Outcast Not At 57 Scandal: PC Gamer Top 100

News Reader · Post by **News Reader** » December 17th, 2009, 17:00

Outcast Not At 57 Scandal: PC Gamer Top 100
The yearly PC Gamer Top 100 has gone live! To actually get any real explanation behind it, you'll have to buy the new issue, but it's available here in a just-the-facts-format. It breaks with tradition in a three key ways. Firstly, it was the first in living memory to be comprised not by going down [...]

Author: Kieron Gillen
Category: RockPaperShotgun OUTCAST IS THE FIFTY SEVENTH BEST GAME EVER PC-Gamer Top-100
Publish Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:35:28 +0000

The yearly PC Gamer Top 100 has gone live! To actually get any real explanation behind it, you'll have to buy the new issue, but it's available here in a just-the-facts-format. It breaks with tradition in a three key ways. Firstly, it was the first in living memory to be comprised not by going down the pub and arguing until everyone hates each other more than usual. Instead, it was done by cold vote-casting democracy. Or, at least, the closest simulacra to cold-vote-casting democracy the ever-mendacious Tom Francis could manage. Secondly, it involved votes from the PC Gamer writers of many nations (i.e. if there's anything obviously mental, blame the yanks). Thirdly, and most audaciously, the fifthy-seventh greatest game of all time Outcast isn't at fifty-seven. I'm shocked, shocked I say. Anyway, the readers vote is now open so do go in and RIGHT WRONGS. I admit, it's the sort of thing which makes me wonder what a RPS readers' top 100 may look like. Top 100s are odd ones, conceptually speaking. I wrote a little about it over on my workblog a few years ago, which I republish here...

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Post tags: OUTCAST IS THE FIFTY SEVENTH BEST GAME EVER, PC-Gamer, Top-100

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buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » December 17th, 2009, 17:10

Deus Ex still running unchallenged at the top with HL2 in at number 2 like usual.

There's a few here and there I don't agree with, such as UT2004 and GTA4 in the 20-11 category which should be UT:GOTY and GTA:VC really.

Max Payne 2 at 29 should really be Max Payne 1 as it's a better game, couple of others like that around but overall, it's a good list.

Post by **FatherJack** » December 18th, 2009, 2:59

Yeah, Unreal's never felt right since it went all shiny, just felt like Quake 3 with different guns and many people have said to me that with GTA4 Rockstar ruined their favourite game.

There are some oldies in there, but I'm not sure all of them pass the test of still being playable now. I've been playing Final Fantasy VII again (the PS version, but there was a PC one) and it's still great.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » December 18th, 2009, 12:33

Nah, most older games are still playable, you just have to step away from being a graphics whore like some people are.

I've recently been playing Dark horses 1 via DosBox in Steam. It's still a good game at it's core, sure it's not pretty, but it's functional enough and quite fun.

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » December 18th, 2009, 18:21

buzzmong wrote:Nah, most older games are still playable, you just have to step away from being a graphics whore like some people are.

It's more than the graphics in many cases. Gameplay mechanics and control systems have come a long way over the years. Modern games tend to be more intuitive and forgiving. However if you've got nostalgia and familiarity on your side you could overcome these, but otherwise it can be a struggle.

I've tried to play older games and it's just not much fun. However I have been watching "Let's Play ..." videos on Youtube, so I can see what Deus Ex is like without the struggle myself.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » December 18th, 2009, 18:23

How can you struggle with the controls on Deus Ex? It's a UT based game, modern controls and setup, so you can define it any way you want.

Defaults for it are WASD, as per usual.

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » December 18th, 2009, 18:52

buzzmong wrote:How can you struggle with the controls on Deus Ex? It's a UT based game, modern controls and setup, so you can define it any way you want.

Defaults for it are WASD, as per usual.

I was speaking generally about older games.

Deus Ex is just an example of an old game which people rave about and I've tried playing but given up. Mainly because it looks bad, by today's standards, and isn't as intuitive (and perhaps, easy) as more recent games. If I was starved for quality modern games I'd perceive, but I'm not.

However I did recently play right through Max Payne. Depends on the game and your preferences I suppose. Attempts and the original Fallout games were not as successful.

Post by **FatherJack** » December 19th, 2009, 1:42

I recently grabbed Anachronox, which makes the top 100. The graphics are pretty chunky, but I don't let that bother me - I still love many of the early 3D RPGs on the PS, Dreamcast and Saturn where the even the cut scenes are put to shame by post-90s PC game engines - it was the awkwardness of the control interface that's kept me from sinking much time into it.

Interfaces are so easy to use these days you forget how clumsy they used to be, with each game using a different one. Compare the way you buy and upgrade cars in Forza Motorsport to the way you had to do it in the first Gran Turismo - and that was considered one of the better interfaces at the time.

Post by **Dog Pants** » December 19th, 2009, 10:00

FatherJack wrote:Interfaces are so easy to use these days you forget how clumsy they used to be, with each game using a different one.

Very much so. This was what prompted my article on revisiting old games. X-Com and UFO are still brilliant games, bu tthe interface it hideous by modern standards. Serious Sam HD (rated somewhere around the 70% mark IIRC by PCG) is a step in the right direction, I think. Don't piss with what made the game great, just give it a modern UI.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » December 19th, 2009, 12:30

FatherJack wrote:I recently grabbed Anachronox.

Swept or is it on sale somewhere? I only ever owned a swept copy and I've seen it in the shops once(!) and at the time I didn't give it any thought. I'm hankering after some originals as it's an ace game, also the 1.1 or 1.2 patch from the developers is a No-cd patch. Which is quite handy.

Post by **HereComesPete** » December 19th, 2009, 12:56

Is it not on gog?

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » December 19th, 2009, 13:05

Nope

Post by **HereComesPete** » December 19th, 2009, 13:22

It's on Amazon.

buzzmong · Post by **buzzmong** » December 19th, 2009, 13:25

Cheers Pete!

Post by **FatherJack** » December 20th, 2009, 0:51

Yeah, I got it from Amazon for about that price when I bought up a few old games, including Septerra Core, Caesar IV and all the other Tilted Mill/Impressions Games city builders.

Baliame · Post by **Baliame** » January 23rd, 2010, 22:17

Solitaire - The 82nd greatest PC game of all time.