Electronic Gaming Monthly's 200th Issue

[Rogmeister]

I just got EGM #200 in the mail today...and my first thought is this thing sure is thin. I remember when they were regularly over 200 pages long and I seem to even recall a few times they his 300 pages...this one is 124 pages counting the covers. Their key feature for this special issue is, you guessed it, a Top 200 countdown. Specifically they're calling it The Greatest 200 Games of Their Time. I won't list all 200 games, of course, but here's their final top ten...

10. Pong
9. Grand Theft Auto III
8. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
7. Space Invaders
6. Super Mario 64
5. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
4. Tetris
3. Street Fighter II
2. Pac-Man
1. Super Mario Bros.

Yes, there are Atari 2600 games on the list. One of my personal favorites, Super Metroid, came in at #23 with the original Metroid coming in at #1. I won't reveal more...go check it out for yourself.

Looking at the reviews, I see MVP Baseball actually lives on but has now been turned into a college version as MVP 06 NCAA Baseball. The scores are mixed on that one.

[Retsudo]

I still have the 100th issue. I like to go back to it and look at the 100 best games.

[GrayFox]

Well, I don't agree with Grand Theft Auto 3 already being in that Top 10 at all, BUT Halo is not there, therefore I'm happy.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

Well, I don't agree with Grand Theft Auto 3 already being in that Top 10 at all, BUT Halo is not there, therefore I'm happy.
I really dont understand this thought. Sure, I know a lot of people dont like it, but you simply cannot deny the fact that it is a great game, and it did change gaming as we know it. If you like that change or not is obviously up to you.

[Lothars]

understandable

I actually really like that list

I think it's a really good one

though I wish something like Chrono Trigger or FFVI would be on the top 10 it's all good

im very impressed about the list from what i can see.

[evildead2099]

In past countdowns (issues 100 and 150), EGM ranked Castlevania: SOTN and Super Metroid within the top 10.

I doubt I'll pick up the issue - EGM's quality has really dropped since I last saw an issue, and besides, I'm technically supposed to be receiving a FREE 12 ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION TO EGM (Cross Thread Reference #3242352563egfsdjngsdfn32).

[Steven]

I'm guessing it will be available newsstands like within the next week? I'll pick it up.

PS- can you (or someone) PM me Dan Hsu's email address? Thanks in advance.

[gepeto]

I remember when they were hitting the supersized editions.
The only problem was 150 pages were advertisments.
I had a hard time telling where the ads ended and the magazine began.

[Rogmeister]

Yes, it'll probably hit stands next week. When I get magazines by subscriptions, I usually get them a week or so before they hit the bookstores. I couldn't find Dan Hsu's e-mail address...of course, it's hard for my tired old eyes to read that tiny printing... @_@

[gepeto]

couple of quick questions about egm. Was quarterman and sushi x identity ever revealed. What happened to quarterman and sushi?
I remember when went by another name back then egm influenced me to by a genesis. It was there article on the altered beast packin as well as the system.

I renewed my subscription a few years ago. It is funny I remember the staff the articles. It's funny to think about how many came and went. I believe Dan hsu started as a review (not Sure).

I remember the article they printed saying that some developer was trying to force/blackmail them to give there games better reviews or they were going to pull their ads.

I still like the mag. For a time I think they did go hollywood.
I did like the supersized issues because you atleast felt like you got your moneys worth.

Here are the games reviews I think egm was in cahoots and
somehow getting kickbacks from the developer.

Crash Bandicoot They called it the greatest game ever.

Way of the Warrior another stellar review.

Tomb Raider Could do no wrong.

I remember Habeeb the Torturer letter of the month.
Sorry for the reminisce.

Some great memories.

[Steven]

I doubt Sushi-X was ever revealed, but there's truth in that different people played the role of S-X over the years... I think it was 3, 4 different people.

I liked EGM, til about issue 105 which was when they started to blow (after Saturn in the US officially died)

[CreamSoda]

Final Fantasy VII wasen't number one on the list. That gives it alot more credit in my eyes already! LOL

[Milk]

How does the list compare to the top 100 published 10 years ago?

[Cmtz]

Back in 92 or 94 I bought an EGM mag that was 425 pages long. It took me 3 days to read it all. Now a days I just open it an hour later it's closed.

[Steven]

Back in 92 or 94 I bought an EGM mag that was 425 pages long. It took me 3 days to read it all. Now a days I just open it an hour later it's closed.

lol yeah that was the infamous issue number 65... december 1994 IIRC... X-Men on the cover... issue 64 (DOOM JAGUAR) was also 400 pages too... EGM and fans jokingly said those two issues were thicker than most phone books.

Gawd I miss those days... me and my friend used to literally sit down and break the magazine down... we'd read all the shit, except for ads which we said out loud every time "COMMERCIAL" and automatically page flipped that sumbitch... damn good times... an innocent age of wonder... :)

[Rogmeister]

Well, I just pulled out issue #100 which had their picks for the 100 best games. I see Metroid was #44 in that issue. It's actually moved up (it's now #11)...you'd think it would've moved down with 8 more years of games coming out since then. Super Mario Bros. (#1 in the latest list) was #37 then. They didn't seem to have any games from any system older than the NES in that countdown...no Atari, Intellivision or Odyssey 2 games. Here was that countdown's top ten...

10. Saturn Bomberman
9. Final Fantasy III (SNES)
8. Contra III: The Alien Wars
7. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
6. Super Metroid
5. Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
4. Super Mario 64
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
1. Tetris

[rbudrick]

There's a good thread on Sushi-X here.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25379

I thought there was one on Quartermann too, but I can't seem to find it. Eh, probably just the same thread.

-Rob

[gepeto]

There's a good thread on Sushi-X here.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25379

I thought there was one on Quartermann too, but I can't seem to find it. Eh, probably just the same thread.

-Rob

Interesting article All these years sushi X had me going. I tell you the power of the media. If you asked me a few years ago even though I never seen him through a fireball. I would have told you he had great skills.

[Steven]

There's a good thread on Sushi-X here.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25379

I thought there was one on Quartermann too, but I can't seem to find it. Eh, probably just the same thread.

-Rob

Interesting article All these years sushi X had me going. I tell you the power of the media. If you asked me a few years ago even though I never seen him through a fireball. I would have told you he had great skills.

heh, well, one of my fondest egm-memories involves a good family friend... he was this older asian kid who absolutely OWNED me and my bro in SF 2 on the SNES. Since Sushi-X was a MAJOR SF2 nut, we always joked that our friend was in fact SUSHI-X. Good times...

[YoshiM]

Gawd I miss those days... me and my friend used to literally sit down and break the magazine down... we'd read all the shit, except for ads which we said out loud every time "COMMERCIAL" and automatically page flipped that sumbitch... damn good times... an innocent age of wonder... :)

Oh man, I loved the ads back then. Sometimes decent artwork, other times actual SCREEN SHOTS. Some were quite funny (Immortal ads with the various skulls all destroyed in different ways).

These days I usually skip past the ads. Just doesn't do it for me anymore.

[Neil Koch]

I just got the issue and it is pretty underwhelming.

I think it would have been more interesting to do a more in-depth history of the mag, where the industry's gone since they started publishing, interviews with designers, etc. instead of yet another "best games of all time" list -- which every mag seems to do once a year anyway.

It seems like way more space was devoted to Xbox360/PS3 previews (which are old news by this time) than any anniversarty stuff.

Also, the little bit in their letters section where they posted some responses from their message board as to what game was better between Space Invaders and Asteroids reminded me of why I avoid their boards like the plague...

[Bloodreign]

I've heard people say that the mag really went downhill when Dan Hsu became the head guy for the mag, personally I used to buy EGM every month just to see what was coming out, now with the internet, I don't resort to Gamepro or EGM for gaming news anymore.

A couple years back I found a link through a Gamespy forum for a free year of EGM. Me thinking it was just something to pull people's leg, laughed it off and went through with the link. Turns out I got a free year of EGM, but was amazingly underwhelmed with the mag, there was either too much Halo stuff, or GTA. They gave Gradius V a tiny little review space, but amazingly a good score.

[GrayFox]

Well, I don't agree with Grand Theft Auto 3 already being in that Top 10 at all, BUT Halo is not there, therefore I'm happy.
I really dont understand this thought. Sure, I know a lot of people dont like it, but you simply cannot deny the fact that it is a great game, and it did change gaming as we know it. If you like that change or not is obviously up to you.

Wow. If I've ever seen an example of putting words into someone's mouth, heh, this would be it :P

I never said it was a bad game did I?

*reads over again and again*

Nope, never did say that, just said I don't agree with a Top 10 for GTA3.

[poloplayr]

Well, I don't agree with Grand Theft Auto 3 already being in that Top 10 at all, BUT Halo is not there, therefore I'm happy.
I really dont understand this thought. Sure, I know a lot of people dont like it, but you simply cannot deny the fact that it is a great game, and it did change gaming as we know it. If you like that change or not is obviously up to you.

What did Halo change with gaming as we know it?!?!? Get it stuck even more in a rut?

[fishsandwich]

Have you seen this month's issue of PLAY? Pathetically thin. I thnk it's going under, personally. Don't go starting rumors, though. That's just my silly uninformed opinion.

I remember when EGM was really thick, too. Those were the days.

:(

[diskoboy]

I haven't bought an EGM since the SNES days. But I still happen to have kept most of my old issues. The ones shown are the ones I have left where pages haven't fallen out. And yes, that's a #2 and #4.
http://img491.imageshack.us/img491/7725/dsc00252sm1dg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

In issue 2, Mega Man 2 got all 8's!

[Rogmeister]

Actually, there was a separate thread about that. One possibility is that they just didn't have much to write about that particular month. After the fall releases, Christmastime is sometimes a slow month for new games.

[Bloodreign]

Wow I like that Ghouls N Ghosts EGM cover, too bad I didn't know about EGM back then (found out not much longer afterwards), as that magazine looks like a ton of fun.

[diskoboy]

Wow I like that Ghouls N Ghosts EGM cover, too bad I didn't know about EGM back then (found out not much longer afterwards), as that magazine looks like a ton of fun.

They've obviously grown alot since their humble beginnings. The first 10 issues (or whenver they changed the font of the magazines name on the cover) looked like they were done by total amateurs. And the front page of issue 2 is a 2-page add for Tengen (including Tetris). But just for fun, here were the reviews in issues #2 & 4 -

Geurilla War (NES) - 7,7,6,7
Wizards & Warriors 2: IronSword (NES) - 6,8,7,7
Festers Quest (NES) - 5,5,5,5
Mega Man 2 (NES)- 8,8,8,8
3 Stooges (NES)- 6,8,6,7
Adv. of Lolo (NES) - 7,8,8,7
Operation Wolf (NES) - 6,7,6,6
Q*Bert (NES) 7,3,4,4
MappyLand (NES) 7,4,6,6
Flying Dragon (NES) - 4,5,4,5
Hylide (NES) - 5,6,6,5
Alex Kidd in High Tech World (SMS) - 5,7,7,7
Reggie Jackson Baseball (SMS) - 7,7,7,6
Galaxy Force (SMS) - 6,7,5,5

And Issue 4:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES) - 6,7,6,4
Bad Dudes (NES) - 6,5,5,4
Sky Shark (NES) - 6,6,5,5
Defender of the Crown (NES) - 4,3,7,7
Strider (NES) - 7,8,7,7
Spellcaster (SMS) - 7,6,6,5
Victory Run (TG16) - 6,8,7,8
Dungeon Explorer (TG16) - 7,7,7,7
Last Battle (Genesis) - 6,7,6,5
T. Lasorda Baseball (Genesis) - 8,8,7,7
Thunder Force 2 (Genesis) 8,8,7,8

I think to myself... Most of these games are nowadays considered classics. And there wasn't a single 9 in the bunch. Especially Mega Man. And the horrid reviews on Fester's Quest?? What's with that? FQ was a great game!

[Bloodreign]

I've checked Ebay on issue #1, there was one for .99 cents (but reserve wasn't met, blah, plus 7 bucks shipping), but I kinda like how they started, was an entertaining magazine.

[Kid Ice]

The thing I find most striking about the new top 10 is the inclusion of classic games. The 100th issue list (1997) did not include any Atari titles or classic arcade games. The mainstream acceptance of classic gaming in the last ten years is really kinda amazing. Robotron on the 360? Geez.

OK, I have issue 100 in my hands now and here are some of the games that made the list:

MLB 98
Decathlete
Blast Corps
Jumping Flash 2
Sega Rally
Virtua Fighter 2
Megaman X4
Worldwide Soccer 97
WaveRace 64
Twisted Metal 2
Tekken 2
StarFox 64
SFA2 (Saturn)
NBA Live 97 (#33, good Lord)
Gameday 98
International Superstar Soccer 64 (#24)
Madden 98 (#19)

So having not seen the list (except the top 10 of course) I have to wonder...did a single one of these games make the new list? I mean here's a list with International Superstar Soccer 64 (at #24!) and no Pac Man, Adventure, Robotron, Space Invaders, etc. I'd have to say based on the top 10 that the new list is a big improvement, even if I felt the magazine was better then than now.

[attilathehun]

I just got EGM #200 in the mail today...and my first thought is this thing sure is thin. I remember when they were regularly over 200 pages long and I seem to even recall a few times they his 300 pages...this one is 124 pages counting the covers. Their key feature for this special issue is, you guessed it, a Top 200 countdown. Specifically they're calling it The Greatest 200 Games of Their Time. I won't list all 200 games, of course, but here's their final top ten...

10. Pong
9. Grand Theft Auto III
8. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
7. Space Invaders
6. Super Mario 64
5. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
4. Tetris
3. Street Fighter II
2. Pac-Man
1. Super Mario Bros.

Yes, there are Atari 2600 games on the list. One of my personal favorites, Super Metroid, came in at #23 with the original Metroid coming in at #1. I won't reveal more...go check it out for yourself.

Looking at the reviews, I see MVP Baseball actually lives on but has now been turned into a college version as MVP 06 NCAA Baseball. The scores are mixed on that one.Pong was a great game back in colonial times it was sad to play the ps port, cause pong can only played with dails.

SFII is awsome.

Hated Mario until Mario 64 and the snes mario kart.

Hated Zelda NES. They should put snes zelda at number 5 instead a much better game.

Thank god they put down gta III, the first two total rubbish. Back in the day gta I & II were a very popular shitty game, cause it was on the mega selling ps and you could steal cars and kill people.

[Neil Koch]

I mean here's a list with International Superstar Soccer 64 (at #24!)

I wouldn't rank it that high on an all-time list, but ISS was a great game for the time and it was the first soccer game to get widespread appeal in the States.

[gepeto]

I haven't bought an EGM since the SNES days. But I still happen to have kept most of my old issues. The ones shown are the ones I have left where pages haven't fallen out. And yes, that's a #2 and #4.
http://img491.imageshack.us/img491/7725/dsc00252sm1dg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

In issue 2, Mega Man 2 got all 8's!

Them magazines bring back great memories I think one of them was the one I was taliking about a feature on the genesis with altered beast.

It is funny i remember seeing the tubographic 16 and the genesis sitting sit by side on the shelf both price at maybe 200 or 249 apeice. The genesis box art color just looked awsome. I was a tough decision because the turbo had vigilante which looked awfully close to the arcade. It was a tough choice the mag helped. I remembered that gouls and ghost mag.

At the time there were a few games released I was watching and waiting for every new release. I wasted my money on the last battle game which was too repetitive and the store mgr let me exchange it for the ghouls and ghost.
What memories.

[rbudrick]

They've obviously grown alot since their humble beginnings. The first 10 issues (or whenver they changed the font of the magazines name on the cover) looked like they were done by total amateurs.

Well basically, they were.

Some may even say the more that things change, the more they stay the same...

Man, I really regret throwing away my old EGMs years ago. I've had every issue. I'd like to get the first 20-30 issues again.

The first one is hopelessly difficult to find now, though I remember seeing it everywhere when it came out. It seems EGM issues are almost never on Ebay, just subscriptions.

-Rob

[segagamer4life]

They've obviously grown alot since their humble beginnings. The first 10 issues (or whenver they changed the font of the magazines name on the cover) looked like they were done by total amateurs.

Well basically, they were.

Some may even say the more that things change, the more they stay the same...

Man, I really regret throwing away my old EGMs years ago. I've had every issue. I'd like to get the first 20-30 issues again.

The first one is hopelessly difficult to find now, though I remember seeing it everywhere when it came out. It seems EGM issues are almost never on Ebay, just subscriptions.

-Rob


yeah, everytime I look for EGM on ebay, its almost always a dead end, like someone posted up top, there is an auction right now for issue #1, but he has a reserve and I am sure that will fetch over 50 bucks... too pricey for me, but I had all these mag's back in the day as well, luckily, I got some of the older issues back, but not the low numbers, from 1-20 or 30, I still need, but can't find anywhere.. oh well... its still fun to reminisce.

[segagamer4life]

speaking of hard to find magazines, try finding any copies of Diehard gamefan magazine, I used to enjoy this magazine, emensly, I had quite a few, but had to chuck them, for various reasons, as a kid. I have seen a slim few of these mag's ever at any given time on ebay... anyone else remember this mag?

[poopnes]

I've heard people say that the mag really went downhill when Dan Hsu became the head guy for the mag, personally I used to buy EGM every month just to see what was coming out, now with the internet, I don't resort to Gamepro or EGM for gaming news anymore.

It did. That's when I stopped reading EGM. Well actually I stopped reading EGM with the last redesign. After they screwed up the Review Crew they lost the last bit that made EGM, well, EGM.

I was hoping they were going to to a "Top" list, but I don't like how they covered games older than the NES. That's just not EGM. The last two lists covered NES and later era, I don't know why they didn't do the same here.

*SHRUG* Oh well.

[EricRyan34]

Besides the top 200 countdown, this issue was easily the most boring one I have read in a long time -_-

[Bloodreign]

Makes you wish Steve (his last name escapes me yet he was a founder) and Ed Harris were back, as well as Danyon Carpenter, now those were much better reviewers, they didn't pull punches, and very few games ever got 10's, especially ones that didn't deserve it. I also remember when a British fella by the name of John whatshis face was the head guy, the mag was still decent, but rough times were ahead.

Gamepro is another mag that hasn't stood the test of time, I haven't seen an issue in a long time, but I heard it's not nearly as good as it once was. I also find Nintendo Power lost their magic somewhere around the N64 era, once the NES and SNES well dried up, I quit my subscritpion to NP.

[swlovinist]

Boy have the mighty fallen. I see EGM as a mere shell of what they used to be. The microsoft interview was seriously half of the magazine. I am sure that the Magazine is just happy to make it to issue 200, although it really shows that the magazine is hurting. Although Game Informer is not perfect by any means, I feel that the magazine has taken over what EGM used be. I have been with EGM since issue 9, and now I feel like leaving it for good. Between Gamestop, IGN, this webpage, I dont think I need EGM anymore. I f I was to buy this piece of shit issue on the stands for 5.99, then I too would feel ripped off.

[RJ]

I just got it yesterday & found it an underwhelming, less-than-exciting read myself, although I did a little pretend dance in the street near the mailbox in front of my wife LOL.

Their criteria was based on how big a deal a given game was, how much they "consumed our lives &...rattled the video game biz" or words/ideas to that effect. They even acknowledged no one would be in total agreement w/ the list, & they felt they had to explain why Pac-Man is "better than"/ranked higher than HALO2, for all those who think HALO2 is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

That being said, they had Moon Patrol (#154) ranked 45 places higher then Super CastleVania IV (#199)? No way.

Legend of Zelda: LttP at #50? Yeah right. I'm playing through it right now for the 1st time & am amazed at how good this game looks, feels, & challenges me!

Tomb Raider shouldve ranked a little higher than #35.

Other than that, I'd say they got the final 20 or so right on.

[MagicMajenta]

Just in case everyone wants to know all 200
Here it is:

200.The quest for rings.
199. Super castelvania IV
198. Utopia
197. NFL 2K1
196. guitar hero
195 the chronicles of riddick
194. nam 1975
193. ssx
192. shadow of the colossus
191. devils crush
190. bushido blade
189 metal gear
188. chu-chu rocket
187. mario party
186. 1080 snowboarding
185. dragon's lair
184 blaster master
183. gorf
182. psychonauts
181. river city ransom
180. super off road
179. magician lord
178. DDR
177. Burgertime
176. flashback
175. oddworld abes oddysee
174. snatcher
173. LOZ: link's awakening
172.Katamari damacy
171.Beyond good & evil
170. Perfect Dark
169. Crazy taxi
168. sega rally championship
167. medal of honor
166. POP: sands of time
165. double dragon
164. bionic commando
163. millitary madness
162. burnout 3
161 devil may cry
160. nights into dreams
159. eco the dolphin
158 herzog zwei
157. LOZ: windwaker
156. legendary axe
155. LOZ: majora's mask
154 moon patrol
153. Y's book I & II
152. cybernator
151.FRONT LINE
150 kirby's adventure
149. ghost's n goblins
148. parappa the rapper
147. spider man (atari)
146. tom clancy's splinter cell
145. road rash
144. international superstar soccer
143 tekken 3
141. paper mario n64
140. panzer dragoon
139. rbi baseball
138. wario ware gba
137. dig dug
136. phantasy star IV
135. ice hockey
134. yar's revenge
133. FFX
132. virtua tennis
131 sinistar
130. twisted metal
129. revenge of shinobi
128 samurai shodown II
127 zaxxon
126. animal crossing GCN
125. MGS GBC
124. Pole posistion
123. battlezone
122. virtual fighter 4
121. ico
120. outrun
119. Castlevania III
118 pro wrestling
117.indy 500
116. shenmue
115. star fox snes
114. card fighter's clash neo geo pocket
113. lunar: silver star sega cd
112. god of war
111. dragon force
110. SF2: alpha arcade
109. gradius
108. SMB2
107. ms pac man
106. donkey kong
105. karate champ
104. wipeout ps1
103 Super mario rpg
102. landstalker
101. ninja gaiden xbox
100.KOTOR
99. final fight
98 strider
97. phantasy II
96. Marble madness
95. nfl blitz arcade
94. centepiede
93. track and field
92. SSBM GCN
91. after burner
90. advanced D & D
89. golden axe
88. Super mario world
87. missle command
86. ridge racer
85. advance wars gba
84. gunstar heroes genesis
83. super mario world 2: yoshi's island
82. MGS2
81. Ikari warriors
80.panzer dragoon saga
79.contra arcade
78. daytona usa arcade
77. Splinter cell pandora
76. halo 2
75. Socom
74. chorno trigger
73.guantlet
72. spy hunter
71. tempest
70. MKII
69.f-zero
68.NFL football
67. RE2
66. rc pro-am
65. RE
64. excite bike
63. breakout
62. frogger
61. pokemon red/blue
59.ff tactics ps1
58. baeball stars
57. virtua racing
56. sonic the hedgehog
55. nba jam arcade
54. defender
53. mega man II
52. metroid prime
51. castelvania
50. LOZ: Link to the past
49.nhpla hockey 93
48.warlords
47.joust
46. RE4
45 john madden football genesis
44. mike tyson's punchout
43. tron arcade
42 r-type
41. Double dragon arcade
40. zelda II: adventure of link
39. combat
38. asteroids
37. virtua fighter 2
36. FFIII
35. tomb raider
34. tony hawk pro skater
33. tecmo bowl
32. robotron 2084
31. star wars arcade
30. castlevania: SOTN
29. FFII
28. galaga
27. FFVII
26. phantasy star
25. gran turismo
24. tetris attack
23. super metroid
22. soul calibur
21. phantasy star online
20. virtua fighter arcade
19. super mario kart snes
18. pitfall
17. halo
16. golden eye 007
15. donkey kong arcade
14. SMB3
13. adventure
12. MGS PS1
11.metroid
10. pong
09. GTAIII
08. LOZ: Orcarina of time
07. space invaders
06. Super mario 64
05.legend of zelda
04. tetris
03. SFII
02. Pac man
01. SUPER MARIO BROS

[ManciGames]

Boy have the mighty fallen. I see EGM as a mere shell of what they used to be. The microsoft interview was seriously half of the magazine.

See, I have no problem with that. I thought they asked some good questions. Some tough questions. A couple even made Peter squirm. The Gates ones were softballs, but, whatever... I thought it was 4 pages well spent.

By the way, I can't remember if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the list is:

The Top 200 Games *Of Their Time*.

Not: The Top 200 Games *Ever*.

That's a pretty big difference, and a nice twist on the usual lists. In other words, what games had the biggest impact at the time of their release. That being the case, there is no question that SMB belongs at #1.

[NeoZeedeater]

That list is better than I expected of them but it's a shame the Wonder Boy/Monster World series got shafted again. I know they can't include everything it's as required as any of the other series' on there.

[swlovinist]

I too thogght the interivew was good, however the rest of the mag is not there. The interview is a good article, but it should not be the main supporting article for the entire magazine. After promoting the 200th issue in thier magazines for monthsw now, the issue comes as a sorry dissapointment. As of now, and what it has been for awhile, the magaine is riding on nostalgia to carry subscribers like myself who have been with the mag for over a decade. I have decided to ride out my subsription and not renew it. I am happy with my decision, and will seek alternative sources for my game info.

[Kid Ice]

By the way, I can't remember if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the list is:

The Top 200 Games *Of Their Time*.

Not: The Top 200 Games *Ever*.

That's a pretty big difference, and a nice twist on the usual lists. In other words, what games had the biggest impact at the time of their release. That being the case, there is no question that SMB belongs at #1.

Wow, that puts the list in a totally different light. I'd like to know how it's possible that Mortal Kombat and Final Fantasy VII didn't make the top 10.

Figures, just when I was starting to like the list. EGM just can't do anything right anymore. And does anyone understand why they have such a boner for Metal Gear Solid?

[NeoZeedeater]

You can vote here for one game EGM missed and they'll make a Top 25 of those later on.
http://egm.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3146608&did=2

Wonder Boy III is the correct way to vote BTW. ;)

[ManciGames]

fter promoting the 200th issue in thier magazines for monthsw now, the issue comes as a sorry dissapointment.

You know, you've got an excellent point there. Agreed.

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

I mainly bought the issue since someone told me that I had a quote in the letter section... :embarrassed:

[NE146]

I haven't bought an EGM since the SNES days. But I still happen to have kept most of my old issues. The ones shown are the ones I have left where pages haven't fallen out. And yes, that's a #2 and #4.
http://img491.imageshack.us/img491/7725/dsc00252sm1dg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

In issue 2, Mega Man 2 got all 8's!

I got every single of EGM.. but one thing I've noticed is they always seem to shy away from their true roots.. as EGP!

Electronic Game Player that is. They did mention it once in a small section of the magazine but from what I remember they pretty much dismissed it. Of course that's far from the truth. The magazine is every bit EGM through and through. One read through EGP and comparing it to the white EGM with Megaman 2 on the cover and there's no denying that they are one and the same magazine. Same editors, same layouts, Quarterman, "Direct Hit" reviews etc.

Anyway, I guess I've just always been curious why they seem to shy away from it? :?

http://www.users.uswest.net/~userid946/Egp-00.jpg

[Rogmeister]

I'm starting to get subscription renewal forms from EGM but I think I'm finally ready to let all of my video game periodical subscriptions expire.

[Zap!]

I bought this issue because I had to see the top 200. Not a bad list, I must say. Remember, it's the top 200 most important games, NOT best games. I haven't bought an issue in years, and I was with them when they were called Electronic Game Player, BEFORE they changed their name to EGM. Still, I wasn't impressed with the rest of the magazine. I would do anything for Steve Harris, Ed Semrad, and Donn Neuert to return.

BTW, how long has the Quartermann column been gone, and why? 15 years ago, that was the first page I went to.

[ManciGames]

BTW, how long has the Quartermann column been gone, and why? 15 years ago, that was the first page I went to.

It's still there. At least it was in #199... But it is a pale shadow of its former self. Whereas that column used to dish some dirt and real scoops, it now just sounds like a really cheesy press release. Here's an example of what it's like now:

"And now, my friends, I've got some exciting news for you! News that only the Quartermann can bring you. I have it from very good inside sources that Sony is readying a sequel to God of War...and get this...it will be on both the PS2 and the PS3! That's right! And remember, you heard it here first!"

No shit? You mean they are making a sequel to a best selling game? Lame.

[ManciGames]

Double post. Three lashings!

[GrayFox]

By the way, I can't remember if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the list is:

The Top 200 Games *Of Their Time*.

Not: The Top 200 Games *Ever*.

That's a pretty big difference, and a nice twist on the usual lists. In other words, what games had the biggest impact at the time of their release. That being the case, there is no question that SMB belongs at #1.

Wow, that puts the list in a totally different light. I'd like to know how it's possible that Mortal Kombat and Final Fantasy VII didn't make the top 10.

Figures, just when I was starting to like the list. EGM just can't do anything right anymore. And does anyone understand why they have such a boner for Metal Gear Solid?

Yeah at first, I thought the list was for the BEST games ever, but alas, its more of a 'Which games were the most important for the industry" list. I was wondering how the hell FF7 beat out FF4, FF6, and Chrono Trigger.

Anyways, they have a hard on for Metal Gear Solid.. because its one of the best games of all time? Pretty much.

[XYXZYZ]

The last time I looked at an EGM issue, all I saw were ads. I mean I could pick out one or two little articles with some idiot making fun of a video game because that was cooler than actually reviewing it, (It wasn't a Seanbaby article, those are entertaining.)but for the most part I was really, really overwhelmed by the ammount of ads. That magazine should have been free.

I still have the EGMs I do like, from the 16 bit days. I love to flip through them once in awhile, remembering the days when I yearned to play the Japanese PC Engine/DUO games, lusted after the NEO GEO like so many red blooded western gamers...

You know, it was EGM's international Outlook article that got me interested in Japanese animation, 15 years ago. That's brought me all kinds of joy too. I really do owe EGM a lot, for turning me on to all these great things. So as much as I dislike what they evolved into, I've gotta salute them.

[DeputyMoniker]

10. Pong
9. Grand Theft Auto III
8. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
7. Space Invaders
6. Super Mario 64
5. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
4. Tetris
3. Street Fighter II
2. Pac-Man
1. Super Mario Bros.


Those are some good games but most of them wouldnt make my top 50.
Remove GTA, Ocarina of Time, Space Invaders, Mario 64 & Pac-Man and you have a pretty good top-5. Space Invaders & Pac-Man are legends...I never enjoyed them though. Im gonna pick that issue up, Im curious as to how many of my favs made the list. Probably all of them did, 200 games is a lot. Id like to know why Mario 64, Ocarina of Time & GTA all made the top 10. It wasnt because they were revolutionary, right? Its like the designers set the table with Mario 64, then somebody did it with an RPG (Ocarina) then somebody did it with an action game (GTA).
...maybe Im just refusing to accept it because I didnt like any of them. Thats a strong possibility.

[slapdash]

I got every single of EGM.. but one thing I've noticed is they always seem to shy away from their true roots.. as [Electronic Game Player]

I've always wondered how much EGP and Top Score Newsletter had in common -- it wasn't as direct as EGP to EGM, but some of the staff on TS was the same as EGP, so it was at least an indirect predecessor, if not direct.

[Ruudos]

Thank god they put down gta III, the first two total rubbish. Back in the day gta I & II were a very popular shitty game, cause it was on the mega selling ps and you could steal cars and kill people.

I liked GTA a lot. It was one of the few games that hold my attention on the PC. The graphics were simple but it was addicting.

[Zap!]

Alex Kidd in Miracle Word was the SMB-killer classic that never was. Had Sega decided to pack this into the SMS (at least those SMS' starting in Spring, 1987), and had the SMS been a huge hit, I'm very confident this would have made the top five. Ahh, if only we lived in a paralel universe...

[sabre2922]

I picked up issue 200 a few weeks ago and I thought it to be a good issue overall and I mostly agreed with the top 200 "GREATEST GAMES OF THEIR TIME" list BUT there were more than a few that I DID NOT AGREE WITH including:

Chrono Trigger at #74 :angry: CMON it deserves to be in the top 20 AT LEAST

RE2 at #67 I think its STILL OVERRATED but at lest the original RE was at #65

The Chronicles of Riddick for Xbox at #195 while a good game indeed I can think of over 50 other games that were faaar better "for their time".

I actually like EGM as of late for the first time in years even though I have always picked up a few issues a year.