The most popular game of all time?

[Emperor Megas]

If you could poll gamers the world over and ask them to list their favorite games of all time, of all of the thousands of games mentioned, what do you think would be THE most popular one(s)?

I'm not asking what your favorite games are, I trying to get a feel what you think the world consensus would be. Keep in mind that this is the entire gaming public I'm talking about here. All games, all regions, all generations of players. I realize that this is a matter of pure conjecture, but I'm curious what you guys think would place on the list.

I'd probably guess the original Pac-Man. It's an icon even beyond the realm of the gaming public, and the mystique of the title continues to draw in gamers of all generations. Also, Pac-Man, unlike other popular character based games which have made their mark, like Mario, Sonic, and Street Fighter titles, the origin version of Pac-Man has remained the most common incarnation of the series through out the years.

What do you guys think?

[Gameguy]

I'll go with Tetris. It's pretty much everywhere if you count all the clones too, even in discount stores there's usually Tetris clones available for sale for just a few dollars. There's even a Tetris game built into some DVD authoring software I have to keep you busy while it's converting video.

[sfchakan]

I am an n64 revisionist!!!

Ocarina of time was the best and most popular game of all time!!!

I think i remember watching the teletubbies right before my parents brought oot home. What a great day!



Seriously though, Pac-Man.

[Robocop2]

Pac-man

[Aussie2B]

I'm surprised that so many of you would pick Pac-Man. I really don't think so. Pac-Man has lost basically all relevancy in today's gaming. I would venture to guess that a large percentage of gamers under 20 have never played Pac-Man, and even including those that have for a couple minutes, a large percentage of those probably got bored with it and thus wouldn't list it as a favorite. The aforementioned Tetris would be a more logical choice if you want to go with a simple, classic pick-up-and-play game that everyone has played and is still loved by many.

But you'd really have to define "gamer" for a question like this. Is that anyone who has ever played a video game or people who are serious about the hobby? If the latter, it seems to me that Ocarina of Time is the most highly-regarded game.

[sfchakan]

I'm surprised that so many of you would pick Pac-Man. I really don't think so. Pac-Man has lost basically all relevancy in today's gaming. I would venture to guess that a large percentage of gamers under 20 have never played Pac-Man, and even including those that have for a couple minutes, a large percentage of those probably got bored with it and thus wouldn't list it as a favorite. The aforementioned Tetris would be a more logical choice if you want to go with a simple, classic pick-up-and-play game that everyone has played and is still loved by many.

But you'd really have to define "gamer" for a question like this. Is that anyone who has ever played a video game or people who are serious about the hobby? If the latter, it seems to me that Ocarina of Time is the most highly-regarded game.

You see, I called it. OoT my ass.

Pac-Man's huge impact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man#Impact_and_legacy) cannot be denied. It moved a ton of money, merchandise, etc.

I would say that the only other games to even be in the same league of Pac-Man are Super Mario Bros and Tetris.

Also, while you feel that kids under 20 are soooo relevant, I would like to introduce you to all of the 20-70+ year olds who have played Pac-Man.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Arguably, Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros.

But to the foul mouthed kids these days, Halo 3.

[wingzrow]

Angry birds or mine sweeper. Maybe solitaire.

[G-Boobie]

The good ones are already taken, but I'll throw my voice behind them: Pac-Man, Tetris, or Super Mario Bros.

A close fourth would of course be that 360 game that came bundled with a set of wrist supporting stench breasts and anime girl troubles. You know the one.

[Ro-J]

The first game my 5 year old plays when we get to the arcade is Pac-Man, then pinball....lots of pinball. So I'd say Pac-Man still has an appeal to the under 20...plus I can't think of a single console or handheld Pac-Man hasn't appeared on.

[Emperor Megas]

But you'd really have to define "gamer" for a question like this. Is that anyone who has ever played a video game or people who are serious about the hobby?Everyone from the most seasoned pro FPS players, to SUV driving, soccer equipment toting, solitaire fiends, to cell phone only gaming, 9-to-5 desk jockeys. I'm talking about any and every person who's familiar with, and (whether active or not) has participated in and enjoyed 'video gaming' to the point of familiarity.


If the latter, it seems to me that Ocarina of Time is the most highly-regarded game.I don't know many gamers under 20 who've ever even played Ocarina of Time...or a Nintendo64 for that matter. I'm not saying that this is the norm (I honestly don't know), but most of the young gamers I know grew up with PlayStation2s and PSOnes. Even many of my contemporaries who are gamers only had one consoles per generation, and for most of them that generation, it was a PlayStation. Even if it was a Nintendo64 game that made the top slot, I'd image it'd be Mario64 before Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

But once more, I'm not really asking what the top rated game is among hardcore (i.e. "serious") gamers, but rather what's the most common title that would appear across the board if everyone made a list of their all time favorites. Everyone from my mother (who's played Frogger, Solitaire, Combat, Pac-Man, and Mrs. Pac-Man, and that's about it) to James Rolfe.

EDIT: I didn't realize that I made this thread in the Modern Gaming forum. I meant to post it in Classic Gaming. :|

[kupomogli]

*edit*

Nevermind. Not Halo. Call of Duty.

[Nirvana]

Since it's all time, I'll have to say Pac-Man. I feel like everyone's heard of Pac-Man.

[j_factor]

But wasn't Ms. Pac-Man more popular than the original? Pac-Man definitely had the bigger impact, but it seems like Ms. Pac-Man topped it in popularity.

[Aussie2B]

You see, I called it. OoT my ass.

Pac-Man's huge impact (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man#Impact_and_legacy) cannot be denied. It moved a ton of money, merchandise, etc.

I would say that the only other games to even be in the same league of Pac-Man are Super Mario Bros and Tetris.

Also, while you feel that kids under 20 are soooo relevant, I would like to introduce you to all of the 20-70+ year olds who have played Pac-Man.

But the question is for what people would answer NOW, not if we magically time-traveled back to the early 80s and asked people back then. How much money and merchandise it moved decades ago is irrelevant to this because it sure as heck isn't moving all that much now. I would guess that most gamers who would list Pac-Man as a top favorite these days would either be a hardcore retro gamer or some old person that hasn't touched a video game since Pac-Man was new in arcades.

Tetris is kind of, sort of relevant these days, although stuff like Bejeweled and Angry Birds is probably taking its place among the casual crowd. The Mario series as a whole is definitely still relevant. Pac-Man just doesn't compare.

I suggested Ocarina of Time because, among those who consider gaming one of their main interests, it's still immensely popular. If you go to any of those score averaging sites, it's usually got one of the top averages, and it's constantly named as a favorite among gamers. It's also always winning polls like on GameFAQs. It's stayed fairly relevant since more recent Zelda games are still being compared to it (and they're usually seen as falling short of OoT), and it's been a part of every generation since its release (N64, GameCube compilation, Virtual Console, 3DS).

Of course, if you count anyone that's touched a video game, I'm sure Ocarina of Time wouldn't come out on top, since a great number of those people don't even play home console video games.

[kupomogli]

I think those Gamefaqs polls are rigged. People don't do the contest to place what they think is the best game, but what they think everyone else will choose. So it's skewed by a couple thousand people choosing the game of choice in hopes to win money on the contest. Not only that, but how many people vote on those Gamefaqs contests? 10,000? For 1/5 of it to be skewed in favor of winning something, then I hardly call that legitimate.

[Flashback2012]

Final Fantasy VII. I'm surprised it hasn't been said already. I mean srsly...what's Pac-Man and Tetris got on Sephirothzomgwtfbbq? :deadhorse:



Serious answer...I don't think there is one single game, I think the answer is plural.

[Emperor Megas]

Serious answer...I don't think there is one single game, I think the answer is plural.Hence the one(s). :)

With that said, what are your guesses?

[The 1 2 P]

I would also go with Tetris. Pac-Man and Super Mario Bros would be close runner-ups as I feel that the general public has atleast heard of all three. Oot? As someone else already mentioned that would probably get a nod if the discussion only included core gamers. But I suppose we really wouldn't know unless we did a random sample of atleast 1000 gamers(3000 total) from all three major regions(US, UK/Europe, Japan).

[Gameguy]

I think those Gamefaqs polls are rigged. People don't do the contest to place what they think is the best game, but what they think everyone else will choose. So it's skewed by a couple thousand people choosing the game of choice in hopes to win money on the contest. Not only that, but how many people vote on those Gamefaqs contests? 10,000? For 1/5 of it to be skewed in favor of winning something, then I hardly call that legitimate.
But in the 2007 character battle the winner was the L-Block from Tetris(seriously). LOL

Just looking up more stuff on wikipedia;

Guinness World Records has awarded the franchise nine world records in the Gamer's Edition. These records include "Most Ported Video Game", and "Game With the Most Official and Unofficial Variants".

It's still available on various platforms today, it never went away.

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/8610/2426030742e1f768324.jpg


If we're talking purely about mascots or characters I'd have to go with Pac-Man, as for the games themselves Tetris just beats out Pac-Man though it is close. With Mario, I'm pretty sure most people consider Super Mario 3 to be the best game in the series more than the original. I didn't think this thread was about franchises so much as specific individual games, for a specific individual game the original Tetris is pretty much perfect. It's the perfect game for casual players and serious players.

[Ze_ro]

Maybe solitaire.

This.

--Zero

[Ludwig]

I also have to say tetris, even if you have no electronic device whatsoever you still can play it, just recently i've seen a board game thing which was clearly inspired by tetris. It really is everywhere, and it still is a full-price game. While pacman would be a close #2, tetris is #1 in my opinion. Pacman doesn't even get it's own releases anymore - at least not with the gameplay as back in the days, it's always "rally" or "party" or something, it's alive and kicking as a character, as a game though it went in the bargain bin a long time ago, even though it will stick around. I'm saying tetris, and i don't see this changing as long there are people with a need for casual fun on the go, and handhelds. It takes just the right amount of time, about 5 to 15 minutes, it's random so it always stays fun, there are tons of variations now that also keep it fresh, and it's as simple as it gets. Tetris tetris tetris.

Oh and solitaire is not a video game, and as a "video game" in the widest sense of the word, it's not that popular, but if we take in regular board games, then i would like to say monopoly.

[Rickstilwell1]

As a runner up to Tetris and Pac-Man, I'd say Breakout and all of its clones have to be up there too. Before ipods could even get Tetris, breakout came as one of the 4 built in games. Who hasn't played that game on some device at least once?

[Cryomancer]

Pac-man, Super Mario Bros, Space Invaders. No particular order there.

[Nebagram]

Call of Duty. Alas. :(

[Rickstilwell1]

Wait a minute. If you count Japan and arcades, it is quite possible DDR could be even more popular than any of the mentioned icons. How many versions of the game are there again?

[RPG_Fanatic]

Street Fighter II :hail: How many different fighting games were and are still being made because of this game.

[Ludwig]

Street Fighter 2? Dance Dance Revolution? Call of doody? How did you guys came to those conclusions? :|

[sfchakan]

Wait a minute. If you count Japan and arcades, it is quite possible DDR could be even more popular than any of the mentioned icons. How many versions of the game are there again?

I don't think enough people would give DDR a chance (this from someone who picked it up from Japanese Dreamcast to NA PS2 releases). Pac-Man caused a YEN SHORTAGE, which is an entire nation's currency. Now that's impressive.


"Pac Man changed the psychological profile of the average person," explains Twin Galaxies' Walter Day. "Suddenly old and young, male and female, doctors, dentists, lawyers and housewives found it acceptable to be playing a video game. And Pac Man opened that door for them. Despite the fact that it was technologically advanced, it was as simple as playing a card game for them."

So go ahead and be impressed as you hear about sales numbers for the next "Grand Theft Auto" or see anxious gamers camping overnight to be the first to get their hands on next generation consoles. But weigh that frenzy to the one Pac Man sparked when it was originally released in Japan. The game proved so popular that it incited a shortage of yen coins in the country.

Let's see today's titles manage something like that. -Source (http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/10/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm?cnn=yes)

Street Fighter II could potentially be in the top 10 or 20 of most recognizable video games, but I don't think it was as accessible to so many different groups of people.

[duffmanth]

Probably Tetris, Pac-man, Mario, or Zelda?

[Baloo]

If it's not an 80s Arcade game or Super Mario Bros, I would be shocked.

[Gameguy]

I don't think enough people would give DDR a chance (this from someone who picked it up from Japanese Dreamcast to NA PS2 releases). Pac-Man caused a YEN SHORTAGE, which is an entire nation's currency. Now that's impressive.
Wasn't that Space Invaders? I don't recall hearing about a Yen shortage caused by Pac-Man. :?


If it's not an 80s Arcade game or Super Mario Bros, I would be shocked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWlDgFDwhK8

[Aussie2B]

Yeah, that was Space Invaders, and, to be specific, it was a shortage of 100-yen coins. It's not like all of the nation's wealth was inside of Space Invaders machines, haha. It would be like if the US had a shortage of quarters, not a shortage of money period. (100-yen coins and quarters aren't of the same value, though, before anyone tries to correct me on that one.)

[Icarus Moonsight]

In a non-revisionist world, OoT would get it's ass kicked by Pokemon in recognition by 20 and under.

Pac-Man/Ms., Tetris, Mario - sounds like the cross all boundaries winners to me. Zelda might hit #4 or 5 at best. I'd think it could come in lower than that, once the actual survey process gets underway.

[Aussie2B]

I don't know where you guys are getting this "revisionist" stuff. Ocarina of Time is a legitimately popular game among serious/"hardcore" gamers. It's been so from day one and continues to be hugely popular now. Remember how every magazine back then read "GAME OF THE CENTURY"? And I listed several ways in which it demonstrates its popularity these days. I'm not even that crazy about it myself, but I've continuously observed all of this. And it's definitely talked about by gamers these days A LOT more often than freakin' Pac-Man.

Pokemon is a good choice, though. Widespread popularity and still well-loved. I don't know if Pokemon fans tend to rally behind any single title unanimously, though. I definitely don't think it would be the crusty, old Red/Blue. Doesn't seem like even big Pokemon fans still play the original, but I'm guessing it sold better than the later titles.

[Gameguy]

In this thread it was asked worldwide which game would be most popular for every person who ever played a video game regardless of age or how into games they were/are, I just can't see Ocarina of Time being on most people's list as their favourite game. Not if we're counting casual players too.

[j_factor]

Ocarina of Time, simply by virtue of what kind of game it is, doesn't have the wide accessibility of a game like Tetris or Pac-Man. I would even put something like Myst ahead of any Zelda game, or possibly Wii Sports. No one's arguing that OoT isn't extremely popular, but it doesn't fit the thread very well.

One thing Pac-Man, Tetris, DDR, Myst, and Wii Sports have in common, along with the likes of Frogger, Centipede, and (to a more limited extent) Mario and Sonic: My mother enjoys all of them. She'd never get anywhere in a game like OoT. She'd never get used to the controls, the objective wouldn't be immediately clear to her, and she wouldn't like the plodding nature of the game. The intro alone would turn her off. It's not that she's not open to other stuff -- I got her hooked on Samba de Amigo and Mr. Driller for a while. But what's Zelda about, again? If it takes you a paragraph to explain the game, and a half hour or longer to learn how to play it, that excludes a lot of people right there. I've seen lots of video clips from the early 80s of grannies talking about Pac-Man, or noticing in the background middle-aged men in business suits standing at arcade machines.

[BHvrd]

The Sims.

Your mom has played it, your grandmother has played it, your aunts and uncles and cousins have played it and as much as you hate to admit it, you have played it. :p

I can't think of another single game that I know that all groups of people have played and liked at some point or another. Sure you may hate it now, but you used to love it and you know it! The game has mass appeal, no denying it.

[Sunnyvale]

Wow, no one thought to mention Donkey Kong? I'd rank it below Pac-Man, but far above OOT in terms of popularity in the general public.

[kupomogli]

The Sims.

Your mom has played it, your grandmother has played it, your aunts and uncles and cousins have played it and as much as you hate to admit it, you have played it. :p.

I haven't played it(seriously.) I've watched someone play it but never played it.

[j_factor]

The Sims didn't really appeal to me, it felt like it was a cash-in on the Tamagotchi craze at the time.

[Aussie2B]

In this thread it was asked worldwide which game would be most popular for every person who ever played a video game regardless of age or how into games they were/are, I just can't see Ocarina of Time being on most people's list as their favourite game. Not if we're counting casual players too.

Yeah, I made that point myself, but the topic wasn't initially clear about how it defined a "gamer".

Pac-Man has the opposite problem of Ocarina of Time. People who have barely touched games may have played it at some point, especially if they're 30-something+, but 99% of people that are serious about games would never pick it as a top favorite.

As for The Sims, I've never played it. Doubt anyone in my family has either (although many of them have probably never played a video game period), and I don't think anyone in my circle of gamer friends has played it since it really wouldn't be the kind of game that would capture their interest.

[Emperor Megas]

I've never played a SIMS game. I don't think I know anyone personally (not including online friends) who have/do, honestly. Crazy, I know.

Actually, they may not be true anymore as I saw in a Lazy Gamer video that there's a facebook version, and I know too many people who get sucked into those games.

[Sunnyvale]

I played SimCity in the early 90's. The people SIMS games are, well, girl games, IMO. I gave one to my niece for her Bday, she was happy as punch, but her mom... Was going nuts for me to get her a memory card big enough to play it. (BTW, WTF doesn't GC games save to the Wii hard drive?)

[hbkprm]

it was all about sonic, mario, tetris, street fighter 20 years ago
now it halo, call of duty and angry birds

[Rob2600]

it was all about sonic, mario, tetris, street fighter 20 years ago
now it halo, call of duty and angry birds

Halo is more popular than Mario?

Halo = 5 million copies
Halo 2 = 8.46 million copies
Halo 3 = 8.1 million copies
total = 21.56 million

Super Mario Galaxy = 8.84 million copies
New Super Mario Bros. Wii = 21.94 million copies
Mario Kart Wii = 28 million copies
total = 58.78 million


In reality, it seems like Mario is almost three times more popular than Halo.

[TonyTheTiger]

I don't see how Super Mario Bros. can't be the answer considering Mario himself is one of the most recognizable characters on planet Earth. He's no Mickey Mouse or Ronald McDonald but I wouldn't doubt he's somewhere in the top 10.

Granted, it's possible that Mario himself just happens to be much more popular than any particular game he's featured in.

[MarioMania]

Pac-Man
Space Invaders
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2 (J)
Tetris
Donkey Kong
Galaga
Sonic
Sonic 2
Zelda

[Shingetter]

solitaire.

I'd be shocked if it wasn't solitaire. It is on like every PC since at least win95. Its at least the most played.

[Rob2600]

I don't see how Super Mario Bros. can't be the answer considering Mario himself is one of the most recognizable characters on planet Earth. He's no Mickey Mouse or Ronald McDonald but I wouldn't doubt he's somewhere in the top 10.

"In the 1990s, a national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse;[79] in fact, Mario has been called the 'most recognisable' figure in the gaming industry.[80]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario#Reception_and_legacy

[Emperor Megas]

"In the 1990s, a national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse;[79] in fact, Mario has been called the 'most recognisable' figure in the gaming industry.[80]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario#Reception_and_legacy


According to the Davie-Brown Index, Pac-Man has the highest brand awareness of any video game character among American consumers, recognized by 94 percent of them.[19] Pac-Man is one of the longest running video game franchises from the golden age of video arcade games, and one of only three video games that are on display at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. (along with Pong and Dragon's Lair).[20]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man

[Zama]

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time for the N64 <3

[Collector_Gaming]

I would rank it like this

1. Tetris (who hasn't played a tetris or a clone of tetris?)
2. Pac Man/Ms. Pac Man (unless you absolutely feel the need to split the 2)
3. Super Mario Bros.. take your pick (i mean come on Mario World on its own is what helped super nintendo shoot out the door as fast it did when released)
4. Breakout

[goatdan]

If you count it, solitaire. I don't think most people would think of it though, but I've heard that Microsoft once did a study and found that it was the single most used program on their operating systems. Ahead of even Internet Explorer. I don't remember how they determined it, but who doesn't play solitaire?

If not solitaire, I think that you have Tetris pretty solidly.

Pac-Man and Mario are both probably more recognizable, but Super Mario Bros is going to splinter it's vote between Super Mario Bros, SMB2, SMB3, SMW, and so on. Pac-Man will splinter a LOT less, but I'd expect a pretty equal splint between Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man on lists like that. Ms. Pac-Man is the more popular title (it is one of the very few old school games that still earns in arcades, along with Galaga), but I think that the original has more name recognition.

That leaves us with Tetris. Tetris doesn't split it's vote with the sequels, as I have met very few people who claim those titles to be better than the original. Because of that more than just about anything else, and also because Tetris is everywhere. iPod, iPad, Xbox 360, Dreamcast, N64, Saturn, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, PS3, Zune I think, random phones, NES, even the Virtual Boy had Tetris. And, although there are slightly different versions (like the Dreamcast had "the Next Tetris"), ultimately people are going to remember it as "Tetris." For this purpose, it would easily win... excluding solitaire, of course.

[The Great Dane]

My guess is Super Mario Bros. The name alone is synonymous with video games. I would assume that most people not super young or old would recognize the famous Super Mario Bros. 1 theme song if it was heard from someone's ringtone or in a movie or song or whatever.

While I would agree that Pac Man probably is more significant than Mario for the introduction of a popular gaming mascot and for it's revolutionary gameplay of the time, I would still argue that Mario had/has higher mass and mainstream appeal.

[TonyTheTiger]

"In the 1990s, a national survey found that Mario was more recognizable to American children than Mickey Mouse;[79] in fact, Mario has been called the 'most recognisable' figure in the gaming industry.[80]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario#Reception_and_legacy

Maybe among kids, I dunno. I'd wager among the entire majority of the world's population Mickey Mouse tops the list. Superman is probably up there. Santa Claus, too, but in his case he's not exactly connected to a brand (anymore).

http://www.dinesh.com/history_of_logos/worlds_best_brands_and_logos.html
http://bizcovering.com/marketing-and-advertising/the-worlds-most-recognizable-symbols-and-trademarks/

This article says Ronald McDonald is second only to Santa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_McDonald

No doubt Mario is up there, though. But it does stand to wager whether or not people who identify Mario specifically identify him with Super Mario Bros. considering the question is what's the most recognizable game.

Solitaire is an interesting proposition but I'm not sure if it's fair. The issue is what are people identifying in that case? The specific Microsoft Solitaire you find in the "Games" folder or the Solitaire card game itself that they happen to be able to play on Windows? Because in that case, the Fifa games win out since everybody recognizes soccer.

[goatdan]

Maybe among kids, I dunno. I'd wager among the entire majority of the world's population Mickey Mouse tops the list. Superman is probably up there. Santa Claus, too, but in his case he's not exactly connected to a brand (anymore).

To be fair to Mickey Mouse... what has he done lately? Mickey is an *extremely* recognizable figure to those who have gone to and go to the Disney parks. Beyond that, unless there is a Disney fan in your family, it isn't like Mickey Mouse has been in a smash hit cartoon series or something lately. He did have a video game last year that was somewhat well received, but I think that Mario can claim the same thing.

I'd expect that Mario would be a bigger brand than Mickey Mouse, and that is coming from a guy who is a big Disney fan.

[TonyTheTiger]

There's a difference, though, between presently "popular" as in salable material and most recognizable as an image/institution/etc. Mickey Mouse himself hasn't had the proliferation but his image and branding has. Especially the three circle Mickey ears logo. You could say the same about Superman. Even the best selling comic book these days moves barely more than 100,000 issues. And new cartoons and movies are few and far between. But stick that "S" shield in front of somebody and they immediately know what they're looking at. I'm thinking in terms of things that transcended the constraints of the medium and became integrated into pop culture.

I interpreted "most popular" as "most recognizable" or "most well known." If the question is "most liked" or "most profitable" then we're in a different world entirely. But that's something that will change constantly from decade to decade.

[goatdan]

There's a difference, though, between presently "popular" as in salable material and most recognizable as an image/institution/etc. Mickey Mouse himself hasn't had the proliferation but his image and branding has. Especially the three circle Mickey ears logo. You could say the same about Superman. Even the best selling comic book these days moves barely more than 100,000 issues. And new cartoons and movies are few and far between. But stick that "S" shield in front of somebody and they immediately know what they're looking at. I'm thinking in terms of things that transcended the constraints of the medium and became integrated into pop culture.

I interpreted "most popular" as "most recognizable" or "most well known." If the question is "most liked" or "most profitable" then we're in a different world entirely. But that's something that will change constantly from decade to decade.

The original poster had asked about the most popular game of all times, not the game character of all time, in which case I would agree that Mario is probably the most popular game character by the way of penetration.

Again though, huge Disney fan talking here, but also someone who has worked in "his" industry, take away the Disney theme parks and the Disney Store, and where would this merchandise come from? There has been a little push lately to reintroduce some of it -- specifically because Disney has noticed that Mickey as a brand is being pushed out of the non-park going public's mind, especially the young mind -- while other Disney brands, like Cars, Pirates and Princesses have taken off.

But, even with all that, unless you really search when you walk into your local Target or Walmart, Mickey is *far* less prevalent than those three brands I just mentioned, or even Mario for that matter. Also, the three circle logo is becoming more and more synonymous (or should I say synonymouse? haha) with Disney the brand instead of Mickey the brand.

Disney is doing a slow push to reintroduce him outside of the parks which includes Mickey's Clubhouse for young kids, and they introduced Epic Mickey with the idea that those who grew up with Mickey's Clubhouse would love and latch onto that game, and then they can keep attempting to reattach the brand to kids. But, I work with elementary kids right now, and I see bunches of Lightning McQueens and Marios, but I haven't seen one kid with a Mickey anything in the six weeks or so that I've been in my position.

I would agree with you more about Supermay, although I think that lately Batman has a much higher penetration rate. As do the Star Wars characters.

Oh, and again, for the record, not a Disney hater -- my 20 month old has a Mickey shirt and can say 'Mickey Mouse' (or something like it) already.

[Buyatari]

When I see a non-gamer stop in to my store these are the safest bets to recomend if you are looking for a sale.

Tetris, Ms Pacman, Super Mario and Monopoly.

[Aussie2B]

Technically, the question was what would be the most popular choice if all gamers were asked for their favorite games, so it really doesn't matter to what degree a game is sold/played/recognized. Even if every gamer had played Superman 64, that doesn't mean they're going to list it as a favorite game.

[MarioMania]

I forgot

Street Fighter 2