The first screens of history's 51 most iconic games

Portal

Still alive. Good start.

Quake

Choose door number three, I dare you.

Red Dead Redemption

Usually a good starting point.

Resident Evil

Look how small his biceps were back then.

Resident Evil 4

Run (away from the) forest, run!

Shadow of the Colossus

Sounds like a fair deal. Let's go.

Shenmue

This shouldn't take too long. Closure, here we come!

Silent Hill 2

James had a sinking feeling right from the star... *SLAP*

Skyrim

Okay, it's a slight improvement from a dungeon. But still...

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ah, those were the days. Where did it all go wrong?

David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.