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[Jamix012]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; Absolutely my favourite game of all time with no other game even close. No game has replicated the atmosphere or life that this game conveys in spades. It's truly a masterpiece and my life would be very different if I had never played this game

2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; This is, by no means, the greatest game of all time. It is, however, a milestone in gaming that somehow still manages to grip me to this day. It may be strange to have Zelda games as my top two, but I really can't emphasise enough how much both these games not only impacted my life, but are still incredible experiences when played in a modern context.

3. Banjo Kazooie ; The best platformer of the generation, bar none. Eat your heart out Mario 64. This game is just...more fun than Mario 64, more charming and just generally a more enjoyable game. Mario 64 may have have some more ingenious platforming here and there, but the soundtrack alone makes Banjo Kazooie one of my favourite games ever.

4. Metal Gear Solid; The only PS1 game in my top ten, but boy is it one amazing game from start to finish. Nothing like it had been seen before and playing it years later is still breathtaking. The story is cheesy at points, but engaging and unique. If it weren't for Twin Snakes and the backtracking this could easily have been my number 2, though with those factors considered, it feels about right at 4.

5. Conker's Bad Fur Day ; I only played this games years later. It has odd controls, sometimes offensive humour and the platforming is generally weaker than the Banjo games. This, however, is easily the most charming game of the generation. I don't know what it is, but I couldn't help but smile when playing it. I'd seen the Great Mighty Poo before, and thought the boss fight to be juvenile, but it's actually really well thought out and crafted to the point that the humour makes sense in its own little bubble. I love this game and am really upset I only got to experience it's genius last year when it was too late to save Rare.

6. Banjo Tooie ; This may seem like a block of Nintendo 64 games, but that's because I truly believe it to be the best console of its generation. This game still holds up. I'd even argue upon playing it the first time, this is more fun than the original, but it's held back by being a bit too monotonous to walk through large sprawling overworlds on subsequent replays. Still the music is top notch and the charm is here in barrels, I can't recommend it enough.

7. Burning Rangers ; What a hidden gem. I understand, this game looks awkward, controls awkward, is like 2.5 hours long, has minimal music and mechanics and its easy to get lost...But damn it, something about it makes me love it. Really. I would never recommend this game to anyone, but something about what it does just resonated with me.

8. Star Control II (3DO) ; The Best 3DO game bar none. This space adventure is so...epic. I hate using that word but it really is. It's amazing what a game of it's era was capable of and this really had the most amazing feeling of space exploration.

9. Guardian Heroes (Saturn)

10. Mario 64

x. Discworld II
x. Space Station Silicon Valley
x. Diddy Kong Racing
x. F Zero X
x. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
x. Starfox 64
x. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
x. DragonForce (Saturn)
x. Mario Kart 64
x. Lego Racers
x. Pokemon Snap
x. Pokemon Yellow
x. Snowboard Kids
x. Pokemon Stadium 2
x. Donkey Kong 64
x. Dragons Lair (3DO) ; Actually the first place I played this classic. It's pretty damn cool honestly and I can actually beat it these days.
x. Rayman 2
x. Fighters Megamix
x. Konami Antiques MSX Collection ; The gem in my Saturn collection. It's a really fun set of games I never played prior and definitely worth owning.
x. Age of Empires II

 

[lyrick]

1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time; pretty much the template for game design for then next decade
2. Conker's Bad Fur Day ;
3. Mario Kart 64 ;
4. Resident Evil 2 ;
5. Final Fantasy IX ; The series finally returned to fantasy
6. Starfox 64 ;
7. Soul Blade ;
8. Sin and Punishment ;
9. Castlevania: Symphony of the Knight ;
10. 007 Golden Eye ;

if I start doing Honorables I'll be here all day, even my top 10 would probably end up changing.

 

[tim.mbp]

...

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Yo Tetris doesn't count; it came out in 84 and nor does Donkey Kong (GB).

I actually forgot about Parappa the Rapper when I made my list. I never even played that shit to the end though, so I can't really place a vote on it. It's partially a blur.

 

[AniHawk]

01. Tetris ; Digital crack. Right up there with Pac Man, Super Mario Bros., and Wii Sports as cornerstones in my video game playing life. So much time spent getting those blocks to line up. Music that will forever be seared into my brain.

02. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Really did a great job transitioning Zelda to 3D.

03. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

04. Donkey Kong ; Starts off like the classic DK arcade game, ends up a puzzle platforming classic.

05. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

06. Wario Land 3

07. Paper Mario

08. Toki Tori

09. Parappa the Rapper

10. Mario’s Picross

Interesting how the Gameboy ended up being the system for me. At the time, I most likely would have said the N64 or PS1. I guess I don't look as back as fondly at the transitional period of 2d -> 3d or my tastes have changed. I was definitely way more into RPGs back then and less into puzzle games.

please check the eligible systems in the first post

 

[tim.mbp]

please check the eligible systems in the first post

Is there a year cut off? I picked games on N64, PS1, GB, and GBC.

 

[AniHawk]

Is there a year cut off? I picked games on N64, PS1, GB, and GBC.

yeah i listed what platforms counted in the first post.

 

[tim.mbp]

yeah i listed what platforms counted in the first post.

My bad. Didn't see the 96 start date for GB. Sorry about that.

 

[AniHawk]

My bad. Didn't see the 96 start date for GB. Sorry about that.

no problem.

the gb is really weird because it started when the nes was thriving (before smb3 launched in the us, even), lived through the entire 4th generation, and then ended as the sixth generation was launching its final two platforms. unlike other long-lived platforms, i think it deserves some level of separation like the pc does, especially as it went from being a companion to the nes/snes of sorts in the early 90s into more of its own thing in the late 90s with more original franchises. pokemon and the game boy pocket serve as sort of game boy 2-ifying the platform around 1996, with the virtual boy serving as a buffer between the two eras.

saleswise, it's remembered as a sort of monster. and overall it did sell 118 million when combined with the pocket, light, and color. but for the first seven years on the market, it actually sold 54 million, a number the 3ds will easily eclipse in a shorter time frame. pokemon and the gbc helped it take off from 1998-2001 in particular. that period from april 1996 to march 2002 saw the platform move 64 million units. this was a step up over the preceding seven years, and maybe partially because the competition was weaker (the wonderswan/crystal and ngp/c sold about five million units combined while the game gear, lynx, and turboexpress did over 13 million). gba was actually far more of a mainstream product, moving much of its 81.5m platforms in less than six years. until the 3ds, the success of nintendo's handhelds only increased from generation to generation.

 

[LGom09]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; still one of the most well-choreographed finales in gaming.

2. Super Mario 64 ; they absolutely nailed 3D movement on the first try.

3. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ; that slow turn animation when you change directions feels amazing.

4. Diddy Kong Racing ; love the open world, different vehicles, and non-randomized power-ups.

5. Street Fighter III: Third Strike ; love the weird characters, the style, and the animations... and the fighting.

6. Chrono Cross ; pretty much for the soundtrack alone.

7. Paper Mario ; really charming game with some great music and a fun battle system.

8. Pokemon Red/Blue ; the opening always gives me chills.

9. Star Fox 64 ; short, but so fun and replayable.

10. Metal Gear Solid ; just played it for the first time last year and can say it's still a great experience.

Games I haven't played that might have made the list: Majora's Mask, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy IX, Resident Evil 2, Xenogears

 

[blackMamba1187]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Remember this as being almost perfect. Makes it difficult to go back for replays.
2. Super Smash Bros ;
3. Half-Life ;
4. Final Fantasy IX ;
5. Goldeneye 007 ;
6. Final Fantasy VII ;
7. Super Mario 64 ;
8. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater ;
9. Star Wars Episode I Racer ;
10. Metal Gear Solid ;
x. Starcraft ;
x. Warcraft II ;
x. Pokemon Yellow ;
x. Perfect Dark ;

I'll fill in more during the day (at work).

 

[Bass260]

Wanted to get a list in. Will probably update with more comments later.

1. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; I prefer the more intricate 3-day system to Ocarina's
classic Zelda style. Shout outs to Kondo's dark and brooding soundtrack.

2. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; The classic Zelda adventure. Pacing is flawless.

3. Super Mario 64 ; The standard for 3D platformers.

4. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ;

5. Pokemon Red/Blue ;

6. Xenogears ;

7. Final Fantasy IX ;

8. Banjo Kazooie ;

9. Final Fantasy VII ;

10. Perfect Dark ;

 

[Htown]

1. Half-Life; this game was mind-blowing back in the day. Surface Tension is still the best level in any shooter.

2. Super Mario 64; This would still be the best 3D platformer ever made if the Galaxy games hadn't come along.

3. TIE Fighter; Arguably the best space flight sim ever made.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time;

5. Final Fantasy VII;

6. Star Fox 64;

7. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night;

8. 1080 Snowboarding;

9. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron;

10. Wave Race 64;

 

[AniHawk]

updated the total games voted on. over 300 now. really cool to see some more obscure platforms getting some recognition. a couple 3do games, stuff for jaguar and even amiga cd-32.

 

[Ikon]

This is a tough list for me as I was pretty heavy into both PC and consoles during these years and they were pretty important years for me growing up.

1. EverQuest ; I haven't even come close to spending as many hours on any other game as I did with EverQuest back in the day. It shaped my teenage years like nothing else as I played it from age 14 - 19 together with some great friends - both real life ones and, well, not.

I will never play another MMO because of EQ as I'm always annoyed that they not as good as it was to me. From the dungeon queues, corpse runs and trade chat to the classes (Shaman/Death Knight/Rogue were my favorites), gear (Rubicite, FBSS, Cloak of Flames, Fungi, good items stood out) and 72 man raids I loved it all. A part of me wishes I could go back in time, roll a new character and do it all over again (I'd go Erudite Death Knight - because I did that once and he sucked but it was hilarious).

Also, with over 500 days of in game time, I wish I'd never even tried the fucking thing.

2. Final Fantasy VII ; It's basically a tie between this and #3 on my list but 7 wins out if nothing else for the fact that I've played through the damn thing more than 10 times by now. Normally that's not something I do with games, especially not ones that are longer than a few hours. Back when it came out I loved pretty much everything about FF7 and I'm still fond of some of the characters even if my favorites could have been fleshed out more.

3. Final Fantasy IX ; In many ways a better game than 7. The music is the best of the series, the graphical style is really charming (I wish they'd revisit something like this) and the cast is one of the best in the series with diverse personalities and play styles. What makes it lose out is the annoyingly slow camera pans in starts of fights in combination with a really high encounter rate though. Minor things for sure but I had to pick one of them.

4. Baldur's Gate ; Party based RPG with fantastic characters, fun tactical combat and a richly detailed world to explore - playable in co-op?! This game may have been topped by its sequel but it still remains some of the most fun I've ever had with a computer game.

"Magic is impressive but now Minsc leads! Swords for everyone!"

5. Quake 2 ; I've played and enjoyed countless hours of the base game of Quake 2 over the years. From the fast paced campaign to the even faster paced deathmatches at many a LAN party. What really seals the deal and puts it so high on my list though is the mod Action Quake 2. Before CS and CoD this mod was the uncontested king when it came to slightly more realistic shooters - in fact I can't really come up with any others right now. Incredibly fun and varied weapons (I was always a fan of the MP5 myself) and some of the best maps I've ever played on in any game. I really miss some of my old clan mates from back in the day.

Side note: When playing Everquest we would be called Quake kids as a derogatory term but I wore it with pride.

6. Diablo ; I enjoyed Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls and played more hours of Diablo 2 than I'd ever dare to count but through all that (and when playing most games really) I've lamented the lack of the atmosphere and tension from good old Diablo. A much younger version of me started feeing tense just entering the first floor of that cathedral and it just kept building the deeper you went. Not that I wasn't glad to be away from the dreary place that was Tristram, mind you.

On the way down though were some epic encounters, chief among which was The Butcher. Holy shit that thing killed me a lot of times but he will always be one of the most shocking things in a game ever to me. That voice...

7. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ; An amazing soundtrack, a huge castle filled with monsters and secrets and a gothic aesthetic that really appealed to me at the time - this game seemed like it was made for me at the time. Add to that the fact that we didn't get a console Metroid this generation and SOTN became an even more important game for me at the time.

8. Twisted Metal 2 ; Looking back on them now I can see why the series has had trouble staying relevant (it's juggaloo af) but back then I used to have a ton of fun playing this game with friends. Jumping across rooftops looking for weapons and blowing people and buildings up is actually still a ton of fun and the gameplay and diversity of cars/levels is really cool. The story is perhaps not as intriguing anymore as I once thought. Certainly a product of its time.

9. Resident Evil 2 ; I feel weird placing this game so low on my list since I consider myself a pretty big fan of old school Resi but REmake spoiled me a couple of years later. I'm too lazy to write more at the moment but everyone ought to know why it's so amazing by now.

Hoping this quick edit makes it before you count this...

10. Formula One ; One of my favorite racing games of all time and the only one that's sim-ish that I enjoy.

Games I still haven't got around to but really really should:
Xenogears, Paper Mario, Parasite Eve, Majora's Mask, Soul Reaver, Vagrant Story, Tactics Ogre, Shining Force, and probably a whole bunch of others.

 

[AniHawk]

I'm terribly sorry about this, I've been pretty busy with classes starting back and I completely forget this was a thing. Feel free to not count my vote, but I've edited my post on the first page.

it's cool - yours was added.

 

[myco666]

This voting seems to be much slower than gen 6 voting was. Rather weird IMO considering there are lot of games people consider to be GOAT material.

 

[timetokill]

This voting seems to be much slower than gen 6 voting was. Rather weird IMO considering there are lot of games people consider to be GOAT material.

Lots of young'ns, plus less fodder for console wars

 

[AniHawk]

Lots of young'ns, plus less fodder for console wars

i know for me it was the first gen where i had a console that was active, and that was the middle of 1998. i got a next-gen system just two years later with the dreamcast.

i think the furthest back i'd go is to the snes/genesis. while there are a decent amount of folks who started in gen 3 with the nes or master system (or atari 7800 like me), the snes/genesis era is where a lot of classics come from that are still pretty much everywhere. i'll probably keep the voting period to 3 weeks though.

speaking of console wars, i think the results may kind of irk some folks, considering how many classic playstation games were actually multiplatform titles.

also, #1 and #2 are pretty solidly placed, but there are three titles for the third spot that are within a few points of each other, which should be pretty close in the end.

 

[timetokill]

i think the furthest back i'd go is to the snes/genesis. while there are a decent amount of folks who started in gen 3 with the nes or master system (or atari 7800 like me), the snes/genesis era is where a lot of classics come from that are still pretty much everywhere. i'll probably keep the voting period to 3 weeks though.

I think that makes sense. As much as I want to put Baseball Stars for NES all over my ballot.

 

[Jucksalbe]

This voting seems to be much slower than gen 6 voting was. Rather weird IMO considering there are lot of games people consider to be GOAT material.

In my case that's the problem, since I'm still writing the comments for all those games.

 

[AniHawk]

In my case that's the problem, since I'm still writing the comments for all those games.

i have a list of about six games that absolutely need to be in my top ten just as far as my tastes go. then there are three others that kind of feel interchangeable, leaving one slot for something i might otherwise have left out. i'm playing panzer dragoon saga this weekend and suikoden ii next week, so maybe either one of those might flesh out the list.

 

[Jucksalbe]

1. Final Fantasy VII ; The boring choice maybe, given this is the game that basically dominated the genre for years, but damn, it really deserves all the praise it gets. I love how the materia system works, how easy it makes to switch skills around between your party, how easy it is to break the game with it and how the game embraces this with its ridiculously overpowered optional summons and limit breaks. They tried to balance combat in FF8, but just see how that turned out.

2. Dragon Quest VII (Dragon Warrior VII); It's a wonderful mixture of RPG and adventure game. Usually Dragon Quest pretty much followed my (made up) formula of 1 level per hour, but this game throws in so many mostly combat free story segments and exploration that I probably ended up closer to 1 level for every 3 hours. Yeah, that's why it got its reputation of being slow and kinda boring, especially because of how long it takes to get to your first battle, but I really like that about this game. It takes its time to build characters and to make you emotionally invested in what's happening with the people in each town. And the payoff is great. This isn't really about the grand story behind it all, this is about all the smaller stories that you often just get sucked into while passing through the towns. It has some of the saddest stories I've experienced in a video game.
The combat is standard Dragon Quest fare. Which means it's pretty good, but it's not what makes this game special compared to the other Dragon Quest games.
Also, this is sadly the only(!) mainline Dragon Quest game (apart, of course, from Dragon Quest X) that still wasn't released in Europe in any form. I'm so glad I imported this back in the day, though it took me until last year until I finally finished it. But that seems to be a habit of mine with great games (took me ages to finish Persona 4 as well....and I still haven't finished Nocturne).

3. Super Mario 64 ; The impact this game (and the game on #4) had on 3D gaming can hardly be overstated. It was the template on how to maneuver in 3D space for a long time, and its world setup was used by many, many 3D platformers after it, until they died off for a while. I guess it was in a way a tech demo for the then new N64 controller and I remember how great it felt when I first played it on release. Just the way you could control speed with just the analog stick felt amazing.
But that alone wouldn't earn it the #3 spot on my list. It's also a damn fun game to play and I love replaying it every now and then. The straight and (mostly) linear levels of its 2D predecessors were replaced with huge playing fields. Basically they give you a level and you're free to do whatever you want in it. Sure, there are goals in the form of stars in every level, but really just exploring every corner is fun enough by itself. This kind of freedom was mostly lost in the sequels (Sunshine still had it, but navigating the levels was much harder and it lost some of the fun because of it. Galaxy mostly takes you along fixed roads), which is why this game still stands out today. Its countless imitation games never really managed to capture this.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Another important step in 3D gaming. Whereas Super Mario 64 was all about how to maneuver in 3D space, this brought the first successful attempt at making fighting work in 3D. The Z targeting was probably the main revolution here. Locking onto enemies seems normal nowadays, thank Ocarina of Time for that.
But then again, that's not really important if you're playing the game today, isn't it? Good thing, it's used for an amazing game as well. A big overworld with lots of hidden secrets and cows in the strangest places. And it has time travel, that's usually a plus.
It's also the first Zelda game to make music its main theme. Playing songs on your ocarina over and over again also means certain themes get stuck in your head for all eternity.

5. The Settlers II: Veni, Vedi, Vici ; My all-time favorite building game. You can build huge settlements in which you have to not only choose the right buildings, but also manage all the logistics. I just love how you can spend hours just trying to figure out the best way to build your roads and the optimal placement of your different buildings to guarantee a good work flow throughout your settlement. Maybe it's a very German form of entertainment. There's combat, too, but honestly, I always prefered building peacefully.
It also has a rather rare two player mode that uses a split screen and two mice. I remember this was always a pain to set up under DOS, but when it worked, it was great. Luckily, the remake added a LAN mode to play more comfortably. That remake's excellent as well, by the way, check it out! Sadly, I think the remake's add-on was only released in Germany, but at least the game itself wasn't.

6. Resident Evil 2 ; My first and favorite game to speedrun. The series always encourages this with its timer and ranking in the credits and the unlockables you get from it. Resident Evil 2 has the perfect length for this.
It lost a bit of the stronger adventure aspects of the first game, but it made up for it with an interesting way to split up the two scenarios of Claire and Leon.
Oh, and I remember that back then in Germany, many gaming magazines rushed to test this as early as possible to get that test out before the inevitable ban hit. It was also the reason why I bought this as soon as possible. And everyone was right, it was banned soon after. Luckily, it received a new classification last year and is now freely available (and USK16). That was still better than getting blinking zombies like in Resident Evil 3, I guess.

7. Tomb Raider ; It was a different experiment on how to move in 3D space. A bit slower, but actually very precise. Over all the media hype that was created around the character Lara Croft, people often forget that behind it was actually a pretty great and rather groundbreaking game.

8. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night ; In a time when everything had to "go 3D", Konami somehow had the balls to release Castlevania as a (mostly) 2D game. There are, of course, also the (failed?) attempts at a 3D Castlevania on the N64, though I never got to play those (hey, VC release, please!), but it's still rather suprising this game even exists. It (and the handheld sequels) is probably the only real successful attempt at the Metroid formula outside of Metroid itself, maybe because they didn't even try to copy Metroid (at least they claim their inspiration came from Zelda, which I guess kinda works as well). It controls great, combat is fast, environments are interesting. It just has a good "flow", which makes it a joy to play.

9. Metal Gear Solid ; This is a love letter to movies with the addition of the strange Kojima humour. It is littered with references, explicit and not, and with it all it still manages to form a very enjoyable game. The story is completely crazy, but it's also deeply rooted in social criticism which is something you rarely see in video games, nowadays and even more so when this was released. It's also what made stealth games popular for a while, but I always felt that's not the main attraction here.

10. Theme Hospital ; The management part of it all isn't as deep as many other games are, the best part about it is watching patients go through your hospital and getting ridiculous treatments like popping their head and reinflating it. With every new level there's new ailments and it's a joy to read the comments about them all and seeing the way they will be treated. I first played this on PlayStation and even there it worked really well. Sure it works better and faster on PC, but I still really liked it. Though it missed the multiplayer options that the PC version has. And like in Theme Park you can never have enough people to clean up the vomit.

x. Silent Hill ; Konami's take on Resident Evil. Remember when a statement like this actually meant something positive? Silent Hill actually was a pretty radical departure of what horror games felt like. It's one of the few games I imported on release, because I just couldn't wait. Sure, it was ugly, even on release (mainly because it doesn't use prerendered backgrounds), but it makes up for that with a chilling atmosphere unlike any other game at the time. The hospital especially is so creepy, I dreaded going in there even the second time I played through the game.
It also dares to actually use complex puzzles, some that you had to write down and think about for a while. In that sense it borrowed even more from the adventure game genre than Resident Evil did. And the soundtrack is phenomenal, it's one of the biggeest reasons why this game is this scary. They trumped this in Silent Hill 2 by adding more meaning to the story and just make the different parts work together in a better way, but this first game still stands as a fantastic achievement.
Oh, and it has a rather stupid (optional) UFO ending.

x. Gran Turismo ; This list already has many games that had a severe influence on their respective genre and Gran Turismo did just the same for the racing genre. Up until then, racing games were mostly influenced by arcade games, so they were fast and easy to understand with little preparation before the race. Interestingly it has the subtitle "The Real Driving Simulator" which already gave you the hint, this might not just be about the races. And really, this is a game that is as much about the racing as it is about the cars. You can tweak so many details about every car and even take them out to a test drive just to see if it handles the way you want it to be. It's just a very different experience.
It was also one of the first games to make use of the new DualShock controller, at the very least I remember that this was the game that made everyone I knew get a DualShock controller, myself included. While rumble was nothing new anymore at this point (the N64 supported it way earlier), the DualShock was more precise and for a racing game it just made sense.

x. Grandia ; A combination of the fun adventure feeling of Lunar with a unique combat system. It takes the time to build its characters and especially their relationships towards another in a way most games simply don't bother. And of course, the soundtrack is excellent, I don't think I have to link to the intro theme again (will do that in the SOTG thread anyway).

x. Ridge Racer Type 4 ; Sure, the first Ridge Racer was actually way more important and is a great game in its own right, but with Ridge Racer Type 4 Namco decided to make a Ridge Racer game specifically for consoles for the first time (at least as far as I know the other games before it were still connected in some way to the arcade releases). And it shows simply in the amount of content available. It plays just as good as the Ridge Racer games before it, with a lot more stuff to do, that's why I think this deserves this place over it's more relevant predecessors.

x. Command & Conquer 2 Red Alert ; Yet another PC game I played first on console. It's also the only game I ever played in the PlayStation's "link mode" (i.e. LAN). I wouldn't really recommend to do that, by the way, since the slow down you get with enough units on the field is horrible. But still, we suffered through all this to play the game for hours and that means it can't be a bad game. In fact, my favorite activity, as with most RTS games, was building my base to a point where ground units could hardly even reach it. Tesla coils all the way. Still, from what I remember I lost most of the matches, I wonder why.

x. Tetrisphere ; A rather unique take on Tetris in which you have to remove the tiles from a sphere to reach its core. I couldn't play this in a while since I don't own an N64 anymore and sadly, this was never rereleased anywhere else (I guess the Tetris license is a problem here), but I remember this as a rather challenging game. But it's a lot of fun and there's just nothing like it.

x. Wave Race 64 ; The perfect summer game. Hardly any game ever managed to nail the feel for the waves you ride on as perfectly as this does. The way you often have to line up on the right spot to not be carried away in the next turn make this very special. I'm still amazed this came as a "sequel" to a much forgotten and very different Game Boy game.

x. Bushido Blade ; Another game I haven't played in a long time, but I remember this for trying a very different approach to a fighting game. No combos or special attacks, just simple sword fights. There are no health bars and many attacks can instantly kill you which means that every mistake can immediately lead to a lost match. I think still to this day this is unique within the genre. There was a sequel, but I never got to play it, so I'm not sure if it would deserve this spot over this game.

x. Final Fantasy Origins ; My favorite version of the first two Final Fantasy games. This is the last remake before they dropped the difficulty and modernized the magic system. It also has the most pleasant looking art style. Since I love the first Final Fantasy in particular, I feel that it deserves a spot on this list even if it's just a remake. But that's also why I couldn't justify putting it on the actual list. Maybe the original Final Fantasy will get a spot there whenever we get to vote on that generation, maybe, there will be tough competition.

x. Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger ; I guess this is mostly famous for its live action FMV sequences, but what I loved the most about it was the freedom you had navigating through space. It can feel lonely in space, especially after a failed mission.

x. V-Rally 2 ; At its core it was a great driving game, but what I remember it the most for is the inclusion of a track editor that worked pretty well. A rather uncommon thing back in the day and something we had a lot of fun with. Rally games seem mostly gone nowadays, so I felt it deserves a mention at least. I haven't replayed it in years, with racing games it's often better not to challenge your memories.

 

[Style]

.

Great write up. If I should make a list it would most likely be close to that with some few tweaks here and there. I would probably add Soul Reaver first because the way the world twisted when you traveled through the dimensions were really amazing back then, and still a pretty cool concept. Also the atmosphere and tone of the game was top notch. Amazing soundtrack.

I haven't played Resident Evil 2 so I would add the third installment instead. Running around with the chance of Nemesis popping up at any corner made for a terrific horror game. Also totally agree on Final Fantasy Origins. Love it myself and played it countless times back in the day.

I might make a voting list myself later if I can be arsed.

 

[Omikaru]

I was a kid during this generation, and from a poor family to boot, so I didn't get to play loads of games. But I have played a few games from the gen since, so I've played enough games to fill a top 10 list. Just a shame I never had a Saturn, so that entire system's library is a mystery to me.

1. Pokémon Gold/Silver ; I remember "completing" this game, and then discovering I could explore the Kanto region again to see how things had changed since my actions as Red in Pokémon Red. Needless to say, my mind was blown. Such a huge game that captured my imagination like no other.

2. Super Mario 64 ; I think of the 3D platformers before Super Mario 64, and the 3D platformers after it, and I'm constantly blown away by how genre defining this game was. This was the first game I got with my N64. In fact, it's the first 3D game I ever played, and it was a magical journey through all the worlds, completing all those different tasks to unlock the Stars. Quite frankly, there was nothing quite like it, and I don't think a 3D Mario has been quite as groundbreaking since.

3. Metal Gear Solid ; I think for all its hamminess, and the reputation the series has these days, Metal Gear Solid was a pretty big step for cinematic storytelling in games. I don't think its gameplay was majorly noteworthy -- in fact it controlled quite poorly and hasn't aged well at all -- but the plot and the high quality cutscenes held the whole thing together back then, and even now.

4. Final Fantasy VIII ; People give this game crap for its battle system, but it was the first Final Fantasy game I played (I didn't try FF7 until 2010, and I felt it had aged horribly compared to the other PS1 FF games). It's also a damn good videogame love story, and back then you didn't get many of those.

5. Final Fantasy IX ; I definitely have a softer spot for the more SciFi Final Fantasy games, but IX was pretty special. Everyone has a favourite, but I don't know many who have a bad word to say about FFIX, even if it isn't their's. The world was interesting, it had some cracking music, and in my view the game looks great, even today.

6. Half-Life ; Half-Life was to first person shooters what Mario 64 was to platformers. It caused a complete paradigm shift in the genre, and I remember it fondly.

7. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; Shamefully, I had never played a Zelda game before this. Loved having the Hyrule Field to explore, was mesmerised by being able to jump off the broken bridge and fall all the way into the water. Plus it had some cool dungeons too.

8. Perfect Dark ; Co-op with my brother, four player split screen with my school friends. Many hours of fun were had with this game.

9. Pokémon Red/Blue ; This game started an obsession that lasted many years. I don't need to go into details about the appeal of Pokémon, especially since it was a craze, but I was whipped up in it pretty hard, and this game is responsible.

10. Diddy Kong Racing ; Forget Mario Kart 64 (actually, don't, it was really good), but DKR really appealed to me due to the fact that it was more than just a kart racing game, but also had hovercrafts and planes too. I hadn't really thought about having that in a game before, and when it finally happened it took me by complete surprise. I don't think a game really did hovercrafts or planes well again, at least not until Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed released over a decade later.

 

[Jachaos]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; This is my favourite game of all time so this spot was an easy choice. It does everything perfectly. It has aged incredibly well. As soon as I exited Kokiri Forest and saw the visuals, heard the music, I knew I was in for something special. It oozes charm. It has great puzzles, exploration, combat... it brought contextual buttons and Z-Targeting and more. It's simply the best adventure game ever in my mind.
2. Pokémon Red ; The game that started it all. I was hugely into the phenomenon when it began (and it helped me learn English so I was into it before it even blew up in Montreal). It is an amazing game with a perfect foundation. All the gameplay mechanics it uses are fun: fun combat (easy to learn, tough to master, deep turn-based system), fun collecting (catching), fun exploration (great world with lovable music, locations, characters and such that tie in with everything else that was put out around the time, be it merchandise, TV show, card game, etc.).
3. Super Smash Bros. ; I played this so much and absolutely loved it back then. Melee brought it to another level but the foundation was there. Simply fun gameplay mechanics, infinitely replayable.
4. GoldenEye 007 ; My first real first-person shooter and it was awesome. A staple of local-play, goofy cheats, engaging single-player mode.
5. Red Alert ; My first (and still one of my two favourites) real-time strategy games. Many hours have gone in this game and I loved playing it with friends, my parents and others. Another gem of gameplay.
6. Star Fox 64 ; While short, it was so fun to replay and find the new paths, beat high scores, play 4-player multiplayer with friends and simply chase that new best run.
7. Pokémon Stadium ; Battles with 3D models, all Pokémon available to create rental parties for fun local play with anyone, fun mini-games and an emulator that let me play the GB games at faster speeds. I remember coming home from school during lunchtime sometimes to get some games in. This was in regular rotation on my 64.
8. Mario Kart 64 ; Another staple of local play on 64, great follow-up to Super Mario Kart, it's a classic and its tracks are still some of the best in the series' history.
9. Snowboard 1080 ; I had a lot of fun trying to break my (and others') records and finding new ways to get to the end as quickly as possible. I also liked doing tricks competitions. It was a lot of fun and I want a new one. Crazy to see how Miyamoto's gameplay genius is all over this list.
10. Mario Party ; As reflected by this list, local-multiplayer largely defined this generation in my mind and this was a great one to get into with friends and my parents.
x. Diddy Kong Racing
x. Yoshi's Story

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

I'd like to see a mod vote in here.

 

[REDSLATE]

1. Half-Life (and expansions)--A FPS that pushed the limits of what a game could be: immersive POV, cinematic scripting, thrilling action, challenging AI, a captivating story, and competitive multiplayer.
2. MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries--A groundbreaking entry into gaming and simulation with an immersive plot, extensive lore, and skill-based gameplay. As an early supporter of network play, it paved the way for highly competitive multiplayer.
3. X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter (and expansion)--The multiplayer sequel to the X-Wing/Tie Fighter series introduced advanced GPU rendering, improved effects, and groundbreaking network compatibility that could better account for delay and prevent players from becoming OOS. Balance of Power provided a traditional single-player campaign.
4. 007 Goldeneye--The successful adaptation of FPS to the console. Featured solid gameplay inspired by the film of the same name, functional controls, and highly enjoyable multiplayer.
5. Metal Gear Solid--Pushed the graphical limits of the PlayStation and offered gameplay and story elements on par with a Hollywood action movie.
6. Star Wars Rogue Squadron--Pushed the graphical limits of the Nintendo 64 (especially with the Expansion Pak) and utilized the full capacity of then-modern PC video cards. Introduced a compelling arch to the Expanded Universe with challenging, but enjoyable gameplay.
7. Conker's Bad Fur Day--Challenged the status quo of Platformers and offered an amusing story to boot. A visually beautiful game with fun multiplayer.
8. Gran Turismo--Sim racing made accessible featuring realistic car models and tracks.
9. Pokemon Stadium--A significant expansion to the successful RPG series featuring data transfer ability, emulation, and storage. Gameplay included tournaments, multiplayer battles, and minigames all featuring stunning 3D graphics.
10.Star Wars Shadows of the Empire--Part of a highly ambitious project to create a cinematic-like entry into Star Wars canon, this installment featured an original story, several new characters, a variety of gameplay elements, and an orchestral score.

x. Perfect Dark--Improved on several aspects of Goldeneye though was not quite as prominent or influential.

 

[AniHawk]

The Star Wars games killed it 5th Gen:

(Pod) Racer
Rogue Squadron
Shadows of the Empire


Also:

Conker's Bad Fur Day
Pokemon Stadium

(will have to return to add more)

could you read the first post please?

star wars games have always been pretty cool though. at least since around the early 90s.

 

[REDSLATE]

could you read the first post please?

star wars games have always been pretty cool though. at least since around the early 90s.

I did read the first post. Would you please read the caveat in mine?

Thank you.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Why do you insist on giving more work to the OP? Just follow the rules and post your list when it's complete, sheesh.

 

[ohlawd]

I did read the first post. Would you please read the caveat in mine?

Thank you.

err

the OP shouldn't be the one bending their ass. that falls on the rest of us who aren't the OP.

you reading the first post isn't worth shit if you choose to ignore it lmao. what is this, amateur hour?

 

[sörine]

Gen 5 was so good. I could easily do top tens for PS1, N64, Saturn and GB/C each. Anyway, trying to get it down to 10, one per franchise;

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask; Still the most daring game Nintendo's made.
2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night; Not Metroid, not really Castlevania either, but somehow more addicting than both.
3. Grandia; Possibly my favorite RPG. Adventure is the best medicine.
4. Super Mario 64; pure fun
5. Final Fantasy Tactics; Still the best FF in my mind. It made me a disciple of Matsuno.
6. Virtua Fighter 2; A jaw dropping achievement for it's time. Fuck Tekken.
7. F-Zero X; 60fps 60fps 60fps
8. Guardian Heroes; Probably the best beat 'em up of all time.
9. Valkyrie Profile; It's like tri-Ace focus grouped my brain.
10. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei; Not the best rail shooter but the one that makes me feel best.


Adding in some honorable mentions since there's so many games I loved that deserve acknowledgement. To keep this from like a 50 game list I'm cutting it down to 5 per major system and not invluding any previous gen ports or collections (like Link's Awakening DX, Sonic Jam or Tactics Ogre).

Nintendo 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Wave Race 64
Sin & Punishment
Paper Mario
Star Fox 64

PlayStation
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Dragon Warrior VII
Metal Gear Solid
Alundra
Rage Racer

Sega Saturn
Nights into Dreams
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Street Fighter Zero 3
Saturn Bomberman
Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire

Game Boy/Color
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons
Wario Land 3
Shantae
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
Wario Land 2

 

[tkscz]

1. Perfect Dark: A game I still consider the best FPS of all time. Amazing array of weapons and gadgets. A great mission structure. Great AI that still holds up to today standards. Well balanced difficulty. GOAT story co-op. A multiplayer that took what made goldeneye's great and enhanced it. Even a story that's silly but serious enough to get engaged to, with likable characters and ok voice acting. This game was way ahead of it's time.

2. Brave Fencer: Musashi: If you only had a playstation and you wanted to play a Zelda game, this is your absolute best choice. The game is fun from beginning to end, with every dungeon being a joy to travel through. The voice acting is just fun and the characters are great. And unlike everyone else, I didn't play this game for the Final Fantasy VIII demo.

3. Mischief Makers: Best damn 2D platformer this gen and a prime example of what makes treasure a damned good developer. Imaginative worlds and levels, I love how no two levels are the same, great controls, solid mechanics (especially the shake shake). This game was so damn great.

4. Tomba: Out of nowhere metroidvania game that everyone needs to play. The controls are so damn tight, and there is something to discover at every turn. Sucks that getting 100% didn't unlock anything, but it was still fun to get every event.

5. The Legend of Zelda; Majora's Mask : For me, this game stomps Ocarina of Time in every way. It may had fewer dungeons, but the ones that were there were 10x what Ocarina of Time's were. The mask and side quest to getting them were all great. There was so much to do and the time mechanic never bothered me.

6. MegaMan Legends : People put this game down, but I fucking love it. I still consider it better than it's sequel. Another example of a great Zelda-type game you could get on the PS1 (thought it came out on the N64 too). The controls took some getting use to but the world you got the venture through was great. The dungeons were fun and the fact that they ALL connected was awesome. You could go from one side of the island directly to the other without ever coming top side. The characters were funny, even if the story wasn't that great. And the weapons, oh man the weapons. God damn the shining laser.

7. Paper Mario: I still go back and play this game so damn much and I still consider it leagues above Super Mario: RPG. The characters, the world, the bosses, the battles. The game is an absolute treasure of an RPG and one of the best of the generation that was not a JRPG.

8. Metal Gear Solid: What can I say that every gaffer hasn't already said? Truly a staple in gaming history for both story, gameplay and metaness, Metal Gear Solid shows that games can be taken as a story driven medium and had single handedly made the stealth genre a thing. While it's remake, the Twin Snakes, did advance upon everything that made this game great, there is no denying that Metal Gear Solid can still stand on it's own anytime.

9. Super Smash Bros: The original that started an insane fan base, this game is still a joy to play, even without all the advanced mechanics of the newer games. Get four friend together you are guaranteed to have fun. Or play some level 9 computers and build your skill. While some aspects haven't aged so gracefully, it's still a great game.

10. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night : Of course this would be on my list. Tight controls, great exploration, so many secrets to discover, it's an adventurers wet dream. The writing and voice acting are laughable, but that's what makes them likable. What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!

 

[REDSLATE]

err

the OP shouldn't be the one bending their ass. that falls on the rest of us who aren't the OP.

you reading the first post isn't worth shit if you choose to ignore it lmao. what is this, amateur hour?

Sounds like you're worshiping a false idol...


I didn't ask for anything unreasonable, only to extend the same courtesy to me as was extended to him (reading what was clearly stated). My entry was, and likely still is, a WIP. It's somewhat ironic that you mention the act of ignoring when you're clearly the ignorant one here.

 

[Harbin]

1. Silent Hill ; I'm glad Silent Hill isn't brightly lit like the early Resident Evil games. The story and sound in Silent Hill are the best of the fifth generation and the art is great despite the limited hardware.
2. Metal Gear Solid ; Great stealth gameplay where each room is like a minigame.
3. Wip3out ; The right balance between floaty and responsive controls. The art by The Designers Republic is perfect.
4. Final Fantasy Tactics ; Calculators! Finally a Final Fantasy story that's not bad!
5. Resident Evil 2 ; I love the idea of the majority of the game taking place in one area and progressively unlocking parts of the environment. Planning a route in itself is fun.

 

[AniHawk]

Sounds like you're worshiping a false idol...


I didn't ask for anything unreasonable, only to extend the same courtesy to me as was extended to him (reading what was clearly stated). My entry was, and likely still is, a WIP. It's somewhat ironic that you mention the act of ignoring when you're clearly the ignorant one here.

all i was concerned about was that they would be listed without any sort of order or explanation, even if you went back to add more, which was something that wasn't clearly stated. if you change the post instead of add to it, please notify me as mentioned in the first post. if you you simply add to it in the form of honorable mentions, i might get it on a second pass later unless it's pointed out first.

 

[Yoshi]

I have edited my post, http://neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=175406877&postcount=44 and added an honourable mention of VB Wario Land, because I didn't think of the Virtual Boy when initially making the list, since I never experienced it as part of any generation but just as an obscurity I've imported way after its time because it never released here.

 

[AniHawk]

I have edited my post, http://neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=175406877&postcount=44 and added an honourable mention of VB Wario Land, because I didn't think of the Virtual Boy when initially making the list, since I never experienced it as part of any generation but just as an obscurity I've imported way after its time because it never released here.

thanks!

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; The most emotional experience in video game history. Surpassed by its 3DS counterpart but god damn this thing was and still is a marvel.

2. Pokemon Crystal ; The definitive version of Pokemon until the respective DS remake. The absolutely greatest direct sequel ever experienced. Day/Night. Weekly events. Breeding, New types. 100+ new Pokemon. Johto and Kanto. How the fuck did they fit this all in one cartridge?

3. Conker's Bad Fur Day ; While I would argue the remake is the definitive version, it's hard to ignore the true masterpiece that excels in both single player and multiplayer. Rare completely reinvented platforming when most people expected another collect-a-thon.

4. Banjo-Kazooie ; I'll never get a more true 3D platform experience than this. It's only rivaled by...

5. Super Mario 64 ; Groundbreaking in every way imaginable. Perfected and fine tuned only by Banjo-Kazooie.

6. Spyro the Dragon ; PlayStation's call to Mario. The original stayed true to basic platforming and ignored complex gameplay and stuck with great level design.

7. Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus ; Stealth, puzzle, 2D gaming with amazing art, graphics, and design.

8. Curse of Monkey Island ; A story book that came to life. Hilarious and beautiful.

9. Roller Coaster Tycoon ; It never gets old.

10. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages ; Nintendo somehow managed to make not just one, but two completely mind blowing Zelda games release on the same day.

 

[Dion Blaster]

I don't understand how there's so much less interest in this gen's voting.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

I don't understand how there's so much less interest in this gen's voting.

Yeah, it's really baffling. NeoGAF's average age must be lower than I thought.

 

[AniHawk]

I don't understand how there's so much less interest in this gen's voting.

i think age has something to do with it, but it's also been a longer time so everyone's choices don't feel as important. like, everyone knows your favorite game from that era is a classic just because that was the last gen where i think gaming was still being established in some fashion. finally, the factions of that era belonged to an older one. i don't think playstation fans became 'playstation fans' until the ps2 era. and at least for me, i don't recall there being a lot of sony fans until the ps3 started with a whimper.

 

[gelf]

1. Panzer Dragoon Saga ; Wonderful RPG with a great battle system, a great art direction and a sensible short running time with no padding. I just love the world of Panzer Dragoon and its a real shame so few people have been able to experience it.

2. Metal Gear Solid; The game that introduced me to stealth and also introduced me to a love of serious storytelling mixed with batshit craziness. It was the boss fights that really elevated the game for me though. Mantis was great and I didn't think something like Metal Gear Rex was even possible on the PS1. I also like and kinda miss its more basic approach to stealth which is like Pacman if Pacman was sneaking up behind and strangling the ghosts.

3. Virtua Fighter 2; The game that introduced me to 3D fighters and also blew me away graphically. I dont think anything supassed it in that generation. I loved trying to earn the high ranks in Ranking mode even though the game gave no indication how best to earn them.

4. Resident Evil; I still prefer the original to RE2 because I think the mansion is better then the police station and to me the real star of the early REs is the environments. Its great to go from feeling horribly lost to knowing the mansion layout like the back of your hand. Those pre rendered backdrops looked amazing.

5. Command and Conquer: Red Alert ; It's still the RTS I hold up above any other. I loved the single played campaign with the cheesey(but not too cheesey like RA3) FMVs and it was a joy to play even if I did just resort to tank rushes too much back in the day. I havent liked how the genre has gone since then. C&C1 and RA had the right amount of simplicity for me, not too much micro management needed.

6.Resident Evil 2; Like I said, I don't like it as much as RE1 but there's still much to praise. RE2 has the best jump scares in the entire series and I like the zapping system a lot and hope its retained and expanded upon in the remake. Prefer it to 3 as big intricate Police station > Random city locations.

7. Panzer Dragoon Zwei; Wonderful rail shooter with great art and fantastic music. Improved on the original in every way.

8. Night Warriors Darkstalkers Revenge; It was the game that sold me on the generation as I wasn't impressed by screenshots of polygon graphics at first. Seeing the big detailed sprites blew my mind at the time. And yes I prefer it to Vampire Saviour since I prefer the traditional life bars and also it has better stages.

9. Half-Life; Just an incredible journey. The scripted events where unlike anything I'd ever seen before and the human AI seemed really advanced to at the time.

10. Curse of Monkey Island; Point and click adventuring with great artwork that felt like I was playing a cartoon. One the most intentionally amusing games I've ever played.


Honourable mentions:

x. Exhumed/ Powerslave; One of the most overlooked games of all. A 3D first person adventure game long before Metroid Prime was even a thought.
x. Sega Rally; Still one of the finest examples of arcade racing
x. Street Fighter Alpha 2 & 3; 2 I had the most fun just playing over and over, it has the best Arcade mode in the series and the best soundtrack. 3 is great becuase of its massive roster and the godlike World Tour mode.
x. Paper Mario; charming game with a good sense of humour and still the most fun I've ever had playing a game with Mario in it.
x. Final Fantasy VII
x. Marvel Super Heroes
x. Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror
x. Fighters Megamix
x. Civilization II
x. MDK

I bet I've forgotten loads of good stuff but I better stop listing.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Yeah, the fog of years is adding up pretty hard now; its no surprise votings a bit thin. Me personally just got done with SOTG (which is easier to start).

Also: dont forget the SOTG vote!

 

[sörine]

Hey Ani, I edited my post to add some honorable mentions.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=176565689&postcount=234

 

[AniHawk]

Hey Ani, I edited my post to add some honorable mentions.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=176565689&postcount=234

thanks! i'll add them.

also, cool to see some love for panzer dragoon saga. i think i'll start on it tonight. pretty excited to see what it's about after all this time.

 

[Xeilyn]

1. Final Fantasy IX ; Like playing a fairytale. Amazing soundtrack, amazing characters, amazing atmosphere and amazing art direction that still holds up today... Greatest game of all time

2. Half-Life ; The game that got me into the FPS genre, masterpiece

3. Metal Gear Solid ; So cinematic, nothing came close back then

4. Grim Fandango ; Still the best in its genre

5. Gran Turismo 2 ; Looked like real life, also best intro of all time(US release)

6. Chrono Cross ; Loved the setting and music, not as good as CT but still an amazing game

7. Crash Team Racing ; Best kart racer of all time

8. Alundra ; Holds a very special place in my heart

9. Tekken 3 ; So many nights playing this with friends, although i think SC is the best this is a close second

10. Final Fantasy VII ; Dont love the game as much as most people do but its still a very good game with alot of memorable moments

 

[Dion Blaster]

Yeah, it's really baffling. NeoGAF's average age must be lower than I thought.

i think age has something to do with it, but it's also been a longer time so everyone's choices don't feel as important. like, everyone knows your favorite game from that era is a classic just because that was the last gen where i think gaming was still being established in some fashion. finally, the factions of that era belonged to an older one. i don't think playstation fans became 'playstation fans' until the ps2 era. and at least for me, i don't recall there being a lot of sony fans until the ps3 started with a whimper.

Plus everyone probably knows that Mario / Metal Gear / Final fantasy/ Zelda will make up the top 5.

 

[purdobol]

So many good games during that era.

1. Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time; True masterpiece. Amazing adventure that hooks you from the very start and doesn't let go.
2. Unreal Tournament; There was a time where internet wasn't in every household. Those lucky enough that had mind boggling fast ISDN connection and gaming PC played UT or Quake 3. I was in UT camp. What a glorious time it was. Twitch action at it's finest. And the best CTF in any fps to date.
3. Super Mario 64; First 3d mario and what an entry. Movement - superb. Levels fun as hell. Go get those stars WAHOO...
4. Half-Life; One of few games that combined many elements not previously seen in FPP genre to create something really special. Amazing story. Great encounters and some really memorable levels. Blast Pit - still one of finest moments in gaming...
5. Tekken 3; Gather some friends. Start this baby up and wonder how time flies when you having fun...
6. Paper Mario; What a cool idea. What awesome execution. And that writing, sense of humour.
7. Fallout; Music, setting, story, memorable NPCs, ending. Everything is amazing.
8. Rayman 2; This game is joy to play. Pure joy...
9. Banjo Kazooie; ... pure joy
10. Sheep, Dog 'n' Wolf; Puzzle game that's relaxing and funny? Hell yeah. What a game. What a soundtrack.

Honorable mentions
x. System Shock 2
x. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
x. Age of Empires 2
x. Conker's Bad Fur Day
x. Crash Team Racing

It was hard to make that list while including PC games. Didn't bother with arcades. So many great titles.