Ninja Gaiden Black. It took a lot to tear me away from stabbing Devil May Cry as a kid, but Ninja Gaiden definitely was the game that made me have to take pause. Still have no idea how they got this to run on the original Xbox at 60fps. Fucking wizards over at Tecmo. Game played like a dream.

a video game character is jumping in the air in front of a statue of a dragon

ALT: a video game character is jumping in the air in front of a statue of a dragon

Pokemon Snap. My entire family was obsessed with this one. Even now it’s so fun to return to. Seeing Pokemon in their natural habit, and so well animated compared to the Game Boy games was such a treat. Plus it had Sandshrew. 10/10 by default.

a screenshot of a video game with the number 57 on the bottom

ALT: a screenshot of a video game with the number 57 on the bottom