A version of this article was originally published on 4 July 2022. I emphasise “a version”, because it got shit-all in the way of clicks so I repurposed it entirely. This better fucking work, I swear to god.

As cliched as it sounds, I would readily admit that I am a lifetime gamer. The number of titles that I’ve possessed over the years exceeds 400, and though that figure would be dwarfed by the more fanatical in the community, it’s a solid enough indicator that I have dabbled rather thoroughly in the medium.

With this in mind, I wanted to tackle a recurring theme that I’ve seen doing the rounds here and there, by anointing my favourite game from every year in which I’ve been alive. As you can appreciate, some resonate with me more than others, but they have each made their mark, at least in some way.

Take note, that I’m going with the original release dates, despite the fact that this means several titles wouldn’t reach my hot little hands until years afterwards. It would just be too much of a hassle pinning them down by regional release dates, and considering I’m chronicling almost 40 different games, I’ve already got plenty of hassle to look forward to as it is.

1988: Super Mario Bros. 3

Nintendo Entertainment System

These first few entries will have to be treated with a degree of revisionist history, of course. In my fledgling moments of life, I wasn’t exactly brandishing a joypad straight out of the womb, so I entirely missed out on the phenomenon that was Super Mario Bros. 3.

And it’s a real damn shame, too, because its advertising campaign was a tour de force of excess, the likes of which you rarely see in today’s oversaturated market. I am of course referring specifically to the 100-minute long Nintendo commercial masquerading as a feature film; The Wizard.

Learning about this mythical new Mario game via Fred Savage would have been utterly intoxicating, and then actually trying it out for yourself to discover the perfect template for the platforming genre? That kind of 80s magic is never coming back, but we can still look back on it with a teary-eyed sense of whimsy.

Indeed, SMB3 elevated an already industry-leading franchise to unseen heights, full to bursting with power-ups and hidden secrets across 90 levels. That number is worth repeating, because it is almost twice as many as the previous two games combined. This wasn’t just a worthy swan song for the aging Famicom, but a love letter to all things gaming.

Mario and Luigi have a perfect feeling of weightlessness to them that makes speedrunning through stages a pure joy, or you could just cheese it with the Super Leaf, get a running start, and take to the skies with all the majesty of a portly Italian man defying gravity itself.

1989: Tetris

Game Boy

1989 has a lot of games I like but don’t necessarily love, so I elected to choose an enduring classic for the #1 spot. Alexey Pajitnov’s puzzle brainchild had been doing the rounds for a few years before finding the perfect home on Nintendo’s handheld console.

Super Mario Land was obviously the launch title that showed off the Game Boy’s potential, however it wasn’t until Tetris that it had a killer app that was amplified by the platform’s portability. Pulling it out here and there to burn some time on the go blew the doors open in such a way that Nintendo have remained the masters of the handheld industry to this day.

This is gaming that is really for everyone. Even my grandmother owned a Game Boy, and she would occasionally use it to play Tetris (when she wasn’t engrossed with the latest episode of Neighbours, that is). Its intuitive concept can be grasped within literal seconds, and the increasing difficulty as more gaps go erroneously unfilled is panic-inducing in the best way.

The trepidatious history of Tetris is a story worth exploring in and of itself, and without it, I’m sure Nintendo’s story would look markedly different. Gaming as a whole would be much worse off, and the fact that Tetris 99 maintains a solid player-base nearly four decades later is a testament to the ingenuity of its design.

1990: Super Mario World

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

My very first video game experience, and still to this day, one of the very best.

As previously stated, once Super Mario Bros. 3 laid down the groundwork, everything that followed was bound to be iterative. Blessed with the superior technology of the Super Famicom, Super Mario World expanded on everything we had learnt to love just a few short years earlier.

Stages were much more vertical, with hidden passageways teasing us at every turn. The moustachioed hero had all kinds of new tricks up his sleeve as he ran up the side of walls, climbed fences, and mounted the personification of 90s koolness (spelling is non negotiable), Yoshi.

Sure, the Cape Feather probably took things a little too far, where navigation is considered. I recall with bemusement the number of platforming challenges I bypassed entirely while I took to the clouds, but gosh darn it, sometimes there was cool shit up there, too — I wasn’t being lazy, I was being daring.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the game’s finest moments come when there’s a roof over Mario’s head in the form of ghost houses and Koopa fortresses. Here, your wits are tested with all manner of nasty boobytraps, accompanied by what I still consider to be the best castle theme in franchise history.

By this point, it felt like Nintendo and Mario were truly hitting their stride, even as a blue hedgehog was breathing down their necks at every turn. He may make a cameo later on in this list, so stay tuned.

1991: ToeJam & Earl

Sega Genesis

Alright, I’mma stop you before you ask. Yes, this is the year that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past released on the Super Nintendo; a universally cherished title that is still acclaimed as one of the greatest games of all time.

But I thought long and hard about what game brought me the most fun, the most memories, and the most eagerness to go back and play it once again. And no matter what, the funky underdog aliens won out in the end.

So yes, ToeJam & Earl is claiming the victory here in controversial fashion. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, where very little is explained to you and you’re thrown right in the deep end (quite literally, as the first stage is a tiny island surrounded by a vast ocean). You’ll take an elevator up to the next level, seek out the missing ship pieces, mess around with a few unmarked presents, and just generally vibe the whole way.

When paired up with a second player, this is the quintessential roguelike experience, dripping with charm and boasting a reasonable degree of strategy when trying to decide which of your weapons to employ in a crisis. There’s just so much mirth wrapped up in one quirky little package, it’s no wonder it would go down as a cult classic.

1992: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Though it fell short when pitted against 2022’s Shredder’s Revenge for the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game of all time, Turtles in Time is a staple of the beat ’em up genre that held the ooze-covered crown for three commanding decades.

Not only that, but it held some stiff competition at bay to take the title for the year, besting luminaries such as Super Mario Kart, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and fellow pugilistic street brawler Streets of Rage 2.

To me, this is exactly how a side-scrolling brawler should be done; the Turtles all flow from attack to attack in lightning-quick fashion, with a veritable rogue’s gallery of unique, threatening enemies to dispose of.

It may not be as technically robust as its arcade originator, however I tend to prefer the SNES port overall. Losing four-player support is a worthy tradeoff for playing from the comfort of your own home, plus the additional Technodrome stage is more than a worthy substitute.

Plus, I’m not going to lie, this was the definitive TMNT game during the franchise’s dizzying peak. Nostalgia is going to factor in, no matter how much I want to stay objective. I just love this game with every fibre of my blackened heart.

1993: Star Fox

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Back in the more experimental era of polygonal graphics on home consoles, Star Fox looked like a million bucks. Enemy craft whizzing by, laser fire raining in from every direction, and sometimes, indiscernible pieces of something that was either going to heal you or harm you; curiosity would mandate you veered towards it in any event.

Admittedly, time has not been quite so kind to this game, as it was surpassed in almost every facet a few short years later by its N64 successor. Returning to the SNES interpretation of the on-rail shooter takes some getting used to, owing to a low frame-rate and the lack of a directional stick robbing you of aerial precision.

With that being said, many of us veteran pilots can navigate through Lylat Wars half-asleep by now, where the same cannot be said for this game. It’s a steep challenge where you can feel utterly dominated by an unending barrage of enemy fire, making a narrowly cleared mission that much more satisfying.

Also, its soundtrack is easily within my all-time top 10. Hajime Hirasawa danced around the sound chip’s limitations with aplomb, creating atmospheres that ranged from triumphant to downright frightening.

1994: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Sega Genesis

Technically speaking, I’m stretching the rules a little bit by combining two games into one. We all know that this was the way Sonic 3 was meant to be played, and lock-on technology was yet another masterstroke in Sega’s marketing hype machine.

In each iteration, the blue speedster was upping the ante more and more, and it all culminated in what remains my favourite Sonic game of all time. Although I would say that much like the aforementioned Shredder’s Revenge, Sonic Mania is the better game overall, this one had such an indescribably magical feeling to it; confident to the point of braggadocious, as if it could do no wrong.

Levels in S3&K were downright gargantuan, each feeling completely disparate from one another while still maintaining a logical sense of flow. Hydrocity Zone bucked a trend by being a waterlogged arena that was still amusing to traverse, Flying Battery Zone coupled breakneck speeds with lethal drops, and watching Dr. Robotnik betray Knuckles in the Hidden Palace Zone was pure cinema.

Speaking of rad red, he made for the perfect new character in the series’ ever-growing lineup. He feels totally unique with his gliding and climbing mechanics, while possessing a truly magnetic personality to match. If you preferred to go with the classics, Sonic and Tails were still at the ready to provide a multiplayer option, and having Tails pick up Sonic to explore new areas teetered between engaging and infuriating, depending on how well you navigated the airborne obstacles.

There’s just something about this game, man, that cannot quite be captured in words. It would probably be a stretch to call this the best Sonic game, and yet, few would argue that it’s amongst the best Sonic experiences. It organically understood why we were so enamoured with the bombastic hedgehog, and it delivered in spades.

1995: Donkey Kong Country 2

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

1995 was another banner year for video games, and even though Nintendo was beginning to lose its stranglehold on the market with its ageing SNES hardware, the team at Rare were on-hand to see it out in style.

The first Donkey Kong Country game redefined what the console was capable of in both a visual and auditory sense, dazzling us with its rendered models and tight platforming action. Then, merely a year later, they bested themselves in every sense of the world with the game I consider to be, a) the greatest sequel of all time, and b) the greatest 2D platformer of all time.

High praise, I admit. The dynamic simian duo of Diddy and Dixie Kong more than back it up while they scamper across 52 stunning levels. The notion of individual stage gimmicks had been implemented to a degree in DKC1, and now, it was flourishing in the best way. We all have our favourite DKC2 moments, whether it’s fending off the ghastly Kackle atop a rickety roller coaster or summoning crocodile platforms from the brackish swamp.

I’d be remiss to assign the word perfect to any video game, but this is about as close as it gets. From the gameplay to the graphics, and most certainly thanks to David Wise’s peerless musical score, it’s a complete package that demands your full attention.

And once you’re done, you’ll almost certainly have a few missing DK Coins to scour the map for, or an entire Lost World that ramps up the challenge even further. Without even being in this game for the most part, this was a star-making turn for Donkey Kong that stamped him as one of the leading men in the industry. Basically, if his name was attached, you knew it was gonna be good.

1996: Super Mario 64

Nintendo 64

Some of these years are blowouts, while others are nearly too tight to call. In 1996, one of the franchises that defined me as a gamer was born, in the form of Pokemon Red and Blue.

I won’t labour over the phenomenon that was Pokemon in the late 90s, or how the original entries remain embedded in my soul. What I will say, however, is that in most years they would have handily taken the top spot. Unfortunately for the Pocket Monsters, most years don’t have one of my long-standing favourite games of all time.

Yes, Super Mario 64 remains my most beloved 3D platformer to this day, and somewhere in the realm of my second to third video game, overall. I was simply enamoured with the sprawling playground before me, where Mario went batshit crazy as he flipped, pounced and bounced all over the place like a kitten with a fluffy toy.

The first time I played SM64, I made the mistake of venturing into Jolly Roger Bay long before I was ready. When I caught a glimpse of Unagi the eel lurking deep in those murky waters, I literally placed the controller on the floor in pure horror. Never before had a game had such a visceral effect on me, this was just how influential it was. It was the closest I had ever come to virtual reality, and no experience has ever hit me quite so hard.

Over the years of my career as a gaming journalist, I have gushed about this glorious launch title ad nauseam, and I likely will continue to do so as long as I have a platform available. It resonates with me more than any game likely ever will, and I cannot thank Shigeru Miyamoto and his team enough for bringing this dream into reality.

1997: Final Fantasy VII

Sony PlayStation

Once again, this year features a surefire winner with a game that I still enjoy returning to all this time later, in the form of Star Fox 64. The seminal entry of the series, it combined fast-twitch action with cheesy melodrama to create an arcade experience that cannot be beaten.

Well, except it was beaten, because this was also the year that Final Fantasy VII dropped. Bad luck, McCloud, at least you still have the 1993 trophy on your mantlepiece.

Anyhow, FFVII embodied the cinematic rise of gaming and the raw power of the optical disc drive. An adventure so sprawling, so grand, it had to be spread across three separate discs, this was the franchise’s magnum opus (with apologies to Terra and company). The surly Cloud Strife is a legend of the industry, and yet it’s his one-time mentor turned genocidal maniac Sephiroth who has truly made his mark as one of the most compelling characters of all time.

The Materia items make for a fascinating casting system, allowing you to tinker with your lineup as you see fit, and the ATB system remains rock solid. The breathless tension as you desperately try to get a Summon off before it’s too late, followed by the gratifying animations that follow, is pure gaming bliss.

Finally — and this is important — this was the game that introduced us to Red XIII, and that’s a perfect opportunity for me to shoehorn an internal link into this article. Well done, Anthony!

1998: The LEgend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Nintendo 64

Nearly a decade later (or more accurately, seven entries later), I’m able to right the injustice that was the slighting of A Link to the Past, by anointing Hyrule’s most epic quest as the rightful champion of 1998.

In the same way that Super Mario 64 felt like the perfect unleashing of Nintendo’s lead mascot, Ocarina of Time was surely the culmination of the magical world that had been envisaged so long ago. By starting us off with a youthful Link, everything felt bigger in comparison. More grandiose, more intimidating, more wondrous.

This was especially true where Ganondorf was concerned, as his height and build struck a figure that seemed insurmountable. Basically, he was a tall, mean guy who wanted to mess us up, and I’m sure we all went through those kinds of experiences in childhood.

After collecting the three Spiritual Stones (a task which felt as though we had made significant progress by that point), we would be whisked forward in the timeline, where the kingdom fell to ruin and only a more mature Link could possibly set things right.

There have been countless adventures before and since, and yet, few if any have matched the scope of this one. Its meticulously crafted dungeons all carry unique traits and treats, and if you’re not really up for heroics, you could instead elect to scour the land for cool shit instead. It was up to you, and you were sure to enjoy every single minute of it.

1999: Pokemon Gold/Silver

Game Boy Color

When trying to pick the greatest single generation of Pokemon, Gold and Silver are almost certainly going to be in the conversation. It introduced several exciting new mechanics, many of which have gone on to become staples of the series: held items, night and day differences, calendar mechanics, Dark and Steel Types, and far fewer glitches than its predecessors.

Even though the 100 new Pokemon on offer don’t quite stand as tall as those that came before it, it also offered transfer mechanics back and forth between generation 1. With that, you could not only take your beloved Kanto squad out to for a spin around Johto, but now you would learn whether they were boys or girls. I emphasise this because my first Venusaur turned out to be a sheilah, something that was only 12.5% likely.

Everything was just bigger and more thrilling, whether it was fresh battling strategies or daily events, and then when you thought you had seen it all, a bombshell was dropped on you; the Kanto region was waiting for your return.

I admit that the stripped down rendition of RBY’s hometown isn’t quite as impressive as it once was, but how many other sequels allow you to revisit the map from the first game? It was just one of the many amazing reasons why GSC remains on a pedestal amongst PokeManiacs.

And yes, the franchise peaked when you met the silent, menacing Red atop Mt. Silver.

2000: The LEgend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Nintendo 64

With fewer dungeons and only a single timeline to explore, Majora’s Mask could be considered to be Ocarina of Time’s much lesser younger brother. However, with it foreboding atmosphere, emotional storytelling, and unfathomable sense of dread, it has staked its claim as my favourite Zelda game.

The recycled assets are perfectly implemented in the realm of Termina, where everything is similar but not quite right. Although you’ve seen these familiar faces before, they are all dealing with an impending sense of doom, thanks to the gruesome moon that threatens to destroy them all.

To be honest, I’m a bigger fan of Zelda sidequests than Zelda progress, so this game is tailor-made for me. The Bomber’s Notebook chronicles the routines and notable events for various residents, allowing you to figure out how best to solve their issues before the three-day time limit is up.

That time limit might sound like a strange idea, considering how much of the game is about exploration and experimentation, but its implementation is stellar. It even adds to the misery, where your good deeds are erased and the world is set asunder once more. The swamp is poisoned again, the mountain realm is frozen once more, and the postman has the deliver all those godforsaken letters for all eternity.

Many games make you do things. Few games make you feel things. Majora’s Mask is one of those games.

2001: Animal Crossing

Nintendo GameCube

I received Animal Crossing for my birthday in 2004, not entirely sure of what to expect. Ever since its days as Animal Forest on the N64, I had my eye on this bizarre little title. I was an avid reader of gaming magazines at the time, and it kept popping up, adorned with cutesy little animals spouting cryptic phrases in some ancient tongue (Japanese).

It looked kind of simplistic, but I kept tabs on it all the same. It threatened to be another Doshin the Giant; some curio that never left the shores of Nihon dubbed ‘too niche’ for western sensibilities. Then, it landed in my hands: complete with its own memory card (it demanded an entire card all to itself) and a slash in the packaging where some daft K-Mart employee had ignored their box cutter training.

After a brief discussion with a nosey cat named after a dog, I arrived in Überg and immediately found myself in debt (a series of events that would closely mirror my journey to Sydney in a fallacious attempt to launch my journalism career). I cautiously wandered into the adjacent lot, where I encountered a surly mouse with a deep voice and five-day stubble.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic.

The very notion of this living, breathing little world inside my GameCube, that would continue throughout the day without me, had me coming back for more. I invested countless hours into dutifully scrambling about the town on fetch quests, desperate for the approval of the therian townspeople.

Eventually, my chums from school would create their own characters, eking out their own lives and asserting themselves as rivals for neighbourhood fancy.

“Look at this letter from Wikie me,” bragged Amelia the condor, proudly brandishing the note where my friend had called her a ho. “This is what I call distinguished.”

I would continue to purchase every Animal Crossing game that followed, only for my interest to flame out after a few exhaustive months. I would rarely return to them afterwards, with Überg remaining the only one that meant just that little bit more. I should probably check in on them soon, actually, as I left Alfonso the alligator in charge and he seemed a bit overwhelmed by the idea.

2002: Resident Evil

Nintendo GameCube

I’ve waxed lyrical on my newfound obsession with Resident Evil previously, even going so far as to write an article approaching actual journalism to honour its twentieth anniversary, and yet, I still haven’t quite been able to translate its merits in words.

Deride its archaic controls and/or camera angles as much as you like, once you’ve adjusted to these peculiarities you’ll find it somehow enhances the claustrophobic feelings of horror further.

New players such as myself may get lost in the sprawling Spencer Mansion rather frequently, or end up confounded by puzzles that range from abstruse to downright bizarre. It rarely grows infuriating, however, and once you reach that ‘ah-ha’ moment of realisation, the brief gratification quickly shifts to terror from the next looming threat.

I passed over the original PlayStation trilogy in my youth, as its themes didn’t quite intersect with my impressionable innocence. After first setting off on my belated journey into the Arklay Mountains in 2021, I became obsessed, quickly appointing the RE franchise in rarefied air alongside Pokemon, Fire Emblem, and Interspecies Reviewers.

Viewers would tell you I’m not a good Resident Evil player, or even a passably competent one. I still wear that Jill Valentine beret with pride, another addition to a legion of fans as numerous as the ravenous zombies we must fend off.

2003: WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain

Sony PlayStation 2

This one probably comes a little bit out of left field for an admitted Nintendo fanboy. For a few years at this point, I had been getting more and more into the wacky world of professional wrestling, and in the SmackDown series’ fifth entry, things had reached quite the pinnacle.

Featuring souped up grappling and reversal mechanics, HCTP marked a passing of the torch period for WWE, where the sneering Brock Lesnar took centre stage on the front cover for the first time. While the series had been somewhat at odds in trying to balance arcade-style gameplay with simulation-level presence, it had at long last garnered a degree of self-confidence to be exactly what it chose.

In some cases, it works; such as area-specific damage trackers or nostalgic throwbacks like Rowdy Roddy Piper. In other instances, it is a blatant reminder of the misogyny permeating wrestling in the early 2000s, aka degrading bra and panties matches. The fact that Triple H can’t participate in these competitions irks me to no end.

I was actually a bigger fan of 2002’s Shut Your Mouth, overall, putting me in a small minority. As far as bang for your buck goes, however, this was a worthy swan song for the SmackDown lineage.

2004: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Game Boy Advance

Again, the release date is something of a misnomer here. As I alluded to, I was a late Fire Emblem adopter, only dipping my toes into the water in 2011 as part of the 3DS’ ambassador program. This game’s impact was based not only on its own strengths, but circumstance as well.

Long story short, I was working night shifts in the city while trying to save up money. With no way to get back home, I’d have to pull an all-nighter at woeful Southern Cross railway station before catching the first train in the morning. Following a few evenings of my usual handheld lineup, I trialled this unfamiliar little title for the first time, and quickly fell in love with it.

The adventures of Eirika and Ephraim may not rank among the all-time greats for most Fire Emblem pundits, however it was my very first and therefore proved the benchmark that all others would be measured against. It could be unforgiving at times, even unfair, with just one misjudged turn making the difference between rollicking success and soft reset.

The branching storyline paths allow you to experience a fresh perspective on a second playthroughs. The post-game challenges brought a level of tension that I’ve not since matched in the series, throwing you into a series of dungeons that you must clear simultaneously. And the unit lineup contains some of my favourites to this day: I’m yet to encounter a wyvern rider that oozes quite as much stoic badassery as my man Cormag.

I cannot in good conscience count myself among the true elite of Fire Emblem fandom; those who suffered through years of anonymity prior to the ‘modern era’ ushered in by Awakening. What I can see, is how the soldiers of Renais are overlooked, gaining at least a cursory understanding of their embittered ‘we were here before it was cool’ mindset.

As a Lucina apologist, I’m still catered to anyway, so I really shouldn’t complain.

2005: Advance WArs: Dual Strike

Nintendo DS

Alas alas, I missed out on the fabulous duo of Advance Wars games on the GBA. As such, Dual Strike served as my entry into a series that had been doing the rounds in Japan for over 15 years by that point.

Remember that, despite Sacred Stones appearing one entry earlier, I wouldn’t take it for a spin for several years. With this in mind, it was actually Dual Strike that kickstarted my love for turn-based tactical gaming. The delicate balance between sending wave after wave of pricey artillery into the fray, with maintaining the war chest to avoid a disaster down the track, I quickly grew engrossed in the ways this game flexed my grey matter.

And of course, depending on which CO you go into battle with, you can adjust your strategies to suit your particular playstyle. I would lean on Colin’s thrifty units, or Grit’s ranged dominance, testing the boundaries more and more with each new chapter.

Admittedly, my specific win con (saving up for powerful, speedy Neotanks to merely block the enemy factories from spawning) was less than honourable. You can’t argue with those results, though.

2006: Wii Sports

Nintendo Wii

Compared to the Wii’s other big launch title, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports could be considered somewhat slight. As a packed-in title with only five different variations on offer, its intention was to be a taste of what this strange new console had in store.

With that being said, the design philosophy and charming delivery made this one of the finest distillations of Nintendo energy you’ll ever see. With the novelty of creating a Mii that resembled yourself still fresh and new (or perhaps, creating a celebrity lookalike), putting them out on the tennis court or on the pitcher’s mound was downright exhilarating. Then, you would WAGGLE THAT FUCKING REMOTE WITH RECKLESS ABANDON.

Some sports fared better than others, obviously. I rarely touched golf, and the boxing mechanics are literally hit-or-miss. That being said, the bowling alone was a bonafide system seller, transcending gaming itself to become considered as a legitimate tool for cognitive skill testing in retirement homes.

Even though the Switch would eventually eclipse the Wii in sales in 2022, I really feel as though the latter was a cultural phenomenon that we may never see again in this industry. It had a lot of wonderful memories in store, and Wii Sports was the flag-bearer that paved the way for its dominance.

2007: Super Mario Galaxy

Nintendo Wii

With such a strong focus on innovation, the team at Nintendo are willing to take some big risks. Super Mario 64 was the gold standard of 3D platforming, and nearly everything that followed would emulate its principles more or less. This included Super Mario Sunshine on the GameCube, which was fun in its own right, while never nearing the heights of its predecessor.

For the third offering, that template was thrown aside to establish a unique physics engine focused on navigating around small planetoids. Handled by a lesser developer, Super Mario Galaxy could have been a frustrating disaster, hamstrung by overly ambitious vision that may not translate well in practice.

But my god, did this game completely nail it or what? Getting up a full head of steam and then leaping into the air to see Mario pivot around the screen under the gravitational pull was unlike anything we’d experienced before. It seamlessly blended precise platforming with puzzle-solving aspects, all accompanied by a peerless symphonic score.

Trying to anoint which of the 3D Mario games is truly the greatest is an exhausting endeavour, and everyone has their own unique perspective. It is almost universally agreed that Galaxy is in contention, as it pushed the imagination further and bolder than everything that came before, and up to this point, everything we have seen since.

2008: Street Fighter IV

Arcade

I’ve never considered myself to be anything more than a casual enjoyer of fighting games, so the idea that Street Fighter would penetrate these rankings was a surprise even to myself.

The timing of its release was a perfect intersection with the period of my life, you see, as I had just started working in a gaming arcade (an accursed career that I would slog through, on and off, for more than a decade). Being able to see and feel the hype on the ground floor like this was an absolute thrill. I could treat myself to the free play option whenever I felt like it, or watch the patrons from afar like some kind of creepy pervert lurking in a nearby bush.

Mechanically, Street Fighter IV was a good fit for me, having enough features to be meaty, while also being simple enough that anyone could pick it up within a few minutes. We played host to various tournaments over the years that followed, and I became famous (or notorious) as the shouting guy dressed as Jean-Claude Van Damme’s obtuse portrayal of Guile.

Based solely on affection, SFIV was a lock for ’08. Not even the console ports would match that electrifying energy, despite being my preferred platform. There was never quite as much drunken shouting while bemused strangers slowly edged away.

2009: Wii Sports Resort

Nintendo Wii

A surprise return for the plucky franchise, Wii Sports Resort took all the things we loved about the original and dialled it up to 11. More sports, more variations, and more refined control thanks to the MotionPlus attachment.

Where bowling was the star in 2006, it was all about swordplay this time around. Convincing a friend to wave the controller around like a madman paid off the moment you began whacking each other’s Miis with reckless abandon. There was a spectacular sense of style and panache in Resort; the title wasn’t just for show, as the tropical setting made it feel like a wonderful vacation.

I loved watching the fireworks go off as I sunk a corner three in basketball. I chuckled as the Mii puppy scrambled to catch the frisbee whizzing through the air. Resort was never going to wow us with its revolutionary concept in the same way Wii Sports had, so doubling down on what made the first one so popular was the right choice to make.

It maintained the notion that the Wii was a console built for pure and utter bliss, and I treasure the time I spent on Wuhu Island.

2010: Pokemon Black/White

Nintendo DS

When the fifth generation of Pokemon was first announced, I was a little shocked. There was a sense that the ageing Nintendo DS was approaching its demise, and it had already seen an entry in the form of 2007’s Diamond/Pearl.

What else could they possibly achieve on the DS? As it turns out, delivering the most potent and refined example of the Pokemon formula we had ever seen.

Unfortunately, BW doesn’t get its flowers from casual fans who deride its slim Pokedex and perceived lack of innovation. There are three things that it nailed, and these three things make it my favourite generation of all; firstly, its narrative finally delivered an antagonist whose ambitions were more nuanced than the wicked megalomaniacs of yesteryear. N stands tall as a morally grey puppet, manipulated by his oppressive masters (who are, yes I will admit, wicked megalomaniacs).

Secondly, the animated sprites are the peak of Pokemon aesthetic. They’re all so vibrant and full of life, and serve as a far cry from the pixellated lumps they had begun as so many years ago. Third, and most significant, the introduction of Hidden Abilities revamped the metagame, reimagining dormant monsters as fearsome foes.

I love you, Drought Ninetales/Chlorophyll Venusaur. I really do.

2011: Star Fox 64 3D

Nintendo 3DS

There’s no getting around it; the Nintendo 3DS had a rough year to start its lifespan. It had its highlights, including a pretty impressive Dead Or Alive entry in Dimensions, and a great bookend with November’s Super Mario 3D Land.

My highlight was a remake of an early Nintendo 64 game. It just so happens that that was one of my favourite N64 games (damn you, FFVII, for dropping that same year!) and it translated perfectly to the handheld console.

As aforementioned, Star Fox 64 is a fabulous arcade experience, leaving you gunning for a high score. Being able to just pick it up and put it down from wherever, as allowed within a portable platform such as the 3DS, was a revelation, and it looked downright beautiful.

The increased polygon count was clear to see, punctuated by a denser colour palette, and the 3D gimmick felt tailor-made for a rail shooter. By the time the 3DS rolled around, I had already played SF64 exhaustively, and even then, the remake would land amongst my most played games on the 3DS. It was a fantastic bridge towards what was yet to come for the fledgling device.

2012: Fire Emblem Awakening

Nintendo 3DS

Unlike the majority of players, this wasn’t my first Fire Emblem rodeo. Sacred Stones had gotten me hooked in 2011, still fashionably late to a party that had been struggling to make its mark in western markets for almost a decade, and I was hyped for this one the moment it was first announced in the early days of the 3DS’ lifespan.

Though I wasn’t entirely convinced after completing the demo, once I got my hands on the final version, I was hooked. I kept squeezing out every last drop of battery power from the 3DS, recharging it, and then jumping right back into the fray. More ruffians, I demanded… Feed me more ruffians!!

It amplified all of the elements that made Fire Emblem so popular amongst strategy aficionados, and mercifully, it brought the franchise into the limelight as one of Nintendo’s finest. I adore almost every little thing about it, from its characters to its narrative to its mechanics.

There are a few little wrinkles here and there that would be smoothed out in subsequent entries, including a pair up system that is lucrative to the point of becoming broken and a scantily clad dragon child that you must never Google for fear of imprisonment. But most of my critiques are nitpicky more than anything else.

It’s no coincidence that this game was my most played on the portable system, currently sitting at over 340 hours. It also just so happens to be my favourite game of all time. Straight up, ever, elbowing Super Mario 64 from a peak it may have otherwise never left.

If people ever ask me about where to start with Fire Emblem, I eagerly point them in this direction. It does all of the things I want it to do, and if they were to ever release a remaster somewhere down the track, you’d best believe I’ll be the first to pack my bags and return to the Halidom of Ylisse.

Of course I would, my waifus are waiting for me.

2013: Pikmin 3

Wii U

It’s really hard to put into words just how special the Pikmin franchise is. Each entry is a fascinating contrast of tranquil discovery and terrifying mayhem, providing a real sense of accomplishment when you finally succeed at your goals.

The Wii U was desperate for hits, and because of its lacking reach, Pikmin 3 wouldn’t receive the adulation it deserves. It’s not my favourite in the series, but it’s easily one of my favourites on the console — and really, 2013 was just a lean year in gaming for me.

Boldly putting the iconic Captain Olimar aside, Pikmin 3 tasks you with juggling three characters at once. It sounds like it would be messy, but this is Nintendo we’re talking about here, so it is pulled off in such a way that you feel like a master of your domain. Even if the worst eventuates and one of your offscreen platoons runs into trouble, you’ll be notified immediately to respond.

And my goodness, the bosses are intimidating as hell. The Quaggled Mireclops is a visually striking behemoth, and the way its hooves create a puddle deadly to all but the Blue Pikmin is just such a smart design choice. Thank goodness the Switch gave this adventure a second chance.

2014: Alien: Isolation

PlayStation 3/4, Xbox 360/One, PC

Every now and then, there are tentpole moments in gaming. Those indelible examples of design that takes the industry a full step forward, that can be hard to recapture in the years to come.

In my opinion, Alien: Isolation stands as one such example, possessing an intricate system of artificial intelligence that creates something truly menacing. Rarely have I felt as on-edge as I did with the Xenomorph stalking my every movement, thumping down the hallway as it learnt my movements.

Often, those movements were a pathetic flailing of limbs as I tried in vain to outrun it, ending up as a bloody corpse within seconds. It is one of the truest offerings of pure survival horror you’ll ever see, where every single moment feels as if it could be your last.

Even when the Xeno isn’t in the picture, you’ll have plenty of androids and tricksy humans with an itchy trigger finger. It’s jam-packed with action and tension, and its portrayal of Ridley Scott’s time-locked vision of the future is downright perfect.

2015: Armello

PlayStation 4, PC

With their more modest budget, indie games can struggle to reach the heights of their AAA brethren. For them to ever reach parity, they have to deliver a succinct vision in a manner that is satisfying and enjoyable; for my money, League of Geeks did that with Armello, and then some.

Its whimsical world of monarchies and betrayal is the perfect setting for a digital board game, with players completing quests and crossing swords with one another en route to taking the throne. Its many systems can be confronting at first, but once you gain an understanding of the various cards and their uses, you enter something of a flow state.

It would become a staple of my streaming rotation, first natively from the PS4 before transitioning to the PC edition, and each match offered something different. This is despite the fact I almost exclusively competed against CPU opponents; I was just so engrossed in trying to master all of the in-game achievements.

This really feels like a timeless game to me, that I’ll be happy to return to for decades yet to come. I’m not exactly good at it, but I can hold my own with a little luck and a fortuitous roll of the dice… Just as long as I’m not Brun. Him and me, we’re not exactly simpatico.

2016: Dead by Daylight

PC

Perhaps not coincidentally, this is the third year in a row where my game of the year was tied into my waning career as a streamer. Up to this point, I haven’t even played that many rounds of Dead by Daylight — I just know that whenever I do, it’s going to be an uproariously good time.

The fact that the two gameplay styles between survivor or killer are so disparate from one another, you really get two experiences wrapped up into one. Me personally, I’m downright awful at this game, so I’m almost exclusively cast as a survivor fleeing for my life. Sometimes, I pitch in and patch up a generator. Other times, I’m sabotaging my teammates in an effort to get the killer off my tail.

The fact that there has been such an extensive number of cameos just sweetens the deal even further; were it not for the inclusion of my beloved Jill Valentine, I might not have even given this game a go in the first place.

It took DbD a while to really hit its stride, but now that it has become an industry leader for its genre, it shows no sign of slowing down whatsoever. They can just merrily add more updates and characters for the foreseeable future, because after all, until my guy Lubdan hits the roster, things are bound to feel incomplete.

2017: Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo Switch

As you might expect, I was tempted to anoint Resident Evil 7: Biohazard as the breadwinner for 2017. It is, after all, my latest obsession following my playthrough to kick off 2024, but it was luckless insomuch it came face to face with a familiar Italian juggernaut.

I grew up in the era where platformers were the tentpole franchises of a console. From the early days of your Marios and your Sonics, to claim relevance, you had to have that mascot character and their tightly crafted gameplay.

The fifth console generation took the genre to the 3rd dimension, introducing new experiences we could only dream of previously. Then, tastes changed, first-person shooters emerged as the new darling, and platformers tapered off into what the Cookie Monster would describe as a ‘sometimes snack’.

Super Mario Odyssey was the return to fundamentals we thought we’d never receive, and playing it for the first time elicited countless ‘yes, that’s very good’ reactions from deep within me. It was like the playgrounds of yesteryear, inviting us to proceed in whatever direction we liked and offering delight after delight.

It is relentlessly bouncy and jolly, capably disguising some of its more brutal challenges lying under the surface. It just feels right, and despite releasing early on in the Switch’s celebrated life cycle, I’m fairly certain it’ll keep a stranglehold as my personal gem for the console generation.

2018: Octopath Traveler

Nintendo switch

Sometimes in life, you receive exactly what you sought after. And on rare occasions, you get something you didn’t even know you wanted. Such was the case with Octopath Traveler, Square Enix’s love letter to the golden era of JRPGs.

By 2018, the industry had shifted away from pixel art and turn-based combat, leaving oldheads like me to feel forgotten. The moment the curiously titled Octopath Traveler was revealed, boasting a unique 2.5D aesthetic that combined pixelated characters on a polygonal landscape, it was like some kind of cherished gift.

It’s not all just about the nostalgia, however, as the in-game battle system is rock solid. Targeting the enemies’ weakness, stockpiling Boost Points to unleash a flurry of attacks, assigning secondary classes… It’s all just such smart, expertly crafted design, and it quickly rose to become one of my favourite Switch titles.

Also, a country bumpkin apothecary is a profoundly captivating concept. It’s no wonder that my chosen hero in the sequel would be the country bumpkin merchant. They’re just right up my alley, y’all.

2019: Resident Evil 2

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

In the 17 years that passed between Resident Evil remakes, the industry had taken quite the shift in design philosophy. The idea of a fixed camera RE2 that mirrors the 2002 game is mouthwatering, but I’m definitely not going to complain about the modern third person epic we received instead.

With the power of the RE Engine, Capcom delivered an absolute triumph of survival horror. It looks beautiful, it sends chills up your spine, and most important of all, it’s just a blast to play. Claire and Leon’s individual campaigns have got enough unique elements to feel like two games for the price of one, especially when the guest characters Sherry and Ada are concerned.

One of them is using spy gadgets to traverse around the sewer system, and the other is a frightened little girl in an orphanage. No prizes for guessing which one does which.

At this point, it holds its head high as my second favourite Resident Evil game, and more broadly, is considered amongst the best of the series. But my personal opinion is the one that really matters, I reckon.

2020: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Nintendo Switch

It can be a little bit tricky to recall the year in which some video games came out, and your memory might deceive you one way or the other when staggered international releases are concerned.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out in 2020, and there is no mistaking it, because it would become our unlikely window to the outside world when everything else went dark. I am, of course, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns that defined our lives for so many years.

The nature of New Horizons’ premise — encouraging you to explore distant islands and visit your friends — gave a catharsis that is hard to put in words. Our days had become so insular, so restricted, that this unlikely channel for escapism outperformed all but the most optimistic projections.

Were it not for this personal aspect, the fabulous Streets of Rage 4 might have taken the title for 2020. But no game has ever quite been such a fond little friend as this was.

2021: Little Nightmares II

Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Google Stadia

It boggles my mind that so many people consider the Little Nightmares series to be “cutesy horror”. Have they played them, like at all? The imagery and symbolism is far more twisted and gruesome than even the most brutal Resident Evil game, and the distorted appearance of its antagonists makes its title ring true; they truly are nightmarish.

The original title reeled me in hook, line and sinker, so my expectations for Little Nightmares II were pretty high. Then, I set foot in that godawful school, locked eyes with the nefarious teacher, and stopped dead in my tracks as her neck stretched out for her to grasp me in her jaws. Yeah, this was about to be fucked up in the very best way.

Traversing through the Pale City and witnessing its corruption of the people firsthand became a growing experience in dread, with each stage upping the ante on how malicious things could be. Unlike the self-serving yet likeable Six, Mono is a pure little bean who wants to protect people, lending a sense of longing for his safety.

It’s remarkable how robust and complete a story these games can tell without elaborate cutscenes or overwrought dialogue, so when I reached its conclusion, I just had to seek out as many opinions on the lore as possible. This kind of world-building resonates with you for a long time, and I am anxiously awaiting the third entry to terrify me once more.

2022: Triangle Strategy

Nintendo Switch

Back in the early days of EZIYODA, I detailed how the morality choices of Triangle Strategy highlighted all of my faults as a tactician. What I kinda glossed over, is how much I adored the game despite this.

Once again, I was pure putty for the 2.5D catalogue, and now my affinity for turn-based tactics was being catered to, as well. I had cut my teeth on the Advance Wars and Fire Emblems of the past, so I grew accustomed to the systems quite readily, though my overzealous confidence would often blow up in my face.

Final Fantasy Tactics’ loan mechanic of unit direction makes for some enticing decision-making, especially as you learn that giving up the weak point of a tanky unit can sometimes benefit your other soldiers to launch a surprise attack. Battles are so crisp and satisfying, making you feel challenged without ever being discouraged.

There are so many ways to play, and of course, so many unique endings where the results of your morality bear fruit. Story-driven games often have an issue with replayability, but that’s not the case here; not only is it encouraged, it’s practically demanded.

2023: Resident Evil 4

PlayStation 4/5, Xbox SEries X|S, PC

Anyone who read my game of the year article for 2023 will be entirely unsurprised by the result here, though I must confess that I gave the runner-up (Coffee Talk Episode II: Hibiscus & Butterfly) another long, hard think here. It was an upward battle to eclipse anything with Resident Evil in the title, however, and once again the sagacious Leon Kennedy took top honours.

I’ve written so much about the Resident Evil 4 remake over the last year or so across various websites that I’m merely regurgitating my own factoids by now, but the crib-notes are as follow: this game took one of the most cherished games in the industry’s history, and amplified it across the board.

It was scarier now, and tighter. The gunplay is satisfying, the set pieces are spectacular, and the atmosphere rivals vintage RE. The rougher edges of the original were ironed out or toned down, and the end result was a thrill ride from start to finish.

It’s perhaps the most accessible the franchise has ever been, offering something for everyone — unless you’re squeamish or have a particular distaste for one-liners, in which case I’m afraid you’re shit out of luck.