Want a good laugh? PC Gamers Top 100 of all time list

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Via

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2009
4,695
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For starters, they don't regard this as the best games of all time, but the CURRENT top 100 games. I.E. the top 100 games they would like to play today, right now, in their current form. As a result most of the games are recent and have great longevity/replayability.

Then the title of the list is epically false.

The cover of the mag screams :"100 GREATEST PC GAMES OF ALL TIME"
 

BlitzPuppet

Platinum Member
Feb 4, 2012
2,460
7
81
Lol it's a tool list, anything that lists TF2 in the top 10 X game of all time is a shitty list.

LOL at BF2 or 1942 not being on the list, but BF3 is.
 

tential

Diamond Member
May 13, 2008
7,355
642
121
I read magazines like this when I was like 16. I'm pretty sure the majority of gamers on there are younger 18-22 year olds.

This article is aimed at younger people. Putting older great games would be utterly useless to the article as they wouldn't know what the game is. It's a popularity contest of games that younger people will know.

This is similar to Miley Cyrus winning Maxim's Top 100 Hot list. Seriously Miley Cyrus? It's mostly popularity, and then sponsors (maybe), and of course drumming up controversy so you go to the site, buy the magazine, whatever.

Just like we can all pick out 20 games better than Skyrim, we can also pick 20 girls hotter than Miley Cyrus (probably even 20 girls you know in real life hotter than her).

Just a way to sell magazines.
 

Via

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2009
4,695
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They do pull some older games.

That's not really the issue I take with the list.

There are a lot of issues with the list.

My biggest issue is that some games are obviously placed on there to boost sales. Let's start with #1, Skyrim. Sure, it's a good game for many. But you have to assume it's sales have been slowing over time. You don't think ranking it the greatest PC game ever made isn't an effort to stem that tide a bit?

Anyone on the fence about many of these games might be swayed to pull the trigger on a purchase after reading the article.

You really think FTL is ranked the 18th greatest game ever on merit alone? Or do you think it just might be there to garner a few extra purchases? I'm not dogging on FTL, it's just an example.
 

DominionSeraph

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
8,391
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The biggest problem here is that the list is copied and pasted without any of their reasoning and justifications. For starters, they don't regard this as the best games of all time, but the CURRENT top 100 games. I.E. the top 100 games they would like to play today, right now, in their current form. As a result most of the games are recent and have great longevity/replayability.

Then Doom doesn't fit, since that has certainly been superseded. The Witcher and Vampire:The Masquerade Bloodlines are top games but with limited replayability. It's missing MOO2 and HOMM3.
 

Arg Clin

Senior member
Oct 24, 2010
416
0
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Mass Effect 2: 2

Mass Effect 1: --
Mass Effect 3: --

Fail!

While I certainly acknowledge that some people might see ME2 as the pinnacle of the ME series (even if they are wrong :p) it strikes me as odd that none of the other two are even represented. My guess would be that at least as many would favour ME1 over ME2 as vice versa.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
348
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There are a lot of issues with the list.

My biggest issue is that some games are obviously placed on there to boost sales. Let's start with #1, Skyrim. Sure, it's a good game for many. But you have to assume it's sales have been slowing over time. You don't think ranking it the greatest PC game ever made isn't an effort to stem that tide a bit?

Anyone on the fence about many of these games might be swayed to pull the trigger on a purchase after reading the article.

You really think FTL is ranked the 18th greatest game ever on merit alone? Or do you think it just might be there to garner a few extra purchases? I'm not dogging on FTL, it's just an example.

In my opinion, as I've said, the suspicions that game reviewers inflate scores because they're 'paid off by publishers' are greatly exaggerated.

I think the rule is that they bend over backwards to not do that, while there are rare exceptions it happens.

I think the selection of Skyrim for #1 of all time is plausible and defensible, based on it being the 'last man standing' for large-budget RPG's and a deep, large, polished game.

And I don't think FTL begins to have the marketing clout to buy that influence even if it could be bought, really. It got an 89; it's likely just the author's opinion.

Some picks do raise questions, like especially that DayZ mod - it almost raises a question as if the person based on the early hype that had so much excitement.

As if they're unaware of the decelopments of a poorly rated release.

I won't put that in stone - I think Future Publishing, the company behind PC Gamer, seems to be struggling financially - look at the rest of PC gaming magazine, and they've had things like their very nice World of Warcraft premium magazine shut down - look at the comments in this thread, I may be the only subscriber here. But I very much doubt payola.

And that doesn't require an especially high view of the magazine's resistance to the money - it's just they have a system. Money seems to help in the *preview* section.

It's not uncommon to see games that buy advertising get glowing previews, followed by horrible reviews. I've commented on that before with blaring examples.

They know they can get away with the line of 'hey, it sounded good, but you never know until it comes out'. But that doesn't explain some of the extreme changes.

Now, if FTL had a review score of 70, it would raise more suspicions - but 89 and the broad love of the game makes that one plausible as well as the author's opinion.

Sometimes these things can be pretty corrupt and devious, but I'm giving more credit to PC Gamer despite the bad list. As an unverified conspiracy theory, airplane magazines have a list of 'best steakhouses in the US'. Rumor claims that ad is paid for by a front group for one of the restaurants in the list, to put themselves in good company.

Which in that case makes sense - why would some group have nothing better to do than sit around making a list and spending a fortune to advertise it, making them no money?
 

moonbogg

Lifer
Jan 8, 2011
10,635
3,095
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Duke Nukem 3D should be in the top 10. A game that helped shape the entire FPS genre somehow didn't make the list at all.

I conclude: They are young, inexperienced and STUPID. Also, that list is garbage incase that escaped you somehow.
 

KaOTiK

Lifer
Feb 5, 2001
10,877
8
81
I think what is pissing a lot of people off as well is, they don't even pick the best game of a franchise/series but pick one of the weaker ones. For example, Far Cry 2, I mean seriously wtf? If they would of put Far Cry 1 it would more than likely just be looked over. Battlefield 3 is another example, they could of went with BF1942 or BF2 and it would have been better.

It is like the purposely picked the weaker title in a franchise just to piss people off.
 

Jeffg010

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2008
3,438
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My top 5 would be

Doom
Everquest
Quake
WoW
SC

Just think what those games did to the industry.
 

TidusZ

Golden Member
Nov 13, 2007
1,765
2
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Honestly the worst top game list I've seen yet and I've seen probably 10+


diablo 3 on list, diablo 1 and 2 not on list. lols
 

Randum

Platinum Member
Jan 28, 2004
2,473
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wow. is this a real list or a joke? I might have to stop in the supermarket just to verify its real...how is Diablo 3 on this list...yet Diablo1 and 2 are absent? Not to mention Doom being so low on the list...and X-Wing/Tie Fighter anyone?

What about Myst? And Warcraft 2? Command and Conquer? These are industry defining games just left off the top 100, not top 10, top 100....

Looks like someone just googled, "PC Games, fun." Sounds like this magazine has as much talent as Rolling Stone does... *too soon?*
 

Lazlo Panaflex

Platinum Member
Jun 12, 2006
2,355
0
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Absolutely pathetic, but yes, I did get a good laugh. Surprised that shitty mag's still being published. Hell, I remember when HL1 was #1 for a couple of years. Like someone mentioned previously, that game was a watershed moment for PC gaming.
 
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AstroManLuca

Lifer
Jun 24, 2004
15,628
5
81
I read magazines like this when I was like 16. I'm pretty sure the majority of gamers on there are younger 18-22 year olds.

This article is aimed at younger people. Putting older great games would be utterly useless to the article as they wouldn't know what the game is. It's a popularity contest of games that younger people will know.

When I read this it immediately made me imagine a scenario in which a couple of nerdy kids are arguing on the playground over whose favorite game is better, and one brings out his PC Gamer magazine and points out that his favorite game is rated higher so that "proves" it.

Clearly, magazines, especially gaming magazines, are not aimed at adults anymore. Which is weird, considering you are always hearing about how the average gamer is 30 years old or whatever.

You're absolutely right. All the useful information is freely available on the internet and there's no need for magazines anymore, at least not for most people here. They could have released a more "logical" list and put, say, Doom or Warcraft 2 or something at the top, but that wouldn't have been interesting.
 

pontifex

Lifer
Dec 5, 2000
43,806
46
91
Funny list, but did you catch the tope 25 shooters of all time a few months ago?

(mind you, this is a more narrowly defined genre and should be easier to pull off)

25 ) No one lives for ever
24) The New Wolfenstein
23) Swat 4
22) Unreal Tournament
21) Bioshock
20) Mechwarrior online
19) Max Payne 3
18) FEAR
17) Arma 2
16) Natural Selection 2
15) Far Cry 3
14) Counter Strike
13) Battlefield 3
12) Rising Storm
11) Left 4 Dead 2
10) Counter Strike: Global Offensive
9) Battlefield 1942
8)Tribes: Ascend
7) Doom
6) Stalker:Call of Pripyat
5) Borderlands 2
4) Quake 3
3) Planetside 2
2) HL 2
1) TF 2

I know there's some good games on there, but come on.

They've disabled the forum for repairs, they say. I think they just got tired of being made fun of.

I wonder if they'll ever turn it back on.

2 BF games, 2 CS games, ARMAII, Natural Selection 2, Planetside 2, Max Payne 3, and not a single CoD game? I know people hate the later games, but the 1st 2 were amazing and extremely popular.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
20,839
3,174
126
I fail to see how 1/3rd those games on that list made it on that list period
 
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chalmers

Platinum Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,565
0
76
People love lists for some reason, people love bitching about lists. Lists are meaningless. I think PC Gamer did their job.
 

Via

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2009
4,695
4
0
I think one of the longest running, best-known PC gaming publications owes a little more to the history of PC gaming than making a meaningless list so people can bitch about it (and one that doubles as blatant game advertising).

I, on the other hand, can do it any time I want. I don't owe that debt. Watch:

My greatest PC game of all time? World of Warcraft, and it's not close when you consider all of the relevant factors.
 

schneiderguy

Lifer
Jun 26, 2006
10,769
52
91
WTF, ridiculous list. Was this a special edition of the magazine brought to you by Console Gamers?

KT

Pretty sure it was from the I've Been Playing PC Games For One Year After I Started Browsing Reddit Now I'm Such A Nerd XD Association.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
348
126
I think one of the longest running, best-known PC gaming publications owes a little more to the history of PC gaming than making a meaningless list so people can bitch about it (and one that doubles as blatant game advertising).

I, on the other hand, can do it any time I want. I don't owe that debt. Watch:

My greatest PC game of all time? World of Warcraft, and it's not close when you consider all of the relevant factors.

Ohmigosh. Via is obviously paid off by Blizzard to advertise their game.

I don't find anything about that list to be "blatant game advertising".

That's like accusing Rolling Stone of putting bands on its top 100 lists because they're paid off to get more sales. It's just baseless paranoia.

I do think there's a good case for WoW at #1 though, we agree on that.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
348
126
On the one hand, these lists are unavoidably not agreeable to many. People have their favorites and don't agree.

But that doesn't change the fact, for example, that I have a very clear opinion about the 'best rock bands in history'.

That list consists of Beatles #1, Led Zeppelin #2, Pink Floyd #3, The Who #4.

Now, I'm correct - but just having that list isn't going to change many minds.

And if someone else just loves the Stones - who did have one heck of a song in Gimme Shelter - what is there to be said about the disagreement?

The Mona Lisa is a great painting to one person, and an unimportant overrated portrait to another.

I guess the value - at least one - to these lists is to try to help one another appreciate something that some don't appreciate but should.

'FTL? What the heck is that? But #18? I'll check it out.'

The fame of the Mona Lisa gets people to ask, why is it so famous? And to learn more about it.

And this is one reason why people get upset when their time is wasted with phony 'lists' designed to hype and promote because someone is paid to.

It helps to reinforce a consensus among people to see some things recognized as some of 'the best'. Myst wasn't just a puzzle game - but a great one, usually on these lists.
 

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
31,493
9,824
136
did a bunch of kids come up with this list? some of the most influential pc games of all time are completely missing on that list (diablo I > diablo II >>>>>>>>>>> diablo III), quake, quake3, UT99, original HL, etc.

some of their picks are good though (LoL at 34 isn't all that bad considering how influential it is for Esports. SC:BW should absolutely be higher..like, top10 or 20)