Board 8 > Top 25 games of the decade, period. Exclamation mark!

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 12:25:27 AM
#1:


**THERE MAY BE SPOILERS FOR EVERY GAME I MENTION, PLEASE BE CAREFUL!**

We know the drill: 2010-2019, what were the best games of the decade? I have twenty-five answers to highlight, plus some other fun categories for other noteworthy games too.

I've had previous write-ups for most of these games, so I'll be reposting them with some updated end-of-decade thoughts at the end of them. Cool? Cool.

Here we go.

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HanOfTheNekos
01/01/20 12:28:11 AM
#2:


here you go

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 12:36:15 AM
#3:


No no, wouldn't be right to do it by myself.

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HanOfTheNekos
01/01/20 12:42:59 AM
#4:


Here's my list without me thinking about it at all and just pulling answers out of my ass.

25. Darkest Dungeon

What a great game, where people die and it's fun and then you get good enough to stop it but then it surprises you when they die and all in all just a great time with some fantastic DLC.

Best Part: The Narrator

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 12:43:33 AM
#5:


Before we begin this decade properly, here's an ode to the greatest games I beat for my first time during this decade which released in 2009 or before (previous write-ups available upon request).

TOP TEN GAMES RELEASED BEFORE THIS DECADE I BEAT FOR MY FIRST TIME THIS DECADE:

HM: Elite Beat Agents
10: The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask 3D
9: Resident Evil 4
8: Batman: Arkham Asylum
7: Mario VS Donkey Kong
6: Chrono Trigger DS
5: Bioshock
4: Mirrors Edge
3.1: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
3: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
2.1: Phoenix Wright: Justice for All
2: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations
1: Final Fantasy X

EBA is a fun little ball of energy.

LoZ:MM3D has the Moon...hated it so much in 2000's original release, but now I appreciate it (mostly) in 2019.

RE4 made me overcome scary games and there's too much cool variation here to deny it.

B:AA just feels so good to punch people. B:AC is on the backlog.

MvsDK brought lots of joy over many lunch breaks.

CT's music stands strong and it's fun to combine magic. #stealtheham

Bioshock was almost too scary, but I tanked up and became a wrench-wielding monster of my own...so then I became the scary one.

I heard ME's sequel didn't fix ME's issues and that is a shame -- still don't have another 3D series that nails running like this.

CV:DoS gets the nod over CS:PoR since I didn't like switching characters as much, but they're both very good and comparable. Never got around to CV:OoE.

PHOENIX! I quit midway through PW:SoJ and don't think the series is much for me anymore, but these were the second and third parts of arguably gaming's greatest trilogy. PW:TaT beats PW:JfA due to barging back into court to re-accuse Luke.

FFX makes me want to play more golden era FF games...only played FF7 and some of FF3/6 from then. Blitzball was awesome and Quick Hitting knuckleheads never felt so good. FFX was excellent.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 12:45:00 AM
#6:


Never played DD, but I have at least two games coming with excellent narrators.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 7:17:26 AM
#7:


Happy new year!

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 9:50:37 AM
#8:


FIVE HONORABLE MENTIONS OF 2010-2019:

Papers, Please
Mini Metro
You Don't Know Jack
Outland
Bleed

Papers, Please was dauntingly oppressive. I understand the same dude behind this was also behind Return of the Obra Dinn and I've heard high praise for that game too...backlog time.

Mini Metro is just so chill and it makes me miss living in NYC...but also quickly reminds me how crowded NYC could be.

You Don't Know Jack is a perfect game for parties. Not much replay value here once you know the answers, but the wrong answer of the game was fun to find if you didn't get it the first time.

Outland does what Ikaruga does for platformers, sure, we all know that comparison now...but man is this so much more accessible. The learning curve is nice and the bosses were awesome.

Bleed is intense! I really need to try its sequel. It's battle after battle of good fun and it has just a touch of heart-felt appreciation it shows the player at the end too. The game being about Wren despite the deceptive opening video is a fun angle too.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 10:04:12 AM
#9:


<b>#25: Speedrunner HD
Released on 8/29/2011
Xbox 360/PC</b>
(written in 2013)

Speedrunner HD is like a 2D version of Mirror's Edge combined with Bionic Commando, then given a multiplayer mode. Its biggest problems are glitches; countdowns to restart races get inconsistent, spikes cause levels to freeze, overtime is sometimes decided sporadically...it has a great simple core that needs more play-testing. It should also have more multiplayer levels; it's pretty easy to memorize and master the four or five it has now.

NOW IN 2020: That write-up was in the context of some games that needed sequels. In hindsight, the game took a lot of strides toward these issues and had a lot of hiccups along the way of pursuing them. Many new levels were added, though some levels got too complicated in paths. The mechanic of grapple-flying really fast after a big fall feels very good, but also it leads to insta-win situations for whoever is leading when this is accomplished which goes back to memorizing levels. Glitches continued. There was a love-hate-HATE relationship with the game during its evolution on PC in its early years.

Still, there is a lot of respect for this game. The powers and mechanics feel good, the shrinking camera is hype, and it's just so fun to get into sliding kick-wars that stop people's momentum. I'd like to see them start from scratch for a sequel with the concepts they learned during this development process.

Also, the game needs more music! Dun-dun-dun da-dun, da-dun-dun-dun..

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Mac Arrowny
01/01/20 10:39:15 AM
#10:


HaRRicH posted...
I heard ME's sequel didn't fix ME's issues and that is a shame -- still don't have another 3D series that nails running like this.


Play Super Cloudbuilt. It's like a better Mirror's Edge on many ways.
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HaRRicH
01/01/20 12:19:46 PM
#11:


I'll watch a trailer when I get home, thanks!

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 12:21:16 PM
#12:


<b>#24: Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Released on 3/11/2015
Steam</b>
(written in 2019)

Ori is a game about bashing: a move where you latch onto projectiles, then hop one direction from them and launch said projectiles into the opposite direction.

About as soon as you learn that move, everything changes...and then it almost immediately throws you into maybe the coolest moment from anything I played in the past two years. How cool was that first sequence when you're escaping the rising water?! That was so hype.

The game's pretty slow up to that point, but it does a good job helping you get your other mechanics down before that bash-ability comes. I thoughts its save-state system and skill tree made sense to compliment the game. It's visually interesting all throughout -- in particular that bright calm pond-area -- and your powers prepare you well to...outrun an owl? Okay, yeah, I'm down for that.

There are no real boss fights, just some tough enemies meant to test you sometimes and dramatic escape sequences. It's an interesting choice that works, though I'd like to see what an Ori boss would look like one day.

I heard the guy behind Another Metroid 2 Remake was picked up for the Ori-sequel and that sounds amazing. I'll definitely be playing that.

NOW IN 2020: I would still like to try a boss fight with these mechanics sometime. I get that doesn't really fit their idea of the game, and...sure. They also make plenty of other good choices in the design here, with that first escape rush being a gaming highlight of the decade. Still, come on, it'd be cool.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 1:00:24 PM
#13:


<b>#23: VVVVVV
Released on 1/11/2010
Steam</b>
(written in 2013)

I'm surprised I like this game so much, considering I played it immediately after having my wisdom teeth pulled. Then again, maybe that would make any game seem great...!

This is a simple platformer made complicated by difficulty, then simplified again by check-points, then complicated again with collectables. I also forget where I heard this phrase about VVVVVV, but this is a game that is in love with being a video game; from its retro graphics to its excellent soundtrack to random elephants, Terry Cavanagh had a blast making this. I like the open world it leaves you in as well; it's not Metroidvania'ish so much as just allowing you to take on the levels you find first, which works in its favor since you don't need to gain additional powers. It's very short, but that's not such a bad thing either.

I hear the 3DS-version is good, but I've not checked it out yet. Cavanagh's also done good work since putting this out, such as with a flash game called Hexagon. He has a way of pushing simple concepts, so I hope he continues with success.

NOW IN 2020: VVVVVV has an argument for soundtrack of the decade. It's just something like thirty minutes long, but once it' starts bumpin' it doesn't stop.

Also, hey, it's our oldest game on this list!

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banananor
01/01/20 1:05:15 PM
#14:


HaRRicH posted...
I heard ME's sequel didn't fix ME's issues and that is a shame -- still don't have another 3D series that nails running like this.
I actually recommend dying light as the closest thing, although the first 90 minutes are a little scarier/ slower than you might like

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HanOfTheNekos
01/01/20 1:19:22 PM
#15:


oh you're ahead

24. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The single biggest absolute triumph of this game was instilling, from the get-go, that childlike sense of wonder. Stepping out and seeing all of Hyrule on the horizon... the little things you find out from the engine as you go, climbing to the top of a huge mountain for the first time... just beautiful. Nothing has made me feel like a kid again like this game.

Best Part:

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HanOfTheNekos
01/01/20 1:26:08 PM
#16:


sorry Harrich I didn't mean to hijack your topic I'll stop now

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 2:32:20 PM
#17:


Feel free to continue Han, people are reading (right??) and it's a game celebration in here!

And yeah, I struggle with scary games but I'll add Dying Light to the list to watch tonight too.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 2:35:03 PM
#18:


<b>#22: AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake): Return of Samus
Released on 8/16/2016
PC</b>
(written in 2017)

By technicality of being a fanmade remake, this cannot be the best Nintendo game on my list...but since someone recently remade a Metroid-game from the Game Boy, AM2R manages to be both the newest and oldest game Ill mention here.

The world map is king here. Everything ties together nicely, so usually when you get a new power you have several new directions to go and maybe even a shortcut to connect the map better together. The areas are interesting when youre not stuck in slow-motion underwater, and you dont know what lies behind each door.

I enjoyed the boss fights -- especially the actual boss fights. Whenever that two-part fight happened with the eagle-boss after you get infinite jumps, man, that was HYYYYYPE! The other bosses came in a lot of different sizes and style too, outside of the Metroids which worked more like mini-bosses. The first time you fight a baby Metroids cool, but then you fight that creature a lot more and their automatic missile-dodging gets tiresome after awhile. The later forms of it are similar...and they try to shake it up with fighting more of them at once or giving you tougher terrain to battle on, but it becomes a chore sometimes. Omega Metroids are the exception since they will straight-up kill you and you dont fight them often.

One more complaint: this shinespark-business needs an in-game tutorial of some sort. Has a Metroid game actually trained players on how to do this move before? I get that only minor items and places cant be reached without it, and I get that many long-time Metroid players already know how to do it...but I dont think the series has required you to store your charged run and launch yourself elsewhere like AM2R requires for some of its items, has it?

Its a shame Nintendo DMCAd this game right after its release to the public, considering its a free game that very much honors the Metroid series. I havent followed its developer to see if AM2R is back up or not, but it wont cost a thing to download it if you can find it. If Metroid Prime: Federation Force doesnt appeal to you as a former Metroid fan, this might hit home instead.

NOW IN 2020: I had to look it up -- it's true, Milton Guasti was really hired to work on the next Ori game. That's a brilliant move. Bring. It. On.

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iiicon
01/01/20 2:49:06 PM
#19:


HaRRicH posted...
I havent followed its developer to see if AM2R is back up or not, but it wont cost a thing to download it if you can find it. If Metroid Prime: Federation Force doesnt appeal to you as a former Metroid fan, this might hit home instead.

NOW IN 2020: I had to look it up -- it's true, Milton Guasti was really hired to work on the next Ori game. That's a brilliant move. Bring. It. On.
yeah he's doing level design for Ori 2.

another dev picked up a couple months after he was hired and released a patch for it as well.

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Kiwami means extreme.
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HaRRicH
01/01/20 2:49:25 PM
#20:


<b>#21: Bastion
Released on 7/20/2011
Steam</b>
(written in 2015)

Narrative absolutely sells this game. Its plot isn't even that good, but the way the plot is given -- from the play-by-play commentary of the narration to throwing you in the middle of the story and making you pick up the pieces along the way -- is captivating from the get-go. Combine this with its lush worlds and rocking soundtrack, and you have everything you need to tip-toe past its ho-hum storyline for a fresh experience.

Oh, and it had gameplay too...good gameplay! The weapons were each unique and customizable , pairing up different weapons was great, there were training grounds for every weapon, and you even get special powers and bonuses on top of that. As the Stranger said, even "the best offense is a good defense" sometimes; bringing out the shield was more fun than I first expected. There were just a lot of ways to wreck havoc on the armies of creatures you'll find...and if you found it too easy to plow through them, you could always add specific challenges like enemies reflecting your attacks if you wanted to get more XP along the way.

It looks like Warner Bros. has really gotten its foot in the door with video games lately. Bastion, Batman, Lego, Mortal Kombat's return...hopefully they continue the good varied work.

NOW IN 2020: I used to listen to the soundtrack of this game a bunch. Not so much nowadays, but it was wild to hear it the first time. This idea of having voice-acting come in at certain game triggers seems so basic now, but Bastion was influential in how that could elevate a game's narrative.

I couldn't get the controls down for Transistor and I haven't tried Pyre yet. I know they both have definite fans, but man was Bastion good.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 2:50:46 PM
#21:


Man, Ori 2 is having its own Metroidvania experience leveling up with developers they're finding. That's gonna be a must play.

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HanOfTheNekos
01/01/20 3:48:00 PM
#22:


23. Risk of Rain 2

This has been such a great followup to its predecessor, even though the game is not technically out yet. Still, it's phenomenal, easy to dump hours into, and is a great thing to play while listening to podcasts or stuff. Good difficulty, and feels real good to play. Fun with friends too!

Best Part:

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 5:18:43 PM
#23:


I'm noticing a trend with your best parts...!

RoR1 was fine but I really wanna try RoR2.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 5:22:32 PM
#24:


<b>BEST CORE CONCEPT OF THE DECADE:
Untitled Goose Game
Released on 9/20/2019
Switch</b>
(written in 2020)

Few games have ever so clearly known their core concept for a game and then successfully explored the truths within that concept.

Their tagline is "It's a lovely day in the village, and you are a horrible goose." It is all you need to know.

It is a well-known story in my family about the time a goose attacked me as probably a six year old kid. Years later, my nephew and niece made a game with each other called Uncle and the Goose, and they just swatted their arms at each other. I'm glad neither of them bit each other, <I>unlike that goose from years ago..</I>

Anyway, House House figured out that universal fact about these geese-demons and then made a neat game, though it's hard to take descriptions of UGG seriously. Wikipedia calls it a puzzle-stealth game...and while that is correct, I can't read that with a straight face.

There's a lot to laugh at here, but I think the funniest aspect is that they made a regular goose but also recognized this false perception that geese have elegance, so they arm the goose-terrorist you play as with a playful piano soundtrack and cursive-written checklist of trouble to cause. This development team gooses.

The game's a little overpriced at $20, but while you wait for a sale the trailer is immediately clear if you want this game or not.

https://youtu.be/9LL2AtHo1gk

This is more Octodad than Goat Simulator, but that too doesn't really describe it well -- this isn't a ragdoll physics-type of comedy. You don't have wacky waving limbs or a super-elastic tongue. You're a goose, and your powers are limiting to honking and stealing.

Geese are the worst.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 5:55:54 PM
#25:


<b>#20: Super Mario Odyssey
Released on 10/27/2017
Switch</b>
(written in 2020)

With Super Mario 64 having been my favorite game for so much of my life, I was excited to finally give this game a chance. The game did not disappoint.

The game's built around Cappy which makes a neat addition to the game. There are times when it's useful for jumps, but I guess I don't like it for its standard uses as much as I like to feel like I'm "breaking" the game with it (when to dive on and dive off from it for extra distances, finagling wall jumps in corners, etc.). In that regard, that brings a new dimension for me.

Enemy take-overs are fun, especially during that final run of the game. I love that creature you stabs wall with your nose for springing upward, for example. Around that same time late in the game, you also capture an incoming Bonzai Bill, Charging Chuck, and even Bowser himself during the final stretch of the game. That is a great final run. The game also nailed making it feel bad-ass to go under the moon's surface.

The costume changes were annoying when I needed to wear one at certain times, but otherwise these were fun. My enjoyment of SMO immediately escelated when I could be SM64 at Princess Peach's castle -- that is nothing short of nostalgia in HD, and that nostalgia was glorious.

The worlds were cool -- New Donk City and Bowser's samurai-themed world were crazy-good.

And the buttstomp feels the best it has since Super Mario 64. That immediate high jump after one is a nice touch too.

It's just so hard to imagine Super Mario 64 ever being replaced as my favorite game per say, but this is what a sequel for that game should look like. I don't know that I need 3D platformers as much as I used to, but I don't have anything bad to say here either. Great job Nintendo.

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HanOfTheNekos
01/01/20 5:58:27 PM
#26:


I love RoR2. I think it's better balanced in terms of having fun characters.

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HanOfTheNekos
01/01/20 5:59:51 PM
#27:


22. Super Mario Odyssey

Damn but they just keep making 3D Marios so good. How do they do that? Even the one usually considered the worst, Sunshine, is a gem. Great worlds, great mechanics, fun challenges that keep you coming back for more and more.

Best Part:

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 7:20:03 PM
#28:


Hey, got some similar love for SMO!

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 7:32:15 PM
#29:


<b>#19: Super Mario Maker 2
Released on 6/28/2019
Switch</b>
(written in 2020)

I never got to play the first Mario Maker, but this sequel is legit.

My favorite thing to do is to make and play my own levels. Yeah yeah, playing other levels, that's fun, whatever -- let me make another Hammer Bro gauntlet. Getting to own that level creativity takes me back to the days when my teachers would take away my first grader-drawings of level design doodles. They are not fully polished levels usually, no, but man have I learned how to dodge some hammers.

Kinda, anyway. Why are they still so hard to predict and work around after all these years?!

The game comes with 100+ levels Nintendo made, most of which are pretty fun. I don't really like the lantern-in-the-dark levels, but otherwise they're good. I guess I don't know how Nintendo bothers to make any other 2D Mario game anymore now that two Mario Maker games are out with most of our favorite versions of Mario mechanics. Like, would they make a "New New" Super Mario game with new physics, would they start making their own 1/3/World/New sequels, or? I imagine they'll keep making Mario Maker games, so it feels like that washes out most other 2D opportunities with Mario.

That pigeon is alright with me too, Yamamura. I really like how it trains players with videos in increasingly more advanced concepts on how to make better levels. That's good for both the game and the industry.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 9:07:28 PM
#30:


<b>#18: Catherine
Released in 2/17/2011
Xbox One</b>
(written in 2019)

I didn't think I ever played an Atlus game before. I had to look it up to learn they worked on Friday the 13th and Snowboard Kids. I also only watched part of the Persona 3 anime, so thats as close as I got to anything theyve done in recent years...but after playing Catherine, wow. Please get your games on Steam already, Atlus -- I only got to play this because my brother loaned me his Xbone a few days.

EDGE

First thing's first: that opening menu theme song is probably the best opening menu theme song I can think of. It's bumpin' and smooth in all the right ways. The game immediately had style thanks to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiYQwWg1KrY

EDGE

I'm surprised I liked the gameplay. Ive heard it compared to Q*Bert...and while its imagery immediately comes to mind and I know I played it, I really dont remember how that game actually plays other than this vague feeling that I didnt like it. Whatever that once was didnt really matter for me anymore here though.

EDGE

This is mechanically a game about building stairs out of blocks that make up the walls in your way, and its more satisfying than Pushmo ever was. Theres more too though -- there are sheep-people dying all around you while you run from screaming butthole monsters and escape into confessionals to answer difficult would-you-ratherish questions. You know, traditional mainstream gaming.

EDGE

Story-wise, I got the Good Katherine ending. I dont necessarily like how the game makes me feel helpless in Vinces most important moments of cheating due to cutscenes and all that, but it does a GREAT job with how you have little doses of control along the way. Who do you actually want to talk to at the bar? How would you like to handle your text messages? How drunk do you want to get tonight? The correct answer to that last one is enough to get the narrator to break the fourth wall and give me more beer-facts, now pour me another.

EDGE

This games got a ton of layers and its difficult to parse it all for its deeper meaning, but generally its an exploration of cheaters guilt in relationships and they told the story well through both cutscenes and gameplay. Bravo Atlus.

Catherine: Full Body is set to come out this year and its exciting to see it get more multiplayer-support after that competitive scene bubbled in the background awhile. It's also gonna be interesting to see how well or (more likely) how poorly they handle Rin's story, but, uh, hey, representation matters, right Erica? Just hope it goes well.

NOW IN 2020: I'm still watching a playthrough of Catherine: Full Body on Tarvould's Quest, but it seems largely the same storywise with new piano-playing and some newly-shaped blocks. I can deal with that...we'll see if the story changes much from here.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 10:28:03 PM
#31:


<b>#17: Celeste
Released on 1/25/2018
Switch</b>
(written in 2020)

Oh hey, a tough-as-nails platformer with a positive message and a quality narrative!

I understood the game to be tough to beat all the content for, and this understanding was correct. I beat the game, the core of the mountain, and a few B-Sides while collecting the majority of its strawberries. However, Chapter 9 on the moon out-puzzled me and the difficulty just got to be too absurd for me with some of its mechanics. I didn't even get to the C-Sides or golden berries (those golden berries look ridiculous to get). Still, for just beating the game, it's got a great scale of difficulty.

The main game also has an interesting draw with its storyline. Madeline's struggle with climbing the mountain is as much with herself as it is with the climb. It deals with depression, insecurities, and a friend from the magical land of Seattle. Narrative-wise, the game peaked with the Reflection level. It had her mirror-self show off her powers in the face of calm-down techniques in a surreal beginning of the level, and at the end you face off against her in a chase battle that's one of the best bosses a tough high-speed platformer's ever given us.

Then you get double dash-abilities. That's pretty cool.

This is a worthy recommendation to any fan of the genre. If you just wanna go fast and beat hard levels, this game makes you feel good doing so.

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transience
01/01/20 10:30:11 PM
#32:


nice timing. the bottom of this list is pretty much the top of mine!

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 11:04:06 PM
#33:


Yeah, I had similar thoughts watching your list grow! It's been fun watching and preparing for this list.

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Nelson_Mandela
01/01/20 11:10:21 PM
#34:


Tag why not

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"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso
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HaRRicH
01/01/20 11:11:50 PM
#35:


<b>#16: Hotline Miami
Released on 10/23/2012
Steam</b>
(written in 2017)

I cant decide if Hotline Miami aspires to have a higher meaning or not. Im too busy being lost in my trance of emotionless inner turmoil.

The soundtrack here is madness and complements the intense twitchy gameplay required to succeed here. You burst into peoples homes with an animal mask on and are expected to kill all the armed enemies inside. As hard as this can be and acknowledging how fast you have to react to your situations, the music keeps you in a sort of spell where you can do this without thinking. Its psychedelic techno-rock with a dark twinge, and the game experience would not be the same without it.

Its a little horrifying to describe the game like this. The good news is its just a game, and a top-down 2D game with sprite graphics at that. The bad news is that theres still a weird troubling narrative to fight through as if youre the good guy. The storyline calls you out as a player along the way, asking things like if you like to hurt people. This plotline doesnt go as deep as some other games, but you can still feel the cognitive dissonance of the games goals against your morality.

Hotline Miami has some nice subtle storytelling as well -- its not all character-says-this and man-kills-panthers-with-that. Theres a woman you save who eventually starts to live with you before the enemies enter your home and kill her; during this time, you see how your house changes to become a nicer place to live. You get newspaper articles along the way about some of the crimes youve committed. Its not all brilliant -- I cant tell if the secret ending enhances or diminishes the plot -- but ultimately its all about the gameplay here. The plot just directly and indirectly sets up your world along the way.

Ive heard Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number misses the point of this game, so I dont know that Ill bother with it. Even if I never do though, this is quite the experience as is.

NOW IN 2020: I still haven't played HM2, but i see it bundled with HM1 on sale sometimes so I'll probably commit one day.

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HaRRicH
01/01/20 11:17:09 PM
#36:


Best core concept: Untitled Goose Game
HM: Papers, Please
HM: Mini Metro
HM: You Don't Know Jack
HM: Outland
HM: Bleed
25: Speedrunners HD
24: Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
23: VVVVVV
22: AM2R: Another Metroid 2 Remake
21: Bastion
20: Super Mario Oddysey
19: Super Mario Maker 2
18: Catherine
17: Celeste
16: Hotline Miami

More tomorrow.

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MetalmindStats
01/01/20 11:56:52 PM
#37:


I know you're a big fan of Night in the Woods, so I'm looking forward to seeing where it ends up. Also, I enjoy how Han has also made this topic his destination.

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"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do."
You won the CBX Guru Contest, Advokaiser! Bully for you!
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HaRRicH
01/02/20 7:13:07 AM
#38:


When you're here, you're family.

And Gregg rulz ok.

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TomNook
01/02/20 7:33:58 AM
#39:


Wow, your taste is very similar to mine. Love all the stuff on your list that I've played. I really need to check out the stuff I haven't.

Tag for the rest. Nice write-ups too!

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Bells, bells, bells!
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Peace___Frog
01/02/20 8:56:11 AM
#40:


HaRRicH posted...
I couldn't get the controls down for Transistor and I haven't tried Pyre yet. I know they both have definite fans, but man was Bastion good.
Bastion was indeed great! It took me a while to grow into Transistor's more methodical combat, but once I did it really began to outshine Bastion. Pyre is a little more niche because it's kind of like a fantasy basketball VN with light rpg elements, but it's also absolutely spectacular.

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~Peaf~
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HanOfTheNekos
01/02/20 12:18:07 PM
#41:


21. Batman: Arkham City

This game came out in 2011, right? Anyway, how do you make a great superhero game with one of the best superheroes ever? You make Arkham Asylum. How do you make a sequel that doesn't feel just like a retread of the same thing? You make Arkham City.

This game has everything from great bit appearances by your favorite villains to playing as Catwoman to visceral responsive combat to wonderful voice acting to fun little side missions. It's really a great piece of work.

Best Part(s):

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HaRRicH
01/02/20 12:40:08 PM
#42:


<b>EXCITING COMEBACK OF THE DECADE: Mega Man 11
Released in 9/6/2018
Steam</b>
(written in 2019)

First of all: MM9 >= MM4 > MM2 > MM5 >= MM11 > MM10 >> MM3 > MM6 >= MM1

So I played MM10 first and then a few months later I played MM11 -- an interesting formula-breaker that still stays true to the series.

MM11 finally figured out how to make 3D graphics work for Mega Man because this still looks and feels like a Mega Man game. The power-gear mechanic was okay, but the time-gear is what really made this game unique -- a lot of the game is designed to kick your robot boy's teeth in unless you slow things down at key moments. I loved how Robot Masters changed their patterns on you in this game too once you hurt them a certain amount -- that gave a certain level of freshness to every RM. Dr. Wily's final move in slow motion was well-played as well.

It's really hard to go wrong with classic Mega Man in my book, but what both of these games missed that MM9 nailed so much better than the rest of the series is how every power can be made relevant and important to the gameplay. That was a change I was hoping modern Mega Man games figured out...and look, those powers are still okay and have their uses, but MM9 stands alone in that aspect.

Side-note: after playing these two games, it reminded me that Mighty No. 9 came out inbetween these two games...and man, I only played a little bit of MN9 about a year ago, but after all the associations they tried to draw for Mega Man-fans I'm glad to see that thing tossed away. It is the present year is a terrible opening line and it never won me back with the two or three levels I tried afterward. MN9 was a bad trick -- stick to the classic series.

NOW IN 2020: it took eight and a half years to go from MM10 to MM11. This series is an all-time legend of game series and it's a tired subject to talk about how neglected it is in recent years. The good news is this is a solid modern model to reinvigorate the series, if they decide to. Work on that weapon synergy and improve that soundtrack again (come on, Capcom can afford Danny Baronowsky) -- they have the rest in a solid place they can continue building on.

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HaRRicH
01/02/20 12:51:30 PM
#43:


<b>#15: Rocket League
Released on 7/7/2015
Steam</b>
(written in 2017)

Monster Truck Madness meets soccer and jetpacks. This is Rocket League.

It doesnt matter if its your first match or youre nailing alley-ooped aerials: every touch on the ball feels like a big deal. I find myself constantly leaning in all sorts of directions in the same way I used to play games as a kid. You just really look forward to making the impact.

I also liked that you can go from 1vs1 to 4vs4 matches, even though 3vs3 is the default. It all depends on the level of chaos you want in your multi-player action. 1vs1 is good for learning ball control on the ground and understanding one opponent at a time. The more people you involve in the game, the more you realize aerial shots are valuable to get above the vehicular melee on the field. You also see people shift into certain responsibilities: goalie, goalie destroyer, mid-field opportunist, who goes for the ball first after each score...lots of little positions get spread between teammates.

Online matchmaking gets some credit too -- it felt like they usually paired me up with people of equal skill. When I was just learning how to dribble the ball, so were other opponents (outside of the occasional all-star who probably just made their first Steam account or something). As I was getting better with my cars jumps, they were too. Im figuring out aerials as other people are taking to the sky, and the list goes on. Not to say that blow-outs couldnt happen, but I didnt often feel like I was outclassed or outclassing the other players.

The soundtracks great too! Underwater.....

NOW IN 2020: I find that bringing this game up among strangers is a good way to make enemies for five minutes and make friends afterward. It feels so good -- even when you're bad, it feels good.

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HaRRicH
01/02/20 1:10:37 PM
#44:


<b>#14: The End is Nigh
Released on 7/12/2017
Steam</b>
(written in 2019)

These next three games are basically ties and theyre all flawed differently in ways thats hard to really rank them against each other, but eff that -- we like definitive rankings here, so #3 is The End is Nigh.

I love love loooooved Super Meat Boy when it first came out, and when you look at TEiN it's really easy to see this is a similar game from the same developer. Even if you play TEiN after not playing SMB in years, you'll feel like this is very familiar territory.

However, take some time to play them side-by-side and you'll be caught off-guard by the differences you'll feel. SMB is floatier and more momentum-based while TEiN is more precisely as you command and incorporates a few little powers you always have but don't know about until later when the game teaches you. SMB deals with wall-jumps while TEiN deals with jumps from ledges. We also see SMB is stage-based while TEiN connects a world together. Point is, SMB and TEiN feel almost exactly the same until you load them up side-by-side with a controller in your hand.

The crowning achievement is the music. They not only made rock-orchestra versions of classical music for its soundtrack, they then made chiptune-versions of those songs too. I'm not sure there's a better song on this whole list than two variations of the same song -- The Future and The Tower:

https://youtu.be/NEZ3x317jvE

https://youtu.be/nh9uFAxsGQs

Okay though, it has a legitimate flaw in ethical difficulty and I say this as somebody who 100%'d both this and SMB. I'm making eye-contact with +Acceptance for this rant.

TEiN is varied and interesting in how it used its lives system. You have infinite lives in the main world and the hardest carts, you have as many lives in the dark world as you have tumors saved from the main world, most carts give you ten lives, and four carts give you one life.

+Acceptance combines all four of those difficult one-life carts together, then adds a brand new cart at the very end and still expects you to do it all in one life...and that crosses a line for me. That is BS difficulty to waste players times in a major way, not being able to even practice that last cart until you ACE all the rest in a row and then only get one shot at it.

I mean, I did it, butcome on, that's BS.

Also, their cutscenes after the intro were bad and hopping on those flying creatures while you're in that cliff-world was malarkey.

All and all though, SMB fans don't have an excuse not to play TEiN. I'll probably lean SMB > TEiN, but what a great pair of games.

NOW IN 2020: I maintain +Acceptance was unethical. I also wouldn't want to beat any retro cart without dying (which isn't necessary anyway, but, you know...achievements). Otherwise though, it felt good beating the heck out of this game and any fans of Super Meat Boy need to give it a shot.

Since we had a do-save-states-mean-you-beat-it conversation from another topic here, I'll share this: I beat the game fair and square, plus I got the achievements of dying less than 20(?) times and beating the game in under 2(?) hours with a little cheesing. I took a save file and started thrashing a world until I could ace it consistently, then I went to a second save file to beat it cleanly with that practice. I then went back to my practice file and destroyed the next world before switching to my clean file for a single clean run. Rinse and repeat. I beat the crap of that game and still had to cheese it a bit for those achievements...but I stand by it counting. If it's throwing +Acceptance at me, I'm throwing practice between save files at it.

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HanOfTheNekos
01/02/20 1:16:06 PM
#45:


20. Dark Souls

First half of this game has amazing level design. Difficulty is super fun, bosses are great, and the lore is just interesting enough to have you look into it. Great game to experience for a first time.

Best Part (Biggest butt on the list yet):

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HaRRicH
01/02/20 1:22:15 PM
#46:


That booty is an eight-legged freak my dude.

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HaRRicH
01/02/20 1:23:48 PM
#47:


But seriously, I wanted to get into Dark Souls but it's too scary-tense and I will not stand for a game that will not pause while I manage my menus.

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HaRRicH
01/02/20 1:25:21 PM
#48:


<b>#13: Night in the Woods
Released on 1/10/2017
Steam</b>
(written in 2019)

Real talk: Mae Borowski is my spirit animal. I love this trash mammal.

Like Lost Constellation and Longest Night, Night in the Woods crushes it with dialogue. Sometimes its the simplicity of the lines, like when Gregg has cups on his ears and says I have cups on my ears. Sometimes its the adult content you dont expect from a cel-shaded 2D adventure game, like when Maes computer is overrun with pornographic spyware. Sometimes its the shock of personal revelations, like when you realize Mae doesnt remember Beas mom passed away years ago. Sometimes its the heavy-hitting nostalgia, like when Mae finds Mallard P. Bloomingro and shares her childhood memories in this newly-discovered tomb. Sometimes its a silly line in a song about wanting to die anywhere else than here, and sometimes its just the joy of seeing a poetry club be told poems without rhymes is the dumbest thing ever. I have no better way to describe the dialogue than bratty, and it is charming despite its recognition of its own immaturity. This is some of my favorite writing in all of video games.

EEEEEEEELS, people. EEEEEEEELS.

NitW also gets a weird accolade: I dont know that Ive ever seen a game represent the type of small town I grew up in so well. People are worried about jobs as they go to church and put together little holiday festivals. Businesses come and go. Maes insecure about returning to her hometown after failing out of college -- shes stuck seeing her ex at campfires and seeing her friends evolve in their lives since she first left town. Its rural in nature at Possum Springs as it explores themes about life changing and moving on without you. I dont know that my town ever found a severed arm just laying around, but this checks a lot of marks for where I once lived.

And then the game <spoiler>suddenly changes into a ghost story kinda?

The game has some major whiplash about two-thirds into it. It has clues set up to explain the whiplash, but they don't feel like they explain it enough in hindsight or like those clues are relevant when the whiplash comes. Its neat, but less so and in a totally different way. I like the side of NitW where you have a knife-fight just to reminisce over old times with a friend more than what the end of the game had you doing.</spoiler>

The nightmare scenes are odd and sometimes I think they took a little too long, but at least the discovery of music and the unusual metaphors made them worthwhile.

NitW is personal. Its about a cat dropping out and returning home to jump on powerlines when she knows she should get a job, but the game means more than that too.

Play it. If it ever hooks you a little bit, then it probably hooks you a lot. If nothing else, Demon Towers pretty dope for a minigame.

And Gregg rulz ok.

NOW IN 2020: I understand one of the main creators of NitW died young recently, Alec Holowka...hate to see talent like this go. Maybe someone else will take up the mantle of clever dialogue like this going forward. I haven't done deep research on him, but it sounded like he had some personal controversies before he passed...I'll let somebody who knows them better speak about them, but in the meanwhile this game mattered and I appreciate this contribution.

[@MetalmindStats here's your game.]

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Mac Arrowny
01/02/20 2:11:04 PM
#49:


You messed up your spoiler tags
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All the stars in the sky are waiting for you.
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wg64Z
01/02/20 3:10:48 PM
#50:


Tag

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Do you like humor, gameplay, and daily content? Check out my hilarious let's play Youtube Channel, Tarvould's Quest!
https://www.youtube.com/TarvouldsQuest
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