1. Final Fantasy VII -- I never owned a PlayStation, and I'm a recent convert to FF, so I'm curious to play what seems to be the most talked-about entry in the series. 2. Soul Calibur -- Supposedly the best fighter of all time, I've actually gone and bought a Dreamcast just to play it (and lots of other fighters on that console). 3. Halo 2 -- I played through and loved the 1st one, but I sold my Xbox awhile later, and have never gotten to play the sequel. 4. Metal Gear Solid -- Again, I wasn't a PlayStation owner, and this, along with FFVII, seem to be thought of as that console's most important games. 5. Oblivion -- I've never played any kind of MMORPG, for fear that I'll like it so much I won't want to stop (my wife would probably have something to say about that). But if I were to start, I'd go with this one, since it seems to be universally adored. Also, I'm not much for PC gaming, so World of Warcraft is out.

I can't argue too much with this list, though I would have put Zelda at #1 and the original Super Mario Bros. at #2. They are undoubtedly the two most outstanding and influential games of the past 20 years. They are to video games what Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Led Zeppelin I are to rock 'n roll.