A lot of Monster Hunter fans, including those more inclined toward the older entries, dismiss this game as a withered old fossil, something to pry at with curious fingers but ultimately leave in the dirt where it belongs. Not I.

I came to Monster Hunter at a youthful age, piddling around in Monster Hunter Tri with basically no clue what's going on. I hit a wall on Barroth and only much later managed to progress, but by then, 3 Ultimate was on the horizon. It was then that I became completely hooked on Monster Hunter. Most of my time spent was totally alone, though I did have extensive experience in 3 Ultimate and 4 Ultimate multiplayer. To this day, I consider myself almost exclusively a solo Monster Hunter player, and judge the games as such. Eventually seeking new territory, I traipsed over to Freedom Unite without much in the way of expectations. I was blown away. The struggle, the triumph, the absolute madness of that game inspired me, and I had a blast. The older design philosophy certainly resonates with me; I don't want too many conveniences, I want an ample supply of unfair, janky, ludicrous bull to overcome. I want money to feel earned and valuable, I want inventory space to matter, I want meaningful and impactful decisions to make in regard to my preparation before a fight and my arsenal. There are monsters that a Greatsword is really going to struggle with, fights that better suit a Longsword or the Dual Blades. I don't want an even playing field, I want to persevere, to survive. Anyone who's fought a Plesioth knows exactly what I'm talking about. The guy's like 30 feet tall, so weapons that can consistently attack high might have an advantage. He spends a million years just swimming around, wasting your time, so you'd better bring sonic bombs. You must assume that around every corner, after every moment, a hipcheck is coming. And when you conquer that beast, the feeling of victory is immeasurable. Through these challenges, these inconveniences, Monster Hunter becomes a game of patience, of strife, of survival.

In no entry is that more true than in Monster Hunter 2004.

This game goes whole-hog, full-blown, heavy-metal. It's serious. This is not a joke. Yian Kut-Ku will kick your butt like it's got something better to do, Gendrome will not face you without a swarm of Genprey backing it up. An area full of Bullfango poses a greater threat than the Cold War. The slightest miscalculation, the most minute of mistakes, and the bombs drop. Your pickaxes break instantly and you will never, ever have enough money. It took a vast, concerted effort to craft my first armor set, and each piece felt like I'd climbed a mountain. It's such a thrill to play a game that actually wants to challenge you - truly challenge you, not just with difficult tests of reflexes or complex strategic situations, but genuinely test your will, your drive, your desire to succeed despite the world being against you. I just spent two hours trying to beat Rathalos. Each time, I thought I had him on the ropes. But there he goes, flying around, wasting minute after minute after minute. Every time I thought I was just a few slices away, he persisted, and my mistakes and poor preparation finally exhausted me. I have to go to bed tonight knowing the taste of failure. But that flavor is best followed up with a dessert of vengeance.

Ask yourself; when's the last time you truly felt the spark in you to overcome adversity?

This isn't some Dark Souls game where rolling makes you invincible, where every challenge is surpassed with a momentary test of reflexes. This isn't a game where your skill alone carries you, either; you need to work. You need to get on your knees and pick up 3 Blue Mushrooms before finishing that quest, or else you're gonna run out of health juice. Don't wanna do it? Don't feel like it? Well then. When Rathalos decides to pay you a visit, I hope those 4 Herbs are good enough to last you through the poison.

This is Monster Hunter in its truest form. The most streamlined incarnation of this series' beautiful mechanical systems. This is Monster Hunter, but you are an actual monster hunter. Not some moneybags superhero swimming in mass-produced Mega Potions.

Attacking with the analogue stick kinda sucks though. 7/7

Even just an hour or so of playing makes it obvious why Fistful of Frags is the greatest multiplayer shooter. It's the most fun parts (headshots, movement, multiple playstyles, satisfying guns) all refined to the perfect package. The revolvers are absurdly satisfying to shoot, and they've all got a ton of unique character). Kicking and wall-jumping and sliding are hard to pass up on, but you've got other perks like an extra tiny pistol, a couple sticks of dynamite, or brass knuckles to disarm your opponents. Matches are perfectly-long bloodbaths on some of the most well-designed maps I've ever encountered in the genre. Death pits, moving trains, windows, enormously tall open staircases - no map is devoid of providing creative arenas to jump and shoot in. Loot chests litter these maps and provide varying degrees of additional weaponry, including an endless dynamite vest and a very slow-reloading revolver powerful enough to oneshot enemies at close range. Core movement options are limited, so every step matters, especially when moving comes at the cost of accuracy. If you want to land a shot, you need to slow down, crouch, or look down your sights. After a scuffle, you're likely to be nearly dead, so you'll have to peruse various shelves and safes to find jugs of glorious whiskey - though even that will get you drunk and mess up your aim momentarily. It's a game where every one of its few pieces is constantly, violently ramming into the other ones; moment-to-moment gameplay in Fistful of Frags is perhaps more tense and deranged than in any other multiplayer shooter I've played. A big part of that is that guys are constantly spawning all around you, and the maps are usually pretty close-quarters. You never know who's right around the corner ready to unload a shotgun right into your head.

I only play this game when it's dark outside and/or I'm sleep deprived. The surreal atmosphere and aimless nature of the game beg you to get absorbed in it. You might start to drift off and think about something else, to make plans for tomorrow or reflect on the previous day. Yume Nikki is a strange, comfortable, uncomfortable walk in the subconscious mind of a person. For me, it pushed the boundaries for what I'd consider to be a "videogame" - I still remember back when "walking simulator" seemed to me like a valid insult to lob at videogames. But videogames aren't just Morrowind, or Dark Souls, or Tetris. They can be a lot of different things. Yume Nikki is the closest a videogame has ever gotten toward being a person, I feel.