LogFAQs > #949360810

82. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (Multiplatform, 2000)

One of the best versions of the series that upon its release permanently became synonymous with skateboarding video games. On a run at the most recent GDQ, a runner commented that THPS games are basically platformers, and I couldn't disagree with that argument - they're mostly about precise jumps and a ton of movement options - and it's a big part of why the games are so satisfying and addictive. THPS2 has a distinctive and memorable licensed soundtrack, some of the series' best levels, and lots of good multiplayer modes and options to boot.
Like Mega Man or Mario Party, THPS's second installment takes the original's good concepts and makes them better, while adding features that were missing to create their definitive installment. And while some THPS sequels were similarly excellent (and regarded by some as superior) the amount of time I put into THPS2 puts it a cut above the rest.

81. Pokmon Go (Mobile, 2016)

In the summer of 2016, Pokmon Go arrived and took quite literally the whole world by storm. For a few weeks, you couldn't go anywhere without finding someone walking to catch Pokmon or reclaim a gym. That experience alone was totally unique, and pretty fun, but with a game that was full of bugs and fairly lacking on content or depth, a lot of folks lost interest pretty fast and it faded away.
Well, not exactly. Pokmon Go undoubtedly had growing pains in its now nearly five years (!) of development, but it's advanced into a pretty thoroughly engrossing game now - with online trading and competitive battling, multiplayer legendary boss battles, and even live paid events to obtain rare Pokmon and items. On its own merits it's a neat game, but I really have never been so enamored with it to place it among my favorite games. However, as a social gaming/real-life-crossover (?) experience, it goes beyond anything I've probably ever played. At the insistence of a real-life friend, I picked up the game back in 2018 for a while and found myself making new friends for raid meetups, spending hours walking through parks to catch Pokmon, and standing in freezing-cold rain to follow a raid train to several locations. (Okay, I had an umbrella.)
It's almost impossible to quantify where that stands among largely more traditional single- or multiplayer-game experiences, so I'm throwing it into the X1 - "I want this on the list, but I don't know where the hell to put it" - space of honor. 71 is gonna be another similarly weird one, hooray!

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