CNET Top 10 video games 1995 to 2005

by Vladimir Cole on Sep 8th 2005 4:30PM

CNET Logo (225) CNET picks the top 10 games of the past 10 years. Their choices follow below. We've added the Metacritic scores for the games chosen because some of the results are surprising. If CNET had put together the list based on data (sales, Metacritic scores, number of divorces each caused) the list would look very different:

Half-Life (1998) (Metacritic: 96)
Starcraft (1998) (Metacritic: 88)
The Sims (2000) (Metacritic: 91)
Quake (1996) (Metacritic: 94)
Madden NFL Football (Metacritic: 80s-90s)
Everquest (1999) (Metacritic: 85)
Halo (2001) (Metacritic: 97)
Metal Gear Solid (1998) (Metacritic: 94)
Grand Theft Auto III (2001) (Metacritic: 97)
Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time (1998) (Metacritic: 99)

Interestingly, several of these games that are unquestionable standouts didn't receive such rave reviews when they were launched. Are game reviews short-sighted? When Everquest was launched, for instance, what reviewer could have known the impact of that title on the online gaming scene? Just more evidence to support our theory that reviews of MMOGs are fundamentally flawed. More on this in a follow-up post.

Source

Tags: GameCube, Mac, PC, PS2, Xbox

Reader Comments (28)

lol

geez, I wish I had this list before I spent thousands of hours on civilization (1-3)... at least I know now that it isn't that good.

Jokes aside, how come the civ games rarely make these lists?

WTF? Zeldas 99. Shouldn't that be #1?

Sometimes I wonder how games are reviewed. For example, on GameSpot, Doom 64 got a "4 point something." But I have to tell you, I enjoyed the hell out of that game. Maybe it's because they related it too much to the original. I don't know. Grand Theft Auto has been getting incredible reviews, yet I find that game incredibly boring. "How" should people review games. Ultimately, people are going to play games if it's fun. I remember when Mario 64 came out, and someone rated it a 9.8 out of 10. I know that's not a bad mark. But I can't help but think too myself how they could even rate a game like that. At least for it's time. In my mind, at the time, that game received infinite amount of "numbers." The game was incredible. Anyway, I understand why reviews are done. But my question is, HOW should they be done? I think it's more difficult than it seems.

Wait...none of those top 10 games were released in the last 4 years... GAMING IS DEAD!

No...but seriously...were there no stellar games made in the last four years? Or is it just the sad truth that everything over the last 4 years is just sadly derivative of older ideas?

Lunar, perhaps CNET was attempting to avoid coming off as presumptuous by not naming such recent titles to their list of the best games of all time. For example, as far as I'm concerned, a game can't be a classic until its generation is through. They could have easily named God of War, San Andreas, Katamari Damacy, Viewtiful Joe, or any other of the dozens of excellent games released this generation. Instead they opted for the games that were revolutionary for their era instead of playing off of the short-term emotions of the gaming public. In the end, it's the games that can withstand the test of time that will be known as the greatest games ever. Recent titles simply don't yet have the longevity to accomplish this feat.

LunarDuality, I have to agree with you. Games are getting better, but people can't really see it because they're getting bored at the same time. There needs to be more new concepts and ideas.

Hahah,Halo got higher than Zelda.

I can hear the sad,bitter cries of the Nintendo fanboys around the world echoing into the night air.

I love it.

While I am a Nintendo fan, I do have an Xbox and have played Halo and own Halo 2. There were much better FPS games, and Zelda was definitely a better game. I'm guessing the criteria they're basing its ranking is simply that other than Goldeneye, it was the defining FPS on consoles (even though this isn't a console-only list).

They gotta be kidding, Ocarina should be at least in the top 5.

Ocarina of Time: Higher metacritic than every other game on that list, yet is somehow the lowest? Starcraft #2 is pretty good though :D

My god OTAM, in every single one of your posts, you either make fun of Nintendo or their fans. Seriously, you need a life big time. You need more to make your life seem worthwhile, which it currently isn't.

the thing i agree on from this list is the zelda rating

ZELDA OWN ALL!!

While all of these are great games, none of the choices were that original. I mean Halo on the list for top 10, wtf? Where is my Grim Fandango, or Planescape: Torment. (Games most people here probably never heard of. :) )

You agree with the Zelda rating, and yet you say it owns all. Interesting.

I, on the other hand, completely disagree with the Zelda rating. Tenth place? I'm sorry, but I had more fun with Zelda than with both Starcraft and The Sims. Half-Life...not so much.

I played Half-Life for the 1st time right before HL2 came out. After a couple of hours I just couldn't take it anymore. I tried to force myself to keep playing, but I just couldn't. While I have no doubt that the original HL deserved its score when it came out - it certainly has not stood the test of time.

*I've been playing games since the late 70s and enjoy all genres...

lololololololololololololol
My sims just died :(
In all honesty the sims really does suck ass.
Just because it sold a lot of copies doens't make it awesome.

Katamari. It's the one truly original, highly popular, and universally high-reviewed game in the modern console era.

We Love Katamari countdown continues...

Seems like this list is based more on sales than anything else....

Everquest? Come on...Where is Ultima Online?

The best game I played this generation, and that took me by surprise, is believe it or not, Pikmin. Man, there's just so many games that have gone unnoticed or should have sold better, and one of those is this game or now, franchise. Please, anyone who likes videogames in the least, you have to try out Pikmin. Do no, I repeat, do not be discouraged from it's looks. I started getting worried because I wanted something fresh to play. I had no idea that game would be Pikmin. Of course I now own Pikmin 1 and 2. Great games.

Zelda should be in the top3...

Madden shouldn't be in that list at all. Sorry to tell you, but no one likes Madden outside of the USA. Also maybe rather UO than Everquest. I agree with all the other games though, but I think they are all of equal quality and shouldn't be listed in a specific order. And the list should have been a bit longer because there are other games like Civ, Mario 64 or Baldurs Gate 2 (and probably many more) which deserve to be in that list but aren't because it has only room for 10 games.

That's a really, really bad list. Do the folks over at CNET play anything other than shooters? Here's my 1-10 take on their top ten games:

Half deserves a 9. A VERY good game.

I never played Starcraft

The Sims is one of the worst games ever made. I'd give it a 1.

Quake was fun. Not a classic. It gets an 8.

Depends which Madden they're talking about.

Everquest gets a 2, just because it's better than the Sims. You'd have to be a real loser to get "addicted" to this game, in my opinion.

Halo was overrated, but sort of fun, if you ignore the constant backtracking. It warrants a 7.

Metal Gear Solid was an 8.

Grand Theft Auto III was okay. It spawned a lot of crappy open-ended games. It gets a 7, just for having the balls to be Grand Theft Auto III.

Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time is a 10. Best game on this list, hands down.

The fact that there isn't a single Resident Evil game on this list proves the dorks at CNET should stick with masturbation. They don't know gaming.

Why isn't Grim Fandango on that list, it's one of the best games of all time damn it!

Duh?

Only FPS and RPG games? WTF?

How about:
Civ 1-3?
Grim Fandango? (way best game ever)
Outcast? (2:n or 3:rd best i'd say)
Black & White?
Myst? (the whole series)

The list goes on with mentionable games. Why so stuck on RPG and FPS? You need to broaden your perspectives dude!

/m0

i was actually talking about the metacritic rating. of course i dissagree with the place. 10th place is to horrible for a zelda game especially Ocarina of Time. I found a couple list tat agree with me both from IGN. i think the first one is the most recent. surprisingly the original Mario game is #1, but at least Ocarina of Time is 2nd :)

http://top100.ign.com/2005/index.html

http://microsites.ign.com/kfc/top99games/index.html

Grim Fandango's my favorite game of all time, but it was sort of the death call of the adventure genre- a great game, but not influential.

Myst, on the other hand, should have been in the top five, or even the top three.

CNET Top 10 video games 1995 to 2005

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