8. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)
It’s a well known fact that Majora’s Mask is the black sheep of the Legend of Zelda franchise. It’s often debated on whether it is better than the classic that is Ocarina of Time. The game, made from the same engine in less than a year, has always loomed in the shadow of, what many consider to be, the greatest game of all time. However, while Ocarina set a precedent for all Zelda games, and even 3D adventure games in general, Majora’s Mask is like an age old fable that becomes more compelling and poignant with every playthrough, and as its players get older. It breaks the form of the traditional “collect items, get sword, save princess” formula and instead puts our hero, Link, as a stranger in a land that is about to meet its certain doom, complete with an imp running amok and summoning the creepiest moon you’ll ever see, set to crash upon the earth in only 3 days time. Players really got a sense of how Bill Murray felt in Groundhog’s Day, and a fascinating idea of a hero’s need to save everyone they can, but at a certain price. Combine Majora’s atmosphere with it’s cast of characters that seems essentially pulled from the show Twin Peaks, and then the special melodic musical writings from Koji Kondo, and Majora’s Mask casts a certain hex on people unlike anything I’ve ever seen in video games. – Evan Griffin
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