#49 Mass Effect played on Xbox 360, released 2007
I almost didn't include this in my top 50, but I shouldn't let my disappointment in ME2 cloud my judgment of the first one. A great story in an engaging universe with plenty of exploration and interesting quests. Varied gameplay takes you on a well crafted journey while solving an ancient mystery which leads up to one of the best finales in modern video games. It wasn't perfect though, technical issues and poor combat keep it from getting a higher listing. Both of those concerns were fixed, but it's a shame that all of my favorite elements, RPG progression, exploration, investigative quests and most importantly the compelling main story took a back seat in ME2. Hopefully ME3 will bring back the magic of the first one with the combat and polish of ME2.