1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
If you've been paying attention, then this should have been easy to guess. I mentioned having four Zelda games in my top 50, and I'd only placed three of them with just the #1 spot to go, and what better game to place there than one widely regarded as the best game ever made.
One of the things that makes gaming so popular is that the player is given the opportunity to be the hero, and Ocarina of Time is the absolute best at delivering that experience. It is an adventure game on an epic scale, with you tasked to defeat the bad guy and save the world (which is something that isn't exactly unique, but that basic idea is done best here). You progress through the various dungeons, acquiring more weapons as you go, all for the purpose of preparing yourself for that epic final battle.
It's not just the main quest which makes Ocarina so great though, as all of the little things add up to improve the experience drastically. The exploration of the land, the mini games, the side quests... In fact the most memorable moment in the game for me is when you're about to enter Hyrule Field for the first time after leaving Kokiri Forest, and you see the field open up in front of you. That moment makes you realise just how big this game is, and just how much of an adventure there is to come.
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