Trying to come up with the Top Ten Video Games of All Times is tough, and everyone has an opinion. This info was found on
filibustercartoons.com/games.htm and is a compilation of the
top Ten Games.
These lists predictably represent a whole host of different agendas, outlooks, and opinions on what constitutes a “great” video game. Some placed a large emphasis on recognizing games that were historically “relevant” or “innovative” while others simply celebrated games that were fun to play.
Assuming these lists represent voices of authority in the gaming community, we can easily make a cumulative list averaging out the most universally popular games. I’m not smart enough to do mathematical averages of rank, but based on sheer popularity, the top 10 games of all time seem to be:
| 1 | Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (37 out of 54) |
| 2 | Super Mario 64 (30 out of 54) |
| Tetris (30 out of 54) | |
| 4 | GoldenEye 007 (22 out of 54) |
| 5 | Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (20 out of 54) |
| 6 | Final Fantasy VII (19 out of 54) |
| Street Fighter II (19 out of 54) | |
| 7 | Super Mario World (16 out of 54) |
| 8 | Half-Life 2 (14 out of 54) |
| Metal Gear Solid (14 out of 54) | |
| Resident Evil 4 (14 out of 54) | |
| Super Metroid (14 out of 54) |
As you can see, there is not a very strong consensus here. Even many of the supposed “most popular” games only have a success rate of 40% or below, which is in part due to the marked shift in tastes that has occured in recent years, and the fact that list-makers’ biases tend to be towards newer games over older ones.
As you can see, there is not a very strong consensus here. Even many of the supposed “most popular” games only have a success rate of 40% or below, which is in part due to the marked shift in tastes that has occured in recent years, and the fact that list-makers’ biases tend to be towards newer games over older ones.
UPDATE MARCH 2012: Alert reader Brian Fair (1982- ) has come up with a more sophisticated system of weighted rankings, with a score drawn from the “average rank” of games that appear on multiple lists. His top ten is:
| Place | Name | Author | Year | Total Score | Average Rank | Percent Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Nintendo | 1998 | 308 | 2.7 | 9.93% |
| 2 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo | 1996 | 201 | 4.3 | 6.48% |
| 3 | Tetris | Alexey Pajitnov | 1987 | 198 | 4.2 | 6.38% |
| 4 | Final Fantasy VII | Squaresoft | 1997 | 135 | 3.9 | 4.35% |
| 5 | Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | Nintendo | 1992 | 113 | 5.4 | 3.64% |
| 6 | GoldenEye 007 | Rare | 1997 | 103 | 6.3 | 3.32% |
| 7 | Super Mario Bros. | Nintendo | 1985 | 94 | 3.2 | 3.03% |
| 8 | Half-Life 2 | Valve | 2004 | 84 | 5.0 | 2.71% |
| 9 | DOOM | id / GT Interactive | 1993 | 81 | 4.8 | 2.61% |
| 10 | Super Mario World | Nintendo | 1991 | 77 | 5.9 | 2.48% |
A more detailed account of how these games are rated can be found at http://www.filibustercartoons.com/games.htm.