- Year: 2011
- System: PC
Morrowind didn't even have a journal. Elder Scrolls Online, although constantly evolving, is still a gate checked online MMO game.
Skyrim did what other Elder Scrolls could not, break into the mainstream. The release was a cultural phenomenon.
Yeah, some systems were streamlined and dumbed down, but this isn't a bad thing. To evolve, Elder Scrolls had to, and it paid off.
I've put in somewhere around 180 hours on PC, another 40 hours on PS4, 5 hours in VR, and 80 hours 
on Switch. And I'm not sick of it yet. I stare at the icon on my Switch all the time thinking about traversing the world again.
Skyrim served a smorgashboard of giving you varying areas, call backs to older Elder Scrolls games, fresh new ideas, interesting dungeons, and political intrigue.
And you know what? If Skyrim gets released again on PS5, I bet you'll buy it.
2. Super Mario World
- Year: 1990
- System: SNES
Super Mario World is the greatest platformer ever created and if you think differently, get over yourself. It's sad to know we reached the peak of platforming in 1990, but here we are. Nothing can touch Super Mario World, and more and more, I'm thinking nothing ever will.
There was a huge leap in technology. Nintendo spent time designing the overworld map and each level.
Taking lessons learned during the development of Super Mario 3 and applying them directly to the 16 bit game. Today's "New Super Mario" line often feel like levels are machine generated. Here's one to fly a bunch, here's one to swim a bunch, but there's not the same heart.
The bright colors in each map, giant sprites like the Dino-Rhino and Banzai Bill, the massive amounts of alternate paths and secrets to find, there's even an entire world change if you're one of the crazy people that was able to beat all the "Special" levels.
And that final Bowser boss fight is one of my favorites. You need to out maneuver Bowser, throwing his own peons back at him.
1. Metal Gear Solid
- Year: 1998
- System: PS1
Solid Snake swims into an Alaskan military base's underground dock, while credits played over the animations and orchestral music swelled in the background. Snake climbs out of the freezing water, pulls off his wetsuit and you're immediately contacted by Colonel Campbell and given your mission parameters. Infiltrate the base being manned by terrorists. Secure the DARPA chief. Procure weapons on site.
The moment I snuck my way through the warehouse, climbed on the elevator, and surfaced into the snow, I knew this was going to be a special adventure.
I played through the entire game during one rental period over a weekend. And then went and bought 
the game the next weekend and played through it again.
Metal Gear Solid played with what you knew about video games, whether that was breaking the forth wall with Psycho Mantis reading your memory card to you, giving you multiple endings based on if you could survive the torture, or instead of fighting your way through the hounds, wearing Sniper Wolf's handkerchief to get them on your side, Metal Gear wasn't your typical run and gun game. It was a thinking man's action game.
Metal Gear Solid taught me about nuclear proliferation, nuclear deterrence, and the military industrial complex all while letting me play out my badass action spy fantasy.
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