Welcome to the first of our four-part look at the games of the millennium. They're in no particular order and not all of the games are brilliant, but they've all contributed something very significant to the videogames industry as we know it. Don't bother commenting on us 'missing out' your favourite game until you've read all four instalments, though. Here are the first 25 to go misty-eyed over...

Pong - industry-founding bat 'n' ball game (Nolan Bushnell/Atari)
The first game to achieve any degree of mass-market success, the first real coin-op arcade machine and the birth of an industry. Where else could this feature begin? And what more, in truth, could we say about Pong?

Myst - point 'n' click adventure (Broderbund)
Hated and celebrated in equal measure, Myst is one of the most popular games of the '90s. A not entirely incidental feather in its cap is its role in popularising a storage format known as CD-ROM. In that sense, it's just as significant as Super Mario World or Sonic the Hedgehog.

Super Metroid - platform adventure (Nintendo)
It's arguable that Super Metroid's predecessor - the NES game Metroid - technically deserves to have this text dedicated to its achievements and contributions to game design. It's the successor, though, that's a piece of gaming history and exudes quality and can compel even in this day and age.

Micro Machines series - racing games (Codemasters)
Bastion of multiplayer gaming on home consoles, the Micro Machines series is a ready example of thoughtful design. How many other games can unite four individuals in a cacophony of curses and cries in the way that Micro Machines can? Exactly.

Daytona USA - driving game (Sega)
As a single-player game, Daytona USA was a firm favourite in arcades. When a group of machines were connected, it became a consummate leach of pocket change and precious moments of life. Sega had offered similar multiplayer link-ups before - perhaps most notably in Virtua Racing - but it was with Daytona that, for the first time, the future of racing games became the present.