Update: Edge Magazine's Definitive 15 Greatest Games of the Past 20 Years.

http://www.edge-online.com/features/edge-tens-the-greatest-videogames-of-the-last-twenty-years/

As we approach our 20th anniversary, allow us a moment to reflect. When we reviewed The Last Of Us earlier this year, it became the 15th game in Edges history to be awarded a 10, joining a small group of landmark releases; important, brilliant, inspiring games which each defined a specific moment in the evolution of play.

Here are the 15 videogames that achieved that accolade to date, and more importantly, the writing that led to each moment. You can read each review in full through links in the game titles and images below.

Super Mario 64

The world of videogaming has just changed forever. The prospect of what Nintendo can deliver further down the line truly boggles the mind July 1996

 

Gran Turismo

No other racing videogame has ever offered players such a convincing and rewarding racing environment. January 1998

 

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

The game singlehandedly restores the faith in both the creative might of Nintendo and in the power of the videogame as an entertainment medium. A work of genius. November 1998

 

Halo: Combat Evolved

This is not hyperbole: this is the most important launch game for any console, ever. It doesnt mean the XBox will succeed, but it does mean that, if it fails, it will leave videogaming with one perfect, eloquently coded moment. November 2001

 

Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2 is a firstperson shooter. But in action, storytelling, technical achievement, atmosphere and intensity it has far outdone its peers. Valve just hit the top note no other PC game developer could reach. October 2004

 

Halo 3

In substance its nothing new, merely a magnificent, beautiful monster of an FPS sequel. In concept and execution, though, Halo 3 is the future. September 2007

 

The Orange Box

Valves genius is in the way it constructs its worlds through unspoken means and The Orange Box is a perfect realisation of some staggering talent. October 2007

 

Super Mario Galaxy

The ideas, jokes, twists, surprises, new games, rules and interactions simply never stop coming. In fact, they intensify into a ceaseless torrent of absurd details and insane conceptual leaps. December 2007

 

Grand Theft Auto IV

Yes, theres still the freedom to cause havoc, and inevitably you do; the difference is that youre no longer impelled to toy with GTA IVs world in quite the same sadistic way you live in it. May 2008

 

LittleBigPlanet

 

Work and play collide in this game with such unprecedented force that they become indistinguishable. October 2008

 

Bayonetta

Bayonetta is the kind of game you dream of playing, the kind of game every platform needs, and the kind of game any developer with ambition would fantasise about having on their CV.   January 2010

 

Super Mario Galaxy 2

This isnt a game that redefines the genre: this is one that rolls it up and locks it away. May 2010

 

Rock Band 3

Harmonix now takes its rightful place alongside all who have championed the gift of music, not to mention those who have, just as importantly, kept it in step with technology. November 2010

 

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Unsurprisingly for a game with a key mechanic that involves flinging Link into tumbling freefall, a glint of matinee idol derring-do is never far from its eye. November 2011

 

The Last Of Us

Naughty Dog has delivered the most riveting, emotionally resonant story-driven epic of this generation. June 2013

Why does everybody count The orange box as one game when it is in fact five.

What a garbage list. Completely console centric, and uterly ignorant of most ACTUAL games. Jeebus, Last of us is a glorified movie trailer. The gameplay was mediocre at best.

The only games that deserve to be in that list are Half-Life 2, Ocarina of time, and Halo 3. There should be at least 4 PC games up here as well

How the hell does SMG2 redefine the platformer genre when it didn't improve much over it's predecessor?nintendoboy16

A whole bunch of great games although I'd replace Rock Band 2 with Uncharted 2. I can't believe EDGE forgot to include Uncharted 2 in that list and also where the hell is MGS :o ?!

How the hell does SMG2 redefine the platformer genre when it didn't improve much over it's predecessor?nintendoboy16

Edit* You read it wrong. "This isnt a game that redefines the genre: this is one that rolls it up and locks it away. May 2010"

They say it doesn't redefine the genre; It just rolls it up and locks it away.

What a horrendous list.

Pretty much a by the numbers list.

Im not saying its a bad list but it hits all of the safe and usual games that are mentioned the most with no sense of originality to the list or independant opinion. All its missing to be a completely knee jerk reaction list is skyrim

What a horrendous list.

Renegade_Fury

Mainstream appeal list. Bleh.

http://www.edge-online.com/features/edge-tens-the-greatest-videogames-of-the-last-twenty-years/

Halo: Combat Evolved

This is not hyperbole: this is the most important launch game for any console, ever. It doesnt mean the XBox will succeed, but it does mean that, if it fails, it will leave videogaming with one perfect, eloquently coded moment. November 2001

Halo 3

In substance its nothing new, merely a magnificent, beautiful monster of an FPS sequel. In concept and execution, though, Halo 3 is the future. September 2007

LordOfPoms

callofdutyrulez has been owned

'bu bu Halo isn't quality'

:cool:

A whole bunch of great games although I'd replace Rock Band 2 with Uncharted 2. I can't believe EDGE forgot to include Uncharted 2 in that list and also where the hell is MGS :o ?!

Kaz_Son

[QUOTE="Renegade_Fury"]

What a horrendous list.

Nintendo_Ownes7

I still say it's horrendous. Skyward Sword, Bayonetta, Halo 3, and Little Big Planet are 10's? :|

Agree with most of it but Halo 3 needs to be swapped out for COD4.

[QUOTE="Kaz_Son"]

A whole bunch of great games although I'd replace Rock Band 2 with Uncharted 2. I can't believe EDGE forgot to include Uncharted 2 in that list and also where the hell is MGS :o ?!

bbkkristian

That's a pretty awful list.

The only good game in this list is Half life 2 and i guess its only because to apeal fans otherwise this list is probably made by new generation console games who start gaming with 360SNIPER4321

I'll ask you again, since you hate all games. Why do you come to a games website.

Agree with most of it but Halo 3 needs to be swapped out for COD4.

Obviously_Right

I agree with most of it but Skyward Sword, LBP, and Bayonetta. I would of replaced those with Uncharted 2, Bioshock, and Red Dead Redemption. Kind of surprised to not see Call of Duty on there. Crysis on tech along could of made the list but at least they know a terrible game when they see one regarless of how nice it looks.

Agree with most of it but Halo 3 needs to be swapped out for COD4.

Obviously_Right

Some are right some are wrong, really cool seeing Bayo there though.tagyhag

Get rid of the console kiddy shooters and replace them with Total War and it would be a sort of ok list.

Everything was good up until Halo 3.  At that point the list detoriated rapidly.

[QUOTE="muffin200"]

[QUOTE="SNIPER4321"]The only good game in this list is Half life 2 and i guess its only because to apeal fans otherwise this list is probably made by new generation console games who start gaming with 360SNIPER4321

I'll ask you again, since you hate all games. Why do you come to a games website.

[QUOTE="Obviously_Right"]

Agree with most of it but Halo 3 needs to be swapped out for COD4.

RR360DD

The fvck? They launched, like, 90 days apart :lol: :lol:

[QUOTE="RR360DD"][QUOTE="Obviously_Right"]

Agree with most of it but Halo 3 needs to be swapped out for COD4.

Obviously_Right

The fvck? They launched, like, 90 days apart :lol: :lol:

Well that was entertaining, Bayonetta? lol, Mario 64 and BOTH mario galaxies? lol, GTAIV? rofl, 2 Halos? lol, Skyward Sword? lmao, LBP? lol, I forgot what else was on there but yh this is a joke.

[QUOTE="Kaz_Son"]:lol: @ "True FPS"SNIPER4321

[QUOTE="Kaz_Son"]:lol: @ "True FPS"SNIPER4321

I do not agree with every game on this list therefore this list is garbage and the writer ought to be fired.Ninja-Hippo

So people complaining should just realize that it is the only games that Edge gave a 10/10.

I remember the fist time I saw Gran Turismo. I was at the Sony Store in Chicago, and they had it running on an HD TV (when a 35" HD TV was like $5 grand). I was blown away at how cool it looked. That, and HD TV in general - they also had a HD video of lions sitting in tall grass while staking a zebra or something...

Anyway, pretty good list. Can't really argue with a whole lot of them. Although, ignoring Bethesda games is a bit of an eyebrow raiser.