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It's past midnight, so I'll just do this.

1) Shadow of the Colossus

And so we have it. Fifty games, each better than the last, and this stands at the very top. Why? The controls are rather finicky. The camera isn't very friendly. Much of the game is spent riding around on a horse with nothing to occupy you.

That last bit is a part of what makes SoTC so exceptional. Like so few other games, it knows when to give you a break. It has moments of intense exhilaration in the battles with the sixteen colossi - almost all of these battles are fantastic in their own right, requiring a great deal of thought and care, not to mention reflex - followed by long moments of quiet contemplation as you and your horse Agro ride through the silent countryside. You hear nothing except your horse's hoofbeats and the blowing of the wind. You often see nothing but endless wasteland, with an enormous temple behind you and an enormous road beside you.

And then you arrive at one of the colossus fights, and one of the sixteen greatest moments in gaming begins.

This game has been at the top of my list for many years now (pretty much since I first played it), and I don't foresee it being topped in the near future.



(Former) Lead Moderator and (Eternal) VGC Detective