 201) Mortal Kombat II Year of Release: 1993 Developed By: Midway Games Published By: Midway, Acclaim Entertainment Platforms: Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Game Boy, PC, Sega 32X, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, Super Nintendo (SNES) "One of the most beloved and revolutionary early fighting games, Mortal Kombat II continued the story of Sub Zero, Johnny Cage, Raiden, and Liu Kang (and introduced several newcomers such as Mileena, Kitana, and Baraka) fighting in a deadly otherworldly tournament. The game sold a staggering 25,000 arcade cabinets - more than five times what was considered strong sales for an arcade game." - Popular Mechanics, 2014 |  202) Shovel Knight Year of Release: 2014 Developed By: Yacht Club Games Published By: Yacht Club Games Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii U, PC, Sony Playstation 4, Sony Playstation Vita "There is a reason we can all remember so much from games that are almost 30 years old, and Shovel Knight has tapped into that reason in a profound way. Shovel Knight is so much more than a love letter to the genre - it is, in fact, the kind of game people write love letters about." - Polygon, 2014 |
 203) Kingdom Hearts Year of Release: 2002 Developed By: Square Published By: Square Platform: Sony Playstation 2 "It's said that this game exists because two execs, one from Square-Enix and one from Disney, happened to get onto the same elevator. Had they never met by chance, or maybe if one of them had been particularly gassy that day, we might have never gotten the original Kingdom Hearts and its vast array of spinoffs and sequels. We'd never have gotten to know Sora, Riku or Kairi, following their adventures through the magical worlds that make up our collective childhoods. Then again, if the series never existed, we wouldn't have to wait a decade for Kingdom Hearts III." - Dorkly, 2014 |  204) Fallout 4 Year of Release: 2015 Developed By: Bethesda Softworks Published By: Bethesda Softworks Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC, Sony Playstation 4 "Fallout was a natural inclusion as one of 2015's best games, and was one of the few that most of us had played and almost unanimously loved. For my part, I thought the moral/philosophical dilemma presented in the main story was a brilliant test of personal values, and it's proven to be quite divisive amongst everybody I've talked to. Each player has their own justification for their faction choice at the end, ranging from strong personal beliefs to projecting their character's motivations onto the decision. It was fun to experience, and even more fun to argue with friends about the "right" choice." - The Escapist, 2015 |
 205) Super Smash Bros. Year of Release: 1999 Developed By: HAL Laboratory Published By: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo 64 ""Wouldn't it be cool if Mario fought Pikachu?" This could be a thought that leads to some really bad Nintendo fan fiction, but it's also the premise of the superb N64 game, Super Smash Bros. It pits some of Nintendo's most recognizable faces against each other in familiar battlegrounds with iconic music. Super Smash Bros. quickly became a fan-favorite series, leading to thousands of hours of local multiplayer fun." - IGN, 2014 |  206) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Year of Release: 2018 Developed By: Bandai Namco Studios, Sora Ltd. Published By: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo Switch "Forgive me for getting a little breathless, but this is that sort of game; an enthusiastic grab bag of gaming history, where familiar call-backs are met by deeper cuts and references to obscure NES RPG series by the beloved, departed Data East. And that enthusiasm is infectious, too - Smash Bros. is, and always has been, a smile of a game, an endless festival featuring all your favourites plus a few more besides. Yes, it gets a bit messy sometimes, but the best festivals always do." - Eurogamer, 2018 |
 207) Eve Online Year of Release: 2003 Developed By: CCP Games Published By: CCP Games Platform: PC "EVE Online is a space MMORPG and the best story generator on PC. Its completely player-generated tales of political intrigue, corporate espionage, and massive stellar wars have made the headlines of major news organisations like the BBC. There's an understated, serene beauty to the game that sets it apart from its peers, and if MMORPGs are about living another life, then EVE Online is perhaps the purest expression of that concept on PC." - PC Gamer, 2015 |  208) Mortal Kombat Year of Release: 1992 Developed By: Midway Games Published By: Midway Games Platforms: Amiga, Arcade, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Game Boy, PC, Sega CD, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Sony Playstation 2, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation Vita, Super Nintendo (SNES) "The seductive truth about Mortal Kombat's ultra-bloody Fatalities is that those finishing moves scream, "Here's what you'd do if you were really fighting against something you hate." Mortal Kombat's digitized, grindhouse kung-fu and adolescent gore fetish awoke something primal and let it out to play in a cordoned-off virtual space. The reason the 1992 classic remains seminal is because it broke an implicit taboo about what was okay to put in a game. And Western civilization is still standing." - TIME, 2012 |
 209) Hotline Miami Year of Release: 2012 Developed By: Dennaton Games Published By: Devolver Digital Platforms: PC, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation 4, Sony Playstation Vita "Hotline Miami is violent-really violent-but in a way that makes it ooze atmosphere: pulsing neon, pumping electronica, and blood splattered on the walls, and the floor, and you. You play as a thug fighting his way through room after room of men with guns and knives and every other murder-tool you can think of. You're not timed, but you must move quickl, because every room you enter requires mowing down enemies in a matter of seconds - lest the hail of bullets leaves you as the one splayed on the ground." - Popular Mechanics, 2014 |  210) God of War III Year of Release: 2010 Developed By: SCE Santa Monica Studios Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: Sony Playstation 3 "With towering bosses that dwarf those in similar games, levels that live, breathe and move, plus a flurry of combos, upgrades and magical attacks to unlock, there's plenty here to revisit once the story has reached its end, as well as a series of challenges and additional costumes providing yet more graft for completists to sink their teeth into. All-in-all the best god-slaying saga to date. Richard Dawkins would be proud." - Empire, 2010 |
 211) Burnout Paradise Year of Release: 2008 Developed By: Criterion Games Published By: Electronic Arts Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3 "I can return to Burnout: Paradise again and again, always delighted to start over from the beginning. To see that island refilled with bright yellow gates and bold red posters for me to smash through on the way to competing in the hundreds of impromptu races and challenges (and indeed midway through leading to my abandoning my current task) is like a brand new box of assorted delicious biscuits. It's a game that understands joy - a lesson that doesn't seem to have been learned, even by its own creators." - Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 2012 |  212) Deus Ex: Human Revolution Year of Release: 2011 Developed By: Eidos Montreal Published By: Square Enix Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3 "Not too many franchises get the opportunity to make a similar impact twice, but when DX:HR finally hit in 2011, its pitch-perfect mix of stealth, gunplay, and open-world role-playing felt almost as fresh to the military shooter-saturated market as its original did in the 90's. Drenched in a futuristic bronze hue, and backed by an unforgettable Michael McCann composed soundtrack, Human Revolution is both an interesting meditation on Transhumanism and an exemplary FPS." - IGN, 2013 |
 213) Rock Band 3 Year of Release: 2010 Developed By: Harmonix Published By: MTV Games Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation 3 "What Harmonix started with Guitar Hero it finished with Rock Band 3. The culmination of the genre, Rock Band 3 gave players a full suite of instruments, a tremendous music catalogue (thanks to Harmonix's weekly song DLC releases), and the new "Pro" mode to help teach plastic-guitar rockers to shred on an actual six-string. Unfortunately, popularity in the music-game genre had waned greatly by the time Rock Band 3 hit shelves, so while the game sold a decent amount, the franchise soon withered." - Popular Mechanics, 2014 |  214) F-Zero GX Year of Release: 2003 Developed By: Amusement Vision Published By: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo GameCube "Some games pull it all together: graphics, music, gameplay and presentation. F-Zero GX is one of those games. It's a lightning-quick testament to hardcore racers, and a permanent fixture in the grand hallway of Nintendo's premier franchises. It's damn near impossible to bat an eye or take a breath while clinging to the winding, twisting courses that float miles above the alien landscape." - Gamesradar, 2006 |
 215) Dishonored 2 Year of Release: 2016 Developed By: Arkane Studios Published By: Bethesda Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC, Sony Playstation 4 "Arkane doubled down on the original game's play-it-your-way ethos, allowing players to choose a character and use a unique tool set to puzzle out a path - whether nonlethal, very lethal, or somewhere in between - through each stage. And let's not forget that Dishonored 2 contains some of the most original, mind-boggling examples of level design in this entire decade." - Polygon, 2019 |  216) Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar Year of Release: 1985 Developed By: Origin Published By: Origin Platforms: Commodore 64, PC, Sega Master System "A fantasy roleplaying game that debuted on an Apple computer? Yep, Ultima IV - first released for the venerable 8-bit Apple II in 1985 - was certainly that, but more importantly, it heralded a remarkable shift in tone for this series about an inter-dimensional hero (that would be you) who traveled to the medieval realm of Britannia to save its denizens from monstrous evils." - TIME, 2012 |
 217) Rayman Legends Year of Release: 2013 Developed By: Ubisoft Casablanca, Ubisoft Montpellier Published By: Ubisoft Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U, PC, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation 4, Sony Playstation Vita "Playfulness is the main constant running through the large amount of varied content within Rayman Legends. Critics often try to avoid the word "fun" because it's so subjective, but the only other game in recent memory that has so thoroughly embodied the most basic, universal and objective meaning of the word is Rayman Origins - much of which returns as unlockable bonuses within the already superior Legends. Revisiting classic gaming concepts with a timeless sense of humor that everybody can enjoy, Rayman Legends is a videogame without pretense, and that might be the most crucial decision its designers made without even realizing it." - Paste, 2016 |  218) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Year of Release: 2004 Developed By: Intelligent Systems Published By: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo GameCube "Everyone is still waiting for a Paper Mario game that can equal the greatness of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. The subsequent titles might have tried to shake things up a bit, but The Thousand Year Door managed to deliver simple, yet satisfying battle mechanics, smart writing, puzzles and more." - Digital Spy, 2016 |
 219) Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec Year of Release: 2001 Developed By: Polyphony Digital Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: Sony Playstation 2 "GT3 is without a doubt, the PS2's killer app. It's a truly remarkable game... which goes to show how good GT2 really is. It has moved across from PSX to its next-gen sibling with very little change to its fundamental gameplay and game mechanics. And despite it being to all intents and purposes almost exactly the same game we played a year or so ago, it still provides the best racing entertainment you can get outside of a race track." - IGN, 2001 |  220) Rez Year of Release: 2001 Developed By: United Game Artists Published By: Sega Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation 2 "Rez delivered a gestalt, multi-sensory experience where its component parts gelled into something new with its own brilliant shine. Shoot a fractal-looking neon weirdie and a chain reaction ensued: it bloomed into a new, transient shape, added a distinct percussion to the throbbing soundtrack and created a unique vibration in your game controller. This sensory overload happened in the midst of a virtual reality storyline where you hacked into a self-aware computer network grappling with big, what-does-it-all-mean existential questions." - TIME, 2012 |
 221) FTL: Faster Than Light Year of Release: 2012 Developed By: Subset Games Published By: Subset Games Platform: PC "Undeniably old-fashioned yet still somehow fresh and original, Faster Than Light is a great new take on a couple of old genres that will take over your life for many, many hours. Tense combat, easy-to-handle ship management, and fast-moving campaigns make this a game that is far more than the sum of its parts, despite a few shortcomings with mission variety and the remorseless nature of the (mostly) save-free game design." Gamespot, 2012 |  222) Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Year of Release: 1991 Developed By: LucasArts Published By: LucasArts Platforms: Amiga, PC "When Monkey Island 2 came out, we knew who Guybrush Threepwood was, so we knew what to expect. Or so we thought. Somehow, creator Ron Gilbert threw everyone for a loop, ending Monkey Island 2 in a carnival, leaving us to wonder if everything we'd played in the first two games took place in a boy's imagination, or if the ending itself was simply another LeChuck voodoo spell. Regardless, the story, jokes, and pacing were all tightened up for the second Monkey Island, making it arguably the best of the incredible run of LucasArts adventure games." - IGN, 2015 |
 223) Company of Heroes Year of Release: 2006 Developed By: Relic Published By: THQ Platform: PC "We were all pretty burned out on WW2 RTS games by 2006. It took about half an hour with Company of Heroes to realise the error of that - we were just tired out with tired-out RTS games. And Company of Heroes, ideas were plain rampant. Putting aside its pummelling atmosphere, its genius was in turning traditional unit interactions into something that felt absolutely real. Positioning machine-guns to cover areas, so stopping head on assaults by infantry felt, so leading them to trying to outflank you, so leading you to try and protect the flanks leading to... well, from the individual, robust pieces a RTS which felt a lot like WW2 emerged. In some ways, you could say it's the Sensible Soccer of WW2. It's easy to argue this as the apex of classical RTS full stop." - Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 2012 |  224) Battlefield 1942 Year of Release: 2002 Developed By: Digital Illusions Published By: Electronic Arts Platform: PC "As the very first game what would become a landmark shooter series, Battlefield 1942 laid the groundwork for how I would be spending hundreds and hundreds of hours of my life. Though not the only cooperative, team-work oriented shooter of its time, Battlefield 1942 was in a class by itself. There was simply nothing like the size and scale of Battlefield 1942, and its legacy has only gotten bigger in nearly 15 years since." - IGN, 2015 |
 225) DOTA 2 Year of Release: 2011 Developed By: Valve Corporation Published By: Valve Corporation Platform: PC "Dota 2 is many things to many people: it's a great way to kill an afternoon with friends; it's a spectator sport platform with its own item-betting scene; it's a hobby; it's a profession, and a way to make a living. It isn't perfect and likely never will be, as each update tends to fix bugs and introduce new ones, and the tutorial could certainly use some work. However, with zero cost to play and one of the highest skill ceilings of any game I've ever encountered, Dota 2 is a modern multiplayer masterpiece." - Destructoid, 2013 |  226) Cuphead Year of Release: 2017 Developed By: StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc. Published By: StudioMDHR Entertainment Inc. Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC "Cuphead is absolutely not for the faint of heart, then, but it's certainly captivating. Come for the gorgeous bygone ragtime jazz, Porkrind's shop and an evil carrot; stay for the thrill of defeating a boss you've spent hours attempting. It's painful, but you won't find many games with such a moreish, satisfying sting." - The Guardian, 2017 |
 227) Monster Hunter: World Year of Release: 2018 Developed By: Capcom Published By: Capcom Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, Sony Playstation 4 "Monster Hunter: World, the new third-person action game from Capcom, absolutely deals in fantasy. It plucks you from reality and sets you in the domains of exotically imposing monsters that you must hunt. In this game, however, the sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from felling them is anything but an illusion." - Kotaku, 2018 |  228) Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness Year of Release: 1995 Developed By: Blizzard Entertainment Published By: Blizzard Entertainment Platform: PC "Perhaps not one of the more interesting strategy games on this list by today's standards, but that doesn't mean it's not a landmark game. This is where Blizzard really became BLIZZARD, the goliath that we know and love/fear today. Battle.net (well, the first RTS to use it), expansion packs, the semi-toon visual style, eyewatering sales figures, uber-lore: it all started here. And while Warcraft 1 had started the multiplayer RTS ball rolling, it was WC2 that really got it doing so at speed. WC2 is why we have WoW, and why we have StarCraft. This is the tap that the money-hose is connected to." - Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 2011 |
 229) XCOM 2 Year of Release: 2016 Developed By: Firaxis Games Published By: 2K Games Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC, Sony Playstation 4 "XCOM 2 is a game without any serious flaws, and which achieves its ambitious goals with a disarming ease - while excelling in areas you never would've thought it would even touch. It's one of the best sequels of the last decade, it's probably going to end up as our favourite game of the year, and it's arguably the best strategy game of all-time." - GameCentral, 2016 |  230) Fallout 2 Year of Release: 1998 Developed By: Black Isle Studios Published By: Interplay Entertainment Platform: PC "It's a game you have to replay just to appreciate how flexible and open it really is. I've done it so many times, experimenting with the ways in which different character builds and perks would dramatically affect the way events unfolded, from killing the final "boss" using stealth to playing all the way through with a character so dumb they can only communicate through grunts. Plus, you never knew when you'd stumble upon random events that would sometimes deliver game-changingly powerful items. Fallout 2 will surprise you again and again." - IGN, 2015 |
 231) Animal Crossing Year of Release: 2001 Developed By: Nintendo EAD Published By: Nintendo Platforms: Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube "Originally for the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube, Animal Crossing built a rich world around things that most people thought of as secondary in games: customizing, socializing, and managing your resources. Animal Crossing ran on real time, so many a parent was forced to nurse a virtual garden for a month, while the kid was away at camp." - TIME, 2012 |  232) Tomb Raider Year of Release: 2013 Developed By: Core Design Published By: Eidos Interactive Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3 "Throughout the game, you're tasked with solving elaborate puzzles and taking on sporadic groups of enemies; in addition to plenty of platforming and exploration. After you finish Tomb Raider's long-winded tutorial, it easily rivals the best Uncharted has to offer--and that's not a claim made lightly. Where Uncharted props itself up on Nathan Drake's charm, platforming prowess, and ability to shoot dudes in the head without getting bummed out, Tomb Raider's foundation is one of excellent pacing, and an ominous story of survival." - Gamesradar, 2014 |
 233) Skies of Arcadia Year of Release: 2000 Developed By: Overworks Published By: Sega Platforms: Nintendo GameCube, Sega Dreamcast "Some call this the best Final Fantasy clone ever made, and others would argue it's even better than Square's RPG series. Regardless of your view, what can't be argued is that Skies Of Arcadia is one of the best examples of a turn-based RPG, period. The story of Blue Rogue air pirate, Vyse and his friends is a sublime RPG masterpiece that contains a huge world, loveable characters and plenty of secrets to discover." - Den of Geek, 2013 |  234) Final Fantasy Year of Release: 1987 Developed By: Square Published By: Square Platforms: Android, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sony Playstation Portable, WonderSwan Color "Final Fantasy ultimately served as a greater inspiration to the RPGs that followed its 1987 Japanese launch; it showed the world that PC-style complexity could exist on the little grey box originally meant to offer a home version of Donkey Kong -- and a truncated one at that. The series may be much further from its roots than Dragon Quest IX is to Dragon Quest I, but that's just a testament to Square's penchant for experimentation. And without the all-or-nothing spirit behind what could have been creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's last project, the RPG landscape would be very different indeed." - 1up, 2012 |
 235) Gone Home Year of Release: 2013 Developed By: The Fullbright Company Published By: The Fullbright Company Platforms: Mac OS, PC "You arrive at your family's new house following a trip overseas. No one is home. A note from your little sister on the door begs you not to look for her. Where is everyone? What happened here? That's the premise of Gone Home, the spectacular debut game from the Fullbright Company. No guns or swords, no puzzles or quests, no henchmen or monsters - just you and a house and the story told by what you find inside." - Popular Mechanics, 2014 | 236) Destiny 2 Year of Release: 2017 Developed By: Bungie Published By: Activision Platforms: Microsoft Xbox One, PC, Sony Playstation 4 From Bungie, the makers of the acclaimed hit game Destiny, comes the much-anticipated sequel, Destiny 2. Humanity’s last safe city has fallen to an overwhelming invasion force, led by Ghaul, the imposing commander of the brutal Red Legion. To defeat the Red Legion and confront Ghaul, you must reunite humanity’s scattered heroes, stand together, and fight back to reclaim our home. An action shooter that takes you on an epic journey across the solar system. immerse yourself in a new epic cinematic campaign. Join up with friends in three or six player co-op activities. Spar with your fellow players in a variety of competitive multiplayer modes New Legends Will Rise, A new adventure for every player, with new worlds to explore, new stories to tell, new powers to acquire, new loot to earn, and much much more. Note: This edition doesn’t contain 3 actual figurines the characters shown in the image on site is simply demonstrating the salute in game character. |
 237) Super Mario Sunshine Year of Release: 2002 Developed By: Nintendo EAD Published By: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo GameCube "Super Mario Sunshine epitomizes how risky and awesome Nintendo can be. Instead of simply being "Super Mario 64 but prettier," Sunshine rewrote the playbook by hinging most of the adventure around F.L.U.D.D. Mario's tropical vacation had him using his jetpack/fire-hose to complete all sorts of interesting challenges and clean up Isle Delfino. And of course, in true Nintendo fashion, the game occasionally stripped us of our precious jetpack and forced us to compete in some of the toughest platforming challenges to ever appear in a 3D Mario game." - IGN, 2014 |  238) Asteroids Year of Release: 1979 Developed By: Atari, Inc. Published By: Atari, Inc. Platforms: Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Jaguar CD, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Sony Playstation "Of all the Golden-Age arcade games, Asteroids was the sparest, most elegant and most coldly intense. You played as the pilot of a tiny triangular spaceship lost in the inky void amid irregular drifting asteroids. The deep, pulsing, gradually accelerating soundtrack only heightened the player's sense of existential dread: the game could only end one way, with the player's utter destruction." - TIME, 2012 |
 239) Heavy Rain Year of Release: 2010 Developed By: Quantic Dream Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: Sony Playstation 3 "Following four protagonists as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of the "Origami Killer," Heavy Rain is an exercise in interactive storytelling. The game plays out almost as a series of lengthy quick-time events. You push buttons with specific timing in order to interact with pre-rendered scenes. The catch is that messing up the timing doesn't always mean you fail and try again; sometimes the game keeps going, forcing you to cope with the consequences of your actions. Miss a button press and you might lose a fight. Don't spin the control stick just-so and you might be crushed in a car compactor. Any one of the main characters can die - or all of them. Can you deal with that?" - Popular Mechanics, 2014 |  240) Divinity: Original Sin 2 Year of Release: 2017 Developed By: Larian Studios Published By: Larian Studios Platform: PC "Divinity: Original Sin II is one of the most captivating role-playing games ever made in both its original and Definitive incarnations, with the latter proving that even the most complicated role-players can be ported successfully to gamepad-limited consoles. This immaculately conceived and emotion-wrought fantasy world, topped by brilliant tactical combat, make it one of the finest games of recent years, and it remains an instant classic in the pantheon of RPG greats." - Gamespot, 2017 |
 241) Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Year of Release: 2005 Developed By: Ubisoft Montreal Published By: Ubisoft Platforms: Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, PC, Sony Playstation 2 "Chaos Theory also ups the ante with a huge range of multiplayer modes, and the macho military plot is more engaging than before as your actions can change the direction the story takes - kill the person you're meant to interrogate, for example, and you'll have to clean up your mess - making this Tom Clancy spin-off one of the most electrifying games on the shelves." - Empire, 2005 |  242) Prince of Persia Year of Release: 1989 Developed By: Broderbund Published By: Broderbund Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color, PC, PC-FX, Sega CD, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Sony Playstation 3, Super Nintendo (SNES), TurboGrafx 16 "It's spawned countless sequels and a rather forgettable movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal, but this gorgeous 2D platformer for the Apple II is where it all started. The realistic animation of the hero was achieved using rotoscoping, and the swordfighting was a real departure from the projectile-based combat in its contemporaries." - Stuff.tv |
 243) Double Dragon Year of Release: 1987 Developed By: Technos Japan Published By: Taito Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Commodore 64, Neo Geo, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Game Boy, PC, Sega Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Sinclair ZX Spectrum "Double Dragon. Even the name, which is often underlined by entwined twin dragons, still sounds indescribably cool. Initially born in the arcades in 1987 (and subsequently ported to every device bearing a screen and a microchip, from the NES to that tangle of electrical equipment that your local hobo has stashed away in his bindle), Double Dragon wasn't the industry's first side-scrolling beat-em-up game, but it was definitely one of the most popular -- and for that reason, it's also one of the most important." - 1up, 2012 |  244) R-Type Year of Release: 1987 Developed By: Irem Published By: Irem Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Commodore 64, Nintendo Game Boy, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, TurboGrafx 16 "From its stunning arcade debut in 1987, R-Type captured the hearts and minds of a generation by combining novel mechanics with a distinctive Giger-inspired biomechanical aesthetic. A grand sense of spectacle was matched by a challenge equally imposing, and although reliant on the learn-by-rote methodology that underpinned all shmups of the day, Irem's craftsmanship created a horizontal journey with a unique imagination." - Eurogamer, 2013 |
 245) Hearthstone Year of Release: 2014 Developed By: Blizzard Entertainment Published By: Blizzard Entertainment Platforms: iOS, Mac OS, PC "It's overflowing with character and imagination, feeds off and fuels a vibrant community of players and performers, and it only stands to improve as Blizzard introduces new features, an iPad version and expansions. And now it's finally finished! I can't wait to see where it goes next. Job's done." - Eurogamer, 2014 |  246) What Remains of Edith Finch Year of Release: 2017 Developed By: Giant Sparrow Published By: Giant Sparrow Platform: Sony Playstation 4 "A complex visual delight and a brisk examination of family life, death, and all those other big themes that aren't often dealt with in as sprightly or searching a manner as this, What Remains of Edith Finch is the sort of game that comes along once in a decade if you're lucky. In 2017 we were suddenly very, very lucky indeed. Unmissable and unforgettable." - Eurogamer, 2017 |
 247) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Year of Release: 1999 Developed By: Neversoft Published By: Activision Platforms: Nintendo 64, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation "One of the most endlessly replayable games in PlayStation history, the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater not only defined the modern skating game experience, but also helped catapult skateboarding back into the mainstream consciousness. Grinding through a shopping mall and pulling off constant 900s might not be realistic, but it sure as hell was a blast - and the next couple of games took the fun even further." - Stuff, 2015 |  248) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Year of Release: 2011 Developed By: Nintendo EAD Published By: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo Wii "After twenty-five years it only seems fitting that the Legend of Zelda franchise celebrates its inaugural entry by releasing the most essential instalment in the series for over a decade. At a time when the Nintendo Wii is closely approaching the end of its lifespan, it's hard to think of a more fitting and graceful swansong for the triumphant system." - Empire, 2011 |
 249) Kingdom Hearts II Year of Release: 2006 Developed By: Square Enix Published By: Square Enix Platform: Sony Playstation 2 "From the oh-my-God -stop-it-being -so-beautiful -before-I-die intro to the wonderful integration of Sora and pals into the familiar themed worlds, there's not an awful lot you can say to knock this second collaboration between gaming and animation giants. Most problems fixed, plenty of top cameos and oodles to do make this one of my must-haves for the year." - Eurogamer, 2006 |  250) Borderlands 2 Year of Release: 2012 Developed By: Gearbox Software Published By: 2K Games Platforms: Microsoft Xbox 360, PC, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation Vita "Though Borderlands 2 doesn't shoot for the stars, it does more than enough to retain our most awesome recommendation. With a guns and a wealth of enhancements that can't be denied, Borderlands 2 has incredible appeal and all the elements to set the world on fire once more. Including one giant flaming rocket launcher." - Game Revolution, 2012 |
