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This article is about the Nintendo character. For the namesake franchise featuring him, see Mario (franchise) and Super Mario. For other uses, see Mario (given name) and Mario (disambiguation).
Mario
Mario character
3D render of a cartoon plumber with a mustache, a large round nose, a red cap with the letter M, a red shirt, blue overalls, and brown shoes.
Mario, as depicted in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
First game Donkey Kong (1981)
Created by Shigeru Miyamoto
Designed by
Shigeru Miyamoto
Yōichi Kotabe
Shigefumi Hino
Voiced by Charles Martinet (1991–2023)
Kevin Afghani (2023–present)
Others:
Portrayed by
Harris Shore (Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. ColecoVision commercials)[20]
Lou Albano (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!)
Bob Hoskins (Super Mario Bros.)
In-universe information
Nationality Italian (games)[21]
Italian American (other media)
Mario (/mɑːrioʊ/, /mærioʊ/) is a character from the Mario franchise. Created by the Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, he is the mascot of the video game company Nintendo. Mario is an Italian plumber who resides in the Mushroom Kingdom with his younger twin brother, Luigi. Their adventures generally center on rescuing Princess Peach from the villain Bowser while using power-ups that give them different abilities.
Mario first appeared as the player character of Donkey Kong (1981), a platformer game. Miyamoto wanted to use Popeye as the protagonist, but he created Mario instead when he could not gain the licensing rights. The graphical limitations of arcade hardware influenced Mario's design, such as his large nose, mustache, and overalls. Miyamoto expected the character to be unpopular and planned to use him for cameo appearances. Originally called "Mr. Video" and "Jumpman", he was renamed Mario after Nintendo of America's landlord, Mario Segale. Following his appearance in Donkey Kong, he was added in other video games before making his appearance in Super Mario Bros. (1985), a Nintendo Entertainment System game that started the Super Mario series. Charles Martinet voiced Mario from 1991 to 2023, before being succeeded by Kevin Afghani.
After Super Mario Bros., Mario began to branch off into different genres and has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation. These include puzzle games such as Dr. Mario, role-playing games such as Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, and sports games such as Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. He has appeared in other Nintendo properties, such as in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games. Mario has also appeared in animated media, including three series produced by DIC Entertainment (voiced by Lou Albano and later Walker Boone). He was portrayed by Bob Hoskins in the live-action Super Mario Bros. film in 1993 and voiced by Chris Pratt in The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023.
An established pop culture icon, Mario holds multiple Guinness World Records titles, such as "Most Prolific Video Game Character", "Longest-running Computer Game Character", and "Godfather of gaming". He has appeared in a variety of merchandise, such as clothing and collectible items, and people and places have been nicknamed after him. He has inspired a considerable amount of unofficial media.
Concept and creation
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario.
Shigeru Miyamoto created Mario while developing Donkey Kong in an attempt to produce a successful video game for Nintendo; previous games, such as Sheriff, had not achieved the success of games such as Namco's Pac-Man.[22] Originally, Miyamoto wanted to create a game that used the 1930s characters Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl.[23][24] At the time, however, as Miyamoto was unable to acquire a license to use the characters (and would not until 1982 with Popeye), he ended up creating an unnamed player character, along with Donkey Kong and Lady (later known as Pauline).[23]
In the early stages of Donkey Kong, Mario was drawn using pixel dots in a 16x16 grid.[25] The focus of the game was to escape a maze, while Mario did not have the ability to jump. However, Miyamoto soon introduced jumping capabilities for the player character, reasoning that "If you had a barrel rolling towards you, what would you do?"[26][22] Continuing to draw from 1930s media, King Kong served as an inspiration, and Mario was set in New York City.[27][28][29]
Name
Though the protagonist was unnamed in the Japanese release of Donkey Kong, he was named "Jumpman" in the game's English instructions[30] and "little Mario" in the sales brochure.[31] Miyamoto envisioned a "go-to" character he could use in any game he developed if needed, albeit in cameo appearances as Miyamoto did not, at the time, expect the character to become singularly popular.[32] To this end, he originally named the character "Mr. Video", comparing what he intended for the character's appearances in later games to the cameos that Alfred Hitchcock had done within his films.[33] In retrospect, Miyamoto commented that if he had named Mario "Mr. Video", Mario likely would have "disappeared off the face of the Earth."[33]
The character was named after Mario Segale, a real estate developer.[24]
According to a widely circulated story, during the localization of Donkey Kong for American audiences, Nintendo of America's warehouse landlord, Mario Segale, confronted then-president Minoru Arakawa, demanding back rent. Following a heated argument in which the Nintendo employees eventually convinced Segale he would be paid, they opted to name the character in the game Mario after him.[34][35] A friend of Mario Segale commented: "My direct understanding and perception is that Mario Segale doesn't mind at all the fact that his name inspired such an iconic character, and that he shows humble pride in that fact in front of his grandchildren and close-knit adult circles."[36]
While it is implied by the title of the Mario Bros. series, in a 1989 interview, his full name was stated not to be "Mario Mario".[37] The first notable use of "Mario Mario" was in the 1993 live-action film adaptation of the Super Mario series, and was further used in Prima's official video game strategy guides, in 2000 for Mario Party 2[38] and in 2003 for Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.[39] In 2012, after Mario voice actor Charles Martinet stated that the character's name was, in fact, "Mario Mario" at the San Diego Comic-Con,[40] Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata said Mario had no last name,[41] with which Miyamoto agreed the month after.[42] Two months after Iwata's death in July 2015, Miyamoto changed his stance, asserting at the Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary festival that Mario's full name was indeed "Mario Mario".[43][44] Mario can also be referred to as "Super Mario" when he acquires the Super Mushroom power-up.[45]
Appearance and profession
By Miyamoto's own account, Mario's profession was chosen to fit with the game design: since Donkey Kong takes place on a construction site, Mario was made into a carpenter; and when he appeared again in Mario Bros., it was decided that he should be a plumber, because a lot of the game is situated in underground settings.[21] Mario's character design, particularly his large nose, draws on Western influences; once he became a plumber, Miyamoto decided to "put him in New York" and make him Italian,[21] light-heartedly attributing Mario's nationality to his mustache.[46] Other sources have Mario's profession chosen to be carpentry in an effort to depict the character as an ordinary hard worker, making it easier for players to identify with him.[47] After a colleague suggested that Mario more closely resembled a plumber, Miyamoto changed Mario's profession accordingly and developed Mario Bros.,[23] featuring the character in the sewers of New York City.[48]
Due to the graphical limitations of arcade hardware at the time, Miyamoto clothed the character in red overalls and a blue shirt to contrast against each other and the background, making the movements of his arms easily perceptible.[49] A red cap was added to let Miyamoto avoid drawing the character's hairstyle, forehead, and eyebrows, as well as to circumvent the issue of animating his hair as he jumped.[23][21] To give distinctly human facial features with the limited graphical abilities, Miyamoto drew a large nose and a mustache, which avoided the need to draw a mouth and facial expressions.[50] Omitting a mouth circumvented the problem of clearly separating the nose from the mouth with a limited number of pixels available.[49]
Over time, Mario's appearance has become more defined; blue eyes, white gloves, brown shoes, a red "M" in a white circle on the front of his hat and gold buttons on his overalls have been added. According to an interview, Japanese character designer Yōichi Kotabe, who worked on redesigning characters in Super Mario Bros. (1985), revealed that Mario's M on his hat was originally the resemblance of McDonald's logo; Kotabe later changed the design of M and straightened its lines to clearly distinguish the difference.[51] The colors of his shirt and overalls were also reversed from a blue shirt with red overalls to a red shirt with blue overalls. Miyamoto attributed this process to the different development teams and artists for each game as well as advances in technology.[47]
Voice acting
Charles Martinet voiced Mario for over 30 years before shifting to a brand ambassador position.
Mario was voiced by Charles Martinet from 1991 to 2023.[52][53] When he crashed the audition,[54] the directors were preparing to close for the night, already packing up when he arrived. He was prompted with "an Italian plumber from Brooklyn"; when he heard the phrase, he immediately thought of a stereotypical Italian accent with a voice similar to that of a mobster.[55] He then assumed the voice would be too harsh for children, so he planned on using a voice of an older figure.[55] However, according to Martinet, the audition for Mario was the only time where his thoughts crashed and he spoke complete nonsense. After he was prompted the character, he babbled the following in a soft and friendly voice instead:[56]
"Hello, ima Mario. Okey dokey, letsa make a pizza pie together, you go get somea spaghetti, you go geta some sausage, I getta some sauce, you gonna put some spaghetti on the sausage and the sausage on the pizza, then I'm gonna chasea you with the pizza, then you gonna chasea me with the pizza, and gonaa makea lasagne."[57]
The voice he chose was derived from another voice role he used to play the character Gremio from William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.[54][58] Martinet kept speaking with the voice until the audition tape ran out; the clip was the only tape sent back to Nintendo, and when the director called the company he said he "found our Mario".[52][59] For the following years he would use the voice for an attraction at trade shows: small tracking sensors were glued onto his face, and he would voice a 3D model of Mario's head on a television while he remained hidden behind a curtain. When attendees would approach the screen, they could talk and interact with Mario.[54][52][60] The attraction was successful and would be used for five years until he was called by Miyamoto, requesting that he use the voice for a video game.[54]
His first official video game voice role would be the CD rerelease of Mario Teaches Typing in 1994, but his first major voice acting role was Super Mario 64. He received instructions on the types of sound clips needed from Miyamoto, and Martinet appreciated the fun tone of the game and later called Miyamoto a genius.[55] He has since also continued to voice other various Mario characters, such as Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi.[55] His time in the studio recording voice clips consisted of "45 takes of every sound [he] can think of", according to Martinet at a Q&A in Canada.[61] What time he gives vocals for the game varies, and according to him has ranged from three years before a game's release to one week. The amount of clips varies as well, ranging from one hour of audio to 20.[58][62] Martinet was recognized by the Guinness World Records for the most roles performed with the same character, at the time one hundred, and is the most of any video game voice actor.[63] As of January 2022, he has voiced Mario in over 150 games and has recorded 5 million audio files with the voice.[58][61] In an interview, Martinet said he wants to continue voicing the character until he "drops dead", or until he can no longer perform the voice accurately.[61] In August 2023, Nintendo announced Martinet would be retiring from the voice role of Mario,[53] though he would continue to promote the franchise as a "Mario Ambassador". Voice actor Kevin Afghani succeeded Martinet in Super Mario Bros. Wonder the following October.[64][65]
Characteristics
Mario is depicted as a portly plumber who lives in the fictional land of the Mushroom Kingdom with Luigi, his younger, taller brother.[23][66][67] The original Mario Bros. depicted Mario and Luigi as Italians in New York,[21] with the television series and films specifying them as originating from the borough Brooklyn.[66] Mario's infancy, in which he was transported by a stork to the Mushroom Kingdom, was first depicted in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.[68][69] In a 2005 interview, Miyamoto stated that Mario's physical age was about 24–25 years old,[70][71] and Nintendo Power stated that his birthday is October 11.[72][73]
He wears a long-sleeved red shirt, a pair of blue overalls with yellow buttons, brown shoes, white gloves, and a red cap with a red "M" printed on a white circle. In Donkey Kong, he wore a pair of red overalls, and a blue shirt. In Super Mario Bros., he wore a brown shirt with red overalls. He has blue eyes, and, like Luigi, has brown hair, and a dark brown or black mustache. This consistent difference in color is attributed to being a relic from designing the characters for their original platforms, wherein certain features were actively distinguished while others had to be curtailed due to technical limitations.[74]
Mario's occupation is plumbing, though in the original Donkey Kong games he is a carpenter.[21] Mario has also assumed several other occupations: in the Dr. Mario series of puzzle games, which debuted in 1990, Mario is portrayed as a medical physician named "Dr. Mario";[75] in the Game Boy game Mario's Picross, Mario is an archaeologist;[76] in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, Mario is the president of a profitable toy-making company.[77] Mario is an athlete in Mario sports games in games such as tennis and golf, as well as a kart racer in the Mario Kart series.[78] In September 2017, Nintendo confirmed on their official Japanese profile for the character that Mario was no longer considered a plumber,[79] but the statement was changed in March 2018.[80] Although according to Nintendo, Mario has seven careers, which include plumber, doctor, racer, martial artist, basketball player, baseball player, and soccer player.[81]
Relationships
Mario usually saves Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom and purges antagonists, such as Bowser, from various areas; since his first game, Mario has usually had the role of saving the damsel in distress.[66] Originally, he had to rescue his girlfriend Pauline in Donkey Kong (1981) from Donkey Kong.[82] Pauline was soon replaced by Princess Peach in Super Mario Bros.,[23] although Pauline has reappeared in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series and is considered "Mario's friend" instead.[83] Mario reprises his role of saving Peach in the Super Mario series,[66] but Mario himself was rescued by Peach in role-reversal in Super Princess Peach.[84] Mario rescued Princess Daisy of Sarasaland in Super Mario Land,[85] but Luigi has since been more linked to her; in Super Smash Bros. Melee, the text explaining Daisy states that "After her appearance in Mario Golf, some gossips started portraying her as Luigi's answer to Mario's Peach."[86]
Luigi is Mario's younger fraternal twin brother, who is taller, slimmer, and can jump higher than him.[67][87] He is a companion in the Mario games,[67] and the character whom the second player controls in two-player sessions of many of the video games.[88] Luigi has also occasionally rescued Mario as seen in Mario Is Missing! and the Luigi's Mansion series.[89] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for the Game Boy saw the arrival of Wario, Mario's greedy counterpart and self-declared arch rival, who usually assumes the role of a main antagonist or an antihero.[90] The dinosaur character Yoshi serves as Mario's steed and sidekick in games such as Super Mario World.[91] Toad is Mario's trusted close friend, who gives him advice and supports him throughout his journey to rescue Princess Peach.[92]
Abilities
During the development of Donkey Kong, Mario was known as Jumpman (ジャンプマン, Janpuman).[23] Jumping—both to access places and as an offensive move—is a common gameplay element in Mario games, especially the Super Mario series. By the time Super Mario RPG was released, jumping became such a signature act of Mario that the player was often tasked with jumping to prove to non-player characters that he was Mario. Mario's most commonly portrayed form of attack is jumping to stomp on the heads of enemies, first used in Super Mario Bros. This jump-stomp move may entirely crush smaller enemies on the stage, and usually deal damage to larger ones, sometimes causing secondary effects.[23] Subsequent games have elaborated on Mario's jumping-related abilities. Super Mario World added the ability to spin-jump, which allows Mario to break blocks beneath him.[93] In Super Mario 64, Mario gains new jumping abilities such as a sideways somersault; a ground pound, which is a high-impact downward thrusting motion; and the "Wall Kick", which propels him upwards by kicking off walls.[94]
Super Mario Bros. introduced the basic three power-ups that have become staples for the series, especially the 2D games – the Super Mushroom, a large red mushroom,[95] which causes Mario to grow larger and be able to survive getting hit once; the Fire Flower, which allows Mario to throw fireballs; and the Super Star, which gives Mario temporary invincibility. These powers have appeared regularly throughout the series.[23]
In video games
See also: List of video games featuring Mario
Super Mario series
Traditional 2D (left/top) and 3D (right/bottom) Super Mario gameplay. In 2D, Mario is confined to moving left and right, while in 3D, Mario is free to move around and explore as the player pleases.
Mario is the protagonist of the Super Mario series. Each game varies in its plot, but most of them have the ultimate goal of Mario rescuing Princess Peach after being kidnapped by Bowser. Mario explores a variety of locations, titled "worlds", and along the way, he can collect items and defeat enemies. Most levels have an end goal, such as stars or flagpoles, that he needs to reach to move on to the next. The series is divided into two general sets of games: the 2D side-scrolling Super Mario games and the 3D open world Super Mario games.
2D games
The Super Mario series had Mario starring in platform games, beginning with Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985. In these games, Mario traverses worlds that contain a set number of levels for Mario to complete. In them, he traverses them from moving left to right, the screen scrolling in the direction he moves. Mario has the goal of reaching the end of the level to move onto the next, typically marked with a flagpole.[96] These games are less focused on plot and more on platforming; most commonly, Bowser kidnaps Peach, and Mario, with the help of Luigi and other characters, sets out to rescue her. Most worlds have mini boss battles, which typically involve fighting Bowser Jr. or one of several Koopalings. The final level is a fight against Bowser.[23]
Takashi Tezuka in 2015.
His first appearance in the 2D variant of the series was Super Mario Bros. in 1985, which began with a 16x32 pixel rectangle prototype as the character; Takashi Tezuka suggested the character to be Mario after the success of one of his previous roles, Mario Bros.[97] Certain other gameplay concepts were cut as well, such as how Mario could fly in a rocket ship and fire bullets.[98] Originally designed with a small Mario in mind with the intention of increasing his size further in development, the developers implemented the feature of his size changes via power-ups as they considered it a fun addition.[99] The concept was influenced by Japanese folktales.[25]
Super Mario Bros. 2 was originally not going to be a sequel to Super Mario Bros., and was originally going to be a game called Doki Doki Panic; directed by Kensuke Tanabe.[100][101] One of the changes included the retexturing of the four main playable characters of Doki Doki Panic, and since they varied in height, this was the first instance where Mario was noticeably shorter than Luigi.[23] Super Mario Bros. 3 experimented with Mario's looks with different power-ups that represented different creatures. An example included the raccoon tail, which was chosen over a power-up that represented a centaur.[102][103] The game's success led to an animated television series, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, with Mario being portrayed by Walker Boone.[104]
Hiroshi Yamauchi wanted a launch game for the Game Boy that featured Mario, as he believed in the statement "fun games sold consoles".[23] Super Mario Land was designed without the help of Miyamoto, a first for the series.[23] The game uses completely different elements to pair with the small screen due to the Game Boy's portability. For example, instead of rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario is instead rescuing Princess Daisy from Tatanga in Sarasaland. Mario was designed with line art.[105][106]
Super Mario World was the first video game to feature Yoshi as a companion to Mario. Miyamoto had always wanted a dinosaur-like companion, ever since the original Super Mario Bros., but the concept was never achievable due to limited hardware. Since Super Mario World took place in a land of dinosaurs, Takashi Tezuka requested Shigefumi Hino to draw a character based on Miyamoto's concepts and sketches, which he drew during the development of Super Mario Bros. 3.[107][108] Super Mario World was released during a console war between Nintendo and Sega; Sega's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, was considered a "cooler" alternative to Mario, to which Miyamoto apologized for.[109]
The plot for Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins has Mario pursue something for his own benefit rather than for someone else, his goal trying to reclaim ownership of his island, Mario Land, from Wario.[110] The game was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 (R&D1). The company was unmotivated by the Super Mario series, and when they were tasked with creating a Super Mario game without Miyamoto, they created Wario to emphasize the frustration of working with a character they did not make. The name "Wario" is word play of "Mario" and "Warui", the latter meaning "bad" in Japanese to mean "bad Mario".[111]
The character's models and backgrounds in New Super Mario Bros. were 3D, but still only allowed for left and right movement and are considered 2.5D.[112][113] With the 2D series of Super Mario games being absent for 14 years, the previous installment being released in 1992, game mechanics improved drastically. Since the characters were no longer sprites and the backdrops were not tile-based, the developers were nearly restrictionless; new game mechanics, such as Mario teetering off of trees and swinging on ropes, were implemented.[114] New Super Mario Bros. was the first 2D Super Mario game to use voice acting, with Charles Martinet voicing Mario and Luigi.[115] It was followed by three games similar to New Super Mario Bros., namely New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and New Super Mario Bros. U, the latter of which being the first game to feature Mario in high-definition graphics (HD).[116]
Takashi Tezuka returned as a producer for the development of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with Shiro Mouri as the director of the game.[117] The game introduces new items, such as Wonder Flowers, which are unique to each level.[117] The game director, Shiro Mouri, said that the game developers aimed to provide a "stress free" experience to the players by allowing them to move freely through the course.[117] In comparison to the previous 2D Super Mario games, Mario's facial expressions are now more detailed and expressive.[117]
3D games
Super Mario 64 featured Mario's first 3D rendering (left). Due to 3D graphics being new at the time, Yoshiaki Koizumi (right) had trouble programming movement with no frame of reference.[118]
Most Super Mario games in 3D feature open world gameplay; instead of being confined to only moving left and right, Mario can move in any direction, and the player can complete the level however they please.[119] The player chooses from one of the multiple objectives before entering a level, and Mario is tasked with completing that goal, which ultimately ends with an obtainable item such as a star.[119] These games feature a more complex narrative, but most still have Mario rescuing a kidnapped Princess Peach from Bowser.
Mario's debut 3D role was in Super Mario 64; since the concept of 3D video games was still new at the time, the developers knew they were helping to pave the way for future games, and they were not restricted on what the standard game was like.[119] However, when Yoshiaki Koizumi had to create a 3D model and animation of Mario, he had no frame of reference and struggled with the task. Koizumi stated how the whole concept was "arguably tough", but was overtaken by the enjoyment of innovating in a new field.[118] Mario's movement was among the top priorities in the game's development, with his animation being tested long before the basic layout of the game's locations was in place. Super Mario 64 was one of the first games voiced by Charles Martinet,[120] and Mario's character model was made with the N-World toolkit.[121] Mario's movements and animations were inspired by Arale Norimaki from Dr. Slump, a Japanese manga series.[122]
Super Mario Sunshine was the first Nintendo game after Satoru Iwata became the CEO of Nintendo, succeeding Hiroshi Yamauchi. The game's original concept did not feature Mario, as the developers believed the role was too out of the ordinary for such a character. Later on, when they used a generic man for the role instead, they believed having a realistic person alongside a character like Mario would cause "incongruity", and it was ultimately changed to Mario instead. Mario's ally, F.L.U.D.D., was one of ten design options but was chosen because it fit the game's theme, although it was not their favorite option in terms of looks.[123]
Super Mario Galaxy had Mario exploring a number of spherical planets, which the developers at the time knew simply jumping on enemies would be difficult to perform. They instead took advantage of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk having motion controls, and gave Mario a "spin" attack where he knocked over the enemies via spinning.[124][125] To also balance the game's difficulty, Mario was given fewer hit points.[126]
To create a sense of familiarity for Super Mario Odyssey, various references to the Super Mario series were put in the game's environment. For example, Pauline was chosen to be a major aspect of the "Metro Kingdom" due to the kingdom representing the core of the game. Mario was also given a variety of costumes to represent other smaller games, such as the Mario's Picross series.[127][128] The development team found the most fun way to use the Joy-Con controllers' motion controls was to throw a hat, and the gameplay was centered around Mario throwing his cap.[129]
64, Sunshine, and Galaxy were re-released on the Nintendo Switch in 2020 as part of the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. in the collection pack Super Mario 3D All-Stars.[130] The games featured high-definition graphics but were kept generally the same as their original counterparts.[131]
Other Super Mario games
There have also been a variety of Super Mario games starring Mario that do not have typical 2D or 3D platforming. The Super Mario 3D series does have 3D gameplay, but the stages are linear and do not allow for open-world movement. The Super Mario Maker games are a series of game creation systems where the player can create their own 2D Super Mario levels and play ones created by others.[132][133] Super Mario Run is a 2D platforming mobile game with other unnatural gameplay aspects.[134]
The main aspect of Super Mario 3D Land was bridging the aspects of 2D and 3D Super Mario games.[135][136] One of the issues brought up was how Mario looked too small in comparison to the large terrain and the small, portable screen of the Nintendo 3DS, so the game's camera system needed to be fixed to one position in certain occasions.[137] The game brought with it the "Tanooki Tail" power-up, which was originally introduced in Super Mario Bros. 3, and its existence was teased by the developers to the fans prior to its official announcement.[138][139] Concepts for Mario, which included a skater outfit and a power-up that would make Mario grow to a large size, were cut.[136]
Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U included the "Cat Mario" power-up, which was implemented to help newcomers play the game and add new gameplay features such as climbing up walls. Another power-up was the "Double Cherry", which was added accidentally; one of the developers added a second Mario into the game in error, and found it humorous when both Marios were somehow controllable at the same time.[140] In 2020, also as part of the Super Mario Bros. 35th anniversary, Nintendo re-released Super Mario 3D World on the Nintendo Switch with an additional mode, Bowser's Fury.[141]
The developers of Super Mario Run were mainly inspired by speedrunners during development, as they took note of how when they would try to beat a 2D Super Mario game as fast as possible, they would never let go of the run button. With this, they made the core gameplay concept revolve around how Mario does not stop moving forward.[142][143]
Other Mario games
While the most prominent use of Mario has been directed toward the Super Mario series, various spinoff series that split into numerous games covering various genres have also been released. This includes genres such as role-playing games (RPGs), puzzle games, sports games, and even educational games in the 1990s.
RPGs
See also: List of Mario role-playing games, Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi
Mario has been the protagonist of various role-playing video games (RPGs), beginning with Super Mario RPG on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The developer of Super Mario RPG, Yoshio Hongo for Square, liked the character Mario and believed he would fit well in an RPG format. He discussed the idea with Miyamoto, and according to him, the meeting went well.[144] The game was a critical and commercial success, and led to two other spinoff RPG series starring the character, Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi.
A sequel to Super Mario RPG was planned for the Nintendo 64. The original developer, Square, had signed a deal with Sony to release Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation, so Nintendo had Intelligent Systems develop the game instead. The new art designer, Naohiko Aoyama, changed every character to two-dimensional to bring out "cuter" graphics compared to low-polygon three-dimensional graphics on the console. In the Paper Mario games, Mario is often aided by numerous allies who progress the story while Mario remains silent.[145]
Unlike Paper Mario, both Mario and Luigi have voices in the Mario & Luigi series and are voiced by Charles Martinet.[146] According to the developers, the early games used character sprites; the developers were generally inexperienced and did not know much about hardware at the time. Once the Nintendo 3DS was released, the developers had the chance to switch to 3-dimensional graphics. They decided to change the background and world design but chose to keep the characters as 2D renderings of 3D characters as they believed it made it easier to convey comedic expressions. In 2013, they believed Mario took too much of the spotlight in the Mario franchise, and they made Luigi the more story-focused character in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.[147]
Sports games
See also: List of Mario sports games and Mario Kart
Nintendo has explored a variety of sports games featuring Super Mario properties, which include tennis, golf, baseball, soccer, kart racing, and other miscellaneous.
In the 1984 video game Golf, although one of the two playable characters looks similar to that of him, wearing red clothes and black pants,[148] he is never directly referred to be Mario;[149] In 1997, his look was changed in the re-release of the Famicom Disk System to that more like the character, and Nintendo later confirmed the character was Mario in a guide book of the game in 1991, marking his first sports video game appearance.[150] He then directly appeared in NES Open Tournament Golf in 1991 as one of two playable characters, the other being Luigi, along with a variety of other Mario characters with supporting roles. The character sprites were designed by Eiji Aonuma, his first project in graphical art design.[149]
After the unsuccessful attempt on the Virtual Boy with Mario's Tennis, the first tennis game featuring Mario, Nintendo gave licensing rights to Camelot Software Planning to develop a second Mario-themed tennis game for the Nintendo 64.[149] Each character had a unique ability, with Mario having an all-around average set of skills to pair with his type of character.[151] This ideology was later continued in Mario Power Tennis.[152]
The Mario Kart franchise began with Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992; early in development, the game did not have any Mario-themed elements. A few months into the process, the designers were testing how one character would look at another they had just passed.[153] They implemented Mario, simply to see how he would look inside a kart, and the original concept was scrapped entirely after they decided he looked better than the previous non-defined characters.[153] Similar to the Mario & Luigi series, he appears as a sprite that turns in 16 different angles.[154]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a crossover series of party and sports games featuring characters from the Mario franchise and the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It includes different varieties of sports such as skateboarding, fencing, volleyball, gymnastics, and many others.[155]
Party games
Main article: Mario Party
Puzzle games
See also: List of Mario puzzle games and Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario has also starred in a variety of multiple puzzle games, but sometimes only makes an appearance and is not playable. The first of which to release was Wrecking Crew, designed by Yoshio Sakamoto. Surprisingly, in this game, Mario can't jump because of hammer's weight.[156] After which, three main series and a variety of spin-offs were released starring him, including Dr. Mario, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and Mario Picross.
The original game in the Dr. Mario series, also titled Dr. Mario, was designed by Takahiro Harada and had Mario assume the role of a doctor instead of a plumber.[157][158] His appearance and role have generally remained the same; to celebrate his 30th anniversary in the series, an 8-bit rendering of his original appearance was made unlockable in the most recent game, Dr. Mario World.[159] Mario vs. Donkey Kong is centered around "Mini Marios", wind-up toys that resemble Mario.[160] The Mario's Picross series was an attempt by Nintendo to capitalize on the popularity of Mario and the success of puzzle games in Japan at the time.[161][162] Released in 1995, the game was popular and was followed by two sequels, Super Mario Picross and Picross 2, but the first game was only made available to American audiences in 2020.[162]
Due to the abandonment of the SNES-CD hardware in the 1990s, a project developed by Nintendo and Phillips, as part of Nintendo's dissolving agreement with Philips, they gave the licensing rights to Mario and The Legend of Zelda property to release games on the CD-i.[163][164] Multiple games were developed by the inexperienced Fantasy Factory, which included the puzzle game Hotel Mario in 1994.[165][166] Via Animation Magic, Hotel Mario had various cutscenes of Mario and Luigi, which borrowed animation elements from Disney and J. R. R. Tolkien. Mario was voiced by Marc Graue as the game was released prior to Charles Martinet receiving the role of voicing the character.[167]
Educational games
See also: List of Mario educational games
Due to the popularity of the Super Mario series, various educational games starring the character were released and appealed to younger audiences. These games had little involvement from Nintendo, with the games releasing for the NES, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and personal computers. The last of the genres to release was Mario Teaches Typing 2 in 1997, before the production of such games was discontinued.[168]
Mario is Missing! is one of the only occasions where Mario himself was kidnapped and rescued by another character. In the game, Mario and Luigi approach Bowser to stop his plans, but Mario is then captured; Luigi traverses real-world locations to follow after him, solving trivia along the way.[169][170] A similar game was released without the help of Miyamoto, Mario's Time Machine, which starred Mario against Bowser instead.[168] Mario's Game Gallery has the player competing in various card and board games against Mario. The game was Charles Martinet's first official voice acting role for Mario, one year prior to Super Mario 64.[168]
For Mario Teaches Typing, the head of Interplay Productions, Brian Fargo, saw the success of the typing game Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and knew a character like Mario as the teacher would be appealing.[171] Pre-dating Mario's Game Gallery, Martinet did not voice Mario. After release, the concept was so successful, it began a negative relationship between Fargo Les Crane, the creator of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. Mario Teaches Typing 2 was released in 1997, which Martinet voiced Mario for.[168] When they were approved of creating Mario's Game Gallery, another Mario-themed education game was also released that was of poor quality, so Miyamoto met with Fargo and halted production of any further education games using the character.[171]
Cameos
Apart from his platformer and spin-off game appearances, Mario has made guest appearances in non-Mario games, such as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!![172] and Tennis (1984), where Mario is an umpire,[173] in Pac-Man Vs., he is the in-game announcer.[174] Mario appears as a playable character in NBA Street V3,[175] SSX on Tour,[176] and Pinball (1984).[177] He also appears as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series.[178] He makes countless cameo appearances in many forms in many games, such as portraits and statues in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Pilotwings 64, and Stunt Race FX.[179][177] He can be seen in crowd along with Luigi in Kirby Super Star.[177] On an ending screen that appears in the NES version of the video game Tetris, Mario appears with Luigi dancing to the music,[180] which is a version from prelude to the opera Carmen.[181] On that screen also appear Peach, Bowser, and other Nintendo characters such as Link, Samus, Donkey Kong, and Pit.[180] Mario also appeared in Minecraft as a skin.[182] Monster Hunter 4 included Mario as one of the free DLC outfits alongside Luigi and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog.[183] Scribblenauts Unlimited features Mario along with other Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda characters.[184] In December 2011, Ubisoft's Just Dance 3 included "Mario" as a downloadable dance track, with Mario appearing to dance on-screen.[185]
In other media
See also: List of non-video game media featuring Mario
A photo of Lou Albano
A photo of Bob Hoskins
A photo of Chris Pratt
Lou Albano and Bob Hoskins have both portrayed Mario in live-action performances, while Chris Pratt voiced the character for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The first appearance of Mario in media other than games was Saturday Supercade, an animated television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions in 1983.[186] The 1986 original video animation Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! features Mario (voiced by Toru Furuya) as the protagonist.[187][188] The animated series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! features a live-action series of skits that stars former WWF manager "Captain" Lou Albano as Mario and Danny Wells as Luigi.[189] Mario appeared in a book series, the Nintendo Adventure Books. The other two animated series, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, star Walker Boone as Mario and Tony Rosato as Luigi.[190]
Mario is portrayed by Bob Hoskins in the 1993 film loosely based on the Super Mario series, Super Mario Bros. In the film, he is the cynical older brother who takes great pride in being a plumber and is a parental figure to Luigi, portrayed by John Leguizamo.[191] At first, he held no belief in unusual things happening, but meeting Daisy and taking a trip to Dinohattan soon changed his mind.[191] Hoskins was ultimately cast to play the character after other choices fell out, such as Dustin Hoffman and Danny DeVito.[192][193][194] Hoskins had previously done multiple roles in children's films and kept suggesting changes to the script before he agreed to portray the character.[195] According to one of the films' directors, Annabel Jankel, Hoskins was mainly considered due to his physical appearances.[196] In subsequent interviews, Hoskins considered the role his worst choice in his acting career, admitted to constantly drinking before and during filming, and noted that he was injured and almost died multiple times during production.[197][198][199]
Mario and Luigi have appeared in several Robot Chicken sketches, notably in "Lust for Puppets", in which Mario and Luigi were riding their go-kart when they came to a fork in the road. They decided to choose the path that led directly to Vice City, where they had to contend with unbreakable bricks, turtles, prostitutes, psychedelic mushrooms, and deadly bullets. At the end of the sketch, Mario and Luigi were shot down by the cops in typical Grand Theft Auto fashion after reaching a high crime level.[200] Mario has also made a guest appearance in Futurama, voiced by Maurice LaMarche.[201] In the episode Anthology of Interest II's segment "Raiders of the Lost Arcade", Mario serves as Italy's ambassador to the UN, expressing sadness at the war declaration before escaping in his typical jumpy fashion.[202] American comedian Seth MacFarlane made a spoof based on the Super Mario series. In the segment "Super Mario Rescues the Princess", after rescuing Princess Toadstool, Mario approaches Princess and requests for a kiss. Princess replies back, saying, "You expect?—What kind of Samaritan are you? You rescued me just so you could get with me?". Mario left the Princess after being enraged. A dragon eventually arrives and eats Princess' head off.[203] In February 2024, Lisa Simpson portrayed Mario in The Simpsons season 35 episode, "Lisa Gets an F1".[204]
Mario is voiced by Chris Pratt in the 2023 film adaptation The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Although American actor Sebastian Maniscalco originally auditioned to voice Mario in the 2023 film, he got the role of voicing Spike instead.[205] The film depicts him and Luigi as Italian-American plumbers who started their own business in Brooklyn after working for the antagonistic Foreman Spike, who supervises the Wrecking Crew.[206] They attempt to fix a significant manhole leak reported in the news to make a name for themselves, only for the pipe to transport Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom and Luigi to the Dark Lands. Mario works with Peach, Toad, and later Donkey Kong to rescue Luigi and the Mushroom Kingdom from the tyrannical Bowser.[207] Martinet makes cameo appearances in the film as Mario and Luigi's unnamed father and as Giuseppe,[208][209] who appears in Brooklyn and resembles Mario's original design from Donkey Kong, speaking in his in-game voice.[18][209] In response to criticism of Pratt's casting, co-director Aaron Horvath explained that he was cast mainly because of his history of playing good-natured, blue collar-type protagonists.[210]
Reception
Statue of Mario in front of the offices of Nintendo's Nordic distributor Bergsala in Kungsbacka, Sweden.
As Nintendo's mascot, Mario is widely considered to be the most famous video game character in history, and has been called an icon of the gaming industry.[211][26][212] He has been featured in over two hundred video games.[23] Mario was one of the first video game character inductees at the Walk of Game in 2005, alongside Link and Sonic the Hedgehog.[213] Mario was the first video game character to be honored with a wax figure in the Hollywood Wax Museum in 2003.[214] Kotaku writer Luke Plunkett had called Mario the most recognizable figure in the gaming industry, stating that, "Nintendo's mascot has been the most recognisable (and profitable) face this industry has ever - and will likely ever - see, almost single-handedly driving Nintendo through five whole generations of video game success".[215] In 2010, Guinness World Records gave Mario the title "Godfather of gaming" and "longest-running computer game character" and stated, "Mario is still 'The Godfather' of gaming as the most successful and enduring character in an industry which is constantly evolving."[216] In 2024, a poll conducted by BAFTA with around 4,000 respondents named Mario as the second most iconic video-game character of all time.[217] Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer described Mario as "the most iconic video character of all time", "the medium's most successful character", and "video-game-character equivalent of type-O blood" and also reported that Mario has the highest Q score among video game characters, with Link, Pac-Man, and Master Chief being one of his closest competitors.[218] Lucas M. Thomas of IGN defined Mario as "gaming's greatest athlete", noting, "He's too short, he's out of shape and he's wearing entirely the wrong kind of shoes, but somehow Nintendo's main man Mario has still managed to become gaming's greatest athlete. From the tennis court to the ballpark, from the soccer field to the golf course, the heroic plumber has spent years now filling the time in-between his princess-rescuing adventures with a grand variety of leisurely sports".[219]
In 1990, a national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse.[220][221] James Coates of The Baltimore Sun reported that, as author David Sheff notes, "In 1990, according to ‘Q’ ratings, Mario has become more popular than Mickey Mouse with American children" and he further mentions that his 9-year-old son is a Nintendo fan who is curious about what Mario is doing to the youth of America.[221] In 2005, American musician Jonathan Mann created an opera based on Super Mario Bros. and performed Mario Opera as a tribute to Shigeru Miyamoto.[222][223] Salman Rushdie, an Indian-born British-American novelist, was fond of Mario and his younger twin brother Luigi. He also enjoyed playing Super Mario World, which gave him the impression of having an enjoyment of life in comparison to the rest of the world.[224][225][226] In 2023, a survey was taken by gaming website Cribbage Online on "Top 20 most-loved "Super Mario" franchise characters", which consisted of over 87,000 voters. According to the survey, Mario was placed third with 5,602 votes, while Luigi and Yoshi surpassed him with 5,771 votes and 6,084 votes, respectively.[227]
Cameron Sherrill of Esquire praised Mario's athletic skills in track and field, noting, "This is where Mario comes to life. I mean, he goes against the blue guy who's literally famous for going fast. Plus, Mario is the platforming king—i.e. running and jumping—so it stands to reason that he’d be good at track and field".[78] Philip Kollar and Allegra Frank of Polygon wrote in their review of Super Mario Odyssey that Mario plays an important role in making the game more pleasurable and special. They also wrote about Mario's legacy, stating that, "From a plumber to a doctor to a tennis star to, uh, a Goomba, Mario has endured. No, this will not be the last Mario game, but it is almost certain to be lauded as one of his best".[228] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Mario their "Coolest Mascot" award for 1996, calling him "an age-old friend".[229] Nintendo Power listed Mario as their favorite hero, citing his defining characteristics as his mustache, red cap, plumbing prowess, and his mushrooms.[230] In a poll conducted in 2008 by Oricon, Mario was voted as the most popular video game character in Japan by both men and women, overtaking popular video game icons such as Final Fantasy's Cloud Strife and Metal Gear's Solid Snake.[231] Yahoo! Japan held a poll between November 1, 2009, and October 31, 2010, to determine which video game character is more popular among readers. Mario won the poll with 9,862 votes.[232] Several publications have often compared Mario to Sega's mascot and iconic character, Sonic the Hedgehog.[233][234][235] Mario also serves as an inspiration for Sonic the Hedgehog's origin.[236]
Legacy
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe dressed as Mario at the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.[237]
Mario has been established as a pop culture icon,[238] and has appeared on lunch boxes, T-shirts, magazines, and commercials (notably in a Got Milk? commercial).[239] Other products include cartoon shows, movies, books, hats, plush dolls, cereals, ice cream, bedding, kitchenware, clocks,[211] purses, cufflinks, wallets, mugs, art prints, boxers, Lego sets, coaster sets, Hot Wheels sets, stationery sets, and board games.[240][241]
Mario has inspired unlicensed paintings,[242] performances on talent shows such as India's Got Talent,[243] short films,[244] and web series.[245] The character has been present in a number of works created by third parties other than Nintendo, such as in the iOS and Android video game Platform Panic, in which one of the purchasable skins is a reference to him.[246] Assassin's Creed II, an action-adventure video game created by Ubisoft, features a reference to the Super Mario series. The game's protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, gets attacked on the road; his uncle saves him and introduces himself by saying Mario's iconic catchphrase, "It's a-me, Mario!".[247] World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by Blizzard Entertainment, features two non-playable characters named Muigin and Larion, who are references to Mario and Luigi. It also features a jumpbot that resembles Mario's appearance.[248]
Many people and places have been named or nicknamed after Mario. Bergsala, the distributor of Nintendo's products in the Nordic and the Baltic countries, is located at Marios Gata 21 (Mario's Street 21) in Kungsbacka, Sweden, named after Mario.[249] Many sports stars, including Bundesliga football players Mario Götze[250] and Mario Gómez,[251] National Hockey League player Mario Lemieux,[252] Italian footballer Mario Balotelli,[253][254] Italian cyclist Mario Cipollini, and American former footballer Mario Williams have been given the nickname "Super Mario".[255][256] In a suburb of the Spanish city of Zaragoza, streets were named after video games, including "Avenida de Super Mario Bros."[257]
Mario's legacy is recognized by Guinness World Records, who awarded the Nintendo mascot, and the series of platform games he has appeared in, seven world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include "Best Selling Video Game Series of All Time", "First Movie Based on an Existing Video Game", and "Most Prolific Video Game Character", with Mario appearing in 116 original games.[258] In 2009, Guinness World Records listed him as the second most recognizable video game character in the United States, recognized by 93 percent of the population, second only to Pac-Man, who was recognized by 94 percent of the population.[259] In 2011, readers of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Mario as the top video game character of all time.[260] In 2018, Charles Martinet, voice actor of Mario, received the Guinness World Record for most video game voice-over performances as the same character.[261]
Mario appeared in the 2016 Summer Olympics closing ceremony to promote the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In a pre-recorded video, the prime minister Shinzo Abe became Mario to use a Warp pipe planted by Doraemon from Shibuya Crossing to Maracanã Stadium. Abe then appeared dressed as Mario in an oversized Warp Pipe in the middle of the stadium.[262][263] This segment was favorably well received as playful and tasteful in Japan, resulting in giving Abe the nickname "Abe-Mario".[264]
Mario Day is celebrated on March 10,[265][266] as when that date is presented as Mar 10 it resembles the word "Mario".[267][268] Since 2016 the day has been officially observed by Nintendo,[269] who celebrates the day annually by promoting Mario games and holding Mario-related events.[270] In March 2018, Google Maps collaborated with Nintendo for the celebration of Mario Day. By tapping on a yellow ? Block, the navigation arrow changes into Mario, who drives his Pipe Frame kart from the Mario Kart series.[271][272][273] In March 2024, American actor Gaten Matarazzo teamed up with Nintendo to celebrate that year's Mario Day.[274][275]
See also
Video games portal
List of video games featuring Mario
List of Mario franchise characters
List of unofficial Mario media
List of non-video game media featuring Mario
Notes
Super Mario Bros.: The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach!, Super Mario's Fire Brigade, Super Mario's Traffic Safety, Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi's Adventure Land, Nagatanien Super Mario Bros. furikake commercial, BS Super Mario USA, Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium, and BS Super Mario Collection
Mario's Great Adventure
Super Mario Bros. Special Drama CD.[7]
Japanese dubs of Super Mario Bros. film.[11]
Japanese Mario Kart commercial.[15]
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Sawyer, Logan (October 10, 2021). "Mario Vs. Sonic The Hedgehog: Who Wins In A Fight?". Game Rant. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
McAloon, Alissa (May 15, 2018). "Sonic the Hedgehog devs explain how competing with Mario influenced development". Game Developer. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
"Why Japanese PM Shinzo Abe was dressed as Super Mario in Rio". The Guardian. August 22, 2016. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
Haider, Arwa (March 24, 2023). "Super Mario Bros: The ultimate video game icon". BBC. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
Weiss, Jodi & Kahn, Russell (2004). In 145 Things to Be When You Grow Up Archived June 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Princeton Review Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 0-375-76369-4. Google Book Search. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
Lobley, William (February 11, 2021). "The Best Super Mario Merchandise". Empire. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
Murdock, Jason (March 8, 2024). "Best Super Mario gifts and merchandise to buy for all ages in 2024". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company Ltd. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
"10 Works of Art Inspired By Super Mario Bros.". Pixelated Geek. Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
Ashcraft, Brian (July 13, 2009). "India's Got Mario Talent". Kotaku. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
Totilo, Stephen (December 23, 2011). "32 Nintendo Fans made these 8 Short Movies in 24 Hours". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
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Brown, Alex (January 11, 2023). "Nothing in the Franchise Has Topped Assassin's Creed 2's Super Mario Reference". Game Rant. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
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"Gotze is back to being Super Mario with PSV Eindhoven". Marca. August 4, 2021. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
"Mario Gomez: 10 things on VfB Stuttgart's legendary striker". Bundesliga. June 29, 2020. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
Schwartz, Larry. "Mario was super despite the obstacles". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
Leicester, John (June 29, 2012). "Super Mario: Euro 2012: Super Mario Balotelli on target to finish as top scorer". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
Burns, John F. (December 5, 2014). "England's F.A. Charges Mario Balotelli Over Racist Posting". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
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Michael A. Lutz (December 1, 2009). "Mario Williams: Man of Steel". Houston Texans. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
Shoichet, Catherine E. (November 8, 2010). "Spanish neighborhood unveils 'Super Mario' street". CNN. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
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Marchiafava, Jeff (February 16, 2011). "Guinness Names Top 50 Video Game Characters Of All Time". Game Informer. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
Khan, Imran (December 14, 2018). "Charles Martinet Attains World Record For Most Video Game Voiceovers As One Character". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
Samuelson, Kate (August 22, 2016). "Shinzo Abe Dresses as Super Mario for Rio Closing Ceremony". Time. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
Palazzo, Chiara (August 22, 2016). "Shinzo Abe emerges from a green pipe disguised as Super Mario during Rio Closing Ceremony". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
Kageyama, Yuri (September 1, 2016). "Super Mario marketing op in Rio cost Nintendo how much? Zero". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
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Burkhardt, Kai (March 10, 2020). "Wa-hoo! Celebrate Mario Day with deals on games, toys and more". CNN Underscored. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
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External links
Media related to Mario (character) at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related to Mario at Wikiquote
Official website for the Mario series
Mario profile on mario.nintendo.com
Mario profile on smashbros.com
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about people who play any type of game, especially video games. For gamblers, see Gambling. For other uses, see Gamer (disambiguation).
This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (December 2021)
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A gamer is a someone who plays interactive games, either video games, tabletop role-playing games, skill-based card games, or any combination thereof, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Originally a hobby, gaming has evolved into a profession for some, with some gamers routinely competing in games for money, prizes, or awards. In some countries, such as the US, UK, and Australia, the term "gaming" can refer to legalized gambling, which can take both traditional and digital forms, such as through online gambling. There are many different gamer communities around the world. Since the advent of the Internet, many communities take the form of Internet forums or YouTube or Twitch virtual communities, as well as in-person social clubs. In 2021, there were an estimated 3.24 billion gamers across the globe.[1][better source needed]
Etymology
The term gamer originally meant gambler, and has been in use since at least 1422, when the town laws of Walsall, England, referred to "any dice-player, carder, tennis player, or other unlawful gamer". However, this description has not been adopted in the United States, where it became associated with other pastimes. In the US, they made their appearance as wargames. Wargames were originally created as a military and strategy tool. When Dungeons & Dragons was released, it was originally marketed as a wargame, but later was described by its creators as a role-playing game. They too called their players gamers and this is where the word changed definition from someone who gambles to someone who plays board games and/or video games.[2]
Categories
Further information: Video game § Demographics
In the United States as of 2018, 28% of gamers are under 18, 29% are 18–35, 20% are 36-49 and 23% are over 50.[3] In the UK as of 2014, 29% are under 18, 32% are 18-35 and 39% are over 36.[4] According to Pew Research Center, 49% of adults have played a video game at some point in their life and those who have are more likely to let their children or future children play. Those who play video games regularly are split roughly equally between male and female, but men are more likely to call themselves a gamer.[5] As of 2019, the average gamer is 33 years old.[6]
Female gamer/gamer girl
Main article: Women and video games
A female gamer, or gamer girl or girl gamer, is any female who regularly engages in playing video games. According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association in 2009, 40% of the game playing population is female, and women 18 or older comprise 34% of all gamers. Also, the percentage of women playing online had risen to 43%, up 4% from 2004. The same study shows that 48% of game purchasers are female.[7][4] According to a 2015 Pew survey, 6% of women in the United States identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men, and 48% of women and 50% of men play video games.[8] Usage of the term "girl gamer" is controversial. Some critics have advocated use of the label as a reappropriated term, while others see it as nondescriptive or perpetuating the minority position of female gamers. Some critics of the term believe there is no singular definition of a female gamer and that they are as diverse as any other group. However it is generally understood that the term "girl gamer" implies that it is a girl who plays video games.[9]
Psychology
Main article: Learning curve § Difficulty curves in video games
Shigeru Miyamoto says that "I think that first a game needs a sense of accomplishment. And you have to have a sense that you have done something, so that you get that sense of satisfaction of completing something."[10]
Gaming is a form of escapism.[11] Hideo Kojima states that "If the player isn't tricked into believing that the world is real, then there's no point in making the game."[12]
In April 2020, researchers found that top gamers shared the same mental toughness as Olympian athletes.[13][14]
Escapism is a major factor in why individuals enjoy gaming. This idea of being in another world while gaming has become very common with gamers, these video games create a new world where these gamers feel they fit in and can control what is going on.[15]
Types and demographics
Sexes
Two highly controversial issues surrounding the gaming world in today's day and age are ideas of gender roles and LGBTQ+ involvement in the gaming industry. It is first important to understand the difference between men and women in the world of gaming. Although roughly the same number of men and women play games, the stereotype of a gamer is one that is predominantly male. A justification sometimes given for this is that while many women occasionally play games, they should not be considered "true" gamers because they tend to play games that are more casual and require fewer skills than men. This stereotype is perpetuated by the fact that at a professional level, most of the teams competing are composed of men, while female gamers of moderate skill are rendered invisible. The average gamer is seen as a male player who is usually Caucasian.[16] A study has shown 48% of game purchases are from female consumers, but in 2015 only 6% of women that are in the U.S. identify as a gamer.[citation needed] Ideas behind the word "girl gamer" tend to spark a contentious reaction, and the use of this name has been supported as a title that is seen as a reappropriated term.
Gaymer
Main article: Gaymer
Silicon Valley Pride Parade
Besides the distinction of a "girl gamer" from a "male gamer", there is also a common understanding as stereotype of a "Gaymer." A Gaymer is a depiction of a gay gamer, and someone who identifies their sexual orientation to be a part of the LGBT (gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender) community while participating in video games. The concept of Gaymers is a part of two surveys in 2006 and 2009. The 2006 survey took note of the levels of detriment that Gaymers may have experienced, and the 2009 survey kept detail of the content that Gaymers would find to be normalized in video games. Staying the topic of ideas behind gaming and the relationship with the LGBTQ community, it has been noted that video games are starting to develop more characters and depictions of members from this specific community. Some of the topics of these specific LGBTQ-friendly video games include such ideas as coming out stories and queer relationships.[17] These games are also providing the option of character creation with different forms of gender expression along with more LGBTQ romance options.[17] One example of these games in the LGBTQ+ realm of dating would be Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator, released in 2017.[18] The game had many queer individuals debating, but the overall representation of the game was applauded by many LGBTQ+ people due to its accurate presentation and the way that it provided comfort to people of many sexualities. Having more of these gender- and sexuality-friendly games is providing LGBTQ+ members with a safe space to feel welcome and explore their queerness in a more confident manner.[citation needed]
Dedication spectrum
It is common for games media, games industry analysts, and academics to divide gamers into broad behavioral categories. These categories are sometimes separated by level of dedication to gaming, sometimes by primary type of game played, and sometimes by a combination of those and other factors. There is no general consensus on the definitions or names of these categories, though many attempts have been made to formalize them. An overview of these attempts and their common elements follows.
Newbie: (commonly shortened to "noob", "n00b", or "newb") A slang term for a novice or newcomer to a certain game, or to gaming in general.[19][20]
Casual gamer: The term often used for gamers who primarily play casual games, but can also refer to gamers who play less frequently than other gamers.[21] Casual gamers may play games designed for ease of gameplay, or play more involved games in short sessions, or at a slower pace than hardcore gamers.[9] The types of game that casual gamers play vary, and they are less likely to own a dedicated video game console.[22][23] Notable examples of casual games include The Sims and Nintendogs.[24] Casual gamer demographics vary greatly from those of other video gamers, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female.[25] Fitness gamers, who play motion-based exercise games, are also seen as casual gamers.[26]
Core gamer: (also mid-core) A player with a wider range of interests than a casual gamer and is more likely to enthusiastically play different types of games,[27] but without the amount of time spent and sense of competition of a hardcore gamer. The mid-core gamer enjoys games but may not finish every game they buy and is a target consumer.[28][29] Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that they designed the Wii U to cater to core gamers who are in between the casual and hardcore categories.[30] A number of theories have been presented regarding the rise in popularity of mid-core games. James Hursthouse, the founder of Roadhouse Interactive, credits the evolution of devices towards tablets and touch-screen interfaces, whereas Jon Radoff of Disruptor Beam compares the emergence of mid-core games to similar increases in media sophistication that have occurred in media such as television.[31]
Hardcore gamer: Ernest Adams and Scott Kim have proposed classification metrics to distinguish "hardcore gamers" from casual gamers,[32] emphasizing action, competition, complexity, gaming communities, and staying abreast of developments in hardware and software. Others have attempted to draw the distinction based primarily on which platforms a gamer prefers,[33] or to decry the entire concept of delineating casual from hardcore as divisive and vague.[34]
Professional gamer
Professional gamers generally play video games for prize money or salaries. Usually, such individuals deeply study the game in order to master it and usually to play in competitions like esports.[35] A pro gamer may also be another type of gamer, such as a hardcore gamer, if he or she meets the additional criteria for that gamer type. In countries of Asia, particularly South Korea and China, professional gamers and teams are sponsored by large companies and can earn more than US$100,000 a year.[36] In 2006, Major League Gaming contracted several Halo 2 players including Tom "Tsquared" Taylor and members of Team Final Boss with $250,000 yearly deals.[37] Many professional gamers find that competitions are able to provide a substantial amount of money to support themselves. However, oftentimes, these popular gamers can locate even more lucrative options. One such option is found through online live streaming of their games. These gamers who take time out of their lives to stream make money from their stream, usually through sponsorships with large companies looking for a new audience or donations from their fans just trying to support their favorite streamer. Live streaming often occurs through popular websites such as Twitch and YouTube. Professional gamers with particularly large followings can often bring their fan bases to watch them play on live streams. An example of this is shown through retired professional League of Legends player Wei "CaoMei" Han-Dong.[38] Han-Dong had decided to retire from esports due to his ability to acquire substantially higher pay through live streaming. His yearly salary through the Battle Flag TV live streaming service increased his pay to roughly $800,000 yearly.[citation needed] Live streaming can be seen by many as a truly lucrative way for professional gamers to make money in a way that can also lessen the pressure in the competitive scene. We are seeing a rapid increase in the young video game players wanting to be professional gamers instead of the "pro athlete". The career path of becoming a professional gamer is open for anyone any race, gender, and background.[39] The gaming community now has developed at a much faster rate and now is being considered esports. These more serious gamers are professional gamers; they are individuals that take the average everyday gaming much more seriously and profit from how they perform.[40]
Gaymer Logo for LGBT Gaming Convention
Although the LGBTQ+ gamers are starting to make more of a mark in the gaming world, there are still many disadvantages to this process. Homophobia in the gaming world does tend to take a toll on the problem of an equally shared gaming experience. This is both an issue within the games industry and many areas of the games culture. The brings back the thought of importance for increasing LGBTQ representation in games, especially with such events as GaymerX.[41] There is a study called the online roulette survey that shows that queer gamers are at a disadvantage financially for the fact that the highest earning professional gamers in the LGBTQ+ community bring in less money than popular heterosexual professional gamers.[42] This highlights that not only is there a huge divide between male and female counterparts in the gaming industry, but there also happens to be a great divide when it comes to sexual preference in the gaming world, especially when it comes to the professional gaming scene. Often, tech companies' privilege men's point of view over women's participation in tech and their consumption, which could be seen as vice versa for people of a homosexual and heterosexual identity.[43] The two topics will always hold a big weight in the gaming industry.
Retrogamer
Main article: Retrogaming
A retro gamer is a gamer who prefers to play, and often enough collect, retro games—older video games and arcade games. They may also be called classic gamers or old-school gamers, which are terms that are more prevalent in the United States. The games are played on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or on modern hardware via ports or compilations (though those 'in the hobby' tend toward original hardware and emulation).[44]
Classification in taxonomies
A number of taxonomies have been proposed which classify gamer types and the aspects they value in games.[45]
The Bartle taxonomy of player types classifies gamers according to their preferred activities within the game:
Achievers, who like to gain points and overall succeed within the game parameters, collecting all rewards and game badges.
Explorers, who like to discover all areas within the game, including hidden areas and glitches, and expose all game mechanics.
Socializers, who prefer to play games for the social aspect, rather than the actual game itself.
Beaters, who thrive on competition with other players.
Completionists, who are combinations of the Achiever and Explorer types. They complete every aspect of the game (main story, side quests, achievements) while finding every secret within it.
The MDA framework describes various aspects of the game regarding the basic rules and actions (Mechanics), how they build up during game to develop the gameplay (Dynamics), and what emotional response they convey to the player (Aesthetics). The described esthetics are further classified as Sensation, Fantasy, Narrative, Challenge, Fellowship, Discovery, Expression and Submission. Jesse Schell extends this classification with Anticipation, Schadenfreude, Gift giving, Humour, Possibility, Pride, Purification, Surprise, Thrill, Perseverance and Wonder, and proposes a number of generalizations of differences between how males and females play.[46]
Avatar
Main article: Avatar (computing)
See also: Player character
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Creating an avatar sets the stage of a player becoming an avatar; it is the first interaction that a potential player must make to identify themselves among the gaming community.[47] An avatar, username, game name, alias, gamer tag, screen name, or handle is a name (usually a pseudonym) adopted by a video gamer, used as a main preferred identification to the gaming community. Usage of user names is often most prevalent in games with online multiplayer support, or at electronic sport conventions. While some well-known gamers only go by their online handle, a number have adopted to using their handle within their real name typically presented as a middle name, such as Tyler "Ninja" Blevins or Jay "sinatraa" Won.
Similarly, a clan tag is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a clan. Clans are generally a group of gamers who play together as a team against other clans. They are most commonly found in online multi-player games in which one team can face off against another. Clans can also be formed to create loosely based affiliations perhaps by all being fans of the same game or merely gamers who have close personal ties to each other. A team tag is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a team. Teams are generally sub-divisions within the same clan and are regarded within gaming circuits as being a purely competitive affiliation. These gamers are usually in an online league such as the Cyberathlete Amateur League (C.A.L.) and their parent company the Cyberathlete Professional League (C.P.L.) where all grouped players were labeled as teams and not clans.
Clans and guilds
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A clan, squad or guild is a group of players that form, usually under an informal 'leader' or administrator. Clans are often formed by gamers with similar interests; many clans or guilds form to connect an 'offline' community that might otherwise be isolated due to geographic, cultural or physical barriers. Some clans are composed of professional gamers, who enter competitive tournaments for cash or other prizes; most, however, are simply groups of like-minded players that band together for a mutual purpose (for example, a gaming-related interest or social group).
Identity
The identity of being a gamer is partly self-determination and partly performativity of characteristics society expects a gamer to embody.[48] These expectations include not only a high level of dedication to playing games, but also preferences for certain types of games, as well as an interest in game-related paraphernalia like clothing and comic books.[48] According to Graeme Kirkpatrick, the "true gamer" is concerned first and foremost with gameplay.[49] The Escapist founder Alexander Macris says a gamer is an enthusiast with greater dedication to games than just playing them, similar in connotation to "cinemaphile".[50] People who play may not identify as gamers because they feel they do not play "enough" to qualify.[48] Social stigma against games has influenced some women and minorities to distance themselves from the term "gamer", even though they may play regularly.[48][51]
Demographics
Games are stereotypically associated with young males, but the diversity of the audience has been steadily increasing over time.[52] This stereotype exists even among a majority of women who play video games regularly.[53] Among players using the same category of device (e.g., console or phone), patterns of play are largely the same between men and women. Diversity is driven in part by new hardware platforms.[52] Expansion of the audience was catalyzed by Nintendo's efforts to reach new demographics.[24] Market penetration of smartphones with gaming capabilities further expanded the audience,[24] since in contrast to consoles or high-end PCs, mobile phone gaming requires only devices that non-gamers are likely to already own.[52]
While 48% of women in the United States report having played a video game, only 6% identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men who identify as gamers.[54] This rises to 9% among women aged 18–29, compared to 33% of men in that age group. Half of female PC gamers in the U.S. consider themselves to be core or hardcore gamers.[55][56] Connotations of "gamer" with sexism on the fringe of gaming culture has caused women to be less willing to adopt the label.[57]
Racial minorities responding to Pew Research were more likely to describe themselves as gamers, with 19% of Hispanics identifying as gamers, compared to 11% of African-Americans and 7% of whites.[54] The competitive fighting game scene is noted as particularly racially diverse and tolerant.[58] This is attributed to its origin in arcades, where competitors met face to face and the barrier to entry was merely a quarter.[58] Only 4% of those aged 50 and over identified as gamers.[54]
Casualization
Casualization is a trend in video games towards simpler games appealing to larger audiences, especially women or the elderly.[24] Some developers, hoping to attract a broader audience, simplify or remove aspects of gameplay in established genres and franchises.[59] Compared to seminal titles like DOOM, more recent mass-market action games like the Call of Duty series are less sensitive to player choice or skill, approaching the status of interactive movies.[60]
The trend towards casual games is decried by some self-identified gamers who emphasize gameplay, meaning the activities that one undertakes in a game.[49] According to Brendan Keogh, these are inherently masculine activities such as fighting and exerting dominance. He further says that games women prefer are more passive experiences, and male gamers deride the lack of interactivity in these games because of this association with femininity.[49] Belying these trends, games including The Sims or Minecraft have some of the largest audiences in the industry while also being very complex.[59] According to Joost van Dreunen of SuperData Research, girls who play Minecraft are "just as 'hardcore' as the next guy over who plays Counter-Strike".[61] Dreunen says being in control of a game's environment appeals equally to boys and girls.[61] Leigh Alexander argued that appealing to women does not necessarily entail reduced difficulty or complexity.[62]
See also
Video Games portaliconSociety portal
Entertainment Consumers Association
Esports
Gamers Outreach Foundation
Going Cardboard (documentary)
List of gaming topics
Player (game)
Video game addiction
References
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The Top 100 Video Games of All Time
Our first refresh since 2019 features some big changes.
IGN Staff Avatar
BY IGN STAFF
UPDATED: FEB 3, 2024 12:53 AM
POSTED: DEC 31, 2021 3:30 PM
IGN’s Top 100 games list encompasses the best of the best throughout history, spanning generations of consoles, PCs, handhelds, and more. Our list last saw a major update back in 2019, and since then, there have been several games released that deserved to be added. Just as importantly, we looked at the totality of the top 100 as it stood and asked ourselves a few key questions. This lead to some beloved games dropping off, and other games we previously missed being added.
Games in our top 100 have to measure up to a few key metrics: how great a game it was when it launched, how fun it is to still play today, and how much the game reflects the best in its class. While past versions of this list have put a big emphasis on a game’s impact and influence, we’ve essentially taken that out of the equation. Many games that left a mark and inspired future developers may not stand the test of time and be all that fun to play right now. Or, quite simply, they may have been surpassed by other games.
With all of that said, IGN’s list reflects the current staff’s 100 best games of all time - a collection of games that continue to captivate us with their stories, wow us with their revelatory approach to game design, and set the standards for the rest of the industry.
The Top 100 Games of All Time (2021 Update)
IGN’s Top 100 games list encompasses the best of the best throughout history, spanning generations of consoles, PCs, handhelds, and more. Our list last saw a major update back in 2019, and since then, there have been several games released that deserved to be added. Just as importantly, we looked at the totality of the top 100 as it stood and asked ourselves a few key questions. This lead to some beloved games dropping off, and other games we previously missed being added.<br>
Games in our top 100 have to measure up to a few key metrics: how great a game it was when it launched, how fun it is to still play today, and how much the game reflects the best in its class. While past versions of this list have put a big emphasis on a game’s impact and influence, we’ve essentially taken that out of the equation. Many games that left a mark and inspired future developers may not stand the test of time and be all that fun to play right now. Or, quite simply, they may have been surpassed by other games.<br>
With all of that said, IGN’s list reflects the current staff’s 100 best games of all time - a collection of games that continue to captivate us with their stories, wow us with their revelatory approach to game design, and set the standards for the rest of the industry.
<b><a href="https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/100">100. Borderlands 2</a></b> (2012)<br>The original Borderlands captured the attention of gamers, seemingly from out of nowhere, and its sequel took everything that made the original great and expanded on it. From its seamless continuation of the Borderlands vault hunting lore, to its unmatched writing, Borderlands 2 remains the high point in the Borderlands franchise. Borderlands 3 is overflowing with improvements over its predecessor The Pre-Sequel, but Borderlands 2 still can't be beat for its awesome levels, excellent DLC, and series-best villain, Handsome Jack. - Seth Macy
101 IMAGES
<b><a href="https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/99">99. Divinity: Original Sin 2</a></b> (2017)<br>When I was famished for Dungeons and Dragons, Divinity: Original Sin 2 filled that void for me. I’ve since recommended it to all of my real-life D&D parties, and they’ve all come back with the same opinion: This is the best D&D experience you can get from a video game. The built-in story is decidedly plenty and nearly infinitely replayable. The premade characters all have their own special storylines, and the numerous ways things pan out depends on player actions, backstory choices, race, and more. Regardless of class or difficulty level, DOS2 is a fun fantasy world to get lost in no matter what. - Casey DeFreitas
<b><a href="https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/98">98. Final Fantasy VII</a></b> (1997)<br>Final Fantasy VII is a landmark JRPG for a variety of reasons, but many of its achievements have now been lost to the winds of time and technological progress. Yet, its age has done nothing to change its status as the series' most popular and beloved entry, which has come about thanks to its wide cast of detailed, emotionally-driven characters that journey through one of the most memorable worlds to emerge from Japan's development scene. The pacing of its continually timely tale is its masterstroke; Square allows you to slowly fall for its rag-tag bunch of eco-terrorists before introducing its main villain - the forever chilling Sephiroth - and then focusing the story on much more personal stakes, despite the looming apocalypse. While overall the story is heavy, the world thrives on its idiosyncrasies - a variety of bizarre enemies, comedic minigames, and absurdly sized swords. It's this combination of light and dark that makes Final Fantasy VII such an enduring classic. - Matt Purslow
<b><a href="https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/97">97. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a></b> (2013)<br>There are plenty of entries in the Assassin's Creed franchise that could find their way onto a Top 100 list, but for our dubloons, Black Flag was as much fun as we’ve had in the franchise. AC4 is an exceptional blend of both the massive open-world exploration and the stealth-focused mission structure that gave the series its roots. Its naval combat and oceanic exploration offered boundless fun, and there still hasn't been a historical guest star that rivaled the likes of Blackbeard or Mary Read. - Jon Ryan
<b><a href="https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-games/96">96. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge</a></b> (1991)<br>When Monkey Island 2 came out, we knew who Guybrush Threepwood was, so we knew what to expect. Or so we thought. Somehow, creator Ron Gilbert threw everyone for a loop, ending Monkey Island 2 in a carnival, leaving us to wonder if everything we'd played in the first two games took place in a boy's imagination, or if the ending itself was simply another LeChuck voodoo spell. Regardless, the story, jokes, and pacing were all tightened up for the second chapter, making it arguably the best of LucasArts adventure games. - Ryan McCaffrey
100. Borderlands 2
The original Borderlands captured the attention of gamers, seemingly from out of nowhere, and its sequel took everything that made the original great and expanded on it. From its seamless continuation of the Borderlands vault hunting lore, to its unmatched writing, Borderlands 2 remains the high point in the Borderlands franchise. Borderlands 3 is overflowing with improvements over its predecessor The Pre-Sequel, but Borderlands 2 still can't be beat for its awesome levels, excellent DLC, and series-best villain, Handsome Jack. - Seth Macy (Read IGN's Review)
99. Divinity: Original Sin 2
When I was famished for Dungeons and Dragons, Divinity: Original Sin 2 filled that void for me. I’ve since recommended it to all of my real-life D&D parties, and they’ve all come back with the same opinion: This is the best D&D experience you can get from a video game. The built-in story is decidedly plenty and nearly infinitely replayable. The premade characters all have their own special storylines, and the numerous ways things pan out depends on player actions, backstory choices, race, and more. Regardless of class or difficulty level, DOS2 is a fun fantasy world to get lost in no matter what. - Casey DeFreitas (Read IGN's Review)
98. Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII is a landmark JRPG for a variety of reasons, but many of its achievements have now been lost to the winds of time and technological progress. Yet, its age has done nothing to change its status as the series' most popular and beloved entry, which has come about thanks to its wide cast of detailed, emotionally-driven characters that journey through one of the most memorable worlds to emerge from Japan's development scene. The pacing of its continually timely tale is its masterstroke; Square allows you to slowly fall for its rag-tag bunch of eco-terrorists before introducing its main villain - the forever chilling Sephiroth - and then focusing the story on much more personal stakes, despite the looming apocalypse. While overall the story is heavy, the world thrives on its idiosyncrasies - a variety of bizarre enemies, comedic minigames, and absurdly sized swords. It's this combination of light and dark that makes Final Fantasy VII such an enduring classic. - Matt Purslow (Read IGN's Review)
97. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
There are plenty of entries in the Assassin's Creed franchise that could find their way onto a Top 100 list, but for our dubloons, Black Flag was as much fun as we’ve had in the franchise. AC4 is an exceptional blend of both the massive open-world exploration and the stealth-focused mission structure that gave the series its roots. Its naval combat and oceanic exploration offered boundless fun, and there still hasn't been a historical guest star that rivaled the likes of Blackbeard or Mary Read. - Jon Ryan (Read IGN's Review)
96. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
When Monkey Island 2 came out, we knew who Guybrush Threepwood was, so we knew what to expect. Or so we thought. Somehow, creator Ron Gilbert threw everyone for a loop, ending Monkey Island 2 in a carnival, leaving us to wonder if everything we'd played in the first two games took place in a boy's imagination, or if the ending itself was simply another LeChuck voodoo spell. Regardless, the story, jokes, and pacing were all tightened up for the second chapter, making it arguably the best of LucasArts adventure games. - Ryan McCaffrey
95. Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout 3: Takedown is an undeniable classic. Its predecessor, Point of Impact, had fine-tuned the balance of high-speed racing and vehicular destruction, but Takedown perfected it. This was one of those games you could easily lose hours playing, either alone or with friends. However, few things could ruin a friendship faster than wrecking someone's ride just before the finish line – though thankfully all was (usually) forgotten during the next round of Crash Mode. - Jon Ryan (Read Our Review)
94. Fallout 2
Starting the journey of Fallout 2 as a tribesman with nothing more than a loincloth and a spear to my name and gradually fighting my way up to a power-armored, gauss-gunning killing machine is a fantastic and surprisingly natural feeling of progression – one that few games have been able to match. Exploring a vast post-apocalyptic world full of deadly raiders, supermutants, and deathclaws is daunting but exciting. Thanks to attention to detail, atmospheric music, powerfully written morally ambiguous quests, and voice-acted interactions with key characters, the world feels personal and vivid even though we view it from a distant third-person camera. - Dan Stapleton (Read Our Review)
93. League of Legends
League of Legends exists in a magical place that lies somewhere between intense competition and fun and enjoyable strategy. Though there’s a lot to master, League of Legends is equipped with great modes that make the MOBA easy to learn, yet is still incredibly challenging as players scale the competitive ladder. While the excellent Summoner’s Rift stands as the primary battleground for competitive play, the other modes also provide a great means for a fun chance to practice with Champions when things get too tense. With continuous improvement updates and a constantly changing roster, League of Legends stands as one of the best competitive games in existence. - Miranda Sanchez (Read Our Review)
92. Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3 took every lesson that Capcom learned from Mega Man 2 and expanded, refined, and remixed it. While taking on new enemies like Snake Man and Magnet Man, our plucky robot hero managed to learn a few tricks that would become mainstays for future games. The slide ability gave Mega Man a much needed upgrade while his friendly robot pooch, Rush, allowed him to explore greater heights and find more hidden secrets than in any of his previous outings. There’s a long running debate as to whether Mega Man 2 or Mega Man 3 is the definitive NES Mega Man game, but for our money it’s the third installment, hands down. - Zach Ryan
91. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
With its debut on the Switch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons made a big leap from life simulator to a new form of artistic expression. New Horizons adds terraforming to the mix, along with outdoor decorations so you don’t just give a home tour anymore. And if you are playing solo, it’s still a blast: The core rocks-to-riches game is overhauled and quite fun: Your natural resources, fish, bugs, wood, flowers, can be used to either buy or craft things for your island. There’s an endless daily checklist, but not a lot of pressure to get it done – unless you’re expecting company. This makes for a game you can check in on at your own pace, and as it moves through the seasons, visiting your town can be one of the most relaxing, meditative, and experiences out there. Sharing this experience (and your creations) with friends along the way is a unique, friendly, accessible social experience that no other game has quite nailed so well. - Samuel Claiborn (Read Our Review)
90. Thief II: The Metal Age
Thief II took everything right about stealth games, and then added a dash of steampunk-infused magic. Looking Glass Studio crafted a believable world where technology was on the rise and the magic of the old world was on the run. Adding to the mix was the perfect anti-hero who wouldn't even consider the possibility of saving the world unless it meant no more houses to steal from. Thief II gave the player all the right tools for the perfect heist, along with interactive maps for writing notes. It rewarded taking your time, and listening to some of the best guard banter in any game to date. Silently sprinting along rooftops, ducking through secret mansion passages – the game didn't just make you feel like a thief, it made you feel like a master of the craft. - Brendan Graeber (Read Our Review)
89. SimCity 2000
SimCity 2000 is a beautiful, funny, detailed sandbox that gives players control of a huge, customizable map that they can manage how they see fit. You can build the perfect metropolis or you can burn it all to the ground with catastrophes like earthquakes and alien attacks. Compared to the other entries in the series, the game hits that player agency sweet spot so you feel like you’re empowered to save your city without being overwhelmed by choice. You need to make sure your Sims have access to electricity and water, but also that they’re safe, have access to healthcare, and the roads are maintained. As your city grows, you’ll have to keep track of things like mass transit, entertainment, and the economy but the difficulty curve never feels too steep, and success always seems just a stadium away. - Christian Holt
88. Inside
With the mechanical abandon of a Mario game and the worldview of Werner Herzog, Inside spends its three brilliant hours of life holding the player in a loop of intrigue, delight, and disgust. Playdead's bleak, gorgeous puzzle-platformer builds on its predecessor Limbo in all the right places – hello, color palettes; goodbye, boring gravity puzzles. It leaves us with a game that sleekly pivots from brain-teaser to body horror until hitting an ending that ranks among gaming’s best. Inside’s quiet genius lies in how the puzzles creep beyond its ever-changing challenges, and into its story. I’ve spent as much time or more wondering what it all means as I did playing through. If you’ve played, you understand. If you haven’t, you need to. - Joe Skrebels (Read Our Review)
87. Titanfall 2
Titanfall 2 is one of the best FPS games that many haven’t played. In a sea of indistinguishable shooters, Titanfall and its sequel dared to do something different. Other shooters have included mechs in the past, but Respawn Entertainments' dedication to creating robust relationships between Pilots and Titans stands out. T2's level design also sets it apart from others in the genre with its combination of Pilot and Titan gameplay. Stand-out examples include the time-shifting fifth mission Effect and Cause, and The Gauntlet featured in its tutorial that still has the speedrunning community setting new records to this day. - Jada Griffin (Read Our Review)
86. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
When Tony Hawk Pro Skater came out, it was like nothing anyone had ever played before. It just felt so insanely intuitive, it had great music, it just felt… cool? There was not one demographic that wasn’t drawn into the cultural singularity of gaming and skateboarding like a rent-a-cop to a skate video shoot. Enter Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, an improvement upon the original in virtually every single way imaginable, the popularity of the game exploded in a way that could only have ended in steadily diminishing annual releases. Still, THPS2 remains the perfect skateboarding game. - Brendan Graeber (Read Our Review)
85. Monster Hunter: World
Kill a monster, make gear out of its parts, and hunt a stronger monster sounds like a gameplay loop that can get old fast, but Monster Hunter: World has taken that decade-old hook and perfected it. World has streamlined the cycle and made the introduction into monster hunting more palatable for newcomers all without watering down the deep action-RPG mechanics longtime fans loved most. With 14 unique weapons that all control entirely differently, endless armor customization options that change more than just fashion, and incredibly difficult fights that reward players with an incomparable sense of accomplishment, Monster Hunter: World is in a league of its own when it comes to endless replayability and challenge. Add in the fact you can hunt with your best friends, and you have a recipe worthy of the Meowscular Chef himself. - Casey DeFreitas (Read Our Review)
84. Resident Evil 2 (Remake)
Resident Evil 2 Remake redefined what a ‘remake’ could be. For players new to the game, this was a meticulously crafted survival horror experience that felt completely in step with the genre in 2019, while veterans got to enjoy a lovingly crafted piece of nostalgia that felt like the game they remembered from 1998. It trod a brilliant tightrope, capturing the inherent weirdness of the original while updating the control scheme to a fluid over-the-shoulder camera far more suited to the way we play games today. The result was uneasy but never frustrating, subversive but familiar. All remakes should learn from this one. - Lucy O'Brien (Read Our Review)
83. System Shock 2
System Shock 2 paved the way for the genre-blending first-person games that are commonplace today, perfecting the formula years before anyone else would even try. Its premise was straightforward: you found yourself alone on a space station where you were apparently the only thing left alive. Well, the only organic thing. Rogue AI SHODAN wastes little time in establishing herself as your formidable opponent. Along the way you pick up elements of the backstory through audio logs and can mold yourself in any way you choose from a DPS/combat focus to a pure hacker that can infiltrate any system. System Shock 2 was tense, smart, and as great as it was immediately upon its release in 1999, ahead of its time. - Ryan McCaffrey (Read Our Review)
82. Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 is quite simply one of, if not the most complete fighting games in existence. It’s got one of the most impressive story modes in the entire genre; a highly respectable roster of 25 outstanding characters, with 12 more added as DLC; a fantastic set of tutorial modes; an unrivaled set of unlockable cosmetics for every character; an equally unrivaled vault of unlockable goodies found in the game’s unique Krypt, which is almost a game unto itself; and most importantly, it’s got one of the best online netcodes across all fighting games. - Mitchell Saltzman (Read Our Review)
81. Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 Royal is the absolute best Persona has ever been. From its character designs to its jazzy soundtrack to the menus that house them, it overflows with style and flair. But this game goes more than skin deep with an incredibly compelling story and turn-based combat that rewards tactical thinking both in and out of fights. While Persona 5 already deserved its spot on this list, its 2019 Royal edition managed to take an incredible game and make it even better with new story additions and innumerable smart improvements to nearly every system, further cementing it as an all-time great. - Tom Marks (Read Our Review)
80. Dark Souls
The most boring thing to note about Dark Souls is its difficulty. Why? Because it stops you from focusing on all of the things that make it the most influential game of the last decade. You fail to mention how incredible Lordran is – a single continuous location that spirals from lava-flooded ruins to a glistening city of the gods. A place where new paths often lead back to familiar locations, so that exploring it for the first time feels like solving a puzzle. You overlook its precise, nuanced combat or the fact it has the most interesting and meaningful bosses of any game. And you certainly never get round to discussing its story, which revels in ambiguity and invites interpretation like no other. - Daniel Krupa (Read Our Review)
79. Fortnite
Over 10 million players amassed over the first two weeks of the Fortnite release and Epic quickly changed their Battle Royale to a free-to-play model. Almost overnight, Fortnite became the reigning battle royale game to play as consistent updates to the map and limited-time game modes rolled out. With the steady flow of fresh content and updates to Fortnite’s Battle Royale, it stands out in its genre as a colorful and unique title other games have yet to compete with. - Stella Chung (Read Our Review)
78. Fable 2
The world of Albion came alive on the Xbox 360, while Fable 2 was also one of the first games to give you a full-time canine companion. The dog was, in gameplay terms, rather straightforward, but for many players, the pooch tugged on your heartstrings and made you care about him/her in a way that you typically wouldn't above the average human or fantasy-pet RPG. Solid combat, a multiple-choice ending, great music and world-building, and a deft balance of action, adventure, and role-playing helped make Fable 2 both the pinnacle of the series and one of the finest bits of escapist fantasy ever coded. - Ryan McCaffrey (Read Our Review)
77. GoldenEye 007
In 1997, GoldenEye was a revelation. Not only was it a more-than-decent movie tie-in, but it became the blueprint for console first-person shooters, serving up a wonderfully engaging single-player mode that made you feel like Bond, with split-screen multiplayer that quickly became a staple in dorm rooms across the world. - Alex Simmons (Read Our Review)
76. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is quite simply the ultimate Smash Bros. game. From the roster size of nearly 100 fighters, to the enormous World of Light story mode, to the library of over 800 classic video game songs jam-packed within, it’s a game unlike any other. Smash Bros. has always been simultaneously the quintessential party fighter, as well as one of the most hotly competitive fighting games, a split that has resulted in two different audiences for the series. What’s perhaps most amazing about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, however, is how it delivers a fighting game for Nintendo Switch that is just as fun for the casual audience as it is for the hardcore crowd. - Mitchell Saltzman (Read Our Review)
75. Spelunky 2
Both the original freeware version of Spelunky, and its 2008 HD remake are two of the most influential games of all time due to their monumental impact that shaped the entire roguelike genre. The HD remake was largely viewed as being a near perfect game, in particular. That is, until Spelunky 2 came along 12 years later and somehow managed to improve upon every single facet of its mechanics without ever sacrificing the procedurally generated magic that made Spelunky so special. Spelunky 2 is a game all about storytelling, only the stories told aren’t the ones the game scripts for you, they’re the ones you craft for yourself by exploring its constantly changing worlds, fighting against nearly impossible odds, with both the successes and the failures being equally memorable. - Mitchell Saltzman (Read Our Review)
74. Return of the Obra Dinn
It’s easy to underestimate Return of the Obra Dinn at first glance. A 1-bit game about being an insurance evaluator on an empty boat may not light your heart ablaze, but that simple shell houses one of the most clever, captivating, and unfalteringly impressive puzzle games you’ll ever play. It’s a mystery game that empowers its players to actually solve its otherworldly cold cases for themselves, relying on the real detective work of observation and deduction to uncover its secrets rather than highlighted objects and scripted set pieces. There’s very little else like Return of the Obra Dinn out there – and once you play it you’ll undoubtedly be wishing for more. - Tom Marks (Read Our Review)
73. Dota 2
Dota isn't a game; it's a lifestyle. The high barrier to entry will drive away new players, but those who crack the shell and get hooked have a very strong chance of rarely playing anything else again. Its 100+ heroes all play differently, and coming close to truly understanding one could take hundreds of hours. Even then, there's always something new to learn. Every failed strategy, every death, every comeback is a chance to discover something new. Dota 2 is at its best when you're playing with a team of five friends. Gathering gold, killing enemies, taking objectives as a coordinated team, then making a final push to victory is an incredible high that you'll want to experience again and again. - Miranda Sanchez (Read Our Review)
72. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe may be a re-release of the original Wii U kart racer, but its function is as both a fantastic kart racer in its own right and a more complete package of an already great game. Its selection of classic and brand new tracks make for an excellent rotation of races that keeps things fresh no matter how much you play with a thorough roster of racers and plenty of kart customization options. While it's not the marquee attraction, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's suite of multiplayer options beyond racing are some of the best the franchise has had since the N64 days of Block Fort. But it's really the finely tuned racing of Nintendo's long standing franchise that takes the spotlight — it's never felt better to race (even in the face of Blue Shells), while courses are beautiful, wonderfully detailed, and represent some of the best of the franchise both new and old. - Jonathon Dornbush (Read Our Review)
71. Donkey Kong
When you walk into a room full of arcade games, something looks different about Donkey Kong. Its pastel blue cabinet is a bit shorter than the others; a bit rounder, more welcoming. The glowing marquee and art on the game depicts characters that belong on a 1960s pizza delivery box. When you put a quarter in, the machine shows you a little cartoon of an ape clambering up a ladder, mocking you. It asks “How High Can You Get?” and the instructions end there. Barrels and fire fill the screen while the characters’ intricate animations for every movement continue the illusion that you are playing this cartoon. You probably don’t get very high. Hopefully, you have more quarters. - Samuel Claiborn
70. The Sims 3
The Sims 3 was a fantastic leap forward in the franchise, showcasing what a more open and customizable base version of The Sims could look like. While the Sims 4 has grown significantly in the years its been out, its base version (and especially its launch version) lacked in items, features, and general options compared to The Sims 3. If we're looking at each game from their base features and even expansions, The Sims 3 simply did more despite having more simplified actions and Sims emotions. There's a lot to love about each, especially with the free updates developer Maxis has given Sims 4 since launch, but The Sims 3 takes the crown in being the best base version of The Sims yet. - Miranda Sanchez (Read Our Review)
69. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Sam Fisher's third adventure is actually three masterpiece games in one. In the campaign, a stunning real-time lighting engine and open mission design allows you to play in countless different ways: total stealth, full gunplay, or a gadget-fest. Game 2 is the four-mission two-player co-op campaign, in which two young agents work together in a side story that runs parallel to Fisher's adventure. You literally have to play together, from boosting each other up to high ledges to going back-to-back to scale elevator shafts, the co-op mode committed to cooperation in a way no other action game had. And then you had Spies vs. Mercs, which took the asymmetrical multiplayer mode introduced in Pandora Tomorrow and refined it into something truly unique in the gaming world. Agile, non-lethal spies playing in third-person view faced off against slow-moving but heavily armed mercs that saw the game through a first-person helmet. It was tense, riveting, and brilliant. - Ryan McCaffrey (Read Our Review)
68. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
In this era of Trophies and Achievements, completing everything in a game is common. But when Yoshi’s Island came out, the reward for exploration was greater than a Gamerscore: for collecting all of the extremely well-hidden red coins and flowers and then finishing a level with 30 stars (which basically means you can’t get hit), you received a 100% rating. If you did this on every level in a world, you unlocked two more levels in each of the six worlds. And these levels were even harder than the others! I spent many hours 100%-ing my Yoshi’s Island cartridge and the save stuck with me all the way until an unfortunate incident while reviewing a contemporary knockoff Super Nintendo. I’ve never been so excited to start over from scratch. - Samuel Claiborn
67. Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 was the first in the series to establish the town itself as a character – in a genre oversaturated with run-of-the-mill killers, zombies, aliens, and other more conventional adversaries, Silent Hill 2’s focus on horror in architecture, in the layout and personality of a space, of the human psyche turned tangible, was vastly more interesting to me. Most of all, it was scary – like, actually scary: an exploration of the depths of human depravity and the effects it has on the people and places around us that few video games have handled with such a disturbing grace and maturity. - Lonnie Rad (Read Our Review)
66. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is just how much it dwarfs Grand Theft Auto III in every way. Forget one city. Have three, with vast swathes of forests, countryside, and desert in between. Want more vehicles? Have over 250 of them, including jump jets, combine harvesters, lawnmowers, bicycles, semi-trailers, forklifts, and so, so many more. Music? No problem. How does 11 radio stations and over 150 tracks sound? Not enough? How about a functioning casino? How about a jetpack? How about same-screen free-roaming co-op? How about fast food that actually makes you fat? And how about we put Samuel L. Jackson in it? Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the all-time best-selling game on PlayStation 2 – itself the best-selling console of all-time – and it’s just not at all hard to see why. - Luke Reilly (Read Our Review)
65. XCOM 2
Kicking alien invaders off of Earth in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen never gets old. Thanks to its procedurally generated maps and wide range of enemies, abilities, and ever-improving gear and weaponry, the tactical possibilities for your squad are all but endless. Especially when played on high difficulty in the no-takebacks Iron Man mode, every decision can mean the difference between life and permadeath for characters who begin as blank slate rookies but become an elite team. (And that's before you even get started on mods.) - Dan Stapleton (Read Our Review)
64. Control
Ostensibly a drab government building, Control's main setting of The Oldest House is actually a shifting, twisting, and teleporting behemoth, which the team uses to consistently marry the everyday with the supernatural in increasingly bizarre and exciting ways. And exploration around this world is some of the best in third-person action - Marvel may not have ever given us a proper Jean Grey videogame, but playing as Jesse Faden offers enough telekinetic powers to play with that at once feel powerful and spry, weighty yet nimble in a way that translates to both exploration and combat. Control may seem unassuming, just like its location, on the surface, but digging just a couple levels deeper reveals how layered, nuanced, and enchanting its world really is. - Jonathon Dornbush (Read Our Review)
63. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
All Ghillied Up was my first glimpse of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in action, and as two camouflaged snipers worked their way through an irradiated Pripyat in Ukraine, I was instantly hooked. The highlight – not just of the demo but arguably of the entire game – was watching, breath held, as an entire armored patrol trundled past, inches from our hiding spot, and it’s a moment of tension that’s never been matched in a shooter since. Electric set-pieces and superb pacing make Modern Warfare’s single-player campaign one of the most memorable first-person shooters ever, but it’s the perfectly balanced multiplayer that made it the de rigueur online game for years to follow. Multiplayer shooters were never the same again. - Alex Simmons (Read Our Review)
62. Rise of the Tomb Raider
While the Tomb Raider reboot in 2013 kicked off a new direction for the iconic heroine that was more in line with modern AAA storytelling (read: Lara was given a deeper backstory and a personality), Rise of the Tomb Raider took it and ran a mile. It continued to flesh out Lara as a driven, wary character while upping the ante on what made the 2013 game so fun; fluid traversal, crunchy combat, and beautifully intricate puzzle tombs. Add a delicately told emotional throughline centered on Lara’s relationship with her father, and you’ve got what is currently the series’ apex. - Lucy O'Brien (Read Our Review)
61. Batman: Arkham City
After Arkham Asylum laid the groundwork for a superhero game that hit all the right beats, Batman: Arkham City took everything to the next level by letting Batman loose in the streets of Gotham. Not only did it nail the feeling of stalking and beating down thugs with an impressive array of gadgets, it raised the stakes of what a caped crusader could deal with in a single night. Arkham City’s heaping helping of infamous rogues let you experience them in their element, and found perfect ways for Batman to foil them via both brain and brawn – leading to some of the best boss fights ever conceived. Each supervillain added to the oppressive weight of trying to save the day with the odds stacked against you, and the story’s climax remains one of the most striking moments in video games. - Brendan Graeber (Read Our Review)
60. Dishonored 2
Dishonored 2’s wildly fun skillset is perfectly paired with its chaotic playground; tinkering with both means no two playthroughs will ever be the same. Bend Dishonored 2, try and break it, and you’ll be amazed and how deeply it caters to your most deranged experimentation. Like its predecessor, it’s also incredibly stylish, the Southern-European city of Karnaca bursting with ideas and history. Play it low-key, and Dishonored 2 is one of the best stealth games ever made. Play it high-chaos, and you’ll never settle for a mere gun in a first person video game again. - Lucy O’Brien (Read Our Review)
59. The Witness
The island setting of The Witness enveloped me in its striking color palette and minimalistic soundscape. Weaved into this tranquil setting however is a series of fiendish puzzles, each offering a unique challenge. These puzzles had me scrawling patterns on pieces of graph paper, reflecting the sun, and listening to the local wildlife – I explored every corner of my brain, and this island, in search of increasingly-evasive solutions. The final challenge had me questioning my sanity. Being stuck on one particular conundrum seemed frustrating at the time, but that all washed away in a sense of near-unparalleled euphoria once it had been solved. Unlike so many games that are desperate to hand-hold and drip-feed, The Witness has a refreshingly high opinion of its player, expecting them to think for themselves. It’s what makes The Witness so challenging but also deeply special. - Simon Cardy (Read Our Review)
58. Journey
Journey is the closest a video game has come to emulating the effects of poetry. In terms of structure it’s so simple: you must reach a snowy mountain peak visible in the distance. Along the way, your character surfs across glistening deserts, hides from flying creatures made entirely from cloth, and occasionally meets other players embarking on the same pilgrimage. Journey has a unique and special tone: it’s dreamlike and melancholic for the most part, but it’s the rapturous conclusion which truly elevates it. Words like "breathtaking" are used so liberally their meaning has been hollowed out, but Journey deserves to command its full significance. - Daniel Krupa (Read Our Review)
57. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Many games attempt to emulate cinema, dealing in the same tropes and stock characters. Initially, it looks like Uncharted does the same thing – it focuses on a treasure hunter who frequently finds himself in danger across exotic locations. But when you play Uncharted, especially the second installment, Among Thieves, you realize it surpasses much of Hollywood with ease. So often action exists for action sake – to look cool – but Uncharted 2: Among Thieves uses it to reveal more about its central character, Nathan Drake, and his relationships with a strong cast of supporting characters. That’s not to say the action isn’t spectacular. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves set a new benchmark for cinematic action, graphical fidelity, and established Nathan Drake as one of the great video game characters of his time. - Daniel Krupa (Read Our Review)
56. Overwatch
Blizzard performed alchemy here. Overwatch should be leaden – a Team Fortress cover version with two-and-a-half modes and a MOBA approach to character design. And yet what we have is gold. The key here is in how Blizzard looked beyond simply making a good shooter – it made an interesting one. Its backstory is PG-13 Pixar, its characters are diverse and lovable, and much more. Pro gamers, cosplayers, fanfic writers, ARG detectives and everyone in between have all been given a reason to play a single game – no mean feat. And this isn’t to play down the game itself – Blizzard didn’t make a Team Fortress clone, it made a successor. It’s a swift, satisfying shooter, with a whirling game-to-game internal meta of character picks and counter-picks. - Joe Skrebels (Read Our Review)
55. Apex Legends
Apex Legends continues to bring one of if not the best free-to-play Battle Royale to fans, and its shining accomplishment may just lie in its revolutionary ping system. Its ability to give players the capability to instantly and efficiently communicate in the middle of hectic yet strategic battles is one of the most impactful innovations in gaming. Apex also bucked the default character trend by giving characters unique personalities. These are ingrained in their DNA and reflected in their relationships, connections, playstyles, and abilities, all of which feature prominently surrounding media and in-game events to create a winning combination to give everyone a favorite Legend. Apex has seen its share of growing pains over the years, but its dedication to its fans, constant updates, and evolving metagame continue to keep the attention of fans new and old. - Jada Griffin (Read Our Review)
54. Hollow Knight
In a genre as old as the Metroidvania, it's rare for a game to breathe fresh life into it as much as Hollow Knight did. Its winding subterranean halls are deeper than you’d expect in just about every way you can imagine – from its impressive size and scope, to its comprehensive but delicately told story and lore, to its innumerable upgrades and secrets to uncover. It’s easy to get lost in its caves, or at least lose track of time while exploring them – but once you find your footing you’ll be more than glad you did, because they’re home to one of the best games this genre has ever produced. - Tom Marks (Read Our Review)
53. Ms. Pac-Man
I restore classic arcade and pinball machines and one of my favorite projects was bringing a Ms. Pac-Man cocktail machine back from the dead. With a rebuilt monitor, restored art, and of course the speed chip that makes it many times faster, Ms. Pac-Man made a popular addition to my homecade. We run an occasional high score competition at IGN and so I thought it would be cool to bring it into our lunch room for a bit. For a month, the machine was never left alone. We work in an office surrounded by the latest toys and games, but Ms. Pac-Man attracted crowds. People changed their commutes to come in early and stay late just to play. Frequently we'd be across the office in a conference room and the strains of the Ms. Pac-Man cutscene music would waft over and make everyone giggle. There are very few games which can create so much happiness after so many decades. - Samuel Claiborn
52. Counter-Strike 1.6
Many of the things I value most in skill-based games, I value because of Counter-Strike: good level design, team-based dynamic, the dedication required to master it, a friendly sense of competition, and a solid sense of community. It taught me the joy of earning my victories in a game, but also the importance of learning from my failures. It’s the reason I love first-person shooters and the reason I stuck by PC games at a young age, and I owe it all to its earliest iterations. - Lonnie Rad (Read Our Review)
51. Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 came out exactly a year after the original, which upset a lot of people who (incorrectly) assumed the sequel would be a glorified expansion pack to the first. But Left 4 Dead 2 does exactly what a sequel needs to do: be better in every way. L4D2 - developed in-house at Valve - has more creative levels in its campaign, more special infected to kill (or play as, if playing in Versus Mode), a bigger variety of weapons, and protagonists with some actual personality. Though the original development team went on to create the asymmetrical multiplayer shooter Evolve, nothing has quite matched the visceral thrills and scares of Left 4 Dead 2, which stands as one of the pinnacles of modern co-op gaming. - Jobert Atienza (Read Our Review)
50. EarthBound
The story of Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo's journey across a strange, slanted version of America was such a vast departure from previous RPGs I'd played like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, and its probably the game that I rented the most. It wasn't drenched in fantasy tropes and pathos, but rather brimming with color, humor, and some of the weirdest characters and events I'd ever seen in a game. Simultaneously, it knows how to pack an emotional punch. So yeah, I rented it. Obviously, it didn't come with the pack-in player's guide, so I only made it so far before I had to return it. Then I rented it again. And again. And again. Eventually, my parents noticed that my college fund was being given to Blockbuster, so they nipped the problem in the bud and bought it for me. It's been my favorite JRPG ever since. - Andrew Goldfarb
49. Diablo II
What hooks you instantly in Diablo II is just how perfectly measured the core gameplay loop of killing, looting and upgrading is. Whether you’re just starting out or wading through Hell with a hardcore character, Diablo II has a momentum that’s impossible not to be swept up in. The odds are always overwhelming, the atmosphere always malevolent, and the reward always worth the risk. The simple joy of wading through thick knots of enemies with my necromancer and his summoned brood of skeletons and mages, setting off chains of corpse explosions and painting the world red was an end game in itself. - Cam Shea (Read Our Review)
48. StarCraft
Not only were players treated to an excellent RTS experience in StarCraft, but their reward for completing sections of the campaign were evocative visuals that further immersed you in a world where humans are losing a war against brutal aliens. As I played through the storyline I learned to love the different little characters I interacted with and felt genuine anger when the Zerg managed to capture Kerrigan and bend her to their will. Still, the highlight of StarCraft is its multiplayer. Few gaming moments are as satisfying as defending your base against a Zerg rush as the Protoss or successfully sending in a fleet of Terran to decimate an enemy's base. - Destin Legarie
47. World of Warcraft
I believe the defining characteristic that draws people to World of Warcraft is the freedom to play the game as you see fit. Like grouping with friends? The game gives you the ability to start with a crew and play through the entire game together, regardless of race or class. Want to make a go at it solo? Then take on quests alone. The higher level dungeons and raids demand teamwork, but with its stellar Looking for Group system, finding people to tackle a hard boss has never been easier. It’s always worth mentioning the warring factions of the alliance and horde. While choosing a faction seems a tad more meaningless than it used to, mainly because the factions basically are tasked with the same things, the old days of Crossroads and Tarren Mill are memories some players will have forever. - Mark Medina (Read Our Review)
46. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic almost single-handedly rescued Star Wars video games from purgatory. It was also one of the first times the beloved IP was handed to a world-class developer in BioWare. The result was not just one of the best role-playing games ever made, but one that helped legitimize Western RPGs on consoles and establish the fledgling Xbox as a destination for top-tier third-party games. KOTOR was a 40-hour role-playing epic set 4,000 years before the Original Trilogy. As such, it had the freedom to tell the story it wanted and invent a new universe of characters without Lucasfilm slapping it on the wrist and telling it no. And so we got Revan and one of the best twists in gaming history, and we got the dark wit of robot party member HK-47. Best of all, we got a Star Wars story where your choices truly mattered. Choosing to double-cross someone you'd agreed to help would earn you Dark Side points, and eventually you could become truly evil and sadistically powerful. But so too could your benevolent actions bring you to the Light Side and make you a virtuous hero. - Ryan McCaffrey (Read Our Review)
45. Fallout: New Vegas
Like Fallout 3 before it, Fallout New Vegas throws us into a harsh, post-nuclear America. But it very quickly becomes something greater than just more of the same thanks to some amazing writing and touches by some of the minds behind the original Fallout and Fallout 2. It’s not limited to mechanical tweaks like improved real-time combat and crafting. Several factions with deep, shades-of-gray characters populate the wastes with interesting moral decisions, making the conflict between the New California Republic, Caesar’s Legion, and the mysterious Mr. House feel like anything but a black-and-white choice between good and evil. The fact that we get to decide the outcome makes it even better. - Dan Stapleton (Read Our Review)
44. Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI was a revelation. Its dark, steampunk-laden world was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and I loved how the heroes were more brooding and complex than their cheery predecessors. The music affected me profoundly as well; some of my favorite Nobuo Uematsu pieces are from the Final Fantasy VI soundtrack. But what really sets Final Fantasy VI apart is its many iconic moments, including Magitek armor moving slowly through a snowy field and Celes singing at the opera house. Along with its incredible story and soundtrack, Final Fantasy VI also features a fantastic combat system with a whopping 14 playable characters. Final Fantasy VI is considered a milestone in the Final Fantasy series, and with good reason. - Meghan Sullivan
43. Pokémon Yellow
Before you can catch all 151 Pokémon, Pokémon Yellow first teaches you how to respect and care for the sometimes temperamental creatures. The game takes all the best elements from Pokémon Red and Blue and upgrades it to make it feel more like the anime. The best change to the originals, of course, was a Pikachu following you around on your journey. Suddenly, the Pokémon weren’t just creatures you summoned for battle; they become emotional creatures that accompany on your adventure. They’re no longer just fighters you bring along. The small story elements that link Pokémon Yellow back to the anime were a fun way to let the player relive the beginning of Ash’s journey, but ultimately, Pokémon Yellow is simply one of the best ways to experience the Pokémon universe – it's as simple as that. - Miranda Sanchez (Read Our Review)
42. Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime was gorgeous and fast, but it was also amazingly packed with detail: birds, bugs, and other wildlife occupied the ruins of the game, while hieroglyphs and etchings revealed its history. Metroid Prime was also a lonely game. Metroid Prime dropped you into the Chozo ruins with no one to talk to. Exploring an alien planet solo is what the series is all about, and why the subsequent games with space marines and hunters just didn't work as well. - Samuel Claiborn (Read Our Review)
41. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
To me, everything about Skyrim was a vast improvement over its predecessor, Oblivion. The craggy, intimidating peaks of the Nord homeland and the saga of the Dovahkiin were much more interesting than the relatively sedate happenings of their neighbors in Cyrodiil. But what’s more, there’s so much lying just around the corner, off the beaten path, that you could never even stumble upon it in a hundred hours as the Dragonborn. But the fact that such care for detail, for world-building, for exploration and for immersion was paid to every tome, tomb, and quest, is enough to cement Skyrim as one of the absolute best role-playing games we’ve ever seen, and one of the best games of all time. - Brandin Tyrrel (Read Our Review)
40. Resident Evil 4
With a perfect blend of atmosphere, action and story, Resident Evil 4 totally redefined the 3rd person shooter, and it featured some incredible set pieces like battling against chainsaw-wielding maniacs, giant men, giant fish, tiny men in Napoleon costumes, and medium-sized centipede men. RE4 unlocked the true potential of the series in a way that hasn’t been matched before or since, and will probably always be the most universally beloved Resident Evil title. - Jeremy Azevedo (Read Our Review)
39. Shadow of the Colossus
Few games have ever inspired the same sense of awe that Shadow of the Colossus does within its first 10 minutes. Climbing that first ledge and coming face to face with the first Colossus is among the most impactful, and almost terrifying, experiences in all of gaming. From its beautiful, crumbling ruins to the hulking, ancient Colossi, Fumito Ueda’s sun-soaked action/adventure game is drenched in a muted, melancholy aesthetic that has become synonymous with his, admittedly limited, works. Part love story, part monster hunt, part parable, Shadow of the Colossus borrows heavily from what came before, but inspires much of what came after. - Zach Ryan (Read Our Review)
38. The Last of Us Part 2
2013’s The Last of Us pulled very few punches, choosing to eschew a tidy, walk-into-the-sunset hero’s victory for a morally ambiguous rug pull. Its follow-up was more unlikely still; a revenge tale that put us in the shoes of a character we were encouraged to hate early on. Somehow, The Last of Us Part 2 makes it work, and the warring stories of its beautifully performed dual protagonists are told with no punches pulled, once again leaving us in a more ambiguous space than AAA games would usually allow. Plus, its combat is fluid, it looks gorgeous, and its sinister creature design means it’s genuinely tense from moment to moment. A masterpiece. - Lucy O'Brien (Read Our Review)
37. Red Dead Redemption
Not only did I get completely lost in the massive single-player world of Red Dead Redemption, to the point where I'd started talking with a bit of a drawl because I was so used to hearing it, but it also drew me into online gaming unlike anything I'd played before. Never before had I so successfully crafted my own stories and adventures (with friends and strangers alike) than in Red Dead's Free Roam mode. It was the kind of game you couldn't wait to discuss with your friends the next day. Everyone had their own amazing tales to tell about their time in the old west, and you were constantly making new ones every time you turned it on. - Jon Ryan (Read Our Review)
36. Metal Gear Solid
It wasn't until Snake covertly slithered his way onto the PlayStation that Metal Gear cemented itself as a big deal. The moment-to-moment gameplay was about being sneaky, and players were rewarded for outsmarting the defenses of Shadow Moses quietly and cleverly, but things frequently got loud during iconic boss fights and over-the-top action setpieces. However, where Metal Gear Solid was truly groundbreaking was its emphasis on narrative and cinematic presentation. Hideo Kojima's love of Hollywood action movies was readily apparent through slick cutscenes, Yoji Shinkawa's character and mechanical designs added a heavy dose of anime sensibility, and the whole experience sounded amazing thanks to the musical contributions of Harry Gregson Williams and a stellar voice cast. Metal Gear Solid looked like a movie, sounded like a movie, and felt like a movie, but still played like a video game, striking a delicate balance that the medium is still striving for over twenty years later. - Max Scoville (Read Our Review)
35. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
Civilization IV is a great turn-based strategy game on its own, but it wasn’t until the Beyond the Sword expansion that it became truly legendary, and the highlight of the 28-year-old Civilization series. The changes it makes are sweeping: it adds corporations, which add another religion-like layer, fleshes out the espionage system and victory conditions, and enhances the AI to put up a great fight. Meanwhile, random events ranging from tornadoes to baby booms make every playthrough even more unique and eventful than ever before. And that’s on top of a game that’s so addictive to begin with that it’s cost us countless nights of sleep whilst chanting its “Just one more turn” mantra or humming its Grammy award-winning theme song. - Dan Stapleton (Read Our Review)
34. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
There's not a ton left that we can really say about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time outside of the fact that it's indisputably one of the greatest games ever made. Not only did it redefine action/adventure games, but it completely changed the way the industry thought about 3D combat and exploration. An epic tale that introduced new characters, new lore, and an ever-expanding timeline theory, this version of Zelda took what was great about its predecessors and expanded on those themes and ideas exponentially. Solving puzzle across time, riding Epona through the vast expanse of Hyrule, and the final confrontation with Ganon are moments that will stick with Zelda fans forever, but in 1998 they were mind-bending, genre-defining. - Zach Ryan (Read Our Review)
33. Minecraft
The premise of Minecraft is incredibly simple—mine materials such as stone and wood, and build things with it. Yet, the possibilities are incredibly limitless. The world always begins as a bright sunny day, and you use this time to chop down trees, dig, and maybe even slay a few animals for food. It’s great, until the sun starts to set and the actual enemies start to appear. It’s at this point you realize this is actually a survival game, and you’re forced to either burrow underground or make a quick makeshift wood cabin. Then as the sun rises and you watch all the enemies burn to a crisp, you are finally free to explore again, you are hit with a joyous urge to explore and dive even deeper into the game. From then on, the only thing that’s standing in between you and literally anything, is imagination. - Mark Medina (Read Our Review)
32. Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved simply felt at home on a gamepad, and the fact that it had a likeable and heroic protagonist, a rich sci-fi universe that felt fleshed-out despite this being the first game in the series, and Halo became an instant smash hit. But its story was only half of its success. Halo was quite simply one of the best multiplayer shooters ever upon its release, thanks to its incredible complement of weapons (two-shot death pistol FTW!) that mixed seamlessly with third-person-controlled vehicles across a swath of classic maps like Blood Gulch, Sidewinder, Hang 'em High, and more. That it was all set to the chanting-monks theme song that, like the game itself, became legendary. - Ryan McCaffrey (Read Our Review)
31. Half-Life
When Half-Life first came out in 1998, it was immediately obvious how transformative a game it was. Valve not only proved it was possible to tell a real, atmospheric story from within a first-person-shooter, but did it so brilliantly that its lessons have informed virtually every shooter campaign since. Stepping into the Black Mesa Research Facility as mild-mannered Gordon Freeman and bearing witness to the accident that sets off an interdimensional invasion is a master class in introducing a game’s universe. Instead of stopping the action and playing a cutscene to advance the story, Half-Life’s tale all plays out from Gordon’s perspective, never taking control away from us, but directing our eyes toward its scripted events. Iconic monsters – most notably the Alien facehugger-like Headcrabs that transform scientists into gruesome zombies – and impressive soldier AI gave Half-Life a spooky atmosphere backed up by enemies that pose a real threat. Great and memorable weapons, from the simple crowbar to the silent sniper crossbow and the biological homing weapon that shoots alien bees, made fighting through the spooky ruins of Black Mesa a fantastic battle. - Dan Stapleton (Read Our Review)
30. Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy 14 has long moved beyond its redemption arc and entered its dominant era. No other MMORPG has spent the past decade so consistently, releasing critically-acclaimed expansion after expansion. Square Enix’s hard work has paid off too as each year millions more players sign up to see what the buzz is about. Final Fantasy 14’s success doesn’t just hinge on its playability as an MMO, but its appeal to fans of single-player JRPGs as well. This dual-threat approach, plus a level of dedication to players’ happiness means no discussions about the best MMORPG of all time, let alone game, can be complete without talking about FF14. - Matt Kim (Read Our Review)
29. Doom
DOOM changed my life. My gaming life, at least. Having spent my entire existence up to that point playing platformers, side-scrolling action games, etc. on 8- and 16-bit consoles, DOOM's first-person shooting was a jaw-dropping paradigm shift. Everything about DOOM was incredible. The graphics were colorful and convincing. Lightning was spooky. It felt like you were on a Martian moon. It's music was memorable. Weapon design was brilliant, and enemy design even more so. From the imps to the Cacodemons to the Cyberdemon, nearly every creature in DOOM was the stuff of nightmares – and in a then-unheard-of gameplay twist, they hated each other as much as they hated you. And then there was DeathMatch. Whether you were connecting two PCs with a serial cable for one-on-one action or throwing a LAN party where four people hauled their PCs to the same place (bulky CRT monitors and all!) to chainsaw each other in the game, DOOM DeathMatch changed everything. And, incredibly, it's still fun. - Ryan McCaffrey
28. Tetris
The classic Russian tile-matching puzzle game by Alexey Pajitnov blew my mind way back in the day. I still remember spending hours sitting in front of the TV with the NES sitting at my feet, rotating brightly colored puzzle pieces as they fell from the abyss, attempting to arrange them into horizontal lines that when assembled correctly would disappear and cause me to advance to the next stage. It was crazy fun, even when blocks began to fall at an alarmingly fast pace and I fell into a frenzied panic. But no matter how many times I had to start the game over, it was just too much fun to stop. There was always the chance that this time I’d get the right puzzle piece at the right time and could move on to the next stage. I never got tired of it, and even now Tetris remains one of my favorite games of all time. - Meghan Sullivan
27. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
There’s a reason a snake’s skeleton, and not a snake itself, features prominently in the title sequence of Snake Eater. This was the game that stripped the Metal Gear formula down to its very core and proved that it could still function even outside our expectations. It forced us to take what we knew about espionage and infiltration and learn how to apply it in a new, unfamiliar environment, and it did so with a bold and elegant understanding of its own systems. You could have all the stealth know-how and military training in the world, but out there in the unpredictable jungle of the Russian wilderness, you were exposed, vulnerable… a Naked Snake. And it worked. Snake Eater is arguably one of the most interesting love stories ever told in a game, one of the strangest and most exciting Cold War-era adventures, and one of the first games to truly make me reflect on my actions as a player. It manages to be tragic, sometimes devastatingly so, and yet still maintain that absurd comedic flair that I admire about this series. Any game that can make you emotional about climbing a ladder deserves some kind of recognition. - Lonnie Rad (Read Our Review)
26. Half-Life: Alyx
VR is still a relatively young medium, and while plenty of games had already showed off its exciting potential, none of them had actually harnessed it so completely before Half-Life: Alyx. It raised the bar to astronomical heights – for what a VR campaign could look like, what VR shooting could feel like, and how a VR story could move you. Part of its strength comes from how completely it embraced that medium, pushing the player to investigate every corner and crevice in a way traditional 2D games simply can’t. But while that masterful design unequivocally positions it as the best VR game ever game, its incredible world, story, and encounters (and the way they set the stage for the future of Half-Life) make it a truly impressive FPS regardless of platform. - Tom Marks (Read Our Review)
25. God of War
God of War didn't just pull off the impressive feat of reinvigorating and reinventing a franchise that had seemingly run cold, but it also smartly subverted what came before to create an adventure that both played to its past and stood on its own as one of the finest games of its generation. Nearly every facet of Sony Santa Monica's Norse epic is working in concert with one another to craft a thrilling, memorable, and engrossing adventure. From its haunting score, to the beautifully written and acted story of Kratos and Atreus, to the incredible feel of the Leviathan Axe, God of War's impressive craftsmanship shines through at every step, honoring the past while forging its own path. - Jonathon Dornbush (Read Our Review)
24. Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is widely regarded as the greatest RPG of all time, and for good reason. What begins as a typical “day-in-the-life” adventure, quickly spirals into a sprawling, epoch jumping romp that is equally exhilarating and endearing. Created by a “dream team” at Squaresoft including Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and character designs by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, Chrono Trigger’s pedigree was only outshined by its universal praise upon its release in the spring of 1995. Even at the twilight of the SNES’ lifespan, Chrono Trigger’s branching narrative, colorful characters and unforgettable soundtrack were more than enough to earn it a place on our list in this timeline or any other. - Zach Ryan
23. Portal
There's a reason first-person puzzle games far and wide are constantly compared to Portal — though a brief adventure, its gameplay, tone, writing, and structure so cohesively work together to create one of the most memorable, challenging, and fascinating puzzle games around. Arming players with the now-iconic Portal gun and the devastating - and lethal - wit of Glad0s, Valve guided players through a fantastically orchestrated and escalating set of physics-based puzzles that ended with one of the most memorable end-credits songs of all time. But for as great as its puzzles are, and the way they take the simplicity of two portals you can shoot almost anywhere into such fascinating territory, it's also Portal's world-building that equally makes the game such a memorable touchstone. - Jonathon Dornbush (Read Our Review)
22. Street Fighter II
What can you say about the definitive fighting game, the game that has spawned countless imitators, acolytes, and sequels? Street Fighter II remains a classic in video game lore, making series mainstays Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li as well as words like “Hadouken” part of the public lexicon. Everyone has a favorite character and that’s because of its diverse, fantastical character design. While exceptionally balanced, the imaginative design and high-end graphics for its time helped set it apart. Street Fighter II became perhaps the first fighting game global arcade smash and it is still celebrated today. - Christian Holt
21. Super Mario Bros.
Mario's move out of arcades and into the Mushroom Kingdom changed our hobby and our industry as we know it, setting off a chain of events that shaped gaming as we know it today. Super Mario Bros. has been re-released many times, but there's no such thing as too many times because it's still fun and it's still some kid's first time ever playing a game. Its influence cannot be overstated. Example: literally everyone reading this can hum its theme song, right now, from memory. See? Now it's playing in your head again. You're welcome. - Ryan McCaffrey
20. Undertale
A small child falls into the world of monsters and suddenly finds themselves the target of an ancient grudge that calls for their death. Undertale puts the player in a unique situation; where you'd usually kill everything in your way, Undertale gives you the option to spare every monster you meet, though it never requires it. Every monster killed or spared alters something in the world, whether it be another monster wondering what happened to their friend, an opportunity for a hilarious date, or a slightly easier time with a specific monster's bullet hell battle. Undertale is jam-packed with emotion, charm, and determination to show that your actions make a difference, no matter how small you think they may be. - Miranda Sanchez (Read Our Review)
19. Bloodborne
Bloodborne initially presents as a work of Gothic horror – you spend the opening hours inching through Yharnam’s dark alleyways and ominous churches, culling hordes of muttering werewolves – but this soon gives way to a weird tale worthy of Lovecraft himself. But its ambitious story – of religious and scientific schisms, of dreams and reality, of idiot gods and nightmare newborns – is told not in the overwritten prose favoured by Lovecraft but by an exceptionally savage third-person action game. From Software intentionally ditched Dark Souls’ trusted shield to force the player to be more aggressive. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki wanted every slash inflicted by its arsenal of gruesome weapons to feel as if you were fighting for your life. As is usually the case, his design works flawlessly. - Daniel Krupa (Read Our Review)
18. BioShock
BioShock will likely always be remembered for its game-changing “Would You Kindly?” twist, but the first adventure in Rapture is so much more than a dressed-up dupe. From first encountering a splicer caring for a gun the way a mother cares for her baby to the still-enrapturing Andrew Ryan twist toward the game’s end, BioShock delivers one enrapturing setpiece after another. That’s largely in part thanks to one of the most memorable locations in gaming history. So much story is embedded in the dilapidated hallways and shuttered rooms of Rapture, a decaying underwater labyrinth that demands to be investigated. The mark of a good experience is one that you keep thinking about long after you’ve finished it. And I still haven’t stopped thinking about BioShock, its incredible location, and those awesome Plasmids. - Jonathon Dornbush (Read Our Review)
17. The Last of Us
I still think about three moments in The Last of Us at least once a week. The first is when Joel’s life changes in a moment in the game’s intro. The second moment arrived late into the game and demanded I make a certain gameplay choice because that’s how Joel would act, even if it wasn’t what I wanted to do. That dissonance struck me, but made so much sense. This was Joel and Ellie’s story I was experiencing, and those characters feel so real thanks to the script, animation, and Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson’s stellar performances. The Last of Us marries its storytelling with its gameplay, and nothing made me feel more than that last moment. The game’s final discussion between its two protagonists is filled with so much emotional weight because of their experience – because of what you experienced – that it’s difficult to think of another ending so perfectly true to this unforgettable experience. - Jonathon Dornbush (Read Our Review)
16. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
For all its inter-dimensional threats, monster hunts and magic powers, I’ve always thought The Witcher 3’s key achievement is in how it nails the mundane. Geralt’s fantasy world is one of mud, thatch and metal, his main quests are freelance work, and he loves a game of cards down the pub. That sense of reality is what helps you empathise with Geralt, understand the world, and really understand how bad things have gotten when the crazy shit starts popping off. An RPG with enough complexity to satisfy the urge to tinker, but enough character never to feel impersonal, Wild Hunt is a staggering achievement no matter how you look at it. Its story deftly balances cosmic threat and family drama, its choices feel truly meaningful and world-changingly effective, and it looks gorgeous in its own grubby way. Even its two DLC expansions are among the best ever released. Geralt’s final journey might be built on the mundane, but that makes it nothing short of magical. - Joe Skrebels (Read Our Review)
15. Halo 2
Few games had more of a buildup prior to their release than Halo 2, and even fewer managed to live up to them in the way that Halo 2 did. Master Chief taking the fight with the Covenant to Earth was epic, action-packed, and visually stunning on the original Xbox. Sure, the campaign didn't so much end as much as stopped, but the shocking reveal of the playable Arbiter and his story that mirrored the Chief's was a twist no one saw coming. Furthermore, and perhaps even more importantly, Halo 2 was the killer app for Xbox Live. It brought the party system and matchmaking hopper concept to consoles, instantly making every other online console game look archaic in its infrastructure by comparison. Of course, it helped that the multiplayer gameplay was, well, legendary. - Ryan McCaffrey (Read Our Review)
14. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
There is one specific moment in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night that elevates it from merely being a “game I love” into its position as one of the best games ever made. It’s also one of the most epic video game secrets of all time. After you’ve played through the entire game, defeating massive bosses, equipping badass loot and discovering dozens of secrets, right at the moment you think you’re about to win, you discover you’re only halfway done! Symphony’s (spoilers!) inverted second castle is much more than just a lazy way to extend the quest. It has devilish new enemy patterns, new bosses, and fantastic new equipment. Symphony of the Night is much more than just a fun side-scroller with an awesome twist, though. Art, animation, sound, gameplay, design… even replay value, thanks to multiple playable characters, all come together perfectly for one unforgettable experience that hits every note it needs to. - Justin Davis (Read Our Review)
13. Hades
Supergiant has released a string of incredible action games since its foundation, but Hades is all at once its best game, one of the finest takes on and best introductions to the roguelike genre, and a fresh, vibrant, and beautiful take on Greek mythology. As the son of the titular Hades, Zagreus, you'll try escaping the underworld again and again and again, and Hades makes that Sisyphean task constantly rewarding (and not just because Sisyphus is actually a character). Hades places as much an emphasis on the wide array of powers you earn every run, which allows for so much variety in how you approach a run, as it does on permanent progression, either in unlocking weapons, overarching stats, and more. But it doubles down on those rewards, with new bits of story, character development, and lore being just as important to every death and rebirth as the mechanical knowledge and upgrades you unlock. That's bolstered by a suite of incredible voice performances, fun twists on Greek myth, and a fantastic soundtrack that makes each attempt at breaking free memorable. - Jonathon Dornbush (Read Our Review)
12. Grand Theft Auto V
If Grand Theft Auto V is anything it’s a game of immense, obsessive detail. There is no open world that feels as authentic and lived-in as Grand Theft Auto V’s Los Santos and its surrounding countryside. Turn it on and pick a street. Analyse it. Look at the unique shopfronts that aren’t repeated anywhere else. Look at the asphalt, worn and cracked; punished by the millions of cars that have hypothetically passed over it. Look at the litter, the graffiti. Grand Theft Auto V’s mad mix of high-speed chases, cinematic shootouts, and hectic heists may be outrageous at times, but the environment it unfolds within is just so real. A technical titan and an endless source of emergent fun, it’s no wonder Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most successful games ever made. No game sells over 155 million copies by accident. - Luke Reilly (Read Our Review)
11. Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 was a game that exceeded my every hope and wish for it, and I spent hundreds of blissful afternoons defeating Koopa Kids, rescuing kings, and discovering secrets strewn throughout Mushroom World. Mario 3 earned a place on my list of favorite games way back in 1990, and 25 years of gaming progress have yet to dislodge it. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a textbook example of how to make a perfect video game sequel. It’s a mixture of the original’s best elements, combined with an almost excessive amount of imaginative new ideas. So much of what we consider so quintessentially Mario – the suits, the boos, the overworld – all actually originated here. - Justin Davis
10. Disco Elysium
Simply put, there’s nothing else quite like Disco Elysium. The premise is straightforward: A body has been discovered, hanged from a looming tree in the backyard of a hostel, and it’s up to you to work out how it got there over the course of the 30-hour story. It’s a unique blend of noir detective fiction, traditional pen-and-paper RPGs, and a large helping of existentialist theory. Its twisting plot, a cast of memorable characters, and sheer depth of choice combine to create an experience that begs to be savored in a world riddled with crime, poverty, and violence. And, somehow, it manages to make all of this fun and, surprisingly often, funny. It quickly becomes clear that this isn’t simply a whodunnit, but a journey that will challenge you to solve crises on both profoundly personal and societal levels. A gorgeously designed isometric RPG that makes you think at every turn of its richly detailed streets, Disco Elysium is truly a unique experience, and one that will surely live long in the memory of any who have, for many years to come. - Simon Cardy (Read Our Review)
9. Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 forever changed our expectations for what a first-person shooter could be. Its richly imagined world and wonderfully paced gameplay is a delight, never letting up and brimming with invention. The Gravity Gun is obviously the poster child of Half-Life 2, turning each environment into a tactile playground in which you can create improvised weapons and solve basic but clever physics puzzles - and its importance can’t be overstated - but there’s an awful lot more here. We’re introduced to Alyx Vance, a supporting character with a rare warmth and intelligence. We’re transported to an iconic city, where Combine barricades loom with grim authority, and Striders stalk the streets with an otherworldly menace. We get to set Antlions on our enemies and in which we play fetch with a robot Dog. In short, it is a truly memorable piece of game design. - Cam Shea (Read Our Review)
8. Red Dead Redemption 2
A sprawling Western that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Grand Theft Auto V as one of gaming’s greatest open-world achievements, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game of rare scope and even rarer quality. A beautiful ode to an ugly era, RDR2 combines Rockstar’s most authentic and lived-in open world ever with its most earnest storytelling to date, filling in the gaps with an astonishing array of deep systems and nearly endless emergent gameplay opportunities. Its slower pace allows us to binge on the world like a virtual museum but, when the lead starts flying, it puts the wild back in the west (and then some). Few games manage the level of uncompromising detail as Red Dead Redemption 2 does. Do we need to discuss the horse balls again? - Luke Reilly (Read Our Review)
7. Super Mario 64
Mario games are synonymous with fun and innovation, and perhaps Mario 64 is the best example of the latter. It gathered the core elements of Mario’s best 2D, side-scrolling adventures and worked out how to translate them into a groundbreaking 3D world. It was still recognisably Mario – he collected mushrooms and ran and jumped his way to success, but he was forever changed. He could now long jump, triple jump, and backflip. While the underlying challenge remained the same and the locations were reassuringly familiar, the shift in perspective changed everything. What’s even more impressive is that Mario did not simply enter a new dimension with ease, he did it with style that few games unburdened with such technical challenges ever achieve. Mario 64 might now look a little blocky but it remains bold and brilliant, too. - Daniel Krupa (Read Our Review)
6. Mass Effect 2
Where Mass Effect set the stage for a futuristic Milky Way, Mass Effect 2 let you explore and experience so much more of it. As Commander Shepard, I traveled the galaxy on the best recruitment trip I could have wished for, and experienced possibly one of the most heart-wrenching stories – but whether or not the game ends in tears is entirely up to you. As you head out for a suicide mission, you’ll meet some of the best-written characters that feel original and have the power to evoke true emotions. Perhaps one of the best parts about earning the loyalty of each of the companions was discovering more about their respective species and seeing how they’re surviving in a violent galaxy. Maximum loyalty for my companions in Mass Effect 2 was not an option; for my heart’s own good, it was a requirement. - Miranda Sanchez (Read Our Review)
5. Super Metroid
Super Metroid’s minimalistic environmental storytelling set a bar, way back in 1994, that I believe has still yet to be eclipsed. The planet Zebes is atmospheric, oppressive, and extremely lethal. At first glance, there doesn’t even appear to be any story. But then you start to look more closely. The parasite-riddled dead soldier outside of an early boss room. The crashed, half-submerged alien spaceship that may or may not be haunted. It’s brilliant and confident. But it’s Super Metroid’s ability to consistently invite the player to be curious – and then rewarding that curiosity – that makes it one of the greatest video games ever made. It’s not just that there are secrets hidden everywhere (although there are, and it’s awesome) – it’s that the game teases you with tantalizing clues – items, always just out of reach. Super Metroid is an impeccable action-platformer – that’s the “easy” part. What makes it truly special is its genius combination of puzzle-solving, atmosphere, storytelling, exploration, game design, and gameplay. There’s nothing else like it. - Justin Davis
4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
From it’s unforgettable beginnings guiding a swordless Link through the rain, to the final showdown with Ganon and utilizing mastery of sword and bow to defeat evil, The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past measured out a perfect pace of dungeons, exploration, and a gripping narrative that was almost unheard of at the time. It’s open landscape was always inviting but never felt aimless – striking the perfect balance of freedom and purpose in your quest to save Princess Zelda. This iteration of Hyrule was more than just moving between enemy-filled screens, it encompassed everything an immersive experience should be: a vast open world that teased you with secrets hiding just beyond your reach, begging you to come back with new and inventive tools. Each zone – whether in the cheerful overworld, dimly lit caves, or the intimidating Dark World – was brought to life through a culmination of details like the sound of the Tempered Sword cleaving the air, the catchy jingle of a puzzle well-solved, and the ambient tunes of Koji Kondo’s score. - Brendan Graeber
3. Portal 2
Portal undoubtedly came out of nowhere and shattered the mold, but Portal 2 took that raw and incredible concept and managed to shape it into a more polished and impressive package. It cranked the dials up on just about everything that made the original so special. The mind-bending puzzles, the surprisingly dark story, and the ridiculous humor that balanced it out - each piece of that picture was refined and refreshed to build a sequel that actually surpassed the ambition of an already extremely ambitious game, making something both familiar and altogether new. It gave us a deeper look into the wonderful world of Aperture Science without completely dragging all of its mysteries out into the light. It also mixed its “thinking with portals” puzzles up even further by weaving in gel mechanics that felt entirely fresh and completely natural at the same time - while simultaneously and subtly using them to tie gameplay mechanics into the story, patiently waiting until its incredible finale to pay off those setups with one of the weirdest and most spectacular video game endings around. Couple that with a seriously good co-op campaign and even a full-on custom level builder and sharing systems added post-launch and Portal 2 has stayed the high bar by which all first-person puzzle games should be measured, even nearly a decade later. - Tom Marks (Read Our Review)
2. Super Mario World
Super Mario World is a relatively simple game to describe. It’s a Super Mario game, and we all know what that means: Mushrooms; perfect running and jumping action; and a giant world to explore, crammed with secrets. But what sets Super Mario World apart from other 2D Mario games is its irresistible complexity. Subsequent Super Mario games, like the New Super Mario Bros. series, simplified the overworld, trading Super Mario World’s cool hidden paths for linear tracks, largely abandoned the skies and treetops of Super Mario World’s vertical levels for ground-based obstacle courses, and did away with flying almost entirely (capes rule, helicopter hats drool!). Super Mario World is the crescendo to the slow build in technology and game design that started with Super Mario Bros. Let Super Mario World’s placement on this list be a challenge to future game developers. We dare you to make a better game: Puzzling, but not opaque; tough but not intimidating; beautiful, funny, joyful, and universally recognizable. - Samuel Claiborn
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild eschewed the semi-linear, borderline predictable path of the 3D Zelda games before it in favor of a bold, crazy new approach: let players do what they want, how they want, and in whatever order they decide. By marrying an open-ended approach to quest structure with the ability to freely explore a vast, beautiful, intriguing world with little specific regulation, the 3D Zelda game template was shattered about as fast as the average breakable weapon in Breath of the Wild. The result is a gorgeous, freeing open-world action/adventure experience that evokes the wonder and fear of exploring a bold new place with the empowering tangibility of becoming its hero. - Brian Altano (Read Our Review)
Where did your favorite game fall on our list? Let us know in the comments below!
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Assburgers
2y ago
BotW is pretty overrated IMO, but I do recognize that it is a good game. It's just not deserving of being number one.
I feel like if any Final Fantasy game were to make this list, it should have been something else than FF14 and could have been better than 30.
Mass Effect 2 being in the top 10 has m...See more
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MeleeIsland
1y ago
I would say breath of the wild is incredibly overrated at it's core fanbase, although most games would be. It is certainly the greatest zelda game in terms of technical execution but I would say the story is generally looked at too highly and some of the repetitive dynamics of the game could use le...See more
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DallasRabot
2y ago
I would take Mass Effect 2 over The Witcher 3 any day. TW3 is bloated.
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Bomberman135
2y ago
A lot of great games in this list but there's no game that could ever be the single best game of all time that everyone agrees on. BotW is an amazing game but I certainly wouldn't call it the goat. It's lack of unique dungeon/boss design and identity kept it from being even the best Zelda game imo....See more
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seebs
2y ago
The only game that I think can realistically be called the greatest game of all time is Minecraft. Not only is it the best-selling game of all time (though some put it #2 behind Tetris, depending on how you count sales), but its cultural impact is enormous (it's *the* most watched thin in YouTube h...See more
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climaxMcOwnage
2y ago
BOTW was a great first step for open world Zelda and the sequel only needs 2 things to perfect it: Scrap the broken weapons, and bring back traditional dungeons while still being able to do them in any order.
I like OOT, but you have to play it in the same order every time which kills a lot of the...See more
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dorfy_435
2y ago
It’s funny. I was the guy who got botw and sold it and said this isn’t zelda.
Five years later I tried again. Got up to about 20 shrines and just explored and ended up with 120. Lots of side quests. And just completely fell in love. Though I still think oot is the greatest game of all time.
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liquidlearner
2y ago
When OoT came out, I had time to play games as much as I wanted pretty much and got sucked in easily. So I remember how great it was. The thing that was amazing about BotW is that it sucked me in for hundreds of hours, including several all nighters, as an adult that hasn’t done that in a decade. N...See more
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Arani337
2y ago
Did you not notice how only 30 of the shrines are actually content? Go ahead and count them. 90 shrines are direct rewards or combat trials. NINETY. Gaming is dead if Botw is considered the greatest game of all time. What a joke.
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Daryno90
2y ago
I’ll never understand how Control is rank so highly on this list. Like it’s a good game but I wouldn’t say it belong on this list at all. Also Legend of Zelda BoTW isn’t even my favorite Zelda game
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SlickyVonB
2y ago
Zelda: OoT will always be the best Zelda game. It literally revolutionized 3D gameplay and was decades ahead of its time. Younger generations are usually turned off by the graphics of older games and will give new versions of that IP higher rankings just because.
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Jabennett
2y ago
I mean, when compared to some of the other games on this list, it definitely belongs on the list. It was a great game, and I don't think anyone would claim that it deserves to be number one or anything.
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Reignmaker
2y ago
Breath of the Wild was the first open-world game that actually clicked for me, and didn't eventually turn into a monotonous slog of fetch quests.
I eventually discovered a couple other open-world games with the same kind of staying power in Witcher III and Red Dead Redemption 2. Interestingly enoug...See more
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TheSpideyJedi
1y ago
I personally put RDR2 above all but I'm also a RDR fanboy so
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bnash74
2y ago
I realize a lot of the higher ups at IGN grew up with Nintendo, so there's a lot of nostalgia associated with their games. But 4 out of the top 5 seems a bit much, no?
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Daryno90
2y ago
Nintendo is one of the pioneer of gaming so it’s hardly surprising that their games rank highly
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2 replies
strangermoon
2y ago
20 nintendo games 0 sega game.
but funny thing 7 valve game. all half lifes even vr even mod of hlaf lfie cs1.6. left for dead 2 portal 12. if they include left for dead 1 and team fortress its all valve games ever valve realse. how even this posible.
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MrCrappedPants
2y ago
I have been a gamer since 1986, and I have said to everyone that has ever asked Super Mario World IS the greatest video game ever made.
It is a game that anyone can pick up and enjoy. Even 32 years later it is still absolutely gorgeous to look at and flawless in it's design.
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dorfy_435
2y ago
I’m not sure. Sm3 was more ideal. So
Plastic enough anyone could play.
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Tornblade29
2y ago
You guys remember how Animal Crossing:New Horizons was a better videogame than Super Mario Galaxy?
Yea me neither
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metaphor4something
2y ago
I’m in a game design masters program and one of my classmates just did a lot of research on how animal crossing helped a lot of people through quarantine. Never played it, and it may not sway you, but it’s Interesting
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Chiefof16
2y ago
It's apparently better than Mario Galaxy 2 also. It's crazy.
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Cartier86
2y ago
This list is what happens when an editorial is filled with people that grew up in the nes generation. Not hating Zelda because it’s probably Nintendos best ip but Nintendo games seem to consistently be graded differently than those from other developers. I’m fine with botw being first because it’s ...See more
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ab808cm
2y ago
"Nintendo games seem to consistently be graded differently than those from other developers." yet every time someone brings up this point, what they're implying is the opposite of reality because Nintendo games typically get held to a higher standard because the expectation is that they're going to...See more
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1 reply
gjohn5806
2y ago
I am not a Nintendo fan boy, owned an NES but also plenty of other systems before that, preferred Genesis to SNES, Saturn and PSX way over N64. Never owned a Wii or WiiU.
The best Mario and Zelda games + Super Metroid all belong in the top 20 of all time. Bar None. You simply don't understand the hi...See more
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jedinger
2y ago
I think this list has a pretty strong recency bias.
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gjohn5806
2y ago
I agree, Hades and disco Elysium and Red Dead 2 and some others are all way too recent to be top 40 even. I don't think a game can truly come into its own critical space objectively in such a short time.
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5 replies
IGNneedtobesrsly
2y ago
agree, when i saw world of warcraft at 47 , i know this list just a joke
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Brando789000
1y ago
I got on to make this comment. Totally agree.
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greenHammer
2y ago
Lol, ya think???
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TheMudget
1y ago
Completely agree.
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FriedLightning
2y ago
If you listen to the IGN podcast they have a collective orgasm over BOTW, disco Elysium, and Hades
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1 reply
Rezium
2y ago
3 of the top 5 are Super Nintendo games.....
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vgtnyc
35w ago
Thank you so much
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zubiecupJP1986
2y ago
Yeah, no arguments here.
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