Clue for #3:

The developer didn't want the subtitle, but the publisher insisted.

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. This is the main reason Oblivion is ahead of Skyrim in my list as it's an area where Skyrim was relatively weak. Even though Skyrim is superior in most other ways, the amount of fun and immersion I had in the Oblivion quests meant that Oblivion won out.

One of my favourites was the dark brotherhood quest which tasks you to kill five people in a locked mansion without the others knowing. Each one becomes more paranoid or scared and each has their own suspicions as to the murderer's identity... whispering their thoughts to you as you kill them off! The fighters guild quest tasks you go undercover to find out the secret behind the rival guild. 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. The Mages guild had a lengthy tale concerning necromancy whilst the thieves guild had you discovering the true identity of the infamous Gray Fox. Even the one-off questlines helped add to the sense that this was a vibrant 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.

#4: Super Mario World (1991)
Last Year: 4

Super Mario World was the first game that made me jealous of a console I didn't own. In fact, my neighbor had a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and I would make it a point to go over that as much as I could, just to get a look at Super Mario World. The colors, the sounds, the vastness of the game... everything came together to create this world that was larger than life... and I wanted to be a part of it. I even remember taking the controller for myself and beating my first level (the one in the Forest of Illusion where you're riding that moving platform through the entire level). I finally got to own the game for myself when it released on the GameBoy Advance, and it was like walking into a time machine. Everything was still there: the wonderful sounds, the colorful sights, the pitch perfect controls... I had fallen in love with Super Mario World again. Everything was right with the world.

#3: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Last Year: 3

I still remember when I opened up that Sega Genesis on Christmas day '94 (I was six years old). My first video game system. It was like a whole new world was opened up in front of my eyes... and I'll be forever grateful to the Genesis for that. But a console without its games is just a door stopper... and as such, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was my very first game for my very first console. But nostalgia can only place a game so far, as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is one of the greatest games I have ever played in my 18 years of gaming. Tight, responsive controls, beautiful sprite graphics (man I love how the 16-bit games hold up so awesomely!), a wonderful soundtrack, and a Hedgehog with 'tude (and a two-tailed fox) showed me this wonderous world that I would play again and again. So many unforgettable moments (the first time I collected all the Chaos Emeralds and became Super Sonic. Or the first time I defeated Dr. Robotnik's gigantic robot in the Death Egg...), and so many smiles. I owe a lot to this game, and every year I'll go back and play this great game all over again. Kudos to you Sonic.

3) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This game is not without its flaws. The melee combat is perhaps overly simplistic, there isn't a lot of character depth, the main story leaves a fair bit to be desired. But for all that I have never played an RPG that has been so engrossing, so able to draw you into its world and enjoy every moment, such a beautifully designed world with so much to find and do. In this, it is quite simply the best RPG ever made, and it's something I value very much.

Clue for #2: Apparently, with enough violence and a bit of time travel, you can change your fate.

3. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC, also on PS3 & 360)

The prequel to the highly acclaimed Deus Ex, this really could have gone either way (especially after the disappointing sequel Invisible War). Fortunately, the devs took everything good from Deus Ex, but rather than make a pure carbon copy they also added their own inventive spin on the stealth, story and art style. Very few games manage to blend the genres of shooter and RPG so brilliantly.

For the most part the gameplay was pure Deus Ex. Every quest and level had multiple paths and methods for completion. You need to get into the police station. Do you hack through a terminal? Sneak through the vents? Use one of your augmentations? Smooth talk your way through the front? Go in guns blazing? Or perhaps kill all the civilians and pile their bodies up to get access to the fire escape?! The possibilities were virtually endless. You played the game at your own pace and tailored the experience to your own playstyle.

The futuristic setting was incredibly detailed and brilliantly realised. The science was actually handled incredibly well and you could see a huge amount of research was done to ensure the setting was as realistic as possible whilst still being fun. It also helped the storyline which was far more mature than the vast majority of video games (and most Hollywood films for that matter). Rather than go for the typical action Sci-Fi story of most video games or going heavy on conspiracy theories like the original, they went for a more personal and philosophical approach by questioning what it is to be human. Very few games manage to pull off a story of this nature so successfully and still make the game fun. 

The new additions were generally good. The stealth cover system was actually very good and the new third person perspective added to the game rather than ruining immersion as I'd originally feared. The art style obviously had a lot of thought and looked stunning in all its renaissance, cyber punk glory. However, the game did have a few faults, namely the addition of compulsory boss fights. This was in complete contrast to the rest of the game, but the rest of the game really makes up for it. The ending also felt rushed and the final choice felt a little cheap. Even with these faults, it still manages to blend so many great elements of FPS, TPstealth and RPG genres so incredibly well that it's my third fave game of all time.

#03 - Pikmin (GC)

As guessed by Mr Khan.

Pikmin was one of the games I bought alongside a Gamecube, 2 controllers and a memory card when I bought my GC in 2006, for £30.  It was an absolute steal.  While other games that I picked up at the time got plenty of hours of play (Super Smash Melee) and others were less loved (Metroid Prime 2), none of them held a candle to Pikmin in terms of capturing my heart.

Pikmin, like I mentioned in my clue, really was like stepping into an alien world at first, in so many different ways.  Why were all these everyday objects so big and frightening?  What were these little creatures following me around?  Why did I have to pick them out of the ground?  As the game went on, obviously, the novelty of new ideas wore off, but in their place was an incredibly deep, enjoyable game.  Pikmin mixed the exploration I loved from something like a JRPG with some tactical combat with elements of RTS in there, all wrapped up in the most adorable - yet somehow terrifying - little package.

Pikmin got so highly on my list purely because of fond memories and replayability.  I don't mean to ruffle any feathers by saying this but people had always told me about how 'magic' Nintendo games were which - throughout the N64 era - I'd never personally really seen.  Pikmin, however, showed me how inventive, sweet, addictive and fantastic Nintendo games could be and actually went a long way to selling me on the big N for life.  It's also pretty much the reason I bought a Wii (in anticipation of Pikmin 3) which in turn introduced me to Mario Galaxy... circle of life or something, eh?

(Instead of a screenshot of video of the game to end my post, here instead is a demonstration of how much I love Pikmin, and the best dollars I've ever spend.  From the NYC Nintendo store when I visited last year, I couldn't help but buy this little guy:)

Clue for my #02 - Highly divisive JRPG, but the best I've ever played. Followed on from a legend.

That could be nearly any of the Final Fantasy games!

Final Fantasy VII... maybe VIII (if VII is the legend, it certainly sold like it!)?

Or perhaps Chrono Cross?