For an instant gauge of how much a game is liked by reviewers, fans around the world rely on Metacritic.
It's been collating the critical consensus on games for nearly two decades, and has researched historical reviews right back to 1995.
Although it also has sections for film, music and television, the website is regarded as the foremost online review aggregation site for the gaming industry.
While countless outlets decide their own Game of the Year internally each year, Metacritic's instead looks at the game that was universally rated the highest in reviews.
Below is a list of the top game from each year from 1995 - 2017, along with its Metacritic rating:
1995: Full Throttle - 86 percent
1996: Super Mario 64 - 94 percent
1997: GoldenEye 007 - 96 percent
1998: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 99 percent
1999: Soulcalibur - 99 percent
2000: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - 99 percent
2001: Halo: Combat Evolved - 97 percent
2002: Metroid Prime - 97 percent
2003: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - 96 percent
2004: Half-Life 2 - 96 percent
2005: Resident Evil 4 - 96 percent
2006: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 96 percent
2007: Super Mario Galaxy - 97 percent
2008: Grand Theft Auto IV - 98 percent
2009: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - 96 percent
2010: Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 97 percent
2011: Batman: Arkham City - 96 percent
2012: Persona 4 Golden - 93 percent
2013: Grand Theft Auto V - 97 percent
2014: Super Smash Bros for Wii U - 92 percent
2015: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - 95 percent
2016: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - 93 percent
2017: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 97 percent
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