What game is the greatest of all time?

It seems like every year, at least one of the dedicated video gaming magazines, blogs, and websites comes out with a list of “the top 100 video games of all time.” These lists are generally pretty short-sighted and include games that, ten years from now, most people won’t even remember. Generally, as you get to the top of the list, you find a few sacred cows — Final Fantasy VII, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid — that are good games, and maybe even great games, but certainly with some element about them that prevents them from being considered the greatest of all time.

Maybe part of the problem is that the criteria used to evaluate the concept of “the greatest games” are subjective rather than objective; in the writer’s head instead of on paper; made up as the list is compiled, not established ahead of time. So of course a lot of games that are nostalgic will wind up on the list, not because they are truly the greatest, but because they stuck out in the writer’s mind.

We also should avoid the GameRankings style of quantitative rankings based on qualitative reviews. I’m not going to get into the details, but there are many flaws with such a system, and when you look at the top games (available here), you find that there are lots of really excellent titles that have been snubbed because they didn’t receive the level of acclaim that they deserved since they weren’t AAA releases. Plus, the GameRankings system has some very arbitrary logic to it, and it’s really not a very good system for judging the worth of a game any more than Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic are good for weighing the worth of a film.

I’m going to offer a different take on this. I’m going to start with a set of guidelines, and then narrow my focus down to one title that stands above all others. When you see my conclusion, it probably won’t surprise you — nor should it. But understand that the purpose of this article is not to state what the greatest video game of all time is, but why it deserves such a title.

Are you ready? Here we go.

Let’s start by defining what we’re trying to to describe. We’re searching for a game that:

1. Was memorable: This game should be something that people can still recall playing years after they’ve actually played it. But let’s qualify this further by saying that it’s memorable in a positive way. Rygar (NES) is memorable to me for being ridiculously difficult and having a crummy ending, but that’s not what we’re looking for here.

2. Was ahead of its time: The game should be something that pushed the technological envelope when it was released and that stood out, in part, because it was an evolution in game design.

3. Was widely imitated: One of the surest signs of success is that a creative effort is copied by other people.

4. Appealed to both casual and hardcore gamers: This is an essential point since the “greatest” game would have to be something that anyone could pick up, play and enjoy. It would logically follow that the game should be simple to play, but difficult to master.

5. Was a bestseller for its time: Clearly, this is an important point since it indicates that the game was recognized for its genius when it first arrived, and not by some blogger digging up obscure gems ten years after the fact.

6. Stands the test of time today: The greatest game of all time is one that should be able to be played and enjoyed as much today as it was when it debuted. If it were to be re-released, it should be expected to sell many copies in today’s marketplace.

7. Inspired game developers: This is an important point, since the “greatest game of all time” would, in theory, be a title whose design has influenced and inspired game design that came after it. This is distinct from the point about imitation, since inspiration can take many forms, while imitation is an attempt to cash in on something that’s already popular.

8. Inspired existing gamers: A great game is one that makes gamers excited to be gamers again. The “greatest game of all time” would be one that would have generated excitement amongst gamers when it first caught on.

9. Created new gamers: The “greatest game of all time” should be associated not just with entertaining people who were already gamers, but with inspiring non-gamers to become gamers.

10. Became a part of mainstream popular culture: The “greatest game of all time” should have had an impact on popular culture at large, becoming a household name and gaining attention from the mainstream news media.

Now, I can think of several games that fulfill most of these criteria, if not all. Let’s examine them.

Doom: id Software’s bestselling first-person shooter spawned an entire genre of games, and though it was merely an upgraded version of Wolfenstein 3D, it was the FPS game that most people were familiar with. It was a technological marvel at the time, offering PC gamers a unique experience that couldn’t be easily had on a home console. It inspired tons of imitators, and it certainly brought many new gamers into the fold while keeping existing gamers entertained. It wasn’t so maddenly difficult that it was inaccessible to a casual gamer, and it certainly became well known in pop culture. But Doom can’t stand the test of time today; it’s such a mindless and simple game that it isn’t a lot of fun when it’s compared to other available FPS titles, and its graphics and controls have to be modified to make the game seem worthy of being played. It’s among the greatest, but not the undisputed champ.

Final Fantasy VII: As I mentioned in an earlier post, this game is good, but flawed. While I would argue that it did bring some casual gamers into the fold when it was released, that it had some neat technological feats and that it did inspire some gamers and game developers, FF VII had a lot of problems with its 3D camera, geometry, and inconsistent graphical style. I wouldn’t even argue that it’s the best Final Fantasy game, since VI and XII are far more consistent. But they’re both too hardcore of games to be contenders for the greatest ever.

Chrono Trigger: This game is often considered one of the best ever created, and you won’t get many arguments from me on its technical merits. It has a killer story, a great cast of characters, innovative mechanics, and wonderful graphics that still hold up today. But the game failed to endear itself to non-gamers or to the culture at large, and remains squarely a top-notch RPG aimed at hardcore gamers.

Pokemon Red/Green/Blue: It’s difficult to discuss the Pokemon games as single titles, since they’re all essentially the same formula applied with variations. So, we’ll begin with the three that kicked off the trend in Japan and North America. Pokemon R/G/B took the combat from Japanese RPGs like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy and breathed new life into the genre, creating a pop culture revolution that appealed both to hardcore gamers and new gamers alike. But there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of lasting inspiration from these games; aside from a few stale imitators, Pokemon is really a self-contained phenomenon, and it’s certainly lost a lot of its luster in recent years.

Metal Gear Solid: There’s no denying that Metal Gear Solid is a great game, and that it has an incredible sense of design. There’s no denying that it pushed the Playstation to its limits, and that it is as playable today as it was when it came out ten years ago. There’s no denying that it inspired developers and imitators, and that it was a game that excited gamers of the day. But where MGS falls short is in the fact that it is not a game that a casual gamer can pick up, play and enjoy. It’s difficult to control, it has some really tricky boss battles, and it’s fairly lengthy. A great game? Absolutely. The greatest of all time? Not quite.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Were it not for the fact that the technology has continued to improve on the GTA games, making Vice City rapidly obsolete, this game could be a strong contender. It’s actually a better candidate than the revolutionary Grand Theft Auto III, since Vice City was the game that got casual gamers interested in the series and the sandbox genre. But San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV both upped the ante so much that Vice City is almost an afterthought today. GTA IV, in the meantime, has yet to stand the test of time.

Half-Life: Man, Half-Life is a great game… well, the first 2/3 of it, anyhow. But as incredible as it and its expansions and sequels are, it’s really hard to make a case for it being something that would appeal to casual gamers. Generally speaking, any game that requires a mouse and keyboard is going to appeal to the hardcore gamer, and even the excellent Portal is a little tricky for someone who’s not used to looking around with a mouse and strafing around with a WASD setup.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: This is the best-reviewed of all the Zelda games, and probably the most memorable of the bunch. Personally, I favor the top-down The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past over the 3D adventure, but that’s just personal preference. Both are incredible games. But once again, Zelda is a game that is not intended for casual gamers. It requires a certain level of timing and skill that assumes a basic knowledge of video games. You can’t just pick this one up, start hitting buttons, and have fun; you have to learn how to play it, master the controls, and work your way through some pretty challenging dungeons.

Halo: Halo is a great game, and it’s the reason that the Xbox brand is still around today. Without Halo, the Xbox would have flopped. Without Halo, console first person shooters probably would not have been embraced as easily over their superior PC brethren. Without Halo, Sony’s PS3 would probably be the dominant console right now. So it’s important to rec0gnize that Halo is a title that’s had a lot of influence on gaming, and that it’s a very well-designed title at that. But even Halo has its flaws. It’s not very casual-gamer friendly, and it’s marred by some super-repetitive level design and a lack of weapon variety. The last third of the game also feels a little lazy, throwing enemies at you constantly instead of allowing you to use the tactics you employ in the first two thirds. Halo is very good, but it’s not the greatest game ever made.

World of Warcraft is quite possibly the greatest game in the genre of massively-multiplayer online roleplaying games. The game is vast, with a strong mythology and excellent design. While raiding and questing is a lot of fun, there’s a lot of tedium in between, and what has become known as “farming” in the game (killing stuff purely for much-needed gold) takes up a signficant amount of time. The level caps on the game and each expansion also add a weird sort of disincentive to play; sure, you can level up several characters, but then what? Add that to the fact that casual gamers are often treated very badly by the hardcore gamers on the servers, and you’ve got a game that’s very popular and very good, but certainly not the greatest ever made.

There are two games that I think really have a shot at being the greatest ever, but they both have some slight qualifications that hold them back.

Street Fighter II: When Street Fighter II first hit the arcades, it was a sensation. The Super Nintendo release was arguably one of the best ports of an arcade game ever developed. The game practically invented the fighting game genre, spawned dozens of imitators, and became one of the most compelling arguments for PC gamers to pick up a game console. Its odd cast of characters, secret moves, and technical style are staples of game design today. The game is still fun to play twenty years after its release, and Capcom has found it very difficult to improve on the basic formula without completely alienating the game’s multitudes of fans. So why is this not the greatest game ever made? I’d say that it could be, if it weren’t for the game’s steep learning curve. Street Fighter II is a game that rewards practice, knowledge and technique, and it really requires gamers to be able to anticipate attacks and to retaliate with a combination of moves that takes advantage of the situation. It’s a very technical game, and as such, it really alienates the casual gamer. But while I view this as a negative, many gamers might see this as a positive. As such, if you were to insist that this truly was the greatest game ever made, I’d have a hard time making a compelling argument to the contrary.

Tetris: It’s really, really hard to argue with the idea that Tetris is the greatest video game ever made, because Tetris is so simple in design, and yet so deep in playability. It’s a game that’s tremendously hard to improve upon, and it’s just as fun today as it was when it came out 25 years ago. It is the ultimate casual game, and yet, at the same time, appealing to hardcore gamers as well due to its extreme difficultly in later levels. The only sticking point for me is that the game is so simple that it’s never been able to push the envelope on any platform. I’m very conflicted about this, and once again, if you told me that Tetris was the greatest video game ever made, I’d have a hard time disagreeing with you.

So what is, by the guidelines listed above, the greatest game ever made? I think the answer should be obvious by now:

Super Mario Bros. is a game that revolutionized console gaming. Prior to Super Mario Bros., most games took place on a single screen, and the only goal was to finish the level and achieve a high score. Character animation was generally spotty, and sprites were typically not very detailed. Controls were loose and often frustrating, and once a game’s gimmicks were learned, the only thing left to master were twitch reactions.

Super Mario Bros. changed all that. It featured gorgeous graphics and fluid animations that many subsequent titles for the Famicom and the Nintendo Entertainment System were never able to match. The controls were extremely tight, and the player had a large amount of freedom play through levels with different techniques. The levels were all large and detailed, and the game gave a feeling of being inside an actual world instead of being trapped inside a box. And players weren’t running through levels mindlessly, either — they knew that they had the goal of defeating the King Koopa and saving the princess. Being able to “beat” Super Mario Bros. was a badge of honor in the ’80s, and it’s still a challenging goal for today’s gamers, despite the fact that the game is fairly easy compared to the many Mario games that came after it. Knowing the game’s many secrets — warp zones, hidden vines, invisible 1up mushroom boxes, and the infamous “minus world” glitch — was practically a required form of initiation to be considered a true gamer.

Did this game inspire developers and gamers alike? Oh yeah. And it definitely brought in new gamers as well, since it was the “killer app” for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and probably more responsible for the console’s success than any other feature. What’s more, the game is still as fun to play now as it was then. Casual gamers can pick it up and have a great time with it, since the controls are easy to learn. The challenge comes not in deep knowledge of the game or in reflexive actions (though those help), but rather in being able to judge distances and avoid enemies. It’s entirely possible to beat Super Mario Bros. without knowing a single secret. It’s just not as much fun.

Other games in the series, such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and Super Mario Galaxy, have been as good or better than the original. You’ll get no argument from me there. But they’re good because they stay true to the elements that made the first game so much fun. No other game in the history of video games, both PC and console, has had as much influence as this title. And no other game in the history of video games has been this perfect or this polished. It’s truly a game that anyone can play and enjoy. And for that reason, it is the obvious candidate for the “greatest game of all time.”

Want to take issue with something I’ve said? Leave a comment with your own analysis. Just keep in mind, personal preference is not what I’m looking for here — I left many personal favorites off the list because I know they could never cut it when compared to the best of the best. They may be my favorite games, but they certainly don’t appeal to everyone.

In his FINAL form, Kefka is way more awesome than Sephiroth. But prior to that, he's just a weird clown.

So, I got a little passionate last week and decided to slay the sacred cow that is Final Fantasy VII. To summarize, I concluded that it’s a good game, and maybe even a great game, but hardly the greatest game of all time. (I’ll tell you what that is next week.)

But in talking about FF VII, I realized that one of the reasons it’s so popular is because people don’t realize that there are many other RPGs that are just as good, if not better, than FF VII. Oddly enough, none of them are recent titles, and all of them predate FF VII or were in development when it was in its heydey. And, just to make things fun, I’m going to set my handicap to “only Square Enix titles.” That means I can’t bring up Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Lunar or Lunar 2: Silver Star Story, Grandia, Suikoden II, or The Legend of Dragoon, all of which were great RPGs. I’ll also restrict myself to leaving out other Final Fantasy titles, since VII is generally considered the best of the series. (That assessment is incorrect, by the way; VI and XII are far superior in terms of actual gameplay, and VI’s only downside is the peculiar nature of its villain, a clown named Kefka, who just can’t manage to be as badass as Sephiroth despite the fact that he destroys civilization halfway through the game and rebuilds it with himself as its god.)

If there are any games on the following list that you have not played, do yourself a favor and track them down, if you can. Each of them is an amazing experience.

Arguably one of the greatest RPGs ever made.

Chrono Trigger is the obvious first choice, since it is arguably the best game that Square has ever created. One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for Chrono Trigger’s greatness can be seen in the recent re-release on the Nintendo DS, which, unlike the recent re-releases of Final Fantasy I, II, III and IV, barely adds anything to the orginal game, other than a couple of new dungeons and the animated cutscenes that were included in the PSX edition. The developers simply didn’t have to monkey with this game, because it was nearly perfect when it first debuted. And unlike a lot of old games from the 16-bit era, it really holds up.

If you’re not aware of the game, here’s the basic idea: a boy named Crono goes to a fair celebrating the thousandth anniversary of his local kingdom, and he runs into a tomboyish girl named Marle who’s wearing a strange pendant. When Crono’s inventive friend, Lucca, shows off her brand new teleportation device, Marle’s pendant reacts with the machine and sends her back in time 400 years. Crono and Lucca rush off into the past, but their adventures lead them to discover the frightening truth about their world: in the year 1999, a creature called Lavos will rise up and destroy everything, leaving a handful of pitiful survivors in its wake. As Crono and his friends travel in time, they discover that Lavos’s rise to power has been engineered by an ancient race far more technologically advanced than any other people in history. And as they fight their way through the past, present and future of their world, they discover that the only way to stop Lavos is to travel to 1999 on “The Day of Lavos” and destroy him before he destroys their world.

Chrono Trigger was very unique at the time of its release because it eschewed random battles in favor of location-based combat. It was much simpler than the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games because it didn’t force gamers to spend a lot of time upgrading equipment and stats, allowing the game to focus on the fun of battling enemies. In addition to a location-based combat system, it featured unique combination techniques that blended the powers of two or three characters together to form a more powerful attack.

But perhaps the best remembered aspect of Chrono Trigger is its tightly-plotted story, where even the most seemingly insignificant encounters can have an effect on the storyline due to the effects of time travel. One of the most stunning moments in the game occurs when Crono is killed by Lavos as he attempts to save his friends. It’s possible to complete the game without him, but it’s much more fun to put your time machine to good use and to rescue him at the last possible second. Depending upon your choice, you’ll get a different ending; these represent just two of the thirteen possible endings for the game.

I can’t say enough good about this game; it’s one of the best titles ever created. And if you’d like to meet the designers, there’s even a way to do that — simply complete the game, then start a “New Game +” and go beat Lavos immediately. You’ll be whisked away to the end of time, and given the opportunity to talk to the people who made the game. Normally, an easter egg like that would irritate me, but in a game like Crono Trigger, it’s quite an honor.

Good luck finding this game for less than $100...

Valkyrie Profile is one of those games that many people have heard of, but that few people have actually played. That’s too bad, because it’s one of the best games Enix ever published prior to their merger with Square. The game takes place in the realm of Norse mythology, and the main character, a valkyrie named Lenneth, is sent by Freya to gather up heroes in preparation for Ragnarok, the final battle. Though the game is an RPG through and through, it doesn’t play like a traditional one; dungeons are actually explored through a side-scrolling set of levels that almost feel like they’re taken from a platform game, and the missions themselves are fairly nonlinear.

With that said, Valkyrie Profile has an amazing and brutal story, with characters you grow to care about and a combat system that’s really fun to play around with. The graphics are gorgeous, and the game is incredibly polished. The one drawback of the game is its maddening difficulty; I’m hard-pressed to name a harder RPG, aside from maybe Final Fantasy II. Another drawback used to be the near-unattainability of the title (it goes for upwards of $100 on Ebay), but a PSP port has helped to make this game accessible to the masses once again.

Man, I miss the SNES...

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is one of those games that really shouldn’t have been good, because the idea of it is so ridiculous. Platformers and RPGs don’t seem like they should mix, since RPGs are about strategy, planning, and leveling while platformers are about reflex and repetition. What’s more, the colorful world of Mario and Luigi doesn’t seem like a natural choice for a genre that’s generally about killing things with swords and magic.

But what can I say? Square not only pulled it off, but they made one of the best games in the entire SNES libary in the process. What I really liked about Super Mario RPG was that you had an ability to dodge attacks by jumping over them or to hit your enemies harder by hitting the appropriate buttons at the right time. If this sounds a lot like the Paper Mario games on the N64, Gamecube and Wii or the Mario and Luigi games on the Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS, it’s because they borrowed the mechanic from this game.

At the time of its release, one of the most talked-about features of the game was the fact that Bowser and Mario were fighting side-by-side against a brand new set of foes. It was odd, at first, to see Mario and his arch-enemy working together. But Square created a story that made it all work, and the game was just awesome. Plus, it remains one of the best-looking SNES titles ever made, and it still looks good even by today’s standards due to its pre-rendered graphics.

*Sigh* Thanks for nothing, Square.

Seiken Densetsu 3 never actually got released in the US, though it’s often referred to as “The Secret of Mana 2” by fans. It’s too bad, too, because this game is absolutely incredible. While The Secret of Mana is a nice hybrid between  traditional Japanese RPGs and action/adventure games like The Legend of Zelda, SD3 offers a whole lot more, like big, beautiful graphics, challenging enemies and bosses, and a roster of six fully-realized characters who can change classes (shifting to either the light side or dark side) at two different points in the game. Every character has an ending, too, which means you have to replay the game several times to see everything. Though the game’s story is nothing special, the gameplay itself is unforgettable.

How does one play this game, if it was never released in the US? Fortunately, some kind folks made a fan translation of the game that you can play on a SNES emulator. You can even use the emulator to play with two other friends online. It’s well worth the trouble, since the game is probably one of the best-looking and best-playing titles every developed for the SNES.

Man, this game is good. If you haven't played it, track it down. It's worth whatever you pay.

Xenogears is a great way to finish off this list, because it’s one of those games that many people have heard of, but never played. If you think Final Fantasy VII has a cool story, let me tell you — it pales in comparison to the plot that unravels in Xenogears. Sephiroth might seem like a cool villain, but he’s nothing compared to the bad guys in this game. The plot of Xenogears is so deeply rooted in religion and philosophy that the game almost didn’t make it to the US, and with good reason — the story gets so heretical that one of the characters, upon realizing that there is no god, decides to create one.

Xenogears starts off with a bang as a group of mecha (called “gears”) are in hot pursuit of an experimental gear called Weltall. It crashes into a village, where a young man named Fei Fong Wong climbs inside it and attempts to use the gear to protect the villagers. In the process, a dark side of him is released, and he winds up destroying the gears and the village in a blast of energy.

The few survivors of the village brand Fei an outcast, and he is forced into exile. But as he wanders, he finds himself getting drawn into a brutal war between the nations of Aveh and Kislev, and also discovers that he is being pursued by several different individuals and factions, each with a different reason for wanting to capture or kill him. To make matters worse, Fei c0ntinues to remember himself at the center of some terrible things… almost as if they took place in another life.

I’m going to stop summarizing there, because the less you know about Xenogears, the more impact the story will have on you. The game is often criticized for having too much story, but believe me, it’s well worth the trouble. And unlike the spiritual prequel series Xenosaga, Xenogears actually has some great combat and exploration to keep you busy amidst the anime cutscenes, in-game dialogue and exposition. Best of all, unlike Final Fantasy VII, Xenogears isn’t padded out with a bunch of goofy junk like Chocobo racing and cross-dressing. There is one point of the game where you’re a prisoner and battling in a gear arena circuit, but it’s directly related to the plot, and it’s actually fun.

Though Xenogears does have a couple of flaws (a janky camera and a few tedious puzzles that involve jumping on small ledges), they’re easily offset by all the good things about the game. I’d say it’s one of Square’s finest efforts, and it’s a shame they opted not to release more games in the series.

Chrono Cross: Speaking of fine efforts, this nearly perfect RPG would have gained wider acceptance had it not been tied to Chrono Trigger. As it turned out, gamers thought they were getting a direct sequel to a classic RPG when, in fact, they were getting a game about a sidestory set in the same world. Were it not for that connection, it probably would have been received better, because the game is absolutely awesome, with a fun combat system and a bunch of characters — though they’re not as well-realized as the cast of Chrono Trigger.

Are those antennae?

Vagrant Story is sometimes called “Medieval Gear Solid.” It’s part RPG, part sneaker, with a combat system that seems like an action game at first, but which plays out like a traditional RPG system while allowing you to target body parts. The game just oozes style, and the characters speak in comic-book-like bubbles as they converse about the game’s rather complicated plot. This game takes place in Ivalice, the setting of the next two games on this list…

Final Fantasy XII is a radical evolution on the conventions of Final Fantasy, removing turn-based combat and random battles and replacing it with a smoother, more elegant system that feels like an MMORPG. This is probably one of the best-looking RPGs ever created, with a fantastic and varied take on the world of Ivalice. When, at one point in the game, I was forced to walk all the way from the southern reaches to the Northern city of Archades, I realized how incredibly vast this game is. The characters are interesting too, though it’s hard to establish an emotional connection with them.

Final Fantasy Tactics melded Final Fantasy with the gameplay of Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre, resulting in a truly remarkable title. This was yet another game to take place in Ivalice, and it brought back the job system that was featured in Final Fantasy III and V. And though the game is almost entirely focused on turn-based battles, there’s so much depth that it’s fun to play over and over.

Oddly enough, the Japanese title is, "It's a Wonderful World." Weird, huh?

The World Ends With You is a recent release from Square-Enix on the Nintendo DS, and I have to say… it’s pretty cool. It takes place in the already-weird Shibuya district of Tokyo, and introduces a parallel world where the dead reside. By participating in the “Reaper’s Game,” the dead can come back to life… or to become Reapers themselves. Though the game looks a lot like Kingdom Hearts at first, it’s a lot more satisfying. I’d say this is one of the best games Square-Enix has produced in awhile.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII takes the convuluted prehistory of Final Fantasy VII and improves on it in every way possible. This game is really fun, allowing the player to take control of Zack and rise through the ranks of SOLDIER while facing off against two of Sephiroth’s cohorts, Genesis and Angeal, both of whom have been cloned in a mysterious experiment. Though the game has a rather tragic ending, the ride along the way is thrilling, and the combat system is fairly innovative despite being a bit unusual at first. If they remake FF VII like this one day, it might solve many of FF VII’s most glaring problems.

So, there you have it: a bunch of games as good as — or better than! — Final Fantasy VII. Next week, I’ll tell you what the best game ever made is, and I’m sure you’ll agree once you hear me out.