Time for more hints:

#11 This 80's multiplatform game is the origin of a popular gaming term. The term means, "this is the character in the game that I control".

#10 This series had several iterations that appeared on a variety of Nintendo systems starting with the Famicom. However the first time it appeared in North America was this Gameboy Advance game.

#18 Civilization Revolution

Why did it make the list?
Civilization is one of the most amazing series of games in all of gaming, and this is by far my favorite Civilization game.  See, once you start any Civilization game, you just get sucked into playing from the very first turn, and then it is very hard to stop.  Every Civilization game is designed to be amazingly awesome.  However the Civ games on the PC have one significant flaw to me: they take a very long time to finish.

Enter Civilization Revolution, the game that you can beat in a couple of hours.  It has most of the stuff that you want in a Civ game, but it is streamlined to perfection.  If you have never played a Civilization game before, then this would be the one to play.  It is the easiest way to try out one of the greatest series in gaming.  Civilization is hugely fun on a turn by turn basis, and it is hilarious to research things like tanks and planes and still fight archers from other Civilizations (or sometimes it is vice versa, lol).  Now, I am someone who loves strategy games, but Civ Revolution is very fun even for people who are normally not into strategy games.  That is the beauty of the streamlining that went into this game.

I believe this is my most played game on this list (other than the MMO).  I know I have put at least 500 hours into this game, probably a lot more.  (And this is also my wife’s favorite game.  She has played it more like 5000+ hours, lol.)

Original experience:
I was downloading demos on my PS3 shortly after I got it.  The demo for this game was so much better than all of the other demos.  Ironically my wife bought this game, even though I am the one who normally buys all of our games.  She was even more impressed by the demo than I was.

How does it hold up today?
It’s a PS3/Xbox360 game and so it really hasn’t aged much.  It is only old for me, because I have put 500 hours into it.  I would really love for them to make a sequel to this game for a home console.

#17 Gauntlet II

Why did it make the list?
The Gantlet series was my first experience with 4-player co-op.  Gauntlet was the first really big game with 4-player co-op, so if you have ever played any local 4-player game, it was probably inspired in some way by this series.  Both this game and its predecessor, Gauntlet, sucked away so many of my quarters, and I gladly kept coming back for more.  Both games are fantastic, but I have to choose Gauntlet II for my list, because it has more features and multiple people can play the same character unlike the original.

Original experience:
So many games on my list are either arcade co-op or fantasy themed.  Well this one is both.  This series was really the first time I played anything like Dungeons and Dragons, and I hadn’t even played D&D when Gauntlet came out.  This was also the first fantasy game I played other than Adventure (which was also on my list, but I admit that game was quite basic).

I also think the two Gauntlet games were probably the most popular, and most well-crafted games during this mid 80’s.  This is significant, because there were really no home consoles in the US during the mid-80’s.  The Gauntlet games had the spotlight at a time when people thought consoles were gone forever.  It was either go to the arcade and play Gauntlet and other premium games, or maybe be lucky enough to play PC games at home on the expensive PCs at the time, or possibly have no video games at all.

How does it hold up today?
Well, I still like it, but I realize that I am biased.  I try to get my family to play this game with me on an arcade port for the home, but they aren’t interested.  There are really plenty of good 4 player co-op games that are more modern, so I can understand why they are not interested.

Yes and..

What else could it have been.

14

Lylat Wars (US: Star Fox 64)

• Nintendo 64, Nintendo 3DS
• 1997
• Rail Shooter
• Nintendo EAD

More commonly known under the name 'Star Fox 64' in the rest of world, the game was called 'Lylat Wars' in Europe because of a trademark infringement with an older Atari game that was already called 'Star Fox'. Similarly, the Super Nintendo game was called 'Starwing' in Europe.

Known for the most cheesy one-liners in gaming history, the game is most memorable to me for it's replayability due to it's fun, action packed and varied levels. Of all games in existence, this game is highly likely the one where I have seen the end-credits most times. I could almost dream the entire sequence and in fact, taking out the names, I'd still can. Music included. I know the levels themselves like the back of my hand as well and when playing the 3DS remake, it felt like I never stopped.

It was always a good game to play for a short time, because the fastest path would only take about 45 minutes. My better liked levels were along other, often harder, routes however so I would usually strive for going the middle or the upper path or a combination. It was interesting that sometimes I would breeze through the uppermost path, while at other times I would fail heavily, ending at the lowermost path instead. It's really a game where you have to have your day, to do good.

#13
Who knew a beachball would be you in the best puzzle-game ever made.

#16 Dig Dug

Why did it make the list?
Dig Dug is a shining example of “easy to learn, difficult to master”.  The game looks so simple, but if you play it, then you find out just how incredibly fun it is.  You can either face your enemies head on by pumping them up til they explode, or you can dig tunnels and hope to lead them into a trap where a rock falls on them.  So simple!  However there are a lot of little details that give the game depth.  Like if you can squish multiple enemies at the same time you get extra points.  And of course after so many points you get an extra life.  So these are the sorts of things you take into account in trying to get to the furthest stage possible.

Also, I would say Dig Dug is the very best game in the “maze game” genre.  This genre is kind of dead right now, but during the 80’s it was extremely popular.  The most popular maze game was of course Pac-Man, but there were plenty of others: Burger Time, Crush Roller, Flicky, Mappy, etc….  What makes Dig Dug better than all of these other maze games is this: you get to make the maze yourself.  That is probably the biggest brilliance of it.  All of these maze games have a “cat and mouse” aspect to them, and while you are the "mouse" in Dig Dug, you also are given such amazing control over the game compared to every other maze game out there.

Original experience:
I remember playing this game in the 80’s and I liked it, but it didn’t have a huge impression on me at the time.  About a year and a half ago I started messing with a circuit board for one of those 60-in-1 arcade systems for my home.  I wired up some arcade buttons and joystick and such to the circuit board and started playing the game.  I really love so many of these games: Donkey Kong, Galaga, etc…, but Dig Dug is the one that stuck with me the most.  It is my favorite game from the “Golden Era” of the arcades.

How does it hold up today?
Extremely well!  Like I said I wasn’t really into this game in the 80’s, but now I really love it.  I feel like you need an arcade stick to get the full experience, but I think using a D-pad would be a decent substitute. 

The first thing I thought of was "War. War never changes" And I couldn't guess the correct Fallout game.

14: Majora's Mask

12: Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze

OK, fine:

14: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

12: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze