THE TOP 5 VIDEO GAMES OF ALL TIME
Every now and then, an age old question comes up – what are the best video games of all time? It’s a subjective question but one that has led to endless hours of debate amongst almost anyone who has ever picked up a controller. For some people, it’s about simple nostalgia. For other folks, it’s about the influence a particular game has on the landscape of video games as a whole. And then there are those individuals who believe that it’s about creating an iconic masterpiece that’s impossible to duplicate. Sometimes, it’s a combination of the three of those things.
Occasionally, I revisit this question myself and I’ll fully admit, I’m in the camp that combines each of the aforementioned factors. But there’s another factor that I consider more important than any of the others – how much fun a particular video game is to play. Because for me personally, it doesn’t matter how good certain elements of the game are if I don’t enjoy playing it. As I thought about making my own personal list of the greatest video games of all time, there were plenty that I thought of that just didn’t have the perfect blend to be considered one of the all time greats by me. Certainly, there might be some surprises on this list and some video games that people will be shocked not to see. But as I said back at the beginning, such lists are subjective.
So dearest reader, buckle up and get ready – because here are my top five video games of all time:
5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Starting off this list is a video game that I’ll never forget as it was the first one that I ever played and boy was it a classic. Released in 1992 for the Sega Genesis, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 made the franchise the household name that it is today. In the early ‘90s when the console wars were split primarily between Japanese titans Sega and Nintendo, the second entry into the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise elevated the Sega Genesis onto equal footing with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in terms of sales.
The second entry into the franchise also introduced us to perhaps the most widely known Sonic companion; Miles ‘Tails’ Prower – the lovable, two-tailed, flying fox. The introduction of Tails also came with a novel multiplayer element that allowed two players to play simultaneously. Unlike other multiplayer games that required you to take turns, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 allowed two players to play alongside at the same time – one playing as Sonic and the other playing as Tails. This in particular brings back fond memories for me as I remember playing as Tails alongside my older cousins who didn’t have to worry about me screwing things up since both players only died in the game when Sonic died.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also introduced us to a number of new stages that were far more distinct from one another than the stages in its predecessor. These stages also came with several memorable soundtracks that anyone who ever played the game will still recognize today – compared with only the infamous Green Hill Zone theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 1. The gameplay was also generally faster and introduced Sonic’s famous spindash mechanic which longtime fans of the series will know didn’t exist in the first game. Taken altogether, this game has all the makings of an all-time classic that is still fun to sit down and play even today.
4. Pokémon: Crystal Version (2000)
If you were a kid growing up in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, you probably had a Pokémon phase at one point or another. I don’t know a single kid who grew up then – or now for that matter – who hasn’t heard of Nintendo’s most popular franchise. Although the Super Mario Bros. series has sold more games, it has nowhere near the cultural impact of Pokémon which has spun off a long running anime series and a successful trading card game, not to mention the insane amount of Pokémon related merchandise that gets sold every year. It’s a crime to make one of these lists and not put a Pokémon game on it, quite frankly.
But you may be asking yourself, ‘Triggy, why Pokémon: Crystal? What’s so special about it?’
Well, I’m glad you asked. Aside from being an avid Pokémon fan to this day, I am a staunch defender of Generation 2 – the generation that spawned Pokémon: Gold, Silver, and Crystal – as being the greatest generation of Pokémon games. To this day, it is the only generation that has given us games with two full regions to explore while also introducing us to the most aesthetically pleasing region in all of Pokémon – the Johto region. While Pokémon: Gold and Silver are excellent in their own right, Pokémon: Crystal introduced some key gameplay and story elements that elevated it over the generation’s foundational games, even if only slightly.
When playing any of the Generation 2 Pokémon games, traveling back to Kanto after beating the Johto Elite 4 was the ultimate feeling of nostalgic euphoria. Not only because you were visiting a place you had been to before (in Pokémon: Red, Blue, and Yellow) but also because it was different. There were significant story differences that made you feel like you were experiencing the Kanto region for the first time all over again. And at the end of it all, you fight the most iconic Champion battle in the entire Pokémon franchise against Red – the colloquial name for the first game’s (and the player’s own) main character.
Pokémon: Crystal in particular added some small but significant gameplay elements such as being able to play as a girl character for the first time but it also added a new sub-plot for the game’s legendary dog trio of Suicune, Entei, and Raikou that placed them more at the forefront of the story than they had been in Pokémon: Gold and Silver. Although these improvements may seem minor, their impact cannot be overstated as they made it a game worth getting even if you already owned one of Generation 2’s foundational games.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
Nostalgia and modern masterpieces be damned, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best roleplaying game (RPG) of all time. There, I said it.
I know many people will take issue with that statement especially given the existence of more recent titles like Elden Ring and classics like the original Chrono Trigger but nothing – NOTHING – is as compelling or holds up as well as the third game in The Witcher franchise. Although The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt released nearly ten years ago at the time of this writing, it’s just as fun to play as it was on the day that it first launched.
Unlike the RPGs that I just mentioned, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt does everything that you want an RPG to do incredibly well. The world is enormous and immersive and not only that but it looks insanely good for an almost ten-year-old game. The game’s main story is also gripping with numerous characters that a player can resonate with – something owed to the fact that the game series is based on a well written fantasy book series. In addition to that, there is a ton to do both in the main story and side quests but unlike many RPGs, the side quests in The Witcher 3 feel worthwhile and add to the story’s cinematic experience. The combat system is also fairly nuanced without being overwhelming and makes for fun gameplay for those experienced in RPGs as well as those new to the genre.
Although other RPGs may do various elements better than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, I have yet to play one that has as nice of a blend or provides as fun of an overall experience. Some – particularly more modern – RPGs look better but not to a degree that makes a significant difference. Others, like 2023’s Game of the Year, Baldur’s Gate III, provide a more customizable experience but this can be both blessing and curse – as anyone who has re-started their playthrough of BG3 because they wanted to make a new Tav will tell you. Some, like modern masterpiece, Elden Ring, provide a greater challenge but again, this can prevent some from truly enjoying the game. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt suffers from none of these drawbacks as playing it more only compels you to continue until you’ve seen it through to completion. And once you have, it’s unlikely that you’ll be unsatisfied with your experience.
2. Halo 2 (2004)
It’s a chilly Friday evening in late autumn of 2004 and you just showed up to your best friend’s house with a 2 liter of Mountain Dew: Code Red and as soon as you step through the doorway, the smell of pizza rolls baking in the oven fills your nose. You head down to the basement where your friends are all waiting for you. Whatever happened earlier that week – it doesn’t matter anymore – because you’re about to experience the pinnacle of mid-2000s gaming with your buds: Halo 2.
This entry on the list is unlikely to be nearly as controversial as some of the others. Some people still might criticize me for putting Halo 2 on the list but few video games have had the kind of impact that it had on competitive, multiplayer online gaming while simultaneously generating so much nostalgia. To this day, I don’t think any single video game has had quite as much impact on the culture of video games as this blockbuster for the original Xbox did. It provided hours of fond memories for anyone who owned the game and also paved the way for modern esports as we know it.
Many longtime fans will dissent and claim that Halo’s multiplayer experience peaked with Halo 3 but the franchise really got its juice in the second installment. Legendary Halo multiplayer maps such as Zanzibar, Midship, and Lockout were first introduced in Halo 2. And anyone who has been with the franchise since the beginning knows of the infamous BXB and BXR tricks that resulted in quick, nearly instant kills. Halo 2 also introduced TrueSkill, the first iteration of the frequently used – and much maligned – concept of skill based matchmaking. This new emphasis on competitive, online gameplay led to the rise of Halo 2 as a powerhouse of Major League Gaming, an early esports league that was among the first of its kind at a time when competitive gaming events were primarily relegated to fighting game communities. Nowadays, nearly every game with a competitive player base has some form of esports and those games owe a lot to the FPS that started it all, Halo 2.
Bioshock (2007)
The sign of a truly god tier video game lies in its ability to stand the test of time while spawning dozens of imitators – none of which live up to the original. The very first Bioshock game fits that definition perfectly and that is why it takes the top spot on this list for me. While some games build their fanbases through enjoyable gameplay and nostalgia, the most iconic ones deliver a compelling and poetic story that makes the experience truly unforgettable.
Released in 2007 under the 2K banner, the original Bioshock was a psychological horror game for the ages. Set in the underwater city of Rapture in the year 1960, players explore the aquatic utopia for society’s elite only to discover that things are anything but perfect. Things went quite wrong in the year prior to when the game takes place in fact, as riots broke out and the very fabric of society unraveled in the city built leagues under the sea by business magnate, Andrew Ryan. The game’s story is told through a particularly philosophical lens that focuses on Randian philosophy by which society in Rapture emphasizes one’s own self interest in lieu of selflessness and community.
The game not only shines through its story but via its gameplay and atmosphere as well. Whether you’re the type of player who prefers to bore through action games head first or the type of player that prefers to stealthily sneak your way through encounters, Bioshock has something for you. The game’s plasmid system was also unique for its time and gave players plenty of different ways to vanquish the various enemies that they encounter throughout the game. Also included are roleplay elements that allow players to be good or evil depending on their preference with consequences for each in the endgame. Furthermore, the final plot twist is one that shocked most players to their core via the use of a phrase that is subtle but oft-repeated throughout the game that sends fans of the series into a tailspin upon hearing it — even today.
The original Bioshock game was truly a masterpiece. Despite having been released nearly two decades ago, it still holds up to this very day and is a must play for anyone who loves a indelible story with their compelling gameplay. Although it served as a spiritual successor to the System Shock series, it was art in a way that the game it was inspired by was not. The original Bioshock also inspired a pair of sequels as well as a number of similar games such as Prey, Dishonored, and Atomic Heart. And despite each of those games being incredible in their own right, none of them can hold a candle to the game that set the tone and inspired them.
In conclusion, it’s hard to give a definitive answer to what the best video game of all time is. Everybody has a different perspective and different things that they look for but these five are among my all time favorites. Even having played video games for as long as I have, every now and then something comes along that really challenges my preconceived notions and makes me rethink this list.
Do you agree with any of the games that I had listed in this article? What would you have put on your top 5 list instead? Feel free to join the conversation on social media or over in my Discord server where we discuss my blog posts among numerous other topics! And if you really enjoyed this bit of content, you can show your support by tipping me over on Ko-fi!
Thanks again for reading and I hope you’ll be back for our next installment!
