Tekken 3

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The big one. A lifetime of gaming distilled into 150 essential experiences, the games everyone should play at least once before the credits roll. Ordered from 1978 to today, this is a guided tour through the entire history of the medium, from the arcade cabinets that started it all to the modern masterpieces still being made. Every genre, every era, every must-play. You will not agree with all of it, and that is half the fun. Pick one, start playing, and work your way through a lifetime of greatness.

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The grey box that made gaming cool and put a CD drive in every living room. The original PlayStation was the home of the JRPG golden age, the birth of survival horror, and the moment 3D gaming truly went mainstream. This is where Final Fantasy VII broke hearts, Metal Gear Solid rewrote the rulebook, and Crash and Spyro became household names. Mind your memory cards. From genre-defining giants to beloved cult classics, here is the essential PS1 collection.

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The cream of the crop, the games critics simply could not fault. Ranked by Metacritic score, this is the all-time critical elite, every single one sitting at 95 or higher. At the very top, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and its near-perfect 99, a record that has stood for over two decades. Below it, a roll call of Nintendo classics, genre-defining shooters and generation-defining RPGs. If you want a reading list of the finest games ever made, start here and work your way down. There is not a dud in sight.