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.