Classic Top 100 List - Next Generation September 1996

[cityside75]

Someone asked me to post this in another thread a while back. With all of the Top 100 lists popping up around the net these days, I've heard a number of people refer to the original NextGen list as one of the best ever. So without further ado here's the list to recall and discuss:

100 - Trinity (PC)
99 - NBA Jam (Series)
98 - R-Type
97 - Space Invaders (Arcade)
96 - Galaga (Arcade)
95 - Strike (Series)
94 - Rave Racer (Arcade)
93 - Burning Force
92 - Hard Hat Mac
91 - Resident Evil
90 - Xevious (Arcade)
89 - Summer, Winter, California Games
88 - Knight Lore (Spectrum)
87 - Discs of Tron (Arcade)
86 - Jumping Flash
85 - Leisure Suit Larry (Series)
84 - Centipede (Arcade)
83 - Joust (Arcade)
82 - Virtua Cop (Series)
81 - River Raid (2600)
80 - Falcon Gold (PC)
79 - King's Quest (Series)
78 - Track and Field (Series)
77 - Shining Force (Series)
76 - NBA Live '96 (Genesis)
75 - Balance of Power (PC)
74 - Tempest (Arcade)
73 - AH64-D Longbow (PC)
72 - Phantasy Star (Series)
71 - FIFA Soccer (3D0, Genesis)
70 - Metroid (Series)
69 - Links (PC)
68 - Pong
67 - F/A-18 Hornet 2.0 (Mac)
66 - A Mind Forever Voyaging (PC)
65 - Bump 'n' Jump (Arcade)
64 - Zelda (Series)
63 - Robotron (Arcade, Playstation)
62 - Bard's Tale (Series)
61 - Ikari Warriors (Arcade)
60 - Wizardry (Series)
59 - Super Sprint (Arcade)
58 - Star Wars (Arcade)
57 - Sega Rally (Arcade, Saturn)
56 - Dragon Warrior (Series)
55 - Ultima (Series)
54 - Mechwarrior 2 (PC, Mac)
53 - The Sentinel (PC)
52 - Spaceward Ho! (Mac, PC)
51 - Panzer General (PC, Playstation, 3D0)
50 - Donkey Kong (Arcade, Coleco ADAM, 7800)
49 - Command & Conquer (PC)
48 - World Series Baseball (Saturn)
47 - Worldwide Soccer 2 (Saturn)
46 - Formula One Grand Prix 2 (PC)
45 - OutRun (Arcade)
44 - Spectre VR (Mac)
43 - Rolling Thunder (Arcade)
42 - EF2000 (PC)
41 - Snake Game (Multiple)
40 - NHL Powerplay (Saturn, Playstation)
39 - Asteroids (Arcade)
38 - Zork (Series)
37 - Super Mario Kart (SNES)
36 - Rescue Raiders (aka Armor Alley) (Mac, Apple II)
35 - Duke Nukem 3d (PC)
34 - Nobanga's Ambition (Series)
33 - SimCity 2000 (Mac, PC)
32 - Wipeout XL
31 - Herzog Zwei
30 - Madden Football (Series)
29 - Syndicate (PC, Genesis)
28 - NFL Gameday
27 - Sam and Max Hit the Road
26 - X-COM: UFO Defense
25 - Nights
24 - Lurking Horror (PC)
23 - X-Wing/Tie Fighter (PC, Mac)
22 - Tekken II
21 - Daytona USA (Arcade)
20 - Sonic (Series - Genesis)
19 - Doom (Series)
18 - Micro Machines (Multiple)
17 - Final Fantasy (Series)
16 - Populous (Series)
15 - Marble Madness (Arcade)
14 - Elite (Micro, C64)
13 - Defender (Arcade)
12 - Ms. Pac-Man (Arcade)
11 - Virtua Racing (Arcade, 32x, Saturn)
10 - Warcraft II (PC)
9 - Quake (PC)
8 - Lemmings (Multiple)
7 - Street Fighter II (Multiple)
6 - Virtua Fighter 2 - (Arcade, Saturn)
5 - Mario (Series - NES, SNES)
4 - Civilization (PC)
3 - Super Bomberman 2 (SNES)
2 - Tetris (Multiple)
1 - Super Mario 64

[cyberfluxor]

I already see people going off about Mario 64. Just looking through it real quick it appears to be alright, could use some Taito games towards the top. And to have Warcraft II as the only Blizzard game, shame on them.

[roushimsx]

Oh man, memories. Civilization could be about a dozen or so notches higher based on addiction value alone. Yes, I know that'd put it at like -10. it's that awesome.

Never played Trinity. With a name like that, googling is going to be fun...anyone got a link to some info about the game?

Links should read "Links (Series)", because as awesome as the first one was, Links 386 was where it really hit its stride. What a completely awesome series...it's a shame Microsoft shut down Access (especially since that means no more Tex Murphy games ).

Panzer General was pretty popular back when it came out, but it seems to have become a true forgotten classic. Great wargame series with a nice learning curve so that anyone could get into it (unlike most PC wargames...I'm looking at you Steel Panthers).

Nice to see the Micro Machines games score so high as well. Those were a hell of a lot of fun, though I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't put much time into any of the ones released since then I'll have to get around to playing the PS2 versions sometime ... Hell, I want to play Micro Maniacs again, for that matter.

[smokehouse]

Meh, that list sucks. When making a “Top 100” you should never include a current system. Many of the games on that list wouldn’t make the cut today…it shows its age.

[tom]

Mario 64 should have been included with Mario (series)

[cityside75]

Never played Trinity. With a name like that, googling is going to be fun...anyone got a link to some info about the game?

It was an Infocom game if that helps.

[7th lutz]

I got that issue of Next Generaton.

[Kid Ice]

That's a poor list. Now I am reminded of why I thought Next Gen was overrated. SM64 was what, less than a year old when the list came out? I'm not saying it's not a great game, but it's very much a sign of the times it would be rated #1. And tom is right, it should be included in #5. Which is also pretty dumb, that you would include an entire series vs. single games, AND if you were to consider "Mario" a series how could you not make it #1?

Was the person who made this list one of Sid Meier's relatives?

Virtua Fighter 2 and Quake in the top 10. Virtua Racing #11. Ohh this is painful.

I've always found PC and arcade games out of place on a "videogame top xxx" list. IMO they belong on a different list.

[8-bitNesMan]

I think for its time it was a very good list. Mario 64 is radically different from all previous Mario titles, and let's face it: it was probably THE best console game to come out in 96.

I still have that issue somewhere and I do disagree with some of the choices (Jumping Flash? NFL Gameday? WTF?) but it's still not as bad as that EGM/MTV top games of the millennium bullshit. Or EGM's pathetic excuse for a 200th issue.

@ smokehouse: Why exclude masterpieces just because they're recent?

@ Kid Ice: Why exclude PC and arcade games? I'm strictly a console man myself (R.I.P arcades) but are they not video games too?

[cityside75]

That's a poor list. Now I am reminded of why I thought Next Gen was overrated. SM64 was what, less than a year old when the list came out?

In fact, SM64 had just been released - the review of the game was elsewhere in the same issue. Even at the time I found it hard to believe a game just released could be anointed greatest ever.

As an aside, remember when Myst represented the antithesis of hard core gaming? I find it funny that on the cover they make a point of saying that Myst is NOT on their list, just to boost their street cred I assume.

I've actually seen Myst on similar lists from other sources since.

[Gabriel]

Oh boy, do I remember this list.

When it hit the stands, Mario 64 wasn't even out yet. I hope the people at Next Gen were happy selling any semblance of objective journalism for whatever Nintendo paid them for the advertisement.

The other big advertising WTF is Virtua Fighter 2 topping Street Fighter 2 on the list. I don't even like Street Fighter 2, and even I can tell it's a vastly superior game to the entirety of the Virtua Fighter series.

At least Zelda is far down the list at #64. That's far more believable than it being in the top five as in more recent lists.

[drewbrim]

This is the worst list I've ever seen! The fact that the Zelda, Phantasy Star, Shining Force, and Metroid series are over 25-30 slots behind Zork is the only proof I need to provide. Though I am glad the Final Fantasy series was able to edge out Micro Machines.

I don't remember how to make the "eye roll" emoticon, so if my sarcasm isn't coming across very well in that last sentence, trust me, it's in there.

[bangtango]

NHL Powerplay at #40? Ha ha ha.

NBA Live 96 for Genesis is on here, too?

I don't even have to look at a more recent Next Generation Top 100 list to KNOW those 2 never made it onto another one of their countdowns.

[j_factor]

Although I disagree with a lot of it, I think that's a great list overall. Nice to see Lemmings highly placed. Syndicate? Sam & Max? Virtua Fighter 2? Thank you!

[Kid Ice]

@ Kid Ice: Why exclude PC and arcade games? I'm strictly a console man myself (R.I.P arcades) but are they not video games too?

Hmmm.....hmmmm.....hmmmm????......hmmmmm

The best I can explain it....I don't want to see Robotron next to Civilization. It feels wrong.

[Push Upstairs]

How is a (then) newly released game a "Classic"?

Seems like even back then the "Classic" title got thrown around a bit too much.

[crazyjackcsa]

I think it's a "classic" top 100 list. Not a top 100 list of "classic" games.

[Push Upstairs]

What exactly is the difference...aside from placement of the word "classic"?

[DefaultGen]

.....

[cityside75]

How is a (then) newly released game a "Classic"?

Seems like even back then the "Classic" title got thrown around a bit too much.

Sorry, classic is my word, not theirs. I was referring to the list being a "classic" (ie. old) list.

Speaking of which, this list had to be one of the first of it's type to make it into print. Before Next Gen there weren't really any publications that covered computer, console, and arcade gaming that I recall.