Easily one among the most gorgeous video games that I've ever played, but I feel like even that would be putting my experience of playing through Okami very lightly. The art design is remarkable, but everything about what Okami presents as a narrative makes for a highly rewarding experience from start to finish, for all of its references to Japanese folklore it never feels like it alienates outsiders but brings them into a new world with such ease.

As far as games that are clearly inspired by The Legend of Zelda have gone, this is easily one among the very best - ranking right alongside most of said series' best games too, but seeing how everything comes together from the beautiful world designs and the fun combat and side quests, there's always a reason to get lost throughout the world of Nippon through the eyes of Hideki Kamiya. While it may be easy enough to get the gist of how the combat with certain enemies work, you're always made to learn how to put every new technique into play when you're entering new battles - and this also results in some of the most rewarding boss fights that you could ever ask for.

An easy all-time favourite for me, I can't wait to play through it again and 100% it.

There's a case that can be made that Final Fantasy VI might arguably be the single greatest narrative experience that any Nintendo console would ever come to know, but all these years later, even with the 16-bit visual style, this game doesn't only hold up very well, it's easy enough to see why this game is the gold standard for many JRPGs that have come since.

Among many things that this game has, it has what may be one of my favourite stories that any video game would ever come to know - one that feels beautifully fleshed out, and finds a reason to make every side quest worth looking into, but the fact that there's always something rewarding to be found with every new moment in Final Fantasy VI is a feeling that many games that have come since cannot replicate. As you keep playing, it's easy to find yourself getting all the more attached to its characters - aided by the game's challenge of making sure that you don't simply stick by one set of fighters to continuously grind up.

But I think that what made this game's narrative hold up beautifully is the way that its setting feels so lived in, like it were one where we found ourselves a part of. In a sense, the game's narrative being driven by the concept of magic granting oneself a sense of power would perfectly apply when looking at how in reality, there's always that drive for power everywhere we are - yet we never think explicitly about what it means to have too much of that. For this reason alone, it makes Kefka the perfect villain, because he embodies the purest of all evils, but also for the reason that he's only one force who only cares about growing stronger without consequence.

While my heart still admittedly belongs to Final Fantasy VII, you can't really argue about Final Fantasy VI's influence either. This is just everything I could want from any game, from the perfect set of characters, fun combat, and the music (some of Nobuo Uematsu's very best work too), there's not a thing about this game I would change because it's just too perfect as is.

There's no denying how difficult this game can get, especially as you're trying to climb up or dash your way through each stage - and you'll inevitably end up dying at least a hundred times before reaching the next screen, but this game also finds that perfect balance between presenting that challenge and being incredibly fun. As far as modern day platformers can go, there aren't many that come by quite like Celeste, its simple aesthetic is pleasing to the eye, the music is wonderful, but it's also a brilliantly constructed psychological journey too on top of everything that this game does so well.

Madeline is a great character, but to think of her journey with climbing up the mountain as being her own chance to grow into a much better person than where she stands as is, there's a whole lot that you can really love about her as you keep playing. Compared to most other games that present these sorts of challenges for the players, Celeste being far more forgiving than most of them would only make for a fun experience, but you'd be surprised how much more rewarding it gets from there.

I feel like if there's any single game that best utilized what was possible with the Wii's motion controls (which were always very hit-or-miss, depending on the games), then Super Mario Galaxy would be that title. From all the 3D Mario games, this was also the one that I remember having sunken the most time into when I was a kid, but seeing how well it still holds up on the recent Switch port only reaffirms my belief that it it's also the best 3D Mario game in general.

It feels a little bit weird seeing this game again without the motion controls that made it feel so special from playing it on the Wii, but whenever I had the chance to play it just like I remembered it, there's something about seeing it in that way that just makes it feel special. But no matter the direction where Nintendo went with these Mario games, this also might be the most beautiful that any of them have ever been too - which made pointing at the screen at all the star bits feel so wondrous back in 2007.

As far as the 3D Mario games could ever go, this is arguably the most polished on every end - the controls run smoothly and the camera system (probably the biggest downside to both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine) is the most reliable it's ever been in any Mario game too. Yet this also might just be every bit as gorgeous a Mario game has ever looked, given how Nintendo peaks in this department with the Zelda series, and it's also got what may be the best soundtrack that you'd find in any Mario game too.

So I ended up getting Bloodborne as my very first PlayStation 4 game in 2019, and at that time, I nearly gave up on it after my first boss encounter. But after having come back to it just now, what I once thought would be wholly unrelenting became one of the most immersive and astonishing gaming experiences that I've ever had.

Everything about this game's difficulty has already been said, it may not always be very forgiving but there's a nice challenge that comes forth because Bloodborne gives you a chance to figure out a fighting style that works for you - and as you keep playing with that style, the once-challenging boss fights are more than manageable.

But one's also got to love how much effort has been put into establishing this lore too. Above everything else, it always gives you a reason to want to come back, even with the increasing difficulty.