Number 24
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Here's the thing about me and Zelda games: I love them to pieces. Some would argue that I love them too much. If I were to include all of them in this list they would dominate the landscape of it. In order to make the list more interesting, I've opted to limit the number of Zelda games, and Link to the Past is the first I've listed. It's not my least favorite Zelda game; far from it.
Link to the Past is a grandstanding tour de force of game design, art, and music, full of insane innovations like an in-game map and indicators about where one should be going next. It's hard, as Zelda games go, and features some of the roughest and most memorable boss fights in the series. And is there any track in gaming as sweet and heart-rending as this game's credits theme?
There's not a lot I can say about Link to the Past that hasn't already been said. This is probably the lowest it will appear on anyone's list, because this game is superlative. Just.... fantastic.