The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

If you want to get technical, we've been waiting for this game since 2000, when Nintendo teased the world with video of an "adult" Link and Gannondorf squaring off in a life-or-death duel. Since that time, we've seen spin offs and cel-shaded cartoon visions of Zelda, but nothing rivaling the intensity of Ocarina of Time. Well, Princess has absolutely, without a doubt, been worth the wait. It's the culmination of everything Zelda, perfected and tweaked so there's practically nothing to bring the experience down.

From the first run through the little village of Ordon to the first glimpse of Gannondorf to the brain-bashing dungeons, Twilight Princess offers a more imaginative and better constructed game than any other this season. Right from the start you're given Epona, Link's trusty steed from Ocarina. Then you're led into a search and rescue mission. Soon after that, the whole world is turned upside down by grotesque creatures and an invading darkness that plagues the countryside. Before it's all done, you'll have ventured all over the world and beyond, from lakebeds to mountaintops and everywhere in between.

It's a safe bet that you know how the series is set up, so all you really need to know is that Princess delivers everything you want - all the weapons you want to see, dungeons that will humble even the best players and constant nods to SNES and N64 classics, A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. This newest Zelda knows its roots, but what exactly makes it better than its predecessors?