IGN ranks two Metal Gear titles in the top 100

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Dec. 1 4:29 PM by Ben Karl

It's that time again, gaming fans, for IGN's top 100 games of all time. Get ready to have your panties twisted and your sophisticated taste in games totally insulted. If you haven't already created a temporary IGN account to cast insults and get banned for swearing, nows the time. Though this list usually generates little more than an army of angry fanboys - I'll admit this list makes me act like an angry fanboy - it also provides some good blog fodder. Hit the link for some results!

Metal Gear Solid, (a top 5 entry in my personal top 100) went from #19 in 2005 to #20. This time MGS was beat out by the likes of DOOM, Chrono Trigger and Super Mario World. Here's why IGN picked MGS for the #20 spot:

"Plenty of games talked about the whole "interactive movie" thing, but Metal Gear Solid actually walked the walk when it came to making you feel like a real action hero. Stepping into Solid Snake's combat boots wasn't just a matter of moving a guy around on screen -- the enveloping game world and super-smooth controls got you a long way towards feeling like you were actually there."

Metal Gear Solid 2, after not getting any love at all in 2005, this years comes in at #69. MGS2 beat out... wait Final Fantasy 7 and Goldeneye? MGS2 was an awesome game for sure. But, there's no way it changed the face of video games like FF7 and Goldeneye each did. This is what IGN said about MGS2:

"It has moments of visual impact that are as powerful as absolutely anything in the history of gaming. (One of them manages this while centering its focus on a geek with a parrot on his arm). It's a brilliant commando sandbox, packed with all kinds of crazy little gadgets and weapons. The most underrated quality inside Sons of Liberty, though, might be the game's sense of humor. There are a slew of hilarious meta-textual gags hidden all around its world, plus a few moments where it does an improbably good job of almost making you think it has gone crazy."

And Metal Gear Solid 3 comes in at, uh... Well it's not on the list. How could they give Metal Gear Solid 2 more love than Metal Gear Solid 3? They're both great games, Metal Gear Solid 2 was a translation of everything great about Metal Gear Solid onto the PS2 generation. Metal Gear Solid 3 was equally revolutionary. A beautiful departure from the traditional Metal Gear style of infiltrating a terrorist infested facility of some kind. And in my opinion an absolutely necessary departure to keep the series on it's toes after being sent way off target by the thirty car pile-up that is the last two hours of dialogue at the end of MGS2. IGN revered MGS2 for its "powerful visual impact" referencing the scene with Otacon and a parrot after his sister's untimely death. That was a truly touching scene, but it's hard to say that it was more touching than the final scene in MGS3. Ack, I could go on forever, but I'll spare you all. What do you guys think?