Top 100 Video Games of All Time
Updated Quarterly

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Position #50 (19,837)
Animal Crossing	Gamecube, September 15, 2002
	Achieving a position in the upper half of the top 100 is the unexpectedly unique, innovative, and award-winning design of Animal Crossing, which has given gamers something of a new style of gaming. It has become the highest ranked Gamecube game and is still brining in as many votes per month as any other on the chart. It represents the ultimate simulation game, though never offering the dull and limited variation most sims are notable for. Effectively, what the game does, is allow the player to live a virtual life, riding a train into various towns full of opportunity. Each town is randomly generated as to not be repetitive, never play the same game twice, and always be in a different world than that which your friends are playing. In this town, you can go fishing, catch bugs, pull weeds, build a garden, go shopping, visit the neighbors, who are, as the game's title implies, are all animals, such as birds, frogs, bears, dogs, cats, and so on. Every town has a tailor shop to create clothes, a furniture store, a police station to inform you of upcoming events, a museum, a post office, and so on. You have the freedom to name your character as well as your own home town, be a boy or girl, improve and customize your house, get a job, pay mortgage, run errands, and so on. The game offers such a wide variety of options, even as far as going out to get a tan, that no gamer could ever reach the point of boredom. One of the most notable features, is that the game runs in real time. 2:45pm on Christmas Eve in real life is 2:45pm Christmas Eve in the game. Days and nights come and go in the game just as in real life, and holidays offer special celebrations and events. In this same sense, if you leave your game unplayed for a long period of time, you may come back to some fascinating surprises. In addition to that, owners of a Game Boy Advance and GBA-GCN link cable have the opportunity to visit an even more unique island with a unique inhabitant. The game is by far the most innovative title in years, and seems to be growing increasingly popular.

Position #49 (20,916)
Final Fantasy	NES, July 12, 1990
	The Final Fantasy series was created after the release of Dragon Quest, and capitalized on the new found market. Although this original Final Fantasy title was more or less simply an imitation of Dragon Quest, it's release further popularized the genre, which previously only had one title to its name. Final Fantasy was promoted heavily through Nintendo Power, both through publication and through hosting tournaments, further adding to its depth and value. This would eventually carry the future Final Fantasy series on to be regarded as the most widely distributed game series of all time, with 12 titles in the main series already released and a 13th on its way. The game begins as an evil shroud has covered the world in darkness, and it is up to you to restore the powers of the earth, wind, fire and water to the four Orbs and return the land to peace. In doing this, you must band with 3 other party members, from a selection of fighters, thieves, martial artists and magicians. This first title set the pace for the series that would eventually produce some of the most popular titles in gaming history.

Position #48 (21,006)
Sim City	SNES, 1991
	This game finally put some economic freedom into the hands of youth. Possibly not a great idea in real life, but brilliant in the world of gaming. All I can say is put those parks, libraries, and other special properties in the middle of a nice circle of eight residentials and you’ve got a nice group of 4 r-tops. That’ll bump your population well beyond what you’re needing. This classic game thankfully featured a huge money making trick, which was quite a process in itself, but well worth the effort. Otherwise you would have to begin your city in 1910 if you didn't want to watch the year 2040 pass by before developing your first r-top. So in this, the challenge was available, yet the freedom of unlimited construction was accessible. And it never hurts to have Mario grace the game with his subtle appearances.

Position #47 (21,418)
Gauntlet	NES, 1987
	This wasn't necessarily the first game ever of its style, but it was the big one. It was the original arcade hit fantasy fighting game where you select the character best suited for unleashing into mass hordes of enemies level after level, until you pass all 100. Of course, when you reach level 98, there's endless treasure chests, and one contains the exit. If you find it before you dying, you still must already have the clues to the Orb or else you will not go on to 99. While you're doing this, ghosts, goblins and Death itself are pouring out of generators to stop you. Your character choice came from four possibilities, each with their own unique weapons. Thor the Warrior had a massive battle axe, Thyra the Valkyrie wielded a close range sword, Questor the Elf was a master of the long range bow, and Merlin the Wizard used only his magical bolts. As you run through the levels, you had to find keys to exit, look for magic potions to clear the screen of enemies, avoid poison, and collect the treasure to give yourself a hefty score along the way.

Position #46 (21,425)
Chrono Trigger	SNES, August 22, 1995
	This game was one of Square's trophy releases. It comprised an all-star production cast including the famous Dragon Quest director Yuji Hori, as well as the Dragon Quest character designer, Final Fantasy producer and Final Fantasy composer. This cast was referred to as the "Dream Team" by Squaresoft, and their efforts churned out an RPG with an extremely immense plotline and numerous innovative qualities, including time travel. You begin the game with Crono, and follow the experiences through his life, meeting others who will join your party along the way. It all began on the morning of the Millennial Fair when Crono's mom woke him up, and he headed out to meet his best friend, Lucca, who was about to unveil her latest invention. On his way to the display, they met a young girl by the name of Marle, who asks to try out the invention. When Marle steps onto the pad, her pendant reacts with the Telepod to form a gateway which causes her disappearance to the amazement of everyone. You and Marle believe that what you have discovered is a rip in time, working as a gateway to some other time. You set out to find her and along the way your adventure uncovers the secrets of the past, the present and the future. Your discoveries among these travels through the gateways of time unveil more than you wanted to know. Your true adventure opens here and the endless challenges, deep complexity, and exciting plot twists keep every minute of game play more interesting than the last.

Position #45 (21,979)
Mario Party	N64, February 8, 1999
	Mario Party was one of the most innovative concepts to grace the modern gaming world and its release in Japan created quite a buzz in the outside world. At its release, it immediately became one of the highest selling games in Japan and was long anticipated in the United States. The 3D rendered game board and unique graphical layout of the constantly changing individual games gives the player a level of visual stimulation beyond what could be expected. The music and sound effects blend original Mario tunes, allowing many fans to regard it as an instant classic, and there's never a moment where the music, whether the pace or the tune, doesn't match what's going on with the game play. Mario Party basically represents a perfect blend of classic board games, the simplicity of classic mini games, and a level of competition that can't be beat, with tricks and surprises that Mario games have always been known for. It features almost every classic Nintendo character, such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and a couple guest appearances by Bowser, Koopa Troopa, and the cast of original enemies. Choosing your favorite of these characters, you're swept off to one of six playable game boards, all with their own individual varied environments and mini-games, of which there are 56 entirely original ones to compete in.

Position #44 (22,003)
Duck Hunt	NES, October 1985
	Duck Hunt was one of fifteen original games to appear at the launch of the NES, and remains one of the most memorable. Everyone knows it, whether they’ve played it or not. There's possibly a child being born somewhere in Kazakhstan who has not yet heard of this wonder, but in six to eight weeks that'll be remedied. In any case, the game wasn't anything to marvel over, it was one scene with a couple of sloppy ducks who can change directions like lightning, and an occasional chocolate lab who points at you laughing. Frustrating? Perhaps, really it depends on the difficulty, which is strictly a product of your distance from the TV, whether you're at the suggested distance, or a matter of inches away. The latter being the most common. Regardless, Duck Hunt has engrained its name into the memory of every gaming fan, and remains a staple of the gaming world.

Position #43 (22,010)
Pokemon Blue/Red	Gameboy, September 30, 1998
	Short for Pocket Monsters, the 31.3 million sales of these two titles combined and the votes achieved represent proof of many things. First off, customization, creativity, options, and variation, offer RPGs much more depth and value. Second, this clever little series has created quite a following, and third, the enthusiasm of those voting for Pokemon show that people either absolutely love it beyond anything else on this planet, or they've never played it and don't mean to. Pokemon wasn't the most original or innovative, but it was the right combination of already existing features combined into one game that was done very well, marketed perfectly, and released at just the right time. The first exposure to this monster training and control design in the U.S. came through the Pokemon games, and it offered great competitive head-to-head game play by linking up Game Boys. The concept of Pokemon however, was taken from the Dragon Quest series in a title that didn't make it to the U.S. Thus when Pokemon first familiarized the design to the U.S., it opened up a whole new world of gaming that players were previously unexposed to. It went on to create one of the biggest followings in gaming history, which proves that innovation can often step aside for great design, timing, and marketability.

Position #42 (22,195)
Megaman III	NES, 1990
	Protoman did it for this title. The brother of Mega Man and first creation of Doctor Light, was assumed to be an enemy, later learned of as brother, and proved to be a huge help in the end. That airy whistling, indicating the coming of Protoman was enough to qualify the game as a top 100 competitor, but the action, game play, and control was no less than the highest of Megaman standards, and few would argue that his third mission came in the form of an all around complete success. Chronologically it takes place in the year 2009, one year after the second title, where Dr. Wily had suffered his second defeat and decided to give up his evil ways and return to his partnership with Dr. Light. Together they began the construction of more Robot Masters as well as the giant peace-keeping robot named Gamma, who would prevent the events of the past from ever reoccurring. However, some of the mining Robot Masters went berserk and began driving out all humans. Since Dr. Light and Dr. Wily needed special crystals from those mines to complete Gamma, Mega Man was sent to retrieve them, accompanied by his new robotic dog named Rush. As it turned out, Dr. Wily was behind it all, and as soon as he had the crystals, he stole Gamma and tried to use it to conquer the land. It's one of the most epic of the Mega Man series, but the introduction of Protoman still gives it that extra edge. That and, it's the first Megaman game with applicable looking cover art on the box.

Position #41 (22,201)
Donkey Kong	NES, June 1986
	Silly Ape. That's what it meant. Miyamoto, the gaming legend, wanted to design a new character, and donkey meant silly, Kong, at the time, was used to mean Ape in Japan. So we get silly ape for a game. This ape did however create a giant impression on the gaming world. Involved in title after title, he has become one of the most classic figures in gaming history, second only to the Mario crew. Though this game incorporated just a few levels and was able to be finished within the hour it was purchased, the replay value still holds strong today, helping to keep it stable in quite a lofty position.

Position #40 (23,808)
World Class Track Meet	NES, December 1988
	The one game that would popularize actual movement outside of the thumbs. The NES Powerpad saw its glory with this one. You could go head to head or race against opponents like Turtle, Rabit, Bear, Horse, and the ever-predictable final opponent, Cheetah. Regardless of whether you were bloodying your knuckles slugging the pad or racing appropriately on your feet, the game was a challenge in all events. The triple jump and long jump had the nice feature of allowing you to jump off the Powerpad entirely to increase the length of your jump, at which point you could step back on when you felt that it was time to land. The 100m dash was a test of endurance and the shear quickness any 2 extremities could produce, and the hurdles were flat out brutal. Although the game offered far more repetition than variation, it has yet to lose its thrill. Somewhere between the tight competition, the struggle for the records, and the state of pure exhaustion that always accompanied the previous two, the game was a marvel with replay value that will seemingly never fade.

Position #39 (23,976)
Pro Wrestling	NES, March 1987
	Whether you're using the acrobatic style of Star man or the illegal biting and choking of the vicious green guy, the variation and individuality among the characters and their unique moves made this game what it was. Whether you're playing a championship against the computer, which was always easier with a turbo button, or playing head-to-head, Pro Wrestling was one of the most competitive games with some of the best replay value to date. Although numerous wrestling games have since surpassed it in graphics, detail, depth, variation, and most every other notable characteristic, no game has since topped this game's design, and it still rings in as the number 1 wrestling game of all time.

Position #38 (24,002)
Super Metroid	SNES, April 18, 1994
	Some say this one outdid the first, and perhaps it did- but that's getting into controversial opinions of innovation, originality and design. What cannot be argued, however, is that Super Metroid is regarded as one of the greatest and most classic action-adventure titles to date. It's the third installment in the series in which you play as Samus Aran, and when it was released it was the largest title among the three (and the largest game on the SNES system). After destroying the life-sucking Metroids in the sequel to the original, you saved a single larva for scientific research. But the space pirates, introduced in the original, managed to escape with it in ideas of worldly conquest. This third installment brings the series back to the style of the original with areas that look almost identical, as you travel through the planet of Zebes in attempt to destroy the space pirates for good. The detail of the graphics and smooth animation were of the most notable of any SNES title and the play control was comprehensive, extremely precise, and nearly unbeatable. Super Metroid represented a the perfect blend of fast paced action, a well suited soundtrack, unbeatable game play, and a flawless design. This seems to be the recurring response that has pushed this game so high into the ranks.

Position #37 (24,198)
Ninja Gaiden	NES, 1989
	Although the final boss may very well be impossible, the game is one of the absolute best platform combat games existing. In the days of the original Nintendo's popularity, Ninja Gaiden was on top. In this first of three titles, you play as Ryu Hayabusa, a highly skilled ninja intertwined in two stories of the game. In one, you are struggling to find the two demon statues and separate them to prevent the destruction of Earth. But while you're doing this, you're also trying to avenge your father, as well as find the cause of his death. Not only did the action in Ninja Gaiden never leave you in a dull moment, but it was of the first games to use cinema cut scenes between each level to build tension and dig the story a little deeper. Ninja Gaiden remains a classic in the age of replicas.

Position #36 (24,378)
Baseball Stars	NES, July 1989
	This rare and often rarely recognized sports title had a small release and a subsequent giant following. Not only did it spawn 5 sequels, but it was the sports title that created the modern format. The ability to create and selectively improve skills on custom players, as well as the team itself is now standard in sports titles, but it found its roots in this game. Additionally, the game was of the first sports titles to include data memory as to not lose progress between playing intervals. Baseball Stars was fundamentally the RPG of sports games. You could completely customize and design your own team, pick your logo, name your team, name all your players, and as you win games and prize money, train each player individually in any number of ways, whether that comes in the form of improving power hitting, contact hitting, speed, luck, prestige (the more famous your players are, the more money you win), fielding, or pitching abilities in as many ways. The American Dreams was the team to beat though, with all of the biggest hall-of-famers throughout history, Babe Ruth to Cy Young. And if you think your team is good enough, you can watch them play in tournaments by themselves, keeping track of all statistics in the record books, with the league leaders in every category brought together from all the teams. It was likely the single most innovative sports title to come out since Baseball made its appearance in 1985.

Position #35 (24,411)
Contra	NES, 1988
	Contra is a side scrolling shooter where you can go through level after level solo or simultaneous with a partner, each with unlimited standard ammunition, and the ability to acquire power-ups along the way. It was the perfect formula for the genre, and it represented it well. It had complete linear game play without much in the way of depth, but it somehow managed to achieve remarkable replay value even today. As the story goes, in 1957, a strange meteor crashed into a remote South American island, and it went unnoticed for 30 years. In 1987, a powerful and evil alien known as Red Falcon emerged from his hiding place here and began a conquest to take over the world. Mad Dog and Scorpion must then go invade this island to save humanity. Although Contra has conjured up several popular sequels, all worthy of mention, none can top the original.

Position #34 (24,430)
Paper Mario	N64, February 5, 2001
	Paper Mario is just like a classic story-book with a complete twist on visual experience. It's an innovative 2D stylized representation of a brilliantly designed RPG, cloaked in Mario's paper-thin exterior. Paper Mario is absolutely one of the most clever and innovative games that has come out in recent years, with a remarkably original graphical layout that perfectly combines two-dimensional characters in a three-dimensional world with vibrant color schemes and beautiful environments. Every character in the game, from Bowser to the townspeople are created in these flat 2D sprites and their movement patterns are graced with folding just like a sheet of paper. All of the backgrounds and objects in the game, however, are constructed of three-dimensional polygons. Paper Mario plays as the sequel to the ever-classic Super Mario RPG, and offers much more freedom in movement than in the isometric view of it's precursor. Mario is carried through a challenging quest of seven different lands, teamed up into a party of seven varied characters, including a ghost, a bob-omb, a koopa, a fish, and so on, all helping not only in battle, but in exploration as well. The game itself is highly captivating to both RPG an platform audiences, as it encompasses elements of both genres. The familiar classically styled platform action is the main form of exploration, yet it is enhanced with an RPG style game play with interactive turn-based fighting mechanics through a menu driven interface. Here Mario and his six other party members can perform various attacks and blocks depending on what weapons, items, and magical attacks they have, using everything available from every previous Mario titles, including jump attacks, bombs, fire balls, lightning, etc. Although Paper Mario is not overly long or drawn out, it offers a highly engrossing story through the course of the game, and represents the perfect RPG formula with classic Mario game play still at the core. It's release marked a clash of styles that since became regarded as the single best RPG for Nintendo 64.

Position #33 (25,329)
Bubble Bobble	NES, 1986
	This title came in the design of a classic 80's arcade style, yet had a fascinating twist to it. With the option of two players, you play the roll of small colored dinosaurs in odd colorful worlds filled with bubbles, with an almost magical touch to it. A good distance into the game, when you're wondering if it will ever end, the final boss appears at level 100. It's an amazing and thrilling battle in the most interesting scenario yet. Then, upon success, the thrill is kind of replaced with curiosity, as the game doesn't end. The final boss was fake, and you're swept off to new and even more whimsical levels, each one more peculiar than the last, until finally, the real last boss makes his showdown.

Position #32 (26,004)
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest	NES, December, 1988
	This platform adventure game came as the sequel to the ever-classic Castlevania, and features the original Simon Belmont. In the land of Translevania, you seek out the body parts of Count Dracula, who you have previously destroyed. You need them to reverse the curse that Dracula cast on you during your last encounter. And as you search the lands, you travel through beautifully varied landscapes of forests, towns, swamps, planes, caves, and the journeys across and underneath giant lakes and great cliffs. This adventure had incredible depth, almost to the extent of modern RPGs. When the days turned to nights, you could leave the towns for the plains and forests to enter into battles and collect money for weapon upgrades and the purchasing of valuable items. When morning returned, and the shops reopened, Simon could purchase a better whip and head out in safer exploration of new lands. The game design was outstanding, the music was perfectly done, and in addition to the amazing depth, it featured three unique endings. The first was the black and white, accomplished by completing the game from a previously saved quest. The second version had extra footage and featured full color, viewable only by starting the game from the beginning and playing straight through, no saving, start to finish. It may take all day, but the ending was a marvel, worth the effort to the few who could do it. The third? That was the secret, accomplished probably only a handful of times throughout history, and the game has too much value for me to spoil here.

Position #31 (26,168)
Final Fantasy II	SNES, November 23, 1991
	Final Fantasy part II makes worlds of advancements beyond the original. In addition to the beautiful new graphical layout offered by the SNES, Final Fantasy featured good depth and a great blend of exploration and thrills. You play the roll of Cecil, the leader of the Red Wings, and you're given an order to steal a crystal from a king of another kingdom, and return it to your own king. After fulfilling the mission, Cecil is unaware of his reason. Shortly after, the king bans you from his fleet. Still not understanding the king's reasoning, you're given another chance to prove yourself worthy and reclaim your position on the fleet by slaying a monster and delivering a package to a small town. The package you deliver kills the entire town in a violent explosion, and realizing the king has become evil, you turn your battle against him.

Position #30 (26,735)
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening	Gameboy, August, 1993
	Another Zelda title on the list, another Miyamoto classic, and the top scoring Gameboy game of all time. First appearing in 1993, different versions have since been re-released adding color, detail, and in Link's Awakening DX, even a new dungeon, although hidden so well that it may not be found by many gamers. As usual, the game stars Link, who in this title, finds himself on a mysterious island where a shipwreck left him stranded. In order to escape this island you must find the eight instruments of the Sirens and wake the Wind Fish. Again, like all Zelda titles, this game is packed with riddles and puzzles all along the way, not to mention notable bosses and deep dungeons worthy of Zelda proportions. Link's Awakening stands as the first truly deep and engrossing title on a portable system. In addition to that, the game included a photo album feature, which allowed players to collect Hyrulian landscape pictures and print them out as stickers using the Game Boy Printer. Zelda: Link's Awakening proved to achieve maximal potential on a portable system, and has never lost its edge as one of the top voted games, and the number one of all time on any portable system.

Position #29 (26,928)
Final Fantasy III	SNES, October 20, 1994
	The third in the ongoing Final Fantasy sequence has become the highest ranking title. The story begins as four teenagers from the village of Uru explore outside of their village. They all fall into a hole and discover the shrine of the Wind Crystal. With it, they learn that they've been chosen to become the four Light Warriors and are destined to restore the balance of Light and Dark. You play the roll of these four and set out in high adventure. Some of the notable features in this game are the character classes (first seen in Dragon Quest III), offering more variability than the previous titles, and alternate forms of transportation (influenced by Dragon Quest IV), including an airship, which you fly to the Floating Continent, only to discover that the entire world is submersed in water. Believing that it's the magician Zande responsible, the quest turns to aims of his defeat. But after this, they four warriors are taken to the dark world and confronted with their counterparts, the four Dark Warriors. This becomes the true battle of returning the world to peace.

Position #28 (27,040)
Kid Icarus	NES, July, 1987
	It remains known as a "companion" game to Metroid, as the two games shared similar graphic and music styles. The difference, however, comes in the setting of Kid Icarus, as it takes place in a more mythological setting. With disproportionately massive bosses and items like the Mirror Shield, your character is in for a highly difficult, yet tactical adventure beginning in the underworld, traveling up to the overworld, then to the sky world, and finally exploring the palace in the sky. Although it was one of the earliest side-scrolling adventures to hit the NES, Kid Icarus remains one of the very best.

Position #27 (27,112)
Dragon Quest V	Super Famcom, September 27, 1992
	Only released in Japan, this extremely rare title has somehow managed to fetch endless votes. In the United States, this fifth installment to the founder of RPG's, and the second in the heaven series can only be played on computer through an emulator and a translation patch, however in other parts of the world, versions are available on home console systems (SFC and Playstation). This game was the first ever to feature the option that popularized the Pokemon craze, monster training. Playing the roll of a young boy eager to find out what happened to his family, you have the ability to charm monsters and battle along side them. Although this would be the single influence that would create numerous games on this premise alone, it was very minor compared to what this game offered. The freedom you were given in this game compared to no other as you journey through your life, choosing who you wish to marry, inherit a kingdom, and travel the world on a magic carpet, occasionally stopping at a full casino with everything to gambling on monster battles and slime races, to slots and cards. Although it did not boast revolutionary graphics, the innovation in game play, storyline, and role playing freedom is among the best regarded in video game history. If released in the U.S., Dragon Quest V might have fetched a much higher ranking, but as it stands, the top 30 isn't so bad for such a rare title.

Position #26 (27,962)
Double Dragon	NES, 1987
	Double Dragon is the king of the side scrolling brawlers. It had its own small feature in the Wizard, and its success prompted a full length motion picture of Billy and Jimmy Lee brawling through the streets. The movie was a complete failure, but the game it was based on was a marvel. The story was nothing to be noted, but the game play and design made for outstanding replay value. Billy's girlfriend was captured by Mr. Big and his gang, and so he and Jimmy Lee set out to the rescue. The game featured one player or two player simultaneous action, and a broad range of moves such elbow throwing, hair pulling, knee bashing, jump kicking, a few throws, and a good amount of baseball bats and whips. The tactical brawling kept the entertainment on high as you fought your way through the streets to the final confrontation with Mr. Big. But once there, elbow throwing against a machine gun gives you little hope.

Position #25 (27,989)
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link	NES, December, 1988
	This sequel added a new perspective to the Zelda series. Still keeping the standard overhead view during exploration, a side-scrolling platform format for caves and battles was added, along with the vast extention to the storyline. It begins after the battle against Ganon. Many seasons passed since reclaiming the Triforce, and the evil that Ganon had rooted in the world before his defeat was causing chaos and disorder to rise in Hyrule, and his followers awaited his return. This return would only come with the sacrifice of Link to the ashes of Ganon. This was still unknown to Link when he was approaching his 16th birthday and a strange mark, exactly like the crest of the kingdom, appeared on the back of his hand. Link was taken to "the door that does not open" in the North Castle, where his left hand was pressed against the door. The lock fell and the door slowly opened to a beautiful woman on an altar in the middle of a room. "Here lies the Princess Zelda." He did not know why she was there, and it was then that Link was told the legend of Zelda, as it was handed down through the generations of Hyrule. As it was told, long ago, when Hyrule was one country, peace was maintained using the Triforce. Upon the King's death, the prince of the kingdom inherited the Triforce only in part. Among his search, he could not find the missing parts, but knew that before the King had died, he had said something of this only to the Prince's younger sister, Zelda, who would not repeat it. In anger, a magician who was once close to the king, cast a spell on the princess. The surprised prince tried to stop him, but the magician overpowered him and Zelda fell into an eternal sleep, at that same time breathed his last breath and falling alongside the princess. In grief, the prince placed the princess on that very alter. At this point, Link is given six crystals and a scroll with the same crest that appeared on his hand, and is told that it is the key to the uniting of the Triforce, but only readable to he who was chosen by the gods to be the great king of destiny. Mysteriously, Link was able to decipher the foreign text, and he learned of it's three pieces, Power, Wisdom, and Courage. When these three are brought together, the Triforce produces its maximum power, and a crest will appear on the hand of he who is chosen to unite them. But, if he should fail, unimaginable evils could soon rise. So Link set off on his adventure to unite the Triforce, to once again bring peace to the land, and to revive the sleeping Princess Zelda. But at that time, Ganon's underlings were calling up new allies from the Underworld, and were beginning their work towards the revival of Ganon.

Position #24 (28,556)
TMNT II: The Arcade Game	NES, 1990
	This second title in the TMNT series is what spawned titles like Final Fight. It's side scrolling action, beautiful graphics, freedom of movement and play control made the perfect combination for an amazing design that would have made any title successful. However, with this one, you also got to either use or fight against many famed characters, including all four turtles, Splinter, Krang, Shredder, Baxter, Bebop, Rocksteady, and countless foot soldiers, all with something unique about them. The game took you through nine challenging levels, all with varied environments and very little, if any repetition at all. This TMNT title has proved year after year to be one of the absolute finest examples of a side scrolling fighter game, and likely will continue to carry that position, as the votes rarely slow down.

Position #23 (28,912)
Mario Kart 64	N64, February 10, 1997
	Cartoon racing has never been better. With even more variation than the original, the greatest part about this game was for the Mario Kart pros to have some more levels to play. Up to four players could compete at once in tracks where there was no speed handicap, and skill ruled. Sure, the last place guy got lightning once in a while, but that's what made it interesting. That way, if you've never before gotten lightning, you know you're the best, win or lose.

Position #22 (29,667)
Goldeneye	N64, August 25, 1987
	This style of game found its roots in a computer title known as Wolfenstein 3D, but the true gem of the genre was Goldeneye. It was the most competitive multi-player of its time, and truly began the craze that would follow with countless 1st person combat titles, including multiple other James Bond titles. The most recent, Nightfire, is the first true rival to the original, but since Goldeneye was the first highly advanced 1st person 3D tactical shooter, it's doubtful that it will ever leave its throne. Whether running stealthfully through the missions or 4-player battling in the facility, Goldeneye offered a level of action far more advanced than was ever previously available, yet with simplicity enough to be a skill based game. And skill based games are becoming increasingly more rare with the growing popularity in constant visual stimulation and graphic design.

Position #21(30,413)
Super Mario RPG	SNES, May 13, 1996
	For the Mario fan, this game was the greatest. It gave this Italian plumber a whole new dimension to his world, which included massive depth, stunning graphics and visual perspective, villains of awesome proportions and unique twists on the classic enemies, interesting, varied, and always brilliant environments. It without a doubt brought the gaming world to a new dimension in the cross over adventure/RPG inside comical imaginative worlds. The story begins with Princess Toadstool in Mario's garden one sunny morning waiting for Mario to show up. A shadow enters the garden and suddenly she's snatched up by Bowser, and taken back to his castle. Mario comes running after her cries for help but Bowser was too fast. From this point, Mario enters into the storyline of the majority of his other titles, yet through the course of a game so unique and imaginative, that it became an instant classic, constantly achieving a phenomenal number of votes, and continuously becoming more and more rare of a title to come by.

Position #20 (30,995)
Megaman	NES, December, 1987
	This little two-tone-blue action hero found his origin right here in December of 1987. It was a very clever and original design that featured unique robotic bosses, all with their own personality, and the ever-crooked Dr. Wily. But Wily wasn't always so crooked. The story all started with Dr. Thomas Xavier Light, who created the first life-like humanoid robot. He used the same plans to also construct a lab assistant named Rock, and a housekeeping robot named Roll. Dr. Light shared his new technological genius with his partner, Dr. Wily, and together they created six Master Robots to be in charge of those without intelligence. All was according to plan, when Dr. Wily mysteriously reprogrammed all the Master Robots and escaped with the intention of using them to take over the planet. Rock, having resisted the reprogramming, volunteered to go after Wily. With little chance alone, Dr. Light converted him into the warrior robot known as Mega Man. The game begins on this chase. It started the series that now has more than 20 titles and remains just as popular as it was that December in 1987. One notable attribute of this game is the box art, which is almost entirely unrelated to the game itself. The enemies, environment, weapons, and even Megaman himself are completely dissimilar in the game. These differences are substantial enough to achieve the Gamespy ranking as the single game with the worst box art of all time. Despite this shortcoming, the first installment in the series trails closely behind its sequel at a commendable spot in the rankings.

Position #19 (31,004)
Tetris	NES, November 1989
	The number one puzzle game. How four large pixels arranged in different series of shapes falling from the top of the screen could produce so much fun is still a mystery. It's of the most simple games ever designed, yet complicated and strategic in its own right. It was first created by Alexey Pazhitnov in June of '85, and since been released on virtually every computer and game console system existing, selling seemingly endless copies on each. He initially released it on IBM, got little credit and sold the rights. Who controlled these rights ended up fairly messy, and between 1988 and 1989, Atari (under the label Tengen) and Nintendo both released copies on the Nintendo Entertainment System. During that same time, Nintendo also released copies on the Famcom and Gameboy, further increasing both the popularity and the sales. This competition between the rights caused a major multi-million dollar legal battle that was discussed on CBS Evening news and found publication in the USA Today. In the end Nintendo pulled out on top, and since, there has been about 30 million copies of Tetris created on Gameboy, putting Pazhitnov's overly simple puzzle game at a respectable place on the list of the greatest games of all time.

Position #18 (32,101)
Dragon Quest/Warrior III	NES, January 10, 1988
	The influence of this game is unquestionable. It remains the only title ever released to force the Japanese government to make official revisions to its laws (which are still in effect today). Released on a weekday, the schools remained empty, lines formed more than three blocks long outside of every store carrying the game, and crime skyrocketed as people were mugged for their sold-out copies. Japanese culture, regarded as one of the more peaceful and organized of any in the world, was forced to make amendments to their laws because of this. It became official law that no Dragon Quest game could be released on any day but specific Sundays and holidays This title was ranked by Famitsu magazine, a large Japanese publication, as the 3rd best console game of all time in 2006. In America however, the success was less notable. Despite having a GBC remake, it still sold fewer copies than the previous two titles (though more than the fourth installment). Dragon Quest III was the prequel to the original, further deepening the already massive storyline. It was also the first game to invent the ability of choosing character classes for further customization. In this, Dragon Quest III also allowed class changes for as many characters as you would like to design. Of course you could only take a maximum of four with you at one time, and the it certainly took a great deal of hours to build up a single character, let alone an entire army, so generally players would only design the four that they could take with them. But through endless hours of play, these four characters could take on the class of a warrior, a fighter, a wizard, a mage, a merchant, a goof-off, and then end up on the all-powerful, secret class, the sage, keeping all the new spells and abilities they had learned, specific to each class, as they enter into the next. It took months, but this RPG actually allowed the player to develop their party into the most powerful and fearsome group of warlords the gaming industry had ever seen- and that was only a fraction of what the game offered.

Position #17 (32,138)
Megaman II	NES, 1989
	Keeping all other things constant, Megaman II was just a slightly better game than the original. It maintained the perfect play control, game play, character personalities, perfectly paced action and maneuvering, and within that, created an all-around better design. Capcom had found the formula for success in the original and needed no lofty changes. This one just accented that perfect formula a little better. The story worked as a continuation of the original. Dr. Wily had faced his defeat, but it would not bring his end. Rather, he constructed eight of his own Robot Masters, this time designed strictly for the fight. These robots were sent out to continue his invasion, but this time, targeted at the destruction of Mega Man.

Position #16 (32,510)
Metroid	NES, August, 1989
	Metroid is an epic action title that continues to have publication nearly 20 years after its release. In 2003, 17 years after its American debut, a new password was released. NARPASSWORD00000, the ultimate password. What does narpassword mean? Narihiro was the last name of the designer of the password system in Metroid, and this his secret that remained dormant for 17 years. This is just one reason that Metroid's legacy has continued to bloom into a title of such epic proportions. It all began with the Space Pirates and their evil leader, giant brain, appropriately named the Motherbrain. They discovered a deadly new life form named "Metroid" and were planning to use it for own evil. You play the roll of Samus Aran, a feared bounty hunter, and your mission takes you to Zebes, the spacepirate's homeplanet, to eradicate the Metroids and destroy Motherbrain. You begin the game with limited weapons and movement patterns, but as you progress, upgrades become available, making you the single most powerful bounty hunter in the galaxy, and the only hope of halting the plans of Motherbrain. Although the game is one of the most challenging to complete by any means, if you can manage to destroy Motherbrain in less than 45 minutes, you will be rewarded with a better ending sequence, which may or may not be worth the countless hours it would take to develop the skill to do so.

Position #15 (33,906)
Dragon Quest/Warrior II	NES, January 26, 1987
	Though Dragon Warrior II just recently fell from the top 10, it never tails too far behind the original in voting. It took the same amazing design, deepened the story, and added more variation in environmental layouts and exploration, character and monster design, music, game play and plot development. You now controlled three characters through a land vastly larger than the original. With the ability to obtain a ship, you could now set sail to the lands outside of the kingdom of Alefgard. And although Alefgard was still a major part of the game, much had changed in the passing years. Some towns had fallen in battle, yet many remained strong. The Dragonlord had been defeated and the Ball of Light returned to Tantegel Castle. Between the first and the second Dragon Warriors, Erdrick's descendent declined an offer to rule at the throne of Alefgard. He and Princess Gwaelin set out to discover their own kingdom to rule, eventually building the land of Torland. In time, Gwaelin bore three children. The eldest prince was given the land of Midenhall. The youngest prince given the land of Cannock, and to the princess, the kingdom of Moonbrooke. Under their rule the lands prospered for 100 years.... All the peace of Torland came to an abrupt end one day. Hargon the Sorcerer waged war on the world, beginning with Moonbrooke Castle. The defenses of Moonbrooke were no match for the incredible power of Hargon, who's roots are still unknown, and they suffered their defeat. One soldier managed to escape the castle and travel to the kingdom of Midenhall to warn them of Hargon's evil. The king of Midenhall put this war in the hands of his son. You play as this prince. As a descendent of Erdrick the Great, you seek out all other living decedents in attempt to bring the destruction of Hargon and the resurrection of peace.

Position #14 (34,183)
Super Mario World	SNES, August 1991
	Mario, Luigi and Princess Toadstool went traveling to Dinosaur Land for a vacation, but Princess Toadstool disappeared. Although unable to find the princess, they do meet a local dinosaur named Yoshi, who tells Mario and Luigi that a group of turtles have trapped his best friends inside eggs and stolen Princess Toadstool. These turtles end up being Bowser and his henchmen. So Mario and Luigi get the help of Yoshi in their new battle against Bowser and the Koopa Kids: Larry Koopa, Montron Koopa Jr., Wendy O. Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Ludwig Von Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, and Roy Koopa. Upon the release of Super Mario World, it became an instant classic with a . Like Mario 64, it was the first title released for the system, and was not matched for a good deal of time. The backgrounds were well designed and the character animation was smooth, making it one of the most attractive graphical layouts to be released on the system. It used the basic idea of Super Mario Bros. 3 in a linear map, yet expanded on the possibilities and set a new standard for the quality of games. It featured a few new abilities with items that no other title had previously done. The item-reserve ability was one of these, which allowed Mario to carry a back up flower, feather, or mushroom going into a difficult level. Another was the expansion on the use of shells, being able to be kicked, and eaten by Yoshi for special abilities, not to mention the addition of Yoshi. The game featured 96 goals, 71 courses, and 25 secret paths along the way. It was also the first Mario title to feature a battery pack for saving game data, allowing for a game of greater depth, which it more than proved to be.

Position #13 (34,184)
Castlevania	NES, 1987
	Although this is the second adventure of Simon Belmont, it is the first to be released in the U.S. As a followup to 1986's Japan/Europe only release, Vampire Killer, Castlevania features a whip against every famous creature of the night. The music and graphics were something to be mentioned, but the game play and design were fantastic. More than 15 Castlevania titles have already followed on six different systems, but this one created all the popularity that made them possible. Playing the role of Simon Belmont, (Simon Belmondo actually, according to the end credits), the renowned vampire killer, you set out on a quest to destroy Dracula for good, who had risen every 100 years. The game featured 18 total stages divided up among 6 levels, all ending with a powerful boss, such as Medusa, mummies, Frankenstein and Igor, Death (grim reaper), and obviously Count Dracula. And if you can somehow manage to complete the game, a second quest is waiting for you. Don't count on ever getting to that point however, as Castlevania was one of the most challenging games ever created. Just hang on to your holy water and enjoy the ride.

Position #12 (34,714) chart-peak (5)
Super Mario Bros. 2 (American Version)	NES, October 1988
	Super Mario Brothers 2 was profoundly different than its predecessor (as well as its Japanese counterpart), and was voted as the single most original game of all time (by a margin of almost double the runner up at its peak). All seven levels were vastly different with tricks and secrets hidden everywhere. The graphics were the best any home-console system had seen, and that was the least of what made Super Mario Bros. 2 such an amazing title. The player could use his favorite character from the previous title, or just whoever suited the level best. Toad's speed, Princess's hovering, Luigi's jumping, or Mario's balance of traits allowed for constant variation. The bosses at the end of each level are unique to this title alone, and there was no Bowser, no rescuing the princess, and no castle. Yet who can forget Mouser, Tripod, Fryguy and all the other quirky, original enemies along the way. The game begins inside a strange dream where Mario found himself standing at the bottom of a long stair case leading up to a mysterious door. Upon opening the door, he found a never before seen world spreading out as far as his eyes could see, and heard a faint voice saying "Welcome to Subcon, the land of dreams. We have been cursed by Wart and are completely under his evil spell. We have been awaiting your arrival. Please defeat Wart and return Subcon to its natural state. The curse Wart has put on you in the real world will not have any effect upon you here. Remember, Wart hates vegetables. Please help us!" A huge flash of lightning sparked before his eyes, and he awoke. Later, while having a picnic with Toad, Luigi, and Princess at a nearby mountain, they stumbled across a cave and inside, found that same door from Mario's dream. The four of them made it up the stairs and opened up the door to the same mysterious world Mario had described. Super Mario Brothers 2 remains arguably the most imaginative game yet created, and has hidden secrets around every corner.

Position #11 (34,881)
Super Mario Kart	SNES, September 1, 1992
	The number one racer of all time, Super Mario Kart, came out in September of '92, and blew away the competition. The driving control was virtually perfect in this fast paced 3D racer that was full of silly tactics and raw skill. The innovative design of creating a full three dimensional environment on a system of two dimensional games was something to be noted. But greater than that was the characters, as it took every classic Mario-affiliated character, and gave them a unique go-cart and some quirky weapons like banana peels and shells. Better than that was the game design as a whole with its unbeatable competitive nature. The replay value was unmatched by any other racing game as it featured endless variation with 2 player head-to-head racing or battle modes, time trials, or four different championship cups. Even as the new generation racers come out, the votes never seem to slow down on Super Mario Kart, keeping it well in the lead as the number one racer of all time.