An amazing if slightly longwinded JRPG outing. Although it is spread thin, the gameplay and Adam Howden’s impressive voice work keeps the game entertaining constantly. An impossibly beautiful Switch game.

Less tactics and more power fantasy FFTA’s sincere story about childhood trauma, growth and forgiveness is too good not to pass up. If anyone you know says ‘Marche is the real villain’ you should definitely sign them up for intensive therapy.

A great old game with some rough edges. While its meta puzzles are clever they can confuse players, especially modern ones.

Its sequels, MGS2 in particular, outclass it. But the game is still well worth the visit, especially for the story.

Some of the best first person shooter gunplay ever put to screen started here. While its back half suffers from repetition the changes to enemy encounters and additional factions keep the game feeling fresh even during retreads.

A game that under explains everything to the point where I’m sure the majority of people don’t play it without a guide. A cool concept held back by shoddy enemy AI and the aforementioned obtuseness.

Despite being a bit too long for a Halo campaign and suffering from balance issues Halo 2 manages to fill its second and third acts with the most compelling narrative content the series has to offer.

A game of many strengths, it also suffers from a piling on of smaller complaints. Wildly unbalanced late game Personas and multiple instances of Ryuji abuse make me groan when I think about it.

A decent concept that suffers from hardware limitations mostly.

Following from generation 2 with the introduction of abilities Pokémon Emerald sits with the better games of the franchise, although its atmosphere doesn’t hold up to the previous generation.

One of the best JRPGs ever released, it is only hampered by some obtuse requirements and an annoying final boss phase. The Materia system is one of the best magic systems Final Fantasy has ever implemented.

The best combat out of the mainline games by far with a reworked crash/burst system, the game is really only held back by a slightly confusing story that I personally feel undermines both Xenoblade 1 and 2 with its additional context.

A game changer at the time of its release, the game’s level design has been outclassed by its sequels consistently.

Okami is a standout game in Capcom’s library for the simple fact that it fills me with joy and whimsy almost constantly. Such a wonderful game in almost every regard, although its central drawing mechanic can feel imprecise at the best of times.

Halo: Reach was my first Halo game and is subsequently the one I feel is the best. Its tragic narrative, diegetic cutscene design and introduction of the DMR as the signature precision weapon are just a few of the choices that elevate this game over the others.

The best Pokémon game, however it’s still a Pokémon game. Type balancing and pacing issues keep this game from being the best it could be. If only there was a generation 4 remake that could address these issues.

And the monkey’s paw curls.