This is just my personal favorite list. Let the critics have their own field day, as far as I'm concerned:
1) Final Fantasy X
Yeah, I know everyone loves VII, and I have VII. It's a great game. I just had immensely more fun with X, which got rid of the most annoying parts of the previous games (I hate running around on a world map and talking to useless townspeople). A lot of people get frustrated with video dialogue, but think about it. You spent most of the prior games clicking through text that took just as long. I'm afraid that XII will be mangled by the dramatically different battle system that's expected to put into it.
2) Metroid Prime
Yeah, I was tempted to put in the original "Metroid," which was certainly better than both "Metroid II" and "Super Metroid" combined. But damn..."Prime" is about as revolutionary as "Metroid" with a completely different take on the game and virtually no dependence on the past mythology. And, in the end, I found myself more satisfied than I did finishing "Metroid."
3) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Like "Metroid Prime," this game was the Zelda series' successful transition into 3D. And what an enjoyable game it was, with a hefty dose of old and new mythology alike. I'm still waiting for the new GC "Zelda" coming towards the end of 2005.
4) Resident Evil (GC remake)
Wow. Not exactly the longest game, but this game still scares the shit out of me while I'm playing it (although not as bad as it originally did). Several games have tried to be scary and just come off as weird/funny. Not this game. Scary all the way.
5) Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Fantastic game. At first glance, one might think it is thematically similar to "Resident Evil." Then you play for about 15 minutes and realize that it's nothing like it. Very fun, very satisfying, very original.
Melon