In 2008, there will be many, many great and 'would-be' iconic games coming out. Titles such as MGS4, GTA IV, HAZE, Devil May Cry 4, GT5, Burnout Paradise etc... They all show their promises. They all show they might be able to stood against the test of time. However, the more I think about the latest games coming out on Next-gen consoles, I find myself looking back at some of the truly iconic games of our time. And they are not in any particular order. Oh, feel free to add your own. :P

1. ICO and Shadow of the Colossus -

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus really opens up my horizon in gaming. Almost entirely bereft of plot and cut-scenes, yet somehow they manage to be more emotionally engaging and compelling than any other game you care to mention. This is due mainly to the beautiful, ethereal visuals and thrilling orchestral soundtrack. Then of course, the innovative game-play which is so captivating. Innovative gaming at it best. Truly unforgettable titles.

2. Metal Gear Solid -

With out this game, I wouldn't be into gaming as much as I am today. The godfather of stealth game. A truly adult adventure, the game managed to reproduce Bond-style better than any 007 game to date. The cinematic pushed the PS to its limit and the sneaking stealth play revolutionised the genre and the industry. MGS showed us was it like to be in a Hollywood blockbuster thriller. Shown the best way to be suspenseful is by using atmosphere well. Shown us what original game-play/boss fight means (Mantis fight). Shown us what huge plot twist really means and how it can add to the entire experience. Seriously, without MGS, games would be allot different today.

3. Shenmue -

One of the Dreamcast's finest hours, Shenmue is among only a few games that can best be described as 'art' (other such as Ico, SotC, Okami). Taking on the role of Ryo, players are thrown into a world where you decide your own path and shape your own destiny. The environments are brought to life through beautiful visuals and a sweeping soundtrack. The player is granted a lot freedom; you can play the game at whatever pace you like. Doesn't this remind you of another great title. :P

4. GoldenEye -

A tie-in based on the Bond adventure? Normally this is a recipe for disaster, or at least a recipe for an average game. GoldenEye broke all the rules by being a smash hit with Bond fanatics and also offering unsurpassed game-play for everyone else. The game followed the story of the movie closely and all the locations were faithfully reproduced. the one-player game was brilliant, but it's the multi-player that GoldenEye will be remembered for. There are other iconic FPS, like Doom but this one really does it for me.

5. Final Fantasy VII -

That Final Fantasy VII is one of the only games on this list to come with a spoiler warning speaks volumes about how strong its story was. Right? Wrong. Ask anyone to recall the game's story and only ardent fans will be able to untangle the messy tale of the life stream, Mako reactors and the Jenova project that birthed Sephiroth. Instead - and now is the time to engage your spoiler alarms gentlemen/ladies - it was Aeris' death that has preserved Final Fantasy VII's place in gaming's unspoken hall of fame. Having seen their relationship with Cloud gently blossom and your dependence on Aeris as the healer slowly increase, her sudden death was an unexpected jolt that broke RPG convention. If the various stories we've heard are to be believed, it's one of the few twists that actually made gamers cry.

Yet Aeris' death shouldn't detract from FF VII's main achievement elsewhere - namely, it was the first RPG to successfully bridge the gap from 16-bit to 32-bit and brought the niche genre kicking and screaming into the western mainstream. The production values hadn't been matched by anything else at the time and, along with the brilliant way you could create Materia combinations, its popularity quickly soared. The purists argue that Locke's story in FF VI was more engaging, while Squall and Rinos's protracted love Story in FF VIII. it doesn't matter. Final Fantasy VII provided RPGs with a much-needed jolt in the arm and gave us one of gaming's all time iconic images. Job done.

6. Zelda: Link to the Past -

We're not at all surprised that Link's most memorable adventure (at least in my eyes) appears on this list - at least one friend of mine cites it as the defining game of his childhood, with others nodding their approval. Certainly, the SNES helped take out Hyrulian hero to new heights by taking what had already proved a huge success (the original Zelda formula, as opposed to the side scrolling approach of the sequel) and making it... well, more.

For starter, there's a proper story - complete with side-quest and table-turning twists, and whereas before you were never given any true indication of where to go or what to do, Link To the Past hangs together better in terms of sheer logical progression.

Of course, it's so beautifully vibrant, packed into a world full of character and life, and that fact that it takes advantage of the SNES's abilities makes a big difference too. From zooming around the map in Mode 7 to the incredibly elaborate (for the time) bosses, not to mention the way the game teases areas that you can't reach before rewarding you with new and interesting items that allow you to progress - the game is a delight to behold.

7. Street Fighter II Turbo -

Occasionally when a company has a great deal of success with a videogame, sequels are rushed out almost immediately. But that was not the case when Street Fighter II hit big. Oh no, instead, Capcom began tweaking the game and attempting to improve on perfection. Street Fighter II Turbo is the best of these upgrades, offering yet more characters to go with all the originals. As well as the new additions, the game now plays much faster than it ever did and there's also an all-new colour scheme throughout as well. Underneath all of this, the original intense game-play remains and I completely lost count of how many coins I wasted on this back in the arcade day. Of course, it wasn't wasted money.

8. Super Mario World

As a launch game for the SNES, Nintendo really couldn't have done much better than Super Mario World. And that's not just because it heralded the return of Mario, who had taken on the role of being 'the face of videogames' at the time with great pleasure indeed, I'd be more inclined to point out how the game was easy to get into, challenging enough to test players to their limits and had enough levels, bosses and secrets to keep you playing for a long, long time. Nintendo's genius was already well catalogued... but it took Super Mario World to prove it to a wider audience.

Of course, the actual action of the game isn't exactly original, especially given the previous success of Super Mario Bros 3 on the NES - platform jumping, enemy stomping and Bowser beating are all very much the order of the day, although I hardly going to complain about that.

However, Super Mario World manages to combine some more detailed landscapes and interesting new faces (including the first ever appearance from Nintendo regular Yoshi - which means 'happy' in Japanese) with the capable effects of the SNES to create an even more absorbing game. And naturally, it's a massive mountain to climb too; finishing the game might not take that long (although it's certainly long enough) but finding all 96 'exits' and seeing everything is incredibly hard. Still, the challenge is certainly worth the effort. Just don't mention the word Tubular to me, or I will be liable to run away screaming.

9. Daytona USA

Daytona USA came to two separate Sega consoles - the Saturn and the Dreamcast - and remains one of its most loved racers. The game is noted for the intelligence of fellow drivers who react to not only to your driver but also other computer-controlled foes as they all jostle for the best position. While in order to win the race you'll have to avoid them, one of my best memories of the game is the multiple car pile-ups - I'd like to say that I can smile as I speed past the lumps of metal, but normally I'm in amongst the debris myself. :P Fantastic.

10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Ah... thought I never going to put Sonic on the list? Well, you're wrong and here it is. Sega's prickly blue mascot returns for his second dose of high-speed plat forming nonsense, this time he's accompanied by a new hero, Miles 'Tails' Prower. Game-play is essentially the same as that of the original Sonic title - the story sees Dr Robotnik, once again trying to take over the world, this time by turning cute little animals into robots. Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails must restore peace by collecting all the chaos emeralds while also storing rings. Bigger than the first game, it also introduces a two-player option, where you can race against each other. One of the Mega Drive's greatest titles, Sonic's legend was firmly cemented here in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

11. Tetris

You can't really talk about iconic games without any mention of this great classic. A simple but devilishly addictive puzzler. Tetris the Game Boy version will be the most widely revered, but it can also be seen as a major contributor to the success of the console. The greatest Russian export since vodka, the rotating block title is remembered for its ace soundtrack and its unbeatable game-play - there are few who couldn't hum the classic theme and even fewer who have not gone to bed with images of bricks falling through their minds. No? Okay just me then. :P

12. Tomb Raider

One of the games that helped shift the original Playstation, Lara Croft's debut adventure ushered in a new era of 'Girl Power' as our heroine travelled the world grabbing ancient treasures. Before the series was diluted with rushed and unimpressive sequels (although the latest one did get back to form), Lara did actually spend her time raiding tombs and the puzzles were ingenious and tricky. In terms of its influence over the genre and a million substandard adventures since, Tomb Raider was arguably the last generation's most iconic title.