We tossed this idea around for a few weeks on the show before finally deciding to commit. And I’m glad we did. We’ve assembled our list of the top 25 video games of all-time, which will be presented throughout the month of January.

Ranking the thousands of games that have come out over the years is no simple task. Some folks have personal favorites that may not have been stellar releases, but they loved them for one reason or another. Maybe it’s nostalgia; maybe it’s just a game that appealed to them. Other people have an idea of which games they really like, but putting one above the other to determine a “best ever” title seems daunting.

We’ve put together a panel of ATB stars and guests to narrow down the list. Today is just an introduction. Starting tomorrow, we’ll count down all the way to the best game of all-time on January 30th, then wrap this whole thing up on the 31st. And you’ll have a chance to give us your input every step of the way. Agree with our choices? Wish a game was ranked higher/lower? You’ll be able to sound off in both comments and polls.

Here’s how the whole thing will go down…

HOW IT WORKS

The three main folks from At the Buzzer (Chris, Dave and Shaun) have assembled, along with friends of the show Gary, Jason, Nick and Michaela. Each person was tasked with putting together a list of his or her top 25 games ever. Those lists were combined, tossed into a giant spreadsheet with a points system, and the final tally was put together.

I’d put this in table form, but it’s a vertical mess and WordPress doesn’t like spreadsheets for some reason. So the hell with it. The top-ranked game on an individual’s list received 100 points; the No. 25 game received 1 point. It’s weighted toward the top and looks like this: (1 rank/100 points, 2/75, 3/60, 4/50, 5/45, 6/40, 7/37, 8/34, 9/31, 10/28, 11/25, 12/23, 13/21, 14/19, 15/17, 16/15, 17/13, 18/11, 19/9, 20/7, 21/5, 22/4, 23/3, 24/2, 25/1). The three folks who make up ATB got an increase in how many points their votes were worth.

Our list only guarantees the top 25, because that’s what we were shooting for. Ultimately, I ended up compiling the list of the top 100, but it has some aberrations and strange picks in there because of the nature of a bunch of people voting. I think it holds up all the way through the top 50, though. But hey, weird votes = more debate, right?

THE SCHEDULE

Today: Introduction

Jan. 2: Honorable Mention

Jan. 3: #100-76

Jan. 4: #75-51

Jan. 5: #50-26

Jan. 6: #25

Jan. 7: #24

…

Jan. 29: #2

Jan. 30: #1

Jan. 31: Recap, our individual lists, and your best comments

THE BOTTOM LINE

This list will have some popular choices. It may also be controversial. YOU MIGHT BE SHOCKED BY WHAT YOU SEE.