EGM #100's Top 100 Games Of All Time: A Lookback (Part 4 of 4)

And so here we are... the Top 25 Games Of all Time circa EGM #100 1997.



#25 - GoldenEye 007 (N64)
Not only was it a good movie-based game, but it was also a fine FPS with some of the best multiplayer action you can find outside of a functional DOS or Windows computer. Some could argue that this holds up as the best Bond game ever made, though nowadays, you have plenty of options to go the other way.

#24 - International SuperStar Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64)
Yep, another current-day sports title on the list... circa 1997.

#23 - R-Type III (SNES)
I'm amazed that there's only one R-Type on here... and it's on the Super Nintendo. I guess that's something I suppose.

#22 - Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (SNES)
And then comes the one GnG game that was made for the home market, but you wouldn't know it from the overwhelming difficulty. This game is also a barometer for SNES clone systems, as it was notorious for not working with said systems. Fortunately, I don't have the game because the series only serves to piss me off.

#21 - Final Fantasy VII (Playstation)
Quite frankly, I'm shocked... SHOCKED, I tell you... that this game didn't make the Top 20. If this were published today, the fanboys would lose their shit and bitch about it on Twitter. Fortunately, such lunacy back in the day was relegated to BBS boards and things of that nature.

#20 - Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
Nice to see this game get some recognition. In my mind, the definite evolution of the classic Castlevania formula that would never get revisited because we needed to rip off Super Metroid instead.

#19 - Madden NFL '98
And yet another current-day sports title on the list... circa 1997. I find it funny that all the sports franchise got their most recent entry on this list, yet NHL '94 was chosen over NHL '97 or '98 or whatever the current release was at the time. Was that year's NHL game really that bad?

#18 - F-ZERO (SNES)
Long before Falcun Panch YES, the Cap'n was in a racing game. This is the first... a really fast-moving but excruciatingly difficult racing game.

#17 - Sonic CD (Sega CD)
Some people consider this the definitive 2D Sonic game... I wouldn't go that far; in fact, the only time I thought this game was really good was when I played the recent remake, which fixed a lot of the game's minor issues. Still, even in its original form, Sonic CD is tons of fun to play with some great music to jam to on either side of the pond.

#16 - Tetris Attack (SNES)
The future Puzzle League got its chance to shine on this list... and that's good because this is a fun game, regardless of what form it takes or what name it has.

#15 - Super Mario Kart (SNES)
And there we go, kids. This SNES version ranks higher than the N64 version... possibly for being the first. I'd imagine people would have a different opinion nowadays with the numerous different entries in the series, but in any event, the original still holds up rather nicely.

#14 - Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
Again, they're using the All-Stars version, which is bullshit. The NES version holds its own just fine and if you wanted to go with an updated version, you'd have to wait until 2001 when Super Mario Advance rolled around to give us the definitive version of the classic repackaged redressing.

#13 - The Legend Of Zelda (NES)
The original Zelda game that established the formula, the lore, and everything in between. Even so, it's been outclassed by its various successors (and yes, I'd rank Zelda II over Zelda I any day of the week; come at me, bro.) Also, once I found Zelda Classic and the various custom quests you can play, there's very little reason to go back to this NES original.

#12 - Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (Playstation)
The game that changed the series from tough-as-nails action platform to open-ended, exploration platformer with role playing elements. This game was so beloved that Koji Igarashi made a career of remaking the same game over and over and over and over again. But hey, at least it's a great game, so there's a working formula there.

#11 - Super Mario World (SNES)
Super Mario World. Nuff said.

#10 - Saturn Bomberman (Saturn)
The only noteworthy thing about Saturn Bomberman's inclusion on this list is that I think it was done so that you wouldn't have a Nintendo-dominated Top 10 on this Top 100 list. I'm sure the game is fine and all... but better than Super Mario World? That's impossible.

#9 - Final Fantasy VI (or III as it was known) (SNES)
I've always preferred IV (or II) over VI (or III), but even so, I can't help but be impressed by what Square was able to pull off with this game.

#8 - Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
I'm amazed that none of the 3D games made onto this list... then again, maybe not, because they both suck.

#7 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
Never played this one.

#6 - Super Metroid (SNES)
Funny story; EGM #150 would come along and do another one of these Top 100 lists and Super Metroid would claim the #1 spot. Honestly, why not do it now? This is a great game.

#5 - Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES)
I'm genuinely surprised that they'd go with this version rather than Super Turbo for 3DO. But whatever; Street Fighter II in any flavor is a good game... unless it's on MS-DOS. Then it sucks.

#4 - Super Mario 64 (N64)
Yep.

#3 - The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
I agree with this wholeheartedly.

#2 - Super Mario Bros 3. (NES)
Bob Chipman ruined SMB3 for me thanks to his horrible book.

In a funny note, the editors of this article mentioned that if it were not for the ban on compilation packs from this list, Super Mario All-Stars would've been the No.1 entry on this list. But instead, that honor goes to...

#1 - Tetris
Well... this is going to be a controversial topic of sorts, especially nowadays, but for the time, Tetris was the right choice, I think. It's a game anyone can pick up and play.

Well, that was the whole list, everyone. A somewhat skewed list considering the lack of Atari games, imports, arcade titles, an overabundance of annual sports titles that have no business being on any best of match (except NHL 94... that is classic), and whatever.