SR, at the moment, does not rank high enough to bother ranking. Though I must say that SR has lowered my respect for the TES series so much that MW no longer is #1 on my list...

Vanilla Skyrim or Fully modded Skyrim at this moment does not rank on any of my top game lists.

Peace Walker beats MGS4?

Completely baffled, the last couple of scenes in Guns of the Patriots were more moving to me than any game I'd ever played... well maybe Snake Eater's last big encounter, but still.

But damn yes, MGS series rounds out most of the top 5 for me, Skyrim lies somewhere in the next five between nostalgia and game play.

Kojima is an effing genius at story telling, plot twists, and character development. You don't really feel like you're playing a game in Metal Gear, more like you are actively participating in someone's life.

Questing in general in Skyrim could definitely stand to take a note of out Kojima's playbook when it comes to character development and narratives.

1. Terranigma
2. Lufia 2
3. Morrowind
4. Timesplitters 2
5. Age of Empires 2 or Mythology
6. X3: Terran Conflict
7. Star Control II: Ur-Quan Masters
8. STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
9. Tales of Symphonia
10. Final Fantasy IX

Currently it does not make the list. Perhaps DLC will change this.

1. GTA:SA
2.Fallout 3
3.COD 4
4.Skyrim

1 Skyrim, 2 Oblivion, 3 Morrowind, then Fallout 3 or wow.

1. Oblivion
2. Skyrim
3. Fallout 3
4. Fallout New Vegas
5. Final Fantasy games

It would not make top 10.

Not that I would make a top 10 without genre division anyway, that's [censored].

I only really have top ten video games in certain categories, because you can't compare Age of Empires to Baldurs Gate.

1. Morrowind
2. Baldurs Gate 2
3. Daggerfall
4. Neverwinter Nights 2
5. Planescape: Torment
6. Fallout 3
7. Dragon Age: Origins
8. Skyrim
9. Fallout: New Vegas
10. Diablo 2 (I know Diablo 2 doesn't really count, but it is a great game)

I probably forgot a few in between

its on my top 5 list of all time favorite games
skyrim
deus ex
FO3
stalker
delta force landwarrior

bethesda games prob aren't for you, why are you on the forum since its not even a game you play? ROFL

I put it at #3 for me, because I hold the Lunar series in high regard.

Personally I have to say that this franchise is in a league of it's own.

As franchise it still stands as my number 1

Should I rank Skyrim within the franchise

1. Morrowind
2. Oblivion
3. Skyrim

Top 10:

1. Morrowind
2.Skyrim
3.Oblivion
4.Fallout3
5.minecraft
6.Deadspace

Your four short

It's in my top 5

it ranks as nothing, because it isnt on there. the all time greatest list is reserved for the ALL TIME GREATEST, not the well-designed modding platforms that are otherwise shallow and fairly standard games. maybe, MAYBE morrowind is on the list because it worked with its limitations to act as the catalyst for ones own imagination, but skyrim does no such thing: it is a pretty world that i CAN immerse myself into, but i have to force myself to do so. the game does not help, which is pretty much the whole point of having the world pre-made to immerse yourself into, so really i cant call it a good game let alone one of the best. it works well as a foundation to mod my way to immersion even in this stage before the the CK comes out, but on its own merits i cannot in good conscious call skyrim the top-anything. its a conglomerate of understandably mediocre gameplay elements that do very little to blend themselves into a greater whole; everything it does some other game does better, aside from the pretty landscapes.

just think to yourself; what does skyrim do that can actually be called one of the best examples of something? it sure as heck doesnt blend its elements together into something uniquely amazing, every skill and gameplay element is fairly isolated. what of individual elements? the combat sure as heck isnt one of the best. the exploration is a series of random dungeons with zero incentive to explore outside of the general phatlootz instinct. the gamespace is maybe one of the best use of visuals, but that itself is a small and shallow part of what makes a gamespace enjoyable to be in. the customization is far more limited than other games in the same series, and not nearly enough is done with the fewer options to compensate. character progression is severely hampered by level-scaling, which itself is a necessity given the "go anywhere, do anything" nature of the game. and what of that, the major selling point? sure you can wander off the beaten path, but to what avail? what is so great about the freedom to hack and slash through whatever brown cave you want? there are plenty of whacky things you can come up with to entertain yourself, but most of that is the result of player creativity and nothing the game has been designed to provide.

the point is, when i think of the all time greatest of any medium, the general criteria is that it be something i can point at and say "THAT is how its done". there is nothing about skyrim i can honestly say isnt done better in other games, half of which was done better in past games of its own series. it is impressive the amount of crap they could cram into one disk given the insultingly ridiculous development time modern graphics take up, but succeeding beyond the expectations of the terrible standards of the time is hardly reason to be considered for the all TIME greatest.

Skyrim is my number one.

Hard to say, somewhere between 30 and 40, probably. Certainly not near the top of the list, but the only Bethesda game I would place in the top ten is likely Daggerfall.

my best games list is full of old classics, but skyrim is for sure in the top 50

I think he means the games you enjoy the most, not the games that built the genre.
My top games for your criteria would probably be
RTS- Age of Empires 2
RPG- Planescape: Torment or Baldurs Gate 2
Sanbox Game: Spore
Open-world: Morrowind
Casual: Zoo Tycoon
FPS: Medal of Honour or Halo

Probably Top 10 if not 5. It's no Portal 2 though. Seriously that game had 0 flaws.

1. Portal 2
2. Portal
3. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
4. TES: Daggerfall
5. TES: Skyrim
6. Half-Life 1
7. BF3 Multiplayer
8. CS:S
9. Sonic Adventure 2
10. Company of Heroes

Top 5

1.TES III: Morrowind
2. Dragon Age: Origins
3: Tie between Oblivion and Skyrim for now. (Skyrim was good straight out of the box but it has alot of glitches and no DLC/expansion yet.I bought Oblivion after the first couple of patches were released,so it had very little glitches and it had some awesome DLC/expansion.)
4: Castlevania: Symphony of The Night
5: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

It's not in my top 10 yet. I've played soo many games that were much more awesome. (I am thoroughly enjoying the experience thus far though, don't get me wrong.)

It will get in my top 10 though, undoubtedly, once the CK gets released and the mod-community fixes things which I think Beth could/should have done much better. Considering atmosphere and immersion-ability Skyrim already ranks in my personal top 5 (yes, the game's faults do detract a lot from it imho), so Skyrim could very well reach top 5 overall eventually, with mods.

Definately a 1 for me.