#10) SimCity 2000 (PC)

I really enjoyed the SimCity series, as it is a great example of "sandbox" gameplay. I liked SimCity 2000 more than SimCity because it had more than just one level of flat terrain. It was satisfying to build a city and see how much money you could make – without having to spend 60 years of your real life doing it.

#9) Mega Man 4 (NES)

Mega Man was the perfect example of a formula game. What is notable about MM4 is that Capcom introduced a new series-defining feature with the chargeable Mega Buster. Thus, with the ability to power up your shots, MM4 was the first Mega Man game which had all the vital pieces that defined the rest of the Mega Man series.

#8) Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)

Why of all the SMB games did I choose 2 – the one that wasn’t even really a SMB game in Japan? I liked it because you could choose from four different characters and they all had different strengths and weaknesses. This allowed me to adapt the game to my style of play. This is the best thing a platform game can do to keep me interested. In my opinion, it also had a better art style than the other SMB games for the Nintendo. I believe I'm not alone in this opinion – Super Mario World, for the Super Nintendo, had an art style closer to SMB2 than it did to the other previous SMB games.

#7) Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition (SNES)

The reason why I liked the TSB series was because each player had his own stats and abilities. Other football games of the time had very little difference between players. Usually, it was just a difference on paper, but there was no noticeable difference in the game. In TSB, it was obvious when your running back or quarterback was better. Furthermore, it had the wonderful God’s-eye view, which I believe is highly underrated, especially in today’s games. TSB III was better than previous versions because you could trade players or pick up free agents in season mode, allowing you to build your dream team.

#6) Super Street Fighter II (SNES)

It has to be Super because you can’t play as Cammy or Vega in the original Street Fighter II, and they are my favorite characters. When I was a kid, the fighting game genre was probably the most popular for a while. I liked the Street Fighter series because the animations and graphics had a better flow than they did in other fighting games.

#5) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

This is the last Zelda which I played – games were simpler back then. There is something about good 2D games that does not translate to 3D for me. I think it’s the whole God’s-eye view thing. I wish they made 2D Zelda games for the PC.

#4) Empire Earth (PC)

Stainless Steel Studios’ Empire Earth (EE) did so many things right. Never ending mines and farms, while unrealistic, were truly genius for gameplay. Once I set up my economy, I don’t want to have to check back on it every two minutes. Auto explore was another great idea too, and with 14 different epochs to play in, there was a good variety of units and fighting styles which kept the game interesting. The other great thing about EE was that you could customize your civilization. I’m a customization junkie.

#3) Civilization IV (PC)

I have played a lot of Civilization over the years. If you have never heard of this turn-based series of games, you need to try it. I have specified Civilization IV as my favorite because even though it is the game in the series which I have played the least, it was the last one that gave me the “just one more turn” feeling for which the Civ series of games is so well known. Often, I would begin playing at 11 PM or midnight planning to play for just an hour, but the next thing I knew, I’d look at the clock and it would be 5 AM. I did not feel this way when I played Civilization III, which I would consider to be the lowlight of the Civ series at this point in time.

#2) Impossible Creatures (PC)

The hook for Relic Entertainment’s real-time strategy, Impossible Creatures (IC), is that players can customize their armies and their individual units. It is this ability to mold your army to your own play-style, combined with the fast-action, simple to learn but difficult to master gameplay that make this one of my favorite games. Though Relic has had more success with the Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War franchise, I believe IC is their most original and best overall product.

#1) World of Warcraft (PC)

World of Warcraft (WoW) is an excellent game because Blizzard Entertainment focused on making the small things fun. Unlike previous massively multiplayer online role-playing games, WoW has a small number of repeatable quests. This keeps players from getting bored with the game because they aren’t constantly sent out to do the exact same thing over and over again. My favorite thing in WoW is actually the player versus player combat. Blizzard has created four instanced Battle Grounds where you fight with 10-40 (number depends on which Battle Ground) players of your own faction against an equal number of players from the opposing faction in objective based scenarios. Always a sucker for competitive multiplayer action, I find these Battle Grounds irresistible.