The 50 greatest video games of ALL-TIME!!

Let me first tell you how this list was organized. Any long list of "greatest" is difficult to compose. It was hard just to decide where to begin selecting from, but think I have come to a conclusion that will satisy everyone from the casual gamer, to the extreme nerd. The top five selections are based soley on entertainment value, the games that absolutely couldn't be left alone untill they were finished. After pick 5 other considerations were made, especially games that I feel changed home video games forever. Games that either innovated a genre or represented a new plateau in graphics or sound.
I shouold point out a couple of personnel preferances that surely have affected this list, and could leave a good amount of the hard core gaming community with a sour taste in their mouths. Fist of all I have absolutely no interest in multi-player value, I don't think it is fair to make disparaging remarks about a games multi-player ability when it is clearly an engine built for story line play. I read far too many negative reviews about games because of multi-player stuff when many of these games are clearly not built with it in mind. There are plenty of good games out there made for 3-4 players, so if its that important to you go get one of those. Second: I am not a huge fan of racing games, I have played them and enjoyed them, but they have never been one of those that I couldn't wait to play. Third: I tend to forgive minor gliches if the game is fun enough. If I couldn't stop playing and I finished it, it's worthy of consideration regardless of load times ect. I have almost never played a game on multiple platforms. I am not one of these people who wishes to see what a good game looks like on different systems. I never do gaming on th pc so I can't compare there either. Fourth: Originality counts huge with me. I love to see a game that is different in some way, or lets you do things or play as characters you never have before. Thats how I think, but I still look forward to input so please feel free to gimmie some feedback. All that said, lets get to it!!

50) Duck Hunt: Amoung Nintendo's first endeavors. Duck Hunt to this day is still the only well functioning light-gun game.
49)Fight Night round 2: It was a long, long, long, long, long time before another good Boxing game came out for any system at any time, but EA finally delivered the knock out with fight night 2. Amazing boxing strategy, superb graphics and very cool cut and swelling stuff in the corner.
48)Shadowman: I know this one is going to be controversial and I have heard all the negative stuff about this game on some of it's platforms. I had Shadowman for the N-64 and I thought it was one of the most original, cool and good looking games of it's day. It was fun and original (Yes, I know it was comic book).
47)Banjo-Kazooie: Another N-64 hit. Banjo was visually stunning at the time, and it was fun. Immersing you in a fantastic cartoon world of wonder.
46)Maximo: I played this Capcom triumph for the PS2. At a time when the gaming community was obscessed with three dimensional graphics and pushing the limits of control Maximo provided us with a well needed old-fashioned action/adventure format that was obcessed with only one thing...Fun. Memorable amusement to this day.
45)The Lion King: A Disney hit that really flexed Sega's graphic musscles of the time. While everyone else was trying to be as realistic as possible, the Lion King showed us that bright, colorful, cartoon environments could be just as captivating as realism.
44)Call of Duty: I played this for the X-box, and I had been jonesing for a good war game, and something that wasn't totally obsessed with squad based combat, which was the trend of the time. Call of Duty provided the most entertaining action style war game I had ever plyed, but it also was the best and most realistsic triubte to WWII of all time. The first stage in Russia, under that hail of gun-fire was worth the purchase. The sights and sounds couldn't have been more realistic. I know there were glitches and more save points would have been nice, but I also know I obsessively played Call of Duty to completeion with a huge goofy smile.
43)Sewer Shark: "Holy cow, ther are real actors on my video game!" The sega CD implemented video for the first time and changed the face of games.
42) Spider-Man: Activision's Spider-Man the movie delivered the super-hero experiance we had all been yearning for. Super-strength, wall crawling, web swinning, and the whole she-bang. Sorry Web-heads every web slinger game since has had my spider sense telling me "look out, crap!"
41)Altered Beast: The reason we all had to have a Sega Genesis system, it was coolest thing we had seen.
40)Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb: I can feel the heat coming at me for this one, but I don't care. This is another game that over came it's problems with undeniable entertainment. This was the greatest Indiana Jones experiance, with brilliant cinematic sound effects and music Indiana Jones delivered adventure in a big way. The character animations were also astounding, Indy moved and fought in that exaggerated movie fashion that came as close to replicating a movie character as you can come.
39)Smurfs: For many of us this was this first home video game we ever saw, and boy did we think it was cool. The game that launched Colecovision, and for me started gaming for the very first time. Smurfs deserves it's due, my hats off to you Gargamel.
38)Laker versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs: I am not, and never have been a basketb all fan, but I sure enjoyed this EA title. Ican't tell you how many epic after school battles this game provided me and my friends. This is when sports games really took-off for the first time.
37)Ninja Gaiden: Tecmo released this instant classic for X-Box in 2004, and I have never been so pleasantly suprised at a game. Gaiden's nija experiance provides the coolest sword and num-chuck fighting of all time. Along with a teriffic story, and gorgeous environments Gaiden delivers a four ninja star performance.
36)Destroy all Humans: THQ published this game and there were many people who put it in the mediocre category. I played this title for X-Box and it was positively one of the most amusing games I have ever played. Great graphics, lots of good humor poking at that fifties world, and best of all a totally original idea for a game.
35)Strider: Strider was ahead of it's time for Nintendo, and this title along with a few others in quick succession solidified Capcom as the best game developer of the time, they aren't too shabby in modern times either.
34)Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Amoung the first X-Box titles, Buffy was the best fighting/action game I had played at the time. The hand to hand combat was relentlessly entertaining, acompanied with a very interactive and weapons rich environment Buffy is non stop fun. There's nothing like kicking a vampires tail, breaking a chair a part and staking the undead freaks.
33)Super-Mario Brothers: It's hard to pay tribute to a character who has now been presented at nausea, but he deserves his due. We all played it in the arcade and couldn't wait to have a crack at it on our first Nintendo.
32)NHL Breakaway 98: I played this title for the Nintendo 64 and it is still the most realistic Hockey game of all-time. There was no one clear-cut move that gauranteed to turn the red lamp on. Good passing, timing, and gritty board play had to be mastered for success in this title. Breakaway also had excellant franchise play with farm league players to be cared for and brought up to your parent club when ready or when injury occurred.
31) The Suffering: Midway's The Suffering may have gotten mediocre scores, but for me it was an experiance almost more than it was a game. Creepy and cinematic, with wonderful sights and sounds, Suffering set a mood that was remarkably engrossing. The cut scene where your character learns the truth of his ability, and is tormented by thought of having murdered his family was brilliant. I can still hear that creepy old projector running.
30) Medevil: This playStation title was another welcome change from run of the mill gaming. Fun action adventur, with a humerous tone and a terrific colorful world.
29) Virtual Fighter: "What's a polygon?" Virtual fighter on the Sega Saturn changed graphics forever, it was a major leap forward.
28) Max Payne: I played this title on the ps2 and what a welcome original game it is. Payne's comic book style story telling was a fitting homage to its creators. Payne's game play was totally revolutionary. Pain-killers, and bullet-time were both unique and satisfying. Game developers are still trying to top Payne's sniper rifle boards. This game also helped launch Rockstar games as a major player.
27) Splinter Cell Chaos Theory: The game that made snaeking around in scilence intensely fun. Each time a Splinter Cell game is released you can bet it's the best graphics you have ever seen. Amazing sights, combined with awsome voice work by good actors and in depth story telling only Tom Clancy can provide, make this series one of the best of all time.
26) Bram Stoker's Dracula: Sony Imagesoft presented this Sega CD title in 1994 and we saw live footage from a movie streamed into a pretty fun game. Dracula looked amazing for it's time, it was also a joy to play.
25) Ecco the Dolphin: Another Sega CD title released in 1993. Ecco looked absolutely amazing, with lush beauitful underwater environments and sounds. It was a very uniuqe type of character to play with, and it was.....a real splash.
24) Fairy Tale: EA's Fairy Tale for Sega Genesis was the first time I truly fell in love with a role playing game. It was also very long, which made you wonder about short games of the time.
23) Nights into Dreams: Realeased for the Sega Saturn in 1996, this game would change things forever. The first time we were introduced to the analog stick, how can we not pay homage to this title.
22) Castlevania: A true classic amoung classics! Battleing classic creatures like FranKenstein with your trusty whip, and other great weapons, Catlevania was amoung the first great games. This Nintendo game also was the first time a backround actually affected gameplay, having to duck under low hanging parts of caverns and such.
21) Contra: Who will ever forget the addictive action game that couldn't be conquered without 100 lives.
20) Panzer Dragon: Quite simply the most stunning graphics I had seen at the time, Panzer Dragon took my breath away and was the most fast paced and fun game of it's day.
19) Castle of Illusions starring Mickey Mouse: A capcom game, no great suprise, for the Sega Genesis. Castle of Illusions was stunning, with vivd colors and wonderful character movements. Mickey Mouse jumped, ducked, threw, ran, and laughed in teriffic cartoon fashion with wonderful control. This was the first time we saw characters perform short animations when left alone for a few moments.
18) Everything or Nothing: I played EA's James Bond title for the X-Box and I am still blown away by it. Redefining cinematic, 007 never looked so good. A perfect replica of Pierce Brosnan at your finger-tips with plenty of gadgets and awsome cars at your disposal. Complete with a mini adventure tutorial, and an opening Bond song, Everything or Nothing feels like your in a James Bond movie.....someone get me a martini, you know how I want it.
17) Operation Desert Strike: We all remember this series of games, with that mini helicoptor. Ridiculous fun blowing up enemy baes, and using the winch to rescue survivors, Desert Strike make flying games fun again.
16) Buck Rogers Countdown to Dooms day: Long before Knight of the old republic Buck Rogers delivered a dynamite futuristic role playing experiance on the Genesis. Light on graphics, but high on fun.
15) Grand Theft Auto: I actually didn't play this title until it appeared on the X-Box, but I sure did regret that. Beyond pushing the envelope to the limit and beyond, GTA delivered the most innovative driving experience of all time. Tons of vehicles that all performed differently, and had unique auto handling. This fast paced and exciting game did more than just shock, how many times did you get a kick out of the way your car dented in different ways?
14) Lunar the Silver Star Story: This Sega Saturn game is still the best role playing game I have ever played. With it's cool Japaneese animations, and long rewarding story, Lunar was as exciting as it was beauitful.
13) Metroid: I think everyone remembers Metroid. Unique, bold and mysterious. You didn't know who, or what you were, but you knew you liked it.
12) The Immortal: EA's The Immortal for Sega Genesis, was one of those games that chaged gaming. The first true attempt at graphic action of its time, Immortal tried to be greusome and succeeded. A wizard popping enemy head with his magic staff, and battling through wonderfully dank and dreary caverns.
11) Mike Tyson's Puch-out: That semi-first person boxing game, that took gamers by storm. To this day people talk about how to stop Soda Popinski, or Glass Joe and that ever annoying Piston Honda.
10) ESPN 2K5: The single greatest and most realistic football game that has ever been made!! I have played all of the Maddens and none of them even come close to the realism and graphics of 2K5. Madden's non stop big plays, and sacks may be fun for some, but its nothing like NFL football.
9) Metal Gear Solid: What can I say accept wow! Metal Gear Solid was the first time espianoge met action and it worked. The best game of it's time, and the first old-game remake that didn't disappoint.
8) The Legend of Zelda The Ocrina of Time: An N-64 masterpiece. The perfect revisiting of one of our favorite game characters. Little Zelda has come a long way, and he still knows how to entertain us.
7) The Prince of Persia The Warrior Within: I didn't think they could top the sand of time but they did. Warrior Within for X-Box is one of the most non-stop entertaining games of all time. Combining mutiple elements like action, puzzles, acrobats, and fighting into one terific package. The fighting mechanism is amazing and the most controlable I have ever played. Learning how to fight multiple enemies at once, and know what your doing! Not just button mashin, but great fighting tactics. Two swords at once, throwing weapons, kicking, swining around poles, throwing foes, and leaping behind them for tactical advantage.
6) Ghosts N' Goblins: Capcom classic hero fight has yet to be duplicated, although Maximo hints at it. Positively the most fun game of it's time.
5) PSI OPS The Mindgate Conspiracy: Suprisingly this wasn't a popular title, but I found it to be amoung the best gaming experiances of my life. Using your psychic abilities to throw enemys and gas tanks, performing a brain drain, or just plain setting someone on fire, PSI ops is one of those games you wish was infinately longer when you finish it and it's not short.
4) Resident Evil: The first time you ever heard someone say "survial horror" This tense nail biting classic from Capcom had companies trying to copy it for years now, but no onw can replicate it. The super creepy zombies, the above average puzzles, and the intense action made this one of the greatest games of all time.
3) GoldenEye: This 1997 N-64 exclusive brought a whole generation back to games. The most effective translation from film to game to this day, GoldenEye followed the story and added to it with the precision of a brain surgeon. Mind blowing graphics, and that great 007 music set the tone for the single most addictive gaming experience in history.
2) Halo: The reason we bought an X-Box, and it was well worth it. First person shooter re-defined with brave, creative worlds and creatures, Halo is truly a king amoung games. Very cinematic, with that great Halo music cranking up just as your about to finish a level and strike down the Covenant.
1) Doom 3: This recent game absolutly gripped me. More than a game, Doom is fun to watch someone else play. Setting an absurdly creepy and spooky environment, Doom's dark but gorgeous environment will have you sleeping with a night light on. I have never before played a video game that did such an amazing job of setting the mood, tha I actually felt tense guiding my character down scary corridors with flickering lights, and ominous sounds when you turned the next corner you had a death grip on that paddle. Staying true to it's lineage Doom 3 is just modern enough while still delivering what fans of series desire. From cahin-saws to shot-guns the game gets better and better with each step. Doom 3 is brought to 2005 with absolute brilliance, and care. The people at iD struck gold with Doom 3 making it the greatest video game of all time. The sights and sounds of Doom 3 can't be done justice in description, if you haven't played it, do so.