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The Inspiration
In October, PC Gamer released their Top 100 list for 2025 and as I'm a bit of a PC gamer myself, I thought I'd take a look. Most of the games on the list I've heard of before, many I haven't played, which is expected, considering PC Gamer is a professional outfit with a much bigger team of game journalists. While it's interesting to compare opinions, what attracted my interest in particular was the scoring system they used which not only takes into account how good they thought a game was, but also its importance (how noteworthy the game is) and its "freshness" (how unique the game is). They decided to weight the score with 60% going to the usual score of quality, 20% to its importance and 20% to its freshness.
Coincidentally, it's been 10 years since the Choicest Games Top 100 article was published, so I thought what better way to celebrate its 10th anniversary by doing a new one? This time, I'm going to do things differently though. I don't have a panel readily available like last time but I've built up a long enough list of game reviews that I could just examine those instead.
Emulating the Process
PC Gamer had their journos come up with a list of around 300 games and then debated their way to come up with a list of 100. I too tried to come up with an initial list of 300 games and this was simply done by including all games reviewed by Choicest Games with a score of 7 out of 10 or more. It's important to note that this latest list differs from how the list was compiled by PC Gamer or indeed Choicest Games back in 2015. While PC Gamer and the original Choicest Games Top 100 had games picked by their respective panels, this list is compiled from only games that have been reviewed.
The downside of this is that there may be many games we've missed if we simply haven't got around to reviewing them resulting in glaring omissions like GTA V for example. Also, when reviewing retro games on Choicest Games, we tend to review the game on its own merits against modern games of the era (e.g. There's no doubt the importance of King's Quest to the adventure game genre but it only scored 4/10 in our review since the genre has evolved so much since then and we believe there are better options nowadays). This means there aren't many classic games on our list but to be fair, it doesn't seem the PC Gamer list has many either.
There is a silver lining though. This list will very much be a work in progress and as more games get reviewed over time, there's every chance they'll make their way into the Top 100. I adopted a similar scoring system to PC Gamer but the Quality score just happens to be the Review Score out of 10 multiplied by six. I also gave a score out of 10 for the Importance of the game to the industry/genre and multiplied that by 2 and gave a score out of 10 for the Uniqueness of the game and multiplied that by 2 as well. I then summed the scores. This resulted in quite a few games with similar scores but in those cases, I usually ranked the ones with a higher Importance score higher than the rest (although not always).
Also like PC Gamer, if there was more than one title that made it to the top 100, in the interest of giving a more diverse range of titles, I had to pick one to represent the series. Again, this is fine if I've reviewed most titles in the series (e.g. Mass Effect) but not so much if I haven't. But, it is what it is.
Post-mortem
Am I happy with the final list? Yes and no. I've already mentioned some of the drawbacks. There are games on this Top 100 that have probably never made it to a Top 100 list for PC Games. Sometimes I'm happy that's the result (some of these games deserve more recognition) other times, I feel the games are overrated (but I do acknowledge their popularity and importance which is why they make the list). Overall, I think there are enough games on this list that I feel deserve to be there more than not, so that's a win in my books.
Oh, and if you're curious as to which twelve games exist in both lists, I have them listed below with the PC Gamer rank (see if you can spot them in our list):
Hotline Miami (93)
What Remains of Edith Finch (77)
FTL (73)
Mass Effect Legendary Edition (66)
Papers, Please (53)
Rainbow Six Siege (52)
Dragon Age: Origins (51)
The Stanley Parable (43)
Portal 2 (33)
Undertale (23)
Stardew Valley (6)
Disco Elysium (2)
Hope you enjoy the list! Let us know what you think in the comments or on socials!
100. Valkyria Chronicles
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Released: 2014
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 3
Uniqueness: 6
I've never truly understood JRPGs and have never been a huge fan of them, but this particular one, I like, probably because it draws heavy inspiration from WWII to build its setting, lore and weapons and it's a turn-based tactics game at heart. It's also not technically a PC game (it was originally released on Playstation 3 in 2008 and then ported to PC in 2014) but I won't hold that against it!
99. Loot Box Quest
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Released: 2014
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 8
Going Loud Studios like to create games which provide commentary on the state of the gaming industry. They did this with 2013's DLC Quest and again with 2017's Loot Box Quest. At its heart, it's a no-frills incremental game, but its humour and scathing satire of AAA games development is what pushes it across the line. There are many indie games like this nowadays but it was a standout back in 2017.
98. Rising Storm 2: Vietnam
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Released: 2017
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam has a steep learning curve but it's one of the closest experiences to the first person shooters of the 2000s such as Battlefield 2. If you're looking for a more authentic Vietnam War shooter that values distinct roles, teamwork and asymmetric warfare, this is it. If only I reviewed Battlefield 2, maybe it'd be on this list instead.
97. ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Before Devil May Cry and Hellblade, British developer Ninja Theory worked on a game called ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West. While action-adventures are usually a dime a dozen, this cinematic, post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Chinese novel "Journey to the West" definitely stands out as one of the highlights of the early 2010s. Andy Serkis as part of the voice cast is an added bonus.
96. Crayon Physics Deluxe
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Released: 2009
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 8
While I didn't originally provide a strong recommendation on playing this indie puzzle game, there's no doubt it was quite a unique title, especially for its time. Crayon Physics Deluxe is clearly a game that benefits from the proliferation of touch-screen devices but it's also fun drawing shapes on the PC to solve the game's many physics-based puzzles.
95. Detroit: Become Human
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Released: 2020
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 5
The most recent game from Quantic Dream, a French developer renowned for their cinematic multi-protagonist adventures, Detroit: Become Human visualises a future where robots are commonplace in the United States and it explores the potential ramifications this has on Humanity. The game is played from the perspective of the robots and is filled with a star-studded cast including Bryan Dechart, Valorie Curry, Jesse Williams, Clancy Brown and Lance Henriksen. If you want to see how far games have come in the interactive movie niche, this one is recommended.
94. BioShock Infinite
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 5
BioShock Infinite is another game of its time as nowadays some even consider it overrated. What can't be argued is that it was the game that finally got me playing a Bioshock game: exploring and experiencing a literal city in the clouds, brainwashed by American Exceptionalism in the early 20th century, was too good to pass up. While the gameplay doesn't particularly stand out, the setting, the characters and the awesome music (including a Barbershop Quarter version of "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys) makes this game a memorable one.
93. Company of Heroes 2
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 5
2006's Company of Heroes should get full credit for rejuvenating the RTS genre, adding a touch of realism by creating a WWII RTS. Its 2013 sequel, Company of Heroes 2 continues that legacy but instead of following the 101st Airborne in the single-player campaign, it instead shows what was happening on the Eastern Front, fighting as the Soviets. The historical accuracy of the single-player campaign was drawn into question, especially in Russia, but it is a solid WWII RTS when it comes to multiplayer.
92. Rebel Galaxy
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
1993's Wing Commander: Privateer was a favourite of mine back in the day. If you wanted to feel like you were a space merchant, mercenary or pirate in the early 90s, this was one of the go-to games (along with Frontier: Elite II). There have been many games in the space trader genre but with respect to Privateer, there's been only one sequel, 1996's Privateer 2 and a spiritual successor called Freelancer in 2003. It was a while before I played anything that came close to giving me the same vibe as playing these games but Rebel Galaxy came awfully close. Not only that but it comes with an excellent rock soundtrack and nifty (yet illogical) gameplay mechanic of firing broadsides on other spaceships. I think only its sequel Rebel Galaxy Outlaw manages to copy Privateer's style even further so it'll be interesting to see if it makes the Top 100 when I finally get around to reviewing it.
91. Thimbleweed Park
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Released: 2017
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 3
Thimbleweed Park doesn't really seek to innovate and instead looks to the past, to the glory days of Lucasarts adventure games, for its inspiration. Considering Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick are at the helm, it's totally justified. A real treat for fans of point 'n' click adventures by those who know how to make them.
90. Tropico 3
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Released: 2009
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
If you ever want to try your hand at a city builder that also has you running a Caribbean nation as El Presidente, look no further than the Tropico series. While my first introduction to the series was the original game by Gathering of Developers in 2001, Tropico 3 by Haemimont Games is a decent successor. Tropico 3 successfully brings the series into the 3D age along with the excellent music and humour that are hallmarks of the series.
89. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
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Released: 2011
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 3
Deus Ex remains one of my favourite games of all time, although being a game from 2000, it's probably not going to be as palatable as it was when it was first released. There's meant to be a remaster of the original game coming out next year but reactions to the trailer have been mixed. While waiting for it though, you could always try out the prequel to the series created in 2011 called Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It takes all that was great about the original (conspiracy theories galore, jetsetting across multiple cities, factions with ulterior motives, etc.) to create a new story with an augmented agent called Adam Jensen. Bonus points for the epic main theme "Icarus" by Michael McCann.
88. Master of Orion II
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Released: 1996
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
Master of Orion was the game that resulted in the term "4X" being coined as it was basically Civ in space. But a game that was even more like Civ in space was its sequel, Master of Orion II which really doubled down on the micromanagement. The game came with all the ingredients for your slice of space opera strategy: great graphics, music and spaceship customisation to satisfy any sci-fi nerd. The game also incorporates occasional attacks from interdimensional beings known as the Antarans, for those wanting a bit of extra difficulty.
87. King's Quest V
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Released: 1990
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
I've played all the King's Quest games up until King's Quest VI, but have only reviewed the first five. Regardless, King's Quest V is probably a good choice for the series since it's the first of the "modern" King's Quest games where they went all in with the Sierra Creative Interpreter (SCI) boasting 256 colour VGA graphics, handpainted backgrounds and even a "talkie" CD-ROM version. If you want to experience one of the best point 'n' click adventures of the early 90s, this is one of them.
86. Broken Age
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 66
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 2
I enjoyed Broken Age and it was a decent enough, well polished point 'n' click adventure that admittedly, didn't bring anything new to the genre, but was important for other reasons: it demonstrated that crowdfunding was a viable platform to revive long forgotten genres. The Kickstarter project to fund the game was a success and they raised over $3 million towards its development. It proved that there was a means of fans directly supporting their favourite game developers and this also meant fans now had some influence on what games would eventually be released.
85. PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 3
Uniqueness: 4
Some games just never die. The addictive arcade gameplay loop that has forever been a part of PAC-MAN is still as fresh today as it was back in 1980. Although what if you could make the gameplay even better? In 2013, PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+ was released on Steam and it somehow, managed to achieve this. The addition of exciting new modes, little tweaks to ramp up the suspense (like slo-mo near misses) and an awesome soundtrack makes this one of the best modern versions of PAC-MAN there is. At least the best I've played anyway.
84. World of Warships
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 6
In the beginning, MMOs were dominated by the likes of MMORPGs (think Everquest and World of Warcraft) but eventually, developers experimented with other genres. In 2015, you could finally have a go as a warship captain thanks to World of Warships, and it's a winning combination. Developer Wargaming were no stranger to this genre, having developed World of Tanks and World of Warplanes before it, ensuring that this free-to-play title was a resounding success. While it's probably not as popular as it was in its heyday, there are still people that play this game to this very day. If you ever wanted to play a more accessible multiplayer naval combat game, this is it.
83. Planet Coaster
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 6
If you asked me what the best amusement park simulation game was, I'd probably go with the original: 1994's Theme Park by Bullfrog Studios. Most people nowadays would probably refer to Chris Sawyer's Rollercoaster Tycoon games but as I haven't played those, the closest thing to a modern Theme Park game is Planet Coaster. While there are some framerate issues with larger parks, nothing really captured the vibe of a crowded amusement park like Planet Coaster did. Along with its beautiful, carefree soundtrack by Jim Guthrie and JJ Ipson, and comprehensive customisation tools, it's definitely one of the better games in this niche genre.
82. Firewatch
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 6
Also released in 2016 was the atmospheric walking simulator of Firewatch. Early walking simulators, such as 2012's Dear Esther had some critics questioning whether games in the genre could even be classified as computer games (and I too, was one of the skeptical ones). Over the years though, improvements were made resulting in games like Firewatch which took advantage of the genre's strengths (i.e. first-person perspective exploration) and planted you in the middle of a national park in the 80s, uncovering a hidden secret while discussing your findings with a fellow park ranger. It felt more like a first-person adventure minus the puzzles or a first person hidden object adventure, and it worked.
81. Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 6
It's the 2010s and Synthwave is coming back in vogue. While the game Far Cry 3 was quite successful in its own right, a spin-off title based off the Far Cry 3 engine (Dunia 2) was released the next year. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon would see you play the role of Sergeant Rex "Power" Colt (voiced by Michael Biehn) in a game that is heavily inspired by B-grade 80s action movies. There are no shortage of 80s pop culture references here along with cheesy one-liners and a plot that's so bad, it's good. Oh, and the synthwave soundtrack by Australian group Power Glove, is the cherry on the top.
80. What Remains of Edith Finch
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Released: 2017
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 6
Another "walking simulator" of the same calibre as Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch is like a creepy, interactive version of the "Final Destination" films. Some of the deaths are disturbing (i.e. children die too) and the game is rather short, but to me, that translates into a game that doesn't outstay its welcome. A worthwhile experience.
79. War Thunder
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Previous Contributors to Choicest Games, Choona and Luke, are really into this game and War Thunder tends to be the one they come back to nowadays. It's in the same ilk as World of Warships in that it's a military sim take on the MMO genre. The game is still popular, is apparently very realistic (almost suspiciously so, according to some reports) so it should appeal to any military buffs out there.
78. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
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Released: 2010
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit was a reset of sorts, a sign the Need for Speed series was prepared to go back to its roots after many cinematic, "Fast & Furious" games thanks to the popularity of Need for Speed: Underground. In the game, you can play as racers or cops and the game is all about arcade racing. Criterion Games, of Burnout Paradise fame, was brought in to make it happen and it shows. The game was a critical and commercial success and we liked the game too.
77. Guild Wars 2
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 5
I never got around to reviewing the original Guild Wars and I frankly think the gameplay is better in the original than its sequel. However, if you're wanting to play the most recent game in the franchise, Guild Wars 2 is the one to check out. There's plenty of stuff to do in this game and updates are still being released for a game that's over a decade old.
76. Alien Swarm
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Released: 2010
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 5
What started off as an Unreal Tournament 2004 mod became a fully fledged game thanks to Valve and it was definitely a mod that deserved their attention. Alien Swarm is a top-down shooter game set in a universe heavily influenced by the movie "Aliens"; it sees your party of marines fighting against hordes of aliens across multiple levels. Each member has different skillsets and the support classes, such as the Medic and Tech are just as crucial to the team as the Officer and Heavy. That means every player can find a class that appeals to their strengths, opposed to a whole squad of gun-toting maniacs.
75. Verdun
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 3
Uniqueness: 7
FPS games that are set during WWI are few and far between. There was Battlefield 1 but while the game incorporated many elements from the war, it wasn't very effective in bringing about its defining feature: trench warfare. Verdun succeeds in highlighting the high human cost of trench warfare and the very slow gains in territory through its Frontlines game mode.
74. Natural Selection 2
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 7
While active development on Natural Selection 2 ceased in 2023, the game is still available to play and a prime example on how to make an engaging, asymmetric warfare, sci-fi RTS/FPS hybrid. The game pits the Frontiersmen Marines against the alien Kharaa but unlike typical FPS games, each side will need to harvest resources from the map, and this in turn will result in either better weapons and technology (in the case of the Marines) or the evolution of more fearsome beasts (in the case of the Aliens).
73. VVVVVV
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Released: 2010
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 7
I admit, I found it pretty hard to play this platformer, but only because the genre isn't my forte. I can definitely appreciate the importance of VVVVVV though thanks to its innovative gravity changing mechanic and its catchy soundtrack by Magnus Pålsson. Terry Cavanagh's retro platformer would become a symbol of the indie game Renaissance of the late 2000s/early 2010s.
72. Canabalt
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 4
And while we're on the topic of indie heavyweights, Canabalt is another one that is up there. This game was a major factor in the resurgence of endless runners and was actually around a few years before its release on Steam in 2015. If you want to see how endless runners in the 21st century got their legs (mind the pun), this is one to check out.
71. Among Us
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Released: 2018
Top 100 Score: 68
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 4
Despite being released in 2018, Among Us really became a phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic. With many people yearning for social connection while being forced to isolate themselves in their homes, casual multiplayer games like Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Innersloth's Among Us became huge hits. A cut-down version of social deduction games like "Mafia" and "Werewolf", Among Us is very accessible and has become a behemoth of a franchise. An animated TV series is reportedly in the works.
70. Paradigm
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Released: 2017
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 3
Uniqueness: 8
Unless you're into point 'n' click adventures, many of you probably haven't heard of Paradigm, which is a shame since it's probably one of the most weird, wacky but unique games I've ever played. Australian developer Jacob Janerka, creates an experience where you play a mutant called Paradigm living in a post-apocalyptic Soviet state: a place where it's not uncommon to find bogan computers, beatboxing eggplants and talking sloths.
69. Primordia
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 4
Another point 'n' click adventure that's definitely worth checking out is Primordia, a post-apocalyptic world (yes, yet another one) where robots roam the land. There is so much that Wormwood Studios gets right with this game that it's a strong recommendation to anyone wanting to try out a retro-style point 'n' click adventure for the first time.
68. Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 7
Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine is a minimalist stealth game where you and a bunch of mates must work together to perform multiple heists in the city of Monaco. It's good fun when played as a co-op game and although nowadays there's plenty of stealth games out there, there's nothing quite like Monaco (or its excellent soundtrack by Austin Wintory). It also must've done pretty well as a sequel to the game was released earlier this year.
67. Gunpoint
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 7
Funny how similar games in this list tend to get aggregated together, right? Well, Gunpoint, like Monaco, is a 2013 indie stealth game! This time though, we have a game similar to Deus Ex except as a platformer. In it, you have to infiltrate buildings, hack into computers and make your way to the exit (preferably without being spotted). The game has a cool neo-noir feel and soundtrack to it and what's especially impressive is that it was programmed by one person using GameMaker 8, demonstrating the power of these game development engines when it comes to indie game development.
66. Marvel's Midnight Suns
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Released: 2022
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 6
A lot of effort went into developing this game, and while there could've been more polish in the graphics and audio department, especially towards the end of the game, Marvel's Midnight Suns is a solid card game/turn-based tactics hybrid chock full of dialogue, characterisation, top voice acting talent and an epic soundtrack to boot. An underrated game that deserves more love.
65. Alpha Protocol
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Released: 2010
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 9
I'm still waiting for a game to top Alpha Protocol in terms of a contemporary spy RPG, one where you make one of the three "JB" choices (i.e. Jack Bauer, Jason Bourne or James Bond). While the game was buggy, Obsidian Entertainment inadvertently created a cult classic, a game filled with conspiracy theories, memorable characters and multiple endings. It's a game where often seemingly bad consequences early on turn out to save you from bigger headaches down the track, and that should be explored more often in RPGs.
64. Sid Meier's Civilization VI
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 6
The Civilization series has been around for over three decades and while it was a 4X powerhouse back in the day, nowadays it has many imitators and competitors, within the genre and out. There are so many good quality games out there which is probably why I'm even surprised one of my most beloved game franchises is not higher up the list. But as mentioned, I just think it comes down to competition, and the fact that innovating in this series is a risky business: the pushback from fans with the most recent release is one example of that. I feel like Civ VII will eventually be fixed into a better state but as of now, the best Civ to play that's reasonably recent is Civ VI.
63. The Wolf Among Us
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 5
I'm just going to come out and say I preferred this more than The Walking Dead, but The Walking Dead shambled so that The Wolf Among Us could, um, howl (stay tuned to see where The Walking Dead ended up on the list)? So by 2013, the gameplay is probably not revolutionary but what is awesome about this game is its setting. Based on the "Fables" comics, The Wolf Among Us shows you how fairytale characters survive in a seedy 80s New York ghetto called Fabletown. Your job as Bigby (the Big Bad Wolf), Fabletown's sheriff, is to keep the peace and investigate any murders (and I do love a good murder mystery). A sequel has been talked about for the longest time and the fans are yet to see one eventuate.
62. Psychonauts
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Released: 2005
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 8
Psychonauts is a Tim Schafer point 'n' click adventure in platformer clothing. I was resistant to playing the game at first and it definitely has some flaws, but Schafer's skillful storytelling shines through and results in a diverse set of levels that reflect the minds of its characters. It was Double Fine's first game and it's a unique game without equal (except for maybe Psychonauts 2 which I'm still yet to complete)!
61. Loom
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Released: 1990
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 8
A classic point 'n' click adventure by Brian Moriarty, the game was lambasted for being too short and too easy back in the day, but this means that Loom has actually aged pretty well for modern audiences. Unlike other point 'n' click adventures, puzzles are solved by casting spells using musical notes which makes this game stand out amongst its peers.
60. The Stanley Parable
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 8
Back to the walking simulators, this game is an example of not judging a book by its cover. Each playthrough of this game is never the same as the previous one and The Stanley Parable is one of the funniest games I've ever played, thanks to the narrator (voiced by Kevan Brighting) often breaking the fourth wall to pass judgement on the player's rebellious behaviour. The game has had a big impact on other media, even being one of the inspirations for the popular Apple TV+ show "Severance".
59. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
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Released: 2022
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 4
There have been many games based on the "Ninja Turtles" franchise but nothing quite like this one. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge pays homage to the "Ninja Turtles" games of the late 80s and early 90s but is also a really accessible retro beat 'em up that anyone can play: a perfect springboard for those millennial and Gen X parents wanting to introduce their kids to the heroes in a half shell. Colourful retro graphics are also married with a phenomenal soundtrack by Tee Lopes which includes guest artists Mike Patton (Faith No More), Ghostface Killah and Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan).
58. Crazy Taxi
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Released: 2011
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 7
Okay, this is probably a weird inclusion. I mean, what's an arcade game that was eventually ported to the Sega Dreamcast doing here? Well, it was also eventually ported to PC and despite it probably having more of an impact on its original platform, Crazy Taxi, a wacky racing game with a rockin' soundtrack (which apparently differs between versions) deserves to be celebrated for its unique and fun gameplay.
57. Streets of Rage 4
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Released: 2020
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 4
We're not finished with beat 'em ups yet: we've still got to talk about Streets of Rage 4. While the original Streets of Rage trilogy was most well known on the Sega Megadrive (known as the Genesis in the US) back in the early 90s, its popularity would result in several rereleases on different platforms (including the PC). The games were lauded for their gameplay but especially their dance soundtracks thanks to the likes of Yuzo Koshiro and later, Motohiro Kawashima. Fast forward to 2020, and Streets of Rage 4 is released: it channels all that was great with the originals, successfully reviving the series.
56. Tomb Raider
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 4
This is potentially a controversial choice among the fans as some prefer the original Tomb Raider games published by Eidos Interactive prior to this 2013 dark and gritty reboot of the franchise. As a rule, I don't even like dark and gritty treatments of franchises but this one, I've made an exception for. The game more or less captures the core gameplay of the original but also manages to create an origin story that chronicles Lara Croft's traumatic journey of survival on a dangerous island.
55. Peggle Deluxe
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Released: 2007
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 7
I'm not actually that big a fan of casual puzzle games but we have PopCap Games to thank when it comes to putting the casual games genre on the map, and Peggle is one of the games that helped in this regard (along with their other hits, Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies). Peggle's addictive pachinko-like gameplay helped elevate the game's popularity but it wasn't until a version of Peggle was included with Valve's Orange Box that it really took off.
54. Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
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Released: 2020
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 4
A shoutout must be made for the Command & Conquer series: one of the major RTS franchises of the 1990s. Sure, Blizzard had the fantasy RTS sorted with Warcraft and much later on, sci-fi with StarCraft, but if you wanted to play a modern war RTS or a wacky alternate history one with time travel, Command & Conquer and Red Alert were the games to play. Unfortunately, the 2020 remastered collection only contains the first Command & Conquer and Red Alert (along with their expansion packs) but it serves as a tribute to Westwood Studios, one of the greatest PC game developers of all time, and it's accessible enough to allow new players to see what all the fuss was about.
53. Fortnite
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Released: 2017
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 8
Uniqueness: 6
Look, I'm not actually that big a fan of Fortnite, but when I played it in its early days (before they even got around to Battle Royale and it was just PvE), it wasn't a bad game with some neat ideas with respect to building forts. I had no idea that the introduction of a battle royale mode would cause the game to explode in popularity and for better or worse, that's why AAA publishers have been trying to pump out battle royale games for the past several years: they wanted their own Fortnite. Fortnite has become a cultural phenomenon and probably became the most recognisable PC game for many years (at least to parents who never played a computer game).
52. DOTA 2
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 70
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 10
Uniqueness: 4
What Fortnite did for battle royale games, DOTA 2 did for Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas or MOBAs. Despite what you think of the game (I thought it was okay and not terribly original, as it's based off a Warcraft III mod) there's no denying its importance in making MOBAs popular and accessible to a huge audience. Even to this day, hundreds of thousands of people play the game.
51. The Sims Medieval
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Released: 2011
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 3
Uniqueness: 6
Look, if I were to be given another chance at rating this, maybe I wouldn't have given it a 9. However, I thought what they did with this Sims 3 spin-off was clever and gave those of us wanting a more quest-based, goal-focused version of the game exactly what we wanted. If you ever wondered what The Sims would be like as an RPG, this is it.
50. 80 Days
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 8
On the surface, this might look like a fancy visual novel which gives you multiple routes to attempt a round-the-world trip in 80 days, and you'd be right. Although it's that and more. As you've probably surmised, this game is based off the famous Jules Verne novel but has embellished it with liberal doses of Steampunk. As mentioned, there are multiple routes you can take meaning each time you play you'll receive a different experience. A truly unique one-of-a-kind game.
49. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
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Released: 2014
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 8
Shadow of Mordor is an action-adventure game similar to the Far Cry and Assassin's Creed games that were popular in the early 2010s. What sets it apart though are two things: the "Lord of the Rings" IP and its ingenious Nemesis system which made the cunning navigation of Uruk-hai politics just as important as being skilled at combat. Warner Bros. Games even patented the system, that's how good they thought it was.
48. Stray Gods: The Role-playing Musical
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Released: 2023
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 7
Is it a visual novel? Is it a musical? Maybe it's a bit of both? Stray Gods by Australian developer Summerfall Studios, along with writer David Gaider of Dragon Age fame, is a professionally voiced visual novel where you play the character of Grace who learns that the world is inhabited by Ancient Greek deities. She is granted powers that allow her to learn more about others through the power of song, turning the game into a sort of musical. However, since it's a game, you actually get to choose which path the music will take, no mean feat for Grammy-nominated composer, Austin Wintory.
47. Spore
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Released: 2008
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 10
Spore had its flaws, despite Will Wright (creator of SimCity) wanting it to be his magnum opus: a game where you could experience the entire history of a living organism from an amoeba all the way to the Space Age. An ambitious project that feels even more like a "software toy" than earlier titles by Maxis, there's no denying the uniqueness of this game and it also marking the end of an era: shortly after its release, Will Wright left Maxis and the company would never be the same again.
46. Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption
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Released: 2018
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is important for a couple of reasons: it's the first game to be released by Lori and Corey Cole (of Quest for Glory fame) for a couple of decades and it also happens to be one of the successful early gaming Kickstarter projects. While the original idea of the game was somewhat different to what the fans were used to, the final product ended up being similar to an RPG mixed with the social simulation genre (e.g. Persona). There's a big game to explore here although the game is also big on puns, so if your tolerance for them are low, be warned!
45. Beneath a Steel Sky
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Released: 1994
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
I have played a decent amount of point 'n' click adventures but haven't reviewed all of them for the purpose of this blog. There's probably a few more Lucasarts and Sierra adventures I'd like to see on this list so some might scratch their heads with respect to Beneath a Steel Sky but for those that haven't played it, it's a good game. It's definitely the most memorable of the Revolution Software games in my books (well, that and Broken Sword of course) and shows that weird, cyberpunk point 'n' click adventures made in England (and not by the American juggernauts of point 'n' click adventures), can work.
44. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
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Released: 2009
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
I actually haven't played many Call of Duty games but I may have lucked in playing one of the best games in the series: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The late 2000s was when Call of Duty was at the peak of its popularity and while Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare set the groundwork for the contemporary reimagining of the series, Modern Warfare 2 refined the formula and solidified its place as the definitive multiplayer FPS on PC. At least until Battlefield Bad Company 2 came along...
43. Fallout 3
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Released: 2008
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
While Fallout 4 is the latest main series game you can play in the Fallout series, Fallout 3 is where the "Bethesda magic" began. The magic has lost some of its lustre in recent years but back in the 2000s when Bethesda essentially gave Fallout the Elder Scrolls treatment, it was a big hit. Fallout fans had been waiting a decade for a sequel and while it wasn't in the same style of the isometric CRPGs of the 90s, they did bring back V.A.T.S. along with the retrofuturistic, post-apocalyptic aesthetic in spades.
42. Full Throttle Remastered
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Released: 2017
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 6
Ah Full Throttle: it's when point 'n' click adventures became cool. As soon as you hear "Legacy" by the Gone Jackals playing during the epic intro you know you're in for a treat. What's best about this game is it's timeless and you don't need to be a point 'n' click adventure nerd to figure out its puzzles. Some could argue it was the beginning of the end of adventure games, but I believe Full Throttle was a game before its time: an adventure game accessible to the masses, one that wasn't intentionally trying to be funny, that gave you the opportunity to roleplay a bikie gang leader in a dystopian future America.
41. FTL
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 5
Roguelikes have been around for a while but the popularity of roguelites is a more recent phenomenon. Thanks to the boom in indie titles during the late 2000s, roguelites like Spelunky inspired other indie developers to have a go and this is what Subset Games did, with the release of their 2012 roguelite FTL. FTL was a class act, appealing to sci-fi fans as they navigated their spaceship through treacherous regions of the galaxy while enjoying an awesome soundtrack by Ben Prunty.
40. Quake II
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Released: 1997
Top 100 Score: 72
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 5
If I had actually got around to reviewing the original Quake, it could potentially be on this list instead of Quake II. But then again, Quake II has a lot going for it. For starters, the single player had a more consistent and easy to follow plot of Humans kicking alien butt, and while some probably preferred the dark, brooding Nine Inch Nails soundtrack in the original, I'm quite partial to the industrial metal soundtrack in Quake II by Sonic Mayhem. The Quake II engine is also important as without it there wouldn't have been games like Thirty Flights of Loving, SiN, Soldier of Fortune and, most importantly, Anachronox. Oh and Daikatana. Actually, scratch Daikatana...
39. Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 3
Uniqueness: 7
This game is a bit of a hidden gem, a game best played on the couch with mates. It's kind of a niche game but it fills its niche exceptionally well: a bright and colourful local multiplayer game with a silly but hilarious campaign. The game's Danish developers, Game Swing, would follow up Stikbold! with a similar game in 2023 published by Ubisoft called Oddballers. Despite being a fun game, reviews lamented the low number of players online, which is a shame, but such is the fate of games that rely on multiplayer for their success.
38. PAC-MAN 256
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 6
Probably better known on mobile devices, PAC-MAN 256 was even nominated for awards in 2015 for Mobile Game of the Year. Alas, it didn't win them (it lost to the likes of Lara Croft GO and Fallout Shelter) but it was ported to the PC the next year and I'm glad it was. Arcade games in general have always had a bit of endless runner DNA in them, as the goal is to usually see how far you get and achieve as high a score as possible. PAC-MAN 256 amplifies the endless runner aspect, having you play co-operatively with other players locally to make your way across a map that is being consumed by the infamous Level 256 glitch. The best multiplayer PAC-MAN experience I've played.
37. Rainbow Six Siege
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 8
The Rainbow Six series received a reboot in 2015 and it did so with a bang. The latest offering is an online-only title, a tactical shooter incorporating elements of hero shooters and Counter-Strike. The number of operators, gadgets and the destructible nature of the levels themselves, means that each game has endless potential for creative assaults making for some tense but ultimately rewarding gameplay. The game has been going strong for 10 years now, which is testament to the lasting appeal of its gameplay formula.
36. Left 4 Dead
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Released: 2008
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 8
Left 4 Dead showed us how cinematic co-op First Person Shooters could be done. Spanning over multiple levels, the job of the four-person party in Left 4 Dead is to make their way across a zombie-infested map from one safehouse to the next. To keep things interesting, the game has a Director AI that monitors how stressed the players are and modifies the number of zombies to throw at them accordingly. Other developers took note and there were popular Left 4 Dead-likes since then such as Warhammer: Vermintide and Deep Rock Galactic.
35. Her Story
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 7
FMV games used to be all the rage in the 90s. The replacement of floppy disks with CD-ROMs meant that developers had to find new ways to fill up the extra space and adding video to games was one solution. Her Story is inspired by this genre but manages to take it in new directions not often explored. Her Story was the start of Sam Barlow's meteoric rise as the new king of FMV games.
34. Elite: Dangerous
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Released: 2014
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 6
The original Elite was a pioneer in the space trading simulation genre back in 1984 and it would take 30 years before Commanders could fly in the universe multiplayer. Both Star Citizen and Elite: Dangerous started off as crowdfunding projects on Kickstarter, but while the release of Star Citizen continued to be delayed, fans of the space trading sim genre could sink their teeth into Elite: Dangerous. Like its predecessors, Elite: Dangerous focused more on realism than its competitors, eschewing simpler flight models for Newtonian physics, and modelling the galaxy off the actual Milky Way. A game recommended for those that like to tinker with spaceships and one that definitely makes you appreciate the size and magnificence of the galaxy we live in.
33. Hotline Miami
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 6
I'm not really into hyper-violent and gory games, but for Hotline Miami, I made an exception. A fast-paced top-down shooter set in the 80s, the frenetic gameplay was addictive, especially with the synthwave pumping in the background. It also brought into question what compels players to kill others? "Do you like hurting other people?"
32. Far Cry 3
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 8
Uniqueness: 5
The Far Cry series has come a long way since its 2001 debut as a retelling of "The Island of Dr Moreau" with Hawaiian shirts and guns. Fans of the series got their first glimpse of what was yet to come in 2008's Far Cry 2 which was an open world first person shooter adventure set in a fictional, war-torn, African nation. Sequels would continue to mimic this formula but for different locations around the world, but the peak of the Far Cry series had to be the third game set in the fictional South East Asian archipelago of the Rook Islands. In Far Cry 3 the player comes across the pirate lord Vaas Montenegro (played by Michael Mando) but as the game progresses, there's a lot of parallels to "Heart of Darkness" and things aren't quite what they seem.
31. Undertale
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 74
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 7
I didn't initially rate Undertale because since I'm so bad at bullet hell games, I didn't even know a better path to the game existed because of my lack of skill, so mileage definitely varies. However, there is no denying the genius of Toby Fox, a one man development team that programmed the game as well as its very popular music (that is still remixed and covered to this day). The game is a cultural phenomenon of the indie world so it only makes sense for the game to be on this list and meet all of Papyrus's standards!
30. Hacknet
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 7
If you ever wanted to play an adventure game but as a hacker frantically typing commands into a console, then Hacknet is the game for you. It's definitely a unique way to tell a story and relies heavily on environmental storytelling, plenty of ethical dilemmas and a bangin' synthwave soundtrack to get you in the groove.
29. Thaumistry: In Charm's Way
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Released: 2017
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 6
Interactive Fiction (IF) is an old genre, hailing back to the 1970s with the likes of Colossal Cave Adventure and Infocom's Zork but within only a decade, text adventures weren't in vogue anymore. Thaumistry is a rare gem, a 21st century IF title developed by one of the greats, Bob Bates (of Infocom and Legend Entertainment fame) that is fun and accessible to a modern audience, ensuring that anyone can experience the magic of using your own imagination like you would when reading a book.
28. Horizon Chase: Turbo
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Released: 2018
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 5
On the topic of reviving classic genres, arcade racers have made a comeback in the last decade with the likes of Horizon Chase: Turbo. Heavily inspired by 1992's Top Gear on the SNES (to the point they even hired its composer, Barry Leitch), Horizon Chase is bright, colourful, fast and a blast to play with friends on the couch.
27. Day of the Tentacle Remastered
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 5
Day of the Tentacle is one of my favourite games of all time. It's definitely one of the best point 'n' click adventures I've played so I kind of wish it was higher on the list, but besides its timeless cartoon style and ingenious time travel gameplay mechanic, it's not particularly revolutionary, which is probably why there are a few more adventure games higher up this list.
26. The Making of Karateka
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Released: 2023
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 4
Karateka is the defining cinematic platformer, with the original being developed by Jordan Mechner back in 1984. He would go on to develop the more popular and famous Prince of Persia which still exists as a franchise to this day, but it all started with this game and it would turn out to be extremely influential on the industry as a whole (at least if what you see in The Making of Karateka is to be believed).
25. Life is Strange
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 7
The 2010s saw a resurgence in the adventure game genre thanks to more accessible, cinematic games such as Telltale's The Walking Dead in 2012. Telltale continued to produce more of these kinds of games for a few years but in 2015, a competitor arrived in the form of Life is Strange. The game boasts high production values thanks to its great soundtrack, voice acting and more realistic visuals (at least compared to Telltale's comic book style). Its story is also a memorable one, one where a teenage girl uncovers a deeper conspiracy along with supernatural powers in her hometown located in the Pacific Northwest.
24. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 7
Could be somewhat controversial that I'm not picking the original game here, right? Well, yes and no. Firstly, I haven't reviewed the first game on this blog, so there is that. However, the last time I did tamper around with the original UFO: Enemy Unknown (aka X-COM: UFO Defense) from 1994, I found it brutally unforgiving. XCOM: Enemy Unknown still offers up a challenge without being too brutal and still manages to capture what was great about the original: kicking alien butt by stealing their tech and using their own weapons against them!
23. Skyrim
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Released: 2011
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 4
"I used to be an adventurer like you but then I took an arrow to the knee." Love or loathe the memes, Skyrim wasn't only a damn good open world RPG, it was a cultural phenomenon. This game was probably Bethesda at its peak since the formula that they had settled on was starting to lose its sheen. So much so that 2023's highly anticipated Starfield, while still a perfectly functional Bethesda RPG and having generally favourable critic reviews, divided some of the fans. There have been a couple of remastered releases of Skyrim which proves how much reverence fans have for the game and the next instalment in the series, Elder Scrolls 6 is probably rivalled only by Grand Theft Auto 6 in terms of anticipation.
22. Fate of the World
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Released: 2011
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 7
Now this is a game many of you have probably not heard of. Fate of the World is an educational indie game where you have to manage policies across the world in order to complete objectives such as eliminating poverty or reducing the effects of climate change. It's very intriguing and topical, and the models that underpin the game are based on actual scientific research. I feel like more games like this need to be made and just as there is an appetite for movies based on true stories, surely there's an appetite for games based on actual science.
21. Sid Meier's Pirates!
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Released: 2004
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 7
So, the 2004 Pirates! is actually a remake of the previous Sid Meier's Pirates! games: the 1987 original, and Pirates! Gold the 1993 remake. All of them work the same way: you play the role of a pirate during the Golden Age of Piracy and through an open world version of the Caribbean you can decide to help or hinder the four colonial powers (i.e. the Spanish, French, Dutch and English) by raiding ships and forts. The gameplay is still surprisingly fresh and there's nothing really quite like it. If the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s got their own versions of the series, we're well overdue for a new one.
20. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
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Released: 1992
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 7
I have more of a soft spot for Day of the Tentacle but there's no denying that Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a good game. In fact, it's probably one of the better games based on a movie franchise, so much so that some fans wished for a Fate of Atlantis movie instead of 2008's "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Developed at a time when Lucasarts was at its peak, not only did they release a convincing Indy adventure, but were able to implement three potential paths to solve the game, whether it was using your wits, fists or cooperating with your partner, Sophia Hapgood.
19. Age of Empires II
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Released: 1999
Top 100 Score: 76
CG Rating: 7
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 8
When it comes to classic RTS games from the 90s there's only one that comes to mind that's still producing sequels and that's the Age of Empires series. Age of Empires IV developed by Relic and released in 2021, spans the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and this is because they are drawing inspiration from the most popular entry in the series: Age of Empires II. If you wanted to play a fantasy RTS, you played Warcraft. If you wanted to play a sci-fi RTS, you played Starcraft. If you wanted to play a near-future RTS, you played Command & Conquer. And if you wanted to play a historical RTS which allowed you to "wololo" your opponents to your side while driving Shelby Cobras with ethnic EDM music playing in the background, you played Age of Empires II.
18. Papers, Please
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 78
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 8
Glory to Arstotzka! Papers, Please is a little indie game by Lucas Pope that has you play the role of an immigration officer at a border crossing post for the authoritarian state of Artstotzka. At its core, it's very similar to spot-the-difference puzzle games, as you're trying to look for discrepancies in documentation in order to determine whether someone is allowed in the country or not. But Papers, Please is much more than that as you'll soon face many dilemmas including whether to help support a revolution or focus on the wellbeing of yourself and your family instead.
17. Battlefield 3
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Released: 2011
Top 100 Score: 78
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 5
I have soft spots for Battlefield 2 and Bad Company 2, and I'd argue that Battlefield 2 is the superior game, thanks to its Commander Mode (God I miss Commander mode!). However, I never reviewed Battlefield 2 on this blog and in terms of importance to the franchise, my pick would be Battlefield 3. Battlefield 3 was a critical and commercial success and would pave the way for future modern warfare titles in the Battlefield series, including 2013's Battlefield 4 and 2025's Battlefield 6. Thanks to its excellent graphics and audio design, Battlefield 3 also manages to successfully convey the chaotic nature of war.
16. Dragon Age: Origins
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Released: 2009
Top 100 Score: 78
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 8
Uniqueness: 7
I like all the Dragon Age games, from Origins to Veilguard. While I found the original one to be somewhat challenging it was great to see BioWare creating original IP in the form of a fantasy RPG. No doubt the first game was the most important in starting this legacy and it achieved this by offering an RPG with high production values that changed the narrative based not only on the choices you made during the game but your origin story as well.
15. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
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Released: 2010
Top 100 Score: 78
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 3
StarCraft is probably past its heyday now but at one stage, it was the go-to sci-fi RTS. The game was also a popular choice for the early esports scene and was so popular in Korea that games were broadcast on multiple TV channels, and this was before Twitch was even a thing. StarCraft II would also be popular on the esports scene although some players kept playing the original instead of transitioning to its sequel. In terms of single-player, Blizzard would make the controversial decision of creating a new game for each campaign, meaning you would have to buy three games to experience the Terran, Zerg and Protoss stories. Out of these, the first one, Wings of Liberty is by far the best, because everybody likes playing as back-stabbing yokels in space, right? Nowadays, it's probably the best way to experience Starcraft although I'm yet to play and make my mind up about the remastered version of the original…
14. Overcooked!
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 80
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 5
Uniqueness: 8
Overcooked! is a chaotic cooking co-op game where chefs have to co-operate in order to prepare and cook food for customers in a series of crazy levels set on icebergs, haunted mansions, moving food trucks and even outer space. One of the best (and challenging) co-op experiences out there. It's no wonder Netflix are making this into its own TV series (we'll see if it happens to emulate the same chaos in the kitchen as its inspiration).
13. Plague Inc. Evolved
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 80
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 8
Uniqueness: 8
A game where you have to wipe out the human race with the plague, by evolving your virus in terms of its transmissibility and deadliness. The game received praise from the CDC due to Plague Inc. raising public awareness of disease transmission and the game was very popular four years after the PC release, when the world was handling an actual pandemic instead of a simulated one.
12. Hypnospace Outlaw
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Released: 2019
Top 100 Score: 82
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 4
Uniqueness: 10
What if during the late 90s, you were able to browse Geocities pages in your sleep? That's the entire premise for the alternate universe of Hypnospace Outlaw where you play the role of a moderator as you browse several Web 1.0 pages looking to report on any prohibited content you come across. There is a lot of nostalgia here for the Internet of our youth, complete with plenty of gaudy backgrounds, animated gifs, MIDI samples and guestbooks. A lot of love was put into developing this unconventional point 'n' click adventure that relies heavily on environmental storytelling and solving puzzles using hyperlinks.
11. Stardew Valley
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Released: 2016
Top 100 Score: 82
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 5
Heavily inspired by Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley's one man development team (Eric Barone) was seeking to make his own take of it and felt there was a market for cosy games that simulated your life on a farm. He was right. The game was a huge critical and commercial success and despite being almost 10 years old, it still has many fans and it's still receiving updates. The game is responsible for sparking a renewed interest in the cosy game genre with several imitators being developed since then.
10. The Walking Dead
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Released: 2012
Top 100 Score: 82
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 10
Uniqueness: 7
You probably saw this coming as The Walking Dead has already been mentioned a couple of times on this list. Without Telltale's The Walking Dead, there probably wouldn't be a The Wolf Among Us or Life is Strange. At the turn of the millenium, the point 'n' click adventure genre took a huge blow with the closure of Sierra's Oakhurst studio in 1999 and the final Lucasarts adventure, Escape from Monkey Island, being released in 2000. There were still point 'n' click adventures being developed but hardly any AAA ones and point 'n' click adventures in the traditional sense were mainly kept alive by fans, especially those using Chris Jones's Adventure Game Studio. Former Lucasarts developers formed a new company called Telltale in 2004 and they had some success with a revived Sam & Max series as well as another Monkey Island sequel, but eventually they would work towards making their games more cinematic, less reliant on puzzles and more reliant on QTEs. It was a controversial move for traditional adventure game fans but it was one that brought them considerable success, especially when paired with a successful TV franchise like The Walking Dead. It made the genre more accessible to the gaming public as a whole and showed that adventure games weren't dead, they had just evolved.
9. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
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Released: 2015
Top 100 Score: 84
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 6
Uniqueness: 9
I was actually surprised to see this so high up the list, but it was definitely a game I enjoyed playing and it's truly a unique formula, only because it really plays like a weird hybrid of board game and video game. To me, the game's premise is this: imagine assembling IKEA furniture with a friend or family member where one of you is deciphering the instructions and communicating it to the builder. Now, replace the IKEA furniture with a time bomb that you have to defuse, and that's Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes in a nutshell. It's a game that will test your communication skills, more than anything else as you try to find creative ways to describe symbols and diagrams you see in the bomb defusal manual, not to mention grapple with the semantics when reading purely written instructions.
8. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
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Released: 2021
Top 100 Score: 84
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 8
The 2000s and early 2010s was peak Bioware. In terms of high quality CRPGs, BioWare was the go-to developer and from 2007 to 2012, sci-fi fans were treated to the Mass Effect series, a series where you could play the same character across the trilogy, a human soldier called Commander Shepard. Along the way you would learn about the various cultures that inhabit the Milky Way and do your best to unite them (or exploit them) to defeat a sinister threat lurking beyond deep space. The rating I'm using here is based off Mass Effect 2 but today, the best way to experience the original trilogy is with the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
7. Portal 2
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Released: 2011
Top 100 Score: 84
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 7
Uniqueness: 8
Despite playing the original Portal, I've never reviewed it. However, Portal 2 is bigger and better than the original so it deserves a spot on this list. It's highly recommended that people play both of the games as these funny and unique first-person puzzle games have a villain (GlaDOS) and music ("Still Alive" by Jonathon Coulton) that have become cultural phenomena.
6. Quest for Glory 1
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Released: 1989
Top 100 Score: 84
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 9
This is the oldest entry on this list, so we just managed to get a game from the 1980s in there. Quest for Glory 1 is the first of a series of adventure/RPG hybrids by the renowned graphic adventure game company Sierra On-Line. While Sierra is famous for Leisure Suit Larry, King's Quest, Police Quest and Space Quest, Quest for Glory has aged the best out of all of them, probably because its RPG pedigree allows multiple ways to tackle problems and it's just a matter of persistence until you're strong enough to take on even the toughest challenges.
5. Wing Commander
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Released: 1990
Top 100 Score: 84
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 9
Many of you have probably heard of Star Citizen, a game that still hasn't released yet but has managed to raise almost $1 billion over a decade. Touted to be a sci-fi game where you can do just about anything, its designer, Chris Roberts, had more humble beginnings. Back in 1990, Wing Commander was released, a space combat sim where you played the role of a starfighter pilot in the Terran Confederation Navy (TCN) fighting the feline Kilrathi Empire. The game featured a campaign told through cutscenes but your performance in the war and the wingmen you lost would have an impact on the story. It was a great game for its time and still worth a look today.
4. SimCity 2000
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Released: 1993
Top 100 Score: 84
CG Rating: 8
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 9
Ah SimCity, the grandfather of city builders. While Cities Skylines is the go-to city builder of this era, it all started when Will Wright developed the original SimCity in 1989. While I'm partial to SimCity 3000, it's generally a universal truth that the best in the series is 1993's SimCity 2000. This one changed the original's top-down view to an isometric one and the game brought the concept of advisors as well as the ability to tax specific industries, meaning more control over which businesses set up shop in your metropolis.
3. The Secret of Monkey Island
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Released: 1990
Top 100 Score: 86
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 9
Uniqueness: 7
This is the point 'n' click adventure that has become synonymous with Lucasarts. While Sierra had King's Quest, Lucasarts had Monkey Island. Throughout the years, there have been many sequels, including one by Ron Gilbert (the original creator) in 2022 called Return to Monkey Island, but if you want to understand where it all started, you have to play the original. Thankfully, there was a remake released in 2009 so for those wanting to play the game with voiced lines and sharper visuals, you can.
2. Cook, Serve, Delicious!
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Released: 2013
Top 100 Score: 86
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 8
Uniqueness: 10
Okay, this is probably a controversial choice. There are probably many of you that have never even heard of Cook, Serve, Delicious!, but I really enjoyed it, as well as its sequel, and the sequel of the sequel. It's probably the only Souls-like I'm willing to play, as it's often been called "the Dark Souls of Cooking Games" and it can be super-challenging to get a perfect score. But you don't need to play it that way and the game can be as chilled or challenging as you want. It's also yet another example of GameMaker Studio being a gateway to selling commercially successful indie games.
1. Disco Elysium
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Released: 2019
Top 100 Score: 92
CG Rating: 9
Importance: 10
Uniqueness: 9
For those wanting a game that has rich lore and a plethora of narrative options, Disco Elysium is the game for you. The game also explores many mature themes and political views. Along with its convincing characters and an intriguing mystery to solve, this makes it the best adventure/RPG hybrid I've played in the 21st century and it deserves its place on this list.
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