My 123 Favorite Video Games, Ranked
This is at an odd number because it's just every game I've ever played that I would consider 'a favorite' of mine with no upper limit ... and I guess that there are this many of them! I put a lot of thought into the rankings but this is going to be a living document - positions will shift as I replay them and (hopefully) many games will be added. All future updates will be noted in the comments as they happen.
I put a little bit about how I was introduced to each of these and my history with them in the notes. Please feel free to ignore all that if you don't feel like reading my LiveJournal - it's rambly and mostly unedited. Like everything else on this site, it's kind of more for me than anyone else.
The below is a list of games I consider "Unranked" - provisionally on the list but which need to be replayed to get a good idea of where I should put them. Hopefully I will get through these soon and resolve their placements!
UNRANKED:
- Chrono Cross (Square/PS1/1999)
- Crimson Shroud (Level-5/3DS/2012)
- Dark Souls III (FromSoftware/Multiplat/2016)
- Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Capcom/NDS/2010)
- Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (New World Computing/PC/1999)
- Pathologic (Ice-pick Lodge/PC/2005)
- Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (Level-5/NDS/2007)
- Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope/PC/2018)
- Shadow of Destiny (Konami/PS2/2001)
- Shadow Warrior (3D Realms/PC/1997)
- Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo/NSW/2017)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo/GB/1993)
- Xenogears (Square/PS1/1998)
- Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (Chunsoft/3DS/2012)
I put a little bit about how I was introduced to each of these and my history with them in the notes. Please feel free to ignore all that if you don't feel like reading my LiveJournal - it's rambly and mostly unedited. Like everything else on this site, it's kind of more for me than anyone else.
The below is a list of games I consider "Unranked" - provisionally on the list but which need to be replayed to get a good idea of where I should put them. Hopefully I will get through these soon and resolve their placements!
UNRANKED:
- Chrono Cross (Square/PS1/1999)
- Crimson Shroud (Level-5/3DS/2012)
- Dark Souls III (FromSoftware/Multiplat/2016)
- Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Capcom/NDS/2010)
- Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (New World Computing/PC/1999)
- Pathologic (Ice-pick Lodge/PC/2005)
- Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (Level-5/NDS/2007)
- Return of the Obra Dinn (Lucas Pope/PC/2018)
- Shadow of Destiny (Konami/PS2/2001)
- Shadow Warrior (3D Realms/PC/1997)
- Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo/NSW/2017)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo/GB/1993)
- Xenogears (Square/PS1/1998)
- Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (Chunsoft/3DS/2012)
123 Games
Played this for the first time in 2010 when a friend and I decided to run the entire Castlevania series before the release of Lords of Shadow. We hated that stupid game, but loved a TON of the other one, which we had only played a couple of apiece. Worthwhile for sure, and especially for this one, obviously.
Like I said, first played with my friend in 2011. I had started getting a little interested in it based on the post-release buzz, and when my bud came over one night I showed him a trailer. He got so hype we had to drive to the closest 24-hour Walmart to go get it immediately. Playing my first Souls game all the way through with a friend was a transcendent experience.
Played right around release in 2010. A pal who was into more obscure games (in a time when my tastes were more mainstream) worked hard to get me to play this. I sure am glad he did.
First played in 2011, actually simultaneously with DARK SOULS, which I was going through with that same friend from the basement horror games, just years later. I had wanted to check it out and my buddy and I only hung out a couple times a week so in the off time I needed my fix and Demon's was right there. I think I actually beat this first before we finished Dark.
Played the shareware version sometime in 1994. This was another one my grandpa had, later on. I don't know if he just bought every big new game or what was going on, but he had it! I had played Wolfenstein by this point so, yeah, I was ready for this earth-shattering experience, for sure.
First played in 2002, at a friend's house. I was floored and immediately went to Target and got it on sale for $19.99. Was lucky it was still there, I guess! And then a few weeks of my life disappeared and there was no turning back.
First played sometime between release in 2006 and 2009. The same genius who would later introduce me to DEADLY PREMONITION made me play it. I pretty much owe that guy everything.
Played this sometime around its release and was in love. I've never been too far one way or the other on loving or hating "walking simulators" because honestly, they contain multitudes, but this one was a minor revelation for me w/r/t what a game "needed" to be. Still like it a lot.
Got it on day one in 2013, despite myself. I absolutely hated GTAIV, but the trailers for this sold me on it at the last minute so I impulse/FOMO bought it. I was very, very pleasantly surprised.
Sometimes I fire it up randomly just to walk or drive around. Mostly I just want to go to Cali irl, so this is the next best thing.
Sometimes I fire it up randomly just to walk or drive around. Mostly I just want to go to Cali irl, so this is the next best thing.
After absolutely mastering the original (much to the chagrin of the haters and the trolls amongst my friends who I easily surpassed), this was like a religious experience. I think I managed to get it early - this was in my street-date-break scamming days. I had a whole system going. I got GUITAR HERO III a whole week early, I was top ten in the worldwide leaderboards! But that game's not on this list, lol.
First played in 2008 after finally getting the hint that these games were something special and worth my attention. What did I even do with myself before Ace Attorney?
Played for the first time in 2008. I was late to Phoenix Wright but after I played the first one I went nuts and instabought the other three.
No physical for this either of course. Well, I do have The Orange Box. I remember getting it and not caring at all about this little whatever game tacked on ... and then I played it, and yeah, haha
Only one time to have gotten it and played it, really. God was that fun. Still working on my PS4 at this point.
Day one purchase in 2018. Knew I was going to like it following the ever-increasing quality of Rockstar's open world work through RDR1 and GTAV, but had no idea how much. Beyond pumped for GTAVI at this point.
P.S.: Why haven't they ported this to next-gen by now?
P.S.: Why haven't they ported this to next-gen by now?
Played on release with friends in 2002 but didn't buy it until 2010 when completing my GameCube library.
Played around release in 2005. I think a friend might have had it first but all I had to see was about fifteen seconds of it before I had to get it. I played so much GameCube between 2001-2006 there was no way this wasn't gonna be a big part of my life. I also got the Wii version day one, I believe.
First played in 2006 when I bought SH1-4 used for under $50 total at GameStop, to get ready for the upcoming SH movie. Best week of gaming ever.
First played in 2006, immediately after SH1 changed my life.
First played in 2003 (before the 2006 SH-athon) but only a little bit. My friend and I used to rent horror games and play them in his scary-ass basement (CLOCK TOWER 3, ETERNAL DARKNESS, the RESIDENT EVIL remake among them), and this was one of them, but we never made it out of the mall. That was my first SH experience and goddamn if it didn't leave an impression, but I wouldn't get back to it until I bought it with the rest in 2006.
Only ever played it in obscure places, never actually owned an NES or had any significant people in my life who had one either. Always just a quick game in some random circumstance. But that's all it took. Eventually I bought it with an NES and a ton of other games in 2012. My son will play this as one of his first games.
Because I was a cool kid, I had cool friends. And because my cool friends were cool (like me) they tended to have Genesis instead of SNES. One of my token Nintendo friends did have this, though, and it was probably the only time I was truly jealous of the other side of the console war. It stuck with me until I could fully explore it on emulator when I got into those in like 1999.
Was ready for this on day one in 2001, you better know it. Met the dude who would be my best friend for life on the school bus when I overheard him talking to someone else about how excited he was for it, and I chimed in.
Bought a PSP for it at release in 2011. Despite being a FFT superfan for close to ten years by the time this remake was announced, I somehow didn't understand what Tactics Ogre was, or it's legacy. I knew about Ogre Battle, but when someone was like, "hey, you know there's like ... another FFT, right? And it's, like, maybe even better?" and then I saw some screenshots, etc., my hype reached insane levels and I had to instabuy a whole new system just to try it. I was not disappointed.
Bought day one. First thing on this list that doesn't have a physical release. Surprising that Limited Run never got on that. Disappointing.
Had this around its release in 2005-2006, having loved the original, but then lent it to someone in college and never got it back. Downside was having to buy it again, but spreading the joy of Katamari was worth it, I guess.
Bought it on day one in 2015. Unlike all you chumps I had played every Yakuza game before this one was even announced so I was ready. Or at least I thought I was.
I bought pretty much every good GameCube immediately when they came out, I was super plugged-in in this era, just crushing it. Subscriptions to both EGM and Game Informer. I knew what was what.
Extremely big AC Head and 3DS enthusiast, so this was a Day One situation. Close to the only thing I did for like the next month.
As Day 1 as it gets. I've loved Batman since I was two years old and ARKHAM ASYLUM was dope, so
Bought on day one in 2015. This was the one that kind of solidified my FromSoft game ritual of taking time off of work and, having not read any reviews or watched any trailers, disappearing into it completely blind for like a week.
Another friend's house Genesis classic. The wobbly leaning tower of Pisa stuck in my head for like 15 years until a revisit.
Got this with my Dreamcast in 2000 from a foolish friend who was selling ... I think in preparation for PS2 maybe? Nah he wouldn't have been thinking like that a year out. I think he was just a dope!
Played the shareware version in 1996 around its release. As one of the only people who was a big fan of the two previous Duke Nukem games, I was a little confused by the change in direction, but, uh, that didn't matter after like, fifteen seconds of level one.
Caught up with this in 2021. It scratched a bigtime itch for me, and I'm excited to revisit it to see if it holds up on the list.
Another rec from my extremely smart and cool DEADLY PREMONITION, GOD HAND bestowing bro in the college days. Man, he turned me on to some real winners.
The first ... and now that I think about it, only mainline FF game I bought at release. I knew it was the Tactics guy, so had to respect. Wasn't disappointed - I probably like this a lot more than the average FF fan. Maybe that's because I'm not really an FF fan, lol.
Got it at release in 1998 due to the hubbub of it being a masterpiece of adventure gaming. But this may have actually been my first LucasArts adventure - I was a bigtime Sierra partisan. Shortly after this I went back and played SAM & MAX and FULL THROTTLE.
I somehow had a lot of friends with excellent taste in Genesis games, so I played this right around its release in 1993 with one and then bought it myself. I would take my Genesis around places to show people how good this game was.
"Pre-loaded" and played it midnight, day one in 2004. Possibly the most hyped I've been for anything - do you remember those gameplay reveals???
Have to credit a friend with getting it first and showing it to me, but got it that same year in 2004. At that point we were plugged in enough to know what was what.
Another grandpa's house game, but it was the CD version so probably 1993/1994. This one I took home with me because it was just too big to finish in one visit to his homestead.
A present for Christmas, 2001. I had beaten the snot out of ROGUE SQUADRON and was deep, deep into MELEE, but this was a welcome addition.
Went on a huge PS3 used game buying spree at some point in like 2013 and got this for five bucks at a Pawn America. Made me fall in love with the old series all over again, having not played it since like grade school.
Got it sometime around release in 2004. I think that I had maybe not played the first PAPER MARIO before it? But this made me go back for sure.
Played the shareware version of this at some point, but I'm not entirely sure when or where. Certainly stuck with me though.
Played the shareware version sometime after its release, probably 1995 or so. This was one I never saw the non-free episodes of until like fifteen years later. That is such a weird feeling.
I had played the DS game so, yeah, Day One. Day Zero. Ran, didn't walk.
Grandpa had this, like every other cool adventure game that came out between 1990 and 1996. My aunts were really into this - they were smart - liked puzzles and complex board games. They taught me to appreciate the more intellectual pace, taking notes, being observant. To this day, still love games that make me write shit down. And I had played MYST at some point before this, but come on. This is the real MYST. We all know it.
Little known fact, but I am an absolute god at all these plastic instrument games. GUITAR HERO broke my brain and I immediately devoted my life to getting sick at them, like drilling songs over and over, irritating my friends. Never had that experience with any game before, really. ROCK BAND 1 was a revelation. Five stars on expert, every instrument, every game, all the way down. Eventually got me to into real instruments, bought a guitar, bought a bass, bought drums, took music classes at college. But kept playing the shit out of these things. By the time RB3 here rolled around, I was the ROCK BAND guy among my friends, bringing the party with me. Took a week off for this. It was glorious, but it was the end of the line. Bittersweet one for me, and also the peak.
I think I borrowed this from a friend and just kept it forever, sometime in the early 2000s. You don't give something this good back.
Got the Battle Chest in 1999. Everyone had the StarCrafts, man. It was like they came issued with your tower compters.
Got it at release in 1997. I had the 64 at that point and couldn't wait for the Rumble Pak!
I saw this being advertised in a PC gaming mag in 1995 and bought it "for my grandpa" who had all those PC games. Lol isn't that great, I got it for him for Christmas and he unwrapped it and was like, "Oh, thanks ..." and then I just snatched it and went to play.
My well-worn Star Wars trilogy VHS set (you know the one) ensured that this was an insta-purchase when I found out it existed, and given the date that was out and that I got the CD-ROM version (as well as CD-ROM X-WING, I think simultaneously), sometime in 1995/1996.
I actually don't know when I first encountered this - it may have been on emulator in the late '90s. It seems like it's always been with me, though ... maybe a friend did have it.
Played for the very first time at a Target kiosk around the launch of the N64 and it absolutely annihilated my little 6th-grader mind. I didn't get an N64 for like another year, and by then all my friends had it and I just borrowed it from them for extended periods of time, so I never actually owned it until 2012. Even so, by that point I had the entire game memorized and had gotten 120 stars like five times, so.
Hyped beyond words for this in 2002, got it day one. Unlike I guess everybody else, I really liked it!
Played when it was new-ish in 1993-1994. This was another one my grandpa had, being on the cutting edge of CD-ROM technology, and I remember going on trips to his house and playing it at night after everyone else went to sleep. I was like seven and it was frickin' scary!! And so adult! Sexual themes!
Bought at release in 2003, and preordered so I got that rare Zelda compilation disc, too. What a frickin' deal that was, huh?
Loved this when it came out but the new edition actually kind of knocked it down a few pegs for me. One of those games that only gets less and less impressive the more you play it, unfortunately. But it's always fun to see other try it for the first time.
The only VR game I could really, really get into because all the big ones make me sick. :( Also, because I'm beyond-godlike at every rhythm game, I easily 100% and platted this.
Only experienced the magic at friends' houses in Junior High, but man alive was I hooked for good. Later I'd get it for Dreamcast aka the cool version.
After playing and loving THPS2 at friends' houses exclusively, I knew I had to be on the right side of history and bought this for GameCube soon after release in probably early 2002.
Got it at a closing down K-Mart for $15 bucks in 2010. I actually hadn't played any of the series before, but like I once did with Silent Hill, at some point I decided it was just time to get into the series and bought 1-4 blind. Once again, I was richly rewarded.
Dutifully supported this and bought the digital release when it finally came out in 2015. By that time I was absolutely ride or die for this franchise.
Despite being a mega-Batman fanboy for life, I was extremely skeptical of this during its promotion, mainly because of the questionable art style and character designs. Came around when the reviews hit and got in.
Release day of course. I'm much kinder to this one than most series fans who probably put it under (the abysmal) Arkham Origins, but that's because I know how to drive and didn't get filtered by the Batmobile like all those whiners.
Had it in 1995/1996 when it came out. You had to.
Played for the first time I believe on a friend's SNES in probably 1993, based on that that friend also had the Konami BATMAN RETURNS game. Either that or on an arcade machine at a summer camp I went to around the same time. Both experiences were exciting to say the least and a lifelong love for brawlers was born.
Falcon was my guy from SMASH and I had to have every awesome GameCube game, so I got it at release.
Played it at some point at someone's place, don't remember, but ended up buying a former rental from a video store going out of business not long after.
Played this after the fact in like 2001 or 2002 after seeing it at a friend's house. Weird that I was so late on it being a big FPS boy.
My one PlayStation friend had this shit and the sequel in 1998 and I swear to God I was thinking about it until I finally bought my own copy in like 2010.
Got this one on release, still have the big ornate box. I remember picking it off the shelf at Best Buy with great ceremony. You knew this one was gonna be good.
Skipped it in confusion at first but eventually circled back in the mid-2010s when I got over myself a little. It deserved better than it got, not just from me.
Another Apogee shareware fav around 1994. Another one I only played the later chapters of much, much later in life.
Got it at release in 1999. I had seen other people playing Red/Blue and then of course the show was on, so I was vibrating to get on the bandwagon by the time this came out.
As I mentioned, I hated GTAIV (despite playing like 150 hours of it, or whatever), so I turned my nose up at this initially. At some point I got the hint that it was good, maybe a couple months after release, and gave it a shot. Glad I did.
Another good Genesis friend pick - immediately went and picked it up for myself after playing it with them.
Another gift from a Genesis friend with really good taste in the early '90s. Borrowed it over and over 'til I mastered it.
As a Genesis kid, I was well versed in all Sonics, but only actually owned SONIC 2. Friend had this one and I borrowed it a lot.
Like I said, this one I did have, but I don't have any memory of getting it.
My first and only GameCube title at launch. And what a launch title! Kept me going no problem until reinforcements arrived in the form of SMASH and LUIGI'S MANSION. The first in an amazing library, probably my best, pound-for-pound.
One of the major gaps in my carefully curated GameCube library. Only played at friends, but rectified that in 2010.
Played it at the one SNES friend's house and always loved it.
Another slow-paced mystery game with the aunts around 1992 or so. But I recognized those sprite graphics and the parser from KQ1 and KQ4 and was instantly hooked. Having that template applied to a different genre was really exciting to me - eye opening.
Came with my secondhand Dreamcast purchase in 2000. No gun, but this is the rare lightgun game that's still a blast even without one.
Actually no clue when I played this first. I remember only really digging in and going through it (and the sequel) in 2010, but I really think I had played it before that. But where?
Knew this was right up my alley, slyly asked for it for Christmas from the GF and got it. Another one of those "I like watching you be smart games." Hey listen, baby, everybody wins.
Big closet TRIALS guy, played em all. I was super pumped for this when it came out. Shit, now I want to play some TRIALS.
Even with some initial skepticism, I Day One'd the hell out of this, you better know it. It's ride or die for RGG from here on out, brother.
Got it on release - this was my entry point into the franchise after seeing my buddy play DW5 and 6. Not sure if it was a blessing or a curse that I got in right at the peak.
This one I played at a my cousin's house. Yes, even family members were cool kids and liked Genesis!
I remember seeing an advertisement for this in the back of one of those bigass PC game magazines where the last 40 pages is like a catalog or whatever, and I DEMANDED my dad buy it for me because I loved DARK FORCES so much. Dad explained that it wasn't out yet, it was just a placeholder, and I flipped out. One of the only dipshit-kid tantrums of mine that I remember. Totally irrational, haha.
Extremely hyped for this when it came out in 1999. My good friend who loved Star Wars and video games had to literally ask me stop talking about it to him at school.
My first non-PC gaming machine was a Game Boy, and for a couple years there, this was my killer app. It was the first Mario game I owned! Hard to say when exactly I got it, but early '90s, when it was new.
Another of my cool grandpa's games - he must have gotten it when it was brand new in 1995. I remember going up North to his place and just discovering it and being like, what ... there's ANOTHER 7TH GUEST? For some reason I was struck by the idea of a game like that having a sequel. Weird to think about.
Definitely my first FPS in 1992 - dad brought it home on floppy. Probably shouldn't have been playing it at six years old, but eh, that same year I saw Night of the Living Dead, so. Fun story - I got in trouble in school for doing a drawing of a scene from this on the back of a spelling test. What part of the game, you ask? Oh, just the fight with Hitler, complete with totally game-inaccurate health-bar labeled "HITLER'S LIFE SUPPORT" in the upper right corner. They talked to my parents about it, but nothing actually happened! My dad probably knew enough about the game to speak to it. Lol.
10 Comments
LIST UPDATE 6/4/2023:
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Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (#106) replayed and rank confirmed
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Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (#106) replayed and rank confirmed
LIST UPDATE 6/10/2023:
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Katamari Damacy (#64) replayed and moved up to #61
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Katamari Damacy (#64) replayed and moved up to #61
LIST UPDATE 6/16/2023:
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We Love Katamari (#52) replayed and rank confirmed
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We Love Katamari (#52) replayed and rank confirmed
LIST UPDATE 8/11/2023:
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Pokemon Gold (unranked) replayed and removed
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Pokemon Gold (unranked) replayed and removed
LIST UPDATE 11/23/2023:
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The Case of the Golden Idol (#117) added
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The Case of the Golden Idol (#117) added
LIST UPDATE 12/10/2023:
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Super Mario Bros. (#88) and Super Mario World (#37) replayed and ranks confirmed
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Super Mario Bros. (#88) and Super Mario World (#37) replayed and ranks confirmed
I saw Deadly Premonition on this list and decided to give it a spin, despite its technical shortcomings, I found the game to be quite engaging, primarily due to the charming characters and the captivating dialogue between York and the town's population.
Quite the experience and glad I did
Quite the experience and glad I did
@Kawasaki0504 Awesome! Glad you liked it!
LIST UPDATE 03/25/2023:
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Heroes of Might & Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia added to unranked list
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Heroes of Might & Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia added to unranked list
DJSCheddar
11 months ago
And yeah I definitely dont want to discourage you because I would love to see yours, but for the record this has taken me actual years to finally do haha