LogFAQs > #932316252

FINALLY, TWO GAMES THAT I DECIDED NOT TO INCLUDE ON THIS LIST FOR SPECIFIC REASONS

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)

Link's Awakening is my favorite game of all time, but this isn't a top 100 games of all time. The remake of this game for Switch is new enough to put it on my list if I so chose, but I decided to leave it off because I didn't know how to rank it. Technically, it's still the same Link's Awakening I know and love, which should mean it's my #1 favorite game of the decade, but really, it wasn't actually one of my favorite experiences of the decade. But ranking it lower on the list just felt wrong, so I didn't do it and talked about it here. I love the the way they handled the artstyle, the music, and just about every other aspect of remaking this game. I do wish they added a little bit more for fans like me who've played the game a hundred times already and want some new secrets or easter eggs to find, but I'm still satisfied with this game existing in 2019 and being available for the vast swaths of Zelda fans who never got a chance at this back in 1993. Great game, but I'm leaving it off the list.

Zelda 1 Randomizer, Zelda 2 Randomizer, Pokemon Randomizer, Super Mario Bros 3 Randomizer, etc.

Realistically speaking, Zelda 1 Randomizer might well be my favorite gaming experience of the decade, or at least really close. The 10's have been the decade of the randomizer, starting with Pokemon Randomizer somewhere around 2011 I think? The whole concept of taking these old games and shuffling all of the data in them to generate new levels and to put every enemy and item in a brand new location has completely breathed new life into a ton of games that I have loved for years, turning each game into its own little roguelike of sorts - having to learn each seed as you go, exploring and experimenting, testing your abilities on the fly in brand new situations that never existed in the original game. I'm someone who doesn't really enjoy speedrunning games where it becomes about really rote memorization and super-precise optimization of every little thing, so randomizers have been big for me, as I specialize in general knowledge, on-the-fly planning, and figuring out what to do in new situations. Zelda 1 Randomizer has in particular really been an addiction for me though, as the levels lend themselves so well to being rearranged and feeling like a new experience every game, and I've made a little bit of a name for myself speedrunning it. I think the randomizer communities will only continue to grow as the randomizers themselves get more robust and awesome, and I look forward to playing them into the 2020's. I kept them off the list because, well, they aren't really entirely new games, and there's something depressing about listing Zelda 1 Randomizer as one of my favorite games of the decade when it's a thing that generates romhacks for a game from 1987. I have enough actually new games that I liked.

OKAY THE LIST STARTS NOW