Favorite Game of Every Year
My favorite game for every year from 1994 to the present. Date of release in country of origin.
30 Games
One banger of a JRPG. Sometimes obtuse, always a fun time. Say "fuzzy pickles," and enjoy one of the most emotionally-intelligent games there is.
Beautiful art, beautiful level design, and beautiful music. I listen to the title screen theme regularly when I need a pick-me-up.
Shozou Kaga hit it out of the park with this one. FE4 can be obtuse, for sure. But this game feels and plays like an epic.
What a chill, metroidvania adventure of a Mega Man game. I actually played this one through its rerelease on N64. Katellox lives and breathes, and so does the spirit of this game.
I mean... it's Ocarina of Time.
RIP Satoru Iwata. You made possible one of the best Pokemon experiences ever. This is the closest to the Platonic ideal of Pokemon's original vision of a monster-catching JRPG before the series sort of became its own genre (not that that's a bad thing).
Clock Town slaps. The message of this game is melancholy yet hopeful. While you can't save everyone, you get beautiful glimpses of their humanity each time you try.
When this game first came out, I preferred Ocarina of Time. It's not so simple anymore.
When this game first came out, I preferred Ocarina of Time. It's not so simple anymore.
Unironically the best Sonic game. Fuck the haters. This game's tone is perfect.
I've been there for every Pokemon generation as it's happened. Gen 3 is probably my favorite, and it always has been. Hoenn captures the progressive sporty adventure vibes better than probably any other region in the series.
Peak Battle Network. Perfect narrative simplicity married to mechanical complexity. I've gotten so much value out of BN3 over the years.
I had fallen in love with Paper Mario on the N64. So when I got this game on the Gamecube in '04 and everything was deeper and wackier, I was right at home. This game also informed my sense of humor on such a deep level.
This game ages like fine wine. I remember late nights playing through the chapters in PoR in middle school. Very few things compare to that. A perfect Fire Emblem Story, and a great if uncomplicated introduction to prejudice in narrative.
It's hard to overstate how deeply Intelligent Systems had a stranglehold on my taste in the mid-2000s.
It's hard to overstate how deeply Intelligent Systems had a stranglehold on my taste in the mid-2000s.
Loved this game at release. While I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I was like 12-13 during the time I played this, there is so much to love about Twilight Princess. The dungeons and the tone are both fantastic, even if the world is a little bland.
So many people have already described how phenomenal TWEWY is. But I'll just chime in and say nothing compares to being 14 and maybe too in-your-head when you play this game for the first time like I was. Expand your horizons. The world ends with you.
Look. I didn't love 2008 (JP) / 2009 (NA) in games. I generally consider Battle Network much better than Star Force. But man, this sure comes close. A great end to an imperfect trilogy, and I wish Star Force 4 had actually been followed through on.
The best version of Johto. This game just rocks, man.
New York Pokemon, baby. I'm a mid-atlantic boy, so B/W speaks to me deeply. I love that B/W gave us 156 new Pokemon and had us use only them until the post-game. I just wish Game Freak was brave enough to do that again.
I ate Skyward Sword up in 2011. While I don't love it anymore, there was something so cool about playing the "first" Zelda game.
Awakening was there for me when everything was complicated. It's not my favorite Fire Emblem game, but it sure felt like a warm embrace at the time after years of thinking we wouldn't get another one.
With hindsight, I'm comfortable saying I like Awakening a lot more than Fates.
With hindsight, I'm comfortable saying I like Awakening a lot more than Fates.
What a breath of fresh air. 2D Zelda (dare I say Zelda in general) perfected. Everything works. Progression is brisk and exploration is rewarded.
And playing this on a college campus with easy access to fellow Streetpassers? Nothing compares. This game and New Leaf gave me so many miles on my 3DS from 2013 to 2014.
What a fucking gem of a game. I don't think we'd have Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom without this one.
And playing this on a college campus with easy access to fellow Streetpassers? Nothing compares. This game and New Leaf gave me so many miles on my 3DS from 2013 to 2014.
What a fucking gem of a game. I don't think we'd have Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom without this one.
I don't know if it's the best Smash Bros. game. That honor probably goes to Melee. But man, I spent so many happy hours playing this one with my roommates in college.
Splatoon gripped me like very little else could in 2015. Fresh, with mechanical complexity and a perfectly simple premise. Inkopolis, its streetwear infused streets, and Callie and Marie singing City of Color during Splatfests each hold a special place in my memory. Stay fresh.
I dunno. 2016 was a weird year in games for me. Pokemon Sun was probably my favorite game that year. But that isn't saying much for what new games I played that year.
A masterpiece. The purest distillation of what Zelda is in the Switch's first year of life. Those few months from March to May were magical.
Team Asano really knows what they're doing, man. Classic Square-style JRPG goodness that looks good as hell.
A return to the tone I loved about Tellius and Jugdral. Fantastic cast. Great sim elements. The actual SRPG aspects aren't as solid as the best in the series, but Three Houses has a ton of heart.
This game got me through 2020. I have so many good memories visiting friends' islands and working on my own.
Holy shit. Metroid 5?! This game feels so good to play. And finally a continuation of the mainline Metroid story for the first time in almost 20 years. We needed this game.
Stop chasing that green light. Let go of the past and embrace the unknown future.
