I've been updating my list in the official thread, but haven't posted in here yet. So here are teh first 5 games on my list. I think this top 50 thread is really interesting because there is such a variety in the games chosen, while at the same time there is quite a bit overlap. I think that several people (me included) have put Age of Empires 2 on their list already, I've seen several Resident Evils (Remake/Director's Cut/and original), World of Goo, and Little Big Planet, have all already shown up in multiple people's lists. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of everybody's lists.
# 50. Duck Hunt (NES)
Description: This is the second video game I ever played, as I had it with the Super Mario Bros. combo. This was the only game I had on the NES that used the Zapper, which seemed like the coolest accessory when I was young. I spent nearly countless hours playing this game hoping that one day I would get good enough to stop that dog from laughing at me...I never did, but it was still a lot of fun.
# 49. Age of Empires II (PC)
Description: I like strategy games but usually their complexity intimidates me too much, and after playing for a little while and not being able to figure them out I give up. For me the Age of Empires series was the perfect balance of approachability and depth. Age of Empires II took everything the original game did well and improved on it, making the game one of the few PC titles to be among my favorite games of all time.
# 48. Shadow Complex (Xbox 360 Arcade)
Description: Coming from someone who is primarily a Nintendo fan this may sound like blasphemy, but Shadow Complex is everything I want out of a Metroid game. Shadow Complex took the core design of a 2D Metroid title, and streamlined it so there was less backtracking and objectives were easier to find, which makes the game feel more fun and less like a chore to play.
# 47. Nintendogs (DS)
Description: A Dalmatian puppy with a fireman's hat? What is not to like? Nintendogs came with my DS, and was the first game I played on the system. I didn't expect to like the game, but it ended up being a great showcase of what the DS could do, with the great use of the touch screen and mic. I was even more impressed with how realistic the dogs animations were, which made it impossible not to feel attached to the onscreen animals.
# 46. Shinobi (MS)
Description: This is one of the first games that I remember playing. I never really got close to beating the game, as the later levels were too difficult for me as a kid (and probably still are). But as a kid getting to play as a ninja was so fun that I would play the first few stages over and over again.
