1998 was the greatest year in video game history, and MGS was a headliner in that stable of watershed achievements. It hasn't aged as gracefully — thematically, in its direct sequel's case, and mechanically, for the third installment — as its successors, but that should be a given. The game holds up, and its sound design is as breathtaking as it was over two decades ago.

Quite possible the best video game ever made. The amount of incidental nuance in the gameplay set a standard that's still rarely matched, and the emphasis on atmosphere and isolation provide a template other games have failed to follow. It also manages, somehow, to offer a beautiful statement on motherhood. Gunpei Yokoi was yanked from this world far too soon, but in his time with us, he gave the us the greatest work of art that necessitates a controller.

An absolute masterpiece of kinesthetics. The world is bleeding with style, and the desire to save it is inextricably tied to its beauty. The social sim elements aren't new to the Persona series, but here more than ever they reinforce the idea of something worthy of sacrifice and struggle. The best soundtrack in video game history, too. If there's a better JRPG, I need to find it.