8. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Depressingly down from 4th (*rechecks list to try to figure out how*), if I had to pick the most prominent reason I liked this game, it would be because it took everything except the boss fights out of the equation and got straight to the reason you were playing the game in the first place. The sixteen bosses display a surprising amount of variety and each requires some exploration to discover how to approach finding its weak spots. The limited grip strength means that your first attempt won't be successful in many cases. I remember thinking after the first couple battles that it would always be finding a weak spot to climb onto the colossus, but many of the colossi surprised me as they would send you underwater, into the air, and onto your horse in order to meet your end goal. Finding your way to the next colossi by watching the sun glint off your sword and then riding through the beautiful expanse until you reached a new area you didn't know existed was the rewarding alternative to fighting against smaller, ultimately unchallenging, foes. Ultimately the simplistic storytelling forced you to look around to and discover what is happening to the characters. After beating the game there is still plenty left to do as well, a harder set of fights, gathering new items, and completing speed runs against any of the colossi. This is a game that really deserves to be played on a big screen because of the sheer impressive size of the colossi, and the hd/3d remake makes it all the better.
Primarily an RPG player but have interest in any game that will make me think.
