[기타] 폴리곤 선정 역대 최고의 게임 베스트 500!!!

[루리웹-2835687957]

 

 폴리곤 에디터들의 투표로 결정되었으며 2017년 출시된 게임들은 제외.

500. BALLBLAZER

(1984, Atari 8-bit, others)

Ballblazer pushed every inch of the Atari 400 and 800 farther than anyone knew they could go. A one-on-one sports game combining elements of basketball and soccer, though it wasn't based on a real sport per se, Ballblazer was a trailblazer in early sports sims with a realistic approach to gameplay and physics.

499. ARKANOID

(1986, Arcade, others)

Arkanoid is like Breakout, but immensely better. Taking the blockbuster's gameplay, but adding power-ups and new level layouts, Arkanoid is a true test of skill. Cloned and ported all over the place since, Arkanoid is still one of the best arcade games out there.

498. ADVANCE WARS 2: BLACK HOLE RISING

(2003, Game Boy Advance, others)

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising pushed the Game Boy Advance to its limits with its strategy-game elements and long-lasting sessions. Relatively identical to the first Advance Wars in terms of gameplay, Black Hole Rising found favor from critics when playing against other players, with some saying it was one of the "meatiest handheld games out there."

497. DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION

(2014, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

People still talk about Dragon Age: Inquisition's depth and mature approach to romance options, allowing players to choose their ㅅㅅual orientation. We gave Inquisition our 2014 game of the year award, with writer Colin Campbell noting the game was "a sufficiently convincing universe of otherness that consumed my time when I was playing, and my attention when I was not."

496. SUPER MEAT BOY

(2010, PC, Xbox 360, others)

Ultra-hard, ultra-violent and kind of cute, Super Meat Boy helped change the way we think about independently created games and how games should be released. Initially launched digitally on the Xbox 360 in 2010, the game's intense critical praise helped bring a new wave of independent released games to shore.

495. F-ZERO

(1990, Super Nintendo, others)

F-Zero's insistence in pushing technological boundaries to be the fastest game ever seen helped inspire games like Wipeout and Daytona USA. Giving players only moments to react before crashing, F-Zero is still one of the tightest, tensest racing games available.

494. WIPEOUT

(1995, PC, PlayStation, others)

Taking influence from F-Zero, Wipeout was a technical tour-de-force when it released on the original PlayStation. Praised for its awesome techno soundtrack and anti-gravity racing, Wipeout was aimed at a different kind of audience — one on the cutting edge of art, music and fashion. This approach gave the game and its unique — though sometimes controversial — marketing campaign its sleek, modern look.

493. BULLY

(2006, PlayStation 2, others)

Taking place at the New England private school Bullworth Academy, Bully invites players to rise the ranks of high school archetypes, all the while living in the rebellious shoes of protagonist James "Jimmy" Hopkins. Whether you're kissing suitors or making stink bombs, Bully is a perfect allegory for growing up on the fringes and trying to find your own place in the world.

492. CATHERINE

(2011, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Relationships are hard. Lusting after another is simple. Catherine knows this and leaves the decision to engage in protagonist Vincent's affair with Catherine up to the player. Even with its weird, dream-like puzzle sections full of sheep and monstrous babies, Catherine is a surprisingly nuanced take on ㅅㅅ and adult dating, exploring the causes of lust, love and guilt.

491. METROID 2: RETURN OF SAMUS

(1991, Game Boy)

A series known for its emphasis on meticulous exploration, Metroid's jump to handheld with Metroid 2: Return of Samus feels like a perfect fit. Despite its small physical size, Metroid 2's continuous large world makes for a cohesive experience, and the option to take it anywhere allow the game to be explored wherever the player goes.

490. ALONE IN THE DARK

(1992, PC, others)

Shocking and Lovecraftian, Alone in the Dark's unique approach to horror and exploration spawned a genre now a staple of the game industry and birthed some of the greatest games of all time. While it may not join the higher ranks of horror games further down the list, Alone in the Dark was the first of its kind.

489. SPIDER-MAN 2

(2004, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

One of the best superhero games of all time, Spider-Man 2 came remarkably close to giving players the experience they were watching on screens and seeing in comics. Climbing to the top of a building, diving off, only to shoot a web and swing to safety at the last moment was exhilarating and anxiety inducing.

488. SPACE CHANNEL 5

(2000, Dreamcast, others)

Before there was Just Dance, there was Space Channel 5. Colorful and weird as hell, players assumed the role of TV reporter Ulala while she danced and shot to save hostages, all the while fighting for TV ratings. Space Channel 5 was a standout of weird Dreamcast titles Sega released in the late '90s and early 2000s, emphasizing creativity and quirkiness.

487. CAVE STORY

(2004, PC, others)

A rare example of a Japanese indie game receiving critical acclaim in the west, Cave Story and its exploration-heavy gameplay helped pave the way for other indies to experiment with the older genre, leading to a renaissance of independent Metroidvania games.

486. ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST

(2015, PC, Xbox One)

Moon Studios' debut game, Ori and the Blind Forest had players crying within the first five minutes, and then gnashing their teeth in concentration within the next five. Emotional, colorful and extremely difficult, Ori masterfully balanced the open, puzzle-like levels of other Metroidvania games with the raw, real stories often seen in smaller-scale indie games.

485. FABLE 2

(2008, Xbox 360)

Fable 2 let players choose how they wanted to live their virtual lives. Be that how they interacted with the word, what ㅅㅅ they wanted to be, who they wanted to marry or what breed of dog they wanted, Fable 2 attempted to not limit. the choices of how its players wanted to interact with its world.

484. STAR FOX 64

(1997, Nintendo 64, others)

Star Fox 64 was one of the landmark titles Nintendo released as it made its way to the 3D world. Sticking closely to the scrolling flight combat gameplay introduced in Star Fox on the Super Nintendo, Star Fox 64 was quickly praised for its approach to the series, even becoming one of Guinness World Records' best games of all time in 2009.

483. COMPANY OF HEROES

(2006, Mac, PC)

Company of Heroes is a far more grounded real-time strategy game than its peers. Set during World War 2, the game puts players in charge of strategic decisions that can turn the events of somewhat real events — adding a level of weight to games. It doesn't hurt that, upon release, players considered it one of the finest real-time strategy games ever made.

482. BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

(2011, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Batman: Arkham City took the critically-praised open level structure of Batman: Arkham Asylum and expanded it to an entire city. While not as revolutionary as its predecessor, Arkham City refined the traversal and combat of Asylum, changing the way series like Shadow of Mordor and Assassin's Creed approached third-person combat going forward.

481. GARRY'S MOD

(2004, PC, others)

Garry's Mod takes the best part of Half-Life 2's gameplay, the gravity gun, and throws away everything else. Originally a mod, now a full-blown game, Garry's Mod allows players to do whatever they want within the physics of the Source Engine. An ingenious game of creativity, Garry's Mod helped pioneer the idea that games can be weird, with no direction, and players can be the creative force behind a game's success.

480. QWOP

(2008, PC, others)

For every game sparking conversations about games as high art, another's there to remind us they can be weird. Played with only the Q, W, O and P keys of a keyboard, each moving a different part of a runner's body, QWOP usually results in horribly distorted animations. But who's to say games can't be both, as QWOP was displayed in New York's Museum of Modern Art?

479. SPLATOON

(2015, Wii U)

Splatoon has all the conventions of a third-person shooter, but strips away the violence and replaces it with cuteness, creating an accessible game for children unfamiliar with an often-gory genre. It's a shooter only Nintendo would make, one mixing the mechanics of one of the most popular game genres around with the familiar stylings that keep Nintendo a family-friendly company.

478. MARBLE MADNESS

(1984, Arcade, others)

The first major success by master programmer Mark Cerny, Marble Madnesshelped popularize difficulty as a selling point. Beyond that, the game's use of of true-stereo sound gave it a sense of identity. Its innovations in these camps helped catapult Cerny's career; he went on to work on Crash Bandicoot and lead the design of the PlayStation 4

477. NINE HOURS, NINE PERSONS, NINE DOORS (999)

(2010, Nintendo DS, others)

Kind of like Saw, but if it were enjoyable, Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, tasks players with solving puzzles in an effort to escape a murderous game called the "Nonary Game." Terrifying in its execution, 999 helped popularize the visual novel genre in America, which now has a strong cult following.

476. GRAVITY RUSH

(2012, Vita, others)

Constantly changing, constantly rotating, Gravity Rush was a mind-bending exploration of a bizarre city and what many critics felt was a nonsensical story. The game maintains a cult following and spawned a 2017 sequel iterating on the bizarre approach to level design and traditional gravity that made Gravity Rush a memorable journey. 

475. BORDERLANDS

(2009, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Borderlands' mixture of first-person shooting, role-playing mechanics and loot-based upgrades, in a lot of ways, helped pave the way for games like Destiny. Featuring a then-novel concept, Borderlands let players choose the character they wanted to be and how they wanted to play, all the while maintaining the sensibilities of the modern first-person shooter.

474. MONUMENT VALLEY

(2014, iOS, Android, others)

Monument Valley is a puzzle game that doesn't fixate itself on stumping the player. Not that the puzzles are bad — they're great. But the game succeeds in its natural ability to put the player in a "trance." Nearly hypnotic, the game's gorgeous art-style and clever puzzles make for a game as much a joy to look at as it is to play.

473. FIREWATCH

(2016, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, others)

Firewatch mixes the mundanity of boring jobs with the exhilaration of meeting a new romantic interest, even if that romance is wrong. Combined with a conspiracy plot revolving around the Shoshone National Forest, Firewatch lets players choose how important fidelity is to them, all the while giving them complete freedom to let their relationships go up in flames.

472. ALADDIN

(1993, Genesis)

Aladdin was, in some ways, the last hurrah on the Genesis. Though movie tie-in games have long had a bad reputation, Aladdin's tight gameplay, excellent platforming and film-authentic graphics made it a standout of the then-aging Genesis, as well as one of the best movie tie-in games ever released.

471. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 2017

(2007, Xbox 360, others)

Earth Defense Force 2017 is absolute chaos. Pitting players against a race of enormous aliens and offering them over 100 guns to take the beasts down, the world is a playground. Buildings crumble, increasingly large enemies come at you and you blow them all up. It's great dumb fun.

470. PEGGLE

(2007, PC, others)

Peggle's mastery is in its near-instantaneous reward loop. A game easy to pick up and instantly find satisfaction with, Peggle constantly tempts you into playing it just a little longer with dangerously addictive gameplay.

469. NINJA GAIDEN

(1989, Nintendo Entertainment System)

Ninja Gaiden may very well be the magnum opus of ultra-difficult action-platformers. Requiring skill, fast responses and zen-like patience, Ninja Gaiden's fun-but-precise gameplay makes it easy to pick up and play, but a task to master. Luckily, that task is rooted in one of the finest NES platformers of all time.

468. TIMESPLITTERS 2

(2002, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

TimeSplitters 2 carried on the legacy of GoldenEye 007. One of the all time best split-screen co-op games, TimeSplitters is simple dumb fun. Between four and 16 players could assume the roles of various absurd characters — like a dinosaur or a duck — engaging in an all-out assault against other players.

467. RAILROAD TYCOON

(1990, PC, others)

Though not the designer's first game or his first sim-game, Railroad Tycoon helped turn Sid Meier from successful video game maker to one of the all-time great game auteurs. Unparalleled in its depth and complexity, Railroad Tycoon established early on what a Sid Meier game would be, all the while raising the mark for all other simulation games.

466. DEPRESSION QUEST

(2013, PC, others)

Games often lack nuance, understanding of human emotions and mental illnesses. Depression Quest however, does not. Based on real accounts of depression and mental illness, the text-based Depression Quest is a very real look at just how hard it can be to live every day with the boulder on your back called depression.

465. MEDAL OF HONOR

(1999, PlayStation)

Designed and produced in part by film auteur Steven Spielberg, Medal of Honor was bombastic, scary and stunning in its 1999 representation of World War 2, paving the way for later series like Call of Duty to try and present war accurately in gaming, all the while maintaining some kind of spectacle.

464. THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: ESCAPE FROM BUTCHER BAY

(2004, PC, Xbox, others)

Better than its film counterpart, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay is a notable exception to the consensus that film-based games are needless cash tie-ins. Assuming the role of Richard Riddick, the game featured no heads-up display as players were tasked with breaking out of the maximum security prison Butcher Bay by seemingly any means necessary.

463. DONKEY KONG JR.

(1982, Arcade, others)

A follow up to one of the most important arcade games of all time, Donkey Kong Jr. expanded the gameplay with new challenges and collectibles, as well as new traversal options, such as the ability to swing from vines while fighting multiple enemy types.

462. ZELDA 2: THE ADVENTURE OF LINK

(1988, Nintendo Entertainment System)

After the success of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo decided to try something different with its sequel: an action-role playing game. While its predecessor is often noted for its sense of adventure influencing the series going forward, Adventure of Link introduced a lot of mechanics that became staples, such as combining platforming and RPG mechanics and the iconic Triforce of Courage.

461. RIVER CITY RANSOM

(1990, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

The objective of River City Ransom is pretty simple: fight the bad guys. As protagonists Alex and Ryan traverse the titular city to save their girlfriends, players continuously fight waves of "The Generic Dudes," "The Frat Guys" and "The Squids."

460. PICROSS 3D

(2010, Nintendo DS)

One, perhaps obvious change made Picross 3D vastly better than the original: the addition of a third dimension. Building on an addicting premise — building images based on moving blocks — Picross 3D shined, adding depth to puzzles and new ways to solve them.

459. PAPER MARIO

(2001, Nintendo 64)

It's rare for a 17-year-old game to still look great, and yet Paper Mario looks half its age. The second Mario RPG, Paper Mario is widely regarded as one of the best games of the era and is noted for the surprising amount of depth and strategy required when playing through its 2D, paper worlds.

458. ELECTROPLANKTON

(2006, Nintendo DS, others)

Electroplankton is a hard game to describe. An interactive music experience controlled by playing with different types of plankton, the game allows for the creation of some beautiful melodies — even if there's no native way to save them. This unique approach to music-creation makes Electroplankton a standout in a genre typically focused on gimmicks.

457. PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES

(2009, PC, others)

When Plants vs. Zombies released on mobile devices in 2009, it differentiated itself from other mobile games with its acclaimed presentation, depth and amount of content. In a saturated market, Plants vs. Zombies was also able to grab awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, as well as nominations for its design from the Game Developers Choice Awards.

456. CITIES: SKYLINES

(2015, PC, others)

Cities: Skylines was a return to form. After the fiasco that was SimCity (2003), Skylines had a chance to give city-sim fans what they wanted: to simply build the cities of their dreams. The game's influence even expanded beyond the game industry. In Stockholm, the game was recently used to design and test urban planning.

455. BOULDER DASH

(1984, Atari 8-bit, others)

Not talked about too much these days, Boulder Dash has been around for longer than most game series. In it, Rockford digs through caves in search of gems while trying to avoid falling rocks and being crushed. Boulder Dash taps into the part of the brain craving "just one more go," leading to numerous lost days in its caves.

454. ARCHON: THE LIGHT AND THE DARK

(1983, Apple 8-bit, others)

One of the first games published by EA, Archon is a cross between a strategy game and an arcade fighting game. Played out sort of like chess, landing on another player's piece results in the two characters fighting to determine a victor. Almost like two games in one, Archon requires players to be thoughtful and skilled at its genre-bending format.

453. DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS

(2009, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Dragon Age: Origins set a lot of the standards people now expect from open world role-playing games. In a masterfully realized world full of fully-fleshed out characters and missions, Origins' incredible depth and attention to detail redefined a genre all about living in a different world in a different life.

452. ANGRY BIRDS

(2009, iOS, others)

It's easy to see Angry Birds as a fad, something for retailers to slap on children's clothes and backpacks. But Angry Birds found an addictive formula and took it to the top. Since its first release, the series has crossed over with Star Wars, been plastered on millions of shirts and even received its own feature length film.

451. THE WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS

(2011, PC, Xbox 360, others)

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings saw developer CD Projekt Red begin to grow into its own. Expanding its storytelling, honing its combat and making its first engine from scratch, the team took a clear step forward, and Assassins of Kings set the cornerstones for what would make Projekt Red one of the top developers in games.

450. PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE UNWOUND FUTURE

(2010, Nintendo DS)

Undeniably charming and challenging in all the right ways, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future never double-dips with its puzzles. Requiring math skills, logic and other skills to progress, on paper the game sounds like a nightmare. In practice, Unwound Future is delightful brain teasing, requiring just the amount of thought to feel perplexing but not frustrating.

449. HITMAN GO

(2014, iOS, others)

The Hitman series has always been about planning and preparation. Hitman Go took this idea and made it into a puzzle game where players had to strategically plan every movement and action through a turn-based system. Hitman Go feels like a game of chess, where every move must be calculated and thought about.

448. FINAL FANTASY 10

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Final Fantasy 10 came out swinging on PlayStation 2. Aside from being the best-looking game in the series up to that point, the game's introduction of key mechanics, like the ability to build characters dynamically, brought the series to the modern era. The game made changes that'd better the series for years to come.

447. BIOSHOCK 2

(2010, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

BioShock 2 dug further into the fall of Rapture, giving context and depth to its inhabitants, all the while honing the series' combat. It also birthed what's thought of as one of the best DLC episodes of all time, Minerva's Den, which in part led to the founding of indie success story The Fullbright Company, the studio behind Gone Home.

446. SONIC COLORS

(2010, Wii)

For games all about running, Sonic entries often have trouble finding their footing. Sonic Colors, though, found a balance between the series' emphasis on speed and platforming, making for a game that appealed to a larger audience than just the Sonic community. Sonic Colors still stands out as one of the higher-rated games in the series.

445. VANQUISH

(2010, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Vanquish is all about movement and style, and it has both in spades. Coming out at the height of cover shooters, Vanquish helped revolutionize the formula by penalizing players for spending time behind cover, as well as keeping bullets and projectiles constantly coming at them from all directions, further emphasizing constant movement.

444. WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER

(2014, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, others)

Flawed. Full of heart. Unafraid. Wolfenstein: The New Order took the ultra-gruff FPS protagonist archetype and tore it to shreds. B.J. Blazkowicz barely stops shooting, and yet he does it knowing the sense of weight of his actions. He doesn't kill to kill, like the Doom Marine; he kills for a better future, one where the bullets cease and the dreamscape barbecues resume.

443. PSI-OPS: THE MINDGATE CONSPIRACY

(2004, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy forces players to think outside the box. Focusing less on guns and more on the game's psychic and telekinesis mechanics, The Mindgate Conspiracy necessitates players be creative when engaging in combat, making it stand out among other shooters released at the time, and influencing developers to try new ideas when handling combat.

442. JETPACK JOYRIDE

(2011, iOS, others)

If mobile games hang their hats on addictive gameplay loops, then Jetpack Joyride is the magnum opus of mobile games. Flying around and dodging constant obstacles in this endless runner taps into your brain, making putting the phone down far harder and saying "one more time" all the easier.

441. MARIO PAINT

(1992, Super NES)

Mario games are about creativity, but that's usually limited to engaging in the creativity of the developer. Mario Paint, however, left the creativity up to the player, allowing them to make their own custom art pixel by pixel and animation loops with custom music. It is, as AllGame said, "perhaps the most ingenious and inspired idea Nintendo ever came up with for a product."

440. SUPER CASTLEVANIA 4

(1991, Super NES, others)

Already a popular franchise by its 1991 release, the Castlevania series received a modernization with Super Castlevania 4, expanding controls and bringing the series to 16-bit, all set to new arrangements of older Castlevania songs.

439. NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED

(2012, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Nine games deep in the series, Need for Speed: Most Wanted didn't really change the formula up, so much as it refined it. Driving felt great, the maps were a joy to get around and everything just looked so cool.

438. KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM

(2015, PC, others)

The ultimate simulation, Kerbal Space Program tasks players with reaching the final frontier. Featuring realistic orbital and flight physics, Kerbal is by no means an easy game, despite its cute appearance. Critically acclaimed and award-winning, Kerbal gives players the ability to engage in realistic, simulated space flight without ever actually leaving the ground.

437. WWF NO MERCY

(2000, Nintendo 64)

Almost every kid, at some point in their lives, wants to be a professional wrestler. WWF No Mercy lets them live out that dream. Featuring the series' most extensive create-a-wrestler up to that point, players were free to be creative with their personas, giving them the chance to roleplay what it'd be like had they made it to the WWF.

436. DEVIL MAY CRY

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Still one of the coolest games ever, Devil May Cry put style first, rewarding players for being flashy and violent when killing its waves of enemies. Years before PlatinumGames came along and made a name for itself with fluid controls, Devil May Cry revolutionized the way hack-and-slash games could look and feel.

435. INDIANA JONES AND THE FATE OF ATLANTIS

(1992, PC, others)

A point and click adventure putting players in the shoes of the titular archeologist, Indiana Jones And The Fate Of Atlantis helped, in part, popularize the point-and-click adventure game genre, paving the way for later games like Day of the Tentacle.

434. KIM KARDASHIAN: HOLLYWOOD

(2014, iOS, Android, others)

Don't laugh. Despite a mixed reaction, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is a force to be reckoned with. With 22.8 million players making the game $43.4 million within its first quarter of release, Hollywood reached — and continues to reach — more players than most critically acclaimed games.

433. GALAXIAN

(1979, Arcade, others)

Designed to be a competitor to Space Invaders, Galaxian is notable for being the predecessor to Galaga and influencing other games along the way. But more than that, Galaxian never left he competitive gaming scene. With competitions still going on between top players, Galaxian's enjoyed a 38-year tail since its 1979 release.

432. DOUBLE DRAGON

(1987, Arcade, others)

2D brawler Double Dragon was so popular upon release that it's been consistently re-released and remade — and that doesn't even include sequels and spinoffs. The success of Double Dragon and its early sequels was so tremendous that they were adapted into other media like comics, television and film.

431. STREET FIGHTER 4

(2009, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Street Fighter 4, arriving many years after the initial fighting game boom, was able to bridge the gap between old and new players, combining elements, abilities and characters from both camps into a package received as one of the best fighting games of all time. Just ignore the online issues.

430. FALLOUT 4

(2015, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Impossibly big, Fallout 4 did what the Fallout series best: give players a world to lose themselves in. Though not as critically-acclaimed as some of its predecessors, Fallout 4 continued the pedigree of open world role-playing and exploration set forth by Fallout 3.

429. NIDHOGG

(2014, PC, others)

Nidhogg, inherently, creates an even playing field. Pitting two players against each other with only a sword — and with the risk of one-hit deaths — success in Nidhogg relies equally on skill as it does luck.

428. BEJEWELED

(2001, PC, others)

Bejeweled is a game that perfects the feedback loop, leaving a player wanting to play just one more round. Progression relies simply on matching up tiles, making the game seem deceptively simple, but its addictiveness made it a game, like many others on this list, that found its way the hands of millions who otherwise wouldn't play video games.

427. SNATCHER

(1994, Sega CD, others)

One of Hideo Kojima's lesser-known games, Snatcher sold poorly but maintains a cult-following due to its take on the adventure genre. Snatcher combined visual novel elements to flesh out its lore and backstory, a move many saw as groundbreaking for the genre.

426. SAM & MAX HIT THE ROAD

(1993, PC, others)

Sam & Max Hit the Road capitalized on LucasArts' trademark humor and unique puzzle design, and brought its own innovations — such as being one of the first games with full voice acting. Letting players control the titular Sam and Max, Hit the Road is a more cartoony adventure than other LucasArts games, something it leans into with its world and puzzle design. 

425. QIX

(1981, Arcade, others)

By today's standards, Qix is a simple looking game. However, it quickly became a top-played arcade game in the early '80s. When it released, Electronic Gaming Monthly said the game "grabbed the gaming world with its color and imaginative design." That popularity quickly declined, though, and today Qix is noted as one of the most-cloned games of all time.

424. POWER STONE 2

(2000, Dreamcast, others)

Fighting game Power Stone 2 is seen as an innovator, a game pushing the boundaries set forth by its predecessor. Tasking up to four players with breaking out of a castle, players were invited to utilize the interactive environment and items in the world to progress — something notable and revolutionary in the early 2000s.

423. JUST CAUSE 2

(2010, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Thanks for what made Just Cause 2 a success shouldn't only go to developer Avalanche Games. Just Cause 2's modding community not only made the gameplay better, but in turn influenced Avalanche to include some of the best mods — such as the grappling hook — as official features in its sequel, effectively opening the door between official and nonofficial creators.

422. POLE POSITION

(1982, Arcade, others)

Pole Position is, as one writer puts it, "arguably the most important racing game ever made." Letting players race against the clock in a Formula One car, Pole Position was the first game to feature a track based on a real racing circuit, paving the way for games like Gran Turismo emphasizing simulation over arcade racing.

421. MISSILE COMMAND

(1980, Arcade, others)

Missile Command is not only one of the most important arcade games of all time, but an early example of games entering pop culture. A couple years after its release, Missile Command was referenced in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Still today, the game finds its way into the mainstream. In 2016, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films secured the rights to make a Missle Command movie.

420. MILITARY MADNESS

(1989, TurboGrafx-16, others)

Where XCOM popularized the genre, Military Madness helped create the turn-based strategy genre. Military Madness is cited as a key influence for other landmark games such as Dune 2 and Command and Conquer.

419. METRO 2033

(2010, PC, Xbox 360)

Taking place primarily in Moscow's run down Metro system, Metro 2033 is as much about survival horror as it is survival in the wake of tragedy. Players were encouraged to explore their environments and learn the stories of the Metro's inhabitants, understanding how others got by after the end of the modern world.

418. FIRE EMBLEM FATES

(2016, Nintendo 3DS)

Fire Emblem Fates is three different games all making up one experience. Tying its three stories into one product is its greatest strength, making for a deep, meaningful tale of war and hardship.

417. FINAL FANTASY 14

(2010, PC, PlayStation 3, others)

Final Fantasy 14 is a rare example of a game going from complete disaster to near-universal acclaim. When this MMORPG released in 2010, it was met with immense backlash and criticism, however Square Enix's commitment to the project led to a game that has accrued millions of devoted players.

416. ALPHA CENTAURI

(1999, PC, others)

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri's influence can't be understated. While it was a great game in its own right, many of its developers also went on to help out on the Civilization series, bringing along many of the same ideas. Without the influence of Alpha Centauri, it's hard to say whether or not the Civilization games would've had the same impact.

415. GRIM FANDANGO

(1998, PC, others)

Grim Fandango's legacy is a double-edged sword. While it helped launch Tim Schafer's career to the auteur status he holds now, and it refined the humor and storytelling point-and-click games are famous for, Grim Fandango's poor sales also led to the decline of the now-cult genre.

414. THE ELDER SCROLLS 4: OBLIVION

(2006, PC, Xbox 360)

It definitely wasn't the first open-ended RPG, but The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was a necessary stepping stone. The successor to Morrowind and the predecessor to Skyrim, Oblivion received a revamped AI system to make a more believable community, and continued the tradition of Bethesda iterating its worlds into places to be lost in.

413. RHYTHM HEAVEN

(2009, Nintendo DS)

Rhythm Heaven is like a WarioWare game for the musically-inclined. Playing through a series of levels with different rules, players must tap in sync with the game's beat to progress. What results is an addictive romp through some of Nintendo's weirdest levels. Rhythm Heaven excels by asking little of players while still being enough of a challenge to make for an engaging rhythm game.

412. DROP7

(2009, iOS, Android)

Drop7 is one of those games so simple in its design, you rarely realize how brilliant it is. Combining simple addition with a match three game, Drop7 takes seconds to understand but hours to put down. It's a great example of how mobile games, done right, rival the fun and engagement of AAA, big-budget experiences.

411. KINGDOM RUSH

(2011, iOS, Android, others)

Not unlike Drop7, Kingdom Rush is another example of a mobile game done near-perfectly. Taking the tower defense genre and adding new layers of gameplay — such as the ability to send footmen into battle to slow down waves — Kingdom Rush looks familiar at first, but is just different enough to separate it from the rest of the crowded tower defense genre.

410. POWER STONE

(1999, Dreamcast, others)

Power Stone quickly became a "must have" when it released on the Sega Dreamcast. Like its sequel a few spots up, Power Stone ditched the primarily 2D genre, went 3D and opened up interactivity in the world. Before most fighting games had multiple stages and ways to approach a fight, Power Stone gave players the ability to strategize differently.

409. LEGACY OF KAIN: SOUL REAVER

(1999, PC, PlayStation, others)

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is brooding. It's dark. It's bloody. Soul Reaver had an atmosphere ahead of its time, one IGN said was "saturated with a foreboding dark wrath, intelligence, and plodding details." Many critics praised the game's engine, which allowed Kain to travel between multiple dimensions, altering the look of the game in real time — a surprising feat at the time.

408. COMMAND AND CONQUER: RED ALERT

(1996, PC, others)

Command and Conquer: Red Alert streamlined the real-time strategy game experience. An excellent user-interface allowed multiple elements to be accessed at once, and the game was one of the first in the genre to feature competitive play. Red Alert was more inviting and engaging than most other real-time strategy games.

407. DESTINY

(2014, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, others)

Destiny is and was a promise of what's to come. Pitched as Bungie's ambitious follow-up to the Halo series, Destiny promised a story full of planet-hopping and deep lore — and initially its execution varied. However, Destiny's tight gameplay combined with Bungie's commitment to delivering on its original promise makes the series more and more interesting as time goes on.

406. METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER

(2010, PlayStation Portable, others)

Overshadowed commercially by its console siblings, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is nevertheless one of the most important games in the Metal Gear series. Peace Walker set some of the early cornerstones in terms of story and design that would bring the series to the landmark Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

405. DEUS EX MACHINA

(1984, ZX Spectrum, others)

Deus Ex Machina is, as creator Mel Croucher calls it, "the best game you never played in your life." Hyperbole aside, Machina was the first game to feature a synchronized soundtrack, though that was not limited to just music. The game also had full narration and celebrities contributing voice and musical talent.

404. THIEF: THE DARK PROJECT

(1998, PC)

Thief: The Dark Project rests in the pantheon of classic Looking Glass games. The first in the Thief series, The Dark Project helped popularize the idea of moral ambiguity in games, allowing players, if they choose, to forgo violence altogether in favor of simply reaching their objective. This idea would be adopted ad nauseum by games that followed.

403. STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC 2: THE SITH LORDS

(2004, PC, Xbox, others)

Similar to The Dark Project, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords presented players with a moral grayness, allowing them to choose whether to play on the light or dark side. The Sith Lords was noted for its tight story, as well as presenting a wholly new Star Wars story influenced by the actions of the player.

402. TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 12

(2011, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

One of the finer golf games of all time, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 was the first in the series to actually feature The Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. This inclusion gave players the chance to live out a real golf season headlined by the sport's ultimate real-world competition.

401. LITTLEBIGPLANET

(2008, PlayStation 3, others)

If you can dream it, chances are you can do it in LittleBigPlanet. All about creativity, LittleBigPlanet not only emphasizes but encourages player creativity. Because of that, it was warmly received for its openness for experimentation, allowing players to get weird and try things they think won't work.

400. MIRROR'S EDGE

(2008, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Keep moving. That's the main objective of Mirror's Edge. Releasing alongside dozens of first-person shooters, Mirror's Edge stood for daring to be different. Putting an emphasis on using first-person parkour to outsmart enemies, rather than just shooting through them, Mirror's Edge was a flawed beauty stuck in the memory of those who just kept running through its clean, white city.

399. BRAID

(2008, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

In many ways, the modern indie explosion started with Braid. Unlike anything people had seen at the time, Braid and its time-bending puzzles challenged the way stories were told in games.

398. SHOVEL KNIGHT

(2014, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, others)

Shovel Knight is a great example of "what's old is new again." But it's the latter part that makes this game so special. An homage to 2D side-scrolling games, Shovel Knight was praised for being an callback that also felt fresh and deceptively deep. It is, as Polygon's Griffin McElroy put it, a "game people write love letters about."

397. FROGGER

(1981, Arcade, others)

Frogger will never not be fun. Players were tasked with merely getting a frog across a busy road, then across a busy river, but Frogger's addictive gameplay constantly left them wanting to try one more time, because with one more try they just might make it to the other side.

396. NIGHTS INTO DREAMS ...

(1996, Sega Saturn, others)

Nights into Dreams is what happens when creators are allowed to do whatever they want. Led by Sonic the Hedgehog veterans Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima and Takashi Iizuka, Nights was influenced by the works of psychoanalysts Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, culminating in a game that felt like flying through a dream.

395. WIZARDRY: PROVING GROUNDS OF THE MAD OVERLORD

(1981, Apple II, others)

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord was one of the pioneers in bringing role-playing games to the PC — particularly those styled after Dungeons and Dragons. Introducing the idea of adding different races and classes, parties and color graphics to the genre, Wizardry left its mark on every role-playing game of its type released after.

394. URIDIUM

(1986, Commodore 64, others)

Uridium was a pioneer in lifelike graphics — even if it doesn't look like it now. Renowned for its ability to show depth, impressive sound design and solid arcade-style shooting, Uridium raised the stakes of video game presentation in the late '80s.

393. SYBERIA

(2002, PC, others)

Silent and retrospective, Syberia explored the meanings of love and relationships long before Firewatch and Catherine. Telling a story of trying to finalize the takeover of a toy factory, Syberia also explores what it's like for a relationship to fall apart. When it released in 2002, many critics praised its intelligent, thoughtful sc__ript and emotional depth.

392. STEPHEN'S SAUSAGE ROLL

(2016, PC, others)

Stephen's Sausage Roll is one of the hardest puzzle games in recent memory. Requiring sausages to be rolled perfectly over platforms to be cooked on grills across various sides, the challenge in getting the perfect sausage with no burns is immensely challenging but satisfying thanks to some of the best puzzle design in recent memory.

391. SILENT HILL

(1999, PlayStation, others)

Silent Hill probably shouldn't exist. Created by a team at Konami that was otherwise under-performing on projects, the affectionately titled Team Silent revolutionized the survival horror genre with a game that put more emphasis on psychological horror and real world terrors than it did zombies and mutated sharks.

390. PILLARS OF ETERNITY

(2015, PC, others)

Pillars of Eternity is notable for two reasons: First, it's a great role-playing game. Second, it was one of the pioneers in crowdfunding in the game industry. Obsidian Entertainment, thanks to charitable donations of fans, was able to make the game it dreamed of.

389. MEGA MAN 2

(1989, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

Mega Man 2 was a second chance. After the lackluster performance of the first game, Capcom, surprisingly, greenlit a sequel. Expanding on the action-platforming that went on to make this series such a hit, Mega Man 2 received praise for how much of a enhancement it was over the first Mega Man. It's still, to this day, the best selling game in the series.

388. KORONIS RIFT

(1985, Atari 8-bit, others)

Koronis Rift made a huge splash in graphical innovation. Requiring exploration of maze-like levels in search of enemy ships, the game made use of the Atari 8-bit's color pallet to fade in environments — rather than them just popping in — through a method called depth cueing. This enhancement gave Koronis Rift the feeling of traveling in a real world with actual depth.

387. JUMPMAN JUNIOR

(1983, Atari 8-bit, others)

An early pioneer in platformers, Jumpman Junior iterated on the first Jumpman with more complex levels and enhanced visuals, all the while building upon the game's innovative use of multiple running speeds. At the time, Jumpman Junior was seen as one of the finest platformers, and it went on to be a major influence on the genre as a whole.

386. INTERNATIONAL KARATE +

(1987, Commodore 64, others)

International Karate +, a successor to International Karate, changed the pacing of typical '80s fighting games by pitting three fighters against each other. Rather than whittling down a healthbar, players win at IK+ by scoring six points. This unique approach to fighting games made IK+ a standout, one incentivizing strategy over button-mashing

385. GOD OF WAR 2

(2007, PlayStation 2, others)

God of War 2 is unfathomably big. Introducing a scale not often seen in games at the time, it constantly subverts expectations by putting players on moving, shape-shifting levels, all the while fighting some of the biggest enemies then seen in games. God of War 2 remains in the conversation about the most impressive technical achievements in games, even 10 years later.

384. FIRE EMBLEM AWAKENING

(2013, Nintendo 3DS)

Fire Emblem Awakening is a great entry point for newcomers and a worthy addition for series regulars. One of the best role-playing experiences on handhelds, Awakening is both accessible and deep. Pushing the production values for Nintendo DS games, all the while having. some of the best-feeling combat to date, Awakening proves handhelds can rival console experiences any day.

383. FALLOUT 2

(1998, PC, others)

It looks a bit different than the Fallout games that brought the series to the mainstream, but Fallout 2 is consistently considered one of the best role-playing games of all time. Its handling of mature concepts, like ㅅㅅ work and slavery, combined with its open nature — something the series is lauded for now — makes Fallout 2 one of the more influential open-ended role-playing games ever released.

382. DEVIL'S CRUSH

(1990, TurboGrafx-16, others)

Devil's Crush helped define the pinball video game. Taking a tried-and-true game, pinball, and turning it into a flashy, exploration-driven game with bosses, Devil's Crush exemplified the way video games could take something old-hat and make it into an entirely new, fantastic experience pushing beyond what people came to expect.

381. HUNT THE WUMPUS

(1975, BASIC, others)

One of the earlier commercial computer games, Hunt the Wumpus was a text-based game where players more or less played hide and seek with a monster called the "Wumpus." Hunt the Wumpus' revolutionary input commands and deep gameplay helped usher in a new wave of text adventures, in turn paving the way for mass video game popularity.

380. CRAZY TAXI

(1999, Arcade, Dreamcast, others)

For a while at least, Sega constantly pushed the boundaries of games, taking the mundanity of something like driving a taxi and turning it into the wildly inventive and addicting Crazy Taxi. Driving as fast as possible, pulling off stunts and delivering passengers to destinations quickly caught the eyes of arcade-goers who couldn't get enough of its irreverent take on transportation.

379. BEATMANIA

(1997, Arcade, others)

Giving players a recreated DJ turntable, as well as a record for scratching, Beatmania gave players similar inputs to those a real DJ would have. Beatmania took the music genre's basic rhythm inputs to those more akin to the real-world experience of making and performing music.

378. ANT ATTACK

(1983, ZX Spectrum, others)

Many consider Ant Attack the first isometric personal computer game. Evading and fighting back against a race of giant ants, players were given the then-revolutionary ability to travel up and down throughout the game's levels — rather than just north, south, east and west.

377. MORTAL KOMBAT

(1992, Arcade, others)

Mortal Kombat changed everything. Its hyper-violent approach to the fighting game genre all at once captivated eager players and horrified their parents. Alongside making huge waves in the game industry, Mortal Kombat helped lead to the founding of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which promptly slapped the game a "Mature" rating for its gory content.

376. LUMINES

(2005, PlayStation Portable, others)

Lumines flipped the sc__ript on block puzzle games by having. a "timeline" remove connected blocks off the playing field. And the timeline traveled in sync with the game's beat, changing the game's difficulty of the fly. Requiring attention to multiple things at once, Lumines was an inventive take on an old idea.

375. METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

(2008, PlayStation 3)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots rides the line being a game and a film. One of the more emotional games in the series, Guns of the Patriots bent the stealth genre by leaving characters with few places to hide, and bent gaming in general by not being afraid to make the player put the controller down through lengthy cutscenes.

374. PRINCE OF PERSIA

(1989, Apple II, others)

Prince of Persia pushed games as a medium for cinematic ex__pression long before others like The Last of Us and Metal Gear Solid. Credited with being one of the first cinematic platformers, Prince of Persia's use of rotoscoping to create realistic movements proved massively influential on both the genre and games looking to meld interactivity and story.

373. PAPER MARIO: THE THOUSAND YEAR DOOR

(2004, GameCube, others)

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door gets credit for the discoverability in its levels — a trademark in Mario games, but not always role-playing games. Compounded with a story "closer to Finding Nemo than Final Fantasy, which is very much a compliment," according to Eurogamer, this is just one of dozens of Mario games standing the test of time.

372. DAYTONA USA

(1994, Arcade, others)

At the time of its release in 1993, Daytona USA was one of the best looking games ever made. Made to showcase Sega's Sega Model 2 arcade board, Daytona USAstripped away the flat look of Virtua Racing, replacing it with fully-textured environments — a revolutionary step forward at the time.

371. FTL: FASTER THAN LIGHT

(2012, PC, others)

FTL: Faster Than Light is a game people lose hundreds, if not thousands of hours to without really noticing. This Kickstarter-funded roguelike forces players to think ahead as they go through waves of tougher enemies, all the while managing their spaceship, making it intense, deep and addictive.

370. STAR WARS: X-WING

(1993, PC, others)

Star Wars: X-Wing taps into a dream dozens of kids have had over the last 40 years: being an X-Wing pilot. Giving players a first-person view of an X-Wing cockpit, X-Wing was one of the first games to use 3D polygon graphics, and gave context to the events during and after A New Hope.

369. ULTIMA 4: QUEST OF THE AVATAR

(1985, Apple II, others)

Four games in, Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar flipped the sc__ript. Moving on from the hack-and-slash gameplay of previous Ultima games, Ultima 4 introduced ethically ambiguous dilemmas for the player to tackle, making a role-playing game free of simply overcoming an evil adversary.

368. SUPER MARIO LAND 2: SIX GOLDEN COINS

(1992, Game Boy, others)

Just because it was on a handheld doesn't mean Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins didn't change the Mario series forever. Six Golden Coins featured the first appearance Wario, who became a series mainstay as time went on.

367. POKEMON X AND Y

(2013, Nintendo 3DS)

Pokemon X and Y revolutionized the Pokemon series — one that'd been largely the same for almost 20 years. Introducing a story about dismantling a criminal organization, full polygonal 3D graphics and a new form of Pokemon evolution, X and Y were breaths of fresh air in the long-running, seldom-changing series. 

366. PARAPPA THE RAPPER

(1997, PlayStation, others)

One of the first rhythm games, Parappa the Rappermay still be one of the strangest games ever released. Focusing on hip-hop — a genre exploding at the time — the game's unique, 2D art style combined with an all-originals soundtrack to make this one of PlayStation's first landmark games.

365. LIMBO

(2010, Xbox 360, others)

Whenever the conversation around games as an art form comes up, the name Limbo soon follows. Mixing a bleak, oppressive atmosphere with a challenging 2D platformer, Limbo exhibited an unashamed nact to make its players uneasy by displaying gruesome child deaths. Along with several other games on this list, Limbo was one of the pioneers in the most recent indie game explosion.

364. LEMMINGS

(1991, Amiga, others)

Lemmings is all about thinking ahead. Guiding the titular Lemmings through obstacle courses of varying difficulties, players must alter levels in necessary ways to get a required amount of the creatures to the end of a level. Lemmings was one of the best-received games of the '90s.

363. CASTLE CRASHERS

(2008, Xbox 360, others)

Castle Crashers' hilarious sc__ript, role-playing elements and call back to classic brawler games culminated in one of the most fun games on the Xbox 360. Combing the challenge and depth of multiple game genres with the levity of a LucasArts game, Castle Crashers is an adorable trip through a beautiful medieval universe.

362. JOUST

(1982, Arcade, others)

Joust, while not the first to do so, helped popularize the concept of cooperative games. Spawning dozens of ports, sequels and clones, Joust pushed forward how games were played by making them social endeavors, where players could work together rather than in competition.

361. CONTRA 3: THE ALIEN WARS

(1992, Super NES, others)

"Arguably the best installment in the Contra series," according to IGN, Contra 3: The Alien Wars utilized the Super Nintendo tech to create a more visually and mechanically impressive game than the first two Contras. The levels were complex, giving players use of numerous interactive items in the world.

360. SUPER BOMBERMAN

(1993, Super NES)

Super Bomberman is a pretty good game ... until you play with someone else. Then it's a party. An intense, fast-paced puzzler, Super Bomberman with up to four players quickly turns into a battle of wits, testing who can combine the most explosions at once, knocking players out of competition.

359. FANTASTIC CONTRAPTION

(2016, PC, others)

Fantastic Contraption makes virtual reality a social experience, among other things. Allowing players to livestream their creations using the game's rudimentary materials, Fantastic Contraption strips away the idea that virtual reality is an isolating experience, instead turning it into something multiple people can enjoy and experience together.

358. FAR CRY 2

(2008, PC, others)

Far Cry 2 stands out as being one of the most unusual games in the series, all the while establishing many of its defining features. Open-ended and full of options, Far Cry 2 forced players to deal with realistic dangers in its African environment, like jamming guns and malaria, making it more a survival sim than a destruction sim like other Far Cry games.

357. VALKYRIA CHRONICLES

(2008, PlayStation 3, others)

Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best takes on the tactical war genre. Abandoning gritty, hyper-realistic visuals, Valkyria Chronicles instead makes use of a stylized, hand-drawn aesthetic to tell its story of warring country superpowers. Praised for its grid-free gameplay allowing for more freedom of movement, Valkyria Chronicles was the freshest war game since the series' inception.

356. BALANCE OF POWER

(1985, Macintosh, others)

Balance of Power's thoughtfulness and perhaps all-too-real premise quickly cemented it as one of the most innovative games of all time. Assuming the role of a political leader during the Cold War, players had to avoid nuclear annihilation. The game's emphasis on inaction is still today immensely exciting and innovative, creating a whole new type of gameplay not focused on violence.

355. STUNT CAR RACER

(1989, Amiga, others)

Rainbow Road before Rainbow Road, Stunt Car Racer challenged players by putting races on an elevated track with nothing stopping them from driving off. Ahead of its time in more respects than one, Stunt Car Racer made players contend with damage and loss of time due to their own careless actions on the track.

354. ROCKET LEAGUE

(2015, PC, PlayStation 4)

If you blinked, chances are you missed the tremendously quick rise of Rocket League. This car-soccer game wasted no time becoming one of the most-played games of 2015 — thanks in part by being free for PlayStation Plus subscribers — and becoming a sought-after esport in the ever-growing industry. Just over two years after release, Rocket League's sold more than 10 million copies.

353. RETURN TO CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN

(2001, PC, others)

Remaking and rebooting the Wolfenstein series, Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a true return to form. With development overseen by the original developers, the game was somewhat of a combination of the original top-down games and id's first-person games. Bringing the series into full 3D, Return to Castle Wolfenstein helped revitalize the series, and paved the way for the most recent games.

352. PANZER DRAGOON ORTA

(2003, Xbox, others)

Seen as "one of the best traditional video game shooting experiences ever made" upon release, according to GameSpot, Panzer Dragoon Orta refined its approach, emphasizing the shooting mechanic rather than exploration.

351. CALL OF DUTY

(2003, PC, others)

The birth of a titan, Call of Duty marked a different World War 2 experience. Unpredictable and unafraid to put players through tough spots, Call of Duty is arguably responsible for modernizing the military shooter, emphasizing scale and destruction while not losing sight that war is fought by humans. Bombastic and surprisingly personal, Call of Duty's influence can be felt in every first-person war shooter since.

350. I HAVE NO MOUTH, AND I MUST SCREAM

(1995, PC, others)

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream pulls no punches, not that it has a choice. An adaptation of Harlan Ellison's story of the same name, I Must Scream deals with topics games still shy away from. Telling the story of Earth's last five survivors, kept alive and tortured for a century by an AI, the game tackles issues such as rape and genocide.

349. FORZA MOTORSPORT 4

(2011, Xbox 360)

Forza Motorsport 4 is a love letter to racing. Continuing the series reputation for excellent driving and customization, Motorsport 4's Autovista mode allowed players to really appreciate the hardware of a car, seeing details in the interior design and engine parts. This attention to detail, and the game's amazing gameplay, highlights a series made for car fanatics.

348. TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 3

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 continues the solid, skater-focused gameplay that made Pro Skater such a phenomenon. Introducing a revert mechanic enabling the player to keep a combo going with a manual after a vert trick, Pro Skater 3 opened whole new ways to for players to string together tricks and is seen as one of the series' best changes.

347. MAX PAYNE 2

(2003, PC, others)

To this day, most games can't touch the level of passionate storytelling Max Payne 2 does. An exploration of life and love after tragedy, Max Payne 2tells the story of a disgraced cop constantly caught up in bad situations and romantic ambiguity — all set in the gritty, dangerous noir streets of a New York that hasn't existed in decades.

346. HITMAN

(2016, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, others)

Pulling off a contract in one of Hitman's many expansive, sprawling levels feels like assembling a master clock. Though initially mocked when announced as episodic game, Hitman's drip feed approach gave players the time necessary to see the hundreds — if not thousands — of nooks and crannies available to hide or kill in.

345. BASTION

(2011, Xbox 360, others)

When Bastion came out, indie games were still kind of an unknown quantity. Though critics praised games like Super Meat Boy for tight gameplay, Bastion raised the bar for storytelling in the indie space. Feeling like moving through your favorite children's book, the game's presentation creates a world to feel attached to, one you want to be in — not just conquer.

344. FRUIT NINJA

(2010, iOS, others)

There's something amazingly cathartic about Fruit Ninja. Slicing through flying fruit, after a while, becomes second nature as you fall into the game's rhythm, enjoying the colorful splashes. Its push and pull of challenge and fun gameplay highlight just what make the best mobile games perfect pastimes.

343. ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON

(1999, PC, others)

RollerCoaster Tycoon is a simulator for kids — mostly. Free of the heady, difficult concepts such as building and running cities and setting up transportation routes, RollerCoaster Tycoon is a lighthearted sim allowing players to create the amusement parks of their dreams. This accessibility makes it the best first step into an otherwise obtuse genre.

342. NINJA GAIDEN

(2004, Xbox, others)

Brutally hard and brutally violent, Ninja Gaiden rebooted the series on Xbox with amazing graphics — some of the best seen at that time — and smooth character control that rewarded precision over button mashing.

341. DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS: POOL OF RADIANCE

(1988, Commodore 64, others)

Dungeons and Dragons: Pool of Radiance is a helping hand, one that'll easily guide people into the role-playing genre. It's beautiful-for-the-time graphics and easy to get into gameplay made for a great introduction to one of the longest-running genres in games, even if veteran role-players won't find anything groundbreaking compared to other games today.

340. DEAD SPACE

(2008, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Dead Space scoffs at the typical zombie trope of putting a bullet in the head and calling it a day. Giving players a large, mostly-desolate space station to explore, Dead Space forced players to dismember its monsters before pronouncing them dead, with numerous inventive weapons altering the way a fight could be approached.

339. BAYONETTA 2

(2014, Wii U)

Bayonetta 2 is a sensory overload. With a combat system as much about finesse as it is mayhem, Bayonetta 2 continued to add to PlatinumGames' reputation for tight, thoughtful combat as deep or accessible as the player would like, all the while pelting them with wave after wave of enemies.

338. YAKUZA 0

(2017, PlayStation 4, others)

Yakuza 0 is a game about pain. It's about friendship, family and the meaning of loyalty. It's also about beating the ever-loving crap out of "Street Thugs" with traffic cones. Yakuza 0 made North American players finally pay attention to this once-cult series, finding a story that is as goofy and irreverent as it is heart-wrenching and nuanced.

337. THREES

(2014, iOS, others)

Threes seemingly accomplishes the impossible: it makes times tables fun. Really fun. Prototyped in only a night, the game asks players to slide numbered tiles around in an attempt to match up multiples of three, making what used to be one of the worst homework tasks into an addictive mobile game that's nearly impossible to put down.

336. QUADRILATERAL COWBOY

(2016, PC, others)

When describing Quadrilateral Cowboy, creator Brendon Chung once said he likes to "try different things." It takes less than a second to see Quadrilateral Cowboy is, in fact, different. Assuming the role of a 1980s hacker in a surreal cubist world, Quadrilateral Cowboy went on to receive numerous awards for its inventiveness and design.

335. DISHONORED 2

(2016, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Dishonored 2 doesn't believe revenge is a dish best-served cold. It's a dish best served however you want it. The sequel to landmark immersive sim Dishonored, Dishonored 2 trusts its players to get the job done — no matter how. Never holding the player's hand, Dishonored 2 builds upon Dishonored's open structure and mission design, creating a game necessitating experimentation.

334. POPULOUS

(1989, Amiga, others)

Designed by controversial video game auteur Peter Molyneux, Populous lets players be a god in the literal sense — in fact, it's considered the first in the genre. Populous tasks players with growing their own following, all the while trying to eliminate the followers of rival deities, increasing the scale of the strategy game genre to that of cataclysmic proportions.

333. HOT SHOTS GOLF

(1997, PlayStation)

Golf is, to many, boring. Hot Shots Golf — which kicked off the series now known as Everybody's Golf — attempts to remedy that, but not without staying true to the source material. Hot Shots Golf strips away the mundanity and seriousness of the sport, replacing it with a humorous, cartoon-like atmosphere, all the while retaining precise ball physics and realistic golf gameplay.

332. DEUS EX

(2000, PC, Mac, others)

Deus Ex is square one. A surprise accomplishment from the notoriously-dysfunctional Ion Storm, Deus Ex revolutionized the way players can approach video games, opening up options and depth never before seen. Deus Ex's influence is still felt today in games, and is — in part — responsible for the successes and acclaim of games like the Dishonored series. 

331. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK

(2000, Nintendo 64, others)

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, narratively, is the most unusual game in the series. With players constantly hopping back in time to stop the moon from colliding with Earth, Majora's Mask's three day time-limit. mechanic — and the sense of urgency it added to a series usually about adventure and wonder — still stands out as one of the most interesting additions to the landmark series.

330. SAMURAI SHODOWN

(1993, Neo-Geo, others)

Samurai Shodown doesn't really care about what its fighters can do with their fists. Changing up the traditional hand-to-hand combat of fighting games of the time, Samurai Shodown was one of the first head-to-head games to feature weapon-based combat, making players think strategically about how to utilize the tools given to them.

329. PUZZLE QUEST

(2007, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, others)

There are a lot of role-playing games on this list, and a lot of them iterate on tried-and-true mechanics. But Puzzle Quest truly feels like something different. Using Bejeweled-style puzzle solving in place of normal combat mechanics, Puzzle Quest dares think outside the box.

328. PANZER DRAGOON 2 ZWEI

(1996, Sega Saturn)

In response to criticisms, Panzer Dragoon 2 Zwei is a much easier game than Panzer Dragoon, but it's also a much richer game. A more story-intensive game, with multiple routes for getting through each level and better visuals, critics cited Panzer Dragoon 2 as a sequel that improved upon almost every facet of its predecessor.

327. MINER 2049ER

(1982, Atari 8-bit, others)

Considered by Analog Computing Magazine as "one of those rare games which looks as if it were designed, not just thrown together" when it released, Miner 2049er is a much larger platformer than its contemporaries. Released in 1982, Miner 2049er shipped with an unheard of 10 levels for players to jump around — more than double that of Donkey Kong released one year earlier.

326. MARVEL VS. CAPCOM: CLASH OF SUPER HEROES

(1998, Arcade, others)

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes slows down for no player. A cross of Marvel superheroes and characters from various Capcom games, Marvel vs. Capcom's colorful, non-stop action made a near-seamless transition from arcades to consoles, staking a claim at the time as one of the flashiest, most over-the-top fighters on the market. Its sequels may have overshadowed it in the long run, but it's hard to ignore the initial impact Marvel vs. Capcom had.

325. LUNAR LANDER

(1979, Arcade, others)

The origins of arcade game Lunar Lander run all the way back to the early '60s when the original idea was conceptualized. Tasking players with safely piloting a lunar landing module on the surface of the moon, Atari's Lunar Lander with its vector graphics helped pave the way for one of the company's most successful and important projects, Asteroids.

324. GUNPOINT

(2013, PC, others)

It's not enough to simply call Gunpoint a puzzle game; its dynamic problem solving makes it so much more. Allowing players to chose how to approach the game's stealth-based levels, as well as rewire entire buildings to change that approach, Gunpoint sits somewhere between a puzzle game and a play-your-way stealth game, and it's better than most games in both genres.

323. GRAN TRAK 10

(1974, Arcade, others)

Gran Trak 10 changed an entire industry. It's simple by today's standards, as players drove a car around a track from a top-view angle, passing checkpoints and avoiding obstacles. However, simplicity aside, Gran Trak 10 was one of the first games to utilize integrated circuit-based read-only memory graphics, rather than diode-based visuals — an industry standard going forward.

322. GOD OF WAR

(2005, PlayStation 2, others)

God of War protagonist Kratos begins his quest as a one-dimensional murder machine. But the game is also a study of unbridled anger and how it can, sometimes irrationally, influence actions. With beautiful levels and an addictive, fluid combat system, God of War remains one of the biggest video game series 12 years later after its debut.

321. EMPIRE: TOTAL WAR

(2009, PC, others)

In a list full of strategy games, it's hard to stand out. Empire: Total War, though, knows how to do so. Putting land and sea battles in real time while focusing on the difficult technology of gunpowder weaponry, Total War's surprising depth — even compared to other strategy games — and historical setting make it a unique and amazing entry in the strategy genre.

320. DUNGEON KEEPER

(1997, PC, others)

The objective of Dungeon Keeper is right there in its name: establish, maintain and run a dungeon, with the ultimate goal of taking over the game's world. That desc__ription may be selling it short, though. Led by Peter Molyneux, Dungeon Keeper is often cited by developers as an influence, as well as establishing a standard of comparison for strategy games going forward.

319. STUBBS THE ZOMBIE IN REBEL WITHOUT A PULSE

(2005, Mac, PC, Xbox, others)

"Painfully short." "Relatively little plot." "Never boring." Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse subverted a long-running video game trope by putting the player in the role of a zombie on the hunt for brains. Garnering a cult-following, Stubbs the Zombie is a bizarre, funny bloodbath reminding everyone to not always take everything so seriously.

318. DESCENT

(1995, Mac, PC, others)

Descent never lets its players feel safe. Given a full-3D environment with no gravity, players have six degrees of movement — as opposed to the two degrees of other shooters. This choice opens up everything, all the while giving enemies similar options. Though this approach wasn't adopted by many first-person shooters going forward, Descent revolutionized the way zero gravity was handled in games, implementing a more realistic approach.

317. COMPUTER SPACE

(1971, Arcade, others)

Everything started here. Computer Space was both the first arcade video game and the first commercially distributed video game. Computer Space was responsible for making the video game industry just that, an industry.

316. BATTLEZONE

(1980, Arcade, others)

Battlezone put players face-first into the action. Considered by many to be one of the first virtual reality games, Battlezone made its players active participants in its tank combat, rather than controllers of a third-party.

315. IKARUGA

(2003, GameCube, others)

Bringing the 2D vertical shoot-'em-up genre back with contemporary advancements, Ikaruga was called a "masterpiece," "a shooter-fan's shooter" and a "work of art." While it didn't bring a massive new wave of shoot-'em-ups flooding the market, Ikaruga's influence is still felt in games today, like Nier: Automata, which borrowed from Ikaruga's inventive take on an old genre.

314. PARADROID

(1985, Commodore 64, others)

If you've played Nier: Automata, Paradroid will seem familiar — though it released 30 years before. A shoot-'em-up with puzzle elements, players either destroy enemy robots or take them over via a hacking puzzle minigame. Paradroid's genre swapping makes for a tough challenge, one that lets you experiment with the best ways to play.

313. BREAKOUT

(1976, Arcade, others)

Taking influence from the success of Pong, Breakout iterates on the former's addictiveness, all the while casting aside its simplicity. Bouncing a ball against breakable colored bricks, Breakout added a level of challenge unseen in Pong with a much larger playing field and more things going on on the screen for players to keep track of.

312. SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL

(2008, Wii)

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a game constantly standing the test of time. Released nine years ago, Brawl continued the Smash Bros. legacy of constantly refining its gameplay, all the while building its roster of characters from dozens of different series.

311. BATTLEFIELD 1942

(2002, PC, others)

Perhaps not the most groundbreaking World War 2 game in terms of its campaign, Battlefield 1942 opened up player options for how players could tackle objectives with numerous weapons and drivable vehicles. 1942 also set a high water mark for online shooters with its dynamic maps ripe for players of different skill levels to make use of the tools available — like the aforementioned vehicles.

310. TOWERFALL

(2013, Ouya, others)

If you combine Hotline Miami and Super Smash Bros., the result is Towerfall; games are fast and tense, and death comes quick. Shipping without online multiplayer, TowerFall called back to games like GoldenEye 007 and, of course, Smash Bros. with its tense local competitive matches that end friendships and prove who's the quickest with the trigger.

309. FLOWER

(2009, PlayStation 3, others)

Released the same year as violent games like Assassin's Creed 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Flower was a noticeably quiet game. Telling a subtle story about the dichotomy between nature and human innovation, Flower gave players time to think as they controlled its dancing petals across vast landscapes, meditating on the untouched nature in an ever-growing world.

308. CHRONO CROSS

(2000, PlayStation)

Square's sophomore Chrono game led by a who's who of rockstar developers and artists, Chrono Cross kept a lot of the D.N.A. that made Trigger such a success, all the while boosting its visual presentation and abandoning the more grindey combat of role-playing games found in the Final Fantasy series.

307. SPLIT/SECOND

(2010, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Split/Second is similar to Burnout games — you race around and cause damage. But Split/Second's premise, that you're causing destruction as part of a reality TV show, called out the exploitation of the genre. Never explicit in its message, Split/Second tasked players with causing the most catastrophic damage for entertainment, but also a pointed finger at the controversial TV genre.

306. GRAN TURISMO 3: A-SPEC

(2001, PlayStation 2)

Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec masterfully blends being a hardcore simulator and a game so well it found nearly unanimous acclaim from players and critics. Selling over one million copies within three days of its release in 2001, A-Spec gave players a realistic feel of what racing was like behind the wheels of hundreds of licensed cars.

305. AGE OF EMPIRES

(1997, PC, others)

Though to be "the most sophisticated" strategy game compared to its contemporaries at release, according to GameSpot, Age of Empires takes a realistic, historical approach to the genre, giving players control of ancient civilizations during key real ages. Leaning more into combat than strategy, Age of Empires made for an accessible entry point for those interested in the genre, but intimated by its barrier to entry.

304. TEKKEN 3

(1997, Arcade, others)

One of the PlayStation's best-selling games, Tekken 3 helped modernize the fighting game genre with its polished controls and numerous combos. It also sparked an intensely-passionate competitive community that continues to exist to this day.

303. TEMPEST 2000

(1994, Jaguar, others)

A remake of the 1981 game Tempest, Tempest 2000 received critical praise for its trippy graphics and techno soundtrack. It also, as many have pointed out, helped bring positive attention to Atari and its Jaguar console at a rocky time in the company's history.

302. DAY OF THE TENTACLE

(1993, Mac, PC, others)

The first game led by Tim Schafer, Day of the Tentacle remains one of LucasArts' most popular releases two decades later. Its time-traveling humor and improved visuals over other LucasArts games caught the attention of critics when it released, as well as placing a lot of eyes on Schafer, who went on to have a prolific career.

301. RESIDENT EVIL 2

(1998, PlayStation, others)

If the first Resident Evil was about intimate horror, Resident Evil 2 was about about creating a world of horror. Taking place in the fictional Racoon City, the game put zombies in the streets, making for sprawling dangers. Resident Evil 2 laid the groundwork for a lot of the series' lore, serving as the basis for many later games and novelizations.

300. MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR

(1982, PC)

Though technically not the first flight simulator, Microsoft Flight Simulator revolutionized the simulation genre with how many real world variables it threw at players. The changing weather, time of day, new coordinate systems and a new engine were seen as so realistic at the time, the game's advertising claimed if it were any more lifelike "you'd need a license."

299. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK BETWEEN WORLDS

(2013, Nintendo 3DS)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is one of the best classic Zelda games in the series. Building upon the series' dungeon design and overall presentation, A Link Between Worlds also introduced new gameplay mechanics such as the ability to merge into walls, later seen iterated on in Super Mario Odyssey.

298. DIABLO 3

(2012, Mac, PC, others)

When released in 2012, Diablo 3 set a new world record as the fastest-selling PC game, resonating quickly with players. Incentivizing a new level of experimentation for the Diablo series, Diablo 3's accessibility and improved gameplay and systems made some feel it was "easier to enjoy," according to IGN, than other Diablo games that shipped with more obtuse design philosophies.

297. THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS

(2004, PC, Xbox)

Part of a series known for changing the way we play games, Thief: Deadly Shadows changed the way we play Thief games. Offering first- and third-person perspectives and reconfigurable controls, Deadly Shadows abandoned the mission-to-mission structure of earlier games, allowing players to explore and interact with its Victorian-styled world, creating a more engaging, accessible, immersive sim.

296. THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU

(2008, Nintendo DS, others)

The World Ends With You was "out to challenge everything you'd commonly expect from a RPG experience," according to IGN. Heavily focused on modern styles and fashions, the game felt like a far cry from its Japanese role-playing contemporaries in presentation and gameplay. Its combat system was especially notable for making use of both Nintendo DS screens, changing up the traditional turn-based combat approach.

295. SUPER MARIO BROS. 2

(1988, NES, others)

The middle child between one of the most important games of all time and what some see as the greatest game of all time, Super Mario Bros. 2 introduced key mechanics and characters that later became key components of the series. One notable example is the ability to lift and toss objects, a feature present in nearly every Mario game that followed.

294. SONIC CD

(1993, Sega CD, others)

Sonic CD feels like a Sonic game on steroids. It utilized the Sega CD memory for a more graphically-intensive experience, and introduced a deeper take on gameplay, adding two different timelines for players to run through, with levels changing based on which they were in.

293. PROTEUS

(2013, PC, others)

Proteus is like an Elder Scrolls game free of distraction. Changing the world with every playthrough, Proteus' only objective is to explore — but at your leisure. Proteus tells its players nothing; it expects nothing of them. There's no princess to save or enemy to kill. It's simply a meditative experience through imaginary worlds, an experience only possible in games.

292. NBA 2K12

(2011, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

NBA 2K12 not only scratched the itch left by the 2011 NBA lockout, but became what many see as the "best basketball sim ever." Aside from iterating on the series' long-running gameplay, 2K12 introduced classic teams and professional players, allowing fans to simulate what it would be like to see Michael Jordan at his peak take on LeBron James.

291. GOD HAND

(2006, PlayStation 2, others)

God Hand tries to marry two audiences: fans of weird humor and fans of difficult action games. Developed by some of the same people responsible for Resident Evil 4, God Hand focused on hand-to-hand combat, a call back to old arcade brawlers. While many reviews were semi-positive and the game has built a cult following, developer Clover Studio closed shortly after its release, making God Hand its last game.

290. FINAL FANTASY

(1990, NES, others)

Final Fantasy was never meant to be what it is now. In fact, the word "Final" is in the title because developer Square assumed it'd be the last game it released. It was wrong. Now one of the most revered and longest running series in games, Final Fantasy has helped popularize the role-playing genre.

289. COMBAT

(1977, Atari 2600, others)

Combat is 27 different games in one — kind of. Featuring different variations on vehicles like tanks, jets and biplanes, Combat was an early example of war gaming and helped popularize the concept into one of the biggest genres in gaming. Its innovative use of varied gameplay is an early example of a game pushing its gameplay beyond one schtick.

288. TENNIS FOR TWO

(1958, custom)

Tennis for Two was one of the first video games ever developed. Using Donner Model 30 analog computers to simulate ball trajectories and wind resistances, creator William Higinbotham helped pave the way for the rest of the video game industry.

287. ASSASSIN'S CREED 4: BLACK FLAG

(2013, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, others)

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag dared to be different. Still an Assassin's Creed game at heart — with all the sneaking, stabbing and the like — Black Flag expanded Assassin's Creed 3's naval combat into a major feature, receiving its own ocean-based open world. The game quickly became a series favorite, and a high water mark before successor Unity brought things down a peg.

286. KINGDOM HEARTS

(2002, PlayStation 2, others)

On paper, it shouldn't work. Mixing Square Enix characters with Disney characters, Kingdom Hearts tells a wholesome story about friendship and how, even from different planets, we can find common ground. Kingdom Hearts does away with role-playing conventions like turn-based combat in favor of more approachable alternatives, making it a good first step into the genre.

285. KIRBY'S DREAMLAND

(1992, Game Boy)

The debut of Kirby, Kirby's Dreamland was developed with two players in mind. Creator Masahiro Sakurai wanted Dreamland to be a game anyone could pick up and play — even those unfamiliar with action games. Additionally, he wanted it to offer optional challenges for more experienced players. The product is a "relaxing adventure" that never takes advantage of its players, according to Game Informer.

284. FORZA HORIZON 3

(2016, PC, Xbox One)

More than just a racing sim, Forza Horizon 3 is a rare example of a racing game incentivizing exploration. Cementing the "series’ status as the driving game for everyone," according to GameSpot, Horizon 3 gives players an entire Australian landscape to drive about and, of course, race through. As Polygon's Colin Campbell put it, it "is as beautiful as it is engaging."

283. GAUNTLET

(1985, Arcade, others)

A classic multiplayer dungeon crawling adventure, Gauntlet was a smash success for Atari in the mid '80s. Due to that success, Gauntlet was quickly ported to nearly a dozen different platforms, and followed-up numerous times as the years went on.

282. SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE

(2002, GameCube)

Being the first 3D Mario to follow Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine had some big shoes to fill. Upon the game's release, many loved the water-based backpack that allowed for worlds to be traversed in different ways other than just running and jumping, but were put off by the lack of polish and issues with the camera.

281. MAX PAYNE

(2001, PC, others)

Max Payne is Finlandian love letter to American cinema, a gritty, modern reimagining of the crime noir film genre permeating the '40s and '50s. Equal parts John Huston and John Woo, it tells a story of love, addiction and tragedy, all tied into a game with the flashy, violent gunplay of a Matrix film.

280. ICO

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Ico is the Occam's Razor of video games. Developed to be minimalistic, stripped of unnecessary mechanics and exposition, it is notable game designer Fumito Ueda's take on the classic boy meets girl concept. Ico made use of its minimalism to tell a story resonating with its players emotionally, making it one of the most renowned games of all time.

279. DARK SOULS 2

(2014, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

"Dark Souls 2 is unflinchingly ambitious in a way that few games are," according to Polygon's Phil Kollar. Forcing players to learn and abide strictly by its rules, Dark Souls 2 gave players a bigger world with more secrets, while increasing the challenge tenfold. Dark Souls 2 tempted players to keep exploring, all the while reminding them death was only one step away.

278. WASTELAND

(1988, Apple II, others)

Wasteland's post-nuclear world paved the way for Fallout in nearly every way. Aside from obvious setting comparisons, Wasteland let players boost desired skills, interact with characters and influence the world. It was the first instance of a "persistent world" game where choices made in a particular area remained throughout the story, making players always mindful of their actions.

277. ULTIMA 7: THE BLACK GATE

(1992, PC, others)

Ultima 7: The Black Gate is the most "masterfully executed" game in the series, according to creator Richard Garriott. The Black Gate brought major changes to the Ultima formula in terms of player control and completely real-time gameplay. Considered "daring and unusual" by Computer Gaming World upon its release, The Black Game is one of the best role-playing games ever made.

276. THE STANLEY PARABLE

(2013, PC, others)

Constantly changing, constantly speaking straight to the player, The Stanley Parable was creator Davey Wreden's experiment with what happens when players go against a game's objective. Transforming based on the player's decisions — even the weirdest ones — The Stanley Parable was a test of interactivity and how games could still work when broken.

275. TENCHU: STEALTH ASSASSINS

(1998, PlayStation)

Despite how important stealth is to the ninjitsu discipline, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins was one of the first ninja-based games to center around it. Making players think critically about how to approach a target, rather than just slicing away, made Tenchu more strategy-focused than most ninja games seen in the late '90s.

274. SNAKE

(1976, Arcade, others)

Forcing players to think ahead and in the moment at the same time while controlling an ever-lengthening snake, Snake is one of the most widespread games of all time. Shipping on everything from Nokia phones to graphing calculators, Snake is malleable enough by design to be everywhere and fun enough to keep players wanting to play.

273. SHADOW HEARTS: COVENANT

(2004, PlayStation 2)

A direct sequel to Shadow Hearts, Covenant received major acclaim when it released in 2004. The game made significant improvements to the the original's combat, adding new moves and the ability to customize attacks. Critics also praised its impactful story, soundtrack and visuals, with IGN calling it "the perfect sequel."

272. QUAKE 3: ARENA

(1999, PC, others)

Quake 3: Arena knew exactly what its fans wanted: multiplayer. That's why Arena was the first in the series to ship without any campaign options. Critics praised the fast-paced fighting as well as the improved visuals and effects. The game quickly became a staple of the competitive gaming scene, helping pave the way for the now-booming esports industry.

271. PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY

(2001, Game Boy Advance, others)

Going to court is, often, not a good thing. But Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney makes court fun. A visual novel set in the judicial system, Ace Attorney tasks players with defending clients and seeing through witnesses' lies. This take launched a massive multimedia series and found a large group of passionate fans.

270. MVP BASEBALL 2005

(2005, PlayStation 2, others)

MVP Baseball 2005 was a game made for the most hardcore, nerdiest baseball fans out there. "Repetitive as hell but addictive in the same sense," according to SB Nation, the game included Single-A rosters, minor leagues, major leagues and deep cut Easter eggs unlocking everything in the game. As SB Nation editor Matt Ellentuck put it, "What more could you ask for from a baseball video game?"

269. MARVEL VS. CAPCOM 2: NEW AGE OF HEROES

(2000, Dreamcast, others)

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes did what any sequel should do: improve upon the source material. Featuring more than three times the number of characters of the first game, New Age of Heroes was crazier, albeit more refined, than the original.

268. HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC 3

(1999, PC, others)

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 breaks its gameplay into two major camps: strategy and turn-based combat. Inside a super-detailed world, players could explore multiple layers of the game's map. Might and Magic 3found immense fanfare for its incredible presentation and combination of two genres.

267. FATAL FRAME 2: CRIMSON BUTTERFLY

(2003, PlayStation 2, others)

Fatal Frame 2 takes one of survival horror's only lines of defense and replaces it with an old camera. Widely considered one of the scariest games of all time, Crimson Butterfly's excellent use of atmosphere, jump scares and the inability to fight back made it, according to Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, "the scariest kind of experience in any medium."

266. EVENT[0]

(2016, PC, others)

Event[0] is about finding companionship while alone. Abandoned in space, players must solve the game's problems with no professional assistance, no other human touch. As the player forms a relationship with an AI, which can actively communicate like a chat bot, and who doesn't exactly want you to leave, Event[0] explores how loneliness adheres us to those around us.

265. DEMON ATTACK

(1982, Atari 2600, others)

Demon Attack didn't do much new but its variety made this fixed shooter a cult-classic. As opposed to shipping with one game mode, Demon Attack had 10 variations in its level design, each introducing new enemy weapons and movement patterns.

264. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2

(1992, Genesis, others)

Sonic The Hedgehog helped make Sega a household name. Sonic The Hedgehog 2helped make Sega a juggernaut of the game industry. Introducing mechanics that redefined the series and characters like Tails, Sonic 2 helped turn the Sonic franchise into the massive multimedia property it remains today.

263. FEZ

(2012, Xbox 360, others)

Fez was simultaneously the angel and the devil on the shoulders of the indie game community. Award-winning before its release, Fez helped usher in something of a renaissance for independently developed games with its quasi-2D world, tough puzzles and bright visuals.

262. AGE OF EMPIRES 2

(1999, PC, others)

Age of Empires 2 took the shortcomings of its predecessor and improved upon them tenfold. Age of Empires 2 was one of Microsoft's first big footsteps in games before it hit the scene with Xbox.

261. DEMON'S SOULS

(2009, PlayStation 3)

Sparking a whole new subgenre, the "souls-like," Demon's Souls was a test of the player's own masochism as much as it was a journey through a fantastical gothic world. Tremendously challenging in an effort to give players a sense of accomplishment by progressing, Demon's Souls proved massively influential in how challenge and combat were handled in games.

260. PERSONA 3

(2007, PlayStation 2, others)

Putting a heavy emphasis, arguably heavier than in other Persona games, on social links, Persona 3 gave players unique ways to bond with its characters — though often through sad occurrences.

259. BLOODBORNE

(2015, PlayStation 4)

Remember Demon's Souls from two spots above? If that's an introduction to From Software's world of sadism, Bloodborne is the Ph.D program. Brutally tough, Bloodborne's ever grim trip through the blood-fueled Gothic city Yharnam, like all Souls games, teaches players through death, walking a delicate tightrope between being brutal but fair and impossibly challenging.

258. FINAL FANTASY 8

(1999, PlayStation, others)

Final Fantasy 8 had to bear the weight of being the follow-up to one of the most popular games of all time, but it more than rose to the occasion. Changing the game's visual aesthetic to resemble more lifelike characters and changing up core Final Fantasy mechanics, like limit. breaks, Final Fantasy 8 continued the series' nact for reinventing its own wheel.

257. INSIDE

(2016, PC, Xbox One, others)

Every millisecond of Inside feels crafted for only that moment. With specific animations used only once, environments constantly changing and a story never staying in once place longer than a few seconds, Inside tells an ever-bleak story (probably) about conformity, sparking numerous debates online about what exactly developer Playdead was trying to say with its expertly-crafted masterpiece.

256. DONKEY KONG COUNTRY

(1994, Super Nintendo, others)

Pick 100 Nintendo games and chances are a dozen will be groundbreaking platformers. Donkey Kong Country is just one of those games, but that shouldn't downplay its importance. Better looking than most games at the time with its bright 3D-rendered visuals, Donkey Kong Country became one of the highest rated, best selling Super Nintendo games of all time.

255. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

(1984, Apple II, others)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy paved the way almost single-handedly for every humorous adventure game following it. Remaining faithful to the series it takes its name from, the game is a hilarious trip through the solar system. It's also a very difficult one. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was massively influential on LucasArts games that combine humor with obtuse puzzle design.

254. KING'S QUEST

(1980, Apple II, others)

King's Quest completely changed the graphic adventure genre. As the first adventure game to feature full animations, rather than static screens where players typed in text commands, players could walk around levels in different depth and interact with objects in a whole new way. King's Quest greatly influenced adventure games going forward, such as Maniac Mansion and Secret of Monkey Island.

253. STAR CONTROL

(1992, PC, others)

Star Control is one of the finest examples of developers letting players approach a game however they want. Either played as a melee or strategic game, it helped define the idea that games can be malleable and dynamic and players can make an experience wholly their own.

252. MANIAC MANSION

(1987, Apple II, Commodore 64, others)

Lucasfilm Games' first self-published game, Maniac Mansion focused on B-movie humor, obtuse, non-linear design and great animation. Its use of a simple point-and-click mechanic, rather than command lines, became an industry standard for the adventure game genre, allowing for levels to be explored and interacted with quickly.

251. POKEMON GO!

(2016, Android, iOS)

A full-blown phenomenon in 2016, Pokemon Go! flooded streets and public spaces, as people, phones in hand, tossed Pokeballs at as many Pokemon as possible. Necessitating players to go out into the real world to find Pokemon in the augmented reality game, Pokemon Go! turned collecting into a social experience, and, in some cases, completely changed people's daily activity and exercise.

250. FALLOUT

(1997, Mac, PC)

Go where you want, interact with people how you please, approach situations as peacefully or aggressively as you'd like. The depth and expertise in which Fallout tackled these ideas led to the foundation of a massive series, as well as recognition by such institutions as the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

249. CASTLEVANIA 3: DRACULA'S CURSE

(1990, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

Far bigger than the original, Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse gave players numerous gameplay paths to take, each unique with their own events. Castlevania 3 is often noted as one of the best NES games of all time.

248. THE JACKBOX PARTY PACK

(2014, PC, others)

Sit a group of friends in front of The Jackbox Party Pack and they'll quickly learn who among them has the dirtiest mind. Including game options where players must use word association or draw increasingly bizarre prompts, The Jackbox Party Pack turned competition into a test of irreverence and quick wits.

247. CASTLEVANIA

(1987, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

Though it lacks the multiple paths of later games, the original Castlevania is still remembered for its high learning curve, making players be both nimble and knowledgeable of the enemies they're going up against on their way to defeat Dracula. Castlevania set the dark, atmospheric approach for the rest of the series, taking the first steps of a franchise that's lasted nearly 30 years.

246. ANOTHER WORLD

(1991, Amiga, others)

Another World was one of the earliest examples of a video game trying to bridge the gap between cinema and interactive media. A platformer at its core, Another World is most notable for its cinematic quality, coming well before games like Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hill portrayed their stories.

245. PSYCHONAUTS

(2005, PC, Xbox, others)

Psychonauts was about growing up. The first game developed by Double Fine, it told a story about helping people get over their worst fears. Psychonauts' tales of family strife and overcoming mental hurdles garnered a loyal fanbase that clamored for years for a sequel — which, thanks to crowdfunding, it's now getting.

244. ASTEROIDS

(1979, Arcade, others)

One of the first hits of the early era of arcades, Asteroids hardly needs an introduction. Letting players pilot a spaceship, shooting off incoming asteroids and flying saucers, Asteroids has been one of the most influential — and copied — games of all time thanks, in part, to its clever game design and easily imitated gameplay loop.

243. DEVIL MAY CRY 3: DANTE'S AWAKENING

(2005, PlayStation 2, others)

A return to form after the flop that was Devil May Cry 2, Dante's Awakening nearly perfected the series' fluid, flashy combat and was one of the best hack-and-slash games of the mid-2000s.

242. GEARS OF WAR

(2006, Xbox 360, others)

When you take place behind a piece of cover in a third-person shooter, you have Gears of War to thank. Not because it was the first game to use cover as a primary mechanic, but Gears popularized the idea, making it an industry staple. Gears was also one of the best-looking games of its time.

241. SHENMUE

(2000, Dreamcast, Xbox)

One third life-sim, one third beat-'em-up and one third masterfully-told narrative experience, Shenmue made a huge dent in the industry in terms of how video game stories could be told and how worlds could exist without the influence of the player.

240. X-COM: UFO DEFENSE

(1994, PC, others)

While certainly not the first tactical strategy game, X-COM: UFO Defense helped refine the genre with turn-based alien space combat. Spawning uncountable imitators, UFO Defense pit players against aliens as they each did their best to take down difficult foes.

239. WING COMMANDER

(1990, PC, others)

Highly expensive and highly successful, the visual precedent set forth with Wing Commander marked a shift for many in game development. Many games that followed had to live up to the graphical and mechanical panache of this space combat simulator.

238. SHANTAE AND THE PIRATE'S CURSE

(2014, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, others)

Upon its release, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse stood "out from the glut of retro-inspired platformers," according to IGN. Shantae and the Pirate's Cursedifferentiates itself with witty humor and unique islands for players to explore to find hidden items and battles.

237. SENSIBLE SOCCER

(1992, Amiga, PC, others)

Sensible Soccer isn't just a great game; it's a "cultural artifact," according to a panel of pioneer game developers and even Polygon's editor-in-chief Chris Grant. An early example of a sports game trying to fully encompass the entire spectrum of a sport, Sensible Soccer featured numerous divisions and seasons, and thousands of soccer clubs from around the world.

236. MONSTER HUNTER GENERATIONS

(2016, Nintendo 3DS, others)

Monster Hunter Generations is a greatest hits of the Monster Hunter series. With more monsters than ever, chances are if you have a favorite beast, it's in Generations. This who's-who of a game makes it a great entry point for people curious about the series but who might not want to play every version.

235. IMPOSSIBLE MISSION

(1984, Commodore 64, others)

Impossible Mission is anxiety inducing. Given six hours to collect 36 randomized puzzle pieces — with 10 minutes deducted after each death — the player gets a mix of platforming and adventure challenges.

234. FLASHBACK

(1992, Amiga, others)

Classified as a "cinematic platformer," Flashback used hand-drawn backgrounds and rotoscoped animations to make characters look more lifelike. Flashback was an early pioneer of cinematic games, with many critics praising its visuals, sound and animation as innovative and top notch.

233. DISHONORED

(2012, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Dishonored is a game about planning, each level a maze of opportunities to explore. Whether your plan is an all-out assault or a silent game of cat and mouse, Dishonored's world constantly adapts to your choices in positive and negative ways. Never telling players how to pull off an objective, Dishonored also never lets them forget the repercussions their actions had on the game's world.

232. MASS EFFECT

(2007, Xbox 360, others)

On the surface a game about space politics and intergalactic war, Mass Effect is more memorable for the deep, emotional relationships players can engage with in the game's world. Mass Effect was the introduction to relationships that — for many players — stretched across three games, giving players years to spend with those they cared about.

231. TOMB RAIDER

(1996, Saturn, PC, PlayStation, others)

At the time a radically new take on action-adventure games, Tomb Raider broke away from the 2D norms, giving players large fully-3D levels to explore, traverse and fight within, paving the way for series like Uncharted.

230. SOULCALIBUR

(1999, Dreamcast, others)

Notable for offering players freedom of movement in all directions, Soulcalibur also made 3D weapons-based fighting history as one of the best-looking Sega Dreamcast games. With a Dreamcast hooked up to a PC monitor, little could touch it.

229. HALO 2

(2004, Xbox, others)

Halo 2 changed multiplayer games forever. With an automated matchmaking process, players picked what game type they wanted to play and the game made a playlist for them. This move was seen as a defining moment in how online matchmaking would go forward in the future.

228. JET GRIND RADIO

(2000, Dreamcast, others)

No game matches the attitude of Jet Grind Radio. A hyper-stylized take on the then-huge action sports genre, Radio's cel-shaded world, hip hop-influenced soundtrack and altogether zaniness made this rollerblading, spray-painting game stand out in a genre oversaturated with licensed tie-ins.

227. LEFT 4 DEAD 2

(2009, PC, Xbox 360)

Being scared is a communal event in the zombie shooter follow-up, as the game's "AI Director 2.0" procedurally alters scenarios to make each playthrough dynamic, effectively making it impossible for anyone to guess exactly what's going to happen next.

226. WARCRAFT 2: TIDES OF DARKNESS

(1995, Mac, PC, others)

Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness turned Blizzard into the titan it is today. A completely overhauled experience from Warcraft, made with a bigger development team and budget, Tides of Darkness was a precisely balanced game, "perhaps one of the most finely tuned ... of all time," according to IGN. Combined with rave reviews and accessibility for newer players, Tides of Darkness sold millions. Blizzard never looked back.

225. VIRTUA RACING

(1992, Arcade, others)

Virtua Racing, at the time, was one of the best looking games available. Its high frame rate, multiple camera angles and 3D NPCs made players feel closer to a real racing event than ever before. Virtua Racing helped usher in a new wave of 3D games.

224. RED DEAD REDEMPTION

(2010, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

With Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar proved its GTA model could work in a different setting — and in many ways work better than it does in GTA. The developers also showed that they could make one of the best endings the game industry has ever seen.

223. MONKEY ISLAND 2: LECHUCK'S REVENGE

(1991, Amiga, PC, others)

A notoriously difficult, obtuse video game genre to get into, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge was applauded by critics for its "lite" game mode, allowing new players to get a good foothold to get into the adventure genre. LeChuck's Revenge also gets credit for using the iMUSE sound system, making sound for the first time a major part of the adventure game experience.

222. GRAN TURISMO

(1998, PlayStation)

Gran Turismo is one of the highest-rated racing games of all time. When it hit the scene, Gran Turismo was one of the best-looking racing simulators out there and a remarkably complete package with over 140 cars.

221. A MIND FOREVER VOYAGING

(1985, Amiga, others)

A Mind Forever Voyaging is like a walking simulator in the form of a text adventure. Not focused on puzzles, the game allows players to explore its dystopian United States in great detail. The game takes you on its own journey, letting you, if you're so inclined, take in its experience more than you interact with it.

220. TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER

(1999, PlayStation, others)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was the tip of the iceberg. Partnering with Tony Hawk and other professional skateboarders to make an authentic representation of skateboarding, Activision ushered in the massive popularity of action sports games. Though many tried to steal this successful formula after, it took awhile for anyone to match Pro Skater's addictive, trick-based gameplay loop.

219. DOOM

(2016, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, others)

Subverting everything modern players had learned to expect from a first-person shooter, Doom was a wholly new, yet old, experience exceeding the expectations that came with its name. Forcing players to get up-close and personal with enemies, chainsawing them in half or crushing their skull cavities, was as relentless as it was amazing.

218. BURNOUT REVENGE

(2005, PlayStation 2, Xbox, others)

Some racing fans want a pure, perfect simulation experience. Other racing fans want to turn cars into scrap resembling a crushed soda can while going more than 200mph. Burnout Revenge is the latter of these two. Fast, aggressive and loud, Revenge rewarded recklessness, making for a game constantly tempting players to hurl their vehicles faster and harder than ever before.

217. ZERO ESCAPE: VIRTUE'S LAST REWARD

(2012, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, others)

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward saved its best secrets for last. A sequel to 999, it continued the Saw-like puzzle escape rooms concept, but also broke the fourth wall in subtle ways not immediately apparent to the player, waiting until the game was over to fully divulge.

216. WARIOWARE: TWISTED!

(2005, Game Boy Advance)

Full of unique, inventive "microgames," as is customary for the series, WarioWare: Twisted! also made use of a built-in gyro sensor. This mechanic was used often in the game, making Twisted! one of the only Game Boy Advance games to utilize motion controls.

215. TONY HAWK'S UNDERGROUND

(2003, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, others)

Five games into the series, Neversoft found itself ready to change up its tried-and-true skateboarding formula. Tony Hawk's Underground added a story about becoming a professional skater and the ability, for the first time, to get off the skateboard. Its success not only changed how Tony Hawk games were played, but also how the world looked at skateboarding.

214. SUPER MARIO 3D LAND

(2011, Nintendo 3DS)

Super Mario 3D Land was a marriage between old and new. Combining the classic designs of side-scrolling 2D Mario games with more contemporary freeroaming 3D Mario games, 3D Land used the two schools of thought to create new ways to play a Mario game.

213. STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3

(1998, Arcade, others)

Street Fighter Alpha 3 gave players the option between three fighting styles picked from other Street Fighter games. This mechanic changed the landscape for Street Fighter fans, giving players many ways to play and experiment with how they approached fights.

212. STAR RAIDERS

(1979, Atari 8-bit, others)

Star Raiders was a first-person shooter before there was a first-person shooter genre. Considered one of Stanford University's 10 most important games, Star Raiders was one of the more complex first-person based games of the late '70s, boasting better visuals and allowing the player to look both in front of and behind their spaceship.

211. MINI METRO

(2015, PC, others)

Leave it to video games to make rapid transit planning a fun way to spend an afternoon. Tasking players with building an efficient transit line for an ever-growing city, Mini Metro was a realistic simulation that was easy to understand but constantly challenged players by throwing new obstacles their way as cities grew, leading to increasingly more complex train lines.

210. BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM

(2009, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Telling a story about The Joker taking over Gotham City's notorious institution, Batman: Arkham Asylum invited players on a trip through the mind of Bruce Wayne. The game's combat and stealth proved influential and made Arkham Asylum one of the greatest superhero video games of all time.

209. STARDEW VALLEY

(2016, PC, others)

It took no time for Stardew Valley to surpass all expectations. Its tranquil visuals and sound design, surprisingly deep relationships and pick-up-and-play gameplay quickly garnered the game a massive fandom. Developed by only one person, Stardew Valley was one of 2016's most talked-about games for its lighthearted approach to farming.

208. METAL GEAR SOLID 5: THE PHANTOM PAIN

(2015, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, others)

The end of an era for a 30-year-long series, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Painradically redefined open world gaming, how players could interact with environments and how cinema and games could blend together.

207. MEGA MAN X

(1994, Super Nintendo, others)

Telling a semi-mature story about the dangers of robot sentience, Mega Man X reinvented the Mega Man series. Adding numerous new moves, characters and mechanics that changed gameplay significantly, Mega Man X was a successful attempt to update. the once-stale series.

206. WARIOWARE, INC.: MEGA MICROGAMES!

(2003, Game Boy Advance, others)

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! is one of Nintendo's weirdest games. Tasking players with wrapping spaghetti around a fork, threading a needle and catching flying toast, Warioware took the microgame concept and ran with it.

205. VIRTUA FIGHTER 2

(1995, Arcade, others)

Virtua Fighter 2 exhibited remarkable attention to detail. Pairing the game's groundbreaking visuals with an incredibly smooth framerate, it turned out to be one of the mid-'90s most realistic fighting games, setting a precedent for the level of detail fighters strived for as time went on.

204. METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKE EATER

(2004, PlayStation 2, others)

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater made Metal Gear what it is today. Where earlier games focused on hiding around corners, Snake Eater required learning, adapting to and exploiting protagonist Snake's rainforest environments. Combined with one of the more memorable stories told in games, Snake Eater is often considered the best Metal Gear game.

203. FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS

(2010, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Fallout: New Vegas is, on the surface, a typical Fallout game: the world is in ruin, monsters walk the Earth and the player is free to choose how to interact with the world and its inhabitants. However, greater than the sum of its parts is the story it tells about post-apocalyptic capitalism, making it an important example of games as political satire.

202. BUSHIDO BLADE 2

(1998, PlayStation)

Bushido Blade 2 is a rare example of a sequel being better by being simpler. Much like the original, Bushido Blade 2 emphasizes real(ish) combat focused on skill — especially when death is usually one hit away. But combined with an overall better presentation and more fighters, Bushido Blade 2's simpler approach to fighting made it one of the best games in the genre.

201. ANIMAL CROSSING

(2002, GameCube, others)

Animal Crossing drove home the idea that console games didn't necessarily need clear-cut objectives. Making use of the Nintendo 64's internal clock for realistic passages of time, players were free to live out a new life with anthropomorphic animals, filling days with numerous side activities, free of care of any incoming dangers.

200. 30 FLIGHTS OF LOVING

(2012, Mac, PC)

Sometimes the most striking parts of a story only exist in the viewer's mind. 30 Flights of Loving leaves it up to the player to imagine the events of a heist gone wrong, subverting the video game trope of over-explaining everything to the player through hours of exposition, and telling a short, out-of-order story.

199. HALO 3

(2007, Xbox 360, others)

When you buy a new Halo game, you can generally expect it to be more of the same, but bigger. And Halo 3 was pretty much that. That's not to undersell some of its key features, though. Its Forge map editor allowed players to create and play their own multiplayer maps — an awesome addition to one of the series' hallmark modes.

198. OVERWATCH

(2016, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Overwatch left a crater in its wake when it landed in the gaming scene. Full of heart, full of character and one of the best-playing first-person shooters in recent years thanks to a bevy of vastly different, finely-adjusted characters, Overwatch wasted no time changing the game industry at large.

197. MARIO KART 64

(1997, Nintendo 64, others)

This is where all business is settled. One of the industry's best examples of local multiplayer, Mario Kart 64 brought the series into 3D for the first time and it is still a staple of get togethers for those who remember fondly playing it as kids.

196. XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN

(2012, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

A remake of the original X-COM, Enemy Unknown reinvents the wheel. Retooling and modernizing the series' trademark turn-based strategy, Enemy Unknown quickly earned praise as an "instant classic" and a "singular achievement that every gamer deserves to experience."

195. FINAL FANTASY 9

(2007, PlayStation, others)

Thanks to a combination of old and new elements, Final Fantasy 9 resonated immensely with fans and critics. Today, it still retains the series' highest Metacritic score.

194. DRAGON'S DOGMA

(2012, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Dragon's Dogma struck a beautiful balance between deep role-playing mechanics and fast, fluid combat. The way Dragon's Dogma combines these two disparate parts makes for one of the most interesting role-playing experiences in recent years.

193. STAR WARS: X-WING VS. TIE FIGHTER

(1997, PC)

Completely lacking a storyline, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter allowed players to jump right into the action and play against others or practice on their own. While this approach has been controversial for many other games, here it paid off with strong enough mechanics to make a fulfilling product.

192. POKEMON GOLD AND SILVER

(2000, Game Boy Color)

Pokemon Gold and Silver marked the transformation of the Pokemon brand from a major success to a multi-billion series. While this wasn't the most innovative pair of releases, it was responsible for pushing the franchise over the edge to becoming the juggernaut it is today.

191. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

(1991, Genesis, others)

Sonic wasn't always a punchline. When the original Sonic The Hedgehog hit the market, it was like nothing players had seen before. It was fast. It was cool. It had attitude. Sega's answer to Mario quickly became a massive brand.

190. COMMAND AND CONQUER

(1995, Mac, PC, others)

Inspired by real-world events like the Gulf War, Command Conquer was partly responsible for the popularization of the strategy game genre. Taking a more realistic approach than most other strategy games, Command and Conquer focused primarily on action, making it more exciting than many of its competitors.

189. MYST

(1993, Mac, others)

Myst trimmed the fat from the adventure game template. Abandoning the obtuse puzzle designs and seemingly random punishments many were accustomed to, it appealed to enough players to spawn several sequels and spinoffs. Ultimately, it was so popular that it's sometimes credited for killing the traditional adventure game.

188. P.T.

(2014, PlayStation 4)

These days, P.T. is a window into an alternate universe — one where Hideo Kojima, Guillermo Del Toro and Junji Ito could have made the scariest game of all time. Released as a "playable teaser" for Silent Hills, a now-cancelled Silent Hill game, P.T. created something of a water cooler moment where players gathered in droves to compare and contrast their individual experiences and try and figure out what it all meant.

187. LEFT 4 DEAD

(2008, PC, Xbox 360, others)

Released during the rise of competitive online console shooters, Left 4 Dead brought back co-op. The ever-changing gameplay — dictated on the fly by the game's A.I. "Director" — kept each playthrough interesting for groups of players, and led IGN to call it "quite possibly the perfect co-op shooter."

186. FALLOUT 3

(2008, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Fallout 3 set a precedent for the Bethesda Game Studios' future games. Incredibly ambitious, the sheer amount of content and meticulous world design made for a game still considered one of the best in the genre — even compared to more recent contemporaries.

185. CITY OF HEROES

(2004, Mac, PC)

When it released, City of Heroes felt like a breath of fresh air. Colorful, goofy and, most of all, fun, it was a far cry from the overly serious style of most MMORPGs. Allowing characters to build their own superheroes and power sets — and later missions — City of Heroes let players become who they wanted.

184. REZ/REZ INFINITE

(2002, PlayStation 2, others)

Rez is a game you can feel — sometimes literally. Not so much a simple rhythm game as it is a journey through sound, the melodies players create happen in the background of a lock-on shooter. Rez's abstract, art house-like subversion of the rhythm genre is something you need to see to fully appreciate — and it's even better in VR.

183. STARCRAFT 2: WINGS OF LIBERTY

(2010, Mac, PC)

StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty's multiplayer alone is enough to secure a spot on this list. Satisfying, challenging and full of content, Wing's of Liberty's multiplayer made for one the most successful games in esports competitions — especially in South Korea. Since release, the game's consistently been a star attraction for tournaments paying out well over $100,000.

182. WARCRAFT 3: REIGN OF CHAOS

(2002, Mac, PC)

Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos is a game that just won't quit. Still supported and updated by Blizzard 15 years later, Reign of Chaos is still loved not for reinventing the real-time strategy genre, but for nearly perfecting it — all the while fleshing out the Warcraft storyline and introducing two new races to the series.

181. VAGRANT STORY

(2000, PlayStation)

Vagrant Story stripped away many of the typical Japanese action role-playing conventions. Featuring no shops or even interactions with other players, the game instead tasked players with creating and upgrading their weapons as they journeyed alone through catacombs. And the game's deep story and trope-breaking found success around the world.

180. ULTIMA UNDERWORLD: THE STYGIAN ABYSS

(1992, PC, others)

The Stygian Abyss made it possible for series like The Elder Scrolls to exist. The first role-playing game to be set in first-person in a 3D environment, as well as the first to let players look up and down, The Stygian Abyss was massively innovative, changing the way role-playing games were played and how games in general approached navigation.

179. STAR WARS: TIE FIGHTER

(1994, Mac, PC)

Called "the best space combat game ever made" by GameSpot upon its release, Star Wars: TIE Fighter refined the feel and combat of games like X-Wing. But its visuals made the biggest waves. Making use of Gouraud shading, Tie Fighter was more realistic looking than most games at the time.

178. THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND

(1990, PC, others)

The Secret of Monkey Island played with the idea that point-and-click adventure games didn't have to harshly punish mistakes. Also, that they could make you laugh. Full of inventive, weird puzzles and a genuinely funny sc__ript about the misadventures of pirates, Monkey Island helped cement Lucasfilm Games as the premier adventure game developer.

177. THE LAST OF US

(2013, PlayStation 3, others)

The Last of Us is about being alive — even when it seems impossible. Telling a brutal, yet intimate post-apocalyptic story with some of the finest examples of character development in games, The Last of Us' tale of love, lies and the human condition set a new bar for storytelling in games — one that'll be hard to top.

176. SYSTEM SHOCK 2

(1999, PC, others)

System Shock 2's thinking-man's approach to the first-person genre became a blueprint for the genre going forward. Terrifying, tense and open-ended, System Shock 2 earns special praise for its story of AI sentience.

175. SUPERHOT VR

(2016, PC, others)

Superhot VR lets you watch death come for you in slow motion. Maintaining the gameplay of Superhot — time only moves when you do — in VR, an already tough game becomes a ballet of sorts as you physically avoid slow-moving, then fast-moving bullets while strategically placing your own shots.

174. STREETS OF RAGE 2

(1992, Genesis, others)

Streets of Rage 2 is one of the best side-scrolling beat-'em-ups of all time, and a hell of a time if played with another person. The game's expanded roster, unique special moves and, of course, the combat make for something special. And the music's pretty good too.

173. STAR WARS: THE ARCADE GAME

(1983, Arcade, others)

Star Wars: The Arcade Game faithfully recreated one of Star Wars' best moments: the destruction of the Death Star. Playing as Luke Skywalker, players flew through 3D vector dogfights before ultimately destroying the superweapon. This was one of the best licensed games of its time due to its ability to make you feel like you were in the action.

172. SPACEWAR!

(1962, PDP-1)

First developed in 1962, Spacewar! simply tasked two players with destroying each other while flying around and dodging incoming attacks. Its early innovations helped influence the creation of groundbreaking games like Asteroids.

171. RED FACTION: GUERILLA

(2009, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Though the game's plot and gameplay were weak points, the degree to which the game's buildings and structures could be torn apart changed how scenarios could be approached and found critical praise. Guerilla's approach to destruction forced players to be more active and experimental.

170. PLANESCAPE TORMENT

(1999, PC, others)

Planescape Torment was a small fish in a big pond — at least commercially. A cult classic, Torment's rich story gets points for being smarter than its peers, casting players as a selfish protagonist with surprising depth.

169. PHANTASY STAR 4: THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM

(1995, Genesis)

The End of the Millennium has aged great. Considered years behind in presentation upon release, retrospective reviews have since praised the game for its striking visuals, great gameplay and wonderful soundtrack. Perhaps ahead of its time, Phantasy Star 4's ambition made it a role-playing game still worth going back to almost 15 years later.

168. MONSTER HUNTER 4 ULTIMATE

(2015, Nintendo 3DS)

Everything done right in Monster Hunter 4 is done better in Monster Hunter Ultimate 4 — an expanded version of the former. Ultimate 4 offers more player movements and actions, giving the game added depth. If you want to play Monster Hunter 4 now, get this version.

167. HOMEWORLD 2

(2003, PC, others)

Homeworld 2 opened up the playing field for the real-time strategy genre — literally. Allowing complete three-dimensional movement for players, Homeworld 2 abandoned the archaic point-and-click design of previous similar games, making battles more dynamic and interesting.

166. GIANTS: CITIZEN KABUTO

(2000, PC, others)

Giants: Citizen Kabuto's greatest strength was being two games at once. One part real-time strategy game, one part third-person shooter, Citizen Kabuto seamlessly melded the two into a game that's as action-packed as it is strategic. Praised for its revolutionary graphics and funny story, the game maintains a cult status to this day.

165. GALAGA

(1981, Arcade, others)

Galaga was the apex of vertical shooters. Expanding on games like Galaxian and Space Invaders by adding more than one gun, challenge levels and the danger of being captured, Galaga was one of the most popular games from the early arcade era.

164. FS1 FLIGHT SIMULATOR

(1979, Apple II)

One of the early examples of a simulation game, FS1 Flight Simulator was one of the most technically impressive games when it released in 1979. Paving the way for both other flight sims like Microsoft Flight Simulator and the simulation genre in general, FS1 and its early approach set a new standard for the way games presented real-life activities.

163. DRAGON QUEST 8: JOURNEY OF THE CURSED KING

(2005, PlayStation 2, others)

Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King brought the series into 3D, allowing for a more fully realized Dragon Quest world for players to explore, as well as making battles more visually impressive. These changes were popular enough that many fans cite the game as the best in the series.

162. DEFENDER

(1981, Arcade, others)

Considered one of Eugene Jarvis' best games, and his most difficult, Defender was one of the all-time greats from the heyday of arcade gaming. Defender helped create the horizontal shoot-'em-up genre, as well as establishing games as challenges to overcome through skill and reflex.

161. DEFCON

(2007, Mac, PC, others)

DEFCON pioneered the idea that just because a game was cheap, that didn't mean it was bad. In fact, most critics were surprised that such a low budget game shipped with the quality it did. DEFCON was an early example of a game challenging the conventional models of the industry.

160. CRUSADER KINGS 2

(2012, Mac, PC, others)

Tasking players with running a successful dynasty and appointing an heir, Crusader Kings 2 stood out in a genre largely populated by simulations of mundane tasks. It gave players power while expecting them to work with the rules of the simulation.

159. CIVILIZATION 4

(2005, PC, others)

The best game in the turn-based strategy series, Civilization 4 introduced refined AI systems, presenting harder challenges for players. It was also just a better package. With completely new visuals and enhancements to single-player and multiplayer, Civilization 4 further cemented Civilization as the premier series of its kind. Its title song was also the first game track to win a Grammy, so that's cool.

158. CASTLEVANIA: ARIA OF SORROW

(2003, Game Boy Advance, others)

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow was one of the only Game Boy Advance Castlevanias that felt just right. Widely compared to that of Symphony of the Night, Aria of Sorrow's gameplay was simple enough to jump into but deep enough to stand among its console brethren.

157. BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS

(2013, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons conveyed its message through gameplay. Telling the story of two brothers, each controlled with one of the two thumbsticks, the game's unique set-up tested the bonds of family. Lauded for its emotional story driven by this mechanic, A Tale of Two Sons was about learning to work together, all the while growing closer.

156. 80 DAYS

(2014, Android, iOS, PC)

By 2014, branching narratives were old hat. But the masterfulness in which 80 Days told its story of world travel, and the nuances and complexities in which the story is dissected by player choice, was one of the finer examples storytelling in video games.

155. ASSASSIN'S CREED 2

(2009, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

An impressive follow-up to the well-received but disappointing first Assassin's Creed game, Assassin's Creed 2 improved upon nearly everything the first game did wrong. Mixing intuitive stealth gameplay with a lighthearted, emotional tale of revenge, Assassin's Creed 2 was a great example of how a sequel can be made.

154. PAC-MAN: CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION DX

(2010, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX made for a masterclass in how to modernize a classic game. Taking the traditional gameplay of Pac-Man, but adding new mechanics like increased speed, score boosts and new ghost types, Championship Edition became one of the most addictive games ever released, even rivaling, you guessed it, Pac-Man.

153. GEOMETRY WARS

(2005, Xbox 360, others)

Like Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX, Geometry Wars was a masterful retake on an old genre. Disguised as a simple twin-stick shooter, Geometry Wars felt overwhelming due to waves of enemies that exploded into bright, colorful particles. Geometry Wars added a modern sheen to a classic genre.

152. THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 1

(2012, Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

The Walking Dead changed everything we knew about game writing. Focusing on the impact of every decision, it presented numerous heart-stopping experiences. The Walking Dead asked a near-impossible question: How far will you go to save someone's life?

151. METROID PRIME

(2002, GameCube, others)

The first Metroid game to be in first-person, Metroid Prime still retained everything that makes the series great. Prime's perspective made it one of the more engulfing games in the series, incentivizing further exploration and leading players around every corner.

150. SOULCALIBUR 2

(2002, Arcade, others)

Soulcalibur 2's character roster stands out even today. Settling arguments some might have about who would win in a fight, it let players pit Spawn against Astaroth, or Link against Taki. Though not the first game to feature crossover characters, its use of big names stood out from the pack.

149. ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF

(2013, Nintendo 3DS)

Expanding on Animal Crossing's accessible life-sim gameplay, New Leaf gave players a host of new customization options and ways to interact with the world. With the series already easy to get lost in, these improvements and the game's handheld nature made it one of the most addictive Animal Crossings.

148. SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD

(2013, Wii U)

Super Mario 3D World was a shapeshifter. Best played with four players, it constantly bounced between genres but never suffered an identity crisis because of it. As Polygon's Justin McElroy put it, "Even at its most unrecognizable, it's one of the most joyous multiplayer experiences we've ever been a part of."

147. WOLFENSTEIN 3D

(1992, PC, others)

Wolfenstein 3D started it all. Id's groundbreaking first-person shooter often hides behind the shadow of Doom, but without Wolfenstein 3D there would have been no Doom. Without Doom, well, you know the rest. Every virtual trigger pulled and every bullet shot in games owes a great deal to Wolfenstein's revolutionary take on the first-person genre.

146. MORTAL KOMBAT 2

(1993, Arcade, others)

After Mortal Kombat shocked half the world with its gratuitous displays of violence, Mortal Kombat 2 embraced the controversy like a badge of pride. Continuing the tradition of bloody arcade fighting and pissing people off, Mortal Kombat 2 added more of pretty much everything.

145. TEAM FORTRESS 2

(2007, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Team Fortress 2 featured a cast of unique, funny characters, a different approach at a moment in time when many games featured voiceless killing apparatuses. Team Fortress 2's lighthearted approach helped pave the way for an influx of hero shooters.

144. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK'S AWAKENING

(1993, Game Boy, others)

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening felt too big to be a Game Boy game. Its full Zelda adventure, depth and made for an incredible feat when the game launched in 1993. Though now the series is well-established on handhelds, Link's Awakening was the first to make us feel those feelings on the go.

143. UNREAL TOURNAMENT

(1999, PC, others)

Quickly cementing itself as one of the best online first-person shooters, Unreal Tournament featured some of the best gameplay, visuals and level design seen at the time. Online only, Unreal Tournament was awash with thousands of players trying to prove their skills.

142. THE OPERATIVE: NO ONE LIVES FOREVER

(2000, PC, others)

A mix between a first-person shooter and a stealth game, No One Lives Forever was more stylish than almost any game released before or after. The game's '60s chic, hilarious sc__ript and gadgets would make a Bond blush.

141. SUPER SMASH BROS.

(1999, Nintendo 64)

Super Smash Bros. felt like playing with action figures. Starring a who's-who of classic Nintendo characters, the game distilled down to knocking each other off each map. Super Smash Bros. was the beginning of a titan that went on to shape the competitive gaming scene.

140. EVERQUEST

(1999, Mac, PC)

EverQuest "obliterated" the bar for online gaming when it released in 1999, according to GamePro. Credited as the second successful MMORPG ever released, EverQuest gave players three continents to explore, and 14 classes/12 races to choose from when creating a character. Unprecedented its size, the game set forth conventions and designs that'd define the genre going forward.

139. THE OREGON TRAIL

(1971, Apple II, others)

One of the most widespread games of all time, The Oregon Trail gamified learning. It taught kids about American history while being immensely fun and engaging to interact with over the course of its long journey.

138. RESIDENT EVIL

(1996, PlayStation, others)

It wasn't even close to being the first survival horror game, but Resident Evil defined the genre after its 1996 release. Utilizing fixed cameras to give the game a cinematic look, while under-distributing ammo and save spots, Resident Evil created a sense of tension unseen before players walked through its numerous winding halls and traps.

137. PHANTASY STAR ONLINE

(2001, Dreamcast, others)

Phantasy Star Online didn't bring the MMORPG to consoles; it was a tailor-made experience for the desires and demands of console players — with hack-and-slash gameplay and beautiful visuals. Coming before the success of titans like World of Warcraft, Phantasy Star Online evolved online gaming in its own small way.

136. KIRBY'S ADVENTURE

(1993, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

One of the NES' best looking games, Kirby's Adventure let you experiment in your approach, changing your play style to make each attempt a little bit different than the last.

135. HEARTHSTONE

(2014, Android, iOS, Mac, PC)

Hearthstone single-handedly made the digital card genre what it is today. Taking cues from Magic: The Gathering but making something approachable and flashy, Blizzard was able to bring in hoards of fans across the world who otherwise would have never touched a collectible card game.

134. STREET FIGHTER 3: THIRD STRIKE

(2000, Dreamcast, others)

The third iteration of the third Street Fighter, Third Strike bolstered the game's lineup of fighters, adding Chun-Li, Q and others. From a competitive perspective, it's the version of SF3 that's stood the test of time, often still appearing in tournaments. And it features some of the smoothest animation ever seen in a fighter.

133. KIRBY: CANVAS CURSE

(2005, Nintendo DS, others)

In a series known for iterating on the traditional platforming of Nintendo games, Kirby: Canvas Curse iterated on the traditional platforming of Kirby games. Played exclusively with a stylus to draw traversal options for Kirby, this new take made Canvas Curse a fan favorite and a welcome change of pace from other 2D platformers.

132. VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE - REDEMPTION

(2000, Mac, PC)

One of the best parts of Vampire the Masquerade - Redemption was its multiplayer "Storyteller" mechanic. Allowing one player to take on a role similar to a Dungeons & Dragons dungeon master, it enabled players to set up scenarios for others to play through, modifying them with monsters, items and characters. This mechanic opened possibilities for Redemption's replayability, and changed the dynamics of the multiplayer game.

131. HER STORY

(2015, iOS, PC, others)

Her Story is, as Polygon's Phil Kollar put it, "as much a game as Google." Centered around investigating computer files in an effort to find information, Her Story tells its story by dragging players down a rabbit hole of mystery in the pursuit of truth. Wholly unique, Her Story's format was one that could only exist as a game, and it was better for it.

130. UNDERTALE

(2015, Mac, PC, others)

Undertale was never afraid to jerk the wheel, shifting genres and subverting gameplay tropes. One part emotional story, one part role-playing game, one part bullet-hell game and one part pacifism simulator, Undertale earned immense praise for its gameplay and approach to combat, which allowed players to opt out by simply talking to enemies. 

129. ROCK BAND

(2007, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Rock Band took what made Guitar Hero excellent and gave it a backing group. With guitar, bass, drums and vocals all accounted for, Rock Band was equally a karaoke machine and a rhythm game. Though the peripheral-based music genre waned significantly as the years went on, Rock Band still stands out for how it brought four players together for something more than competition.

128. DUNE 2: THE BUILDING OF A DYNASTY

(1992, PC, others)

Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty's name is fitting. Establishing the skeleton from which all future real-time strategy games would come from, Dune 2established resource management, base construction and three factions for players to choose from.

127. CART LIFE

(2011, PC)

In Cart Life, you manage the stresses of a running food cart, you make what little money you can and you try your best to care for yourself and your family. The push and pull of the job and the personal life made Cart Life an emotional experience, one emphasizing empathy over economic growth.

126. UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES

(2009, PlayStation 3, others)

Few games match the pacing of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Seemingly down to the second, Uncharted 2 knew exactly when to put players through amazing set pieces, when to introduce puzzles and when to pull back for quieter, more intimate moments.

125. MIKE TYSON'S PUNCH OUT!!

(1987, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

If you could take down Mike Tyson in Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!, you were the undisputed king. The notoriously hard titular final boss offered a true test of skill, making this a game players constantly came back to, thinking, "I've got it this time."

124. ROCK BAND 2

(2008, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Rock Band 2 wasn't an Earth-shattering reinvention of the first game. Rather, its small tweaks and quality of life updates served to make an already great experience even better, allowing for "No Fail" modes for people who just wanted to play around with friends. Rock Band 2 turned the Rock Band experience into a more streamlined, accessible party treat.

123. DIABLO

(1996, PC, others)

Diablo was Blizzard's first foray into the action role-playing genre and was quite the premier. Also marking the launch of Battle.net, Diablo's dark world and addictive loot-based gameplay received critical and fan praise, establishing Blizzard as one of the top role-playing game developers. Focused on rewards, Diablo's feedback loop of fight-then-receive-loot influenced countless other games to implement similar structures.

122. QUAKE

(1996, PC, others)

Quake took the fast-paced gameplay of Doom and made it work in an advanced 3D engine. Its massively-popular online multiplayer made such a thing a staple of the video game industry.

121. FROG FRACTIONS

(2012, Browser)

Disguising itself as a math game, Frog Fractions constantly changes forms as you play. It's undeniably weird. Frog Fractions shattered any preconceived notions of what to expect from a game, proving games can be whatever you want them to be.

120. DEVICE 6

(2013, iOS)

Device 6 managed to evolve the text-adventure format. Whereas usual text-adventures would roll out their stories in long paragraphs, Device 6 presented words as malleable narrative devices — with some that bent around corners as they described the game doing the same. Device 6 was an amazing breakthrough in storytelling and a surprising reinvention of one of the oldest genres.

119. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE WIND WAKER

(2003, GameCube, others)

Wind Waker took Zelda's mechanics to a new level. It was deeper, more complex and let players move the camera and counter attack to open up the game's action, making for a richer game. Though its cartoony visuals were divisive at the time of release, Wind Waker's aesthetic made for a more expressive game that has gained fans over time.

118. MARIO KART 8

(2014, Wii U, others)

Introducing new, game changing mechanics such as anti-gravity movement, Mario Kart 8 changed up the game's old — but classic — formula. More impressive looking than other games in the series, too, Mario Kart 8's changes and refinements made it a standout in a series of amazing arcade racers.

117. GUNSTAR HEROES

(1993, Genesis, others)

Controlling like a dream, full of insane boss fights and featuring some of the best graphics of its time, Gunstar was a relentless game full of inventive mechanics, culminating in one of the finest Sega Genesis games ever released.

116. CALL OF DUTY 2

(2005, PC, Xbox 360, others)

Call of Duty 2 built upon its predecessor's level of bombast and personal stories of wartime soldiers with a with a new level of realism and action never seen before in games. Considered a pinnacle of video game visuals, storytelling and action in 2005, Call of Duty 2 also continued the series' influence on other first-person shooters.

115. BIOSHOCK

(2007, PC, Xbox 360, others)

BioShock is still, 10 years later, like nothing seen elsewhere. Its art deco underwater metropolis-gone-wrong instantly invited players in, enticing them to search every corner to learn what went wrong with Andrew Ryan's utopia. Telling a complex story about the nature of man, BioShock offered one of the most unforgettable experiences in games.

114. HERZOG ZWEI

(1990, Genesis)

Herzog Zwei was one of the first real-time strategy games. Allowing players to pilot a flying mech while simultaneously buying and deploying combat units on the battlefield, Herzog Zwei paved the way for other strategy games like Dune 2 — even though it itself wasn't very successful.

113. PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME

(2003, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, others)

It's hard to imagine a world where Braid and Arkham Asylum had the impact they did without Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time not coming first. Allowing players to bend time backward and forward while fighting enemies with a fluid combat system, Sands of Time's pacing made it a standout.

112. SID MEIER'S RAILROAD TYCOON

(1990, PC, others)

Railroad Tycoon is just one of dozens of groundbreaking games bearing Meier's name. Allowing players to plan and manage their own railroad company — making them responsible for laying train tracks, building train stations and actually scheduling trains — Railroad Tycoon received numerous perfect scores and spots on greatest games of all time lists in the early '90s.

111. HITMAN: BLOOD MONEY

(2006, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360)

Hitman: Blood Money feels like a simulation rather than just a stealth game. Holding players accountable for performing clean jobs, Blood Money ratcheted up the difficulty of the series by penalizing players for being too violent, loud or otherwise out of character for a professional assassin.

110. COUNTER-STRIKE

(2000, PC, others)

Counter-Strike threw out what players expected from first-person shooters; a guns-blazing approach would only result in death. The game focused on teamwork, guns had accurate recoil and shooting someone in the arm did less damage than, say, shooting them in the head. Because of this realistic approach, Counter-Strike and its sequels have become staples of the esports industry.

109. KENTUCKY ROUTE ZERO

(2013, PC, others)

Kentucky Route Zero is one of those games people tell you to go into blind. Somber and contemplative, Kentucky Route Zero explores the life of rural America, both in its simplicity and its bizarreness. Though all its episodes aren't out yet, Kentucky Route Zero has become a highly talked-about game, as players wonder what secrets still hide on the backroads of Kentucky.

108. SUPER MARIO MAKER

(2015, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS)

After decades of Nintendo inventing and reinventing the wheel, Super Mario Maker gave players the chance to make their own 2D Mario levels. Super Mario Maker pushed the boundaries of creativity, allowing fans the chance to reimagine some of the most influential levels in games — and make new ones.

107. PAPERS, PLEASE

(2013, PC, others)

As the fictional country of Arstotzka collapses, Papers, Please puts players in the role of an immigration inspector, allowing or detaining would-be immigrants at a border checkpoint. The game puts the lives of others in your hands — possibly at the cost of your family's safety. Upon its release, Papers, Please was lauded for its intense moral dilemmas.

106. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS

(1998, PlayStation, others)

A different kind of Final Fantasy game, Tactics abandoned the series' traditional role-playing approach, replacing it with an isometric tactical game. This new direction, and the masterful depth with which it was pulled off, gained the game universal acclaim, with many praising its challenging gameplay.

105. GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY

(2002, PlayStation 2, others)

Vice City took the drab, gray buildings from Grand Theft Auto 3 and replaced them with sun-soaked beaches and flashy muscle cars. Its wide cast of wild characters, exciting open world and amazing soundtrack made Vice City one of the best entries in a series full of some of the best game of all time.

104. BURNOUT PARADISE

(2008, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Burnout Paradise introduced the series to open-world gameplay. Players were free to progress in the game as they chose, meaning if they wanted to just drive around and engage in the game's ever-absurd crash physics without racing, they could.

103. ELITE

(1984, BBC Micro, others)

Elite more or less created the modern space flight simulator genre. Paving the way for persistent world games like Second Life and World of Warcraft, Elite's establishment of space-trading also greatly influenced games like No Man's Sky and Eve Online.

102. TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 2

(2000, PlayStation, others)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 marked an apex for both the series and action sports games. Building on a proven formula, the game sold better than nearly any other action sports game at the time. While not the most revolutionary in the series, Pro Skater 2 was the product of intense dedication and iteration from developer Neversoft.

101. METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Sons of Liberty was masterclass in how to write a plot twist, smashing player expectations by introducing series newcomer Raiden as the protagonist after the game's prologue. And that was one of just many surprising elements of the story, which dealt with topics like incest and existentialism.

100. WARLORDS

(1989, PC, others)

Warlords pit four players against each other, all fighting to destroy the others' castles with projectiles while defending their own. When it released, the game was praised for its evolution of Pong's gameplay — due to its projectiles being similar to the Pong ball — within an addictive multiplayer game.

99. THE SENTINEL

(1986, BBC Micro, others)

Offering more than 10,000 playfields to solve puzzles in, The Sentinal featured afirst-person view and visual depth that marked a big step forward for game visuals — and gave players the impression they were in a different world.

98. SUIKODEN 2

(1999, PlayStation, others)

Suikoden 2 made waves by being huge. On top of a near-uncountable number of secrets, minigames and side missions, players were able to recruit more than 100 characters to their party. The sheer size of Suikoden 2 is still unparalleled by most other games.

97. MANIC MINER

(1983, ZX Spectrum, others)

Manic Miner was the first title on the ZX Spectrum to have in-game music. Initially thought to be impossible on the machine, Manic Miner's inclusion of music marked an early example of how video game developers could learn to push hardware farther than its creators thought possible.

96. HOMEWORLD

(1999, PC)

Homeworld, in a lot of ways, was more of the same for the real-time strategy genre. But its visuals completely moved the bar forward. Unparalleled in detail at the time, Homeworld's recreation of space caught the eyes of critics and players, raising expectations for how games after it should look.

95. GRAND THEFT AUTO 4

(2008, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

Grand Theft Auto 4 pointed an angry finger right at the American dream. Telling a darker story than previous Grand Theft Auto games, Grand Theft Auto 4 was a bleak, violent look at what life could be like for an immigrant who came to the "land of opportunity" in search of just that, only to find the cards stacked against them.

94. GUITAR HERO 2

(2006, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360)

Guitar Hero 2 only improved what was necessary from the first Guitar Hero, adding more complex ways to play like three button notes. While not full of revolutionary upgrades, Guitar Hero 2 cemented the series as a cultural phenomenon, as well as sparking the release of numerous expansions and spin-offs.

93. SUPER MARIO WORLD 2: YOSHI'S ISLAND

(1995, Super Nintendo, others)

Yoshi's Island's beautiful, hand-drawn art style made it one of the best-looking games of the 16-bit generation. With Yoshi as a playable character, the game introduced numerous mechanics players hadn't seen before, such as a flutter jump and the ability to transform.

92. ROBOTRON: 2084

(1982, Arcade, others)

Every time you enjoy a twin-stick shooter, remember to thank Robotron: 2084. Though its twin stick controls were never widely adopted by other arcade game developers, as time went on they became a natural fit for the dual-analog sticks present on most console pads.

91. DRAGON WARRIOR

(1989, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

Dragon Warrior was the template from which nearly every Japanese role-playing game drew inspiration. From the point of view, to the turn-based combat, to the story stretching over multiple games, Dragon Warrior did it first. Though the game itself never proved a hit in the west, Dragon Warrior's influence still stretches to games today.

90. EVE ONLINE

(2003, Mac, PC)

One of the most complex games ever made, Eve is often described as a part-time job, one requiring constant work and attention to keep track of the politics and economy. But for many, the effort is worth the payoff — in one battle, more than 10,000 players fought together, amassing an estimated more than $30,000 in damages.

89. METROID

(1987, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

Metroid, unlike other platformers, doesn't really reward players for rushing through it — though it has become a popular speedrunning game. Instead, its emphasis on exploration has been highly influential in games being worlds to explore, not just obstacles to overcome.

88. CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE

(2007, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

At the time of its release, Modern Warfare was unparalleled in its intense portrayal of war — something later entries would build upon. But it was the game's multiplayer that proved most impactful. Introducing killstreaks, a level-up system and many other new features, Modern Warfare's multiplayer changed the dynamics of multiplayer shooters forever.

87. NETHACK

(1987, Mac, PC, others)

A clone of the game Rogue, the roguelike NetHack was a far richer experience, one players were invited to change as they saw fit. Using an open-source distribution model, NetHack became a "metagame-within-a-game … [where] anything could and probably would happen," according to Engadget.

86. DOOM 2

(1994, PC, others)

Largely similar to the first Doom, Doom 2's biggest enhancements came in the way of graphical upgrades and larger maps. However, Doom 2, unlike Doom, was sold in retail stores, putting the first-person game in more hands than the original had been. Doom 2, though not id's most influential game, played a big role in the explosion of first-person shooters in the '90s.

85. KATAMARI DAMACY

(2004, PlayStation 2)

One of the "most unusual and original game[s] to hit PlayStation 2," according to Time, Katamari Damacy was developed around being easy to understand and fun to play. This low barrier to entry gained the game a cult-following and led to it being featured in the Museum of Modern Art.

84. PORTAL 2

(2011, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

The first Portal's uses of telekinesis and teleportation gave the puzzle genre an exciting twist. Portal 2's expanded mechanics felt like a fresh start. Adding ways to redirect lasers and options to accelerate player speed created countless approaches to objectives, further opening up the puzzles to dynamic solutions.

83. SILENT HILL 2

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Silent Hill 2 stood out as a game unafraid to examine ㅅㅅuality in smart, nuanced ways — something hard to say about most games. A horror game on the surface — granted, an extremely scary one — Silent Hill's mature take on infidelity, lust, love and abuse showed the depth that game stories could achieve.

82. ADVENTURE

(1979, Atari 2600)

A pioneer in many ways, Adventure is often remembered for its unique Easter egg, where players could find developer Warren Robinett's name hidden deep in the game.

81. STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC

(2003, PC, Xbox, others)

Knights of the Old Republic let players play on whatever side of the force they wanted, abandoning the staple light side of the movies. Taking place before the main trilogy of films, the game set the then-industry standard for how to handle a morality system in a game, balancing the experiences of both sides of the coin.

80. GUILD WARS 2

(2012, Mac, PC)

Guild Wars 2 dared to be different. Implementing a mission system closer to that of a single-player game where player choice affected the game world, the MMORPG allowed players to see the world change based on how they approached different challenges.

79. SPACE INVADERS

(1978, Arcade, others)

Space Invaders is among the pantheon of great early arcade games that turned video games from toys into a full blown business. Space Invaders also helped move games away from realistic depictions and towards fantastical settings.

78. SECRET OF MANA

(1993, Super Nintendo, others)

Secret of Mana shook up the role-playing genre with its real-time combat, requiring players to time attacks just right. It also allowed three players to play together cooperatively, rare for the time, with secondary players jumping in and out at will.

77. M.U.L.E.

(1983, Atari 8-bit, others)

M.U.L.E. was all about the difficulties of supply and demand. Pitting four players against each other to see which would lead their colony to be the first to survive and accrue the most wealth, M.U.L.E got credit for being both fun and a learning experience about economics.

76. HABITAT

(1986, Commodore 64, others)

Habitat was ostensibly the world's first MMO. Players had avatars — it's credited with coining the term — and they could interact with other players and objects in the world. The game was supposedly developed to facilitate up to 10,000 players, though it never reached that number. Released in 1986, the game had many features that became commonplace in MMOs decades later.

75. ULTIMA ONLINE

(1997, PC)

Playing Ultima Online was the closest a lot of people got to going to war. Built to facilitate thousands of players at once, the game became famous for its massive, months-long events where hundreds, sometimes thousands of players would band together to take on entire cities.

74. DOTA 2

(2013, PC, others)

After the success of Dota, which helped popularize the MOBA, there was nowhere else to go but up. Since its release in 2013, Dota 2 has remained one of Steam's most popular games, hitting one million concurrents at its peak. The game has also been one of the biggest success stories in the esports world, with some prize pools topping $20 million.

73. THE ELDER SCROLLS 5: SKYRIM

(2011, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

With The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, the ends more than justified the means. Taking influence from decades of open-ended role-playing games, Skyrim set new standards with its sheer world size, quest depth and character options.

72. BURNOUT 3: TAKEDOWN

(2004, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

Burnout 3: Takedown caught the eyes of racing fans when it put a focus not only on speed, but on obliterating opponents. The "Takedown" mechanic tasked players with ramming into other cars before ultimately causing an opponent to crash. The slow-motion footage of a successful Takedown remains one of the most satisfying sights in games.

71. SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE

(2001, GameCube)

Super Smash Bros. Melee is one of the longest-running competitive fighting games out there, even though it breaks some conventional rules. Proving a game doesn't have to be perfectly balanced to be great, Melee remains at the top of the pile 16 years later.

70. FINAL FANTASY 7

(1997, PlayStation, others)

One of the biggest success stories of the PlayStation era, Final Fantasy 7 wasn't afraid to be weird, and its deeply emotional story remains a fan favorite still today. The game's success is, in part, credited with popularizing Japanese role-playing games around the globe.

69. HARVEST MOON

(1997, Super Nintendo)

Harvest Moon is all about the tranquility of a simple life. Allowing players to decide how to tackle daily activities like raising livestock and farming, this early farm simulator turned the mundanity of farm life into a soothing, charming experience.

68. LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

(2009, Mac, PC)

With more than 100 million people playing League of Legends every month, it's hard to think of game bigger than Riot's juggernaut. That success has also made League one of the most lucrative esports titles in the world, with top prize pools totalling more than $6 million.

67. SPLINTER CELL: CHAOS THEORY

(2005, Xbox, others)

Chaos Theory improved just about everything that had been in Splinter Cell up to that point, from the controls to the enemy AI to the gadgets. And it was super pretty, too.

66. MADDEN NFL 2005

(2004, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, others)

Madden is the king of the sports game world, and Madden NFL 2005 was one of the king's greatest achievements. It expertly rode the line between simulation and arcade game, making it possible for players of all skill levels to jump in, play and find something to love.

65. ESPN NFL 2K5

(2004, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last hurrah of Sega's football series before Madden signed an exclusivity deal with the NFL. 2K5 was a remarkable celebration of the sport, one that experimented with how football games have to play and look.

64. PONG

(1972, Arcade, others)

A simple game of tabletop ping pong, Pong revolutionized entertainment and set many of the first cornerstones of the video game industry. Requiring only one hand to operate and needing a second player to go against, Pong's popularity rose in part to its frequent placement in bars.

63. SUPER MARIO GALAXY

(2007, Wii)

Super Mario Galaxy seamlessly blended old and new to acclaimed results. Taking the gameplay of 3D Mario games and giving it a gravity-bending twist, Galaxyplayed like a dream despite — and in part because of — the unusual Wii Nunchuk control setup.

62. CHRONO TRIGGER

(1995, Super Nintendo, others)

Developed by a supergroup of creative minds, Chrono Trigger innovated with role-playing features like multiple endings, side quests that tied into the main plot and non-random encounters. Chrono Trigger managed to walk a tightrope between being simple yet experimental, and many critics consider it the best role-playing game of all time. 

61. GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS

(2004, PlayStation 2, others)

The series' first reach beyond the confines of one city, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' fictional state of San Andreas featured numerous terrains and multiple cities — a move Rockstar would repeat a few games later. Telling a surprisingly emotional story about gang life and the difficulties of escaping it, San Andreas was a watershed moment in one of gaming's best series.

60. GOLDENEYE 007

(1997, Nintendo 64)

GoldenEye revolutionized first-person shooters by taking them off the internet and putting them on consoles. The smooth gameplay — and great local multiplayer — established a new home for shooters.

59. SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2

(2010, Wii, others)

Super Mario Galaxy 2 didn't change much from the original Galaxy; it just perfected everything that worked in its predecessor. The game continuing the series' tradition of pushing boundaries and expectations.

58. NHL '94

(1993, Genesis, Super Nintendo, others)

NHL '94 was an early example of a game displaying a realistic recreation of the sports world. For hockey fans, it still stands out as one of the best representations of the sport in games — with a nice bonus of having. accurate team-specific organ songs.

57. ELITE BEAT AGENTS

(2006, Nintendo DS)

In Elite Beat Agents, you're out to help those in need — through the power of dance. One of Nintendo's bizarre rhythm games, Elite Beat Agents charming sense of humor, surprisingly awesome soundtrack and addictive gameplay made gave it a true sense of character.

56. CIVILIZATION 5

(2010, PC, others)

Keeping a lot of what made people fall in love with the series in the first place, while opening things up for those who'd never tried the game before, Civilization 5 dominated the real-time strategy genre.

55. SIMCITY 2000

(1993, Mac, others)

SimCity 2000 let players build better cities. It expanded on the city building genre by adding more meaningful institutions, like libraries, schools, museums and even prisons.

54. THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT

(2015, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)

Massive in every conceivable way — from the world to the sc__ript, lore, items, weapons and side quests — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt distanced itself from other open-world games with its extreme attention to detail.

53. DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION

(1999, Arcade, others)

Dance Dance Revolution is a workout. Used in schools, for exercise and anywhere someone wants to make video game players look dumb, DDR's revolutionary active playstyle has helped the series stand the test of time.

52. HALF-LIFE

(1998, PC, others)

Half-Life was a bleak story about science gone wrong. Unlike a lot of games at the time of its release, Half-Life told its story completely in-game, free of cutscenes. This, mixed with the great world design, and the fact Freeman was voiceless, allowed players to slip into Half-Life's world, personally engaging with the story more than in other games.

51. FOOTBALL MANAGER

(1982, Video Genie, others)

Focusing less on the actual playing of the sport, Football Manager put players in charge of a soccer club, giving them control of all the crucial choices a team faces over a season. Football Manager innovated the amount of depth a game can have, allowing true soccer fans to experience what it's like to work behind the scenes for their favorite club.

50. MASS EFFECT 2

(2010, PC, Xbox 360, others)

Mass Effect 2 marked the pinnacle of the series' agency and consequences. Essentially putting you on a suicide mission, the series built upon its deep relationships by placing your favorite characters' lives in your hands. This gave decisions true weight.

49. DOTA

(2003, Mac, PC)

Dota established the MOBA, with games like Paragon, Heroes of the Storm and Battleborn all cashing in on its success. Though not as popular as its sequel, the Valve-developed Dota 2, Dota quickly became a multimillion-dollar asset to the esports industry.

48. SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS

(2005, PlayStation 2, others)

Shadow of the Colossus was more about the journey than the destination. Players spent a lot of time on horseback searching for 16 colossi — and sometimes even longer trying to defeat them. A game as much about subtlety as it was grand scale, Shadow of the Colossus is an example of games as high art.

47. QUEST FOR GLORY: SO YOU WANT TO BE A HERO

(1989, PC, others)

Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero asked that question literally. Striving for a level of realism still pretty rare in games, the game combined classic adventure mechanics with an approach that would later be known as a survival sim.

46. MOTHER 3

(2006, Game Boy Advance)

Mother 3 took a lot of what made its predecessors so special and threw it out the window. Emphasizing familial pressures, Mother 3 had a level of seriousness other games of its time didn't, quickly making it one of the most beloved games of all time, even though it was never released officially in North America.

45. SUPER MARIO KART

(1992, Super Nintendo, others)

Super Mario Kart is a great racing game. But it's a Nintendo racing game, and that distinction matters. A mix of Nintendo's trademark zaniness and a highly-competitive racer, Super Mario Kart became a staple of couch co-op games, proving who was the best behind the wheel with a well-placed banana peel.

44. GUITAR HERO

(2005, PlayStation 2)

Every wannabe rockstar finally had an audience in Guitar Hero. As one of the most popular rhythm games, Guitar Hero launched a renaissance of music-based games. Though the genre fell off over time, the first Guitar Hero was a phenomenon.

43. THE SIMS

(2000, PC, others)

The Sims took decades of simulation game history and applied it to something everyone could understand: the human life. Free of all the complicated, obtuse angles of other simulators, The Sims' accessibility, diverse character creation and variety of daily activities made it one of the most successful games in the genre.

42. HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED

(2001, Xbox, others)

Halo made Xbox. Without it, it's hard to say what Microsoft's game division would look like today. And that's thanks to the game's mix of scale, story and competition. The controls worked amazingly well on a console pad, too.

41. WII SPORTS

(2006, Wii)

Wii Sports was the rare game that found its way in the hands players who normally wouldn't think of touching a game. Fusing easy-to-understand, easy-to-play sports minigames with Wii's accessible hardware and user interface, Wii Sports made many in the industry rethink what games needed to be.

40. DARK SOULS

(2011, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Evolving the design set forth by Demon's Souls, Dark Souls continued the series' legacy of sadistic gameplay and accomplishment of learning. Dark Souls was a game always pushing back. You played by its rules, yet those rules were always fair.

39. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

(1998, Nintendo 64, others)

Ocarina of Time made the transition from 2D to 3D look like the easiest thing in the world. Everything you'd come to expect from a Zelda game was there, yet a host of new mechanics elevated the gameplay. Featuring the groundbreaking target-lock system and songs needing to be learned, Ocarina of Time stood out.

38. DIABLO 2

(2000, Mac, PC)

Diablo 2 was one of the fastest-selling PC games — which makes sense. Following the immensely popular Diablo, this sequel didn't change too much. With more addictive hacking and slashing, and more loot and cows, Diablo 2 became one of Blizzard's highest achievements by being the only thing it needed to be: more.

37. GRAND THEFT AUTO 5

(2013, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

Grand Theft Auto 5 is the game that just keeps on giving. Providing players an entire state to play in, the game's open world was light years beyond anything seen before in terms of world detail, depth and sheer number of things to do.

36. RESIDENT EVIL 4

(2005, GameCube, others)

Resident Evil 4 was a new perspective on an old genre. A change-up on the Resident Evil formula, RE4 introduced more action to the long-running survival horror series, and placed the camera over protagonist Leon Kennedy's shoulder — which fixed the series' legacy control issues.

35. DONKEY KONG

(1981, Arcade, others)

Nintendo's first major success in North America and the first game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Donkey Kong broke ground as one of the earliest examples of what a platformer could be — and it introduced Mario.

34. SUPER MARIO WORLD

(1991, Super Nintendo, others)

World let Mario find new items, it changed how he jumped and traversed levels and it introduced Yoshi. Utilizing the expanded size of the Super Nintendo, World was a much bigger game than earlier Marios, shipping with 96 total worlds.

33. PERSONA 4/GOLDEN

(2008, PlayStation 2, others)

Persona 4's greatest achievement may just have been getting people to pay attention. When released, Persona 4 found large fanfare in the west — and its deep story, meaningful social links and addictive procedural dungeon crawling established the series as one of the best in games.

32. ZORK

(1977, PDP-10, others)

One of the first interactive fiction games, Zork changed gaming when the game actually spoke back to the player in an intelligent way. Utilising a "text parser," Zork was able to understand complex commands, recognizing some conjunctions and prepositions, which added a layer of depth and complexity to the world. 

31. GONE HOME

(2013, PC, others)

Gone Home scoffed at what a game "is." Free of conflict and combat, relying solely on environmental storytelling and exploration, necessitating players explore every inch of the game to piece together the entire picture, Gone Home told one of the more personal stories in games.

30. SPELUNKY

(2012, Xbox 360, others)

Spelunky is a 2D platformer you'll probably never master — or even beat. Its procedural nature ensures no two playthroughs are the same, and it's so masterfully designed, so full of mysteries and so addicting, that many players find themselves constantly playing through each new iteration as if it was a new game. 

29. EARTHBOUND

(1995, Super Nintendo, others)

Given a more realistic setting than most games in the genre, EarthBound was developed to be enjoyed by people who don't play JRPGs — or even games in general. Its goofy tone, cultural satire and genuine heart made it a standout.

28. THE ELDER SCROLLS 3: MORROWIND

(2002, PC, Xbox)

The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind took the series' history of open-ended gameplay and expanded upon it greatly. Putting less emphasis on plot, Morrowind made its titular world the star. And Morrowind's world was a treat to get lost in — especially without waypoints constantly looming overhead. 

27. JOURNEY

(2012, PlayStation 3, others)

Journey was a game about companionship and the freedom of death. Players weren't told who they were playing with, and only had the option to help each other, forcing players to trust one another. This competition-free approach to multiplayer combined with the game's beautiful allegory for life made Journey an instant classic.

26. NBA JAM

(1993, Arcade, others)

NBA Jam made more than $1 billion in quarters. With its over-the-top sometimes-on-fire gameplay, it ushered in new wave of arcade sports games emphasizing craziness over realism. But Jam's precise gameplay made it a standout over imitators.

25. METAL GEAR SOLID

(1998, PlayStation, others)

Metal Gear Solid gets credit for popularizing the stealth genre. Bringing the Metal Gear series into 3D, the game let players sneak around real environments, hiding from guards and hiding bodies. Using elaborate cutscenes and voice acting, Metal Gear Solid's cinematic presentation made its deep story of top-secret infiltration rival Hollywood blockbusters. 

24. DWARF FORTRESS

(2006, PC, others)

Revolving around the construction and management of a Dwarf colony, Dwarf Fortress is a game you can't win — you simply play until you're done or defeated. The open-ended gameplay and unique use of text-based visuals made the game an early example of an indie game becoming successful solely based on its unique gameplay and style.

23. ROGUE

(1980, Unix, others)

Rogue created an entirely new genre. Elements of this 1980 dungeon-crawler, like randomly generated dungeons, permadeath and collectible weapons and items, gave birth to a wave of games called "roguelikes." Despite the punishment of having. to start over each time, Rogue's dynamic gameplay made for an addicting trip through ever-changing corridors that kept players trying over and over.

22. FIFA 12

(2011, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

FIFA 12 took the long-running sports series and turned it into something beautiful. The host of new features made it a faithful recreation of soccer, allowing players to not only play the sport, but manage their teams down to the sheer minutiae.

21. SUPER MARIO BROS.

(1985, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

To this day, Super Mario Bros. still plays like a world-class 2D platformer. Its success isn't limited to just genre, though. The game also helped pull the video game industry out of the calamitous 1980s crash.

20. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST

(1992, Super Nintendo, others)

A return to the series' original top-down perspective, A Link to the Past's Hyrule was massive — especially for the time — featuring numerous dungeons and two overworlds. It was "the purest representation of the time-honored Zelda formula," according to GameSpot.

19. CIVILIZATION 2

(1996, PC, others)

Giving players control over nearly endless mechanics and outcomes, Civilization 2 played a part in making its games among some of the finest-crafted experiences the industry ever had the fortune to play.

18. CASTLEVANIA: SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT

(1997, PlayStation, others)

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night carried the legacy of 2D games like Super Metroid into the 32-bit era — when sprites had fallen out of fashion. And it also happened to have one of the most polished, explorable worlds ever seen in a game.

17. PORTAL

(2007, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, others)

What Portal lacked in length it more than made up for in unique, experimental gameplay based. Portal's puzzles allowed players to experiment with the best — and coolest — ways to progress with their Companion Cubes.

16. SUPER MARIO 64

(1996, Nintendo 64, others)

Reinventing how running, jumping and action worked in three dimensions, Mario 64 was one of the first games to explore how 3D spaces could replicate what players loved in 2D. It also experimented with freedom of movement and open levels that later became staples of the genre.

15. SIMCITY

(1989, Mac, others)

Inspired by creator Will Wright's interest in urban planning, SimCity established the city-building genre. Giving players the option to mark areas as commercial or residential, build transportation systems, adjust tax rates and more, SimCity revolutionized the simulation genre with its amount of content and depth.

14. HALF-LIFE 2

(2004, PC, others)

Praised for its revolutionary AI, gameplay and realistic physics, Half-Life 2 is the standard to which many first-person shooters are still compared — though few have managed to make the same impact.

13. STARCRAFT

(1998, PC, others)

Blizzard's decision to add three races to StarCraft revolutionized strategy games, opening up new tactics and playstyles, and ultimately solving a problem many found with strategy games. StarCraft introduced the idea of diversity to strategy games, paving the way for others to experiment with different playstyles.

12. GRAND THEFT AUTO 3

(2001, PlayStation 2, others)

Grand Theft Auto 3 changed the world. The dawn of the modern Grand Theft Auto game, it showed how open worlds could work, with sandbox gameplay allowing players to do nearly anything they wanted. Its violence, too, intrigued and scared the wider world, bringing levels of media attention unseen before in games.

11. FINAL FANTASY 6

(1994, Super Nintendo, others)

Darker than earlier Final Fantasy games, FF6 tackled tough issues like infidelity, suicide and genocide. Giving players, for the first time, access to 14 playable characters, each with their own levels of emotional attachment, Final Fantasy 6was a bleak, memorable, standout in a series known for great experiences.

10. SUPER METROID

(1994, Super Nintendo, others)

Arriving decades before the indie explosion, Super Metroid is still a common template for 2D and retro inspired indie releases housed under the "Metroidvania" subgenre. Its package included a beautiful game full of immense detail, massive open-ended levels and a meaningful arsenal of weapons and tools. 

9. STREET FIGHTER 2

(1991, Arcade, others)

When you get people to compete, you bring in a lot of quarters. The game that kicked off the fighting game boom, Street Fighter 2 was a massive success at getting people back into arcades. And it went on to define the SNES library as well. 

8. MINECRAFT

(2011, Mac, PC, others)

Minecraft never tells players "no." Deceptively simple looking, Minecraft's building mechanics and open-ended gameplay created one of the biggest fandoms in gaming by simply allowing players to use their imaginations.

7. WORLD OF WARCRAFT

(2004, Mac, PC)

World of Warcraft set one of the highest watermarks in games, and Blizzard has continued to support it for more than 10 years. The game recently crossed the 100 million lifetime accounts line, thanks to constant expansions, updates and iterations. Praised for its massive open world, passionate community and deep quests, World of Warcraft is a masterclass in attention to detail that has kept players coming back.

6. MS. PAC-MAN

(1982, Arcade, others)

Pac-Man normalized video games. Its addictive-yet-rewarding gameplay loop of eating Pac-Dots and running from the ghosts created a bonafide phenomenon, enticing people of all ages to take a stab at the arcade machines.

5. POKEMON RED AND BLUE

(1998, Game Boy)

Few games changed the course of history the way Pokemon Red and Blue did. The first games in the Pokemon series, Red and Blue turned the franchise into a global phenomenon, even before it transitioned into a multimedia titan with television shows, movies and a massive collectible card game. 

4. DOOM

(1993, PC, others)

Doom made rockstars out of nerds. Led by video game luminaries John Romero and John Carmack, id's landmark first-person shooter birthed the massive popularity of the genre, spawned countless imitators and made the two Johns millionaires.

3. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

(1987, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

Introducing players to a world and characters they would live with for years to come, The Legend of Zelda was an incredible action role-playing game with tight controls and a great sense of exploration. That it came out so close to the original Super Mario Bros. makes us wonder just what was in the water in Kyoto.

2. SUPER MARIO BROS. 3

(1990, Nintendo Entertainment System, others)

Introducing many features that went on to define the series, Super Mario Bros. 3 debuted flying, level-specific mechanics and different suits for Mario to wear. SMB3 also exhibited a generous respect for its players, rewarding them for taking the time to explore each level for secrets.

1. TETRIS

(1984, Electronika 60, others)

Requiring a strong balance of strategy and reflexes, Tetris defined what it meant to be a puzzle game. Rarely has a game so thoroughly dominated its genre. It doesn't matter who you are; you've played Tetris — something not easily said about most games. Tetris was simple in its set up and masterful in its execution.

출처 : https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/27/16158276/polygon-500-best-games-of-all-time-500-401

[등신 감별사]

스압 엄청나 ㄷㄷㄷ

[대추아가씨]

역시 테트리스네요.

[싸이코어퍼]

단순 재미만으로 선정한건 아닌듯하고, 게임업계에 끼친 영향력과 의미까지 고려해서 뽑은 순위인듯.

[대추아가씨]

We asked everyone to vote based on innovation, polish and durability, rather than simply personal taste.
혁신성, 세련됨, 지속성을 염두에 두고 투표한듯.

[바솔로뮤 J.심슨]

보다가 지쳐서 10부터 보러 내림ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[벨드린]

헐 암만 그래도 500위 안에 발더스 게이트가 없다니?!

[쮸부쮸부]

고순위 게임들은 하나같이 장르 개척 수준의 아이콘들 이네요~

[에메랄드마운틴]

전 시대를 아우르다보니 오히려 감흥이 적네...

[토도키 하와도]

라오어가 순위권에 없길래 찾았는데 의외로 173에 있네요..

[콘솔 게이머]

쟈들 라오어는 8.5점 날려서 500순위에도 없는줄 알았더만 ㅋㅋ

[squarepusher]

7.5 줫어요 ㅋㅋ

[오루키]

1위가 맨위에 있어야지 ㅡㅡ

[자세안나오네]

너무 많다

다들 1위부터 20위 까지만 볼듯

[휘리뽕]

순위를 떠나서 다 대단한 게임들

[까미구름둥이아빠]

폰으로 스크롤 넘기려니 개힘듬..

[슈퍼울트라매]

프롬대단하내

[루리웹-815383153]

게임산업에서 보여줬던 영향력 같은게 중요하게 반영된 순위네요.

[슈퍼마리오오딧세이]

폴리곤은 거르는게 답

[기브&테이크]

솔직히 이런 순위질이 무슨 의미가 있나...

[미래를]

남는건 순위와 사진 뿐입니다.

님이 여행가서 남는건 사진이예요. 추억 이따위 헛소리가 아니라.. 그러니 사진 많이 찍으시구요.
마이클잭슨이 1위를 하지 않았으면 사람들이 기억 조차 안했구요.

그래서 순위가 중요한겁니다. 추억이 아니라...
역사에 남는건 순위니까요

[기브&테이크]

사진 얘기는 갑자기 왜 꺼내는지? 뜬금없네요.
그리고 마이클잭슨은 빌보드 챠트라는 공신력있는
순위를 책정했으니 당연히 중요하지만
저 폴리곤 에디터라는 사람들이 게임업계를
대표하는 사람들인가요? 그냥 자기들 주관적인
순위를 매긴건데 그게 무슨 의미가 있어요?

[드림레터]

추억이 남는게 왜 헛소리지 ㅋㅋ
여행가서 사진 안찍고 그냥 기억에만 남기는사람들 헛소리행 ㅋㅋ

[기브&테이크]

저분은 그냥 생각이 좀 짧으신것 같은데
우리가 이해합시다.

[뭇매골]

제 생각엔 님 비유가 좀 볍진같아서 욕먹고 있는거 같아요 그럼 이만

[루리웹-3401914086]

50도 아니고 뭐하러 500개나 뽑냐

[Noctis]

페르소나4가 양덕들한테 무슨 의미를 갖길래 저렇게 순위가 높은가요?

[Dark Knight]

JRPG 좋아하는 양덕들이 페르소나 엄청 좋아하더군요. 저는 3편도 4편도 있지만 그렇게 좋은지는 모르겠고요.

[양아123]

페르소나 자체가 RPG 원조 위저드리 시스템을 계승해서 그런겁니다..

[이모네분식]

캬아 스트리트 파이터 2
10위권 내 유일한 격투게임

[콘솔 게이머]

500 ㄷ ㄷ ㄷ

[특대검]

폴리곤은 의도적으로 너티독 무시하는듯해서 별로

[산딸기들딸기]

1위만 확인했는데. 테트리스인 거 보고 바로 납득했네요.

[십장새끼]

역시 닌텐도 10위 안에 4개가 닌텐도꺼여

[루리웹-42876471]

스카이림이 73위라고... 너무 지들 마음대로 뽑았다. 1위는 인정, 닌빠도 아니고 닌텐도 무지 밀었는데... 수퍼마리오 1탄은 10위 안에 있어되는 거 아니냐

[알래스카그리즐리]

라오어 4점 뭐 지들 한테 안맞으면 점수테러 하는 버러지 들

[mspr.]

라오어 7.5점 줬는데

[루리웹-3729525481]

nba 잼 26위 실화? ㄷㄷ

[Dark Knight]

북미에서는 지금도 하는 유저 많아요.

[소피말랏어]

GTA5라오어언챠티드 순위 아쉽...

[Dark Knight]

조금 코멘트를 한다면 미즈 팩맨보다 원작 팩맨이 더 위에 있어야하는거 아닌가요? 미드웨이 제작했다고는 하지만 미즈 팩맨이 더 위대한 느낌은 안드는걸요. 그리고 페스소나 4 너무 높은거 아닌지 저자리에 스카이림이나 위처넣으면 좋을것 같은데요. 피파 12는 너무 높게 나왔네요. 그리고 킴 카다시안의 할리우드 저게 게임인가요?

[Roriel]

뭔가 그닥 공감은 안가네.. 옛날 게임들에 가산을 좀 준듯

[루리웹-3400401910]

솔직히 지금 탑10 안의 고전겜들과 최신 겜중에 하려면 요즘 겜을 더 재밌게 하겠지만
위 순위는 단순 재미순이라기보단 그냥 옛날 게임들의 그시절때의 영향력이나 상징성 등을 생각해서 매긴 순위네요.
지금 하라면 못할 고전겜들이긴 하지만, 뭐, 거의 다 게임의 시조새(?)들이니 공로를 인정해서 높은 순위 준거 같네요.

[어차피모두사라진다]

ㅋㅋㅋ 너티독 고평가 안하면 참고할 가치가 없는 순위로 바뀌네 대단하다 정말

[샤눕더기덕]

팩맨하고 미스팩맨은 성별차이 외에 어떤 차이가 있길래 저리 차이가 날까요? 오리지날보다 더 멋진 게임?

[KASANE LOVE]

철권중 유일하게 있는 철권3, 진짜 최고 흥행작이긴 했네

[BlackSmith01]

스타1이 순위가 높네.

[루리웹-1172479215]

닌텐도 게임에 점수가 후하네요.

[Marooned]

즐겼던 게임만 골라서 보면 의외로 읽을만 함

[부드러운미용티슈]

워크래프트2랑 레드얼럿1은 순위가 바껴야 정상인것 같은데.. 당시 평가, 판매량, 영향력 다 이겼는데.. 역시 역사는 승자의 관점에서 쓰여지는건가요ㅠㅠ

[gacty]

어렸을때 오락실가면 테트리스 하는사람은 남친따라와서 할거 없어 하는 이쁜누나들 눈정화 개꿀 ㅋㅋ

[미드나]

슈퍼마리오 브라더스1 순위가 너무 낮네

['oxy]

근데 이거 순위가 아니라 수평적으로 나열한거 아닌가요? 좋은 게임 목록 정도인 것 같은데..

[운이깡패당]

갓텐도~

[종나멋진새끼]

무슨 놈에 500이냐 앵간히좀 하지ㅡㅡ 100까지만 해라 보는사람 생각도 좀 해야지

[A·A·A]

스압 표시라도...

[아浪낭자]

사무라이 스피리츠가 있다는게 놀랍네여

[🆔🅱️🅰️🅱️🅾️]

188위에 개발 취소된 P.T.가 있네 ㅋㅋㅋ