TheThirstyMage
BACKER
I could write an entire book on just how good this game is. It's a masterclass in story-telling, world design, combat mechanics, graphical design, voice-acting, basically every facet of development of this video game was done well. On top of all that, it somehow managed to capture the spirit of the original game, and still tell its own story that is faithful to the source material.
This is now my favourite game of all time.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the current pinnacle of gaming.
This is now my favourite game of all time.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the current pinnacle of gaming.
2001
If you like story in your RPGs, Golden Sun is not for you. Not only is there little to no story throughout the game, but the game itself is only one half of a total adventure. Golden Sun as an experience is fairly mid, nothing really sets it apart from other RPGs but it’s not bad per say. With so much available to play, I can’t recommend it, my recommendation is to play something better.
Never in my wildest dream did I think this game would be as good as it is. Infinite Wealth basically said hold my beer when it comes to the RPG genre. It does it all, easy to learn but a joy to master turn-based combat system. A cast of unforgettable characters, call backs to a decade long franchise that don’t alienate new players. Countless mini-games, beautiful areas to explore. A story that is incredible but doesn’t overstay its welcome. This is an all-timer.
1992
Fun experience but I’ve forgotten over the years just how short Game Boy games are. If you want a solid 30-60 minutes with some fun times and good music, Kirby is pretty good.
1989
Such a Mario game. Movement is unique compared to previous Mario games, and the enemies are sorta weird. The shoot em up levels are a strange addition and I forgot how short the game is. Banging music though.
1987
I can’t imagine anyone completing this game without a little help from a guide, but thankfully we live in the internet age. With help only a few clicks away, this point and click adventure is pretty fun to go in and see all the ways you can get yourself killed. Because there is no punishment for death, this really encourages the player to experiment and have a good time.
I used to think Pokemon Yellow was the best way to play Generation 1 pokemon, but this blows it out of the water. Such an incredible experience, definitely the way Pokemon were intended to be played.
Very interesting experience, but I would consider this more of an Early Access game. It’s fairly short right now, having completed it in 3 hours, however the developer has promised future content later in 2024. A LOT of bugs, though for the most part I was able to get through the game on Steam Deck. But as a concept, I think it’s terrific. The 2D Zelda dungeon style adventure is very well thought out and feels really good to play. The style then switches to an Undertale-inspired turn-based combat during the big boss battles. The little mini-games during the bosses are neat, but I think they need some fine-tuning. Definitely something great there, I’d love to see an established dev (like Yacht Club) offer to help and really polish this up and provide funding to expand on what’s there so far.
1988
Where to even start, God help anyone trying to finish this game without save states. Under the right circumstances though, this is a very enjoyable game. The cinema scenes in between the levels are fantastic, combat is fluid and fun. Great experience.
Having never owned a Game Boy Advance, I played Minish Cap for the first time this year. This game has reminded me of how wonderful 2D Zelda can be. The tried and true formula of collecting items from dungeons filled with puzzles just never seems to grow stale. I’m relieved that Kinstones have never been reused as they are the weakest point of the game. The difficulty hits a sweet spot and the length of the adventure is just long enough to end before overstaying it’s welcome. An amazing experience worth playing, wish it was available on more platforms but likely stuck in purgatory since it was developed by Capcom.
1999
Between this and Pokemon Snap, seeing my favourite Pokemon in 3D was incredible at the time. From a gameplay perspective, it’s pretty limited. No story, just a series of tournament style ladders, and god help you if you didn’t import your own Pokemon from the Game Boy cartridges. The mini-games were pretty fun playing with a friend but also quite limited.
1996
I don’t want to even want to try to quantify how many hours I put into this game as a kid. The Nintendo 64 was designed for kids to enjoy in large groups and this was the multiplayer game that my friends all wanted to play. Funny that this franchise is one of Nintendo’s best selling today.
In 1998, this was it, this was the probably the best game Nintendo had ever made up until that point. Today, like all Nintendo 64 games, the outdated graphics and limitations of the tech just make this a tough game to replay in a modern setting. Seems like a no-brainer to simply remake Ocarina in HD for Switch, not sure what Nintendo is waiting for.
1997
What a weird game lol. Piggybacking off the success of Mario Kart, Rare’s vision of a kart racing game most hits the mark and differentiates itself from its inspiration with an open world setting. The cultural appropriation is probably a bit difficult to stomach these days, but the eastern influences did set it apart from other games in 1997.
2000
Perfect Dark had some massive expectations following up a genre-defining experience like GoldenEye. While not as good as it’s predecessor, Perfect Dark is an enjoyable experience in its own right. The story, from what I can remember, is a bit of an off the rails science fiction fantasy. I don’t remember exact details but I recall government conspiracys and weird alien storylines. I’ve tried playing the remastered version on Xbox but like most N64 games, it’s hard to go back to these very dated games.