3) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a major milestone for 3D gaming. For the first time gamers had a polygonal environment to explore that wasn’t just an abstract collection of triangles and cubes, but felt like a living, breathing world. The haunting, ethereal Lost Woods, the bracing, adventurous feeling of Hyrule field, the dread-soaked Ganon’s Castle — Ocarina of Time brought together technology and art design to create indelible, evocative locations the likes of which gamers had never seen before, and have rarely seen since.
2) Shadow of the Colossus
The massive, shambling Colossi of Shadow of the Colossus are masterpieces of technology and art design — to this day few video game characters are as awe and dread-inspiring as Team Ico’s creations. The world these monsters inhabit shouldn’t be underappreciated either though. Vast, misty and wind-swept, it’s a world that provides you with no mercy or hiding place once you encounter one of its massive denizens. Shadow of the Colossus almost doesn’t feel like a game. Sure, there are challenges to best, but simply existing within its beautiful world often feels like reward enough.