Jdanddiet's Top 100 Games - The Statistics

Format Breakdown


ZX Spectrum: 26
Megadrive: 21
PC: 17
Playstation: 7
Arcade: 7
XBOX: 4
Gameboy: 3
Intellivision: 3
Gamecube: 3
MegaCD: 2
XBOX 360: 2
Master System: 2
PS2: 2
N64: 1

Genre Breakdown

Arcade/Adventure: 16
Run and Gun/Slash: 12
First Person Shooter: 11
Survival Horror: 10
Classic Shooter: 10
RPG: 9
Strategy/Puzzle: 8
Sport Simulation: 7
Racing/Driving: 6
Platformer: 6
Beat 'em up: 4
Point and Click: 1

Jdanddiet's Top 100 games - The Full List

100.Golden Axe (Megadrive)
099.Nemesis (Arcade)
098.Universal Soldier (Megadrive)
097.Sea Battle (Intellivision)
096.Hypersports (ZX Spectrum)
095.Batty (ZX Spectrum)
094.Halo (XBOX)
093.Cobra (ZX Spectrum)
092.Gynoug (Megadrive)
091.Prince Valiant (Gameboy)
090.Harrier Attack (ZX Spectrum)
089.Quazatron (ZX Spectrum)
088.Alien Syndrome (Master System)
087.Alien Storm (Megadrive)
086.Myth (ZX Spectrum)
085.Silpheed (MegaCD)
084.Burnout (Gamecube)
083.Brian Lara Cricket 96 (Megadrive)
082.Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 (PC)
081.Saboteur (ZX Spectrum)
080.Space Battle (Intellivision)
079.Goldeneye (N64)
078.Max Payne (PC)
077.Light Crusader (Megadrive)
076.Icewind Dale (PC)
075.Doom (PC)
074.Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (XBOX)
073.Renegade (ZX Spectrum)
072.Moon Patrol (Arcade)
071.Fallout 2 (PC)
070.Streets of Rage (Megadrive)
069.Jet Set Willy (ZX Spectrum)
068.Robocop (ZX Spectrum)
067.Paperboy (Arcade)
066.Robocop vs Terminator (Megadrive)
065.R-Type (Master System)
064.Grand Theft Auto (PC)
063.Speedball 2 (Megadrive)
062.Resident Evil 5 (XBOX 360)
061.Dino Crisis (Playstation)
060.Impossible Mission (ZX Spectrum)
059.PGA European Tour (Megadrive)
058.Unreal Tournament (PC)
057.Call of Cthuhlu: Dark Corners of the Earth (XBOX)
056.Ranger X (Megadrive)
055.The Terminator (MegaCD)
054.Warcraft (PC)
053.Cybernoid (ZX Spectrum)
052.Curse of Monkey Island (PC)
051.Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC)
050.Turbo Esprit (ZX Spectrum)
049.Die Hard Trilogy (Playstation)
048.Revenge of Shinobi (Megadrive)
047.Gauntlet IV (Megadrive)
046.Super Mario Land (Gameboy)
045.Micro Machines (Megadrive)
044.Resident Evil 2 (Playstation)
043.Flying Shark (ZX Spectrum)
042.Strider (Megadrive)
041.FIFA 95 (Megadrive)
040.Half-Life (PC)
039.The Simpsons: Hit & Run (Gamecube)
038.Tracksuit Manager (ZX Spectrum)
037.Deathchase (ZX Spectrum)
036.Kung Fu Master (Arcade)
035.Desert Strike (Megadrive)
034.Tetris (Gameboy)
033.Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (Playstation 2)
032.Rebelstar (ZX Spectrum)
031.Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (XBOX)
030.Silent Hill (Playstation)
029.Midnight Resistance (ZX Spectrum)
028.Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (PC)
027.Duke Nukem 3D (PC)
026.Outrun (Arcade)
025.Tron Deadly Discs (Intellivision)
024.Star Wars (Arcade)
023.Chaos (ZX Spectrum)
022.Rebelstar 2 (ZX Spectrum)
021.Resident Evil: Director's Cut (Playstation)
020.Dead Space (XBOX 360)
019.The Great Escape (ZX Spectrum)
018.Jungle Strike (Megadrive)
017.Metal Gear Solid (Playstation)
016.Star Wars Battlefront (PC)
015.Bubble Bobble (Arcade)
014.Bomb Jack (ZX Spectrum)
013.Chuckie Egg (ZX Spectrum)
012.Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (Megadrive)
011.Academy (ZX Spectrum)
010.Flashback (Megadrive)
009.Matchday 2 (ZX Spectrum)
008.Laser Squad (ZX Spectrum)
007.Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (Playstation)
006.Resident Evil REMake (Gamecube)
005.Command and Conquer Red Alert (PC)
004.Baldur's Gate 2 (PC)
003.Streets of Rage 2 (Megadrive)
002.Half Life 2 (PC)
001.Resident Evil 4 (Playstation 2)

Jdanddiet's Top 100 games - Part 10 - The Top Ten

010.Flashback (Megadrive)
The MD was awash with cartoony platformers and beat em ups, so a complex arcade adventure such as Flashback, the spiritual successor to Another World, was very welcome back in 1994. Technically brilliant (thanks to the superb animation and some lovely graphics), Flashback was an intriguing and immersive game that challenged the mind as well as manual dexterity.

009.Match Day 2 (Spectrum)
You know what I like to do in Football games? Pass. Yep, scoring goals is nice, but putting together a slick, swift passing move is far more enjoyable to me, even if you don't score at the end of it. Thanks to Jon Ritman's superb diamond deflection technique, flick-ons, headers and through balls were all possible to an experienced player, thus hugely extending the playing time of this excellent simulation. It's slipped a few places thanks to a slow pace that's admittedly not a problem when emulated.

008.Laser Squad (Spectrum)
As brilliant as Rebelstar and its sequel were, Laser Squad upped the ante so far that it is streets ahead of Gollop's other classics. Offering a turn-based challenge once more, LS included hidden enemies, a huge variety of weapons, numerous scenarios and addictive, thoughtful gameplay. Fantastic stuff, and even more so in two-player mode.

007.Tenchu Stealth Assassins (Playstation)
Perhaps the most divisive of my top 10, yet a game that captured my imagination from the get-go. Yes, the graphics are terrible; yes the dialogue is cringeworthy. But I love it. Atmospheric and intuitive to control once you get the hang of it, the only disappointment is the fact that none of the sequels have quite managed to capture the magic again.

006.Resident Evil: REMake (Gamecube) NEW ENTRY
Let's be honest, the original Resi is starting to look a little tired round the edges. Capcom brilliantly updated it for the Gamecube, not only improving the gameplay (for example, the 180 degree spin-around move is now present), but also the graphics, music and dialogue. A triumph, and one of the best games on the 'cube.

005.Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC)
If the benchmark for this top 100 was solely the amount of time spent on a game, C&C: RA would win hands down. Apart from the one player campaign, the amount of time I lost to the skirmish mode doesn't bear thinking about. Add in the brilliant Killer Ants secret missions and the ability to play whilst eating a pizza and you have a perfect strategy game.

004.Baldur's Gate II (PC)
The original was brilliant as well, but this sequel improved many aspects (such as removing some of the annoying restrictive rule conditions) and also kicked along the plot quite nicely. Bioware have struggled in my opinion to produce anything since to match BG2's majesty.

003.Streets of Rage 2 (Megadrive)
I'm no fan of BEU's, but this superb sequel makes my top ten nonetheless. As a scrolling fighter, it concentrates less on fancy moves and combos and more on despatching as many bad guys as possible and in the shortest time. Add in great co-op and vs modes and you have an all-time classic that I still go back to regularly all these years later.

002.Half Life 2 (PC)
As I wrote in my PC Gamer Magazine "Uncensored" review many moons ago, the word classic is bandied around far too much. Yet in the case of Half Life 2, it fits precisely. With great variation and playability as well as some atmospheric doom-laden trawls through a shattered city, HL2 improved greatly on an already pretty decent game.

001.Resident Evil 4 (Playstation 2)
You've probably gathered by now I'm a huge RE fan and the fourth instalmant has seen more play than I think any game ever. Completed many many times over, the PS2 version gets the nod over the Gamecube thanks to the Separate Ways Ada Wong mission. Includes possibly the finest extra ever in the Mercenaries, a frantic few levels of exquisite ganado-killing.

So there you have it, my top 100 games! Reckon they'll be a few changes next year...

Jdanddiet's Top 100 games - First 90 Recap

With the final ten to be revealed shortly, here's the rest of the list...

100.Golden Axe (Megadrive)
099.Nemesis (Arcade)
098.Universal Soldier (Megadrive)
097.Sea Battle (Intellivision)
096.Hypersports (ZX Spectrum)
095.Batty (ZX Spectrum)
094.Halo (XBOX)
093.Cobra (ZX Spectrum)
092.Gynoug (Megadrive)
091.Prince Valiant (Gameboy)
090.Harrier Attack (ZX Spectrum)
089.Quazatron (ZX Spectrum)
088.Alien Syndrome (Master System)
087.Alien Storm (Megadrive)
086.Myth (ZX Spectrum)
085.Silpheed (MegaCD)
084.Burnout (Gamecube)
083.Brian Lara Cricket 96 (Megadrive)
082.Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 (PC)
081.Saboteur (ZX Spectrum)
080.Space Battle (Intellivision)
079.Goldeneye (N64)
078.Max Payne (PC)
077.Light Crusader (Megadrive)
076.Icewind Dale (PC)
075.Doom (PC)
074.Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (XBOX)
073.Renegade (ZX Spectrum)
072.Moon Patrol (Arcade)
071.Fallout 2 (PC)
070.Streets of Rage (Megadrive)
069.Jet Set Willy (ZX Spectrum)
068.Robocop (ZX Spectrum)
067.Paperboy (Arcade)
066.Robocop vs Terminator (Megadrive)
065.R-Type (Master System)
064.Grand Theft Auto (PC)
063.Speedball 2 (Megadrive)
062.Resident Evil 5 (XBOX 360)
061.Dino Crisis (Playstation)
060.Impossible Mission (ZX Spectrum)
059.PGA European Tour (Megadrive)
058.Unreal Tournament (PC)
057.Call of Cthuhlu: Dark Corners of the Earth (XBOX)
056.Ranger X (Megadrive)
055.The Terminator (MegaCD)
054.Warcraft (PC)
053.Cybernoid (ZX Spectrum)
052.Curse of Monkey Island (PC)
051.Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC)
050.Turbo Esprit (ZX Spectrum)
049.Die Hard Trilogy (Playstation)
048.Revenge of Shinobi (Megadrive)
047.Gauntlet IV (Megadrive)
046.Super Mario Land (Gameboy)
045.Micro Machines (Megadrive)
044.Resident Evil 2 (Playstation)
043.Flying Shark (ZX Spectrum)
042.Strider (Megadrive)
041.FIFA 95 (Megadrive)
040.Half-Life (PC)
039.The Simpsons: Hit & Run (Gamecube)
038.Tracksuit Manager (ZX Spectrum)
037.Deathchase (ZX Spectrum)
036.Kung Fu Master (Arcade)
035.Desert Strike (Megadrive)
034.Tetris (Gameboy)
033.Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (Playstation 2)
032.Rebelstar (ZX Spectrum)
031.Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 (XBOX)
030.Silent Hill (Playstation)
029.Midnight Resistance (ZX Spectrum)
028.Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (PC)
027.Duke Nukem 3D (PC)
026.Outrun (Arcade)
025.Tron Deadly Discs (Intellivision)
024.Star Wars (Arcade)
023.Chaos (ZX Spectrum)
022.Rebelstar 2 (ZX Spectrum)
021.Resident Evil: Director's Cut (Playstation)
020.Dead Space (XBOX 360)
019.The Great Escape (ZX Spectrum)
018.Jungle Strike (Megadrive)
017.Metal Gear Solid (Playstation)
016.Star Wars Battlefront (PC)
015.Bubble Bobble (Arcade)
014.Bomb Jack (ZX Spectrum)
013.Chuckie Egg (ZX Spectrum)
012.Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (Megadrive)
011.Academy (ZX Spectrum)

XBOX Indie Game Review: Dead Pixels

If you’re a gamer like me who doesn’t have buckets of time at his disposal, XBLIG games can be a boon. Got a spare 30 minutes? You’re not likely to get much into a Fallout New Vegas session in such a short time; but you could have a helluva lot of fun with a game such as Dead Pixels.

The background story is familiar stuff to anyone who’s got even a passing knowledge of zombie films or games. You’re in the middle of the city, there’s been some sort of apocalypse and the dead are rising from their graves. Your task is to safely negotiate the 20 streets (on the medium setting) that lay between you and salvation, with of course the obligatory undead blocking your path.

Dead Pixels is a side-scrolling run-and-gunner similar in style to classic titles such as Double Dragon and River City Ransom. Starting off with a bog-standard pistol, various weapon upgrades are soon available, each with their own pros and cons. For example, the carbine is useful for rapid-fire spraying of enemies at distance, whilst the shotgun is predictably superior at close range combat. At the top of the screen scroll various buildings, most of which can be entered to either discover goodies or in which reside a trader to buy weapons, health packs, grenades and ammo from. You can also upgrade various character traits in the trader posts such as speed of movement, weapon damage and bartering skill.

Control is as simple as you would expect for such a game. The left stick commands movement whilst the left and right triggers are for firing in the relevant direction. Medikits, alternative weapons and throwable items (such as molotov cocktails and grenades) can be easily accessed via an on-screen menu system. Money for these items is gained by selling the items you find in the abandoned houses or the coins dropped when you kill a zombie.

Dead Pixels is huge fun. As well as the entertaining blasting away at the undead horde, picking and choosing your character improvements adds a great dimension of freedom to the game. There’s a fiscal heart to Dead Pixels: how you divide your hard-earned cash up between weapons, character improvements and other items can hugely influence the style of game. In addition, the graphics are delightfully reminiscent of a bygone age, the sound effects and music solid and perfectly apt.

On the downside, I wasn’t particularly enamoured with the 70’s movie style sheen that the developers have added, but it didn’t bother me either; in any case, it can be turned off. Dead Pixels is also a short game: it won’t take any half-decent gamer more than a couple of hours to make their way through the undead-infested streets, but the replay value is considerable given the variations and score attack possibilities.

Overall I highly recommend Dead Pixels. Excellent value for just 80 msp.

Coming soon: Interview with Dead Pixels developer Cantstraferight, aka John Common.

Jdanddiet's Top 100 games - Part 9 - 20-11

20.Dead Space (Xbox 360) NEW ENTRY
Resident Evil 4 in Space. That may well have been the pitch, but Dead Space is so much more than that. Atmospheric in design, both graphically and aurally, it's a triumph of building tension and gameplay.

019.The Great Escape (Spectrum)
...or the game that actually suited the Spectrum's popular monochromatic display. World War 2 brilliance from Denton Designs.

018.Jungle Strike (Megadrive)
It may not be as nostagically popular as Desert Strike, yet Jungle improved upon the template set by its forebear with such verve and technical miracles - not to mention the multiple vehicles you could now control which added huge variety - that it is actually in effect superior in every respect.

017.Metal Gear Solid (Playstation)
The old Nintendo franchise got a brilliant re-boot on the all-conquering PS and it remains one of the greatest stealth games ever. The graphics and depth of gameplay marked it out as an outstanding game back in 1998 and it remains quality now.

016.Star Wars Battlefront (PC)
It got a mild slating at the time from my favourite PC Magazine, PC Gamer, but I always loved its simplicity; run around, or jump in one of the iconic vehicles, and blast those pesky Imperials Rebels. Huge fun.

015.Bubble Bobble (Arcade)
It's what must be one of the most bizarre concepts ever for a videogame, but for sheer entertainment wins hands down. Another great multiplayer game.

014.Bomb Jack (Spectrum)
One of a limited cadre of Spectrum games that is actually better than the arcade original (see Renegade, Bosconian '87), Bombjack was an addictive collect 'em up with smart graphics and a one-more-go factor that was rarely beaten on the Speccy.

013.Chuckie Egg (Spectrum)
Although I originally played this classic platformer on the BBC, it's the Spectrum where I played it most, and the game is almost identical. Challenging, yet simple, Chuckie Egg is one of the greatest platformers ever and I always preferred by me to the over-rated Manic Miner.

012.Buck Rogers: Countdown To Doomsday (Megadrive)
SSI's achievement in squeezing down their complex PC and Amiga game into the Megadrive 16-bit cart should never be underestimated. The result was an outstanding RPG that mixed classic Rogers mythology with some nifty team and space combat.

011.Academy (Spectrum)
Tau Ceti laid the foundations upon which Academy built. Pete Cooke designed a remarkably open-ended game, with a variety of missions designed to qualify the player as a gal-corp skimmer pilot. The ability to design your own Skimmer was a huge innovation at the time.

Jdanddiet's Top 100 games - Part 8 - 30-21

030.Silent Hill (PS1)
A superb horror game to rival Capcom's Resident Evil series, Silent Hill fosters a creepy atmosphere that reminds you of when games could be genuinely scary. Strangely, I've never played the sequels, although I've heard the second instalment on the PS2 is pretty good.

029.Midnight Resistance (Spectrum)
How this fantastic run and gunner got squeezed into the Speccy I'll never know. Sharp, addictive and playable, I prefer this to the Megadrive version incredibly. What higher praise can I give to the coder, Jim Bagley.

028.Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (PC)
One of the criticisms of the brilliant original Jedi Knight games was the poor lightsabre combat. This was addressed in the sequel, in addition to improvements to the rest of the game, and the results were pretty spiffy for any Star Wars fan.

027.Duke Nukem 3D (PC)
I'm Duke Nukem - and I'm coming to get the rest of you alien bastards! Yes, Duke may have lost some of lustre recently thanks to the insipid Duke Nukem Forever, but back in 1996 he was King of the world. Hail to the King, baby!

026.Outrun (Arcade)
The ultimate driving game in my opinion: slick, fast and playable. Has to be in that cab, however. The Spectrum version was rubbish!

025.Tron: Deadly Discs (Intellivision)
The Intellivision wasn't home to many classics but this was a superb arena-based game with a finely balanced difficulty curve.

024.Star Wars (arcade)
I challenge anyone who stepped into this cab in the early 80's, with your mates crowding round and Ben Kenobi echoing in your ears, not to have had a whale of a time.

023.Chaos (Spectrum)
Dear Mr. Gollop, just to let you know you were probably responsible for me failing my Chemistry GCSE! This battle of wizards introduced a random element (the spells you were given) and a host of tactical options. Like most of his games, it was best played with a friend, or even upto 7 friends in Chaos.

022.Rebelstar 2 (Spectrum)
Dear Mr. Goll- oh you get the idea. He improved upon the original with a steeper difficulty level and an interesting dual-layer mission. And it was still £1.99. Amazing!

021.Resident Evil Director's Cut (PS1)
The director's cut added little to the original game, but it was already a stonewall classic - just this was the version I played and the main reason I bought a Playstation. It had its flaws, but after a decade and a bit, this remains a hugely influential game.