Journey
Игровую индустрию привычное дело обвинять во всех бедах человечества. То она развращает молодёжь, то делает из добропорядочных людей маньяков. В общем, нашли козла отпущения. Но критики совершенно забывают, что у видеоигр есть и другая сторона, где нет места жестокости, а в культ возводится созерцательность и философский посыл.
Journey – игра загадка, в первую очередь для тех, кто не имел возможности в нее поиграть на PlayStation. Каким образом «ЭТО» могло получать настолько хвалебные рецензии? Здесь нам даже самим сложно ответить, мы лучше вообще ее оставим без оценки, настолько она отличается от привычных игр.
Есть стандартная цель – добраться до горы, маячащей на горизонте, есть онлайн, где вы можете встретить других игроков. Но все это подается в настолько сюрреалистической манере, что начинаешь воспринимать игру как философскую притчу. В Journey стоит поиграть всем, кому надоел конвейер однотипных видеоигр. В этом нарисованном мире буквально растворяешься, его не хочется покидать. Артхаус и изнанка всей игровой индустрии.
Minecraft
Некоторые олдфажные игроки любят говорить, что современным геймерам не надо ничего, кроме эффектных роликов и красивой графики. Minecraft – это отличный способ разбить этот стереотип, но сразу возникает вопрос: каким образом вот эта игра смогла стать одной из самых продаваемых в истории, что в ней особенного?
Здесь в самый раз провести аналогию с советским конструктором или LEGO. Нам дается определенный набор инструментов, кирпичиков, с помощью которого мы можем воплотить любые, даже самые безумные наши фантазии. Хотя нет, на безумные фантазии вряд ли хватит кубиков LEGO, но Minecraft таких ограничений не имеет.
Вы вольны построить практически все, до чего дотянется ваша фантазия. Запаситесь временем, терпением и вы сможете воплотить в игре любые архитектурные шедевры.
Кто знает, возможно мы даже доживем до того момента, когда архитектурные колледжи будут зачислять студентов на основании их работ, которые они создали в Minecraft.
Dead Space 2
Кто не мечтал в детстве стать космонавтом, лететь сквозь тернии к звездам, стать первооткрывателем фантастических планет и встретиться с инопланетянами? Серия Dead Space нам дает урок, что человечеству может не стоит покидать родную обитель, да и профессия космонавта не так хороша, как кажется на первый взгляд.
Хоррор от недавно почившей студии Visceral Games больше всего напоминает игровую адаптацию фильма «Чужой». Но Dead Space имеет сразу два козыря в своем рукаве – одни из наиболее ужасающих противников в истории игр и необычный, в чем-то даже уникальный геймплей.
Dead Space – это лучший симулятор мясника в игровой индустрии. Чтобы отправить ксеноморфа в царство Аида требуется не просто мастерски раздавать хедшоты, а тактично отстреливать по конечности, чтобы затем тяжелым сапогом раздавить еще бьющиеся в конвульсиях и клацающее зубами тело. Вторая часть к садисткой механике добавила психоделические трипы и такой уровень постановки сюжета, что на последние поделки в киновселенной «Чужой» без слез не взглянешь.
#97: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
The sequel to the vampiric Zelda-like, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, follows one of the original game’s two possible endings 1,500 years later and places us in control of new hero Raziel; Kain’s vampire lieutenant, whom he promptly executes. Raziel is then resurrected as a Wraith and an instrument of revenge on behalf of the Elder Gods. Blood Omen was a top-down RPG, but Soul Reaver’s new hero got a drastic overhaul in a new 3D, platform-heavy adventure. Raziel can jump, glide, and impale enemies with objects in the environment, and the overall gameplay certainly felt more refined than its predecessor.
I have more nostalgia for Blood Omen since it was one of the first games I obsessively played on my hot new PlayStation back in the day, but man, Soul Reaver was about as perfect a sequel as I could have asked for.
#98 – Blast Chamber
Principal Platforms: PlayStation, Saturn | Developer: Attention to Detail | Publisher: Activision | Genre: Action/Multiplayer | Year: 1996
Blast Chamber (Sega Saturn)
A multiplayer extravaganza if ever there was one, Blast Chamber was featured in my overlooked games article a couple of months ago but rather than regurgitate those exact sentiments here however, I feel there is a bit more I can add with regards to this rather unique title.
Blast Chamber arrived in 1996 to a very lukewarm reception in spite of its original concept. The game is still a refreshing change of pace today and stands apart from the usual raft of first person shooters and tower defence titles that are popular at the moment.
The closest thing you can really equate it to is an explosive variant on the capture the flag scenario, where competitors must collect a floating crystal and dump it into their colour coded reactor in order to recharge the bomb timer that they have strapped to their chest.
Rooms rotate, power-ups fly and chaos ensues amongst the game’s many symmetrically designed platforms and traps.
One of the biggest reasons for the game’s failure is its appalling graphics. The 3D perspective makes it difficult to line up your jumps and the zoomed-out camera results in everything looking extremely small. Supposedly the game is a little less fuzzy on PlayStation; where the hardware’s aptitude for 3D is helpful in combating a few of the rough edges.
In an era where 3D graphics were fast becoming the expected selling point for games though, Blast Chamber‘s humble appearance likely did not (and still won’t) make a good first impression.
The level design is varied however and the game’s simple and responsive controls do lend it a very nice pick-up-and-play appeal that anyone can dive right into.
Out of all the games appearing on this list, Blast Chamber is probably the one that requires the most concessions to its quality. Ultimately though the unique aspects win me over, and in overlooking its faults I’m often reminded of how fun and original video games can be.
Left 4 Dead 2
Ни один топ лучших игр не может обойтись без нескольких проектов Valve. В те времена, когда Гэйб Ньювел еще не стал повелителем всея пека-гейминга, восседая на троне из денег, его студия исправно радовала многочисленными играми. И многие из них стали законодателями мод в гейминге.
После выхода Left 4 Dead игровая индустрия в очередной раз изменилась. До 2008 года многочисленные разработчики корпели в своих кабинетах и старались разработать формулу идеального кооператива.
Но только Valve создали безупречную механику, где 4 выжившим с боем необходимо было прорываться через толпы врагов, действовать сообща, прислушиваться к каждому шороху и держаться плотнее друг к другу. Ведь кто отстал – тот труп.
Продолжение не требовалось долго ждать и уже в 2009 году вышел Left 4 Dead 2. Игра дополнительно отточила геймплей, благодаря чему кооператив стал по-настоящему эталонный
Не важно, сколько пройдет лет, как далеко продвинутся графические технологии, Left 4 Dead 2 по-прежнему останется отличным вариантом досуга для компании 4 друзей
#92 – Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Principal Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC | Developer: Capcom | Publisher: Capcom | Genre: Action/Adventure | Year: 2006
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360)
Lost Planet is one of those titles to feature the “Capcom annoyance factor” as I call it. The controls can be finicky, you can easily get stun-locked when being shot and the plot requires you to suspend disbelief to a truly absurd level. But in spite of all this, the game still manages to be fun whilst also looking incredible.
The story mode is also criticized for being nothing more than a glorified boss rush. But there’s nothing wrong with a good boss rush now and then is there?…
It’s true there are a lot of bosses in this game (and yes; some of them refuse to die), but man are they impressive! Gigantic snow worms, aggressive Godzilla-style moths and towering mutated spiders all stand in your way and what a blast you’ll have putting them all down. The stirring orchestral soundtrack by composer Jamie Christopherson also does a great job at heightening the tension in these encounters.
Strangely though, the story mode is not what initially drew me to this title but instead it was the rather fantastic multiplayer mode. With the vanilla title featuring four different modes of play and a good selection of weapons and mech suits, Lost Planet has a great snow-swept look that makes for a refreshing change to the standard deathmatch environment.
The game’s pace is more deliberate with players moving slower than you’d expect, but the action is still fast and brutal once those players meet. The addition of a standard issue grappling hook is also notable for the way it switches up encounters on the fly as it allows you to quickly traverse vertical surfaces and reach sniper points with ease.
Once someone jumps into a mech suit however, all bets are off! The earth shattering power of their various shoulder-mounted missile launchers and chain guns are able to make short work of any player wandering around in the open.
Whilst I’m not normally one to enjoy online games of such scale, Lost Planet struck a chord with me for whatever unique reason. Finding and gunning down the #1 ranked player in world (at the time) was an achievement that I was quite proud of for a while too.
Lost Planet is definitely not a game for everyone, but much like its stablemate Gears of War, it offered plenty of good multiplayer thrills to a couple of consoles that were in dire need of such good times in their early days on the market.
Summary
We hope you enjoyed our list of the 100 best video games of all time!
Each of these games has left a lasting impression on the world of gaming and inspired so many games that we can play today.
While it is always hard narrowing down a list like this, we tried to give all of these games the spotlight they deserve!
Here’s a quick recap of the 100 best video games of all time:
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Pokémon Red
- Super Mario 64
- GoldenEye 007
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Tetris
- Super Mario Kart
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Half-Life 2
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Super Metroid
- The Last of Us
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Super Mario World
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Minecraft
- Fallout 3
- Mass Effect 2
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Resident Evil 2
- Dark Souls
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Batman: Arkham City
- Perfect Dark
- Tekken 3
- Shadow of the Colossus
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Half-Life
- Resident Evil 4
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- Gran Turismo
- BioShock
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- SimCity
- Red Dead Redemption
- Fortnite
- Halo 2
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Grand Theft Auto III
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
- Sonic The Hedgehog
- Age of Empires
- Portal 2
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- BioShock Infinite
- Final Fantasy VII
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4
- God of War
- Devil May Cry
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- The Sims 3
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Persona 5 Royal
- Celeste
- Gears of War
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Civilization II
- Quake
- Halo 3
- Borderlands 2
- Street Fighter II
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
- Metal Gear Solid
- Mortal Kombat
- Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
- Tomb Raider
- Burnout 3: Takedown
- Diablo II
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
- Disco Elysium
- Donkey Kong
- World of Warcraft
- Doom
- Bloodborne
- SoulCalibur
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Gran Turismo 2
- Hades
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Pac-Man
- Divinity: Original Sin II
- Unreal Tournament 2004
- Metroid
- NFL 2K1
- Elden Ring
- Starcraft
- League of Legends
#100: Friday the 13th (NES)
Often the subject of many “worst games of all time” conversations, I happen to have a ton of nostalgia for this oddball take on the classic horror film series. Why is Jason purple and blue? Why is his mother’s head floating around inside of a cave? Who cares.
You get to pick between six different camp counselors with varying speeds and jump heights, and when one dies you can switch to one of the others. Most of the game is spent on the 2D plane, navigating Camp Crystal Lake and the surrounding areas, collecting weapons, and saving the children from Bad Grape Jason. There’s even a really bad take on Punch-out if you happen to encounter Jason inside of cabins.
Sure, the game kinda sucks, but it’s super charming and has great music. It’s still a game I pick up and play at least once a year.
Fallout: New Vegas
Transporting players to the heart of the Mojave Desert, Fallout: New Vegas brought back a lot of the fundamentals of Fallout 2 which had been missing from Bethesda’s Fallout 3, which moved the franchise to the East Coast.
Despite its insanely short development cycle of only 18 months, many fans and critics hail New Vegas as the best Fallout game ever released, and its refined mechanics coupled with intricate RPG story-telling make it incredibly replayable.
Although some may argue that Fallout 3 is the better game, we can’t help but give the title to New Vegas, since it brings back a lot of what fans of the original two games fell in love with.
#95: Nier
Nier is a game that I anticipated ranking higher here on my top 100 favorite games list, but while I adored the story and its wonderful music, I didn’t have the best time actually playing it. Combat is passable and kind of got in the way at times, but Nier is a prime example of a strong “6 out of 10” game whose strong points far outweighed any of its shortcomings. This truly is one of the best games most people never played.
It’s an action RPG full of hope and heartbreak, with the titular Nier in search of a cure for his daughter’s terminal illness — the Black Sprawl. Along with the talking book Weiss, the foul-mouthed Kaine, and the cursed, masked Emil, Nier battles menacing Shades with interesting narrative beats around every turn. It’s worth noting that it has one of the absolute worst fishing mini-games in history, but hey, you can’t win ’em all!
Tekken 7
Выпущено 2017 | Последняя позиция 74 
(Image credit: Bandai Namco) Молли: Бомбические, четкие боевые действия и зажигательный саундтрек заставляют меня возвращаться к Tekken 7 снова и снова. Я до сих пор не могу найти другого файтинга, в который было бы так интересно играть и смотреть. Она более сложна в освоении, чем Street Fighter, но это того стоит. Драматическая замедленная камера, которая накладывается на финальный удар, должна быть в каждом файтинге! Морган: Tekken чертовски крут. Это единственный файтинг, который я люблю смотреть (отчасти благодаря четким хитбоксам и замедленным финишерам), и единственный, в который я подумываю поиграть. Недавно я просмотрел многочасовое видео, объясняющее сюжетные линии серии, и теперь понимаю, почему из ее боевых турниров получился неплохой аниме-сериал для Netflix. Выпущено 2015 | Последняя позиция 71 (Image credit: Future) Морган: Эта семилетняя жемчужина стелс-экшена с открытым миром уже начинает показывать свой возраст, но лучшие моменты Metal Gear Solid V по-прежнему остаются одними из лучших в жанре. Даже самые лучшие симуляторы погружения не могут сравниться с The Phantom Pain по свободному подходу к миссиям и огромному разнообразию инструментов. Rich: Я не думаю, что игра кажется старой, хотя, возможно, это связано с тем, что нет ничего, что могло бы подхватить эстафету. В нее по-прежнему приятно играть, а в открытом мире предпочтение отдается плотности, а не масштабу, но именно бесконечное количество различных вариантов игры заставляет меня постоянно устанавливать эту игру на свой компьютер: время от времени мне просто хочется вызвать вертолет с надписью Kids in America. Уэс: Некоторые говорят, что Кодзима – провидец из-за политики или чего-то в этом роде. Это не так. Он провидец, потому что через пять лет все будут собирать кассеты, а MGS5 назвал это дерьмом в 2015 году. Josh W: Одна из немногих игр, в которых я старался получить все достижения, просто потому что мне нужны были оправдания, чтобы продолжать играть.
SOMA
Небольшая студия шведских разработчиков из Frictional Games – настоящие герой. Они не побоялись на свои хрупкие плечи возложить умирающий жанр хоррор-приключений от первого лица и вывести его в мейнстрим. Наибольшую популярность, наверное благодаря армии потешно визжащих от страха летсплееров, приобрела Amnesia The Dark Descent. SOMA о такой славе может только мечтать.
Игра с трудом отбила затраты на производство и чуть не отправила Frictional Games в могилу. Каким образом это произошло – мы не понимаем. Вроде все составляющие на месте: уродливые монстры, гнетущая атмосфера, необычный сеттинг — вот все на месте. Возможно, игроков отпугнула самая лучшая сторона игры – философский сюжет.
Здесь нет места героическим подвигам, войны с космическими пришельцами, только история Саймона Джаретта – последнего человека на планете. Игра не стесняется задавать серьезные вопросы, самый важный из которых – что такое «человек».
#91 – Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Principal Platforms: Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube | Developer: Capcom | Publisher: Capcom | Genre: Survival Horror | Year: 2000
Resident Evil Code: Veronica (Sega Dreamcast)
I’m not ashamed to admit that the first Resident Evil game for Sony PlayStation absolutely terrified me when I first saw it in motion as a kid. And yet, despite the fear its blood-soaked 32-bit visuals invoked, there was always a bizarre fascination of what lay beyond those opening cutscenes and mansion hallways that I was too scared to venture into.
Trying to play Resident Evil later in life proved to be a fruitless task though, as its unforgiving gameplay and stupidily obtuse puzzles were hardly the sort of thing I was looking for. Yes, it seems the “Capcom annoyance factor” had struck again, much to my dismay.
I always held out hope that a playable sequel would eventually see the light of day though and whilst Resident Evil 2 would sadly pass me by, Resident Evil Code: Veronica most certainly did not.
Truly one of the most gorgeous looking console games of its time, Code: Veronica did away with the series’ usual pre-rendered locations and introduced full 3D environments and larger-than-life character models.
Aside from simply looking excellent, I found this game to be particularly well paced with effective moments of horror, action and relief spread out quite nicely across the two discs worth of content. The atmosphere is so remarkably tense all the way throughout the story and the brooding soundtrack only adds to that anxiety of being trapped on a zombie-infested prison island, isolated from any sane person who can help you.
The obtuse puzzling and irritating item management from the first game is still present (although to a lighter degree) but the rousing gun-play certainly helps alleviate the quieter moments with pounding SFX that really make you feel every bullet fired. The bonus battle mode is certainly an interesting addition too and makes for a nice game-within-a-game scenario for completionists.
Overall Code: Veronica may not have been the complete revolution that the immense hype claimed it was, but it’s still very much a good Resident Evil game when you get down to it. It’s a beautiful entry into the series that looks very cinematic at times and it does what the series is known for just as well (if not better) than the games before it did.
#93: Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
This time-traveling 2010 JRPG always kept me guessing and the recent Perfect Chronology re-release gave me an excuse to pick up my 3DS in 2018. Featuring the developmental chops of (some of) Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei team, Radiant Historia will have you learning from your mistakes, traveling through time, and manipulating the fate of the world. The fantasy steampunk setting is great, the strategy grid/turn-based hybrid combat system was admirable (though admittedly affected the pacing), and the story’s twists and turns always dangled the perfect carrot for just “one more hour” when I could barely keep my eyes open.
#95 – Phantasy Star Online
Principal Platforms: Dreamcast, PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox | Developer: Sonic Team | Publisher: Sega | Genre: RPG | Year: 2000
Phantasy Star Online (Sega Dreamcast)
Online gaming took a very brave step forward with the release of Phantasy Star Online; the world’s first online console RPG.
Once you’ve created your character from a range of manga inspired models and colours, you’ll progress alongside a party of up to three other online players through various future-themed dungeons in search of loot and the elusive Red Ring Rico; an explorer intent on unraveling the mysteries of Planet Ragol.
Owing to the limited nature of the Dreamcast control pad, there are only a few buttons needed to attack, cast spells and use items. Although the action is kept simple, the real-time combat makes for a refreshing change of pace in an RPG, however action orientated it may be.
At one point this title may have been my most played game of all time, but over the years its repetitive gameplay has long since waned on me. Nevertheless, PSO still looks extremely impressive for its age with a colourful cast of custom characters and a treasure trove of awesome-looking rare weapons to uncover.
This title received many revisions for subsequent platforms; releases that would eventually add new character classes, weapons, items and episodes to the story. Another commonly tweaked element are the “drop rates” for the game’s rare items which in the Dreamcast original were truly horrendous. If I recall there are certain items that only appear with 1/600.000 chance! Even after hundreds of hours of gameplay, it was likely that you would never see a lot of what the game had to offer.
The final release Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst is a full PC version of the game that at one time offered the whole show, again with online connectivity and a brand new chapter for a monthly subscription fee. Even though all versions of the title are now officially discontinued, there are still committed players out there playing on fan-managed servers; such is the game’s enduring appeal.
Games like this are overwhelmingly common nowadays, but back in 2000 it felt fresh and exciting and I was glad to have been a part of it in spite of the number of cheaters playing online.
You know who you are.
Alien Isolation
Выпущено 2014 | Последняя позиция 83 (Image credit: Sega) Джоди: Alien Isolation – мечта синефила, с любовью воссоздающая внешний вид и звуковое сопровождение “Чужого”. Но это и кошмар – воссоздать ксеноморфа от булькающего рыка до хлещущего хвоста и выпустить его на свободу, чтобы он преследовал вас по коридорам космической станции. (Коридоры также воссозданы с любовью.) Если кто-то не любит стратегические игры, я не чувствую себя виноватым, убеждая его сыграть в такую игру. Когда люди не любят ужасы, это, как правило, не лишено оснований. Если вы не любите бояться, вам не понравится Alien Isolation. Она ужасает. Тем не менее, если вы испытываете облегчение от победы над боссом в душевной игре, подумайте, насколько легче вам будет противостоять реальному страху, а не какому-то парню, который превращается в существо с длинными руками
Шон: Игра сделана фанатами “Чужого” для фанатов “Чужого”, и очень легко заметить, с какой тщательностью и вниманием к деталям в ней воплощен этот кинематографический стиль. Кроме того, я уверен, что именно эта игра популяризировала всех этих умных и страшных монстров, которые теперь охотятся на вас в играх
Спасибо за это! Фрейзер: Каждый год я говорю, что наконец-то закончу прохождение Alien Isolation, и каждый год мне это не удается. В этом году я действительно добился некоторого прогресса! Это говорит о том, насколько сильно эта игра меня пугает, но и о том, насколько она совершенна как игра про Чужого. Я должен продолжать. Медленно. Очень, очень медленно. Джош Ллойд, видеопродюсер: Я не думаю, что лицензионная игра когда-либо передавала художественный и производственный дизайн оригинального носителя или так успешно развивала его, как это делает Alien Isolation. Вы действительно чувствуете, что находитесь в том же мире, что и в оригинальном фильме, и множество мелких деталей, таких как слегка заметные отверстия для глаз ксеноморфа, через которые исполнитель мог бы видеть, действительно подчеркивают это. Вы чувствуете себя по-настоящему беспомощным перед любой угрозой, и это, честно говоря, просто жестоко, когда многие вещи в окружающей среде звучат точно так же, как шипение Чужого. Джош У.: Мне понравилась игра Alien Isolation, а потом она продолжалась еще 10 часов. Джоди: Первые части – самые лучшие, это точно. Как и серия “Чужой” в целом.
#97 – Space Invaders
Principal Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, Too many others to list! | Developer: Taito | Publisher: Taito, Midway | Genre: Shoot ‘Em Up | Year: 1978
Space Invaders (Arcade)
Space Invaders has been synonymous with classic video games since its original release way back in 1978. The Atari 2600 version (of which I’m most familiar) is a release that just gets everything right.
A very faithful translation, the Space Invaders release for the Atari 2600 deserves special mention for retaining the frantic shoot ’em up action of its arcade original without compromising on visual fidelity. As the first game to popularize the use of ‘high scores’ it would be criminal if they were absent but thankfully not so in the cartridge version.
It would take me longer as a child to fully grasp the finesse required to play Space Invaders effectively. The pace of the game increases exponentially as you blast more and more of the ever-descending alien horde intent on catching you out with a stray missile.
When down to the final enemy, the game moves at max speed tasking you to successfully time that one final bullet that will complete the level, for such an old game it is thrilling stuff even to this day.
The Atari 2600 version comes brimming with options that modify the existing game. It wouldn’t be until I gained familiarity with the Atari‘s on board selection switches that I began finding ways to change the setup of the level; altering the speed of the game, the destructible “rocket” barriers that help guard your ship and even the number of simultaneous or alternating players.
Space Invaders was the first licensed home version of an arcade video game and what an effort has been made here. The Atari 2600, even with its rather limited power, does an excellent job of recreating a game that my uncles still tout as the best ever.
My uncle Nick and uncle Carl would often join me to play the game when I was younger, uttering the triumphant stock phrase of “he’s history” after successfully hitting an alien!
It’s no real wonder that the home version of Space Invaders would catapult the Atari 2600 sales through the roof; it’s still a seriously good game even to this day and still gets the odd remake and remaster when Taito is feeling spry.
#92: Darkstalkers 3
The final true sequel in the horror-themed Darkstalkers fighting series released back in 1998 and remains one of my most-played fighters on the original PlayStation. I still think Darkstalkers 3 has some of Capcom’s best character sprites and animations, from cat girls and succubi to werewolves and guitar-shredding skeleton bros. It is, in my opinion, the most criminally overlooked Capcom fighter of all time — having been buried under the likes of King of Fighters 98 (the best entry in the series), Street Fighter Alpha 3, Marvel vs. Capcom, Guilty Gear, Bushido Blade 2, Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers, and Tekken 3.
1998 certainly was a great year for fighting game fans like myself, but oversaturation didn’t do Capcom any favors and Darkstalkers 3 failed to meet sales expectations.
#96 – Mortal Kombat II
Principal Platforms: Arcade, Mega Drive, SNES | Developer: Midway, Probe | Publisher: Midway, Acclaim | Genre: 2D Beat ‘Em Up | Year: 1993
Mortal Kombat II (Sony PlayStation)
If you are looking for just one gaming franchise, just one, that can stand as a representative for my childhood then look no further. I, like many of the kids from my era, lived through all the controversy, the rage and the irresistible madness that was Mortal Kombat in the early to mid Nineties.
And if you go back in time over twenty years, find young Alex Hajdasz and tell him: “one day you will consider Mortal Kombat II to be the best in the series”, he would not believe you.
It’s telling of how I see games when I was young compared to how I see them now. Mortal Kombat 3 (and its many revisions) had more outlandish characters, more finishing moves and more combos, so how could it not be the best, right?
The debate will likely go on for years over which title represents the series’ peak, but for me, I now have to vote Mortal Kombat II. It’s a prime example of a sequel that takes everything that was good about the original and makes it ten times better.
The graphics are sharper, the sound is more powerful and the gameplay is lot more fast paced than ever before. The character roster is expanded with existing fighters acquiring a larger move-set and more frames of animation.
The commitment to story has not disappeared; every fighter still feels like they have a good reason to be here and each stage background often has clues to something larger going on behind the scenes. There are plenty of new secret fighters to discover this time around too with series favourites Smoke, Noob Saibot and female ninja Jade making their debuts in this edition.
I would be remiss if I did not of course mention the overall upping of violence and the brand new fatalities that this version brings, with two finishers per character and many new stage fatalities that can launch your opponents into spikes, pits and pools of acid. Lovely!
Another plus-point that doesn’t seem to get enough recognition is the music. MK II keeps to the Oriental inspired roots of the first game and in turn presents a rather brooding, downbeat soundtrack that really gives you a much better impression that these warriors are fighting for their very lives. When compared to the ill-fitting and rather melodramatic techno-vibe beats of the third game, MK II sounds a lot more suitable in my opinion.
There’s a reason Nintendo quietly relinquished their console ban on depictions of violence, as the arcade game and its home versions were a sensation during release and set many sales records for the time.
It may have taken longer for me to appreciate this frantic beat ’em up when compared to the more bombastic titles of later years, but there’s no doubt that Mortal Kombat II deserves to be mentioned when talking about the series’ very best installments.
#91: Until Dawn
Early footage of Until Dawn was concerning, but the finished product was one of 2015’s biggest surprises. Heavily influenced by campy horror films from the 80s and 90s, like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and April Fool’s Day, Until Dawn is a modern take on the tried and true point-and-click adventure. Set one year after the unfortunate death of a close friend, a group of dopey college kids agrees to return to their usual stomping grounds in rural western Canada to resume their annual winter get-together. Shit eventually hits the fan, though, when a masked psychopath shows up, looking to pick them off one at a time.
Until Dawn has a wonderfully, appropriately, and professionally acted ensemble cast, shifting control between them at regular intervals. Dialogue replies, quick-time event failures, and other choices can have dire consequences, often leading to character deaths at the hands of someone (or something). It’s consistently intense and unpredictable, and I also had a blast digging deeper into the area’s local legends via found documentation. There are so many different ways things can go south, making Until Dawn as much fun to play as it is to watch others experience, just to see how differently their decisions play out.
Thanks for reading! My Top 100 Favorite Games of ALL TIME series will continue soon with #90-#81.
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Honorable mentions