25 Games To Play Before You Die: A roundup of the best

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1. Carmageddon Years: 1997-2000

Carmageddon is not about racing, but something else entirely – cutting loose. It’s pure, unadulterated evil; a no-holds-barred, violent smashfest of the highest order that boasts true freedom to win the race by your preferred means: cross all checkpoints, wreck all other opponents, or kill all pedestrians.

If most games are about the triumph of good over evil, Carmageddon is the antithesis. In Carpocalyse Now!, the last level takes place in a nuclear reactor, and your objective is to hit the hue button that will destroy the reactor and cause the world’s destruction. In a world where everyone tries to be politically correct, this comes as a breath of fresh air.

2. Super Mario Bros. Years:1985-2010

The fun, accessible, and addictive gameplay of the SMB series has earned it this rank. Truly the biggest franchise of past, present, and future, this series has literally crushed mascots of other platforms such as SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog and PlayStation’s Crash Bandicoot. The only reason this isn’t#1 is because of a tiny, insignificant little thing called… (See #1)

3. God of War Years: 2005-2010

The GOW franchise has continually churned out one superlative experience after another. Each new title pushes the boundaries of what the game’s console is capable of, and each release continues to make the act of mass destruction extremely fun. The GOW series continues to symbolize the epitome of polish and smoothness in gameplay, and there seems to be no stopping this juggernaut.

4. Road Rash Years:1991-2003

Road Rash is the most fun motorcycle racing game ever made, and practically everyone who owns a PC has enjoyed it, including 60-year-old grandmas – and we say this from personal experience. An elderly lady once wanted to play Road Rash at the SKOAR! 2008 expo because her grandkids would not let her play at home.

5. Grim Fandango Year:1998

Classical adventure gaming is all about telling a story, and no game telling a story, and no game tells a story better than Grim Fandango. Be it the graphics that utilized Mexican and noir themes, this title stands out as one of the finest productions in the history of gaming.

6. Fallout Years:1997-2010

When it comes to post-apocalyptic sci-fi, nothing can touch Fallout with a sharpened spear. Its alternate-reality mix of 1950s vacuum tube technology with high-powered Gauss Rifles has a special appeal all its own. Another unforgettable aspect is its liberal dose of dark humour. Regardless of how hopeless the future of the world might seem, there’s always someone around to make a wise crack about it.

7. Death Rally Year:1996

Death Rally is the only one of its kind: a racing game with soul. It treats racing not as mere competition, but a way of life. Of particular note are the quotes that appear at the bottom of the screen: “All bitter regrets are in the past; blurred sweet streetlights speeding past, fast”. Cheesy? Yes. Suiting the game’s style? Hell,yes.

8. Alien Versus Predator Years:1993-2010

AVP is actually three games in one – an excellent horror FPS (Marine), a hi-tech stealth FPS (Predator), and the Alien campaign that has no parallel in any other franchise. You can’t beat playing from the viewpoint of the two coolest villains in Sci-Fi lore.

9. Call of Duty Years:2003-2010

With each release, the COD franchise has gone from strength to strength, and currently holds the record of the largest-selling FPS. The combination of arcade action with tightly-scripted levels that provide a cinematic feel to the action has been maintained across its iterations.

10. Prince of Persia Years: 1989-2010

In terms of artistic excellence, it stood head and shoulders above all other platformers in its time, and its simplistic elegance can still hold its own against filtered down to its essence: kill the bad guy, save the world, get the girl.

11. DOOM Years: 1993-2010

There are all other FPS games, and then there is DOOM. It was the game that invented multiplayer deathmatch. The first “2.5D” game, which ushered in the shift to 3D. Its graphics were a generational leap forward.
12. Diablo Years: 1997-2003

Diablo is a strange entrant into this list. Hack-and-slash RPGs were around long before it appeared. The gameplay was as mindless as could be. Yet, it brought all aspects of this genre together and polished them to perfection. The result - an affair that launched a hundred clones.
13. Metal Gear Years: 1987-2010

Fantastic production quality, a “cinematic” storyline, and challenging stealth gameplay make for a formidable combination, never mind the weird choice of names.
14. Max Payne Years: 2001-2008

This is the action marquee that first introduced the concept of slow-motion action, and gamers were suitably blown away. The addition of a hackneyed love story didn’t hurt either, because we’re suckers for those things.

15. Grand Theft Auto Years: 1997-2009

The GTA franchise is a rare gem that has consistently upped the ante with each release, wherein the deviants at Rockstar come up with a more awesome adventure to shake you up. Praising it any more would sound trite, so all we’ll say is, “More hot coffee please!”, Greets also go out to Mafia. Thug life!
16. Commandos Years: 1998-2010

Granted, Commandos’ difficulty could be frustrating at times, but the satisfaction of a hard-earned victory after hours of patience was unmatchable. We look forward to the day when this franchise will be resurrected in its original avatar. Until then, clones like Pathway to Glory will have to surface.
17. Command & Conquer Years: 1995-2010

The RTS world broadly comprises C&C and WarCraft. We’ve played all three WC games, but they’re nowhere near the former. Any game that lets you blow up the White House and has Exploding cows in it gets our vote.
18. Burnout Years: 2001-2009

Burnout epitomizes arcade racing frenzy, perfected in Burnout Revenge. For the joy it provides in crashing opponents’ cars any number of ways, this series pips the more popular Need for Speed to the Post.

19. StarCraft Years: 1998-2010

This game needs no introduction. Suffice it to say that this slot was a toss-up between StarCraft and WarCraft, but the former won because of its better single-player campaign and engrossing storyline. Another contender for this position was Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, but it lost out to the former’s production quality.
20. System Shock Years: 1994-1999

Created by the hugely talented folks at Looking Glass (Creators of the thief series), this game practically invented the FPS/RPG hybrid on the PC. Eerily atmospheric and genuinely series inspired games such as Deus Ex and BioShock.
21. Half-Life Years: 1998-2008

Half-Life changed people’s expectations of the FPS genre. It helped bring about the FPS domination still continues HL2 was an extremely polished product with a few innovations of its own. This is one of the most recognized franchises, Halo notwithstanding.
22. Final Fantasy Years: 1987-2010

The first name that comes to mind when you say “Jap RPG” is Final Fantasy. Longest-running, record breaking, prolific, and cultural phenomenon are some of the many adjectives used to describe this venerable console franchise, which has truly defined the RPG genre.
23. The Elder Scrolls Years: 1994-2007

The Elder Scrolls world didn’t make an impression with its first or second iteration, but Morrowind changed the game with its huge world and massive storyline. Other fantasy RPG franchises are similarly epic in scope, but lack the polish that TES displayed.
24. Worms Years: 1995-2010

When one gamer says to another, “I’ve got worms”, he isn’t talking about gastrointestinal disorders. This turn-based squad combat tactical series has delighted fans for years now, and will hopefully continue to do so.
25. Transport Tycoon Years: 1994-1996

This DOS-based series lets you imagine yourself as a shrewd businessman with a fleet of transport vehicles and a willingness to outsmart the opposition at all costs. A huge game world, varied terrain, and infinite replay ability are its biggest strengths.

Source: thinkdigit magazine