Welcome to

KNAR'S ALL-TIME ALL-PLATFORM TOP 50 GAME LIST

Last updated 01.05.28.

This section contains the following subsections:

All-time, All-platform, Top 50 Game List

The best from years of gaming experience condensed!

NOTES FOR THIS LIST

* Year not confirmed.

** TSR = Totally Subjective Rating (ranging from -100 to +100)

*** Missing years will soon appear in the list.

PFAQ (Presumably Frequently Asked Questions)

Why do you put game X above game Y?

Because I think game X is better than game Y. This is an entirely subjective list, based only in my opinion, so if you don't like it... well, then just ignore it.

Why are most games in the top so old?

Because they made better games at that times. Nowadays, we have wonderful first-person shooters and combat games, but I think some genres have lost a lot, especially complex genres (that is, adventure games, RPG's and some kinds of arcades) which need lots of extra design and programming due to 3D and video crap. For example, fifteen years ago they would do an arcade with 200 levels, and now they just include 40 because they have to design extra textures and 3-D models for each level they do, and they have worked hard to create the outro video so they don't really want to make it too hard. New games are nice, but you have to pay a price.

Why don't you include, for example, Megadrive games?

This is an All-Platform Top 50 Game List, but that doesn't mean it has to include games from all platforms (which would be a bit too hard, because you could probably find more than 50 game platforms if you search well, and no, you don't really need to include your office table). I know it sounds very raw, vulgar and politically incorrect, but some consoles just have better games than others. I know many of you will feel a sudden pain in your heart when you read this, but Sega consoles have never been at the top. Well, yes. They were the first ones to release a 16-bit console. And? What else? NES had more and better games than Master System (even some ports of famous arcade games like Gauntlet, #14, and Arkanoid, #17), Super NES had MUCH better games than Megadrive (many of which, unfortunately, weren't translated from Japanese before emulator era) and the rest of Sega platforms were more or less a failure. The same that happens to SNES/NES vs. Master/Genesis happens to SNES vs. N64, Neo-Geo vs. PSX, etc.

Why don't you include the game X?

case X="Ultima Online" or X="Final Fantasy whatever" : That game probably deserves to be in this list, but I haven't had the occasion to play it, and I don't include games which I've never played. (I would be quite untrustworthy if I did that).

case X="Tomb Raider whatever" or X="Severance" or similar : I don't like 3-D rubbish. Severance TSR = +45, Tomb Raider = +21.

case X in { a / a is any real-time strategy game } : Real-time strategy? You mean that genre where absolutelly ALL games are exactly equal? I have finished Dune and Warcraft (first part) and that's enough for me. I don't like playing the same game a hundred times.

case X="Counterstrike": I don't really like sniper games. (TSR = +47)

other case : Maybe I haven't played that game, maybe I have forgotten to include it, or perhaps I don't like it or I just don't like it enough to put it in Top 50. (the original list I made on paper ended with seventy-something games, so I have to remove some really good ones)

Why do you highlight the top 20 games?

That games are the BEST of the BEST, and I had real LOTS of fun with all of them.

There are more than 50 games.

Are there? Hmm... er... I thought you wouldn't notice. Well, there are some games I couldn't just leave out.

Top 10 Lists by Category

SINGLE PLAYER GAMES

TWO-PLAYER GAMES

MULTIPLAYER GAMES

* Estimated position of the game in the general listing if it were made longer.

PFAQNAA (Presumably Frequently Asked Questions Not Answered Above)

Why are the ratings unordered?

Because here I'm not evaluating the top two-player games or the top multiplayer games, but the top games AS two-player games/multiplayer games. For example, "Wind Jammers" appears before "Super Mario Kart" although it has a smaller TSR because it's great as a two-player game, but it's not very fun when playing single player.

Do you know the one about a man who was killed by a weasel?

Yes, I do. He was standing at the railroad, and he dindn't hear the weasel.

Final comments

You can make any comments you like about these listings by emailing me: infcgr00@ucv.udc.es. Yes, you CAN insult me, too.

It would be great to have some CGIs in order for the users to rate the games, but well, I don't know how to program CGIs at the moment and I don't plan to learn. Anyway, if any of you would like to send me your own top-50, top-10 or whatever, I'll be glad to add links to them here.

The lists of "Top 10 Games classified by Time" could appear in any moment. (that doesn't mean they are going to, just that they could). Also, maybe someday I'll write small comments about all or some of the games, or include some more information.

I hope this listing helps you choose the best games!

© 2001 Carlos Gómez