2. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
You might have had your first taste of open-world gaming with GTA III or Skyrim, but what are your earliest memories of a game that ticked the fuzzy little Pixar-switch your inner child was holding onto? When was the first time you really went on an adventure, Bilbo Baggins-style? People cite Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto as the video game version of Walt Disney or Hayao Miyazaki - and for good reason. The man doesn't just create characters or environments to explore and get lost in - he creates worlds. Entire interconnected expanses connoting the best fairytale tropes like princesses in faraway lands, plucky young heroes resigned to tiny villages that yearn to see the outside world - and everything that happens thereafter. The difference with Ocarina was you most likely played it when you were a big-dreaming child pondering on what the future held as you sat up 'til the wee hours trying to crack a certain boss or a particularly arduous watery temple. It appealed on such a base level to so many people that when you factor in the fantastic coming-of-age tale that permeates everything you're doing both through control and in-game, Ocarina is one of the finest creative works across any medium for a damn good reason.