Top 20 Games of All Time, Pt. 2 (2021)

As we covered in part 1 of my Top 20 Games of All Time update, playing new games (and finding new favorites) tends to shake up how we think about older games.

However, I don’t think there were too many surprises in the changes to #11-20; that’s going to be especially true for #1-10. Sure, the positions of certain games will change — my feelings on any one game can ebb and flow over the course of an entire year. But it will take something truly special to bust into this group, and if Haven couldn’t do it, I doubt many other games have a shot.

...then again, there is one new name on this list from last year. So maybe it’s not as hard as I thought?

#10. Return of the Obra Dinn

2020 ranking: #9

Return of the Obra Dinn feels almost like a time capsule — the 1-bit visuals took me back to an era of gaming before my childhood that I don’t think I was even aware of. And strangely enough, the gameplay mechanics reminded me of those educational “adventure” games I played back in middle school.

Technically, Obra Dinn is “a first-person mystery adventure based on exploration and logical deduction.” In other words, it’s a Sherlock Holmes simulator. The game is a spectacle that combines brilliant writing, clever sound design, and an art style you won’t see in any game released after 1995.

Obra Dinn clearly wanted to subvert all of my expectations, and the pieces of this seafaring mystery are things I know I’ll think about forever. (And while it technically dropped one ranking this year, the reasons why should make sense in a few seconds.)

#9. Pokémon Red/Blue

2020 ranking: #11

When I got Pokémon Blue for my original Gameboy, I had never experienced anything like it. I’d never played a Japanese RPG. Heck, outside of Super Mario World and Wario Land, I hadn’t even played a Nintendo game before. But once I began my journey to catch ‘em all, the game quickly became an obsession. (And yes, I still think about my poster of the original 151 Pokémon sometimes.)

Last year, I said that just thinking about these games made me want to find a chonky Gameboy, track down a Pokémon Blue cartridge, and start filling out the Pokédex all over again. And this spring, I kind of got my wish. I played Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!, which took me back to the Kanto region where I spent so much time in my copies of Pokémon Blue and Yellow.

The Let’s Go games definitely won’t show up on this list, mostly because they threw away a lot of the series’ foundation to pull ideas from Pokémon GO. But I still spent 50 hours completing my Pokédex, even joining a subreddit for online trading so I could track down every single Pokémon. That experience reinvigorated my passion for the series in a way I didn’t think would ever happen, given that the last time I even thought about the series was 15 years ago. And that's why it climbed higher up my Top 20 Games of All Time.

#8. God of War (2018)

2020 ranking: #8

To be honest, I wanted a PlayStation 4 for the sole purpose of playing God of War. Which is odd, since I had never wanted to try the series before. But everyone said this game was something special, polished to near-perfection in every way. And that’s as good a sales pitch as you can make.

The combat felt good — powerful enough to match a brutal deity with a penchant for beating Greek gods to a pulp. The story had loads of surprises and memorable characters. And the world design delivered breathtaking moments.

God of War hit all the right notes from start to finish. There really is an unbelievable level of excellence everywhere, making it one of the best games of the previous console generation. And as we wait for the "Dad of War" sequel, I’m going to live under a rock to make sure I avoid any and all spoilers.

#7. Neverwinter Nights

2020 ranking: #7

I’m a writer and a fantasy nerd. I never played Dungeons & Dragons until 2018, but I did read at least 30 of R.A. Salvatore’s books (set in the same world) as a teenager. So when I was 14 and spotted a game with “Neverwinter” in the title (on a random stop in a computer store while on a roadtrip, no less) I recognized the name from Salvatore’s work. I figured I’d give the game a shot and maybe see more of the world from those stories.

Sadly, I didn’t meet any familiar faces in the game. But I did spend the next two years of my life obsessed with Neverwinter Nights. I built meaningful relationships with companions (and I could choose which companions joined me). I found a Dungeon Editor that let me build levels to tell my own stories. And I discovered an online community that was basically an MMO in the days before World of Warcraft exploded onto the scene.

For all of those reasons, Neverwinter Nights is a foundational game for me, and also a foundational part of my growth as a storyteller.

#6. Halo: Combat Evolved

2020 ranking: #6

Like most of my personal top 10, Halo is another foundational game for me. Back in middle school, I went with my dad to one of his friend’s houses for a Halo: Combat Evolved LAN party. And while I got absolutely bossed by a bunch of 40-year-olds, I immediately became a Halo fan and begged for an Xbox that Christmas.

As they say, the rest is history. I’ve played every game in the series, including the spinoffs. I've read the books and a few of the comics to absorb as much Halo lore as possible. (For what it’s worth, #HUNTtheTRUTH is still my favorite marketing stunt for a game ever.) And some of my best friendships — both and present — started because of a shared love of this incredible series.

I'm not being hyperbolic when I say Halo: Combat Evolved changed gaming forever. It proved console shooters could be a viable thing, which in turn cultivated the entire eSports industry. Halo standardized console LAN parties, and then revolutionized internet-connected gaming with Xbox Live.

But more importantly, Halo: Combat Evolved became the lifeboat that kept Xbox alive in the same way Mario carried Nintendo.

#5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

2020 ranking: #5

When I opened my original Xbox (The one I got to play Halo, remember?) it came with two games: some weird combo pack of Top Spin tennis and NCAA football...and Knights of the Old Republic. To this day, KOTOR is the only RPG I beat, immediately restarted, and played all the way through a second time just to experience a different story path.

As far as I can remember, KOTOR introduced me to roleplaying games. It introduced me to BioWare, as well as the Star Wars Extended Universe. It introduced me to the idea of building “organic” relationships in a game, and having the freedom to make choices and be held accountable for them.

KOTOR changed how I thought about games, and it made me an Xbox gamer just as much as Halo did. But while Halo takes advantage of endless multiplayer hours and a half-dozen games, KOTOR was good enough to stand on its own as a title I’d put up on my gaming Mount Rushmore.

#4. Destiny

2020 ranking: #4

Just writing “Destiny” fills me with a lot of different emotions. The concept blew me away during its original announcement, and I devoured every piece of information I could about the game's development until it launched in September 2014.

When I got my hands on Destiny, I played through the campaign with my brother and my best friend. When they lost interest in replaying missions — the end-game “grind” — I turned to online resources, using "Looking For Group" sites to play with strangers. And because of these LFG systems, I got to experience things like the Vault of Glass raid even after my friends had moved on.

By the time Destiny 2 launched in 2017, I’d spent almost 700 hours playing Destiny, and just as many hours listening to podcasts and watching videos about lore secrets, weapon loadouts, spinfoil ideas, etc. But while my relationship with the sequel has always been rocky, Destiny has been a big part of my daily life for almost a decade now.

#3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

2020 ranking: #3

This game has stuck with me for six years, and it probably always will. Any RPG that leans into divergent storylines will get my attention, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt combined multiple paths, compelling quests, meaningful choices, and characters I cared about.

As IGN put it, “[The Witcher 3] is a game that was so carefully and meticulously crafted, that even its most forgettable side missions would overshadow the A-plot of most other RPGs.” That’s a major reason why The Witcher 3 is perhaps the game of its generation, the measuring stick that all other RPGs have been chasing ever since. (I mean, even its expansions won awards as top roleplaying games.)

The depth of The Witcher 3’s world and quest design continue to influence the industry, and they probably will for a long time to come.

#2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

2020 ranking: #2

When you think about your own interests or passions, there are probably a few key moments that pulled you into those things. And while you’ll find a few "foundational experiences" sprinkled throughout my list of top games, none of them hit quite as hard (or quite as early) as Ocarina of Time.

Back in elementary school, I didn’t have friends who played games. So while most people talked about the Water Temple or the Lost Woods on the playground during recess, my only “companion” was Nintendo Power’s official guide to the game. I read that thing cover to cover dozens of times, and I still remember entire spreads of that book 20 years later.

Those first steps onto Hyrule Field filled me with a sense of adventure I’d never experienced before, and I genuinely think that led to my love of fantasy literature and (eventually) my passion for storytelling. The fact that Ocarina of Time is still considered the greatest game of all time only cements my love for it.

#1. Mass Effect trilogy

2020 ranking: #1

The Mass Effect trilogy is a storytelling masterpiece. While some people complained about the first game’s combat or the third game’s ending, I loved every second of this SciFi epic. (I can vividly remember sitting there in my childhood bedroom, days after graduating college, and crying throughout the end credits of Mass Effect 3.)

Mass Effect’s intricate, interwoven experience earns the top spot here for basically every metric I care about. The writing, the setting, the roleplaying, the music… From start to finish, every piece of Mass Effect’s universe, narrative, and characters is as close to perfect as I’ll probably ever find in one game, let alone a three-part series.

As of May 2021, I can officially avoid any complaints about squeezing three games into one slot — the Mass Effect Legendary Edition gives us a convenient, all-inclusive bundle for the series. But I actually prefer to call it a trilogy, because I will never stop being amazed at just how unbelievable of an achievement it continues to be.

Ranking the Top 20 Games of All Time

You know, I’m kind of surprised. I definitely thought there would be more fluctuation in the list this year. I expected a few games to push into the top 20 and create ripples that would affect everything else, maybe even forcing a few big games out of the top 10 or off the list entirely.

But no. Just one addition and a few slight “climbers.” I guess that just reaffirms my Top 20 Games of 2020, even if the actual positions shifted a bit.

At the end of the day, I’m willing to slap my name on this list as the top 20 games of all time.

Well, at least until next year. You know how it goes.