Top 100 Games of all Time! (80-71)

[@wayner396]

Mike, Zee, and Tom are such a great combo. Love the banter and in jokes. Probably one of my most enjoyed videos you've done

[@thedicetower]

Glad you like them!

[@ethidian3444]

@@thedicetowerI am very unhappy that I like them

[@StarkMaximum]

I really like the little songs for each person in the intro, they're super catchy and I keep finding myself mumbling them to myself while I'm doing other things.

[@littleceasar9351]

I’ve been singing the Zee Garcia song constantly for the past 5-6 years.

[@metallsnubben]

Now I want to make an "entrance theme" for everyone if I do a boardgame tournament...

[@modemacabre]

Doesn't Mike have another theme song, one that sounds more indie-rock? Or am I misremembering. I seem to feel like I liked that one better, or is it just my imagination being altered by Mike's excellent taste in music. (I say that with zero sarcasm)

[@metallsnubben]

@@modemacabre I like the grandiosity of rhyming DiLisio with Bravissimo but I would definitely like to hear this other version if it exists!

[@Edward1140]

Completely agree. This is the time of year when I find myself randomly singing the Mike diLisio song for weeks.@@metallsnubben

[@marknelson2837]

Is nobody going to mention that the motif used for "78 into 77" was in 7/8 time? Brilliant!

[@leenicholas278]

That made this music teacher SO happy!

[@EasyForYouToSay.mp3]

That was what the man said, in a nonchalant kinda way.

[@daveculling5467]

Glad you noticed this. Thank you!

[@dstamatis]

For Northwood is an amazing game that I never thought would work. So satisfying and crisp. Thanks for bringing more attention to it.

[@IndianaGeologist]

That catch was fire, Tom!

[@RulebooksForYou]

Arborea!!! So glad to think my rulebook helped make this possible :)

[@ClaudeAndTaylor]

FOR NORTHWOOOOOOD!!!! A top trick-taker to be sure! Wil did an amazing job on it!!

[@juliekulp1609]

I never heard of it before this Top 100 list, then went and watched Zee's review plus another person's playthrough, stopped by my local shop on the way home from work to pick it up and played it last night. LOVED IT!

[@Chereebers]

The music in 7/8 was great! Love a music joke 👍👍

[@daveculling5467]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Fonzie530]

That intro was hilarious great video as always!

[@JonnyLuscious]

Definitely agree on 'For Northwood!' I got it for Christmas and it's the gift I've had the most fun with so far. It's that perfect solo weight where it's really quick to set up and put up, yet has enough depth and randomization that it continues to provide an interesting challenge even with repeat plays.

[@johnnyseesyou]

I would choose Flamme Rouge over Heat for two players, but I am also a cycling nerd and get a lot from how the mechanics fit the theme

[@hugocruz2439]

Cosmic encounter latest expansion actually is really good for newcomers as introduce plenty of straightforward and fun aliens, a total 42 (almost as much as the base set) and heaps of functional expansions that can offer interesting angles to the game and point you to previous expansions that you may like plus a simple yet functional campaign. An almost perfect expansion.

[@markbeaulieu411]

I’ll need to look into For Northwood. It wasn’t on my radar. Thanks guys. Also happy to see Viscounts of the West Kingdom make the people’s list. It’s my 4th favorite game and I love it so much. When I got back into gaming I bought Atlantis Rising based on Zee’s recommendation and then Mike’s comments on Viscounts got me to get that one. Made me a Garphill fan. Those 2 games will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve bought a lot of games after seeing reviews on this channel or on these lists, but those were the 1st 2.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I've never played Nemesis. But, can you house rule shuffling the Queen like 3/4 of the deck down?

[@jimgrant9081]

Great to see Gold River! Thanks for another great countdown.

[@rexology_bg]

I appreciate the number introductions. For several of them so far, I knew the name and place within the industry but it is nice to see a face connected to those names!

[@jimmybaggz5932]

My 80-71 80. Boonlake 79. Rajas of the Ganges 78. Fresco 77. Hike 76. K2 75. Betrayal at House on the Hill 74. Anachrany 73. Smash Up 72. Through the Ages 71. Dice throne

[@hansaugustsson7288]

I agree with Mike. Too quick upgrade products (e.g. Dune Imperium follow-ups) turn me off. To me, boardgaming should be about relaxing, not about trying to catch up.

[@JosephFlemming]

I played Wingspan again after quite a time getting dusty and I was reminded just how good that game is! I just get annoyed about having to shuffle a zillion cards every time I play, but it's still surprising how the game is still balanced despite that.

[@jameskirk4692]

Thanks guys!

[@eddieb8054]

I think cosmic encounter came back, because the two player version reminded people how good the OG version is.

[@jonathanrosborough1008]

I won the Castles of Mad King Ludwig in a raffle at my library along with a couple other games. So much fun! Don't think I would have tried it otherwise.

[@joeferreti9442]

The European expansion for Wingspan was important not because the European birds are so special or pretty but so that European buyers can have the birds from their region in their awkwardly mechanical bird game.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

You should get the expansion for The Grand Carnival, Zee. The Clowns, Peanuts, Golden Tickets, Huge Attractions, and new scoring system are fantastic.

[@Xr4y81]

Agricola is still one of my favorite over the years

[@bryanzirkel304]

I get teased because it is still my favorite. I buy all these new games and kinda just wish people would play agricola with me.

[@zvnetzley9209]

Yes, I agree, to the point that I played it so often when it came out that when I bought my own copy, I was actually disappointed that they had meeples instead of just cubes. Great game with tons of nostalgia heaped on top!

[@lucy3107]

Was giving Buonocore 78 a subtle nod to the 878 Vikings incident?

[@tomvg87]

Played Heat once and much prefer Flamme Rouge. Maybe it was due to the person explaining Heat who didn't do a great job or the automa players we added that just shot way ahead of us without any chance of catching up but it wasn't a fun experience for our group or three. Would like to give it a second chance though.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I received and played The Grand Carnival's expansions. They make the game *A LOT* better. Before, the scoring system was too Agricola.

[@JosephFlemming]

I too culled the Suburbia collector's set. it's a great game but absolutely dragged down by the endless tile shuffling in the setup, especially with expansions, and sorting the tiles out after... it just takes TOO LONG. Even with the fancy helpful insert.

[@PatrickBrophy]

The reasons Mike gave for Dune Imperium is why I won’t get into it at all until they combine all the versions into a second edition later.

[@RetroMaticGamer]

I wouldn't even go that far. Get the base game and STOP. Me, I'm with Mike - the base game is, for me, THE PERFECT GAME. But the expansions added a whole bunch of extra bloat that it didn't need, and thinned out & ruined what was so elegant and so great to begin with. It's like spice melange itself - it's just way better refined down to its simplest, purest form.

[@derek_davidson]

Uprising is what you're looking for! It's great!

[@rogerrigby7943]

Shout out to #Dave77 for his fabulous DT music. Fabulous run of tunes, Dave.

[@daveculling5467]

Thank you so much!

[@jr637-1]

It can't be the Lorcana of board games until someone walks out of GenCon with a pallet of Heat copies.

[@JingleAllTheWhey]

I understand the feeling that Mike is talking about for Dune Imperium, because I've had that feeling about other games before. That feeling of being bombarded of always something new around the corner. We all know that we don't always need the newest stuff, but it still can sometimes feel like a bit of a mental hang-up not playing a bunch of new stuff for a game you love. That includes Uprising, the similarity between the 2 have made me wonder when and how invested I want to be DireWolf's Dune Imperium line for awhile. However, I think that being his reason to take it down so far is odd. The game he loves still exists, and expansions/new versions for the game doesn't mean that it stops being a fantastic game. Especially because it's not like that this is the only game that has ever had this issue. It's still in his top 100, so he still loves it obviously, and it's how he personally feels about it. But his defense of why he dropped it is a bit off to me. It's still nice to have him in the studio for these lists!

[@tombeullens4914]

I think Mike nailed it with dune imperium.. so sick of this commercial shit... Wyrmspan is the next such thing. I'll bet Wingspan suddenly becomes trash for some people now! Statement that it dropped so far is for a reason, though the base is a good game. Tom dropping TFM some years ago from 4 to the 90's and now gone for me was for no reason. Ark Nova and TFM can easily be in your top 20 together, 2 different games. Long live creativity over copying for more profit!

[@KristoVaher]

Paper Tales new edition was big box one and an expansion. Sadly only in French.

[@Fatcat1010]

Ooooo! I can be that guy! Tom actshually knows Quinten Smith who was vocally in support of Flamme Rouge over Heat

[@gingerscholar152]

I backed the Mojito version of Pueblo without realizing the zipper score, and I'm thinking of just buying cubes to replace the scoring pieces with

[@JonathonV]

Great list! In Buonocore’s defence, I look like I’m a regular at a Buonocore Gym, so stop with your body shaming, Zee! 😂 I’m confused about a Marvel/Magic crossover; wouldn’t Disney just create a separate Lorcana for Marvel? I giggled at the search for the pen. And I am a big fan of curling! I am with you, Eric! Anyway, here’s my list: 80. PIEPMATZ 79. IMPORT / EXPORT 78. FREEDOM: THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 77. RAIDERS OF SCYTHIA 76. LEAVING EARTH 75. ACQUIRE 74. KASHGAR 73. VILLAGERS 72. ORIGINS: FIRST BUILDERS 71. SONS OF ANARCHY: MEN OF MAYHEM

[@RichardLearnsGames]

"This game is FIRE!" -Next year's funniest moments material right there

[@thoraseirup-thinnesen8849]

Would love to see Buonocore's top 100 too

[@uplift-yourdailypickup6424]

I think Mike caught the trick taking bug so we are going to see a bunch of those on this list. I’m going thru a bit of a transformation myself with trick taking taking priority over my usual board game picks

[@EasyForYouToSay.mp3]

Man I wish trick takers didn't need at least three people, as most of my game time is with 2 players only. The only trick taker I've played (and loved) was Tournament at Camelot.

[@intrepidfool]

Bought Detective: City of Angels after watching this. Looks like a great game night experience.

[@nikolailucyk]

Nice new title card!

[@modemacabre]

Tom, don't replay Flamme Rouge. You have given it more chances than most games that don't shine for you. You just don't like the game, and that's completely fine. Meanwhile I really should try Heat, despite that everything I hear about it from reviewers makes it sound like a lesser version of FR (mostly it just seems more fiddly, which I don't want in a fast paced race game). For me Flamme Rouge is the perfect racing game, so elegant, exciting, and simply the most thematic game I have ever played.

[@Pengi_SMILES]

Heat isn't fiddly at all. And it has a wonderful feeling of speed that you often don't get from car racing games. FR is brilliant, but Heat is an equally brilliant evolution of the core mechanics to suit the car racing theme.

[@MisterAbysmul]

Mike's 73 is spot on.

[@AvengerNk]

Hard disagree with the Dune Imperium bloat claims. The frequency of releases seems fine for people who actually play the game every week

[@JosephFlemming]

I sold Viscounts before playing it because I just felt after trying Paladins, that I just don't need that many complex games from that company... wonder if I should have kept it?

[@TheEternal792]

Probably should have kept it, honestly. Both are very good games that have very little in common besides artwork and shared universe... Very different experiences, that are improved with their expansions, and could be played in a mini-campaign or even coop with the Tomesaga box.

[@kyletasler7354]

I kind of disagree on nemisis being hard to teach. There are somethings going on. But the majority of issues can all be handled by one person. So you really need one person who knows the game well and you can get players running without to many issues especially if you are playing cooperative. Now you have to have that one person that knows the game well if they just kind of know it it’s going to be a lot harder.

[@grandad1982]

I have played Heat and Flamme Rouge. I preffer Flamme Rouge. It captures road racing so elegantly.

[@JonReid01]

Magic the Gathering is BACK BABY 53:00

[@nickhershberger8411]

Azul stain glass is great! The next two were fine.

[@orlan3bgamer]

Hi, need the lyrics of the intro music for MIKE ! thanks.

[@thedicetower]

Mike DiLissio, Bravissimo. Sporadically Board but never pianissimo. He's got less shame on his shelf. Takes down a game, plays it by himself.

[@gabtrat9091]

So funny to hear the AC is needed in Florida. I'm literally in a blizzard 🥶

[@noizeemama3697]

H&R Block would probably do it. Do yourself a favor and go to real accountants. H&R don't train their people and you don't need any schooling or experience to get a job there. Plus, they charge you per form, even when you don't need that many forms. Much cheaper and more accurate to go through a CPA firm.

[@tulsaborn545]

Who produced that version of Pueblo I didn't hear them say?

[@michaeldilisio557]

The version I showed was by Korean publisher Playte Games.

[@tulsaborn545]

@@michaeldilisio557 Thanks, Mike!

[@danielwoltanski1413]

We need Awaken Realms to do a Deluxe/Special Edition of War of the Ring.

[@aaronconnell3271]

22:35, that was a direct hit. 😂😂😂

[@draheim90]

53:40 indeed candy banquets sound awful. I took my now-wife to a brewery for her birthday as they were having some special event and I didn’t realize the event entailed only offering a 6-course meal featuring solely desert/candy-centric dishes. After the 2nd or 3rd course it was too much, she was also not thrilled because she’s more inti wine than beer plus she expected a proper meal and not one of a sugar coma- and diabetes-inducing variety. Learned my lesson on that one. Now we tend to go to wineries or out to an Italian restaurant for her birthday and anniversaries. But yeah I played MTG off when I was around 12-30 whereas I didn’t get into modern board games until a couple years ago. It’s a great game but it just became too much, Wizards of the Coast jumped the shark and turned it into a confusing and blatant money grab in late 2019 or thereabouts. Also seems they ran out of design space a while back as the cards have so much more text on them than they used to (i.e., complexity creep) and some of the new mechanisms/keywords are pretty convoluted.

[@sauce773]

Cant belive magic is mostly always on these list but pokemon isnt. That would definitely be on my top 100. Ive been playing on my phone before pokemon live and play with the real life cards from time to time.

[@wdvorak]

#75 Gambit throws a MtG card, and it takes out a building.

[@robo3007]

Heavy Rain is the name of one of my favourite video games! It's really more of an interactive movie, but the story is so great I don't care.

[@TheRGuy]

This is my dog’s least favorite Dice Tower video ever

[@MjrLeegInfidel]

Port royal in the top 100! Yes!

[@griffglowen5555]

There’s a video game called heavy rain

[@spencerbeard3904]

"This game is FIRE!!" 🤣

[@ExBeeOne]

For me, Hard Rain is definitely not up there alongside Con Air and Face Off. Hard Rain was okay, at best. Con Air and Face Off were amazing.

[@EasyForYouToSay.mp3]

I think they mean "up there" in terms of how asinine and ridiculous they are. Turn your brain off and consume explosions and titles type of movies.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

55:50 🤣

[@chucktelschow]

I do not think Nemesis is that hard to teach imo

[@zuzaninha]

Tom, I am from Europe and laughed at your comment about Wingspan and our crappy birds! The reason I didn't buy it is that I didn't want the American birds haha. Honestly, such a shame they didn't do it like Ticket to ride - every new box is a standalone game. Now it is way too expensive.

[@peterevensen]

Mike missed the opportunity to say, “I can’t stop playing can’t stop”…

[@Valcurdra]

Lately I'm seeing a lot of people complaining about too many expansions for games, if you don't like them, just don't use them! Strange mentality

[@adriangutierrez7686]

Agree. Expansions are usually never essential and are for fans of the games that just want more.

[@RetroMaticGamer]

I'm with Mike about Dune Imperium. The base game is, for me, THE PERFECT GAME. But then they added a whole bunch of extra crap to it that it didn't need, to cash in on its success. Expansions could have been just new cards and characters, maybe a new feature here and there, but they added so much bloat so quickly, it totally ruined the game for me. Like, someone making you the perfect bowl of pudding, then pouring ranch dressing and Frank's Red Hot in it. Worse, my buddy that owns it ONLY wants to play it fully expanded - that base game experience he first brought to my table is pretty much dead now. And I don't even like the game anymore because of it... it never gets played anymore.

[@EasyForYouToSay.mp3]

I only eat El Yucateco Red in my puddings.

[@EM-pn5kq]

I've only played the base game, and with rise of ix a few times. I like the expansion, buthavent tried immortality. I'm pretty confident I would play with one or the other. Using both seems like too much

[@simonknight5698]

I agree a little. The second expansion makes the game too long. The first expansion is excellent cause it fixes some of the issues.

[@stefaniewiese4751]

Issues? Where does the base game need to be fixed exactly?

[@brentman1000000]

Mike’s reasoning to knock down Dune made no sense to me. 100s of game do this. But the biggest thing for me is his NUMBER ONE game of all time for many years was Scythe and it had so many expansions and upgrades for components that he loves like metal mechs then a campaign version came out and now a sequel of sorts which is all-in on. Just sayin.

[@liamobrien292]

Days of wonder need to go to Nintendo and start discussing a “heat” version of Mario Kart 😂 have rainbow road as one of the tracks!

[@DrMcFly28]

SU&SD preferred Flamme Rouge over Heat as I recall.

[@TheOldMan-75]

To be fair, they are quite the hipsters.

[@dago6410]

As every time I will say it Yey my fabourite game of all time is here and im happy ♡♡♡♡♡♡ zee i love yuuu

[@derek_davidson]

"your birds are garbage"

[@coalitionofseekers9572]

5:17 is when the list starts

[@jollyroger1009]

I can stop watching now that I've seen the Rahdo number intro! I won't though 😊.

[@rav3style]

Mike's reason to knock down dune so many spots its so petty and senseless. you don't have to have it all you can just enjoy your base game and that's it.

[@gmatos78]

Completely agree with Mike about Dune Imperium.

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

Imho war of the ring should be top 10.

[@EasyForYouToSay.mp3]

Dang, Mike, cinnamon roll pncakes?! Sounds like a breakfast of 6 year old champions😂

[@benlauson555]

The dune uprising situation is frustration for me. Kinda feel like a schmuck for buying Imperium. I will definitely wait a while with Dire wolf's stuff in the future.

[@LeRougeLapin]

Thanks for calling out Dune Mike! I feel less alone.

[@joeferreti9442]

I'm a MTG addict, but I would never see or rank it as a board game. The collecting and pay2win aspects are way to prominent for that. It's a whole different hobby and a half, but not a board game!

[@salmonblox]

Do you think it could be played in a way where it’s just another tabletop game, though? Like how Zee usually describes it, a straightforward head-to-head card battler, in the same camp as Summoner Wars or Star Realms? Or are the other aspects too overpowering?

[@EasyForYouToSay.mp3]

​@@salmonbloxIf you can find one or more buddies who want to play that way, sure. You can put a dollar cap on how expensive a deck can be and play at home, there are probably other ways. If you go to a MtG night at a game store, I believe you'll be hard pressed to find someone not deep into the Meta, willing to spend a boatload of cash for bragging rights.

[@adriangutierrez7686]

I am also a fan of Mtg and board games. Mtg is not really a board game but its on Bgg and you play it on a table. Also many board gamers probably came frm magic too!

[@jankogo]

Europe unsubcribes. 🤣

[@pfcravt]

Tom complains about people not like Wingspan while spending a lot of time railing against any expansion that adds players. Lol

[@joshjenson8111]

King of tokyo is so boring, no idea why people like that game

[@dougwarr9459]

So what games do you like?

[@seahawksfan9168]

i completely agree

[@ramonosuke]

I think for me Stonemaier Games are always quite over rated(and/or over hyped), but are solid games. I thought Scythe and Wingspan are pretty good and Viticulture was merely decent, so I never get why SM games always skyrocket up BGG rankings(which is why I hate them, cause just spam “10’s” and your game climbs) when, in my opinion, there are better games out there that get no love Also Heat is out of print again…

[@Valcurdra]

Heavy rain was a notoriously bad digital game, it was very innovative but had horrendous writing

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

Agricola is the most disappointing and overrated board game of all time.

[@mattlewis5095]

Doner kebabs? Eww

[@GiantDevilDog]

So far Mike has done nothing but throw almost 20 games out there that no one can get....please bring back Sam. There has not been a single game Mike has ever recommended (if I haven't played) that I have wanted to try.

[@virgilalighieri7192]

Wow, rude. I'm happy to hear about these obscure games I never would have without Mike. Also, he put Nemesis on his list! How more mainstream can you get? I get that his tastes might not align with yours, and that's fine but this is his PERSONAL top 100

[@chuckm1961]

Are you 7 years old? What a childish comment.

[@danjliv7]

Why are you upset that he likes the games he likes? This is a personal top 100 games list, not a top 100 games you can buy today list. I love Mike's list.

[@sauce773]

It's about his top 100 and what games he plays throughout the year. He shouldn't care about anyone's feelings that we can't play certain games

[@MoxieSong]

Unpopular opinion. Also you can get the vast majority of the games he put out. With ambition ofc you could get all of them.