Twenty-Five Game of the Years is a list like no other. Heck, there are sites that barely go back to the late 90s. But in good service, I have ran down my twenty-five years of gaming chose a top choice for its’ respective year of release and moment played i.e., I really did play Super Mario Bros in 1985. Yes, I am old. So let us go back to 1985!

1985: Super Mario Bros. An obvious choice. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the it console. 8-Bit Graphics, a responsive controller and a cute little plumber saving his princess in a magical land ruled by Goombas and Koopas. Almost everyone of my generation has played Super Mario Bros., And with the success of it’s iterations of Galaxy and New SMB future generations will too. Honorable Mention: Duck Hunt

1986: Metroid. The only Metroid game I have played, as probably the first Space Marine in games, you hunt down Mother Brain in her riddled-trap layer. Only to have a surprise ending. Honorable Mention: Ikari Warriors.

1987: After Burner. Yes, the game that John Connor in Terminator 2 is playing in the arcade on his ditch day. As a fan of the vortrex space shooters (like Star Wars), the bright and colorful polygons were an eye-opening experience. One of the only reasons why I would want to hang out with my older cousins, a ride to the local arcade to play After Burner. Honorable Mention: Metal Gear.

1988: Super Mario Bros. 3. The last hooray for the NES. More of a spiritual successor than the North American SMB 2, and with the introduction of special ability suits made for countless nights of replays and owning Browser. Honorable Mention: Major League Baseball

1989: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. As one of the first NES games to sell more than any other game on a Nintendo platform and not published by the big N. Honorable Mention: WWF Superstars.