Top Ten Games for Every Platform That Matters

This is something that will constantly be changing as my opinions are far from permanent when it comes to gaming. And these picks are just that, my opinions. None of these games were selected for their review scores or media acclaim. Each one appears simply because they are the ones I remember most fondly for each platform. I’m not sure if I’m going to make any sort of announcements when a game gets bumped from the list in favor of a new one, but we’ll see. Note: These are top 10 lists, but in no particular order.

Top Ten Atari 2600 Games

  • Combat
  • River Raid
  • Empire Strikes Back
  • Yars Revenge
  • Fantastic Voyage
  • Atlantis
  • Demon Attack
  • Frogger
  • Pitfall
  • Warlords

Honorable Mentions: Kaboom, Haunted House, Solaris, Adventure, Front Line, Sky Jinks, Battlezone, Berzerk

Top Ten Commodore 64 Games

  • Raid Over Moscow
  • Defender of the Crown
  • Green Beret
  • Summer/Winter/World Games
  • Racing Destruction Set
  • Beach Head I & II
  • Law of the West
  • Impossible Mission
  • The Bard’s Tale III
  • Skate or Die!

Honorable Mentions: Desert Fox, Ghostbusters, The Last Ninja 2, Spy vs. Spy, Bruce Lee, California Games

Top Ten NES Games

  • Super Mario Bros. (series)
  • Legend of Zelda
  • Metroid
  • Kid Icarus
  • Ninja Gaiden (series)
  • Contra
  • Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
  • Tecmo Super Bowl
  • Duck Tales
  • Mega Man (series)

Honorable Mentions: Dragon Warrior, Blaster Master, Battletoads, River City Ransom, Wizards and Warriors, North and South, Double Dribble, Black Bass, Yo Noid!, R.C. Pro-Am, Little Nemo: The Dream Master, Double Dragon

Top Ten Sega Master System Games

  • Enduro Racer
  • Alex Kidd in Miracle World
  • Alien Syndrome
  • Safari Hunt
  • Space Harrier
  • Wonder Boy (series)
  • Shinobi
  • Kenseiden
  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Dynamite Dux

Honorable Mentions: Phantasy Star (series), Shining Force (series), Golden Axe Warrior, Fantasy Zone, Hang On

Top Ten Game Boy Games

  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
  • Kwirk
  • Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
  • Super Mario Land (series)
  • Gargoyle’s Quest
  • Pokemon Red/Blue
  • Metroid II: Return of Samus
  • Tetris
  • F-1 Race
  • Mega Man (series)

Honorable Mentions: Kirby’s Dreamland 2, R-Type, Battletoads, Burai Fighter, Bionic Commando, Mario Picross, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters

Top Ten Super Nintendo Games

  • Super Metroid
  • Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • Super Mario Kart
  • Actraiser
  • Super Mario World (series)
  • Chrono Trigger
  • Final Fantasy (series)
  • Earthbound
  • Donkey Kong Country (series)
  • E.V.O.: Search for Eden

Honorable Mentions: Super Mario RPG, Mario Paint, Starfox, Final Fantasy II (or IV), Secret of Mana, F-Zero, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Tetris Attack, Lufia II, Street Fighter (series), Super Turrican, Super Ghouls n’ Ghosts, Mortal Kombat (series), Super Castlevania IV, Mega Man X, NBA Jam TE, Pilotwings, Earthworm Jim, U.N. Squadron, Harvest Moon, and if I don’t stop now I never will. Man, the SNES rocked!

Top Ten Sega Genesis Games

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (series)
  • Strider
  • Golden Axe (series)
  • Castlevania: Bloodlines
  • Streets of Rage (series)
  • Gunstar Heroes
  • Toe Jam and Earl
  • Dynamite Headdy
  • Quackshot
  • Phantasy Star (series)

Honrable Mentions: Rocket Knight Adventures, Jurassic Park, Ristar, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, Vectorman, Herzog Zwei, Alien Soldier

Top Ten Game Gear Games

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (series)
  • Ecco the Dolphin
  • X-Men
  • Puyo Puyo (series)
  • Wonder Boy (series)
  • Cool Spot
  • Pengo
  • Prince of Persia
  • Star Wars
  • Space Harrier

Honorable Mentions: At the moment, I struggled to get to ten, so the honorable mentions will have to wait a bit…

Top Ten Sega CD/32X games

  • Earthworm Jim Special Edition
  • Sonic CD
  • Snatcher
  • Silpheed
  • Virtua Racing Deluxe
  • Virtua Fighter
  • NBA Jam TE
  • Robo Aleste
  • Final Fight CD
  • Soulstar

Top Ten Neo Geo Games (AES, MVS, CD)

  • Metal Slug (series)
  • Fatal Fury (series)
  • Samurai Showdown (series)
  • King of Fighters (series)
  • Neo Turf Masters
  • Strikers 1945 Plus
  • Blazing Star
  • Puzzle Bobble / Bust-a-Move
  • Baseball Stars 2
  • Neo Bomberman

Honorable Mentions: Windjammers, Shock Troopers (series), Pulstar, Sengoku (series), Magical Drop (series), Neo Mr. Do!, Aero Fighters 2, Waku Waku 7

Top Ten Game Boy Color Games

  • Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX
  • Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
  • Wario Land 3
  • Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
  • Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
  • Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel
  • Mario Tennis
  • Pokemon Crystal
  • Harvest Moon GB
  • Shantae

Honorable Mentions: Dragon Warrior (series), Donkey Kong Country, Game and Watch Gallery (series), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword

Top Ten PlayStation Games

  • Metal Gear Solid
  • Final Fantasy (series)
  • Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
  • Vagrant Story
  • Chrono Cross
  • Resident Evil (series)
  • Wipeout XL
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (series)
  • Silent Hill
  • Xenogears

Honrable Mentions: Tekken 3, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Crash Bandicoot (series), Grandia, PaRappa the Rapper, Syphon Filter, Ape Escape, Grand Turismo (series), Klonoa, Legacy of Kain, Ridge Racer Type 4, Medal of Honor

Top Ten Nintendo 64 Games

  • Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask
  • Super Mario 64
  • Goldeneye 007
  • Perfect Dark
  • Super Smash Bros.
  • Mario Tennis
  • Mario Kart 64
  • Blast Corps
  • 1080 Snowboarding
  • Star Fox 64

Honorable Mentions: Jet Force Gemini, Paper Mario, F-Zero X, Wave Race 64, Mario Party, Resident Evil 2, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

Top Ten Sega Saturn Games

  • NiGHTS Into Dreams
  • Radiant Silvergun
  • Guardian Heroes
  • Panzer Dragoon (series)
  • Virtua Fighter 2
  • Sega Rally Championship
  • Shining Force III
  • Dragon Force
  • Earthworm Jim 2
  • Tempest 2000

Honorable Mentions: Sonic Jam, Super Puzzle Fighter, Magical Drop, Rayman, Saturn Bomberman, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Darkstalkers, Gunbird

Top Ten Sega Dreamcast Games

  • Sonic Adventure
  • Soul Calibur
  • Ikaruga
  • Jet Set Radio
  • Street Fighter III: Third Strike
  • Skies of Arcadia
  • Power Stone 1 & 2
  • Samba de Amigo
  • Rez
  • Crazy Taxi

Honorable Mentions: Bangai-O, Virtua Tennis, NFL 2k (series), Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves, Grandia 2, Shenmue, Chu Chu Rocket, Space Channel 5, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Daytona USA 2001, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Rayman 2

Top Ten PlayStation 2 Games

  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
  • Ratchet & Clank (series)
  • Guitar Hero (series)
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
  • God of War (series)
  • Final Fantasy X
  • Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
  • Burnout (series)
  • Ico

Honorable Mentions: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Sly Cooper (series), Jak & Daxter (series), Grand Turismo (series), Okami, Gradius V, Final Fantasy XII, Silent Hill 2, Fatal Frame (series), Rygar, Gitaroo-Man, Rez, Dragon Quest VII, and much, much more

Top Ten GameCube Games

  • Metroid Prime (series)
  • Super Mario Sunshine
  • Resident Evil 4 (and the rest of the series)
  • Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
  • Pikmin (series)
  • F-Zero GX
  • Animal Crossing
  • Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
  • Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
  • Beyond Good and Evil

Honorable Mentions: Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, Soul Calibur II, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Baten Kaitos (series), Star Wars Rogue Squadron (series), Viewtiful Joe (series), Killer 7, P.N.03, Super Monkey Ball, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and plenty more. The Cube was actually a great system that was unfairly overshadowed by the competition.

Top Ten Xbox Games

  • Halo (series)
  • Panzer Dragoon Orta
  • Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (series)
  • Ninja Gaiden Black
  • Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
  • RalliSport Challenge 2
  • Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
  • Jet Set Radio Future
  • Burnout (series)
  • Psychonauts

Honorable Mentions: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Phantom Dust, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Metal Arms: A Glitch in the System, GUNVALKYRIE

Top Ten Game Boy Advance Games

  • Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
  • Golden Sun (series)
  • Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
  • Advance Wars (series)
  • Castlevania (series)
  • Wario Ware (series)
  • Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
  • Metroid (series)
  • Super Mario Advance (series)
  • Fire Emblem (series)

Honorable Mentions: Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Ninja Five-O, Final Fantasy IV, Pokemon (series), Sonic Advance (series), Rayman 3, Kururin Paradise

Top Ten Nintendo DS Games

  • Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
  • Mario Kart DS
  • Elite Beat Agents
  • New Super Mario Bros.
  • Daigasso! Band Brothers
  • Castlevania (series)
  • Advance Wars (series)
  • Phoenix Wright (series)
  • Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
  • Kirby Canvas Curse

Honorable Mentions: Brain Age (series), Big Brain Academy, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Planet Puzzle League, Geometry Wars, Worms 2: Open Warfare, Yoshi’s Island DS, MegaMan ZX, Tetris DS, Picross DS, so many more…

Top Ten Sony PSP Games

  • Lumines
  • Ridge Racer
  • WipEout (series)
  • Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
  • God of War: Chains of Olympus
  • Daxter
  • Burnout (series)
  • Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
  • Mega Man Powered Up
  • Gradius Collection

Honorable Mentions: Activision Hits Remixed, Virtua Tenns World Tour, Ultimate Ghosts ‘N Goblins, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters

Top Ten Xbox 360 Games

  • BioShock
  • Rock Band
  • Halo 3
  • Call of Duty 2 & 4
  • The Orange Box
  • Gears of War
  • Guitar Hero (series)
  • Chromehounds
  • Devil May Cry 4
  • Ninja Gaiden 2

Honorable Mentions: Burnout (series), Crackdown

Top Ten Nintendo Wii Games

  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Super Paper Mario
  • Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
  • Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
  • Mario Kart Wii
  • Elebits
  • Resident Evil 4
  • Boom Blox
  • Zack and Wiki
  • Wii Sports

Honorable Mentions: Wario Ware: Smooth Moves, Metal Slug Anthology, House of the Dead 1 & 2 Return, No More Heroes, Excite Truck

Top Ten PlayStation 3 Games

  • Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
  • Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
  • Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
  • Super Stardust HD
  • Resistance: Fall of Man
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
  • Rock Band
  • Devil May Cry 4
  • Grand Theft Auto IV
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Honorable Mentions: Coming Soon

Top Ten PC Games

  • King’s Quest (series)
  • Space Quest (series)
  • Quest for Glory (series)
  • Star Control II
  • Half-Life (series)
  • Unreal Tournament
  • Star Wars/Tie Fighter (series)
  • Starcraft
  • Warcraft (series)
  • Call of Duty (series)

Honorable Mentions: Sim City (series), Sim Ant, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max (series), Doom (series), BioShock, Team Fortress 2, Command and Conquer (series), Police Quest (series), and much more.