My Top 10 Favourite Video Games

A list of my definitive 10 favourite video games of all time. These games are, as far as I'm concerned, at the very top of their class, far outshining anything else. I have listed the games in chronological order, from the oldest to the most recent, instead of choosing to list them in the usual 10-1 order. And for the sake of ease I chose to list only one game form any single franchise, otherwise my love for certain titles could have seen all 10 choices come from just 4 or 5 franchises.

Rank Game Release Date GameSpot Score Widdowson91's Score
6

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Very few video games truly deserve to hold the title of seminal, but Ocarina of Time is certainly one of them. A game ranked 'the greatest game of all time' so many times it just must be true. An absolute classic, the game was instantly hailed upon release as both innovative and revolutionary thanks to its level design, visuals, Z Targeting lock-on system and context sensitive controls. The game was also one of the very first to make music play a central role, as the games namesake instrument was played countless times throughout the adventure. The crowning achievement of Nintendo's career and forever the game that made me the dedicated gamer I am today. I would be a completely different person had I never played this wonderful game.
10
10
1

Super Mario Bros. 3

Mario has been one of gaming's most consistent stars for nearly 30 years, but none of his other adventures quite match Super Mario Bros. 3. Boasting some of the best level design ever, the best collective set of power-ups the series has known and a wonderfully joyous soundtrack, this was Mario turned up to 11. This is platforming perfection, plain and simple. One of the greatest games of all time.
9
10
2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was the closest Sega ever came to dethroning Mario as the undisputed King of the platform genre, and boy was it good. Unlike Mario, which was precise and structured, Sonic 2 lacked structure and was a bit messy - but not in a bad way. Each level had multiple paths, and finding the quickest way through was always hugely enjoyable. Sonic's speed was what made him stand out from Mario, and Sonic 2 expressed this more than any other title in the series. This is the best game on the Mega Drive, and the single greatest game Sega ever made.
7.5
10
7

Pokemon Gold / Silver / Crystal Version

Pokemon Blue was one of my most cherished childhood games, but Pokemon Gold blew my mind. I've been with Pokemon since the beginning, and no other generation has matched Gen 2. While Red and Blue built the ideas that the series still carries on today Pokemon Gold expanded upon the formula greatly. This time around you could breed Pokemon. There was a day and night feature which allowed the creators to make certain Pokemon only appear at certain times of the day. And of course there was 100 new Pokemon, making catching them all more difficult and enjoyable than ever. Pokemon Gold was a huge game, and still to this day ranks as one of the best portable video games ever released.
8.8
9.5
9

Metroid Prime

Not many début video games go down in the annals of video game history as one of the best games of all time, but Retro Studio's magnificent début title, Metroid Prime, did just this. Despite scepticism from fans of the series Prime blew minds and utterly destroyed all preconceptions that Metroid would never translate well to 3D. It retained everything that fans could possibly have hoped for, but expanded the series beyond anything they could have imagined. The new first-person perspective worried fans, but the game didn't play like a first-person shooter. It was pure action-adventure - everything the series is about.
9.7
10
8

Halo: Combat Evolved

I'm traditionally a PC gamer when it comes to first-person shooters, but Halo was the one game that really showed that the genre, if done justice, can be just as strong on consoles, with analogue sticks, as it is on PC with a keyboard and mouse. Not many strong PC genres have made successful jumps to consoles, but Halo is a benchmark that other developers should look to if they decide to give it a go themselves.
9.7
10
10

Half-Life 2

As close to perfection as any video game can be, Half-Life 2 still amazes me to this very day despite playing through it multiple times (which I've had to do thanks to the distinct lack of Half-Life 3). As far as first-person shooters go nothing can match it, other then maybe Halo and its predecessor. But even those two aren't nearly as polished or precise, and neither of them are as enjoyable.
9.2
10
3

Final Fantasy VI

Contrary to popular belief, Final Fantasy VII isn't the best game in the Final Fantasy series. That title is rightfully held by Final Fantasy VI, the definitive game in the series. While Final Fantasy IV laid the foundations upon which VI was created VI was better in each and every way. It had a stronger, more emotionally charged story. It had 14 playable characters, and some of the best Square ever made. It had wonderful visuals and one of the best soundtracks ever produced. This is a timeless classic, and one of the all-time greats.
8.9
10
4

EarthBound

In many ways EarthBound is a flawed game. The slow, sluggish game play wasn't as strong as many of it's RPG rivals at the time, such as Final Fantasy VI and Phantasy Star IV, and the graphics never really pushed boundaries. But EarthBound has a charm unmatched by any other game, a charm so strong you'll look past it's flaws. Also, it is one damn funny game, and has so many quirks you'll never forget it. It's also the biggest cult video game of all time.

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9.5
5

Chrono Trigger

The 16-bit era was the golden age of console role-playing games, and no other RPG of the era matched Chrono Trigger. Released late in 1995, just before the launch of the PlayStation, Chrono Trigger acted as the perfect send off for the 16-bit consoles. Unlike Final Fantasy, which was very traditional with it's random battles, Chrono Trigger replaced random encounters with a system in which the enemies were visible on screen, giving players the option to avoid the battle if they wished. The game was also notable for its development team, dubbed the 'Dream Team' by Square. The project was jointly helmed by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yuji Horii, the creators of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and others such as Dragon Quest/Dragon Ball artist Akira Toriyama and Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu were also involved. Chrono Trigger was best game of it's generation, and one of the greatest games our community has ever had the honour or playing.
8.5
10
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