IGN's Top 100 Modern Video Games

[Eddy]

I'll admit the co-op in New Super Mario Bros. Wii was fun for a while, but it was far too chaotic to play it seriously like that. What with people constantly getting left behind, killing each other, etc. It's good for some laughs but the game was clearly not made with more than one player in mind.

But I think my biggest problem with New Super Mario Bros. Wii is how they just played it too safe. They didn't take any chances or change things up (aside from the co-op which, as I said, was kind of a mess). I honestly just found it boring and consider it, and the original NSMB, the weakest main-line Mario games in the franchise. And, believe me, it kills me to say that. I grew up on Mario and love it. But NSMB just really didn't do it for me. I'm also really not a fan of the games visual style or music (aside from the castle theme in NSMB DS, which I thought was brilliant). I really can't get excited at all for New Super Mario Bros. Mii either.

Sorry to be a party pooper, I'm not trying to be. 

[Foggle]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 should be #1, but I bet it doesn't crack the top 5. (Or they use the first game instead)

I'd rather see New Super Mario Bros. Wii be #1, honestly.

IGN wrote an article pretty much questioning the entire game's existence and decrying anyone who would buy it. It's pretty much what finished me off on the site.

Haven't had a chance to use one of these in awhile.


Fucking IGN.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'll admit the co-op in New Super Mario Bros. Wii was fun for a while, but it was far too chaotic to play it seriously like that. What with people constantly getting left behind, killing each other, etc. The game was clearly not made with more than one player in mind.

But I think my biggest problem with New Super Mario Bros. Wii is how they just played it too safe. They didn't take any chances or change things up (aside from the co-op which, as I said, was kind of a mess). I honestly just found it boring and consider it, and the original NSMB, the weakest main-line Mario games in the franchise. And, believe me, it kills me to say that. I grew up on Mario and love it. But NSMB just really didn't do it for me. I'm also really not a fan of the games visual style or music (aside from the castle theme in NSMB DS, which I thought was brilliant). I really can't get excited at all for New Super Mario Bros. Mii either.

Sorry to be a party pooper, I'm not trying to be. 

Oh yeah, the art style is uninspired and the music sucks, I agree with that. The first two and a half worlds are also way too easy (like the entirety of the DS one) but once I hit that first switch palace, I was hooked. The level design was just brilliant from then on, and co-op (like with one other person) is what I've been wanting in a Mario game since the first one. I also think shaking the controller to get extra height on your jumps is the most brilliant idea ever for a platformer. Like seriously, I remember shaking my controller as a kid just struggling to keep my character afloat for those precious extra feet, and now doing that means something.

I also love the propeller suit and think it's by far the best flying power up in the series due to how easy it is to use and how it doesn't break the game like the cape or the tail does at times.

It's not as original as SMB3 or Yoshi's Island because of how safe it is, but at its core is a brilliant platformer. That's my stance on the game, anyway.

But yeah, I kind of wish they would use a new art style for the next game they're making. This one is kind of tired.

[Rynnec]

I can't even go back to NSMB DS after NSMB Wii. It just feels so lacking and empty. Which sucks because I don't even own NSMB Wii. (Played my cousin's copy during thanksgiving when it first came out. Beat the game within two days. Good times.)

[gunswordfist]

#1 is going to be Uncharted 2 and #2 is going to be Mass Effect 2. I'm calling it.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 should be #1, but I bet it doesn't crack the top 5. (Or they use the first game instead)

Mass Effect 2 better rank that high

[talonmalon333]

Glad to see Super Paper Mario made it. So many people hate that game, but I think it's great. It's got one of the best stories I know in gaming.

Oh yeah, the art style is uninspired and the music sucks, I agree with that.

But yeah, I kind of wish they would use a new art style for the next game they're making. This one is kind of tired.

It's the classic Mario art style. How can it be bad?

As for the game itself, yeah, it's great. Probably one of the best in the series. However, DKCR was better!

[Spark Of Spirit]

It's the boring models and stock backgrounds. The New series, art style-wise, can't hold a candle to any of the original Bros. games or the World games.

Gameplay-wise it totally does, though.

NSMB DS was such a disappointment for me. You actually have to try in order to not skip worlds. What the fuck? The game is also the easiest fucking platformer I've ever played by far with not an ounce of creativity to it in any way. The Wii game destroys it.

[talonmalon333]

It's the boring models and stock backgrounds. The New series, art style-wise, can't hold a candle to any of the original Bros. games or the World games.

Gameplay-wise it totally does, though.

NSMB DS was such a disappointment for me. You actually have to try in order to not skip worlds. What the fuck? The game is also the easiest fucking platformer I've ever played by far with not an ounce of creativity to it in any way. The Wii game destroys it.

Well yeah, I agree that the Wii version crushes the DS one to a bloody pulp.

[Foggle]

20. Dead Space (good but not top 20 material)
19. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (good but DEFINITELY not top 20 material)
18. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (agree with this)
17. Left 4 Dead 2 (hell to the fuck no; shoulda' been L4D 1 or not at all, especially in the top 20)
16. Heavy Rain (Jesus Christ no; barely a game, horrible as a movie)
15. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) (LOL)
14. Halo: Reach (haven't really played it)
13. Pac-Man: Championship Edition - DX (sure, why not?)
12. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (shoulda' been in the top 10, IMO)
11. Grand Theft Auto 4 (I guess that's fine)
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (LOL, OH WOW)
9. Batman: Arkham Asylum (deserves it!)
8. Assassin's Creed 2 (fuck no)
7. Uncharted 2 (once again, LOL)
6. Fallout 3 (why is this higher than Oblivion wtf?)
5. Portal 2 (agree 100%)
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (fuck yeah!)
3. Red Dead Redemption (good game, doesn't deserve top 5, though)
2. BioShock (top 10, maybe. #2? nah)
1. Mass Effect 2 (I love this game as much as the next guy, but COME ON)

Overall, terrible list. No Bayonetta and NSMBDS over Wii is fucked up.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Called it.

Fuck you, IGN. Get taste.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The final part of the list is up (and personally I think it sucks):

20. Dead Space
19. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
18. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
17. Left 4 Dead 2
16. Heavy Rain
15. New Super Mario Bros.
14. Halo: Reach
13. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
12. Half-Life 2: Episode 2
11. Grand Theft Auto IV
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
9. Batman: Arkham Asylum
8. Assassin's Creed II
7. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
6. Fallout 3
5. Portal 2
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Red Dead Redemption
2. BioShock
1. Mass Effect 2

So, first off, the biggest crime is that Bayonetta doesn't rank here, and thus is completely absent from the list (as is NG2 which is easily one of my favorite games from this generation by far, but my taste can differ from others in that regard). Still, there's no solid reason that ANYONE can give me as to why God of War 3 can rank on the list when Bayonetta cannot.

Now, as for Dead Space, I stopped playing it for a while but its worth mentioning that I actually do like the game....but there's no way in HELL it deserves to be in the top 20. I can say that much for sure. In this regard, even Gears of War would be a better fit for that spot than Dead Space (not that I would call it a top 20 game either, but it'd at least make more sense to me).

As for Halo, it was obvious that it would rank high, and does it deserve it? Well, IMO, no (I would give it a spot in the top 100, but in the top 20 is way too high to me), but at least I'm glad that they went with reach which is by far the best Halo game of this generation. No Flood, great AI in a campaign mode that actually isn't boring, and even though I'm not into the whole multiplayer scene, it does decent enough in that department too, I would assume. Still, its ranked way too high.

As for Half-Life....I liked episode 2 and all, but does it REALLY deserve to be in the top 20? I'll be honest, the HL games are fun but I never found them to be great, just really good and well-designed (if I could allow a bit of blasphemy, I have to admit that I kind of even prefer Halo over Half-Life in terms of pure entertainment value, not that I'd call Halo great either, though). At any rate, though, its a short expansion pack and to me it has no business being this high on the list. I'd much rather see the highly underrated F.E.A.R. 2 or maybe Monolith's other game Condemned (which I still have yet to play) in a spot like this, but that would be a stretch for any big list such as this since most people don't want to put anything on the list that doesn't get highly praised up the ass by critics from the get-go.

I'm going to say it right off the bat, now: Oblivion and Fallout 3 bored me to tears. I can respect other people if they like those games a lot, but to me they are some of the most overrated, overhyped RPGs that I have played, and are actually among the worst gaming experiences that I have had from this generation (to be fair, I haven't gone out of my way to play bad games or anything, but these games almost put me to sleep, and I forced myself to invest more than 20 hours in Oblivion before giving up on it and just barely managed to get past 5 hours in FO3 before I realized how it would always remain dull if I kept playing it). I think people get suckered into the fact that these games are just big, and overlook that they have absolutely no substance to them (at least IMO).

Also, as for Batman: Arkham Asylum, let me be honest: I really do like this game quite a lot and I can't argue with it being in the top 10 since I haven't played too many games from this generation and its honestly probably one of the better ones that I have played. Having said that, its massively overrated. There, I said it. Now, don't get me wrong: overrated doesn't mean bad, and as I said I like it and its one of the better games that I have played this generation. I just don't see how people can go so gaga over it like its the best thing ever when games with far superior design and replay value tend to get ignored in comparison to it. Its a good game, to be sure, and I look forward to the sequel, but I just don't think its that great (as you can tell, though, I don't think that a lot of games that I have played from this gen are necessarily all "that great").

As for Mass Effect 2....All I can say is that I still need to try it. It must be a GIANT leap in quality above the first game, though, because that game is far from deserving of the praise that it got. I have come to the conclusion that the first Mass Effect game is far inferior to what BioWare achieved with the KOTOR games from last gen, and it was overall a disappointment to me, despite being a decent game in its own right. As for ME2, I'm hoping that it really is THAT good that so many people would call it the best modern game. To me, if the combat is as shitty as it is in the first game, its already not for me.

[Rynnec]

Well, I'm glad that Brawl and Galaxy 2 placed higher than Modern Warfare.(Though Brawl should be higher than Assassin's Creed 2, an annual series, by default.)

Sucks that the DS NSMB made it over the Wii version though.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Wait, did anything by Platinum make the list at all? Treasure? WayForward? Monolith? Atlus?

WAY too many holes in there, IGN.

[gunswordfist]

20. Dead Space (good but not top 20 material)
19. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (good but DEFINITELY not top 20 material)
18. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (agree with this)
17. Left 4 Dead 2 (hell to the fuck no; shoulda' been L4D 1 or not at all, especially in the top 20)
16. Heavy Rain (Jesus Christ no; barely a game, horrible as a movie)
15. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) (LOL)
14. Halo: Reach (haven't really played it)
13. Pac-Man: Championship Edition - DX (sure, why not?)
12. Half-Life 2: Episode 2 (shoulda' been in the top 10, IMO)
11. Grand Theft Auto 4 (I guess that's fine)
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (LOL, OH WOW)
9. Batman: Arkham Asylum (deserves it!)
8. Assassin's Creed 2 (fuck no)
7. Uncharted 2 (once again, LOL)
6. Fallout 3 (why is this higher than Oblivion wtf?)
5. Portal 2 (agree 100%)
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (fuck yeah!)
3. Red Dead Redemption (good game, doesn't deserve top 5, though)
2. BioShock (top 10, maybe. #2? nah)
1. Mass Effect 2 (I love this game as much as the next guy, but COME ON)

Overall, terrible list. No Bayonetta and NSMBDS over Wii is fucked up.

Oblivion? That game fucking sucks. I am ECSTATIC that Mass Effect 2 got its well deserved spot and Red Dead Redemption is my most wanted game so I am glad it ranked so ridiculously high

I wish MGS4 and DMC4 made the list. I haven't played 99% of these games. Man, I want to get Super Smash Bros Brawl so badly

[gunswordfist]

The final part of the list is up (and personally I think it sucks):

20. Dead Space
19. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
18. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
17. Left 4 Dead 2
16. Heavy Rain
15. New Super Mario Bros.
14. Halo: Reach
13. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
12. Half-Life 2: Episode 2
11. Grand Theft Auto IV
10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
9. Batman: Arkham Asylum
8. Assassin's Creed II
7. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
6. Fallout 3
5. Portal 2
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2
3. Red Dead Redemption
2. BioShock
1. Mass Effect 2

So, first off, the biggest crime is that Bayonetta doesn't rank here, and thus is completely absent from the list (as is NG2 which is easily one of my favorite games from this generation by far, but my taste can differ from others in that regard). Still, there's no solid reason that ANYONE can give me as to why God of War 3 can rank on the list when Bayonetta cannot.

Now, as for Dead Space, I stopped playing it for a while but its worth mentioning that I actually do like the game....but there's no way in HELL it deserves to be in the top 20. I can say that much for sure. In this regard, even Gears of War would be a better fit for that spot than Dead Space (not that I would call it a top 20 game either, but it'd at least make more sense to me).

As for Halo, it was obvious that it would rank high, and does it deserve it? Well, IMO, no (I would give it a spot in the top 100, but in the top 20 is way too high to me), but at least I'm glad that they went with reach which is by far the best Halo game of this generation. No Flood, great AI in a campaign mode that actually isn't boring, and even though I'm not into the whole multiplayer scene, it does decent enough in that department too, I would assume. Still, its ranked way too high.

As for Half-Life....I liked episode 2 and all, but does it REALLY deserve to be in the top 20? I'll be honest, the HL games are fun but I never found them to be great, just really good and well-designed (if I could allow a bit of blasphemy, I have to admit that I kind of even prefer Halo over Half-Life in terms of pure entertainment value, not that I'd call Halo great either, though). At any rate, though, its a short expansion pack and to me it has no business being this high on the list. I'd much rather see the highly underrated F.E.A.R. 2 or maybe Monolith's other game Condemned (which I still have yet to play) in a spot like this, but that would be a stretch for any big list such as this since most people don't want to put anything on the list that doesn't get highly praised up the ass by critics from the get-go.

I'm going to say it right off the bat, now: Oblivion and Fallout 3 bored me to tears. I can respect other people if they like those games a lot, but to me they are some of the most overrated, overhyped RPGs that I have played, and are actually among the worst gaming experiences that I have had from this generation (to be fair, I haven't gone out of my way to play bad games or anything, but these games almost put me to sleep, and I forced myself to invest more than 20 hours in Oblivion before giving up on it and just barely managed to get past 5 hours in FO3 before I realized how it would always remain dull if I kept playing it). I think people get suckered into the fact that these games are just big, and overlook that they have absolutely no substance to them (at least IMO).

Also, as for Batman: Arkham Asylum, let me be honest: I really do like this game quite a lot and I can't argue with it being in the top 10 since I haven't played too many games from this generation and its honestly probably one of the better ones that I have played. Having said that, its massively overrated. There, I said it. Now, don't get me wrong: overrated doesn't mean bad, and as I said I like it and its one of the better games that I have played this generation. I just don't see how people can go so gaga over it like its the best thing ever when games with far superior design and replay value tend to get ignored in comparison to it. Its a good game, to be sure, and I look forward to the sequel, but I just don't think its that great (as you can tell, though, I don't think that a lot of games that I have played from this gen are necessarily all "that great").

As for Mass Effect 2....All I can say is that I still need to try it. It must be a GIANT leap in quality above the first game, though, because that game is far from deserving of the praise that it got. I have come to the conclusion that the first Mass Effect game is far inferior to what BioWare achieved with the KOTOR games from last gen, and it was overall a disappointment to me, despite being a decent game in its own right. As for ME2, I'm hoping that it really is THAT good that so many people would call it the best modern game. To me, if the combat is as shitty as it is in the first game, its already not for me.

Mass Effect 2 is the Messiah.
Mass Effect 1 is a shitty PS1 game.