The Times delivered its first daily edition to the people of London all the way back in 1785. The newspaper has reported on some of the biggest stories the world has ever seen in the nearly 240 years since, and they’ve given space to pieces from a very distinguished array of writers over the centuries, including Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, and Albert Einstein.
But earlier this week, their editorial staff decided to wade into the debate surrounding the best video games of all time.
Jake Helm, a Culture Reporter for The Times, assembled a “jury of experts” to choose the “20 Best Video Games of All Time,” and some of the selections are a bit on the wild side.
Some of gaming’s biggest franchises (including The Legend of Zelda, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy) went unmentioned, but Sonic Adventure 2 (#20) and Far Cry 4 (#15) both made the cut. The panel also picked Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (#16), but overlooked World of Warcraft.
All that is certainly odd, but the top half of the list features most of the big blockbusters you expect to see on a Best Games list. Doom (1993) is #6, Tetris is #4, and a combo pick of The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II is #2. Another two-for-one selection, Portal and Portal 2, teleported its way into the #1 spot.
So who was on this expert panel? That would be Charlie Brooker, former game critic and the creator of Black Mirror; Lucy Prebble, a writer on Succession; Daniel “DanTDM” Middleton, a popular YouTuber; and Helen Lewis, a writer for The Atlantic and a “self-confessed video game fan.” All of the panel’s picks can be found after the break.
The Times – 20 Best Video Games of All Time
- 1. Portal / Portal 2
- 2. The Last of Us / The Last of Us Part II
- 3. Super Mario Odyssey
- 4. Tetris
- 5. BioShock
- 6. Doom (1993)
- 7. Minecraft
- 8. Journey
- 9. Civilization V
- 10. Red Dead Redemption
- 11. Halo: Combat Evolved
- 12. Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow
- 13. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- 14. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- 15. Far Cry 4
- 16. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- 17. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- 18. Pac-Man
- 19. SimCity
- 20. Sonic Adventure 2
An archived version of The Times’s “20 Best Video Games of All Time” is available at Archive.is.