Skyrim...?

Correct good sir.  I will have to get more cryptic.

The fifteen games before it had to be there, so its rightiful place is #16. :)

Speak freely your mind, mate! I don't mind people having different opinions, and I understand how divisive some franchises can be.

You can always continue this conversation in my wall, or via PM :)

#15 - A great NES game the US never got

#15 hint 2 - Fight your three friends to have them join you

Looks like I'm far behind again (Damn Dragon Age and Far Cry 4). Mass explosion of hints:

25. This is the third game in a series that was one of (if not the) first to feature a day/night cycle. It also has relatively iconic music that has continued (remixed) in the sequels.

24. Whale oil makes the world go round.

23. Features Leonardo Da Vinci.

22. Captain Price? Shouldn't you be dead?

21. What? I'm dead?! Oh wait, what does this pill do again?

20. The sequel just got delayed to May next year.

19. Recently revived RTS that used to rival Starcraft in multiplayer popularity.

18. T'was all a dream.

17. Like iron; not liquid or gas.

16. This game features multiple cities, yet is smaller than the most recently released game in the franchise that only features one city.

15. Claudia Black joined the main cast for this outing of a very popular franchise.

GTA San Andreas

#16
GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997)
guessed by RavenXtra

GoldenEye 007 ranks among games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake as one of the more important shooters ever made. Upon its arrival on N64 in 1997, GoldenEye proved two important things: one, that first-person shooters could survive, even thrive, on home consoles; and two, that they need not all be corridor shooters where players run from point A to point B, blasting everything in sight. In GoldenEye, stealth and strategy matter. Apart from its incredible and challenging single-player mode, which has tons of replay value, GoldenEye features a legendary split-screen multiplayer mode with customizable weapon sets and expertly-designed maps.

We're almost there, people!

Hint for #15:

This relatively old game features one of the most original anti-piracy methods ever conceived, but its nature also screwed up with people who'd only rent or borrow the disc alone.