This was supposed to be a top 50 list, but I just kept going and didn't know what games to cut, and ended up at 60. Before I get into my list, I'll go into a history of my gaming experience, and why I am writing this list in the first place. It turned out a bit longer than I was initially expecting, so feel free to skip this section and go straight to the games to scoff at my gaming ignorance and what I have let pass me by.

I have plenty of 'retro' game memories, but there have been several years where I wasn't really involved in console gaming. I played a few games during that time on friends' consoles, but didn't really own any since the Mega Drive (or Genesis depending on where you live). I've owned a video store for about 5 years, and while I looked longingly at the Playstation 2 games on the shelf from time to time, and occasionally took them over friends houses, it took the arrival of the Xbox 360 in Australia for me to purchase a console, and get back into heavier gaming. The majority of my gaming prior to this had been on Sega Master System, Mega Drive, with some NES, SNES and Nintendo 64 thrown in. I realise I must have had a Playstation, because I had Final Fantasy VII, but I don't recall any other games that I played in my house on that system. Maybe I borrowed it? No matter.

Owning a video store that rents out Xbox 360 games obviously has its perks. Whenever a new game came in, I took it home and gave it a bash. Obviously some were great, while others were either mediocre or not my type of game. I started searching the web for more gaming news and, obviously, became a member of this site. With a renewed interest in gaming, as well as for determining which titles to select for my video store, I read every news update, review, and previews, downloaded On The Spot and HotSpot media every week, and also began scouring the archives to build my general gaming knowledge.

When the Wii came out, I'd read enough about it to be enticed, and purchased it on release day. Not long after that, a friend mentioned that now might be a good time to look out for cheap GameCube games. I had previously had zero exposure to Game Cube. So to Game Spot I went, and checked the top games of all time for the system. I was also intrigued by the Virtual Console, which was listing some games I remembered from earlier days, including a couple that I would be happy to revisit.

It was also about this time that I downloaded the demo for Castlevania : Symphony of the Night from the Xbox Live Arcade. I played it. I played it again. YOU TEASE! 15 minutes is not enough! And thus, this became my first game purchased over the service, and it has consumed at least a couple of dozen hours of play time. Halfway through the inverted castle, it's on the back burner now, but I'm still compelled to explore everything this game has to offer. While I've never played a game solely for it's technical prowess, it took this game to really deliver that sense that good game play will stand the test of time.

I thought to myself, there have been hundreds of games released for these older systems, and there were bound to be dozens that had great gameplay that stood the test of time. So I've been trawling through Top Games lists. I've read the Greatest Games of All Time Archive. I've even been taking note of which older games other game enthusiasts want on the Virtual Console or XBLA, and checking out reader reviews for those as well; it's got me excited about games I've never even seen before, but I want them to come to these services so I can check them out! I have since purchased Metroid Prime and Paper Mario : Thousand Year Door for the Game Cube. It was my intention to finish Metroid Prime before touching Paper Mario, but I got stuck, didn't have access to a FAQ, and loaded up Paper Mario, which has consumed over 15 hours of my time in the last week or so.

I find it ironic, it has taken the new generation of consoles to make me dig into the past. I've now made the decision that I don't really need to play every new Xbox 360 game that comes into my shop, when I can play older ones which are probably going to be better. Bulletwitch is the only game in my shop I haven't taken home within days of release (mainly due to Castlevania) and given it's less than stellar reviews, I think I'll leave it that way. With all the backwards compatibility and downloadable services, there probably hasn't been a better time to look back to the past.

So on to the games. For the purpose of this list, my definition of past generation is anything prior to Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii. I know that Playstation 2's are still in production and still have games being released, but it is towards the end of it's cycle, and there is a huge catalogue of games already established. Given that I missed a lot of great games for the system, they easily make my list. I am also forgoing handhelds (at least at the moment). I'll begin with series of games, then move onto single titles.

Zelda Series
My play experience with Zelda amounts to A Link To The Past at a friends place for a few hours, and a few hours of The Twilight Princess on the Wii. Given that the first Zelda was released on the Virtual Console, I stopped playing Twilight Princess with the intent to download it. Now with most Zelda games being available via Virtual Console and the Wind Waker being back compatible on the Wii, it seems I will be able to obtain the entire series with relative ease. I think this will be an interesting journey to see how these games developed over time.
Legend of Zelda (NES)
Zelda II : The Adventure of Link (NES)
Legend of Zelda : A Link To The Past (SNES)
Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time (N64)
Legend of Zelda : Majora's Mask (N64)
Legend of Zelda : Wind Waker (GC)

Final Fantasy Core Series
I'm not going to list all of them, because I probably don't need to play them all. However, it does seem from the reviews that I've read that each one does offer something different, or new twists on the combat or job systems. Having played through and loved Final Fantasy VII, I guess the only reason I haven't played through any others is because of the time investment required, and until recently, I wasn't putting a lot of time into games. With some of them being remade for the DS, it may be the right time to pick some of the earlier games up on this system. I currently have easy access to X, X-2, and XII, but are these the best ones, or should I be looking further into the past?

Grand Theft Auto Series
I played the original Grand Theft Auto on the PC, but my time with the the 3D console versions has been limited to brief plays around a mates place. With GTA4 looming on the horizon, I should play through the games that kickstarted the sandbox genre.
Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)
Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas (PS2)
Grand Theft Auto : Vice City (PS2)

Metal Gear Solid Series
I think I did have a brief play of Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation on a friends machine. Reading the reviews and on strong recommendation from a couple of friends, I imagine this series is worth properly investigating. I assume that Twin Snakes is the best version of the original Metal Gear Solid.
Metal Gear Solid : Twin Snakes (GC)
Metal Gear Solid 2 (which version?)
Metal Gear Solid 3 : Subsistence (PS2)

Resident Evil Series
Here is a series I had heard about, but didn't really know. I was impressed by the recent preview of the Wii Edition of Resident Evil 4 on On The Spot. Reading the reviews of the previous games makes me want to give them a whirl. I assume I'm better off going for the Game Cube version of the first game, although I imagine it could be a bit jarring following it up with the second one on theoriginalPlaystation.
Resident Evil (GC)
Resident Evil 2 (PS)
Resident Evil 3 (PS)

Final Fantasy Tactics (PS)
Vagrant Story (PS)
Chrono Cross (PS)
Halo 1 + 2 (Xbox) - Yep. Never played them. As with Grand Theft Auto, I should probably get these out of the way before plunging into Halo 3.
Banjo-Kazooie (N64) - While I haven't played too many recently, I don't mind some 3D platforming adventures. This seems like a good place to get a fix when I do feel the need.
Banjo-Tooie (N64)
Twisted Metal : Black (PS2) - I'm not big on car racing simulations, and prefer the more arcadey racers than simulations. This sounds as arcade as they come, and something I could enjoy. It's the only card game on this list, but I'm happy for it to be here.
Paper Mario (N64) - After playing Paper Mario : Thousand Year Door, Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG are definitely on the list.
Super Mario RPG : Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)
Star Wars Rogue Leader : Rogue Squadron II (GC) - I don't mind me some Star Wars. Attach the licence to a good game and I'm sold.
God of War (PS2) - I have actually played a fair bit of this game. I took it around a friends house and we took turns playing, and got about half way through. I really should finish it, and then move along to God of War 2.
God of War 2 (PS2)
Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64) - Squirrels with attitude? Sounds like my kind of fun.
Pikmin (GC) - The reviews for this game have been good. The video I downloaded was a cut scene which showed me nothing about the gameplay. But I am still intrigued.
Viewtiful Joe (GC) - This sounds like a unique game which I should get my hands on.
Rayman 2 (PS2) - The only Rayman game I have played is Raving Rabbids for the Wii. Perhaps I should check out the roots of this character.
Freedom Fighters (GC)
Metroid Prime 2 (GC) - Having already played some Metroid Prime, I am a fan of the exploring gameplay, and will form the
bridge when Metroid Prime 3 comes to the Wii.
Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic 1 + 2 (Xbox) - Star Wars RPG? Sold.
Suikoden 3 (PS2)
Devil May Cry (PS2)
Okami (PS2) - I was intrigued by this game prior to its release, but never picked it up for my shop (the unfortunate "great game, shame it won't rent" syndrome). Now I'm wishing that I had for my own satisfaction.
Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)
Xenogears (PS)
Panzer Dragoon Orta (XBOX) - Not much on my list in the way of shooters like this. This seems unique enough to warrant playing.
Tales of Symphonia (GC)
Baldur's Gate : Dark Alliance (PS2)
Soul Reaver 2 (PS2)
Alundra (PS) - Maybe I did have a Playstation, because I remember putting some hours into this. I am definitely happy to revisit this game.
Kingdom Hearts 1 + 2 (PS2) - An odd setting for an RPG, but I think that just makes it more compelling.
Shadows of the Colossus (PS2) - Another epic game that intrigues me.
Harvest Moon : A Wonderful Life (GC) - A farming RPG? Really? Again, a title that intrigues me because of it's uniqueness.
Monster Rancher 2 (PS) - This sounds like a blast. Although, is backwards compatibility an issue due to it's unique interface? Can this be played on a Playstation 2 or 3?
Doom 3 (Xbox) - I was a great fan of Doom and Doom 2 on the PC, but have yet to check out the 3rd entry in the series.
Fable (Xbox) - Another title I should get out of the way before playing the sequel. By 'get out of the way', of course I mean thoroughly enjoy based on its own merits; I have a couple of friends who are quite fond of this game.
Fire Emblem : Path of Radiance (GC)
Pirates! (Xbox) - I used to love this game on PC way back when. I'd be just as happy to play it today.
Kingdom Under Fire : Crusaders (Xbox) - I didn't know anything about this title until it got shipped to my video store as part of a retail games program. The box and the genre got me interested, and the review tipped the scales. Alas, this game is not yet backwards compatible with the Xbox 360.

There are a sizable number of RPG's on that list. I've always been a fan of RPG's, but not being able to play them frequently can detract from the immersion between play sessions (not to mention remembering what the hell you were doing, have equipped, earned... all the trappings of the RPG).

Are there some games I've listed that simply haven't stood the test of time, or have been superceded by more recent titles? Are there others not on the list I need to play (I've just realised ActRaiser is not on the list...)? I'm sure I won't be able to play all of these. While I put more time into games now, it is still an issue. Also tracking down some of these games or even systems to play them on might be tough, expensive, or both. But I'm sure there are enough that I won't be without great games to play for a long time to come.

Those who read every news update will know that the guys over at gamerscoreblog sent out a call for ideas for Xbox Live Arcade, be it games or other stuff. I had an idea, which while not exactly original, could be very innovative for the service. For some reason, I could not post on their blog, so I thought I would put it into a blog here.

Have a shoot-em-up maker made available, and have it as a free download. What I imagine should be in as far as content goes:
- 100 or more ships/aliens/whatever available and probably in several different colours each. Some animations should probably be preset for simplicity's sake, but could be allowed to be changed by the designer. Perhaps the size could be scaled as well.
- A bunch of projectiles.
- A number of backdrops, which would suit side scrolling, vertical scrolling or both. Perhaps an effect to blend two backdrops together would need to be implemented.
- A number of music tracks or loops.
- A bunch of sound effects which should satisfy the requirements of the genre. Firing sounds, explosions, alert sounds, boost sounds etc.

As far as variables that players can play around with:
- Ship speed and inertia
- 'Hit points' of your own ship and enemy ships.
- Points for each enemy ship killed or stage passed.
- Projetile speeds
- Placement of enemies within the level; perhaps some % chance that they will appear to add a little randomness to a level.
- Trajectory or flight patterns of enemies once they appear.
- % chance that they will drop a an upgrade (e.g. you could attach an upgrade with a 100% chance to a particular enemy type if your game has an upgrade bubble for example, or you could make the upgrades a little more random. You could also attach upgrades to a specific enemy instead of the whole type)
- Assign what each upgrade does. Does it replace your main weapon? Does it become a new weapon which you have assigned to another button?
- When you die, what happens? Do your weapons downgrade? Do you go back to your starting weapon? Do you begin the level again? Do you lose points? Are you invulnerable for a short time?
- Define what happens if you have multiple weapons. If you are firing weapon 1, can you fire weapon 2 at the same time?
Evasion tactics, if any, that an enemy will take if a certain projectile is in range.

Extra art/music/sound etc packs could be created by Microsoft devs and added over time as well to help keep things fresh. (The art content could be sorted into tilesets for different art types; alien, modern aerial, insects etc to help people make a more cohesive game)

The biggest problem in terms of game design I see with this system is boss fights, which are generally the more memorable parts of shooters.

Now comes the part where this might fall on its arse. As I said before, this utility would be a free download. Once a user has created a game, they can upload it from within the creator. Ideally they would give it a name and a description, and preferably a 'cover' of some sort (this would be difficult as I understand all the art would need to be supplied through the creator) to make it stand out from the others. Once a title is uploaded, it can be downloaded by others.

I'm trying to wrap my head around how points would work here, but it's giving me a headache. Here are a few thoughts:
- Games made by others can be downloaded for a small fee, with a tiny percent of that being added to the creators points. For example, others could download it for 20 points, Microsoft gets 19, and the creator gets 1.
- Games to be rated by other users. If your stuff is good, others will download it, earning you more points. If you play a game and try to to exit, it should come up with a message, "Please rate this game" and have a 5 star rating, inappropriate, or a 'rate later' option (if you want to play it more before you rate it).
- Potentially, Microsoft could charge a fee for uploading, say 50 points (but perhaps upping the points earned by the creator for each transaction). This might sound dumb, but it means people won't be posting up large amounts of crap, or posting their same game a large number of times under different names. It adds a 'money where your mouth is' quality to the system - If 10 people download your 'game' you spent 5 minutes making that takes 3 minutes to complete and rate your product zero, no-one else will be downloading your game, and you won't recover the points you spent uploading it. Perhaps it could be zero for the first month to get some content up there, and then charge.

So I don't know if those systems are workable, but it's a thought. Will any of these be as polished as games that go through real development? Of course not. But if the creation system itself is developed well, the user created content should at least have the potential to be decent. Personally, I probably wouldn't create anything with the system. But even if some of these only lasted half an hour, I'd probably pay 50 cents for it. It's a hell of a lot more down at the real arcade. And assuming you are connected to Live and you have previously downloaded the creator, downloading the games would be almost instantaneous, as you already have the art and music on your hard drive, and all you are downloading are some parameters and enemy placement.

A similar system could be used for RPG's (bring on the keyboard attachment for that one!). I'd like to say side-scrolling beat-em-up as well, but that seems ambitious. As an afterthought, 2D platformers shouldn't be too hard, but could be a little uninspiring without the extra polish granted most games of that genre.

What are your thoughts on such a system? Would you create a game using a system like this (from any genre where it might work) for the world to see? Would you buy one of these games if it was 50 cents? If they are that cheap, would you buy an unrated game if you thought it's description was good enough?

Recently news went up that Michael Pachter, an analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities had issued a 207 page report regarding the current state of the industry and forecasting the future of the new generation consoles. After reading several replies the thing that seemed to ruffle the feathers of several Gamespot members was the forecast that the Playstation 3 would edge out this console war by 2011. The main argument against it was "Games sell systems! The Playstation 3 doesn't have games!"

So I'd like to analyze that a little bit. Let's take an overall look at games released for the systems so far. I will coin the term 'notable game' for this article. This will mean any game that has a review of 7.0 or more, as reviewed by Gamespot. I used the 'Top Games' feature for the relevant format, using Top Games of All Time. Yes, reviews are subjective, but this is just to get an overall feel for the playfield.

First up, let's look at all notable titles. The Xbox 360 currently has 107 notable games.

PS3 currently has 28 titles. So from this perspective, the Xbox 360 has around 4 times the number of games worth playing. Of course, both systems will have games that are in genres that you have no interest in whatsoever, so the number of titles that interest you as an individual will definitely be less than this. Let's do a quick breakdown of a couple of the major genres.

Shooter
Xbox 360 has 12 notable Shooters (I added the ranks of First Person Shooters, Tactical Shooters, plus Gears of War. You can drop the Live Arcade version of Doom if you like). The PS3 has 3 Shooters, 2 of which are on the Xbox 360.

Racing
The Xbox 360 has 7 notable racing games. The PS3 has 4.

Action Adventure
The Xbox 360 has 11 notable action/adventure games. The PS3 has 2.

So if I was a Shooter fanatic and wanted to buy a new generation console with 5 games, I'd have to go for the Xbox 360. The same can be said for the other genres. It's an overgeneralisation, as I'm sure many gamers don't stick to just one genre, but it illustrates the point.

I don't know how many games they are going to make for either system or how good they are going to be. But the gap between notable games on the two systems will close over time. Will the Xbox 360 have more notable games for a long time? It probably will. I'd wager that it will have more notable games for the rest of this console cycle (remember, for the purpose of this article, that means titles that score 7.0 or more from Gamespot). For the person who currently has an Xbox 360, this is great news. You bought in at a time when the Xbox 360 had many more great games than the Playstation 3. With the development costs of games so high, most will go multiplatform, so the Xbox 360 will continue to get the majority of great games the PS3 will get in the future. But that's for those who have an Xbox 360 right now. What about in 2 or 3 years time?

Let's look at one extreme to another. We've compared the early days of the new generation consoles. Let's take a look at the 'notable games' for the fading systems.

The Playstation 2 has 731 notable titles. Now, some of these may be more than 5 years old and may not hold up as well, and some may be yearly updates of sports games that make previous iterations irrelevant, but that's the number. The Xbox has 463. That's less than two thirds of the notable titles on the Playstation 2.

But if someone intended to go and buy either of those systems today, with the intention of picking up even 50 of those top ranked games, the decision is not so one-sided. With the Xbox being a technically superior machine, it may win out, especially if most of the games you are interested in made it to both platforms. Of slight interest is that the Playstation 2 has 25 notable First Person Shooters, while the Xbox has 38, but if you wanted to buy 10 First-Person shooters for either of them today, both systems still have plenty of worthy games.

Going full circle, the Xbox 360 currently has 107 notable games, compared to 28 for the Playstation 3. Perhaps in 2 years time, the Xbox 360 will have 300 compared to 200 on the Playstation 3. I'm not a tech head, but I'm sure that in most respects, the Playstation 3 is the superior piece of hardware. With this generation of hardware, we are likely to see more games go multiplatform, so as developers get better at squeezing everything out of the hardware, the PS3 versions are likely to have that little extra edge over the Xbox 360 version. So in 2 years time if someone wants to buy one of these units and 3 games which are available on both platforms, why not choose the Playstation 3? That's why the Playstation 3 MIGHT win this console war. Remember, it's all speculative. Price may still be an issue, but personally, for me it's about time to play the games themselves.

If any of this comes off as Sony fanboyism, I've never owned a Sony system. I currently have an Xbox 360, and if you want to buy a console today, I would recommend that you purchase a 360 over the Playstation 3.

But if you ask me again in a few years... who knows?