PC Gamer top 100 games list

[frozentundra123456]

Yes, I still subscribe, but this is probably my last year. The latest issue has another top 100 of all time list. I have to vent, the list is ludicrous.

Top 5:

#1 = Portal. What??? Fun game and innovative, but number one game of all time? You have to be kidding me. Maybe I am wrong, but I would expect the greatest game of all time to be something really epic, not an episodic puzzle game.

#2: Skyrim, OK with this one.

#3: Team Fortress 2. Maybe, but personally, again, I expect something with a more epic storyline for this high in the list.

#4: Fallout 3. OK, Lots of people liked it, but personally I could never get into it.
Just me I guess.

#5: Dragon Age Origins. Good game, but nothing really new or innovating. Where are the Baldur's gate games. They were much more groundbreaking than DAO.

So, very strange list in my opinion. Other really outlandish omisions to me would be KOTOR 1 when they included KOTOR 2, TOR, and both Mass Effect games. Again you have to be kidding me. KOTOR 2 almost universally got worse reviews than the first game, and TOR has not proven itself yet at all. I liked both mass effect games, but Kotor was the first of all of them to come out and sort of set the bar for all the other games.

Also, no Call of Duty games. I know the franchise has gotten stale and cliched, but the original games made for PC were excellent.

Also strangely missing Starcraft 1.

 

[kinev]

You sure that it's top 100 of all time? Top 5 have all come out in the last....what....3-4 years?

I expect that from a reader survey (people who have only played the flavor of the month), but that's pretty silly coming from a magazine.

 

[NTAC]

X-com should be top 5, if it is not, the list is defective.

 

[shortylickens]

I dont normally like PC gamer (I think they sold out to the game publishers) but I can totally see why they got that list.

Innovation should be rewarded. Revolutionary should always trump evolutionary. Portal is number 1.

 

[dighn]

It's obviously just a popularity contest, and popularity changes with time and shifting demographics.

I thought Portal was a nice little game. Beat it in a few hours and then forgot about it. I don't really understand this constant praise.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I dont normally like PC gamer (I think they sold out to the game publishers) but I can totally see why they got that list.

Innovation should be rewarded. Revolutionary should always trump evolutionary. Portal is number 1.

well you are entitled to your opinion. But I would still consider an epic game like Baldurs Gate that spawned a whole genre of games, has an epic story, and provides 100+ hours of game play to be a better choice for the #1 game of all time.

 

[frozentundra123456]

You sure that it's top 100 of all time? Top 5 have all come out in the last....what....3-4 years?

I expect that from a reader survey (people who have only played the flavor of the month), but that's pretty silly coming from a magazine.

Yes, it was top of all time. There were several games from the 1990s and early 2000s. They did seem biased toward recent games though.

 

[frozentundra123456]

It's obviously just a popularity contest, and popularity changes with time and shifting demographics.

I thought Portal was a nice little game. Beat it in a few hours and then forgot about it. I don't really understand this constant praise.

I agree.

 

[CPA]

No Civilization in Top 5? Instant list fail.

 

[gorcorps]

You sure that it's top 100 of all time? Top 5 have all come out in the last....what....3-4 years?

I expect that from a reader survey (people who have only played the flavor of the month), but that's pretty silly coming from a magazine.

Was just going to say this. Top 100 PC games and the top 5 were released this gen and are also console games? Not that I expected anything good from PC gamer.

 

[Fenixgoon]

DA:O at #5? roflcopters, OP. it was a horrible game. if you want to play a good party RPG play Planescape: Torment or Baldur's Gate. hell, NWN2 was far more enjoyable than DA:O in my opinion.

 

[Via]

TDU 2 is #100. I didn't have to keep reading.

The list exists for 2 reasons:

1) To generate controversy, buzz, and traffic.

2) To advertise some recent games and hopefully generate a few extra sales.

They make no attempt to compile a valid list.

 

[Texashiker]

Top 5:

#1 = Portal. What??? Fun game and innovative, but number one game of all time? You have to be kidding me. Maybe I am wrong, but I would expect the greatest game of all time to be something really epic, not an episodic puzzle game.

#2: Skyrim, OK with this one.

#3: Team Fortress 2. Maybe, but personally, again, I expect something with a more epic storyline for this high in the list.

Its a sign of the times, and the average age of people covering the gaming field.

I guess "somehow" portal was a better game then Doom or Half-Life?

They make no attempt to compile a valid list.

Agreed, there was no way portal was more revolutionary then Doom or Quake.

One game I have to comment on, and that is TF2. I find TF2 absolutely boring. Who "really" likes sitting in respawn delay and so many ways to get one shot kills?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Where is Oblivion?

 

[ultimatebob]

Geez... did the people who created this list just start playing PC games 5 years ago??? Mega FAIL.

 

[Texashiker]

Geez... did the people who created this list just start playing PC games 5 years ago??? Mega FAIL.

From the top 5, that is exactly what I was thinking.

The author usually shows his/her age with their choice of games in the top 5.

 

[JoshGuru7]

Well perhaps it is the readers who have gotten younger, and the updated list is intended to reflect that. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of readers on this forum were significantly older than the current PC gamer subscribers, because many of the earlier subscribers bailed on them in late 90's when they had a rocky patch.

KOTOR was ported to the PC but was ultimately for the XBOX. I can see why they would omit it from a PC games list (although not why they would include the crappy sequel).

My list would look something like this:
1. Tie Fighter
2. Quake 2
3. Unreal Tournament
4. X-COM UFO Defense
5. Half-life
6. Civilization
7. Diablo II
8. Doom
9. Starcraft
10. Sim City 2000

Honorable mentions that I can't bump anything out of the top 10 for:
- Mass Effect
- C&C Red Alert
- Baldur's Gate 2
- Warcraft
- Day of the Tentacle
- Fallout 2
- Deus Ex
- Myst
- Planescape: Torment
- Ultima IV
- Lords of the Realm 2

 

[ultimatebob]

Yeah... My Top 5 list would probably include SimCity, XCom: UFO Defense, Civilization IV, Total Annihilation, and Portal.

That said, Portal wouldn't have been my #1 choice.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Where is Oblivion?

Oblivion was #7. Personally I liked both Oblivion and Skyrim but preferred Skyrim. Howerer, one could argue that Oblivion was more innovative with cutting edge graphics for its time and should have been rated higher than Skyrim. Come to think of it though, the levelling system in Oblivion was probably enough to also keep it down below Skyrim.

 

[Sulaco]

Is this list currently only in the print magazine? I'm not seeing it on PC Gamer's site...anyone have a link?

 

[Ferzerp]

Oblivion was not a *great* game. It was a solid game, but it's flaws kept it from being engaging. The enemy leveling system was so problematic that it ruined the game. Nor can you judge a game based on what others do with it. You can't say it's a great game if you need 3rd party mods to get an enjoyable experience.

My first attempt to play it, I had non-combat major skills and got way overleveled for my combat ability to be able to progress far in the game.

On later attempts, I purposefully made bizarre classes (mage skills as primary, but never used magic) so that I could stay really low level.

I still got bored shortly after closing 1 or 2 oblivion gates each time I tried to play it.


Skyrim was a better game by far. I didn't get bored with it until about 50 hours in (so then I powered through the rest of the main quest, and haven't touched it since). Yes, it had leveling enemies, but it was not as obvious, and did not apply to random rats on the street...

 

[terry107]

Terrible list.

 

[exar333]

From the top 5, that is exactly what I was thinking.

The author usually shows his/her age with their choice of games in the top 5.

Total, complete, and utter fail. To say otherwise is rediculous.

Edit: To be clear -I am referring to the top 100 list, not your comment. I agree 100% with your take...

 

[Dankk]

PC Gamer, don't care.

Also, Skyrim second-best PC game ever? lol.

The list exists for 2 reasons:

1) To generate controversy, buzz, and traffic.

2) To advertise some recent games and hopefully generate a few extra sales.

They make no attempt to compile a valid list.

Thank you.

 

[exar333]

Well perhaps it is the readers who have gotten younger, and the updated list is intended to reflect that. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of readers on this forum were significantly older than the current PC gamer subscribers, because many of the earlier subscribers bailed on them in late 90's when they had a rocky patch.

KOTOR was ported to the PC but was ultimately for the XBOX. I can see why they would omit it from a PC games list (although not why they would include the crappy sequel).

My list would look something like this:
1. Tie Fighter
2. Quake 2
3. Unreal Tournament
4. X-COM UFO Defense
5. Half-life
6. Civilization
7. Diablo II
8. Doom
9. Starcraft
10. Sim City 2000

Honorable mentions that I can't bump anything out of the top 10 for:
- Mass Effect
- C&C Red Alert
- Baldur's Gate 2
- Warcraft
- Day of the Tentacle
- Fallout 2
- Deus Ex
- Myst
- Planescape: Torment
- Ultima IV
- Lords of the Realm 2

Damn, I think we have the EXACT same taste in games. Good to see some validation here!