Kotaku actually has done this a few times with developers at a couple conventions. The basic premise is that we start with a list of ten games, in this case the 10 highest rated games on Game Rankings, and make changes to it to create an evolving list of greatest games. Ultimately the goal is to create a list that no one feels compelled to change (or at least change much).

The List

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2
4. Grand Theft Auto IV
5. Soul Calibur
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
7. Metroid Prime
8. Tekken 3
9. Resident Evil 4
10. Mass Effect 2

(I skipped over the Orange Box because it is a compilation and not a single game).

The Rules

Each poster may make one of two moves:
1. Swap a game's position with another game (for example switching Resident Evil 4 and Tekken 3 so Tekken is 9 and RE4 is 8)
or
2. Replace a game on the list with another game (I could choose to replace Super Mario Galaxy with GoldenEye, which would then become the #2 game)

After making the move the poster must give some justification for their move. It is up to the individual poster how to define greatness (be it innovation, importance to the industry, quality, fun factor, etc.).

Once the move has been stated and explained the poster must repost the list. The changes made should be marked in bold text.

Any game can be nominated, with the exception of compilations. The focus here is on a single game being the greatest not a collection of games.

I will make the first post, which will also be an example.

Edited by user 18 November 2010 08:37:14(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

OH FUCKED UP -
EDIT:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2
4. Grand Theft Auto IV
5. Soul Calibur
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
7. Super Metroid
8. Tekken 3
9. Resident Evil 4
10. Persona 3

Because it is the best game I've ever played and Mass Effect 2 wasn't the best by any means.

Edited by user 18 November 2010 08:49:35(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Side note: I think everyone owned this game, the score is EPIC too)
2. Rollercoaster Tycoon 1 & 2
3. Super Mario
4. Tetris
5. Pacman
6. Tekken 3 (Use to play this with my friends, I would always pick the women characters)
7. Super Smash Bros. Meele
8. Tomb Raider (Side note: Fierce bitch!)
9. Sonic The Hedgehog
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

I'm pretty sure I forgot a couple, but the games listed, were EPIC in my opinion.

edit

Edited by moderator 18 November 2010 21:02:35(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

just thought i'd point out the rules.....
make one of two changes.... not change the whole list so it only reflects your own personal opinions..

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Red Dead Redemption
3. Half Life 2
4. Grand Theft Auto IV
5. Soul Calibur
6. Super Mario Galaxy
7. Super Metroid
8. Tekken 3
9. Resident Evil 4
10. Persona 3

Not sure I did this right, but correct me if I didnt.

Okay, here goes...

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Half Life 2
4. Red Dead Redemption
5. Soul Calibur
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
7. Super Metroid
8. Tekken 3
9. Resident Evil 4
10. Persona 3


Red dead is a much better game than GTA 4 in many ways. The story is much more emotional and pulls you in more, its a very beautiful game where GTA 4 wasnt exactly as much. The characters were very realistic and made you actually feel for them and the experience of the game in general is just a much more enjoyable one that GTA 4.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Half Life 2
4. Red Dead Redemption
5. Streets of Rage 2
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
7. Super Metroid
8. Final Fantasy VI
9. Resident Evil 4
10. Persona 3

soul calibre was an ok game..... but games like street fighter, streets of rage were and still are a class above....
streets of rage is still one of my favorate games, and i still dust off the old sega to play it.

While I agree at least one Pokemon game may deserve a place in the list, you chose to knock out Resident Evil 4, and not Persona 3?


1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Half Life 2
4. Red Dead Redemption
5. Streets of Rage 2
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
7. Super Metroid
8. Final Fantasy VI
9. Pokemon Yellow
10. Resident Evil 4

Maybe I'm over-thinking this, but I feel like these games need to have some important legacy or other achievement that makes them important to the history of gaming, or at the very least, a major groundbreaking achievement. Resident Evil 4 is pretty much the originator of all modern third-person shooters, reinventing the genre and the franchise, and is easily the best Resident Evil. Persona 3 is what, another JRPG?

1. Tetris
2. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Half-Life 2
4. Red Dead Redemption
5. Streets of Rage 2
6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
7. Super Metroid
8. Final Fantasy VI
9. Pokemon Yellow
10. Resident Evil 4

Tetris is one of the most important games of all time. Almost every puzzle game, especially the early ones, owe some debt to Tetris. It also happens to be extremely fun and addictive and in many ways was also the first casual game when it launched for the GameBoy. It is the perfect game to pick up and play for a few minutes and then move on to something else.

Resident Evil 4 is not as scary as Resident Evil 2. It is however more fun to play. And I don't know it actually seems more scary early on, when you're trapped in a house with villagefolk smashing through the windows. It's different from jump scares, it's more of a tension that underpins it. Also, Resident Evil games at that point were in a complete dead-end. Everybody thought Resident Evil 4 was going to be more of the same, but instead they took a risk and given the universal acclaim it received on release, it clearly paid off. Maybe you're not into it, but you're in the minority.

My point though is that without RE4, there would have been no Gears of War. The tight over-the-shoulder camera view and heavy-handling characters that characterise all modern shooters comes straight out of RE4. Sure, the cover-mechanic comes later, from Gears of War, but until RE4, third-person shooters were a very different affair. Stuff like Max Payne and Hitman feel completely different.

Now I may not know a great deal about Persona 3, but just being a good game that you like doesn't really qualify a game as one of the ten greatest of all time. And being a story-based game, your experience of it is obviously coloured largely by your enjoyment of that story. Grim Fandango for example is a great story somewhat hampered by fiddly controls and adventure game logic. But you saying Persona 3 is the 10th best game of all time... What if I said it was Grandia? Or Golden Axe Warrior? Or Alundra? Those were great RPGs too. You don't remember them though do you?