God of War III

141 - God of War III 

Year: 2010
Platform(s): PlayStation 3
Designer(s): Stig Asmussen
Developer: SCE Santa Monica
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

“A ridiculous amount of button-mashing and a semi-educational history lesson on Greek mythology? Surely we are talking about Sony's God of War 3. A PlayStation 3 exclusive, God of War 3, was released in 2010 and it pushed the PS3's processing limits to the max. Bigger bosses, more epic levels, and let us not forget, more blood, all meant God of War 3 met hardcore fans' expectations.” – G4TV

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Pitfall!

142 - Pitfall!

Year: 1982
Platform(s): Atari 2600
Designer(s): David Crane
Developer: Activision
Publisher: Activision

“Pitfall! was the peak of the Atari 2600. The console was still selling strongly, and the renegade Atari programmers working at Activision were at their peak, seemingly immune to the pressure to rush out games that helped kill the company. Pitfall! was a groundbreaking game — the first side-scrolling game that many gamers ever played. And it was very colorful and imaginative, featuring an explorer sprinting through the jungle dodging scorpions and crocodiles and other traps.” - Peter Hartlaub, SF Gate

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Gears of War

144 - Gears of War

Year: 2006
Platform(s): Xbox 360
Designer(s): Cliff Bleszinski
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

“One of the fiercest, bloodiest and downright brutal games ever released, Gears Of War rose above criticism that it was much like ever[y] other blaster on the shelves by offering a blockbuster experience, huge array of imaginative weapons and relentless carnage that gave gun-nuts exactly what they wanted. Crucially, the intuitive use of cover also allowed GOW to separate itself from its rivals, forcing players to strategically use walls, corners and other environmental obstacles to stay alive, bringing an edge of realism to its outrageously butch sci-fi posturing.” - Empire

143  |  145

Secret of Mana

157 - Secret of Mana

Year: 1993

Platform(s): SNES

Designer(s): Koichi Ishii

Developer: Square

Publisher: Square

“Modern games only wish they could boast as many features as Secret of Mana did back in the day. This game broke away from the classic turn-based-RPG form and incorporated Zelda-esque real-time combat instead. Although the plot seems at first to be a clichéd hero-saves-the-world story, the road has more unexpected twists than you might expect. The addition of weapons and magic that level up with you, plus the fact that two friends could tag along via true drop-in/drop-out mechanics, still make Secret of Mana a must-play experience for any RPG lover.” - Haldan Smith, Boston Phoenix

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Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

158 - Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

Year: 2010

Platform(s): Wii

Designer(s): Atsutomo Nakagawa

Developer: Treasure

Publisher: Nintendo

“A rare sequel to a cult classic, Treasure's Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies is the studio's best work since Ikaruga - and indeed since the N64 original. It's an on-rails shooter, but it's a ride to remember - imaginative, exhilarating and challenging, this is one of the Wii's finest.” - Martin Robinson, Eurogamer

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