Trying to determine the “Best Games Ever” doesn’t do justice to the fact that there are a ton of game genres out there. Each game is great in its own way. Just like movies have their own categories: action, horror, comedy, drama, sci-fi, etc., games do too. Determined by gameplay, the major genres for games are action, adventure, open-world, sports, RPG, racing, and strategy.
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Comparing the action shooter gameCall Of Dutyto the street racing gameNeed For Speedwouldn’t yield any significant findings. However, comparing different games to similar games within their category would be a much better comparison, like comparingGrand Theft AutotoWatch Dogs.With that said, here are the best games according to Metacritic for each major genre.
10Action | Metroid Prime (Metascore: 97 / User Score: 9.2)
Metroid Primeis a classicFPS gamethat centers around varied levels, platformers, and puzzles. Released in 2002,Metroid Primehas quite the innovative gameplay mechanics of its time. Players have a ton of weapons to use, a lot of enemies to fight against, some platforms to scale, and can even morph into a ball for that extra speed, allowing Samus to fit through small spaces.
The masterfully crafted biomes, along with the detailed special effects, givesMetroid Primea more realistic feel in an action-packed game. The fast-paced nature of the game, along with the mobility abilities and destructive weapons, placesMetroid Primeas the highest-rated action game of all time.
9Adventure | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (Metascore: 99 / User Score: 9.1)
The Legend Of Zeldafranchise is no stranger toadventure games. Every singleZeldagame is filled to the brim with stuff to do and quests to fulfill.Ocarina Of Timetakes Link across vast and varied locations, each with its own grand sense of adventure.
Puzzle-solving, platformers, and combat are only half of what makesOcarina Of Timeso great. What makes this adventure game such a masterpiece is its beautiful soundtrack, colorful characters, and vibrant world, where nothing gets boringly repetitive. As happy and feel-good as the game can get,OcarinaOf Timecan also get deep and murky, taking the player across a moving orchestra of experience. It’s not surprising thatOcarina Of Timeis the highest-rated game of all time.
Rockstaris a detailed watchmaker when it comes to creatingopen-world games.Grand Theft Auto IVis the highest-rated open-world game of all time. ThoughGTA Vis the latest installment of the franchise,GTA IVhad more detailed features to make the open-world crime game an actual life simulator.
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Every nook and cranny, every nuance of the mundane world is implemented into the virtual realm of Liberty City. ThoughGTA Vis a must-have for open-world fans,GTA IVshouldn’t be overlooked. Its singleplayer experience is definitely something to re-live.
7Family | Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Metascore: 97 / User Score: 9.1)
Whenfamily gamescome to mind, something colorful and animated with basic gameplay is what gamers tend to think of first.Super Mario Galaxy 2takes players to wonderful worlds across the galaxy. In this incredible platformer, is different and more challenging than the last. However,Super Mario Galaxy 2is anything but simple.
Though it starts off with toddler-level easy difficulty, the game finds ways to challenge players with each new level, providing fun for the whole family. This earnsSuper Mario Galaxy 2the place as the highest-rated family game.
6Fighting | SoulCalibur (Metascore: 98 / User Score: 8.5)
Developed in 1999, the originalSoulCaliburis one of the greatestfighting classicsof all time. The game has incredible graphics for its time, along with some very intuitive combat mechanics anyone can get used to.SoulCaliburalso operates in a 3D space, letting players strafe left and right. This was very innovative at a time, when characters could previously only move about a 2D space.
This 1999 game performs similar to modern-dayTekkenand has the graphics of 2007Final Fantasygames. With that said,SoulCaliburwas way ahead of its time. This lands as the highest-rated fighting game of all time.
5Multiplayer | Halo: Combat Evolved (Metascore: 97 / User Score: 8.5)
TheHalofranchise is one of the most iconicFPS franchisesof all time.Halo: Combat Evolvedis a massive multiplayer game, featuring tons of different weapons and vehicles to decimate opponents with. Aside from an exhilarating campaign mode, the game also features a timeless multiplayer mode that gamers to this day still love.
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Halo: Combat Evolvedhas five core game modes: Slayer, a mode where players must kill as many opposing players as possible; Oddball, where rounds are won by holding the ball for a set time without being killed; good ole Capture The Flag; King of the Hill where players hold a control point for a set amount of time, and Race. The variety, complexity, and endless approach to the battlefield rewardHalothe highest rating a multiplayer game has ever achieved.
4Role-Playing | Mass Effect 2 (Metascore: 96 / User Score: 8.9)
The greatestRPGof all time is surprisingly not a fantasy or medieval one. Rather, it’s set in space, some years into the future.Mass Effect 2is the middle title in theMass Effecttrilogy. LikeMass Effect 1and3,it tailors the gameplay experience for each player, making the adventure feel more personal.
The decisions and dialogues players choose has a different effect on the story, and the gameplay is impressively varied as well. There are six classes to choose from; adept, soldier, engineer, vanguard, infiltrator, and sentinel. Each of these classes has two subclasses to specialize in. Everything can be customized, and anything players do in this game will have an effect. It’s no surprise thatMass Effect2 isthe highest-rated RPG on Metacritic.
3Sports | Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (Metascore: 98 / User Score: 7.5)
Skateboarding gamesare a sandbox for fun tricks and thrashing mayhem.Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2is the king of this genre. Players are free to make an entire abandoned warehouse their playground. Cool tricks can be performed, huge jumps, and sweet grinds. There are also ramps where players can do impressive flips.
Players can chain together tricks for massive points, earning new unlocks such as skaters and tricks. The fun gameplay ofPro Skater 2perfectly captures skateboarding culture, encouraging players to just “go for it.” This earnsPro Skater 2the highest rating a sports game has ever earned.
2Racing | Gran Turismo (Metascore: 96 / User Score: 8.6)
Gran Turismois a simulatedracing franchisethat rivals the arcade gameplay ofNeed For Speed.The originalGran Turismo,published in 1998, puts players behind the wheel in an action-packed circuit racing. There are nearly 200 different cars to choose from, all real-life and licensed, and each car controls and feels different.
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Though the graphics obviously don’t hold up to today’s standards, at the time, it was as realistic as video games can get. The physics and the controls were also realistic, making the racing experience authentic and life-like. For a game in ‘98,Gran Turismodid more than deliver. This earns it the highest rating given to a racing game, ever.
1Strategy | Command & Conquer (Metascore: 94 / User Score: 8.9)
Published in 1995,Command and Conqueris one of the earliestRTS gamesever developed. The game is a military strategy game with fog mechanics that encourages exploration. Players are guided with a live-action briefing before jumping into the game. Like any strategy game, players mine resources, construct buildings, and train troops to wage against the opposition. Players give orders to manned vehicles and on-the-ground infantry units, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
For a ‘95 game, there is a lot of detail that goes intoCommand and Conquer’sskirmishes. Gunshots sound punchy, explosions are bassy, and despite its graphics, everything is visually comprehensive. The game indeed lives up to its name. Command battalions to conquer the enemy. This makesCommand and Conquerthe highest-rated strategy game of all time.
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