The best 100 video games of all time: 60-41

From an iconic game that completely redefined one of the most popular genres in gaming to the game that got a lot of us through Covid, these are our picks of the best video games of all time from number 60 to 41.

60. LA Noire

L.A. Noire - Official Launch Trailerwww.youtube.com

It's not often that titles come along and offer a completely new gaming experience but LA Noire managed that in 2011. Fantastic performances helped add layers of complexity to this brilliant detective game which had all the immersive qualities of a prestige TV show. It was also the first game to feature 3D scans for its facial recognition technology.

59. Baldur's Gate 3

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Baldur's Gate 3 is quite simply a brilliant role-playing game. There is a huge yet densely packed world to explore with truly unique characters and meaningful stories. The dialogue is superb yet ludicrous at times and it's just a brilliant game to play through with hundreds of hours of fresh content.

58. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

indy100 lost count of the amount of times we've played this game. This places higher than the original because of even better level design, new abilities such as being able to hover, swim and climb and those awesome power-up sections. An incredibly charming game with a decent challenge of completing to 100 per cent.

57. Pokemon Red / Blue / Yellow

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

There aren't many games that you can play with the freedom that Pokemon affords you - you can be a compulsive collector of Pokemon, focus on any type you like, beat trainers in any way that takes your fancy and no two players will experience Pokemon in exactly the same way - that's what made the original series of games so unique and reward repeat playing better than most. Add in some of the most creative character and creature design of all time and you've got a recipe for something completely unforgettable.

56. Super Smash Bros Ultimate

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Super Smash Bros games are brilliantly fun Nintendo fighting titles and Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the best so far. It has an incredible roster of characters, each with unique abilities, and the complete melee of having eight players being able to fight on screen at the same time is simply a sight to behold.

55. Dead Space 2

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Some might be thinking why Dead Space 2 is ahead of the original. Here's why: a better story, more weapons and ways to brutally mutilate murderous monsters, the main protagonist could actually talk, more atmospheric, more scary and one of the most horrifying and tense sections ever experienced in gaming - the eye surgery (which indy100 shudders at the thought of to this day having got it regretfully wrong a few times)...

54. Burnout 3: Takedown

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The idea behind the Burnout series is a simple one - race other cars and get points for making them crash - but the execution and heightened arcade-style feel elevated it beyond its premise. Takedown brought carnage, destruction and hours and hours of fun, as well introducing the Road Rage game mode, which added far more than the previous two incarnations.

53. LittleBigPlanet

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

LittleBigPlanet was such a huge hit because of the successful focus of community creations. Yes the controls were a little bit floaty for levels that required pinpoint precision in the main campaign, especially towards the end with more than a few irritating deaths, but enjoying the incredibly unique levels that others could create and share never grew tiresome and meant players could sink hundreds of hours into unique content.

52. Assassin's Creed II

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

If Assassin's Creed was a great concept and made you feel like an assassin, Assassin's Creed II is the best in the series to date. Taking place across various real-life locations in Italy, stealthily taking down foes and climbing incredibly tall buildings to jump down into conveniently placed hay bales never felt as good as it did in 2009. And it had a brilliant story to boot.

51. Final Fantasy X

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

An unforgettable entry into the iconic Final Fantasy series, the 10th numbered entry brought class-leading graphics to the PS2 upon its release in 2001. The role-playing game is turn based and has incredible battles and locations - and as for the story... One of the best.

50. Halo: Combat Evolved

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Halo: Combat Evolved is the first entry in Xbox's iconic series which had very innovative gameplay mechanics and brilliant enemy AI to take down. It's an incredibly fun sandbox and really laid the foundations to one of Xbox's most successful franchises of all time.

49. Quake

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Quake was the follow-up series to Doom from id Software in 1996 and was considered unique for its time because of how players could move through the first-person shooter, including freely being able to aim. Players could bunny hop, strafe or rocket jump too and objects had full 360 degree visuals. While Doom revolutionised the genre, Quake certainly refined it.

48. Diablo

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The original Diablo is a gem of an action role-playing game. It's dark, gritty and has an incredible atmosphere. Its story may not be as strong as others in the series but to kick off a brand new series, what a job Diablo did.

47. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Spider-Man is an incredibly popular video game protagonist thanks to the recent efforts from Insomniac but his popularity really rose through the 2004 title. In Spider-Man 2, players could freely enjoy the sandbox of New York City for the first time in the series, web slinging from building to building with gracious ease. This was the first game that really captured that feeling of being a superhero.

46. Hollow Knight

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

This is another one of those games that came out of nowhere. Hollow Knight told an amazing story with an incredibly unique visual art style, great gameplay and story. The controls feel so tight and precise in this brilliant title. For those that have played it, it's no surprise this game is rated so highly.

45. Gears of War

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Gears of War was peak Xbox gaming. The game was designed around brilliant combat with a fast-paced story and brilliant co-op multiplayer. The story told in this, and across the original trilogy, is truly moving and it's a series every player must play at some point. And it has one of the most iconic game trailers of all time. Maaaaad Worrrrrrld...

44. Horizon Forbidden West

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Horizon Forbidden West did what any great sequel should do: take what made everything great about its predecessor and make it even better. Aloy's second journey is a monstrous one with a brilliant, dense world taking about 100 hours to 100 per cent complete (and that's not even including the brilliant Burning Shores DLC) but an unsatisfying ending stops it from being any higher.

43. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The fifth full entry in the hit tactical espionage series is truly remarkable with its superb world and brilliantly varied options to achieve objectives in combat. Many claimed it was unfinished because of its ending, evidence of obviously cut content and repetitive missions in places but its core gameplay is simply outstanding.

42. Fallout 3

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Fallout 3 was such a step up from previous entries and was a huge success for studio Bethesda as it was the first game in the iconic series to feature 3D graphics. It stood out with a brilliantly atmospheric post-apocalyptic world, great story with meaningful moral choices and was many gamers' introduction to the series.

41. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The game that got so many of us through Covid, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the best entry in the series and one of the ultimate cosy games. Building the perfect island, digging up fossils, reeling in big fish and paying off debts to Tom Nook were all incredibly satisfying ways to pass the time through a period of life that, looking back on it now, feels like it was a dream.

Click here for the 40-21 best video games.

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