The Other Pro Skater

Game: skate.
System: Xbox 360
Release date: September 14, 2007
Developed by: Electronic Arts
Published by: Electronic Arts

For nearly a decade the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise dominated all skateboarding video games with very little competition. Beginning in 2007 however, with the release of skate., Electronic Arts' answer to Activision's juggernaut, the market for skating games became much more contested. skate., sometimes marketed as the "anti-Tony Hawk," outsold its seventh-generation counterpart, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, by a ratio of nearly two to one. No longer does Activision have a monopoly on skateboarding video games. skate. is here, and here to stay; two sequels were released in 2009 and 2010.

skate. takes place in the fictional town of San Vanelona, where players control a custom-made amateur skater with hopes of reaching the pro level. Through the city, players can participate in a variety of events: filming challenges, where players complete a line of tricks for promotional purposes; "own the spot" challenges, where players challenge veteran skaters on their home turf; and many more. Skating challenges, along with other important landmarks, are located on an onscreen mini-map.


Nothing listed above is especially new or noteworthy. Where skate. makes its mark is in its control scheme. Unlike other skateboarding games (including Tony Hawk) where players initiate tricks with button presses, players in skate. complete tricks and stunts by pulling and pushing analog sticks. This "flick it" system takes some getting used to for players comfortable with button presses, but the end result is an innovative and intuitive control scheme that gives players a greater sense of control over their avatars and skateboards.

One of the most distressing features in skate. is its ubiquitous product placement and in-game advertising. For example: every time a player encounters a pro skater, an introductory video shows up-close shots of his sneakers, board, wheels, shirt, etc.

Although skate. looks and plays great, its overbearing product placement and steep learning curve keep it from greatness.

Score: 85/100

Hell on Earth

Game: Silent Hill
System: Sony Playstation
Release date: January 31, 1999
Developed by: Konami
Published by: Konami

As painters, playwrights, filmmakers, and camp counselors know all too well, people sometimes enjoyed being frightened, albeit in a somewhat controlled environment. The video game industry, still young compared to literature, fine art, and cinema, was quick to respond to this primal human need to confront its darkest fears, and began to produce scary games accordingly. Capcom has been especially prolific in turning out survival-horror games (Resident Evil) and other horror-themed games (Onimusha, Dead Rising). First-person shooters like F.E.A.R., Prey, DOOM, and Quake have also combined horror, suspense, and action. But of all the scary games released in the last 15 years none is more terrifying than Silent Hill for the Sony Playstation.

Silent Hill is the story of Harry Mason who desperately searches for his missing daughter in the seemingly deserted and terrifying town of Silent Hill. During his search, Harry encounters strange survivors, monsters, and a disturbing nightmare world creeping over everything. The town of Silent Hill is a masterpiece of terror. Harry, throughout the game, inexplicably and suddenly moves between a foggy, abandoned ghost town and an "otherworld," a nightmarish version of Silent Hill covered in blood and rust.


Namco's response to Resident Evil, Silent Hill embraces all of the elements of survival-horror games: a shortage of weapons, ammunition, and health packs; disturbing monsters; puzzle-solving; and plenty of blood and gore. Unlike Resident Evil, however, Silent Hill provides its scares not through visceral action and shocking moments, but through a steady, unbearably suspensful atmosphere of dread. The music and sound effects in Silent Hill only add to this pervasive feeling on the part of the player that something terrible is about to happen.

The greatest drawback of Silent Hill is the fact that players, depending on how well they played through the game, can experience one of four possible endings. This is easily one of my biggest video game pet peeves; there is nothing more frustrating than devoting your time and energy to a game then getting a "bad" ending. Video game players can and should be rewarded with bonus material if they perform some special action(s) in a game, but they should never be punished with a lackluster ending.

Silent Hill was followed by several console and handheld sequels and a major motion picture.

Score: 92/100

Women in Video Games

The conventional wisdom that holds that video games are produced, designed, and played overwhelmingly for and by men is no longer accurate. There is no doubt that the video game industry, still relatively young compared to other artistic and technological media, reveals a historic imbalance between men and women in terms of 1) the people buying video games and 2) the people programming and developing them, but over the past decade the percentage of women playing video games has steadily increased. As of today, about two of every five video game enthusiasts are female; when web-based games are factored in, women slightly outnumber men. How have video game developers responded to this demographic shift in the video game market? The answer is difficult to clearly define, in large part because the business plans of game giants like Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are not easily obtained. There is an abundance of circumstantial evidence that proves developers are producing more and more games with crossover appeal; however, this evidence may simply be the result of technological advances or video game companies’ long-term plans to build a better mousetrap, and only tangentially related to women in the video game market. In any event, not all video game companies are created equal: some, like French giant Ubisoft, have invented strong, independent female protagonists and supporting characters; others, including Capcom, Namco, and Rockstar, continue to portray women as victims, prostitutes, and eye candy. That is not to say that the aforementioned companies produce poor video games or are entirely misogynistic; Capcom’s Resident Evil franchise has a long list of female protagonists, including Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield.

Just as certain developers are more responsive, intentionally or otherwise, to female players, particular genres are better equipped to meet the demand for a more feminist video game experience. Strangely, sexual equality is rarely found in those genres that feature women most prominently: racing and fighting. Included largely to add diversity, women in racing and especially fighting games are often portrayed with little brain power and even less clothing. Leather-bound dominatrix-types are found frequently in modern fighting games, as are bleached-blond bimbos whose enormous breasts would, in a real street-fighting tournament, no doubt be a serious handicap. In the console version of the fighting game Dead or Alive, players have the option to turn on or off “bouncing breasts” in the options menu.

Action-adventure games tend to represent women in a less exploitative way, but there are several notable exceptions, including Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series. Even The Legend of Zelda, the action-adventure franchise par excellence, has struggled with stereotypes: Princess Zelda, for whom the ongoing series is named, was before 1998 mostly a helpless damsel in distress. Many of the finest examples of complex and nuanced heroines belong to long-running franchises, particularly Metroid and Tomb Raider. Now and then an outstanding female protagonist will appear – Jade in Beyond Good & Evil or Joanna Dark in Perfect Dark – but Samus Aran and Lara Croft, who belong to Metroid and Tomb Raider respectively, are unquestionably the queens of the video game industry. And although they are united in terms of longevity and adoration from loyal fan bases, the two characters could not be more different in terms of their sexual symbolism. On one hand, Aran, an intergalactic bounty hunter who does freelance work for the galactic federation, could easily be mistaken for a man; almost totally obscured by a thick, heavy power suit, Aran’s identity is traditionally revealed only at the very end of a Metroid game. Needless to say it came as quite a shock to video game players in 1987 when they finished the original Metroid and discovered the action hero they all assumed was a man was actually a woman. Croft, on the other hand, oozes sexuality. A well-endowed (in both senses of the word) globe-trotting treasure hunter neatly tucked into a form-fitting tank top and shorts, Croft became an instant sex symbol when she debuted in Tomb Raider in 1996. But Tomb Raider and its many sequels are surprisingly non-exploitative; Lara Croft continues to be one of the industry’s greatest heroines, not merely a subject of sex.

Unsurprisingly, those genres that try to recreate real-world situations and those that offer players almost endless customization are the most inclusive in terms of female characters and avatars. Simulation games, like The Sims and Harvest Moon, allow players to manipulate male or female characters and experience lives that are not necessarily defined by traditional gender roles. In recent years, the developers at Victor Interactive Software have released twin versions of Harvest Moon games – one in which players control a male avatar and one in which players control a female avatar. The storyline and trajectory of the games are essentially identical, but the sex of the protagonist is entirely up to the consumer. Even more progressive in terms of sexual freedom are role-playing games (RPGs). Built on the foundation laid by pencil-and-paper role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, video game RPGs are all about choice and customization. In many modern RPGs, players can build their characters from the ground up, including its class, race, attributes, body type, facial features, and sex. In some RPGs, namely those recently developed by BioWare, players also have a degree of control over their character’s sexual orientation. Romantic subplots in Jade Empire and Mass Effect allow the male or female protagonist to enter into a heterosexual or homosexual relationship with non-player characters (NPCs). Even those RPGs that do not allow players to create a custom avatar usually have several female characters to choose from (e.g. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II) or, in the case of series like Final Fantasy, in which players control a group of characters, many complex, powerful, and invaluable female team members. Arguably the two most important characters in Final Fantasy III (Final Fantasy VI in Japan), the best installment of the venerable RPG franchise, are women: Terra and Celes.

As more and more women find jobs in the video game industry and as more women of all ages continue to buy, rent, and download games, the way in which female video game characters are portrayed will surely change for the better. The last ten years have already seen significant changes, particularly in action-adventure, simulation, and role-playing games: Lara Croft has broken from the video game world and grown into a pop culture icon, becoming in 2001 and 2003 the central character in two big-budget Hollywood movies, and a symbol of sexiness, self-confidence, and fearlessness; since 2002, Nintendo and Retro Studios have released seven Metroid games plus another highly-anticipated title due out at the end of the month; and RPG designers continue to push the limits in terms of character creation and development, restricted less by technological boundaries and more by their own imaginations. If the purpose of all art is to tell the truth and to reflect reality in a direct or oblique way – and I believe it is – then video games, in order to stay relevant, will display in their virtual worlds the truth about women: they are neither damsels in distress nor a service industry for men, but, like all of us, capable of anything and everything.

Capital Punishment

Game: The Conduit
System: Nintendo Wii
Release date: June 23, 2009
Developed by: High Voltage Software
Published by: Sega

It's no secret that first-person shooter (FPS) fans have little to celebrate on the Wii; the latest Nintendo console makes its money on action-adventure and platform games and, unfortunately, "shovelware," and either cannot or will not invest in first-party or third-party FPSs. The Conduit, along with earleir games like Red Steel, form the exception to this rule.

Set in Washington, D.C. in the not-too-distant future, The Conduit follows secret agent Michael Ford as he attempts to stop an alien menace called the Drudge from taking over the U.S. capital. Action takes place in several D.C. landmarks, including Reagan National Airport, the Jefferson Memorial, the Library of Congress, the Pentagon, and the White House.


The plot, characters, and voice work in The Conduit are unfortunately rather uninspired, but in a few areas the game shines, namely play control and graphics. The Wii is underpowered compared to its rival systems, but The Conduit makes the most of its processing power to create very vivid landscapes and models. High Voltage Software used a Wii-specific engine called Quantum3 to produce sophisticated graphic effects. The controls, which are fully customizable, are even more impressive. The Wii remote acts as a mouse would on a computer FPS, giving players total control over onscreen movement.


Another enjoyable, if underused feature of The Conduit is the All-Seeing Eye (ASE), a device recovered early in the game that can be used to identify invisible enemies and uncover secret messages, hidden chambers, and bonus discs.

Although it's underwhelming in several instances, The Conduit is an enjoyable and decent shooter on a system woefully lacking in that genre. Perhaps The Conduit 2, announced in March, will deliver the outstanding FPS experience Wii fans are waiting for.

Score: 80/100

Grand Theft Ottsel

Game: Jak II
System: Playstation 2
Release date: October 14, 2003
Developed by: Naughty Dog
Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was one of the best games for the Playstation 2. Designed along the lines of classic platform games like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, Jak and Daxter represented a family-friendly platformer with colorful characters and a great sense of humor. Its sequel, Jak II, embraces many of its platform mechanics, but presents players with a much darker storyline and a sandbox-style game engine which looks less like Jak and Daxter and more like Grand Theft Auto III.

Jak II takes place in the dystopia Haven City where ruthless dictator Baron Praxis rules with an iron fist. Jak, Daxter, and the rest of the gang end up in Haven City after being flung through a Precursor portal. Once there Jak is arrested by Praxis' Krimzon Guard and subjected to torturous experiments for two years where a volatile energy called Dark Eco is infused into his body. After a long two years, Jak's best friend Daxter (transformed into a furry Ottsel in the first game) infiltrates the lab holding Jak and rescues him. From then on Jak and Daxter team up with the resistance movement and fight back against Praxis, his shocktroopers, and a techno-organic race of creatures called Metal Heads which are threatening the city from the outside.


After two years of torture, Jak is understandably a changed man. In the first game, he was friendly, noble, and silent (wiseguy Daxter did most of the talking), but in Jak II he's angry, talkative, and motivated primarily by revenge. Jak's personality transplant is a microcosm of the larger changes in Jak II: tropical settings from the first game become urban slums and underground sewers; the death toll (including supporting characters) reaches new heights; and Jak uses a gun as his primary offensive attack instead of simple punch-kick combinations.

Perhaps the biggest change in Jak II is not one of tone but of gameplay. In Jak and Daxter the two heroes travelled back and forth to diverse environments collecting power cells, but in Jak II the dynamic duo move around Haven City completing tasks for the resistance and for unsavory criminals. To move around the city, Jak can hijack any number of hover vehicles. In this way Jak II resembles a kid-friendly Grand Theft Auto.


While not nearly as good as the first Jak and Daxter, Jak II is a fun action game which combines traditional platform mechanics with third-person shooting and sandbox-style gameplay. The changes in Jak II might not have improved the original formula, but it's refreshing to see a game developer reinvent its product.

Score: 83/100

Dino Crisis

Game: Turok
System: Xbox 360
Release date: February 5, 2008
Developed by: Propaganda Games
Published by: Touchstone Interactive

The Turok franchise has fallen on hard times. It was once upon a time one of the premier console first-person shooter series, but the last three installments, including Turok, have ranged from mediocre to terrible. The games have become uninspired, linear, derivative, and boring; as a result Turok, as a franchise, has disappeared among much better shooter series: Call of Duty, Halo, Half-Life, etc.

Turok seems to be a reboot of the franchise; it references none of the events from the previous installments. In fact, Turok references almost nothing outside the main plotline; it's almost entirely without context. Cpl. Joseph Turok and an elite squad of marines crash land on a planet ruled by ruthless madman (and Turok's former mentor) General Roland Kane and do everything they can to survive his henchmen and the fearsome creatures which live and hunt on the terraformed world.


Like in previous Turok installments, players must explore an unknown and dangerous world filled with human enemies and dinosaurs. While the human artificial intelligence leaves something to be desired, the dinosaurs in Turok are quite terrifying. Attacking from behind and in the dark, scurrying out of nests and caves, the dinosaurs are the stuff of nightmares. Strangely, players can carry only two weapons at one time (in addition to a bow and knife); moreover, the weapons are mostly conventional military arms one could find in almost any first-person shooter. This is a far cry from the vast arsenal of creative, futuristic weapons which players could use in the N64 Turok games.


Turok includes a few noteworthy additions to its mostly lackluster gameplay. These include stealth kills, quick-dodge maneuvers, and "dino luring." Players can use the voracious appetites of nearby dinosaurs to their advantage by luring them into a crowd of human enemies with secondary fire flares from the shotgun.

The Turok franchise is overdue for a renaissance. Developers of the next Turok game should forget about emulating newer, popular first-person shooters and return to the series' roots: large, open-ended environments; a huge assortment of weapons; bizarre, alien enemies; immersive graphics and sound; and sinister sci-fi storylines. What players have in the new Turok are linear levels, uninteresting heroes and villains, and forgettable weapons. Where's a real dinosaur hunter when you need one?

Score: 75/100

The Final Frontier

Game: Mass Effect
System: Xbox 360
Release date: November 20, 2007
Developed by: BioWare
Published by: Microsoft Game Studios

**Top 100 game**

Mass Effect, the first episode of BioWare's planned three-part space saga, is one of the best RPGs on the Xbox 360 and another gem from BioWare which has produced some of the finest role-playing games on the computer and for console systems in the last two decades. With its engaging plot line, deep mythology and focus on interactive storytelling, Mass Effect follows in the tradition of earlier BioWare projects Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire.

Mass Effect is set far in the future when technological advances and life-changing scientific discoveries have allowed humans to travel beyond Pluto. As Commander John Shepard, players must uncover a conspiracy which threatens Earth, its colonies, and the tripartite alliance of alien species which governs most of the known galaxy. Along the way, Shepard will welcome new friends and allies who will help him in his quest to track down a traitor and uncover an ancient evil.

Although Cmdr. Shepard is the default hero in Mass Effect, players can chose to play as a male or female customized avatar; they can alter his or her alter facial features and class. Once created, however, the custom-built avatar will progress through the game along the same trajectory as the default character. Like previous BioWare games, players throughout Mass Effect must make minor and major decisions which affect gameplay and which alter two morality scales: "paragon" and "renegade." Past choices will affect how new characters interact with Shepard.


Mass Effect is played across a number of alien worlds. Shepard's prototype stealth ship can travel light years in mere seconds by using ancient deep-space matter transporters called mass relays abandoned long ago by an extinct alien race. Players can choose to merely travel to planets which once traversed will propel the plot forward or can survey unknown worlds, collecting rare minerals, completing side-quests, and finding new weapons and items.

Combat in Mass Effect takes place in real time. Armed with weapons which include pistols, shotguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles and (in the case of Shepard) grenades, members of the three-person party engage in firefights with aliens, hostile robots, and other unfriendly creatures. Combat is a major factor in Mass Effect; stripped of its RPG structure and trappings, it would make an excellent shooter.

Score: 95/100

Guns and Ammo

Game: Black
System: Playstation 2
Release date: February 28, 2006
Developed by: Criterion Games
Published by: Electronic Arts

For the developers behind Black, a no-nonsense FPS released for the PS2 and Xbox in 2006, the game was no doubt an ambitious undertaking. Black was intended to shift the focus in shooters to what Criterion Games considered its true stars: the guns. Each weapon in Black, some of which are modeled after guns used in Hollywood films, looks, sounds and fires exactly like its real-world counterpart. But realistic firearms are not enough to justify greatness; Black is too short and ultimately too forgettable to be a new classic.

Black takes place four days after a series of controversial black ops missions conducted by the game's protagonist Jack Kellar. As Kellar is interrogated by an unidentified man, the game jumps backwards in time allowing players to fight through each mission. The villain of Black is Seventh Wave, an arms smuggling and terrorist organization.

Players can choose from several difficulty levels; since Black is mission-based higher difficulty levels require each player to complete additional objectives, including recovering top-secret files, collecting blueprints and destroying parts of the environment.


The destructible items and architecture in Black, along with its real-world firearms, certainly separate it from the first-person shooter pack. With enough bullets and grenades, Kellar can set fire to cars, blow holes in walls, even bring down entire buildings. It's reminiscent of Red Faction's geo-mod (geometry modification) technology which allowed players to destroy bridges, walls, etc. The most original feature of Black, however, is the real-time blur that fills the screen each time a weapon in reloaded.

Black is by no means a poor shooter; it simply doesn't boast enough substance to compete with its contemporaries, on the PS2 and elsewhere. Its brevity and lack of multiplayer modes especially hurts its standing. With so many FPSs on the market today, each has to prove its excellence even more convincingly.

Score: 82/100

A Face in the Crowd

Game: Assassin's Creed
System: Xbox 360
Release date: November 14, 2007
Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal
Published by: Ubisoft

Stealth action games have been around for a long time, but usually players are tasked with avoiding detection from enemy soldiers and electronic monitoring equipment. In Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft has introduced into the sub-genre an innovative social element, requiring players to behave according to accepted social norms; strange and disruptive actions will draw unwanted attention and more often than not lead to violence.

Assassin's Creed is set in the Levant in 1191 during the Third Crusade. Players take control of Altair, a member of the Assassins, a brotherhood of highly skilled covert warriors devoted to destroying the architects of war in the Holy Land, including war profiteers. Altair travels from Acre to Damascus to Jerusalem, all the time trying to blend in with the local population. In each city, he must eavesdrop on conversations, pickpocket unsuspecting citizens and beat confessions out of collaborators. Information gathered from these activities will help Altair plan and carry out each high-profile assassination.


Unexpectedly, Assassin's Creed takes place not only in 1191; it also is set in modern times. Players actually control a modern-day assassin named Desmond who has been abducted by a mysterious corporation and forced to relive the genetically preserved memories of his distant relative Altair. Each assassination carried out by Altair is thus only a memory centuries old. Jumping between the Third Crusade and the present day is a bit jarring (and arguably unnecessary) but adds another dimension to the plot.

Although in each city the ultimate goal is to assassinate a high-profile individual, there are plenty of side-missions which Altair can complete. In the many districts of each city players can climb buildings (minarets, churches, mosques, guard towers) and survey the cityscape, rescue men and women from violent guards and collect flags hidden among bazaars, plazas and houses. These side-missions help break up some of the monotony that invariably accompanies the intelligence-gathering missions which precede each assassination.

Assassin's Creed is a promising start for a new franchise. The story can be somewhat predictable and the action redundant, but the stealth-action formula and the level design, which convincingly transplants players backwards in time 800 years, is definitely a success.

Score: 91/100

Greatest Hits

Game: Elite Beat Agents
System: Nintendo DS
Release date: November 6, 2006
Developed by: iNiS
Published by: Nintendo

There are many reasons the Nintendo DS outsells the PSP two to one, and games like Elite Beat Agents surely figure prominently in the consumer's decision to purchase a particular handheld system. In fact, because Elite Beat Agents relies so heavily on the touch screen and stylus it wouldnt make much sense on any other video game system, portable or otherwise.

Elite Beat Agents is a rhythm game, not unlike Guitar Hero, Donkey Konga or Dance Dance Revolution. Players must use the stylus to tap, drag and rotate objects on the touch-screen in rhythm with one of sixteen pop or rock songs. As the game progress, the difficulty level increases noticeably; the final two stages are a formidable challenge.

The heroes of Elite Beat Agents are a trio of top-secret agents who use music to solve the problems of everyday people. They dance, sing and rock out through each song, which is sung by a cover artist and which is split into three segments. Should a performance meter be yellow at each break, a video will appear showing the party in need making progress toward his or her goal; should the performance meter dip into the red "danger" zone, the video will show the party experiencing a setback. Each stage has three possible endings, wholly dependent on the players performance in the three segments.


Most of the stages in Elite Beat Agents are very, very funny. The crazy characters in need of help often find themselves in wacky, unlikely scenarios and choose to solve their problems in the most ridiculous or extravagant ways. There are a few exceptions, however, including the final stages which are more rousing and one tearjerker in the middle of the game which would make the toughest heart melt.

Games like Elite Beat Agents do not arrive very often, especially on handheld systems, typically the home of portable versions of console hits. Quirky, funny, imaginative and fun for all age groups, it represents the best the DS and third-party developers have to offer.

Score: 96/100

World War 2.0

Game: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
System: Xbox 360
Release date: November 6, 2007
Developed by: Infinity Ward
Published by: Activision

Every now and then a video game franchise will release a game which redefines the series and which sometimes is revolutionary enough to transcend an entire genre. Titles like Resident Evil 4 and Grand Theft Auto III naturally come to mind. Although Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has done very little to change the momentum of the first-person shooter, it represents an important progression within the Call of Duty franchise. It is easily the best Call of Duty game and boasts the best story (and storytelling), atmosphere and multiplayer modes.

Since 2003 the Call of Duty games have dominated the pool of WWII first-person shooters, but in Call of Duty 4 developed Infinity Ward fast-forwarded the action into the not-too-distant future, when American marines and British Special Forces are pitched in a global battle against Russian ultranationalists and Middle Eastern radicals. Like many other Call of Duty games, players control soldiers from more than one unit.


Because of its emphasis on the rules of modern warfare, Call of Duty 4 introduces weapons and technology which never before appeared in previous installments: soldiers can fire high-powered sniper rifles, use night-vision goggles and call in air strikes on unsuspecting targets. The rules of engagement are noticably different in Call of Duty 4 also: special forces tactics replace the squad formations from Call of Duty 1-3.

The multiplayer modes in Call of Duty 4 are especially good, rivaling Halo 3 in terms of replay value and intensity. In each match, players can select one of several classes of soldier, each with its own weapons and “perks.” Perk effects include increased weapon damage, the ability to withstand enemy fire, and radar invisibility.

Although Call of Duty 4 represents a huge leap forward in terms of the Call of Duty franchise, it has done almost nothing to revolutionize the genre. This fact, combined with the brevity of its single-player campaign, keeps Call of Duty 4 from being the masterwork that some critics claim it to be.

Score: 94/100

1

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

It should come as no surprise that the best video game ever made should come from the best video game franchise of all time and be supported by the console with arguably the best video game library. Granting Ocarina of Time the highest position on the Top 100 List might seem obvious (it is generally considered at the very least the best console game ever made), but competition has become increasingly stiff in the last few years, from first, second and third party developers; no longer is Ocarina simply the default number 1.

Released in 1998 (one of the all-time great years in the video game industry), Ocarina of Time was the fifth Zelda game. The franchise was 11 years old in North America and had already gone through several important innovations. The premier game, The Legend of Zelda, had revolutionized video games by including a save battery in the game cartridge so that players could recover their progress once the NES was turned off. Its sequel, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, changed the perspective from top-down to a side-view and flirted with RPG elements. Then came A Link to the Past, the greatest Zelda game after Ocarina, which might be the most important game in the franchise. A Link to the Past refined all the gameplay elements which had been established in its predecessors and would dominate the franchise going forward: a fantasy landscape filled with castles, towns, dungeons, mountains and rivers; challenges unrelated to the main arc of the story in the form of side-quests, upgradable weapons; brain teasing puzzles; mini-games; and an abundance of non-player characters (NPCs).

With the foundation built, the designers behind Ocarina of Time simply needed to make a few minor changes and release a repackaged but essentially familiar Zelda adventure. As the gaming industry knows now, they did much more than that.

Ocarina revolutionized video games, from the most superficial level to the core of its gameplay, many elements of which now seem unremarkable when featured in modern games. In many ways, Ocarina is the experience promised by Super Mario 64: a fully-realized three-dimensional world with living, breathing heroes, villains and everything in between; a virtual garden with unprecedented freedom; a game that was simultaneously familiar and intimidating. Ocarina was all of this and more.

Set before the events of the previous four Zelda games, Ocarina gave the player never-before-seen glimpses into the geography of Hyrule, the formation of the Triforce and the origins of Ganon, the franchise’s ultimate villain. Gameplay innovations include the realistic passage of time, time travel and the ability to catch fish, play an ocarina and ride a horse. It is these last three which point to what might be the greatest achievement of Ocarina, namely its unparalleled immersive qualities. Never before and never since has a game transplanted its players so convincingly from their couch into the game world. Everything in Ocarina captures the imagination and absorbs the mind: the grassy plains of Hyrule Field, the dusty alleyways of the Gerudo Fortress; the noxious air of Death Mountain. This, above all else, differentiates Ocarina from the pantheon of great games to which it belongs.

2-10

2. Halo: Combat Evolved

In the years following its release, Halo was subject to the same strange phenomenon that surrounded 1997 Best Picture Oscar winner Titanic. It received so much praise from critics and consumers that a negative backlash was inevitable. Yet despite its inclusion on some lists of the most overrated video games, Halo is nothing short of a masterpiece and today stands as the best first-person shooter (FPS) ever made. Everything in Halo marks a brave new world in the genre: the control scheme, the epic sci-fi storyline, the weapon inventory system, the militarism. Halo takes place in the far reaches of space, where humans are struggling against a fanatically religious confederation of alien races.

3. Resident Evil 4

Before Resident Evil 4, the Resident Evil franchise was famous for its sinister storylines, atmospheric and scary gameplay and challenging puzzles; on the other hand, it was infamous for its awkward and sometimes frustrating control scheme. Resident Evil 4 solved all that. Where earlier installments of the franchise placed an immovable camera at certain spots in each game environment, Resident Evil 4 features a camera which follows the hero wherever he goes, faithfully situated just above his right shoulder. Resident Evil 4 is the story of Leon S. Kennedy (one of the two heroes of Resident Evil 2) and his search for the missing daughter of the American President. His investigation brings him to a small rural village in Europe where a new evil has taken up residence.

4. Final Fantasy III

It’s rare that a game developer should become so identifiable with a particular video game genre, but that’s precisely the relationship between Square and role-playing games. Their most successful franchise is Final Fantasy; the greatest game among the franchise Final Fantasy III. Epic in size and in scope, Final Fantasy III (Final Fantasy VI in Japan) features over a dozen playable characters, all of whom carry significant emotional baggage and who endure trials which range from rafting across raging rapids to, quite literally, the end of the world. Final Fantasy III features several unique events, including an opera, a dinner party and a number of multi-party battles, which allow the player to divide his or her party into two or more battle groups in order to fight off a multi-party enemy.

5. Half-Life 2

In Half-Life 2 players resume to role of Gordon Freeman, whose heroics in the original Half-Life appear to have only temporarily forestalled an alien takeover of planet Earth. Once again Freeman must use his weapons and his wits to save mankind, in this instance from alien overlords and their human collaborators. Boasting an incredible physics system, in which objects and people obey the laws of gravity, friction and buoyancy, remarkably sophisticated artificial intelligence and superior graphics, Half-Life 2 is the very definition of next-generation. Half-Life 2 unfolds across several chapters, some of which involve the use of vehicles, some of which are heavy on problem-solving. Chapter VI, “We Don’t Go to Ravenholm,” is among the scariest episodes to date in any video game.

6. Super Mario 64

Among the small number of games which have had the greatest influence on the video game industry, Super Mario 64 stands alone as the most influential. The finest example of the great migration from two-dimensional sprites to three-dimensional polygons, Super Mario 64 gave the platform genre unprecedented freedom of movement. It also introduced a revolutionary camera system which allowed players to manipulate the camera angles in the game. Set once again in the Mushroom Kingdom, Super Mario 64 sets Mario on a path to a final confrontation with his arch-enemy Bowser, who has once more captured Princess Toadstool. Super Mario 64 features fifteen diverse game environments and several hidden areas.

7. Tomb Raider

Beginning in 1996, video game enthusiasts for the first time had a choice of consoles that not only represented cosmetic and hardware differences but which supported software with thematic differences. Those who gravitated toward the N64 had family-friendly games likes Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings; those who were developing a taste for more mature content found on the Playstation Resident Evil and, a few months later, Tomb Raider. With its action-packed globetrotting storyline, its fearsome enemies and its brash, brainy and buxom heroine, Tomb Raider was emblematic of a new generation of software which introduced more bullets, more blood and more breasts, but which retained all the best elements found in action-adventure games.

8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

While not necessarily the greatest Zelda game ever developed, A Link to the Past is definitely the quintessential Zelda experience and the game most responsible for bridging the gap between the two-dimensional titles and the three-dimensional games that would appear later on Nintendo 64, Gamecube and Wii. Similar in perspective to the original The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past deviated from its predecessors by dividing Hyrule into two parallel worlds, one light and one dark, through which Link must travel to complete his quest. A Link to the Past also introduced several new items, including the hookshot, which has since appeared in several Zelda titles. Possessing terrific graphics, sound and game design, A Link to the Past is a must-own for any Zelda fan.

9. Metroid Prime

Of the big three Nintendo franchises, Metroid was the last to receive a three-dimensional treatment. Unlike Mario and Zelda however, which retained their tradition third-person perspective in the leap to three dimensions, Metroid adopted an entirely new first-person perspective in its remarkably smooth transition from 2D to 3D. The result: Metroid Prime, a game which featured the elements which made its predecessors so popular but which gave players new glimpses into the Metroid mythology. Crucial to success in Metroid Prime are its heads-up display (HUD), which features information vital to Samus, and a system of exchangeable visors though which she can pick up heat signatures, use x-rays and scan objects and enemies, collecting useful information from both.

10. Super Mario Bros. 3

It would be difficult to find a person, young or old, male or female, hardcore gamer or novice, who has played Super Mario Bros. 3 and didn’t enjoy it. Among the thousands of video games released over the past thirty years, it might be the single most popular. Although the Super Mario franchise had veered slightly off the road with Super Mario Bros. 2, it returned to form with Super Mario Bros. 3, the best NES game ever made. Designed with the same platform elements typical of its predecessors, Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced several additions, including mini-games, many new power-ups (e.g. Tanooki Suit) and an overland map which allows players to select which levels to play and which to bypass.

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11. Super Metroid

Set immediately after the events of Metroid II, Super Metroid once again pits the galaxy’s best bounty hunter against the Space Pirates, her perennial enemy. Samus Aran returns to Zebes, her childhood home and the site of the first Metroid game, to reclaim the last larval Metroid from Ridley and the Space Pirates. Like so many of the 16-bit installments of Nintendo franchises begun on the NES, Super Metroid features gameplay essentially similar to its predecessors with several notable innovations. The password save function of the original Metroid was discarded in favor of remote save locations and Samus was given newer and more powerful power-ups than ever before. Enemies introduced in the first Metroid game return with a vengeance in Super Metroid.

12. Banjo-Kazooie

The impressive library of Nintendo 64 games would seem much less substantial without all the contributions from Rare (then Rareware), Nintendo’s second-party game developer. Microsoft bought the company in 2002, but Rare’s best game, Banjo-Kazooie, can still be booted up on Nintendo’s 64-bit system. Players control the bear-bird duo of Banjo and Kazooie as they explore Spiral Mountain in an effort to rescue Banjo’s kid sister from the evil clutches of the witch Gruntilda. Like most Rare games, Banjo-Kazooie excels in graphics, sound and a uniquely British sense of humor. Gameplay is largely derivative of Super Mario 64, but features notable stylistic and thematic differences. Banjo-Kazooie was followed two years later by Banjo-Tooie.

13. Ico

This Playstation 2 game is a real gem, an action-adventure game stripped down to the basics. Players take control of Ico, a young boy born with horns. The customs of Ico's village dictate that every child born with horns is a bad omen and must be escorted to an isolated castle and imprisoned there. Ico is fortunate enough to escape his cell and afterward wanders through the immense fortress, where he meets Yorda, a young girl also trapped in the castle. For the rest of the game, Ico explores the castle, solving its puzzles and protecting Yorda from enemy spirits who ceaselessly try to reclaim the young girl. Ico was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who created in his game a minimalist yet immersive experience, short on story, text and music, but long on emotion and ambiance.

14. Super Mario World

Bundled with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, Super Mario World was proof of the advanced processing power of the newest Nintendo console system and an important check to the growing power and influence of Sega’s 16-bit project. Like its immediate predecessors on the NES, Super Mario World is a platform game which demands its players jump, run, duck and swim to survive hazards and enemies in each level. It retains the overland map of Super Mario Bros. 3, but makes the game world and the levels within that world much larger, more graphically detailed and more diverse: ghost houses, fortresses and castles dot the landscape. Super Mario World marks the first appearance of Yoshi, who would become one of Nintendo’s most famous mascots.

15. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Perhaps forever destined to be overshadowed by its N64 counterpart, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask is a masterwork in its own right, one which actually improves upon its predecessor in several ways. Majora’s Mask is set in Termina, a region threatened with destruction by a giant foreboding moon. Link has 72 game hours to search dungeons, find artifacts and recover masks before the moon destroys Termina; when the 72 hours near completion, Link can play the Song of Time and return to 6 a.m. on the first day. Players repeat this three-day cycle until all the game’s objectives are complete. Where masks were largely secondary in Ocarina of Time, they are essential to progress in Majora’s Mask. Using masks, Link can transform into a Deku Scrub, a Goron and a Zora.

16. Metal Gear Solid

Before the blurring of the line between video games and movies was a fait accompli, Metal Gear Solid arrived on the scene and revolutionized the industry by presenting itself in an unparalleled cinematic way. Metal Gear Solid unfolds like a billion dollar blockbuster, with first-rate voice acting and masterful camera work. Set in a remote nuclear facility in Alaska, Metal Gear Solid follows the adventures of elite soldier Solid Snake, lured out of retirement and asked to liberate the facility from members of his former squad. Apart from its ground-breaking cinematography, Metal Gear Solid effectively invented the modern stealth action game, which has become a popular sub-genre. Its descendents include Splinter Cell and Hitman.

17. BioShock

Designed with elements of survival-horror games and role-playing games, BioShock is a first-person shooter which truly transcends its genre. Players control Jack, an unlucky man whose passenger plane crashes over the Atlantic Ocean. In a nearby submarine bay he discovers passage to Rapture, a hidden city beneath the waves. Once there, Jack encounters the twisted and gruesome inhabitants of Rapture, who stop at nothing to eliminate him. Jack can interact with almost everything in the underwater metropolis, including enemies, containers, machines and audio diaries, scattered throughout the city. In Rapture, players can upgrade weapons and create custom ammunition; they can also alter Jack’s very genetic code, infusing superhuman powers into his body in the process.

18. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Unfairly criticized for its cartoonish appearance, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker features some of the most memorable and vibrant graphics of any Zelda adventure and boasts, without a doubt, the most visually expressive Link of any franchise game. Set far in the future, after Hyrule has been replaced by a great sea, The Wind Waker is the story of Link’s quest to rescue his captured sister. Unlike other Zelda games, in which Link travelled by foot or on horseback, The Wind Waker asks its players to navigate across the vast ocean in a small sailboat. Aside from its gorgeous graphics, The Wind Waker boasts a terrific soundtrack and a deep, sometimes unpredictable story complete with several mid-game revelations and a truly shocking ending.

19. Super Mario Galaxy

Over the years Mario has accumulated a long and impressive resume: plumber, tennis star, golfer, go-kart driver, doctor. Now you can add astronaut. In Super Mario Galaxy, Mario for the first time has an extraterrestrial adventure, a jaunt among the stars which owes a lot to Super Mario 64, but which dwarfs it in size and scope. Super Mario Galaxy introduces an innovative physics system to accompany its spherical platform engine, whereby Mario can circumnavigate small planetoids, all the while a gravitational pull keeping him from flying off into space. The Wii remote and nunchuk are employed conservatively in Super Mario Galaxy, used mainly to perform a spin attack or to remotely collect “star bits,” colorful star-shaped gems used to defeat enemies or bypass obstacles.

20. Soul Calibur

Many people consider Soul Calibur to be the greatest fighting game ever made. It's difficult to argue with them. Soul Calibur is the continuation of the Soul series, which debuted in arcades as Soul Edge and found a home on the Playstation console renamed as Soul Blade. Like its predecessor, Soul Calibur is a 3D weapons-based fighter. Each colorful character uses a distinct weapon and employs a specialized fighting style. Unlike its predecessor and unlike every 3D fighter to come before it, Soul Calibur introduced a revolutionary 8-way run, where fighters could move freely in three dimensions. Soul Calibur also features a “mission mode,” in which players can complete mission objectives to gain points, which can be used to purchase costumes and artwork.

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21. Beyond Good & Evil

Tragically ignored by consumers, Beyond Good & Evil was a financial disappointment despite critical acclaim. Set on an alien world, Beyond Good & Evil follows the exploits of an investigative reporter named Jade, who stumbles upon a massive conspiracy. Stealth is an important component of the gameplay in Beyond Good & Evil: while Jade does carry an offensive weapon, she often has to embrace a clandestine approach when faced with overwhelming enemy forces. One of the most engaging and immersive elements in the game is the ability to take photographs with Jade’s camera. The camera can be used to photograph evidence of the conspiracy or simply to snap pictures of the fauna on Hillys.

22. Tomb Raider II Starring Lara Croft

Its very title indicates that the cult of Lara was already in full-effect by 1997, but Tomb Raider II is surprisingly non-exploitative; Lara Croft continues to be one of the industry’s greatest heroines, not merely a subject of sex. In Tomb Raider II Croft is once again raiding tombs, crypts, caves and long-forgotten temples. Her latest target is the Dagger of Xian, which is also coveted by a dangerous Italian mobster named Marco Bartoli. Although Tomb Raider II uses the same engine which made the original Tomb Raider such a hit, it improves upon the graphics and play control of its predecessor. Environments are bigger and are capable of presenting larger and more complex polygons. Tomb Raider II is more action-oriented than the original and the first Tomb Raider game to feature vehicles.

23. Metroid: Zero Mission

The Game Boy Advance has made a living off its enhanced remakes and ports, from Super Mario Advance to Final Fantasy VI Advance. Its best, however, is Metroid: Zero Mission, a retelling of the events of the first Metroid game. As in the original, Zero Mission takes place on Zebes, where Samus has tracked the Space Pirates, scourge of the galaxy and abductors of Metroids, highly dangerous parasitic life forms. Because of its familiar storyline and geography, Zero Mission is a treat for fans familiar with the Metroid mythology who wish to relive one of the most important games on the NES; it’s similarly a perfect starting point for those new to the franchise. Although Zero Mission closely follows the chronology of the original, it does not quite finish where Metroid ended.

24. Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers

For some strange reason, Street Fighter II Turbo is generally considered the best console version of Street Fighter II, but it pales in comparison to Super Street Fighter II, the game with the most characters, moves and modes. Super Street Fighter II features sixteen playable characters, twelve carried over from the previous games and four new to the franchise: Cammy, T. Hawk, Fei-Long and Dee Jay. Other novelties include eight color schemes for each character’s costume, new moves and new animation frames, music and sound effects, as well as adjustable game speed. Its greatest achievements, however, are its new game modes, which include time trial, group battle and tournament battle, an eight-player single elimination tournament.

25. Banjo-Tooie

The much-anticipated sequel to Banjo-Kazooie again pits the bear-bird duo against the evil witch Gruntilda along with her two wicked sisters. As in the first installment, players explore several enormous game environments with hidden collectables, the most important being “jiggies,” golden jigsaw pieces which allow the player to progress through the game. Additions include the ability to play as former non-player character Mumbo, new moves, and the option to split Banjo and Kazooie apart, thus taking advantage of the unique skills each possesses. The varied and expansive worlds include a prehistoric wasteland, an amusement park and a factory. Banjo-Tooie also features several hidden Easter eggs which first appeared in Banjo-Kazooie.

26. Halo 2

Bungie Studios described Halo as "Combat Evolved." And although it didn't redefine the rules of war, it certainly redefined a genre. Halo 2 could just as easily have been called "Multiplayer Evolved." Its multiplayer modes and networking options were second-to-none when it arrived in homes in late 2004; it’s still a blast to play today. The one-player campaign is shorter and more episodic than that in its predecessor, but to call it an afterthought would be wrong. Although brief (somewhere between 10 and 15 hours), the campaign in Halo 2 is nothing short of brilliant, with inspired level design, incredible production values and top-flight mechanics. The most exceptional and unexpected feature of Halo 2 is the ability to play as both Master Chief and a disgraced Elite (a Covenant infantryman).

27. Panzer Dragoon

Every video game system has at least one game or franchise unique to it and representative of its processing power and philosophy. For the short-lived Sega Saturn, the game was Panzer Dragoon, one of the titles released during the Saturn’s accelerated launch on May 11, 1995. In Panzer Dragoon, players assume the role of a young hunter entrusted with a vital mission and a powerful blue dragon. Panzer Dragoon is a rail shooter, not unlike Star Fox, and thus movement is limited along vertical and horizontal axes. Players can attack enemies with a rapid-fire rifle or with a lock-on energy blast which can seek out several targets at once. Panzer Dragoon also allows players to rotate the camera around 360 degrees to fight off enemies coming from the north, south, east and west.

28. Tetris

For its relatively short life, the video game industry has been dominated by Japan and by the United States, by England and by France. In 1984, however, the U.S.S.R. made a hugely significant contribution to the video game world with Tetris. Designed by Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris appeared on a number of personal computers throughout the 1980s, but its Game Boy version is the one that catapulted the game to stardom. Bundled with the Game Boy in 1989, Tetris introduced huge audiences to the greatest puzzle game ever made and created a generation of Tetris-addicted kids. The object of the game is to prevent blocks from piling up and reaching the top of the screen. Endlessly imitated but never duplicated, Tetris is the alpha and omega of puzzle games.

29. The Legend of Zelda

Within three years of its existence, the NES had produced two of the most important video games ever made and, in the process, introduced the world to what would become two of Nintendo’s most popular and profitable franchises: Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Although both were developed by a team led by Shigeru Miyamoto, The Legend of Zelda was a far cry from its cousin Super Mario Bros. Set in a fantasy world of swords and sorcery, The Legend of Zelda is a nonlinear action-adventure game that introduced a quest so large that new technology was needed to support it. It was the first console game to feature an internal battery that allowed players to save their progress; no longer did would-be adventurers have to complete a game in a single sitting.

30. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Hardcore fighting fans no doubt point to the Street Fighter, Tekken and Soul Calibur series when discussing the industry’s best one-on-one fighters, but the Super Smash Bros. brand has slowly but surely inserted itself into the conversation. Uncomplicated compared to more serious fighting games, the crossover Smash Bros. franchise reached its peak in 2008 with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Like its predecessors, Brawl uses a simple battle system and features a huge assortment of Nintendo mascots. Brawl for the first time also introduces non-Nintendo characters: Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake. Apart from supporting excellent offline and online multiplayer modes, Brawl features an incredible one-player adventure mode called “The Subspace Emissary.”

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31. GoldenEye 007

Before the release of GoldenEye 007 in 1997, most first-person shooters were corridor shooters which had one simple philosophy: shoot first, ask questions later. These shooters, mostly clones of Doom, asked their owners to shoot everything that moved, and little else. GoldenEye changed the prevailing paradigm by introducing mission objectives which demanded a combination of firepower and brainpower. GoldenEye is perhaps most famous for its legendary multiplayer modes, which allow four friends (or enemies) to shoot at each other in a number of environments with a variety of weapons. The legacy of GoldenEye is most evident when this fact is considered: console games released post-GoldenEye which did not feature a multiplayer mode were considered somehow incomplete.

32. Devil May Cry

Action game fans need look no farther than Devil May Cry, one of the most frenetic and dynamic video games ever made. Developed by Capcom, Devil May Cry borrows a lot of atmosphere and gloominess from its cousin Resident Evil, but introduces a brand-new demonic storyline and mythology. The game follows the half-human, half-devil Dante who travels to a far off island to confront a growing evil. Although Devil May Cry has a fair share of puzzle-solving and inventory management, the cores of its gameplay are the fights between Dante and the demonic agents he encounters on Mallet Island. Armed with several weapons, special attacks and the ability to transform into a super-powerful demonic creature, Dante is an indomitable fighting force.

33. Gears of War

Third-person shooters tend to get overlooked in favor of their first-person cousins, but it’s difficult not to be impressed with a game as technically sound and thrilling as Gears of War. Released roughly a year into the lifecycle of the Xbox 360, Gears of War was the first game to truly justify the purchase of Microsoft’s expensive hardware. Gears of War is the story of a deadly, protracted war between humans and a subterranean menace called the Locust Horde. The battles between the game’s hero, Marcus Fenix, and the Locust, which come in all shapes and sizes, are exhilarating, terrifying and emotionally exhausting. Gears of War features dazzling graphics and special effects and an intuitive battle system which places an emphasis on moving in and out of cover.

34. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Although Final Fantasy VII went a long way towards pushing the RPG into the mainstream, the genre still repels those gamers uncomfortable with the complexities and minutiae of hardcore RPGs. Consequently, ambitious titles like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind are not for everyone. For those who love the endless customization, huge variety and epic storytelling of hardcore RPGS, however, Morrowind is a dream come true. Although Morrowind has a central storyline, it allows players to explore freely the expansive and richly detailed game world, interacting with people and events which have only a marginal connection to the main story arc. This level of freedom and open-endedness, criticized by some, is what makes Morrowind so special.

35. Mario Kart: Double Dash

Mario earned his racing stripes on the SNES and N64, but it wasn’t until Mario Kart: Double Dash on the Gamecube that Nintendo go-kart racing reached its pinnacle. Double Dash is the fourth Mario Kart game, but the first to feature two characters per cart: one to drive, one to use items. Not only does this system of two interchangeable characters make Double Dash insanely perfect, but it introduces a cooperative mode previously unseen in Mario Kart. Players can choose from 20 playable characters, 11 of whom are new to the series. Each character has also been given a special item unique to him or her, like Mario’s fireballs or Donkey Kong’s giant banana. The only weakness in Double Dash is its battle arenas, which never quite match those in Mario Kart 64.

36. The Last Blade

The Neo Geo played host to a great assortment of one-on-one fighting games, but none every matched the style and substance of The Last Blade. Released late in the lifecycle of the Neo Geo, The Last Blade is considered by many fans to be a spiritual sequel of the Samurai Shodown series, another SNK weapons-based fighter. The Last Blade features an orthodox control scheme but adds a new flavor with the ability to deflect an opponent’s attack mid-swing and the option to choose a mode of attack before each match. Those who fight frenetically and rely on stringing together combos can choose “Speed mode”; those who fight with slower but more devastating moves can choose “Power mode.”

37. Shadow of the Colossus

The development team that produced the cult hit Ico returns with Shadow of the Colossus, an action game which pits a young warrior against sixteen colossi, enormous, formidable creatures which roam the plains, deserts, ruins and lakes of a forbidden and forgotten land. A mixture of organic and architectural parts, each colossus is a wonder to behold; each encounter with a giant is unique and memorable. Shadow of the Colossus eschews glossy graphics and complicated control schemes, opting instead to focus on mood, atmosphere and expressionism. Although director Fumito Ueda has hinted at links between Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, it is officially a spiritual successor and not necessarily a direct sequel.

38. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Had Bethesda stopped its production of The Elder Scrolls with its third installment Morrowind, it would be remembered as one of the top developers of both computer and console RPGs. In 2006, however, Bethesda released The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and added to its resume a hugely ambitious title with some of the most beautiful graphics ever seen on a console game. Oblivion takes place in Cyrodiil, the central imperial province of Tamriel, where a secret cult is working to literally open the gates of hell. Like Morrowind, Oblivion is an open-ended RPG where players can postpone the main quest indefinitely, opting instead to undertake any number of side-quests or simply wander around the gorgeously rendered game world.

39. Excitebike 64

Of all the great Nintendo 64 games, Excitebike 64 is probably the most overlooked. It’s neither as sexy nor as famous as titles like GoldenEye 007 or Super Mario 64 but it’s an essential game in the N64 library and the best racing game to appear on the system, surpassing fan favorites like Wave Race 64 and F-Zero X. Like its ancestor on the NES, Excitebike 64 is a motocross racing game which combines a realistic physics engine with some arcade embellishments. Players can choose one of six riders and compete against the CPU or against three friends in twenty indoor and outdoor tracks. Excitebike 64 features several special tracks, stunt courses and a track editor, which allows players to build their own personalized tracks from scratch.

40. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

After its experiment with The Wind Waker, it was perhaps inevitable that Nintendo would opt for a more conventional Zelda adventure. Originally planned for a late 2005 release, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was postponed a year and released in November 2006 alongside the Nintendo Wii, making it the first Zelda launch title. Twilight Princess is a loving tribute to Ocarina of Time, and pays homage to its precursor throughout the game. It is one of the most ambitious Zelda games ever made and easily the largest, taking some 60 hours to complete. Twilight Princess marks the first appearance of Midna, one of the all-time great Zelda supporting characters, and several innovations, including horseback swordfights, Wii remote swordplay and Link’s ability to transform into a wolf.

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41. Perfect Dark

Although it has absolutely nothing to do with James Bond or MI6, Perfect Dark is considered a spiritual sequel to GoldenEye 007, in large part because both were developed by Rare and both use the same engine. Like GoldenEye, Perfect Dark is a mission-based first-person shooter with an in-depth one-player campaign and an addictive multiplayer mode. Perfect Dark sets itself apart from its spiritual predecessor, however, with a terrific sci-fi narrative, graphical enhancements (with the help of the expansion pack) and a multiplayer mode that features increased customization and “simulants,” computer-controlled bots which can fight against or with a human player. Perfect Dark was followed five years later by a prequel, Perfect Dark Zero.

42. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Rarely does a video game trilogy close with its finest chapter, but that’s precisely what happened with the Prince of Persia trilogy. Set after the events of Warrior Within, which introduced more mature content into the series, The Two Thrones borrows elements from both its predecessors. The Two Thrones takes place in Babylon where the Prince encounters an old enemy and an old flame and once again attempts to set things right. Apart from the puzzles and acrobatics which define the series, The Two Thrones introduced new stealth fighting techniques, chariot stages and the emergence of a dual personality inside the Prince. This “Dark Prince” emerges at scripted moments in the game, allowing the player the use of the “daggertail,” a medium-range bladed whip.

43. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

When it was released, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee was unjustly criticized for its level of difficulty and shortage of save locations. The game can be frustrating at times, but most great games dish out healthy doses of frustration to sweeten the eventual reward of success. Apart from a steep learning curve, Abe's Oddysee infuses traditional platform elements (running, jumping, crawling) with new and creative options. One of the most unique additions is "Game Speak," the ability to communicate with enemies, friends and animals with everything from words and whistles to growls and flatulence. Abe’s Oddysee is set on an alien planet called Oddworld where Abe, an unlikely hero, does battle with an evil corporation threatening the planet’s native species with extinction.

44. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Although Castlevania games have appeared on over seven systems, the Game Boy Advance (GBA) collection might be the finest. The best of the bunch is Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, the first Castlevania game set in the future. Aria of Sorrow is the story of high-school student Soma Cruz, who accidently finds himself in Dracula’s castle, thirty-six years after the dark lord’s final defeat. Although Aria of Sorrow plays like Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance, the other GBA titles, it introduces a “tactical soul” system, whereby Soma can absorb and equip the souls of defeated enemies. Each soul has a different function: some grant projectile weapons, others raise attributes; the most important, “ability souls,” grant Soma skills needed to access certain areas in the castle.

45. Half-Life

The years between 1997 and 2001 were pivotal years for the first-person shooter (FPS) sub-genre; titles like GoldenEye 007, Halo: Combat Evolved and Half-Life changed the rules by which shooters had previously played. Set in the Black Mesa research facility, Half-Life follows theoretical physicist Gordon Freeman as he attempts to escape the facility after a portal opens between Earth and an alien dimension. Half-Life was the first FPS to make use of scripted sequences, predetermined events which occur throughout the game which are activated by Freeman’s proximity to a person or place. Described fondly as “the thinking man’s first person shooter,” Half-Life often asks the player to solve puzzles, navigate mazes and destroy enemies by cleverly manipulating the game environment.

46. New Super Mario Bros.

Even though Mario’s 3D adventures are some of the best of the Super Mario franchise, the mustachioed plumber was born in two dimensions and continues to thrive there. New Super Mario Bros., as its name implies, is a new take on the old-school classics which appeared in the NES, SNES and Game Boy. Taking full advantage of the horsepower of the Nintendo DS, New Super Mario Bros. introduces three-dimensional polygonal renderings into the mostly 2D game, enhancing its graphical appearance. It also features several ingenious deforming effects: platforms warp and hills heave, something that would be impossible on the traditional 2D platform games. Although it’s neither the most innovative nor the most sophisticated Mario game, New Super Mario Bros. is a must-play.

47. World of Warcraft

MMORPGs are a tricky bunch, dangerously addictive and never-ending, but World of Warcraft is so polished, so engaging and such an enjoyable social experience that any minor problems are obscured by its obvious greatness. Although it belongs to the Warcraft franchise, World of Warcraft is a role-playing game and not a real-time strategy game like the previous three installments. Players begin the game by selecting a faction, Alliance or Horde, then choose a race, a class and finally make superficial alterations to their avatars. World of Warcraft is a superb one-player experience, but it shines brightest when played with others via the internet. Players can form alliances with strangers or friends and even challenge other players to duels.

48. Far Cry Instincts

A remake of the PC hit, Far Cry Instincts is less open-ended and more linear than the original Far Cry, but adds several innovations which distinguish it an a unique experience. Far Cry Instincts is the story of antihero Jack Carver, hired to transport a woman to a remote archipelago. Once there, the seemingly innocent job becomes more complicated and much more deadly. Far Cry Instincts covers a lot of diverse terrain, including rainforests, jungles, canyons, rivers, mines and volcanic wastelands, and features seven vehicles and seventeen weapons. Apart from a wide assortment of weapons, Jack is equipped with trap-making skills and, later in the game, “feral abilities” unique to the console version of Far Cry. “Feral abilities” include increased speed, night vision and a violent melee attack.

49. Grand Theft Auto III

Open-ended action games existed before 2001, but none revolutionized or popularized the “sandbox” game more than Grand Theft Auto III (GTAIII), the first three-dimensional Grand Theft Auto game. Not only did GTAIII breathe new life into the franchise, it became the standard for mature-themed nonlinear action-adventure games. It spawned a half dozen sequels and prequels and influenced an entire generation of video games. GTAIII follows an unnamed criminal who attempts to climb the criminal ladder in Liberty City, a metropolis more or less modeled on New York City. Players have the option to accept missions from several shady contacts or simply explore the streets, alleyways and suburbs of the city.

50. Elite Beat Agents

The Nintendo DS is perhaps the most significant piece of Nintendo hardware released in the past ten years and plays host to unique and innovative titles which combine traditional video game elements with new levels of interactivity thanks to the touch-screen and stylus. One of the most inventive titles for the DS is Elite Beat Agents, a rhythm game with a great sense of humor and huge replay value. Elite Beat Agents follows a trio of government agents who fly to the rescue of everyday people in need, using music and dancing to motivate them. Players must use the stylus to tap, drag and rotate objects on the touch-screen in rhythm with one of sixteen pop or rock songs. Most of the episodes in Elite Beat Agents are very funny; others are touching and emotionally powerful.

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51. Halo 3

Set shortly after the cliffhanger ending of Halo 2, Halo 3 follows super-soldier Master Chief in his campaign to reclaim Earth from the Covenant, a confederation of hostile alien species, stop a parasitic life form from ravaging the galaxy, and prevent a vast array of “Halos” from annihilating all living matter in the universe. Although the single-player campaign never reaches the levels of excellence established in the first two Halo games, Halo 3 boasts addictive, customizable and community-oriented multiplayer modes which give it immense replay value. Halo 3, for the first time, allows players to use special items in addition to weapons, grenades and melee weapons. These include deployable cover, regenerators, flares and “bubble shields.”

52. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

The original Prince of Persia was a different take on the platform game, one which put a special emphasis on solving puzzles and avoiding traps. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time recaptures the elements which made the original game so unique and adds several innovations, not least of which is an epic story of heroism, betrayal and sacrifice. Although the Prince occasionally engages in swordfights with ferocious enemies, his greatest antagonist is the environment. Using his agility and acrobatic skills, the Prince must run, jump, swing and climb across catwalks, castle walls, broken pillars and suspended platforms. Negotiating these hazards is a dangerous game; luckily the Prince has the “Dagger of Time,” which allows him to travel backwards in time, erasing a single mistake.

53. Ninja Gaiden

Developed by Team Ninja, the development team behind the Dead or Alive fighting games, Ninja Gaiden has a sophisticated and fluid combat system, one of the best on the Xbox or any other system. Ninja Gaiden is the story of ninja assassin Ryu Hayabusa, the hero of all three NES Ninja Gaiden titles, and his quest to avenge the slaughter of his clan. The game is divided into sixteen chapters which take place in a variety of environments: villages, cities, catacombs, even an airship. Ryu begins the game with few offensive and defensive tools, but can upgrade his arsenal, appearance and inventory by defeating enemies, solving puzzles and buying items and upgrades at shops scattered across the map. Ninja Gaiden is famous for its high level of difficulty.

54. Donkey Kong 64

Of all the Rare Nintendo 64 titles, Donkey Kong 64 probably polarizes fans to the greatest degree. Criticized, sometimes justifiably, for tediousness and excessive emphasis on backtracking, Donkey Kong 64 remains a game of epic proportions and one of the greatest platform games to grace a Nintendo console. The game follows Donkey Kong and four of his simian relatives, all of whom have unique (and upgradable) abilities. Each of the eight levels contains items or enemies that can only be collected or defeated by a certain member of the Kong family; consequently each level must be examined and reexamined. Donkey Kong 64 also, surprisingly, boasts a multiplayer mode, which features several environments, modes and all five Kongs as playable characters.

55. River Raid

Very few great games were released before the advent of the NES, but River Raid stands as a classic of the early 1980s and one of the best reasons to own an Atari 2600. In River Raid, players control an airplane that flies vertically along a river shooting down enemy planes, helicopters and boats; players can refuel by slowing down over refueling stations that appear along the river. While its graphics, sound and control scheme seem antiquated by modern standards, River Raid was technologically advanced for its time, featuring a huge amount of fixed, non-random terrain. River Raid was designed and programmed by Carol Shaw, a trailblazing woman in the video game industry and, by some accounts, the very first female video game designer.

56. Tempest 2000

The Atari Jaguar was a commercial and critical failure, but it supported a few great games in its short lifespan. Its greatest game is Tempest 2000, a reimagining of the 1981 arcade classic Tempest. Enhanced with smooth graphics and a techno soundtrack, Tempest 2000 boasts three one-player modes: Traditional Tempest, Tempest Plus, and Tempest 2000, which is a complete remake of the original coin-op classic, featuring new enemies, weapon power ups and a brand new jump move. Tempest 2000 also features a terrific two-player mode called Tempest Duel, in which players control ships at either end of a web and try to blast each other to smithereens. Each ship is equipped with a mirror which reflects enemy shots.

57. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

As a series, Splinter Cell pales only in comparison to the stealth franchise par excellence Metal Gear; otherwise it’s as good as it gets in terms of stealth action. In the first Splinter Cell, players take on the role of Sam Fisher, a retired black ops specialist who reenters life with the NSA when two CIA agents go missing in Georgia. Although Fisher is well-armed, he is strongly discouraged from discharging his firearms; stealth and camouflage are the name of the game in Splinter Cell. Particularly important are areas that are bathed in light or shrouded in darkness. Players have access to a “light meter” which informs them to what degree Fisher is visible to the enemy. Splinter Cell features a training tutorial which helps players familiarize themselves with Fisher’s stealth moves.

58. Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie

Most lists of the greatest first-person shooters of the 2000s wouldn’t include Peter Jackson’s King Kong, but in reality it stands up favorably to its contemporaries. Peter Jackson’s King Kong is a collaborative effort between director Peter Jackson and one of the video game industry’s best designers Michel Ancel (Rayman 2, Beyond Good & Evil). The game is divided between first-person shooting stages and third-person action stages: in the former players control New York screenwriter Jack Driscoll; in the latter players control Kong. Although Peter Jackson’s King Kong closely follows the storyline of the movie, it features several embellishments and detours significantly from the action seen onscreen, focusing on action events which ostensibly occurred off screen.

59. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Capcom’s gaming portfolio is one of the best in the business; it owns the single-best fighting franchise, the greatest survival-horror franchise and even has had its hands in the development of three The Legend of Zelda games, including The Minish Cap. In The Minish Cap, Link has the brand-new ability to shrink down to microscopic size, helping him explore every inch of the game world, find secret items, and interact with the Picori, a friendly, mousy race of tiny creatures. Allowing Link to minimize his dimensions is a magical and very funny green hat named Ezlo, who becomes Link’s sidekick throughout the game. The game also features “kinstones,” two-part artifacts which produce items when matching pieces are combined.

60. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

The final chapter of the Metroid Prime trilogy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, is certainly the most ambitious of the series and the first to appear on the Nintendo Wii. Set several months after Metroid Prime 2, Corruption is the story of Samus Aran’s continued fight against the Space Pirates and her nemesis, Dark Samus. Unlike the previous two Metroid Prime games, which took place across several environments on a single planet, Corruption allows players to travel from planet to planet via Samus’ ship. The Wii remote and nunchuk are incorporated masterfully into Corruption: the nunchuk operates mostly as Samus’ left hand, controlling her grapple function; the Wii remote largely has the same function as a mouse in a computer first-person shooter.