Well, I needed a quick blog tonight as I'm off on a business trip tomorrow (no, not the underwater kind). I'll be up in Rhode Island if any of my fellow gamers reside up there. Anyway, I finally got around to watching (most of) G4TV's Top 100 Games (2012) this weekend. I vaguely remember when this was first announced and released (mid-June) but since I don't watch a lot of television (much a less a five part show) I just never got around to watching it. But I was doing a little guide surfing and saw it on G4, so I set it up to record and watched the final episode that has the top 20 this weekend. I also watched bits and pieces of the other episodes.

I thought it was kind of odd that the show came out in mid-June, but I don't really recall many people talking about it. I think Game Informer ran a story or two about it (and with good reason, but I'll come back to that), but I certainly don't remember any of the bloggers discussing it. If you (or they) did cover it my apologies for duplicating topics. Not the first time that's ever happened.

I'm not a big fan of ranking games or trying to classify them into some kind of order. I've made that known before. I think it is nearly impossible to pick out the hundred best games of all time and even more impossible to come up with one that beats out the rest of them. But of the parts I watched, I was finding myself agreeing with their picks and the reasoning behind the ranking. Dare I say I enjoyed the show? I do believe I did.

Don't miss G4's highly anticipated, and sure to be controversial, countdown of gaming's most defining moments. Celebrities, athletes, rock stars and game designers will join the X-Play experts to weigh in on which video games broke the mold and ultimately crown one landmark title the greatest of all time.

From Mario to Master Chief, 8-bit to hi-def, Angry Birds to Zelda - the battle is on to count down the top 100 video games of all time... will your favorite make the list? -G4TV

What I discovered was I was a lot more interested in this show than I thought, but not so much for the rankings; more just the discussions about the games. The coverage for each game is nicely done and the show interviews dozens of gamers from all walks of life, or at least from Hollywood - from musicians to actors and everything in between. I wasn't too surprised to see Robin Williams provide his comments (I know he is a big gamer) but was a little surprised to see Matthew Perry on there as much as he was. Perhaps the most notable guest, at least from our perspective was Andy McNamara. (Yes, that one!) I saw him discussing a few different games. That was pretty cool.

What I really liked about the show was just seeing the wide range of games that were featured and being able to say, "Ooh, I played that one." Or, "I was never a big fan of that game and here's why." It was certainly a nice little trip down memory lane. In the segments I watched, there wasn't a game mentioned that I hadn't played or was at least aware of. Most of them are the same games that you and I talk about in our blogs or chat with each other about. There were quite a few older games, and it was nice to be reminded of them and their contribution to the current state of the video game industry.

Another equally entertaining aspect of the show was listening to all the interviews and commentary; listening to how certain games affected our fellow gamers, knowing you felt the same way or had similar stories you could share. It's amazing how often and to the degree that video games are criticized by mainstream society, yet they are such a big part of our culture; a bond that only strengthens over time.

The good news is if you haven't watched the show, the G4TV website has it all bundled up in a nice and tidy little package that makes viewing it really pretty easy. Each game has the video clip from the show, and it looks to be commercial free, so there is another bonus. Even if you don't have time to watch them all, it still might be worth looking at the Top 20. There are certainly some remarkable games on there, and though I might not necessarily agree with the list, I certainly can't dispute any of the picks.

Of course I won't spoil any of the results, save for #100 on the list. Figure I'll kick it off for you.

Pong is one of the first games to make it big in arcades, debuting to the world in 1972. With simple 2D, black and white graphics, this table tennis simulation game was also one of the first games to reach mainstream popularity and was the first commercially successful video game.

Pong is credited with forever changing the gaming industry for the better. Since its release, it has been ported onto multiple home and handheld consoles. For many, Pong was the first competitive multiplayer experience, solidifying Pong as one of the top video games of all time.

You just can't have a top xx list of video games and not include Pong. Anyway, if you're interested, check out G4TV's Top 100 Video Games here.

Cheers.