Here's my own hint for my #1 game... it should be quite easy:

Purity of Essence, Purity of Form, Exiled Convicts --- FIGHT!

It's past midnight, so I'll just do this.

1) Shadow of the Colossus

And so we have it. Fifty games, each better than the last, and this stands at the very top. Why? The controls are rather finicky. The camera isn't very friendly. Much of the game is spent riding around on a horse with nothing to occupy you.

That last bit is a part of what makes SoTC so exceptional. Like so few other games, it knows when to give you a break. It has moments of intense exhilaration in the battles with the sixteen colossi - almost all of these battles are fantastic in their own right, requiring a great deal of thought and care, not to mention reflex - followed by long moments of quiet contemplation as you and your horse Agro ride through the silent countryside. You hear nothing except your horse's hoofbeats and the blowing of the wind. You often see nothing but endless wasteland, with an enormous temple behind you and an enormous road beside you.

And then you arrive at one of the colossus fights, and one of the sixteen greatest moments in gaming begins.

This game has been at the top of my list for many years now (pretty much since I first played it), and I don't foresee it being topped in the near future.

I'd also like to say that it's been a lot of fun, thinking about which games would go into the list and in what order, writing why I love them, and seeing what other people have put down. I was a fool not to have done this in earlier years and I'll definitely do it again ten and a half months from now.

And Smeags is awesome

Nice review. It made to my top 10 even though i just played it recently. It really is an experience like none other. You didn't even mention how beautiful the soundtrack is. :)

Chrono Trigger

or Super Mario RPG?

Which is it?!?!?!?!

Kantor said: I'd also like to say that it's been a lot of fun, thinking about which games would go into the list and in what order, writing why I love them, and seeing what other people have put down. I was a fool not to have done this in earlier years and I'll definitely do it again ten and a half months from now. And Smeags is awesome

Our mod chats were definitely enhanced by the guessing games.

Glad to have you aboard. ^_^

StarCraft.

How could I forget :O

The soundtrack is, indeed, beautiful. I listen to it all the time.

Obligatory:

Nope .

Sadly, I've never played either of those, because they weren't released in the PAL region. Recently I've learned Chrono Trigger was actually rereleased on DS, so I'm trying to track that down. I do know both games are supposed to be top notch!

But, my #1 game shouldn't come as a surprise, because this game is usually heralded as the best game ever made. In that sense a very unoriginal choice, but I agree with the sentiment and it is still obviously missing from the complete list.