12 games to play before you die

[elmagicochrisg]

[TheyCallMeTheSwede]

Occarina is over-rated.

I agree, same goes for everything on the N64, I'm sorry, I don't like N64.

[burningmice]

This list seems to have just rode on hype for the games as they were released. A few interesting choices and that I would agree with. But once it hit the modern stuff I couldn't disagree more.

When are we going to stop calling the current generation gaming consoles "next gen"?

[YoshiEgg25]

When are we going to stop calling the current generation gaming consoles "next gen"?

When the Xbox 468, PS4, and Ultra Nintendo Entertainment System are announced.

[saturnfan]

Occarina is over-rated.

I agree, same goes for everything on the N64, I'm sorry, I don't like N64.

Oh my God, thank you. N64 is by far my least favorite system that I own.

[ZeroAX]

SMW is perfection of a genre.

of all people on this forum, I thought that YOU noiseredux would know that the best 2D Mario game of all time is Super Mario Land 2

[noiseredux]

Tough to do something like this with only 12 games. I'd probably bump it up to 20(12 is a stupid number for a list anyway) and it'd probably be:

1. Ico(THE games as art game. EVERY gamer should play a Team Ico game)
2. Super Mario Bros.(Zelda and Mario stand above all other first party Nintendo games for cultural importance and this one saved the gaming industry)
3. Tetris(Possibly the most accesible and popular puzzle game of all time)
4. A Street Fighter game(No other series has ever been as important for the fighter genre)
5. A Zelda game(take your pick, I'd go for the original or Link to the Past)
6. Final Fantasy 7(I know many disagree, but FF is THE rpg franchise and while 7 isn't my favorite one, it has been the most important installment in the series)
7. Sonic 3 & Knuckles(The only Sonic game anyone needs to play)
8. Secret of Monkey Island(PC gaming isn't for everyone, but anyone can enjoy a SCUMM game)
9. Halo(You can hate it all you want, but as far as console gaming goes, it's the most important shooter ever)
10. Tomb Raider Anniversary. The original TR is a classic and this version brings it to modern standards. Lara Croft is too big a cultural icon to not have a TR game on this list
11. Grand Theft Auto III(Sandbox games began here and EVERYONE knows about the GTA series. Everyone should try at least one.)
12. Mega Man 2(It's Mega Man for crying out loud! Gaming icon)
13. Castlevania Symphony of the Night and Dracula X Rondo of Blood
14. Metal Gear Solid(Only because Hideo's following in the game industry rivals Miyamoto. I think he's a bit overrated though)
15. Resident Evil Remake(Survival Horror owes everything to the RE series)
16. Devil May Cry(Everything from Ninja Gaiden to God of War owes this game a debt of gratitude)
17. Final Fight(I had to put a beat'em up on here
18. Guitar Hero or DDR(The only real music games anyone needs to play as far as cultural importance)
19. A Contra or Metal Slug game
20. Radiant Silvergun or any Cave shooter

I'm sure that list still leaves off a ton of classic, important titles

I actually like yr list quite a bit, so I'm gonna sort of tweak it:


1. Ico (I'd probably prefer Shadow Of The Colossus, but either makes sense)
2. Super Mario Bros.(I'd personally go with SMW or SM3, not for historical relevance but for perfect example of the classic platformer)
3. Tetris(yes. Though I have a handful of puzzlers I prefer, this one is necessary.)
4. A Street Fighter game(Street Fighter II, any version)
5. A Zelda game(Link To The Past -- definitely the most perfect version of the vision)
6. Final Fantasy 7(I agree that FF is THEE series -- personally I'd go with VI over VII, but that's my taste. I know a lot of ppl love VII)
7. Sonic 3 & Knuckles(I'd prefer Sonic 2, but again comes down to taste. Not sure we need this AND Mario, but then again maybe to illustrate the "console wars")
8. Secret of Monkey Island(YES! Or Maniac Mansion.)
9. Halo(I'd replace this with Doom)
10. Tomb Raider Anniversary. (yeah, I'd throw a TR on here)
11. Grand Theft Auto III(not my thing, but if yr gonna have one then go with III)
12. Mega Man 2(YES! Or MM3)
13. Castlevania Symphony of the Night and Dracula X Rondo of Blood(I'd probably just say Castlevania -- the original, but any are good. Actually I might suggest Super Metroid instead even to illustrate a Metroidvania... hmm)
14. Metal Gear Solid(yeah, Stealth is a good idea)
15. Resident Evil Remake(YES YES YES)
16. Devil May Cry(I have no idea)
17. Final Fight(I personally prefer Streets Of Rage. But yeah a beat-em-up. Actually TMNT The Arcade Game would be my pick probably)
18. Guitar Hero or DDR(yeah. For the experience of trying one)
19. A Contra or Metal Slug game (Contra)
20. Radiant Silvergun or any Cave shooter (Radiant or Ikaruga)

[Original_Name]

...I'm not sure I understand what that list was TRYING to do, but I can't imagine any decent criteria which it could be considered successful under. The connotation of games a person should play before they die is pretty ambiguous... is the idea that these games deliver an ultimate sense of satisfaction or that they are integral components of gaming culture? Does it matter if a game comes along and improves upon an original idea? If we're looking at this from a purely modern perspective, what does Super Mario World offer in terms of "experience" that a more conceptually-driven game like "Braid" delivers in the same genre? Although I've enjoyed many of the lists posted up by users here, I don't think there's ANY way to compose a comprehensive list based on such ill-conceived criteria. AND WHAERES NIGHTZ!1????

[Ack]

...I'm not sure I understand what that list was TRYING to do, but I can't imagine any decent criteria which it could be considered successful under. The connotation of games a person should play before they die is pretty ambiguous... is the idea that these games deliver an ultimate sense of satisfaction or that they are integral components of gaming culture? Does it matter if a game comes along and improves upon an original idea? If we're looking at this from a purely modern perspective, what does Super Mario World offer in terms of "experience" that a more conceptually-driven game like "Braid" delivers in the same genre? Although I've enjoyed many of the lists posted up by users here, I don't think there's ANY way to compose a comprehensive list based on such ill-conceived criteria. AND WHAERES NIGHTZ!1????

I'd say it's loosely based on the Quintessence Editions Ltd. "1001 Before You Die" series, which are composed of lists of 1001 of whatever topic the book focuses on. The most notable is probably the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, edited by Steven Jay Schneider. It takes the opinions of various film critics across the world to compose a list starting with 1902's A Trip to the Moon. Apparently the most recent edition ends with 2008's The Dark Knight.

I'd say ultimately this Yahoo UK list falters for two reasons:

1) They're trying to get you to buy games, hence why the list is so heavily geared towards modern titles, and even references to older games usually include some mention of the most recent installment.

2) It's coming from an industry that generally doesn't pay much attention to its past. That's not to say that the companies don't, it's more that the fans do not, including much of the press sources which focus on older games. Retro really isn't popular or as easily accessible in the same way as older movies.

Now I will not say that the industry is too young to begin anticipating this retrospective look. Video games as a whole are now 40 years old. In the film equivalent if you start with 1902 as the beginning, forty years into it John Wayne had already made a name for himself in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939), Humphrey Bogart had already put out classics like The Maltese Falcon (1941), and James Cagney had received an academy award for Angels with Dirty Faces (1938).

[Ack]

Ok, apparently there is a 1001 Video Games to Play Before You Die book, but it's also apparently incredibly biased towards modern games, based on one of the reviewers on Amazon, meaning roughly of that 1001, about 100 come from 2009.

Has anybody read this book, and can they confirm or deny this?