#7 - Portal?

#4 - Starcraft... 2?  Possibly 1, I'm not that clued up on the SC canon.

#3 - Brawl

Don't know the others, sorry.  Also, must've missed these when you posted them!

Top 10 incoming:

10. Mass Effect 3 (PC, also on 360, WiiU & PS3)

The end of an epic trilogy by Bioware. Mass Effect 3 tried to take all the elements from the previous two games and bring them together into a single, epic package. For the most part, they succeeded. The gameplay was further refined from ME2, the RPG elements were stronger than ME2 but without the arduous item lists from ME1 and the story (for the most part) is rounded off nicely with the majority of story arcs completed over the course of the game. During the game, you effectively seal alliances between previous political enemies, explore the nature of life through AI/Geth characters and solidify or destroy all the relationships made in the previous games.

Where the game (and the series) has truly succeeded though, is in having the player develop strong connections with the characters. I can't think of any other game I've played (or film I've watched for that matter) where I've actually cared about what happens to the characters more than in the Mass Effect series. You watch and participate with these crew members as they develop, grow and discover themselves to such a level that it's difficult to not have an emotional connection with these fictional characters. I still don't know anyone that managed to shoot Mordin in his scene (and if you did, you're probably a socio-path!).

It's unfortunate then that the final ending was a bit of an anti-climax. Having said that, I don't think the ending was anywhere near as bad as the controversy it caused suggested which erupted due to the strong emotional links players formed with their characters over the series. Objectively, the original endings were sparse but left you with enough material to figure things out. With that said, I think some credit should be given to Bioware for listening to criticism and releasing a new ending that took more of the players decisions into account and expanded on the sparse details in the originals. I doubt many other developers would have done this.

This was also the first game in the series to introduce a multiplayer element which works surprisingly well. Not the most varied multiplayer mode, but still a lot of fun. The mix of different abilities, racial traits and weaponry make for an incredibly enjoyable experience. Biotic Charges followed by Krogan headbutts and blasts from a shotgun... so much fun! The only down side is that they obviously re-used multiplayer maps for what are probably the worst side quests in the series. The side quests in general actually, whilst vast in number, aren't up to the same quality as in ME2.

Overall though, the game is a good way to round off what has been an incredibly ambitious series.

Side note: I can't end this description without a mention to the Citadel DLC. With everything coming to an end the game is an emotional rollercoaster and often deeply depressing with a general feeling of dread throughout the game. The final DLC, Citadel is a more upbeat, comical and somewhat fitting way to say goodbye to the characters that many have come to love throughout the series. If you haven't played it then it's worth getting for this alone.

9. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 

"In their tongue they called him Dovahkiin! Dragonborn!"

Bethesda's fifth entry in the Elder Scrolls series took the player to the harsh Nordic lands (Norse if you've never played Elder Scrolls) of Skyrim. Taking what they learnt from Fallout 3 and the previous Elder Scrolls games, Bethesda managed to produce a game world filled to the brim with content. The main core of story and guild quests were present, but supplemented with a wide array of creation skills, the new "Shout" powers and of course, Dragons! The story was your basic fantasy storyline, but Elder Scrolls games are known for their world and freedom which is where Skyrim excels. The different Holds each had their own style, the civil war portrayed a land of deadly politics and the sheer variety of NPCs trying to go about their daily business simply immerse you into the world. The new conversations/animation system was also a welcome addition to help with immersion whereby the world didn't freeze and the character didn't stop working when you struck up a conversation.

The gameplay also saw some significant improvements over previous editions. The new two-hand system gave a new level of freedom and customisation to a series that already provided far more freedom than most video games. Playing a magic wielding, battle-ready, werewolf assassin has never been so much fun! The Shouts also gave new list of abilities to add to your play style which were needed for the dragon fights. Within the first 10 minutes you encounter a dragon and that sets the tone for the rest of the story. The first time you fight a dragon in the game is quite a experience as you desperately try to survive an onslaught of dragon breath on your low level character.

My only major criticism (with the exception of the bugs which plague any game of this scale) is that the guild quests aren't quite as interesting as in previous games. The Companion quest-line is fairly short although has a nice perk/twist in the story, the civil war quests are fairly generic and the Mages/College of Winterhold quest-line is criminally short. The Dark Brotherhood and thieves guild quests are still quite fun, but in general, the side-quests don't seem to have the imagination that they did in Morrowind and Oblivion. That said, the gameplay, game world and simply the sheer amount of content in the game more than make up for this.

#7: You fell into the trap. It's another game with a cake as a reward

#4: StarCraft: Broodwar is the right answer

#3: You got it.

8. Final Fantasy VII (PS, PC, PSN)

Yes I'm part of the Final Fantasy VII "crew". The first 3D final fantasy, my first RPG and my favourite in the series. I had avoided most RPGs prior to this as I wasn't much into fantasy (oh how times change!) and they all seemed to revolve around fantasy settings. FF7 completely changed all that. A fresh new cyber punk world, an eclectic mix of characters, a combo of bizarre science & magic and ridiculously gigantic swords! The first 3-4 hours spent in Midgar & Kalm drew me into the story (and is probably the best intro to a JRPG I can think of). The dreary slums of Midgar, the deep-rooted anger of the main characters towards Shinra and early conversations all hint at something much bigger to come. The following freedom after this brief intro completely astounded me at the time.

Looking back, this had nearly everything I wanted in a JRPG at the time. The story was intense, emotional rollercoaster in a cyber-punk world that managed to maintain a great degree of freedom and player choice in the game world. I'll admit, the materia system isn't the best system in a JRPG as it didn't give a huge amount of customisation, and many characters seemed to be very similar no matter what materia you added (I actually know people that got to Junon without knowing how to use the materia system properly). However, the plot, the world, the locations and hidden extras all made up for it.

I've now played it on PS, PC and PSP/PS3. Like a lot of games of that gen it hasn't aged well (PC mods or a smaller PSP sized screen help) yet I still find myself playing through it when a new release is available. I can understand the hype/demand for a sequel, but to be honest, I'm not sure I'd trust SE with a modern remake. Part of FFVII and all earlier FF games was their ability to ignite your imagination. With voice acting and modern day visuals, much of that charm would be lost.

Anyway, back to my description, I think the optional quests were some of the best in a Final Fantasy game: Chocobo breeding and racing, two optional characters with fully fleshed back stories, the Weapon bosses, the mini-games (Submarine, snowboarding, motorbike), the range of vehicles, the hidden locations and the little tit-bits of back story. All added to an utterly amazing game.

7. Super Mario World (SNES, also on GBA & Wii VC)

Simply put: 2D platforming perfection! This is one of the few times I'll say "if you disagree, you're wrong!". Nintendo took the gameplay elements that made the NES games great and perfected them. Then they gave you a dinosaur to ride that could eat up your enemies! (Yoshi FTW btw). This is quite simply the pinnacle of 2D platformers. Nothing even comes close in terms of quality. 

Other than the gameplay being perfect, it also had hundreds of diverse levels, some beautifully imaginative worlds to explore, brilliant level design and countless extras including hidden worlds with ridiculously hard challenges. I found the artwork especially enchanting  (I especially liked Vanilla Dome and The Enchanted Forrest) as it really worked my imagination; I genuinely felt like I was in this amazing world where dinosaurs and plumbers could co-exist!  Speaking of the world, the world map actually had you effectively going round in a circle:

If you look at my list I believe this is only one of three 2D platformers and definitely the highest. I remember when I was about 7-10 years old playing this almost non-stop with my cousins and staying up late during the Summer holidays addicted to the joys of Super Mario World. It's one of the few games I keep going back to just for the sake of playing. I think I can actually do the level Yoshi's Island #2 whilst blindfolded. Give me a SNES and Super Mario World and I'll be satisfied for many years.

6. 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 separate game.

The content of Elder scrolls games is always massive and Oblivion didn't disappoint, but it also avoided much of the problems of generic tasks that open world games typically have. It incorporated some brilliant quests with ingenious 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 quest lines 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 sixth place. Officially, the Shivering Isles added a more vibrant and bizarre world more in line with Morrowind than traditional fantasy whilst the Kinghts of the Nine DLC added an opposite quest line to the Dark Brotherhood. Unofficially the OOO mod, Kumiko manor, the Archaeology guild and saddle-bags (among many others) all added great content to an already brilliant game.

5. Dragon Age: Origins + Awakening expansion (PC also on 360 & PS3)

 A spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, 5 years in the making and includes a unique spin on your typical fantasy RPG by incorporating 6 different Origin stories. The Origin stories vary in quality, but all offer extra insight into a deep fantasy world full of political intrigue, racial tensions and fear of magic (which goes on to form a core component of Dragon Age II). Of particular note are the two Dwarven origin stories which are both intriguing as is the Mages guild storyline that paints an interesting picture of the role of magic in this deeply involving world Bioware have created. The Awakening expansion was also fairly good, although not quite as entertaining as the main game. Unfortunately, the sequel (Dragon Age II) was pretty poor by comparison, should have really been marketed as a spin-off and actually helps to highlight everything the makes this game great.

The story is your basic modern fantasy fare; epic and Tolkien-like but much darker with all the politics, scheming, intrigue and prejudices you would normally expect from such a setting. However, what it lacks in narrative originality it makes up for in old-school tactical gameplay and a mix of interesting party characters ranging from the stereotypical (Alistair) to the downright bizarre (Morrigan, Zevran). The Origin stories were an especially ambitious route to take with some rather unique twists for each one. These factors meant that whilst the story wasn't the most original, it was told in a way that was both enthralling and enchanting.

As Bioware moved away from D&D, it also gave them a bit of freedom in how they implemented certain abilities and stats into the game. The level of customisation options appears simple at first but as you play through the game the variety of abilities in how to setup your party become apparent. It's actually one of the few pure fantasy RPGs which gives mage characters the freedom to play as they want whilst still using magic. For instance, your mage can even serve the role of tank if you use the right sub-class and abilities.

Very few games are quite as ambitious as Dragon Age Origins and fewer still manage to implement such ambition into such a brilliant package. A great RPG from Bioware and probably the best pure RPG of the last decade. I really hope Dragon Age Inquisition takes more from this than Dragon Age 2.

Bleh.  I knew you were talking about Kerrigan but I didn't know what game that happened to her in.

Still, good enough eh?

#1

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64/1998) Guessed by S.Peelman and FOX

When I first made a top ten video game list in 2005, Ocarina was number one. And it's stayed in that spot since that time, despite challenges from great games like Halo, Deus Ex, and Final Fantasy III (VI), all of which now sit in the my top five alongside Resident Evil 4 and Ocarina. It's difficult to summon more superlatives for Ocarina since it seems like I've used them all before. I guess all I'll say is that Ocarina makes me happy, inspires me to go on adventures, and gives me hope for the industry going forward, despite all the manipulation and cynicism that defines it in 2013. I don't imagine I would love games as much as I do without it. It's my rock, my touchstone, my anchor in this world of interactive art and design.