November 1997 saw esteemed video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly release their one hundredth issue. And to celebrate the occasion, they concocted a Top 100 list comprising their favorite games and calling them “the best of all time.” But are they really that?
A bit of context is needed; this list was put back in 1997. That’s almost two decades ago and many other games have come along that deserve to lay claim to “the best of all time.” However, I was around in 1997. I know games back in 1997 and I still have some notes about whether I feel this list held water. This is more of a fun lookback than any “critical” observation. Who knows? I might pull out that 200th issue of EGM one of these days and do a similar feature with their 200 greatest games list, which deviates quite a bit from this particular list.
Originally, I had this broken apart into four parts. Those parts are assembled into one longform post. In addition, I’ve updated a couple thoughts here and there.
#100 – Qix (NES)
A puzzle game of sorts where you move a tiny spark across the screen and draw boxes to fill the playfield while avoiding the deadly Qix. Qix has been ported to a variety of consoles and has had a number of sequels, but the NES version gets the nod since it’s on the more popular 8-bit system, I guess.
#99 – Samurai Shodown (NEO GEO)
The fantasy fighting game and one of the earliest fighters to implement weapons-based combat. If a SNK-produced fighting game is two entries in, it’s got to be good, right?
#98 – Virtua Cop 2 (Saturn)
A light-gun shooting game on rails, with multiple paths and stuff. Personally, I think Janet is the reason for this game being on the list… I think that was her name, wasn’t it?
#97 – MLB ’98 (Playstation)
A baseball game and part of a franchise that sees annual releases… is this game on the list because it’s that good or is it because it was the newest game in the franchise at the time? There are some folks who would prefer playing an older entry in a series over the latest one, but what do I know? I generally don’t dabble in sports games unless it’s Blades Of Steel.
#96 – WipeOut XL (Playstation)
The sequel to the speedy futuristic racing game with loads of techno tracks from actual techno bands and musicians. Never played the game myself, but have heard good things about it. WipeOut has a number of sequels under its belt, but has been dormant for quite a while. We need to fire this series back up again.
#95 – DecAthlete (Saturn)
3D Track & Field for the then-modern age… the gameplay itself is about as exciting as Constant Button Mashing would be… but everyone was still on the THREE DEE kick and so we have DecAthlete on the list.
#94 – Ice Hockey (NES)
Fast-paced four-on-four ice hockey with six international teams and the ability to choose from three body types for each of your four players. I don’t know; I would’ve preferred Blades Of Steel over this, but at least they didn’t pick Hat Trick.
#93 – Blast Corps (N64)
Haven’t actually played this one. Heard good things.
#92 – Flashback (Genesis)
You know, I tried getting into Flashback but only spent about ten minutes on it before I had to leave. I’ve been meaning to get back to it one of these days, but never had the chance.
#91 – Axelay (SNES)
Konami’s legendary space shooter not named Gradius, Life Force, Scramble, Super Cobra, or Gyruss, making use of the Super Nintendo’s much-vaunted Mode-7 capabilities to produce some splendid spectacles. It’s not a game that often gets talked about these days and that’s a shame, because as far as SNES shmups go, it’s one of the best suited for the console.
#90 – Panzer Dragoon Zwei (Saturn)
The sequel to Panzer Dragoon is better than the first. People like this series in general.
#89 – Ms. Pac-Man (Genesis/SNES)
I understand that the folks at EGM opted to restrict themselves to console and handheld releases for this list, so not including arcade originals, computer games, or the like means you need to opt for alternative versions of those famous games. With that in mind, the Tengen-produced Ms. Pac-Man for Sega Genesis and the William port for the SNES are as good a choice as any to represent the Missus. With plenty of options, mazes, and other bits and bobs.
#88 – Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword Of Chaos (NES)
Classic game. The first might get more fondly remembered, but the second nailed the formula. Shadow clones, more useful weapons, greater challenge, better storytelling, what a great package. I wish they’d make more of these and less of the modern series.
#87 – Baseball Stars (NES)
Welp… another baseball game on the list. Baseball Stars is supposed to be really, really good. Seeing as I’ve never played this one, I’ll have to take their word for it.
#86 – Galactic Attack (Saturn)
A space shooter of some kind. Never played it.
#85 – Bonk’s Adventure (TurboGrafx-16)
One of the standout titles for the TurboGrafx-16 and a fun game to boot. If you had included Bonk’s Adventure rather than Keith Courage, chances are the Turbo would’ve been a bigger hit than it was.
#84 – Puyo Puyo Repackages
Okay, I’m cheating here because the listing is actually a tie between Kirby’s Avalanche for SNES and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine for Genesis, but since both games are basically repackaged versions of Puyo Puyo, I’m just listing it as Puyo Puyo. And don’t get me wrong; Puyo Puyo is a fun puzzle game on its own… I’m more of a Panel De Pon guy myself, though.
#83 – Revenge Of Shinobi (Genesis)
A Sega Genesis staple and one of the more iconic titles to grace the system. In hindsight, I find that Shinobi III is the somewhat superior title, but Revenge Of Shinobi is probably the more fondly remembered if nothing else.
#82 – Jumping Flash 2 (Playstation)
Jumping Flash was one of the earliest 3D titles to grace the Playstation; a semi-platformer/shooter type of game. So naturally, it got a sequel. Never played either game, but I’ve heard good things about them, so might as well track them down one of these days.
#81 – Sega Rally Championship (Saturn)
A racing game… naturally. Recency Bias might be a thing here.
#80 – Legendary Axe (Turbografx-16)
Never played this one, but I’ve heard some good things.
#79 – Virtua Fighter 2 (Saturn)
Virtua Fighter 2 gets the nod over Virtua Fighter 1… good choice, since it’s the better game. Not much different from before, but a bit more refined… sure, why not?
#78 – Mega Man X4 (Saturn, Playstation)
The newest and latest entry in the Mega Man X series at the time, where players can either blast away enemies as X or get in close and personal as Zero with his Z-Saber. Probably the only time a Mega Man X game not released on Super Nintendo is going to be given a pedestal, as the series would take a tumble shortly after.
#77 – Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx-16)
Excellent shooter. Why wasn’t this the pack-in game for the Turbo?
#76 – Life Force (NES)
For Japanese audiences, there was a Gradius II in their lives. For everyone else, we had Life Force serving as the sequel to Gradius. This NES version is drastically difference from the arcade Salamander game it’s based on; maintaining the horizontal and vertical scrolling levels of the arcade, but replacing the traditional power-up system with the Gradius style system of manual power-ups with pods. Great game, but tough.
#75 – ActRaiser (SNES)
And you can’t ask for a better way to kick off Part 2 than with one of the finest action/sim hybrid titles. The sim building aspect added a bit of depth to the game, which complimented the otherwise splendid action bits. Sadly, it was followed up by a rather underwhelming sequel.
#74 – Worldwide Soccer ’97 (Saturn)
A sports title released recently… again, wondering if this is on here because it’s the newest one or because it’s really that good. I mean, if I’m going to be compiling a list of “THE BEST GAMES OF ALL TIME”, I doubt that a good chunk of that last is going to be sportsball games, especially if it’s going to be the latest sports entries.
#73 – Mega Man 2 (NES)
When all else fails, go with the popular entry… or at the very least, the one that established the formula for the rest of the series and refined some of the issues that plagued the first game. While I find the later games in the series to be slightly better, one cannot deny the influence of Mega Man’s first sequel and even after all these years, it’s still fun to play.
#72 – Zelda II: The Adventures Of Link (NES)
Fun fact: this was the first Zelda game I ever played. And this was a good game despite what the numskulls online will tell you, so I’m glad that this list is giving the game its flowers.
#71 – Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Genesis)
Strangely enough, my first Sonic game was Sonic 2. And this is fun. Some would argue Sonic 3 & Knuckles is better, but this is more straightforward and fun.
#70 – NiGHTS Into Dreams (Saturn)
Only sampled this game for a short while ages ago when it was demoed at a Toys R Us somewhere and never looked back since. People seem to like this one and it was a perfect game to make use of the Saturn’s rarely-used 3d controller.
#69 – Snatcher (Sega CD)
A lot of people seemed to like this one, but I missed out. I’m actually quite surprised that Konami never bothered to re-release this one or even give it one of those fancy remakes, because it seems like the sort of game people would like, especially with its ties to the more popular Metal Gear series.
#68 – WaveRace 64 (Nintendo 64)
Believe it or not, I have not played this one. I may have the cart somewhere, but I never got around to playing it yet. Go figure. Anyway, I’ve heard good things.
#67 – Donkey Kong (Game Boy)
And so we hit our first portable entry on this list… a remake of the Donkey Kong arcade game that transitions to a puzzle platform game. It’s quite the fun game and serves as the inspiration for the later Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series of games that would grace the Game Boy Advance and DS handhelds.
#66 – Guardian Heroes (Saturn)
This is another one that I’ve not played. Again, I’ve heard good things about this one.
#65 – Tecmo Super Bowl (NES)
This entry confirms two things; that Tecmo keeps re-releasing the wrong Tecmo Bowl game all these years when THIS is the version people really liked and also, anything with Bo Jackson is automatically awesome. That last point is subject to debate, but hey, who am I to argue? I don’t even care about football.
#64 – Twisted Metal 2: World Tour (Playstation)
Great game, never played the original, but this is apparently a much better game. I can believe it. This is another series that needs more love these days.
#63 – Return Fire (3DO)
Would it surprise you to learn that I’ve also never played this one? Probably because I figured it was a 3DO exclusive, though apparently there’s a PS1 port somewhere… maybe I should add that to the bucket list.
#62 – Phantasy Star (Master System)
Phantasy Star was Sega’s take on the whole RPG thing and they had a couple successful entries before they shifted gears went full-bore with the online MMO format. Admittedly, I don’t play enough Phantasy Star to gauge an opinion on whether this merits an entry over the sequels, but regardless, nice to see Sega’s efforts recognized.
#61 – NHL ’94 (Genesis)
Well, I guess that year’s NHL game must suck a bunch because they added in NHL ’94 onto the list instead. Out of all the NHL games released by EA, ’94 tends to be the big favorite for most people. It was so beloved by players that it eventually got bundled in with NHL ’06 as a bonus feature. So if the current NHL game didn’t do it for you, you could play the older, better one.
#60 – Shining Force II (Genesis)
I have never touched a Shining Force game in my life… despite the fact that I have a Sega Genesis collection that may or may not have Shining Force games on the disk… go figure.
#59 – Thunder Force III (Genesis)
Never played this version, but I have the Thunder Spirits game on SNES that’s based on this one. All the Thunder Force games are pretty fun stuff and this one is usually held in high regard.
#58 – Dragon Warrior IV (NES)
A genuinely massive role-playing game with plenty of characters to play with, a massive world to explore, and one of the most splendid and melancholy soundtracks on the NES. This would be my go-to RPG on the console.
#57 – Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (NES)
If you’re going to include a classic NES Castlevania, might as well go with the most refined and the best of the NES trilogy… though, really, you should give them all a go since they’re all pretty good. Yes, that includes Simon’s Quest.
#56 – Super Punch-Out (SNES)
A substantial upgrade over the NES version and quite a bit of fun as well. A part of me was surprised that the NES version didn’t get the nod since it had Mike Tyson’s limited endorsement, but Super Punch Out really is the better game, so I’m glad this got the duke.
#55 – Dragon Force (Saturn)
Another Saturn game that I’m likely never going to play unless I can find a copy for cheap… or at least a means to emulate Saturn stuff properly… maybe I shouldn’t have said that last part.
#54 – Tomb Raider (Playstation)
Tomb Raider is a fun game… probably hasn’t aged that well these days with its antiquated tank controls, but still classic. My experience with the game has been somewhat limited, but I hope to rectify that one of these days.
#53 – Gate Of Thunder (TurboGrafx-CD)
Good choice. Fun shooter. Awesome soundtrack.
#52 – R.C. Pro-Am (NES)
Fun little racing game with radio-controlled cars. I should probably fire this up one of these days.
#51 – Tekken 2 (Playstation)
The newest and latest entry in the series at the time and boy was it a fun one. This would’ve been one of my earliest Playstation experiences and it was fine. Awesome game, even if it’s been outclassed by its successor.
#50 – Devil’s Crush (TurboGrafx-16)
One of the more popular pinball video games… don’t think I’ve played this one, so I can’t say much here.
#49 – Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Surprised to see this so low on the list. I’d imagine the original SNES game would be higher up… still, Mario Kart 64 expands on the formula with more realized tracks that feature hills and slopes… and replaced DK Jr. with Rare-ified DK.
#48 – Military Madness (TurboGrafx-16)
Never played this one, so I’ve little to say.
#47 – Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (Genesis)
Capcom’s medieval arcade nightmare graced the Sega Genesis and proved to be a worthy port on a system more than capable of bringing the goods. I’m flat out terrible at these games no matter what platform I play them on, but they are something.
#46 – Space MegaForce (Super NES)
Otherwise known as Super Aleste, because if you’re going to have at least one Compile shmup on the list, may as well be Space Megaforce. I’d prefer MUSHA myself, but whatever…
#45 – Contra (NES)
The classic game. The 30 lives code. The shitty ViB113 video. The even shittier Irate Gamer video. The refusal to get this game hosted on the Wii Virtual Console. Man, oh man. References to things beyond this publication’s… er, publication. AWESOME!
#44 – Metroid (NES)
Of course, it was going to make the list. I just thought it’d be slightly higher.
#43 – Herzog Zwei (Genesis)
You know, Mark Bussler of Classic Game Room had high praise for this RTS-styled game and I really do need to give it a fair shake one of these days.
#42 – Strider (Genesis)
Given the choice between this almost-but-not-quite-arcade-perfect Genesis port and the rather shoddy NES game, EGM made the right choice in going with the superior 16-bit entry.
#41 – Arkanoid (NES)
EGM made a note to mention the special Vaus controller that Arkanoid originally came with. For those who were fortunate enough to get those controllers, I hate you. And so does anyone else who had to buy this game second-hand and use the imprecise D-Pad to move your stupid paddle around.
#40 – Lunar: Eternal Blue (Sega CD)
Never played any of the Lunar games… and I don’t think I will because they’re fucking expensive these days.
#39 – StarFox 64 (N64)
Insert barrel roll-related quip here.
#38 – Ys Books I and II (TurboGrafx-CD)
Heard of these, but never played them.
#37 – Super Mario Bros. (All-Stars Edition) (NES)
This pissed me off a bit. I’m not saying that Super Mario Bros. doesn’t deserve to be on the list – it does… if anything, it should be higher on the list due to its historical significance. But then they had to mention that they’re putting in the version of the game as it appeared in the SNES compilation, Super Mario All-Stars, which they admit would top the list if they just included the whole package. But… yeah, no, fuck off, EGM. I ain’t playing that game. If you’re not going to include All-Stars as a single entry, then just include the original entries, which hold up just fine.
#36 – Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Saturn)
EGM opted for the Saturn version, which has more secret characters than the Playstation and also supposedly has more frames of animation. I don’t get why they don’t just include the arcade versions on this list, but I guess they want to keep it to consoles that people can actually play. For the time, Alpha 2 was a pretty solid game that would eventually get outperformed by its successor… although that is up for debate.
#35 – Metal Gear (NES)
I find it funny that they’d include the flawed NES version. I’d imagine if they let imports on this list, they’d include the MSX original or the MSX sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake – both of which are superior titles. At the time of release, Metal Gear Solid had yet to see release and would change the series for better or worse.
#34 – Kid Icarus (NES)
Nice to see Pit get some recognition. A pity he wouldn’t get another new game until years later after a chance appearance in the Wii Smash Bros. game.
#33 – NBA Live ’97 (Playstation)
Oh, look. Another sports title released this year. Fuck off.
#32 – Bionic Commando (NES)
At the time, Bionic Commando was a cult NES hit known for its amazing gimmick. And then Capcom revived it as an allegedly rubbish remake. Don’t get me started on the Game Boy entries.
#31 – NFL GameDay 98 (Playstation)
Oh, look. Another sports title released this year. Fuck off.
#30 – Phantasy Star II (Genesis)
Oh… I guess we are including multiple entries of the same series. I should have thought of that sooner when I saw two Mega Man entries on this list… or paid more attention. Anyway, no further comment… great game that I need to spend more time on.
#29 – Chrono Trigger (Super NES)
Ditto for Chrono Trigger.
#28 – The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Game Boy)
It doesn’t surprise me that they’d include Link’s Awakening on here. EGM seemed poised to include almost every Zelda on here in some form or fashion. Sadly, the three Zelda games that graced the ill-conceived Phillips CD-I system failed to make the cut.
#27 – Gunstar Heroes (Genesis)
Another one I’ve not played. Again, heard good things, so I’ll take your word for it.
#26 – Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars (Super NES)
Damn… just shy of the Top 25. A pretty fun and almost revolutionary game that I wish they made another one of. Paper Mario is fine and all, but it’s not the same thing.
#25 – GoldenEye 007 (N64)
Not only was it a good movie-based game, but it was also a fine FPS with some of the best multiplayer action you can find outside of a functional DOS or Windows computer. Some could argue that this holds up as the best Bond game ever made, though nowadays, you have plenty of options to go the other way.
#24 – International SuperStar Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64)
Yep, another current-day sports title on the list… circa 1997. Listen, I don’t want to poo-poo on these things entirely; I’m sure they were more than wonderful games to play, but I can’t imagine that there were other, more worthy titles that were omitted from this list because we need to make room for these annual sports releases that are going to be tossed aside within a year’s time once the newest entry comes out. There wasn’t a day around that time when I would find used games shops with dozens of sports titles piled up at low prices because NOBODY WANTED THEM. When I think “THE BEST OF ALL TIME”, I’m thinking of games that have some semblance of staying power. Your sportsball game has to be really fucking special to have any semblance of staying power beyond the year-long life span before the next entry comes out.
#23 – R-Type III (SNES)
I’m amazed that there’s only one R-Type on here… and it’s on the Super Nintendo. I guess that’s something I suppose.
#22 – Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (SNES)
And then comes the one GnG game that was made for the home market, but you wouldn’t know it from the overwhelming difficulty. This game is also a barometer for SNES clone systems, as it was notorious for not working with said systems. Fortunately, I don’t have the game because the series only serves to piss me off.
#21 – Final Fantasy VII (Playstation)
Quite frankly, I’m shocked… SHOCKED, I tell you… that this game didn’t make the Top 20. If this were published today, the fanboys would lose their shit and bitch about it on Twitter. Fortunately, such lunacy back in the day was relegated to BBS boards and things of that nature. Oh well…
#20 – Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
Nice to see this game get some recognition. In my mind, the definite evolution of the classic Castlevania formula that would never get revisited because we needed to rip off Super Metroid instead.
#19 – Madden NFL ’98 (Whatever)
And yet another current-day sports title on the list… circa 1997. I find it funny that all the sports franchise got their most recent entry on this list, yet NHL ’94 was chosen over NHL ’97 or ’98 or whatever the current release was at the time. Was that year’s NHL game really that bad?
#18 – F-ZERO (SNES)
Long before Falcun Panch YES, the Cap’n was in a racing game. This is the first… a really fast-moving but excruciatingly difficult racing game that was more Mode-7 tech demo than a proper game… actually, I take that back. Hyperzone is more of a tech demo. F-Zero at least got a couple sequels out.
#17 – Sonic CD (Sega CD)
Some people consider this the definitive 2D Sonic game… I wouldn’t go that far; in fact, the only time I thought this game was really good was when I played the recent remake, which fixed a lot of the game’s minor issues, including dropping its incredibly shitty Spin Dash and replacing it with a proper one. Still, even in its original form, Sonic CD is tons of fun to play with some great music to jam to on either side of the pond.
#16 – Tetris Attack (SNES)
The future Puzzle League got its chance to shine on this list… and that’s good because this is a fun game, regardless of what form it takes or what name it has.
#15 – Super Mario Kart (SNES)
And there we go, kids. This SNES version ranks higher than the N64 version… possibly for being the first. I’d imagine people would have a different opinion nowadays with the numerous different entries in the series, but in any event, the original still holds up rather nicely.
#14 – Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
Again, they’re using the All-Stars version, which is bullshit. The NES version holds its own just fine and if you wanted to go with an updated version, you’d have to wait until 2001 when Super Mario Advance rolled around to give us the definitive version of the classic repackaged redressing. Also, not to be a prod and I’m not saying this because SMB2 is a bad game or because of its reskinning backstory, but I’m not sure I’d be ranking this higher than SMB1. That’s just me, though.
#13 – The Legend Of Zelda (NES)
The original Zelda game that established the formula, the lore, and everything in between. Even so, it’s been outclassed by its various successors (and yes, I’d rank Zelda II over Zelda I any day of the week; come at me, bro.) Also, once I found Zelda Classic and the various custom quests you can play, there’s very little reason to go back to this NES original.
#12 – Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (Playstation)
The game that changed the series from tough-as-nails action platform to open-ended, exploration platformer with role playing elements. This game was so beloved that Koji Igarashi made a career of remaking the same game over and over and over and over again. But hey, at least it’s a great game, so there’s a working formula there.
#11 – Super Mario World (SNES)
Super Mario World. Nuff said.
#10 – Saturn Bomberman (Saturn)
The only noteworthy thing about Saturn Bomberman’s inclusion on this list is that I think it was done so that you wouldn’t have a Nintendo-dominated Top 10 on this Top 100 list. I’m sure the game is fine and all… but better than Super Mario World? That’s impossible.
#9 – Final Fantasy VI (or III as it was known) (SNES)
I’ve always preferred IV (or II) over VI (or III), but even so, I can’t help but be impressed by what Square was able to pull off with this game.
#8 – Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES)
I’m amazed that none of the 3D games made onto this list… then again, maybe not, because they both suck.
#7 – Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (SNES)
Never played this one.
#6 – Super Metroid (SNES)
Funny story; EGM #150 would come along and do another one of these Top 100 lists and Super Metroid would claim the #1 spot. Honestly, why not do it now? This is a great game.
#5 – Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES)
I’m genuinely surprised that they’d go with this version rather than Super Turbo for 3DO. But whatever; Street Fighter II in any flavor is a good game… unless it’s on MS-DOS. Then it sucks.
#4 – Super Mario 64 (N64)
I shouldn’t be shocked that this is high on the list; it’s the first proper 3d Mario, it redefined 3d controls with the N64 analog stick. Recency bias might play a factor, but this is a fun game regardless.
#3 – The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
Had this list come out a year or so later, I’d imagine Ocarina Of Time occupying this spot or higher while A Link To The Past would rank a bit lower. Regardless, I’m not going to dispute A Link To The Past’s status as the third best of all time circa 1997; it’s a great game that combines the best aspects of the two NES games to create a compelling adventure that stands the test of time.
#2 – Super Mario Bros 3. (All-Stars Edition) (NES)
I’ll get this out of the way despite having no relevance to this list; Bob Chipman ruined Super Mario Bros. 3 for me thanks to his horrible, horrible book. (2024 Update: Thankfully, I’d eventually get over it.)
Super Mario Bros. 3 is actually a slightly better game in All-Stars due to the presence of a save feature, so this is the only time where I’d be fine with pointing out the All-Stars version specifically… though the NES original is still a timeless classic. In a funny note, the editors of this article mentioned that if it were not for the ban on compilation packs from this list, Super Mario All-Stars would’ve been the No.1 entry on this list. But instead, that honor goes to…
#1 – Tetris
Well… this is going to be a controversial topic of sorts, especially nowadays, but for the time, Tetris was the right choice, I think. It’s a game anyone can pick up and play.
Well, that was the whole list, everyone. A somewhat skewed list considering the lack of Atari games, imports, arcade titles, an overabundance of annual sports titles that have no business being on any best of match (except NHL 94… that is classic), and whatever.
dtm666 