#1 - Suikoden 2

Game: Suikoden 2
System: Playstation 1
Genre: RPG


To think that I only made the decision to buy this game because of a short 1-page review in CVG magazine and the only reason I ever saw it in a shop at all was because I happened to be in Scotland when it was released. I had no idea it would turn out to be my favourite game ever by a huge margin. It tells a deep, emotional story with a cast of 108 brilliant and memorable characters set in a beautiful world with a real sense of politics and history. The highlight for me is the castle, to watch it grow from crumbling ruins to a lively castle town as your new recruits fill it with life is truly inspiring. It's the kind of place I'd love to visit in real life. Add in one the best videogame soundtracks ever, fast-paced battles, intense duels, sweeping strategy battles, addictive recruitment gameplay, some bizarre and mysterious characters, a great sense of humour, clever connections to other games in the series and multiple heart-wrenching endings and you've got the defining moment of my gaming life.

#2 - Donkey Kong Country 3

Game: Donkey Kong Country 3
System: SNES
Genre: Platformer


In order to get this game we had to run from one end of town to the other and back again in order to borrow the money needed to get it before the last few copies sold out. It was worth it. I'm not blind to DKC3s faults, it is a bit short and easy for the most part, in fact I had the first 5 worlds completely done by the end of the Christmas Day I got it on, bonus stages and all. I don't care though, I love it and it's one of those games I could play endlessly. The music (the proper music, not that GBA rubbish) is great and really gives it an isolated "frontier" atmosphere. It's brilliant to have Dixie in the starring role with her helicopter hair and it's interesting to go back to the heavy/light dynamic thanks to Kiddy. Very nice graphics too being a DK country, I especially liked the water effects in the stilt levels and banana bird ending.

#3 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Game: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
System: SNES
Genre: Platformer


I was so excited about this game and by coincidence I stayed over at Tonys house the night I got it so I envisioned a fun evening of the two of us playing it together; he spent the entire time play A Link to the Past while I slowly went mad.. Yoshi is great fun to play as with his egg making and throwing and trying to get 100 points on each level is a very good incentive to fully explore each one. Yoshi can't die from normal damage as long as he can catch Baby Mario within 10-30 seconds which is a refreshing change from the norm even if that baby's cry could split stones and sent our mother running in to find out why there was a baby in the house the first time she heard it. I love the graphics in this game, all hand-drawn crayons and patchwork quilt, they're so charming. Also gotta give credit to whoever decided Yoshi should transform into a helicopter, a train, a submarine, a mole tank and even a car for one level only.

#4 - Pokémon Blue

Game: Pokémon Blue
System: Gameboy
Genre: RPG


It may come as a surprise to the people who know me but I am something of a Pokemon fan.. I can still remember excitedly talking about this with Alan before it was released, being jealous that he got Red before I got Blue and then playing Blue all the way home from Blanchardstown when I did get it, even though I felt car sick. Squirtle was my very first Pokemon and even though it would probably look like a mess of pixels to me now I loved it at the time. There are few things as compelling to me as trying to Catch 'Em All™ and I'm pretty confident I could name all 493 Pokemon and their types on sight. I also had some really fun battles with my original lv 100 team (Kingler, Sandslash, Dodrio, Electabuzz, Jynx, Chansey) from beating Alan's powerful team of legendaries (dumb luck) to running rings around Tony's Gengar with my Chansey, much to his annoyance. I'm currently playing Platinum and loving it as much as ever.

#5 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Adventure



Hey! Listen! It's hard to believe I had no interest in this when it first came out. Alan couldn't understand it but it just didn't mean anything to me. Then I had my first taste of it at his house and couldn't get enough. I'd say I've played it through 3 or 4 times at this stage and I'd happily do it again. It's one of those games where everything just feels so right. The controls, the music, the Ocarina, the graphics (for the time), the dungeon design, the Skulltulas, the items, Hyrule Field, Epona.. everything. Just don't mention the Water Temple or try to figure out where the Song of Storms came from.

#6 - Metroid Prime

Game: Metroid Prime
System: Gamecube
Genre: Adventure


Until I played Metroid Prime my only experience with Metroid was Metroid 2: The Return of Samus on the original Gameboy. Needless to say I was blown away. That first moment after landing on Tallon IV, looking up at the sky with rain bouncing off your visor and *that* music playing in the background is pretty awe-inspiring. The game looks great, seeing things from Samus's point of view is so immersive and the morph ball is very well done in 3D. I love the way that whole rooms turn out to be giant puzzles and each new upgrade unlocks another cool ability or area. The two sequels were good in their own way but the original Prime is the one I'll always love.

#7 - Final Fantasy IX

Game: Final Fantasy IX
System: Playstation 1
Genre: RPG


My favourite Final Fantasy, I love the more light-hearted and humourous tone compared to the other PS1 FFs with plenty of references to past games and tons of brilliant comedy moments. All 8 main characters are great and plot is one of the more comprehensible of the Final Fantasy's, right up until it literally "Pulls a Necron" at the end. Quina is by far my favourite, s/he's so strange, though Vivi also stands out as a very memorable and tragic character. I also really like the battle system, it's nice to have 4 party members in battle at once and I much prefer when characters have set classes to characters that are all the same. Great soundtrack too, as always.

#8 - Fire Emblem

Game: Fire Emblem
System: Gameboy Advance
Genre: Strategy RPG


A totally unexpected Christmas present from Anto became a totally unexpected hit as I quickly fell in love with Fire Emblem's blend of precision strategy and character recruitment. The attachment to each individual unit and my total willingness to replay a 2 hour level because someone died towards the end is the key to what makes Fire Emblem my favourite strategy series. The first GBA game is the clear winner for me, not only because it was my first one but also because it had a great tutorial in Lyn's chapters and Lyn, Eliwood and Hector are my favourite group of Lords. More impressive is the sheer number of support conversations between the characters that do a really good job of fleshing them out and making you care about them all the more. It also makes allowing them to be brutally slaughtered during the final battle all the more fun, mwahaha!

#9 - Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Game: Sonic The Hedgehog 2
System: Sega Mega Drive
Genre: Platformer


My favourite of the 2D Sonic games, I was so amazed when I first played it. I particularly liked playing as Tails, even though most of that time was spent off screen waiting for him to catch up to Sonic again. It was nice to be invincible during bosses though. The zones are pretty cool and the last boss is tough, especially if you're impatient. The multiplayer is also quite good despite some terrible slowdown and the pointless incluson of the bonus stage (now I'm front, now you're in front, now I'm in front, now...). We even discovered the infinite speed shoes cheat ourselves. Most impressive of all is that it was designed to be connected to Sonic and Knuckles, adding a whole new dimension to it years later.

#10 - Perfect Dark

Game: Perfect Dark
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: First Person Shooter


It's controversial but I liked Perfect Dark that little bit more than Goldeneye. After finally getting my hands on it I loved every bit of it (I was going crazy waiting for Golden Discs to get it in stock before finally cancelling my order in favour of going to Dublin and even then Anto had to buy it because I wasn't quite 18). I even managed to complete it on Perfect Agent once I got over my fear of the terrifying cloaking Skedar. It's such a quotable game: "Please don't do that Joanna, it worries me" and the added modes to the multiplayer make all the difference. It has to be my most played multiplayer mode out of all the games I've ever played. We made 8 regular sims we got to know by name and I'll never forget the mode where we pitted ourselves and 7 normal sims against a tiny blonde woman in a red dress set to the hardest difficulty. If we knew she was coming we'd literally run away screaming, terrified, and she always won by a landslide but it was great fun.

#11 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Adventure



We got Majora's Mask strictly for Christmas but decided to test it out first to make sure it worked ok... several hours later we finally put it away after finishing the first area and dungeon. I can't blame myself really, it's such a good game. The time loop/bombers notebook mechanic is great and unusual as are Link's mask transformations (especially rolly Goron Link). Termina is an eerie and twisted version of Hyrule, especially with that big moon glaring down at it and Clock Town feels like a living breathing town with so much to see and do in it. Even with 4 dungeons the game doesn't feel too short and the boss battle with Goht is one of the best moments in any game ever. It's also quite dark for a Zelda with a couple of genuinely upsetting moments in it.

#12 - Final Fantasy VII

Game: Final Fantasy VII
System: Playstation 1
Genre: RPG



Whatever about the games that came before, this is the game that truly ignited my love for RPGs. Fate seemed to have a hand to play as very shortly after seeing it at Tony's house and thinking "I want that", our mother won a PS1 in the local supermarket! It's one of those games I "lived" along with the characters, the entirety of Midgar felt like a full-length game in itself so it was such a shock when things finally kicked off after leaving Midgar. I loved all of the characters, the world, the music, the graphics and even the story, nonsensical as it is. It's also the first game to make me cry, even if we stupidly managed to spoil it on ourselves by reading teletext the night before we got to *that* bit in the game. It's such a shame they won't leave it alone instead by releasing one crap spin-off after another when all anyone really wants is a graphical update of the game as it is.

#13 - Jet Force Gemini

Game: Jet Force Gemini
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Shooter



I didn't expect to love this as much as I did because I wouldn't have said 3rd person shooters were my favourite genre. I'm sure the general cutesiness and lack of real gore helped (green bug blood and bouncy ant heads don't count) but it's simply a great game. The bosses are tough but satisfying to defeat, the tribals are cute but infuriatingly fragile and the atmospheric music matches perfectly to the alien levels. Most of all it was just enjoyable to play, the controls worked well, the weapons felt right and even I enjoyed the splatter of blood from an exploding group of ants.

#14 - Secret of Mana

Game: Secret of Mana
System: SNES
Genre: RPG



The first of many team games it was amazing at the time to be able to have both players on the same screen at once, never mind three. We recently started a Virtual Console replay and it's as addicitive as ever. It makes up some of my earliest gaming memories and I'm amazed how clearly I remember some aspects of the earlier part of the game. The 3 playable characters are great (I'm always the Sprite) and there were some very cool bosses and odd moments in it (Santa Claus). I think it's a hard game too because the only way we seemed able to defeat the last boss back in the day was to cast a pointless status curing spell just as it attacked. Fantastic soundtrack too.

#15 - Advance Wars

Game: Advance Wars
System: Gameboy Advance
Genre: Strategy



You know a game's good when you fall in love with it during the "How to move" tutorial, with chibi infantry running around and Nells theme stuck in your head you can't help but love it. It's a very cutesy take on the whole war thing which suits me down to the ground. It's also a deep and addictive strategy game with a large variety of different units and some fiendish levels. One of the best things about it is the diverse range of characters, each with their own unique abilities, CO Powers and theme tunes. Personal favourite themes include Andys, Drakes, Nells, Lashs, Colins, Jess's and Grimm's, but they're all great.

#16 - Diddy Kong Racing

Game: Diddy Kong Racing
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Racing



Diddy Kong Racing came as a complete surprise to me, not only because Rare waited until near release to announce it but also because our mother randomly came back from the shops one day and announced she'd bought it for us for Christmas, with barely any prompting. Very impressive. I love the "racing adventure" idea, it works so well. Even the bosses are good if surprisingly hard. It's one of those primary coloured games that I absolutely love with my kind of hummable soundtrack too. Some of the characters in it are very strange, from a more innocent Conker, to the bug-eyed Timber and Bumber, to the weirdness of TT the playable stopwatch. Tiptup was always my favourite though.

#17 - Super Mario 64

Game: Super Mario 64
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Platformer


One of my biggest gaming regrets is that I was stupid enough to use a guide when I played this. Problem was I'd been eagerly awaiting it for so long that I'd read the free guide that came with a magazine cover to cover before I even got the game. I suppose it didn't stop me enjoying the game or tarnish my memory of it as a true classic, nor did it dampen the amazement of actually exploring a 3D world for the time. The first few minutes I spent playing this were incredible, it was such a revelation at the time and I can think of no other game where I've spent hours messing about in the training level alone. These days it all seems a bit blocky and simple (I recently guided Aidan through a playthrough of it) plus it didn't quite work with DS controls but I'll never forget the Halloween when I first played this.

#18 - Banjo Kazooie

Game: Banjo Kazooie
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Platformer



Banjo Kazooie is a classic Rare collectathon with googly-eyed vegetables and silly voices, but that's why I love it (the opening of Nuts and Bolts is a brilliant parody). The whole 3D thing was still new enough for me to be blown away by it at the time but a recent XBLA replay confirmed that my glasses aren't too rose-tinted at all. It seems surprisingly short and simple these days but the levels are classics and it's a lot of fun. My favourites are Click Clock Woods and Freezeezy Peak (best Christmas level ever) though I absolutely love Gruntys Furnace fun too, it's such a clever idea. It's also notable as the first game I played with controller feedback, though I can't believe we actually wasted money on a rumble pak.

#19 - Donkey Kong Country 2

Game: Donkey Kong Country 2 Diddy's Kong Quest
System: SNES
Genre: Platformer



This is one of the first games I can remember being really excited about, thanks to my love of the first game and an 8-page review in the official Nintendo magazine at the time. I probably drove my parents crazy by my singleminded quest to find this somewhere on my confirmation day, but at least I had my priorities right and it was totally worth it. If I'm honest it's probably the best DKC and certainly the hardest (Animal Antics is such a nasty level). It introduces so many great ideas such as Dixie's helicopter hair, teaming-up, playing as the animal friends directly and the DK coins. Gotta love that sneaky dig at Sonic!

#20 - Goldeneye

Game: Goldeneye
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: FPS



I didn't expect to like Goldeneye at all when I first saw it but I turned out to be very wrong. It's the first shooter or "violent game" that I can really remember liking. Most of the levels in it are such classics and so memorable from the Dam, to Facility, to Bunker, to the Train and right on through to the Cradle. The multiplayer was another unexpectedly brilliant aspect of the game and I spent uncountable hours playing it with various different people. The time-trial cheats were a stroke of genius too (Facility on OO especially stands out) as were the objective-changing difficulty levels. Try as I might I couldn't get past jungle on OO Agent but after seeing Alan doing Aztec in OO that may have been for the best. The single most memorable thing about this game of course is watching the ever-bumbling Natalya ruin your efforts by dying again and again and again..

#21- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
System: SNES
Genre: Acion RPG


A truly classic game, I was in such a rush to get it that I nearly fell over a bin during our mad dash into the shop. It's got one of the most memorable game openings of all time (everyone gets stuck in the Hyrule Castle gardens) and it still looks and sounds gorgeous. The dungeons are all excellently designed and full of clever puzzles. Link's ever-growing and often since reused item collection is great fun to play around with. The Dark World is a stroke of terrifying genius, especially the first time you visit as a helpless rabbit, and it's a concept that has been used in many of the later Zeldas. Plus, what other game lets you defeat a powerful wizard using only a bug-catching net?

#22 - Final Fantasy X

Game: Final Fantasy X
System: Playstation 2
Genre: RPG


Final Fantasy X tells a really good story which is both exciting and touching and it has some brilliant characters (Auron is by far my favourite). It looks amazing, so good in fact that I thought the first in-game footage I saw was an FMV. The voice-acting adds another dimension to it though the quality does vary (Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!). I also really like the completely turn based battles and the Sphere Grid customisation system. I spent one summer playing with the sphere grid and powering up my characters into incredibly powerful demi-gods so that I could fight the Dark Aeons. It brings back nice memories of the day we pooled our money and bought a PS2 just to get it.

#23 - Paper Mario

Game: Paper Mario
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: RPG


I love Paper Marios colourful and unique visual style, witty dialogue, catchy music and fun, rhythm action style battles. The interludes where you play as an imprisoned Peach as she sneaks around her own castle are a nice little touch and it's full of nods to past Mario games. It also does wonderful PR work for previously generic Mario enemies, as each of his companions are likeable examples of their respective species. When we got it in my first year of college I lived in a house with only one, shared, tv, which drove me crazy because I barely got to play it. Thousand Year Door is it's brilliant GC sequel but unfortunately Super Paper Mario on Wii falls a bit flat (unintentional pun!)

#24 - Super Mario Galaxy

Game: Super Mario Galaxy
System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Platformer


Super Mario Galaxy was everything I was hoping for and it's definitely my favourite Wii game. I played it through twice in a row (with good reason of course) and would happily play it again. It's so much fun to control Mario, flying between planets, taking in the amazing scenery and using the great new power-ups (I especially love Ice Mario). It's also got an amazing soundtrack with the orchestral music from the Bowser battles being an absolute highlight. I'm so happy with the recent new that the sequel is on the way.

#25 - Wario Ware, inc. Mega Microgames

Game: Wario Ware, inc. Mega Microgames
System: Gameboy Advance
Genre: Puzzle/Platform/Shooter/RPG/Adventure/Sports/Sim/Action/Rhythm



I love Wario Ware because it's just so silly, funny and downright insane. The graphics, animation, music and sound effects come together for each mini-game to create a perfect little moment and it's often worth failing a game just to see what happens. There are too many funny games and moments to mention but some of my favourites are the dog that cries if you fail to shake his paw, the lady in the red dress who falls flat on her face if you fail to help her jump the tiny pebbles between her and her lover and on Wii, pulling the tv remote out of the hands of the naughty little boy who won't go to bed.

#26 - Mario Golf

Game: Mario Golf
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Sports


I'm not a fan of golf in real life, and I'm sick of hearing people talk about it in work, but add Mario to it and it suddenly becomes a lot of fun. It was certainly a surprise hit for me. Mario Golf 64 and Toadstool Tour are proper golf simulators with wind, fade, draw, clubs and all that stuff, they just also happens to have courses shaped like Yoshi and DK, filled with Piranha Plants, Chain Chomps, Thwomps and other Marioverse staples. They also have plenty of normal courses and extra modes like Ring Shot and Birdie Badge challenges so there's plenty to do in them. These games define the year I spent living with my friend William after I finished college and there's just something so pleasant and relaxing about a nice round of Mario Golf.

#27 - Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations

Game: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Puzzle


Trials and Tribulations has a brilliantly twisting plot which slowly unfolds over each case, some great villains (especially Godot, the epitome of cool) and the Ace Attorney trademarks of lots of silly humour and a brilliant soundtrack. It gives an interesting new perspective on Phoenix by allowing you to play as Mia and the final case is a rollercoaster of shocks and gutwrenching twists which caused my jaw to literally drop on more than one occasion. It also brings back memories of the 2 weeks I spent travelling around the country doing night work last year, as it made the perfect companion. (I also have to give special mention to Apollo Justice which I love for similar reasons and will always make me think of my trip to America).

#28 - Donkey Kong Country

Game: Donkey Kong Country
System: SNES
Genre: Platfomer


A great start to a classic series, the fuss at the time was all about the graphics but while they seem unimpressive by these days standards the gameplay still holds up well. It's not as structured as it's sequels with odd numbers of bonus stages in each level, hidden in odd places. I even rang one of those tips hotlines to find one of the bonus stages in the days before gamefaqs (it was at the very bottom of the screen as you bounce across a pit on some Neckies heads in a forest level). The final boss is brilliant with some misleadingly jolly music and it's one of the first games I remember feeling truly triumphant about completing.

#29 - Suikoden 3

Game: Suikoden 3
System: Playstation 2
Genre: RPG



Suikoden 3 is another excellent addition to the Suikoden series. I was so disappointed that it wasn't being released in Europe but my friend Ste came to the rescue by surprising me with a copy of the game and the slide cards needed to play it on my PAL PS2 for my 21st birthday. It's got some brilliant characters, a great mansion/castle and an unusual approach to storytelling which allows you to choose who you want the main character to be. My wonky PS2 won't play the game anymore but I'll always have the official soundtrack and the memories.

#30 - Spyro the Dragon

Game: Spyro the Dragon
System: Playstation 1
Genre: Platformer



Spyro is a very good example for people who like to say "They don't make them like they used to". The original trilogy of Spyro games on Playstation 1 were consistently brilliant but the series slowly went downhill with the move to Playstation 2 (the most recent PS2 game made me want to cry with it's awfulness). It brings back strong memories of my junior cert because we first rented it around the time of my exams, possibly even as a reward for afterwards. As with many platformers these days it had funny cut-scenes with surprisingly good voice acting and even though it's incredibly short I loved it for the simple gameplay, well-designed levels, beautiful graphics and catchy soundtrack. I even remember leaving a level loaded in the PS1 after the disc had been sent back to the video shop because I wanted to play it for just a little bit longer. They just don't make them like they used to.

#31 - Ratchet and Clank

Game: Ratchet and Clank
System: Playstation 2
Genre: Plaformer Shooter



Ratchet and Clank is half platformer and half shooter but all fun. It's cutscenes are hilarious which is always a plus and the characters are great, my favourites being Clank and Captain Qwark. Every planet you visit is beautiful and distinctive thanks to the brilliant graphics and music that go with each one. The best part though is the gameplay itself, the huge range of weapons you acquire are all a joy to use from the basic blasters right through to the apocolyptic rocket launchers and sillier weapons that makes your enemies dance/turn into chickens. The games also tend to very varied with lots of well made mini-games and "Xbox 360 achievements"-style skill points.

#32 - Final Fantasy VI

Game: Final Fantasy VI
System: Playsation 1
Genre: RPG



Final Fantasy VI is epic in every sense of the word. Apart from the usual lengthy play time and massive world map you also get a whopping 14 playable characters in your party.All 14 of them are likeable and interesting in their own way. The game also has a brilliant villain in Kefka, totally evil and totally mad, the scariest thing about him is that he's simply an ordinary man who became corrupted. The gameplay is pretty standard but the skill learning system is very good and some of the boss battles can be very exciting. There are so many brilliant and moving moments in this game, made all the more memorable by the fantastic soundtrack, but it would be impossible to list them all and unfair if you haven't seen them for yourself.

#33 - Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga

Game: Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
System: Gameboy Advance
Genre: RPG



Superstar Saga is one of those special "Christmas morning" games for me so it will always bring back good memories (in fact I'm pretty sure every single game I've been really excited about on Christmas day makes this list). It's a fairly light and easy rpg which makes good use of the trademark Mario rpg action commands and is notable for having lots of great humour including a whole lot of Luigi-bashing and the brilliant dialogue from Fawful. Come to think of it this game has really saved me on some dark and sleepless nights. Mario and Luigi:Partners in Time is almost as good despite the crying babies and the 3rd game is on the way and looking good.

#34 - Abe's Oddysee

Game: Abe's Oddysee
System: Playstation 1
Genre: Puzzle Platformer



Abe's Oddysee is a dark and brutal game but a very funny one too. Abe is a very fragile character, he dies with one hit and has no attacks of his own, yet he is constantly in danger from meat grinders, explosives, falling rocks, bees, trigger-happy sligs, rabid slogs, ferocious Scrabs, deadly Paramites and the nefarious Glukkons who have enslaved his people to use as food. It's a neat little platformer with lots of clever puzzles and some great locations and character design including Elum, the weird but brilliant two-legged mule thing. It's very satisfying to defeat your enemies and rescue your 99 fellow Mudukons using only your wits and words alone, though having the mystical ability to possess and control your enemies also helps.

#35 - Blast Corps

Game: Blast Corps
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Action



Blowing things up has never been as enjoyable as it is Blast Corps. It helps that most of the vehicles are lots of fun to control, from missile-launching bikes to barrel-rolling robots (though the less said about the Backlashe and that bloody railway line the better). Having to clear the path of an unstoppable nuclear truck certainly adds to the excitement and the music is nice and upbeat for a game about averting an apocolyptic explosion. Once you finish the main game you even get to play some brilliant low gravity levels set in space for some reason, but the games biggest mystery is how on earth you delete a save file!

#36 - Um Jammer Lammy

Game: Um Jammer Lammy
System: Playstation 1
Genre: Rhythm Action



By far my favourite rhythm action game, I love every song in Um Jammer Lammy without exception, making it very hard to choose a favourite. I much prefer playing the guitar over rapping because it sounds much better, even when you experiment and do you own thing which makes getting a Cool rating much more enjoyable. Along with the plot, which is full of typically silly moments, I also love Lammy herself. She's a character I can really identify with for her shyness and hesitance, something Anto even pointed out when we first got the game.

#37 - Breath of Fire III

Game: Breath of Fire III
System: Playstation 1
Genre: RPG


Maybe it was because I was younger or just new to rpgs in general but when I played BoFIII it felt like it went on forever and I was living every moment along with the characters. It proved too hard the first time around so it wasn't until we played it a second time as a team game that I finally saw the ending (on the night before going to Scotland for the first time). It's definitely the best of the Breath of Fire series (though V comes close, for me anyway) with a brilliant cast of characters and some brilliant moments (like the scene with the Australian dolphin which is then re-translated for players who don't speak "Australian").

#38 - Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles

Game: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
System: Nintendo Gamecube
Genre: RPG



It's not easy to setup thanks to the need for a GBA + link cable for each player but if you can get it going FF:CC is a lot of fun. It requires real teamwork, especially during boss battles and it has a great mix of co-operation and competitiveness, especially when money appears. It also has an absolutely brilliant soundtrack along with some quaint, Irish-accented voiceovers for each level (the one for Moschet Manor is especially good, never mind the spooky, brave lilties). As a whole the game was a brave experiment which didn't quite work as well as it could have but it still remains a favourite of mine.

#39 - Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Game: Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
System: Playstation 2
Genre: Strategy RPG



The gameplay in Disgaea is good but tough going, and it requires a lot of work to make progress, but it's totally worth it for the characters and the plot. There are tons of silly laugh out loud moments making it feel more like watching a cartoon sometimes. Sweet, innocent angel Flonne is the perfect foil for evil demons like Laharl and Etna and their interactions are always hilarious, as is Captain Gordon the inept Defender of Earth and his crew. Not only is it funny but when it gets serious it can be heart-breaking too. No matter what ending you get you're in for a shock and the Red Moon chapter is one of the most haunting moments I've ever seen in a game with a beautiful song to go with it.

#40 - Mario Kart 64

Game: Mario Kart 64
System: Nintendo 64
Genre: Racing


Our first N64 game, we were so excited about it that I think we bought it even before we had the console. I spent hours wondering what it would be like to control with the 3D stick and was very disappointed when I saw it running on a tv in a shop only to find out it wasn't a playable demo. As it turned out it was a solid single-player game with some great tracks that have stood the test of time (Mario Circuit) and some sneaky shortcuts (Peach's Castle). What makes it truly great though is the multiplayer, no Mario Kart has come anywhere close to matching it since. You can't beat a battle with 4 human players on the Block Fort stage.

#41 - Chibi Robo

Game: Chibi Robo
System: Nintendo Gamecube
Genre: Platform/Puzzle



Such a wonderful game and Chibi Robo himself is such a great character; adorable and charming. He's very much the strong silent type, communicating only with Yes or No signs that pop out of his head, but every movement he makes is musical making him a joy to play as. Even his footsteps make different notes depending on what surface he walks on. It's so much fun to explore a normal house as a tiny robot, making friends with the toys you meet along the way and there's something so nice about a game where your main goal is simply to help people out and make them happy. Maybe it's because I had a bad flu when I played it and was slightly delirious at the time but this game made me feel really happy too.

# 42 - Metal Gear Solid

Game: Metal Gear Solid
System: Playstation 1
Genre: Action

You probably play more time watching Metal Gear Solid than you do playing it but what gameplay it does have is very satisfying and stealthy and the story, while long winded and overly philosophical sometimes, is very entertaining. It's a very quotable game ("Is that right?") with some really cool and memorable moments, the Psycho Mantis battle being a real highlight. Yes I have been playing Suikoden! MGS2 is bit iffy thanks to the rubbishness of Raiden but MGS3 is back on form again. I wonder if I'll ever play MGS4..

#43 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
System: Gameboy
Genre: Adventure



Despite it's small overworld and simplistic graphics, Links Awakenings puzzles and dungeons as complex and clever as those in any other Zelda game. It's got some fun cameos like a Yoshi doll and Wart from Super Mario Bros 2, and is the first appearance of Kaebora Gaebora (or at least it's the first time Link is helped out by an owl). I've always really liked the idea of having to collect musical instruments to wake the Wind Fish with a ballad in order escape from it's dream of Koholint Island (it makes for a nice ending and is a nice precursor to the musical theme in Ocarina of Time).

#44 - Sonic 3 and Knuckles

Game: Sonic 3 and Knuckles
System: Sega Mega Drive
Genre: Platformer





Much like jigsaw pieces, Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles don't really amount to much until they are slotted together. Taken as a whole, both games make a lot more sense and combine to become a brilliant, lengthy and varied 2D Sonic game. The fight with Knuckles in Hidden Palace is one of my favourite gaming moments, I really liked seeing Sonic, Tails and Knuckles fighting then working together though it's funny how Sonic Heroes changed that.. It's a sad cliche, but they really don't make them like they used to and this is the last Sonic game that I would truly consider "great".

#45 - ICO

Game: ICO
System: Playstation 2
Genre: Adventure



ICO is such an amazing game, it's hard to find the words to do it justice. The castle it's set in creates such an eerie, isolated atomsphere while the animation and tiny amount of spoken dialogue make you care deeply about the two main characters despite the complete lack of written dialogue. The whole thing is so subtle and masterful, it's like the gaming version of classical music. Or something. If you've played it you'll know what I'm trying to say here and if you haven't played it, you should make it your mission to.

#46 - Portal

Game: Portal
System: Xbox 360
Genre: Puzzle



Another last minute addition to this list, Portal was such a pleasant surprise. I turned it on "to test it for a few minutes" after buying The Orange Box and ended up playing it pretty much non-stop until I got to the end. The gameplay is absolutely amazing, the portal mechanics are ingenious and using the Portal gun is a genuinely exciting feeling. I've never wanted a gadget from a game in real-life so badly. Not only is the gameplay top notch but the slowly unfolding, cutscene-free story is excellent as well. GlaDos is hilarious and really adds to the ever-growing feeling that something is very wrong at Aperture Science.. Also, "Still Alive" is one of the best songs ever, game-related or otherwise.

#47 - F-Zero GX

Game: F-Zero GX
System: Nintendo Gamecube
Genre: Racing



GX is by far my favourite F-Zero, I found it easier to control than the others and playing it gives you the most amazing sense of speed. The story mode was good fun but incredibly hard, I don't know what they were thinking when they made it. One of my favourite things about is that each of the 40 characters has their own theme song and unlockable video, some of which are hilarious.

#48 - Suikoden V

Game: Suikoden V
System: Playstation 2
Genre: RPG



The most recent Suikoden starts off painfully slowly but soon blossoms into one of the best in series which reminds me of Suikoden 2 more than any of the others. The Prince is an especially feminine male hero but still kind of cool and it goes without saying for a Suikoden game that the plot is full of twists, turns and shocks. There are also lots of brilliant Stars of Destiny, both new and old (Georg Prime from S2 is used very well and who saw Byakuren coming?). It also has a few alternate endings, a couple of alternate Stars and some regular Stars that are so well hidden I completely missed them my first time around so that definitely warrants a replay sometime.

#49 - Rolo to the Rescue

Game: Rolo to the Rescue
System: Sega Mega Drive
Genre: Platformer



I love everything about this game; the music, graphics and most importantly the gameplay. It's a perfect example of how good 2D platformers can be. I get the feeling it's not a very well known game, and I never owned it myself despite finishing it at least twice, but it's definitely a classic in my book. I still hum the world map music in my head sometimes..