If you think that video games are for lazy teenagers or adult couch potatoes only, think again. Once you start reaching your ‘golden’ age or if you are way past your 60s and 70s, your heart, body and mind can use the adrenaline rush brought about by the modern gaming devices which are available today.

Why Video Games Aren’t Just For Kids Anymore?

So what exactly are the benefits that grandma and grandpa can get from playing Wii, online games, PlayStation 2 or similar gaming devices? There’s actually a lot more to video gaming than you may actually think.

A good number of studies in the past have shown that playing video games has many positive benefits to senior health. For young people, one of the benefits of playing video games is to sharpen their problem-solving abilities. Video games are even known to improve the skills of a surgeon in the operating table.

Now, to give you an idea about the health benefits that older people will enjoy, take a look at the following list:

1. According to the Psychology and Aging magazine, playing complex video games after receiving training may improve the cognitive functions of seniors. This is one the functions which typically decline with age.

2. Aside from improving their cognitive functions, video games which require seniors to juggle multiple tasks may also improve their ability to perform some other everyday tasks in the ‘real world’.

3. Researches done in the past also indicated that video games such as the ones provided by Nintendo and Wii can be successfully used to doctor seniors with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses of a psychological or psychosocial nature.

4. Preliminary studies have shown that strategy video games may help older adults in keeping their brains razor sharp.

Since you will be playing with the aid of a joystick, video games can help improve your eye-hand coordination.
To sum it all up, what video games do is keep an aging brain young – which is why they bring forth a multitude of benefits for a senior’s overall health. And with the introduction of Wii fitness-themed games, who says that they can’t enjoy the physical benefits of video games as well?

Top 10 Video Games to Improve Senior Health

After learning about the benefits of using video games to improve senior health, which games should you borrow from your grand kids? Here are the top 10 video games which help improve senior health:

1. Brain Age and Brain Age2

This is a video game developed by Nintendo DS, which has already spawned a sequel: Brain Age2. Both the original and the sequel video games are inspired by the work of Japanese neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima.

Basically, what the Brain Age video game will assist you with is stimulating your brain by giving it the workout that it needs with activities like solving simple math problems, currency counting, drawing pictures or unscrambling letters.

As indicated in their website, the activities in the Brain Age2 video game will increase the blood flow to your prefrontal cortex. [Poor Blood Circulation]

2. BrainBashers.com

BrainBashers.com is actually a website which was started in 1997 by Kevin Stone, BSC. The site has a great collection of logic game, brain teasers, riddles, puzzles, games and optical illusions.

The good thing about BrainBashers is that five new puzzles are added every other week, so you will have some new brain-exerciser games to look forward to. [Brain Strengthening Exercises]

The benefit of visiting sites like these is that your mental acuity will be sharpened because of the sheer number of activities that your brain can be engaged in.

3. Wii Golf

If, for one reason or another, you have decided to quit playing golf – you can still have a go at it with the help of a video game like the Nintendo Wii Golf.

You can enjoy it as part of the Wii Sports collection which includes a series of five sports simulations: tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing. So, how exactly will the Wii Golf help seniors have a pretty good workout – with the help of a video game console? [Balance Exercises For Seniors]

The Wii Remote is the key. What it does is mimic the actions performed in real life sports.

Let’s say that you have swung the Wii Remote which you will be using as a golf club, its mechanism will detect how strong or how gentle your golf swing is, and the results will be seen on the screen.

4. Dancing with the Stars

Whether or not you’re a fan of the show that the video game is based on, you will have a blast playing the “Dancing with the Stars” video game. Released in October 2007, the game has PC and online versions, and is also available in Wii, PC, mobile and PlayStation 2 platforms.

If you will get the PlayStation 2 or Wii formats of the game, that is when you will have the best time exercising because it comes with the dance pad. Basically, you will enjoy a physical workout while playing a video game at the same time.

5. Tetris

Whether it’s a game installed on your mobile phone, your computer or a gaming console, the classic blocks game of Tetris will provide a lot of benefits for you as a senior.

When you use the arrow keys on your keyboard to play the game and you’re at an advanced level, your quick thinking skills will be sharpened. Hand-eye coordination and logical thinking are the other benefits that you will get from playing this game.

6. NASCAR 09

Bring out the risk-taking race car driver in you with the NASCAR 09 video game. It comes in the following formats: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. If you’re not into race car driving, you can try the other driving and flying video games, which will keep your wits razor sharp.

7. Guild Wars

This PC game is available in Windows format only, and is developed by ArenaNet. It’s an episodic series of role-playing games on multiplayer online mode.

Guild Wars is in fact popular with both the younger and the older crowd – so you’ll have plenty of youthfulness to keep you company while the game sharpens your wits at the same time.

8. Pogo.com

If there’s one online video gaming site that is popular with the over-40 crowd, that is none other than Pogo.com. The site is suitable for seniors who are not really into racing, war games or strategic games.

Pogo.com includes a wide array of puzzle games, word games, card games, board games, arcade and sports games that will keep you spending as much hours as your grand kid is spending on the Internet.

9. Scrabble

Another classic game that will keep your brain razor sharp is scrabble. You can even go one step further and use the fun game to connect with your friends and family – no matter which part of the world they live in.

You can have a game with two to four players, and receive notifications on your e-mail if it is your turn to play.

10. Grandparent Games

To cap off our list, there’s the aptly named Grandparent Games which allows seniors to connect with their grandchildren through interactive games. If you want to connect with your children’s kids while exercising your brain at the same time, you get free access to the service for 7 days.

There’s a minimal fee to continue, but if you like playing the games, it is definitely worth it.

There you have it – our top 10 list of the best video games that will allow seniors to exercise their brains, their bodies and improve their eye-hand coordination. Whoever said that video games are a waste of time and are only meant for lazy kids and adults, can never be more wrong.

Back in December of 2009, GameInformer magazine celebrated its 200th issue. Among the many goodies in the treasure trove, the staff put together a list of 200 video games they voted as the top 200 video games of all time based on the individual favorites voted and some sort of algorithm they punched into a computer.

Since the release of my "Top 10 'Overrated' Classics", I had been meaning to write an article going in the different direction -- writing an article about some of my favorite games of all time, and to talk about the classics I still love today. Well, GI beat me to the punch on that. But I decided to do kill two birds with one stone: I decided to write an article to serve as a refreshing change of pace from the many "RAWR THIS GAME SUCKS YOU SUCK RAWR!" articles that have made me simultaneously loved and hated, and to present that list to everyone who did not have the opportunity to be able to read GI's list -- and inadvertantly one-upping them with at least double their intellectual output. No, that's not to say I'm twice as smart as their staff of writers; I doubled their original conent (or added even more than double) with my own original commentary, to let you know which games I thought were great, which games I thought sucked, and which games I thought deserved better or worse on the list. Well, over the past several months I toiled and labored, and finally that great big list has come and gone. 200 games of commentary and/or video later, and GameInformer's Top 200 Video Games of All Time has been transcribed, each including commentary by yours truly, LordYanLiang.

So, for the benefit of anyone coming in late, or having not had the opportunity to read GI's list and/or my coverage (and that would be a lot of you based on the views drop-off on parts 4 and 5), I wanted to create a sort of index for the whole of this mammoth project. And I also wanted to take the opportunity to wrap the series up once and for all with some final comments, including games that I strongly feel should have made the list, and that seems to be the only topic left untouched.

This is the rough summary of the project that took me six months to create, for those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to take part in my grandest project to date. I will include the list of the games that appeared in the magazine in order from 200 and leading up to 1. If you want to read the comments made by both GameInformer and myself, I urge you to check out the articles for yourselves -- we both have many interesting things to say.

Part 1: my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/066623b5c8a7bfe50ce5031dcfa0cce5.html
Part 2: my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/2ee8151d6203d04a9d5709ef3e5abba4.html
Part 3: my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/d9355f9044c945bd0f0e5c904ba0a24b.html
Part 4: my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/145a7e9ff9cff9e4e9b5fda53982ac52.html
Part 5: my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/cb0f578b9c6067095bddad646b2074a5.html

A great list of old school classics, slightly obscure games, and newer fast-track classics have all graced the list. Even two MMOs made the list -- both of decently high rank, and both easily considered the cream of the crop of the MMO genre. Each part contains 50 of the 200 titles appearing in the magazine, starting from 200 and working their way up to #1. Part 4 only included 40 games to allow for a very special part 5 -- where I comment on the top 10 games on film, completely unscripted and unrehearsed to show my most candid feelings on the games. Most of the great classics have appeared on this list, and overall it was at least decent. But I'll let you be the judge:

The Top 200 Video Games of All Time (according to GameInformer magazine, December of 2009)

Part 1: (my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/066623b5c8a7bfe50ce5031dcfa0cce5.html)

200. Beyond Good and Evil (PS2, Xbox, Gamecube; 2003)
199. Tactics Ogre (PSOne; 1997)
198. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox; 2004)
197. NHL 09 (PS3, 360; 2008)
196. Call of Duty (PC; 2003)
195. Ultima (PC; 1981)
194. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Dreamcast; 2002)
193. Jak 3 (PlayStation 2; 2004)
192. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GameCube; 2002)
191. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2; 2004)
190. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay  (Xbox; 2004)
189. Kid Icarus (NES; 1986)
188. Planetscape: Torment (PC; 1999)
187. Infamous (PS3; 2009)
186. Marble Madness (Arcade; 1984)
185. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES; 1995)
184. Vagrant Story
183. NFL 2K5 (PS2, Xbox; 2004)
182. Samurai Showdown (Neo Geo; 1993)
181. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3, 360, PC; 2009)
180. Max Payne (PC; 2001)
179. NBA Jam Tournament Edition (Arcade; 1993)
178. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Nintendo DS; 2005)
177. Tekken 3 (Arcade; 1997)
176. Castlevania (NES; 1988)
175. Dig Dug (Arcade; 1982)
174. Gunstar Heroes (Genesis; 1993)
173. Lode Runner (Apple II; 1983)
172. Ikaruga (GameCube; 2006)
171. Bully (PS2; 2006)
170. Ridge Racer (PSOne; 1995)
169. Braid (360; 2008)
168. Tempest 2000 (Jaguar; 1994)
167. Doom II (PC; 1994)
166. King's Quest VI (PC; 1992)
165. Peggle (PC; 2007)
164. X-COM: UFO Defense (PC; 1993)
163. Robotron: 2084 (Arcade; 1982)
162. Far Cry (PC; 2004)
161. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (360; 2005)
160. Thief (PC; 1998)
159. Battlefield 1942 (PC; 2002)
158. Pong (Arcade; 1972)
157. Devil May Cry (PS2; 2001)
156. Gauntlet (Arcade; 1985)
155. CrackDown (360; 2007)
154. LittleBigPlanet (PS3; 2008)
153. Asteroids (Arcade; 1979)
152. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (PS2; 2003)
151. Fable (Xbox; 2004)
150. ActRaiser (SNES; 1991)

Part 2: (my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/2ee8151d6203d04a9d5709ef3e5abba4.html)

149. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC; 2002)
148. Super Mario RPG (SNES; 1996)
147. Super Castlevania IV (SNES; 1991)
146. Power Stone 2 (Dreamcast; 2000)
145. Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC; 2004)
144. Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2, Xbox; 2004)
143. Assassin's Creed (PS3, 360; 2007)
142. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (PC; 1993)
141. Civilization IV (PC; 2005)
140. Diablo (PC; 1996)
139. Wolfenstein 3D (PC; 1992)
138. Call of Duty 2 (360, PC; 2005)
137. Madden NFL '99 (PlayStation, N64, PC; 1999)
136. Star Fox (SNES; 1993)
135. Final Fight (Arcade; 1989)
134. Borderlands (PS3, 360, PC; 2009)
133. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC; 1997)
132. Quake II (PC; 1997)
131. Pilotwings (SNES; 1991)
130. Kingdom Hearts II (PS2; 2006)
129. Homeworld (PC; 1999)
128. Metroid Fusion (GBA; 2002)
127. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee  (PSone; 1997)
126. Twisted Metal 2 (PSone; 1996)
125. Shadowrun (SNES; 1993)
124. Warlords (Arcade; 1980)
123. NHL '94 (Genesis, SNES; 1993)
122. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn; 1998)
121. Lemmings (PC; 1991)
120. Mega Man X (SNES; 1994)
119. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox; 2005)
118. Team Fortress 2 (PS3, 360, PC; 2007)
117. Fallout (PC; 1997)
116. Advance Wars (GBA; 2001)
115. Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC; 1996)
114. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (PC; 1998)
113. Earthbound (SNES; 1995)
112. Final Fantasy XII (PS2; 2006)
111. Tetris Attack (SNES; 1996)
110. Halo 2 (Xbox; 2004)
109. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PSOne; 1998)
108. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3; 2008)
107. Gears of War (360; 2006)
106. Resident Evil (PSOne; 1996)
105. System Shock 2 (PC; 1999)
104. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, 360; 2009)
103. Donkey Kong (Arcade; 1981)
102. Heroes of Might & Magic III (PC; 1999)
101. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC; 2002)
100. Portal (PC, 360; 2007)

Part 3: (my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/d9355f9044c945bd0f0e5c904ba0a24b.html)

99. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, PC; 2003)
98. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PlayStation 2; 2003)
97. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis; 1992)
96. Counter-Strike (PC; 1999)
95. Silent Hill 2 (PS2; 2001)
94. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GameCube; 2003)
93. Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast; 2000)
92. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC; 2002)
91. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2; 2004)
90. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii; 2006)
89. God of War II (PS2; 2007)
88. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC; 2000)
87. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC; 1995)
86. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube; 2001)
85. Metroid Prime (GameCube; 2002)
84. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2; 2005)
83. Okami (PS2; 2006)
82. Left 4 Dead (PC; 2008)
81. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES; 1988)
80. Final Fantasy II (SNES; 1991)
79. Kingdom Hearts (PS2; 2002)
78. Command & Conquer (PC; 1995)
77. Ninja Gaiden (NES; 1989)
76. Mario's Picross (Game Boy; 1995)
75. Super Bomberman (SNES; 1993)
74. Tomb Raider (PSone; 1996)
73. Rock Band 2 (PS3, 360; 2008)
72. Mortal Kombat II (Arcade; 1993)
71. Age of Empires (PC; 1997)
70. The Sims (PC; 2000)
69. Dr. Mario (NES; 1990)
68. Double Dragon (Arcade; 1987)
67. Soul Calibur (Dreamcast; 1999)
66. Zork (PC; 1980)
65. Fallout 3 (PS3, 360, PC; 2008)
64. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2; 2004)
63. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64; 2000)
62. Star Wars: X-Wing (PC; 1993)
61. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Game Boy; 1993)
60. Arkanoid (Arcade; 1986)
59. Adventure (Atari 2600; 1980)
58. Mass Effect (360; 2007)
57. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (PSone; 2000)
56. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3; 2009)
55. Ico (PS2; 2001)
54. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic  (Xbox; 2003)
53. Battlefield 2 (PC; 2005)
52. Pac-Man (Arcade; 1980)
51. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii; 2007)
50. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2; 2001)

Part 4: (my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/d9355f9044c945bd0f0e5c904ba0a24b.html)

49. Guitar Hero (PS2; 2005)
48. Deus Ex (PC; 2000)
47. Super Mario World (SNES; 1991)
46. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, 360; 2008)
45. Final Fantasy Tactics (PSone; 1998)
44. EverQuest (PC; 1999)
43. Final Fantasy X (PS2; 2001)
42. Pokémon Red and Blue (Game Boy; 1996)
41. Resident Evil 2 (PSone; 1998)
40. Gran Turismo (PSone; 1998)
39. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox; 2001)
38. Mega Man 2 (NES; 1988)
37. SimCity (PC; 1989)
36. Civilization (PC; 1991)
35. StarCraft (PC; 1998)
34. Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis; 1991)
33. Super Mario Kart (SNES; 1992)
32. GoldenEye 007 (N64; 1997)
31. Tecmo Super Bowl (NES; 1991)
30. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (360, PC; 2006)
29. Half-Life (PC; 1998)
28. Diablo II (PC; 2000)
27. BioShock (Xbox 360, PC; 2007)
26. God of War (PS2; 2005)
25. Street Fighter II (Arcade; 1991)
24. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSone; 1997)
23. Galaga (Arcade; 1981)
22. Contra (NES; 1988)
21. Super Metroid (SNES; 1994)
20. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64; 1998)
19. Metal Gear Solid (PSone; 1998)
18. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube; 2005)
17. Chrono Trigger (SNES; 1995)
16. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES; 1987)
15. Final Fantasy VII (PSone; 1997)
14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, 360, PC; 2007)
13. Super Mario 64 (N64; 1996)
12. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES; 1992)
11. World of Warcraft (PC; 2004)

Part 5: (my.mmosite.com/2aecbd118ed47523f4132bdc3a275d9c/blog/item/cb0f578b9c6067095bddad646b2074a5.html -- in video!)

10. Ms. Pac-Man (Arcade; 1981)
9. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES; 1990)
8. Final Fantasy III (SNES; 1994)
7. Metroid (NES; 1986)
6. Doom (PC; 1993)
5. Half-Life 2 (PC; 2004)
4. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2; 2001)
3. Tetris (PC; 1984)
2. Super Mario Bros. (NES; 1985)
1. The Legend of Zelda (NES; 1987)

All in all, I think the list would have been stronger if it were shorter. It was a giant undertaking on the part of GameInformer to celebrate their 200th issue, but naming 200 games to be the best of all time might be asking far too much of anybody to retain credibility -- and it shows when the upper quarter of games are all mostly solid and undeniably so, but the bottom quarter of the games are sorely lacking and most certainly up for debate. To be fair, however, it should be said that I, beyond a shadow of a doubt, could NOT fill a list of the top 200 video games of all time with any sort of confidence, so credit should be given to GI for their efforts. It's not easy to build any sort of concensus about 200 games -- or perhaps even 100 games -- that gamers can consider a universal list for the best games to exist or to ever exist. Like many things in life, while there is a certain universal set of attributes that will give a game a good or bad quality, the art of rating or analyzing a game is a subjective art; there are some things that will just tickle the brain the right way to make a person really enjoy a game or really hate it, despite general consensus or the more objective attributes to a game. For example, I love Half-Life 2, and most people think it's a great game -- but there are going to be people who hate it just because, no matter how much you can reason that HL 2 was a classic and is comparatively superior than other games where comparisons apply, it just didn't do it for them.

At the same time, GI based a lot of its ratings on this list based on the legacies the games have left behind (most obviously exemplified with The Legend of Zelda). I disagree with this approach to quite the extent, and I do primarily for two reasons. First, there are such things as sleeper hits: there are some games that fly under the radar because of a poor review or lack of review, a lack of advertising, or a false prejudice that keeps gamers away from a certain title. It won't leave a big legacy because so few people will have played such a game, yet it could be a surprise hit made with superior quality, but it won't ever be more than a sleeper hit. Second, the legacy a game leaves behind and the imprint it leaves on gamers, whether they go on to become future producers and programmers, writers, creators, or casual fans, does not change the way a game was built or the way it aged. Making a claim that something is "the best of all time" is a very, very strong claim: in making that claim, you are suggesting that such an object, idea, or general thing is so perfect and grand that it is better than everything else before it, and it's so flawless and genius and/or enjoyable or whatever qualities might apply that it has beaten everything that's come after it and will continue to beat things to come. Certainly Wolfenstein 3D inspired a great many gamers and game makers, yet it would be absurd to argue that a game like GoldenEye or Gears of War was inferior in any way, shape, or form -- certainly not in any significant way. Wolfenstein 3D may have inspired these shooting games, yet these games have proven that the original formula can be done so much better and can produce a better and more enjoyable game. You can suggest that Wolfenstein 3D should still appear as one of the best of all time (and it DOES appear on this list), but you can't suggest that it is THE best, or that it's better than any of these other clearly-superior games. Its legacy does not save it from that fact. You can agree or disagree if you'd like, in part or in whole, but I feel that this train of logic is at least solid, and that it was a genuine fallacy to value a game's pop culture or social legacies as justification of it being the best -- these are by-products of the game's greatness, but when something better comes along or when it can be proven that the original formula can be done better (and HAS been done better), then consideration should be applied.

Certainly, though, there are a number of games that  anyone would remove from the list -- there are games that I know for a fact I would remove from the list. At the same time, there are games that I feel should have made this list. Some games come from a personal preference, and require both an explanation and an understanding that I am fully aware why my choices might not be otherwise desirable (and I certainly will talk about where I can see why my picks did not or would not make the cut). Other games, on the other hand, smack me so hard on the head that I'm flabbergasted that GI overlooked them. So let's talk about some of the games that SHOULD have made the list, but didn't.

 

 

Secret of Mana (SNES; 1993)

When you talk about the crown jewels of the SNES days -- and particularly the crown jewels of Square's award-winning RPG line-up -- Secret of Mana was a part of that collection. It was considered one of the biggest video games of its time in terms of hours -- if not THE biggest when it came out -- and while the Mana franchise very quickly petered out and became little more than a JRPG joke, Secret of Mana was one of the best games of the SNES era. It's storyline was simple and charming, but very quickly took on a dark twist; a young boy pulls a "cursed" sword from a stone by mistake, unwittingly releasing monsters into the world and putting into motion a doomsday plot that will consume the planet. He meets a girl and a sprite child, and he fights a wicked empire all while trying to stop the monster he accidentally released and save the world. The gameplay was addicting and enjoyable, the music was wonderful, the world was lush and gorgeous, and it had one of the deepest AI customization engines of its time. The game could very genuinely make you coo and sigh in happiness, and at the same time the masterful use of ambience could also genuinely creep you the hell out. Every other great Square RPG is on this list except Secret of Mana, and I don't know why. There's absolutely no excuse why GI would pass this one up -- they gave it a 9.5 out of 10, and GameSpy put this game in its Hall of Fame, just for proof of critical acceptance -- other than a poor oversight. I could probably go on with other qualities of greatness to this game, but I'll move on.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI (PS2; 2007)

Now here's one that I'm going to understand not making the list. The quality of some of the Romance games can be argued; but with the newest generation of titles, 3 of the 4 PS2 titles in this franchise were very solid. RTK XI will fly under the radar of most gamers because it's not often advertised and is one of the less popular titles in Koei's library -- and it doesn't help that the game comes from a company chastised for its redundant games and painful repetition. But to be honest, RTK XI is built on a very solid, very enjoyable turn-based strategy platform not terribly unlike the Civilization games (there are many distinct differences in build and style, yet I feel the two can be compared at least partially). The game has a plethora of characters, a great deal of scenarios to choose from, a create-an-officer system to allow you to make your own characters, and a certain wiggle room for customization within scenarios -- far more than Civilization offers, anyway. Stripping away legacies and companies and such, there is one big issue that I could see as disqualifying this game as being considered a best of all time, and its the high learning curve. There is a very intimidating learning curve to this game that will turn players away that are either unwilling or unable to master it, but a lot of it is just that: intimidating -- just hot air and bluster. Mechanically speaking, while there is that staggering learning curve, it's not as hard as one would think. A game like Warcraft may not seem so challenging to learn because it's easy to learn the basics, yet hard to master the art of the game. The opposite is true of RTK XI; there is a lot to learn and is most likely going to be harder for most gamers to get down all the basics, but once you learn the basics then mastering it is a tiny leap away. It quite literally is hard to learn but easy to master -- versus a game like Warcraft. The only really challenging aspect for new players will be getting all the characters straight. The game boasts 600+ officers, and at any given scenario at any given time, there are at least 130 officers in play simultaneously, each with a unique set of stats and a unique ability, and they are all thrown at you at once, essentially from the moment you start playing. Imagine hosting a party, and you've invited 50 complete strangers (or, perhaps, 45 complete strangers and 5 people you know of either as an acquaintance or as a friend) to come. You're shown around the room very quickly to get to meet each person (as you do in a party) and after you met the last person you're told you have to organize and throw the entire party completely from scratch, command everybody by name, and build the entire social gathering to everybody's enjoyment. Yeah, that's not easy -- in a party that you DON'T have to throw, it's hard to keep track of everybody's names and faces, let alone their interests, desires, and strengths. Some might argue that this might be a learning curve exclusive to the Western world (or simply anybody not Chinese), but really this is one that could apply to anybody without intimate knowledge of the Three Kingdoms mythos. Again, try keeping track of 50 party guests as they mingle and do their thing -- now try keeping track of 3 to 30 officers in your force, and the 100+ active in the rest of the game, whose differences in names can very literally come down to one letter (i.e. Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liao). And the officers aren't rare or semi-active like hero units in other strategy games -- these officers are used for every single task you do in the game, so you've GOT to know them. Though, again, all this one takes is a little patience and the ability to be able to learn and study the game a little. Playing a game like Dynasty Warriors to individualize the units and officers will help give you a foothold in conquering that learning curve for this game -- plus the game does help by automatically recommending the best officers for certain tasks (though, of course, you always get the final say).

I understand that this game is not an ideal choice for the list, but I would still argue that its foundations make for a very solid game that's fundamentally better than some of the choices on this list, and compare decently well to the good games similar in style to this one. Again, though, I can see why people would disagree, and I'd find such arguments valid.

Suikoden II (PlayStation; 1999)

I like to think of Suikoden as Konami's answer to the Final Fantasy franchise, even if that's not really accurate. The Suikoden franchise was supposed to be based very loosely on a Chinese novel of some sort, but as a sort of sleeper hit Suikoden became a big RPG for the PS1. Suikoden II, in particular, has a place in video game mythos that some people might not be aware of. First of all, let's talk about the game itself: the game boasts a then-unheard of 108 characters for you to recruit, and MOST of them were playable. It improved upon the gameplay and the storyline of the last game, both of which were epic, and the graphics and world were both gorgeous. It also bears mentioning that Suikoden II uses a double-tech system that wasn't much seen since the original Suikoden and Chrono Trigger, which proves that the producers were smart enough not to let that mechanic go overlooked.

So why didn't this game make the list? Well, possibly because it seemed too much like a JRPG when the stereotype was just coming into effect. With 108 characters, things had the potential to become tedious and complicated -- yet character recruitment and having beaten the previous game (with all the characters) yields slightly different endings, so this should actually be more of a plus. Plus a giant roster didn't hurt Chrono Cross, did it? The only other reason is that Suikoden II didn't make the splash that games like Final Fantasy or Breath of Fire made, and the same could be true of the entire franchise. And this is acceptable, yet there is a matter of the mythos I mentioned earlier regarding this specific game. Today, Suikoden II is one of the most sought-after PS1 games by collectors and used game sellers -- I've seen it listed as high as the 2nd most sought after game, with people paying as much as $50 dollars to get their hands on it. Suikoden II hasn't quite yet become as valuable as games like Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 have become, but it's illusive status puts it in that rare class -- and surely it's on its way to reaching the values of its predecessors.

I think the final point I would like to make for this game to have appeared on the list is to compare it to Final Fantasy. It's generally accepted that the best Final Fantasy game is either FF6 or FF7 (according to this list, it would be 6), and easily the best Suikoden is Suikoden II. Does Suikoden's best beat Final Fantasy's best? No. Has the Suikoden franchise left the same legacy that Final Fantasy has? Not by a longshot. To be completely fair, these are decent reasons critics can make to keep Suikoden II off the list. But Suikoden II is comparable to Final Fantasy's best, and even the franchise as a whole stands up against the Final Fantasy franchise. Today, Suikoden has become just another JRPG (particularly 5, which just SCREAMS JRPG in all the worst ways), making the franchise a far cry from what it was during the PS1 era, but the Suikoden franchise has been a lot more consistent than Final Fantasy in terms fo quality. Even as JRPGs, the Suikoden games have impressive storylines and great gameplay to keep RPG fans hooked from the opening to the end. At the worst, the Suikoden games have been tedious, annoying, or obnoxious -- but the games have never been bad. Of the main titles, there have only been five Suikoden games, and they have ranged from excellent to good but annoying; within their first five titles, alternately, Final Fantasy had already made two stinkers (FF3 and FF5).

Dragon Age: Origins (PS3, 360; 2009)

I won't talk too much about DA: O because, being such a modern day classic, most people today are familiar with it. The game uses the KOTOR combat engine with a very similar set of stats and overall familiar mechanics, but the game was large, epic, and loads of fun. The story was great and retained the impeccable open-ended options that allowed you to choose how to handle your quests, or even ignore them outright for quick and selfish gains. The relationship building system was great, the idea that your very character changed the landscape of the story was great...on paper, Dragon Age: Origins is easily one of the best games of all time.

So, why didn't it make the list? I can offer two possible reasons: one why I might have disqualified it and the other being why, after careful considering, I think this game didn't make the cut. First of all, for as good as Dragon Age: Origins is, this game is RIDDLED with bugs. Every character, every setting, every item, and every quest seems to have at least one debilitating bug to be aware of at all times that will either freeze the game, cause a quest not to complete, change the look of an item, or screw you out of stats and just not behave properly. Complains are rampant on the forums -- rare armor sets aren't giving the bonus they're supposed to or the errors are erratic, dexterity is not improving damage the way it's supposed to, and the list goes on. I don't recall if I've checked on the latest March patch for the game, but just like with Bethesda, Bioware seems to refuse to acknowledge the complains of gamers and seems to refuse to put any patches out to fix what are essentially fundamental gameplay issues. In fact, Bioware refused to fix some of the very same issues -- issues that they should have been fully aware of if their programmers and/or staff paid any attention to their customer care line or the forums -- in DA: O Awakening as well. I've complained quite a bit about these sort of quality control issues with TES IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3, and if I had made this list I would have at least discounted the value of this game significantly because of it. So that's one reason why it may not have appeared on the list.

The other reason I can offer why this game didn't make the list has nothing to do with the game itself but the timing in which it came out. GI's 200th episode was distributed in December of 2009, but it was actually published sometime between mid to late November. By my reckoning, then, the list was compiled and written just around the beginning of November. DA: O first came out on November 3rd -- which makes me believe it was released just barely too late to be considered for the list. So why did Borderlands make it? Borderlands made the stores in late October, and GI had the chance to play it for their review just in time to sneak it into the list. If DA: O had been released just a week earlier, I believe it would have appeared on this list.

If that's not the case, then a distant third reason would be how strongly it resembles KOTOR, so going with the fact that they mostly rejected sequels for the most part, this game was rejected over KOTOR as a sequel. But that's kind of dumb.

Street Fighter IV (PS3, 360; 2009)

This one seems like a controversial choice simply because Street Fighter II was already placed on the list, and I made my argument there that this game should have appeared (but it fell under the seemingly typical scheme of choosing the most memorable game from a franchise only, with few exceptions), but I feel the need to reiterate it for one good reason. First of all, we all know how memorable Street Fighter II is -- it was the first fighting game to be THE fighting game of our generation until Mortal Kombat came to hog it's limelight. But even then, Street Fighter outlasted MK (until the new generation of games), proving just how great and how timeless SF II is. As I said in my coverage proper, the only time Street Fighter II began to age to me at all was when Street Fighter IV dropped -- and this was because of the love and ambition Capcom put into this game to revive it from its ten year hiatus. More than just graphically or cinematically, Capcom made a masterpiece with Street Fighter IV because their developers went painstakingly out of their way to create the most technically solid, best-balanced Street Fighter game they could possibly produce, and the result was a knock-out. The limited characters allowed the developers to more easily create a set of balanced fighters while making each hit feel solid and satisfying. Its faster space and the improved technology from almost a 20-year difference made the game much tighter and incredibly more strategic. Few fighting games in general can stand up to Street Fighter IV, but certainly its predecessors don't even begin to compare any longer. This is all well and good, but why raise the argument again after it's been determined (more or less) that only one Street Fighter can make the cut? I raise it because this might very well be the best Street Fighter game to ever be made. Even with all its nostalgia and timelessness, Street Fighter IV is a game that I believe will last even longer than II and age so much better still; it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Street Fighter II COULD be made better without condition -- without ignoring one factor or another, or without some element still being the more desirable in the prequel. But more than that is the fact that Capcom would have to work severely hard to make Street Fighter V better than the previous title, and even if they did so, I'm not sure it would be better by much. Street Fighter IV is by no means perfect, and it could be improved upon. It could be made better -- but after seeing what Capcom gave us for Super Street Fighter IV, I don't think they're capable of doing it. Street Fighter IV has already proven that it will, most likely and despite the general rule for all game serials, be the greatest Street Fighter of all time, so for this reason I feel the need to vote again (and strongly) that this title be chosen over II.

Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3; 2007)

While we're on the subject of fighting games, let's talk about the game that will never, ever be outdone on the technical level. The Virtua Fighter franchise has come a very long way -- if it wasn't the first 3D fighting game, it was the first memorable one to be put into an arcade cabinet. As time has gone on, the Virtua Fighter franchise has lost a lot of respect both because of the cruelty of time and the way its publisher has become just as besmerched. Despite its excellent critical reception and favorable mention in other magazines and on various ranking ladders, to the general public this game has flown under the radar -- and I can see why, considering the name it bears. But the truth is that Virtua Fighter 5 is a masterpiece that makes for the perfect competitive fighting game, and I would even go so far as to say that it is THE perfect fighting game. Virtua Fighter 4 brought with it a special AI system that allowed the game to analyze the way you play and create enemies custom-made to challenge you. It learned the way you started your fights, your favorite moves, your typical strategies and quirks, the way you buckle under pressure, and it could also create a decent AI of your favorite character to play very much the way you played. 5 kept this, but more importantly is the fact that Sega-AM2 (a Sega in-house developer) designed a roster of characters that were utterly, perfectly balanced in every way. An Arbitrary Tier List has been made to try to rank the characters based on damage vs liklihood of attacks landing, but even the creator of the more-or-less official list has pointed out that none of the characters are weak at all and that the difference between his tiers were very small. In fact, his tier list has often been defied by actual data such as tournament showings and Win-Loss records. The literal title is "Virtua Fighter 5 Arbitrary Tier List" -- in other words, it's barely a definitive list and doesn't hold a lot of weight. This all continues to prove the fact: the characters in VF 5 are balanced as perfectly as any fighting game characters can possibly be. This makes Virtua Fighter 5 the definitive challenge/tournament fighting game: unlike games like Street Fighter and Soul Calibur, where most players find the best characters and learn to use them, the only way to play this game is to find the character that best suits you and practice until perfect. What a dynamic and ingenious idea: find that one character that suits you and your fighting style perfectly and take on the world as that character, instead of finding one that just plays well that you can utilize well enough, and hope that somebody hasn't been practicing with the best character in the game.

The only reason why I can't see this game being overlooked on the top 200 games list is because of GI's heavy reliance on legacy for their rankings. It doesn't seem to have been a particularly great commercial success to me, so I can understand why this game would be overlooked.

Neverwinter Nights (PC; 2002)

I've never actually played Neverwinter Nights, but I add it at the behest of a number of people who swear it as one of the greatest RPGs of the West. At best, I've seen some screenshots of this game and media of different sorts. The game was made by BioWare using the engine that would later be used for its smash hits Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins (see the official list and above), and both critics and gamers alike have praised it heavily. The game definitely seems to have come from a good place, and its legacy is now well-documented -- so it kind of surprises me that the game didn't make the Top 200 list. At the same time, though, I am left to wonder if it didn't make the cut for the same reasons why, at a glance, it turns me off. To me, it looks like that same high-fantasy D&D free-roam adventure RPG that's entirely too intricate, a little redundant, and ultimately not a product to want to achieve the X factor of "I like it" despite all its technical glory. But that's a very broad statement, and even I admit that Neverwinter Nights doesn't look like just another game to throw into any pile for its time -- and certainly its uniqueness is argued in what its spawned. I think the other reason why this game was overlooked is a very reasonable gripe: the game doesn't look very accessable. It's been hailed as being "the closest that any video game has come to accurately representing the full Dungeons & Dragons rules", and that's great for D&D players. But there are a lot of schlubs, like me, who can't get into D&D because we have a hard time comprehending the myriad of complex rules, guidelines, and parameters that make up the game. I've looked at pictures and watched videos, and I've tried to read the blog and follow the game's interface, and quite frankly I just can't follow the game and I simply don't get it. KOTOR and Dragon Age used the same engine as Neverwinter Nights (the Aurora engine), but at the least it was used to help with the world and at the most it was modified. I have to believe these modifications were to allow more people to follow the games and be able to play them to enjoy them and get into them. Maybe that's why GI ignored it -- but I'll list it here for the sake of its ratings and those that feel that it belongs.

The King of Fighters '98 (Dreamcast; 1999)

I'm going to try to keep this one brief. I've played just about all of the King of Fighters games, and while I think I like XI the best, '98 is both a very close second and the most popular King of Fighters title. The game is a product of its time: a bazillion characters, crazy team fights, and horrible balancing, but this game is at least more satifying than the Street Fighter Alpha titles. Boss characters are insanely cheap, but other than that most of the characters are at least playable, if nothing else. If there hadn't been so many crap titles added just for their popularity, I might not have mentioned this game, but it's a lot better than some of the games I've seen on the bottom of the list. Other than Metal Slug (or The King of Fighters XI, in my opinion) The King of Fighters '98 was probably the best game SNK ever made (probably second to the aforementioned Metal Slug, but that sort of call is bases solely on opinion). I feel like it deserves a spot somewhere on the list -- though probably closer to the bottom.

Sid Meier's Pirates! (PC; 2004)

Once again, I find a game that I cannot possibly find a reason for not being on this list. I reference, of course, the modern remake of Sid Meier's first named gem made for the PC (and later the Xbox) back in 2004. I am fully aware that it was a remake of a game made for the Apple computer around 1980, and I can perhaps understand why THAT title didn't make the cut, but I refuse to believe that the new version isn't good enough to be listed amongst GI's ranks, and high up at that. You control a pirate on the Spanish Main, seeking to find your kidnapped family and bring the man that stole them from you to justice, all while earning land, ranks, and glory from any of the four nations with colonies in the Main and building your legacy as the greatest pirate to ever sail. Exploration and conquest is fun, there are a number of gameplay modes and many customization options, and even though you have goals you can chase for unlockables and a better ending, the game is open-ended, so you can do what your heart desires. Sid Meier offers one of his trademark games, but it's the perfect alternative for somebody who doesn't enjoy the big, expansive strategy conquest game (though who wouldn't enjoy his turn-based masterpieces?) -- and even to appease those that miss it, the game does incorporate a conquest mini-game that plays just like a Civ game. Accessible but with the right challenge, there is no way that this game couldn't be considered one of the best games of all time.

Let's say GameInformer gave me the power of a single veto. Let's say the editors told me that I had the option of removing just one game from their list and adding a new game to make an even 200 again (disregarding rankings -- they'll reshuffle to make my veto work). If I had that power of veto, even for just a single use, I would remove Samurai Showdown from the list and replace it with this game. The fact that it wasn't included is offensive to me, and unlike most of the games above, I cannot offer a counter-point to justify it not being on the list. Maybe because it didn't have a legacy? But who cares -- it's a Sid Meier game! That, in itself, is its legacy. The other part of that legacy is that Pirates! is one of the funnest games you'll ever play, and I don't think the 2004 version will ever get old or erode much with age. It fits the bill of a top game of all time.

I will, for the sake of partiality, heed a call for caution and consideration. If I really, really had to think about it and really had to argue my choices for a power of veto with a critical opponent seeking the most critical response, then MAYBE my choice of veto might not be completely solid. When it comes to the game I'd remove, there is no question that Samurai Showdown would be cut; the game is a sluggish example of a horrible fighting game with unsatisfactory controls and absolutely no impact or meaningful legacy on the gaming industry, and just looks and feels utterly out of place with the rest of the list. But the only other game that gives me pause for replacing SS with Pirates! is Secret of Mana. Both games, I feel, would be equally satisfying to have put on this list, but as for the question of which would satisfy more, I don't think I have that answer. In either event, I shouldn't have to postulate a power of veto to see Sid Meier's Pirates! counted among the Top 200 Video Games of All Time with some significant prestige. GI really dropped the ball on this one.

 

 

 

I think it's safe to say that in closing, while this list is by no means perfect, GI still did a pretty good job in composing and ranking a list of 200 games to serve as the top 200 video games of all time. The list could have been stronger, of course, but it's still fairly strong on its own, and the writers, editors, and staff deserve a lot of credit for the job they did in making this list. If GI does a list of the top 300 games of all time for their 300th issue, perhaps we will see these and more that you or I might feel GI overlooked. And when that day comes, perhaps I'll cover their 300 top games with my own list and commentary. And maybe it won't take half a year this time -- but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Until then, I have plenty of content for you, my readers, to enjoy, and I take great pleasure in bringing it to you.

Back in January, I gave you the power to vote for my next article after I finally brought this beast to a close, and in those three months you have spoken. Well, I have listened: 70% of those of who you voted wanted me to talk about my take on the state of video games and the quality control that's making a lot of good games bad. You want it, so my next article will be Glitches Galore: Online Services and the lack of quality in new games.

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