LogFAQs > #949721788

60. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2005)

I've never been a fan of horror in general, whether in movies, games, or other media. I'm not keen on excessive violence and gore, and supernatural scary stuff just does nothing for me. Turns out, the timing was perfect for Resident Evil 4 to overcome my preconceived biases, as I was agressively seeking out "good" games I hadn't played before and the buzz surrounding it was off the charts back in the mid-00s. The secret to RE4? It's really just an excellent action game, rather than bringing something exceptional in the horror department, and that's pretty much exactly what I was looking for. The game does a good job at whisking you off to somewhere different after one segment might start to get too stale - the initial creepy village vibe leads to a sprawling gothic castle, for example. I was pretty bad, so I took a lot of deaths early on, which is the kind of "horror" vibe that actually works for me: being concerned of what's gonna come next because it might kill you, not just of a startling jump-scare or whatever.
There's not a ton to go on here about: RE4 is such a solid game and a fun experience I would be remiss to leave it off the list, but it's also not particularly my style of game so it didn't check a ton of boxes for something I love either.

59. Celeste (Multiplatform, 2018)

I don't think I'm breaking ground by saying that this is probably the best indie platforming game ever made. Taking a cue from other many-deaths-quick-respawn platformers, Celeste makes its game simple yet challenging, and encourages even its least-inclined players to keep on going until they get the movement just right to surpass an obstacle. And following the Super Mario Bros. platforming prime directive, Celeste is a game where just moving around feels fun. Its small set of basic actions works together well in tandem with whatever novel gimmick has been introduced for the stage to make a satisfying set of puzzles.
The story is a lot more satisfying than in most other indies too - combine that with the game's really solid visual and sound design and you have a setting a lot more endearing and memorable than most of the other platformers with similar mechanics. I haven't really dug into the game's extra content - the B and C-side challenges were beyond my interest in an initial playthrough, but they're absolutely there if you want more to do, or more challenge, or whatever. Add that in with speedruns and hidden collectables, and you've got a pretty sizeable little game if you're looking for it.
For me, though, I just really enjoyed the pace and feel of the main plotline, and the ending segment is absolutely excellent and felt like the perfect cap to a great game. Celeste, for me, may not have reached the heights of other AAA titles and my utmost favorites, but it is a shining beacon of what is possible for indie games to aspire to, both in quality and in critical success, that I almost feel bad for not putting it a bit higher here.

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it's an underwater adventure ride