behind on my game playing, mostly b/c of work. here’s another worthwhile link for ya, though. in my last post i mentioned that the same games tend to show up on “top games of all time” lists over and over again. this seems to be especially true of the IGN readers’ poll; at least, that was my first impression when i read through this year’s list. i’m a sucker for a good list, and after the first devouring of this one i’ve taken a closer look and realized it has a bit more variation than i’d originally thought, although still not as much as when compared to the editors’ poll. but i did notice the same thing that i had noticed in the previous readers’ polls: namely, that the readers’ choice list tends to favor recent releases, but as time passes the truly great remain on the list (i.e. the classically great, instead of the faddy favorites). the lists also seem to favor certain genres and pretty much completely ignore classic games (e.g. anything NES era and before), which of course leaves a huge gap.
nevertheless, some interesting things about this year’s list are that all three of the metroid prime games made the list (along with the three most recent 2D games). all four of the console metal gear solid games are also included. but the zelda series easily beats out any other franchise for the most appearances on the list with a whopping 8 by my reckoning, and (surprise, surprise) claims the number one spot for the second time in a row with ocarina of time.
geek that i am, i’ve been keeping a copy of IGN’s top 100 readers’ and editors’ lists ever since they began, way back in 2003. they have a great system in which they alternate the readers’ lists with the editors’ lists each year so that each occurs only once every other year, allowing for more variation. and geek that i am i like to compare the lists to each other, comparing the readers’ choices to the editors’, and the progression from year to year. you can join in on the fun by checking out this compilation i made of the IGN’s editors’ and readers’ top 100 games of all time lists. yeah! useless lists! times 6!
video games rock 