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When I think back to the best video games ever, well this is a hard one to judge. This is simply because people will naturally go for the games that they have the fondest memories off, so obviously their choice will always be personal to them. But let us take a deeper look into the title, Best Video Games Ever and let us try to be objective. It is very hard to be objective when trying to decide on which games would make an all-time greats list, but we can only try.

Over the years there have been many many video games out on the market that have quite literally raised the bar in terms of graphics, gameplay, music and sales. There have also been those games that have fallen by the wayside, that have flopped dramatically for whatever reason. With this article I will look at a whole plethora of games that are in the market now, that have been in the market in the past, and those games that are not available now. To all intents and purposes I will try to be as fair-minded and objective in this as I can. I will not put the games into any specific order, ie: 1, 2, 3 etc, but just name them as I go along. Obviously the choices that I have picked might not necessarily be the choices that you would have picked, but I do think that the following games are those that everyone enjoyed, at some point or other.

Pacman {1980 Namco}

In terms of gameplay {not so much graphics} Pacman {produced by Namco, 1980} was and still is the most successful video game of all time. During this game's debut year it has to be said that over 100,000 machines were made and sold all around the world. Namco, the makers of the game, stated that they had worked out that the game had been played over TEN BILLION TIMES during its history. The revenue {income} that this game made for the company worked out to something like $100 MILLION DOLLARS NET making it the most played and most successful game in history.

The plot of the game was so simple yet so addictive. The player controlled a small yellow ball, with a piece cut out of it. This ball was within a maze which was filled with tiny white dots. The simple plot was to guide the ball {Pacman as it was so named} around the maze gobbling up the dots. Each dot represented points. Now this would have been simple but for the fact that within the maze also, where Pacman's enemies {ghosts}. Each ghost would be coloured differently to each other, orange, light blue, pink, yelow and red {red being the fastest moving ghost}. They would chase the Pacman around the maze trying to block of its route, But every-so-often Pacman would swallow a powerpill that were always situated within the four corners of the maze. These powerpills boosted Pacman and scared off the ghosts.

On eating these pills Pacman would then be able to turn the tables on the ghosts for a few seconds, chasing and eating them, as he would do the dots. The ghosts would be left without a body and their eyes would make their way to the centre of the square where they would be given a new body to begin a new attack on Pacman. When Pacman swallowed the last dot that maze would be over and the next maze would begin.

As Pacman progressed through the mazes it would get progressively harder, the ghosts would move faster and seemingly adapt to the way Pacman would move through the maze. They would cut off his routes and eventually capture him. Every-so-often within the maze pieces of fruit would appear which when swallowed by Pacman would give bonus points. Each different piece of fruit would always represent a different maze.

This game was very addictive at the time it came out, and is still addictive now, Many clones were made from the arcade version of this game, which where also successful in their own right, coming out on home consoles such as Colecovision and Atari and also on Nintendo Gameboy. So because of its outstanding gameplay and success, Pacman makes it onlo the list as one of the best video games ever.

Pro-Pinball {Empire Interactive}

The next game {or games because there was a series of them} in my list, after having thought long and hard are games that not many people may have heard off. Pro Pinball for the PC and also for console {Playstation 1 and Sega Dreamcast} have to be the greatest simulation of pinball that have ever been created. The Web, Timeshock, Fantastic Journey, and Big Race USA, all replicate pinball tables right down to the sheen and gleam of the simulated chrome ball themselves. Even the way the ball moves around the table and the way it bounces off the bumpers is replicated so well.

Developed by Cunning Developments, and produced by Empire Interactive, the Pro Pinball Series offers the chance to own, albeit virtually, a pinball table within your own home. Nothing has been left to chance, The detail within the tables themselves are something that have to be seen to be believed. All of the tables I have mentioned are in stunning 3D and all scream out to the player, PLAY ME! The player can do everything on the simulated pinball machines that they can do on a real life table. They can also do things that you cannot do on a real table, such as controlling the slope of the table and deciding whether or not he or she wants to play on a brand new table, or begin the simulation with a worn-out table.

The multi-ball sequence is superb as is the dot matrix display where the player has to complete certain tasks. The voice overs are superb, urging the player on, or mocking the player when he/she fails in the task. Each Pro Pinball Series has their own theme-based table {the player plays on only one table} but this does not detract from the gameplay at all. All in all, even though the Pro-Pinball Series came out around 2001, I have to say that the Pro-Pinball series even now is the greatest simulation of pinball tables that have ever been designed to date.

Echochrome {PSP}

Again having thought long and hard about what game would be next on my list as one of the best video games ever I would have to go for Echochrome. Designed for both the PsP and Playstation 3, Echochrome's graphics {which are based on the works of M.C. Escher {1898-1972} are black and white and very simplistic. Yet, despite the power of the PSP, the game works brilliantly well. The presentation of this game is minimalist and stark, yet, as I have mentioned, this works for this particular game.

This puzzler in which the player has to guide a mannequin-like figure around a series of platforms collecting 'shadows' of itself is very addictive. Echochrome is based on what you see and perspective and you really have to play the game to get some idea of what you have to do. The platforms get more bigger and more complex as you go along, and you can even design your own platforms and shadows and share these on the Net. The music is based on classical cello-based pieces which again, compliment the game so well and actually the superb classical music in this puzzle game is very very relaxing indeed. Playing this game exercises the brain cells and makes the player think logically. Echochrome is well worthy of being listed as one of the greatest video games ever.

Space Invaders {1978 Taito}

One cannot forget Space Invaders which happened to be the one video game that influenced a whole industry for decades to come. By today's standards, the graphics were very simple: The player moved a green base at the bottom of the screen left or right. This base was capable of firing off its weapon toward wave after wave of alien invaders making their way down the screen. The relentless thump thump sound in the background as the invaders moved heightened the tension. In front and above the player's base there where green shields spaced out evenly.

These absorbed the alien weapons, but chunks would be taken out off them until eventually, there where no shields left. The little white, or green invaders would continue to move down the screen while the player would try to shoot as many as possible before getting down to the last one. Once down to the last invader, this would move very quickly from left to right and back again, until it was destroyed by the player, or until it reached the bottom of the screen. Once at the bottom the player's base would be destroyed. This game had a simple plot to it, but again, it was very addictive. Many many happy hours were spent by gamers everywhere trying to get the high score. Space Invaders was the inspiration for many spin-offs based on the same theme {most notably Galaxian and Gorf}.

Asteroids {1979 Atari}

Asteroids was another one of those games that anyone having played it at the arcades in the past would be filled with nostalgia. Coming out a year after the success of Space Invaders, Asteroids was again a 'space-themed' game in which the player controlled a single ship. This ship had freedom of movement {unlike the base of Space Invaders which could only move left and right}. The ship in asteroids could move anywhere on the screen, left, right, up, down, backwards, forwards and also in a diagonal movement too. It fired off a single shot {which when the fire button was pressed fast, could sometimes fire multiple shots}.

The basis of the game was to survive as long as you could against the onslaught of randomly-generated asteroids. These asteroids wouldn't have a set-pattern as they would just move wherever they happened to be going. The player had to fire at these asteroids and destroy them. The bigger asteroids would break up into smaller pieces {making it even harder to aim at them}. Every-so-often, a UFO would appear on the screen and fire at the player's ship, if the player destroyed the UFO then he would be awarded bonus points. The ship would appear at intermittent times in the game, sometimes it was big, and sometimes it was small, but each time it was hit bonus points would be awarded. Asteroids was another successful game {although not as successful as Space Invaders} it got is fair share of gamers playing it.

Defender {Williams Electronics, 1978}

What can one say about Defender that hasn't already been said? This game was LOUD! The mere noise of this game attracted gamers from all over the arcade as they would gather round the cabinet to watch the latest high score being played out. Again, Defender was a 'space-themed' game and also, which was unusual, a horizontal scroller rather than a ship facing upwards}. The other unusual thing about this game at the time, was that it was the first one to feature 'Artificial World' in which game events could occur outside on the on-screen view. Your mission in this game was to save the 'humanoids' that where stranded on the surface of the planet.

The player did this by moving his ship left or right, firing at any enemy alien ships that were chasing him. The enemy ships would come from behind or in front, as well as above or beneath so the player had to really be alert. The aliens mission was to attack and kidnap the 'humanoids', if they succeeded then the alien ship and the humanoid would 'merge' thus becoming a lethal mutant. If the player shot the alien ship as it held the 'humanoid' and then saved the humanoid by flying into it and delivering it down back on the surface of the planet then he would be awarded bonus points.

The problem was actually being able to do this though, as the game was chronically-difficult to play.The speed of the game was really something else and it was very fast-paced indeed. This has to go on the list as one of the greatest video games that has ever been designed and produced for the market.

I could mention many others that have stood the test of time over the years, games such as Donkey Kong, Pole Position, Mr Do, Street Fighter, KI Karate, Space Harrier, Gauntlet, Marble Madness, Speedball, Outrun, Dragon's Lair and many more. Even some of those games that are relatively new now have already established themselves as classics. Games such as Mercury {PSP} Empire Earth {PC}, Guitar Hero {PS3 and XBOX 360} Resident Evil {Playstation} Alone in the Dark {PC} etc etc.

To sum up: The problem is that no matter what games I have written about above, everyone will have their own personal favourites. The list is reletive, and can be viewed as such. But to me, these are the games that I remember the most. and the ones that stand out in my memory as some of the greatest video games ever produced.

Learn more about this author, Wayne Leon Learmond.
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