10. Metal Gear Solid (PS1, PC)

Innovation was the name of the game. Series creator Hideo Kojima used every tool at his disposal to put players into the experience, and indeed to bring the experience right out of our TV screens and into our living rooms. Psychic vibrating controllers are deserved of particular mention. But, Mr Kojima, we draw the line at your story, which was largely nonsense. Nevertheless, Metal Gear Solid remains one of the most engaging and innovative titles in videogame history.

9. Day Of The Tentacle (PC)

Games aren’t funny. That idiom has resonated through games journalism for the last decade and a half. But there are exceptions to every rule, and along with the fantastic Monkey Island series, Day Of The Tentacle still represents easily the funniest game of all time. It came at a time when writers Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman and Gary Winnock had reached their zenith. Amazingly, it’s still hilarious today.

8. Tetris (Multi)

Some of the best games of all time are also the most enduring. Tetris is definitely an example of this. It’s appeared in every form and format, from keyrings versions tall the way up to complex 3D versions ustilising the Z-axis. Simple. Timeless. Brilliant. Don’t believe us? Play it right here, right now. (above).

7. Portal 2 (Multi)

The first of our Valve titles on the list, here’s the second, more modern, example of games that tickle our funny bones. Intuitive, delightful, mind-bending, elegant. Portal 2 is a masterpiece of game design.

6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Multi)

Okay, so this is what we call a new entry. You know, when you were young and Top Of The Pops counted down the top ten and you thought you had it all sussed, but then Bam! Rick Astley cuts in at number three between Sonia and Bananarama, and you’re like WTF?! That’s what Skyrim has done to us; surprised us in ways in which we thought ourselves unsurprisable.

5. GTA IV (Multi)

Say what you like about GTA. Go on, say what you like. Finished? Good. GTA IV is a masterpiece. There are those who complain that it’s too structured and that it’s not ‘fun’ enough and this or that, but honestly, those people are probably running fetch missions for Brucey while we’re busy with eight friends racing Faggios around a skate park. An open world is what you make of it, a playground, and Liberty City is the best playground of them all.

4. Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (N64, 3DS)

No need for any justification here. This is the archetype for a cross-stitched world where the unlocking of powers steadily unlocks further parts of the world. And so it rolls, with one of the most fascinating and delightful worlds ever seen in a videogame. If you didn’t play this first time around, it’s now available for 3DS and as good as it ever was.

3. Super Mario 64 (N64, 3DS)

Did you get all the stars? Mario’s first step into the third dimension was also his best. Sure, you could say that Mario Galaxy and Mario Galaxy 2 do more, but they would be nothing without this game forming its bedrock. A true masterpiece, no less, and now available for 3DS.

2. Thief: Deadly Shadows (PC)

Deadly Shadows was a highly focused stealth game set in an open fantasy city with a single objective for each mission: to creep past the guards and rob the shiny-shinies from a nominated mansion/crypt/dungeon. It was consistently tense and atmospheric, and featured The Cradle, a trouser-soiling mission that can often be found in top ten lists of the best levels ever made.

1. Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (Multi)

 

Narrative, gameplay, feel, invention, physicality, consequence, emotion. Half-Life 2, at the time of its release, represented the pinnacle of all, tied into a beautiful bow of gaming so good, it was pretty difficult to just move on and play other games. We got over it, eventually, but in the seven years in between, there’s really been nothing that’s felt quite this whole. Its later release on consoles as part of The Orange Box, which contained Episode 1, 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal, sealed its place as the finest bits and bytes ever to be committed to a single DVD.