Earlier today, The Times published what it hoped would be an esteemed list, an evergreen piece setting in stone what the paper considered the ā20 best video games of all timeā.
Putting the list together was an āexpert juryā, and I use quotation marks there only because itās their exact words, not because Iām patronising them. Itās a good cross-section of voices! Thereās Charlie Brooker, better known these days as the creator of Black Mirror, but who also worked for a very long time as a games critic. Thereās Lucy Prebble, a writer on Succession and co-creator of I Hate Suzie. Rounding out the team are YouTuber DanTDM and journalist Helen Lewis (who we, uh, have written about before)
Their collective output is not what youād expect from these kind of lists, and as a result is getting torn apart online. Thereās so much vitriol that Iām not even going to bother pasting some highlights.Just imagine some nerds very angry at someone elseās subjective opinion, many calling it āthe worstā such example of this work theyād ever seen, and youāll be 99% of the way there. Much of the criticism centres around the fact the list doesnāt include a single Zelda game, while others are chippy about the fact that games like Far Cry 4 and Sonic Adventure 2 made the cut.
How did Far Cry 4 make the list over, say, Link to the Past? As the list says, āAny game where you can hang-glide over a waterfall is fine by meā. And you know what? Theyāre right! That ruled! And if that makes it one of their favourite games of all time, then it deserves a spot on their list
I canāt believe Iām having to say this in 2023, I thought we had collectively gotten past this, but since we clearly havenāt let me spell it out clearly: this is their list. They can put whatever they want on it! Iām a long-serving, professional games critic, and my list wouldinclude shit like FIFA 98 and, if I was feeling particularly frisky that day, Gregory Horror Show
And Iād be right to, because it was my list! I think the more personal the ranking the better, it shows youāve put some genuine heart and consideration into things, instead of just jotting down the same tired old classics, either because youāre too scared of negative feedback or have never played a more interesting video game than Metroid Prime.
You can read the full (paywalled) ranking here, if you want to see why Skyrim is 17th, how Civ V beat Halo and why Super Mario Odyssey made it over Mario Kart. And if you disagree, please, feel free to go and publish your own ranking.
