The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64, 2000)

This one can be frustrating at times, but well worth it.

In short, the story proceeds this way. An evil "skull kid" drags our hero, Link, unwillingly into another world by stealing his horse and his ocarina. In this other world (named Termina), it seems the moon is falling. Yes, it's literally falling down out of the sky towards nearby Clock Town, and in three days' time--boom, Clock Town is history. This is all happening because Link's nemesis has stolen an artifact called Majora's Mask, and its sinister power has transformed him into quite an evil being. Your job is to get the mask back before the three days is up, thus ending the curse and saving the town.

You'll find the village of Clock Town quite amazing in and of itself. The complexity of plots, conspiracies, and events occurring between all of its inhabitants is a bit overwhelming. Luckily, you are provided with a notebook to help keep track of it all. Each citizen of Clock Town does his/her own thing, and you'll see the people walk back and forth between stores and houses. Depending on what time you are coming through, you always have a chance of meeting someone new and possibly obtaining some new information.

Time is one of three major features of the game, and it is real-time, albeit extremely truncated. An average day in the game will last about 18 minutes or so, and to help you keep track there is a clock located on the bottom of your screen at all times. I am usually scared off by the advent of time limits--time limits in general restrict your freedom and deter exploration. But the time limit is Majora's Mask is much different; it adds an entertaining new twist to the gameplay. Early on in the game, Link manages to get his handy Ocarina back, and with it he can play certain tunes that affect the world around him. Within his repertoire is a valuable song that allows you at any time to save your progress and start back at hour zero. It might sound contradictory, but you use it quite a bit. It would be tough to finish this game in 10 three-day cycles; in only one, it's impossible.

Time plays a larger factor than just providing an ending to the game. You'll find out quickly that most of the events and people around you are time-sensitive as well. Some examples of this might include meeting someone at exactly 5:00 pm, waiting for the mailman to deliver the mail at precisely 8:00 am, or visiting a certain shop that is only open between 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm. In addition, there are certain areas of the game that you cannot access until day two or three, which reduces your available time to finish some tasks. Time will affect nearly everything you do in Majora's Mask, and Nintendo has done it in such a clever way that you can't help but smile while solving the puzzles around you.