Backloggd Canon 2022 (Sight & Sound)
At the end of 2022, the users on Backloggd got together to vote on a canon for the site, inspired by the Sight & Sound top films list released concurrently. 129 separate site members submitted ballots containing 10 games each, with 527 unique games nominated, 113 of which were voted on by three or more people. These are the results, presented here with added commentary from many of the site's most fervent users. Thank you to everyone who participated, as well as those who were gracious enough to write blurbs for each!
You can find the ballots listed here.
You can find the ballots listed here.
113 Games
RANK 64 (4 votes)
RANK 47 (5 votes)
Decades after its release, Super Mario World may be found by some players to be somewhat “basic”. Compared to Super Mario Bros 3, World feels smaller and more restrained, taking place entirely in Dinosaur World and cutting out all of 3’s new power-ups. There are a variety of stage themes, but all more reserved as it all takes place on the same island. This restraint was done in order to focus on refining and polishing Mario’s movement over anything else in the game, resulting in the best-feeling Mario in any 2D Mario game. This is the game where they nail Mario’s acceleration and movement, no-longer requiring an on screen indicator of his speed since now it comes naturally to the player. He’s snappy, responsive, and allows for precise in-air movement, which is complemented by the two incredibly versatile power-ups of the cape and Yoshi. With secret exits, the game rewards forging your own path and experimenting with the tools given to you. It’s no wonder Mario World romhacks became so prevalent, the toolkit is so full of possibilities that fans feel the urge to go even further than the devs did. This is where the Mario series emphasized its main philosophy, the joy of movement and momentum over everything, and this philosophy would go on to inspire Mario 64 as well as every platformer to come since.
(BansheeNeet)
Decades after its release, Super Mario World may be found by some players to be somewhat “basic”. Compared to Super Mario Bros 3, World feels smaller and more restrained, taking place entirely in Dinosaur World and cutting out all of 3’s new power-ups. There are a variety of stage themes, but all more reserved as it all takes place on the same island. This restraint was done in order to focus on refining and polishing Mario’s movement over anything else in the game, resulting in the best-feeling Mario in any 2D Mario game. This is the game where they nail Mario’s acceleration and movement, no-longer requiring an on screen indicator of his speed since now it comes naturally to the player. He’s snappy, responsive, and allows for precise in-air movement, which is complemented by the two incredibly versatile power-ups of the cape and Yoshi. With secret exits, the game rewards forging your own path and experimenting with the tools given to you. It’s no wonder Mario World romhacks became so prevalent, the toolkit is so full of possibilities that fans feel the urge to go even further than the devs did. This is where the Mario series emphasized its main philosophy, the joy of movement and momentum over everything, and this philosophy would go on to inspire Mario 64 as well as every platformer to come since.
(BansheeNeet)
RANK 2 (25 votes)
Since its inception by Alexey Pajitnov on June 6, 1984 Tetris has occupied an enormity of humanity's collective brainspace. The Nintendo developed releases on NES/Famicom and Game Boy come to mind first and foremost for many, themselves oft-considered effectively the first versions to get the formula 'right'. However, that initial version crafted in the halls of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union for the Electronika 60 microcomputer represents a pure, cohesive experience, remaining highly enjoyable nearly fourty years later.
It's rather telling that this ur- Tetris operates with the same mechanical elegance as its progeny. The consideration of Tetris - and indeed, any game - as a 'perfect game' to be trite, but from the outset Alexey Pajitnov demonstrated with aplomb that Tetris is a perfect idea. The reiteration of gameplay systems necessarily precludes Tetris from an actualised perfection -- who can judge which of its 322+ official releases is 'definitive'?
Yet, with hundreds of versions each expanding on that which came before, one would expect the very first title to be lacking most of what allowed Tetris to be a success. The Electronika 60 release is a monochrome textscape without even the barest flourishes of the Game Boy version. The shrill piezoelectric beeper's pathetic tones are an auditory agony; the ubiquitous whine of the cathode ray tube a tinnital torment. There is no bag randomiser. There is no hold. Rotation is clockwise-only. No T-spins, no back-to-backs, no combos, no garbage, no ghost. One next piece is shown. Surprisingly the hard drop is present, despite its omission from subsequent versions until 2001's Tetris Worlds.
It all matters not. In a cacophany of noise befitting a Ryoji Ikeda installation, I am dealt five Z-pieces in a row. The inconsistent speed increments befuddle me, catching me off-guard. How characters are rendered makes it difficult to consider my board's layout. I am in love. This scant realisation feels pure. I am entranced by it. It is all I have ever needed and wanted.
(Detchibe)
Since its inception by Alexey Pajitnov on June 6, 1984 Tetris has occupied an enormity of humanity's collective brainspace. The Nintendo developed releases on NES/Famicom and Game Boy come to mind first and foremost for many, themselves oft-considered effectively the first versions to get the formula 'right'. However, that initial version crafted in the halls of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union for the Electronika 60 microcomputer represents a pure, cohesive experience, remaining highly enjoyable nearly fourty years later.
It's rather telling that this ur- Tetris operates with the same mechanical elegance as its progeny. The consideration of Tetris - and indeed, any game - as a 'perfect game' to be trite, but from the outset Alexey Pajitnov demonstrated with aplomb that Tetris is a perfect idea. The reiteration of gameplay systems necessarily precludes Tetris from an actualised perfection -- who can judge which of its 322+ official releases is 'definitive'?
Yet, with hundreds of versions each expanding on that which came before, one would expect the very first title to be lacking most of what allowed Tetris to be a success. The Electronika 60 release is a monochrome textscape without even the barest flourishes of the Game Boy version. The shrill piezoelectric beeper's pathetic tones are an auditory agony; the ubiquitous whine of the cathode ray tube a tinnital torment. There is no bag randomiser. There is no hold. Rotation is clockwise-only. No T-spins, no back-to-backs, no combos, no garbage, no ghost. One next piece is shown. Surprisingly the hard drop is present, despite its omission from subsequent versions until 2001's Tetris Worlds.
It all matters not. In a cacophany of noise befitting a Ryoji Ikeda installation, I am dealt five Z-pieces in a row. The inconsistent speed increments befuddle me, catching me off-guard. How characters are rendered makes it difficult to consider my board's layout. I am in love. This scant realisation feels pure. I am entranced by it. It is all I have ever needed and wanted.
(Detchibe)
RANK 81 (3 votes)
RANK 47 (5 votes)
An icon for every child growing up in the 8-bit era, featuring a mustachioed leaping plumber who worldwide was more recognized and beloved than Mickey Mouse. Big enough to demand a Fred Savage movie to introduce it to the west to hype that couldn't be comprehended with utterly gigantic Kuribo's Shoes to fill.
With it often labeled as the greatest NES game ever made, it did not disappoint and would solidify Mario with a permanent spot on gaming's Mt. Rushmore. Super Mario Bros. 3 is an impeccable stage play that never stops surprising you with new gimmicks, perils and secrets to find within its outrageously huge size weighing in at a whopping 384 kilobytes, pushing the boundaries of the console to the furthest extent with its sheer amount of content. Get the power! Nintendo Power! It took me two decades to even realize there was an anchor item in this! Bewildering stuff, it never stops surprising me. A game that was all too perfect to play this close to the holidays, my earliest memory of gaming with my family. Thank you so much.
"It's good, for an NES game." It's perfect, for a video game.
(Vee)
An icon for every child growing up in the 8-bit era, featuring a mustachioed leaping plumber who worldwide was more recognized and beloved than Mickey Mouse. Big enough to demand a Fred Savage movie to introduce it to the west to hype that couldn't be comprehended with utterly gigantic Kuribo's Shoes to fill.
With it often labeled as the greatest NES game ever made, it did not disappoint and would solidify Mario with a permanent spot on gaming's Mt. Rushmore. Super Mario Bros. 3 is an impeccable stage play that never stops surprising you with new gimmicks, perils and secrets to find within its outrageously huge size weighing in at a whopping 384 kilobytes, pushing the boundaries of the console to the furthest extent with its sheer amount of content. Get the power! Nintendo Power! It took me two decades to even realize there was an anchor item in this! Bewildering stuff, it never stops surprising me. A game that was all too perfect to play this close to the holidays, my earliest memory of gaming with my family. Thank you so much.
"It's good, for an NES game." It's perfect, for a video game.
(Vee)
RANK 81 (3 votes)
RANK 47 (5 votes)
A kaleidoscopic smattering of ideas from all walks of old horror movies, but not necessarily to a goofy degree. While camp is a large amount of horror as an artistic medium, Castlevania focuses on the terror that these icons used to instill in people when these films were fresh. Restricting, compelling and isolating in both its control scheme and level design, it’s the essence of horror. Yet there’s a rhythm to it: a mastery that can only be provided by the medium of video games, one where each successive return to Dracula’s satanic castle brings with it growth. A satisfying and rewarding experience each and every time, one so satisfying and inspired that its echoes are felt throughout action platforming to this day.
(Archagent)
A kaleidoscopic smattering of ideas from all walks of old horror movies, but not necessarily to a goofy degree. While camp is a large amount of horror as an artistic medium, Castlevania focuses on the terror that these icons used to instill in people when these films were fresh. Restricting, compelling and isolating in both its control scheme and level design, it’s the essence of horror. Yet there’s a rhythm to it: a mastery that can only be provided by the medium of video games, one where each successive return to Dracula’s satanic castle brings with it growth. A satisfying and rewarding experience each and every time, one so satisfying and inspired that its echoes are felt throughout action platforming to this day.
(Archagent)
RANK 47 (5 votes)
The original audiovisual masterpiece. OutRun wastes no bytes attempting to complicate the process of driving, instead treating your Ferrari as what is is: a vehicle towards new horizons. Visionary designer Yu Suzuki combines Sega's frantic arcade sensibilities with still gorgeous scenery and a surprisingly mellow soundtrack to create an almost zen-like feeling that remains unmatched, even by modern standards. The wind through your hair, the "whoosh" of leaving other drivers in the dust, the satisfaction of perfectly turning a corner, the shift in color palette as you cross country lines, and that big, beautiful, open sky. What else do you need?
(chump)
The original audiovisual masterpiece. OutRun wastes no bytes attempting to complicate the process of driving, instead treating your Ferrari as what is is: a vehicle towards new horizons. Visionary designer Yu Suzuki combines Sega's frantic arcade sensibilities with still gorgeous scenery and a surprisingly mellow soundtrack to create an almost zen-like feeling that remains unmatched, even by modern standards. The wind through your hair, the "whoosh" of leaving other drivers in the dust, the satisfaction of perfectly turning a corner, the shift in color palette as you cross country lines, and that big, beautiful, open sky. What else do you need?
(chump)
RANK 39 (6 votes)
Following in the footsteps of Warren Robinett’s Adventure six years before, Shigeru Miyamoto’s 1986 masterpiece streamlined role-playing concepts into a slick action game format, pioneering immersive open world design in the process. Simultaneously offered unparalleled freedom to explore and little to no guidance on how to progress, players were left to truly inhabit the enigmatic and dangerous world of Hyrule.
All too often these days the game is dismissed for being obtuse; and to be sure, it is. By modern standards it can seem irredeemably reliant on guesswork. However, things must be put into context. You were not meant to blast through Zelda in an afternoon or two; you were meant to take your sweet time with it – months even – slowly unfurling its mystique, trading tips with friends and scouring for solutions in newsletters and magazines, treating it almost like a cipher of sorts, a mystery inviting you to solve it. In a sense, the game was played outside the console as much as it was within it.
More than thirty-five years later, the original Legend of Zelda remains eminently influential. Its sense of mystery and engendering of real-world cooperation heavily inspired FromSoftware’s Souls series, and Breath of the Wild, currently the latest mainline Zelda entry, sought to reinvent the series by looking to the past – at the game that, through a staggering number of sequels, had not yet been meaningfully outdone. One could argue that it still hasn’t.
(baldur)
Following in the footsteps of Warren Robinett’s Adventure six years before, Shigeru Miyamoto’s 1986 masterpiece streamlined role-playing concepts into a slick action game format, pioneering immersive open world design in the process. Simultaneously offered unparalleled freedom to explore and little to no guidance on how to progress, players were left to truly inhabit the enigmatic and dangerous world of Hyrule.
All too often these days the game is dismissed for being obtuse; and to be sure, it is. By modern standards it can seem irredeemably reliant on guesswork. However, things must be put into context. You were not meant to blast through Zelda in an afternoon or two; you were meant to take your sweet time with it – months even – slowly unfurling its mystique, trading tips with friends and scouring for solutions in newsletters and magazines, treating it almost like a cipher of sorts, a mystery inviting you to solve it. In a sense, the game was played outside the console as much as it was within it.
More than thirty-five years later, the original Legend of Zelda remains eminently influential. Its sense of mystery and engendering of real-world cooperation heavily inspired FromSoftware’s Souls series, and Breath of the Wild, currently the latest mainline Zelda entry, sought to reinvent the series by looking to the past – at the game that, through a staggering number of sequels, had not yet been meaningfully outdone. One could argue that it still hasn’t.
(baldur)
RANK 81 (3 votes)
RANK 64 (4 votes)
RANK 64 (4 votes)
RANK 81 (3 votes)
48 Comments
This is awesome! Thank you Pangburn for letting me contribute in it and for making this happen :)
Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this!
Thank you, everyone! Btw, there sure are a lot of trans girls on backloggd
Incredible work Pangburn in putting this altogether, and I'm very happy to have been included. Cannot express how much I love every blurb written in this list, such a wonderful showcase of the talent and genius on this site, everyone did a great job. Also, damn this is a good list of games!
based
Oh shit, I didn't know this was happening! Would have loved to join. Is it Discord only?
It looks like a fairly fun list. Any chance this'll be yearly?
It looks like a fairly fun list. Any chance this'll be yearly?
@FrozenRoy Decade-ly
This comment was deleted
Proper good stuff man, and thanks to everyone involved!
This shit is straight up Legendary. Should be promoted anywhere on the site.
such a great way to be introduced to more of the wonderful writers on this site. bravo!
I'm glad to have been able to put this together for everyone on the site! thank you again to every single person who was generous enough to submit commentary for each game, as well as everyone who considered writing one, helped edit or prepare one, or pointed me in the direction of someone who would be perfect for the role!
to those wondering: I left the bottom half of the list without blurbs to make the coordination process easier, as those who were writing two blurbs already were under enough pressure as is to put theirs together, and handing out 60-odd blurbs was already very time-consuming. the five-vote cutoff was arbitrary... the bottom tiers of this list were so coarse that it was difficult to cut it cleanly in half LOL. I'm sure this will happen again in the future though! I don't know if I'll be the person running it, but I'm sure one of these could happen biyearly or so as the site continues to evolve -- the original s&s poll occurs once each decade but that seems a little long for a random internet community lol. regardless, if you didn't submit a ballot or write a blurb this go-round, perhaps you'll get a chance the next time this happens!
@letshugbro I didn't even think to tell people placements for games when I assigned blurbs LOL but I think the ambiguity definitely added some fun surprises even for those who had a sense of what was on the list and what wasn't
@FrozenRoy I definitely advertised it in the discord but the actual submissions were located at the list linked in the description above. I'm sorry to you and other "prominent" users for not getting a notif about it! I initially considered tracking down people just to ask them to submit ballots but didn't for a couple reasons... I knew some people already weren't interested and I didn't want to harass them about it, and I also didn't want to implicitly exclude people who may be well-known but not known to me... easy for me to overlook people on accident, esp since I spend less time on the site now than I used to. but hopefully now that this has been done once we'll get even more ballots for a potential redo a couple years down the line.
thanks again to everyone who participated! this is probably a good time for me to start tucking into some of the games listed here that I've never gotten around to playing...
to those wondering: I left the bottom half of the list without blurbs to make the coordination process easier, as those who were writing two blurbs already were under enough pressure as is to put theirs together, and handing out 60-odd blurbs was already very time-consuming. the five-vote cutoff was arbitrary... the bottom tiers of this list were so coarse that it was difficult to cut it cleanly in half LOL. I'm sure this will happen again in the future though! I don't know if I'll be the person running it, but I'm sure one of these could happen biyearly or so as the site continues to evolve -- the original s&s poll occurs once each decade but that seems a little long for a random internet community lol. regardless, if you didn't submit a ballot or write a blurb this go-round, perhaps you'll get a chance the next time this happens!
@letshugbro I didn't even think to tell people placements for games when I assigned blurbs LOL but I think the ambiguity definitely added some fun surprises even for those who had a sense of what was on the list and what wasn't
@FrozenRoy I definitely advertised it in the discord but the actual submissions were located at the list linked in the description above. I'm sorry to you and other "prominent" users for not getting a notif about it! I initially considered tracking down people just to ask them to submit ballots but didn't for a couple reasons... I knew some people already weren't interested and I didn't want to harass them about it, and I also didn't want to implicitly exclude people who may be well-known but not known to me... easy for me to overlook people on accident, esp since I spend less time on the site now than I used to. but hopefully now that this has been done once we'll get even more ballots for a potential redo a couple years down the line.
thanks again to everyone who participated! this is probably a good time for me to start tucking into some of the games listed here that I've never gotten around to playing...
I will be putting this on my CV. Wonderful job!
Im just astonished DOOM is the Top 1, seriously, im impressed
I'm sad I wasn't able to participate in this event. Goddamn, that's cool as hell. And such great games!
@Pangburn Hey, yo, no problem man! It's my own fault for not being on top of things, especially given I am Following you anyway. Really, I'm glad you even seem to consider me prominent at all, heh. I will say I would definitely recommend not doing a full decade like S&S, it'll be way too long for an internet community like this and Backloggd itself could be gone by then. IDK if people would want yearly but if not, something like 2-3 years seems good? 2025 would be an even number. 5 years instead is possible but I honestly think it might be too long, especially since unlike S&S there isn't a critic's base to rely on so who knows how much interest there will be.
Thanks again for organizing this to begin with!
Thanks again for organizing this to begin with!
When will the next edition be?
Cab
1 year ago