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XLW's favorite games of 2017.


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XanderLaytonWright’s Top 100 Favorite Video Games That I Have Beaten (2017 edition)   

 

I’ve beaten some games, some great, some horrible, but here are the top 100 games that stuck to me the most. Now, granted, some of these are not what some consider to be really good, and I haven’t finished through a certain amount. 

 

Also, I placed these on the list due to certain variable factors, not just on a few things such as fame and story alone. I put these games based on the quantity and quality of what each game brought. Some of these I don’t have huge memories of, so sorry if some explanations are vaguer than others. I’m also not a huge fan of certain genres and series, so sorry for any omissions in this list. Because of a lack of a story mode or the like, Overwatch will not be considered a “beatable” game, but I will give it a high recommendation.

 

This list if my personal list, so if you have a few of your own, or would like to talk about my choices, comment as much as you can. I might play some of your stuff sooner or later. 

 

Oh, yes, and most of these reasons are in spoilers. 

 

100. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for 3DS

  

 

 

 

Here me out on this. While I do admire what it did for the series, this game is not without problems and odd nuances. Or at least what stood out for me. It’s a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, a side-story of Archnaea following two people: Celica and Alm. Long ago, two dragons named Duma and Mila clashed endlessly for control of Valentia. A contract was formed, and Duma ruled the north, known as Rigel, while Mila ruled the south, known as Zofia. While Rigel is known for harsher and stronger territory, Zofia is the complete opposite. After a long time, the people of Rigel break the contract and invade Zofia. A group of the Rigelian army stop by Alm and Celica’s hometown, and with the help of Mycen and some of the other children, the group withdraw. However, knowing Celica’s past, Mycen takes Celica far away from the village. Because Alm really likes Celica, he vows to step outside his village one day to find her again, even though Mycen, his grandfather refuses him to do so. Years later, a knight visits Alm’s hometown bringing bad news that the king of Zofia is dead, and that a power-hungry noble took the throne. Worse, the noble is in cahoots with the Rigelian army as well, or such. A rebellion of knights and the like, called The Deliverance, want none of that and want things the way they were. After finding out that the Deliverance is in trouble, and finding out that Mycen has refused to join the group, Alm decides to help them out, no matter what Mycen wanted. Meanwhile, learning that the land of Zofia has become worse because something happened to Mila, Celica sets off on her own journey. That’s right; the player is in control of two armies this time around! Though there won’t be more, I really loved where the story ended… even if I had qualms on some plot elements. Celica not wanting to fight and all that, even though she does battle. Still, the new characters were a fine addition for this really old game. The art direction is wonderful too, even if it’s weird to see the known 3D fighting models talking, and even if the cut-scene models look… like something out of those Claymation movies. It looks oddly jerky. The locations are fine too, even if I hate swamps the most. And the music is top notch, and thanks to Awakening and Super Smash Bros, I remember the starting music for both teams. The voice-acting is a lot more prevalent, and I love that new quirk. The casual mode is back, and I’m glad to have had it for reasons I’ll get into later. New to the series are towns, where you can explore, move around, and talk to people. And to spoil the fun, this is the only way to recruit new people. Long gone are the days of the taking to green and red guys. Similar to Awakening and Sacred Stones, you can traverse Valentia. This time around, armies can appear out of nowhere, and you can attack them and vice-versa. Make sure you attack first, or they will have the first turn. Fun for EXP, not so much when you want to backtrack to a certain place. And they do respawn until the place of origin is captured. Gone is also the chapter system in favor of acts, but it behaves the same way when saving. Another new thing is exploration. Both armies can enter a cave or such and fight monsters and break boxes and the light to get food and drinks. However, this brings up the problem of fatigue. After a while, the ten or so party members you bring with you get into a hissy mood, and they’ll have their HP until they’re given food. It’s annoying to check up on in a big place, and food is here and there in this game. The other way to take care of it are Mila’s statues, which get rid of fatigue for a while. They’re also the only way to promote a unit, and another problem is that you can only promote those brought in the dungeon. And there are two promotions total, three for villagers, and three to four with the new DLC on the way. And say good luck, because the enemies also respawn when the player reenters the map. Gameplay has also seen a massive change with the weapon triangle gone, health being traded in for spells, and archers being able to hit close range for the consequence of not being really effective against flying enemies. It’s a benefit, because this game doesn’t give out any ax wielders. However, that’s where the new problems lied. The resistance and defense stats were hit a heavy toll, and taking out enemies became a bigger problem. Doesn’t help that the range of weapons aren’t as diverse of others. Also, GOD GOSH ALMIGHTY THE RNGESUS WAS OUT OF WHACK FOR ME, AND IT WAS SURPRISINGLY UNFAIR AT TIMES, LIKE CONQUEST UNFAIR. AND I DIDN’T WANT TO USE MILA’S TURNWHEEL A LOT, BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS A LITTLE CHEAP, AND I FOUND IT MORE FUN TO PRESS ON WITH WHAT I HAD! I got the new amiibo and the season pass, so it should be smooth sailing from here on out. (ALSO, WHO THOUGHT TO GIVE DUMA AND SOME OF THE MAIN VILLIANS THOSE CHEAP-ASS ABILITIES?! THEY’RE ANTOHER REASON I DIDN’T HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS I WANTED.) If they work out the problems from this game for the next, then I’ll be surprised. This game has the good and the bad. But, it’s not trash. It should have been fine-tuned better. Now the wait for the inevitable for the next three games needed a remake.

 

99. Final Fantasy Tactics for PS.  

 

 

 


 

Like my number 100, but with a convoluted storyline, better main characters, better conflict, a bad camera, maps that may be hard to move around in because they have levels, a really cool job system, and harder grinding. I won’t go into detail about this game, because my software crashed when I edited this whole thing, and forgot to save after writing a paragraph of this game.      

 
 

 

 

98. Rock Band 3 for PS3 

 

 

 


 

Rock Band 3 is fantastic! Why they didn’t expand on some of the stuff for the sequel is beyond me! Anyways, the music, the expanded “backwards” library, and the extension of the band parts with “pro” instruments, harmonies, and keyboards made this game a recent classic. And the DLC was phenomenal! This game had Jerry Was A Racecar Driver, Rehab, I Can See For Miles, and Crosstown Traffic! It still holds up than the mediocre stuff Rock Band 4 gave fans.   

 

 

97. Nintendogs + Cats for 3DS 

 

 

 


 

 It’s a really fun and cute game. My puppies won first place in every competition, and I have all the pets. I think I have a robo-dog as well. It’s a game I recommend, because it’s different but in a cute way. And that’s coming from a guy who’s not a dog or cat person. I like my pets virtual for some reason.  

 

Edited by XLW
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Sorry, had to do this because odd spoiler stuff.  

 

96. Mario Kart 64 for N64

 

 

This game has arguably the best tracks. Why? They keep on getting revamped in the last four Mario Kart games. Seriously, the only track left is Wario Stadium, and how dare they “change” the DS version for 8 instead of that one! They could have finally stopped remastering the tracks from this game for the best. Let the other games shine for once! Maybe they’ll go and do what they did with the DLC for the SNES Rainbow Road, Yoshi Circuit, and Baby Park for Mario Kart 9. That’s a good way to revamp “revamped” tracks, and I totally called it when they did it for the DLC for 8. But, the thing I imagined was with four cups. A retro Nitro league thing or whatever. There could be a total of 64 tracks in the next one; sixteen new, sixteen revamped, sixteen revamped AGAIN, and sixteen DLC. 

 


 

 

Back on track, this game also brought the notorious Blue Shell, a thing everybody in first place HATES to this day. And that’s all I need to say.     

 

 

 

95. Mario Kart Super Circuit for GBA

 

 

This was the first Mario Kart game I played as a kid. The level designs, while flat like Super Mario Kart, still were fun, and I wished they revamped more of them, since transforming 2D to 3D planes is worth the challenge. They did it so well with Mario Circuit, Ribbon Road, and Cheese Land or whatever in the current Mario Kart. Keep the ball rolling! Not to mention, until 8 came along with the DLC, this game had the most tracks to date. Also, this game was maybe responsible for the “revamped” tracks we have today because it also had the SNES tracks to boot. I feel like 9 will use tracks from the “flat” games more, now that 64 and Double Dash are losing steam. Still, the last four games have tracks with opportunities too… At least Rainbow Road from this game has a shot for a change if 7 and 8 are something to think about.

 

94. Mario Kart Double Dash for GCN

 

 

Not the last Mario Kart game on the list, but its tag team mechanic is one of the reasons it’s one of the best racing games of all time. The tracks are great too, featuring those such as DK Mountain, Wario Colosseum, Mushroom City, Peach Beach, and Dry Dry Desert. I think the second and third tracks I mentioned are the only ones left that need to change… Okay, along with the last two tracks of the game, but those can wait for 10… Let Super Circuit have a chance, alright?         

 

93. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky for DS

 

 

The first game was amazing, and then this came out! New story, same premise! More to do, lots of fun! But, I still hold the first few games better in my heart because of nostalgia. This is when I realized the problematic trend… Even though I came back for SUPER MYSTERY DUNGEON! facepalm

 

92. Pokémon Platinum for DS

 

 

The game might have had the same old formula it always had, but the new monsters and Wi-Fi connection upped the competitive scene. Most of the new gym leaders and Elite 4 weren’t that bad either. The story might have been long, but the payoff was worth it.     

 

91. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Switch

 

 

The latest Mario Kart game beautifully expanded on what 7 what to offer, with anti-gravity to boot. But, Nintendo gave us great tracks always, like Sunshine Airport, Water Park, Mount Wario, and Sweet Sweet Canyon. And, the “cameos” from Animal Crossing, F-Zero, and The Legend of Zelda were a nice touch as well! The Battle Mode is a lot better this time around, the roster has been expanded, and the double item box from Double Dash is back. I would’ve wanted more tracks, but I guess we’ll get that later with 9.

 

90. Symphony for PC

 

 

 I heard this game through The Completionist, and it is fun for what it’s worth. It’s a rail shooter game based on the library of your music. That got me on board. And, that’s basically it. Fun.    

 

89. Kirby’s Dream Land for GB

 

 

I finally played it. And even though games have come and gone since then, Kirby’s Dream Land… is fun. Dedede stole food from the residents of Dream Land, and Kirby traverses the kingdom to get the food back. Simple, no nonsense plot! The music and locations are iconic, even if the locations are in black and grey. Kirby swallows, jumps, and floats. This was before he was pink and had his copy ability, but it’s still fun regardless. The bosses were a little bit tricky for me the first time around, but about an hour later, I defeated this game. This was probably the shortest game I ever beat, and I don’t care. I had fun, which I don’t say often for most games these days.

 

88. Fire Emblem: The Shadow Dragon for DS

 

 

It’s a remake of the first game. After losing his home and sister to the forces of evil, headed by Gharnef, Marth and his allies, along with friends and former enemies he meets on the way, defend the country of Arachnea and march to take back Altea, Marth’s kingdom. The music and the visuals are good, and the gameplay is iconic to this day. This remake takes in a lot of elements introduced later on, and the original is responsible of making friends out of former enemies.  Plus, this game also introduced some really new good characters, like Athena. The goddess of truth’s Roman and Greek names are used for two different characters in this game! Sure, the game didn’t have the casual mode modern players now know it by, but I still had a lot of fun with this. It isn’t my favorite of the Fire Emblem games, and the third game’s remake never made it outside Japan. Thank gosh for emulators! Still, Echoes did, and I’m glad there might be hope for more remakes of the classics, like the fourth to sixth.    

 

87. Stardew Valley for PC

 

 

For those who like Harvest Moon and Country Life Sims, this is for you! After a long time after your grandpa has died, and you feel that working for the corporation Joja Mart is soul-sucking, you reach into your desk to open your grandpa’s letter. He has given the deed to his old farm to you, in case you feel like you don’t love your life anymore. You move to Stardew Valley, a peaceful town that has really relatable people, even if some of them are considered stereotypes. Once you arrive to your new farm, the assistant and the mayor tell you that it was left unattended for some time, and you need to take care of it. Every last inch. Now, even though taking care of the farm is important, it’s not the only thing. You can talk with the locals, fish, go to town to get some items and equipment, and even mine and fight monsters! Yes, monsters appear in the mine… but it’s not really the main thing in the game. There’s also something about saving the local community lodge, which is out of date. But, these cute little creatures called something with a “J” want you to give them items, so that they can restore the building to perfect condition. They are good-willed, and Joja Mart on the other hand wants to make it their property. If you become one of their members, all hope of saving the lodging is lost. Like Harvest Moon, you can develop relationships with some of the townsfolk, heck, even marry one of them. That’s a small talk on how really amazing this game is, so I’ll stop here. There are plans to make the game have co-op too.

   

86. Fire Emblem Conquest for 3DS

 

 

I chose to play this game first because Birthright was everyone else’s game to first play. I won’t spoil the story, but it has some odd choices and moments. You were teaming with the family who you grew up with, and was kidnapped by. I feel like it’s a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome. In my opinion, this is one of the hardest Fire Emblem games to master because of the level design and enemy placement. Everything else is fine. I won’t say how I like Fates in comparison to Awakening just yet.     

 

85. Kirby And The Amazing Mirror for GBA

 

 

This is Kirby-vania. The layout was a labyrinth, and new surprises came from every level. The abilities were cool, and the choice to play with four other Kirbys was fun! (More so than Mass Attack! Hargharghargharg) Also, Dark Metaknight is legit. He’s like the Dark Link of Kirby! Hard, but satisfying to beat.

 

84. Animal Crossing New Leaf for 3DS

 

 

This… is one of the best 3DS games out there. I highly recommend it to 3DS owners, even with the new amiibo cards. sniff  

 

83. Super Smash Bros. Melee for GCN

 

 

… At least it’s not Brawl?... Okay, I have no problems with this game. And this is one of the most jarring choices to date. But, there’s more to life than Melee… I might regret that statement.

 

 

82. Super Smash Bros. 3DS and WiiU for 3DS and WiiU

 

 

 Great games with a good amount of content! Sure, the Ice Climbers are nowhere to be seen, but we got a good number of new fighters, such as Little Mac, Robin, and DLC favorite Bayonetta. If all else, maybe it’s a good excuse to play more Melee. But, the Omega stages, the 8-player brawl (for WiiU), and amiibo functionality will make these games a must have for WiiU owners, including myself.   

 

81. Super Mario Maker for Wii U

 

 

Hitting the scene two years ago, Super Mario Maker is another WiiU staple. Not only did it come during Mario’s 30th anniversary, but the customizable options make one feel like a level designer. The only enemy is one’s imagination… and the amount of stuff one can fit on a stage. This game is now known for auto-scroll segments and cheap and frustratingly hard levels even grown-ups might hate. And to top it off, most of the amiibos work for this game. It’s simply fun! … AND I WON’T GET THE 3DS PORT!

 

 

80. WWE 2K16 for PS4

 

 

WWE 2K15 was a bit of a disappointment for fans, so when 2K16 came along, it showed that 2K was going in the right direction. The Stone Cold Showcase was the highlight of the game, but it felt like 1/3 of the ’13 main story-line. But, the number of wrestlers kept improving (like those from NXT), with new ones coming out by DLC (the Hall of Fame ones were good too). Sure, it’s not as huge as 2K14 was (and the games nowadays are buggy and odd in terms of graphics), but the content will make it one of the best wrestling games in this decade. WWE 2K17 is okay, and I haven’t played WWE 2K18. Just haven’t beaten the MyCareer mode yet.

 

 

79. WWE ’13 for PS3

 

 

It had a storyline based on The Attitude Era, and there is more stuff in this game than 2K16. Sure, the execution of some moves were odd to get a hang of, but it is worth it to master. The old and new wrestlers fit surprisingly well.   

 

78. WWE 2K14 for PS3

 

 

 This game came around when Wrestlemania 30 was around the corner. That meant bigger content, a huge storyline, and a huge roster of wrestlers. And, that’s what they did. Sure, some of the wrestlers changed by then, and the Wyatt Family wasn’t even in the game, but what fans got was a storyline, wrestlers, and content celebrating 30 years of WWE. It’s one of the best wrestling games to date.   

 

(I should work on the older wrestling games… hmm…)

 

 

77. Mario Super Sluggers for Wii

 

 

Another sports game I enjoyed when it came out. I wasn’t a fan of sports all that much in my teenage to early manhood years, but adding Mario’s name to baseball was a good idea. The roster was mostly those from games that came before Galaxy, but that really doesn’t impact the game. They even got K. Rool and the Kremlings, which now I find bizarre, since those guys were from Rare. It’s too bad there hasn’t been a sequel in the past EIGHT YEARS… or SO!   

 

 

76. Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon for PS

 

 

 Before the PS2 games and SKYLANDERS RUINED my favorite mascot, Spyro was my main platformer guy before I finally welcomed Mario. He wasn’t a Crash or a Mario. He was Spyro. Sure, his first two games were cool, but Spyro 3 was amazing. Spyro’s new story is to defeat a sorceress who was kidnapping dragon eggs to become more powerful or whatever. Not only did the player rely on Spyro, but there were certain side-missions where they could play a Yeti, a penguin, a kangaroo, and a cyborg monkey. The places were memorable and the music was legendary (due to the drummer from The Police; I forgot his name, Adam Copeland I think?). Too bad Activision traded him for Jak and Daxter or whomever. Oh well… Maybe I’ll complete this game eventually. …Or maybe I did?

 

 

75. Tekken 3 for PS

 

 

Personal note: This is the only game when I was a kid my parents put away in their closet until I was about eighteen. I think I was eight at the time, so it was a good choice. Besides, I got over playing that game and eventually moved on. I got back into the series when 6 came out, and remembered the fond memories of this game. Even so, that I got Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (which is still a good game, even if it’s fan-service). The story followed Jin Kazama, son of legendary fighter Kazuma Mishima and grandson to Heihachi Mishima, on his revenge quest to beat an ancient alien warrior who killed his mother. Sure, there were other characters who joined the tournament for notoriety, power, and saving the world, Jin’s revenge story was the most important. I never played the first two games, but the story didn’t draw too much from those games to begin with. The new characters brought in enough of their personal motives that it seemed like I didn’t miss anything at all. The presentation and gameplay are also to be noted, as they were some of the best for the PS. The secret characters were also a fun bonus too. You could say this is my first completed game…. I think I lied about Afrika. Tekken 3 still holds up pretty well.          

 

 

74. Mario And Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story for DS

 

 

I have an odd vendetta against this game. For one, even though this is the first game players got to play as Bowser… that was technically a lie. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door did it first. Sure, this is the first game that did it entirely, but I still have memories playing Bowser in a Super Mario Bros. style. You can’t erase that. Two: everyone gives this game so much more praise than what came before it: Partners In Time. I felt like the two siblings working with their younger selves was much more engaging and fun than working with Bowser. Sure, Fawful was fun to listen to and fun to fight against, and Midbus was… fun too I guess, but I barely remember the other enemies.  I don’t remember much about what happened much in the game, except for the beginning and ending. I think it was unfairly hard at times. Last, it was basically in the same Mushroom Kingdom expanded universe. Peach’s Castle and Bowser’s Castle as usual. Booooooooore. Still, everything else is great. I feel like this is the only overrated game I’ve ever played.

 

 

73. Mario And Luigi Dream Team for 3DS

 

 

This was made in the year of Luigi. And I love the fact that it made Luigi more useful. Heck, even more powerful than Mario in his dream. And that’s sad. Because the setting was on a beach than the usual expanded Mushroom Kingdom, I really like it more because of the diversity of the enemies. Even the villain is interesting… until he is overshadowed by the end. The story was simple but fun, the gameplay was great, the presentation was phenomenal, and overall, it was a fun experience.

 

   

72. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for 3DS

 

 

 Even though I never played the original, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon… is incredible. The story takes place in five mansions, there are a lot of objectives, and the bosses are had at first, but fun. The ghosts are even better this time around, and the Polturgust is even more powerful now. Sure, the multiplayer… wasn’t all that great, but everything else is fantastic. It’s one of the best 3DS games out there, even if you haven’t played the first, like I did.  

 

 

71. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Wii  

 

 

I haven’t played the WiiU version at all, but from what I remember playing the Wii version, it was… alright. Getting into the real action took about thirty minutes thanks the long boring introduction, and surprise surprise, the story is the same save the world and Princess Zelda escapade. The story was as linear as 3D Zelda could be. Except for Hyrule Field, Snowpeak Mountain, The Temple of Time, and Arbiter’s Ground, and the castle, none of the other locations stood out for me. I don’t even remember most of the temples, sans some of the bosses, like Stallord and Argorok. Most of the supporting NPCs are forgettable, except for the kids, Ilia, and Agitha. None of the weapons added anything new, but the Double Clawshot and Gale Boomerang were better versions of their previous selves. I can’t hate the wolf sections or Midna. Midna is perhaps the best companion of the series, as she also fights back than just talk or tell you how low your batteries are. Zant is a great villain! …Too bad he gets sidelined when he dies and Ganondorf comes back. Still, I got to give respect to the gameplay and presentation. It really feels like a combination of light and dark. It might not be the best Zelda in my book, but it’s decent for what it tried.

 

 

70. Castle Crashers for PS3

 

 

 I almost forgot this game existed. It’s a beat-em-up with medieval weapons and the like. The juxtaposition was the usual save the damsel from distress. That’s nothing new. Although it’s been a long time, I remember throwing enemies around with my sword and bow and arrows. Still, I also remember the same happening to me… stupid panda enemies. I could also get pets, and there was this cute dragon one… and this ugly one-eyed one… Everything about this, from what I recall was great. Sure, it was hard at times, but still rewarding when I rescued the princesses. What happens before that is the best part. But I won’t reveal that. If there was a certain thing I remembered about the bosses, it was this long creature trying to get me while I rode on a deer. I should mention this is maybe a T game, because some of the stuff is a little bit gruesome and gross. Also, there was this boss that shot lasers by using a pipe organ. It was weird. It had a 16-bit like soundtrack, a wonderful cartoon style, and interesting locations. It was a great time, and it’d like to play it some time again. Though, I remember it having an odd difficulty curve.  

 

 

69. Guitar Hero Aerosmith for Wii

 

 

After the success of 3, whoever made the game thought it was a great idea to make a band-centric game. That idea became Guitar Hero Aerosmith. Although it didn’t have Last Child and Same Old Song and Dance, it had great hits such as Dream On, Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion, Rag Doll, Love In An Elevator, Toys In The Attic, Livin’ On The Edge, and Train Kept A Rollin’. And the complementary guest songs, like Dream Police, I Hate Myself For Long You, and most importantly King of Rock were in it too. The locations were built upon the success of the group, and adds some footage of what happened. If you don’t know Guitar Hero is good at, it’s gameplay and presentation. The story is basically nonexistent, except for following in the footsteps of Aerosmith’s legacy. There’s a devil named Lou too, but no one really cares about the story more than the other stuff. After this, I opened up my music library to them. And, I never regretted it. Their music really holds well. Eventually, you get to play as the band themselves… maybe most of them. And DMC. If there’s anything to hate about, it’s maybe the remasters and covers. But, that’s small compared to what the creators truly gave their audience: something fun.    

 

 

68. Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for Wii

 

 

I’m a DBZ fanboy. Not a hardcore one. This was the last TRUE Budokai game ever. … Infinite Worlds and Ultimate sucked for me and fans. It was the biggest roster at the time… although by today’s standards, it isn’t updated. I felt compared to the Raging Blast games, it was a bit better, even if it didn’t have the Super Sayain 3 Broly and Vegeta characters. The story covers most of the DBZ story, most of the DBGT story, and some of the DB story. The gameplay was great, and with motion controls, we could replicate most of the iconic moves, like the Kamehameha. The presentation was great… maybe not perfect by today’s standards, and I only remember a few of the songs. I’m currently waiting for a replacement, knowing my old one had a glitch at the beginning video.

 

 

67. Ultra Street Fighter 4 for PS3

 

 

Although I’m not one for Street Fighter, this was a great addition. There are plenty of characters to get interested in, and each one plays differently from one another. The controls are obviously hard to master for a casual guy myself. I’m not going to lie. But, the presentation is spot-on, from the music to the characters to the settings, that I don’t really care if I’m getting my butt kicked. Sure, V’s not selling so well, so maybe this game will be worth more. It also has Final Fight characters. 

 

(And now Arcade V’s out. Ugh.)

 

     

66. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for PS3

 

 

With the Tekken series looking like its having its dawn, the creators gave its fans another Tag Tournament, this time with characters from 4, 5, and 6. And, it’s really well done. Although there’s really no story, the fan-service is all over the place. The locations are beautiful, and the songs are well done, including one from Snoop Dogg. Plus, all of the former songs of the Tekken games are DLC. And some characters too, but they’re worth it. With 7 out, there could be an 8 and 9, and possibly the third tag tournament. It got me to remind myself why I loved Tekken 3 back in the day. Tekken 7… is disappointing.

 

 

65. Pokémon Emerald for GBA

 

 

When this game came out, it garnered a lot of negativity for having no backwards compatibility to the last two games. This was due to the nature of the new competitive side of Pokémon. The story changed a little bit from the villain side, as two evil teams wanted to expand the earth or sea. For GBA standards, Emerald is one of the best looking. Gameplay changed for the series, as abilities, weather, and berries made Pokémon more serious for the competitive scene. A lot of fans turned off by that aspect. Heck, until a long while later, it was impossible to collect every Pokémon. Although a lot of fans were done with Pokémon by then, Pokémon has garnered a new generation of fans since, and the Pokémon fanbase will never stop growing. And… this game was responsible for the Contests… Sigh… And the events…   

 

 

64. Pokémon Black And White for DS

 

 

It’s another game that nearly turned off fans because of the small roster of new Pokémon, and because the other Pokémon were not available until later in the post-game. It was an interesting game to master on new Pokémon alone. Although the story was again the same, this time there was a villain, N, who was determined to free Pokémon from humans. He thought every Pokémon was treated as a slave. That’s some interesting philosophy about a game about catching and trading Pokémon. Again, it’s a Pokémon game, so everything looks and sounds fine. The location was basically PokéNY. And, the new animations for every Pokémon are… for the most part perfect. The gameplay hasn’t changed much from Platinum. Oh, wait, there were the hidden abilities, which are overpowered as heck. It’s another divisive Pokémon game. Because for one thing, Pokémon Musicals never caught on.     

 

 

63. Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 for DS

 

 

Although the story wasn’t as great, every other Pokémon returned during the game. The villain story is based on the return of the fallen Team Plasma, who are stealing Team Rocket’s idea of stealing Pokémon and taking over the world. This time around, some locations have opened up, some NPCs are older, and some of the gym leaders are new. It’s been a long time since Gold and Silver Pokémon has done a true sequel in the main Pokémon games. This time, the Pokéstudios and Pokémon World Tournament made a glorious appearance. It’s too bad X and Y never revisited those things. Or Sun and Moon.

 

 

62. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon for 3DS

  

 

I don’t remember much about the fourth gen spinoffs, other than everything being executed well (I don’t know where they would’ve fell in this list, since I don’t remember much of it), and I never touched the last generation because the 6th gen main games were coming out soon. I didn’t care. This just fell in the right time, and I never regret buying it. Because I felt like the timing was right. Fairies were introduced, and the Mega Evolution aspect is involved. Now, there’s about 700 Pokémon. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.   

 

 Now… I have a real love-hate relationship with this game. This nails everything in most of the departments, except for fun and difficulty. A lot of the dungeons are RNG nonsense, and a lot of moves are overpowered as heck. Not to mention, I kept MISSING A LOT IN A FRICKIN’ POKÉMON GAME! HOW DID MY GUYS DO THAT?! … OH, AND DON’T CHOOSE A PIPLUP AND PIKACHU COMBO BECAUSE THAT WAS A NIIIIIIIIIGHTMARE FOR ME TO FINISH WITH. IT TOOK ME ABOUT A FOUR MONTH BREAK TO GO BACK INTO IT AND REALIZE THIS HUGE PROBLEM. I HAD TO USE WANDS TO GET ME OUT OF ROOMS FOR MOST OF MY TIME, INSTEAD OF GRADUALLY LEVELING UP. OH, AND FOR MOST INSTANCES, MY LEAD CHARACTER HAD TO LEAD. THIS LEAD ME TO PUSH MY OTHER TEAMMATES, UNTIL I FOUND MORE SPACE. BUT, THAT CREATES HUNGER, AND YOU DON’T WANT THAT. AND MAYBE THE BIGGEST SIN IS WHEN YOU DON’T GET YOUR ITEAMS OR MONEY BACK WHEN YOU FAIL A MISSION! … It’s cheap, but I was so engaged where the story was going that I didn’t give up. This felt like a modern NES game, if that makes sense. At least it’s more engaging than most of the main games.

 

 

61. Kid Icarus Uprising for 3DS

  

 

Kid Icarus Uprising is what they can do with a classic game and give it a true sequel. Pit tries to save Earth from monsters and Medusa, but not all is as it seems to be. For one, this is the introduction of Dark Pit, Pit’s dark alter ego. He’s just as strong, intelligent, and fast as Pit. The game is beautiful and glorious in the presentation. The game is a rail shooter, but it doesn’t detract from the genius meta humor this game is known for. The comedy is on point with each character! This game had an interesting difficulty setting that gave more benefits for those who beat each level with a 5-10 difficulty. The new Smash Bros. even used this setting because those games were made by the same people who did this: Hal. Even though this is loosely based on Greek myths, that won’t scare fans away from how silly and fun it can really get. Like a shrimp-type monster trying to eat you whole!         

 

 

60. Spiderman 2 for GCN   

 

 

In a world full of horrible superhero games, Spiderman 2 is amazing! The story is based on the film, but has so much more content that it will take hours to complete! The graphics were amazing for the time, even though the voiceovers are a little bit horrible and cheesy to listen to. The controls are so perfect, that you feel like you are Spiderman! This game is really hard at times, but it’s still a very exceptional game and one of the best superhero games of all time! 

 

 

59. Kirby’s Dream Land 2 for GB!

 

 

Kirby is Kirby! I remember owning this game and a Game Boy as a kid because of a local spot I rarely go to nowadays. The story is simple: King Dedede is trying to rule the world and steal fruit as before! (But, this is where the REAL STORY kicked in for good ol’ Kirby.) The stages are simply executed and the music is cheerful and whimsical for Kirby! Everything about Kirby is similar to the other Kirby games, but it is expanded upon with new abilities and the helper animals. Although the secrets are harder to work with more than the story, the game on its own is one of the must haves of the Game Boy generation!      

 

 

58. Professor Layton And The Curious Village for DS!

 

 

I got this game because of THE CROSSOVER! And it’s one of the best gems or whatever of that system. The story is about Professor Layton and Luke Triton trying to find out the secrets of a child’s dead parents and the mysterious village the child lives in. The story is full of twists and surprises that even Shyamalan would have a field day with. The style is simple and cartoonish, but there’s no problems with that. The voice over work is a little grating at times. The heart of the gameplay lies with the puzzles, problem-solving, and exploration. And let’s be honest, most of the puzzles in this game were hard and challenging. Still, for what it was, the first Professor Layton game is amazing overall. Since I haven’t beaten the rest since the second “that came out” one, I should do so to give my honest opinions of those.   

 

 

57. Rock Band: The Beatles for PS3!

 

 

What’s a good combination of one of the best bands of all time and a mainstream rhythm game? Rock Band: The Beatles. Take a trip down to memory lane, as you play as all of The Beatles in their prime, with legendary songs like Twist And Shout, Help!, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, A Hard Day’s Night, and Get Back. Their Liverpool concert, USA concert, TV appearance, studio, and rooftop shows are included as venues. For the first time, harmonies were included, and they would later return in the next games. The game also had some DLC, but you cannot get as of now. Although the game followed the story, the difficulty fluctuated strangely because of “where” each song was. But, once the story was over, you could play them in any over. If you’re a gamer, a guy who plays rhythm games, and is a Beatles fan, this is a must have.     

 

 

56. Fire Emblem Fates Birthright for 3DS!

 

 

 Although the story of Conquest was confusing and the difficulty was hard, Birthright had a better story and was easier. The story doesn’t have as much problems, because you were facing the family you were born into, but facing the family who you grew up with wasn’t all that fun as well. The gameplay was easier… but, there were barely any challenges except for seizing castles and towers. There was not as much variation. Like Conquest, there’s not as much to nitpick as much as well, because it’s a great game.   

 

 

55. Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban for GCN!

 

 

Another game based on a movie series, this game is one of my favorites. The story is based on the one in the book. The presentation was good for the time, even though the music was dull at parts. Casting different kinds of magic was awesome! If I remember, it was one of the best gems of the GCN! … Or was it the first or second?  

 

 

54. Crash Team Racing for PS!

 

 

Once upon a time, Crash wasn’t bad… or dead! Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the series, Crash rivaled Sonic and Mario during the late 90s. The game had little to no story, except for racing, and beating bosses. Oh, and there was this alien that was trying to make the world a parking space or something. Good ol’ stakes! … Mm… steaks… For a PS game, it was visually great, and the music was in tune with the tracks. Still, the voices were not in time with when they spoke. The characters however, are the core of this game, as they make funny voices and grunts. The gameplay is in tune with Mario Kart… though, the powers are different. The bosses were fair at times, but doing the challenges were not worth it. It’s better to go with cheat codes here. With that said, although I didn’t go with Mario Kart 64 at first, CTR had a similar experience in my childhood. Just no battle mode.  (I KNOW THE HD REMAKES OF THE FIRST THREE GAMES ARE OUT! I didn't like the first game to be honest, but I will eventually play the second… WAIT, WHERE ARE THE SPYRO ONES?!)

 

Although I beat Diddy Kong Racing DS, I had a lot more fun with this game. Why? Although the planes and hover-cars were fun concepts, their control seemed horrible to me. That game is also a little lacking in the power-up department. Hitting halls and ceilings made my characters lose control for a little bit. That’s poor gameplay design! It was also a bit hard to turn at times. And some of the levels were just plain hard to master. Last… I didn’t grow up with Donkey Kong and his friends as a kid. I was mostly about Pokemon. Still, that game is not horrible by any means, and I got the best ending of that game, while I only got the false ending of this one.  

 

53. Lego Marvel Superheroes for PS3!

 

 

Although I’m not one for superheroes, or the Lego blocks anymore, I gave this game a pass. The plot… good guys stop bad guys from taking over the world. The comedy and the chemistry with each character are the real heart of the story. For a Lego game, I cannot complain about the music and scenery, but the framerate lowers down at times to compensate for the open world. The personalities are in tune with their characters. The gameplay changes with each character and vehicle. Once you complete the game, you can freely roam around Marvel NYC and beat challenges to obtain other characters and vehicles. True fact, before I had to start over because all of my save data became corrupted, I legitimately completed this game. Since then, I vowed that doing it again isn’t worth it. Some of the missions were hard for me to beat. Still, I recommend it for a person who loves Legos, superheroes, and video games...

I got the sequel but have not played it yet.   

 

 

52. Far Cry 4 for PS4!

 

 

Although Far Cry 3 was better cooperatively, I loved the single story for Far Cry 4 more. The story… is a little complicated, but you essentially join forces with the Golden Path as they try to overthrow the tyranny ruled by the terrorist Pagan Min, who is a hilarious psychopath. Most of the characters are great, but Pagan Min takes the whole show with his antics. For the most part, the sights and sounds of Kyrat, the location of the game, are beautiful… until you run into bugs, the game freezes, random things falling out of nowhere, and the game tries to load stuff. It’s not perfect, but it’s still stunning. The number of weapons is bountiful. Still, it’s a survival game, so going guns blazing is not the best idea. Especially when the enemies get harder further down the game. Taking outposts, radio stations, and castles are easy at first, but becomes hard later when you get access to the north of the country. A lot of Asian wildlife appear. Hunting is advised, because you need some material to hold more ammo. And, riding on elephants is amazing. But, watch out; most of them fight back and attack you! Skills are also useful in certain situations, so leveling up is a must. Helping the citizens is crucial too, as karma gives you skills and better weapons. There is also a great amount of DLC. The game is challenging, but fair. This is perhaps one of the only survival games I have, but with good reasons.     

 

Can’t wait for V!  

 

 

51. Mario And Luigi: Partners In Time for DS!

 

 

For me, this is the third strongest of the Mario and Luigi games. When aliens called the Shroobs invade the past and present, it’s up to Mario and Luigi and their past counterparts to save the world from the evil creatures. Along the way, even other present and past counterparts meet. Although it ultimately creates a time paradox, and the time travel logic makes no sense, it’s a great mash-up of the babies and the grown-ups. The comedy and chemistry is on par like the last game. Though the location is in the Mushroom Kingdom again, traveling back and forth is fun. It’s similar to LoZ:OoT. But, with aliens. The music is really catchy at times. Although I really hated how it was hard to play Superstar Saga sometimes, working with babies… is harder. Sure, the babies have different powers and so on, but managing four players while dodging can be difficult. Especially when one of them is down. I don’t know how I beat this over Superstar Saga. ( … Oh, wait: THAT ENDING.) I really enjoyed this game more than the other games. I haven’t played it in a while, or owned it again. To this day, I still think it’s the most underrated out of the Mario & Luigi series.

 

 

50. Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii!

 

 

 … Oh, I’m going to get so much backlash for this. The story and some of the changes to the gameplay were dumb. Everything else was great, though we all know that some fans wanted more stages, better options, better challenges, and more characters. That’s what Project M was for. Sure, the Wi-Fi wasn’t the best as well. This was a risk after the success of Melee. It partially succeeded. It’s regarded to be a huge falling point for a lot of fans, but sometimes choices were needed to be made for the good of the future. Still, fans missed the competitive nature, and hated the slipping mechanic. It would take about six years for fans to be in a much happier place.

 

 

49. Star Fox Zero for Wii U!

 

 

…It’s here at last. The game is another reboot of the Star Fox game, but it’s done really well. The story expands more on the lore of the series. The main characters are as great as they were about twenty years ago. The intensity and chemistry is all there. The locations are gorgeous. The music is spectacular. The characters act and react genuinely. The big problem… is the gameplay. Working with both the TV and Gamepad was not in this game’s favor. It’s the most difficult gimmick I’ve ever worked with. It made this game harder than it should have been, and made some scenarios unfair. Not to mention, you get other vehicles, and you have no space to use most of them more than once. It’s a little bit unfair. But, although you might have to use the invincibility armor to beat the game, the payoff is huge in the credits. Still, completing the game is not worth it. I got this with Guard, so maybe I’ll try that soon too. I don’t know if I should recommend this.  It was okay.

 

 

48. Sonic Generations for PC!

 

 

Before I played this game, I played Sonic Forces, the supposed celebration of Sonic’s 25th anniversary. How did that go? Well, besides the new Avatar character and Infinite and the beginning of the story, everything else was just… okay or just horrible. The worst experience was the controls. So I wondered if Sonic Generations did everything better, about six years ago, when it was Sonic’s 20th anniversary. If I remembered, that game was heralded to be Modern Sonic’s comeback. The beginning starts off with Sonic’s friends surprising Sonic because it’s his birthday. This monster named Time Eater ruins the celebration and warps Sonic’s pals into different places and times, and easily knocks out Sonic. When Sonic wakes up, he sees that he’s in a white void and that different locations and his pals were drained of life. Thanks to the Time Eater as well, Classic Sonic becomes involved into the story. Both Sonics plan on going to every location in the game to restore their time and space, as well as revive their comrades from their frozen positions. Compared to Forces, Force’s beginning was a lot stronger, but Generations wins in the category of what happens next. The locations are HD or so remasters of various stages from Sonic’s beginning in Sonic The Hedgehog to the current end when Sonic Colors happened. Comparing the length of the stages of this game and Forces, the stages here are much longer. Not only that, but some of the spectacles in this game are better than what happen in Forces. Still, I didn’t like a few stages. The music in each stage both harkens back to the sound chip the Sega Genesis used and shows off the current quality of the newer era. This gives Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic their own auditory identity. Some songs work, others… don’t. That’s the tragic tale of remixing. Now, since I used to PC port with a keyboard, I… sometimes had a hard time controlling both Sonics. I should’ve ported a PS3 or so controller and went crazy, but I hope I’ll never try that again. Classic Sonic plays nearly identical to his times in the Genesis era. He can run, jump, bounce on enemies and boxes, and spin dash. There are other things he can do, but I’m just talking about his base movements. Classic Sonic is pure speed and platforming. The only problem I had with Classic Sonic is his momentum running upward at times, but that’s what the spin dash is for. Modern Sonic improves on Classic Sonic, by having a homing attack, the light dash, and a boost gauge. But, a lot of times, I just end up ignore the boost gauge, because the level design at times does not compliment it. That was also my problem with Forces. And although I thought Modern Sonic would stay strictly only to 3D action… there are moments where he goes 2D. Classic Sonic should’ve been the only one to stay in a 2D space, since he’s limited to that, so there was no reason to drag Modern Sonic into that fold. Modern Sonic does have speed and platforming in a 3D space, so I don’t get Sega’s vision on that. Besides that, an eerie similar problem I had with Generations and Forces simply came down to Sonic’s jumping momentum. And I mean both Sonics here. Sometimes I would fall down only because it seems I didn’t press the jump button at the right time or because of some confusing button input. Maybe I have horrible depth perception. Because Sonic moves a bit different from Mario, I haven’t played much of Classic Sonic’s games. Then again, I only beat one Mario game so far, which will come later. I think control has a lot to do with my enjoyment of a game. Back to this game, the bosses are from Sonic’s first game to when Colors was the latest game. Some were challenging but fun, but some were hard to get used to. Overall, I had a blast playing Sonic Generations. As a person who has never beaten any of the older games because of my skill level and the completion faction, and as a person who never played a recent Sonic game because of the mixed results, I loved Sonic Generations for taking me into Sonic’s wor- … past and current present. I don’t know if I can go back and finish an older Sonic game (or an older Mario game for that matter), but similar to what happened to me with another game featuring another gaming icon, I can appreciate the legacy of a classic and will look forward to what happens next. As long as it’s not Forces.  

 

 … Oh, yeah, Sonic Mania came out a while ago. Still, it does have Classic Sonic, and I’ve never been really good at old-school 2D platforming. Maybe I might have a better appreciation of Sonic after playing that game.   

 
 

 

 

47. Dragonball Xenoverse for PS3!

 

 

I might get scrutinized again, but to heck with it: I love this game. It’s a take on the DBZ universe, but with TIME TRAVEL! Evil forces are changing history by making the villains stronger. This is to make sure the heroes are screwed up, and that the future of Tokitoki doesn’t exist. It’s up to the Time Patroller with another Future Trunks (multiverse theory is a pain to him) to make sure the past isn’t screwed. Here, the plot works, because it isn’t the tired old conventions of the past games. It tries to spice things up by making the Time Patroller (your custom character) the focus of this game. The visuals can be a bit jarring at times, and the music isn’t the most memorable. But, the amount of customization and gameplay make up for that. It’s an MMORPG… I think. Each costume and special move makes the Time Patroller stronger.  Sure, the leveling up system is a grind-fest, the enemies and challenges at times are cheap, and the RNG loot is totally unfair, but the success of this game assured the future of a sequel. And that one… is later on the list.   

 

 

46. Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations for DS!

 

 

Want an Ace Attorney game based on the Investigation part? Look no further! The story stays true till the very end, even if the details get confusing and contradictory.  The first two cases are not that spectacular, but when it gets to the middle, the story hits the fan. Some of the new characters, like Kay Faraday and Shi-long Lang, work well with the veterans Miles Edgeworth, Detective Gumshoe, and Franziska von Karma. For the whole game, the locations are either interesting or bland. The far away 2D models and animations are okay and make some of the old characters unique and breathe fresh new life. The close-up 2D models are in tune with the former games in the franchise. The music is perhaps the weakest point, but there’s some really good songs. The gameplay adds “explorative” dimensional investigations, and the new logic feature combines two pieces of logic to make new logic. It’s really basic, and Awkward Zombie made a joke of it. Finding evidence is a lot more challenging. Instead of doing cross-examinations for testimonies… it’s statements. But, it’s just similar in finding contradictions. At times, it’s hard and confusing, story-wise and gameplay-wise, but it’s just an okay game in the series. TOO BAD WE NEVER GOT THE BETTER SEQUEL IN NORTH AMERICA!      

 

 

45. Apollo Justice for DS!

 

 

 It’s a huge black sheep of one of my favorite series. The story is not entirely to blame, as the main character is Apollo Justice, a rookie overshadowed by his boss, Phoenix Wright. I’ll admit, it’s maybe the weakest story out of the whole series because some of the characters are boring and the ½ of the cases are boring. One of the returning characters I liked gets boring and annoying in this game. There are some good characters. Klavier Gavin is a gifted musician, a good prosecutor, and is cool and funny. Although Trucy Wright will never live up the fame Maya Fey had, she is a magnificent magician. The locations are here and there, and not all of the soundtrack is amazing. But, Klavier’s song “Guilty Love”… is perfect. I will not get over his theme anytime soon. The gameplay follows the investigation and trial route, but Apollo’s bracelet is more engaging than Maya’s lie detector of a Magatama. Although the newly appointed Detective Ema Skye is not as energetic or funny as she was in the first game, she still has the passion for forensic science. The forensic science is deeper, but other fans found it too much and complicated compared to the version in the fifth case of the first game. The game can be confusing at times during the trials and investigations. It’s perhaps the most average game of the series. It tried to do something new, but it didn’t work as well as the developers wanted it to. Still, the games later to come improved the future of where the Ace Attorney series was headed. And, Apollo as a character got a little more interesting later on.     

  

 

44 & 43. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam AND Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minion, both for 3DS!

 

 

It was really hard to say which of these two are my favorite of the Mario & Luigi series, so I’ll write reviews as to why I feel they get both of these spots.  

 

So… Except for a problem concerning the Paper Toads, and the usual story, gameplay, and location elements being really basic, I really enjoyed Paper Jam because of the interactions with the real and paper characters, its humor, and the music. While at Peach’s Castle, Luigi knocks over a book, which unleashed the world of paper! Now, minions, Toads, and even… Paper Mario run wild! It’s up to the trio of Luigi, Mario, and Paper Mario (no Paper Luigi) to save the day by… rescuing the Princess Peaches from the Bowsers and return to paper people to their world. The gameplay during battles relies wholly on Mario and Luigi’s system, while Paper Mario can make copies of himself and can float for some time. Paper Mario also helps out the duo by becoming different things when Mario and Luigi need a way across platforms and the like. BP attacks return, and the new Trio Attacks are a neat addition… although I’ve used the racket ball one the most. Gear and items are basically the same, but the addition of Battle Cards also help during certain situations. And, you can make Amiibo cards as well… provided you have the right one, and there’s no data on it. It’s no PM:TTYD, but it’s still a solid entry in both series. Heck, there’s two crossovers that I love more than this!

 

Now for Superstar Saga… + Bowser’s Minions. For those who remember the original, it is a solid game. The story is different from the usual Mario norm, the characters and locations have their own identities, there is a lot of humor, and the game looked like a cartoon. But, even though some of the “charm” of the original isn’t in the remake (Geno and so on being replaced or not there, and the cartoony feel not being there), I found the remake to be a more balanced game, thanks to the gameplay quirks that it borrowed from the sequels (but you still only get the play Mario and Luigi). Still, it had been years since I played the original, so getting used to the patterns of the enemies unique to that game was challenging but rewarding all over again. And, this time around, I finally beat the final boss, WITHOUT ANY GAME-BREAKING MECHANICS. Sure, there are those who will despise what became of their old classic. But, I don’t care. The remake is beautiful as well, even if the songs are so-so. It was weird thinking if the simple controls of this game or the complicated controls of the sequels were better. I cannot give that answer, since I somehow beat Partners In Time before a remake of a game I despised more than ten years ago just because of last-boss-itis. It’s been years since I played PiT and BiS, but not necessarily a decade. I think I should get them again, because my fixation on the first game changed a lot when I finally beat the last boss in the remake. Even though this game “fixed” what I thought was a huge problem, there’ll be a good amount of people who will sing the original’s praises. I will never forgive the original for making that lass boss cloud my judgment of the rest of my experience with the game, now that I finally have closure, I can finally acknowledge how great it was to play both. Sure, neither games are perfect, but I’m glad I finally got a positive and a satisfying reaction out of this game, like Kirby’s Dream Land 2 and a game coming later on the list. I can finally let the floodgates of emotions break the mental dam that held those memories long ago. I can say “thank you” to the past and present for how emotional of a ride these years have been.

 

I also love Bowser’s Minions. It follows a lonely Goomba, as he tries to find Lord Bowser after Fawful destroys the Koopa Cruiser in the beginning. He later is appointed Captain, and recruits a great number of minions along his way. The story coincides with the main story, so there is never any plot hole with it. Instead of directly controlling the characters, each minion will act accordingly with their in-game attacks. But, there is a little more depth to the game, as flying characters trounce melee characters, range characters can take down flying characters, and melee characters can get very close to range characters. And each character who has a disadvantage will likely (but not always) miss the character with an advantage. Like rock-paper-scissors. But, the captain of each 8-character squad can turn the tide of battle with their commands. Still, this game does not sway my placing of Superstar Saga. 

 

Both have sentimental value for me, so I’m not going to choose one over the other. 

 
 

 

 

42. Phoenix Wright: Justice For All for DS!

 

 

 

 

It’s the sequel to the once underdog hit Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. In this game, it’s the basic case of investigations and trials, but this time there’s a deeper meaning of what a lawyer is and what they fight for. The first one starts off with Wright having amnesia, and how he defends his client from murder in said state. The cases become interesting later one, but it’s the dreaded third one that is maybe the most hated by fans alike. I… don’t want to talk about it. There are a lot of new and interesting places like before. The music is on top as always, like Pearl’s theme, Kurain Village’s theme, and the Objection theme. Though, they’re not as great compared to the first and third. There is one in particular that I won’t spoil. The only thing new in gameplay is the Magatama, a mystical item imbued with the powers of the Fey clan. Pearl Fey, a new character that is essential to this and the next game and the cousin of fan favorite Maya Fey, gives it its power, which allows Phoenix to detect when a person is hiding something. This a little bit of an upgrade to the usual investigative side of the series. Speaking of an upgrade, instead of ‘!’s, there is a new “health bar”. In certain moments, the risk of losing health is “longer”. I really love this game, even if it wasn’t big as the first.     

 
 

 

 

41. Fire Emblem Fates Revelations for 3DS!

 

 

It’s a perfect combination of Conquest and Birthright. In this game, you reject both family’s offers to take either side, in order to save both of them. However, you’re now at war with both, and convincing both sides to join your cause of saving your world… (and another…) won’t be easy. You want to bring hard earned peace to two families who really can’t stand each other because of their beliefs and your ties to them. This game honestly is the best game story-wise.  While I looked over the presentation the last two times, I will say every location in every game has a purpose. The music for all three games is some of the best in the series. The characters and their motives are a bit hard to swallow in the other games, but here, it’s just perfect. The game is normally difficult. It’s a good blend of easy and hard. A thing I left out is MyCastle, which is a perfect way to get resources, get skills and characters by beating other castles, and spend money on stuff. There’s also a ton of DLC which works well with every game. Although the content is not as huge as Awakening’s, don’t brush off the new games. They did a great job keeping the series afloat. After all, it was hard to follow up to Awakening’s BOLD standards.     

 

 

40. Dragonball Xenoverse 2 for Nintendo Switch! 

  

 

 
A sequel to the original, Xenoverse 2 is better. But, it still has its flaws. Once again, it’s time travel, but characters from Super and some of the movies get into the action. It revolves around the Time Patrol stopping Towa and Mira from causing history to change once again. This time, they don’t have a boss. It’s okay, because the story still holds strong with the other villains. I feel like there should have been more to improve the story, but I’m not a genius. Instead of Tokitoki City, we get Conton City. It’s about seven times bigger, has no loading screens, and your character can fly… after getting to a certain part of the story.  The visuals are a lot better, and although the first song entering the Hub World is a jarring, other song play after a while. Customization has been expanded for the most part, and even though in the last game Sayains got the best deal because of the Super Sayain transformation, every race has a transformation now. Though, maybe the Buus got the worst of it this time around. Leveling up is a bit faster, the health system is fairer, the normal attack combos have changed for the better, learning moves from masters doesn’t require a certain use of one of their attacks anymore (but a system called the advancement test is needed to pass for characters to learn more moves),  and alongside Parallel Quests are the super-hard Expert Missions. TP Medals are needed to get some skills, but players can only access the TP shop Friday to Sunday. Some Time Rift areas need you to do certain things in order for some story to continue. It’s vital. I don’t remember the specifics of the QQ Bangs, but if I remember, they reset the attributes of the clothes. Some of the problems, like the enemies and the challenges being cheap, the friendly AI during Parallel Quests being stupid as heck, and the servers still having problems like before (but not on a bigger scale) still exist, even after a year later. Still, although trying to get a warning to activate the secret objective and obtain the secret skill was obnoxious in the first (even if you got the requirements, there was some times where the warning didn’t appear), Xenoverse 2 allows you to get the warning after certain requirements are met. The RNG is not as bad as before. This game is that good. As for those who want to know what I think about Fusions… it’s okay.   

 

Now, I switched the version from the PS4 to Nintendo Switch, which also contains the story from the first game, which has changed because of the tweaked mechanics from this game, which I think works well. In the last game, super armor protected some of the bosses, and they were a big problem. Without it, the missions are fairer, but are still challenging. The Switch version also comes with motion controls, which I haven’t tried yet because I am more used to the regular controls. Sure, I had to start my journey all over again, but… I don’t care. It was an intense journey to beat both stories all over again, and getting my favorite stuff will be a blast as always. I will always come back to this game because of the DLC, the current and the possibly new. And, with Super currently in the Universal Survival Arc, I expect more characters to arrive. Perhaps there’s a foundation for a third game. But, not just yet.    

 

It gets harder to rank this certain game because it also has the first game’s story mode. And, it’s not a full-on remake or port of the first game. So, I think the Switch version does the game more justice than the PS4 and Xbox One counterparts, but it’ll only be better in the story department. With all that said and done, in the end, it barely moved from its former ranking. 

 

 

 

39. Guitar Hero 3 for Wii!

 

 

 

A long time ago, Guitar Hero wasn’t focused on the pop songs and the other instruments. There was a sea of three games, but the next installation was maybe their best. It was called Guitar Hero 3. 3’s plot is basically about a band getting gigs and what-not. … And selling out to the devil! Mwahahahahahahaha! The style was maybe the last we would see the cartoony style before it became a little more realistic. The song list is one of the best of the guitar hero and rock band genre. It had hits like Welcome To The Jungle, Cherub Rock, Sabotage, Barracuda, and a lot more.  And who could forget, like THE LAST TWO SONGS?! It was the golden times. The stuff was the same, except for new characters and bonus songs. Sure, it was hard at first, but that’s why we loved it. The series later on became over-popular for its own good.   

 

 

  

38. Professor Layton x Phoenix Wright for 3DS! 

 

 

My favorite CROSSOVER gets number 38 on the list for a good amount of reasons. The story… is out there. Phoenix, Maya, Luke, and Layton all arrive in Labarynthia, a land which believes in witchcraft and prosecutes those who are witches. There is a lot to swallow in the end. The places are spectacular, and the music is phenomenal, and some of the tracks from both series get an upgrade. The animation and framerate is a little to be desired. The gameplay follows the Professor Layton style of investigation and puzzles, while the courts follow the usual Ace Attorney style. This also introduces the mob trials, where more than one person can testify, and this mechanic is used well, even if the tells are obvious. I think this is the first game that returned to the ‘!’s when it came to the cross-examinations. It’s a really cool blend, even if both aspects are super easy to welcome newcomers to both series.  There’s even free DLC content for those who finished the game. I love what they tried to do, even though this came about two years later after it released in Japan.   

 

 

37. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice for 3DS!

 

 

This is perhaps the last mainstream Ace Attorney game we’ll get for a while. It follows Phoenix Wright, who goes to the Kingdom of Khura’in to see Maya Fey, Wright’s former assistant from long ago and a spirit medium. Things go rocky, as his guide, Ahlbi Ur’gaid, is charged for murdering the guard responsible for protecting The Founder’s Orb and stealing said orb. However, as Wright soon figures out, being a lawyer in Khura’in is next to impossible because of the Divination Séances, in which the victim’s last moments are seen in the Pool of Souls, and the Defense Culpability Act, which insures that anyone who helps out a criminal in any way will be charged with the same sentence. In this case, if Ahlbi is found guilty, Wright is as well. Because of these two things, lawyering is next to extinct in Khura’in. But, Wright, knowing that his client is innocent, will defend him even with that fear over his head. It’s not as dark as the “dark ages of law” theme within Dual Destinies, but there’s still danger present. Still, the danger is not as present in Los Angeles. Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes hold the fort at the Wright Anything Agency with Wright gone, and they handle a few cases themselves. To add to the list of old and new are Rayfa Padma Khura’in, the royal princess and antsy teenager who is able to perform such Séances and has a real grudge against lawyers, and Nahyuta Sahdmahdi, the Last Rites Prosecutor who believes that defendants should give up and offer their souls to “The Holy Mother”.  His persistence, his catchphrase “let it go, and move on”, his demeanor, his ability to learn anything at a given moment, and his cold and mysterious but serious attitude make rival that of Blackquill, Edgeworth, and Godot. But, that doesn’t mean the old characters can have fun. Maya’s return after about a ten-year hiatus was worth is, and Ema Skye has finally become a full-time forensic investigator. Because the story is told in two different countries, the amount of detail given to each location is astonishing. Not one location feels the same as another, and they range from the vibrant seats of the Penrose Theater to the majestic view of Temphul Temple. The music is the high point of the game, because the story takes place in the rural sites of Khura’in to the wonderful scenes of Los Angeles. There’s a bit of Eastern and Western motifs within this game, and it delivers. For the most part, the music works, even the remakes of classic ones. Game-play wise, the old mechanics are the same, with the newest addition of Séances and the revamped details of forensic investigations. Because the Séances are “the ultimate truth”, the only way to evaluate them is through Rayfa’s Insights. A certain statement of hers will contradict one of the “moments” of the vision by any one of the five senses, and you will have to find out what it is. The only thing that changed was that the “health bar” changed back to the five penalties systems. Because part of the story is mostly in Khura’in, it seemed like Apollo and Athena didn’t get much in terms of development. Not to mention, it felt like every mechanic besides the Séances weren’t used for their full potential. I think the biggest one that lost out the most are the Psyche Locks, followed by The Mood Matrix. Not only that, but the game felt shorter because some cases were. It might have felt easier due to the length. The DLC was amazing, with Larry Butz returning. But, the core game doesn’t seem as long as the others. I would’ve loved if there were twice the cases. But, I can’t have everything. Still, the ending was incredible, and I’m glad I got this game. All I’m saying is that it could’ve been better and beat T&T and DD. Because this is the sixth game in the series, some loose threads from the last two games have come to a wonderful close here.  

 

 

36. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies for 3DS!

 

 

Although the CROSSOVER arrived in North America AFTER this game, that didn’t impact this game that much. The story happens a while after Apollo Justice. A lot of the cases are more intense because of the “dark age of the law” theme, even though the logic loops are still present. A mix of old Ace Attorney, Apollo Justice, and new characters come, and they are entangled well in the story. The locations are more vibrant than the last two games, and the music is more integral to the game. Songs like Simon Blackquill’s theme, Athena Cykes’ theme, and the Cornered theme are amazing with the new potential of real instruments. And even some old favorites return, like Phoenix’s T&T Objection theme. The animations now transition seamlessly. The environments are now three-dimensional in a one-person view, and turning around is better and more participating than investigation in one area. In addition, Athena Cykes and her power and the Mood Matrix are a welcome addition to the series and is not as hard like the other powers in use. The game is a bit easier, and the DLC case and costumes are complementary, even if they’re not necessary to enjoy the full game. It’s a must buy for fans, and it made way for the sixth in the series.  

 

 

35. The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds for 3DS!

 

 

Although I didn’t play A Link To The Past, I did some research so I could understand the lore of this game. From what I know, LTTP is considered to be the best Zelda game alongside Ocarina of Time. I’ve heard that 2D Zelda is superior to 3D Zelda because of the connection of puzzles, worlds, and combat. If you know a thing about Sequelitis, it’s that Arin has a few good points… But, now after watching his OoT GameGrumps videos, it’s hard to see him defend his opinions that much, because he sucks at OoT. But I get it. The 3D Zelda games became less explorative and more linear for the sake of the story. If only there was a game to go back to the roots of 2D Zelda… Wait! A Link Between Worlds is a “sequel” to the great SNES hit. It’s about Link trying to save the world from a wizard who wants to rule Hyrule. There are a lot of similarities to the SNES classic, as halfway through, Link arrives in Lorule, Hyrule’s dark counterpart. The overworld is full of nostalgia for older fans, as this one is nearly identical to LTTP’s. The amount of detail and visual variety is wonderful. It’s one of the best -ooking Zelda games out there. Some of the music are wonderful new versions of the SNES tunes, while new music such as Yuga’s Theme and Ravio’s theme fits. The gameplay is a bit improved. For one thing, instead of normally looking around the temple for an essential item, Ravio, a mysterious person who decides to stay in your home, rents the items to you. Rupees are more valuable because of this. Speaking of Ravio, he gives you a bracelet. After Yuga turns you into a painting early in the game, Ravio’s bracelet reacts, and Link now has the ability to roam in walls as a painting while also coming out from them. Of course, the puzzles and secrets wonderfully integrate this new mechanic. Does it get hard? If you’re not the one for exploration, secrets, and puzzles! I really love this game, and I should finish ALTTP eventually.   

 

 

34. Shovel Knight for WiiU!

 

 

One of the best indie games of all time, Shovel Knight is a like… Ducktales, Castlevania, and Mega Man. The story is about Shovel Knight, a knight who fell in love with Shield Knight, as they roamed the world to vanquish evil and claim loot. Upon entering a tower full of evil monsters, the two get separated. Shovel Knight defeats his wave, but finds Shield Knight’s helmet on the floor. Shovel Knight, knowing in this heart that Shovel Knight is gone, becomes a farmer. Later, he hears that a new force of evil has come from the same tower: The Enchantress and The Knights of No Quarter. (HEY, THEY RIPPED OFF LED ZEPPELIN!) It’s up to Shovel Knight to save the world from this new evil. Shovel Knight relies heavily on 18-bit style music and visuals, but it does it so well, that I’m not going to say anything bad about it. Shovel Knight’s main weapon is a shovel, which he can bounce off of like Scrooge McDuck’s cane in Ducktales. He can also use it to dig for treasure, reflect attacks and kill enemies, and find secrets in walls. Of course, Shovel Knight also has other items he can use, like a fishing pole, a wheel, and daggers that spin Shovel Knight around like a little hurricane. He can also get other armors, like one that does a better jump. Shovel Knight can also refill his potions by going to the… apple fish thing…   Troupple. He he. There’s a few moments where it really gets hard, but I still love this game. I haven’t played the DLC, so maybe one day I will.

 

 

33. Phoenix Wright: T&T for DS!

 

 

The game to end the original trilogy on, Trials and Tribulations ended it on a high note. Not only do you play as Phoenix Wright in his third year, but you play as his old mentor, Mia Fey, in a few of her cases. The first case is Mia defending Phoenix from a murder charge, two years before Phoenix became a lawyer. The other cases are great too, even if they have holes in their logic as well. I’d say this has the best variety of locations, and has perhaps the best music of the series, thanks to the Objection theme, Godot’s Theme, and Tres Bien. The characters are even crazier before! And who doesn’t love Godot’s sweet look… and coffee? The gameplay is the same as Justice For All. But, the Magatama feels a bit faster paced when presenting it and when a person spills their beans. By the end of the game, most of the loose ends of the series have come to a close. Like the last game, the only enemy is your logic. It’s a point where the series ended until Apollo Justice came… and almost brought upon the death on the series…    

 

 

32. Pokémon Colosseum for GCN!

 

 

 This is one of the best Pokémon spinoff games. Your character escapes from the evil team, this time Snagem. He’s a bad guy turned good guy, as he wants to turn Shadow Pokémon into normal Pokémon again. That’s the basic point, but it’s not a sequel to a main game. The character wants to save the world, and although you don’t get a Starter Pokémon, Umbreon and Espeon are some of the best Pokémon to begin with. There’s no gym and Elite 4, but there are arenas to get prizes. … I forgot the locations, but I remember the music being really cool for a Pokémon and GCN game. The main character I remember most is Mirror B. and his stalling Ludicolo. Gameplay is really different. Double battles are the main focus of the game, and because there’s no wild Pokémon, capturing Shadow Pokémon and turning them into normal is the main draw of the game. Capturing is a bit easy, but the process to change their hearts is not that simple. This and Pokémon Channel (which is sadly not on the list) were a few of my favorite games on the GCN. And because the Pokédex for the GBA games needed completion, you could send every Pokémon to the games. It was a great experience that I miss.    

 

 

31. Pokémon Snap for N64!

 

 

Want to combine photography with Pokémon? Make Pokémon Snap. Todd is capturing pictures of wild Pokémon, while he stumbles upon Mew flying around. He tries to take pictures of it, but Professor Oak says that Mew’s… not there. He asks Todd to take pictures of Pokémon inhabiting undisclosed island. The many places to go work well with each Pokémon, such as a tunnel, river, and beach. The soundtrack is one of the best in the N64 history. Every Pokémon roam around the place with purpose and react properly. The gameplay is fun. Taking pictures is a must, but throwing apples and Pester Balls, and playing the Pokéflute make Pokémon react differently. They also allow for many secrets to appear. The game is easy, and although it only has a couple of Gen 1 Pokémon, getting this game is a simple buy.    

 

 

30. Kirby: Nightmare In Dreamland for GBA!

 

 

 A remake of the NES classic Kirby’s Adventure, I always associated it with the TV series Kirby: Right Back At Ya! The story is about King Dedede trying to rule the world by using the iconic FOUNTAIN OF WISHES! It’s up to Kirby to stop Dedede while fighting a lot of battles. Short and simple. The upgraded sounds and graphics make this game a dream to play on. Kirby’s many animations are so funny and cute. The gameplay in the original introduced Kirby’s now known ability to swallow an enemy and copy their power. Swallowing a Sir Kibble gives you Sword Kirby, while swallowing a Knuckle Joe gives you Fighter Kirby. The list goes on. Because Kirby is meant for kids, it’s a very solid and easy game.    

 

 

29. Kirby: Triple Deluxe for 3DS!

 

 

After Kirby went and did some experimental stuff, I lost touch with Kirby for a while. That mentality alone is why I didn’t play Return To Dreamland and Squeak Squad. But, the game that got me back into the game was Kirby: Triple Deluxe. Kirby wakes up to find a huge beanstalk outside, he goes up and finds worlds full of evil. It’s up to Kirby to stop whoever grew the beanstalk. Or something like that. I’m not going to spoil the story for the next few points. The world of Kirby got a face full of 3D graphics and music, though I can barely remember most of the locations now. Huh. Well, one noticeable change is the new powers. Swallowing a beetle gives you Beetle Kirby, who is like Heracross, swallowing a clown gives you Clown Kirby, not one of the best powers, swallong an archer mouse gives you Archer Kirby, and swallowing a guy with a lance gives you Lance Kirby . … Oh, yes, and when Kirby eats a certain fruit, Kirby becomes HYPER NOVA KIRBY, able to swallow ANYTHING in his path for a while. There are also a butt-load of mini-games, secret keychain collectibles, and another mode only accessible after the game. Again, it’s Kirby, so it’s going to be easy. But, Kirby then and now is great… even if I hate “Experimental Kirby” for those lame gimmicks.  

 

 

28. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones for GBA!

 

 

I’ll confess… I never played Blazing Sword, or whatever. I wasn’t interested, even if Marth and Roy were key factors of bringing Fire Emblem to the rest of the world. My mind would change when I got the next game. The story is about a set of royal twins losing their kingdom when it’s attacked by another neighboring country. The female one, Eirika, gets help from their friends in the kingdom to the left, while the male one, Ephraim, is with his buddies. He takes control of a fortress controlled by opposing forces, but is betrayed by one of his own guards, Orson. The story gets a little more intense, but that’s all I will reveal. Most of the locations didn’t stick with me, but there were a few that really made me remember them, like the lava one, the twins’ palace, and the level where there was no light. A lot of the music is great for the GBA hardware. There is a good amount of happiness and sadness, and most of the relationships are done well. If I had to choose my favorite character, it’s L’Arachel. She’s very funny, she’s really optimistic, and a little bit mysterious at first. Since it was my first time with a Fire Emblem game, I had a fun time playing it my first time around. The gameplay was fair to people who never played a game like this before. Still, some of my characters kept on dying, but I could just do a soft reset. This also marked the first time of a world map in the localized games. Skirmishes were cool, and the endgame content was really good. It’s been a while since I played it, but maybe I should once more. I’ve been invested in the series since this game.        

 

 

27.  Custom Robo for GCN!

 

 

How dare they abandon this series… Why did they? If I remember, this game focused on a guy… My memory is fuzzy, but I do remember the ending well, and I know that this game is about how these little machines called Custom Robos can help and hurt people. It was fun, and I really loved it for what it did. A lot of the aspects of this game worked. The story, the music, the characters, the relationships, the locations, and the gameplay… were fun, even if I don’t remember it years later. It’s a shame that the next game appealed a little more to kids. After that… there was no more Custom Robo. What happened?! The first one was great! How did they not continue?! Still, it’s one of the best games of the early 2000s.    

 

 

26. Kirby: Planet Robobot for 3DS!

 

 

Although I still haven’t finished Rainbow Curse, Plant Robobot… revived my faith in what experimental Kirby could do. A big spaceship crash-lands on Popstar, and drills the planet for resources (an environmental tale).  Kirby will stop the thing from destroying his world. The visuals are lovely, even if the “machine aspect” is taking over. The music and sound effects are perfect. Kirby has three new abilities, Poison, ESP, and Doctor, which aren’t that useful compared to his other ones, and the controls at times are slippery, to me anyways. But, what makes up for it is his new friend: the robot. Although it cannot fly as high as Kirby, it can copy abilities too, and it is stronger. But, the Kirby and robot sections are balanced, which is why this experimentation really works. The bosses are fair and challenging, too. Plus, if you get Kirby and his friends amiibos, they unlock some older abilities with new costumes, and the two Kirby ones unlock Smash and UFO. I hate to say this, but this is my favorite Kirby game right now. I wonder how they’ll top this! … sees a Kirby game on the Switch OH MY GOSH!

 

 

25. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for GCN!

 

 

 Highly regarded as one of the best RPGs of all time, this game is THAT good. It starts with Mario and Peach taking a vacation to Rogueport. There, Peach gets kidnapped by Grodus and his minions, who want to use Peach to resurrect the Shadow Queen. Paper Mario needs to obtain seven crystals to open The Thousand Year Door, so that he can save Peach. Peach, although stuck, is able to do stuff on her own for a little bit, and Bowser, hearing the news that someone else kidnapped her, rushes to get revenge and tries to kidnap her too. Along the way, you recruit a Goomba researcher, a ghost that’s an actress, and even a nameless Yoshi that likes to fight. What this game really got right is the relationships between characters and the writing. The music is some of the most iconic in the spinoff series, and there are many locations to remember. The style felt like a realistic-cartoonish combination. It’s one of the stranger games out there. The combat is great. You can attack, the partners can attack, you can use items, and you can run away.  Timing is also important for each move you do. The audience can in on the fun as well, and the scenery can do some interesting stuff as well. It’s just like watching a show, which is also emphasized by the curtains during the starts and ends of each chapter. Badges also make a fun return. There’s a lot of enjoyment from this game.  Although the series fell down after this game, still, I still think the devs will one day bring back what made Paper Mario fun. … Or make Color Splash. Bleh.

 

 

24. Monster Hunter Portable G for PSP!

 

 

 I admittedly use cheats for this game, but it’s not like there was anyone still playing this by the time I beat it. The 2nd game in the portable series got me hooked, but it wasn’t until the supposed sequel that things got real. The story starts off with your character trying to escape from a dangerous monster, a Tigrex in this occasion. You survive, but the town that you arrive in don’t really like the monsters roaming around. With any kind of weapon by your side, you must stop the monsters while also helping the townspeople. I loved the environments, the people, and music when I played the game. For being on an underrated portable console, it was one of the best games in that system. The gameplay is huge. There is a lot of immersion trying to make armor and weapons, using said weapons, buying cats that can fight alongside you, buying potions and traps, and using a farm to obtain different resources. It’s that intense. The multitude of monsters also have to make you consider their patterns, their attacks, and their weaknesses. Most of them have a rage and fatigue mode, too. (…Wait, fatigue came in the 3rd generation, right?... Anyway…) Weapon and armor elements come into play every time you fight a monster. And getting certain materials meant trying to beat the same monster, but with a harder difficulty. But, thankfully, there was local co-op, and if I remember Wi-Fi as well. It was the late 2000s. Sure, I did cheat, but this game is really difficult to obtain everything. With Monster Hunter becoming huge, it’s no wonder that Generations brought back some classic places, including those from this game. I hardly can wait. I haven’t beaten the later games because they’re hard to complete. I wonder if there are still people playing 4 Ultimate now….  

A few more days till World!  

 

 

23. Final Fantasy for GBA!

 

 

 I have the first and second games as Dawn of Souls, but… Honestly, this game has become an icon in video gaming, and I finally know why and LOVE it. The story follows four warriors of light, who are sent by the King of Cornelia to retrieve his daughter Princess Sarah from the clutches of Garland, a disgraced knight of Cornelia. Afterwards, the king orders his people to build a bridge, so that the four warriors of light start their true journey: restore power to the crystals of each element and defeat the fiends guarding each. Simple, but fun. Except for the heroes and the villains, most of the NPCs don’t offer much, but it was never usually about THEIR problems. The music is legendary, even if you have never played one of the games, and even if it’s on the GBA! Although some of the locations and scenery seem simple and bland in an updated format, the designs of the backgrounds during battles and each enemy is distinct. The real meat of the game is gameplay. A player can choose four heroes from the following six: a black mage (damage spells), a white mage (healing spells), a red mage (both), a knight (hits effectively with weapons), a monk (hits effectively with fists), and a ninja (hits effectively with speed.). Each have an advantage and disadvantage. I chose the black mage, a white mage, a knight, and a monk, but maybe I’ll use a red mage and ninja sometime later, because it was really fun to play it the first time. Getting armor and weapons, magic, and items is really important, so get as much money as possible! Fighting monsters is fun, and if I heard correctly, it was revolutionary because it clearly defined who you were, and who you were fighting. It wasn’t the first person time-based gameplay that Dragon Quest had. Party lines were clear and defined. Exploring the open world was a bit jarring, since the map was big. So, I resorted to online walkthroughs. But, I forbade myself for doing the same in dungeons. And, the world is really open! You get means of traversing the world, like a ship! Still, until you get an item, you’re prone to random encounters. Some of them take forever and get boring. Running away is sometimes an option, though it’s 50/50. Sometimes, you get either ambushed or have a chance of a preemptive strike. Spells take some or a lot of magic points, so buy a lot of ethers! Save whenever convenient, because some parts are ruthless. Leveling up, on the other hand, is not. And, at a certain time, your party can grow to new characters and get stronger! The antagonists aren’t hard… but I went to a bonus dungeon too soon, and got my butt kicked. I’m unable to go to those dungeons right now and finish them, because I beat the final boss. I’ll have to play over again. Still, I had fun, for just getting into the series right now. I might continue on with III, and see what happens next.

 

 

22 & 21. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D for NN3DS and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for Nintendo Switch!

 

 

 
Another tie?! Well... I think both of them are on equal ground here!

For XC, I thought about getting the older Wii version, but I’m glad I got this game at a lower price, and bought the new console because of it. The story starts out with two big giants fighting… later on, a war takes place between a race of human-like creatures called Homs and machines called Mechons. The Mechons are killing Homs. In the middle of this, three Homs, Dunban, Mumkhar, and Dickson, are trying to stop the wave of forces. Dunban uses the legendary blade The Monado. After becoming overwhelmed by its power, Dunban can no longer use one of his arms. Mumkhar runs away, but becomes the target of Mechon snipers. Dunban and Dickson are surrounded by more Mechons, and it seems like hope is lost, but they still fight. A few years later, the Homs race survive, including Dunban and Dickson. Shulk, a genius, lies on the field, looking at Mechon scrap. Reyn finds him and says that the general is going to be mad at Shulk for being late. Shulk and Reyn return safe… Blah blah blah, Shulk and Dunban’s sister Fiora talk a little bit, Shulk tries to find out what the Monado is hiding, and he and Reyn look for an energy source to power up a tank. They unintentionally alarm an old security droid, and beat it. However, Colony 9, their home, is attacked by Mechons again. In the chaos, Shulk powers up a machine to save his friends, and then he wields The Monado. It cuts through most of the Mechons, but doesn’t cut through a new model, which can talk! The new Faced Mechon wreaks havoc and kills Fiora. Enraged, Shulk is able to hurt it, but the new Mechon leaves before Shulk can really get his revenge. Shulk and Reyn go on a mission to stop the Mechon, while trying to avenge Fiora’s death. The story gets crazier, and there are a lot of twists. It’s one of my favorite games, story-wise. Most of the characters are fresh, the comedy and tragedy work well, and the relationships are really important in this game. A lot of environments are detailed, the characters are amazing, and the music is really outstanding (even though the detail had to compensate for being on a lower resolution console). Some of the voice work is hit-and-miss with the “oofs” and “I’m really feeling it”. The gameplay is deep and engaging. It’s one of my favorite topics, so I won’t divulge anything here. A few times, it gets hard, but I really love the game. It’s worth playing over and over again.    

 

 As for Xenoblade Chronicles 2… I know I beat it recently in the new year… But, screw it. It’s a wonderful game too. The story takes place in Alrest, a world which homes several Titans, huge creatures that make up the land, just like Bionis and Mechonis in the first game. However, presently more and more Titans are slowly dying, and thus there will be no land eventually for people to live on. And to make matters worse, those Titans who die off fall into the Cloud Sea, which is basically water with a ton of pressure. The story revolves around Rex, a salvager who looks for treasure within the Cloud Sea. (He has diving gear, if you’re wondering!) He travels on a Titan named Azurda. After he collects some treasure and ponders with Azurda about the horrible state of the world, the two head off to the Argentum Trade Guild. Rex sends some of his money to his family back home, and is given a new task by Chairman Bana. He is requested by a group of people, Jin, Malos, and Nia, to retrieve a sunken ship and find the contents within. While onboard, Rex finds a girl, frozen in time and in a large case, and a sword. Upon seeing Rex near both, Jin… stabs him. In an odd state of matters, Rex dreams a lush field of land, and the girl who he saw in the real world. She says her name is Pyra, and the land he’s dreaming of is known as Elysium, a paradise which would be a solution for the dire problem at hand. After Rex makes a promise to help Pyra go to the real Elysium, Pyra shares some of her life with him. Rex, reborn, tries to get revenge on Jin and Malos. However, the battle is pointless. Azurda rushes over to Rex, but is heavily attacked by Malos’ and Jin’s ship. Rex, Azurda, Pyra, and Nia, who has a change of heart, manage to escape. But, the attacks from the ship cause the four to fly off to another part of Alrest. Rex and Pyra landed on another Titan, but do not know the fate of Azura and Nia. So, it’s time to search for them! I’ll end the story there for now, because the rest of the it is really out there. The whole plot takes about 3 hours or so, because there is a lot of detail that went into the lore of Alrest. And, I like that. Even the Nopons return, and Bana is a huge one! And, even though some of the graphics are a little bit jarring at times, this game shares most of my feelings like I had with the first. Even the odd voice acting moments! The Arts system has got a bit of an overhaul, and a person can only do three instead of five. But, for good reason. Remember Pyra from a while ago? She’s a Blade, a being with enormous power, who help their mortal counterpart, in this case, Rex. Blades also have Arts, which help their Drivers in certain situations. Each enemy now have elemental weaknesses, and Blades also carry a different kind of element. It is also possible to combine elemental special attacks, the same or different, to make the enemy weaker. New statuses also take place along with Break and Topple from the last game. It really won me over how similar it felt to the last game, and that’s what I love about this sequel. It will be pretty hard to make the third. I don’t have plans to buy the expansion pass any time soon, or restart, since there’s no NG+ right now. But, XC2 is one of the sleepers of 2017! 

 

 

20. Pokémon Gold and Silver for GBC!!

 

 

Pokémon peaked a lot during my childhood. Red, Blue, and Yellow were followed by true sequels. The game starts off two years later in the region of Johto. Professor Elm tasks you to go into the world of Pokémon. He first asks you to go to Professor Oak, who has a surprise. There’s a kid looking through Elm’s window, but he ignores you. When you find Oak, he gives you an egg, and possibly a Pokédex, I think. Receiving a call from you Pokéwatch (another new element), you hear that someone stole a Pokémon from his lab! You encounter the kid from before, and you battle him. The kid drops his wallet, and you look at it before he takes it back. You tell Elm who the guy is, and the police go to find him. You later go to defeat the eight gym leaders as usual. The plot and story get even more crazy, but I’ll stop there. For Game Boy Color visuals, the presentation is great. The music is some of the best in the series. Listen to Raviolirod City, and see what I mean! The gameplay has grown, with berries, the split between special attack and special defense, eggs, night and day, held and items. There’s a lot more when you progress, but it’s maybe the best from the series, even if it seems a little harder!

 

 

19. Pokémon Crystal for GBC!!

 

 

It’s like the above, but the story is more interesting! Eusine interacting with Suicine is one of the best side missions of all time!

 

 

18. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World for PS3!!

 

 

 This is perhaps the best movie tie-in game. It follows the structure of the movie, but the game makes it a bit longer and enjoyable for gamers. Scott Pilgrim has a new girlfriend, but Scott is tested by her seven ex-boyfriends to make sure he can have her heart. The gane has an 8-bit over-world reminiscent of Mario, and the stages, objects, and characters are presented 16-bit. The music is also very nostalgic of an SNES game. I forgot how the gameplay works, but it’s like Final Fight and River City Ransom. It’s a beat-‘em-up, and because it’s a licensed movie game, it’s perhaps the best. Not only can you play as Scott, but his friends. Get another guy, and you can play co-op. in a world full of new but uninspired games, indie games like this show that there is some love in the world.   

 

 

17. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Blue and Red Rescue Team for GBA and DS!!

 

 

Wanted to be a Pokémon? You can! In the first iterations of the spinoffs, you could play as one of twelve Pokémon, and you choose your partner! Though, there was a personality test behind it, like Super Mystery Dungeon. You wake up as a Pokémon, and want to know how it happened, while also trying to find secrets about the world you explore and why you were brought into this world. It gets really big by the ending, so I won’t say anything more. The amount of detail is amazing, and every Pokémon has a quirky and interesting personality (you can understand them because you are a Pokémon). The music fits the mood and locations well. Because the games have a more exploration over-world element to it, the combat has changed a bit. Some moves are element neutral, and some moves have more space than others (like Bubblebeam and Earthquake). Apples fill your hunger meter (one of the most frustrating parts, as 0 means you lose 1 HP while you move one space until you eat something). There are a lot of quests too, and you can befriend a lot of Pokémon… up to generation 3. I loved it as a kid, and even though Gates of Infinity is where I stopped for a while because X and Y were coming out, I tried to remain faithful to the series. It’s just sad I didn’t predict Sun and Moon, but they’ll have a Mystery Dungeon for that generation. I know it.          

 

 

16. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for PS3!!

  

 

Although everyone says that the second is better, I’ll always stick to the third. Why? Phoenix Wright is in it! And that’s all you need to hear! The story is about a threat is trying to destroy the universe. The Marvel and Capcom universe team up to stop it. And, that’s pretty much it! Even though they weren’t my main focus of the game, the places were nice and vibrant, and the music was good. Many characters played differently from each other, and it was tag team bliss. I haven’t played it in a while, and I later sold it because of Project X Zone 2. Still, I remembered the good times. (AND I WILL NOT BUY INFINITE!)

 

 

15. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D for 3DS!!

 

 

 It might be overrated, but Ocarina of Time is one of the most important video games, and I’m glad it has a 3DS release. It tells the story of Link, a boy in the beginning who is tasked to save Hyrule from a man named Ganondorf. He is asked by Zelda to retrieve some stones, so stop Ganondorf’s plan from entering the Sacred Realm. By the time he does, Zelda is chased by Ganondorf, and she throws the Ocarina of Time into the pool. With the Ocarina and stones with him, Link plays the Song of Time. He sees the Master Sword inside, but unable to lift it jumps seven years in the future. Ganondorf however enters the Sacred Realm while Link is unable to stop him. Seven years have gone by. Link has grown up, but Hyrule is ruled by Ganondorf. Hyrule is much bleaker. A man named Sheik asks Link to rescue the seven sages. Only then will they break the seal around Ganondorf’s Tower, so he can fight Ganondorf and end his reign once and for all. Everyone has praised the locations, the amount of detail, the music, and sound effects, so I’ll stop there. The Ocarina brought up an interesting mechanic: time travel, only which Chrono Trigger can surpass. Combat is significant, as it introduced the Z-targeting lock on, even if it’s not perfect. Sure, the game itself has been criticized for being linear and being similar to A Link To The Past, but, to me, its stands tall with its SNES friend. (Still, I will have to give THAT game a try one day. I already beat its “sequel”.)

 

 

14. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D for 3DS!!

 

 

This is what happens when the Zelda team get crazy. In this game, Young Link is looking around and riding on Epona in the woods, when a Skull Kid with an odd mask and two fairies, Tatl and Tael, scares Epona, making Young Link fall off. Skull Kid looks inside the bag and claims the Ocarina of Time. When Link wakes up, Skull Kid takes off with Epona. Young Link pursues him, but falls down. When he wakes up, he finds the Skull Kid. Link has become a Skull Kid. Tatl stops Link from going near Skull Kid, who runs away with Tael. The door closes and Tatl needs Link’s help. They arrive at the Clock Tower, where Link meets the Happy Mask Salesman, who asks to bring back the mask the Skull Kid stole and the ocarina in order to turn him back to human. Tatl and Link look around Clock Town, and find the Skull Kid on top of the tower. Although the two go on top by the time, the Skull Kid is about to bring down the moon to destroy Termina. Tael cryptically tells them to awaken the Four Giants of Termina, and Link gets back the ocarina. Link plays the Song of Time to rewind to three days before, and the Happy Mask Salesman uses the Song of Healing to turn him back into a kid. The salesman reveals that the mask is pure evil, and they must retrieve it. Tatl and Link plan to go to four areas to awaken the giants so that they can stop the moon from falling down. Because this is another port for a N64 Zelda, the locations and characters look better, and because of the theme of impending doom, darker. And, who can forget the music?! The combat and ocarina mechanics are the same, but the masks set this game apart from the prequel. Some do certain things, while the Deku Scrub, Goron, and Zora masks transform Link. Link can spit bubbles and triple jump in water as the Deku Scrub, he can roll and punch as the Goron, and he can swim and shoot boomerangs as a Zora. To get most of the masks, Link must take part in several mini-quests. Some are easy to do, while others are hard. Some masks are more useful than others in certain scenarios. But, perhaps the best one is the Anju and Kafei one, which I won’t spoil. It’s one of the best remakes of a really great game! (Although the swimming is a lot worse!)

 

 

13.  Pokémon Sun and Moon for 3DS!!

 

 

I love the direction where the series went in their seventh main game. A new character moves from Kanto to Alola to see a new world. You meet Hau, your new friend and rival, who is really happy, and loves to battle, Professor Kukui, who loves to learn Pokémon moves, and Lillie, who is trying to protect her friend Cosmog from danger. When the new guy saves Cosmog from Spearrows on an old bridge, the local guardian of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko saves them from dying. Hala, the island’s kahuna, and Professor Kukri give you a chance to participate in the Island Challenge, a thing different from the usual gym norm. Along the way, you meant Team Skull and the Aether Foundation. One tries to steal Pokémon (no plans on ruling the world any time soon), and the other tries to save Pokémon from their attacks. That’s all I will spoil there. The new locations are brilliant and are perfect for an island theme… except maybe for one snowy part, but there’s always been Ice Pokémon, so that can’t be ignored. A lot of the Pokémon are amazingly designed and are good for battling competitively. Some few mentions are Mimikyu, Bewear, Goliospod, Wishiwashi, Togedemaru, and Drampa. And, the Alolan forms of first generation Pokémon are nice. I wish we had some from the other gens. Some of the new moves work well too, even if I forgot them. The soundtrack is amazing too, with the feel of ukuleles and guitars and so on hitting hard, and I think this is their first attempt of a choral orchestra or whatever. A lot of new elements are cool. The Rotom Pokédex is cool… even if I just want to know where I need to go next, but Rotom won’t shut up. The Z-Crystals feel like actual rewards compared to the Gym Badges and TMs. They feel like actual progress, and they help a lot during battle. The S.O.S. feature is a blessing and a curse, for both capturing and battling. The island challenges consist of trials, which consist of Totem Pokémon, some of which I feel are a little overpowered, and Kahuna battles. Thank gosh they changed a formula a little bit. Though ironically because of that, I feel like I don’t remember the captains’ and kahunas’ names that often. That, and the captains and kahunas don’t pose as a threat until later on. Trust me. Pokéfinder is an okay version of Snap, even though it was presented differently in the demos. I would’ve preferred that version. Pokérides are cool… but, I often fail-click to the Pokémon, because I haven’t grown out of HMs… Speaking of which, no HMs. Some older ones are TMs however. But, the ride Pokémon are cool. The Battle Royal is done well, even if I haven’t played it a lot. The new Pokémon Centers are cool, and I’ve been to the coffee place a few times. I haven’t played at the Festival Plaza and Poké Pelago places a lot, but they’re okay to me. Although, getting to the Wi-Fi stuff felt a little annoying to get to. There are a few other things considered as possible spoilers, so I’ll leave them out. But, the post-game is a lot better than X and Y. Heck, I feel like these games were in response to the 20th anniversary and the not-as-big success of X and Y. Sure, some things could’ve been better, but if the series progresses further, they’ll need to remind themselves what made Sun and Moon great, and expand on the pros and fix the cons. This was better compared to X and Y in a lot of ways.      

 

 

12. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon for 3DS!!!

 

 

… So, how did the next games fare? The story is nearly the same, but this team known as the Ultra Recon Squad plan to stop Necrozma from stealing the light of Alola. One important character’s motives change because of it, but I feel like it’s worse because of that. Heck, the ending and the post-game are DIFFERENT, and I find them more intense this time around. The soundtrack is still impressive. New Pokemon are in the games, like the two new Ultra Beasts, and I haven’t got the other one, so Wi-Fi it is.  I won’t go over Necrozma because I feel like it’s very powerful in this game (and beating it is NO CAKEWALK), and is essential to the story t!!his time around. Rotom still won’t shut up, and now he has this Roulette that gives the player different power-ups or whatever. Mantine Surfing is about trying to score points to get stuff, but I’m not too fond of how it works. Trying to speed up and fly over the waves just feels complicated. The S.O.S. system has been neutered, so that only one Pokemon can be called during battle. HOWEVER… Totem Pokemon still have that problem of calling indefinitely. The island challenge has changed a little bit. Some of the Totem Pokemon were taken out and replaced with newer ones, and there is one more Island Trial. Also, you can finally obtain Totem Pokemon by collecting Totem Stickers, which replaced a certain thing from the last two games. Problem?... Exclusives. Ugh. Now, it could be me, but I feel like these games are a bit more difficult. Maybe it was because I stampeded to see what changed from the last two games. checks on Serebii Wow, the level curb has been increased, and even the Kahunas’ Pokemon are a bit different. I even got my butt handed to me a few other times. There’s also the Battle Agency. … Only used it once, and after playing it, I would just prefer to play Pokemon the right way. I won’t go over another new feature, because that one goes into story spoilers too, but it is amazing. These games are a little bit better than their predecessors to nab this spot. I love Pokemon, and it’s sad to hear that we won’t get other ones on the 3DS. With the Switch being portable, maybe they’ll create Generation VIII for it. With the Pokemon Box thing being an app, I think there would be no problem transferring games between Generations. But, with this Generation’s change in pace in the context of a different way of progression (trials instead of gyms), can the next Generation do more? … Only time will tell.

 

 

11. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for DS!!!  

 

 

Although it’s simple, I will defend Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney as one of my top ten games. The story starts off with Phoenix Wright defending Larry Butz, his best friend since he was little, for a murder he didn’t commit. He has his mentor Mia Fey by his side, and together they will solve what happened and try to get a Not Guilty verdict for Larry. The story gets so huge and epic, that I will end it there. The graphics were ported from the GBA version from Japan, so no complaint there. The music is some of the most iconic in video games, and SHOUTING “OBJECTION” IN THE MIC IS AWESOME! Your main focus is to press witness statements to get info, and use evidence to object to one of their statements if there’s a contradiction. Later, investigating becomes important, as you look for clues to help your case, and talk to people on what happened and their involvement and alibis. The touch screen becomes important, because even though it’s not used heavily on the first few, the last bonus case focuses heavily on it. It’s a great game that stands tall after about fifteen years in Japan, and I’m glad they did HD remakes for the first three games. TAKE. THAT!   

 

 

10. Fire Emblem Awakening for 3DS!!!

 

 

This is a love letter to newer and older Fire Emblem fans. It is one of the most essential RPGs IN recent history and of all time. Everything is phenomenal!  

 

 

9. Pokémon LeafGreen and FireRed for GBA!!!  

 

 

A great remake of the original Game Boy games that borrow a lot from the other third generation games to keep up with the current times, like the special defense and attack split and abilities. It is one of the best remakes of all times.

 

 

8. Pokémon OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire for 3DS!!!

 

 

Like the last entry, these games are remakes of the third-generation games to keep up with the current times, like Mega Evolutions and Fairy typing. Not to mention, the orchestral soundtrack was amazing! It’s one of the best remakes in recent history!

 

 

7. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver for DS!!!

 

 

Perhaps the best of the Pokémon remakes with good reasons! Johto and Kanto got a huge makeover in every aspect, including competitive play. I dare anyone to find any flaw for this game, except maybe the soundtrack!

 

 

6. Hyrule Warriors Legends for 3DS!!!

 

 

 I really love this game! In this game, a new villain named Cia tries to take over Hyrule with her minions. Link, Zelda, and Impa try to stop Cia from doing so. Some old heroes and villains, like Fi, Darunia, Ghirahim, and Ganondorf return to fight for their sides as well. This is an all-star game for The Legend of Zelda, even if it’s a spin-off! The music has some new tunes and orchestral version of old classics. Say all you want for the graphics on this port, but it’s still fun to play from beginning to end! It’s basically a hack-and-slash game with deep, but contradictorily simple controls. There’s a lot of content and DLC, and that’s why it’s really high on this list.   

 

I’ll never get the Fire Emblem one because I think it’s not as good.  

 

(AND NOW I HEAR THE DEFINITIVE VERSION ON THE SWITCH… YAYAAAAAAAAY…)

 

 

5. Dragonball Z Budokai 3 for PS2!!!  

 

 

 I’m a fan of the series, so it was a must to get this. To this day, I still have it. The game follows the moments of the series, but you can play as different characters and play their parts in the story. The roster encompasses the most essential characters of the series, and each has a light, medium, and heavy attack style. The presentation is incredible, and the music is some of the best of all time. The gameplay and fighting system is why people regard this game to be one of the best fighting games and anime games. It’s complex to master, but rewarding to play.   

 

Can't wait for FighterZ and see how that might trump this!

 

 

4. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX for GBC!!!

 

 

After about 13 years later when it came on the Game Boy Color, I beat one of my first games I ever owned. (What is with me and beating some games thirteen years later?) Link is sailing back to Hyrule by raft, but a huge storm stops him in his tracks, and he seemingly lands on a land called Koholint. He must find a way to escape the island, while also defeating the creatures that rule the world. My favorite character is Marin, as I tend to think that she’s one of the best supporting characters in the Zelda franchise, and she accompanies Link for a little bit. This was before I knew who Zelda was, so she was one of my favorite characters because she was friendly and helpful. Koholint Island is a wonderful location, and most of the songs are iconic and legendary, like the overworld theme. The gameplay is the basic A and B Sword and Item combination. There’s a lot of good side-quests too, and the ending is wonderful! It’s my fourth favorite game after…  

 

 

3. Super Mario Odyssey for Nintendo Switch!!!

 

 

I’m not a huge main series Mario fan. I’ve loved the racing and RPG games… well, most of the RPGs. But, I never beat any of the NES classics, Super Mario World, the 64 remake, the New Super Mario series, the Super Mario Land games, the Super Mario Galaxy games, and Super Mario 3D World. I beat Super Mario 3D Land, but I thought it was average. And, lest I talk about Sunshine, the better. Usually, I’d just stop playing each game for a while, because I had other stuff to do and play. However, something was different about Odyssey. The story starts off as Bowser kidnaps Peach, and Mario comes to rescue her. It’s basically standard for main series Mario. But, the beginning starts off with Mario fighting Bowser on his ship already. When Mario might have a chance to save Peach, Bowser’s new hat sends Mario flying away. Mario lands in a new world, and befriends his newest companion, Cappy, a sentient hat-ghost creature. Bowser stole Cappy’s sister, a tiara, and gave it to Princess Peach. Yes, Bowser forces Peach to marry him, and goes so far to do a lot of things in this story to prepare for his wedding. But, Bowser’s not alone, as he has wedding planners called the Broodals, four rabbit-like creatures. That’s as much as I will spoil, as the plot thickens. For a main series Mario game goes, it’s much better than what the normal games tend to do. Sure, the Land and Sunshine games are different in their own ways, and I haven’t played the Galaxy games to say if they are as well, but this game goes further into the lengths Bowser will go to make Peach his. Never have I wondered what will happen next in a main series Mario game until now. The game is absolutely beautiful. Mario travels to several worlds, some bigger than others. One is a vast desert which has a pyramid and oasis, while another is a city inhabited by Sims and has plenty of skyscrapers. Since I never fully played another main series Mario game as far as this game, I couldn’t say if the worlds are better than the worlds in other games. The soundtrack is incredible too, and is some of the best in the series. “Jump Up, Superstar”, the theme, will go down as one of the best in video gaming. Mario’s controls are nearly-perfect. He can do the jumps from 64 and a lot more, like rolling into a ball like Sonic. Sometimes, my jumps weren’t on point, but I think that’s probably on my end, as everyone else so far has no problem with it. The camera works nearly-perfect as well, as I’ve struggled with the camera a few times, even though it’s fully controllable this time around. It’s not as obnoxious as other 3D Mario games, though. The game-changer is Cappy. Not only does he help make some jumps and other actions bearable, but once Mario throws him into different life forms and objects, Mario possesses and captures them. This is the highlight of the game, as many of the collectables, Power Moons, need Mario to possess a variety of things. And, there is variety. The first thing Mario possesses is a frog, which can jump really high. As a bit of a warning for anyone who wants to play and buy this, not everything and every creature can be possessed, and some creatures have hats which act as a “barrier” to possession until Mario knocks it off. Minor spoilers. I won’t go into what Mario can possess, as I won’t ruin the fun for anyone. But, the capture gameplay is impressive and perhaps Mario’s greatest technique to date. It’s perhaps better than his usual power-up system, FLUDD, Luma, and the Yoshis. (But, the Yoshis can never be replaced.) The collectables, Power Moons, are essential for moving the plot forward, even though not all of them are required to beat the game.  Still, not only are there many ways to get each moon, but there are a LOT of them. Power Stars from 64 got nothing on the number of Power Moons in this game, even if some of the Moons are really easy to get. But, don’t think the tests will be that easy, as some of them require real mental strength. One of the challenges? I’ll spoil it: jump-rope 100 times in a continuous manner, while the act of the ropes moving becomes faster. It took me a while, because the matter of pressing the jump button in such a fashion needs to be straight-on perfect. It was so intense, that I held my Pro controller in different ways, and I even used both the Joy-Con and Pro controllers with HD rumble on to make sure each jump was precise. That was maybe the longest and most simple challenge to complete. The developers somehow made the act of jump-roping harder than it actually looks like. And, to be honest, this is one of the few times where I want to collect everything in the game. Still, there is a catch. There are so many Power Moons, and some of the worlds are really big, that it sometimes became really hard to locate some that aren’t in plain sight. Luckily, the game provides two ways to get hints in the game. (If that doesn’t work, luckily some YouTubers have already found out where they are. But, I don’t mind, as I know that there is still some challenge along the way.) And even though I won’t spoil anything, the ending and the post-game are jaw-dropping amazing. The game has a few flaws, I’ll admit, but this, with the game that’s number two on my list, are worth owning.

 

 

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch!!!

 

 

Although it’s been out for a while, I had to ask myself the biggest question: is it perfect? I thought… No. There are a few controller problems, frame rate issues, and questionable character moments to say it’s a ten out of ten. BUT, WITH ALL THAT SAID, it is rather enjoyable. This reincarnation of Link wakes up after 100 years, after when Calamity Ganon sought to destroy the world. He lays in Hyrule Castle, because Zelda is still holding him captive in the tower. However, she doesn’t have much time, so it’s up to Link to free the Four Divine Beasts, four gigantic mechanisms who were originally controlled by four Champions, from Ganon’s control, so that they can help Link in his battle against Ganon. But, unlike most of the modern Zelda games, which ask you to follow the story, you can ignore it for a while. This game finally brings Zelda back to its exploration roots, by having the biggest map of the series. With time, patience, and a good amount of supplies, Link will be able to traverse every single area of the world. He can unlock parts of the map, by going to towers, ala Far Cry style. This is the game-changer hardcore fans of Zelda wanted: a balance of story and exploration. The visual art style is wonderful, the backgrounds are gorgeous, and the characters actually… breathe. Heck, the Hylians and so on actually FIGHT. And, a few races return, and a few enemies, though no spoilers. The music, though mostly present in cities and stables, are a nice touch, and some of them are homages. Speaking of homages, some of the areas you go to are named after certain characters and locations old Zelda fans are familiar with.  One certain place gave me true nostalgia. The gameplay is where this Zelda game shined. Right off the bat, this game customizes the clothing. It’s imperative to switch clothing for certain areas Link will visit. Also, he has no shield and weapons. He will grab the nearest thing: a torch. But, he can defeat certain enemies and obtain their weapons. This also brings up a controversial new thing: durability. Shields, swords, and bows will break after some use. Without warning, Link could lose his stuff. But, Link doesn’t have to charge his enemies head-on. He can use the environments around him to help him kill and distract enemies more sneakily. Why is this important? Breath of the Wild… is one of the hardest games to master. The enemies now have life bars, and some enemies are harder than others. It’s like Zelda II again; but this time, fairer. Certain weapons and arrows are more beneficial than others. And stealth is necessary at times, even when trying to find certain things to cook with. Yes, finally a Zelda game with cooking! Link can make food out of whatever is roaming around the world, planted on Hyrule’s ground, or whatever is inside an enemy. It’s fun to see what Link can make, even if some results turn up… rotten. Each meal also has a bonus effect, depending on the ingredients. Back to combat, you’ll stumble upon some things called Guardians. Without preparation, it’s impossible to kill most of these guys. However, some in these buildings called Shrines can be defeated. To compensate for the 4 main dungeons, there are several mini--dungeons called Shrines that have specific puzzles and challenges. This again, is what hardcore Zelda fans wanted too: challenge in their puzzles. Each Shrine has a spirit orb, which has the power to do spoiler-related things. Some puzzles require a certain thing to use: a rune. There are seven types of rune: two types of remote bombs (but only one bomb per use, and it can be triggered at any time), a rune that can move certain metal objects, a rune that can make ice blocks out of water, a rune that can stop objects, a story related rune, and an amiibo rune. Yes, this game features amiibos. The many Zelda amiibos can offer different items, like chests that might have familiar clothing seen in other games. Is that all? No. Weather plays a big part in this Zelda title, the game follows a day and night cycle, and Link can obtain more than one horse by soothing them and by going to stables to register them to your game. And, Link will be surprised when he picks up a rock. Why? Spoilers! And, although Calamity Ganon sought to destroy the world, there are a good number of towns in the over-world, which have certain races most Zelda fans are familiar with. Sure, it isn’t perfect by my standards, but I’ll be darned if I said the developers didn’t think this through after Skyward Sword, a game that I haven’t played after two years or so. The wait for a new console title was worth it, because the 3DS got A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, and the Majora’s Mask remake. The series has gone back to a familiarity the first Zelda gave brought nearly thirty years ago. It will be hard to see what could possibly topple this game, but for now, this is the best, not perfect, Zelda game. 

 

 

1.     Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow for GB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1

 

 

This is the start to my adventure into video gaming. When I was eight, I got the original Red version. Instead of going over why this game is a masterpiece, I’ll tell you all a big story. When I was a kid, I used to camp in this certain forest during the summer. I distinctly remember my possible first time in Viridian Forest while I was walking on this concrete road or whatever. It’s been nineteen years since then, and my love for video games hasn’t stopped any time soon. 

 

 

Thank you for hearing me out on this!

 

And as a bonus…

 

XLW’s 10 Top Least Favorite Games That I Have Beaten   

 

These games suck, and I will tell you why!

 

10. Paper Mario Sticker Star for 3DS!

 

I now realize how terrible it is. Still, that does not mean Super Paper Mario is free from criticism!

  

9. Crash Bash for PS!

 

Crash did a good job with kart racing, but he sucked at trying to rip off Mario Party!

 

8. Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam for Wii!

 

Tony Hawk was about the tricks and so on on a regular track. Why a downhill race?!

 

7. Crash Nitro Kart for PS2!

 

My gosh, this was worse than CTR!

 

6. Band Hero for Wii!

 

The only reason why I still have it is Mr. Roboto. Most of the songs are dated 2000s pop crud.

 

5. Yoshi’s New Island for 3DS!!

 

Skip!

 

4. Pokémon Conquest for DS!!

 

By the time this came out, Black and White 2 was out! SKIP!

 

3. DBZ Buu’s Fury for GBA!!!

 

It was hard when I first played it! One of the worst times DBZ went RPG!

 

2. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events for GCN!!!

 

I… liked the movie. But, this was horrible!

 

2. DBZUT for PS3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I will not say it’s name, because it sullied the name of the Tenkaichi franchise! I hate the combat, the music, the graphics. I hate everything about it. The Kinect game was worse. Only things going for that were Bardock’s SS transformation and the cutscenes. But, we got that in other games. Hurrah.             

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

2017 definitely was a really great year in terms of video games. BOTW and Odyssey broke through number 2 and 3 on my list, so I can't wait to see how 2018 will deliver... even if that seems like a tall order.                        

Edited by XLW
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