Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Platform: Wii

Did Super Mario Galaxy top Nintendo’s revolutionary Super Mario 64? That’s open to debate – but what is certain is that Mario Galaxy is the Wii’s finest gaming experience. Drawing on more than twenty years of platforming expertise, Super Mario Galaxy masterfully blends an absurdist level design with compulsive and extremely polished gameplay. Stunning.

2. The Orange Box
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Valve
Platform: PC , PS3 , Xbox 360

Portal alone was almost worth the purchase price, and TF2 brought class-based shooters to a whole new level. Together they showed that games can be clever, arresting, thrilling and funny all at the same time. Add a brand new Half-Life 2 installment (with one of the most powerful endings in gaming), as well as the two older ones, and we have yet to see anything rival the Orange Box in terms of quality, ingenuity or value.

3. Mass Effect
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: BioWare
Platform: Xbox 360

BioWare took role-playing to the next level with Mass Effect. Years later, the cinematic storytelling and interactive conversation system is still so far ahead of the curve that it is equaled only by its sequel. Grab some popcorn, this is one of the best sci-fi experiences of the past decade in any medium.

4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Platform: PC , PS3 , Xbox 360

There are few game creators that can make both an explosively cinematic single-player experience as well as a multiplayer component that usurps one of the biggest franchises in the history of gaming (Halo) in terms of popularity online. But that’s exactly what Infinity Ward was able to do with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

5. Rock Band
Publisher: MTV Games
Developer: Harmonix
Platform: PS2 , PS3 , Wii , Xbox 360

Rock Band wasn’t just a great extension of the rhythm action genre that introduced the full-band experience to living rooms around the world, it also marked a shift in the way we played these games, emphasising a cooperative experience over a competitive one.

6. BioShock
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: 2K Boston
Platform: PC , Xbox 360

It’s extraordinarily rare to see a developer make a first-person shooter and completely abandon any semblance of a multiplayer mode, but that’s exactly what made Irrational Games’ (then 2K Boston) creation so special. The emphasis on an oddly suspenseful and moody world gave BioShock a personality that the gaming world had never seen before and won’t soon forget.

7. Halo 3
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Bungie Software
Platform: Xbox 360

With Halo 3, Bungie pulled out all the stops, merging the series’ epic storyline, action-packed gameplay and multiplayer mastery into one polished package. It was everything we wanted in a Halo experience, and it helped define the Xbox 360 the way its ancestor came to represent the original Xbox.

8. God of War II
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: SCE Studios Santa Monica
Platform: PS2

If the original God of War was an amazing action game, its sequel redefined what action actually meant. Bigger, bloodier and more intense in every respect, God of War II is arguably still unmatched in terms of scale and scope, an amazing feat for a last-generation title. The God of War Collection proved that it’s still amazingly fun to this day, and it should be a part of every action fan’s library.

9. Uncharted
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Naughty Dog Software
Platform: PS3

During a time when the PlayStation 3 needed killer exclusives to survive, developer Naughty Dog came through for Sony’s system in a big way. Uncharted was a phenomenal addition to the PS3’s library and demonstrated Naughty Dog’s ability to weave an exciting story into thrilling gunplay. Uncharted still remains one of the system’s finest titles.

10. Pac-Man Championship Edition
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Namco Bandai
Platform: Xbox 360

There have been plenty retro remakes over the years, but this is the best one. Two and a half years after its release, we IGN editors are still trying to beat each other’s high scores. After playing Championship Edition there’s simply no going back to the original Pac-Man.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by MMORPG NEWS.