300 Games Bucket List

Inspired by Weatherby's "250 Retro Bucket List" ( https://www.backloggd.com/u/Weatherby/list/250-retro-bucket-list/ ), I did not limit my list to Retro games. One reason is because due to some quirks of how my life went, there was a period of about 10 years I couldn't really buy any new consoles (or a new PC), so my list of played games actually skews somewhat older to begin with. Plus I have so many games I want to play I didn't feel the need to limit myself. The basics of the list are the same: 300 games that I want to play before I kick that ol' bucket.

The first page, or Top 100, is the Top 100 games on this list I want to play, but there isn't any order within that Top 100. And while the games aren't in any super specific order besides that, I did try to make it overall aesthetically pleasing, or have some mini-themes here or there.

I'm rather undetermined in what I'll do as I actually beat these games. My first thought is to remove them to the list and do, IDK, a "Bucket List Games Completed" list while replacing it with a new game, which makes it a bit of an unending bucket list (given, after all, new games always be coming out). But maybe that's too much. But just leaving a game here after finishing it feels odd to me. What do you guys think?

I tried to avoid any games that were unreleased, or that I had what felt like "substantial" progress in, since that didn't jive with my mental image of what this bucket list is for. Funny enough, I got too far into Fire Emblem Engage to put it on, even though it was a game I thought of when making this list. Live A Live also would have been in the Top 100 if I hadn't started it already.

Later, I might I'll note down what systems the games first released on (or something) to show off that spread, and maybe which ones I actually have access to.

Elden Ring
Elden Ring
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 Royal
This is actually a game I have some complicated feelings about. It looks like it has a lot of style, but the story really seemed like it disappointed me and lacked some of the depth in 3 or even 4. But I also haven't played it, so judging it that way seems quite unfair. This is a 100+ Hour RPG, and I sure ain't seen my way through it.

Plus leaving all of that aside, it is Persona fuckin' 5. Persona 3 is one of my favorite games ever and has one of the best stories in gaming. Persona 4 is still a 10/10 game for me, even if it has more flaws. And Persona 5's critical reception has been MASSIVELY positive. It would be impossible for me to not be excited for and want to play it, even if I am skeptical.

Also not sure if Royal is even the better version tbh but such is life.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Celeste
Celeste
Bloodborne
Bloodborne
NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata
Omori
Omori
Dark Souls III
Dark Souls III
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
Cuphead
Cuphead
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE AMERICAN THAN BUYING METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE IN THIS WAL-MART OF A WORLD
Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
Signalis
Signalis
Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2
Dark Souls: Remastered
Dark Souls: Remastered
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Devil May Cry 5
Devil May Cry 5
SAVIOR.

BLOODSTAIN.

HELLFIRE.

SHADOW.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
This game came out and like 3 of the friends I know whose opinions on video games I kinda trust came to tell me it was based and super lit. So.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Nintendo 64 was my first console and I am pretty happy about that in a lot of ways. It let me connect with my mom, who grew up with an NES/SNES, via the vast array of multiplayer games it had and make memories I can look back on more fondly than any good game experience would give me for example.

It also introduced me to a ton of excellent games right off the bat. Super Mario 64, Majora's Mask, Star Fox 64, Mega Man 64, Paper Mario, Kirby and the Crystal Shards, F-Zero X and even more obscure stuff like NBA Jam 99 and Toy Story 2.

You might notice a prominent game missing: Ocarina of Time. Despite being an N64 gamer who has Majora's Mask as one of their all time favorites, I have NEVER had the chance to play Ocarina of Time, merely hearing it in baited breaths on the GameFAQs forum as the game Majora's Mask must live up to.

Will it still hit as well for me 20+ years later? I have no idea, but it has been a game I wanted to play since childhood.
Bayonetta
Bayonetta
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Eternal Echo of the Thrilling Tour-our-our is one of the best boss themes in a while.
Inscryption
Inscryption
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
EarthBound
EarthBound
IDK how I have never played this when I love Mother 3 so much.
Sonic Frontiers
Sonic Frontiers
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin
Silent Hill
Silent Hill
Shin Megami Tensei V
Shin Megami Tensei V
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Sonic Mania
Sonic Mania
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Ultrakill
Ultrakill
This would probably be in the Top 100 if I was good enough at shooters to feel confident at it.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2
I don't really anticipate liking this as much as Super Mario Galaxy 1, but it IS really popular and SMG1 has been fun to play through so I can't complain.

Man, though, I swear I have some kinda warped perspective on this game. When it came out all I remember is people saying it was a bit too much of a stale sequel to Super Mario Galaxy, but in retrospect both critics and fans alike felt it was as good or better than the first a lot of the time. It goes to show you that you shouldn't stick in a singular bubble of opinion.
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
Few game series were as important to me in my formative years without really playing the entries than Kingdom Hearts. While my RPing first began with Pikmin roleplay on GameFAQs, around the time I wanted to become a writer happened when I started doing Kingdom Hearts RP offsite.

The only game I had as a kid was Chain of Memories, but I knew so much about the plot it was very easy to follow. The theories for the post-game trailer were fun and intense. I ended up being right about Xigbar when Birth by Sleep happened.

So KH1/2 are basically requirements for me to play one day.

BTW, Chain of Memories is actually a really good game with a cool plot. Just make sure to play the GBA version, not the Re: version. The Re version breaks the game.
Blasphemous
Blasphemous
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VI
Most likely via FF6 Advance. Up there with 12 and 7 in terms of Final Fantasies I want to play. It somehow still sounds rather unique all these years later, and I feel intimately acquainted with it due to stuff like repeated watches of Legends of Localization's Final Fantasy VI translation comparison stream. I highly recommend it, by the way:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8fufren85t_hZIk7nzF3EkbQHhexGOpa
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
This being a friend's favorite Final Fantasy helps. Kuja is good y'all.
Return of the Obra Dinn
Return of the Obra Dinn
Does this game have one of the coolest art styles in recent memory or what?
Killer7
Killer7
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Mario 3D Land
A Hat in Time
A Hat in Time
Xenogears
Xenogears
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening - Special Edition
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening - Special Edition
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls
NEO: The World Ends with You
NEO: The World Ends with You
the world ends with us fans have been STARVING
The World Ends with You
The World Ends with You
The only problem with this game is that it is best played on original hardware and boy do I not have that. But this is a game I've wanted to play for an eternity.

Fun fact, in the Smash Bros. moveset theory contest I run, the only contest I won was for a set for Sho Minamimoto in the Brawl days. The set is horribly outdated now, but I'm still happy.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Seems like the title I most hear as likely to unseat Symphony of the Night for Metroidvania CVs. Seems like the culmination of the GBA Castlevanias and great fun.

Also hot damn that box art is so good.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
Final Fantasy XIV Online
Final Fantasy XIV Online
Including all expansions
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
Yume Nikki
Yume Nikki
Helltaker
Helltaker
We do, in fact, need more demon girls in fancy suits.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Miriam's design is peak. I actually played through, like, the very start of this and it seemed fun (aside from some weird models during dialogue).
Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper
I've been excited for this since release and while some reviews concerned me, it's still got me quite interested.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Kid Icarus: Uprising
port this game to the switch already come on
Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
Up there with Kingdom Hearts and Tales of Symphonia for that teenage year brainrot, and the game that gave Sonic appeal to me. Somehow I got Sonic Adventure 1 and Sonic Heroes instead of it when I was younger. I don't know why.

Technically I am playing the Sonic Adventure 2: Battle version, but this version has the better cover art. So.
To the Moon
To the Moon
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Baba is You
Baba is You
No More Heroes III
No More Heroes III
This honestly sounds like a bit of a divisive game to me but also I've been waiting for No More Heroes 3 for 11 years between NMH2's end and NMH3's announcement so how could it not be on here?
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
The only reason this isn't in the Top 100 is because Phoenix Wright was EVERYWHERE when I was a teen on the internet and so I know SO much about this game when it is obviously highly dialogue focused.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Super Paper Mario
Super Paper Mario
The way I got started on the internet and found friend groups when I went from GameFAQs was freaking Digibutter.nerr so, like, is this even a surprise.
Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow the Hedgehog
I feel like I need to play this game, even if I don't think I will enjoy it. I hate Black Doom and the retcons his existence makes to Shadow the Hedgehog, man. And I dislike the fact that, for SOME REASON, they didn't let Shadow the Hedgehog's creator and writer for his scenarios be involved in this game?

I will say I don't think the core idea is as bad as people say. The multiple path idea is actually a potentially great idea to get the replayability SA1/2 wanted without multiple characters. I'm honestly not opposed to Shadow using guns.

But ultimately it makes me sad because while Sonic '06 was the killshot (and Sega had from day one had Issues), Shadow feels like what really killed the style of Sonic games I was intrigued by for quite a while. It lost the audience and made Heroes go from "a small misstep" to "start of a worrying trend". And it felt like it showed Sega had no idea what they were doing (true).
Pathologic 2
Pathologic 2
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Story-wise, this is the Final Fantasy that might have me the most interested, and I already have multiple cutscenes memorized in my head from catching them on youtube.

Only thing is IDK if I'll end up liking the gameplay.
Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy
I know not everyone is a fan of the HD-2D style that Square Enix is putting out right now, but you can count ME as a fan of it, and the demo while it had issues I wanted solved seemed solid. Just seems like one of those enjoyable 7-8/10 Tactical RPGs I'd enjoy sinking my teeth into.
Drakengard 3
Drakengard 3
Zero's a top tier girl lets be real
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
I wish I had easier ways to play this.
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Kirby Super Star Ultra
I keep debating between this and the original, though.

Marx Soul's scream is the DS sequel to the great Neo Ridley scream from the GBA.
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Spyro and Crash Bandicoot are two of those platformers that were BIG when right about when I was growing up (I got my N64 when I was five, as I recall, give or take), although I did not hear much about them until later (since I mostly got plugged into gaming news as it went into the Gamecube/PS2 era). That's left me curious about what that Nintendo competition was up to, especially with how highly regarded both of those are. I'm a bit more excited for Spyro than Crash (plus I am partway through Crash 1, which has just been Okay so far), so he makes the Top 100.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Code Vein
Code Vein
Actually one of the first games I purchased when I got a computer that might be able to run it.
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Kirby: Planet Robobot
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Metroid: Samus Returns
Metroid: Samus Returns
CrossCode
CrossCode

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