#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..