20 Best Video Games

To say I could gush about how good this game is would be an understatement. In a world saturated with open world adventure games, Nintendo proved that it still had it's spark by creating the best one ever. Never before have I been so motivated to rush off the beaten trail, and never before have I been so heartily rewarded for it. The weapon durability system never bothered me too much, even in the early game, and I thought it added a very visible progression to your journey. Lovable and unique characters fill a gorgeous, massive world. And best of all, it can be played on the go! (Played on Wii U and Switch)

The battle between Witcher 3 and BOTW was fierce and very difficult. Once I finish more of Witcher 3's staggering library of tasks, maybe I'll change my mind. With a lush, vivid world that's filled with novel upon novel of character and story, Witcher 3 sets an extremely high bar for where fantasy RPGs have to aim. The combat is excellent, the animations and graphics are stunning, and the length is breathtaking. If you finished this game in 2015, either you're unemployed or lying. The only faults this masterpiece has is the story can get a tad bloated at times, and sometimes there's just too much to do and it gets overwhelming. Is that even a negative? Maybe I'm just a softie for Zelda. (Played on Xbox One)

What else can be said for this timeless (ha) classic? When 3D came around, Super Mario 64 told people how to comprehend a 3D world, and Ocarina of Time defined the standard for 3D games to come. Full of character and story, this large and fun world is filled with adventure. The amount of content that was stuffed into an N64 cartridge was very impressive, and the graphics were fantastic for the time. While some of the mechanics and gameplay have aged slightly, it's still a wonderful time that's worth picking up. (Played on Nintendo 64, 3DS, and Wii)

A Rockstar game that's better than GTA 5, and you know it too. The best way I can describe Red Dead Redemption is western GTA San Andres with a modern engine. That's not a particularly accurate description, but that's a way to describe how it feels. A massive, beautiful open world that's teeming with character and intrigue. The story is a slow build but it's so good, filled with even more interesting characters and fun missions. The gunplay is solid, the horse riding is some of the best gaming has seen, and the western setting is fresh and unique. Red Dead Redemption punches way above it's weight in terms of graphics and gameplay, and sits very comfortably on next-gen consoles with no graphical upgrades. A must-play for anyone who is interested in open world games. (Played on Xbox 360)

Mario Kart is a famous series, both for letting hardcore players reach desperately for the skill ceiling, and for letting non-gamers have a good time shooting shells. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the absolute perfect Mario Kart game, taking all the elements that worked in Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, putting them on a hand-held system, and adding some nice settings for newcomers. I have no worries playing a few rounds with any novice, especially with the auto-steer and auto-accelerate options. Fast, responsible, exciting, and usually very frustrating, Mario Kart is a series that's built on crazy, frantic action. Losing a race in Mario Kart is frustrating, but it's so easy to say "well it's not really my fault, I got hit by a red shell" so you never stay frustrated for long. Easy to play, easy to come back to, but nigh-impossible to master, Mario Kart will be a joy for everyone for ages. (Played on Switch)

A surprise hit that I'll never forgive IGN of giving a lower score than Sniper Elite 3 (that game is garbage!), Wolfenstein: The New Order is a visually spectacular alternate history story, where the Nazis developed the atomic bomb first and won the war. Waking up ages after the war, you and a group of interesting and unusual characters fight against the Nazi overlords. The gunplay is thrilling and hefty, with a wide arsenal of exciting guns. Stealth is exceptionally difficult, but rewarding at lower difficulties and a requirement on Uber difficulty. There's always something useful to find in every nook and cranny, and while you're looking, you'll be working out a simple but thrilling story. Pair all of this with with a coat of fine polish, and you have an incredibly ambitious single-player-only FPS that is a masterpiece. (Played on Xbox One)

The Portal games, along with Half-Life, changed how people thought of puzzles and physics in video games. Not only setting a new standard for creative puzzles, Portal told an interesting story through a grumpy robot overlord, or your friendly drone buddy. Not only are the story and puzzles great, the graphics have still held up beautifully and the gameplay is still super fresh. While lacking in replay value and having relatively short campaigns, the Portal games are already classics that you should have in your library already. Oh, and the Portal 2 co-op levels are fun too. (Played on Steam and Xbox 360)

Serious throwback time! The Legend of Zelda for the NES was the very first video game I ever played, and playing it was a family event. Both Legend of Zelda and Adventures of Link were two-player experiences in our family, the player and the 'second' who drew maps, gave directions, and looked up questions. Legend of Zelda set the bar for open world games for the era, and boasted impressive graphics and responsive combat for the NES. The scale of the world is giant, even in modern terms. The game can certainly be obtuse and cryptic, but it's an empowering to figure it out. I've played it enough that it's quite easy to me, but some of the bosses and enemies are seriously difficult to the unprepared. I would recommend to anyone who likes exploration and patiently conquering a world. (Played on NES, emulators, Wii, Wii U, and 3DS)

Black Ops 2 is the perfect accumulation of Call of Duty, a once-proud franchise. Taking the best elements from Black Ops 1 and the Modern Warfare games, Black Ops 2 delivers a near-perfect multiplayer COD experience, with accurately balanced weapons and fast, tight gunplay. The campaign was excellent, featuring a few branching paths for different endings, and is definitely worth re-playing. But the real element that makes Black Ops 2 stand out is the Zombies mode. Treyarch realized that a lot of people only bought COD games for Zombies, and they delivered. The DLC maps are some of the best zombies maps ever made (Mob of the Dead comes to mind), and some new mechanics and improved engine took Zombies from a neat distraction to genuinely amazing. (Played on Wii U and Xbox 360)

Do you like guns? Borderlands 2 is for you. With over 17 million guns, Borderlands 2 takes an interesting universe, gives it a compelling story that's driven by a legendary villain, literally millions of guns, and packages it all together in a visually and narratively unique package. With enough content to keep you busy for months on end, including massive DLCs, Borderlands 2 is full of heart and content. The stylized graphics age beautifully, and while not perfect, Borderlands 2 is a great time (especially with friends). (Played on Steam, Xbox 360, and Xbox One)

007 Goldeneye told the world that consoles could play first person shooters. Halo showed the world how to do it. While not the first of it's kind, Halo and subsequent sequels revolutionized first person shooters, multiplayer games, and how shooters on consoles could work. Most modern FPS games for console draw inspiration from Halo, whether in weapon systems or level design or vehicles. A fun campaign and endlessly exciting multiplayer set the bar for shooters for ages to come. The Xbox's success is partially due to Halo, and it's not hard to see why Master Chief became the Xbox's mascot. (Played on Xbox and Xbox One)

Easily the best Mario game on the NES, Super Mario Bros 3 feels like a transition to the SNES. Updating mechanics, graphics, progression, and power-ups from the previous two games, Super Mario Bros 3 is the best platformer the NES could possibly offer. Creative, inventive, and quite difficult at times, Super Mario Bros 3 is my favorite Mario game, barely edging out Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. (Played on emulators and 3DS)

San Andreas is better than GTA 5 and you know it. Pushing the boundaries of what could be done at the time, GTA SA is a visually amazing game that spans across an absolutely massive world. A solid story filled with interesting characters pushes the game forward, and while some missions feel a bit repetitive or downright frustrating (any RC vehicle level in any GTA game), San Andres is a fantastic time. Especially when you steal a jet and have a really good time. (Played on iOS and Xbox 360)

Proof that Assassin's Creed could still be done right, Shadow of Mordor invented the Nemesis system to transform an average open-world RPG into the stuff of legends. Orcs have personalities, weaknesses and strengths, and depending how you interact with them and they interact with each other results in an ever-changing hierarchy of Orc captains, commanders, and so on. Pair this with the ability to mind-control Orcs, and you have a playground of Orc commanders. Visually fantastic, excellent controls, and simple but satisfying combat lands Shadow of Mordor a fine spot on this list. (Played on Xbox One)

The perfect puzzle-strategy-tower defense game, wrapped in a weird package, Plants vs Zombies is a neigh-perfect game for what it attempts to be. A massive arsenal of unique and helpful plants to defend against the equally massive and unique zombies will keep PvZ fresh for ages. Side tasks like specialized missions, growing your own zen garden, and much more fill this little game out to punching well above it's weight. Available on practically any platform with a screen, Plants vs Zombies is the Popcap's best game--and that's a big statement. (Played on iOS and PC)

Uh-oh, I like a game the internet has collectively decided to despise. Well my list is my list, and I really enjoyed Watch Dogs. I fell head-first into the hype train, pre-ordering the collectors edition and everything, and I was disappointed at first. But once you step back and look at the game on it's own, it's a pretty fun time. A myriad of interesting, if shallow, characters fill the story, and the personal and small-scale revenge plot motivated me to murder everyone in my path. The hacking mechanics are fun and add another layer of depth to the world, the side missions can get a tad repetitive but usually dish out hearty rewards, and the gunplay is super solid. The stealth mechanics are fun, enhanced by your ability to hack objects and use security cameras. Is it perfect? By no means. But it is a good time, and I've thoroughly enjoyed playing it. (Played on Xbox One)

Mobile games aren't exempt from this list either. Infinity Blade 2 is a visually breathtaking game, especially for mobile, with interesting and intuitive sword fighting gameplay. Look past the flashy graphics and creative enemies and you find a rich, interesting story, featuring immortal gods fighting against humanity. There's even a novel to go with it, which isn't total garbage to read. Almost infinite replay value will keep Infinity Blade 2 coming again and again, and the excitement of finishing off a tough boss or buying a new weapon never gets old. In terms of hardcore mobile games, you can't do much better than Infinity Blade. (Played on iOS)

I'd rather not admit how much time I've put into State of Decay. An unusual take on the zombie world, State of Decay focuses on collecting resources to improve your home base and the lives of your fellow survivors. Featuring permadeath and very limited ammo, a hoard of standard zombies can quickly transition from a nuisance to lethal, especially if any of the special zombies come in. While the driving physics are janky, and the graphics range from tolerably to ugly, the game underneath the murky paintjob is a fun, thrilling, and motivating experience. (Played on Xbox One)

Comparable to Mario Kart in terms of being accessible to noobies and yet attracting for professionals, Super Smash Bros is Nintendo's simple multiplayer fighting game. 2 to 8 people duke it out on a variety of stages, and rather than depleting a life bar, you increase a damage percentage and try to knock your enemies off the stage. While the skill ceiling for any of the Super Smash Bros games is infinitely high, most anyone can spend a few hours playing with characters and settle into their favorites and perfect their style. Tight controls, interesting stages, and by far the largest character roster for any mainstream fighting game, it's the only place where Mario can punch Sonic while Cloud and Ryu duke it out. (Played on Wii U)

The list of good Real-Time Strategy games for consoles is quite short, and my favorite is Halo Wars. Boasting an impressive campaign and even more impressive multiplayer, Halo Wars takes notes from Starcraft and uses a rock-paper-scissors dynamic between two different species. Air beats vehicles, vehicles beat infantry, and infantry dies alone on the ground despite supposedly countering air units. Playing a coordinated match with a team mate is some of the most intense, desperate, and ultimately empowering experiences of any game. Forge + Anders running Grizzly tanks and Hawk air vehicles is one of the most potent strategies in the game, and while not perfectly balanced (Vampires and Scarabs!), it's a fantastic strategy game. (Played on Xbox 360 and Xbox One)

BONUS: Not counted as a proper game because stupid Microsoft murdered it and it's online services, Project Spark is a legendary game-creator for Xbox and PC. I've invested well over 1,400 hours into it, creating games and tutorials, and it's genuinely one of the best apps on the Xbox. If you have it installed, never delete it! You can't get it back. (Played on Xbox One, Windows 8, and Windows 10)