When I'm looking for reviews on games, I always immediately go to Metacritic. For anyone who doesn't know, Metacritic is a website that takes most (if not all) of the major reviews of a game (and other forms of media) and averages them out to one score so that you can get a sense of how good the game without having to go through every review yourself. While it's not perfect, it's the best I've found on the internet, and I think for the most part it does give a good generalization of how a game is.
Recently I was curious about what Metacritic considered the best games ever made, so I did some research and organizing and compiled this list based solely on Metacritic's scores. A few notes:
- Only games on PSOne/N64 console generation and later were included, because that's as far back as Metacritic goes.
- These are all the games that have a 96 rating or higher. While anything 90 or above is considered a great score, I wanted to find the best of the best and not make this list too long.
- There are no games represented from any handheld systems, but this is only because there were no ratings higher than 95 for any handheld games.
- I also didn't include any Dreamcast games. I'm not really sure why I did this, maybe it's because it died so fast and because I dont think I ever actually played one or saw one being played. Maybe that's unfair of me, but if you really want to know go check out Metacritic's Dreamcast Section.
- I will make categories based on the Metacritic ratings (99 through 96), and within each category I will give the name of the game, which system it had the rating for, the year it was released, and any personal thoughts about the game.
- If the game came out for more than one system and the ratings were the same for each system, both will be included next to its title. If the game made the list for one system but not for another (i.e. if a game rated lower on one system than another), that system will not be included in the listing.
- Games in the same score category will be listed from newest to oldest by release date.
So, here's the list! Take a look through and see what you have/haven't played, and what you agree/disagree with.
The 99's
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64, 1998
I've only played a little of this game, but I've heard from lots of people that it's their favorite game ever. If you put stock in Metacritic's scores though, you have to crown this game king, seeing as it stands alone atop the charts as the only 99 out of every game rated.
The 98's
Grand Theft Auto IV - 360/PS3, 2008
I have this game and have played some of it. I bought it because of all the hype around it and the great ratings, but personally, I'm not a big fan. The game got boring pretty quick for me, it was too repetitive and slow, and the combat wasn't very good either. Open world sandbox games usually aren't my thing. That being said, I can understand why so many people love it and how it really raised the bar for its genre. It's not often a game does that.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - PSOne, 2000
I may or may not have played this game. There are so many of them it's hard for me to remember which is which. I'm not a big fan of skating games, but I understand why people like them. This must have been an amazing game when it came out.
The 97's
Super Mario Galaxy - Wii, 2007
I've actually been playing this a lot lately (in preparation for Galaxy 2), and I have to say that it's probably my favorite 3D platforming game of all time. The gameplay and levels are great, and I really love the soundtrack too. I'm glad to finally see a game I like on this list.
Metroid Prime - GameCube, 2002
Have only played a little of this one, but it seemed cool, and I can only imagine it was really cool for its time.
Halo: Combat Evolved - Xbox, 2001
I think I've pretty well documented on here how much I love this game. Glad to see it on the list.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 - PS2, 2001
Man, people must have really loved these games. Was 3 that much different than 2? It only came out a year later, but I guess the difference in going from PSOne to PS2 was probably large. How did I miss this skating game craze as a kid?
Grand Theft Auto III - PS2, 2001
I've heard this is a great game, and that it was as amazing in its time as GTA IV was a couple of years ago.
Perfect Dark - N64, 2000
Played this a lot as a kid, and have actually been playing the remake that just came out for Xbox. It's still a lot of fun to play.
The 96's
Mass Effect 2 - 360, 2010
A fairly recent game (came out in the end of January this year) that is one of my favorite games of all time. The only game to come out this year (so far) to have a 96 or better rating.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3, 2009
The only game to come out in 2009 to have a 96+ rating. Also a very good game and a PS3 exclusive.
The Orange Box - 360/PC, 2007
One of the best values in gaming history. Includes Half-Life 2, its expansions, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. I'm sure I've talked about it on here before. A PS3 version of this was released, but didn't score as well as 360 and PC.
Bioshock - 360/PC, 2007
Another great game I love. Came out right around the same time as The Orange Box, and also had a PS3 version which didn't score as well.
Out of the Park Baseball 2007 - PC, 2007
Never heard of this game before now. I think it was a baseball sim; must have been pretty good.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - GameCube, 2006
Have only played a little of this on the Wii. This might be blasphemous to say, but I've never really been able to get into any Zelda games, new or old. Interestingly, you'll notice "Wii" is not included along with GameCube for this game - the Wii version scored slightly lower at a 95, and thus barely missed this list. Interesting.
Resident Evil 4 - GameCube/PS2, 2005
A great survival-horror/action game, probably the best of the series. I've really enjoyed what I've played of this game. This was also later released for Wii, but that version, while highly rated, barely fell short of this list.
Half-Life 2 - PC, 2004
My favorite shooter of all-time. Pretty sure I've lauded it on here enough though.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - GameCube, 2003
A Zelda game I've never played. Probably wouldn't have liked it anyway.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - PS2, 2001
Never played it. I've heard that the Metal Gear Solid series is good if you can get into it (and you like stealth games).
Half-Life - PC, 1998
Have played a little of it, and though it is very outdated (it's almost 12 years old now), I can still tell it was a very well made game.
Gran Turismo - PSOne, 1998
Never played this series before. Not really a fan of realistic racing games. Gran Turismo 5 is supposed to come out later this year for PS3 though.
Tekken 3 - PSOne, 1998
Also not really a fan of fighting games, especially ones that are really hard and complicated like Tekken.
GoldenEye 007 - N64, 1997
The first really popular shooter on a console, this game still has a huge following today. I remember playing it as a kid and thinking it was amazing. I've always been a Bond fan, too.
So there's the list. If I had to pick a winner of video games based off of this it would have to be Zelda (or Link... whatever), although Tony Hawk and GTA would be up there too. Feel free to let me know what you think of this and what your personal experiences with these games were. I always look forward to any comments/input!
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