#1
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
System: Nintendo 64
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Date: November 21, 1998
My list of the top ten video games of all-time has seen a good amount of change since I finished the first draft back in 2005 -- several games that made the top ten then don't break the top 20 now. But the number one spot has remained remarkably constant. Except for a single week during which Halo: Combat Evolved earned the top spot, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has been number one. And for good reason. Ocarina of Time is a masterpiece, the pinnacle of Nintendo creativity and ingenuity, and the benchmark against which all games, past, present, and future, must be judged. It takes no amount of bravery on my part to choose Ocarina as number one; it is generally considered the very best console game of all time. In many ways it is the video game equivalent of Citizen Kane: critically acclaimed, hugely influential, and, until recently, the consensus pick for greatest of all time. Ocarina accomplished a great deal upon its release. It pioneered innovations like z-targeting, auto-jump, and context sensitive buttons. It took existing game mechanics like horseback riding, fishing, and the realistic passage of time and wove them into the game narrative like never before. All these things are now commonplace in video games. Ocarina also accomplished great things for the franchise: it pushed The Legend of Zelda into three dimensions using a modified version of the Super Mario 64 engine; it gave players never-before-seen glimpses into the origin of the Triforce and the genesis of Ganondorf; and it established a foundation for future titles Majora's Mask, The Wind Waker, and Skyward Sword, all of which are among the greatest games of the past 15 years. Truly, Ocarina has everything: a sweeping musical score for the ages; vast, fully-realized three-dimensional worlds; innovative and easy-to-use controls; an epic and emotionally engaging storyline; and gameplay so rich, varied, and engaging that it has no equal. It is the only game on my list without a single perceptible flaw. It is a shining example of everything that is right about gaming. It is the greatest video game of all time.
