Top 10 Favourites
More expansive favourite lists just to shoutout the ones that deserve it.
10 Games
I consider it interchangeable with Smash Melee, which probably takes the cake on sheer competitive quality. Smash Ultimate is just the go-to video game to never not have a good time. It's got the craziest roster of gaming icons, which has been the big draw for me ever since I was a kid who owned none of the video games these characters were from.
The first smash game I actually owned for myself and didn't just play at a friend's house was Smash 3DS, when I could finally play it on a handheld. I played it non-stop and got all of my friends who didn't have a 3DS to get one basically for that game, cause playing smash is just that addictive and fun. Now I just have a better version of smash 3DS on my switch.
Whether it's with friends or online, running 1v1s or causals, it is always entertaining, every single time. It may seem simple, but to me all other elements of a game are secondary to sheer quality gameplay. Is it a flawless competitive game? Absolutely not. But I have had nothing but 10/10 experiences playing it.
The first smash game I actually owned for myself and didn't just play at a friend's house was Smash 3DS, when I could finally play it on a handheld. I played it non-stop and got all of my friends who didn't have a 3DS to get one basically for that game, cause playing smash is just that addictive and fun. Now I just have a better version of smash 3DS on my switch.
Whether it's with friends or online, running 1v1s or causals, it is always entertaining, every single time. It may seem simple, but to me all other elements of a game are secondary to sheer quality gameplay. Is it a flawless competitive game? Absolutely not. But I have had nothing but 10/10 experiences playing it.
I'm a huge fan of JRPGs (especially all the ones I literally have not played yet and just have backlogged) and within the genre, tactical RPGs have to my favourite. My mind was completely blown playing this on my 3DS in high school, realizing that every single stage will be a new strategic mind-game to unpack, learning about the stories and relationships of all the amazingly illustrated characters in my team, and fighting my ass off to not lose any of them.
Fire Emblem, especially with how up my alley it is aesthetically, is just a perfect formula for a good time. Awakening will always be close to me as my entry point, probably even after I eventually discover even more and maybe even better tactical RPGs. Lucina is my absolute favourite of all time.
Fire Emblem, especially with how up my alley it is aesthetically, is just a perfect formula for a good time. Awakening will always be close to me as my entry point, probably even after I eventually discover even more and maybe even better tactical RPGs. Lucina is my absolute favourite of all time.
Smash Ultimate is that fighting game I can always throw on with my friends and we will all have a good time, but Guilty Gear ACR is just a better fighting game. Actually, it is the best fighting game of all time. It has the greatest OST of anything ever made paired with the greatest aesthetic of anything ever made.
So why would Smash be my favourite game if I think Guilty Gear is a better fighting game? Well because Guilty Gear is so technical that I'm still not even good at it. In fact, I suck, and I definitely can't get on and play at the game's full potential, let alone throw it on with any friends and have them do that either. Watching Guilty Gear ACR competitively, simply can't be beat, but I'm far from the point where I can pull off satisfying shit like I can on Smash, online of offline. But to consider this my third favourite game without even being good enough to pull off my combos consistently yet speaks volumes to just how perfect Guilty Gear ACR is, and once I get that training arc, it's fucking up.
So why would Smash be my favourite game if I think Guilty Gear is a better fighting game? Well because Guilty Gear is so technical that I'm still not even good at it. In fact, I suck, and I definitely can't get on and play at the game's full potential, let alone throw it on with any friends and have them do that either. Watching Guilty Gear ACR competitively, simply can't be beat, but I'm far from the point where I can pull off satisfying shit like I can on Smash, online of offline. But to consider this my third favourite game without even being good enough to pull off my combos consistently yet speaks volumes to just how perfect Guilty Gear ACR is, and once I get that training arc, it's fucking up.
If Guilty Gear ACR didn't exist, Nier would most definitely take the cake on the greatest aesthetic and OST of anything to ever exist. In fact, I'm going to call it a tie, fuck it.
I haven't played many games of this style that I imagine could compete in terms of gameplay and even story, but for my money this is the most cinematic and immersive experience I have had in a video game yet. Every element is perfectly constructed and had my hairs standing on their ends. The combat is addictive, the story is genuinely fantastic and the audio visual presentation is, once again, tied with Guilty Gear ACR, which means, it's perfect.
Drakengard 3 was a close pick for this spot, but I think Nier just manages to be a bit tighter with it's runtime and a bit more inventive from fight to fight.
I haven't played many games of this style that I imagine could compete in terms of gameplay and even story, but for my money this is the most cinematic and immersive experience I have had in a video game yet. Every element is perfectly constructed and had my hairs standing on their ends. The combat is addictive, the story is genuinely fantastic and the audio visual presentation is, once again, tied with Guilty Gear ACR, which means, it's perfect.
Drakengard 3 was a close pick for this spot, but I think Nier just manages to be a bit tighter with it's runtime and a bit more inventive from fight to fight.
So when I finally managed to get my hands on a used laptop I was excited to finally join my friends and play some video games online. So I installed League of Legends, played it, hated it, and deleted it. Sorry League fans. I hated being outside the action, I hated clicking and waiting for my champion to move to where I clicked for an attack, I hated everything except its amazing artwork, and I really wanted to like it too.
Then I was recommended Smite, all the way back in its early stages where the game's aesthetic was ugly as sin and at a time where my laptop would barely run it (which was also true of League to be fair). Yet somehow, just playing it for a day I was so incredibly sold by how fun the gameplay was. I eventually got all my friends to play it and the difference was immediately apparent. Smite was a game where we could fuck around and actually have fun.
Is it a viable, competitive MOBA? I have no idea. Is it always well balanced, especially when actually playing the main Conquest Mode? Definitely not. But 3v3 Joust where my friends and I just fucked around and played to have a fun time never ever got old. Fast forward to today and I never even touched ranked in the decade+ that I've played this game. Also they gradually improved the aesthetic to be 10x better than what it once was, which was really fulfilling to see happen.
I have never put so many hours into any other game (except Smash bros for the 3DS), let alone a free to play online game, which I pretty much never enjoy enough to actually improve and grind in. A flawed game that will be lost on many people, to be sure, but one that will never leave my favourites for all the amazing memories I have with it.
Then I was recommended Smite, all the way back in its early stages where the game's aesthetic was ugly as sin and at a time where my laptop would barely run it (which was also true of League to be fair). Yet somehow, just playing it for a day I was so incredibly sold by how fun the gameplay was. I eventually got all my friends to play it and the difference was immediately apparent. Smite was a game where we could fuck around and actually have fun.
Is it a viable, competitive MOBA? I have no idea. Is it always well balanced, especially when actually playing the main Conquest Mode? Definitely not. But 3v3 Joust where my friends and I just fucked around and played to have a fun time never ever got old. Fast forward to today and I never even touched ranked in the decade+ that I've played this game. Also they gradually improved the aesthetic to be 10x better than what it once was, which was really fulfilling to see happen.
I have never put so many hours into any other game (except Smash bros for the 3DS), let alone a free to play online game, which I pretty much never enjoy enough to actually improve and grind in. A flawed game that will be lost on many people, to be sure, but one that will never leave my favourites for all the amazing memories I have with it.
So if it wasn't already apparent, I did not actually have a means to play any of the video games I was such a big fan of in my childhood. I was basically just a fan of the idea of video games, but I owned no consoles to actually experience them for myself, at least not until way later in my life, so my gamer experience is very entry level and I'm pretty much late to get in on most game franchises out there.
I preface this because I already know that Halo 4, specifically, may come off as a strange pick to Halo fans, but it wasn't until my later high school years that my brother and I finally got an Xbox 360 and were able to finally experience a Halo game (that we had loved so much as kids without ever fucking playing). We had no clue about the 343 and Bungie divide, and couldn't care less.
Honestly, I'm glad I got to experience Halo 4 without having the Bungie games bias, because even though I'm now finally playing through the MC Collection and loving the original games, Halo 4 was fantastic for the type of shooter it was. It's got sprinting and movement is different, but that by no means invalidates it just because it's not what the previous Halo games were. 1v1s still feel the best to me on this game, I loved the story, the customization and stages were incredible and the aesthetic is the best that Halo has ever had in my opinion. Who knows, maybe I'll eventually find the "objectively better" Halo game during my playthroughs, but I think this game will probably always rep my favourites spot, even if I do kind of consider it franchise inclusive.
I preface this because I already know that Halo 4, specifically, may come off as a strange pick to Halo fans, but it wasn't until my later high school years that my brother and I finally got an Xbox 360 and were able to finally experience a Halo game (that we had loved so much as kids without ever fucking playing). We had no clue about the 343 and Bungie divide, and couldn't care less.
Honestly, I'm glad I got to experience Halo 4 without having the Bungie games bias, because even though I'm now finally playing through the MC Collection and loving the original games, Halo 4 was fantastic for the type of shooter it was. It's got sprinting and movement is different, but that by no means invalidates it just because it's not what the previous Halo games were. 1v1s still feel the best to me on this game, I loved the story, the customization and stages were incredible and the aesthetic is the best that Halo has ever had in my opinion. Who knows, maybe I'll eventually find the "objectively better" Halo game during my playthroughs, but I think this game will probably always rep my favourites spot, even if I do kind of consider it franchise inclusive.
Grandia is the most recent addition to my favourites and feels like the JRPG I have always wanted but couldn't find until now. It's the closest I have ever felt to watching a Miyazaki movie while playing a video game. It's essentially the same kind of pulp, action, adventure, fantasy story that Laputa, Future Boy Conan and Nadia are and nails all of the same key points to make it a completely thrilling experience. Namely, the interesting world and designs, great music, and the extremely loveable cast of characters. I mean, this might just be the most I have ever loved any cast of characters in a game. They strike the perfect balance of being kids with lots to learn about the world, but also lots to genuinely admire about their personalities despite their age. Their relationships feel earned and I always rooted for them to grow and succeed.
Grandia's story, messaging, world and characters were deeply effective for me, but were also backed by some genius RPG mechanics and gameplay that struck my ideal balance of difficulty and strategy. Basically, lots of overworld enemies could be beaten pretty easily and your party can definitely level and learn moves that outclass certain areas, so as a result there is rarely a need to truly grind and over-level for progression (which already to me, is a great thing. I can certainly appreciate a good challenge, but to break my brain or have to grind just to beat plain overworld enemies can feel exhaustive in lots of games, especially with how long JRPGs already tend to be). Where the strategy really counts is when fighting bosses, and it definitely make a difference if the player has learned to use the in-game mechanics or not. Learning how to use these and beating a boss that had been kicking my ass was so satisfying, and honestly the system deserves RPG hall of fame status.
I imagine this spot in my favourites would just be reserved for my favourite turned based JRPG, given that it's my favourite genre alongside fighting games. This one is far from the most difficult, or complex but is easily the most captivating JRPG I have played yet, and it'll take a lot to de-throne it.
Grandia's story, messaging, world and characters were deeply effective for me, but were also backed by some genius RPG mechanics and gameplay that struck my ideal balance of difficulty and strategy. Basically, lots of overworld enemies could be beaten pretty easily and your party can definitely level and learn moves that outclass certain areas, so as a result there is rarely a need to truly grind and over-level for progression (which already to me, is a great thing. I can certainly appreciate a good challenge, but to break my brain or have to grind just to beat plain overworld enemies can feel exhaustive in lots of games, especially with how long JRPGs already tend to be). Where the strategy really counts is when fighting bosses, and it definitely make a difference if the player has learned to use the in-game mechanics or not. Learning how to use these and beating a boss that had been kicking my ass was so satisfying, and honestly the system deserves RPG hall of fame status.
I imagine this spot in my favourites would just be reserved for my favourite turned based JRPG, given that it's my favourite genre alongside fighting games. This one is far from the most difficult, or complex but is easily the most captivating JRPG I have played yet, and it'll take a lot to de-throne it.
More of my childhood gaming lore, incoming. Being kids without consoles to play games, my brother and I quickly flocked towards handhelds as our cheaper solution, and although it took forever to happen, we finally got ourselves a Nintendo DS. For some reason though, I had and still have, an obsession with the GBA SP and wanted one more than anything. Even after learning that our DS plays GBA games, I just wanted one and continued to think about all the GBA games I wanted.
Enter one of the kids who lived next door to us at the time, who had a GBA SP and would come over to hang out with us (mostly me since he was my age) basically always showing it off to me, and the one game I was completely blown away by was Minish Cap. Not only was it a ZELDA game on the GBA, but it also had the best sprite work I had ever seen for a Zelda game, and I still think this is true of pretty much any AAA Nintendo IP that got a GBA title.
One day that kid finally lent me his copy of the game and I played it on our DS non stop and made it all the way to the last boss before I saw the kid again and he showed off that he could beat the last boss easily and beat it for me. I hate that fucking kid.
But I adored the game and still to this day see it as the most underrated Zelda. The dungeons were all memorable, the story and conceit with the Minish world was super interesting and the amount of content thrown into this GBA game was honestly incredible. I finally have my GBA SP and have played the game so many times that I had parts memorized at some point. I also have beaten the final boss on my own now, so I feel less hatred towards that kid, kinda.
Enter one of the kids who lived next door to us at the time, who had a GBA SP and would come over to hang out with us (mostly me since he was my age) basically always showing it off to me, and the one game I was completely blown away by was Minish Cap. Not only was it a ZELDA game on the GBA, but it also had the best sprite work I had ever seen for a Zelda game, and I still think this is true of pretty much any AAA Nintendo IP that got a GBA title.
One day that kid finally lent me his copy of the game and I played it on our DS non stop and made it all the way to the last boss before I saw the kid again and he showed off that he could beat the last boss easily and beat it for me. I hate that fucking kid.
But I adored the game and still to this day see it as the most underrated Zelda. The dungeons were all memorable, the story and conceit with the Minish world was super interesting and the amount of content thrown into this GBA game was honestly incredible. I finally have my GBA SP and have played the game so many times that I had parts memorized at some point. I also have beaten the final boss on my own now, so I feel less hatred towards that kid, kinda.
Being relatively new to Castlevania, I didn't know what to expect going into Order of Ecclesia. The artwork is what pulled me in initially, particularly Shanoa who has such a dope design and power that I had to see what this was about. When I first started to catch onto just how excruciatingly difficult it was going to be, I was pretty conflicted. I don't normally seek out games for their notorious difficulty (and at the time of writing this I haven't completed all too many) but surprisingly, through all the frustration, Ecclesia never lost me. In fact I only got more invested with each ass-whooping and before I knew it I had beaten the game and happily added it to my favourites.
It all comes down to genius design decisions across the board. Every enemy can take increased damage by using the right glyph combinations. The mob placements and level design can be used to exploits enemies' blind spots or even cleverly mob skip through areas. The actual combat is as precise and rewarding as a Dark Souls game, before everyone started making more blatant 2D Dark Souls games. Overall, the game promotes a great balance of playing skillfully and playing smart, and the immense sense of accomplishment you get after outplaying something that was relentlessly fucking you up is insanely addicting, especially against those boss battles.
The RPG leveling and equipment mechanics were also extremely well considered, promoting a healthy amount of exploration to boost those base stats and earn powerful new glyphs. The RNG loot drops are the only real set-back in this regard. I loved the level designs and how it all culminated in a huge final area which was also layered with all of the most insane glyphs, making Shanoa feel like a powerhouse badass and rewarding the player's skill and patience up till this point.
Even the story was far better than I was expecting, opting for a sort of gothic tragedy. Shanoa herself is a really stand-out character at the center of it all and it was an absolute joy to see how everything played out for her.
Overall, I felt overwhelmed and hesitant about a game that seemed so outside my comfort zone but Order of Ecclesia takes every measure to ensure that this laborious, punishing, strenuous experience will be one of the best you've had.
It all comes down to genius design decisions across the board. Every enemy can take increased damage by using the right glyph combinations. The mob placements and level design can be used to exploits enemies' blind spots or even cleverly mob skip through areas. The actual combat is as precise and rewarding as a Dark Souls game, before everyone started making more blatant 2D Dark Souls games. Overall, the game promotes a great balance of playing skillfully and playing smart, and the immense sense of accomplishment you get after outplaying something that was relentlessly fucking you up is insanely addicting, especially against those boss battles.
The RPG leveling and equipment mechanics were also extremely well considered, promoting a healthy amount of exploration to boost those base stats and earn powerful new glyphs. The RNG loot drops are the only real set-back in this regard. I loved the level designs and how it all culminated in a huge final area which was also layered with all of the most insane glyphs, making Shanoa feel like a powerhouse badass and rewarding the player's skill and patience up till this point.
Even the story was far better than I was expecting, opting for a sort of gothic tragedy. Shanoa herself is a really stand-out character at the center of it all and it was an absolute joy to see how everything played out for her.
Overall, I felt overwhelmed and hesitant about a game that seemed so outside my comfort zone but Order of Ecclesia takes every measure to ensure that this laborious, punishing, strenuous experience will be one of the best you've had.
One of the other consoles I eventually got my hands on was the Nintendo Wii, which was a gift for our whole family and was pretty much exclusively used by me at some point. Even as a kid, I didn't like the controllers and motion controls sucked, but I was young and those things didn't matter to me as much as they do now. Moreover, they definitely wouldn't stop me from playing a Zelda game and a Donkey Kong game, which we also were given with the Wii.
And although Twilight Princess HD didn't turn out to be my thing, Donkey Kong Country Returns quickly became my favourite traditional platformer ever. The level designs were inventive, cinematic and gorgeous, the music was catchy and immersive, and the movement was so well-animated and yet so precise and satisfying. The game offered a Super Kong who would come beat any levels you were stuck on, but would leave the level "unbeaten" on the world map and would not pick up any KONG letters for you, and he a real bitch for that but it was my first time realizing how fulfilling it is to beat the difficult game through your own continuous efforts and be rewarded for it (in this case with all the bonus levels you unlocked for getting the KONG letters).
The only thing I could possibly complain about was that Donkey Kong's roll move, a very important mechanic used for very precise stuff at times, was mapped to motion controls which would often kill runs through no fault of your own. So it was an almost perfect game until years later when they ported it to the 3DS and they had to map roll to an actual button. Handhelds win again, now it's a 10/10
And although Twilight Princess HD didn't turn out to be my thing, Donkey Kong Country Returns quickly became my favourite traditional platformer ever. The level designs were inventive, cinematic and gorgeous, the music was catchy and immersive, and the movement was so well-animated and yet so precise and satisfying. The game offered a Super Kong who would come beat any levels you were stuck on, but would leave the level "unbeaten" on the world map and would not pick up any KONG letters for you, and he a real bitch for that but it was my first time realizing how fulfilling it is to beat the difficult game through your own continuous efforts and be rewarded for it (in this case with all the bonus levels you unlocked for getting the KONG letters).
The only thing I could possibly complain about was that Donkey Kong's roll move, a very important mechanic used for very precise stuff at times, was mapped to motion controls which would often kill runs through no fault of your own. So it was an almost perfect game until years later when they ported it to the 3DS and they had to map roll to an actual button. Handhelds win again, now it's a 10/10