Some of the mechanics may take a while to get accustomed to, but once you're used to the ins and outs of Shadow of the Colossus, it's certainly an experience unlike any other. With the boss battles being by far the stars of the show, you'll come away from it having vivid memories of the few, yet very epic encounters you're bound to have over the course of the game.

Despite its harsh difficulties, Ikaruga is nothing short of eloquent. With simple gameplay mechanics, Treasure has created a game which stands up extremely well. You won't die because the game hates you; you'll die simply because you haven't mastered enough of the polarity mechanic yet. That allure is enough to push you to keep going and subjecting yourself to the difficulties repeatedly.

It's may be one of the few real oddballs in the Zelda series, but Majora's Mask is a unique extension of the foundation built by Ocarina of Time. While controversial to series fans, Majora's Mask one-ups its predecessor in virtually every respect, from character development to visuals. Those looking for something a bit different in their Zelda should definitely give this one a spin.

For $30, Persona 3 FES gives you plenty to chew on for a good long time and, amazingly enough, doesn't manage to become stale along the way. Even those who don't find JRPGs to be very good ordinarily should still give this one a shot. With a tale both provocative and original, it's something that shouldn't be missed and is well worth the 70-plus-hour investment.

While the noir-like visual style of the characters may be what attracts your attention first, by the end of the game, you'll find Hotel Dusk to be one of the few DS games that truly does the adventure genre justice. Call it a great mystery novel masquerading as a game if you must, but Hotel Dusk is far more than that. Give it a whirl if you happen to see it laying around on a store shelf.

It's psychadellic in a way that even the most Japanese-infused games aren't like. There isn't necessarily an inherent purpose to what you're doing in the game, but the experience to be had is beyond unique. There isn't actual gameplay so much as there is just raw exploring, but you'll find that even that reveals more than enough to keep you entertained.

Space Invaders has had a lot of reduxes over the years, but few of them have ever been able to remotely top the initial arcade version in terms of originality and quality. Space Invaders Extreme does both in spades. It doesn't mess with the gameplay too much, but what has been modified makes it all feel like a completely new experience. Considering its budget price, it's a very worthwhile purchase in every respect.

I'm a pretty big fan of some of the Metal Slug games, but in my experience, 5 is the cream of the crop by far. Whereas 4 was a fairly dull and uninspired installment, 5 seems to take everything that makes the Metal Slug games worthwhile in the first place and ramps up the quality. The action is hectic and fun and the set pieces do a hell of a great job at keeping things interesting. Although it may only last about an hour long, if you can pick up a copy of it for cheap, 5 is definitely worthwhile.

Cave Story may very well be one of the most important Japanese indie games to ever come along for a number of reasons. It may be visually evocative of Famicom-era titles, but the mechanics underneath have a modern heart beating. The story is also a respectable one, too, with a world that surprisingly well-developed, yet accessible for its genre. But most significant of all is the fact that it was all made by one guy. One guy made what essentially amounts to a professional looking Famicom-esque game, a feat that would usually require at least a small development team, but creator Pixel was a one-man army when creating a game. That's a feat that I will never cease to respect.

Devil Survivor is sometimes too hard for its own good, but occasional frustrations aside, it's a fantastic SRPG/JRPG hybrid. Those who also enjoy well-written stories probably won't be disappointed by it, as the game takes creative, but very intelligent license with various mythologies, particularly Christian. A very highly recommended DS game, especially for those wanting to know what the Megami Tensei games are about without diving into the more hardcore entries.

The very game which put Clover on the map is still a joyous romp to this day. Possibly the only side-scrolling game done well within the past generation since the genre's fall from grace, Viewtiful Joe is a charming, if rather hard game. Those who are interested in figuring out where all the critical praise for its development studio originated from would do well to pick this up on either system it's available on. Definitely one of the highlights from a generation already rife with modern classics.

Clover's last game before being shut down doesn't necessarily have the distinction of being its most prominent, but it is nonetheless in a class all of its own. With fun brawling mechanics that are both accessible and somewhat deep, as well as a great sense of humor, God Hand is definitely recommended for those who, like myself, are fans of the studio and feel the need to try out their catalog. Just be warned: It's HARD. If you don't want your self-esteem to take a complete beating, go for Easy mode your first time around. You'll thank yourself later for it.

ICO is a game whose narrow mindedness actually works to its benefit. Through its minimalistic nature, it manages to create an experience which isn't necessarily innovative from a storytelling or gameplay perspective, but is from a sheer experience creation perspective. It does a lot of things right which makes picking up the game a good idea.

No More Heroes is wonderfully insane, although you ought to know that already when considering it's a Grasshopper Manufacture game. With a great sense of humor and script coupled with a visceral combat system which actually uses the Wii's motion controls really well, No More Heroes is something worth experiencing for those who require a bit of unorthodoxy in their lives.

The gameplay length is really short if all you're aiming for is to beat the story, but few games have done rail shooter gameplay as well as Star Fox 64. Even to this day, I still find myself playing through it again on occasion and the gameplay still holds up to this day. When considering most games from 1997 have long since had their expiration date come to pass, that's quite a feat.

So if you look at my description as to why Star Fox 64 is on this list, you'll notice I said that few games do rail shooter gameplay better than that game. Panzer Dragoon Orta is one such game. Orta feels like the logical extension of the N64 hit's gameplay, making for a game which has quite a bit of depth in the process. One of the cheaper Xbox games to find these days, it's probably worth your time to pick this up and experience it.

It's a typing game with a wonderful sense of humor that is a surprisingly good fit with the original House of the Dead 2's cheesefest. What more could you ask for?

Earthworm Jim 2 is one of the more humorous platformers to come out which is still surprisingly very playable today. With mechanics which change from one level to the next, it's a game which makes for a very enjoyable romp for those who enjoy the 16-bit-era romps.

Persona 4 does the incredibly rare thing that most sequels surprisingly neglect to do: make substantial refinements to its prequel's formula. Persona 3 was a great game, but it had its flaws, and it's great to know that Atlus knew just what to address to create an even more enjoyable experience overall. If you're trying to decide which game in the series to start off with, there has never been a better time to try a Persona game than number four. And, if it means anything at all, this game also happens to be both my all-time favorite RPG and is also among my all-time favorite games. Period. And I don't hand out either distinction out to any game hastily.

It may only be intended for hardcore Tetris players, but if you can keep up with this unique arcade rendition of it, you'll find one of the best implementations of the formula on this side of the GameBoy edition.

As Clover's swan song, Okami is prone to getting a lot of comparisons to modern entries in the Zelda series. But only going that far doesn't do it enough justice. Okami is a wonderfully unique take on the action-adventure genre which is inherently riddled with Clover's touches and makes for a superb experience.

Tales of the Abyss isn't a perfect game, by any means, and the issues it has are ones that have been seemingly resolved in subsequent installments. This game is still on the list anyway because its good points are done really, really well. Relatable characters with interesting back stories coupled with a visceral, thought out real-time combat system make Tales of the Abyss a really worthwhile game to play. As someone who, like many, was introduced to the series through Symphonia, Abyss is a worthy success and definitely worth your time, should you manage to track down a copy.

Scribblenauts has some issues, particularly in the controls department, but when considering everything else it accomplishes so well, I don't think it's a game that should be ignored. It is, at its core, a game defined entirely in terms of the experience you create within it. You could, for example, rescue that stranded penguin by bringing a boat to it and taking it aboard. But why go for the conventional when riding a pterodactyl and then leashing that same penguin to it is also a perfectly viable solution? Scribblenauts accomplishes what it sets out to do with flying colors; a ringing endorsement is definitely therefore in order.

Rakugaki Showtime is probably among the least appreciated of Treasure's game, not because of any lack of quality, but rather lack of knowledge about its existence in the first place. This is a game that garnered a brutally low print run, even by Treasure's own standards, so finding copies of it was a difficult matter until a downloadable version came out on the PlayStation Network. That being said, the game itself is extremely fun. It's not a terribly complex brawler, but it's one with a whole lot of charm and, naturally, is best experienced in a multiplayer setting. Definitely worth your while to check out.

Bangai-O Spirits has a bit of a harsh difficulty curve, make no mistake about it. But if you take the time to learn the weapons and figure out what works best in each situation the game throws at you, you'll find that Bangai-O Spirits is a really brilliant and addictive DS game. You might still get your ass kicked a lot, but the game is great about rewarding experimentation, so there's always an incentive to try and try again, especially since success means explosions galore. If you can find yourself a copy, it's most certainly a worthwhile game to have.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate is a licensed game done right in that it concerns itself with being a good game first and fan service second. Indeed, Treasure crafted a game that's a really fun fighter on its own that also just happens to mesh really well with the source material. Clever use of accessing the touch screen as a means of macroing the special moves while rewarding those who actually pull them off manually is also a plus. Really, there's just a lot of good things going for this Bleach game. I'd be willing to go far enough to say that you could still have a really good time with the game without even having heard of the source material, especially since the cast is so diverse as it is. In short, just because it's a DS fighter doesn't mean it should be ignored. By no means is this game deserving of the stigma it has inevitably acquired as an anime licensed game. It simply transcends it.

The original Space Invaders Extreme ate up a LOT of time on my DS. Oodles and oodles. I have no way of really knowing how much exactly, but enough to know that I loved the hell out of it and then some. Along comes its sequel and it's just as great of a game, if not more so. Save for an issue of the moving backgrounds being distracting at times (they can be turned off anyway), there's really not much I can hold against another great installment. Great music, fun gameplay, it's got the works. Definitely worth the $20.