30. BioShock
(PS3, 2008)
Let me put this out there - I don't like first person shooters. Well, most of them anyway. There's something different about the BioShock series though. It's a very memorable and exciting experience. The story is absolutely fantastic here and might just be one of my favorite stories in a video game in the last 10 years. The atmosphere is chilling, sometimes downright spooky, yet it's not exactly a survival horror game. It is an FPS but it's not one in the way you would think. It's truly a game that's hard to explain until you play it yourself. It is one of the absolute best, most unique games on the PS3, and it really surprised me just how fantastic this series is. I only just recently played this gem (in 2013, just after BioShock Infinite) and I just wishI played it earlier.
29. Final Fantasy VI
(SNES, 1994)
Where Final Fantasy VII was the first Final Fantasy I ever actually completed, this was actually the first Final Fantasy I ever played, even to a small extent. I rented this in Blockbuster shortly after I completed Super Mario RPG for the first time when I went on a big RPG hunt. Unfortunately, I didn't get into this game until I revisited it on an emulator nearly a decade later. Eventually I came to really like this game, and in time I started to love it. Really thinking about my top 100 games really made me realize this is not only one of the best Final Fantasy games, but also one of the best RPGs of all time. It is almost mind boggling how they managed to pull off such an epic story on a console like the SNES. When you compare the quality of nearly everything in the game to something like Final Fantasy IV, which released on the same system only a few years earlier, the difference is very easy to see. Final Fantasy VI is truly epic tale, with one of the best stories and one of the best soundtracks in the entire series, not to mention one of the absolute best villains in RPG history.
28. Super Mario Bros. 2
(NES, 1988)
This game may not have originally been a Mario title, and may be the only real oddball in the entire Mario series, but to me this is one of the best, most memorable experiences. This game is significant to me for being the first game I ever finished. It felt like such a huge accomplishment at the time. Nowadays I can almost beat the game with my eyes closed but back then it meant a lot to me. I loved that you could not just be Mario, but also Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad - each with their own stats and abilities. The character variety really added to its appeal, and the levels were all fun and varied, even if there was only two music tracks that repeated over and over. I keep hoping this game will get its own direct sequel - one that revisits throwing vegetables and all of the dream-like Subcon world. Easily one of my favorite Mario games in existence.
27. Super Metroid
(SNES, 1994)
I will never forget seeing the commercials for this game growing up in the mid-90s, not knowing what Metroid was, but the commercials made it look so bad-ass that I couldn't help but wonder what the game was like. I think they may have even intimidated me to the point where I never even played this masterpiece until 2007 when it came to Wii's virtual console. I wish I had gotten into this game when it was released but as I mentioned before, I didn't get into the Metroid series until I played Fusion and Prime in 2002. Super Metroid is often hailed as the best Metroid game, one of the greatest SNES games in existence, and even at times one of the greatest games ever created. This is with good reason - the gameplay is perfect. The chilling atmosphere really sucks you into the world, the action platforming gameplay is fantastic, as is nearly every aspect of this game. Super Metroid truly is the greatest 2D Metroid and one of the greatest action games of all time. Had I played this game back in the day, this might have even made my top 10, but even when I played this game for the first time, 13 years after its release, it was still very much a memorable and exciting experience for me.
26. Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
(GB, 1993)
This was the first Zelda game I ever played, and initially I hated it. I guess the time wasn't right the first time I played it, but I could not stand this game. It's unfortunate because it wouldn't be until Ocarina of Time i 1998 when I really got into the series, then revisited this classic as well as other Zelda games I missed. I really love this one for its quirkiness and memorable story. It's one of the most different and dreamlike games in the series. I loved the cameos of other Mario characters, too, like goombas and chain chomp. For a while this game was my favorite in the series but after several reassessments, my preference has shifted some around, but Link's Awakening is still a true classic and my absolute favorite game on the Game Boy.
25. Tetris Attack
(SNES, 1996)
My absolute favorite puzzle game of all time, this game was a surprise hit with me when I rented it in Blockbuster. I remember so vividly - there was a sign in the store that said you rent this game for free if you rent any other game, so I did. I forget what that other game was but I do remember taking this game and that other one home and I pretty much only played this one. I loved that they went with a Yoshi's Island theme, as it added to the amazing gameplay that was already there. This was one of the few games that I played with my sister growing up and even to this day I can't get enough of this classic. It is a masterpiece of a puzzle game in my opinion.
24. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
(3DS, 2013)
The gaming community blew up with excitement when this game was announced, but by contrast I was rather uninterested. I was happy to see a new Zelda game on the 3DS as opposed to a remake, but even still this wasn't going to be a real new Zelda game, since it reuses the entire overworld from Link to the Past. So I bought this on release day but didn't play it until almost a year later. I was truly shocked to not only find that it was my new absolute favorite 3DS game, but also one of my absolute favorite Zelda games. It almost even beat Link to the Past. In fact, I'd even say they're tied. I really can't pick one over the other. But for the sake of the list, I had to. I prefer Link to the Past very slightly just because it's the original and Link Between Worlds just borrows the over world. But don't mistake this for a remake - it's an original game, and a fantastic one at that. They gave Link a new ability to turn into a painting and walk along the walls, which at first I thought was nothing more than a stupid gimmick, but actually it really opens up the gameplay and puzzle solving elements. The dungeons in the game are some of the best in the entire series. Every dungeon is new in this game - none are reused from Link to the Past. Even certain areas of the overworld are new or at least changed. I also love the fact that unlike pretty much any other Zelda, you have the choice to do the dungeons in almost any order you want. Between that freedom, the painting mechanic, the gorgeous graphics (especially in 3D), and some of the best dungeons in Zelda history, the quality of the game truly surprised me.
23. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
(SNES, 1992)
I first played this shortly after finishing Ocarina of Time for the first time back in 1998 or 1999. I wasn't overly impressed with it at first since I just came off the heels of one of the most epic games I played up to that point. My dad brought home a Link to the Past cartridge one day unexpectedly and told me his friend at work sold it to him and that it's "the best Zelda ever made". That alone piqued my interest and I remember reading in Nintendo Power how highly revered the game was but never thought to play it until that day. The more I played it though the more I liked it and by the time I finished it the first time I actually preferred it over Ocarina of Time. Years go by and I replay the game, and I reassess the game overall and actually realize it's one of my favorite Zeldas of all time. And now? My favorite 2D Zelda. It was tough choosing between A Link Between Worlds and this since they're so similar and so awesome, but ultimately I gave this a slight edge since it came out long before its sequel and was the more epic and original game. Chalk up yet another win for the Super Nintendo!
22. Kirby's Dream Land 3
(SNES, 1997)
I never get tired of Kirby games and this is one of my favorites. It doesn't do anything especially well, it's not entirely original, and it's one of the easiest games in the series, yet I can't help but love this game to death. Partially the colored-pencil style graphics, partially the great animal buddy abilities, and partially the fantastic soundtrack, this game just really strikes a chord with me and manages to be charming as hell, as most Kirby games do. I won't go and tell anyone the game is a masterpiece or that they absolutely have to play it but I think everything in the game just comes together harmoniously and I can't help but have a smile on my face every time I play it. Some games are not meant to be challenging or original - they're just meant to be enjoyed.
21. BioShock Infinite
(PS3, 2013)
On the rare occasion that I buy games on a whim that I know next to nothing about, 90% of the time I regret the purchase almost immediately. This is not the case with BioShock Infinite. I remember the day so vividly - I walked into Best Buy with no intention of buying this or any other game, I just looked around like I usually do. I saw this game on the shelf and remembered hearing excellent things about the game. I had no idea what the game even really was other than that it was a first person shooter. I wound up buying it on the spot in hopes I'll like it. I took it home and played it almost instantly. I was immediately intrigued by the opening scenery and what I knew of the story. The game is set in an alternate timeline version of 1912 which also appealed to me. I played the game for a good 5 hours that night and I couldn't wait to get back into it the next day. Another day passed and I finished the game. In one of the shortest time frames ever I beat BioShock Infinite in 3 days. And I was absolutely blown away! The gameplay was mostly your typical FPS style controls with a variety of firearms but there was also some magic-like abilities that gave you wizard-like powers, which is yet another thing that set this game apart from other FPSs. Not to mention the story kept getting better and better as I got further into it, and most of all the environments sucked me right in. I was completely entranced by the scenery and the atmosphere that I almost forgot I was just the guy playing the game, and not actually in it. And the thing that really skyrocketed this game on my list was the ending. It has what I consider to be the best ending to any video game I have ever played. It gave me great closure yet gave me new questions and even got me trying to figure the whole thing out for the following week. My mind was absolutely blown by the story and the ending and it made me see FPSs in a new light. The game is a pure masterpiece and it came to me at a time when I had all but given up on the current generation of games, yet this amazing game proved me wrong.
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