by majormitch
Think of this list as my personal video game “Hall of Fame.” While there are certainly dozens, if not hundreds of games absent from this list that mean a great deal to me, its exclusivity showcases the ones that have had the biggest impact on me personally. The goal of this list is nothing more than to share the games that have played the biggest role in defining my particular gaming tastes, and express what it is that I love about video games the most. Hopefully anyone who reads this comes away with a good sense of just that, and finds it a fun read as well.
Finally, games are listed in chronological order of original US release date, not by preference.
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This was the first game I ever had to my name. As such, it holds a special place in my heart, and it helps that it’s such a great game on its own merits. The scope and variety of the world completely captured my young imagination, and the precise controls and inventive level design were just stellar. Super Mario World was my formal entry to video games, and is still a blast to play today.
A Link to the Past was the ultimate adventure for a young kid. The world was super captivating, and the dungeon and item designs were fantastic. This was also one of the first games that made me realize how engrossing and ambitious video games could be. At their best video games can send you on the grandest of adventures, and this game did that as well as any.
Rondo of Blood embodied the best of Castlevania to me. It had it all: great art, great music, great pacing, a great difficulty curve, great controls, and plenty of flair (including some awesome set pieces). It was a pure and focused 2D action game that nailed virtually every part of its execution, and still stands out in my mind as one of the best in the genre.
I’ll never get tired of singing the praises of Super Metroid’s incredible atmosphere and near perfect world design. The art style, the music, the item and enemy designs; everything came together perfectly to create such an immersive, well-playing game. I’ve probably played through this game more times than any other, and I'd willingly do it all over again.
Final Fantasy VI had some of my favorite characters and some of the best writing of any game I’ve ever played. It managed to create a relatable world that I genuinely wanted to save, which led to one of the few video game narratives I’ve been seriously invested in. It didn’t hurt that the game had some fantastic RPG mechanics, or that you could suplex a train.
The original Donkey Kong Country was one of the SNES' premiere audiovisual showpieces, with a gorgeous look and an incredible soundtrack that raised the bar for the platform. It was also a fun platformer with tight controls, exciting level design, and clever secrets. I spent tons of time chasing everything it put before me, both solo and cooperatively.
Yoshi’s Island remains one of the most charming games I’ve ever played. Everything from the colorful visuals to the upbeat soundtrack created a fun atmosphere that never failed to put a smile on my face. It was also a great playing platformer, sporting clever mechanics, tons of variety, and some of the most rewarding collectibles the genre has ever seen.
I love all three SNES Donkey Kong Country games, but the second was the series' high point. It was a combination of the controls feeling tighter and the levels containing more variety, both mechanically and aesthetically. And while I know I’m a sucker for a good video game soundtrack, I’ll be damned if this game didn’t have one of the best video game soundtracks ever made.
Super Mario RPG combined the best of Mario and Square RPGs with a perfect blend of charm and execution, and I'm not sure any game feeds my nostalgia more than this. The world, the characters, the music, the combat; it’s all embedded in my blood. This game was the perfect coda to my childhood, and there’s probably no better summary of my gaming youth than this.
Nothing proved that 3D was the way of the future for video games like Super Mario 64. Stepping into its fully realized 3D world for the first time was surreal, and that it still managed to offer the quality play experience that you would expect from the series was just incredible. It combined 3D visuals with 3D gameplay in a way that changed my perception of the medium forever.
