Top 50 Games 2016

To celebrate our upcoming 2 year anniversary, we have put our heads together and come up with a TOP 50 games list of games we have featured since launch.

2018 List
2017 List

Don’t be offended if your favourite game doesn’t feature!

Rules:

1. One per franchise, otherwise the Top Ten would be an ode to the Final Fantasy and Resident Evil series
2. Game must be at least TWO years old. I know this doesn’t qualify for most peoples definition of retro, but it meets our “has to still hold up as a game” criteria.
3. Games may not have received “full” reviews. I.E, we haven’t played/reviewed EVERYTHING, we’re only human!
4. To make up for 3, Editors got to pick some wildcard games. These are games we have not played/reviewed for the site yet but collectively we feel they are worth a mention
5. The stated console is the version we were playing

So, here we go!

50: Clayfighter 63 1/3 (N64)

Irreverant tournament fighter, that offers a surprising amount of depth. (Full Review)

49: Destruction Derby (PS1)

Surprisingly good physics and driving for a 1995 PS1 game. Still has better damage modelling than modern racing games. (Full Review)

48: Time Splitters (PS2)

One of Matt’s wildcards, still offers excellent multiplayer. Wouldn’t be unfair to call this an homage to GoldenEye, as it was essentially the same team.

47: Cannon Fodder (Amiga)

I love Cannon Fodder, the humour is just right. However, the insane difficulty curve means most won’t get past Mission 8 (out of 24) (Full Review)

46: Sensible Soccer (Sega Genesis)

Do you remember that football games were made for the fun of dicking around and just playing football? That is Sensible Soccer, it isn’t going to give you realistic simulation, but you’ll have a laugh playing. (Full Review)

45: Toejam and Earl (Sega Genesis)

It is hard to wax lyrical about TJ&E, this Roguealike RPG didn’t make much sense in 1991, and it still doesn’t. Great game though. (Full Review)

44: Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers (NES)

Very simple platformer by Capcom. So, great music, decent platforming, but a bit on the easy side. (Full Review)

43: Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

Simply put, this is a better racing game than Mario Kart. The single player is immense, and while perhaps the multiplayer isn’t as good as Mario Kart, there is more meat to the bones in DKR. (Full Review)

42: Batman Arkham Asylum (XBOX360)

Angry gamer nerd rage activate, THIS ISN’T RETRO! No, but it is still as good as it was when released; so it is accepted. (Full Review)

41: Rock N Roll Racing (SNES)

What happens when you combine isometric graphics, 16bit Heavy Metal, and the gameplay of Micro Machines? You get a great game, that’s what. (Full Review)

40: Dino Crisis 2 (PS2)

What do you do when you’re Capcom and you get called out for making a Resident Evil clone in Dino Crisis? Well, you do a sequal that is pants-on-head retarded with a shooting combo system that is fun as hell to play. (Full Review)

39: Jet Set Radio (Dreamcast)

When the Dreamcast wasn’t drowning us in arcade conversions and tournament fighters, Sega managed to sneak out the occasional brilliant Unique IP. Just like the console itself, Jet Set Radio would have sunk without a trace if it wasn’t for a decent cult following. (Full Review)

38: Point Blank 3 (PS1)

PB1 was fun, PB2 wasn’t. PB3 was a return to form that should have reinvigorated a dying series. It didn’t. (Full Review)

37; Earthworm Jim (SNES)

Still hard as hell, still can’t get past the 4th level, still love playing and failing at it. (Full Review)

36: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record (XBOX360)

I can see your piss boiling at the inclusion of this, but it fixed the bugs and failings of 1 and 2. It avoided feeling like overpriced DLC, and Capcom remembered that maybe a game set in a fake Las Vegas with millions of ways to kill zombies should just focus on trying to be fun. It was fun. (Full Review)

35: Micro Machines 96 (Sega Genesis)

Like Sensible Soccer, and Rock N Roll Racing, sports games main aim was fun, not realism, and Micro Machines 96 offered 4 way multiplay using the cartridge itself as the extra control adapter. (Full Review)

34: MERCS (Sega Genesis)

Stupid mindless run and gun action by Capcom. Surprising depth, and classic Capcom difficulty. (Full Review)

33: Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow (Gameboy)

Just look what this game spawned! We couldn’t have a top games list without it! (Full Review)

32: NBA Jam (Sega Genesis)

Again, a sports game that was designed for fun over simulation. Great game, and fucking hilarious! (Full Review)

31: Aladdin (Sega Genesis)

We prefer the Genesis version. Also one of 3 games based on a film that is actually any good. (Full Review)

30: Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri (PC)

Just like Civilization, but better. No tedious Stone Age to slog through, and more depth than the Mariana Trench. (Full Review)

29: GoldenEye (N64)

OK, the AI is shonkey, the multiplayer is dated, and the graphics are atrocious. But GoldenEye is still bucket loads of fun. Except when you play against Claw on Bunker with Remote Mines. One of Jamie and Rob’s wildcard

28: DuckTales (NES)

OK, we have a thing for Capcom games. Probably Jamie’s favourite NES game. (Full Review)

27: Worms 2 (PC)

Stupid weapons, and nothing is more fun than fucking your mates over once you have mastered the ninja rope, or Super Sheep! (Full Review)

26: Metal Gear Solid (PS1)

This was Konami at it’s best. Enjoy 90 minutes of gameplay and 16 hours of reading/cutscenes. Seriously, it is fun, honest. (Full Review)

25: Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS)

Having a Lawyer/detective sim where the tiniest details matter might not sound like fun, (‘um – yes it does’ – Craig) but as we mentioned, we like Capcom. (Full Review)

24: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis)

Alright, we prefer this one. It’s better than 1, and we haven’t done 3 or Knuckles, and we didn’t want to waste a wildcard on those. Plus, every game after Knuckles sucked balls. (Full Review)

23: Animal Crossing (Gamecube)

Matt’s other wildcard. This is made better by the hidden NES games, but as open ended creepy simulation go, it was pretty good.

22: Broken Sword (PC)

Point and Clicking at it’s finest, and minus most of the obtuse puzzles of games like Monkey Island. (Full Review)

21: The Walking Dead Season 1 (PC)

Newest game on our list, but thankfully plays like an old school Point and Clicker. Well written, and is the perfect example of episodic gaming. (Full Review)

20: X-COM (PC)

The original save simulator. Seriously, you’ll spend almost as much time saving your game as you will playing it. Deep and hard, how your mother likes it. Dave’s wildcard pick

19: Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 (Gamecube)

Again, who would have thought fun over simulation was a good idea? Activision made a decent series at one point. And 3 is the last time before they went full retard with Jackass stuff. The music is ace too. (Full Review)

18: Super Meat Boy (XBOX360)

Hard as hell, but manages to feel fair. Instant reload times turns this from a pad destroyer to not quite a pad destroyer. (Full Review)

17: The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES)

We love LttP! Though it is lucky that we didn’t use a wildcard on Wind Waker. No, Ocarina of Time isn’t even the 2nd best Zelda. (Full Review)

16: Super Mario World (SNES)

This would probably be higher in the list if Jamie could figure out where the last Exit he’s missing is! Forever stuck on 95! Jamie’s Wildcard pick

15: Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Better than Super Mario World. (Full Review)

14: Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis)

Insanely hard run and gun action and was almost as perfect as a Sega Genesis game could be. Craig’s Wildcard pick

13: Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (PS1)

Dave actually 100%ed this, and for that reason alone it is this high in the list. Well, that and the fact is was awesome. (Full Review)

12: Dungeon Keeper (PC)

Basically Theme Park but you’re the baddy. It is such a shame that Bullfrog Productions were murdered by EA. Cunts. (Full Review)

11: Starfox 64 / Lylat Wars (N64)

Slippy might be the worst, but Lylat Wars was immense. By far the best Star Wars game ever made. (Or is it…) (Full Review)

10: Half Life 2 (PC)

Mostly here to troll the fans that Half Life 3 will never be released. Dave’s Wildcard pick

9: Mega Man X2 (SNES)

So many Mega Man games to pick from, but MMX2 just edges it. The right difficulty curve, a totally bitching soundtrack, and not as hard as the original series. (Full Review)

8: Grim Fandango (PC)

This game is the reason Craig gets out of bed in the morning. Fanboy doesn’t quite cover it. (Full Review)

7: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (XBOX)

Tight controls, huge levels that are fun to explore, a multitude of ways to complete missions, and fun weapons like the sticky shocker. Craig’s Wildcard pick

6: WWF No Mercy (N64)

We still haven’t unlocked the Ho, and we still haven’t given up on trying. That is 16 years of failure, but we still keep coming back to it! (Full Review)

5: Silent Hill (PS1)

Another victim of the wildcard system, as Silent Hill 2 probably tops it. But Silent Hill was deep, dark, and intense, just like your mum. (Full Review)

4: Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

This one is our favourite. Better story, better characters, and a villain who actually succeeds. Also, no dopey/whiney/douchebag main protagonist (Full Review)

3: Resident Evil: Nemesis (PS1)

Choosing the best Resident Evil felt a little bit like Sophie’s Choice, but for us Nemesis just edges 2, and while 4 is pretty awesome, Nemesis takes the Resident Evil Crown. (Full Review)

2: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (XBOX)

There isn’t much Jamie and Craig agree on, and here we are in total agreement. Awesome story, awesome characters (HK-47!), and Bioware started something that even Mass Effect hasn’t topped. Everybodies Wildcard pick

1: Banjo Kazooie (N64)

No, we are not having a laugh. Yes, the graphics are pretty poop now, but the game still plays like a dream, and is much MUCH better than Mario64 (Full Review)

So there you have it. Our top 50 games, if you want to know the list if you include more than one game per franchise you can view that list here. Feel free to comment on what we did/didn’t get right.

About Van Rockingham

I'm awesome. I write about videogames occasionally but spend most time painting and playing Warhammer in varying formats.

‹ Final Fantasy X, Square (2001) PlayStation 2

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Nintendo EAD (2003) Gamecube ›

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