I think it’s evident from the endless arguments in the Pokémon community that, for most people, their first Pokémon game is their favorite. I would say Pokemon White 2 technically was that for me (my brother and I played Pokémon Black together all the time but White 2 was the first Pokémon game I owned), and it remains my favorite vanilla Pokémon experience. Admittedly it’s story falls a little short of the bar set by Black and White, but White 2 has possibly the most vast array of post-game content next to Platinum. I always found completing the White Treehollow and locating Legendary Pokémon to be really enjoyable in White 2, and the PWT was a really cool way to call back to old gym leaders and elite 4 members. Combine a great main game, a great post-game, fantastic 2D presentation, and one of the best soundtracks Pokémon has to offer, and you’ll have Pokémon Black and White 2.

I'm biased.

I've played lots of Ultimate in my day, but if we're talking about competition, Super Smash Brothers Melee is such a complex and challenging slice of perfection. It being played competitively for two decades should be a testament enough to its quality as a game, but it still maintains a fun casual element that sadly goes unappreciated given the success of Brawl and Ultimate. I think the broad lack of buffer for inputs gives the game a more tough barrier of entry than Ultimate or Smash 4 or Brawl, but boy, once you're through the gate, there's no turning back. Melee may be a beautiful accident in a lot of ways, but there's so much to enjoy regardless.

One of the few games I can say with confidence is basically flawless. The gameplay and presentation are quite solid (hehe) by my standard today, but the characters and story and the sheer poetry of the game are literally unmatched. This game asks really profound questions about devotion and patriotism while maintaining a complex yet fun-to-follow narrative, complemented by the gritty and tactical survival mechanics. It was a super consistent experience, and I didn't have any parts of the game I thought were too slow or frustrating either. I would recommend this game to anyone.

man i HATE the sky keep.

me and my homies HATE the sky keep.

But other than that, I found Skyward Sword to be pretty enjoyable. Skyward had a pretty well-developed cast of characters and a beautiful world with some of the most fun dungeons in Zelda (EXCEPT FOR THE SKY KEEP). I understand the frustration with the Sky and the repeated boss fights with the Imprisoned, but I don’t think all the hate Skyward gets is warranted.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a real apex predator in the vast world of JRPGs. The narrative is fascinating and contains some of my favorite plot twists in gaming; the gameplay is complex and rewarding (if you have the patience for it!), and the world is one of the most unique and vast ones out there. Not to mention the jaw-dropping sound design (Bionis’ Leg and Valak Mountain Night are just perfect tracks for me) and a wonderful cast of characters. It’s weaknesses lie in it’s complex battle system and it’s sheer length - if you can stomach both of those aspects of Xenoblade, you’re in for one of the best modern JRPGs on the planet.

Splatoon 2 is pretty dope. Most everything about it is pretty enjoyable, from the single player campaign to the multiplayer aspects to its bubbly and weird soundtrack. Once I was done with single player, I found it pretty easy to stop playing the game, though. It feels incredibly hard to aim without Gyro controls, which makes the control scheme of the game feel less natural to me than other shooters, an issue I had with the original Splatoon. I don’t think Splatoon 2 had too much else to offer that wasn’t already present in Splatoon, with the exception of perhaps Octo Expansion and Salmon Run, but still a fun game.

The first thing I think of when I think about Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is probably how neat Makoto Naegi is (Hi Patryk!). The second thing I probably would think of would be how well Danganronpa nails a claustrophobic, sardonic atmosphere while providing some fun, puzzling class trial action. I don’t think the first Danganronpa has any particularly standout trials compared to 2 or V3, but that isn’t to say they aren’t enjoyable. I think I enjoyed 2’s more over-the-top and zany atmosphere to 1’s gloom, but I still appreciate how excellently crafted the environmental despair of Hope’s Peak Academy is. I didn’t think there were any particularly slow or frustrating trials in DR, but I found it easier to enjoy myself when I was playing through a class trial or exploring the world in Danganronpa 2