Let's compile a list of our most loved PC games of all time! It sounds like a bit of fun, doesn't it? Easy. If only we'd known. The following feature, which we've spread over a number of days, has taken the PC Zone team weeks of heated discussions, office arguments, late-night drunken text messages and email abuse to whittle down the PC's entire 20-plus year output of games into just 101 titles - and that's before we even started thinking about number one...
However, the dust has finally settled, the swearing silenced and here we are - PC Zone's 101 Best Games Ever. Enjoy this, numbers 50 to 26, and previous and the forthcoming final instalment featuring the crème de la crème of PC gaming, then don't forget to let us know if you agree or disagree by hitting the comments field below...
Previous instalments you may have missed:
- The 101 best PC games ever, part one (101 to 76)
- The 101 best PC games ever, part two (75 to 51)
YEAR 1998: While it may have been much the same as its predecessor, it was still impossible to ignore the sheer unadulterated entertainment value of Carmageddon II's unsubtle yet irresistible mix of high-speed driving, car-trashing and pedestrian-ramming. Politically incorrect in the extreme, it was also bloody good fun.
49. STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHT- DARK FORCES II
YEAR 1997: This shooter remains one of the finest examples of how to make a Star Wars FPS. Set in the aftermath of the second trilogy, you reprised your role as bearded pseud Kyle Katarn and battled an evil Sith lord in a Force power-packed intergalactic romp of blasting and lightsaber duelling. Genius!
48. SYNDICATE
YEAR 1993: One of Bullfrog's finest ever creations, you played as the director of a massively powerful global corporation who were hell-bent on annihilating your competitors and setting pedestrians on fire. Controlling four drug-fuelled soldiers in isometric battles, the action/strategy mix was a precursor to the likes of Command & Conquer and Commandos.
47. BEYOND GOOD & EVIL
YEAR 2003: An unfairly overlooked adventure, Beyond Good & Evil is a jaunt of startling depth and character, in which you play photo-journalist Jade (who you fancy), who's accompanied by her piggy uncle (who you don't). Recruited to expose an alien conspiracy, its delightful puzzling and oddly Rastafarian rhino mechanics made it nigh-on unforgettable.
46. BLACK & WHITE
YEAR 2001: A flawed masterpiece it may be, but Black & White remains one of the most innovative and ambitious games of the new millennium. Playing as a god within a mystical world and aided by a giant creature you had to nurture from childhood to adulthood, you were charged with becoming the world's most powerful deity by any means at your disposal, be they good or evil. With your every action causing a reaction, both your creature and the world around you physically changed to represent your alignment, while the open-ended gameplay meant endless hours of freeform fun and villager torment.
45. ALIENS VS PREDATOR 2
YEAR 2001: A game of wondrous chills, this fright-fest made use of stunningly understated lighting and sound to generate genuine terror. Playing as a human (amazing!), a Predator (really good!) and an Alien (a bit confusing!), it also made for some of the tensest multiplayer action ever seen on PC. It's also the best film-licensed game money can buy.
Comments
27 comments so far...
caspian on 17 May '07 said:
I'm guessing LBA1/2 isn't going to make the cut? Unless it's seen revival and appears in the top 25?! shame. It needs publicity...we want a trilogy!!!
Mogs on 17 May '07 said:
NO! All responsible for this should kill themselves.
Immediately.
Dajmin on 17 May '07 said:
SimBin's hardcore racer is quite simply the finest racing simulation on Earth
What a load of bull. It still has super-sticky tyres and is practically idiot-proof. If you can't get round the first corner you need a good slap. The only simulator out there is the still unreleased Live For Speed.
Dark_Sith on 17 May '07 said:
Its true LBA were fantastic games, probably my favourate adventure games.
Im glad to see that jedi knight dark forces 2 made it in there. that was a very good game back in the day
Mogs on 17 May '07 said:
Yeah, Little Big Adventure games were just awesome.
Dark Forces II was also good, but really Jedi Outcast should be there instead (unless it's higher up in the list, of course). It has, quite simply, the best melee combat system ever created.
humorguy on 17 May '07 said:
X-Com UFO at 43. That alone should make us know this list has not been made by gamers, just Magazine staff.
Mogs on 17 May '07 said:
That, and the fact that it's stated that the list is compiled by PC Zone staff.
android-sheep on 17 May '07 said:
IGN voted xcom as the no 1 pc game ever. its no surprise that I have to disagree with most of the list so far but that is the price you pay for letting everyone have a say, some of your favourites are obviously going to be lower down and some game you hate will be higher up. but if the original dark forces doesnt come higher than jedi knight I will be upset, that game is still the best in the series (no jedi nonsense for me thank you very much), and dont even think about putting the sims anywhere in your list or you will have a lot of angry forum members with pitchforks and the like battering down the doors to your offices.
MIPhantom on 17 May '07 said:
sam and max is great but better than grim fandango? oh dear.
glad to see wc4 in there seemed to get negative reviews at the time, that too much time spent on fmv's etc.
Mafia is top 20 material!
So for top 20 these must be there:
System shock 2
company of heroes
hl1
hl2
deus ex
homeworld (2?)
oblivion
monkey island
1 of the total war series?
max payne 2
theme hospital? (ok just me then)
In no order
doomthree on 17 May '07 said:
Quake was fantastic...as long as you dont mind brown.
I thought Quake 2 was better but it didint feature in this '101 best'.
sparsloe on 17 May '07 said:
One of my favourite games was the Rage classic, Hostile Waters. It was criminally underrated, but I remember getting it for a bargain £4.99 not long after it came out because no-one was buying it, supposedly. It's a shame, because it was a great game and deserved more.
Unfortunately, Rage Software closed its doors not long after that
pokman on 17 May '07 said:
The Typing of the Dead should definitely be in the top 100 because it's so unique. It's not just a typing tutorial, it's a great game and one that has lasted the age of time (mainly because noone has really made another game like it outside of Japan).
Typer Shark on Yahoo games is simalar, but just doesn't have the fun factor that The Typing of the Dead has.
I don't think that The Typing of the Dead is top 25 material, so I don't think it'll make it into the list.
humorguy on 17 May '07 said:
MipPhantom:
System shock 2 - Or System Shock 1
company of heroes - Or Dark Reign
hl1 - Yes
hl2 - No, but it will be because of the hype
deus ex - Yes or Anachronox
homeworld - overratted how about Space Rangers?!
oblivion - No, Morrowind
monkey island, no, The Longest Journey
1 of the total war series? - Would only consider the 1st Medieval War myself
max payne 2 - yes
theme hospital? (ok just me then) or Moon Tychoon or Railroad Tychoon any of them would be okay, so it''s not just you!
Anonymous on 17 May '07 said:
No One Lives Forever 1 should be up there. It has to be.
nb_nmare2 on 17 May '07 said:
Ultima VII had the first true free-roaming world? Erm, what about the previous games in the series? VI in particular was just as open as VII.
MIPhantom on 17 May '07 said:
I should of pointed out I was not mentioning games already mentioned by CVG (dont think i have). Longest journey is already mentioned.
only total war I dont have is 1st medieval one. :/
humorguy on 17 May '07 said:
Yes Mip, but I was saying what else or instead of should be in the Top 20, whether they have been put in a lower postion of this chart or not in it!
Klodrik on 18 May '07 said:
I expect Unreal Tournament to be in the top five. Finest shooter I've ever played.
And another game that got overlooked when it came out is SACRIFICE.
This beautiful crossing of genres is a real gem and something I fully expect you guys to remember. If you don't you are not worthy of your jobs.
warpedAi on 18 May '07 said:
Oh my god this list just gets worse and worse.
Dungeon Keeper, Planescape and Starcraft, STARCRAFT!! are not even in the bloody top 50.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2007, Pro Evo 6 and, ha ha hah (you are taking the p**s aren't you!) IL-2 STURMOVIK: 1946 are way below them. You were high again weren't you CVG when you wrote this next part you crazy people. If someone has played this game they need to be walked to the edge of a cliff, bent over and have a plastic replica B52 bomber kicked with force up there ass off the edge. THIS IS INSANE I TELL YOU
Also Pro Evo 6 ain't what you call a proper PC game. It was designed for console I don't have a control pad for my PC you inane bastards (Although it is one of my faves on PS2)
Now you better include some or preferably all of the following in your poxy list yeh :
Unreal Tournement
Spellcross
Masters of Orion 2
Mum's Anal Adventure
CVG you have messed up
gothchild on 18 May '07 said:
Vampire bloodlines....ah it is indeed an amazingly enticing game.
I recently played through it all again just to experience a new class.
And as for the sister...
JEANETTE! duh!
Anonymous on 18 May '07 said:
where is zack mc cracken?
humorguy on 18 May '07 said:
As I said before anyhting before 2000 forget about it, it's abandonware so no income for the industry or media. Anything still franchised will be in, because another edition could come out and create advertising income coming in for the magazine. Anything after, say, 2005, is still available on budget, so there is a chance of income for the industry, and they see that the media is helping them and so the love-fest continues. Too much mention of product that doesn't generate revenue and the that love-fest breaks down. Hence the messages above about titles mostly released pre-2003.
Funny thing is if the media supported gamers more and publishers less in this love-fest, circulation wouldn't be down so low and PC gaming might still be competing because PC gaming would still be a hobby like it was 1993-2001 and not a take it or leave it pastime, like now.
BonnieNotClyde on 18 May '07 said:
to be honest, im still pretty rankled about grim fandango stuck in traffic behind SoF II (ffs) but im glad that you at loeast included mafia, although it should be higher up still. undoubetedly my favourite game experience pf all time, and as you well pointed out an imcomparable ending
escaped_monkey on 18 May '07 said:
Ahahahaha. TINFOIL HATS AT THE READY.
tentaculat on 18 May '07 said:
Oblivion will be up there in the top 5, despite the utterly pointless levelling system and the generic Plane of Blandness... sorry, Plane of Oblivion. It will probably be rated higher than it's somewhat underappreciated predecessor, which was the main reason for all of the hype in the first place.
And criminally, so will Half-Life 2, despite being a dumbed down version of Deus Ex, with prettier polygons and cutscenes which are hardly interactive at all. Yes, I am deadly serious. This should be about games, not about graphics. There is no justice in this world.
Sure, these are both decent titles - but massively overrated. X-Com at number 41. Professional writers, they may be, but game critics - cuh!
humorguy on 19 May '07 said:
TIN HATS ARE BETTER THAN LEAD BLINDFOLDS!
Notice how many times sales were mentioned, or the game being the first..... Well the title of the article was 101 BEST games. Not first, not best selling. And yet that was the reason that PC Zone staff gave for the games being in the top 101. This list shows how out of touch print magazines and to a lesser degree web magazines are with regards gamers views, interests and wants.
I always say that if PC games sales are down and last year the fewest number of PC games were released, in what way is the gaming media helping stop this or reverse it? And in what way can they possibly say they did not play a part in it?
humorguy on 19 May '07 said:
Read part 4 and then review the top 5, then consider IGN's Top 5 of their 25 Greatest PC Games of all Time
5: Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
4: Civilization
3: Pirates!
2: Dune 2: The Building of a Dynasty
1: X-Com UFO Defense
Says a lot about IGN and says even more about PC Zone. The printed word is dead. Long Live the printed word.