We, along with the rest of the Push Square community, were screaming like little girls when Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced for the PlayStation 4 during Sony's jaw-dropping E3 2015 press conference. It's fitting, then, that little over two months later, the original PSone version of Final Fantasy VII has been voted as Push Square's Best Game of All Time.
The competition was held on the Push Square forums by member themcnoisy and ran for four whole months. Readers were encouraged to nominate their favourite titles from any platform, then were asked to vote in a series of heats. A list of over 80 releases was ultimately whittled down to just six, with Square Enix's legendary Japanese role-playing game eventually taking the title.
The top six β in voting order β was as follows:
- Final Fantasy VII
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Metal Gear Solid
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- The Last of Us
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
We reckon that it's a pretty strong lineup of software, with the overall winner being worthy of its crown. But would you have picked differently? Did our readers come to the right decision? Regret not taking part in the comments section below.
A massive thanks to themcnoisy for organising and running this event over the past few months, and also to everyone who took part. Remember, there's no need to create a separate login to use the Push Square forums, so do drop by and get posting.
[source Topic: PSBGOAT World Cup π]
Comments 64
Not my personal pick, but an absolutely worthy winner. Thanks for conducting this @themcnoisy.
not a bad top 6
Definitely my favourite game of all time.
Last of Us for me. Followed by Fallout 3. Zelda or Sonic aren't my thing but it's a great list otherwise.
In a list of every video game ever, World of Warcraft has to factor as a bigger influence and more popular than say Sonic, by any measure I can think of.... WoW is responsible for single handedly broadening the base of people who would consider themselves gamers, not to mention being one of the only games to be popular and active for over a decade
Also Sonic seems out of place to me. Lots of games I'd rate higher.
Since I come from the generation of Nintendo and sega, I cam tell you sonic is not misplaced on this list. It was the foil to nintendos Mario and single handedly started what we now refer to as "consoles wars". The fast paced nature and bright color pallette was something never before seen in gaming on a home console, and without that loveable hedgehog who knows if there would have ever been competition to nintendo. They showed that it was possible to break into the market and cede power from the Mario makers, undoubtedly encouraging future companies to do the same. Sonic definitely belongs on this list.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. no.
I had no idea this was running. Was it ever promoted as a main post?
While not necessarily my favorites, I view all the above games as at least "great" except for sonic.
@Mega-Gazz I wouldn't consider WOW in top 30 of the best games ever. Perhaps in a most influential list it would rank in very high.
@SonyInfinity but that is just it... At best Sonic was second fiddle to Mario which was MUCH more popular and influential. At worst it was "just another platformer".
Final Fantasy VII gives me terrible motion sickness, I think it has something to do with the shading because a lot of PSP games do it similarly and they give me motion sickness sometimes as well.
Also, my favorite game of all time is "Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest". The original Star Craft is a close second, with Solatorobo near the top as well!
Da fuq?!
Sonic but no Mario? The inferior imitator over the originator?
While I appreciate FF7 for being a great game it wouldn't even be in my top 5 I reckon, but hey, the people voted and it is what it is! Though perhaps tellingly this vote is from mostly Sony fans right?
Is that Sonic 06?
I don't think I knew about this, but probably would have voted along similar lines. It is weird seeing those games together. FF7 is my favorite JRPG, and Uncharted 2 my favorite interactive movie, but Jak and Daxter is still my favorite platformer, and Starfox Adventures my favorite adventure game. But I never put them all in one place, they just look weird together.
I don't think Wow ever shows up high on these lists b/c all those gamers spend all their time playing, not taking polls, they need to justify their monthly subscription price payment by playing as much as posdible.
And if when we die we go to gamer heaven and our lifetime stats are calculated, it will probably look like Candy Crush Saga was my favorite game ever, I'm at level 1051 and have been playing on and off over 2 years. Not sure how many hours I've put into it but probably more than any other game. That's what happens when they cancel my soaps.
Well done everyone who got involved and special thanks to @themcnoisy for organising it! Glad to see FF7 won it as long with MGS1 it's my personal number 1. Gotta say this is a PS forum so I would have been disappointed if a non-PS game had won.
@Dodoo @Azikira @AyeHaley @Mega-Gazz Of course there were many other games (Mario, WOW and more) that started in the group stages and didn't make the final cut but with more people taking part next time perhaps the result will be different. Gotta vote to make it count
@rjejr It was Sonic 1 (mega drive version)
Not a bad list. Not a great list.
I really can't argue with the Final Fantasy, but dear goodness Zelda Link to the Past is a better game than Ocarina, heck even Link Between Worlds on 3DS is better. Although I do recognize its significance.
The MGS, ok. But as for Sonic.... No. Sonic 2 or 3, yes. But the first one just wasn't is good.
The Last of Us, definitely not. It was a really good game and I'd even go so far as to say it was the pinnacle of its genre, but greatest game of all time? I can think of 50 games better than TLoU. Heck it's not even the greatest game of last generation, much less all time.
Uncharted 2, that I haven't played but I trust my brothers judgement, and he swears it's one of the best games he's ever played- and he's a diehard multi console owner just like me, so I'll agree with that one.
But if I had my own list, you can believe that it'd be Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Fire Emblem Awakening and DKC Tropical Freeze sitting squarely at the top, undisputed
@kyleforrester87
I think @rjejr was being sarcastic with the Sonic 06, seeing as it's renowned as the all time worst Sonic game of all time
VII?! The best game?! I say it was rigged!
@JaxonH Haha yeah, just thought i'd clarify
@ZeD The remake announcement perhaps helped it win, it was only a couple of points between FF7 and OOT. Also, as I mentioned, more people being involved would have perhaps made a difference
Zelda is in a list of top 6 games on a PlayStation website?!? Wtf...
I don't know if FFVII would have been my pick, but it is definitely one of the best games out there.
@Mega-Gazz @stevie85 I'm not saying Mario does not belong, I saying without sonic there may have never been competition to nintendos throne. Sega showed how with cool marketing, a fresh mascot, and new game play you could come in and threaten the king, and they did just that. What if that never happened, we could be living in a world where there was never a sega, never a playstation, never an xbox etc. Sonic showed companies how to compete and showed the world that there was room in the limelight for more than one player. Say what you will about the current state of the console wars, but those wars have bred alot of creativity and pushed companies to better serve their customers. IMO if Mario belongs in the best all time discuaaion, so does sonic.
@kyleforrester87 I joined a couple of times but just ended up forgetting about it. PS staff should have maybe pushed it to the front page. Maybe next time.....
Maybe next time give some frontpage attention to initiatives like these? You don't have to feature every forum discussion of course, but when members, the backbone of a site, organise something likes this it deserves to make it to the front page every once in a while.
Not trying to be rude or tell you guys how to run the site, just my 2 cents
In fact I think several sega games arguably belong in the discussion. PSO for showing everyone a decade earlier how console mmos can work, sonic as mentioned above, and panzer dragoon saga for integrating fresh game play with rpg like elements and awesome cinematics.
While I can't say I am surprised with the outcome. What's ironic I guess you can say is that two of the biggest games that gen are in the number one and two spot, I wonder if that's cause of the age and nostalgia factor of a majority of the voters. Just an interesting observation.
@Everyone complaint why didn't this game make it. Alot of big names where included in the tournament, World of Warcraft, SMB3, A Link to the Past, DKC just to name a few but they were eliminated.
This was a great event to bring the community together and big props to @themcnoisy for doing all the work.
@Tasuki Maybe youre right. For me I still play FF7 every year or so and love it as much as ever. But then there are certainly games I might say I love, then try and play and realise it was purely nostalgia.
But either way there will always be an element of nostalgia involved, and that's okay I think!
I never played Uncharted 2 but I agree on all the other games being at the top. FF7 is my favourite game of all time too.
I think it would do well for some of you commenting to actually read the article and see where this information came from instead of immediately criticising the choices.
@JaxonH - I hate the new emoticons, too Facebook-y, so I've sworn off using them. I let Piper's big smile and outspread hands, half Fonzie "hey", half, "that's all I got" be my perpetual winky emoticon.
And yes, U2 was that good. It was video game perfection. Which you can only truly realize by playing 3, which was ok, but it makes 2 look that much better. I walked thru a wall in 3, and got stuck somewhere, then I thought, wow, all of U2 is glitch free. Every single bit and pixel was in it's proper place the entire game. Every word of dialogue meant something. And the difficulty was spot on. Played on normal. Played 1 on easy and it was still too hard. I still quantify was an interactive movie, but that's more a testament to how good the story and voice acting as than the lack of Gmaeplay, it sin't MGS: Sons of the Patriots w/ it's 20 minute cut scenes and 3 minutes of gameplay. I can understand why some people might not like it though, it isn't a bullet hell, or twitchy, or difficult.
Im sad considering how superior are 4 and 6
@Faruko 6 was in the runnings, maybe next time
Nice list, but cleary a list favored by long time PS owners. Maybe we should put a list based on votes from nintendolife, pushsquare, and that one who talks about xbox.
I'm gonna get a lot of stick, but this wasn't my pick. Final Fantasys never interest me because they've always been turn-based, except for the recent ones
Sonic is a great shout though, loved the originals
While I loved the game at the time it came out, this wouldn't even be near my 100 favourite games of all time.
Heck, it's not even anywhere near the best Final Fantasy game, even if you only count the mainline ones, let alone the spin-offs. :-/
Didn't ever notice this poll, but if I voted I would have gone Ocarina of Time but that's just my personal fave game of all time. All on this list pretty much belong on this list though !
Nice article, probably the best of all time lol.
We will rerun it in a couple of years (2017) so be ready for that Had fun, in the process the thread became the most commented thread in the forums. (albeit ive posted about half of that). Ive already thanked everyone who joined in and it just goes to show that everyone who has gravitated to pushsquare is extremely clued up on gaming.
Just so everyone knows none of my games made the last 10. I'm sorry streets of rage 2 and Final Fantasy 8 we will win one day....
Well done FF7, Zelda OOT and MGS. See you in 2 years.
No mega man 2, no symphony of the night, and no shining force....still a great list, thx guys
I'm surprised how many people have said they weren't aware this was running. It's been in the recent forum discussions section at the side of the main page pretty much constantly the last few months! I only joined in the later stages but that was more out of forgetfulness / laziness!
Ehh, if I bothered voting I would have went with MGS out of the top 5. Uncharted 2 is kinda up there as well.
I never played VII, Ocarina or Last of Us, but I am not surprised at all that VII won with those two games in tow judging from all the press, especially VII with that remake. Like I need to hear anymore gushing for those games before I play them.
@SonyInfinity They were in the tournament but got knocked out in the early stages.
For me this isnt even top 50.
MGS and Ocarina of Time are very good shouts.
As is TLoU.
Cant help but feel theres some missed titles in that list though.
Assassins Creed 2, Red Dead Redemption, Red Faction, StarFox, Metroid, Halo, these games all bought something new to the table and changed the way we play.
@ToOGoodOfAPlaya all games that were in the competition at some point I'm pretty sure, just didn't quite make the final cut!
I'm personally really looking forward to the next time round of this, where hopefully a few more people would take part. I think it could have been a very different result if more of the community has gotten involved!
@themcnoisy not sure how/if you tracked the stats to this level of detail, but it would be really interesting to see how many people in total took part!
I played it but didn't much like it. Fallout and Shenmue should be in the top 5.
It's a decent list. I'm glad Uncharted 2 is on it, even though Uncharted 3 is definitely the best Uncharted game. I would't have put a few in for sure though. Examples being Sonic and Zelda. As influential as OoT may have been, I don't think it deserves to be in best games of all time list of this size. It's been surpassed now.
FF7 is my favourite game of all time. I like this outcome
Non of them would enter my personal hitlist.... Civ 2, Bloodborne, medieval total war 2, call of duty 1 & 2, gta v just to cite some ..
Sim City 2000 and Civilization 2 are in my contention for top games of all-time.......as far as my most awe-inspiring console title (for the time), it's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, although my first pick for any cartridge or CD would be the Super Mario All-Stars + World compilation.
This whole list is really weird. Any of the games in this list would never be my top 6.
I'm thinking maybe my taste is a little more...niche? I dunno. Not trying to be a hipster or nothin.
Eh last of us was a bit of a trudge for me, otherwise I can't really argue although I seriously hope when they says sonic the hedgehog they mean the original title and not the gameboy advance port.
@sonicmeerkat Yeah, it was the Mega Drive version.
Just a bit of fun this, no need for anyone to get annoyed.
@get2sammyb Ain't even close to annoyed, It annoyed me earlier waiting 20 minutes for a cup of coffee with 3 people in front of me, this this is just opinions .
never played ff7
never played ff7 ive heard that its amazing game i was gonna play ir but since there's a remake coming ill just wait for that
Wont argue much to the list but I think a top 5 or 10 most influential games of all time would be a very interesting discussion topic, and perhaps a bit more objective. It doesnt have to be the best game, but it would be a game that launched or perfected a genre, created endless copycats due to popularity, etc. etc.
I agree with the winner, but what a great list!
Great games but that's a weird list. I'm not sure if I would even put some if these on a top 50 list. Zelda, FFVII and TLoU definitely deserve to be on here though
@SteveButler2210 I didnt even know it was running.
I only view this site on my iPhone and it doesnt display the "latest topics" or "hottest" or whatever it is, in a side list.
Personally I think it should be genre based next time, comparing a turn based strategy to a racing sim seems a bit moot.
@kyleforrester87 Yeah you're right. I must make sure I vote next time!
@ToOGoodOfAPlaya oh fair enough, yeah it's not so obvious in the mobile view! Quite a lot of good discussion takes place on the forums, you should check them out more often. If you hit the top-left menu button on the site, then Forums, then All Topics, you can see all the recently commented on discussions
And yeah I do see what you mean there. Maybe something to consider for next time! Could even run most of the tournament by genre, and then finish off with the winners from each genre being entered into the final round. Could be something to consider @themcnoisy?
Heck, if there were more people willing to help out with the running of it (as not really fair to lump it all on one person if it gets much bigger), it could be made into a full PS Readers Awards feature, with categories for other stuff too, like best Soundtrack of all time, most influential game (as per @SavoirFaire's suggestion) etc etc
By genre is a good idea. The maybe C&C:Red Alert will be number 1
It's all personal preference really. When I think of any game that's considered one of the best I've ever played/enjoyed, I always think of the first Mass Effect.
@SteveButler2210 It could turn into something bigger and better.
Genre is the only real way to get the most accurate results in my opinion, because realistically, if your best game of all time isnt in the final list you wouldnt/shouldnt vote, as it makes the final game a false winner, and not everyones best game will be in the same genre.
This then means that out of say, 3 genres, you pick your favourite in each, and if one of yours gets knocked out of one, voting on the other two doesnt affect the results of the genre your game was relegated from.
Sonic 1 over 3? I think not.
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