Great Games - the List

Last Friday, I posted "Great Games in the Modern World" and listed the attributes that I think make a great game. I mentioned most of the games in that entry, but I figured it's only fitting that I should list them here.

So, once again, a list from Steve.

Great Games of the Modern World

• Magic: the Gathering - the first, and best, collectible card game
• Dungeons & Dragons - the first, and best, role-playing game
• Civilization III (at least, the "Complete" version - I've heard that without the expansions, it's not as good, but I haven't played it in any version other than Complete) - the grandson of the grandfather of all turn-based simulation games.
• Heroes of Might & Magic III (with, or without, expansions - but especially with the expansion that allowed random maps.)
• Diablo II (with the "lord of Destruction" expansion) - a precursor to MMORPGs
• World of Warcraft - by reputation and recommendation. I've only seen it played. I think it would hook me.
• Super Mario 64: if I had to pick one console game^[1], it would be the one.
• Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask belong here, too, though, if console games are allowed.
  

Table top games which belong in the discussion, though they are limited in scope:

• Settlers of Catan
• Eurorails and its two good variations: Iron Dragon and Lunar Rails
• Carcasonne
  

Given its success, you might also expect some people to list Second Life, but it's honestly not a game, per se. And I haven't engaged in it.

I may think of more, but I think it's hard to argue with my first list, and harder still the higher up the list you go.




^{[1] Though I've yet to see a console game, outside the RPG genre (which are typically ports of PC-based games) with the kind of individualization I talked about, these console games allow you to develop a manual dexterity skill that works similarly, in my head. And still, even without true individualization, I think they have the other attributes. So, like Diablo II, they fit the definition.}