Time's Top 100 Games

[Bolty]

TIME Magazine has released their listing of the All-Time 100 Best Video Games. Interestingly, they put them in chronological categories. I think one of the difficulties of any such list is that if look at a game like Pong in today's eyes, it's a giant pile of turd. Games always have to be evaluated by the era they came out in. But if you ever wanted to create a list of "top" games that you felt everyone should play, you'd have to ignore 90% of older games - that's just reality. Some games like Tetris can stand the test of time, but most just can't.

Anyway, here's a synopsis of the list if you don't want to read through it all over on their website:

1970s
The Oregon Trail
Hunt the Wumpus
Pong
Breakout
Space Invaders
Adventure
Asteroids

1980s
Battlezone
Defender
Pac-Man
Zork
Castle Wolfenstein
Centipede
Donkey Kong
Frogger
Galaga
Tempest
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
Joust
Pitfall!
King’s Quest
Lode Runner
M.U.L.E.
Paperboy
Tetris
Super Mario Bros.
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
Castlevania
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
OutRun
Contra
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
Mega Man
NetHack
Punch-Out!!
Tecmo Bowl
Prince of Persia

1990s
Solitaire
Wing Commander
Civilization
Sonic the Hedgehog
Street Fighter II
Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
Mortal Kombat
Doom
Myst
NBA Jam
Madden NFL 95
Marathon
SimCity 2000
Chrono Trigger
Quake
Resident Evil
Super Mario 64
Tomb Raider
Final Fantasy VII
Goldeneye 007
Myth: The Fallen Lords
Ultima Online
Final Fantasy Tactics
Grim Fandango
Metal Gear Solid
StarCraft
Thief: The Dark Project
EverQuest
Silent Hill

2000s
Diablo II
Deus Ex
The Sims
Animal Crossing
Grand Theft Auto III
Halo: Combat Evolved
Ico
Rez
Counter-Strike
Splinter Cell
Metroid Prime
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Cave Story
Half-Life 2
Katamari Damacy
World of Warcraft
Guitar Hero
Shadow of the Colossus
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Gears of War
Ōkami
Wii Sports
BioShock
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Desktop Tower Defense
Portal
Rock Band
Braid
Angry Birds
Demon’s Souls
Flower

2010s
Batman: Arkham City
Mass Effect 3

I know I'm old when I looked at the 1970's and 1980's lists and realized I've played all but five of those games personally. Check out the TIME link at the top for descriptions and screenshots of their choices.