25. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, (last year 27), first impression 9, replay 7.5, technical 8.5

Pros: Real proof of what the Wii remote could do for first-person gaming, ditches the beam-ammo system from Prime 2, an interesting side-cast of other hunters and a fitting conclusion to the Phazon arc. Locations like Elysia, Bryyo, and the Pirate Homeworld were pretty inspired.

Cons: Having distinct worlds wrecked the flow of exploration somewhat, the Corruption feature was a good idea, but was rarely needed if you were good enough to fight your way through normal scenarios.

24 was a game with a far more balanced online mode than the first online game in the franchise (no snakes), though it was eventually ruined by easy hacks to the console.

Mario Kart Wii?

No one guessing?

You're doing well

Guessed the only two I can think of.

#27 - Jak 3 (Kudos to no-one for guessing this)

Marking the end of a series which I started at the beginning of PS2's life; Jak 3 was the culmination of Naughty Dog's efforts to expand the 3D platformer beyond what it had been in the sixth generation and honestly achieved that to great effect.  Spurred on by Rockstar Games and Insomniac Games to make Jak 2 different from its predecessor; Jak 3 returned to what made the original great, while hanging on to the elements which made the sequel so good too.

I think Jak 3 was the first game where I was exploring a giant world that felt so different.  Driving through the desert in the buggy was just crazy amounts of fun after being confined to Haven City in the previous game and it made for some beautiful landscapes and vistas.  The story picked up where Jak 2 left off and was very enjoyable; and plenty of new characters were introduced to get invested in.  But the gameplay was always where it was at.  The mix of platforming and shooting; exploring and adventuring was just the best in the industry at the time, in my opinion.  Jak 3 is a fantastic game.

Clue for my #26 - videogame sequel which added one of the most requested and integral features to the original game - characters who age.

Clue for my #25 - Nintendo's greatest ever re-use of assets.

Clue for my #24 - A clue that Truckosaurus should guess or he'll get very upset.

Clue for my #23 - Valve's greatest ever re-use of assets.

25: Majora's Mask

24. Mario Kart Wii (last year 30), first impression 8.5, replay 8, technical 8.5

Pros: No more snaking, packed to the brim with different racers and different karts and bikes, allowing for all sorts of different playstyles, one of the stronger sets of track selections between new and retro, fleshed out the online mode better, to something more fitting than DS.

Cons: Minor balancing issues, and arguably the blue-shell at its absolute worst, before they toned it down in 7 (which hopefully they've kept for 8)