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.