#34. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (PS1)

Who never dreamed of being a ninja? Be honest, you know you did, at least I did (still do actually) and when I found Tenchu, I was thrilled. Finally a ninja game that focused on not being seen and killing in the shadows. Sure you could charge head on and still survive but all the fun was in finding a way to kill everyone without ever being detected (it also granted you a higher score and better items). The game features two playable character Rikimaru and Ayame, who are pretty similar except when it comes to their stealth kill animations (I prefered Ayame because her kills were more original than Rikimaru's). To aid you in achieving this you had a variety of ninja tools at your disposal, my favorite being the ninja rope allowing you to get up on rooftops followed closely by the poisonned rice which never failed to make me laugh at the thought that a guard would really leave his post to eat some rice he found lying on the ground.

35 - Portal (PS3, PC, 360)

the very definition of 'short but sweet'. Sure, the game only lasted about 2-4 hours depending on how good you were, but those few hours are likely to be some of the most fun hours you've spent on a videogame in the last decade or so. The mechanics were fresh, the puzzles were deliciously challenging without being frustrating, and GlaDOS will go down in history as one of the most beautifully malicious videogame characters in history. Over this last generation, my attention span has suffered; some games I never beat and I never return to the same game twice, but I've played portal through about a dozen times, giving it something in common with my favorites from the SNES era, and that alone is something special.

34 - Left 4 Dead 2 (PC, 360)

While Left 4 Dead gave us a great idea in a simple game, LEft 4 Dead 2 refined that idea to a needlepoint. or a mirror shine. I don't care, this game is great! A lot of people complain about the lack of content, but even just the campaign alone is about 5-7 hours long if you string the 5 levels together as they were intented, plus there's a bunch of other modes and free DLC (if you're lucky enough to have it on PC) to keep you busy. Not to mention there are more weapons, more abilities, more enemies, and better level design. This is how you do a sequel, and like the Portal Series, it's one of the few designed with replay value in mind, and it's one of the few I can pick up and play any time for an hour or two and be done with it. Valve knows how to give a game replay value.

#37: Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo 64)
Release Date: November 24, 1997

Diddy Kong Racing is an important game to me, as it was a game that was a first in many aspects. It was my first Nintendo 64 game, my first 3D game, and most importantly, my first Nintendo game (forever changing my alliegance from Sega to Nintendo). And while I'll always remember this game because of those points, Diddy Kong Racing makes my top 50 because it is first and foremost a fun and great game. It sets itself apart from Mario Kart by having a focus on a single player adventure, where winning races gain you access to secrets, different paths, and even bosses to face. In fact, traveling to outer space and facing final Wizpig was one of the fondest memories I've had in gaming. Also, the muliplayer was extrodinarily fun, especially the battle mode. 10x rockets ftw!

Main: Pipsy the mouse
Favorite vehicle: While the airplane is awesome, I can't deny my love for the classic kart. The hoverboat can suck it though.

#36: Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)
Release Date: November 5, 2007

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is a brilliant game (Well all these games are brilliant, but still...). It really feels like the pinnacle of the franchise, with a wonderful and engaging story full of twists and turns (and still grabbing your attention past the 30 hour mark), awesome characters that you grow attached to, the ability to save MID GAME (I know right?!), and awesome cut scenes (not much of a cut scene person actually, but these really punctuate important story developments, and the art style is just gorgeous). I really can't say how much I've enjoyed this game, and with so many characters to choose from and grow, I easily played this game twice through and things still felt fresh. I'm really glad I found the franchise with Path of Radiance, but Radiant Dawn is the game that made me a fan for life.

Favorite Laguz Character: Lethe (Never forget Mr Khan... never forget :P)
Awesome: Playing as the Black Knight (<3 Eclipse)

@Smeags: Is Diddy Kong Racing available on the Virtual Console? I totally missed that game somehow.

Unfortunately not (Surprise! An N64 game not on the Virtual Console?! :P)... and I heard that the DS remake was a shallow port.

Not like you'll ever let me forget, but i actually quoted this post to talk about Diddy Kong (a game i have played, but only by renting/borrowing). I enjoyed the Hoverboat because you could cheat the computer on stages where the hoverboat wasn't the default item: the CPU stuck to the land track even if they were in hovercraft.

Diddy Kong racing was one of those games you loved to hate.

I loved those demo discs from the PS1 days. I remember playing the demo for Parappa the Rapper over and over, learning the whole song by heart. It's also on a demo disc that I discovered Tekken.

Analysing the 19/nov charts... Assassins Creed Revelations number one in the world. ASSASSINS CREED FRANCHISE RULEZ THE WORLD... GREAT GAME COOL! :)

#33 Portal 2 played on PS3 and PC, released 2011

Portal 2 improved on it's predecessor in pretty much every way but the original novelty factor. It has a bigger campaign with some interesting glimpses into the back story of the facility. Great humor, a great new character and excellent new mechanics for the puzzles. The voice acting was top notch and the added commentary notes made a second playthrough all that much more enjoyable.
Still it would have been nice to see some more information on what's been going on outside or a glimpse in the lives of the people that worked there. The facility and offices you find are quite sterile apart from the science project room.
I have yet to play the co-op but I hear it's fun too. My wife and I tried to play it but it just showed again how unnatural first person dual analog control is for someone who's not used to it.
A great game overall, which I will fondly replay in years to come.

List

33. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)

A Mario game where Mario isn't the star, in fact, he's quite annoying. Instead it's Yoshi's time to shine as the various types of Yoshi are tasked with reuniting Baby Mario with Baby Luigi and taking them back to the stork who will deliver them to their parents. Every time Yoshi gets hit by an enemy, Baby Mario falls off his back and starts crying until you pick him up again, but despite that annoyance, it's a refreshing take on the traditional 2D Mario experience. Gone are most of the powerups, instead you occasionally get the opportunity to have Yoshi transform into a car or a helicopter, or have Baby Mario run up walls while invincible. So whilst it's obviously different to what had come before it, it's a fantastic game more than worthy of a place in my list.