7. Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy has everything a platformer needs to be great and more. Superior level design, excellent gameplay, simple yet effective controls, clever use of gravity (it's always fun trying to jump around a planet) and a soaring soundtrack all make for a truly spectacular experience. Playing through this game is simply a joy from start to finish, it is never a chore, and that's something that not many games can match, and the ones that do are probably other Mario games. There's so many standout moments that it's hard to pick out a particular level as the best, but there is something special about some of the early levels where you're flying through space for the first time with the soundtrack blaring and you see your next planetoid approaching. Despite all that, it still isn't my favourite Mario game, but we are now into the top 3.

6. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)

The first two Grand Theft Auto games were pretty controversial and garnered their fair share of bad press, but the series didn't truly become something major until the release of this game. The move to 3D greatly changed the dynamic of the game and made it far more enjoyable, even though the basic structure wasn't really that different from the previous games. Of course one of the great things about GTA is that you don't even need to progress through any missions if you don't feel like it at that particular moment, you can just mess around in the city creating chaos or finding things to jump off in your car. Then there's the various radio stations which were always entertaining, particularly the talk show hosted by Lazlow. This stands out amongst later GTA games for me because it was the moment the series changed, and it was a change for the better.

Silly transexual, if you wanted Chrono Cross at the top all you had to do is make your own Top 50 list.

Can't hear you over the ugliness of your avatar! That face scares babies. Put Reynolds back...

24. Zelda: OoT 3D - 3DS (New, but the original was 16 last year):

I'm sure many will be shocked by me putting what is often called the best game of all time about half way on my list.  Don't get me wrong, this game is fantastic and I love it, but other games in the series easily surpass it IMO.  The 3DS version is the best way to play the game and opened the game for a whole new generation to experience.

23. Tales of Symphonia - GC (17 last year):

Easily one the best RPGs ever produced in my opinion.  PAL copies of this game are quite rare and therefore expensive, but I found a fairly cheap copy in 2009 and couldn't put the game down for the next couple of months.  This game has great story, fantastic characters, a very good soundtrack and an amazing battle system.  I've been meaning to play the sequel ever since, but have never got round to it.

22. Pokemon Black/White - DS (New):

I think this is the best set of Pokemon RPGs.  Being released about a month before the 3DS hit, it in many ways acted as a swansong for easily one of the best platforms of all time.  I loved the new features and pokemon introduced in the 5th generation of Pokemon RPGs and really hope that the 6th continue in the same direction.

Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II for number 4. Here is early teenage nostalgia at its finest

5. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

I've heard people say that DKC saved the SNES, that it marked the turning point in the race with Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis. I've no idea if that's really true, but it's a nice little soundbite to wheel out. That's not why it makes it into my top 5 though, it makes it because it's one of the finest and most frustratingly brilliant games ever created. There are moments where you will get stuck on a particular level, and you fail at the same point a few times again, and again. In other games, that would be incredibly rage inducing, but it was never like that with Donkey Kong. There was always that 'just one more go, you can do this' mentality, and that's a crucial difference between an average game and a great game. There have been a fair few Rare games in my list, but this right here is Rare's finest hour.

4. Super Mario Galaxy 2

Nintendo are more than capable of bettering their previous achievements. They're so good at it, that it rarely comes as a surprise to me any more, but SMG2 most definitely was a surprise. It's the first direct sequel to a 3D Mario game, and for that reason alone, it was something completely unexpected. I also didn't expect them to better the brilliance of the first game so soon after its release, but they made SMG look like the warm up act at a concert (albeit the best damn warm up act you'll ever see), with this being the main attraction. Again, every level was an absolute joy to play, the gameplay was as good as ever, the soundtrack was just as epic as before, but what put it above the original was the reintroduction of Yoshi to the series. That loveable companion gave the game that something a little extra special over the first game. I just can't wait to see where Nintendo go next.

 5. Mass Effect 2 (PC, also on 360 & PS3)

Another sequel where the original doesn't make the list but the sequel is ridiculously high up! Mass Effect 1 was good, but was plagued with poor shooting mechanics, a clunky RPG interface and some rather horrible bugs. ME2 fixed all that and then refined the experience to become more of a shooter/RPG hybrid than an RPG with tacked on shooter controls. Guess what? It worked brilliantly. 

Rather than focus on weapon customisation and RPG-levelling, the RPG focus was shifted more towards character development and story-telling that helped to bring the player into the Mass Effect universe. The shooting elements were also changed so reloading and ammo conservation now became important. Gone were the numerous bugs that plagued the original. All these when combined together produced one of the best RPG/shooter hybrids on the market.

The characters were some of the most intriguing seen in a video game. Mordin was brilliant and hilarious, Thane was deep and philosophical and Miranda loyal and ideological (it also helped that Yvonne Strahovski from Chuck was in the game ). However, summing up these characters in a couple of words doesn't really do them justice. The vast majority of missions were based on the characters as you built your team and new layers were added as you did each mission. Discovering motivations and each characters personal story, as well as managing interactions between crew members were all part of what makes this game so amazing. The main story itself was actually relatively simplistic, but the smaller character stories were what made the game.

Add into the mix that all the decisions you made in ME1 are carried over to ME2 and you get a truly great RPG experience.

4. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC with expansions & mods, also on 360 & PS3)

The elder scrolls games have always offered immense freedom and player choice, and Oblivion was no different. However, they also had their share of problems and the storytelling aspects weren't always as strong as perhaps they should have been. Oblivion's storytelling improved greatly upon those found in Morrowind but also added elements to make the game more immersive. Voice acting helped to bring you into the world, especially in the main quest with Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean voicing two of the main characters. No longer did you attack something without hitting it; gone was the background die roll. Attacks were now based upon your own skill rather than purely based on stats. Mini-games meant a mixture of skill as well as statistics contributed to aspects like lockpicking. And the guild quest-lines each had their own fully developed storylines that felt as if they belonged in their own seperate game.  

The content of Elder scrolls games is always massive and Oblivion didn't dissappoint, but it also avoided much of the problems of generic tasks that open world games typically have. It incorporated some brilliant quests with ingenius and genuinely interesting tasks. One such example is the dark brotherhood quest which tasks you to kill five people in a locked mansion without the others knowing. Each one becomes more paranoid and scared and each has their own biases as you kill each character. The fighters guild quest which tasks you go undercover to find out the secret behind the rival guild. Or the main-line quest where you witness the destruction of Kvatch and has you entering your first Oblivion gate. The storylines (Main and guilds) were all engaging and interesting and even the one-off questlines added to the sense that this was a vibarnt and living world.

However, for me, the quality described above is only half the story. The expansions, DLC, mods and the ingenuity of the modding community are what really boost this game up to third place. Officially, the Shivering Isles added a more vibrant and bizzare world more in line with Morrowind than traditional fantasy whilst the Kinghts of the Nine DLC added an opposite questline to the Dark Brotherhood. Unofficially the OOO mod, Kumiko manor, the Achaeology guild and saddle-bags (among many others) all added great content to an already brilliant game.