EDGE 100

EDGE has recently issued a special publication detailing the top 100 games of all time.

This has been collated from votes from readers and also the views of the writers, cutting out similar games from the same series (i.e. you won’t have Pro Evolution 1,2,3,4 etc). This basis seems a little flawed, but it’s a good a list as any…

My view of the highlights (and the number they came in):

52: Disgaea
Hell yes. It’s good to see that Disgaea made it onto the list. As a fan of SRPG’s this is the absolute pinnacle and there is no other game out there that can out do the mixture of humour and strategy in this one game.

44: Super Monkey Ball
One of the purest games there is. You just need the analogue stick to guide the ball around the stage, no buttons, that’s it. You would curse like hell at the harder stages, but at the same time you knew that with practice, they could be mastered.

30: Shadow of the Colossus
To quote VastikRoot from the magazine “SOTC is one of the only games I’ve played where killing something actually had any emotional weight”. This is very true, the Colossi are the sole living things in the game, both monstrous and beautiful, and you wander around mercilessly killing them. What a game!

26: Advance Wars
It’s just like playing an extremely complex version of chess, but I love the fact that it really taxes your mind like no other game out there.

23: Metroid Prime
My god is this a tough game, one of the toughest I’ve ever played. This effortlessly brings Metroid from 2D to 3D using a first person perspective, but at the same time, not turning it into a generic first person shooter. This game is about exploration and adventure foremost and never forgets that

18: Final Fantasy VII
Great, great characters, fantastic story and knock out graphics for the time. This is the best traditional Final Fantasy game out there, and that is praise enough.

14: Mario Kart
For me, Mari Kart DS is the best in the series, but still the SNES original is a fantastic game. Damn, damn difficult compared to the later games.

13: ICO
It’s a shame that this wasn’t in the top 10, but then again it hasn’t had the wide appeal of many of the other games mentioned. This, for me, is the most simple, haunting and emotive game I have ever played. I can honestly say that I was near to tears the first time I completed the game and have felt the same way every time I have played it since then. How many games can you possibly say that about?

12: GTA: Vice City
The best GTA game, if anything just for the cheesy music and 80’s setting. Why, oh why haven’t they set GTA4 in the 80’s?

8: Final Fantasy XII
Its storyline is, in my opinion, a little weaker than previous Final Fantasies, but the way in which it reinvents Final Fantasy should not be ignored. The battle system is simply a joy and I look forward to seeing how it evolves with future games. Also Balthier is such a cool character :)

6: Zelda: A Link to the Past
My introduction to Link and if it weren’t for Ocarina, this would be the best of the series. I remember playing this for endless hours when I was younger, and since then I have played through it again and again on other systems (GBA and Wii).

5: Super Mario World
Mario at his 2D best. You cannot find a better 2D platform game out there. End of story.

3: Mario 64
Mario at his 3D best. It’s simply a joy just to run, jump and climb trees in the outdoor section, even before you enter the castle. I remember being simply astonished by this game when I first got it for my N64.

2: Resident Evil 4
I’m a little surprised that this managed to make it so high, I didn’t know that it was held is such high regard by so many. Regardless, this is by far one of the best game that I have played in recent years. It also magnificently reinvented the Resident Evil games.

1: Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Of course the previous holder of “greatest game of all time” retains its title, and deservedly so. Twilight Princess may have been an exceptional game, but Ocarina still beats it hands down. This is a game which I simply love.