(2022) Top 50 - No Limits Only Heart
No notions of "representing the spread of my interests" or "objective quality." Heart before smart. Depth before breadth.
50 Games
The Penultimate of multiplayer shooters. The effect this game had on the last half of my childhood can't be overstated and it's still a complete banger now that it's been ported to PC finally.
1
If Halo 3 was the second act of my childhood, Neverwinter Nights was the first. I was messing around with this game's content creation tools when I was in first grade and now I'm a programmer. Go figure.
2
On top of being the most stylish, snappy classic style JRPG ever made, it's themes really resonate with me. Every replay I still end up crying but it's almost never at the same part.
3
I was entirely fascinated by this game as a kid and the soundtrack still has me enthralled. The sheer creativity of its world has been quite the inspiration to my own creative works.
4
I'm not sure what originally drew me to this game, but I'm in love with its bombastic, adventure movie flair. It also became a big hit with my dad and brother, so there's a family bonding level to my love of this game as well.
5
I was playing this game before pre-school and I will be playing this game when I die, mark my words.
6
As with Quake III. From the dawn of my consciousness to the sunset of my life.
7
The most philosophically interesting story I've seen in gaming. It's a good game as well, great even, but this game actually changed the way I look at morality and how I choose to live. That is what I'll always remember it for.
8
People who say the ending of this game ruined it can suck a big fat chode. This game pays off on so much of the character building of the whole trilogy and I love it to death. And beyond all expectations its throw-away multiplayer mode was actually incredible.
9
My favorite chapter of the Trails series. Great cast, great start, great plot, great end, and introduced all the best parts of the pre-kuro Trails combat system.
11
This game took me eight years to beat and was responsible for so much of my appreciation and skill with tactics games. Also, the crit animations were top class.
12
I already appreciate a good isometric hack and slash, but this one comes with a super endearing narrator and a soundtrack that gets me right in the feels.
13
The best stealth action game I've ever played and I find the world and art style incredibly compelling. The number of tactical options approaches too many, as it can be easy to completely cheese the game, but the chaos/order mechanic actually manages to reign me in and approach things more carefully when I'm doing a serious playthrough.
14
An incredibly deep, content rich RPG that really pushed BioWare into their glory years (rest in peace). Though a bit overshadowed by Kotor II for me, it similarly has many interesting themes that give it a memorable narrative.
15
I was a bit of a Pokemon fanatic as a kid, and this was my drug of choice. To this day, very few games have had such a profound use of weather on their themes and aesthetic.
16
I didn't get into this series until the very tail end of my colllege years but wow was I impressed. Dumped 60 hours into it in 4 days. The next two games would refine the formula by leaps and bounds, but 3 still has some of my favorite moments and overall themes.
17
There was a point I could probably write out the script of this game from memory. It's certainly the jankiest game in the series, but it's love of space opera shines through so brightly it's hard to fault it.
18
I had zero idea what I was getting into with this game. I had heard it was pretty rough in the original version, but Dark Arisen at the very least is so mechanically fascinating as an RPG that every day we don't have a sequel is another crime against the world.
19
I think the Ys series deserves the title for the most slept on series in gaming, even if it is popular in Japan. The gameplay seems pretty simple, but its deceptively refined and fun. But more importantly with this entry is the story and atmosphere. This is a premier adventure story that any fan of the genre should play through.
20
I would not fault anyone for claiming this is the best of the series. Objectively it gets so much right and you could easily argue it has the most interesting main cast, plot, and setting. It's aesthetic doesn't grab me quite like 3 or 5, but it's by no means a miss and is a must play if you enjoy the series.
21
Objectively, probably the best of the trilogy. It did such a phenomenal job of balancing the central plot with each party member's individual stories. And it ends brlliantly (which all you ME2 supremists love to lord over the rest of the fanbase).
22
The greatest game to play on someone else's SNES. A briliantly polished platformer with a super endearing and memorable artstyle. And the secrets hidden all over the place make it a joy replay and just explore.
23
I daresay the coolest looking game to come out of the PS3 era, a fun platformer in its own right, and a billiant entry point into the world of game development. The level editor is rediculously well balanced between approachable and deep. I learned how to do hardware programming without realizing it.
24
The point in the series (having started at Cold Steel 1) that brought to the conclusion that it was in fact a great series. So much great development to the narrative and game systems and the ending was quite something.
25
The climax of the Crossbell arc which wonderfully played out the stage that Zero set up. While Zero's smaller scale story was a little closer to my heart, this was what made the Crossbell arc shine.
26
This game was a complete curveball for me. On its surface there's a lot of stuff I didn't necessarily like when I first got into it. Time travel stories have a tendency to be bad and I associated the aesthetic with Dragon Ball for better and worse. I'm glad that didn't stop me, because this game was a gem from start to finish.
27
At the time of writing, the only From Soft game I've managed to beat on my own. They're all great, but this is my favorite in terms of world design and gameplay.
28
I was floored by how smooth the gameplay in this series was when a friend introduced me to it. It's still one of the more intuitable 1v1 fighters out there and I love the character designs. Had a great set of game modes too (and Link as a guest character if you were on GameCube).
29
An oddly wonderful spin-off from the Pokemon franchise. Brutally difficult at times but the story was suprisingly engaging and the gameplay systems had a lot of interesting depth to them.
30
This game really was a combination of everything I liked from the prior titles. It was back to the fast and snappy core gameplay from Melee but with all the polish Brawl and Wii U added. Then literally all of the characters. Couldn't ask for more really.
31
If I started another replay this game would probably shoot right back up the list. Regardless, while it's not always my favorite gameplay wise from Naughty Dog, it's their best story and is just muah chef's kiss.
32
While I can understand many of the criticisms about this game. From a gameplay standpoint it was my favorite of the Sky arc and the things it added to the overall narrative completely changed the way I looked at the series as a whole.
33
My first thoughts going in were "budget Persona" but boy did that perception wear off quick. This was my entry point into one of the grandest stories in gaming and it was a good one. Great even. Still has some of my favorite dialogue in the series.
34
This game is many things. Mechanically polished is not one of them, yet somehow that's actually a plus. The setting is incredibly memorable and hits an interesting mix between alien and familiar that's hauntingly beautiful.
35
The Bioshock games are known for their wildly inventive settings, idealogically interesting plots, and great twists. This is no exception. In my opinion it also has better gunplay than the prior two, even if it does borrow more from the popular shooters of the time.
36
The first JRPG I ever played, and upon a replay in my teen years, I can safely say it's one of the best ones out there. Its artstyle is fun and capable of expressing a wide range of moods and locales. The gameplay is a bit basic by modern standards, but it gets by well enough to enjoy the unique little tale it weaves.
37
I had never been a big puzzle game guy, but it turns out I was just playing the wrong kinds. I l already loved Portal's spatial platforming puzzles and witty writing and this was that times two.
38
Alien invasions aren't a type of setting I'm usually interested in, but hot damn is game so good from a structural perspective. It manages to have procedurally generated tactics levels that don't suck and the progression systems are so addicting.
39
I claim this to be the pinnacle of the rogue like games. Very few manage to make the chaos part of the fun instead of the frustration. And I adore how it arcadifies the ship crew sim experience. It might not be a Star Trek game, but this is everything I'd want from one.
40
While the narrative of the game often suffers, it is a worthy sacrifice to make with for how this game is structured. This is the most mechanically rich CRPG I've ever played and it gives you so many ways to approach its challenges while still actually challening you.
41
It's a zen game. Just not a peaceful one. Play on max difficulty, cowards.
42
Who would have thought this silly looking tetris wannabe that came pre-loaded on practically every Xbox 360 was in fact one of the best games on the console. I apologize for any misgivings I had about it, it's wonderful and I love it.
43
Until Andromeda came out, having DAII as my top of the series was probably the most controversial take out there. It's basically a Dragon Age slice of life, and I adore that immensely.
44
It was Soul Calibur II's prettier younger sister. May have been missing some of the fun single player modes, but it added a character customizer that added a new level of joy to the game. Also, it had Star Wars characters which was just silly but incredible.
45
The first Action RPG I ever played and ooh boy did I play it. I would spend hours replaying on ng+ over and over and over and over. I don't even remember if it's good, but if I played again I could probably get through on muscle memory alone.
46
This game taught me the raw, simple beauty of time trials. How good it feels to nail a simple, but mechanically difficult trial with as much precision as you can muster. It's also trippy as hell and I love that.
47
I still don't how we went from the 2D platformers to this. If you told me this game's intro was Tool's attempt at making a kid friendly music video I'd believe it. Anyways, jank ass gameplay but incredibly memorable level design and a wacky story that was well beloved by 4 year old me.
48
The more reasonable of the Sonic Adventure games in terms of setting and story but now I'm remembering that there's a part where Tails has to save the President of the United States and how did these games come into existence?
49
Fallout 3 introduced me to the series, but Fallout 2 is where I found my home. I love systematically complex CRPGs and this is that. Helps that the combat is satisfying when it goes well. My interest in post-apocolypse settings wanes with the years, but Fallout's will always be special to me with its quirky blend of desolate and pulpy camp.
50