I feel the same. A highlight from this generation. If only they had left out the combat. Escaping and running away from them felt right, picking up a gun completely wrong.

Yes, please a sequal, prequal or completely different story. Anything with the same art style and brilliant first person platforming gameplay. We need more bright games, too many games hide in the shadows.

This and prince of persia (2008) are the best looking games this generation.

6.

Such a well thought out game that impressed early and never stopped until the end.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn at number 6

7. Super Mario World (SNES, also on GBA & Wii VC)

Simply put: 2D platforming perfection! This is one of the few times I'll say "if you disagree, you're wrong!". Nintendo took the gameplay elements that made the NES games great and perfected them. Then they gave you a dinosaur to ride that could eat up your enemies! (Yoshi FTW btw). This is quite simply the pinnacle of 2D platformers. Nothing even comes close in terms of quality. 

Other than the gameplay being perfect, it also had hundreds of diverse levels, some beautiful worlds to explore, brilliant level design and countless extras and hidden worlds with ridiculously hard challenges. I found the artwork especially enchanting  (I especially liked Vanilla Dome and The Enchanted Forrest) as it really worked my imagination; I genuinely felt like I was in this amazing world where dinosaurs and plumbers could co-exist I also loved how after completing certain levels the world would change whether it be the destruction of a castle or the formation of a bridge. Speaking of the world, the world map actually had you effectively going round in a circle:

If you look at my list I believe this is only one of 3 2D platformers and definately the highest. I remember when I was 7-10 years old playing this almost non-stop with my cousins and staying up late during the Summer holidays addicted to the joys of Super Mario World. I'm sure nostalgia plays a big part of my love for this game, but it's one of the few games I keep going back to just for the sake of playing. Give me a SNES and Super Mario World and I'll be satisfied for many years.

6. Metal Gear Solid

Back in the late 90s, everyone was talking about this game. The story, the stealth mechanics, the guards throwing grenades down vent shafts, the boss fights! I however, didn't know what the fuss was about and ignored it... until I played the demo. I then went out and bought it the next day. 

So much about this game felt fresh and innovative. The stealth mechanics were amazing; constantly hiding behind cover, ensuring you didn't leave footprints in the snow; using camera blind-spots. It was all new. The level design was also superb using the keycards to gain specific access to new areas but still immersing you into the idea that this was a top secret facility that you were infiltrating. Even backtracking was fun!

It also had the unique Kojima style that rewarded clever and original thinking. The fight with Psycho Mantis is a clear example of this (switching controller input around and him reading you memory card!). Most games and designers wouldn't dare breach the fourth-wall for fear it would destroy immersion, yet in MGS it they breach the fourth wall on numerous occasions yet it actually improves immersion into the game world. Other examples of rewarding original thinking by the player include having the wolves piss on a cardboard box thereby enabling you to traverse their territory without getting attacked or using cigarette smoke to ID potential laser traps.

I haven't even mentioned the story which is probably the best in the series. It made you feel like you were truly in a movie and was a superb cinematic experience with a rollercoaster of emotions. It also had two seperate endings which always helps with the replay value and didn't go too outlandish as happened in MGS2.

In many ways, the gameplay and visuals haven't aged brilliantly (as most games of that generation), yet everything was crafted so perfectly to fit as a complete package very little compares. One observation of Twin Snakes on GameCube is that whilst they added moves from MGS2, they didn't fit with the core gameplay or design of the original. Taken as a whole package, it was probably the most well-thought out and polished game of the PS/N64 generation.

Updated down to #5

8   - GC   - TimeSplitters 2 (Eidos Interactive)
7   - Wii  - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo)
6   - Wii  - Endless Ocean (Nintendo)
5   - Wii  - Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)

#7: Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
Release Dae: September 26, 1996
Last Year: #6

When Super Mario 64 first came out, it was a marvel. It showed us the potential for magic of a 3D world, and more importantly, it showed us how much fun we could have in this new videogame world. I don't know, I've been at this sentence for 10 minutes now, trying to explain what makes this game so wonderful... but it's hard to put into words. There's really nothing like the first moments of this game, really it's video game magic at its best. The worlds fit the stellar gameplay perfectly, and everything just comes together in a way that only Mario can do. Super Mario 64 is one of those few games that I've played that has that "magic" that's always hard to explain, but it's always a joy to experience. Super Mario 64 marked a huge change in the video game world, and it was a blast to be a part of it.

Favorite Hat: The Winged Cap (Amazing stuff right there)
The Final Bowser: Scared the Crap outta me

#6: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64/3DS)
Release Date: November 23, 1998
Last Year: #6

When kids at school first told me about this game, I brushed it off as nerd stuff. I mean, playing as an elf boy in tights? No way man, I'll stay with the super cool and hip Banjo-Kazooie. Yes, that was sarcasm, as I finally got smart enough to buy the gold cartridge and play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I was stunned. I never saw a world so huge and involving before! The sights! The sounds! The battle against a monstrous beast! And then after all that... I stepped into Hyrule Field. What an amazing moment... it was like a veil was lifted from my eyes and I finally got to see something amazing. It was another one of those "magical" moments... hard to explain, but amazing to experience. The rest of the adventure just kept getting better and better. Link turning into an adult. Shiek revealing herself as Zelda. The final battle against the King of Evil. The other final battle against a gigantic demon that remains one of the most amazing moments I've played in a video game. And when it finally ends... you want to play it all over again. Truly an incredible game, one of the finest examples of the term that I've played thus far. My hat is off to Ocarina of Time... truly an all time classic.

Favorite Temple: Shadow Temple
Creeped me Out: The Great Fairy

05: Pro Evolution 6 PS2

In my opinion, the best Pro game ever made!

#5 Shadow of the colossus played on PS2, released 2005

Books use words, movies add pictures and sound, and video games add your actions to tell a story. All of these elements come together beautifully in Shadow of the Colossus. The opening cinematic immediately gets you involved with the main character and soon you set off on an epic adventure to do what you initially think is right. The longer you play the more you start to doubt your own intentions and wonder if the end can really justify your actions. Every time you manage to kill another colossus you feel a sadness for destroying such a wonderful mysterious creature.

The colossi all feel like they have their own personality. Most aren't interested in you and simply carry on with their own lives until you interfere. They're all unique and wonderfully animated. My favourites are the 2 flying ones, yet all of them are great in their own way.

The music is beautiful too, swelling up when you grab onto a colossus and settling back down again after you fall off. The lovely theme of the music is playing in my head as I write this. Sound effects are well done especially the mysterious voice announcing your next prey.

The landscape is what ties it all together. It is a vast desolate land with amazing views into the distance. It makes you feel small when you stand on a cliff looking around you. The landscape feels like a real place, the proportions are all believable. I love galloping around the land looking for vantage points, trees bearing fruit and lizards hiding on rocks and on the save monuments. There isn't much else to find but it is enough to feel a real connection with the landscape by the end of the game.

Shadow of the colossus truly is an amazing game and I'm grateful for the HD remake. The animations, sand and water effects are now displayed to their full potential and the landscape and colossi look better then ever in 1080p.

List

10 - Red Dead Redemption (ps3)

9 - Rayman 2: The Great Escape (pc)

8 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (pc)

7 - Pokemon Gold (gba)

6 - SimCity 4 (pc)

5 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (pc)

I've played all these game many times over and they're still playable today.