For my 40th I’ve decided to list my 40 favourite games just because I fancied marking the occasion in such a way. Not all of these would make a top 40 best games of all time, instead these are games that have given me the most memorable and incredible experiences over the years.
I’ve made lists before where I’ve only included one game per series but that is not the case here as it really leans into those games and series that I’ve loved and keep coming back to. Apologies too for the fairly generic comments, I’m on holiday but wanted to get something out for my birthday (hey it’s still the 27th in the US!). With that enlightening introduction done, here’s my fairly predictable list of my favorite games of all time.
40. Guitar Hero III
I’m bundling all Guitar Heros and Rockbands into one here, though III is the one I remember most. A ripping soundtrack and always a fantastic social event. Sad they kinda dropped out of favour as a series as, while there are still ways to play, it is not a party centerpiece any more.
39. Mario Kart 64
This game is lower in the list but still a big favourite of mine. It’s a rough game but the battle mode is probably the most fun in the series.
One of the best nights I had at Uni (sad I know) was during a power cut, running emulated Mario Kart 64 on laptop battery with 4 controllers. Felt like everyone in our halls stopped by to have a race.
38. GTA Vice City
I think this is the only game on the list I/we didn’t own. However, we played through this at my cousin’s. Mostly just taking turns messing about and firing in cheats and just having a blast. A perfect sandbox and a game with another great soundtrack.
37. Day of Reckoning 2
Another huge hit during my Uni days. We’d create ourselves as wrestlers and fight to decide who would do chores. I was too good and always had to do 2v1 haha. Would play for hours and hours with Hell in a Cell house rules with my brothers too.
36. GTA IV
Not sure I played much of the story of this but actually owning it meant I could spend a tonne of time within the sandbox just driving about and finding loads of silly fun things to do. Being able to do that online with pals created hilarious moments we still talk about today.
35. Luigi’s Mansion 3
The first game I’m including for playing through it with my Wife. After a classic Nintendo introduction where you have to play it 1 player, co-op was opened up to us and a real joyous time was had in a fairly well considered coop mode (aside from having to unlock it first).
34. Hades
I’m not huge into roguelikes where levels are never permanent and you have to repeat everything. However a few things elevate this one for me. The hack and slash combat clicked, the mythological setting and characters are gorgeous and interesting, and also simply because I streamed it on Twitch. Having folk cheering on the run attempts was really special and I’ll always remember the finale.
33. Jackbox Party – Quiplash
Not a single game really, but part of the Jackbox party packs. Those packs swing hugely in quality but it’s Quiplash that we always come back to. Never had such hilarious times with a game than here. It dilutes the humour pointing out certain in jokes but if you’ve ever played this I bet you are thinking of a particularly funny / cutting answer.
32. 007: The World Is Not Enough
Maybe the most confusing addition to the list if you’ve only seen the quite different PS1 version of this. I genuinely like its campaign more than GoldenEye’s (though the multiplayer isn’t as good). It’s based off a really goofy Bond film and that works quite well in video game format and they nailed the feeling of espionage with gadgets.
31. Battlefield Bad Company 2
Xbox 360 online with pals and a really really fun and balanced Battlefield makes for some of my absolute favorite gaming night memories. Many games give that same vibe (other battlefields, CoD etc.) but this one makes the list. I jumped on recently and the barren servers as players moved on was a little sad.
30. Mario Party 4
Back when you felt like you had all the time in the world, set a 50 turn board and just play all weekend. This was peak Mario Party for me, partly the well made mini games, partly the fantastic GameCube controller for it. We spent a long long time trying to be the fastest at pressing that big green A button haha.
29. Mario Power Tennis
A genuinely great game of tennis with just the right amount of Mario silliness. I feel like newer entries in the series are either too technical or don’t quite nail the tightness here.
28. Mario Kart Wii
When this game came out, Mario Kart 64 was still my go to Nintendo cart racer. I liked Double Dash but never took to it as much as 64. The Wii one with its mix of bikes and karts and (optional) motion controls and the sweeping, almost snowboard/skateboard esq. tracks gave me that sense of joy again. Online was hugely fun too and the game holds up well today compared to 64.
27. Portal
There’s a couple of games on this list because, at the time, I couldn’t believe the genre could be as good as this. Portal was something special when it came out and it made you feel a million bucks when you figured out a puzzle, intentionally or not. The end song was memed to death but still holds a nice place in my memory.
26. Super Mario Odyssey
3D Mario at its most smooth and free. I think 64 and, to a lesser extent, Sunshine have more charm and connection to their console but I can’t deny Odyssey is an exceptional achievement of pure joy.
25. Super Mario Bros. 3
THE game on this list that I played the furthest from its actual release. Aly and I fired through this together after a couple of the other Marios and this one is up there as one of our favorite play throughs.
24. Sonic the Hedgehog
I was big into Sega long before any Nintendo console caught our attention and the trio of Sonic Mega Drive games were era defining of course. Sonic 1 takes a spot on this list as I’ve played it countless times and the music is engrained in my mind.
23. Timesplitters Future Perfect
Battlefield BC 2 was mine and my mate’s online game of choice, but for local multiplayer there was one series that gave us the best moments. Timesplitter 3 on GC (and 2 to a lesser extent for us) wasted away many evenings that I used to say could have been better spent studying. Now I know it was very much a more valuable way to spend some time. Brilliant brilliant memories.
22. Super Mario Wonder
Another 2D Mario, played through again with Aly. I think some other Marios handled 2 players at once a little better, it’s just this one as a game was nearly as tight and fun as another coming up in this list. We erupted with happiness … and relief … completing those last levels.
21. Micro Machines 2 – Turbo Tournament
Another where I could put a few in the series on the list. This Mega Drive version has been a huge hit since we first played it and it’s never not been fun since. From playing with my siblings, cousins, pals and GlesGames crowds.
20. Super Mario Galaxy
I think Mario Galaxy 2 is the better game, but, as is often the case with Nintendo games, the first version of the idea is the one that sticks with me probably because it’s unique, until the sequel comes along.
19. OlliOlli 2
Spent an inordinate amount of time chasing high scores in this. I think I was top 10 (maybe even top 3) for years at the first level. It’s 2D skateboarding and the addition of manualling out of tricks meant it was much more satisfying to combo compared to the first, still really great OlliOlli.
18. Soul Calibur 2
Easily my favorite pure fighting game. I prefer this 3D arena style to the likes of Street Fighter (though II and IV SF would hover close to this top 40). Aside from every N64 game ever, I think Soul Calibur 2 on GameCube marries game to controller the best I’ve seen.
17. Super Smash Bros Melee
I mentioned “pure” fighter for SC 2 because this is more a party fighting game (though I still think it IS a fighting game when that argument crawls out of the internet again). When I think of me and my brothers sitting in front of the TV playing games of this era, Smash Bros is the one I remember the most.
16. Resident Evil 1 (GC Remake)
Never owned a PlayStation until the PS4 so missed some of the most well known game series that really only appeared on those consoles. The Resi remake was my first experience with those games and it was absolutely stunning. Scary and a fun puzzle and replayable, I’ve probably completed it a dozen times.
15. Worms Armageddon
Worms 2, Armageddon, World Party is an incredible run of games, each with a little more to it than the last. Armageddon was the one we played the most sat huddled round both a PC and then the N64 (which we still enjoyed). Some of the content and dialogue probably hasn’t aged well and I’ve yet to try the remaster.
14. Age of Empires II
There are some games that get better with each edition, some that perfected it the first time and then there is AoE II that completely perfected what AoE could and should be with its second attempt. If we’re getting the laptops out for some classic gaming, it’ll probably be just a day of AoE II. The 4th was my most hyped game for years and while it was grand, I should have realised that the perfect version was already available.
13. Mario 64
There’s a time where this game is top 5 for me, maybe greatest of all time. I do think it’s showing its age a little but see if you grab an actual N64 controller? It’s still a magic thing. A wee play box of fun that blew me away at the time.
12. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
Cliched to say but this game did shape my music tastes and skateboarding teenage years. We had the truncated N64 version but totally rinsed it on PS1 at out cousins every chance we got.
11. Mega Bomberman
Genuinely the reason why we were a big Nintendo household is because the N64 allowed 4 players natively and with 4 siblings, that was pretty much perfect. I’m mentioning this because I love Mega Bomberman so much because we managed to get hold of a multi-tap for it and would play this for days on end.
10. WWF No Mercy
Top 10 now and WWF No Mercy was definitely up there even with a glitch on our cartridge that reset the save file constantly. Then something wonderful happens. I streamed it on Twitch creating a viewer royal rumble which went down extremely well (to my surprise) it took off from there and I ran a completely made up wrestling federation using that game (ahhh the glory days of having time to do such a thing).
I am forever grateful to the people that tuned in and supported this, which brought me so much happiness.
9. F-Zero X
My favorite “pure” racing game (to use that term again). The GC sequel goes bigger and harder but it is the N64 entry that for me nailed the idea of fast space ships blasting through a twisting winding track at 1000 mph. Again, grab 4 N64 controllers and this is local multiplayer racing at its most thrilling.
8. Elden Ring
I could make a separate list of favourite games that I’ve only ever watched people play. Bloodborne and Sekiro would be on that 100%. Dark Souls to an extent too as I’ve enjoyed watching it more than playing. Elden Ring appealed as it wasn’t such a closed, linear system compared to those. Maybe I could just enjoy the parts that didn’t wreck me? Well, I still got wrecked but I actually completed it and enjoyed everything about it. I’m a big sucker for big gothic buildings in games and Elden Ring had plenty.
7. Breath of the Wild
I champion the opening plateau in BotW as the greatest introduction in any video game I’ve experienced. It is it’s own wee game and shows off almost everything great about it. Sure it expands out from there and the discoverability and sense of living world is exceptional. I’m a little harsh on the sequel, Tears of the Kingdom as it does a lot better than this but I gave up on it as it was too similar and didn’t give that awe and wonder that that first section of BotW and out beyond gave us.
6. GoldenEye
Another era defining game for me and my brothers. I remember excitedly taking the box home and the three of us poured over the manual imagining the battles we would have in-store, even if they were a little young for it. The campaign is arcadey fun but it’s multiplayer where the game shines. Many all nighters were had with all the mixes of rules, weapons, levels and cheats. It’s a little dated sure (or a lot dated if you don’t use the N64 controller) but those literal years of gameplay allows this to sit in my top 10.
5. Super Mario World
If GoldenEye is a bit dated, Mario World is still as fresh and wonderful as the first time I saw it played at a family friend’s house. It wasn’t til many years later, on the Wii virtual console that I actually completed it. Aly and I taking turns as Mario and Luigi encouraging each other all along the way. My happiest memory of gaming with my wonderful Wife.
4. Wind Waker HD
This Zelda game was more my brothers’ go to, though like a lot of games, maybe the act of watching others played it helped me enjoy it too as I dipped in and out of their save file. Then, I did eventually play it through via the HD update on Wii U. All the biggest issues with the original ironed out and left with the grandest of sea adventures that looks and sounds absolutely beautiful.
3. Resident Evil 4
Played Resi 1 a dozen times, and this one probably double that, maybe more, sometimes completing it more than once a day. Definitely my comfort game and I remember cheering my brother to a 2hr run. Less atmospheric than 1 maybe but just more a well rounded super unserious fun bit of hammy horror greatness.
2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
People that know me would probably bet on this being no. 1 and it was certainly close. This game has given me, my friends and online pals over a decade (including the original Wii U version) of near constant entertainment. For such a singular type of game (race karts round and round) I think I’ve played it in more settings than any other game. From tournaments at Eurogamer and GlesGames, to playing it on my stag and even accompanied by a live jazz band this has been a real real love. Twitch streaming and weekly charity fundraising sessions during covid all elevating the game to something of a community experience, not forgetting the usual local and online races with family and pals. It can’t be overstated how much this game means to me, but it didn’t quite push out the number 1 …
1. Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time is a game that made me go “video games can be like this?”. Can’t really describe the feeling properly but I don’t really need to. The plaudits and high esteem this game has even after all these years says enough.
We would all sit in front of the TV and play together exploring the land of Hyrule inch by inch. The weird eerie-ness to things, the quirky, bouncy characters and the fantastical, alive world all formed a mixing pot that appealed directly to our admittedly impressionable senses. I’ve mentioned music a few times in this list and that is something that can really make a game for me and this game has my favorite soundtrack. I’ve learned some of the songs on guitar and ukulele and often listen to it on streaming, even in concert (with other legendary Zelda music too). I’ve replayed this a few times, including the incredible 3DS update and always find new (or forgotten) meaningful and impactful moments. Sometimes we’d spend days just fishing and galloping about on Epona. Yeah, can’t really describe it but as I’m sure most of you know, this is the gem amongst gems.
Sidestep To Your Left 
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