If this is your favorite SRPG, then does that mean this is your favorite Fire Emblem? You liked it over Fire Emblem Sacred Stones?

I think Fire Emblem Awakening will blow our socks off.

I actually did prefer it to Sacred Stones, though I can't guarantee that nostalgia didn't have something to do with that.  For some reason I was significantly more invested in this game's story and characters.  The cutscenes in Fire Emblem Awakening look pretty sweet and hopefully the gameplay is as good as always. I'm back to having a Nintendo (non handheld) console for the first time since the 64.  Would you recommend picking up Radiant Dawn without being able to play Path of Radiance (if you've had a chance to play them)?

Thanks for doing it, Smeags. It's very much appreciated, if that makes the process any easier.

48 - Front Mission 3.

46 - Unreal Championship.

40 - Stunt Race FX. This was going to be my first choice, but Winter Gold was released later so I went with it.

38 - Earthbound.

29 - Pikmin.

14. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)

There were a few interesting guesses to the clue I left for this one, but nobody got close. As can be seen, I was talking about Superhero games, which are usually absolutely terrible, and then Arkham Asylum changed everything within the genre. With some obvious inspiration taken from Metroid, Rocksteady went about crafting a game that was a joy to play from start to finish. It wasn't totally perfect, as some of the boss fights could have been better (specifically thinking of the encounter with Killer Croc and the final battle with Joker), and with the island being small and self contained, there were few opportunities to try out Batman's gliding capabilities, but overall it delivered on the most important aspect of a Superhero game. It felt like you were playing as Batman while you were sneaking around the various parts of the asylum, plotting out different ways to take down the various grunts, and that's something that had been tried before and never accomplished.

Clue for 13. The series goes global.

#14 - The Sims 2 (PC)

As guessed by Michael-5.

Sims 2 followed on from a game that sucked up years of my life without me even realising, yet the offers and improvements Maxis were offering were just too great to pass up.  Sims that aged?  Awesome.  Community lots with absolutely anything on them and building your town from scratch?  Incredible.  Alien abductions and mad science?  Yeah, I could go on and on with these.

At the end of the day, Sims 2 not only met my expectations following the Sims but actually exceeded them.  When I feel like returning to play a Sims game, it's always the Sims 2.  Between the base game and the expansions I have literally every eventuality covered.  When I feel like being a SimCity style creator, I craft my own town from scratch complete with shops, hotels, parks, cemetaries, the works.  When I feel like playing God, I follow my dynasty through mulitple generations.  It's literally all here.  While the Sims 3 may be an incremental improvement again with the no-loading-times benefit and even more community lots, it hasn't and probably never will suck me in the same way that this game did.  A masterpiece.

Clue for my #13 - beginnings of a PS1 legend who faced a very gnasty gnemesis.

Gotta be Spyro the Dragon!

:)

Looking at it now, I actually kinda regret the way I made this list.  I limited myself to a maximum of two games per series and tried to keep them separated wherever possible.  Which leads to things like Spyro the Dragon being #13.  Should be higher.

Oh well, next year!

#14: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
Last Year: 11

I still remember the disbelief from the gaming community when The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was first revealed. Just a few years before, we were treated to a glorious Ocarina-of-timesque depiction of what the GameCube could do with The Legend of Zelda series. But with this "Celda", one of the most beloved franchises in gaming would be doomed. DOOMED I SAY! Okay, all that sillyness aside, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a brilliant game. Not only was the game unique (and quite beautiful I may add) because of its artstyle, but the game was also different because of its setting. Everything in this game led to a more emotional, poignant journey to figure out what happened to the Hyrule we all knew and loved. This game also expanded greatly upon the character of Ganondorf, and propelled him to become my favorite video game villain. So besides a few issues (the Triforce hunt and the lack of dungeons), Wind Waker is a beautiful game that is one of gaming's finest adventures. Truly a wonderful experience.