Top 5 Science Fiction Video Games of All Time

The best sci-fi games have always been ones that pushed the boundaries of gaming and introduced players to something completely original. Just having spaceships or aliens is not enough - there are mountains of sci-fi games filling the bargain bins that can attest to that. Following are the top 5 sci-fi video games that have endured through sales, reputation, sequels, and imitations since their creation. Some have been universally praised (Myst), some have incited controversy (Mass Effect), but all are considered must-haves for the serious gamer.

Fallout - The latest in the franchise is Fallout 3. Fallout was originally a PC game, but has successfully been adapted for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as well as PC. The setting is a post-nuclear world in the 23rd century, and players must learn to survive in the irradiated wasteland by killing mutated monsters and human adversaries. However, one touch that sets the Fallout world apart from other post-apocalyptic scenarios is the humor and use of 1950s kitsch - as if the bomb had dropped in the middle of Leave it to Beaver. Fallout 3 has received extremely favorable reviews since its release because of the open-ended world, 3D graphics, and ability for the player to choose good or evil storylines. Five packages of downloadable content are available in the Xbox Live marketplace, and plans for Fallout 4 are in the works.

Myst - Myst benefited considerably from the leaps in home computer and graphic technology in the early 90s, but even so, it stood alone on story and game play. The player leaps into different worlds with the use of a magical book, and once in each world attempts to solve riddles that will advance the storyline of brother versus brother. To say the animation was breathtaking would be putting it mildly. There simply was nothing else like Myst, and if the puzzles were a little obscure at times, players were mollified by the soothing and beautiful worlds. There was no "hack and slash" at all in Myst - a cerebral game that did much to draw players outside the usual target group. The original Myst was available on PC but since then there have been sequels playable on Xbox.

BioShock - BioShock may well be the closest any videogame has come yet to libertarian leanings. Set in an alternate universe in the 1960s, players take on the role of Jack, a plane crash survivor who explores an underwater city and discovers the truth behind Rapture's dystopian history. BioShock (available for Xbox, PlayStation 3, and PC) paid much homage to Ayn Rand, a Russian-turned-American writer of the last century who believed strongly in laissez-faire government as the ideal setting for man's happiness. BioShock 2 is currently in production, but there's no plan on release until 2010.

Half-Life - It's hard to believe that such a successful and revolutionary game ever had trouble finding a backer, but there you go. Half-Life went from being declared "too ambitious" to winning 51 PC "Game of the Year" awards. Half-Life took traditional first person shooter elements, combined them with puzzles and scripted sequences (usually reserved for RPGs and puzzle games) and presented the player with an immersive experience that made Doom look like dirt. Half-Life was a PC game, but Half-Life 2 is available across PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Mass Effect - Mass Effect is more your "traditional" sci-fi story (if there is such a thing) about a soldier who explores the galaxy aboard a starship. Unlike the other games on this list, Mass Effect started as an Xbox game that was later ported to PC. The appeal of Mass Effect lies in its engaging story. Everything is well done here - the player is excited to move forward to the next point in the story rather than get pushed into "fetch quests." As each year brings exciting new games, Mass Effect continues to draw players and has them eagerly looking forward to Mass Effect 2, set for 2010. In the meantime, there has been downloadable content available to tide players over.