Simplest Reviews: My Favorite Video Games (and why they're great)

So my previous Top 50 list started to feel really strained and like it was missing a lot. So, I decided to expand it to a borderline Top 100. I've played many video games and I'll probably play so many more that a game making it into such a large list is still such an accomplishment, to the point where I can't not look at any of these games as anything other than something truly special. And because I feel there's so much negativity as far as gaming discourse is concerned, I decided that in addition to updating my list, I'll be slowly writing posts about why I each of these games rank as one of my favorites, starting from 100th place and working my way up to 1st. These won't be general reviews like I've done for several of these games, instead they'll focus on the things I love of them and why they stick with me as some of the best the medium has to offer. No game is perfect and if you really wanted to, you could find tons of nitpicks for every single game on this list, but for me, these are titles that are more than the sum of their parts and all ended up making some sort of positive impact on me.

Of course, this list isn't set in stone. Every once in a while, I'll discover a new game that shoots up the list, forcing another game out. Usually, this happens because a game is knocked off by another entry in its series, or because it's just too short to leave as much of an impact as the game that replaced it (a surprisingly common occurrence). In the event that I've already made a post on a game that used to be on the list, I'll leave the link here so you can still check it out. Even though they're not on my Top 100 list anymore, I still love them all the same.

And here are a few more honorable mentions I just couldn't fit onto this list:

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2: This game made me a fan of skateboarding games. It's got the best levels, the best music, and pretty much perfected the Tony Hawk formula.
Mega Man X: A damn near perfect platformer that hasn't aged a day. Every level is memorable and fun, the secrets will always be rewarding to discover, the music slaps, just simply brilliant.
Live A Live: In a console generation ripe with very similar fantasy RPGs, Live A Live broke the mold by offering eight entirely unique RPGs spread across a variety of settings. Each chapter is unique but equally fun, and the ending bridges them all together with one of my favorite twists in any video game.
Metroid: Zero Mission: Certainly the most accessible Metroid game, and I am a sucker for its brutal Shinespark puzzles, just wish it was a bit longer.
Twinkle Star Sprites: Super inventive fusion of shmup and puzzle gameplay that gets really tense and competitive, all tied together by a wonderful 90s anime aesthetic. Even if Touhou's Phantasmagoria games took inspiration from it, I think I still prefer the original.
Soulcalibur: The port that finally showed consoles could catch up to and even exceed the arcade cabinet. One of the smoothest and most polished 3D fighting games I've ever played, with one of the best fighting game campaigns ever and a metric ton of content outside of that.

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Sunday, August 27, 2023

My Favorite Video Games (and why they're great)

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