WindUpShoe

Doesn't the Mt. Rushmore question limit it to 4?

PAC-MAN - The first mascot. Hall of Famer. Icon.
MARIO - I think this one needs no introduction.
SONIC - A rival appears!

After that, I'm actually not sure. Lara Croft is a contender. Doom Marine? I guess Master Chief and Kratos could be tossed into the mix, but I'm less sure. The gaming landscape exploded upon the PS1's arrival. There's so many franchises and characters.

Goldeneye 007 was the turning point, I'll venture. Not only was it good, it was marked for greatness - although looking back, it more because of Rare's talent and that amazing multiplayer combined with the N64's in-built four player capabilities. It was the right game, made by the right developers, for the right system, at the right time.

After that, take your pick. Chronicles of Riddick, Alien Isolation, the various Star Wars games like Rogue Squadron... there was that King Kong game Peter Jackson was involved in too.

...I suspect a lot of online games or multiplayer games to some extent. Being a player killer or just a cavalier machiavellian sort will probably get you where you need to go faster, as long as you're smart about it.

Due to the dual and touch screen aspects, both the DS and 3DS occupy an interesting niche. The ideal way to play those games is still usually the native system. Unless they come out with some sort of dual screen and touch screen emulation device, it might not be a bad idea to pick up a 3DS, specifically a New 3DS, either XL or the regular one. Installing Custom Firmware takes the whole experience to the next level.