Board 8 > CasanovaZelos's Top 100 Video Games

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New page, so here's the list so far:
#100. Rock Band 3 (2010)
#99. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
#98. Paper Mario (2001)
#97. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
#96. Devil May Cry 3 (2005)
#95. The Walking Dead (2012)
#94. Ikaruga (2001)
#93. Shining Force II (1994)
#92. Batman: Arkham City (2011)
#91. Portal (2007)
#90. Into the Breach (2018)
#89. Devil May Cry 5 (2019)
#88. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)
#87. Night in the Woods (2017)
#86. God of War (2018)
#85. We Love Katamari (2005)
#84. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (2004)
#83. Star Fox 64 (1997)
#82. Pokemon Black and White (2011)
#81. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
#80. Shovel Knight (2014)
#79. Tales of Vesperia (2008)
#78. RollerCoaster Tycoon (1999)
#77. Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (2009)
#76. EarthBound (1995)
#75. Left 4 Dead 2 (2009)
#74. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
#73. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
#72. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
#71. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (2017)
#70. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (2005)
#69. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004)
#68. Mass Effect (2007)
#67. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
#66. Dragon Quest XI (2017)
#65. Final Fantasy XII (2006)
#64. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (2014)
#63. Mario Kart 8 (2014)
#62. Mass Effect 3 (2012)
#61. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)



#60. Hollow Knight (2017)
Developed by Team Cherry

Hollow Knight merges two subgenres which regularly prove hard yet popular to imitate. Instead of having a proper title, both of these are named after the games which started it all. This is not a unique trait the first-person shooter genre was commonly referred to as Doom clones. FPS became the popular term once other games improved upon its foundation. This suggests that other entries in these subgenres have failed to differentiate themselves enough to force us to collectively determine another name. Looking at my own top 100, this appears to be largely true Hollow Knight is the only game here belonging to the Metroidvania and Soulsborne subgenres outside of, well, Metroid, Castlevania, and From Softwares variously titled games. The fact it manages both would seem an extraordinary feat, but the truth is that these two genres share many common elements. Hollow Knight exploits this to massive success.

A Metroidvania game does not necessarily need a map, but lacking one tends to be a frustrating feature. Hollow Knight manages to maximize its tension by delaying this element. Each new area requires finding a cartographer who sells a basic map, forcing you to stumble around blind until you pick up his literal paper trail. Even once you find the map, it does not automatically update with each step the knight must rest at a bench first. This little change makes a massive atmospheric difference, which is key to selling the Soulsborne experience.

Another key element of Metroidvanias is a world where each area needs to be revisited, and Hollow Knight is loaded with hidden rooms. A lot of paths are blocked by requiring upgrades, but many of these locations have alternative entrances. Hollow Knight feels very open compared to others in the genre, which can sometimes feel like linear games with the illusion of limitless direction. Large swaths of Hollow Knight can be taken in any order. There are also dozens of side areas I passed over repeatedly before finally noticing an entrance once you think youve seen everything, youll suddenly discover an entire sub-area with its own boss. There was even an early game boss I failed to stumble across until I neared the end. Most Metroidvania games will have a few hiccups where theres only one rather obtuse path forward. Hollow Knight simply has so many paths and such an open structure that youll never run out of places to explore.

Hollow Knight features many of the surface-level Soulsborne elements, such as the need to recover resources from wherever you died and the bench-to-boss runs. But what really sells these games are their foreboding atmospheres. Many developers confuse this for brutal difficulty despite the Souls series employing an unusual system for mitigating the challenge if desired. Hollow Knight is just challenging enough. Bosses like the Watcher Knights will absolutely roll you over in the first few attempts, but it never feels unmanageable. The patterns are clear enough to show why you failed; the challenge is less about overwhelming the player and more about understanding the exact moments to attack. The gameplay is effortlessly smooth, ensuring that these numerous attempts are actually enjoyable.

But, again, these games arent hard purely for the sake of difficulty. They make each new and sprawling location feel like a reward, giving a sense of trespassing within places which needed utmost protection. At least from my perspective, the true joy of this genre is not the boss fights but seeing the massive world unfurl. By giving only the slightest direct information, these games largely rely on environmental storytelling. A lot can be gathered just be seeing which bosses are protecting which area, and the lack of explanation makes some locations truly terrifying despite the cartoonish art style.

The lack of RPG elements actually feels essential here. Instead of simply levelling to gain power, improvements are scattered across the world. In the rare case you do come across a boss which seems too hard to manage, thats all the more reason to turn around and explore another corridor. With dozens of charms to equip, mask fragments which increase health, and pale ore to improve your weapon, theres always something around the corner which might give the right advantage. You may end up grinding to be able to buy a few great charms, but the most charming element of this game is the way it rewards constant progression.

Hollow Knight is all about the sensation of being lost. In fact, this might just be the biggest Metroidvania out there, and the whole experience is dizzying. From the first descent into the Forgotten Crossroads to the absolutely nightmarish run through the White Palace, every area leaves its mark. Maintaining the perfect difficulty to be challenging but never hard enough to outright block progression, Hollow Knight captures the spirit of Dark Souls while remaining surprisingly accessible.

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Great writeup. I've been pushing off playing Hollow Knight for a while now, but will try to get to it after The Last of Us 2. It seems like a game I'll dig.

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Hollow Knight is one of the reason I love the GameFAQs contests; it's a game I had completely overlooked, but seeing it almost take down FF15 after getting out of round 1 was enough to make me take notice.



#59. Fallout: New Vegas (2010)
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment

While the Fallout series has been around for a while, the series went through a total transformation after changing publishers. The first two games were classic isometric WRPGs. As soon as Bethesda took over, they essentially changed it into The Elder Scrolls with a different setting. Fallout: New Vegas now feels like the most essential game in the series, combining the gameplay of the latter entries with the charm of the originals thanks to being developed by many involved in the older games.

New Vegas did not always sit atop that pedestal. Bethesda games are always busted, but New Vegas felt particularly unstable. When I first bought the game, I put it down after only an hour due to my characters gun constantly bobbing up and down at random. It was the type of flaw which did not outright break the game but made the visual interface nauseating. It took picking up years later after tons of patches to see the true quality.

Fallout is at its best while being humorous. The numbered Bethesda entries have their fair share of comedy, but the settings can be a bit drab. Strolling through the National Mall in Fallout 3 is certainly a compelling experience, but the Las Vegas setting allows some brilliant nonsense.

What makes The Elder Scrolls work and thus Fallout by association is the massive amount of content to explore. Where most RPGs consist of caves and keeps, the retro-future setting of Fallout offers some truly unique locations. The series staple is the fallout vaults, which is how people survived into the present day. However, each and every vault was actually an experiment. Diving deeper and discovering their stories is always a joy. One feels lifted straight out of a Shirley Jackson social horror story while another has been overrun with fungus. The lore runs deep, always maintaining a darkly humorous atmosphere even as it descends into madness.

The quests are always a riot thanks to the many oddball factions. One gang consists of Elvis impersonators while one of the major factions vying for power has regressed into ancient Roman culture. The strip offers a dusty yet colorful environment, with each of the casinos having their own bonkers narrative. Despite being post-apocalyptic, so many of these areas feel alive.

Ive always been a fan of how this series handles its nature as an RPG/FPS hybrid. The V.A.T.S. system is a stylized way to momentarily emphasize strategy over shooting. And while there are stat increases, a lot of the fun in levelling is choosing from the massive variety of perks. Some add new dialogue options, others make V.A.T.S. more versatile, while another reveals the entire map. There are so many ways to play this game, especially when considering the typical morality system which offers several ways of handling each quest. One of the most ingenious details is how dialogue options can change depending upon your build including some special lines when your character is particularly unintelligent.

We put up with Bethesdas glitches because the core experience tends to be so strong. Theres just so much to do here, and the game accommodates whatever playstyle you choose. With Obsidians brilliant writing, New Vegas is simply the best Fallout game.

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On the one hand yeah I love the foreboding atmosphere but on the other hand fuck the Deepnest forever.

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#58. Bayonetta 2 (2014)
Developed by PlatinumGames

For all intents, the Bayonetta series filled the void left by the Devil May Cry series between 2005 and 2019. The first game was directed by Hideki Kamiya, who also directed the first Devil May Cry. Bayonetta 2 generally built upon that first installment, which was personally marred by my experience with the atrocious PS3 port.

What Bayonetta 2 may lack in mechanical depths is made up by the simple pleasure of its dodge mechanic. Called Witch Time, a successful dodge will momentarily slow down time and let Bayonetta get in a small combo. Theres a simple grace to the flow of battle. While the best Devil May Cry games have deeper mechanics, their basic enemy designs could be all over the place. In Bayonetta, everything feels tightly built around these simpler ideas. For the average player, Bayonetta 2 is absolutely a top-notch gameplay experience.

Like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta can also be really dumb. Where Dante is an edgy dork, Bayonetta pushes a dominant sexy image to the point of absurdity. A lot of games try and completely fail at being sexy, usually to the point of embarrassment. By being so unabashedly at the center of the presentation, Bayonettas take is oddly compelling. The character was designed by a woman, and this feels key to explaining why it works. Her sexy performance comes off less like fanservice and more like a power move. While obviously not successful for everyone, she somehow appeals to the four major corners of human sexuality. Bayonetta is a power fantasy for both lesbian and straight women and a fabulous inspiration to drag queens everywhere in fact, I believe she might be least appealing to the straight men for whom we usually assume these sorts of characters are designed.

The whole series oozes style. Everything from the basic enemies to the boss battles to the backgrounds remain in constant motion, and the frequent shifting in and out of slow motion builds upon this. Sometimes billed as stylish action games, having such a frenetic energy is key to the experience. The narrative and characters are the exact kind of joyous nonsense you would expect from Devil May Cry, just with a more feminine tone.

Character action games like Bayonetta 2 are some of gamings simpler joys. The whole game can be completed in only a few hours, but theres a ton of variety to draw you back for more. From new weapons and abilities to harder difficulties and an alternate character, this is the type of game that demands being played a few times. With such a stellar combat system, this demand is far from a problem.

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I don't know why, but I had a tough time writing about Fallout: New Vegas and Bayonetta 2. I feel like if I had just played them I could have dived into more details, especially with New Vegas. The biggest challenge with this project is trying to recall details beyond the general level for games I haven't touched in years.

Or maybe it's just because I've been tired today *shrug* But I should probably try drawing attention to specific moments

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#57. Dark Souls III (2016)
Developed by FromSoftware

The strength of FromSoftwares output over the last decade is how much they switched up combat over each iteration while maintaining the same foreboding world-building. The basic mechanics remain largely the same, but the change in feel between Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, and Sekiro is distinct enough for each to stand apart.

Dark Souls III feels like a halfway point between Dark Souls methodical enemy design and Bloodbornes ceaseless assaults. Where the first could be conquered largely by going slow and steady, Dark Souls III requires constant but careful aggression. While I tend to prefer the two extremes of those earlier games, Dark Souls III uses this new system to craft some of the greatest boss fights in the series.

But what makes these boss fights so great goes beyond the mechanics alone. While losing some of the original games intricate connections, Dark Souls III makes up for it by expanding the scope of each individual location. Many of the connections in the first game felt like neat reminders that all of its areas were surprisingly close. Here, the shortcuts are a necessity. Soulsborne games are all about the checkpoint-to-boss run. The game rewards exploration by cutting many of those paths shorter. What makes this world design so great is mechanically simple many central bonfires have a few exits, but all but the first remain locked until you progress. By seeing a locked door, the game is providing an unspoken hint your next stop likely involves finding your way back to the same point from the other direction. This really emphasizes the bosses as the grand finale of the entire location instead of just the third or fourth checkpoint. They might send you back to the beginning, but the beginning is rarely that far if youve earned it.

Despite the extravagant presentation of these locations, subtlety is the key. These games are constantly teaching the player what to expect while relying on us picking up the pieces. Its never holding the players hand, but its rarely dropping the player into uncharted territory.

Games which are challenging purely to be challenging rarely click with me, but the best Soulsborne games always feel like theyre teaching me something new with each death which is actually why I tend to prefer the runs between bosses to the bosses themselves. While you may die a few dozen times, theres rarely a point while exploring where youll feel as if youre not making progress. Most bosses are simply asking the player to use their skills to the best of their abilities, which is common enough in most video games. If youre not particularly good at a certain boss, it can devolve into a repetitive and hopeless battle. Some enjoy the thrill of overcoming these odds, but certain moments can feel like distinct blockades from what I truly enjoy about the genre.

But what makes the Soulsborne games so surprisingly accessible (sans Sekiro, which doesnt actually fall into the genre but is still related and feels like a serious step down for this and a variety of other reasons) are the options provided to mitigate this difficulty. These are RPGs, after all, and sometimes all you really need is a few more levels or a weapon upgrade. If youre truly incapable of beating the boss on your own, thats fine, too one of the coolest features allows the option to summon other players for help, which practically changes the genre entirely.

One thing worth mentioning is how much skill this game involves. Theres nothing quite like starting up a new character and realizing youre capable of rolling over those early bosses. This is not a numbers game like a traditional RPG at all who needs more HP when you can avoid the attacks entirely? These other options can make it easier, but victory is ultimately possible at any level.

The online features have always been a highlight. In Dark Souls III, you can become embered to increase your maximum health. However, while in this state, other players can invade. General invasion isnt too common, but certain areas are designed for constant swarms. The covenant mechanic offers a ton of variety in how these encounters come about, and the possibility of invasion adds a constant tension even after familiarizing yourself with an area. Players can also leave notes on the ground to warn others, which can eliminate many intentionally cheap moments as long as you bother checking.

Despite Bloodborne being a separate series, its eldritch influences left an obvious mark. The first boss in Dark Souls III has been corrupted by a writhing black mass. The next has devolved into moving on four legs. Others like the Dancer of the Boreal Valley carry an inhuman grace. All of the bosses have their own iconic presentation and play against the mechanics in their own ways; no two bosses are alike, even the two which should be. The game also has a phenomenal soundtrack, adding that extra epic ambience to each encounter.

There are also three distinct areas most of us would miss without a guide, with one of these areas being hidden behind an already optional area. With such a foreboding atmosphere throughout, stumbling across what feels like you were never supposed to find is an unforgettable experience. No matter what location youre in, theres always a dark beauty to this game. The final location and its bleeding sun is truly breathtaking.

Dark Souls III is largely more of the same but when something is part of an era defining movement, thats not a bad thing. Offering just the right amount of nostalgia while otherwise pushing boundaries, Dark Souls III helps prove the Soulsborne formula is imitable the only problem is most other developers have yet to figure out how.

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#56. Persona 3 (2007)
Developed by Atlus

Atluss Persona series, starting with 3, mixes a ton of disparate elements into a surprisingly effective package. Persona 3 is the simplest take on the formula, but that simplicity has helped keep it distinct from its sequels. Where 4 and 5 weave intricate plots throughout the massive length, 3 feels more episodic. This allows the social element to feel more centralized.

The selling point of Persona is the way it mixes classic JRPG elements with the visual novel. Set over the better part of an in-game year, each day gives you time to do only a few things. The main character has just started at a new high school, where hes dragged into a group fighting Shadows which invade the city during certain times. At the center of all this is a massive tower which the player must climb over the course of the 80+ hour game.

As a teenager, a social life is also necessary. Throughout Persona 3, you will meet characters corresponding to tarot cards. The player can summon his own personas with those labels, and improving relationships with these characters makes his personas stronger. These connections are a necessity fresh personas tend to be under-leveled, but the experience boost from a strong bond gives a powerful edge.

Thus, the game is all about balancing time between building those bonds and conquering that tower with little direct guidance. The game suggests reaching a certain floor by certain points in the story, but its up to the player to find the time. Unfortunately, party members will grow tired over time, limiting how much you can explore during a single in-game day. Though this game is massive, time is always limited unless you follow a guide, you will simply have to ignore some social links. Though well-integrated into the gameplay, these social links are also well written and serve to better emphasize the setting outside of the party members.

Something which has always intrigued me about Persona is how it manages to capture the feeling of an epic without necessarily being one. Despite its size, the majority of Persona 3 feels like a slice of life story which gets repeatedly invaded. Though plenty prefer the stronger narrative presence in the later games, Persona 3 lends itself to a more laidback experience. By breaking the experience into daily activities, its a story which is easy to take in pieces or if youre really engaged, it can have the same effect as the Civilization series. Ive definitely found myself promising to only play one more day, with the longer dungeon sequences being a nice reminder to take a break after that day turns into a week.

As with the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, the Persona series has its own strong combat engine compared to other JRPGs. While a bit simpler than Nocturnes turn press system, the one more system still emphasizes the need to hit weaknesses. In this system, each character acts separately, and they can chain together multiple hits if they keep hitting weaknesses. The main character might be well-equipped to hit whatever weak point is present, but thats where the time mechanic becomes essential. Magic costs SP, and SP generally only recovers once you rest for the day. This forces a heavy focus on resource management during each trip the last thing you want is to use more days than necessary to climb Tartarus. You need that time for social links!

While the overarching narrative remains in the background throughout most of the second act, the finale hits hard. Throughout most of the game, why youre stuck fighting these shadows is a mystery. The finale goes to some heavy places, a perfect payoff for such a long journey.

It would be careless of me not to mention the soundtrack. From the soothing Velvet Room piece which serves as a series staple to the J-pop bops scattered throughout the cities and battles down to the dark ambience of key revelations, everything here stands on its own while perfectly adding to the games modern atmosphere. The highlight is The Battle for Everyones Souls, which plays during one of the final battles. Starting with heavy metal guitars, the song soon gives way to the Velvet Room vocals. These two disparate sounds are seamlessly mixed together and help make this one of gamings most unforgettable final bosses. The guitars reinforce this difficult battle, while the serene vocals serves as a reminder of how far youve come with these people. Another highlight is the tragic yet empowering Memories of You which plays over the credits. The fact both of these come from the ending reinforce the fact this game simply gets better as it goes and it starts pretty strong!

Persona 3 helped establish one of gamings best formulas. The year-round social mechanics sets a perfect stage to really get attached to the characters while also serving a gameplay purpose. Like any other Shin Megami Tensei game, this is a JRPG which provides a legitimate challenge. Plenty of games mix genres to varying degrees of success, but few match how Persona 3 uses elements of the visual novel to add weight to its procedurally generated dungeon crawler.

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#55. Hotline Miami (2012)
Developed by Dennaton Games

A brutally difficult top-down shooter with a narrative and atmosphere yanked straight from a David Lynch film, Hotline Miami is a game like few others. The story revolves around Jacket, a silent hitman who dons animal masks before slaughtering his targets. What starts as a traditional video game set-up quickly unravels once it becomes clear Jackets silent acceptance of these demands speaks to an unspoken trauma.

The visual presentation is consistently trippy, with Jacket repeatedly confronted by masked figures commenting on his actions. Are these people somehow involved, or are they even people at all? The fact Jacket wears these masks suggests they might be his own hallucinations. Colors flash along the edge of the screen with every kill, and later chapters mess around with ideas like having the entire screen twist to simulate dizziness. The soundtrack consists of frenetic electronic songs which only adds to the hallucinatory experience.

The gameplay is highly addictive. While challenging, the levels are quick enough to never be frustrating. With each of Jackets masks offering different advantages, there are tons of ways to tackle each stage. My preference is to sneak around and melee everyone I can; guns can be quicker, but they can also draw bigger crowds. Jacket is as fragile as any enemy, so every encounter is tense, especially once the game starts mixing in guard dogs and portly men who are immune to melee damage and can survive a few shots. Instead of having an inventory system, Jacket simply uses whatever is available. This tends to force the player to fight their way up to the better weapons.

Horror in video games can come about in many ways. The traditional survival horror genre goes for the obvious with a protagonist facing off against evil creatures. Hotline Miami is one of a rare class which goes for dissonance between player and character. Playing as Jacket feels wrong, but the experience is so strong that youre going to continue, even as the world collapses around him. While video games have been established as a medium for interactive narratives, few games realize the potential for discomfort by only offering the protagonist the wrong path. Where such a story in any other medium would likely be an emotionally distant character study, Hotline Miami forces you to play along in a psychopaths sadistic game.

Short and to the point, Hotline Miami mixes together chaotic gameplay, a soundtrack consisting of nothing but hypnotic bangers, and a dizzying narrative into one unforgettable experience.

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Here's my GotY 2003



#54. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
Developed by Nintendo EAD

The Wind Waker apparently was a controversial game when released. Dropping an aesthetic established in two medium-defining games and replacing it with colorful cel-shading was a bold move. For a perfect example of the backlash, the only year Link legitimately lost one of the many GameFAQs character popularity contests was 2003, when the picture for the match featured Wind Waker Link against Cloud Strifes new and improved Kingdom Hearts model.

As someone who really started gaming during the Gamecube era, Wind Waker was actually my introduction to the Zelda series. The backlash has certainly died down in the ensuing years, and for very good reason. With early 3D video games, a stylistic art style trumps realistic graphics. The Wind Waker still holds up where many of its contemporaries now look dated. If I have repeatedly praised Nintendo for this feat, it is only because their dedication to making their games actually hold up visually was surprisingly uncommon. The Wind Waker has a charm like few others, and its colorful nature actually heightens the darker moments.

While Wind Wakers ocean can feel a bit empty (it is an ocean, after all), I always enjoyed weaving my way through uncharted waters while moving to the next destination. Theres a sense of mystery behind this design, and knowing each square of the map has to contain something worthwhile gives a purpose to this exploration. This barren world in contrast to the open plains of Ocarina of Time also heightens the stakes; how could the world be left in such a state?

While each Zelda game since Ocarina of Time has had its own unique gimmick (barring Twilight Princess, which essentially operates as OoT 2.0), Wind Waker is one of the few to capture its own unique presentation while perfectly incorporating Ocarina of Times sense of progression. Each of the central dungeons have their own distinct appeal. Dragon Roost Cavern and Forbidden Woods both have a grand sense of scale which is then outsized by the even grander Tower of the Gods. The Earth and Water Temples make great use of Links allies.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is in an odd position where most of its exceptional qualities are outdone by other installments in its series. The fact it still manages to be an all-time classic simply showcases the quality of Zeldas basic formula. The dungeons might not compare to Ocarina of Time, the world certainly isnt as expansive as Breath of the Wild, and the ocean gimmick doesnt match the impact of Majoras Masks three day cycle. But Wind Waker consistently displays all of the key elements in a surprisingly disparate series. If I had to suggest one game to truly capture the spirit of The Legend of Zelda in its entirety, The Wind Waker would be at the top of my list.

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#53. Overwatch (2016)
Developed by Blizzard Entertainment

The danger of writing about online-only games which are constantly evolving is that the game I experienced and placed among the all-time greats might no longer exist. Blizzard are certainly capable of fumbling a good experience, and the last time I checked out Overwatch presented a much-needed balance fix which also ballooned the wait time for matches. As such, the quality varies at any given time.

But what Overwatch manages at its core is an evolution of the team-based shooter. Like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch features a large cast each filling a distinct role. Overwatchs is much larger, with each character placed in a very specific niche thus, theres a bit more focus on choosing the right character for the team.

What sets Overwatch apart is its heavier focus on support and tank classes there might be twice as many DPS classes, but its several healers certainly outpace TF2s rather limited medic. Mercy takes on the medics basic function, healing allies with a continual beam while boasting key abilities to zip around the map to dive in and out of safety. But if thats not your style, Lucio zooms around with the ability to both heal everyone in his presence and also boost their speed all while being free to get in a few blasts himself. Ana is a healing sniper, able to heal in huge bursts from a great distance. My favorite, Moira, throws balls of energy which can offer either continual healing to teammates in range or sap health from enemies. Her playstyle forces her onto the frontlines, as her basic healing ability is directly linked to her damage output. The tanks are just as varied. Playing supporting classes in other games can sometimes feel like playing a necessary but unwanted part, but I actually find playing support in Overwatch an absolute blast.

While Team Fortress 2 eventually added various weapons for each class, I actually prefer the lack of options within each character in Overwatch. Every Soldier: 76 you face has the same capabilities, so its easy to look at the current teams and immediately know what youre facing. Despite the ease of comparison, this helps differentiate these two classic games TF2 maintains a greater focus on pure skill, while Overwatch puts an emphasis on adaptation. Overwatch feels more like a strategy-FPS hybrid than a traditional shooter. So, as someone who has never cared too much about the shooting aspect of FPS games, it should be clear why I prefer Overwatch.

Despite its ever-expanding roster, I think the true aesthetic highlight is the games various maps. Places like Kings Row and Eichenwalde ooze with personality. While a few assault maps are a bit too chokepoint-heavy, the rest of the maps tend to be great (especially on competitive, where you play both sides and simply have to get further than the opposing team). Even during a particularly bad round, each map takes just the right amount of time.

Ive never been the biggest fans of multiplayer games, especially in my adult life, so its surprising something like Overwatch gripped me like few others. Theres simply something charming about its aesthetics and limited variety. Honestly, my main reason for avoiding multiplayer video games is how much focus the industry puts on the FPS genre I switched to board games because they offer more variety. Overwatch is yet another shooter, but its emphasis on teamwork and strategy while offering classes which operate outside traditional FPS controls makes it infinitely more accessible.

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I think what also sets Overwatch apart from other shooters like it is that all these characters feel like they have a personality and a story themselves. It's not necessarily deep or ground-breaking, but it is identifiable, while characters in other shooters like Overwatch might have really cool designs, but nothing beyond that.

Also very fond of Wind Waker. Exploring that world is really a blast and Dragon Roost Island is easily a top 10 game music track.

Also love Hotline: Miami. It and Assault Android Cactus are two games I can think of that are pretty challenging but never in a punishing way. Games that are hard and then punish you for losing on top of it just become frustrating and when you finally beat them you're just shouting at your screen going FUCK YOU YA PIECE OF SHIT I WIN! Hotline: Miami (and AAC) can have those moments, but because it is so quick and easy to get back into the action, finally winning gives a much more satisfactory feeling.

H:M also just does a great job style-wise, with that 80's setting.

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Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game and 2nd favorite game of all time behind Resident Evil 4, but I can definitely see why some hate the game. To be fair though I do like how Wind Waker just feels like a game Nintendo made for itself and not to satisfy some target audience - they were like "we'll make the game we want to make, not the one you want us to make, and we don't care what you think of it", so that takes some of the sting off of it.

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#52. Red Dead Redemption (2010)
Developed by Rockstar San Diego

I have previously observed that Red Dead Redemption feels like the serious counterpart to Rockstars Grand Theft Auto franchise. Where the sequel pushed realism to the point of artistic absurdity, the first game manages to feel like a more mature experience while also maintaining the chaotic freedom of a sandbox game. The original Red Dead Redemption is simply Rockstars formula in its greatest form.

John Marston is one of their more compelling protagonists, a flawed man with a torrid history trying to escape a criminal world which keeps pulling him back in. Part of his appeal is simply due to genre any point GTA tries to make can be lost in its overwhelming violence. These mass shootouts are simply the nature of the western genre, which helps make Marston more relatable. His position in the narrative helps establish sympathy he is being forced into this macabre role by the government at the threat of losing his family. Theres a sense of fatalism which permeates this entire experience.

A big selling point of open world games is their massive maps. These worlds have only gotten bigger with time, but some games really lack proper emphasis. I dont believe any open world game has had a stronger moment than the first time you cross the border into Mexico in Red Dead Redemption. Seeing the map suddenly expand beyond what you initially imagined was mind-blowing, and setting this to a gentle ballad by Jose Gonzalez sets a perfect mood. This is how you make each section of a map feel meaningful.

The controls in Rockstar games tend to feel a bit wonky, but RDR reached a high point without all the extra baggage of their later works. The Dead Eye mechanic was an ingenious system to implement in a style which until then had struggled with fluid shooting mechanics. Additionally, riding horses through the desert simply feels more engaging than holding down the gas button and breezing through a modern city. While Liberty City might offer more scenery, I greatly prefer not having to play a pedestrian dodging game every time I need to get from point A to point B.

Like every other Rockstar game, the missions are a grab bag of stray ideas. While there may be few which stick out among the pack, the simple fact is that the gameplay in RDR is so much better than their other games that these are a consistently strong experience.

The finale is Rockstars most emotionally resonant moment. Marston achieves everything to be reunited with his family. But in true Western fashion, nothing ever comes easy. Its important that Red Dead Redemption is not set at the height of the Wild West but during its final breaths. Like Eastwoods Unforgiven, this is the story of people being bluntly erased from a changing world. Many games have unwinnable fights, but the way this finale slowly builds toward Marstons acceptance of this fate is unforgettable. After sending his family off to safety, Marston steps out and faces an entire firing squad. The game naturally goes into Dead Eye, a mechanic which until this point has given the sense of being superhuman. But its simply not enough against such a large crowd. Theres a reason Red Dead Redemption 2 had to be a prequel when Marston goes out gun blazing, the Wild West dies with him.

Games will keep evolving technologically with time, and Red Dead Redemption 2 has pushed limits like few others. But technical complexity only does so much for an artistic experience; the original Red Dead Redemption simply does more with less. No other game has both captured and expanded upon the atmosphere of a spaghetti Western in this way. If RDR2 is a video game explicitly attempting high art, then RDR1 is a perfect slice of the type of genre fiction which drew us all into the medium in the first place.

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#51. Bioshock Infinite (2013)
Developed by Irrational Games

The original Bioshock built itself around a semi-obscure philosophy called Objectivism and dragged it into the depths of the ocean. Bioshock Infinite is one of those bigger and better sequels which throws nuance out the window. Where the citizens of Rapture tried to escape, Columbia is a floating city, the type of place which the world cannot ignore. The city is ultra-nationalistic, formed to be a better America. Naturally, this better America is a cult which worships the Founding Fathers and has turned racism into a beloved pastime. Thus, the central concept of Infinite leaves less room for the imagination. Every facet of an Objectivist society was explored in the original, from medicine to art to the common worker. Theres not many ways Infinite can say racism is bad which we dont already know.

So it says something else entirely.

Something is very wrong about the experience from the beginning. Columbia is at peace when Booker DeWitt first arrives. After a forced baptism, the player is free to stroll the city streets. You will soon pass a barbershop quartet singing God Only Knows. As in the song by The Beach Boys, released five decades after the setting of this game. It would be easy to write this off as a stylistic oddity isnt it funny, these characters singing a completely anachronistic song which happens to have God in the title? But then you encounter a calliope cover of Girls Just Want to Have Fun. CCRs Fortunate Son is the hymn of the revolution. You may be stuck exploring a racist dystopia, but the question actually hanging over the experience is how these songs came to exist in this time period.

Columbia is merely the backdrop for a game which is really about itself. When people beg for sequels, certain elements are expected to carry over or else it will not be recognized as a true sequel. Pokemon has gyms, Zelda has dungeons, and Bioshock has biopunk cities featuring extreme philosophies. The problem here is that no real-world philosophy has quite the same baggage as Ayn Rands Objectivism. Replicating that feeling either requires misrepresenting a reasonable philosophy through extremism or exploring something the audience already agrees is bad. When Booker eventually jumps into a reality where the revolutionaries win and are just as evil, it doesnt read as a legitimate statement Bioshock must intrinsically frame the dominant philosophy as negative, or else it is no longer Bioshock.

Thats not to negate Columbia itself. This is a wondrous world to explore, and zipping through its skyline is a mesmerizing experience. The exaggerated displays are still compelling, simply more as outlandish nightmares than a believable dystopia. Theres something special about walking through an exhibit and suddenly having to battle robots shaped like the Founding Fathers. As the game transitions to outright acknowledging its multidimensional nature, the locations become suitably horrific. The original Bioshock was defined by its atmosphere, and this is one of the few areas where Infinite captures the same magic in a straightforward way. While Ive never been the biggest FPS fan due to the gameplay, the Bioshock series makes perfect use of the mechanics to tell a seamless narrative, rarely taking control from the player.

As reality crumbles around them, the true heart of this narrative is between Booker and Elizabeth, the young woman he had been sent to rescue. While the racism which pervades Columbia is cartoonishly evil, Booker himself is struggling to cope with his own involvement at the Wounded Knee massacre. The balance between atmospheric extremity and more nuanced personal struggles is key to this experience. As Booker tears through this city, it feels as though hes fighting against his own past horrors. Bioshock Infinite is one of many great games from the 2010s exploring bonds between a guardian and the person they protect. Booker and Elizabeth are both complex characters, but what makes this bond stand out is that Elizabeth is ultimately the more dangerous of the two.

The video game industry has an unfortunate tendency to emphasize sequels over new properties. Several series have struggled to come to terms with the fact their basic concept does not support further elaboration. Bioshock Infinite is not the only game to find a way out through metatextual acknowledgement, but its a rare experience to do so while maintaining the emotional heart. Bioshock Infinite laments an experience which cannot be replicated. The magic here is that the lament itself has proven equally inimitable.

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Halfway through; here's an update on the numbers remaining for each year (I have not yet decided if I will incorporate the game I am currently playing, which certainly feels like it will earn a high spot but it all depends on if I finish it before reaching where I imagine myself placing it...)

1991: 1
1992: 2
1993: 1
1994: 2
1995: 1
1996: 0
1997: 2
1998: 2
1999: 1
2000: 3
2001: 2
2002: 1
2003: 0
2004: 2
2005: 3
2006: 2
2007: 3
2008: 2
2009: 0
2010: 2
2011: 3
2012: 1
2013: 1
2014: 1
2015: 4
2016: 2
2017: 5
2018: 1

So the decade breakdown is:
1990s: 12
2000s: 18
2010s: 20

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objectivism is obscure?

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NFUN posted...

objectivism is obscure?

Is it not? My encounters with it have been limited to fringe groups and people discussing its flaws. I've never encountered a major work which takes a positive approach outside of Rand's own work. While it's clear these beliefs have influenced modern American conservatism, I doubt there being common awareness about the concept itself among the general population. I'll hear about it a lot in gaming circles, but that's also due to BioShock.

And this is 'semi-obscure' in relation to things like socialism and Nihilism. It's something you won't encounter unless you're specifically looking into related matters. The use of 'obscure' here is more in the sense of people knowing the term but few having invested the time to learn what it actually represents.

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CasanovaZelos posted...

Is it not? My encounters with it have been limited to fringe groups and people discussing its flaws. I've never encountered a major work which takes a positive approach outside of Rand's own work. While it's clear these beliefs have influenced modern American conservatism, I doubt there being common awareness about the concept itself among the general population. I'll hear about it a lot in gaming circles, but that's also due to BioShock.

And this is 'semi-obscure' in relation to things like socialism and Nihilism. It's something you won't encounter unless you're specifically looking into related matters. The use of 'obscure' here is more in the sense of people knowing the term but few having invested the time to learn what it actually represents.

Ayn Rand is explicitly talked about by those conservatives and Libertarians pretty often, not just an implicit foundation of their political philosophies. Like, Rand Paul, who is one of the better known politicians, is literally named after her. In some schools her books are even taught, sadly.

In fact, objectivism so permeates American libertarianism I'd argue the opposite of your last point. People are widely de facto familiar with what her philosophy represents, despite not always necessarily knowing the name for it. Bioshock Infinite doesn't say it's about "objectivism", but the players largely understand what's it's criticizing. I think people have a better grasp on it in general than nihilism, which would be a philosophy people have heard of but don't really understand

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Whatever the case, I'd say it's still a fair step down from the other concepts the Bioshock series confronts (socialism, nationalism, theocracy, etc.). It's a notable political philosophy, but have we ever actually seen libertarianism become the dominant belief in any nation? I think that's key to understanding what makes Rapture different. We don't quite have a real-world nation with which to compare it.

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#50. INSIDE (2016)
Developed by Playdead

INSIDE is a masterpiece of surrealist horror seamlessly integrated with truly ingenious level design. Each area introduces an unforgettable concept, both stylistically and in its handling of platformer-based puzzles. Though the game can be completed in a single sitting, each second will make your skin crawl.

What makes this so effective is that INSIDE never stops to clarify its events. The game begins with a boy fleeing armed guards. This suggests a basic story of survival in a dystopic setting. Theres only one problem. This boy is not escaping. As the title suggests, you quickly realize hes heading deeper inside this monstrous facility. With every door revealing a greater horror, youre left begging for answers. None of these rooms quite connect to one another. And when the game finally delivers an answer, things only get worse from there.

INSIDE, like Limbo before it, has a very simple art style. The protagonist even lacks a face. One might wonder how this can cause such effective horror, but the simplicity allows the developers to get away with some truly grotesque violence. You do not want to die in this game. Not only because it means going back to the last checkpoint, but because the death scenes are legitimately distressing. Whether hes being ripped apart by guard dogs or shredded by a propeller, the little details they put in are nauseating. This reinforces the central question; why would anyone put themselves through this danger?

This is the part where I suggest turning back if you want to avoid meaningful spoilers. Because this game is built around constant atmospheric shifts, discussing any level in detail beyond the first without spoiling any surprise borders on impossible, but I would also be doing this game a disservice by limiting myself to surface observations. Even then, words cannot capture the presentation of these moments; this is truly a game which needs to be experienced, blind if possible.

(note that I am only going to cover explicit narrative spoilers - this story is too vague for any of the rest to mean anything de-contextualized)

After being chased through the countryside, the boy arrives in a city where people shamble in file like a pack of zombies. The boy is forced to join this line, keeping pace in hopes the guards dont notice something off. As they get further in, the people start doing certain actions which the player must follow. This methodical moment is already tense, and the game will likely earn a deserved kill when you inevitably freeze up after finally being discovered. There are no rules to this game beyond survival, and the key is recognizing when the primary threat changes.

The one room Ill never recover from is the shockwave chamber. After spending most of the early parts of this game avoiding enemies, the boy finally comes across an empty room. Every few seconds, a shockwave pulses through the entire area. If you do not have cover, you will instantly be blown apart. This starts simple enough, requiring the player to dodge between obvious safe points. But later cover includes moving machinery, some of which moves much quicker than the player. The level becomes a horrifying timing puzzle, requiring you to find the exact moment for temporary cover. Its terrifying and oppressive and I never felt a greater sense of relief than when I finished this nightmare.

This is followed by a flooded chamber, where the boy enters a small sub and must avoid long-haired girls who will quickly break through the glass and drown him. They can be scared off by light, which requires a fine balance between forward movement and paying them attention. Again, these levels work due to the lack of information. What, exactly, are these girls? It doesnt matter what does matter is that whoever is behind this facility has unleashed all of our worst nightmares.

And then theres the finale, which is the one part I should really emphasize not reading about if youre unfamiliar. At the same time, I was actually exposed to the finale without context and did not realize until I reached the ending thats how off the rails INSIDE can get.

During the final moments of this game, the boy swims inside a vat and releases a gigantic writhing mass of human bodies which quickly consumes him. And then you begin controlling that mass. The final level feels like playing as Spirited Aways No-Face as he rampages through the bathhouse, with the gathered scientists fleeing in terror as the mass mows them down. More than ever, you have absolutely no idea why youre doing this. The mass eventually breaks outside, tumbles down a hill and then its over.

It takes a second for the pieces to click. This actually is a game about escaping, but not in a way anyone would have imagined. You were not helping this boy survive. Rather, in a game with constant elements of mind control, you were the pawn of a psychic eldritch abomination. Many cosmic horror stories feature characters being tricked into helping Ancient Ones. INSIDE succeeds in making you play that role, putting yourself and the poor boy through a horrifying ordeal in the name of assisting something which has no right to exist. Unlike other games which force the player into a moral dilemma, INSIDE does not reveal youre doing something wrong until its too late.

INSIDE is as tightly-focused as video games come, telling a riveting narrative purely through environmental storytelling while packing unforgettable level design.

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GotY 1991 (though I realized earlier that another year would have a different GotY if I went by the Japanese release and this should also probably be 1990 but whatever since it'd be GotY either way)



#49. Super Mario World (1991)
Developed by Nintendo EAD

The secret of this writing project is that, despite being perhaps the most famous video game series, Mario is absolutely proving to be the hardest thing for me to write about in this context. What is there to say about Super Mario World which hasnt already been said about Super Mario Bros. 3 or the other platformers which expanded upon this formula? I cant even say it took SMB3 and did it better, as theres been times where I preferred the older game. Its like trying to define the word the, something so foundational that describing it requires more technical knowledge than simply using it.

To put this another way critics like video games with stories because it gives them something easy to write about.

So lets try to get technical. Ive played plenty of platformers in my life; what is the specific element which sets Mario apart? For me, Mario simply controls better. Its surprising how many platformers out there never end up feeling quite right. The ease of adjusting Marios movement as he jumps gives the player a perfect sense of control. Many other platformers introduce weapons or more realistic momentum. Mario keeps things so simple that platforming and fighting are one and the same. But its not as easy as reducing all enemies to jump damage. I just played through Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which shares a similar design philosophy, except there are times when jumping will not do damage you have to jump in a specific way or else the character does not enter the necessary ball form. Other platformers are too floaty, which feels unnatural and reduces the urgency which typically makes the genre engaging. When a platformers controls gets too complex, it can sometimes feel as though the game is not properly responding to certain inputs.

The 2D Mario games always managed to avoid that feeling. Its all about jumping, with the only real complexity coming from its intuitive button mechanics. Mario will jump higher if you hold the button down longer. Most platformers incorporate this mechanic, but Marios singular focus means the stages are constantly building upon this one mechanic. World introduces an alternative jumping attack, but this is importantly assigned its own button. Theres just enough depth, but each element is intuitive. We can talk about level design, but even the most basic levels work because these mechanics provide such a solid foundation.

Yoshi was a key addition to the series. Marios lovable dinosaur pal changed up the basic mechanics, but again in an intuitive way. His presence offers some nice variety and helps Mario access distant paths. This also leads to a particularly uncharacteristic bit of dark humor on Nintendos part. One level requires Mario to ditch Yoshi to make an otherwise impossible jump. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.

With steadily increasing difficulty built around these mechanics, the levels are all expertly crafted. There are also a significant amount of secret levels and alternative paths which reward exploration in a largely straightforward genre. Getting to the final level doesnt take too long, but the game has so much to offer. With such fluid mechanics, more levels is always better, especially when several of those bonus levels require absolute mastery of these controls.

In video games, Marios influence is ubiquitous. When discussing platformers, the easiest option is to note how it differentiates itself from this franchise. Sometimes, these added layers can make Mario seem too simple in comparison. But its not simple due to neglect this simplicity has always been an informed creative decision. Nintendo has done their best to ensure all their major franchises remain mechanically accessible while lending themselves to distinct level designs the later success of Super Mario Maker reveals how endlessly variable this system can be. Super Mario World just happens to be the 2D Mario formula at its arguable best.

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solid writeup - SMW has been a top-5 game for me for pretty much my whole life. time to play through it again~

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#48. Kingdom Hearts II (2006)
Developed by Square Enix Product Development Division 1

From the beginning, Kingdom Hearts was one of those ideas which should have never worked. Even its creation seems improbable, starting as a literal elevator pitch as someone from Square Enix ran into a Disney exec on an elevator. The colorful world of Disney mixed together with the stylish Final Fantasy series seems like something which should appeal to exactly no one, yet its become one of the most popular JRPG franchises. The fact it took that odd creation as a jumping point to become one of gamings most convoluted narratives is both asinine and completely on-brand. Even several games in, I cant help giggling as Donald Duck talks about the darkness.

But few songs hit my nostalgia like Dearly Beloved. Kingdom Hearts is nonsense, but its my nonsense. II stands high above the rest, fixing the clunky feeling from the original and, well, not being the later games. This game helped mark a huge shift in action gameplay alongside Devil May Cry 3 and the original God of War; graphics have advanced considerably, but the gameplay of these games are as smooth as ever.

The original Kingdom Hearts played a bit safe with its Disney choices. The only real surprise was The Nightmare Before Christmas, which had more to do with Disney otherwise keeping it away from their other animated properties. Everything else shared a generally colorful aesthetic. Kingdom Hearts II switches things up with Timeless River (designed to simulate the black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons) and Space Paranoids (which captures the neon cyberpunk style of the original Tron). Even the more obvious inclusion of The Lion King involves transforming Sora into a lion cub, which puts a fun spin on the combat. Theres also the more, uh, realistic Pirates of the Caribbean level, which might be a weak point but reinforces that each of these levels really capture their own unique traits.

Combat in the original was fun if a little basic. II maintains the simple feel while adding a few more options, the most central being the drive forms and reaction commands. The drive forms give Sora distinct boosts and unique traits. These are integrated well, as you can eventually unlock permanent upgrades for Sora through levelling these forms. They all level using different mechanics, which gives a reason to keep using each of them. This carries its own risk, as overuse can transform Sora into the Anti Form, where he loses most of his abilities but gains incredible speed.

Reaction commands break up the tedium of hitting the same button over and over. Certain moments in battle will reveal an enemys weak point, which can be engaged with through a separate button press. This may not sound like much, but gameplay is the one element this series was smart enough to keep simple. Its just enough to make things more exciting.

The boss battles are a real highlight. Though I still dont quite get Organization XIII on a narrative level, more humanoid bosses tend to be more engaging, and their presence offers a hefty amount. The Final Mix takes this further by offering even more difficult versions of each member, including those not actually present in the central narrative. What makes humanoid bosses great in action games is that those which are well-designed feel like a battle on even ground, even as the boss pulls off impossible feats. With so much fun content in the Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts II is one of the few RPGs which gives a compelling reason to grind for end game content.

While the opening hours can be a bit tedious after the first playthrough, Roxass story is a strangely resonant microcosm of the series themes. Having still not played Chain of Memories, Im certain there are bits Im missing, but Looks like my summer vacation is over still hit me like a brick the first time through. I think thats the defining feature of Kingdom Hearts as a narrative even if you dont fully understand the overarching plot, it still manages to find the emotional core through the experiences of the characters.

Kingdom Hearts II takes the best of the RPG and Action genres, creating one of the most vibrant series in gaming. While its story may not be for everyone, its a rare RPG where the narrative might be its weakest hook. In fact, the individual moments count for more than the narrative at large in a series where visiting Disney worlds started as the main selling point, Kingdom Hearts II simply has the best of the bunch. Over a decade later, this is still a blast to play.

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I'm going to slow down to doing 2 of these a day - I realize they've been eating a surprising chunk of my time, especially since these will likely trend upward in length as I go on.

Also, this is the third time something incredibly relevant happened while working on this project. If I'm remembering correctly, I wrote about RE7 the day 8 was announced, Persona 3 the day Persona 4 was released on Steam, and now they just announced a Kingdom Hearts rhythm game.

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never got far into KH1 - it looked beautiful but it just felt tedious gameplay-wise. action RPG might not be my thing

WW is a lesser zelda to me mainly because of the ocean. it's just not fun being on it.

haven't really played any of these other games but still enjoying the writeups - have def considered playing dark souls 1 on switch
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CasanovaZelos posted...

Kingdom Hearts is nonsense, but its my nonsense.

I despise Kingdom Hearts, but I 100% respect this take.

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CasanovaZelos posted...

I'm going to slow down to doing 2 of these a day - I realize they've been eating a surprising chunk of my time, especially since these will likely trend upward in length as I go on.

Also, this is the third time something incredibly relevant happened while working on this project. If I'm remembering correctly, I wrote about RE7 the day 8 was announced, Persona 3 the day Persona 4 was released on Steam, and now they just announced a Kingdom Hearts rhythm game.

Please do a Xenosaga writeup for me next :)

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#47. Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward (2012)
Developed by Chunsoft

General spoiler warning: Virtues Last Reward is the sequel to 999; the central concept of VLR is built around the plot twist of the first game. Since I cannot discuss any meaningful element of VLR without bringing up that twist, be warned that this will be spoiling that earlier game. (Surprisingly, Ive managed to avoid meaningful spoilers for VLR itself which, being a visual novel I can praise without narrative spoilers should itself be taken as a sign of its quality)

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors started off with a killer concept and transcended to something else entirely with the revelation that the whole thing was a psychic experiment drawing information from alternate realities. The problem with this system was that only two of the paths really mattered, and they had to be completed in a specific order to reach the true ending. By acknowledging this concept from the beginning, Virtues Last Reward is better able to implement mechanics to make these various realities connected.

The big thing here is the inclusion of a flowchart which fills in as you stray down the various paths. The player can jump to key moments the first game required starting from the beginning each time, which could get rather tedious even with a skip dialogue feature. Additionally, the puzzles down each path are completely unique. Where 999 had only two meaningful endings, VLR hides secrets down several paths. Basically, its a total overhaul of the first game, to the point that rereleases of 999 now include their own flowchart. Its hard to explain the joy of experiencing a story with multiple canon endings.

By making each path count, theres simply more time to make all these concepts and characters matter. Each of the nine characters, including the protagonist, are harboring some major secrets. No one is here just to spout off psychological concepts and game theory they certainly still do that, but theres a lot more going on as well. Which path you take first can completely change your perception of other routes; no two players will really experience the same narrative until its all tied together at the end.

Another key change is the addition of meaningful decisions. In 999, all you really had was which door to choose and making sure to hear a few important conversations. In addition to the doors, the characters of VLR are constantly forced into a game implementing the Prisoners Dilemma. Each character starts with three points, and they will be released if they manage to score nine whoever escapes first will seal everyone else inside. If their score hits zero, they are immediately executed. If they choose to ally with each other, those involved gain two points. Both betraying results in no change, while being betrayed results in losing points while the traitor gains more. This gives the player more meaningful influence over the paths while also providing a better read on what these other characters represent. Who appears too trusting, and who will predictably stab everyone in the back? The game makes sure to play a few neat tricks here and there, just to keep the player alert.

The escape room segments continue to be a fun way to break up the tedium and stop this from being a traditional visual novel. They also help add to the Saw-inspired atmosphere. Most come for the story, but simply having the player actually interact with these puzzles is a convincing method to get inside the head of the protagonist. Otherwise, he would simply be a character you sometimes command, which can shatter the illusion of player-protagonist connection. This game wouldnt work if you didnt feel personally betrayed by these characters at key moments. This feeling is emphasized by the Prisoners Dilemma segments occurring between those who solved these rooms together.

Id prefer not to dive into any more details this is simply a brilliant narrative structure with tons of effective twists. The entire Zero Escape series feels like a key example of how video games can tell narratives in a way other mediums cannot, and Virtues Last Reward is the highlight.

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I'm one of the few who prefers KH 1 to KH 2, I think. It might have something to do with the fact that KH was one of my first (if not actual first) console game experiences. It was my first collect-a-thon, something the second one didn't recreate as well as the first one did. Exploring all these Disney worlds (even though it's baffling that they start you off with Wonderland and the Olympus Coliseum, even though I understand Wonderland might not've really fit later in the game) for treasure was just such a blast. KH II was a bit too on the nose with the whole DARKNESS spiel, which gets pretty grating, even though the combat does feel very satisfying.

I did play CoM, I don't think it has too much impact on Roxas' story in KH II. I'm also playing through Birth By Sleep now for the first time, which I'm very happily enjoying a lot.

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This is the first time I've ever heard anyone refer to Kingdom Hearts as a collect-a-thon and trying to figure it out is only making me more confused.

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I think zero escape got worse with every iteration, but I only think that because 999 is a masterpiece. Though the gameplay and puzzles were better in VLR I just didn't feel the oppressive and creepy atmosphere as strongly which is what made the first so memorable. Not that I didn't enjoy VLR (and ZTD for that matter) but 999 was really something special

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Xiahou Shake posted...

This is the first time I've ever heard anyone refer to Kingdom Hearts as a collect-a-thon and trying to figure it out is only making me more confused.

I get that, I just refer to it like that because it kinda filled that role for me, with all the collectibles like the Dalmatians, hidden chests or stuff you had to backtrack for once you got High Jump/Glide, hunting synthesis materials,...

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#46. Gunstar Heroes (1993)
Developed by Treasure

Treasure is one of gamings hidden gems, a company which pushed stylistic boundaries while largely refusing to capitulate to the industrys demands for sequel after sequel. Their focus on unique IPs gave them freedom to experiment without solidified expectations, and their output like Ikaruga and Sin & Punishment stand among gamings most singular experiences. This all began with Gunstar Heroes, a run and gun shooter that pushed the Genesis to its chaotic limit.

Like most games in this genre, Gunstar Heroes is largely simple to play. In the beginning, you choose between four basic weapon types. What makes this special is that the characters have two weapon slots, and these two slots can be combined to make a specialized attack. With 4 basic attacks and 10 combined variations, there are simply a ton of options in a genre where many games stick to the basics.

The four basics have their own specialties: force has rapid fire, lightning offers a long-range piercing attack, chaser homes, and flame is strong but short-ranged. The combinations logically combine the two concepts, with two of the same weapon simply offering a stronger variant. So, lightning and fire make a short-range mega weapon, while lightning and chaser can shift the players focus to movement while the weapon automatically and slowly chips away at enemies. A key feature in the initial options screen is the ability to choose between free or fixed controls. Free allows the player to move and shoot while fixed stops the character while firing but allows more directional control with aiming. Certain combinations work better depending on the control scheme.

The inclusion of cooperative gameplay is also a boon. Its always fun to let a friend join in, but this particular game benefits from two players meaning two different weapons. Really, one thing Ive always missed from this era is the rather common implementation of co-op. Whether its something as simple as controlling Tails or being able to play the full game on equal terms as in Gunstar Heroes, I sometimes find myself going back to this era because so few modern games even attempt to replicate the experience. With chaos being one of Treasures central tenets, a second player only builds upon the madness of Gunstar Heroes.

Gunstar Heroes is one of those classic easy to learn, hard to master games. Playing is as simple as holding the shoot button and moving. But as the game throws out more and more enemies, your focus will turn more to the layout of the stages; how do you use these mechanics within this location? The challenge is less about hitting the enemy than maintaining your health throughout these massive stages. The central bosses all push the limits, especially on the harder difficulties.

Seven Force is among the most striking boss fights Ive encountered. Tucked away in only the second of seven levels (though you can and probably should play the first four levels in a different order), this boss goes through either five or seven distinct forms depending on difficulty. Each of these forms have as much health as a full boss, so the entire fight becomes an endurance run of mastering his simple yet changing mechanics. This is one of gamings best brutal yet rewarding experiences; he is fully manageable once you get the game down pat, but getting there seems impossible at first glance. Adding to the experience is the detailed design, with each section of Seven Forces several bodies being animated as distinct pieces. Gunstar Heroes is absolutely one of the best looking games of the fourth generation, and that is on full display during this fight.

While games like Contra have been around forever, Gunstar Heroes went above and beyond. Mixing smooth yet variable gameplay with challenging designs and a vibrant style, Treasure created a chaotic classic. This is the run and gun genre perfected; no other even comes close.

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fuck yes GSH

love the kirby-style combining of weapons
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#45. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
Developed by Square

As someone who largely experienced 90s video games as a teenager in the mid-2000s, the overwhelming popularity of Final Fantasy VII has always been a bit jarring. The reasons for its commercial success are largely nonsensical now; this was seen as an example of cutting edge technology? But what gets people to pick something up in the first place can differ from what sticks with them. Square sold this game based on cutscenes which looked much better than the standard gameplay, but people who bought in were rewarded with the latest iteration of a solid franchise that had been largely overlooked during the previous generation.

Square simply does memorable characters better than most companies. While plenty of games feature deeper protagonists with stronger characterization, that quality rarely extends to the supporting cast. With Tetsuya Nomuras distinctive designs, each individual party member has become a video game icon. One of Final Fantasys greatest strengths is its Seven Samurai-styled collection of disparate heroes coming together for a shared cause, and VII is absolutely the most consistent cast in the series. Even relatively minor characters like Zack Fair and Rufus Shinra have captured the imagination.

Final Fantasy VII truly outshines its legacy. Cloud Strife is absolutely deserving of his place as one of the definitive video game protagonists. Square themselves seems to have lost track of what made him special, framing him as the quiet brooding type in later appearances like Kingdom Hearts. The whole point of his actual character arc is that Cloud is deeply disturbed and has been clinging onto a personality which is not his own. One of the games defining moments has Cloud break out of this shell and become his true, more joyous self.

What makes this change special is how it affects our understanding of the cast itself. Cloud is caught inside gamings most famous love triangle, which is already complicated by one of the participants being the victim of gamings most well-known spoiler. But with this twist comes the realization that Aerith is drawn to the performance while Tifa has been longing for the real Cloud.

The surprise of FF7 is how it wades through some complex territory. Ecoterrorism, corporations killing the planet, identity, betrayal, death this features some heavy stuff compared to most mainstream hits, and it seems that later entries were wary of tackling anything too controversial once 7 shot the series into the spotlight.

So many of these moments are magical. Stepping onto the world map for the first time, Sephiroth standing amidst the flames, that famous twist at the end of disc one Square knew how to direct our attention. The standard presentation would have never been enough for this ambitious story, so the cutscenes really do assist in generating emotional resonance.

But the highlight of the presentation has always been the score. Nobuo Uematsu is the biggest name in video game music for a reason, and everything about Final Fantasy VIIs soundtrack is phenomenal. Beyond the simple beauty of the music, Uematsu expertly links many of these songs together through distinct motifs. Even as the party strays far from where they began, these motifs are a constant reminder of everything being connected.

What made Final Fantasy such a definitive JRPG experience between the SNES and PS2 eras was the way each game offered its own unique spin on a sturdy foundation. While VII stands as the most popular, they are each of a distinct quality where any individual entry would be a reasonable favorite (except perhaps VIII). The Materia system does a fantastic job of giving the player control over what their characters can do. The fact there are many powerful Materia throughout the world also makes it essential not just to level but to hunt these items down any JRPG that gives a meaningful way to power up outside of shopping and grinding has a distinct advantage.

The hunt for these Materia also highlights the size of this world. There are so many sidequests and secret bosses. Yet even while restrained to Midgar, this world feels huge. Theres always some new corner to explore, and the game offers some serious rewards, including two full-fledged party members.

Ill never quite have the nostalgic association with FF7 like those who got to experience it upon release. Even then, the core experience stands strong turn-based gameplay never really ages and the narrative concepts have remained unique. Theres a reason everyone had been clamoring for a remake the graphics have always been the sole barrier for new players from an otherwise flawless game. But with Square deciding to experiment with the remake, the original remains a distinct and definitive experience.

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While I love FF7R's first chapter, it is definitely a story that needs to be fully experienced to understand why it has received the acclaim it has over the years. So I couldn't agree more with your outline. While I can't wait to see where they go with the remake, the original will always differ in it's pacing, by definition of the episodic releases they are going for with the remake, which is a huge part of what made it so memorable.

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i beat ff7 for the first time just when lockdown started. its scope is super-impressive and its structure is great, though its directness toward the end made me ignore all the sidequests :(
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#44. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations (2007)
Developed by Capcom Production Studio 4

Point-and-click adventure games had been around for decades before the Phoenix Wright series took off in America, but they had faded into obscurity sometime around the late nineties. This genre was a method of telling more engaging narratives, but the actual gameplay commonly fell into moon logic territory. By telling the story of a haggard defense attorney gathering evidence, the Ace Attorney series made the narrative and puzzles act as one. Many games treat their stories like window dressing, even if those stories are high quality. Here, understanding the narrative is key to progression.

All of the Ace Attorney games beside Apollo Justice are great, but the third game goes a few steps beyond. The key element is consistency. Most games in the franchise have at least one weak case, but every case in Trials and Tribulations is strong in its own way. The first two entries had thematic consistency, but Trials and Tribulations was the first game in the franchise to really feel like it was telling a single large story throughout all five cases.

Later entries would follow this format, but none have quite matched the quality. Stories like this are all about the characters, and Trials and Tribulations contains two exceptional antagonists. The game opens with a flashback case showing how Phoenix Wright and Mia Fey met. Unlike earlier games where the first case was little more than a tutorial, this is actually one of the best cases in the series. The obvious antagonist of the case is Dahlia Hawthorne, a beautiful young woman dressed in white and carrying a parasol. Shes so perfectly innocent that butterflies surround her like some discount Disney princess. Her transformation into a caustic sociopath is predictable based on the common format of the first case, but what makes her special is that Mia clearly has history with this young woman.

The other key antagonist (though far from a villain) is Prosecutor Godot. Each game in the franchise has a rival prosecutor, usually with their own personal connection. Prosecutor Godot starts off as a total unknown. Despite this, he despises Phoenix Wright with a fiery passion. His appearance adds to the mystery, with him wearing a robotic mask with three red lights which covers the top half of his face. Who is this coffee-chugging jerk, and how does this all connect?

One of my favorite elements of Ace Attorney is the expressive animations for the characters. Part of the fun of proving someone wrong for the first time is seeing their exaggerated reactions. Godot has many classics, with some unknown person sliding a cup of coffee down his bench like hes in a game of Tapper. Hell even chug a glass now and then just to do a spit take. Many visual novels settle for stationary sprites, yet Ace Attorney puts in enough effort that the designs themselves are a large part of the draw. The finale of the games devastating fourth case would have lost a lot of its punch without these evocative images.

The series effortlessly juggles a few atmospheres. The first case stands out because the outcome is obvious; there wouldnt be an Ace Attorney series if Phoenix Wright was found guilty. Thus, its a rather lighthearted experience where we get to see the generally serious protagonist as a love-struck young man. But most villains in this series disappear immediately, yet Dahlia casts a wide shadow over the following events. The middle cases are more straightforward in their goofiness, which feels necessary as they lead into a rather dire finale. This could be a bleak criminal procedural throughout, but its those moments of humor and humanity that give Ace Attorney its undeniable charm.

The gameplay operates more as a logic puzzle than a series of button inputs, but anyone who criticizes this experience for not being enough of a video game is speaking nonsense. This experience would not work in another medium no one who watches a lets play will understand the thrill of finally connecting the pieces of evidence. During the trials, the player must sift through testimonies and point out where statements are contradicted by evidence; sometimes, the player must press for more information before the witness slips up. Its that a-ha moment where Wright shouts OBJECTION! which really drives this series.

To really highlight these moments beyond the killer reaction sprites, this series consistently has phenomenal soundtracks. The cross examination music carries an introspective ambience, while the music which plays during a successful objection really gets the blood pumping. These central themes have a few variations, getting more frantic as Wright gets closer to the final truth. The real highlight in Trials and Tribulations is Godots jazzy theme, The Fragrance of Dark Coffee. The prosecutors are great antagonists because they always act so smug part of the fun in being right is wiping the smiles off their faces. When you first encounter Godot, this piece helps exaggerate his overconfidence. Whats truly wonderful about The Fragrance of Dark Coffee is how absolutely somber it becomes once you truly understand his character.

The Ace Attorney series helped to showcase that mysteries are one of video gamings strongest suits. The fact it has been successfully imitated in the tonally-distinct Danganronpa series shows this was more than a few lucky elements coming together. Ace Attorney paved the way, and hopefully more developers will push the genre in new directions. Outside of horror, no other narrative genre is improved quite as much by putting the audience in the central role. Few mysteries have ever hit the raw emotional depths of Trials and Tribulations.

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funny timing how people are talking about aa3. i never liked the finale that much but it is still in many ways the peak of its series.
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#43. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
Developed by Bethesda Game Studios

While Morrowind will always have its fans (I still need to give it a fair attempt), Oblivion took the Elder Scrolls series in a more accessible direction which resulted in some serious mainstream attention. Unfortunately, Oblivion had a rather bland presentation. It laid the foundation for something great but failed to do much with it. Five years later, Skyrim fulfilled all of Oblivions promises, capturing a mass appeal which has resulted in an almost excessive presence.

What Elder Scrolls does better than most open world games is a legitimate feeling of freedom. Games like the Grand Theft Auto series require a certain amount of progress before parts of the map open up, while something like Breath of the Wild still feels centralized around eventually heading to confront Ganon. For Skyrim, the central quest feels like just another set of side quests. Instead, there are loads of guilds with their own massive storylines, and even random exploration can lead to tons of minor quests. A lot of open world games simply dont offer enough of a reward to encourage straying from the main roads. These games treat exploration as an option; Skyrim treats exploration as its core foundation.

A surprisingly unique feature of Elder Scrolls is the first-person presentation; most of the other classic open world games tend to be from a third-person perspective. This helps lend to the sense of immersion, which would otherwise be shattered by the distinctly blank protagonist. I truly think this simple point is key to Skyrims resonance. Theres a different atmosphere between guiding someone like Geralt through the wilderness and exploring a cave with no avatar acting as a middleman.

The sheer volume of content beats out most comparable franchises. If you really want to see everything Skyrim has to offer, it will take a few dozen hours more than any of Bethesdas Fallout games. Importantly, most of these quests are strong, and the level designs actually have distinct atmospheres (which was the biggest blow against Oblivion). With so many options for character builds, it can also be fun to start up a new game.

Like the Super Mario series, discussing Skyrim feels strangely nebulous. Open world games feel as inescapable in the modern era as 2D platformers had been back then, and The Elder Scrolls has a rather basic feeling compared to those which followed. Its easy to discuss the great open world games in relation to this series, but what does Skyrim offer alone?

When I think of Skyrim, my mind leaps to Minecraft, a sandbox game which has become comparably inescapable. If Skyrim solely represented the freedom to explore, then Minecraft would be the indisputably better experience. Instead, Skyrim fills a niche between freeform games like Minecraft and the more structured WRPG experience. Each of these individual areas is a guided experience, but its the freedom to tackle them in any order or not tackle them at all which separates Skyrim from other open world games. Without pressuring the player to continue down the main path, we are free to play however much we want. The volume of content is necessary for that experience while Skyrim offers hundreds of hours of content, not everyone will explore every inch of the map. Our individual experiences with this game can be very different.

The greatness of Skyrim lies in its masterful take on a necessary form. Like most WRPGs, The Elder Scrolls draws heavily from the tabletop gaming experience. Systems like Dungeons and Dragons offer near infinite variability, but that is limited by the need for a Dungeon Master. A successful experience requires a balance between the DMs designs and the players freedoms. Skyrim captures the experience of the rare DM who not only accepts but fully encourages going off the rails. Other games might offer meatier narratives by forcing our attention, but Skyrim is a rare game which feels like a personal journey.

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#42. The World Ends with You (2008)
Developed by Square Enix and Jupiter

Nintendo has not released a traditional console or handheld system since 2001. Dual screens, motion controls, autostereoscopy, a handheld-console hybrid; theres always some gimmick. This would be great if so many of these concepts did not end up overlooked outside of a few key first party games. Those later gimmicks have moved toward changing the console experience rather than offering a new gameplay potential, as if Nintendo has accepted this underutilization.

The true selling point of the original Nintendo DS was the implementation of a touch screen, which predates the popularity of touchscreen-based smartphones by a few years. The dual screen aspect was often implemented as a convenience. Some games used the screen for a map, while others used it for menu navigation. Most developers seemed wary of forcing the player to engage with both screens simultaneously.

By building a combat system around this split screen, The World Ends with You stands as the definitive DS experience. Nothing quite like this has happened before or since. TWEWY can be classified as an action RPG, but its action is entirely singular. Even rereleases cant quite capture the magic due to a change in technology forcing the combat to be overhauled.

The way TWEWY works is that protagonist Neku Sakuraba fights using the touchscreen while his partner can be controlled with button inputs. Using the controls arent too complex, with all the necessary buttons being limited to one side of the console. The challenge comes from finding the right combo on the top screen while maneuvering Neku on the bottom. Both characters share their HP bar, so you must put in a strong performance with both.

Part of the ingenious design involves the pin system. Neku comes across a variety of pins which change his attack patterns. These can activate in a variety of ways, from tapping the enemy to touching an icon of the pin itself to shouting into the microphone. You can seek out the pins which best suit your playstyle, but mastering the best might require stepping beyond your comfort zone.

While this has familiar RPG elements, levelling is more a modifier than a straightforward improvement. The player can choose which level they want to play at. Why choose a lower level? The bigger the gap between your max level and the level being used, the better the drop rate. This results in a highly adaptive difficulty slider. If really struggling, the player can sacrifice their drop rate to max out their HP. Otherwise, the game challenges you to play on the lowest level possible to maximize rewards.

The narrative is one of Squares more creative inventions. Set in modern Shibuya, Neku wakes up invisible to most of the passing crowd. He soon learns he is in a week-long game to prove his worth of returning to life. He doesnt even remember dying, having lost most of his memories. The game features some of Squares most striking characters, from the anti-social Neku to the smug Joshua to Sho Minamimoto, who endlessly spouts strange math references. This narrative is shrouded in mysteries which consistently ramp up the stakes, and these characters are far deeper than they first appear.

Tetsuya Nomuras character designs can be hit or miss, ranging from the iconic styling of Final Fantasy VII to Lulus dress, which consists of dozens of belts for some inexplicable reason. The characters in TWEWY are ludicrous in the best way, coming across as exaggerated takes on modern Tokyo fashion. The best detail is Nekus headphones, which he insists on wearing to block out the noise of other people. What better way to establish a moody teenager?

The music adds to this ultra-modern atmosphere. Songs blend together hip hop, electronic, rock, all with a distinctly Shibuya-bend. Real-world elements of Shibuya play a major part in this presentation, from its scramble crossing to the statue of Hachiko. The never-ending yet unreachable crowds help highlight Nekus isolation. The contrast between Nekus desire to be left alone and this forced distance helps build toward the games central message. The title is both esoteric and perfect. The World Ends with You at first suggests the total isolation of Solipsism before establishing itself as a suggestion to open up. Our experiences in this world are limited to what we choose to engage with, so we can only reach a better understanding by attempting to connect with others and learning their view of the world. Underneath this ultra-stylized exterior and all this glorious combat is a moving story of a lonely teenager coming to terms with his purpose in being alive.

The World Ends with You is a prime example of video games as a boundless medium. Presented with a new technology, the team behind TWEWY took every option to maximize the experience. A game like this is not immediately accessible, but the developers took a risk while relying on the belief that the audience would recognize the potential and take the time to adjust. TWEWY goes beyond a singular experiment with its stylish presentation and engaging narrative. This is not a gimmick but a fully-realized experience which transcends what many imagined these technologies were capable of producing.

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love the atmosphere/presentation and theoretically like the gameplay of TWEWY, but i couldn't beat the boss at the end of week 1 and it was super-annoying
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SO!! ZETTA!! SLOW!!

I never really got the hang of TWEWY's battle system and mostly focused on Neku. I think either Joshua or Beat had a pretty easy combat input so I did do it with them, but most of the time I really focused on Neku because I wasn't ambidextrous (and ambiseeing?) enough to be focusing on both. I did play this when I was 14 or so, so maybe I'd be better at it now.

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#41. Final Fantasy VI (1994)
Developed by Square

While IV and V are truly great in their own right, VI is when the Final Fantasy series started churning out downright masterpieces year after year. VI builds upon IVs narrative foundation (V still stands as a distinct entry), telling the story of a bunch of plucky adventurers as they fight to save their world. Where IV was always centralized around Cecil and most of its revolving cast consisted of temporary characters, VI does away with a protagonist entirely.

Some will argue that Terra or Celes are the true main character. This doesnt really matter. Significant is the fact that this structure allows the game to constantly split the party while never relegating any party member to a minor role. This culminates in a final dungeon where the player must split their 14 party members into three teams of four. Many JRPGs have giant casts, but few utilize them all in such a meaningful way.

This split structure also helps highlight each member of this colorful cast. While the quality isnt exactly consistent, characters like the Figaro brothers, Terra, Celes, Shadow, and Locke all rank among the best in the series. Then there is the first unforgettable villain in the series, dancing mad court mage Kefka Palazzo. His colorful outfit hides a ruthless sadist who only wants to see the world destroyed. The game doesnt even treat him as a serious threat initially. His cackling soundbite is spine-tingling, and hes one of the few convincing displays of destructive nihilism. Theres no cheap stab at creating sympathy Kefka is a living embodiment of evil, plain and simple. The heroes absolutely have to stop him.

And what makes Final Fantasy VI so effective is that they dont. Not initially. The game is divided into two distinct halves. The opening is rather straightforward beyond its branching paths, but the second half turns closer to an open world experience as Celes finds herself in a shattered world. All of the heroes have been split up, and the team must reunite to have a chance at getting their revenge on Kefka. This atmospheric shift was key in establishing FF6 as having one of the first truly great video game narratives, and it also gave the player a chance to have their own sense of control as they sought out the remaining heroes.

With its fourteen party members, FF6 stands out by giving each of them a clearly defined function through a special command. Sabin pulls off awesome physical feats which must be input like a traditional fighting game. Gau imitates enemies through his rage ability. Edgar utilizes special tools with a variety of effects. Each and every character fills a niche. Meanwhile, the esper system gives the player a bit of control over how the characters level and gain magic.

Most modern JRPGs have Final Fantasy IV to thank for establishing solid narratives in traditional video games. Final Fantasy VI refined these elements. From a strong cast to a surprisingly dark narrative to a large world to a phenomenal soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu, this is everything you could ever want from a Final Fantasy experience, years before VII finally set the world on fire.

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and like minecraft, skyrim only reaches its full potential with tons of modding

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Man, I forgot how great TWEWY was until I read your writeup. That game was truly a masterpiece of it's time. I think if I ever made a list like this I would have to include it higher up then that

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when did you first play FFVI compared to the other FF games? (i'm presuming that this is the only pre-PS1 FF game to make this list)
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The order is all kind of a blur; I played all of the SNES Final Fantasies on the GBA, and it took me a while to get copies of the PS1 games. Looking at the release dates, a lot of these re-releases were released around the same time as XII - I know I bought XII on release but am not sure what order I picked up the others. I definitely played the PS1 games in order. If I had to guess, it went like this:
X
IV
XII
III
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX

But...yeah. I played all of them except X over just a few years. X was much easier to find than the others at the time. I had been intrigued by this series ever since finding GameFAQs, so I went all in once I was able. So, I did mostly play the series in order barring the two on the then-current consoles.

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gotcha. looking forward to seeing which other FF games will chart!
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