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101) God of War

Year of Release: 2005
Developed By: SCE Santa Monica Studio
Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: Sony Playstation 2

"Perhaps the pinnacle of modern hack-n-slash games, God of War introduced us to Kratos, a vengeful warrior who slices and dices his way through droves of enemies and Greek gods alike. While pulled from the pages of mythology, God of War's story was interesting and exciting. So was the game's combat Even quick-time-events-a gameplay mechanic usually scorned by players and critics-were enjoyable, and typically involved slicing various pieces off gigantic creatures of legend." - Popular Mechanics, 2014

102) God of War

Year of Release: 2018
Developed By: SIE Santa Monica Studio
Published By: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: Sony Playstation 4

"I didn't expect it to be a thrilling journey in which every aspect of it complements the others to form what is nothing short of a masterpiece. It's a game in which Kratos, a previously one-note character, becomes a complex father, warrior, and monster, embattled both on the field and within his own heart about how to treat his son; one in which the world opens up and shifts, offering rewards in both gameplay and knowledge of its lore that I treasured with each accomplishment. The obvious care that went into crafting its world, characters, and gameplay delivers by far the most stirring and memorable game in the series." - IGN, 2018

103) Rocket League

Year of Release: 2015
Developed By: Psyonix
Published By: Psyonix
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC, Sony Playstation 4

"Rocket League has all the hallmarks of a great pop song. It's simple, easy to understand and it gets stuck in your brain like a fishing hook can get stuck on your thumb. It goes in easy, but is nearly impossible to remove. It's easy to see why the game's popularity has spread like wildfire despite little to no pre-release buzz. It's easy to pick up, nearly impossible to put down, and tuned to perfection." - Polygon, 2015

104) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Year of Release: 2000
Developed By: Neversoft
Published By: Activision
Platforms: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Game Boy Color, PC, Sony Playstation

"When Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 came out, I felt like gaming had peaked. In my mind it was close to being the perfect video game, and the reason was simple - the manual. With that deft design decision, levels were no longer a series of single trick opportunities, but one connected canvas with any number of creative trick lines to discover.
This was a game that gave you the freedom to express your individuality - just like real life skating - and that's why it had such a huge impact." - IGN, 2015

105) Mario Kart 64

Year of Release: 1996
Developed By: Nintendo EAD
Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo 64

"It might not be as fast as the F-Zero series, but the Mario Kart series managed to introduce non-gamers everywhere to the joys of multiplayer racing. Mario Kart 64 was the follow-up to the original SNES title, completely outdoing it thanks to the ability to play with four players at once.

Mario Kart 64 also featured some of the best designed tracks in the franchise, such as Bowser's Castle and Wario Stadium. Though certain gamers may disagree with the series' rubber banding mechanic, in which players behind the lead are given more powerful weapons, it was through this design choice that the franchise gained such a wide appeal." - WhatCulture, 2014

106) SimCity

Year of Release: 1989
Developed By: Maxis
Published By: Maxis
Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, PC, Super Nintendo (SNES)

"SimCity was one of the first games where a few very simple subsystems (crime, property value, traffic, etc.) combined to make an interesting and challenging experience. Even playing on a black-and-white Mac with a tiny screen, I felt that there truly was a whole city inside my machine--one which relied on my judgment to succeed. I could fit all of the gameplay concepts in my head at once, which encouraged me to experiment frequently to discover how to create the best Sorenopolis." - Soren Johnson, lead designer of Civilisation IV

107) Secret of Mana

Year of Release: 1993
Developed By: Square
Published By: Square
Platform: Super Nintendo (SNES)

"The fact that Secret of Mana hasn't been more widely imitated -- not even by its sequels, which struck off in their own interesting yet different directions -- perhaps undermines the potential importance of the game. Yet even now, nearly two decades later, we can hold it aloft as a paragon of cooperative play design: A cult classic that provided a model for social play design that even the designers of cutting-edge modern software would do well to turn to for inspiration. Secret of Mana may not have been perfect... but then, visions of the future rarely are." - 1up, 2012

108) Planescape: Torment

Year of Release: 1999
Developed By: Black Isle Studios
Published By: Interplay
Platform: PC

"The game that breaks all the rules. Far too wordy, far too grim, far too peculiar, steeped in cynicism about humanity and absolutely determined to give you a hard time at all stages. That's exactly why Black Isle's dark opus works so well. The game of heartbreak, the game of mortality, the game of treachery, the game of philosophy, the game of life. The mentality of the most determined, individualistic fan art game, somehow given a budget and dozens of hours of playtime. The impossible game, the greatest cRPG ever made." - Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 2011

109) Gears of War

Year of Release: 2006
Developed By: Epic Games
Published By: Microsoft Game Studios
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC

"Gears of War implemented a wide array of systems into the game that elevated it above the average shooter. Concepts like active reload presented the player with a risk/reward scenario that added depth of an otherwise shallow mechanic. Couple this with the near-death state where the player could still crawl around the battlefield momentarily in search for aid, and it's obvious why so many critics and fans flocked to the game." - 1up, 2012

110) Horizon: Zero Dawn

Year of Release: 2017
Developed By: Guerrilla Games
Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: Sony Playstation 4

"Horizon Zero Dawn pretty much has it all: a strong protagonist in the no-nonsense hunter Aloy, fast-paced, engaging combat, and a beautiful, lived-in world to explore. Not to mention the variety of stunning, yet dangerous mechanized creatures that roam the landscape. The first time you encounter and take down a Sawtooth, you'll know what makes this game special." - EGM, 2017

111) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Year of Release: 2001
Developed By: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Published By: Konami
Platform: Sony Playstation 2

"The massively-hyped Metal Gear Solid 2 doubled down on everything that made the series' first installment an instant classic: laser-precise gameplay, top-shelf work from a stellar voiceover ensemble, and a mind-bending storyline. Purists decried the dearth of playtime (speedrunners can technically complete the game in under two hours) but those criticisms largely missed the point. With MGS2, director Hideo Kojima executed a dexterous fusion of cinema and gaming that encapsulated our post-9/11 paranoia of surveillance and censorship. And the oft-criticized bait-and-switch of the lead characters served Kojima's wildly subversive purpose: a massive social experiment that toyed with the audience's expectations of what a sequel-and indeed, a game-should be." - Paste, 2009

112) Sid Meier's Civilization IV

Year of Release: 2005
Developed By: Firaxis Games
Published By: 2K Games
Platform: PC

"The best part of the game is not the tanks or legionnaires or frigates (although those are definitely cool), but the way the game reflects the values you bring to it as you lead your civilization through 6000 years of history. If you want to be a war-mongering despot, crushing your rivals under your iron-shod boots, you can do that. If you want to be a peaceful aesthete, using your advances in art and culture to assimilate other civilizations, you can do that. If you want to be a focused research, striving to unlock the secrets of nuclear power and interstellar travel, you can do that too. Civilization asks you how you want to conquer the world and then turns you loose to pursue that goal in a world where every decision results in a tradeoff or consequence that adds layers and layers of meaning to your story." - IGN, 2015

113) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Year of Release: 2002
Developed By: Bethesda Game Studios
Published By: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox, PC

"The Elder Scrolls' first foray into 3D (we're not counting Redguard) is still a classic, despite how far the sequels have moved on. It remains unique among Bethesda's open worlds, a genuinely alien fantasy landscape populated by people, creatures and factions that take time to truly understand. It offers the experience of being a stranger in a strange land, and over time the modding community has fixed almost everything that you might take issue with." - PC Gamer, 2015

114) Starcraft 2

Year of Release: 2010
Developed By: Blizzard Entertainment
Published By: Blizzard Entertainment
Platform: PC

"Much of the core gameplay of the original has been preserved, yet with plenty of tweaks, additional units and new abilities for veteran players to toy with and devise new approaches to competitive battles. Anyone intimidated by the notion of playing against live opponents will find a lot to enjoy, with a fantastically presented single-player campaign featuring impressively varied mission design supported by a memorable, though often cheesy, cast of characters." - IGN 2010

115) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Year of Release: 2016
Developed By: Naughty Dog
Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: Sony Playstation 4

"Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is both a rewarding adventure in and of itself and an overflowing bounty of innovation, a last-hurrah that throws everything at its fans without ever once feeling derivative. There are daring escapes from Panamanian jails, shootouts at an Italian manor's gala, car chases through the streets of modern King's Bay - and that's hardly scratching the surface." - Slant, 2017

116) Dead Space

Year of Release: 2008
Developed By: EA Redwood Shores
Published By: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3

"Dead Space was a prime example of the cinematic storytelling experience that drove many of the best games in the 2000s. The game's detailed setting was both atmospheric and terrifying, a perfect background to the survival-horror storyline of undead space monsters.

The game's combat uses a system called "strategic dismemberment," where Isaac must use his improvised arsenal to slice off the arms, legs, and other extremities of his alien assailants." - Popular Mechanics, 2014

117) Red Dead Redemption 2

Year of Release: 2018
Developed By: Rockstar Games
Published By: Rockstar Games
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC, Sony Playstation 4

"A titanic videogame, a masterpiece that, like everything, will have passionate lovers and other players who will not get too caught up. Everything also depends on thematic genre and preferences. Maybe not everyone likes stories of 'Indians and cowboys'. But this interactive universe created by Rockstar tells a fantastically-constructed story and allows us to live a unique adventure. And for that reason, we believe that this production touches excellence." - IGN Spain, 2018

118) NBA Jam

Year of Release: 1993
Developed By: Midway
Published By: Midway
Platforms: Arcade, Nintendo Game Boy, Sega CD, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Mega Drive, Super Nintendo (SNES)

"NBA Jam remains the perfect antidote to a world of too-realistic sports video games. The game took all the things that make basketball exciting - the stars, the dunks, the buzzer-beating three-point lobs - and exaggerated them.

Even the players' heads could be blown up to freakish proportions. You might still hear some of the game's catchphrases ("Boomshakalaka!") today, but more remarkably, the action itself holds up - a testament the game's beautiful simplicity." - TIME, 2012

119) Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Year of Release: 1992
Developed By: Sonic Team
Published By: Sega
Platforms: Sega Genesis, Sega Mega Drive

"Launched amid a barrage of international hype, Sonic 2 would become a standard of Genesis players' collections as the pack-in game for the redesigned system. So fruitful was the title's development that many of the more ambitious elements intended for Sonic 2 (before getting cut) would end up forming the backbone of later entries in the series. Meanwhile the bits you did get--Tails, the Spin Dash, increasingly inventive uses of the Genesis hardware--are what made this one an easy choice to rank as the best Sonic game ever made." - Gamesradar, 2013

120) Ms. Pac-Man

Year of Release: 1981
Developed By: General Computer Corporation
Published By: Midway
Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System

"Ms. Pac-Man built on the popularity and success of the original Pac-Man with new and varied level designs and mechanics, selling more than 115,000 machines to take its place as the best-selling American-made arcade game of all time. And the game introduced one of the first female protagonists ever seen in a video game. Aside from Mario, it's hard to think of a more iconic character than that little hairbow-wearing yellow disc. Ms. Pac-Man, we salute you." - Popular Mechanics, 2014

121) Stardew Valley

Year of Release: 2016
Developed By: ConcernedApe
Published By: Chucklefish
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC

"Did I mention that one person made this? One person made this. Stardew Valley is a game that keeps on giving. There is so much I haven't even explored yet that has my giddy for the future. The core mechanics and relaxing aesthetic merge so well together that players will sink in to the experience and never want to leave." - Destructoid, 2016

122) Nier: Automata

Year of Release: 2017
Developed By: PlatinumGames
Published By: Square Enix
Platform: Sony Playstation 4

"Nier: Automata is talented, weird, serious, goofy, thought-provoking and beautiful, and it mixes up those qualities to hit you with each often enough that you don't forget about any of them. You don't have to be superfan chasing around the game's director to like it, but chances are you might become one anyway." - Polygon, 2017

123) Final Fantasy Tactics

Year of Release: 1997
Developed By: Square
Published By: Square
Platform: Sony Playstation

"As tactical roleplaying games go, Final Fantasy Tactics owes a debt to its predecessor, Tactics Ogre, but nothing else (including the latter) can match this 1998 PlayStation game's complexity.

Manipulating mages, warriors, monks and more across fields, towns and forests divided into chess-like tiles, players squared off in turn-based duels linked by intricate storytelling. Characters could be trained in exotic professions, ranging from chemists and orators to time mages, geomancers, arithmeticians and mimes, and an astrological "Zodiac" system, which conferred bonuses or penalties based on character sign matchups, added chance twists to encounters." - TIME, 2012

124) Titanfall 2

Year of Release: 2016
Developed By: Respawn Entertainment
Published By: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC, Sony Playstation 4

"Titanfall 2 ingeniously alternates between this fluid soldier-based play and weighty, deliberate mech face-offs - a juxtaposition of styles cleverly hammered home by the dialogue between the go-getter pilot and Spock-like AI of the walking machine. Everything in the campaign is designed to give you a rush, from laughably over-the-top villains to the remarkably fast burrowing through tight places to platforming sections that will make you think you're seeing sideways. The greatness of the game's campaign raises a controversial question in our globalized world: Who needs an internet connection or other players when the proceedings are this electrifying alone?" - Slant, 2018

125) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Year of Release: 2008
Developed By: Kojima Productions
Published By: Konami
Platform: Sony Playstation 3

"Metal Gear Solid 4 is a masterpiece, arguably the best in the series and - though many will fiercely disagree - ever so slightly disappointing. About 40% through, our notepad was scarred with breathless superlatives like 'Genius', 'Amazing' and 'Wow!!!' but by the game's conclusion, they'd given way to considered criticism and stark cries of 'WTF?'" - Gamesradar, 2008

126) UFO: Enemy Unknown

Year of Release: 1993
Developed By: Mythos Games
Published By: MicroProse
Platforms: Amiga, PC, Sony Playstation

"While many players may be more familiar with the series' fantastic modern reboot, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, UFO Defense is where it all started. The game tasked players with managing X-COM, a black-ops paramilitary organization set up to defend the Earth from alien invasion.

Gameplay has two major components: turn-based tactical strategy when commanding individual soldiers in battle, and real-time resource management when commanding the X-COM project as a whole. The game spawned several sequels and a cult following. Simply, it's one of the best strategy games ever made." - Popular Mechanics, 2014

127) Beyond Good & Evil

Year of Release: 2003
Developed By: Ubisoft Montpellier and Ubisoft Milan
Published By: Ubisoft
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PC, Sony Playstation 2

"When you first encounter it, spending half an hour photographing animals and chatting with creatures around a lighthouse feels like some form of madness. Later on, as you're rescuing your pig-uncle from space, it created a tone that's inescapable throughout - a brilliant third-person action platformer where the relationships between the protagonists actually matter. That it was released for PC makes it something of a rare treat. If it influenced anything, it was the continuing works of those producing the console's finest examples. And if the much-delayed sequel doesn't come out on PC, expect riots." - Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 2012

128) Contra

Year of Release: 1987
Developed By: Konami
Published By: Konami
Platforms: Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sinclair ZX Spectrum

"Long before the Master Chief and Marcus Fenix became icons of video game badassery, there were Bill and Lance, two shirtless, muscle-bound dudes who took the fight to an entire army of nasty aliens - well, perhaps with the help of 30 lives apiece.

Although Contra only had two dimensions to work with, its twitchy action, grotesque monsters and pulsing soundtrack laid the foundation for generations of male power fantasy shooters to come." - TIME, 2012

129) Banjo-Kazooie

Year of Release: 1998
Developed By: Rare
Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo 64

"The attempt to free the word "Jiggy" from the dastardly clutches of Will Smith may have failed, but pretty much everything else about Banjo-Kazooie succeeds. Boasting platforming action that rivals Super Mario 64 at its best, along with incredibly expansive worlds bursting at the seams with secrets and hidden treasures, Rare created a title in which aimlessly exploring offers just as much joy as problem-solving. Throw in memorable characters and crackin' one-liners, and you've got yourself a guaranteed classic." - IGN, 2014

130) Donkey Kong Country

Year of Release: 1994
Developed By: Rare
Published By: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Super Nintendo (SNES)

"With Donkey Kong Country, the DK made his transition from villain to hero, and by doing so, solidified his position as one of Nintendo's most iconic characters. The game itself was great fun too: a side-scrolling platformer like its Mario brethren that was much more fast-paced and chaotic (in a good way) than many gamers were used to." - Popular Mechanics, 2014

131) Burnout 3: Takedown

Year of Release: 2004
Developed By: Criterion Games
Published By: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2

"This was one of those games you could easily lose hours playing, either alone or with friends. Among our nerdy cadre, there was no greater source of joy, sorrow or white-hot rage than Burnout 3. Few things could ruin a friendship faster than wrecking someone's ride just before the finish line - though thankfully all was (usually) forgotten during the next round of Crash Mode." - IGN, 2015

132) SoulCalibur

Year of Release: 1999
Developed By: Project Soul
Published By: Namco
Platforms: Arcade, Sega Dreamcast

"You know a game has done something spectacular when most of the people who love it forget its predecessor ever existed. Considering Soul Edge is one of the best PS1 games in its own right, that should say everything about how far SoulCalibur pushed the envelope: full 3D movement, stunning environments, one of the best, rousing scores ever composed, and, of course, the fast, fun, and fluid combat. Not since the first Samurai Shodown's heyday had a developer managed to make epic swordfights feel like, well, epic swordfights, and yet SoulCalibur's brand of flying-spark chaos manages to deliver that experience to everyone, regardless of skill." - Slant, 2014

133) BioShock Infinite

Year of Release: 2013
Developed By: Irrational Games
Published By: 2K Games
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3

"BioShock Infinite is a masterclass in narrative and game design but most importantly, it's incredible fun to play. Sure, at its core BioShock is still very much a shooter in terms of game design, but Elizabeth anchors you so brilliantly to this wondrously fleshed-out world that you'll want to take the time, not to shoot, but to discover and absorb every element of Columbia." - Empire, 2013

134) Limbo

Year of Release: 2010
Developed By: Playdead
Published By: Playdead
Platforms: Mac OS, Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation Vita

"Creativity thrives in limitations, and Limbo is rigorous in its self-imposed limits. It has no colour, no dialogue, minimal music, no cut-scenes, no on-screen health meters or other clutter. Yet you can't expect limitations alone to make your masterpiece for you. After cutting away the fat, the obligation is to use what remains as convincingly as possible. That's what Limbo accomplishes. The game steps back from audio-visual sensory overload so it has room to make inroads to other senses: a sense of wonder, say, or of compassion and vulnerability." - Eurogamer, 2010

135) Advance Wars

Year of Release: 2001
Developed By: Intelligent Systems
Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Game Boy Advance

"Advance Wars is full of so many little details that make it an absolute joy to play, even a decade later, but the greatest of all is activating a CO power. It creates such a powerful rush of pure bliss - the music blaring, the enemy troops exploding... and most important of all, the knowledge that you'd finally broken through an entrenched enemy position." - IGN, 2015

136) Inside

Year of Release: 2016
Developed By: Playdead
Published By: Playdead
Platforms: PC, Sony Playstation 4

"Inside very clearly builds upon what made Limbo great, and in fact builds something greater. Its unimaginable twist may leave you dumbfounded, confused, and quite possibly speechless, but it will fuel heated discussion with your friends about its meaning, its message, and its intentions. It's a short ride, but one I felt compelled to take again - including a search for its mysterious hidden orb collectibles. Play it soon before anyone spoils a single big moment for you." - IGN, 2016

137) Fallout: New Vegas

Year of Release: 2010
Developed By: Obsidian Entertainment
Published By: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3

"Fallout: New Vegas is the game that many wanted Fallout 3 to be. It's harder, more ruthless, better written and more morally ambiguous. It's a game we've been wanting to play for more than a decade, a real modern re-imagining of the Fallout series, complete with that deliciously black humour. But it's also more of the same, aesthetically and technically identical to Fallout 3, wonky facial animation and all." - IGN, 2010

138) Shenmue

Year of Release: 1999
Developed By: Sega AM2
Published By: Sega
Platform: Sega Dreamcast

"The game's gone on to become a relic, a reminder of Sega's long lost status as dreamcatchers and of the Dreamcast's status as the ultimate cult console. In Ryo's quest for vengeance there's what's likely to remain gaming's greatest untold tale, but for me in Shenmue there's something else. In the grounded fantasy of Yokosuka, there's proof positive that video games can transport you wholesale to distant lands and faraway places, no matter how drab they may be." - Eurogamer, 2015

139) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Year of Release: 1993
Developed By: Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development
Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Game Boy

"Criminally underrated, Link's Awakening is the most undeservedly overlooked entries in the Legend of Zelda series, despite having sold over 6 million units worldwide. The series' first outing on a mobile platform, Link's Awakening was a beautifully trippy adventure on Koholint Island, a location with many ties to Hyrule that may or may not have all been the dream of a 'Wind Fish'. Told you it was trippy." - WhatCulture, 2014

140) Metroid

Year of Release: 1986
Developed By: Nintendo Research & Development 1
Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

"The lonely, moody experience of playing through Samus Aran's adventure created an intimate relationship with the gameworld. Exploring and memorizing planet Thebes' non-linear yet cunningly interconnected design ingeniously paid off in the game's play mechanics, which you wouldn't have known while playing. And after all that, to learn that the bounty hunter armor concealed gaming's first-ever heroine gave Metroid a surprise ending for the ages.!" - TIME, 2012

141) Wolfenstein 3D

Year of Release: 1992
Developed By: id Software
Published By: Apogee Software
Platforms: 3DO, Atari Jaguar, PC, Super Nintendo (SNES)

"Play a bit of Wolfenstein 3D today, and you'll be astounded by how thoroughly id figured out a genre on what amounted to their first try. So much could have gone wrong, but the core game play didn't rely on the game's first-person perspective; it merely used this viewpoint as a means of displaying some otherwise simple 2D combat. And thanks to the technical trickery of id, Wolfenstein 3D's sleight-of-hand adapted gamers to the ins and outs of exploring a (relatively) 3D world. And lucky for us, not all of them would be full of Nazis." - 1up, 2012

142) Spelunky

Year of Release: 2008
Developed By: Mossmouth
Published By: Mossmouth
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation 4, Sony Playstation Vita

"Spelunky is a game about triumph. When you finally make it to a new area for the first time, when you finally beat Olmec, when you finally beat your best time, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment. You earned this. You did it. But maybe you should go back and try to beat it. You can shave a few seconds off, right? Spelunky is a game about always being able to improve." - IGN, 2015

143) League of Legends

Year of Release: 2009
Developed By: Riot Games
Published By: Riot Games
Platform: PC

"It was one of the first big free-to-play games, and one of the first big multiplayer online battle arenas, or MOBAs. But going on five years later, League of Legends still holds firm as an example of excellence. With its amazing variety of Champions, rewarding progression systems, and fast but intensely strategic team play, it easily hooked me and refused to let go. That addictiveness and competitive spirit, combined with a generous free-to-play approach and frequent updates from developer Riot Games, has created one of the biggest and liveliest gaming communities anywhere." - IGN, 2014

144) Psychonauts

Year of Release: 2005
Developed By: Double Fine Productions
Published By: Majesco
Platforms: Mac OS, Microsoft Xbox, PC, Sony Playstation 2

"This is one of the most wondrous games we've ever been lucky enough to play, and almost no one did. The tale of a summer camp for psychic children let us explore a vivid and gorgeous world, between explorations of the minds of its residents, uncovering psychological disorders in bright, Nickelodeon colours. Each brain entered wasn't only thematically different, but also changed the way the game was played. Each could have been a satisfactory game of its own, but Psychonauts threw them aside as if they weren't a masterstroke that most developers would sell their legs to think of, making room for the next." - Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 2012

145) Myst

Year of Release: 1993
Developed By: Cyan
Published By: Broderbund
Platforms: 3DO, Atari Jaguar CD, Nintendo 3DS, PC, Philips CD-i, Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation

"There's another important reason we remember Myst: It helped usher in the CD-ROM era, perhaps more than any other game (including Trilobyte's The 7th Guest), prompting users to upgrade their desktops to experience the game's lavish, unparalleled and still today impactful visuals." - TIME, 2012

146) Left 4 Dead

Year of Release: 2008
Developed By: Valve South
Published By: Valve Corporation
Platforms: Mac OS, Microsoft Xbox 360, PC

"Getting FPS players to work together towards a common goal isn't exactly easy, but Valve made it look like it was in Left 4 Dead by making cooperation simple, fun, and absolutely necessary for survival. There was nothing quite like knowing that your life was in the hands of the person manning the back door of the house you were holed up in, or the rare feeling of solidarity when some stranger named z0MbeePWNR420 fought through a horde of undead just to revive you instead of jumping on the chopper and leaving you to your doom. Such was a typical late night of playing Left 4 Dead." - IGN, 2013

147) Dragon Age: Origins

Year of Release: 2009
Developed By: BioWare
Published By: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3

"Dragon Age is one of the finest RPGs of all time. Bloody brilliant 100 hour epic constructions of passion and emotion, war and death, romance and religion - they don't come around very often. The scale, the depth, the history - it's all a remarkable work, and one that seems to far too often be taken for granted. And that's the issue with Dragon Age. It feels like the last of something, rather than a pioneer of anything. It's such a stunning example of the genre, and a massive pleasure to play, but is it the final word on the matter?" - Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 2011

148) Sid Meier's Civilization V

Year of Release: 2010
Developed By: Firaxis Games
Published By: 2K Games
Platform: PC

"As with every game in the 20 year-old series, the idea is to use every ounce of strategic skill to conquer the world, even if that means changing the course of history to suit your own ends. But while its heart remains the same, Civilization V has been given a much-needed overhaul that widens its appeal and makes the combat more fun and compelling than ever before." - Empire, 2010

149) Dance Dance Revolution

Year of Release: 1998
Developed By: Konami
Published By: Konami
Platforms: Arcade, Sony Playstation

"When I think of arcades, I think of DanceDanceRevolution (DDR). Its intense, rhythm-based gameplay not only helped uncoordinated gamers exercise, but it also served as our window into the delightful oddities found in Japan's gaming world." - IGN, 2010

150) Guitar Hero

Year of Release: 2005
Developed By: Harmonix
Published By: RedOctane
Platform: Sony Playstation 2

"Guitar Hero turned mild-mannered, non-gamers on to a more immersive, interactive style of game than they had previously known existed. You were part of the game. The game didn't work without you. You were a performer. People - regular people - might have even been impressed to watch you do what amounted to little more than beating a level of a video game, but since it was a musical performance, it seemed so much cooler." - TIME, 2012
Design & coding © 2015 - 2024 Peter Searle & Jeroen te Strake. Special thanks to Wesley.
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