i hate to tell you, but it is entirely possible that i will have Angry Birds represented if the list goes beyond 100. it's a pretty big phenomenon and represents one of the biggest industry changes in recent years (towards casual gaming/smartphone games).

one thing i don't want to happen with this list is for it to only represent a portion of the gaming audience. i don't want a list that just caters towards hardcore gamers, nor do i want a list that just caters to mainstream popularity. i want a list that presents a brief overview of the games that had a major impact in gaming history.



as for Words with Friends. no worries there. i don't have a strict cut-off, but i have a general cut-off where i say "ok, that is just a board game/card game that someone stuck on a screen" and i don't count it. i'm not putting solitaire on here, or online poker, or facebook games that just rip-off board games. they are a different art-form. possibly a great artform, but not for this list.

Well talking of RPGs, Dragon Quest is usually considered to be the father of all JRPGs, and has spawned one of the most popular franchises of anything in Japan. Seriously, Dragon Quest is like Looney Tunes over there. The problem would be whether to include the original that sparked the franchise/genre, or the much more highly acclaimed and popular middle games (IV-VI). Quandry quandry.

possibly more acclaimed (although both are highly acclaimed). but i wouldn't say more popular.

but this is a good example of a difficulty of this list. its easy to put the first game of a series, or to put games in a series that take major steps forward (GTAIII, Ocarina, Mario 64, etc). but its difficult to know where to place a sequel that doesn't radically move things forward but may be slightly more polished than the original. do we just give it credit for the innovation of the series in general? idk. this happens with Sims/Sims 2, Guitar Hero/GH2, Portal/Portal 2, Gran Turismo/GT3, all of which the sequel may be a slightly better game in some people's opinion. but the innovation/creativity came with the first.

the other problem is sometimes the popularity of one game is actually represented in the sales of its sequel more than anything. Halo 2 sold more than Halo because the anticipation, but the anticipation of it only existed because of Halo lol. same with GTAIII leading to huge sales for Vice City and San Andreas.

Same problem with Mario 3 and A Link to the Past. Both are typically held up as superior to their predecessor and are enormously acclaimed and popular, but were not too terribly different from them (though from Mario 3 to Mario World would be a much better example of this). Which is one reason I'm not too sure how I feel about ALTTP being higher than the original.

Edit: I'm referring to SMB and LoZ, in case that causes confusion The middle installments don't play in, obviously.

I dont know why the hell I didnt comment here sooner, but damn this is an awesome list.
One of the rare occasions when my favorite of all time happens to be #1 on the list.

beyond 100 is totally fine for "Angry Birds". Its influential to a whole new medium of gaming and it deserves to be somewhere in a large list. As high as it was on that G4 list (I think it was in the top 50) was insane and unacceptable. Especially when far more influential casual games like "Bejeweled" were left off entirely.

I agree with your sentiments on "Words with Friends".

Good start, but a little messy. Here are some suggestions,

Knights of the Old Republic
Twilight Princess
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Silent Hill 2
Ico
Kingdom Hearts
Psychonauts
System Shock 2
Guitar Hero
Baldur's Gate II
Resident Evil 2
Starfox 64
Banjo Kazooie
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Deus Ex
Eternal Darkness
Okami
Animal Crossing
Prince of Persia:Sands of Time

A criminally overlooked game on "greatest video games" lists is the PC classic Myst. It was highly influential and extremely popular.

Kings Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow

Yes. Pave, that's a huge oversight.

Pokémon Red and Blue should not be at 40. I'd place them at around 12.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Shadow of the Colossus, and God of War need to move up significantly. Three of the most original games I've ever played.

Some titles that are missing on the list:

Ico -- hugely innovative.
God of War II -- top 40 easily. Hugely acclaimed, innovative, and popular.
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Portal 2 -- definitely deserves a mention in the top 100

Pave, you there? Myst, man. Your list is naked without it.

I agree with a good amount of these, especially BGII, KOTOR and Deus Ex. Myst, along with these, should be the next additions to the list.

some other titles to consider to fill out the list
Uncharted 2
LittleBigPlanet
Minecraft
GTA:SA and Vice City
Red Dead Redemption
Fable
Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim
Ninja Gaiden
Psychonauts
Borderlands 2
Team Fortress 2
Fallout 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
Kingdom Hearts
Diablo 2
Civilization IV
Guitar Hero 2
Battlefield 1942
Gears of War
Ghost Recon
Unreal Tournament 2004
Rock Band
Assassin's Creed II

i'll do an edit soon. thanks for all the feedback.