Welcome, all you readers, to the one list to rule them all: the Top 100 Video Games of All Time, as selected by the readers and forumgoers of VGChartz. There are always going to be issues with lists like this one; you could make one ten times this size and still miss out on a lot of truly great games. That said, this list will serve as an interesting window into the tastes of our readership, and the kind of game enjoyed by people who enjoy looking at video game sales.

Let's begin.

100. Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 is considered by many people to be among the scariest games ever made, with no limit on the chills that one may get when experiencing it. As James Sunderland journeys into a town where nobody wants to go, players will be treated to the sort of sights and sounds that text would fail to convey: the only way to know is to play it. Silent Hill 2 is especially notable in that, nearly a decade later, it is no less scary than when it came out, and can still be used to separate the men from the boys. Or, if you prefer, if can be used to separate the men from the men who cry like children whenever Pyramid Head enters the scene.

Platforms: PS2, Xbox

99. Portal

Portal may be one of the most rigorously original, focused, and well-designed games to ever come out of a studio known for games that push the boundaries of genre classification and video game narrative. Take a gun that can make a portal between any two points, add one faceless protagonist given personality by action rather than by narrative, and toss in a heaping helping of some of the best, funniest, and most morbid writing in the business. What you end up with is a game which permeated the consciousness of the internet like few others, giving birth to memetic forms that live on to this day and still standing alone in terms of design. Portal is short, but there is no other game like it, which is pretty unique on a list like this one.

Platforms: PC, 360, PS3

98. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Where Portal stands alone because of its uniqueness, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn makes it mark as the ultimate realization of a very specific type of game. Fire Emblem is not one of Nintendo's bigger series, but those who play it often hold it up as the apotheosis of all turn-based strategy video games, and Radiant Dawn is often held as the apotheosis of Fire Emblem. Building on the world set up in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Radiant Dawn expands on its predecessor with new tiers of character upgrades, some of the best writing in the genre, and an even higher difficulty than has become the hallmark of the series. The power of Fire Emblem comes in how it takes a system which has existed for nearly as long as Nintendo has been making video games, hones it to a razor's edge, and does not make any apologies. Radiant Dawn does all of this and more, standing far above the competition in the eyes of its fans.

Platform: Wii

97. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

One cannot have a conversation about Western-developed role-playing video games without mentioning BioWare, and BioWare is not going to come up in any conversation without Baldur's Gate II being mentioned at least once. It has become synonymous with its genre in many people's minds, and for good reason: a strong argument could be made that it is still the most complete, best-written RPG ever. Baldur's Gate II takes the trappings of the Forgotten Realms and then goes absolutely berserk with them, carving out a niche for itself and its storytelling that comes as close to replicating the Dungeons and Dragons experience as any game has ever managed. There is almost no limit to what you can do, who you can interact with, or how you can affect the world around you. It is a game in which you can believe that anything is possible, and that is something that has burned itself into people's memories since the title's release.

Platform: PC

96. Sonic the Hedgehog

Can you say fast? Sonic can. Sonic's entire persona, the entire concept behind his character, is built on being fast, cool, and completely unique. His uniqueness hasn't held up as much over the years, but Sonic's initial outing for the Genesis/Megadrive set the tone for a series that built itself on the spectacle of speed and a kind of thrill that a certain other video game mascot just didn't provide. Some say Sonic has fallen from grace in recent years, but looking back on this game, a game that changed the way we looked at what platformers could be, is an easy way to remember what made him great in the first place. Sonic the Hedgehog is a game that oozes personality from every orifice, engineered to be so cool that it still feels genuine nearly twenty years later.

Platform: Mega Drive/Genesis

95. Paper Mario

It's hard to imagine the kind of thought process that resulted in Paper Mario, but I wish they could replicate that creativity more often. Paper Mario's fun from a mechanical standpoint comes from its quirky gameplay, where action commands can make your attacks pop out in really big ways, but the heart of the game lies in its distinctive style and its sense of humor and its almost strangely well-written script. Paper Mario never takes itself very seriously, but it adheres to a consistent logic that makes the experience of the game cohesive beyond reproach. It's often thought of as an introduction to its genre, an RPG for beginners, but Paper Mario sets itself apart with its craftsmanship, demanding its place next to the big boys.

Platform: N64

94. Kingdom Hearts

What more to say about Kingdom Hearts? Quite a lot, in fact. The first game was met with skepticism and trepidation, perhaps understandably so: to many gamers Square-Enix and Disney didn't sound like a good combination, at first. I mean, how do you reconcile the untouchable coolness of Sephiroth with a summoned version of Bambi? Yet that is exactly what Kingdom Hearts did, and in so doing it captured the hearts and minds of many, many people. Its level design was visually rich and reminiscent of the films that inspired it, the voice acting was top notch, and the narrative was as frank and honest and unassuming as you could ask for. Square-Enix had a lot of material to work with in this game, and they did their best to live up to it with character appearances to put a smile on any fan's face and boss fights that are still among the most impressive ever devised. Has there been any other game where you could fight Cloud and Squall simultaneously before going off to duke it out with Maleficent? No, and it's that kind of realized potential that made Kingdom Hearts great.

Platform: PS2

93. Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross had more expectations riding on it than any game should ever have. As the sequel to the venerable Chrono Trigger, it was expected to be just as witty, just as endearing, just as fun, just as memorable - with an extra helping of everything, thanks. It says a lot, then, that for many people it not only met those expectations, it surpassed its predecessor on all fronts. Chrono Cross is a game that takes the concept of dimensional parallelism and runs with it, so much so that many people find it difficult to keep up. The expanded cast, much more intricate and detailed plot line, and thematic exploration of concepts only touched on in Chrono Trigger, all lent themselves to a package which was everything that people had asked for. Still, amongst all of this, the most persistently affecting and enjoyable part of the game is its soundtrack, often hailed as Yasunori Mitsuda's best. Regardless of one's opinions on the rest of the title, it's almost impossible to listen to a song like "Scars of Time" without appreciating the level of craftsmanship that went into Chrono Cross. It is, perhaps, more divisive than its predecessor, but those who love the game love it immensely.

Platform: PS

92. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

The third entry in the Elder Scrolls saga has established itself firmly as the preeminent open world sandbox role-playing game, wherein you may go anywhere and do anything. It's true that there is a primary quest to be undertaken, and the beginning and end for many adventurers will ring alike, but the entire point of this game is in how you can establish the path by which you traverse the world. You can do almost anything you can imagine, and there are no arbitrary limitations placed on you concerning your motive or the severity of the actions you can take. You change the world around you through your actions, creating a game in which every playthrough may be completely unique, and for a game this size that is an incredible idea. Many RPGs ask the question, "How will you proceed?", but Morrowind in particular prefers to ask, "What do you want to do?" When you want to play the sneaky, thieving assassin with no interest whatsoever in saving the world, that's okay. If you're a knight of a forgotten holy order, that's okay too. In fact, you are encouraged to craft your own identity, to forge your own unique path, to force the world to react to you. "Change things!" the game demands, and many people still find this siren's song too sweet to resist.

Platforms: PC, Xbox

91. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Depending on who you ask, Metal Gear Solid 2 is either the cruelest practical joke in the history of the medium or one of the most brilliant examples of postmodern game design ever created. In many ways, there isn't enough that can be said about the game: this was arguably the most technically impressive piece of software at the time of its release, with visuals that would continue to impress newcomers for years, single-handedly establishing the Playstation 2 as a piece of technology to be reckoned with. Metal Gear Solid 2 is more than just a showpiece, though: it is also a game that set out to subvert the expectation of a public that demanded a sequel to Metal Gear Solid, a game that knew exactly what it was and knew how to play to its own strengths. If it has to be summed up in two words, Sons of Liberty is a roller coaster, full of dips and spins that constantly throw the player for a loop and manage to leave expectations shattered. The primary protagonist is not Solid Snake, the player is left unsure how the story they experience is related to the larger Metal Gear narrative, and the game itself seems eerily aware of the person playing it, and the way in which they assume the game operates. Metal Gear Solid 2 breaks every rule in the book at least twice, and the best part of it is how it makes you reconsider the logic of the game you're playing.

Platform: PS2

The VGC Top 100 Best Games of All Time is solely based on votes by our members.