10. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

9. GoldenEye 007 (N64)

8. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN)

7. BioShock (X360, PC, PS3)

6. Sonic 3 and Knuckles (GEN)

15. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)

After experiencing terrific gaming-to-movie heights in terms of presentation by both Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation, and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the PlayStation 2, I knew that it could only get better from here. Guess what? It did, with Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. If you’re familiar with the Metal Gear games... You wont find yourself at home with MGS3, it completely changes the norm left behind by past Metal Gear Solid games. Instead of infiltrating narrow buildings with tons of guards left and right, MGS3 puts you right in the middle of a Russian forest with 1960’s technology to boot. And right off the first hop, it’ll feel different, but a lot more breathtaking than before.

The breathtaking part of Snake Eater is its setting. The forest you traverse in MGS3 is beautiful looking with trees everywhere, animals crawling about, and guards walking aimlessly around. It actually feels like your in a forest, grass grows in certain areas, swamps are full with alligators and leeches, while the chirps of birds go off in the background. It just looks stunning overall. But one of the major parts of Snake Eater was well, eating. For Snake to maintain his energy (not his health meter), Snake has to eat animals and insects he find across the forest. He will also have to heal his wound like a burn, or a broken leg, whenever he finds himself injured.

But getting through the forest isn’t as easy as it sounds. First of all, they are actually a lot of guards throughout the forest, so you’ll have to be quick to learn where they are. But unfortunately, it’s the 60’s, so there isn’t any radar technology to see where the guards are without actually looking, so this time you’ll have to be more realistic when trying to get through certain areas. But you’ll get some nifty camouflage that will hide you from your enemies’ site. There’s a number at the top right of the screen, and when it increases, the more hidden you are. Some are normal grass camouflage, while some are rock, some are dirt, and some are water. It really makes the game more strategic, and better overall.

But your probably wondering, does it have a good story, and what about the boss fights? Both of those can be answered with the word, “Epic.” The story takes you through the times of Big Boss, the father of Solid and Liquid Snake previously seen in the earlier Metal Gear Solid’s. You get to play through his struggles as he tries to stop his former mentor, The Boss, from her cynical plan. But what drives the story is the amazing, and sometime interactive, cut scenes. First of all, they’re awesome, never boring. Secondly, you can sometimes press the R1 button and see the cut scene in Snake’s perspective.

The boss fights are still awesome, but are actually even better than past Metal Gear Solid games, and overall has the best bosses out of all 4 games. You’ll never get your generic boss, though Ocelot is kinda bland. You face the Cobra Unit throughout the game including a giant machine near the end, but none of them are more satisfying as The End, a master sniper that challenges you to a sniper duel in the middle of a giant forest. Its not only freaking awesome (there’s no music, just the sound of the forest), but it can actually take you a pretty long time to not only find The End, but to shoot him, and ultimately kill him.

What Metal Gear Solid 3 came down to was its conclusion. It has one of the best endings I have ever seen in a video game. Its unexpected, ingenious, and overall, just amazing. Mixing not only the story in with the fantastic gameplay, but the epic soundtrack (I never mentioned it, but it’s amazing), the incredible graphics, and all of the other little bits make Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake eater my 15th favorite game of all time.

14. Perfect Dark (N64)

GoldenEye 007 was the first FPS game for the Nintendo 64 that really pushed the Nintendo 64 as being the party system of the generation. After the success of said game, Rare went ahead and started making a very similar game, Perfect Dark, which is amazing in its own right, and it sometimes feels better playing it than 007 itself. It had similar controls, similar AI, and similar levels. Perfect Dark corrected everything that GoldenEye had wrong, and it turned out being my 14th favorite game of all time.

The first person genre on the Nintendo 64 was really made popular because 1. It has an analog stick for precision aiming, and 2. Four controller ports for awesome 4 player action. Perfect Dark really upgraded the multiplayer by adding better levels (though some are definitely worse), better weapons, and the option to add bots to the action as well. In GoldenEye is was fun to fight each other, but in Perfect Dark, being teamed up with a buddy and fighting against bots was a blast. The weapon selection also had a great variety with the selection of human weapons, and a selection of awesome alien guns as well.

The idea of alien guns come from Perfect Dark’s campaign where you play as a secret agent named Joanna Dark as she infiltrates different areas throughout the game taking on enemy humans at first, but then getting to aliens further along in the game. The campaign was pretty lengthy at the time, and again the length was increased by being able to play on 3 different difficulty levels. There was even voice acting, cutscenes, and other cool effects not even seen in today’s games, which is a shame.

One thing that wowed my about Perfect Dark right off the bat was the amazing presentation. The menus were freaking awesome for the time, and though GoldenEye’s was pretty cool, Perfect Dark’s was pretty freaking sweet. The graphics were also top-notch and some of the best on the Nintendo 64. The character models acted like real humans, the animation was great, and the environments were good, though sometimes bare. The production values were through the roof, and probably the game on the Nintendo 64 that had the most time and effort spent on it.

What made Perfect Dark so special was the presentation and the awesome multiplayer. It’s not a knock against the campaign, don’t get me wrong, the the multiplayer and the presentation really nailed the game for me. The game had unbelievable graphics, voice acting as well as awesome sound, and amazing gameplay to boot. Playing with buddies against bots is still fun to this very day, and Rare and Nintendo went a real mile putting this masterpiece together, and that’s why it’s my 14th favorite game ever made.

13. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

In 2005, I was a crazy child. I remember seeing Shadow of the Colossus sitting on store shelves, seeing commercials for it, seeing people buying it, and every time thinking, “What is that game?”, but like an idiot, I never found out until 2008. I finally broke the chain and went over to my local EB Games and bought two PS2 games I missed over the years, God of War, and my 13th favorite game of all time, Shadow of the Colossus. But Shadow of the Colossus did concern me at first, 16 bosses? No other enemies? That’s the whole game? And though I was skeptical when I went in, I came out fucking astonished.

Shadow of the Colossus is a game with 16 boss encounters, and that’s it. Bam, done. That made a lot of people worried that the game was going to be, well, not good. Though the game is pretty short, the 16 boss fights through the game are exhilarating and will amaze you every time you fight one. But you play as a kid named Wander, and he brings his fallen love Mono who has tragically been taken from life, to a forbidden land that is said to be never trespassed onto. Wander brings Mono to a shrine in the middle of the land in order to revive her, but the god of the land will only revive her if Wander finds and murders all 16 Colossi scattered throughout the land, so you set off to do just that.

Most Colossi are mountainous in height, and usually take a great deal of time to scale them and find their weak spot. The Colossi arrange from human shaped monsters, and animalistic creatures, to sea serpents. They are mostly gigantic, but all are fun as hell to defeat. The Colossi have fur in areas of their body, and what you must do if find the spot to climb, climb to their weak spot, and stab it with you sword to finish them off. Sometime you have to climb on their beard, sometimes you have to jump on them from another structure, while some have to killed in a completely unique way. All 16, and I mean all 16 Colossi are fun to beat, even though some might take longer than expected.

One of the best features about Shadow of the Colossus is its overworld, which is absolutely massive. The land is filled with mountains, shrines, forests, deserts, and fortresses. Finding some Colossi can take a pretty long time, and some of them are in a giant lake, or in a giant structure. Luckily the game has a horse to ride on, Agro, that can run very fast, so traversing the land isn’t as time consuming as say the Wind Waker. The land is also very atmospheric hearing the wind blow by, and the massive wastelands that surround you that are crawling with 16 massive monsters that you have to slain.

The visuals and the audio in Shadow of the Colossus were really astonishing for a 3 year old PlayStation 2 game. The graphics were smooth, the draw distance was spectacular, the Colossi looked incredible, and the only part that wasn’t 100% was the frame-rate, which skipped in heavy situations (just think of what this game could’ve been like in HD). The soundtrack was absolutely phenomenal, moody and creepy tunes played while you tried to get on top of the Colossi, then an epic tune would play while you’re slaying it. It really just tied the whole incredible package into one amazing, incredible, fantastic, mind blowing experience.

Shadow of the Colossus is one of the favorite game ever, even though I played it 3 years too late. After playing games in HD, the game looked very dated at first, but after I got passed the dated visuals, the game I played was an absolute blast to play, from beginning to end. The Colossi were an absolute epic battle to defeat, the overworld was massive and atmospheric, and the whole game was just fantastic. I would definitely suggest this game to anyone that likes the action adventure genre, though the game isn’t for everyone. But, it’s definitely my cup of tea, and it’s my 13th favorite game of all time.

12. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN)

Charm is one of the very greatest qualities a video game can have. People may think that the charm of a game is over rated, but charm in games like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door however, makes the game what it is. What it is, is a fantastic Role Playing Game that is a true successor to the ingenious Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64, and is just as fun through and through. I was waiting for this game for a very long time, and it definitely lived up to my expectations, but maybe even a little more.

A lot of gamers think that the Paper Mario series is too soft, too easy, and too charming. They’re the gamers that grind out 100 hours of each of their precious Final Fantasy games and never really gave the franchise a good run through. If you have ever played a Paper Mario past the first 3 chapters, you’ll know what I’m talking about, but if you’re the kind of person that discarded it near the beginning, you missed out on what I think is one of the greatest Gamecube games, and my 12th favorite game.

The concept is actually pretty clever, you play as Mario, but instead of polygons, characters are paper sprites that walk, turn, and do everything like a piece of paper. Aside from the charming visuals comes the incredibly fun and addicting gameplay that is part platformer, part RPG. You walk around the environments as Mario with one of his partners like a platformer jumping up on pipes, talking to other character around towns, and actually feels pretty good overall. Mario can get attacked by enemies, and when this happens, a separate battle take place on stage being watch by audiences that can arrange from few, to many. It’s a turn based RPG, so after Mario and his partner attack, then your opponents have a turn back.

If you thought the first game’s story was clever and funny, then you’re all set for the Thousand Year Door. It has another good story, hilarious characters and funny moments, and it also has a good set of chapters to boot. The first chapter may seem similar to the first on the first game, but the rest seem pretty different that it actually feels like a totally new and original game. The 3rd chapter in the Thousand Year Door, for example, is the best chapter in the history of Paper Mario. You, Mario, are taken to a floating island in the sky called Glitzville, where you fight to earn up the ranks, kind of like boxing. It has the gritty atmosphere like boxers went through back in the day with the commissioner being smart with money, but is a douche. 

What evolved from the first Paper Mario to the second, The Thousand Year Door, was the crowd mechanic. What the crowd does effects how much star power you gain for your special attacks you gain by beating each chapter (like the first Paper Mario). But unlike the first game, the more stylish your moves are, the more crowd cheers you get, resulting in more star power. The crowd can also sometimes hold items like a mushroom that will heal you, or a pebble that will hurt you. If Mario hits a jackpot, the crowd will fill the seats, and give you more star power as turn pass by.

But the other major factor of the jump from the Nintendo 64 to the Gamecube was the polish of the game. The Thousand Year Door is just a beautiful game, it looks as sharp as a knife, and it sounds nice on the ears with a very memorable soundtrack at every possible situation. The animations of the sprites are seamless, the ugly blocky looking edges of the sprites are gone, and the cool 2D to 3D effects are here and better than ever. Paper Mario 2 really has some incredible polish through and through, and is easily one of the nicest looking and sounding games on the Gamecube.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is one of the most charming game I have ever played, and the upgraded visuals, and clever mechanics really end up making it a true sequel to the first Paper Mario. The game was polished quite nicely, the story is engaging enough to keep you going, and the gameplay is as addictive as ever. Like I said before, some people just don’t like the Paper Mario series because of its softness (though some parts of Paper Mario 2 are tough), but The Thousand Year Door is easily one of the top tier games on the Gamecube, and is my 12th favorite game of all time.

11. Super Mario 64 (N64)

While games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World defined their respected consoles, Super Mario 64 defined the Nintendo 64 as a real 3D console with beautiful visuals, and great new ways to play. Super Mario 64 kept the old-school style of platforming with familiar characters and enemies, and familiar environments reborn in three dimensions. Super Mario 64 definitely paved the way for 3D Platformers for years to come like Super Mario Bros. did on the NES. Everything about Super Mario 64 was brilliantly done from the tight and responsive controls, to the awesome level design, to the memorable soundtrack, everything was top of the line.

Super Mario 64 was definitely structured a lot differently than the previous Mario games though, but structured in a more non-linear type of way, which ended up being quite intuitive at the time, and still to this very day. Mario 64 had levels which you get to by jumping into a painting hanging on a wall in Princess Peach’s Castle. Each level had 7 stars to choose to try and recover, all having a certain way of getting them. Some would have you defeat a boss, while some had you scale a mountain, and some had you break the leash of a Chain Chomp, while also getting a star for collecting 100 coins scattered throughout each stage.

The awesome non-linear part about the game instead of beating a level to get to the next, all you had to do was collect a certain amount of Stars to access new levels, and you would need a certain amount of Stars to fight Bowser which would unlock new areas in the Castle like the basement, or the backyard. You could get 2 stars in one level, then go on to another and collect a bunch more. Super Mario 64 had 120 Stars to collect in total, and though you only needed 80 to fight Bowser one last time, it was still fun to come back and try to collect the rest.

The greatest part of the game was the level designs, which all seemed like a transformation of past Mario stages done in 3D, and designed specifically for collecting stars. You’d go to regulars like a Mushroom Kingdom full with green grass, Goombas and Koopas, while also going to new areas like the Wet Dry World. Some levels were completely insane like the Tick Tock Clock that had you enter at different times for the insides of the Clock to be faster, or slower, depending on which time you entered at. It was a giant landmark in terms of level designs in a video game, and it still shines as one of my favorite to date (I especially like Tick Tock Clock).

The controls were perfect. Mario controlled brilliantly, with no weird throw-ins or anything, the controls were tight and responsive. It was especially mesmerizing using the analog stick to control Mario for the first time in three dimensions. It worked extremely well, and though the camera sometimes didn’t work out as well as it could have, the four C-Buttons definitely took care of any hassle. The Z trigger on the underside of the controller really worked well as the duck buttons for doing high jumps and long jumps in quick motions. Mario also had an attack with the B button for punching, but he could mostly jump on top of enemies to dispose of them anyways.

Visually Super Mario 64 was a great feat in 1996 while games were still being released for the SEGA Genesis. The 3D models of Mario, Peach, Bowser, and enemies like Goombas, Koopas, and Chain Chomps were surprisingly great looking, and really impressive overall. The level design while being fun, also looked incredible to boot with beautiful colours filling the screen and cool effects like swimmable water and nice fire effects. The same thing can be said for the fantastic soundtrack that is definitely the best seen in a Super Mario game yet. Every level has a nice tune, while some have some clever ones that you never knew could exist. The sound effects are just like they’re supposed to be, only better then you’d first think, and overall the audio is great.

Super Mario 64 was the epitome of 3D games in 1996, and was one of the greatest Super Mario games to ever hit the video game market. The game had brilliant implementation of the Nintendo 64’s controller while also having brilliant level designs and beautiful visuals to boot. Super Mario 64 paved the way for how the next batch of platformers had to play, and really showed that Nintendo could still evolve the market without completely destroying it. Super Mario 64 can be picked up on Nintendo Wii’s virtual console, so I suggest giving it a pick-up if you don’t already own this masterpiece.

20. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)

SEGA had a really major franchise beginning with the first Sonic the Hedgehog, and though it wasn’t amazing, it was pretty damn good. It had great speed, good level design, and it was a pretty good game overall. But SEGA really outdid themselves with the next installment. Everything was better about it. The graphics were enhanced, the soundtrack was even more memorable, the game was longer, and just about everything else about the game as just more fun, and this is why it sits at number 20 on my all time list of best games.

But Sonic 2 didn’t just beat the first Sonic in every category imaginably, Sonic 2 absolutely destroyed it. The first Sonic had a great sense of speed, but it was even more noticeable in the second game, making every level more and more fun to play. Sonic 2’s enemies were some of the best seen in the series even up to this very day, and got rid of some annoying moments like the 3 act stages. Sonic 2 also had a major upgrade in boss fights, every boss was fun, never a chore.

The level design is what really brought the second Sonic game to the AAA tier of games. Every level was unique, some would take you through a Casino, while some had you going through an oil factory. But what made the level design even more impressive was the visuals, and the major upgrade from the first Sonic game. The background had more colour to them while the foreground had lots of moving objects, colourful art, and just visually impressive all around.

Putting all of the major elements of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in to one pot really sums up how good the game is. The level design is still the best seen in a Sonic game to date, the gameplay is still fast and furious, the soundtrack and sound effects are still memorable plus sound awesome, and the visuals are a huge step above SEGA Genesis games at the time. Sonic 2 is definitely one of the best platformers ever to be released, and I would suggest it to anyone, including the non-gamers out there.

Though the stealth action adventure games aren’t very frequent anymore, nor are any of them good, they were a lot of them back in the day that really stood out of the pack. Included in this list was one of Konami’s growing franchises, Metal Gear Solid. Metal Gear Solid sticks out to me as one of the best video game stories ever. It had drama, very intense and cinematic moments, and it also had a lot of those heart stopping moments of sneaking around without anyone seeing you. This is why Metal Gear Solid is so good, and this is why it’s number 19 of this list.

One of the best things about the first Metal Gear Solid game was its presentation. Right off the bat your put into action having to sneak around while trying to hide from guards while the game looked beautiful, and presented itself like a movie with credits rolling while you played the game. Metal Gear Solid also had some pretty deep cutscenes and codec conversations that always keep you intrigued and interested on what’s going to happen to Solid Snake next.

Another thing that kept Metal Gear Solid high up on the AAA shelf was the superb voice acting, not seen as much during its time. Not only did it havevoice acting, but it had absolutely outstanding voice acting, still good in today’s standards. Snake voiced by David Hayter was flawless, while all of the other supporting rolls were done very well too. The soundtrack for Metal Gear Solid was also top notch, there are tons of epic situations that sounded oh-so perfect with every beat. MGS has some of the greatest soundtracks in its franchise’s history, and the first game had some of the best.

But not only were the presentation and sound good, but the game was also fun as hell. You had an arsenal of weapons like a normal silenced pistol, to grenade and rocket launchers. You could sneak through the whole game, or blast you way through, it was all up to you. One of the best parts of the gameplay was its epic boss battles. There are a little more in Metal Gear Solid than seen in other games like it, but all of them were just amazing in every possible way. Some had you sniping through a snowy field, while some had you running around a warehouse setting mines to blow you enemy to smithereens. 

Metal Gear Solid had pretty much every going in 1998. It had incredible graphics, though muddy in situations, it had amazing voice acting, but it also had some very fun moments like the incredibly epic boss battles. The game also presented itself like a movie, and turned out pretty much like it was supposed to. You’ll never be bored during Metal Gear Solid, it was made to be an epic game with an amazing deep story and fun gameplay, and it hit its mark perfectly.

It’s been a tough couple of years for Nintendo fans. Sure, the Wii has had a ton of success, but the hardcore group that has stood by Nintendo has had to suffer through disappointment after disappointment from Nintendo’s latest console. Sure, there were some decent games leading up to Galaxy like a port of Resident Evil 4, and Metroid Prime 3, but after I got my hands on Super Mario Galaxy and see what the Wii is capable of, I can’t see other games the same way again. Not only is Galaxy by far the best on the Wii, but its also one of the best Mario games to ever hit the market, and my 18th favorite game of all time.

Mario Galaxy really is an odd game. It goes into space without any gear (all is forgiven, it’s Mario we’re talking about here), but the result isn’t anything short of jaw-dropping. The gravity physics are some of the best I’ve seen in my entire life. Mario can stick to planets, and when he tries to jump off, the gravity slowly pulls him back and looks and feels amazing. Some of the more small planets can be jumped off and onto other planets as well, and it all feels totally natural. Some of planets can actually jumped across if done right, with a long-jump that everyone has come accustom to.

But even with the great physics there still had to be some good level design to be fun right? You bet your ass. Not only does Mario Galaxy have some of the best level designs seen in a Mario game, it has some of the best ever. Every level has a unique theme to it, and while not all of the stages aren’t necessarily in space, all are awesome in their own unique way. Some have you jumping from flowers into a gust of wind while some have you jumping from a giant pill and onto a larger planet with enemies on it.

If you’re wondering, Galaxy also features the enemies and power-ups you’ve come to expect, and maybe more than you first thought it would have. Goombas, Koopas, Bullet Bills, and other famous Mario enemies return, as well as some other not-so-favorite enemies like Bowser Jr. Galaxy also features a wide variety of power-ups like a Fire Flower, and Flying Cap, while also featuring new power-ups like a Bee Mario that can fly like a bee, and Boo Mario that can go through walls.

One of the major elements of Super Mario Galaxy are ridiculously good looking visuals, combined with an incredible orchestrated soundtrack. The visuals are easily the best on the Wii, there are nice bloom effects everywhere as well as everything being polished with great textures, nice fur effects, and amazing physics. The soundtrack also is incredibly “Marioy” with all of the classic tunes redone with modern technology and new tunes that will still sound amazing, even to the virgin ears.

But to say anything but amazing when talking about Super Mario Galaxy is an under-statement. It has incredible great level design with gorgeous graphics and an amazing soundtrack. The true Super Mario gameplay is still here and as perfect as ever, and pretty much everything else about the game is near perfect. The only downfalls are its length, and some stupid power-ups here and there, but it is truly a fantastic game. If you like Mario games, do yourself a favor and pick this game up. It’s worthy of a purchase, no doubt, but also worthy of the $250 on a Wii, for sure.

After the incredible first 3D Metal Gear game on the PlayStation 1, no one knew what could be done on a higher generation console. When Konami first showed off Metal Gear Solid 2 for the PlayStation 2, people’s jaws not only dropped, but they dropped through the damn floor. Metal Gear Solid 2 looked amazing, it had totally enhanced graphics that weren’t muddy and ugly looking while also having new awesome gameplay elements like first-person shooting. It was a giant leap forward, and the end result is my 17th favorite game of all time.

Metal Gear Solid 2 is just an amazing game, but lots of players didn’t take it the way it was intended because of one of the primary character of the game, and that character is Raiden. Raiden is a women-looking male who has a girly voice, and doesn’t suit the game’s badass vibe. The other disappointing part about her... *cough* I mean him, is that 3 quarters of the game has you playing as Raiden, and only 1 quarter with Solid Snake. The game makes you think that the game is going to be badass throughout when you start out as Snake, but eventually Raiden will turn into the main character.

But even with the main character being Raiden, the gameplay still remained nearly untouched from the Solid Snake parts, and ends up being awesome anyways. Snake’s part is a tanker where you infiltrate to find the new Metal Gear named Ray, while you play as Raiden to infiltrate a Plant in the middle of the ocean. Both are fun, and the Plant is especially lengthy, which made the game more and more fun as you progressed through it. Raiden’s attacks and rolls are a little different from Snake’s, but they both played nearly identical.

But additions to the new Metal Gear Solid formula came with great improvements. The new controls with the PlayStation 2 having pressure sensitive buttons allowed the L2 and R2 buttons to be held to switch weapons or items, or tapping them to un-equip them on the fly instead of using the L1 and R1 buttons which are now to aim in first-person mode. The first person mode really allowed for more strategic ways of going through rooms and other places because you could see your surroundings a lot better, and it was a lot easier to hit enemies in a certain body part like the head, or yes, the crotch.

All of the famous Metal Gear Solid gameplay options were added to Sons of Liberty like epic boss fights, and long but interesting cutscenes. The story especially is again fantastic in MGS2, but this time really difficult to understand. The soundtrack is also epic and heart-pumping while also being heartwarming and beautiful in other situations. The graphics were especially amazing for the time because the first Metal Gear Solid came out only 3 years previous and difference in the presentation to both games were night and day.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is easily one of the greatest PlayStation 2 games ever made, and it really showed people what the PlayStation 2 is capable of. The game had some amazing graphics, it had an great soundtrack, but it kept the great Metal Gear Solid themes like an amazing story with great cutscenes to back it up, while also having the great sneaking gameplay you’d come to expect. Metal Gear Solid 2, though it’s not the best Metal Gear Solid game in the series, is still one of the greatest games I have ever play, and is my 17th favorite of all time.

I’m not a big sucker for RPG’s, so when I first heard of Mass Effect, an epic action-RPG from BioWare, I wasn’t sucked into the hype. Sure, it sounded fun, but I wasn’t in to the whole game overall. But what I bought that day on November 20th really caught me by surprise, because what I got not only looked and sounded awesome, but just the sheer amount of fun you get out of this game was almost not matched in 2007. I’m not a sucker for RPG’s, but Mass Effect absolutely sucked me in, hard.

Usually when a developer says their game is giant, I take it with a grain of salt, because like Twilight Princess, it’s usually never true. Mass Effect however is absolutely huge, there are tons of planets to explore while the important planets are also pretty decent in size. But what it all comes down to is that the game has to be fun, no matter how big the game is, but Mass Effect nailed the fun part, and the scope of the universe only made the game better from any standpoint.

Mass Effect plays like a 3rd-Person Shooter. The camera is locked behind Commander Shepard (that your character’s name - boy or girl) when you’re shooting, but is free when not in combat. You have 4 kinds of weapons (pistol, assault rifle, sniper rifle, and shotgun), but depending on what class you choose at the beginning of the game, you can also have different powers like Lift which lift your enemies into the air, or Overload which will hit your opponents with a strong blast. Picking a certain class can be tough, but I ended up using my guns more than my powers, so a soldier class best suited me.

One of the biggest ‘wow’ moments Mass Effect come from the interactive dialog trees that the game is absolutely filled with. Talking to specific (not all sadly) people, or beings, will trigger a conversation that can be different every time, depending on what you say. Usually there are 3 things to say for every part, one that’s nice, one that’s mean, and one that’s neutral. Depending what you say will usually have an effect on some parts of the game, and how much Paragon or Renegade points you. Eventually when you have enough of either points, you can tell people to “Fuck Off” in gentle, or mean ways, it’s very fun.

On a technical standpoint, Mass Effect is awesome. It has incredible graphics, especially running in 720p, but turning off the default grain effect makes the game look a lot better. The game also has some nice motion blur, but some annoying little bits like textures loading in late which can make cutscenes terrible in situations. The soundtrack is also really good consisting of nothing expect epic tunes that will suit the mood in every situation. The voice acting, above all else, is THE thing to be amazed about in Mass Effect. Every piece of dialog from the opening scene with Seth Green, to the ending scene of the game, every single bit of the game has incredibly deep voice acting, and is honestly the best voice acting in any game, ever.

Mass Effect was an amazing experience overall. It had one of the greatest stories ever, some of the best dialog ever seen a video game, and it was also a beautiful game with a brilliant soundtrack and really fun gameplay. There were barely anything wrong with the game, sometimes the textures would pop in, and the gameplay was occasional buggy, but the overall game was absolutely amazing from start to finish. If you have an Xbox 360 or a good PC, I would definitely suggest this game, because not only is it fantastic, it’s my 16th favorite game of all time.

25. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)

A Zelda game that could surpass Ocarina of Time was a hefty feat, and though Majora’s Mask did not live up the unreachable expectation, it is still a pretty amazing game, from start to finish. Nintendo not only tried to flip the franchise around, they absolutely succeeded, and the outcome was clever, but not nearly as fun as past games. You still have the majority of the game being similar, but instead of dungeons progression with the number being around 7 or so, Majora’s Mask has 4 main dungeons, but tons of side quests.

Majora’s Mask’s story however, is still the best of the series, no doubt in my mind. Instead of the whole, Link saves Zelda from Ganon type of deal, Nintendo totally mixed up the formula, and ends up being one of the best Zelda stories to date. When you start the game, Link is riding Epona to try and find Navi, his missing fairy from Ocarina of Time. Epona gets startled, and knocks Link right off his back, knocking Link out cold, and while knocked out, a little child with a weird mask on his face steals Link’s Ocarina.

From there, Link eventually gets his Ocarina back, but the game has only begun after that. The moon is falling from the sky ever so slightly, and Link has 3 full days to beat all 4 dungeons and stop the kid responsible: Majora. But the game forces you to be quick, because you have to beat each dungeon in a time limit, and if you don’t get it done, the town will be crushed by the moon, and Link will ultimately fail. Luckily, if Link plays the song of time, time will reverse to the dawn of the first day with nothing in his pocket besides his major items like swords, shields, and items.

The game’s biggest flaw is the 3 day limit, and though it can be slowed down to half the speed, it’s still pretty difficult to accomplish. It really turned off a lot of gamers and critics alike, and overall got a lower reputation that the game that preceded it. Still, Majora’s Mask didn’t change the formula too much in terms of gameplay. You’ll find a lot of the same enemies, with some new ones here and the there. Termina is a lot different from Hyrule though, but different in a totally good way.

Visually, Majora’s Mask was one of the top tier looking games of the generation, and it had another amazing soundtrack to boot. It took everything that made Ocarina of Time special, kept it, but evolved the genre to go to places never seen before in an action adventure game, let alone a Zelda game. It’s too bad lots of fans of the series skipped it because of its basic idea, but I highly suggest to anyone that has liked a Zelda game to try it out. It’s harder than most Nintendo games, but should be tried by anyone anyways. Majora’s Mask is an amazing game, and is my 25th favorite game ever made.

24. Rock Band (X360, PS3)

I was never into the whole Guitar Hero craze. Sure, I thought the games were fun, but they weren’t amazing me like it was with other people. But my opinion on the second Guitar Hero is very strong considering I have played the game one time. Still, I bought Guitar Hero III, and I still didn’t think it was that amazing. But when Harmonix split, and decided to go a whole new way, I was interested. And when they finally announced that the new game, Rock Band, would not only a guitar and bass, but drums and vocals as well, I was stoked, and couldn’t wait.

Even though I had to wait to the early goings of 2008 to actually first play the game, when I first started wailing on the drums like a Rock Star, I knew I was experiencing something special. But the drums weren’t the thing that really sealed the deal for Rock Band however, because playing the game with a bunch of other people on one band is where the real magic happened, and is one of the best multiplayer experiences I have ever had. But what made the multiplayer so special was the Band World Tour mode that had your band doing gigs to gain more and more fans to ultimately be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The songs selection for Rock Band was one of the best seen in a rhythm game. With bands like Nirvana, The Who, Iron Maiden, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Boston, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, and much, much more, the selection covered a wide variety of difficulties, and a wide array of genres. What made the game just that much better was the ability to buy songs online on the Xbox 360 and PS3 to have an unlimited amount of songs to choose from, including some free bonus songs along the way.

Rock Band really appealed to me from the very beginning. Though the guitar parts of the game aren’t nearly as polished as the Guitar Hero charts, and the Vocals could definitely be a bit tighter, adding them all together with the drums and bass made the whole game just a blast to play. The drums are especially the biggest selling point of the game to me, and since I started on medium on day one, I have gotten past all of the songs on Expert (including Run to the Hills and Wont Get Fooled Again), and I can safely say that I am an Expert at the drums.

But all I can say about Rock Band is that it’s my favorite music game ever made, and I enjoy the hell out of it, even to this very day. I literally play the game every single day, toning my drums skills, and trying to beat my own scores for the worldwide Leaderboards (currently 75th on Rock and Roll Star!). Rock Band is the pinnacle game for local cooperative multiplayer, and if you still haven’t tried the game, I highly suggest it to anyone that loves music, and anyone that loves video games. Rock Band is my 24th favorite game ever to be released.

For Rock Band, I’m strictly talking about the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 versions because of the Band World Tour Mode, Customizable Characters, Downloadable Content, and the HD Graphics that both the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions do not have.

23. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)

When Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 was released in the late goings of the Nintendo 64, it was a hit. I loved Smash Bros., it had a great charm to it, and it is one of the best games I go back to for nostalgic reasons. But the sequel was made and released only 2 years later, and could it stand up to the allure that the first game had? The short answer is yes, oh yes, because Super Smash Bros. not only became one of my most favorite games of all time, but it stands as the greatest fighting game I have ever played.

Some people will turn they attention elsewhere after reading the above paragraph, but I simply have never played a better fighting game that has had more effect on my life than Super Smash Bros. Melee. Pitting Nintendo characters up against each other doesn’t sound like a very great idea on paper, but after Smash Bros. proved it could be done, Melee showed that it can be done very, very well. The fighting engine was fascinating in the first Smash Bros., it was unique as hell, but it was also fun as grass is green, and Melee not only improved the formula, but absolutely perfected it, and is used across the globe as a real tournament hotspot for competitive video gaming.

The game is like the first game in the series, but with added content, a better more realistic look, and just an overall better presentation. The menus were far more slick, the graphics were enhanced dramatically, and the character roster was doubled. The Nintendo lovables returned like Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikachu, and Donkey Kong, but after the basics were added in the first game, the more in depth characters were added afterwards. Bowser, Peach, Zelda, Ganondorf, Falco, and Mewtwo were added as well as new franchises to the series like the Ice Climbers, Mr. Game & Watch, and the two Fire Emblem characters, Marth and Roy, which first introduced the North American audience to the Fire Emblem franchise.

Melee introduced a ton of new game modes, a ton of new stages, and just a ton of great content, mixed with awesome visual, and an amazing soundtrack. Melee is easily one of the best games of the amazing year that was 2001, and Melee is easily one of my favorite games of all time. The fighting engine had me hooked for years, the visuals only recently got dated, the soundtrack is still one of the best ever, and the overall game just amazes me every time I think about it. If you love fighting game, pick this animal up, you wont regret it, I assure. It has great value, even for a game with absolutely no online. Super Smash Bros. Melee is my 23rd favorite game of all damn time.

22. Gears of War (X360, PC)

Gears of War was the big game for Microsoft’s console in 2006, it was its killer app, and though it wasn’t Bungie, Epic Games still made not only a pretty damn good game, but a freaking amazing game. Gears of War is a 3rd-Person shooting game with a pretty good single player campaign that can be played not only in single player, but in on co-op as well. The cooperative campaign is Gears of War was brilliantly done, and I wouldn’t want to play the game any other way. The cooperative campaign also made the game what it is, and without it, the game wouldn’t have been as good.

But what made the campaign so good you ask? Well, if shooting Locust with your friends wasn’t enough, the ways to get to different areas, like splitting apart, letting someone use a valve so you can get to the next area and vice-versa really made it fun, but adding this in with a great cover and shooting mechanic made it amazing. Gears of War really stressed the idea of taking cover before shooting, and it was a necessity in every difficulty level. Almost anything in the environment can be hidden behind, and shooting is as easy as holding the left trigger to aim, and the right trigger to shoot.

The campaign features a story, but it’s not the reason why you’d play. But the game also feature a somewhat-robust online multiplayer mode, but ends up a disappointment overall. It takes a lot of shots to kill someone, and even if you shoot them enough, you have to run up to them and finish them off. The modes were also scarce, and usually they were 3 on 3, never all for one and one for all. Still, it was blast to play, even though it’s definitely not as deep as something like Halo or Call of Duty.

The best part of the game has to be its graphics though, because Gears of War is easily the best looking game I have ever played. Gears of War’s visuals are just an example of what HD graphics look like, and it couldn’t look better. The models are detailed as ever, the draw distance is just amazing, and the effects are perfect. The only weird part of the visuals are the colours, grey is the most predominant colour, and the others are barely used, like red for blood. Still, just looking at the game in motion is just a treat, especially while playing the game in High Definition.

Gears of War, even though it had some faults, is still one of my favorite games of all time, and easily stands as my 22nd favorite game of all time. It has the best graphics I’ve ever seen, it has an amazing cooperative campaign (a good single player one to boot), and it also had fun online modes, though they were shallow. You may wonder, this game doesn’t sound amazing, I faulted the online play, the colour scale of the visuals, and the single player campaign, but it doesn’t change the fact that once you start playing, you wont want to stop.

21. Super Mario World (SNES)

A lot of people hail Super Mario Bros. 3 the greatest Mario game ever made, saying that it had the best overworld, the best stages, and the best power-ups of the series. Though I think Super Mario Bros. 3 is a fantastic game, I believe that the next step in the franchise was not only better, but one of the best Mario games ever to be released on any console, ever. It had amazing visuals that were smooth, colourful, and above all else, clear. It was amazing to watch the game in action for the first time, it was really a site to behold. Mixing the visuals with the amazing sound and the classic Mario gameplay really ended up being fantastic overall.

One of the biggest gameplay additions was the ability to hop on Mario’s new sidekick, Yoshi, and take him for a ride, sort of like a power-up. Yoshi could eat enemies, he could jump high, and he could stretch his tongue out for extra length. Super Mario World gave birth to the Yoshi character, and really jump started it for what it is today. But Super Mario World played extremely similar to the past three NES Mario Bros. games, but modernized for the 16-Bit era. Mario could soar and fly into the air with his Cape, he could swim underwater, climb on clouds, and shoot fireballs.

The level design and the overworld map was really a site to behold however, because it was amazing for its time. There was tons and tons of levels with multiple ways of beating them for multiple ways of exploring the overworld. At some instances, you could go underwater, or you could go around the lake visiting a Haunted House on the way. The overworld was lush and colourful while also having a very catchy tune. The soundtrack also made Super Mario World special, because it was kick ass.

Super Mario World will always be in my heart as one of the best platforming games ever, and one of the best Mario games ever to be released. It had the old-school platforming from the past game perfected, while also introduced new gameplay elements like Yoshi and the Cape. It had an unbelievable overworld that looked beautiful, as the whole game did, as well as a great soundtrack, which yes, the rest of the game did too. Super Mario World is my 21st favorite game of all time.

30. Okami (PS2, Wii)

Okami, in 2006, was considered the best game of the year, and though I never played it at the time, calling it better than the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess made me ridiculously angry. But after I finally played it for the first time on the Wii in 2008, people can finally take my opinion for more than a grain of salt. But what I ended up playing was not only better than Twilight Princess, but it ended up being one of my favorite games ever made.

Okami is a water painting come to life. It is literally a work of art from just the visuals themselves. Okami using the beautiful cel-shading visuals like in the Wind Waker. It does get a little confusing looking at certain points of the game, but Okami is easily one of the best looking game ever made, in terms of artistic design. The game also has a ridiculously amazing soundtrack to boot. No voice acting sadly, but the fantastic soundtrack makes up for it.

Okami is essentially a Zelda game made by Capcom, but not only did they master the kind of adventure Zelda games made famous, but they perfected it to make a monster of a game that can take people more than 40 hours to complete, never being bored at any part of the game. It has clever level design, a beautiful and gigantic world to explore, and a great sense of humor. Okami is an amazing game, and is my 30th best game I have ever played.

29. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)

Though the Castlevania franchise has been terribly hard in many of the games, the platforming and action is top notch. Symphony of the Night took the great 2D platforming and action made famous in the previous titles, and totally revolutionized it. Instead of the normal level progression of past games, they switched the whole game to take place in one gigantic castle. What it came out to be was a magnificent game from start to finish, that is my 29th favorite game of all time.

What made Symphony of the Night so special is that Konami made a new Castlevania title for the new generation of consoles, keeping the gameplay that made the past games special, but making it more of an adventure game instead of a action-platformer. Exploring the massive castle is truly fun, and having a trusty map at your disposal is a giant plus that makes exploring a blast. Everywhere you explore adds more and more to the massive map, and eventually you’ll find more and more shortcuts to find your way around. penus

Another major improvement was the technical aspects of the game since its new to the 3D generation. The game is still 2D for the most part, but there are lots of 3D effects thrown in to make things interesting while also keeping the 2D parts as beautiful as ever. The soundtrack was also atmospheric and some of the areas of the castle are some of the most memorable tracks I’ve ever heard.

If you’re an old school Castlevania fan, you don’t have to worry, the game is blast to play, is hard, and has some great boss fights. Everything about the game is amazing, and if you want to put yourself through the agony of the trying to complete this beast, then by all means, go right ahead, I highly suggest it. It could have had a bigger impact if it was fully 3D, but still on a 2D view, but the overall game is still fantastic and is Link Kid’s 29th favorite game of all time.

28. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (X360, PC)

I never played an Elder Scrolls game before the fourth installment of the series, Oblivion. As saddening as that is, it doesn’t change the fact that I absolutely loved Oblivion, and I think it’s not only one of the favorite games of all time, but also my favorite game of 2006. It’s a pretty massive game from to bottom, and if you’re no familiar with the type of game it is, you’ll be very confused right off the bat, and oh gosh, I was. But after you get used to the game, and how to travel, it becomes a blast to play.

Oblivion plays like an action adventure game with a giant world to explore and dungeons to crawl through, but it has a lot of customization options that really make it end up being an RPG. But the combat is nothing to be saddened about though, because even though its not very deep, it’s fun to play, and that’s what games aren’t meant to be right? But Oblivion is not thin by any means, it’s a very thick and deep game with tons of the sidequests to take part in, while also taking part in the main story line.

The only major gripe is the confusion on what to do half the time, but once you figure out how to use fast travel on the map, and also learn how to navigate through your journal that keeps all of the your current quests in, it becomes a lot easier to understand. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is not a game I can suggest to anyone, a lot of people wont understand what to do, and how to do it. I do recommend this game to Action Adventure and RPG fans though, but it’s the two genres mixed into one, and is my 28th favorite game ever.

27. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X360, PS3, PC)

Infinity Ward was the team responsible for the 2 best World War 2 shooters, Call of Duty, and Call of Duty 2. But Call of Duty 3 was then given to Treyarch to complete, so Infinity Ward could then go back and create the next Call of Duty, which ended up being one of the greatest shooters of all time: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Not only did they perfect the dual analog stick control, they made the game one of the best visual games ever to hit consoles, and it also has an online community that is rarely matched by Halo or Grand Theft Auto.

Call of Duty 4’s single player campaign is pure genius with great action, awesome in-game cutscenes as well some pretty emotional moments. It really took the shooter genre to a whole new limit wit the amount of things happening on screen, and also what you could do yourself in every situation. The campaign did end short, which is the most disappointing part of the game, but everything you do in the short time you play is simply amazing.

But what made up the bulk of the game was the online play which dare I say is better then Halo 3’s. Call of Duty 4 added a perk systems which allows you to customize your character by adding different enhancements like being able to carry more grenades, or increasing your weapon damage. What the coolest thing about it is that no one’s two perks will be the same, there are so many to choose from, and they’re all pretty balanced to boot.

The gameplay is the same old Call of Duty in terms of control and how you aim your gun, but it’s still one of the best shooters ever made with all of the great enhancements like the brilliant online modes and the kick ass, but short campaign. But the fact still remains that I would easily play this game over Halo 3, especially the online, and to say anything that makes Halo 3 better than Call of Duty 4 is just plain wrong. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is my 27th favorite game of all time.

26. Super Metroid (SNES)

Playing games late is never a good idea, especially after 14 years, but I finally got my hands on the Virtual Console of Super Metroid in 2008, and I loved the hell out of it. Super Metroid is considered to be the best Metroid game in the franchise, but though I don’t agree, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s absolutely amazing from start to finish. It’s an action game with guns-a-blazin’, with a very adventurous feel by all of the platforming an exploring you do throughout the entire game. Super Metroid is one of the best games of 1994, which was full of amazing titles.

Since it’s an action platformer, it will feel nothing like a normal platforming, like a Mario or a Sonic. Super Metroid’s world is free roaming, with no level progression like in a standard platformer. Instead, you play as Samus as she roams the world searching for answers with her trusty arm cannon. The game’s enemies are very unique and instead of jumping on them, the idea is to shoot them by aiming with the D-Pad, and shooting with one of the face buttons. Samus also collects different types of weapons and can be switched with the Select button.

Once you first start playing Super Metroid, it’ll feel very atmospheric, and there’s a huge sense of seclusion. You wont meet any different humans, or friendly

beasts (well, a very little amount). All of the creatures that inhabit the land are your enemies, which makes the game that much more atmospheric, and well, awesome. Getting through the game is a lot harder than a normal platformer, and what makes it so difficult is the lack of communication with anything. If you’re stuck, you’ll have to find out what to do yourself, the game will never tell you.

Super Metroid really defined the Super Nintendo. It had amazing visuals, a great and atmospheric soundtrack, with well crafted gameplay as well. It is easily on the best of 1994, one of the best of the Super Nintendo, and one of the best of the generation. It’s too bad I played the game so late, I really wish I played it in 1994 (though I would be 5 years old), but even playing it 14 years later and still loving it really tells you how timeless Super Metroid really is. It’s on the Virtual Console for 800 points, do yourself and favor and pick it up. Super Metroid is a blast, and is my 26th favorite game of all time.