AcacianLeaves]

I see no Deus Ex, Half Life, Rome Total War, therefore it is an invalid poll for me

haha nintendo fanboy much?

how bout taking off the overrated crap and put some real games on there.

system shock 2.

/thread
/stupidity

Psychonauts, in my opinion, is a much better game than all the ones in that poll.

Well, none of those, where is Shadow of the Colossus?

Without an option for "other" this is nothing more than you justifying you calling some game the "Greatest of all time."

The hobbit, and there doesn't seem to be an option for that

also no next gen titles?

Final Fantasy VII for me. But this poll and thread is arbitrary.

No Deus Ex? No Toejam & Earl? No Fallout? No Perfect Dark? No StarCraft? No Monkey Island? No Portal? No Dungeon Keeper? No Thief? No Grand Theft Auto III? No Half-Life? No Faxanadu?

Abstain.

That is a lousy list.

I dont see Legend of the dragoon, also you should have picked a certain genre of game

Doom? Mario 64? TETRIS? And where's Planescape Torment?

Please actually read my post, maybe even visit the link I provided, and then reconsider voting. I'm not necessarily looking for the best game of all time, we all have our own opinions. I'm just looking for what we as a community think of the industry standard 'best game ever'. This isn't a list necessarily created by gamers, it's created by vocal members of the industry and various 'call in' type polls.

Here's a quote from the site I linked to that none of you bothered looking at:

"These lists inevitably represent a whole host of different agendas, outlooks, and opinions on what constitutes a "great" video game. Some placed a great emphasis on recognizing games that were historically "relevant" or "innovative" while others simply celebrated games that were fun to play.

The fact that PC games have such a high total overall is largely an indication that there is not much consensus over which PC games are best. Despite their groundbreaking work in many genres, in the end it seems that PC games have been unable to really capture the public's imagination in the same way console games have.

If we are to name a "golden era" of gaming, it appears to be the mid-to-late 90's. The early arcade / PC era of the 80's has apparently been largely forgotten, and few post-1999 games appear to have left much of an impact. Nintendo Power's 1997 list, though now almost ten years old, thus stands up well today, as the classics it recognized still remain amongst the most contemporarily popular."

 

[aRatFlail]

Ugh...I hate to vote at all because Final Fantasy 6 isn't on there but 7 is, but I voted for 7 anyhow. As for Ocarina...whatever. I played too much of Link's gangrenous ass in my years. But yeah...best game ever doesn't work well. You'd probably get less flaming by just asking "What are your top 5 favorite games of all time?" and nix the poll.

 

[Scikosomatic]

So vote based on the options available, even if your personal favorite isn't here, what do you consider the best game of all time?

Your logic is completely....American? And by that I mean irrational lol. How, pray you, can someone vote for something as the best of all time, if they don't believe one of the choices IS the best game of all time? It makes no sense. Just like an American, you completely rely on a "respectable" survey, and try to force its results down other peoples throats. Which is why I choose to abstain from voting in this poll, and instead have created my own poll. Enjoy!

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.160374

 

[Jedamethis]

*sniff*
The only one I've played out of those is Tetris.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Forget this crap. No Chrono Trigger? No Final Fantasy Tactics? No freaking FINAL FANTASY 6?!?

My opinion of the industry top ten? Their list is garbage. Goldeneye has aged horribly. Comparing a bunch of old games to RE4 seems unfair. In fact, the idea that RE4 is even on this list seems absurd, considering the only thing that game does well is the gameplay. The story is a joke. Super Mario 64 and OoT are alright, I guess. But both of them are outclassed by other games (Link to the Past and Banjo Kazooie). DOOM is a legit classic, I suppose. Tetris is a game you can't win (as I understand it, the game continues forever 'till you lose or give up), more along the lines of an addiction than a game.

If I were going to vote, I'd vote Ocarina of Time. But now I feel angry, because I voted a Zelda title for best game ever when I know there are BETTER Zelda titles not on the list. So this sucks.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

My personal is Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (I love you, Infinity Ward).
From here, Goldeneye.

 

[Kron_the_mad wants to be deleted]

i haven't gotten around to making it yet

 

[Blazing Steel]

So, the entire point of it is to find out which is the best game of all time, defined by a collection of other people's ideas. Each list was created by someone else and then each list was shoved together to show what 30 games reviewers liked. You want us to pick our favourite game out of a list defined by game reviewes when 95% wont agree with them. Kinda pointless.

OT: Non of the above - Fallout 3 despite bugs and glitches

 

[AcacianLeaves]

Ugh...I hate to vote at all because Final Fantasy 6 isn't on there but 7 is, but I voted for 7 anyhow. As for Ocarina...whatever. I played too much of Link's gangrenous ass in my years. But yeah...best game ever doesn't work well. You'd probably get less flaming by just asking "What are your top 5 favorite games of all time?" and nix the poll.

I agree, FF6 is superior to FF7 in my opinion. If I made a poll asking "your top 5 best games" it would be very redundant, as there are dozens of threads like that already around the Escapist. I'm attempted to determine what the Escapist Army thinks about the typical 'industry top 10'.

*sniff*
The only one I've played out of those is Tetris.

As most of the list were made by industry veterans and various gaming magazines, its going to be biased against younger gamers that weren't around for many of the games listed.

Forget this crap. No Chrono Trigger? No Final Fantasy Tactics? No freaking FINAL FANTASY 6?!?

My opinion of the industry top ten? Their list is garbage. Goldeneye has aged horribly. Comparing a bunch of old games to RE4 seems unfair. In fact, the idea that RE4 is even on this list seems absurd, considering the only thing that game does well is the gameplay. The story is a joke. Super Mario 64 and OoT are alright, I guess. But both of them are outclassed by other games (Link to the Past and Banjo Kazooie). DOOM is a legit classic, I suppose. Tetris is a game you can't win (as I understand it, the game continues forever 'till you lose or give up), more along the lines of an addiction than a game.

If I were going to vote, I'd vote Ocarina of Time. But now I feel angry, because I voted a Zelda title for best game ever when I know there are BETTER Zelda titles not on the list. So this sucks.

This isn't necessarily trying to eke out which game is a legit 'best ever', as that title will never be consistent across all gamers. I did find it interesting that the only 'next gen' type game to really make the list was RE4. I also agree with you that I think Link to the Past is a better game than Ocarina, but I think that's mostly because I did not own a Nintendo 64 when it was current and only was able to play those games in retrospect - so the idea of a 3D mario and a 3D Zelda weren't revolutionary to me at the time that I played the games.

 

[asinann]

I read your original post, most of the games that made that list don't deserve to be there over many other games. Most of the greatest games of all time didn't make top 10 lists because reviewers weren't paid to put them there. Most of the current "top 200" is just more of the same "these games are great because we were paid to say so" garbage. Hell, games that had been out for less than a WEEK made the list, you can't be among the greatest of all times after a week.