LogFAQs > #948949844

Another list preview and a couple mentions. My top 100 by genre:

JRPG: 15
Action-Adventure: 14
Platformer: 12
Strategy: 9
Metroidvania: 7
First-Person Shooter: 7
Third-Person Shooter: 6
Arcade: 6
WRPG: 5
Survival Horror: 5
Adventure: 5
Open World: 4
Space Sim: 2
Competitive Multiplayer: 2
Rhythm: 1

I simplified the categories a bit to keep some of the mystery in there, but I was a little surprised to see this is how it turned out. I probably have the fewest Japanese games on my list out of anyone here and JRPG still took the top spot.

HONORABLE MENTION: The Operative: No One Lives Forever (Microsoft Windows, 2000)

Before they were acquired by WB and forever sentenced to develop Lord of the Rings games (including Guardians of Middle-earth, which is Nick's favorite MOBA), the folks at Monolith Productions were known for producing a ton of first-person shooter (FPS) games. No One Lives Forever is probably the biggest standout. The game is a cheeky tribute to 1960s spy stories and incorporates a mix of action and stealth gameplay, which gave me some options for how to solve each level. There is also a bunch of silly spy gadgets to use, which really resonanted with me at a time in my life when I was big into James Bond. It was a really fresh and cool game at a time when most shooters were still inspired by Quake and Doom.

HONORABLE MENTION: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64, 1998)

What can I say about this game that has not already been said? This was the biggest game of the Nintendo 64 and will always be the game that all console Zelda games are compared to. It was also my first Zelda, as I had managed to miss the earlier entries somehow despite my love for the SNES. Getting to Hyrule Field for the first time is still an all-time moment in games. And that was just the first of so many many memorable moments for me in that game. At the time, the atmosphere in places like the temples was unmatched by anything else. And at this same time when I was not using the internet much yet, the large open world seemed full of all kinds of mysteries and secrets just waiting to be discovered and shared with my friends.

It was hard not to put this one in my list, but I actually did not spend as much time with Ocarina of Time as many others and ultimately, I think other games just stand out to me more. But you don't need me to tell you why this game is great; this is the internet, after all. I'm sure it's going to show up on many other lists here.

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At least your mother tipped well