61. Resident Evil 4

(Gamecube/Wii/PC/PS2, Capcom, 2005, JPN title: Biohazard 4)
I've got a lot to fit into this entry, so it's going to be compact, like corned beef.
I love the Resident Evil series, all of them. As is this case for so many gamers, the Resi series holds dear memories of late night marathon sessions, unintentionally hilarious dialogue and quite a few scares and surprises.
Sadly, very few games from the series made the draw for this list, fortunately, Resident Evil 4 did, good thing too, not only is it one of best in the series, it's one of the most important.

RE4 sees the player assuming the role of Leon Kennedy, possibly the only likeable pretty-boy hero in gaming history, as he ventures into a small European village on a mission to rescue the President's daughter Ashley who has been kidnapped by an evil cult. By the time his mission reaches its end, Leon and Ashley will have been forced to face rabid villagers, insane cultists, a deadly virus and some of the most terrifying creatures ever realised. Leon's judgement will also be tested as he meets familiar faces from the past.

Resident Evil 4 shatters the formula the previous games were built upon and throws completely new gameplay into the series, Capcom hammered this home by writing in the box blurb lines like "Forget survival horror" and "Forget everything you know about Resident Evil" a brave move indeed, but one that pays off.
Yes, you can respect the genre defining and groundbreaking that was built by Resi 1-3 but there comes a time when that style is dead. This was proven by Code: Veronica and the Cube remakes, although still good games by general standards, they clearly showed that the limits had been reached for pivoting on the spot, and auto aiming at snail-like zombies. The time HAD come for something new, doing the same thing over and over whilst only improving the graphics makes a franchise stagnate, no matter how popular it is, just ask Grand Theft Auto.
Resident Evil 4 has an over the shoulder camera and a heavy emphasis on combat, that's not to say it's Gears Of War, there is still plenty of exploration, puzzle solving, trap dodging, item hunting and sharp-shooting to be done.

The game reinvented its look, its style, its weapon upgrade and inventory system (which was absolute bliss to an OCD sufferer such as myself. Snugly fitting items together in a box? SOLD.) Capcom had the balls to put out a unique entry and say "This is how it is now, deal with it". The game is still scary, the rampaging villagers and hooded zealots can sneak up on you before you know it and some of the later biological monsters are creepy as hell. I really like the combat, the pin-point aiming, the panic-inducing reloads and the roundhouse kick/belly to belly suplex melee attacks.
Yes, I know that at no point do dogs jump through windows. Get over it.

Most importantly, the game still FEELS like Resident Evil, the story, script and characters are all as to be expected from the series, told though nicely presented cut-scenes. The herbs, elemental ammo rounds and written clues are all present and correct and whilst ammo is more liberal, in no way does that mean you can blast away indiscriminately.
To love something is to know it's weaknesses, the new camera has a blind side, the introduction of quicktime events is awkward and unwelcome and the game has a interminable jet-ski sequence which is totally trial and error, breaking the flow of the game's climax.

These are minor issues though, with this game, Capcom proved that despite the abundance of horror games available now, their baby can re-invent itself to stand tall. RE4 blends the old school with the new and was the perfect debut for the series new direction.
Today, the franchise is moving onward and is a guaranteed money maker for years to come. Resident Evil 4 is the most important game in the entire series, it represents the turning point where Capcom decided things had to change, and went all out to do just that, at the risk of turning off fans for good.

It was a worthwhile gamble, one that many other franchises need to take real soon before they find out the hard way that while something can work for a very long time, nothing lasts forever.