Personal Favourites


List of my favourite games, some of the first ones are in order of importance but it's hard for me to properly number them all, so don't take the order too seriously.

Usually, being in favourites means the game made me feel strong emotions, changed the way I think, or otherwise connected with me on a deeper level than most other games.
Some exceptions may include games that warranted a unique aspect of the game that impressed me, such as art style, narrative/message, presentation or innovative gameplay.

Picking favourites is hard for me since I see merits and potential in everything. But, point is, that these games in particular struck a deeper chord with me.

(If some of them don't have a note, it's because I haven't gotten around to finishing writing them.)

Ōkami
Ōkami
Painfully beautiful and poignant, it both spoke to me as an artist and as a person.
There is nothing out there quite like it.

1

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
An incredible once-in-a-lifetime journey that took me into a world that I have grown to love so much, it feels like home.

2

Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus
Incredible use of environmental storytelling, and in itself, a powerful and artistic monument for video games.

It was one of my first exposures to art as video games, I won't forget that.
It's a game that taught me much about storytelling and worldbuilding, and continues to inspire me to this day.

As well as that, a groundbreaking technological feat at the time.

3

Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
Hauntingly beautiful and breathtaking in more ways than one, Hollow Knight is a challenging journey through the desolate kingdom of Hallownest, cemented as a huge achievement for the indie scene for merits in art style, atmosphere/worldbuilding and tight, responsive controls.

For the few frustrations I've had with Hollow Knight, it followed up with one of the best instances of environmental storytelling, up there with SOTC, and painstaking attention to detail.

Hallownest was rendered so lovingly, that I took frequent breaks on my journey through it to appreciate my surroundings and take in the atmosphere.

For something so ridiculous in premise, HK does an incredible job at being depressing, foreboding and desolate in tone, much like its inspirations, the Souls games.

4

Omori
Omori
The most "realistic" (tangible) depiction of mental illness I've seen in a video game.

It is as much harrowing as it is wholesome, and this balance hangs the game in a favourable sway.

I love Omori for the way it tells its story, its portrayal of imagery regarding abstract concepts that connected with me on a level that I don't think any other game has managed to do. It made me feel understood, and for that, I commend it.

5

Psychonauts
Psychonauts
A truly unique title from Double Fine, Psychonauts emerged in a time where creativity and artistic vision was at the rise of a lot of video game experimentation.

Psychonauts, to me, is another example of how creativity can be utilised to manifest abstract concepts and portray them in a visual manner. Something about the way it tactfully tackles mental health topics in an idiosyncratic and colourful way makes it stand out in more ways than one. It's insanely creative and so full of charisma, I love it for that.

6

Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal builds upon Doom '16, an already masterful and exceptionally fun gameplay formula that brought the genre of movement shooters back to the gaming scene.

This game means a lot to me, and both this and '16 have helped me cope with a lot of life's stress, it was a great outlet for me.

Getting to learn the ins and outs of the game and how to get better at it is unbelievably rewarding, and I can't think of many games where the soundtrack itself plays such a vital role to the experience.
Pure dopamine and adrenaline rushes in every level.

7

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
The Sonic game that landed at my 'favourite' podium.

The synth-blended rock music soundtrack won me over in the audio department, but the ambitious (albeit ludicrous) setting and narrative takes itself to dizzying heights in terms of Sonic games, that has yet to reach this point again to this day.

The locales for the levels over a good variety and there are some insanely mind-boggling concepts for a level design thrown in there.

It's a super fun game, and changed me as a person for sure.

8

DashBored
DashBored
A bizarre venture through an unknown backwater world, filled with zany characters that I've come to know and love.

This used to be a comfort game for me at one point when I was going through a depressive episode, I still sometimes come back to it on a bad day, and it feels like an escape into a safe space.

There is something intrinsically homely and familiar with this RPG Maker title that is hard to describe, but I'm glad I found it; it means a lot to me.

9

Pokémon Platinum Version
Pokémon Platinum Version
My first Pokémon game, and much like Skyrim, the region of Sinnoh has become so familiar to me that it almost feels like I've always been here.

Giratina is my favourite Pokémon;
The entrance it got in this game, the plot additions in comp. to D/P, it all comes together in a nice package.

I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Pokémon in terms of games.

10

Mad Rat Dead
Mad Rat Dead
One of the most unique, if not THE most unique rhythm game I've ever come across.

The way it uses its banger soundtrack to aid its gameplay, and its oozing charm and swagger, is absolutely incredible and shown me a whole new world to rhythm games.

11

Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
The payoff capstone of the original trilogy that takes everything that the previous games had and puts them together in a spectacular way, as well as hosting a ridiculously lovable villain.

Ratchet and Clank, as a series, means a lot to me as it was one of the first series I remember REALLY getting obsessed with in my teen years.

I love the duo's dynamic, as well as their friendship that was built throughout numerous games and feels genuine. It's also an earnest, funny and creative series that I'm glad is still around, even though its brotherly peer series, Sly, Jak and Daxter, are long dead.

12

Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
A safe haven and escape from life's stressful plights and tribulations.

New Leaf may have lost some of the villager personalities from the previous games, but the abundance of things available for you to do, as well as the overall vibes and tranquil, zen-like nature of the game remains unmatched in my eyes years and years later.

I started playing this game in 2015, and although I don't play it everyday anymore like I used to, I still come back to it now and again.

It has cemented itself in my mind as something near and dear to my heart.

13

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
One of the best, and unique puzzle games I've ever played.

I really like crime fiction, and I'm always on the hunt for the next best detective game. The act of putting the pieces together in your head is tantalizing.

Ghost Trick stands out as a game with excellent writing full of charm; Lovable characters that get their fair shares of screentime, a mystery that keeps you on your toes the whole time and funny, earnest humour.

It's such a fantastic game, and its characters, locale and story will stay in my mind for a long, long time.

14

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
One of my closest friends introduced me to this title, enticing me with the prospect of a robotic dog that wields chainsaws.
That was the thing that sold me.

I wasn't too keen on playing the Metal Gear games myself because of the fact that I'm not particularly great at stealth games, which stifles my enjoyment of them.
I joked this would be the one Metal Gear I might like.

It went miles above that.
MGR wormed its way into my heart pretty quickly all things considered; The fast paced but well-built gameplay, the ridiculous over the top story, the subliminal storytelling in the form of a soundtrack.

The more I play this game, the more I realise that there is so much attention to detail that even after 50+ hours in the game spanning countless playthroughs, I still keep finding new things in it.

MGR is both funny (intentionally and not intentionally), ironically profound and still manages to have moments of absolute genuine hype and awe.

It's an incredible game, one with flaws, but I have so much love for it that I can accept and see past them.

From then on, I promised myself I'd at least give the Metal Gear series a well-deserved try.

15

Splatoon 2
Splatoon 2

16

Portal 2
Portal 2
I love puzzle games, and Portal series showed me a mind bending concept that felt fresh to the genre and as a video game years and years later after its release.

The environment design is something that especially stood out to me in this title; I will probably never forget the view inside the old Aperture labs outskirts where gigantic constructs span for miles on end, reaching into the inexistent ceiling and down into the foggy abyss.
For some reason, it's one of the first instances of liminal space in video games that made me feel dread.

17

Rayman 3
Rayman 3
I have a lot of fond memories with Rayman 3, and even looking past my rose tinted glasses, the mechanics are fun, the story is a bit silly despite the edgy tone of the game everywhere else, and it has the best Rayman design (imo).

It made me a Rayman fan, and to this day, I adore the extremely creative settings and environment designs especially.

Something about the way this iteration of Rayman has so much swagger, a bit of an edgy approach and genuine "cool" factor resonated with me then, and still does today.
Absolutely brimming with personality and charm.

It pains me to see what Ubisoft has become nowadays; we'll never get another game like this ever again.

18

Jazz Jackrabbit 2
Jazz Jackrabbit 2
One of the first games I remember playing on my Windows XP computer as a 5 year old.

It's saddening that Epic has forgotten about this series, because it was a good formula for the 90s mascot platformer rage.

The gun ammo variables and funky level designs along with a soundtrack from legendary composer Alexander Brandon, was a dream to play.

Just a lovable series with a lot of heart, wish they brought it back at some point.
I'm glad the community is keeping this game alive.

19

Yakuza 0
Yakuza 0

20

MadWorld
MadWorld

21

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

22

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

23

Celeste
Celeste

24

Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly 2: Band of Thieves

25

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
I have an affinity to pirate media, and Black Flag seems to be the closest thing I've got to a proper iteration of what I really want out of a pirate game; Other pirate games seem to be mostly naval warfare games or games with pirates IN THEM as opposed to an actual pirate game.

Fans claim this is more of a pirate game than an Assassin's Creed game; maybe that's why it works so well.

26

Limbo
Limbo

27

Pizza Tower
Pizza Tower

28

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

29

Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley

30

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl

31

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

32

Plants vs. Zombies
Plants vs. Zombies

33

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time - Collector's Edition
Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time - Collector's Edition

34

Hades
Hades

35

4 Comments


6 months ago

if u loved omori i recommend lisa the painful, i havent played omori yet but ik they share some similarities

6 months ago

@imshitting420 Thanks so much for the likes and the comments man ^^
I've actually started playing Lisa some time ago, I'm taking a bit to get through it though. I've been really excited to play it for a while because it's a game that inspired a lot of other games I really enjoy.

6 months ago

@Nazo_KG ofc :^) any follower of mine deserves some of my attention

5 months ago

@yoitsemilia Thank you for the recommendation!
Funnily enough, I recently managed to get a copy of MGS3 after not being able to find it for a decent price for a while. I'm not great with stealth games but my friend that convinced me to play Rising strongly recommended giving the main series a go. I love a good story in a game, and I hear MGS is one of the best out there, so I'm excited to try it out. : )


Last updated: