Lurker > transience

nah, not since the scene exploded and everyone started playing games like 15 hours a day. I can't compete with that for a number of reasons. I would never have any interest in streaming attempts or just getting that deep in with the speedrunning community.

but just you wait, I'll be a footnote in a summoning salt video one day!

---

xyzzy

5.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec-GGj376TM

2004
GBA

Zero Mission is the most playable metroidvania in the world, and maybe most playable game period. Its just so easy to pick up and play, and even the advanced skills are relatively simple. Just moving and jumping in Zero Mission is about as good as any game out there. You can get Samus to do exactly what you want with just a handful of practice.

Theres lots of alternate paths that encourage replay value too. You can get all the items, skip half of the games critical items without too much trouble, do bosses out of order or go for a low% run. Speed running is awesome with Zero Mission because you dont need to practice frame perfect skills for 3 months in order to be good. You can get good at this game in a really short amount of time because the movement is so straightforward and the game encourages experimentation.

I take a weird amount of joy in just executing a Zero Mission room the perfect way. The movement feels that good. Its the speedrunner in me, but this is the one game that controls well enough for someone like me to get on that level. I lost the any% record like 8 years ago and dont play it anywhere close to fast enough to compete in that space anymore but I still like just nailing a room. Thats a big part of why I love this game so much.

---

xyzzy

and yeah ND's run is a crazy solo zerker run that isn't even human. it's not tool assisted but it may as well be.

---

xyzzy

yeah, on level 74. it was a #upgrade run so I started with four Samurai and was able to learn equip Katana which helped. I also didn't need to grind to heaven to beat the Sandworm (though I did for Neo Exdeath)


---

xyzzy

LordoftheMorons posted...

Aww yeah, best FF

Ive only done the Four Job Fiesta once, but when I did I think I had literally a bottom 10 possible party (Thief/Berserker/Geomancer/Dragoon)

my first was similar (Monk/Berserker/Geomancer/Dancer) and was probably the hardest one I've done outside of the madness that was quadzerker. there are ~10 classes that, if you get one, you're honestly good for the game. try rolling again this year!

---

xyzzy

I watch some Tetris here and there, yeah. I watched the final four live this year but I usually just catch a replay here and there when I'm really bored.

---

xyzzy

6.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBksh8tC6Wg

1992
SNES, GBA, others

Its all about that job system. FF5 doesnt have the most memorable characters or the most interesting story, but theyre fine and the job system carries this game to the highest of heights.

FF5s job system is really flexible because the games design gives you lots of options, especially bosses. For example, the Dragon Pod boss has lots of adds that can be annoying with the wrong setup. But hes a piece of cake if you use Monks kick or the Titan summon since it wipes out the AOEs in one hit. Or, if you want to have fun, Berserkers death sickle weapon can one-shot him, or Blue Mages death claw spell will take him to critical hp, or Geomancers twister attack, or some of the Chemist mixes, etc. Just about every boss has some kind of trick that can be exploited by specific classes.

Then theres the four job fiesta, a super fun way to play FF5. Restricting your use of classes makes you dig into their specialized abilities and FF5 offers a lot. The different permutations gives this game an absolute ton of replay value. Ive apparently beaten this game 37 times since 2012, which is incredibly excessive and no one should do that but I love messing around with that stupid job system.

---

xyzzy

now put 'em in order

---

xyzzy

7.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umt4ZESWSeQ

1984-2019
Every platform ever

Everyone who plays Tetris exists on a spectrum. On one side is single-player marathon Tetris and on the other side competitive multiplayer Tetris. On one side is NES Tetris or Tetris Effect and on the other side is Tetrinet or Tetris 99.

Me? Im all the way on the competitive end. Tetris 99 reminded me of just how much I adore competitive Tetris. Marathon mode is fun but it feels more like work. I need a goal in order to play Tetris and a high score or a cool style doesnt always cut it. Competitive Tetris at a high level, with garbage being thrown back and forth at ludicrous speed, is 100% my jam. I can play competitive Tetris for hours, any day, and not ever really get bored or miss a beat. Im not world class but Im good enough to win in Tetris 99 here and there.

Tetris is just a perfect game. There isnt a lot to it but the skill ceiling is so high, especially when pieces come tumbling at you and you have to make split second decisions. High-level Tetris is a rush and nothing captures that better than Tetris 99. For me, there probably isnt a better feeling in games than winning against 98 other people in Tetris 99.

---

xyzzy

8.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUxcQUGlAg0

2007
DS

AA3 is the zenith of the series. Each case is interesting and its one of the few games that doesnt have a bad case pulling it down. (Im not crazy about case 2 like others are, but its not bad.) Its also the first game in the series to have a cohesive narrative across the game as opposed to isolated cases.

The Feys take center stage in AA3 and that narrative is by far my favourite in the series. Their storyline has been the core of the entire original trilogy but everything just comes out here, culminating with a whopping 7 Feys in the final case. Its almost like Xenosaga 3 where the table is set in previous games and then everything goes from there.

The final case wraps up the trilogy in a way that both knots every loose end and exceeds my personal expectations for what they could have done. I really love that case. Very few games nail the landing quite like this one.

You could have ended the series after this game and it would have been completely appropriate, and maybe even preferable given what a high note this game went out on. Im glad they made the Apollo Trilogy because I very much like those games, but when I think of Ace Attorney Im really thinking about the Feys and this games final two cases.

---

xyzzy

I was surprised when I replayed some of DQ8 a couple months ago. I expected 11 to have kinda duplicated what 8 brought to the table, but I put it on and immediately felt that pull to drop 80 hours on it again. I even found that some of 11's enhancements actually took away from the core feeling of exploration, which was weird.

---

xyzzy

9.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrbGwU5Zx4M

2015
PC, Xbox One, Switch

Ori trades Metroids stark isolation for a more mystical, almost Zelda-like dreaminess. Everything here is just gorgeous. Its interesting to contrast the two because both accomplish atmosphere super effectively but in totally different ways.

Oris soft skin is misleading though as the game is tough as nails, certainly harder than any Metroid game. It isnt so bad for the first couple of hours, but before you know it youll be saving in each room as you take on tougher and tougher platforming challenges. I dont think anything in Ori is out of control hard but you have to be precise.

Ori really focuses on platforming above all other things, essentially neglecting traditional weapon-based combat and doing away with boss fights. Instead, youre dealing with escape rooms, ones that are hard as hell and test you as much or more than any boss fight in this type of game.

When Ori is at its best, youre gliding gracefully across the game world with a fantastic moveset thats basically best of class in the genre. Metroidvanias are known for their traversal so to say that about Ori is damn high praise.

---

xyzzy

yeah, that fight is probably the hardest in the game. as it should be! if you get multiheal with Angelo, it gets a lot easier.

to take things full circle, I loved getting him on my team in the 3DS remake of DQM.

---

xyzzy

was it Dhoulmagus?

---

xyzzy

10.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWLivVN849w

2005

PS2, 3DS

DQ11 is better in every mechanical way but it just cant touch the feelings that DQ8 can elicit. The characters, the feeling of exploration and the rolling music are flat out amazing in DQ8.

The story, which is never DQs strong suit, actually plays super well here. There are some legitimately affecting moments as you play through this game. Some of them are plot related, like a specific character dying or the feeling of finally taking down the big bad guy, but the one that sticks with me the most is actually when you get the ability to fly. The sweeping music and the freeing feeling of being able to go wherever really hit me hard. Thats what happens when you get immersed in a wonderfully realized world

Like DQ11, trying to craft the best gear for an area is a game unto itself as you treasure hunt for rare ingredients. Unlike DQ11, DQ8 actually has a decent difficulty level, especially when it comes to some of the bigger bosses. Theres a real reward to building out your guys with the right skills and equipment. This game shines the most as an exploration RPG but theres a gameplay and customization aspect to it thats a lot of fun too.

There are some clunky aspects to this game, like battle speed and wait times on the alchemy pot, and thankfully the 3DS version exists to help iron them out. You used to have to work to get the good stuff in 8 but now you can pick and choose what you want when you want. The 3DS version smooths the edges down and makes this an all-time RPG.


---

xyzzy

I played through the 3DS remake. it's not quite the same but it's very good and more modern and worth playing.

---

xyzzy

rumor has been spreading that the icon knows a couple of things

---

xyzzy

11.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-jiaINYEjA

2000
GBC

I dont have history with Pokemon but I damn sure do for Dragon Quest. This is my version of Pokemon Red or whatever. I love the monsters in the Dragon Quest series so damn much and it works perfectly to eschew the humans and just focus on what makes these games so good.

I really really enjoy taking monsters from nothing and turning them into maxed out killers through the careful use of breeding charts and stat raising. Youll typically start out with something like a slime/dracky/anteater and then start puzzling out what to do from there. Eventually youll end up with some godbeast that can gigaslash the enemy and heal your whole party to full.

The randomly generated maps work perfectly with the aimless story and lack of direction. You just kinda wander, get new monsters, get stronger over generations and fuck shit up. Its so good.

The combat depth kinda isnt there, and thats good - not everything needs to have a deep combat system with tons of strategy. You basically just damage race the enemies and you do that by carefully planning out several generations of monsters. Theres some strategy to it but youre not going too far out of your way to mix and match skills across your team or anything like that. Big attack spells and big healing spells will do, and I like that. This game is some of the best comfort food gaming around.

Every time I play this game, Ive got a breeding chart wiki open in one tab and a spreadsheet open where I meticulously plan out the next 3-4 monster generations for each of my guys. Every playthrough is a different setup depending on what Ive managed to catch. Its so goddamn addicting. There isnt a game out there that hooks me quite like the original DQ Monsters.

---

xyzzy

I want to play XS1 and 2 again just to see if my feelings stay the same. it's been nearly a decade. I do like XS2 and I bet a replay might sneak it into the bottom of this list.

---

xyzzy

two tiers left.

100. hacknet
99. braid
98. batman: arkham asylum
97. super meat boy
96. portal
95. world of goo
94. hollow knight
93. super mario world
92. mega man maker
91. ace attorney 2
90. zelda: majora's mask

89. xenoblade chronicles x
88. monument valley
87. dragon warrior
86. mega man 3
85. castlevania: dawn of sorrow
84. nier: automata
83. we love katamari
82. zelda: link to the past
81. lethal league
80. half-minute hero 2
79. mike tyson's punch out!!
78. god of war 2
77. wolfenstein 2: the new colossus
76. super smash bros ultimate

75. binding of isaac
74. final fantasy 7
73. super hexagon
72. crystalis
71. suikoden
70. ace attorney 5
69. etrian odyssey 5
68. dragon warrior monsters 2
67. crypt of the necrodancer
66. dragon quest 3
65. final fantasy 4
64. actraiser
63. shadow hearts 2

62. persona 4 golden
61. metroid fusion
60. mega man 11
59. castle crashers
58. ace attorney investigations 2
57. street fighter 2
56. shadow complex
55. persona 5
54. zelda 1
53. holedown

52. final fantasy 9
51. final fantasy 6
50. castlevania: portrait of ruin
49. final fantasy 10
48. bleed
47. brothers: a tale of two sons
46. geometry wars 2
45. inside

44. slay the spire
43. super mario odyssey
42. street fighter 4
41. ace attorney 6
40. life is strange
39. tales of maj'eyal
38. etrian odyssey 4
37. dicey dungeons
36. the messenger

35. ace attorney
34. banished
33. tactics ogre: let us cling together
32. bleed 2
31. shadow hearts
30. dragon quest 11
29. ikaruga

28. persona 3 portable
27. the walking dead
26. outland
25. mega man 9
24. final fantasy
23. desert golfing
22. cave story
21. xenoblade

20. chrono trigger
19. f-zero gx
18. am2r
17. vvvvvv
16. final fantasy tactics
15. mega man 2
14. zelda: breath of the wild
13. spelunky
12. xenosaga 3

---

xyzzy

12.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhMcA_pGTPQ

2006
PS2

Xenosaga 1 isnt a very good game for numerous reasons, and Xenosaga 2 is too short and weird to love. But they do a hell of a job setting up Xenosaga 3, where everything rolls downhill. Theres no need for lengthy soliloquies on robotic consciousness or whatever other nonsense Xenosaga can throw at you here.

The Xenosaga universe is ludicrous to the point that I couldnt actually coherently explain the plot of this series, but the tone and feeling of the games is enough for me. Guys fight and the game climaxes and its great. The amazing soundtrack helps - the power of the music really carries this game to high heights.

But weirdly enough, its the gameplay that I can really get behind in Xenosaga 3. Its fairly straightforward but I like building my guys and the environments are really enjoyable to explore, especially Miltia, the central point of the entire series. XS3 pulls off an ambitious 8 hour flashback sequence to explain the root of the conflict. There are other areas that are really fun to exist in too, largely because the music is so good.

The ending of this game is pretty.. well, this is from the Xenogears team, so it follows that the end will feel rushed and unsatisfying. I dont mind that too much though. Im not playing Xenosaga to get some neatly wrapped up conclusion about space jesus and a Nietzschean supercomputer. I just like seeing the crazy stuff happen and hanging on for the ride.

---

xyzzy

13.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abo_Z3-5x9o

2012
PC, 360, PS3, Vita, PS4

On its face, Spelunky is a simple but devious roguelite platformer thats out to ruin you. Everything at every corner is basically gunning for you and the combination of those things will destroy an amateur spelunker before they can get a couple of levels in.

The first layer of this game is learning how to survive. Theres more there than a new player might think. You have to play Spelunky defensively, hyper-aware and with a significant sense of paranoia that something is about to kill you. Spelunky on its own isnt as hard as its reputation might suggest, but it is a cruel mistress. It will get you when youre least expecting it.

This game combines variables together in the most crushing of ways. Sometimes an enemy triggers a bomb offscreen which sends a rock flying across the screen which hits you and lands you on top of an altar which sacrifices you and oh hey youre dead. That stuff is hilarious, amazing, and part of the calculus that the player makes as they ever so slowly tiptoe across each level. Eventually you get good enough to move at a reasonable speed, but that paranoia never truly leaves a good Spelunky player.

Once you get competent enough at the game to understand its inner workings and how variables combine, the real game begins. Spelunky has layers upon layers of hidden stuff that is beyond esoteric. Just the other day, I learned that if you gather enough favor with Kali by sacrificing characters on the altar -- the more blood their bodies have, the more favor, apparently -- then you get an item that lets you collect the blood that falls off characters when they get hit, and if you drink enough blood itll increase your hp. I also learned that if you leave rubies laying on the ground and the end-of-level ghost passes over them, they turn into super valuable diamonds. Spelunky is loaded with all sorts of crazy minutia, from hidden levels to secret items to superbosses, that make it super duper replayable.

Im not especially good at Spelunky, but I love rolling the wheel of fate and seeing what crazy thing will happen to me this time.

---

xyzzy

14.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw47_q9wbBE

2017
Switch, Wii U

The best thing about Breath of the Wild is that I never know what detour Im going to take. Theres something immensely satisfying about just wandering around that world. Ill start out on a journey to find a distant shrine that I had marked on my map several hours earlier, only while heading there, Ill find a hill and wonder if theres anything up there. A hill leads to a monster camp, which leads to a random traveler who gives me a quest that leads to another shrine, and suddenly Im a good ten minute walk from where I meant to go.

Its the simple things that Breath of the Wild does so well. Its the climbing. Its the paraglider, the greatest invention in the series 30 year run. Its the feeling of climbing some endless mountain, wondering what you might find. Sometimes its a stupid korok seed. Sometimes its a new shrine. Sometimes its absolutely nothing, and thats great. Ill gladly paraglide from the top of that mountain because that feeling is untouchable.

Theres an aimlessness and an ambiance to Breath of the Wild that totally gets me. Most Zeldas treat the games dungeons as the highlight but Breath of the Wild lets the game world do the talking. Thats always been my preference in these games. The dungeons in this game are largely junk anyway.

Its hard to make just wandering across a huge open space seem interesting, and I couldnt tell you exactly why it appeals in this game compared to all of the other large overworlds and desolate landscapes in video games. All I know is that I can lose hours upon hours just finding out what might be over that hill in Breath of the WIld.

---

xyzzy

15.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT5D3pNw8qM

1988
NES + a billion collections

Mega Man 9 is a better game. Mega Man 2 has some pretty dumb game design decisions, like the Wily 4 boss thats impossible if you dont have full or near full crash bombs (which could mean you dying on purpose multiple times to recharge), or that ridiculous stretch of disappearing blocks in Heat Mans stage. Its clear that they were still ironing out the kinks of the series back in 1988.

Mega Man 2 just has this fun factor to it though. Its so damn enjoyable to jam through those levels. You dont need anything special to do it, just your mega buster and some decent 2d gaming skills. You see, Mega Man 2 really isnt that hard. The other games in the series treat difficulty as a badge of honor, but Mega Man 2 has the broken metal blade that cuts through enemies while using barely any weapon power. There are other weapons like quick boomerang that are also awesome, but why use them when youve got the metal blade? (The answer is, because its fun.)

The stages are honestly not very tough, but still really enjoyable to run through. You can zip through most of the boss fights and beat this in a sitting without much trouble. Mega Man 9 is also really fun, but it isnt as enjoyable to just cruise through like Mega Man 2 is.

Also, this game has some killer music - the best of the series.

---

xyzzy

those SCCs aren't my jam, but it's mostly because you don't really get to play with the job system. I get to chapter 3 or so and then get bored.

---

xyzzy

I really want to play with Zachtronics games but I'm frightened that I'll be too stupid for them and it'll bum me out.

---

xyzzy

16.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0xm3Oteai8

1998
PS1

FFT is an all around good game, from the story to the music to the characters. I dont want to give those aspects of the game the short end of the stick because theyre really excellent. This game has a great storyline with likable protagonists and a soundtrack to match the medieval setting perfectly.

But ultimately, Im a job system guy above all things. Im here because FFT has really fun class builds with great skills and fantastic progression. Its ridiculously fun to build out your characters. Mixing and matching classes and skills on each character is a certain level of micromanagement that I get super deep into. The other stuff makes it a good game, but FFT is ultimately defined by taking a squad of no-names and turning them into nuclear weapons.

In fact, the games weakest point is when you get to chapter 4 and youve basically completed each characters class destiny. Once your auto-potioning Lancer is jumping from across the screen and countering enemies with Hamedo, youre pretty much done and are just grinding your way down the final dungeon. FFT has very good base gameplay but its not the same without that addicting progression.

---

xyzzy

Samus Returns is so incredibly tone deaf that I have to believe the devs didn't understand what they were doing or what the point of Metroid is. but, you get to the section with space jump and it actually becomes incredibly fun. I'll probably never play it again but it's not awful.

---

xyzzy

oh I totally understand! the other day I opened up my facebook memories, about the only thing I do on facebook anymore, and it was "3 years ago, giggs's list", "4 years ago, giggs's list", "6 years ago, giggs's list" and it became this weird tradition in my head.

---

xyzzy

I don't like a lot of Samus Returns but it's totally fine. I just like AM2R so much more and it looks bad in comparison.

---

xyzzy

it's actually not that hard once you've spent some time with it (I usually get it within 5 or 6 tries now), but that first time is a sobering experience.

---

xyzzy

17.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf06P-_1lkU

2010
PC first, just about every console since

Everything about this game is so infectious and happy, from the bright colors to stupid faces on the guys to the music. Oh god, the music. Im not sure that this game even works without that killer chiptune soundtrack.

V straddles the line between being challenging and being hard. Its challenging enough to keep things feeling thrilling when you pull it off, but outside of a few key spots (usually around trinkets), its rarely truly hard. It usually involves you needing to make three or four precise movements and getting the muscle memory down.

Trinkets -- Vs collectibles -- arent new by any means, but they stand out here for how great they are to find. Theyre a combination of hidden and challenging. They're probably the best random collectible in any game that I can think of, and I feel like a lot of future indie games looked to V's trinkets for inspiration.

Its crazy to say about a one-button platformer, but V has some of the strongest level design around. Each level has a unique mechanic that keeps the game feeling fresh. That design, along with the challenge and the music, elevate V way the hell up there for me.

---

xyzzy

18.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CVpiuVADW4

2016
PC

I cant understate how surprising AM2R is. Its not that its a fan project that turned out well. Those happen a lot, from randomizers to simple quality of life improvements to completely new games using original games as a base. The rom hack community is amazing. But AM2Rs sole developer takes the concept of Metroid 2 and rebuilds it from scratch as a standalone game (not a rom hack) using Zero Mission as a base.

The results are.. actually, and this is hard for me to even type, I think its better than Zero Mission from a pure gameplay perspective? Its amazing to even suggest that from a fan game but its true. All of the great control from ZM is here plus additional enhancements, like a dedicated morph ball button, that are offered by actually having a modern controllers buttons for the first time in series history. AM2R is a dream to play, not just because its really good but because its the true followup that a 2d Metroid fan has deserved since the series went underground in 2004.

Unfortunately, this game is hamstrung by the design constraints of Metroid 2. Metroid 2 was a GB game that was intended for a small scale, portable experience instead of a fully realized sprawling maze complete with all the eventual series staples. The game uses a general structure of lava that drains as you defeat all the metroids in an area and you arent really meant to revisit areas. AM2R takes some steps to try to remedy the design, but it largely tries to pay homage to the original.

Its weird to say about a remake, but its too bad that this is a remake of Metroid 2, because if you gave this game a more modern design, it might actually be the best Metroid game in the series. Its that good.


---

xyzzy

I've done that on purpose a few times on really hard holes.

---

xyzzy

I really disliked the multiplayer because it was split screen. I felt like that took away from the experience a lot.

---

xyzzy

19.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnqfDmhDdi0

2003
Gamecube

GXs combination of speed and control really sets it apart. It completely rewrites the standards of play not just for futuristic racing games, but racing games in general. Theres a host of us always keeping our eyes on the indie racing scene hoping for some kind of spiritual successor but those always let down for one reason or another. This cheeky little Gamecube game from 2003 remains best in class a full 17 years later.

One of GXs best strengths is its crushing difficulty. This game just destroys you in a variety of ways, especially the story mode which has a chapter that is so maddeningly hard that its not really any good. The regular game though can really push you to get good and the result is a deeper appreciation for the game. This game is an adrenaline rush due to the speed it moves at and the skill level required.

Its up there with the absolute greatest game designs of all time. On the flipside, though, its a single player game with limited replay value - the money mode here is the 30 man grand prix and once youve managed to beat that, theres really just time trials left. If there were online leaderboards or some kind of persistence or something, that would raise this game. As it is, its one of the true greats, but its not one I go back to every few months or anything. Its one that I admire like hell from afar.

---

xyzzy

this tweet of the decade kinda sums up my feelings on the n64.

https://twitter.com/n64today/status/935240944185683969

---

xyzzy

I was similar a few years ago. I needed a bit of a break from it but I really enjoyed it when I picked it up a few months ago.

---

xyzzy

20.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0GCxGDVxtM

1995
SNES

Chrono Trigger starts out slow. The game lets on that youre in it for real once you get a full party and are exploring other time periods, but it doesnt truly get going until you hit the end of time a few hours in.

Once you hit the end of time, this game is the single smoothest RPG ride around. Everything just works together so damn well. You get magic, you get to choose a real party, you start finding stat tabs and start caring about character customization and strategy.

CT never gets too challenging in any one area. The battles are always pretty easy but its still super fun to get new equipment and new techs. The story is always linear but the different time eras offer the suggestion of nonlinearity. The story isnt too deep but playing through it is super enthralling since it has exceptional pacing.

Chrono Trigger never really wows you in any one way, but its so goddamn playable and likable that Ive probably got 15-20 more playthroughs in my lifetime and each one will be a lot of fun.

---

xyzzy

iiicon posted...

huge improvement in boss fights (although if I'm being honest I think XBX has the sweet spot for quick random battles) and quest design particularly in how those two intersect, somehow even better music, really great level design (maybe a step down from XBX), excellent cast (probably a push with XB1). they really took the time to look at what XB1 did well and turn the intensity up to 11. I think XB1 only comes out on top in its overall narrative.

also gacha is so dumb, ugh, why do this, there are other ways to drive player + social engagement monolith!!

here's my counterpoint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFG0MxeGZWA

tales is that you

---

xyzzy

anyway, that's another tier down. top 20 time!

100. hacknet
99. braid
98. batman: arkham asylum
97. super meat boy
96. portal
95. world of goo
94. hollow knight
93. super mario world
92. mega man maker
91. ace attorney 2
90. zelda: majora's mask
89. xenoblade chronicles x

88. monument valley
87. dragon warrior
86. mega man 3
85. castlevania: dawn of sorrow
84. nier: automata
83. we love katamari
82. zelda: link to the past
81. lethal league
80. half-minute hero 2
79. mike tyson's punch out!!
78. god of war 2
77. wolfenstein 2: the new colossus
76. super smash bros ultimate
75. binding of isaac

74. final fantasy 7
73. super hexagon
72. crystalis
71. suikoden
70. ace attorney 5
69. etrian odyssey 5
68. dragon warrior monsters 2
67. crypt of the necrodancer
66. dragon quest 3
65. final fantasy 4
64. actraiser
63. shadow hearts 2
62. persona 4 golden

61. metroid fusion
60. mega man 11
59. castle crashers
58. ace attorney investigations 2
57. street fighter 2
56. shadow complex
55. persona 5
54. zelda 1
53. holedown

52. final fantasy 9
51. final fantasy 6
50. castlevania: portrait of ruin
49. final fantasy 10
48. bleed
47. brothers: a tale of two sons
46. geometry wars 2
45. inside

44. slay the spire
43. super mario odyssey
42. street fighter 4
41. ace attorney 6
40. life is strange
39. tales of maj'eyal
38. etrian odyssey 4
37. dicey dungeons
36. the messenger

35. ace attorney
34. banished
33. tactics ogre: let us cling together
32. bleed 2
31. shadow hearts
30. dragon quest 11
29. ikaruga

28. persona 3 portable
27. the walking dead
26. outland
25. mega man 9
24. final fantasy
23. desert golfing
22. cave story
21. xenoblade

---

xyzzy

yeah that's my take too. the last 10 hours falters a bit as it gets a bit juvenile. but, it's still super likable.

---

xyzzy

21.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLnx884hDVA

2012
Wii

This game is just a joy. The open exploration pairs really well with the get experience from doing everything approach that the game takes. It goes out of its way to encourage the player and never punish, and that really pays off.

Every gameplay mechanic works together to make the slow build from level 1 to level 99 really engaging. Getting more levels and finding more gear is oddly satisfying despite it being your standard RPG treadmill. Youre always finding new things and the exploration feels intrinsically interesting as opposed to doing it just because you might get some kind of external reward.

The best aspect of the game is the setting as you explore seemingly endless beautiful terrains on the top of two dead gods. Theres a lot of good in Xenoblade that turns to great when you start to explore Xenoblades huge, open environments.

The music and story do a great job of pushing you along on this long quest. I wont claim that Xenoblade is a top tier RPG story, but its revenge tale, along with its amazingly expansive world, works super well to keep you moving forward without feeling like youre just exploring a bunch of empty fields and caves.

---

xyzzy

22.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQpHejqlzzY

2004
PC, Wii, 3DS, Switch

Cave Story is a mishmash of other 2d action/adventure games in such a specific way that it honestly feels like its own thing. It has exploration and powerups like Metroid, but doesnt go deep enough in that direction to feel inspired by it. It has weapon switching and combat arenas like Mega Man, but not totally. There are sections that are really heavily informed by platforming classics but the movement is awkward enough (in a good way) that it doesnt feel familiar.

Its biggest unique strength is its weapon system and the way it approaches combat. Each weapon in the game is pretty unique and your weapons lose strength as you get hit, meaning that boss encounters start out easy until you get hit and then turn into absolute chaos as you try to do the last 25%. Some weapons also assist with your movement so you can feel grounded in a weird way after taking a few unexpected hits. The push and pull of powering up your weapons and focusing on not getting hit, even from low level enemies, makes the combat a real thrill.

The other aspect of Cave Story worth mentioning is how complete esoteric it can be with its powerups and optional items/endings. It plays like a 90s JRPG in terms of having obscure pathing requirements. Take this obvious weapon powerup and youll be locked out of getting a super weapon near the end. Miss this hard jump and get a powerup to escape the area and a character will die, leaving you to miss out on the good ending. Talk to this character once instead of three times and youll miss a prompt to save them, also locking you out. Its maddening to try to 100% this game, but the intrigue also makes you determined to nail everything perfectly. Ive never actually done a pure 100% playthrough of Cave Story because of it. Ive done something like 99.5% with the best ending, but never all of it!

The funny thing is that I cant tell if this is bad, archaic design or if I genuinely like trying to puzzle my way through all of the weird requirements. I think it might be the latter even though it can enrage me when I dont pick up a mushroom from the beginning of the game at the right time. At least the combat is super fun to play over and over.

---

xyzzy

I played the trilogy recently and it took me over 50 tries to get it right. I actually had to look up a youtube playthrough, pause it and then try it, and even that didn't work. on the 8th or 9th attempt I finally got it to take. and I've played 1-5 maybe 6 times. the vase is the absolute worst thing in the series by far.

---

xyzzy

23.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8FNaJ2YPmU

2014
Mobile, PC

I am forever golfing in the desert. Im not entirely sure why, but Ive played something like 40,000 holes in Desert Golfing. I play it all the damn time. I played it yesterday. Ill play it today. Ill probably play it tomorrow. Anytime I just need something to do quickly, I golf in the desert.

Its fascinating to try to figure out why this game of all games is my go-to. One main reason for the fascination is its ultra minimalist design. Desert Golfing is stripped down to the purest elements possible: a ball, a hole, the ground and the angle of your shot. The only sounds youll hear are the tink of the ball being hit, the sound of the ball rolling the desert and a Pavlovian little ding when the ball goes in the hole. Thats it. Thats the game.

The other aspect of this game that appeals to me on a deep level is the permanence. The desert just keeps going. The game tracks your scores forever. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of shots. You never see a title screen because youre always right in the game.

You could call it a cheap mobile game with no thought put into it, but I feel like theres way more to it. It takes a lot of active restraint to let such simple concepts shine. Desert Golfing will occasionally throw a vase at you on hole #537 and it completely shocks your system because the minimalism is so stark. The color palette changes every so slightly every hole and you dont notice it at all until youre 1500 holes in and suddenly you realize that the orange background is purple. There's a bunch of super weird stuff like that and it draws a lot of people in.

Its the little things that make Desert Golfing really mesmerizing despite it being undoubtedly the most boring game in the world. This game would never work as a sit down and play kind of thing, but as far as on-the-go gaming goes, it's perfect.

---

xyzzy

yeah, I said as much in the DQ3 writeup - but in NA, we didn't have DQ3 until two years later and by then people were playing FF4. (FF1 is 1987 in japan if you want to go there in terms of influence)

---

xyzzy

I don't hate it like some, but yeah, no FFTA. I haven't played it since 03. it's better than Knights of Lodis, I guess?

---

xyzzy

24.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74HqYNVuJI8

1990
NES, others

Ah, here we are. I hate writing about this game every time.

I have played this game an uncomfortable number of times. Im glad that I dont know how many because I am sure its very high, like high two digits high. This is almost certainly in my top 3 most played games.

FF1 was a revelation in 1990 to Nintendo-loving children who read Nintendo Power. We had Dragon Warrior but it wasn't a fully fleshed out world. FF1, on the other hand, was just way more expansive and had so much more to it. There were so many more enemies, dungeons, equipment, magic, everything was supersized from what we knew. We didnt get the other DQ games that were already released by then and even FF1 came here 2 years late.

As a gateway RPG this game totally works, and for me absolutely still works today. I actually dont play the base game very often anymore - I usually play some weird rom hack that either fixes the games many bugs (you wouldnt believe just how much of this game is completely broken), offers some brutal hard mode or just redesigns the game entirely and adds tons of new classes/enemies/etc. The FF1 template simply works and I think others that are my age feel largely the same way. It probably doesnt work for anyone under 30, maybe even 35, but theres an audience that this game speaks to on a base level.


---

xyzzy

I think that says a lot and feels oddly emblematic of a lot of people's feelings on 9

---

xyzzy