It started out as an innocent suggestion — in honor of the Console Crusade Podcast’s 100th episode, what if we co-created a list of the 100 best games we’ve ever played? One nearly six-hour podcast later (and with only a few moments of acrimony!), the list was complete: certainly eclectic, sometimes puzzling, often hilarious, the “Top 100” is a living document that encapsulates decades of our collective gaming lives. What you see below is the second revision, completed at Episode 150, in which many titles rose, fell, were added, or left the list altogether. Keep a look out sometime in the near future for a third version — we’ve still been playing games, after all!
Jump to: 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26 | 25-11 | Top 10
100. Call of Duty Warzone (2020)
PC
Building upon 2019’s reboot of a Call of Duty classic, Warzone melded the arcade FPS gameplay COD is known for with the survival tactics of a burgeoning battle royale genre, a template that Raven Software iterated on in a number of meaningful ways: 1v1 gulags, loadout crates, a robust contract system, and a Resurgence mode that perfectly intersected BR and traditional multiplayer made for one of the most dynamic, fast paced competitive shooters ever released. The game featured the most engaging skill gap in the genre, putting as much emphasis on movement as it did shooting, both explicitly and by way of a number of under the hood mechanics that enabled players to break the game apart. The gunplay was immaculate, but high level engagements were often decided by whoever was able to most effectively exploit the physics of the world in order to finesse their opponents. I can confidently say that I will never love another competitive game like I did this one, and I’ll certainly never be invested enough to grind my way from feckless buffoon to top .1% of players on the planet again. This game tested friendships, but the boys and I will always be grateful to have had this outlet during the dark days of the pandemic. A question I have to ask of every subsequent game on this list: can I slide cancel? - EJ
99. Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World (2008)
PlayStation 2
While this may be controversial in the eyes of DBZ purists, I’d be remiss not to represent the Budokai series on this list in some form. Sure, Infinite World may have forgone some of the more complicated mechanics of later iterations, but I never liked beam struggles anyway. Despite being a late PS2 release, and featuring a stripped back roster relative to some of its older siblings, it’s a game that felt most like its progenitor, and became one of very few titles that kept my brother and I sitting in front of a CRT late on the weekends cursing at each other under our breaths well into our high school years. It kept us engaged with video games at a time when most of the offerings available to us were Call of Duty or some version of Wii Sports, and fondly reminded us of a much earlier part of our lives, recreating iconic battles in our childhood basement. While not appreciated in its time, I believe that Infinite World represents the best of what Budokai had to offer, and for that I will always love it. And yes, this slot could surely have been taken up by any number of similar Dragon Ball Z entries, but it’s not like any of them are any good either — this one is for the boys back home. - EJ
98. Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors (2002)
Game Boy Color
The first true heart pick on this list, Legendary Super Warriors is an absolute deep cut that deserves to be remembered as one of the best role playing games on the system. It’s a turn-based deck-building RPG, a game that takes its cues from classic Famicom releases and turns the combat into an addicting bite-sized experience tailor-made for a handheld console. Featuring a surprisingly deep set of systems (even if the UI and general onboarding can be a little arcane at times), the difficulty curve made for one of the most satisfying challenges of my early gaming life, as I was obsessed with fighting my way through the entire story of DBZ, earning all the cards in the game, unearthing every single easter egg, and unlocking each secret character and their increasingly powerful forms. - EJ
97. Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (2002)
Arcade / PlayStation 2
The original intersection of video gaming and fitness, Dance Dance Revolution Extreme features some of the most iconic tracks in the series’ early history. Gameplay is accessible for beginners and punishing for veterans, a sterling example of the design philosophy of “easy to learn but difficult to master”—everybody can get sweaty and bust a move. As a kid looking for friends in the hot San Jose summers at my Dad and stepmom Sandra’s place, DDR was a refuge. Hammering out long streaks on xenon, TRIP MACHINE survivor, and DROP THE BOMB became a biweekly pastime. Veteran players were always welcoming and willing to share tips as I made my way from Light to Standard, slapping quarters on the metal frame of the machine to secure my place and sweating away the hours at the Puff Land mini golf arcade. I even got a date once after schmoozing it up over the DDR Extreme machine at the Westridge Mall, which I naturally fumbled the bag on in typical fourteen-year-old fashion. But the fact remains: whether in the arcade under the bright lights of a cabinet or at home on soft pads, DDR Extreme remains one of the most entertaining rhythm games to both play and watch. Marvelous! - Chris
96. Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana (2016)
Nintendo Switch
A shipwreck, mysterious dinosaur monsters from a bygone era, and every character trope you can imagine, all conveniently wrapped in a charming package. Falcom remain AA underdogs, with over 4 decades producing quality games well above their weight class, and Ys 8 sits as a high-point in their action RPG output. You won’t be dazzled by the latest cutting edge graphics, or deeply engrossed in cascading systems, but you will get that same simple joy that can only come from a simple game done exceedingly well. You don’t have to be a veteran of the series to know that this isn’t silent protagonist Adol’s first rodeo, and the eclectic crew of folks that eventually join you fill both their combat and character roles effortlessly. If you ever tire of the density of modern game design, you’re a small step from being transported to a simpler time, where you beat the scales off some raptors in the jungle while a ripping guitar solo wails in the background. - Nick
95. Minesweeper (1990)
PC
We are men of a Certain Age. Growing up, the computer was a mystical contraption that we would occasionally get permission to use. But this was mom’s or dad’s computer, so it just had boring crap like a word processor, or MS Paint, or I guess Solitaire? But also in that mix, a little gem, and maybe even kind of boring before you understand how it works. Minesweeper fits neatly into the category of video games that are pretty much the electronic version of something you could find in the newspaper, a sort of digital cousin to Sudoku. You choose your field size, and then roll the dice and click a random cell and hope you don’t hit a mine. It’s kinda like reverse Battleship with insta-death. There are three options for a cell: Has a mine, is adjacent to a mine, and is clear. If a cell is adjacent to a mine (or mines), it will display a number counting how many mines are in its neighboring cells. So, it’s a grid based deduction game. No soundtrack, the looming smiley face at the top of the window, red seven-segment numbers keeping track of your time and how many mines were left in the field, and a sea of grey interspersed with numbers and flags. Computer gaming has been going downhill ever since. - Nick
94. Kirby Air Ride (2003)
GameCube
Kirby Air Ride wildly departs from the traditional side-scrolling series formula to create a warp star-centric title. In short: what if Kirby, but racing game? Air Ride features twenty-two warp star designs (most of which were designed for this title) that feature their own distinct play style, gimmicks, and stat levels. A traditional racing mode that allows you to absorb enemies to use Kirby powers as weapons (a la Mario Kart) and a top-down slot-car racer are fun, but the standout mode is the open-world City Trial. Players collect stat-boosting items in preparation for an end-of-round competition centered on one of the stat categories, such as a gliding contest, battle arena, or short race. All the while, your competitors can try to blow up your chosen warp star and kooky events like all items suddenly bouncing around like rubber or big meteors raining down from the sky keep things fresh. My brothers and I sank dozens of hours as kids into run after run in City Trial trying to assemble the two legendary warp stars and complete the full 10x10 grid of challenge objectives, and it has remained dear to my heart ever since. This is not an objectively excellent title, but it’s fun as hell and has high replayability with a group of goobers on a Friday night. And dammit, it’s finally getting the sequel it’s long deserved! - Chris
93. Trauma Center: Under the Knife (2005)
Nintendo DS
Part visual novel, part surgical sim, Trauma Center utilized the potential of the touch screen on the Nintendo DS in ways that rank among the best in the storied handheld’s lifespan. As Dr. Derek Stiles, a surgeon gifted with the mystical Healing Touch, you must undertake procedures both typical (removing glass from a car crash victim and suturing their wounds) and bizarre (removing an experimental super-parasite from a victim’s body by slicing them into small enough pieces to zap with your surgical laser and then extract). All the while, an interesting narrative about a bio-terrorist group bent on purifying the human race through novel diseases plays out. The surgical tools at your disposal are varied and respond with precision to touch controls, and the optional endgame challenges—enhanced versions of each of the seven super-bioweapons—are extraordinarily difficult and satisfying to complete. - Chris
92. LEGO Star Wars: Complete Saga (2007)
Xbox 360
Merging two early loves of mine and wrapping them into a family friendly co-op package meant that the Christmas of 2005 saw my younger brother and I genuinely ecstatic to be gifted an oft-dreaded licensed title in the original LEGO Star Wars game. With 2007’s compilation of the prequel adaptation and its OT counterpart, finally rendered in beautiful HD, The Complete Saga quickly cemented itself as one of the most delightful romps made by anyone outside of Nintendo, and one that brought me immense delight in seeing the bricks I’d been building for over a decade come to life. Equal parts beat-em-up inspired action game and puzzle/platformer dripping with charm, this title not only made the classic space opera accessible to a whole new generation of fans, but was also the inception of the campy humor LEGO has come to be known for in modern film and television. Its innumerable easter eggs make for a rich, replayable experience that’s always hiding something new for players to discover, and the number of collectibles kept us coming back to sweep every nook and cranny long after rolling credits. The puzzle solving prides itself not in its level of difficulty, but in its clever use of the bricks themselves, and the many lovingly recreated iconic sets give LEGO aficionados plenty to admire every step of the way. - EJ
91. NBA 2K12 (2011)
Xbox 360
Before sports releases devolved into yearly roster updates, a new 2K title was practically an industry event, and 2012’s installment delivered on the hype in a big way. It not only refined its passing and shooting mechanics (systems that are to this day still best in class), delivering controls that were fluid and responsive in every aspect of an NBA game, but the AI — which had been steadily improving year over year — was finally genuine enough to trick casual observers into thinking they might be watching a real game when they walked by the television. 2K12 perfected the robust MyPlayer mode the company is now known for, a compelling RPG in its own right, and one not yet fully entrenched in a modern live service ecosystem or weighed down by hackneyed story beats and poorly voiced cutscenes. It allowed players to create a character, build a career, and cultivate a persona as you interacted with the press after each game and managed your social media, engaging with some of the biggest names in the sports world at the time. The traditional offerings were also better than ever in 2012, leaning into honoring legends of the game and celebrating all eras of NBA basketball. Pitting classic teams against modern stars was always a blast, and made an entertaining backdrop for friendly arguments about players my friends and I weren’t alive to watch. This era of 2K connected me to a sport I loved in a big way, and to this day I still peek at reviews of the newest iteration hoping they’ve recaptured the magic, as my basketball fandom never felt so complete as when I was playing through the NBA season alongside my Portland Trail Blazers. - EJ
90. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997 / 2017)
PlayStation / Nintendo Switch
The Crash Bandicoot series utilized the three-dimensional capabilities of the PlayStation 1 to innovate on linear world design in ways that directly informed future generations of mascot platformers. Measuring difficulty with accessibility has always been gaming’s great challenge, and Crash 2 gets this balance right by offering varied level concepts and optional challenges like gem collection, secret zones, and time trials. The N-Sane Trilogy features improved controls that are tight and responsive to the game’s demands, runs well (even on the fossilized guts of the Nintendo Switch), and the catchy music, colorful worlds, and stylized character designs are as vibrant as we remembered them to be. Replaying this game alongside my partner, a long-time Crash veteran herself, was a serious treat. - Chris
89. Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage (1999)
PlayStation
Spyro the Dragon was my Mario 64, in that it was the title that completely reframed the way I thought about video games: using the analog stick on a Dualshock controller for the first time twisted my tiny little brain, and graduating from the likes of Donkey Kong Jr. to such a vibrant 3D world was legitimately epiphanous, as I was faced for the first time with how rapidly technology was evolving around me. I’d be hard-pressed to call the franchise underrated, but it is underappreciated relative to its peers (a lineup that consists of Mario, Sonic and Crash Bandicoot) and I maintain to this day that Spyro is the gold standard of retro mascot platformers. The sequel’s refined movement and expanded cast of characters made for one of the most concise experiences on the system, and Stewart Copeland’s score is one of my favorites of all time, bright and percussive and totally unique in its over-the-top character. The purple dragon also directly sparked in me a lifelong fascination with completing games, a sickness I’m still wrestling with to this day — for that, I’m not sure if this game is ranked too high or too low. - EJ
88. Pokémon Go (2016)
iOS
The first of Nintendo’s stable of IP to receive the mobile treatment, Pokémon Go translated the series formula of “catching ‘em all” into an addictive mobile game. Over time, the title has evolved into something almost — but not quite — analogous to a proper series title, adding features like trading, battling, and raiding to create a mobile title worthy of your time and attention. More than that, Pokémon Go was a cultural phenomenon that created opportunities for real-life social experiences on a scale few games (mobile or otherwise) can boast. The summer of 2016 saw thousands of people, gamers and non-gamers alike, leave the confines of their homes for the wonders of the outdoors, talk with complete strangers in their local parks and beaches to share tips, and participate collectively in a once-in-a-lifetime video game zeitgeist moment. While the highs of that first wave have yet to return, you can still find community in your local playgroup and that aspect remains Pokémon Go’s biggest strength. - Chris
87. Pokémon Conquest (2012)
Nintendo DS
Conquest is an unlikely mashup between Pokémon and Nobunaga’s Ambition, a game that borrows the latter’s setting and turn-based strategy combat in an effort to bring Gamefreak’s franchise to a more mature audience. It does tactics as well as Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy or Advance Wars while faithfully translating Pokémon’s entire conceit, offering more than 200 warriors to recruit and monsters to link with. The elemental type system integrates beautifully, making Conquest one of the most deliberate crossovers I’ve ever played, and arguably the greatest spinoff in Pokémon franchise history. With more than a hundred hours of quality content to experience, it’s amazing what these devs were able to cram onto the Nintendo DS, delightfully colorful and surprisingly deep — it’s a crying shame this format hasn’t been revisited in the subsequent decade. - EJ
86. Fez (2012)
Xbox 360
Way back in 2012, the idea of a downloadable game was still a bit new and novel. You’re telling me this game was made by one person, and they’re charging $10 for it? Even the retro pixel-art aesthetic hadn’t been driven completely into the dirt. Near the forefront of this indie revolution came Fez, a puzzle platformer revolving around the perspective-shifting ability of the main character as he traverses the world uncovering secrets and mysteries. Even in the current era of indie darlings, it’s hard to swing a stick without hitting one with clear inspiration from this title, and even harder to find one that can compete in creativity or focus. - Nick
85. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (2001)
GameCube
The Blue Blur’s second outing in three dimensions took the formula established in Sonic Adventure and rocketed it to dizzying heights. The title introduced Shadow, a dark mirror of our titular hedgehog, and treasure-hunting baddie Rouge the Bat, both of which would go on to become series mainstays. Each of the characters in both factions has distinct gameplay: Knuckles and Rouge glide about searching for Chaos Emeralds, Tails and Eggman pilot robo-walkers equipped with targeting lasers and hover jets, and Sonic and Shadow blitz through levels taking advantage of both their fast feet and homing attack abilities, which allows for unique three-dimensional speed platforming unlike any other title in the series. Each character’s stages have music tailor-made to their personalities, from jazzy jewel-hest vibes, to thumping chill-hop beats, to heart-racing electronic tracks—this soundtrack is pure fire, plain and simple. The story is memorable and features a climactic final stage that functions as a relay using all six characters’ abilities before a thrilling final boss battle set to the iconic, 2000s-era rock track “Live and Learn.” New multiplayer elements like arena battles and grind-rail racing courses made for fun couch sessions with family and friends, and the incredibly deep (if opaque) Chao Garden breeding system and minigames collectively provided dozens more hours of gameplay to enjoy. With Shadow (and Live and Learn!) featured in the recently-released Sonic the Hedgehog 3, there’s never been a better time to dive into the source material. - Chris
84. Age of Empires II (1999)
PC
Trying to distill my love of strategy games into a select few picks for this list was hard enough, but when it comes to classic PC experiences, I had a plethora of heart picks to choose from. Though I sunk hundreds of hours into Civ III, IV, and Revolution growing up, the RTS genre is the one I’ve come back to most as an adult — it offers all the intricacies of a turn-based title, flush with systems to min/max, but creates a tension wholly unmatched by its more deliberate counterpart. Age of Empires scratches the strategy itch while leaning into its simulation and city building elements, perfectly marrying resource gathering and management with its thrilling combat scenarios. I’ve lost countless hours of my life to this game over the past 25 years, and it continues to be a go-to for my playgroup whether we’re looking for something cooperative or competitive. - EJ
83. SSX Tricky (2001)
PlayStation 2
IT’S TRICKY TO ROCK A RHYME TO ROCK A RHYME THAT’S RIGHT ON TIME IT’S TRICKY! SSX Tricky was straight up drugs for my fourth grade brain. Vivid, over the top, relentlessly paced downhill thrills, baby. It’s one of the most polished splitscreen experiences of the sixth generation, perfect for a family with two rambunctious little boys constantly fighting over the sticks. My brother and I would rent this game every month, slowly working through unlocks one Saturday at a time, until we finally received our own copy from an uncle — the same copy I played to 100% completion during the pandemic almost twenty years later. It’s still an absolute blast! The sound design is top notch, the levels are iconic, the characters are stupid as hell. Arcade-style extreme sports games have a special place in my heart, and this one in particular lives right next to the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater games in the part of my brain that’s never actually done drugs. - EJ
82. Horizon Zero Dawn (2017)
PlayStation 4
Having already been branded a Breath of the Wild Hater™ (I gave it an 8, lay off me), I feel comfortable putting in writing my long held belief that BotW can’t possibly be in the conversation for greatest open world game of all time, because it wasn’t even the best open world game to release that month. Of course, Horizon Zero Dawn is not an open sandbox, nor does it have the flamboyant charm of a first-party Nintendo title, but for those seeking a diverse world with an interesting design conceit, memorable characters steeped in pathos, and a fascinating post-apocalyptic sci-fi mystery waiting to be uncovered, this game demands to be considered best in class. Its story is one that ponders the origin of man, wrestles with religion’s place in society, and explores the relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence, marrying these evergreen themes in a refreshing, approachable package. The smattering of interesting gray characters kept me chasing each side mission until I’d recruited every last warrior possible — I still remember the emotion I felt as I approached the final encounter backed by an army of those I’d befriended on my journey. Combat is fluid and engaging, boss fights are challenging, and the creativity in the union of primitive technology that utilizes the advanced resources of a long-since-fallen civilization remains interesting until the very end. - EJ
81. NBA Street Vol 2 (2003)
PlayStation 2
This franchise was NBA Jam for a new generation, completely absurd and dripping with character — one whose entire identity was about celebrating basketball subculture, as AND1 mixtapes were being shared on playgrounds across the country and stars like Allen Iverson were captivating the basketball world. Much like The Answer, NBA Street is unapologetic in its identity, at its core as much style as substance. Vol. 2 was another way for my brother and I to connect over a sport we loved (and trash talk each other as we pulled off absurd tricks and built toward insane combos), an absolute arcade-inspired pick up and play gem. - EJ
80. Luigi’s Mansion 3 (2019)
Nintendo Switch
Luigi’s Mansion 3 was a welcome return to form after the uneven, episodic nature of the green goober’s second solo title. Gameplay remains functionally the same: blast ghosts with a flashlight and then vacuum them up into Luigi’s backpack-mounted Poltergust G-00, use a blacklight to reveal hidden objects and scare Boos out of hiding, and explore a haunted, multi-level building to rescue Mario and co from the machinations of a sinister spookster. Eschewing a mansion setting for a hotel with a different conceit on every floor opens up even more avenues for inventive traversal and combat: on one floor with a movie studio setting players teleport between sets via possessed televisions before facing off in a Kaiju-inspired brawl on a miniature city as the shade of a famous movie director barks orders at you; on another, overgrown plants impede progress and require you to swing from branch to branch by sucking in a dangling vine and holding on for dear life. Collectible gems return and have never been more challenging to find, requiring players to frequently exercise patience and return later once a new event or ability reveals avenues that were once inaccessible. I’m thankful to see Luigi utilized as a character once again — he is arguably the only truly developed personality in the Mushroom Kingdom — and hope to see more solo adventures for the older Mario Brother in the future. - Chris
79. NieR Automata (2017)
Nintendo Switch
Sad robots are an evergreen trope, almost enough to define their own niche in the science fiction genre. It makes good fodder for philosophical pondering, a suitable “other” that fits into many genre cliches of xenophobia or transhumanism or just run-of-the-mill God complexes. Mix those robots with indistinguishably human androids, an unseen alien threat, and the omnipresent order to return humanity back to Earth after generations of absence. If you like flashy action combat, interesting gameplay that brushes against the 4th wall, charming and memorable characters, and stories that stick to the top of your skull, you must try NieR. Glory to mankind. - Nick
78. WarioWare Touched (2004)
Nintendo DS
Nowadays everyone has a phone and they’re crammed full of stupid thoughtless “games” that are a shallow veneer pasted over slot machines. Back in my day, dammit, we had REAL games on our handheld devices! Real games, and also ridiculous micro-game collections like WarioWare. The series peaked on the DS, a weirdo console that was the sequel to the long-running line of Game Boy systems, sporting two separate screens and nascent touchscreen technology. What better way to show off what this odd console was capable of than 190 tiny game ideas back-to-back in rapid succession? As you meet each character in-game, new gimmicks are introduced and your reflexes and deduction skills are tested. You’re shown a closeup of a cow’s udders, and the urgent message “Milk!” with a lit fuse counting you down. The combination of absurd art direction, increasing music tempo, and exclamations from the characters at success and failures, all build up the madcap energy into a manic hilarity when you finally either claim victory or lose the plot altogether. - Nick
77. Mass Effect 3 (2012)
Xbox 360
BioWare’s ambitious space opera comes to a close with the epic Mass Effect 3, a game that managed to improve on its predecessors in virtually every way while also successfully concluding its singular narrative that grew out of all three titles. Preparing planets for the looming arrival of the Reapers was an interesting system that made sense from a story perspective and never felt extraneous to the on-the-ground action with Commander Shepard and their crew, and new weapons and powers kept gameplay fresh without feeling like a full departure from the previous titles. While the original binary nature of the game’s ending was controversial enough to spur the developers to patch in an alternate third ending (justifiably or not, depending on your point of view) each choice made during this final installment felt direly important and intrinsically tied to the friends and enemies you’d made along the way. Rare is the narrative-driven game that can juggle distinct character arcs so successfully; rarer still is a trilogy that can somehow hold the weight of that much narrative while also paying off those arcs across multiple titles and hundreds of hours of gameplay without feeling overstuffed. This is an absolute masterclass in choice-based RPGs, and one hopes that after Mass Effect Andromeda’s critical faceplant that the long-in-development fifth title will be a welcome return to form. - Chris
76. Assassin’s Creed II (2009)
Xbox 360
Long ago, before the mass proliferation of open-world games, before the developer’s name became a punchline, and before Assassin’s Creed abandoned its stealthy roots in favor of action-adventure combat, Ubisoft delivered a generational classic in the form of Assassin’s Creed II. Introducing us to Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his blood-soaked quest for revenge against the man who murdered his family, ACII was a stratospheric commercial and critical success that put the Assassin’s Creed franchise on the map. The parkour-infused traversal improved dramatically on the slower, less refined movement of the first installment, and new weapon and tool options allowed for nearly infinite variations on each encounter. Paired with its breathtakingly-rendered Italian Renaissance setting, each and every moment spent in the Animus was a joy to experience. The meta-narrative of Desmond and his team of ragtag modern-day members of the Order of Assassins lent additional stakes to the proceedings, and while the secondary plot with ancient beings Minerva, Juno, and Jupiter has long since gone by the wayside, it’s revelation of humanity’s origins in this world remains one of the most jaw-dropping secrets I’ve ever experienced in a video game. - Chris
75. Cuphead (2017)
Xbox One
Cuphead is one of the most gorgeous video games I’ve ever set eyes and ears on, but don’t let the Max Fleischer-inspired cartoon world and hot 1920’s swing jazz fool you: this game can, and will, kick your ass six ways to Sunday if you don’t bring your best at all times. Cuphead is almost entirely multiphase boss fight set pieces, with a smattering of “run and gun” bullet-hell platforming stages; pattern memorization is understandably at a premium, as minor mistakes can rapidly deplete your limited health pool and put you on your back foot. My first attempt to run the gauntlet with a friend proved mostly fruitless: at scaled health, the bosses proved a lot to handle and I spent most of my time parrying my buddy’s ghost to keep him alive instead of staying on the offensive. Years later during a solo playthrough on Switch I found my groove and devoured the whole thing in a few weeks. At the time, it was the most difficult game I had ever completed, to the degree that my partner and roommate both roared in celebration with me as they watched me give the Devil his due. Now, I count it as the game that awakened my appetite for “hard but fair” that led me to such titles as Hollow Knight, Hyper Light Drifter, and Dark Souls: Remastered. The Delicious Last Course expansion was a fitting coda that presented still more bosses and unique challenges to get sweaty over and completed what has proven to be a fantastic first outing for Studio MDHR — and hopefully not the last. - Chris
74. Monster Hunter World (2018)
PlayStation 4
There are few series as long running and as unpalatable to our simple Western sensibilities as Monster Hunter. I haven’t played the previous installments, but they were always spoken of in equal parts disdain for the difficulty or lack of instruction, and glowing praise for the mechanical depth and rewarding loot loop. It’s clear that they were a genre of their own, and the fanbase was obsessed. 2018 brought us World, and it seemed destined for success from the beginning: it was at the peak of the PS4/XB1 generation, Capcom was riding high on Resident Evil 7, and the barrier to entry had eroded to the point of mass appeal. I’d been curious about the games before, but this entry captured my friend group in a big way and it turned into weekly hunts with the pals, pushing each other to improve our gear and helping with carving and capturing the massive eponymous monsters needed to do so. - Nick
73. Super Mario Land 2 (1992)
Game Boy
Mario already had a game on the Game Boy at its launch, and it’s no slouch, but it wasn’t until its sequel came out 3 years later that it really shone on the handheld. 6 Golden Coins gave us a much larger and expressive Mario sprite, almost on par with what World had done on SNES, and the overall world and enemy designs were much more in line with what you’d come to expect from the series. Still, it had the quirky charm of a handheld spinoff, from the Pumpkin Zone full of vampires and Voorhees-coded goombas wearing knife-stabbed hockey masks, to the aptly named Mario Zone taking place in a giant robot Mario for some reason. - Nick
72. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004)
Xbox
Knights of the Old Republic II never had a chance. Releasing a scant 17 months after the first KotOR, the original version of this game suffered from cut content, missing voice lines, and a lack of connective tissue that made it feel slightly incomplete — maddeningly so, for what was there was absolutely captivating. The first installment felt very much like a typical Star Wars story, but KotOR II had grander ambitions and tells arguably the most nuanced and compelling Star Wars story of all time, one that challenges our understanding of light and dark, even the very nature of the Force itself. Your party members are deeply susceptible to your influence and can move closer or farther away from you depending on whether or not they approve of your actions, an interesting and welcome improvement on the first game’s “just keep talking to them” system of character development. This means that certain party member’s backstories and quests are gated; your actions have consequences this time around beyond a simple binary path. Many of them eventually uncover force sensitivities, allowing you to train them as Jedi or Sith and opening up new worlds of possibilities for party compositions. Even the titular Sith Lords are more compelling than traditional Star Wars fare and serve as meditations on the alluring elements of the dark side: power, hunger, and longing. Playing through the Restored Content mod on Steam in 2021 offered the chance to see the game much closer to its intended format and confirmed what I’d long believed: KotOR II is a masterpiece, albeit a broken one, and I will forever mourn for the game that could have been. - Chris
71. Pokémon Snap (1999)
Nintendo 64
Among such Nintendo 64 gems as Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Puzzle League, one Poké-spinoff stands out amongst the pack: Pokémon Snap, a title that imagines a new relationship between people and Pokémon by casting you not as a trainer seeking to achieve glory but a wildlife photographer intent on capturing them all — pun fully intended. As Todd, you journey through several distinct biomes armed with a camera, Poké Fruits to lure creatures, Pester Balls to piss them off, and a Poké Flute to compel them to put on their dancing shoes. Utilizing these tools on each of the Pokémon provided opportunities to catch them in dramatic action poses: lure Pikachu to a nearby surfboard on the game’s first level and he’ll hang ten like a champ and mug for the camera; play the Poké Flute for Snorlax, and he goes dancing frenzy like a country boy at the honkytonk on a Friday night; perhaps most famously, luring or harassing certain Pokes at certain times could awaken the legendary birds and open up once-in-a-lifetime shots of those majestic avians in action. Running through levels multiple times to set up the perfect shot and beat your existing high scores is a joyful gameplay loop that never wears out its welcome during the game’s admittedly short runtime, and the last stage’s ethereal, spacey setting made for a memorable final encounter with the mythical Mew. This breezy title still remains a lazy summer favorite in the Gilly-Forrer household. - Chris
70. South Park: The Stick of Truth (2014)
PlayStation 4
Between parents who were overly-discerning with what I consumed as a child, and a Simpson’s loyalty streak, I never really had a chance to develop any sort of affection for South Park. It’s kind of dumb, to be honest…and while I appreciate the breakneck pace with which Matt and Trey and their team produce episodes — and its scathing social commentary — it wasn’t until playing The Stick of Truth that I really fell in love with their weird slice of animated stupidity. What had always served to take snapshots of pop culture had now moved into the gaming sphere, as much a celebration of my favorite tropes as a parody of them. There are hundreds of references tailor-made for both fans of the show and for lovers of video games, a balancing act that never makes the latter feel like they’re not in on the joke. The Stick of Truth implements addicting turn based combat that utilizes a Paper Mario inspired button-timed system, simple yet engaging in all aspects: the disconnect between reality and the imagination of these idiot children meet to create some genuine humor during battle, and the medieval fantasy RPG flourishes are a treat for longtime fans of the genre. South Park itself is full of people to meet and goodies to collect, with something interesting to do no matter where you go. I grinded out the platinum trophy for this game and its sequel in back to back weeks, loving every minute of it and left wanting for more — there are so few games quite like these ones, and that makes them all the more special. - EJ
69. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 & 2 (2020)
PlayStation 4
These remakes brought a classic blueprint to the modern era, reviving one of the most iconic franchises in video games, as well as instilling a love of skateboarding in a whole new generation of kids — everything old is new again. And while the peak of skate subculture we got to experience in the early aughts may never be reached again, it was still gratifying to see how it had evolved and the ways younger generations were still connecting with the sport. The games themselves are unimpeachable, just perfectly executed arcade fun, full of perfect bite sized challenges made frenetic by a two minute timer and its absurd physics. The original game’s recreation of iconic skate spots was a revelation in its day, backdrops we’d only seen on grainy VHS tapes now beautifully realized in 3D — and in 2020 lovingly rendered for the modern era. The remakes became a celebration of 20 years of THPS games, and the soundtrack — an all-timer that served to introduce me to a genre and subculture that would literally shape my life — is faithfully recreated here and bolstered by dozens of new additions that feel right at home on these iconic skate masterpieces. - EJ
68. Castle Crashers (2008)
Xbox 360
Back in the halcyon days of arcade gaming, the preeminent genre du jour was the belt-scrolling beat-em-up. They were specifically designed to be flashy, mashy, and destined for player failure: easy and enticing to pick up, but full of BS to buck you off like a mechanical bull. I was never a fan of the gameplay of these, as they were usually more about memorizing all the crap that was thrown at you instead of gaining mechanical skill or improving in any other measurable way. Many moons later, in the Xbox Live Arcade Era, Castle Crashers injected some much needed life into the formula with its simplified RPG mechanics and wackadoo Flash-cartoon humor. As you bash baddies into a pulp, you are rewarded with bigger spells, faster arrows, or just straight up more damage with your basic attacks. Unlock animal orbs and utilize their special abilities to up your offense or retrieve healing items for you. Grab a buddy and go beat up some barbarians! - Nick
67. Destiny (2014)
PlayStation 4
While Destiny’s launch may have failed to live up to the initial hype, the release of The Taken King made good on its promise by overhauling the entire level system, adding a ton of awesome new gear, and introducing the iconic King’s Fall raid. Bungie’s refreshing spin on the MMO formula was welcome in its time, as it doled out dailies and faction quests that rarely felt like a grind, leaning on its fluid movement and impeccable gunplay to keep players engaged. Dropping planetside was always a thrill, especially on higher difficulties — Destiny demanded that you work well with your fireteam, collaborating to overcome waves of enemies or master sets of complex puzzles. The loot loop was simply unmatched, and a decade later I’m still craving the feeling I got when decrypting engrams after a long day of running strikes. The game had a surprisingly strong platforming element too, a supplemental piece of game design that at times became an obsession, and its greatest weakness — a general lack of onboarding — led to finding an incredibly gracious playgroup and some of the best gaming memories of my life back in college. - EJ
66. Pikmin (2001)
GameCube
Pikmin is the last great brainchild of the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto. Shiggy is well-known for his E3 antics and general weirdness, but this game takes the cake: as Captain Olimar, interstellar long-haul trucker for the Hocotate Freight company, you crash land on a mysterious planet and must organize the plant-animal hybrid species Pikmin to recover the parts of your damaged ship and escape before your limited oxygen supply runs out. Freaky local critters like snake-pelican hybrid Snagrets and tiny-legged, huge-headed Bulborbs seek to devour you and your army of aggro weirdos at every turn as the march of time relentlessly soldiers on from dawn to dusk. All the while, idyllic music — some of the best the GameCube era has to offer — twinkles in the background, creating a game that is at once serene and macabre, sublime and supremely stressful. This is a game I have played some half-dozen times (my best and most recent run was full parts in 14 in-game days) and it never ceases to thoroughly engross me from start to finish. All of the Forrer boys hold Pikmin dearly in their hearts, Joey especially, and even my wife couldn’t help but hum along to The Forest of Hope after hearing it a few times. This is one oddball franchise that I’m thankful Nintendo continued to refine in subsequent outings and has now become a staple in their deep roster of IP. - Chris
65. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
PlayStation 4
Prior to Wild Hunt, the Witcher franchise was a niche fantasy that hadn’t quite been able to find its own identity in the modern game space: it’s a testament to just how well crafted this world is that its third iteration could appeal to so many who weren’t yet invested in the franchise or its characters — myself included. It’s arguably the greatest example of open-world game design, stuffed to the brim with complex systems and meaningful story content, but approachable for newcomers due to a flexible difficulty curve and clever storytelling. The Northern Realms are full of interesting and nuanced characters, at the center of them a father/daughter relationship that informs all of the other pathos waiting to be discovered. Well-planned side quests and a robust bounty system ensure that there’s always something to do and someone new to meet, making every piece of content feel distinct and relevant to Geralt’s journey. And of course, there’s Gwent: one of the greatest mini-games of all time, chalk full of in-game flavor, and so utterly addicting it warranted its own spin-off. This colorful, fantastic, terrifying world scratched an itch I’d only known in my dreams, a strange realization of something I didn’t consciously know I wanted. Despite never finishing the story, I’ve gone back to this game time and time again just to poke around and experience a little more of it. - EJ
64. Splatoon 2 (2017)
Nintendo Switch
You’re a kid. You’re a squid. You’re painting the ground while some MLG tryhard 360 no-scopes you with a sniper that is actually a mop. Leave it to Nintendo to jazz up a tried-and-true competitive formula and turn a 3rd person arena shooter into a map control brawl with bubblegum hyper-pop aesthetics. Come for the flashy art and music but stay for the punchy gameplay and addictive pacing. Just one more match. - Nick
63. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005)
PlayStation 2
Besides the fact that I was a young child with an underdeveloped brain, Battlefront 2 probably serves as the single most important reason I harbored such an early love of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Getting on the ground and playing out several iconic battles as a member of the 501st was legitimately thrilling, and dropping into a kill race with my cousins was always a spirited affair that usually led us to beating on each other with plastic lightsabers in the backyard. Refining the gameplay of its predecessor and introducing both space battles and playable hero characters, this game was at the time the most immersive way to experience the epic action of Star Wars, as visceral and engaging as anything depicted on the big screen. - EJ
62. Titanfall 2 (2016)
PlayStation 4
Famously released the week between two heavy hitters, Titanfall 2 was always destined to fail — a travesty, considering it’s lauded as having the greatest single player shooter campaign of all time, a sentiment I wholeheartedly share. Featuring perfect gunplay, epic set pieces, spectacular mobility mechanics (with wall jumping and teleportation and a number of interesting level conceits including one that sees you shifting time itself to navigate its platforming challenges) and unrelenting action make for a delicious throwback to an era when developers were making games for gamers, instead of multiplayer loot-box slop. BT-7274, the mech whose fish-out-of-water depiction initially makes for some humorous moments between chaos, eventually grows into a genuine companion, lending some unexpected pathos to an otherwise explosive romp. I’m not sure we’ll ever get Titanfall 3, but this game stands alone atop the mountain of single-player shooters. - EJ
61. BioShock (2007)
PlayStation 3
BioShock rocked the console landscape in 2007 with its grimy dieselpunk vibes and bloody gameplay. The underwater city of Rapture is one of modern gaming’s most iconic locations, an Ayn Rand-ian libertarian hellscape that eventually consumed itself through the free-flowing use of designer superdrug ADAM that augments human abilities — and slowly destroys the users’ minds. Erratic splicers dressed in tattered robes and broken animal masks seek to cut you up for the ADAM inside you, and hulking Big Daddys with their diver helmets and massive drill arms serve as formidable bosses that appear regularly as you prowl the tubes of Rapture in search of your unknown comrade Atlas (real subtle there, Ken Levine). Video games and unique currency go hand-in-hand, but BioShock’s choice to place your supply of ADAM inside the body of young girls called Little Sisters and then force you to either kill them for a full harvest or accept a reduced bounty by purifying them of the substance is chilling and was, at the time, unlike anything before it. Its shocking late-game reveal went beyond a mere reversal of fortune and utilized the very nature of what it is to play a video game to achieve its impacts, and regularly tops lists of all-time twists. BioShock is a title that burrows into your brain and implores you to revisit Rapture: would you kindly replay this game? Yes…I think I will. - Chris
60. Super Metroid (1994)
SNES
Super Metroid was a revelation in both game design immediately upon its release in 1994. Samus’ 16-bit return to Zebes set the blueprint for atmospheric backtrack-heavy exploration and level design that has arguably never been surpassed in the thirty years that followed. An interconnected series of environments combine to form a map that patiently unspools itself to you, and each discovery of a new shortcut brings both a sigh of relief and a huge smile to your face — I can’t believe I can get HERE from THERE. All the while, an all-timer of a soundtrack sets the mood that slowly transition from adventure to dread the deeper you go. Secrets lay in every corner of these moody corridors if you’re willing to poke and prod, and there is very little that you can do throughout this labyrinthian world that goes unrewarded. The speed running community has latched onto this game and it remains a favorite when Games Done Quick rolls around each summer for a clear reason. In an era where titles like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger sought to expand the way that narratives could play out in a video game with a greater emphasis on dialogue and character, Super Metroid’s conclusion manages to have a huge emotional impact without ever displaying a single syllable. It’s not hyperbolic to say that this is one of the most influential games of all time: there is no Ori, no Hollow Knight, no Dark Souls without Super Metroid. - Chris
59. Tetris (1985)
NES / Game Boy
Tetris is the ultimate puzzle title that continues to be re-released and iterated upon nearly forty years after its release. Most recent sales figures place its lifetime physical sales and digital downloads at a staggering 520 million combined units, handily making it one of the best-selling games of all time — and for good reason! The basic block-rotating formula is simple to grasp, and putting in a few rounds takes little time while providing consistent enjoyment, but to truly master Tetris is a lifetime pursuit. Only in 2023 did anyone succeed in “beating” Tetris, a 14-year-old wonderkid who played so deeply into the game that the cartridge crashed, unable to handle any additional cleared lines or speed increases. I used to spend hours after school on the phone with Nick competing to see who could get the farthest, me on my NES and him on his modded PSP, basking in the Type 2 music and saying little outside of noting level clears and grunting in consternation as we were eventually overwhelmed and hit game over. Even the origin of Tetris’ release on the NES is fascinating, a complicated legal battle over the distribution rights that was recently immortalized in the Taron Egerton-led film that bears the same name as the game. - Chris
58. Banjo-Kazooie (1998)
Nintendo 64
1998 will always remain a hotly contested candidate for “Best Year In Gaming” with monumental entries in franchises old and new (for the time). PC gamers got to experience StarCraft and Half-Life, Playstation fans got Metal Gear Solid and Spyro the Dragon, and Nintendo 64 got a cult classic: Banjo-Kazooie. Platformers were still nascent in the era of 3D game design, with templates spanning from Mario 64 to Crash Bandicoot, and the bear and bird slotted nicely into the pantheon with a wide-spanning collectathon. The acrobatics take a backseat and the joy instead comes from exploring the sprawling locations and interacting with the weirdos who litter them. - Nick
57. CrossCode (2018)
Nintendo Switch
The rookie outing by indie dev Radical Fish, CrossCode is an action RPG with a charming pixel art style and a catchy, evocative soundtrack. “Indie pixel art game” isn’t exactly a new idea, but what separates and ultimately elevates CrossCode is its frenetic combat that gives you the tools to mete out damage with melee strikes, dashing abilities, and a twin-stick shooter style ranged attack — a true inside-out approach to combat that allows for a wide variety of strats in any given encounter. An expansive skill tree centered on four primary elements gives even more options for building situational loadouts, making this one of the more deeply customizable games of its ilk. The story sees silent protagonist Lea awaken with no memory and enter the online game CrossWorlds to reawaken her dormant mind, with each area richly rendered and filled with little treasures and goodies to find through surprisingly competent isometric platforming challenges. What follows is a twist-filled plot that sees Lea and company battling against unscrupulous tech giants bent on extracting sensitive player data to create digital copies of them — in the age of AI and Hollywood unions holding the line against very similar attempts by studios to create “digital actors,” this feels more timely than ever. - Chris
56. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022)
Nintendo Switch
Forgotten Land was the pink puff’s biggest swing in at least two console generations and landed to great effect. Utilizing the full capabilities of Nintendo’s dual-use console, HAL Laboratory abandoned the series’ traditional side-scrolling formula and instead crafted a beautiful open-zone world that looks, sounds, and performs as good as any Switch title around. Sucking up enemies to ape their powers is of course still present, but now players can invest hard-won ability scrolls to soup up those powers to hilarious degrees: the iconic Hammer ability, once twice upgraded, turns Kirby into a full-on unga-bunga caveman complete with a massive stone hammer; the third-stage fire upgrade allows you to turn into a literal dragon when attacking in mid-air; and fully beefing up your sword ability allows our hero to don Meta Knight’s iconic mask and sword. I am on record that this game is badly underrated and was wrongfully knocked for its supposed lack of difficulty. Ability challenge levels have never been more difficult and require a thorough understanding of each power’s full moveset, and the endgame content (an area Kirby games are not known for) is both robust and, at the latest levels, extraordinarily difficult. I played the full game on co-op with my wife, a rare treat as our tastes don’t often align, and the happy laughter and cries of victory we shared remain some of our most treasured gaming memories to this day. - Chris
55. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (2024)
PlayStation 5
The second installment of SquareEnix’s audacious three-part remake of Final Fantasy VII, Rebirth is a sumptuous open-world title that expands its source material in every conceivable way. The world of Gaia explodes to life with vivid sights and sounds and a seemingly never-ending pool of mini-games, battles, and side quests to explore. I absolutely devoured this game — my 108-hour playthrough passed in the blink of an eye as I poured myself into the new action-RPG battle mechanics, thoughtful conversations between party members, and deepening of lore that draws from across the entire Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Not every piece of content is a hit, and that’s okay — the vast majority of what’s available is well-thought-out and enjoyable to engage with. Similarly, it’s become clear based on flagging sales numbers and some aspects of the critical consensus that this is a game primarily for people who played the original FFVII, and that’s okay too — this is very much a love letter to its progenitor title, one that manages to seize upon what this game felt like in our collective imagination for decades and bring it to life in stunning fashion. Whether the final installment treads the same narrative road as the original or fully breaks away to forge its own path, the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion. - Chris
54. Hyper Light Drifter (2016)
Nintendo Switch
Hyper Light Drifter captured my interest and never let it go for a moment until the breath was wrung from me. Many imitators have come and gone, pale facsimiles each — nobody else can capture the somber wretches and their quiet heartache like Alx Preston and his small team of indie developers at Heart Machine. Beneath the synthwave pixel-art is a bloody and brooding heart, with snappy gameplay and a wordless (yet evocative) story. It’s one of them Zelda-likes, and a damn good one at that. - Nick
53. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
Nintendo 64
Okay, so I goofed earlier about 1998 when talking about Banjo-Kazooie. How many people have opined endlessly about the merits of Ocarina of Time? It tops tons of lists, but it’s not out of obligation that we include it on ours. So, instead of shoveling onto the pile of thought pieces, I’ll just bore you all with an anecdote. For me, at seven years old, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time wasn’t just the next game in a series, it was wholly new. It was enormous. It wasn’t just pick a level, do the one task, earn a score, move on. It was a world, with a horizon to entice and intrigue, with people who suffered losses and celebrated victories, with time sliding ever forward. The sun falls, and the moon rises, and eventually you even gain the power to bend that passage of time to your will. I was just starting reading, and the story of a fantasy kingdom with destined heroes and varied races and magical stones and a Big Bad with nefarious dreams of subjugation was all new to me. For me, going through the Deku Tree was a harrowing series of puzzles and combat encounters and walking into the boss room for Gohma was too terrifying to even consider, I had to force my older brother to fight her for me. I’ve grown up, and now I can face down that nasty ceiling spider, but I’ll always remember the fear that could only come from absolute immersion. - Nick
52. Mother 3 (2006)
Game Boy Advance
The Japan-only sequel to what the west knew as EarthBound, Mother 3 is firmly in meme territory. It hovers at the apex of the bell-curve of rabid fans, and it seems all the most annoying fanbases are for properties explicitly inspired by the series: Without the Mother games, you wouldn’t have Undertale, Homestuck, Omori, LISA, OneShot, or countless other “le quirky” RPG Maker art slop. But the OG series is uncontested, in my eyes, at being both sincere and droll. Where the previous entry sticks with Ness throughout and feels like an Americana pastiche of Dragon Quest, Mother 3 takes a more winding approach with its chapters, focusing on several characters within the broader narrative. It starts with what feels to be a much more personal story of a family coping with the loss of a loved one, then has a larger step back of a town being introduced to capitalism and the commodification of entertainment, and then introducing the broader story of a continental dragon kept asleep by Seven Needles and the race against villains trying to wield that power to destroy everything. We may never get a legitimate release in English, whether due to the questionable depiction of gender non-conformity or the soundtrack with liberal references to copyrighted works; but there is a legendary fan translation that is a story in and of itself. You probably should play EarthBound first, but if you are a fan of RPGs then you owe it to yourself to play through Mother 3. - Nick
51. Fire Emblem Three Houses (2019)
Nintendo Switch
The tactics are as engaging as ever — albeit more forgiving than entries past — but it’s the addition of Three Houses’ free-roam segments and the roster and relationship management that catapult this title into all-time territory. Everything you do matters. What more can you ask of a game? Winding narrative paths make for the most content Fire Emblem has ever seen, each totally unique and full of surprises, and its political overtones are bolstered by a deep cast of interesting, empathetic, and often morally gray characters, their stories twisting and turning as their entire way of life is upended by the machinations of the opposing families. I’m not sure this is where I’d start if I was looking to dive into these games for the first time, but it is without a doubt the most well-rounded experience the franchise has to offer, with one of my favorite stories to boot. - EJ
50. Resident Evil 4 (2023)
PlayStation 5
Capcom proved that it’s possible to improve upon perfection, delivering a note-perfect remake of the seminal Resident Evil 4. While other titles in their ongoing REmake series were more in need of sprucing up, the apex installment nonetheless benefits from a gorgeous graphical update and immersive sound design, along with a buttery-smooth 60 FPS in performance mode (and even at times in resolution mode, which outputs at 4k with an uncapped framerate). Leon S. Kennedy is the plucky, 90s action hero of our dreams — one part Dale Cooper, one part Bruce Willis a la Die Hard, all parts awesome, his non-stop barrage of wisecracks and one-liners serve as a welcome respite amidst a steady stream of horrors that progressively get more awful. The action set pieces are thrilling, the boss fights are bombastic, and each environment is freakier and more challenging than the last. By the time you get comfortable dispatching hordes of Las Plagas villagers with a well-timed kneecap shot and a roundhouse kick to the face, suits of armor animated by Lovecraftian tentacle monstrosities shamble into frame; when those feel commonplace, Regenerators emerge from the flickering shadows, braying like sick animals and flopping around the floor in an attempt to mount and devour you. The amount of weapons available is a welcome increase from previous titles in the REmake series, allowing me to find and refine my own play style. I have already made my apologies to those friends who for years tried to get me to play this game, but I’m thankful my procrastination was rewarded with this absolute masterpiece of a remake. - Chris
49. Star Fox 64 (1997)
Nintendo 64
Before roguelikes were en vogue, Star Fox 64 addicted an entire generation of kids to the dopamine rush of quickly repeatable playthroughs with split pathing. Essentially a remake of the original Star Fox on SNES, SF64 puts you in the cockpit of Fox McCloud’s Arwing fighter as you and your crew seek to rid Corneria of the despotic Andross. The Lylat System and its diverse planetary biomes allowed for a multitude of world designs and new vehicles like the Landmaster Tank and the Blue-Marine sub. Perhaps most iconically, SF64 traded the bee-bah-dah-bee-bee chirping from the original title for proper voice acting which gave distinct personality to Fox McCloud and his crew, many of whom then ascended into the popular culture — DO A BARREL ROLL!! The galaxy map is a wonderfully minimal way to introduce the depth and breadth the game contains without tipping its hand on how to get there — as a kid, gazing at the planets and nebulae on the right-hand side of the screen that seemed perpetually inaccessible beguiled my brothers and friend groups. In the pre-internet era when word of mouth was the only way tips and tricks could be distributed amongst broke kids, we relied on dubious info that occasionally panned out — after saving Falco on Corneria for the first time and piloting into a waterfall, mouth agape, I knew that I had to figure out absolutely everything this game had to offer. Maybe on my next run…or my next… - Chris
48. Dead Cells (2018)
PlayStation 4
Dead Cells marries two genres I generally can’t stand in soulslikes and ‘vanias and gives them a complete roguelite makeover, perfecting the inter-run progression and delivering on its absolutely harrowing combat. The loop is familiar, but reliant upon whirlwind movement, the momentum of your avatar desperate to be mastered. It all feels so fluid — almost to a fault — but there’s a specificity in the chaos that brings immense satisfaction once locked into the mechanics. This was one of the first games I ever really took a chance on strictly due to word of mouth, and the hours I spent hunting for secrets and perfecting my builds prepared me for a yearslong love affair with an entire genre. - EJ
47. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
PlayStation 4
GTA V is the first in the series I’d ever actually played through the story, as this franchise has historically been a vibrant sandbox you can just get lost in, narrative not required. That’s truer than ever here — I spent dozens of hours just driving around causing chaos, as Los Santos is a gigantic, absurdly detailed city, a captivating window into the world of crime Rockstar has been perfecting since GTA III — but it was the characters that kept me coming back for weeks and months on end. This game’s revolving protagonists and their supporting cast is what brings the world to life, their chemistry with each other the glue that holds the entire thing together. Compelling action and a number of thrilling heists combined with its razor sharp social commentary (a once absurdist parody of our own impending idiocracy) make for one of my favorite open world experiences ever created. That, plus Lamar memes have lived rent-free in my head for a decade. - EJ
46. Super Meat Boy (2010)
Xbox 360
Way back in the ancient year of 2010, 2D platformers were basically dead. There were occasional titles, but outside of the New Super Mario series — which was quickly losing its luster — run’n’jump fans were severely underserved. Except, in that darkness, a light shone: the advent of browser-based Flash games on sites like Newgrounds. This short-lived means of games-making lead to many cult indie titles, but nothing matches the splatty chaotic speed of Super Meat Boy. Platforming had always been a genre with a level of precision in its inputs, but Team Meat took that concept to its utmost, requiring feats of dexterity that I hadn’t encountered before. Unlike many other mean Kaizo-inspired fare, Meat Boy stays brisk with fast retries and fairly brief levels to conquer, each world in its repertoire creatively adding more heinous obstacles to be pulverized by. You won’t regret jumping into the grinder, over and over again. - Nick
45. Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 1 (2012)
PlayStation 3
Telltale Games was not exactly synonymous with quality in the late aughts, but their reputation changed dramatically with the arrival of Season 1 of The Walking Dead, a title that garnered numerous game of the year awards and spawned four additional seasons and two shorter interquels. Season 1 follows recently-convicted Lee as he takes responsibility for Clementine, a young girl who has almost certainly lost her parents in the early stages of a zombie outbreak. In many ways, the pairing of Robert Kirkland’s post-apocalyptic, Southern Gothic zombie comics with the Telltale formula is a match made in heaven: each decision you’re forced to make and every conversation had between members of your group feels like it carries dire, lasting consequences, lending stakes to a game that is otherwise mostly a walk-and-talk sim. Having the eyes of Clementine upon you at all times also heightens the urgency—what kind of lessons do you want her to learn in this harsh new world, and are you prepared to take responsibility for them? “Clementine will remember that” — fuck, I hope I didn’t just ruin this kid’s future. Everyone in my apartment in the summer of 2013 would gather to watch my play sessions, and I will never forget the heavy silence that hung over the room as, teary-eyed to a person, we all tried to process what had just happened in the game’s devastating conclusion. While the company’s formula has long-since gone stale (those choices don’t matter as much as they’d like you to believe) that doesn’t diminish the impact this title had on our little family, and it remains one of my favorite games ever made. - Chris
44. Rocket League (2015)
PlayStation 4
If there’s a single thread that connects most of my inclusions on this list, it’s the marriage of cooperation and competition: whether shared or splitscreen, with or against my family and friends, against bots or real players, working together or actively undermining each other — it’s what fuels my love of gaming. Rocket League is incredibly difficult to master, but so simple in its execution: soccer, played with race cars. Press B to go fast. It’s frenetic, explosive, and hilariously stupid, and the ranked climb is one of the most addicting loops I’ve experienced in the competitive gaming world. From the first day playing with Nick, laughing our asses off in his basement, to any of the thousands of hours I poured in with my brother, getting yelled at for missing rotations, this is without a doubt one of my favorite games ever. - EJ
43. Halo 2 (2004)
Xbox
It is fall 2004 and one upcoming game is on my mind on a near-daily basis: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. For literally every other gamer on the planet it was Halo 2, of course, and the frenzy surrounding it led my brothers and I to mount a campaign to get my Mom to lift her ban on M-rated games (lest we be left behind in the unforgiving social hellscape that is high school). Even now, twenty-one years later, I struggle to articulate another video game release that so singularly captivated the entire industry. The original Halo — arguably the first truly excellent shooter designed for home consoles — had taken the world by storm, and literally everyone who owned an Xbox was rabid for the sequel. With three more years of dev time on Microsoft’s freshman outing into the console space, Bungie delivered an absolute home run: the graphical fidelity was a quantum leap forward (almost enough to make you question if you were still playing on the same hardware), and new mechanics like dual-wielding and an expanded array of weapons created much wider loadout possibilities. Narratively, this is the perfect middle entry in a trilogy: it builds upon what existed before, grows the world, sets up the concluding chapter, and also exists as a satisfying story in its own right. But the true revelation was Halo 2’s contribution to in-person and, most significantly, online multiplayer. This was the first title to take full advantage of Xbox Live — my brothers and I frequently schlepped our Xbox over Nanna’s house to use her DSL internet (we had AOL, fuckin’ RIP) to get some ranked matches in. And who could forget the now-legendary LAN party in which some 20 sweaty high school kids piled into our basement on Yamhill Street, extra televisions and Xboxes in tow, to cable up and throw down in 16-person multiplayer slugfests? Roblox could never. - Chris
42. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)
PlayStation 4
The golden age of piracy has been a fascination of mine since childhood, and (next to ancient Egypt, which we wouldn’t get for another few years) is the period of alternate history I most wanted to experience in an Assassin’s Creed game, whose formula in 2013 had not yet grown so rote. The Caribbean is lush and beautiful here, full of goodies to collect, and the story is such a delightful romp I once bought the official tie-in novel just to spend more time with the characters I’d grown so enamored with — Edward, cheeky privateer turned pirate turned reluctant Assassin, my favorite lead these games have ever featured. I became infatuated with the open sea, at home with my crew singing shanties and waiting for our next bounty to crest over the horizon, often just sailing without any objective other than to just soak it all in. Fewer moments outside the Animus, perfected parkour, quick and snappy swordplay, and intuitive ship combat make for what is still my favorite game Ubisoft has ever released. - EJ
41. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022)
Nintendo Switch
Xenoblade Chronicles as a series strikes a beautiful balance between typical JRPG tropic tale telling, delightful philosophy infused sci-fi, and the unique Japanese lens on Western religion and societal systems of power and oppression. It’s strange to think that the first entry on Wii was in an era where the English localization was the result of online petitioning, and that it’s now on a similar level to other iconic series like Pikmin and Paper Mario. I think it was cemented into the Nintendo canon once Shulk was baptised by Smash, and we even got Pyra/Mythra as DLC for Ultimate. Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and by extension its superb DLC-quel, manages to stick the landing and tie up the disparate stories of the previous two games. It does this in a way that only a game could, too, by having the characters from the two warring nations play like their predecessor games. Did I mention that they added a job system? And a steady avalanche of pathos? And some of the most gorgeous music you’ve heard in your entire life? The kind that instantly transports you back to the way you felt, like the smell of your childhood home? Yeah, Xenoblade’s got you there. The best and worst thing about picking 3 for our top list, is that it comes with the massive asterisk of it being the conclusion to a trilogy. So you’ve got a lot of homework: 200 hours or so if HLTB is to be trusted, and yes I’m counting the expansions for 2 and 3 as required reading. Your reward? A smug sense of accomplishment and a dozen songs that can instantly get you misty. - Nick
40. Final Fantasy XII (2006)
PlayStation 2
Wedged between the end of the turn-based era and the onset of the shift to action-RPG gameplay, Final Fantasy XII is a bit of an odd duck. It was the first FF title to place enemies on the overworld and utilized a battle system akin to an MMORPG — get into range of a target, and your characters will begin to attack automatically. The License Board was more or less the sphere grid from FFX on steroids and allowed every party member to be built with whatever configuration of spells, abilities, armor, and weapons that you wished. Where FFXII shines brightest is the gambit system, a method of fully automating your party’s commands based on granular circumstantial criterion. With the right set of gambits for the right situation, the game can quite literally play itself. I put my feet up many a time and tucked into a sandwich while watching my party eviscerate high-level enemies with a smug satisfaction befitting the likes of Gendo Ikari. The game’s story is Shakespearean in its tone, scope, and content: an invading empire, a deposed monarch fighting to reclaim her throne and liberate her homeland, rapacious rogues and swashbuckling rebels, even a pair of twin brothers fighting on opposite sides of the conflict for pete’s sake. I am madly in love with almost everything about this game (coughVaancough) and my recent replay on the remastered Zodiac Age edition on Switch confirmed once and for all that this is my favorite installment in SquareEnix’s flagship franchise. - Chris
39. Guitar Hero 3 (2007)
Xbox 360
Guitar Hero was a special set of circumstances. Every goddamn person had a PS2, those plastic controllers were somehow not egregiously expensive for just how tactile and intuitive they were, and rock ’n’ roll still had some level of cultural cachet. Being the third in a series destined to be driven into the ground meant that it was pretty much done shaking off some of the cruft from previous attempts, but still had a bit of edge and purity in its approach to the rhythm genre and soundtrack selections. You got classics, modern indie, punk, metal, and every note in between. Best of all, you don’t have to riff alone, making this the best-of-both-worlds vibe amalgamated equivalent of karaoke and a fighting game. - Nick
38. Marvel vs Capcom 2 (2000)
PlayStation 2
The last bastion of the arcade experience, faithfully rendered on a home console and brought into modernity with a controller in mind, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 innovated with three-on-three battles and a unique assist system that enabled team-ups previously only dreamt about: the roster is monstrous in size, stuffed to the brim with respective franchise icons, each unique in their moveset and a blast to learn. My brother and I rented this game from Hollywood Video every Friday night for as long as I can remember, passing the sticks between neighborhood kids and arguing over who got next. - EJ
37. Hades (2020)
Nintendo Switch
Hades seized hold of my cognitive function and drove me into a full-blown addiction that I refused to cut myself off from over the course of a feverous, weeks-long binge. The heavily narrative and character driven nature of this particular title made every run meaningful in a way I hadn’t seen before in the rogue-lite genre — more currency to spend on abilities and improvements to the palace, new weapons or variations on existing ones to try out on poor punching bag Skelly, new conversations to have with erstwhile fuckboy protagonist Zagreus’ many jilted exes and and companions, and possibilities of deepening a relationship with the members of the Olympiad who wanted to help you escape the underworld. I ground out dozens of runs and found myself glancing at the clock every day as my first class approached — thirty minutes? I can get in one more run. When finally I did escape for the first time, my father Hades triumphantly defeated, I was startled to discover my job was not yet done. Escape is only the beginning, the game’s narrative far from over even after another half-dozen or so successes were under my belt, and achieving the game’s true ending — and its deft subversion of one of Greek mythologies best-known stories — felt like an achievement I had truly busted my ass for. One of the best-written and well-voiced games of the modern age in addition to its strong gameplay systems, Hades is one of my personal top ten games ever made and stands in a class amongst itself in the genre — now that the sequel has arrived, perhaps it will surpass it. What could be more appropriate to Hades’ themes than that? - Chris
36. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (1995)
SNES
Five years after Yoshi’s introduction in Super Mario World, Nintendo treated us to a follow-up that centered everyone’s favorite dinosaur and departed so radically from what they had achieved in that title that it can really be considered a sequel in name only. Yoshi’s Island tells the story of Kamekoopa’s attempted abduction of Baby Mario & Luigi en route to their “delivery” (aka a stork) — Luigi is seized, but Mario falls to the forest floor and a herd of Yoshis band together to rescue his brother and carry them both to their awaiting family. Right from the jump the vibes are clear and immaculate: text cards introduce our story with scrawled chalk-drawn words and a music-box melody gently twinkles underneath like a lullaby (“try not to cry” challenge — Level: impossible). Everything else in the title follows suit and is told much like a bedtime story, complete with a hand-drawn, storybook aesthetic, catchy music, and vivid enemy designs; this game looks, sounds, and feels like it came straight from the mind of a slumbering child. Gameplay is exactly what has come to be expected from a Yoshi title: make eggs, throw eggs, drop a ground-pound to reveal secrets, and flutter kick your way across gaps. Flying question mark clouds dispense items and other surprises, like staircases to previously inaccessible areas or bubbles that transform Yoshi into a vehicle for a delightful little mini-game section. Finishing each level with all thirty red coins, five flowers, and a full 20 seconds on your Baby Mario retrieval meter is easy at first, but rapidly becomes more difficult — this title has secrets aplenty. More than anything, it is simply a joy to play from start to finish. - Chris
35. Super Mario Bros 3 (1990)
NES
Releasing a mere eighteen months before the Super Nintendo would arrive on North American shores, Super Mario Bros 3 served as the swan song for the Nintendo Entertainment System and established most of the conventions that continue to define Mario’s side-scrolling adventures. The game used a world map for the first time in the franchise, which allowed players to roam (albeit on a limited scale) and complete levels in a non-prescriptive order as they hunted for secret paths, stages, and items. Toad Houses and the roulette-style match mini-game appear for the first time and allow players to stock up on items for later use; this informs the level design, and asks players to think critically about which power up might be needed in which level to access a seemingly unreachable area. For that matter, this is the first title that allowed us to replay levels at all, complete with their end-of-stage rewards — something that has received numerous subsequent iterations like Mario World’s finish line tape and trackable flag clears in 3D World. I would argue that SM3 also has the clearest overall conceit besides Wonder — it’s a stage play! The menu screen begins with a curtain rise, the colored blocks that make up the primary traversal elements have visible screws and wires affixing them to the wall and ceiling, and at the end of the level the set gives way to a black background — exit Mario, stage left. Even if you hold the line on Mario World as tops in the series (I prefer this title, for what it’s worth), it’s undeniable that this is both one of the most influential Mario titles and platformers around. - Chris
34. Super Mario Maker 2 (2019)
Nintendo Switch
I love the open nature of discovering other peoples creations, and the joy of finding that perfect level of challenge for yourself. Struggling against the same hardcore shell-jump trick for an hour and finally clearing it is the type of exhilaration that you absolutely can not get from any other form of media. Taking those lessons from the levels you’ve played and incorporating them into your own perverted designs to then torment your friends…that’s art. It’s the perfect streamer game, and I spent almost as much time playing it on camera as I did watching others play it on camera. Troll levels, creative story telling, ultra kaizo bullshit, boss spam, you really get every flavor in the cone. I desperately want there to be a third entry because I’ve been chasing that high for years. - Nick
33. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD (2013)
Wii U
The Wind Waker may have launched to oft-overblown controversy, but in subsequent years has, for many, taken the mantle of most beloved Zelda title. It just does so much right, perfecting the Ocarina of Time formula while imbuing the world and its characters with a personality we wouldn’t come close to again until 2017. The visuals are iconic, timeless in their vivid color and exaggerated polygons, and it features the best renditions of several iconic themes — to this day containing my favorite additions to the Zelda symphonic universe. This served as my introduction to open world games, and, while it’s considered one of the easier titles in the storied franchise, appealed to someone like me who’s more interested in exploring and fighting monsters than solving puzzles and unlocking new gadgets. The remake brought a number of quality of life changes centered around the Wii U gamepad, and streamlined the back third of the game by reducing the frustrations of its final fetch quest. Plus, the quick sail! Regardless of platform, being in this world feels like going home, something I’ve rarely experienced in this hobby. It’s warm and familiar, bright and beautiful, and the thought of sailing the Great Sea again fills me with joy. - EJ
32. God of War (2018)
PlayStation 4
Sony’s second major foray into “sad Dad” territory manages to do the unthinkable: turn Kratos, a womanizing, god-murdering, sex-minigame-having Greek apostate into a complex, three-dimensional character. This soft reboot of the franchise takes Kratos to the Norse hinterlands and introduces Atreus, his pre-teen son fathered by the late Jötunn warrior Faye. I was genuinely taken aback at how well Sony Santa Monica translated this hack-and-slash gore-fest protagonist into a AAA narrative hero. The development of Kratos’ ability to believe in, trust, and then eventually rely on Atreus is genuinely compelling, and reconciling his newfound pseudo-pacifism with the call to protect his family is something even Dominic Toretto could get behind. Functionally, this game feels like Zelda by way of Viking mythology, with an ever-evolving central zone (Midgard) and smaller, outlying areas like Alfheim and Muspelheim to unlock and explore at one’s leisure. Combat is as frenetic as one would expect from a God of War title, and features a deeply customizable moveset with variations on every major weapon’s abilities, summons, and multitudinous runic abilities, all at your disposal with a button’s press. Ultimately, though, this game’s greatest strength lies in its narrative, which at its core is a simple story of parents and children struggling to connect with one another, what it means to honor our fallen loved ones, and how we learn to reconcile our traumatic pasts with our aspirational futures. Alright, maybe that’s not SIMPLE, but I’ll be damned if it’s not something everybody can understand on a humanistic level; while this author prefers the bombastic, sweeping story of Ragnarok, it’s impossible to deny that this one is more focused and relatable, and also turns one common word into a full-blown storytelling device that we won’t soon forget. - Chris
31. Super Mario RPG (2023)
Nintendo Switch
Super Mario RPG finally received its moment in the sun with this 2023 remake for Nintendo Switch. The progenitor RPG during a time before the plumber folded down into two dimensions or departed for the Beanbean Kingdom, this love child between industry titans Nintendo and SquareEnix (then SquareSoft) is both familiar and strange. Yes, that’s Mario, but he’s adorably small and stumpy; yes, that’s the Mushroom Kingdom being invaded, but by an interdimensional gang of anthropomorphic weapons instead of Bowser. And who are these cloud people?! This was the first title to allow you to select both Princess Peach and Bowser as playable characters, and also introduced cult favorites Geno, a wooden doll animated by a wish-giving star, and Mallow, a lovable frog from the neighboring Tadpole Pond (or is he??). A true JRPG in every sense of the word, your party is fully customizable with equipable badges (the progenitor to Paper Mario’s own badge system), armor, and weapons, and while it is certainly geared towards folks making their entry into the genre new post-game bosses add a level of genuine challenge for even the most seasoned players. The game’s slapstick humor set the tone for subsequent RPG entries like the Paper duology and the Mario & Luigi series, the enemies designed by Square specifically for this game are interesting and memorable, and an all-time banger of a score by Yoko Shimamura will have you floating on air through your entire playthrough. This title stands on par with the best that Mario-themed RPGs have to offer and now, finally, is playable anytime, anywhere on Switch. This remake is my own Star Hill wish come gloriously true. - Chris
30. Risk of Rain 2 (2019)
PlayStation 4
I’ve been known in my gaming circles to say ‘I’ve never met a roguelite I didn’t like,’ but Risk of Rain 2 became more of an obsession — so much so, that a friend and I platinumed the entire game on PS5 in a single week before downloading dozens of mods just to do it all over again on PC. Movement is fast and fluid, boss encounters are overwhelming, and there are so many item combinations it’s literally head-spinning, eliminating conventional binary pathing to allow incredible control over your build. Items are endlessly stackable, giving builds infinite scalability, and there are almost 20 playable characters, each with their own unique moveset. Dozens of lovingly crafted biomes, each totally distinct from one another are perfect backdrops for the game’s impeccable ambience, tied together with one of the greatest scores of all time, an electro-prog metal medley — meter shifting polyrhythmic perfection. - EJ
29. Pokémon Trading Card Game (1998)
Game Boy Color
The Pokémon Trading Card Game was such a weird phenomenon in the late 90s. Well, no, because the Pokémon anime was huge, the games were massive, the movies were colossal, and actually trading cards were in a bit of a renaissance with basketball being as huge as ever and games like Magic: The Gathering finding maturity. Card games were, however, far beyond what I could grok at the tender age of 7 or whatever when the first run of cards came out. To me, they were mystical artifacts, another set of Things that I could Collect, just like the game! GOTTA CATCH EM ALL! It wasn’t until a neighbor showed me this new Game Boy game they got, a new Pokémon! But different. And so the seed was sown, and later in life I’d devolve into a Magic sicko, but it all started because of the game on Game Boy. It tutorialized the actual TCG, teaching you the rules of play and encouraging you to build new decks like when your grass deck started having trouble in the fire gym. It’s actively annoying to me that we don’t get similar treatments with other card games, or even the modern version of the Pokémon TCG, but we’ll always have the Game Boy version. - Nick
28. Bloodborne (2015)
PlayStation 4
It feels like every game FromSoftware has put out in the modern era (post Demon’s Souls) have been filled overflowing with concepts that stick indelibly to the back of your skull. Bloodborne is just one such example, being Miyazaki’s ode to Eldritch stories by way of the tried and true Souls formula. Where Dark Souls sits ensconced in deeply dark fantasy with knights and pyromancy, Bloodborne disposes of the shields and spells as your hunter benefits more from the aggression of pursuit, rallying back your health by landing attacks, and making the parry (with a gun!!) all the more important when you can’t rely on turtling up. Every encounter can easily send you back to the lantern, but the whole game is building you up to be a horrific slaughterer of prey, plunging into every decrepit corner of Yarnham in search of shortcuts, weapons, freako NPC’s to send back to the Chapel, or discarded birthing detritus. Sorry, guys, but I gotta say it: every aspect of this game is deeply visceral. Not just the feeling you get in your guts, but the guts you extract with regularity, and the squeamish nature of its story and characters. If you need a pithy one-liner to convince you, let it be: A hunter must hunt. - Nick
27. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! (2018)
Nintendo Switch
A game I’d famously ranted about on numerous podcasts, furious to see Game Freak strip away everything that made Pokémon such a phenomenon, its release in 2018 eventually caused me to eat every single one of my words. While Let’s Go does eschew much of what players have come to know as the modern Pokémon formula, it actually streamlines the core experience in a number of meaningful ways: creatures now spawn in the overworld instead of as random encounters, HM’s remain relics of the past, Pokémon gain experience through catch streaks, and wild battles are gone entirely. By utilizing a version of Pokémon Go’s mechanics, wild encounters are now distinctly different from trainer fights, and catching Pokémon becomes an engaging mini-game instead of another mundane battle exercise. For a franchise whose motto is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” it was refreshing to see a renewed focus on these systems — so much so that I procured my first-ever Living Dex in the process of playing this game. Shiny hunting had never been easier, and became a full on obsession as my brother and I spent hours on Discord together growing our catch streaks and running around waiting for palette-swapped monsters to appear. In the end, Let’s Go turned out to be a beautiful retelling of Pokémon Red and Blue, and seeing Kanto so perfectly rendered on the Nintendo Switch — prettier and more performative than anything Game Freak has released in subsequent years — took me back to the days of battling trainers by the light of passing street lamps on long drives home. I wanted to hate this game, but it just might be my favorite entry in the series. - EJ
26. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (2021)
Nintendo Switch
Another stellar title from the ill-fated Wii U’s surprisingly robust catalog of games, Super Mario 3D World blends the best of both 2D and 3D Mario games into one charming and enjoyable package. The 2021 Switch port runs at a stable, silky 60 frames per second (docked and hand-held), making it one of the better-performing games on Nintendo’s hybrid console, and that performance is immediately noticeable as you scoot through one vibrant location after the next. Each world is no longer yoked to a specific design ethos à la the New Super Mario Bros series — no more strings of ice levels causing conniptions! — and open-zone areas like those in Super Mario Bros 3 allow players to tackle stages in any order they choose. In another break from the NSMB titles, each of the four playable characters (and the secret fifth character) has their own distinct perks: Mario is well-balanced, Toad is speedy fast, Peach can float, and Luigi’s flutter kick makes a well-deserved return after a long absence. Coupling those systems with a jazzy, boppy soundtrack gives the game an overall feel that’s distinct from its counterparts; this is a laid-back adventure that’s perfect for couch co-op or solo sessions on a comfy afternoon. That said, in keeping with other contemporary Mario adventures, the optional postgame levels can — and will — threaten to break your spirit (or your tablet, in the case of…someone I know who is certainly not me). The Switch port’s new Bowser’s Fury mode is a tantalizing taste of what the future of 3D Mario games might look like: a true open-world design with a hundred Cat Shines, collectable in any order whatsoever with no forced ejection from the stage after acquisition. Give me a full title like this, Nintendo…do it!! - Chris
25. MegaMan X4 (1997)
PlayStation
Mega Man X4 brought the series back in a big way following two somewhat sub-par outings — X2 failed to capture the magic of the first title, and poor X3 never had a chance launching at the tail end of the Super Nintendo’s lifespan (although it probably would have landed like a wet fart regardless of release window because…yikes). X4’s 3D-animated side-scrolling stages are gorgeously rendered and the soundtrack — no longer bound by the limitations of the SNES’ sound chip — was a superb showcase of what was now possible on the cutting-edge technology of the Sony PlayStation. For kids who grew up on MMX, this title had a lot to offer both big and small: flourishes like after-images trailing behind a dash, Mavericks from earlier titles frozen in the background of Frost Walrus’ stage, and — not to bury the lede here — Zero, the long-haired, sword-toting badass, was finally playable in full for the first time. Watching the big Z blast Vile apart on the original title’s first stage, my brothers and I would say to each other — wouldn’t it be so cool if we could play as Zero?? Zipping around carving up baddies using his roster of sword techniques, a nice way to distinguish his playstyle from that of X, was a gaming dream come true. A recent series playthrough did nothing to lessen the shine of the title’s core mechanics, although the animated cutscenes contain some voice work that I can refer to as acting only with extreme generosity. Even that has a certain charm to it, a reminder of what the earliest days of voice acting looked like in the industry before we arrived at the era of fully motion-captured performances and multi hundred million dollar game budgets. - Chris
24. Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018)
PlayStation 4
Releasing right as the MCU was reaching its pinnacle of cultural relevance, Insomniac brought its own loving take to the superhero genre at just the right time — this game was a culmination of all the great ideas Spidey games had experimented with in the past, this time not held back by hardware or budget. The combat is rapid and intuitive, the web-slinging traversal is spectacular, and the lore carves out its own niche in the wall-crawler’s catalog, respectful of 60 years of comic book history while creating its own distinct universe. New York is stunning, and exploring every nook and cranny while hunting for easter eggs is a joy every step of the way. Spider-Man’s rogues gallery is top-notch, full of would-be goof balls whose personalities often tip the scales from camp to something deeper, something human. This is the first game I ever platinumed, as I could not get enough of the world and its characters — Marvel’s Spider-Man is as classic a video game can be, an adventure in every way. - EJ
23. Portal (2007)
Xbox 360
The Orange Box brought Valve’s generational Half-Life 2 and online darling Team Fortress 2 to consoles for the first time, along with a little pack-in game to round out the collection. The pack-in, Portal, was supposed to be the cherry on top — it ended up being a main course all its own, an overnight sensation and phenomenon that captivated players and managed to produce a successful sequel sooner than any of the other titles in the collection (sorry to salt the wound, Half-Life fans). The game’s conceit is simple: fire blue and orange portals that link to one another on certain flat surfaces and preserve the momentum of any object that passes between them, while a seemingly benign AI named GladOS guides you through a research facility. The execution, however, is anything but, and results in a mind-bending, dizzying puzzler that forces you to think outside the box and get extremely creative in how you utilize those mechanics to try to escape. Along the way the facility slowly devolves into a nightmarish hellscape, and it becomes clear just how deranged GladOS truly is. The puzzles are superb, the writing is delightfully unhinged, and the whole thing is over in a swift three to five hours, perhaps longer depending on your aptitude for solving puzzles and appetite for hunting the game’s many secrets. It also made an indelible entry into the late-2000s cultural zeitgeist which served as the setup to one of the most iconic end credits sequences in video gaming history, simultaneously the perfect button to this insane game, a slow-burn joke punchline, and sequel setup all at once. The only negative thing I can say about this game is that I can never again experience it for the first time. - Chris
22. Elden Ring (2022)
PC
The biggest world that they’ve ever done, and it still manages to capture the tension of their previous games. That deep feeling of walking out further along a ledge, where you can fall at any moment, but the thrill drives you forward, and going back would be just as difficult. Elden Ring effortlessly takes on choice bits of open-world slop, wearing it well alongside the Souls bread-and-butter. Maybe it’s cliche, but to me, the game really shines in what they refer to as legacy dungeons: the buildings and zones that are like condensed areas from the Souls series, with the comfortable Metroidvania progression of winding and unwinding paths, kicking down ladders and unlocking one way doors. It does those while still letting you fuck off to another corner of the map at any moment you choose, which is a very welcoming bit of design philosophy that ended up launching this game to wild sales success. That, and you get a magical ghost horse summon that has a double jump. That probably was the main contributing factor. - Nick
21. Chrono Trigger (1995/2008)
SNES
In hindsight, it should have been easy to see the runaway success of Chrono Trigger coming. The development team is absolutely star-studded: directed by Yoshinori Kitase of Final Fantasy fame, with character designs and art by the late Akira Toriyama, and music by Yasunori Mitsuda with guidance (and a handful of tracks) from the legendary Nobuo Uematsu, there’s no world in which this game wasn’t a hit. And yet, Chrono Trigger transcends even further beyond the sum of its admittedly impressive parts and hovers in the rarefied air reserved for titles that have held up after years of repeated scrutiny in an ever-evolving industry. The battle system is turn-based with an emphasis on field positioning, and how party member abilities can be combined into devastating duo and trio attacks; nearly thirty years after release, this system has still never successfully been aped. The story is a fantastical epic that sees our mute hero Chrono attempting to stop a cataclysmic event taking place across multiple timelines. A breathtaking score, widely considered one of the greatest ever composed for a video game, sweeps us along from one memorable location to the next as Chrono collects quirky characters to fight at his side: a plucky mechanic, sword-wielding princess, anthropomorphic frog, turbo-yoked cavewoman, lovable robot, and even one of your greatest enemies, should you choose to recruit him to the cause instead of ending his life. With twelve distinct endings to obtain — some hilarious, some downright devastating, and a select few triumphant — this game is as robust and complete a JRPG as any in gaming history. - Chris
20. Animal Crossing New Horizons (2020)
Nintendo Switch
Does any Nintendo franchise offer better vibes than Animal Crossing? Its music and sound design are virtually unmatched, charming in everything it attempts. New Horizons of course retains everything that made these games great in the past, but expands its city (or village) building elements in order to stretch player customization to the absolute limit. For some, it’s about putzing around and just existing alongside the many villagers who have a chance of moving to your island, but for others like myself it’s about collecting everything I possibly can, building the island to my exact specifications and decorating it until I’ve run out of ideas — New Horizons delivers for the real sickos out there without sacrificing any of its personality. This game was a wonderful way to engage with our friends during the pandemic, as we’d all link up on Discord and visit each other’s islands to swap recipes or flowers, or sneak over while someone slept to cause a little chaos and drop a goodie or two for them to discover in the morning. It’s the title that ushered in a golden age of ‘cozy games,’ its influence on the modern gamespace undeniable, and all these years later I’m still checking in every now again to make sure things are tidy for the residents of Rockaway. - EJ
19. Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door (2004)
GameCube
Look, this game didn’t make me cry when I played the remaster in 2024. But I get it! All of the Mario RPG’s have somehow been better than they have any right to be, and Thousand-Year Door is perhaps the pinnacle of that sub-sub-genre. Pretty much every enjoyable aspect from Paper Mario is expanded on: the partners are much more fleshed out in combat, there are new badges to break, and the writing is somehow even better. The world you’re in, across the sea and based around Rogueport, does what Mario titles rarely do and gets you out of the Mushroom Kingdom. There are still plenty of Koopas and Goombas, but you get some more new faces like the Punies in the stark Boggly Woods or the dour denizens of Twilight Town. Each chapter brings you to a new location where Mario can silently help fix whatever weird problem the Crystal Stars have brought upon the locals. The combat is snappy, not taking too long, but also giving you that satisfaction inseparable from the Marios RPG: timed button presses to increase damage output. It’s so damn simple. It just works. Let me see how many bounces I can get on this boss. Dopamine, every time. - Nick
18. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (1998)
Game Boy Color
Koholint Island is an all time Place in video games. Link’s Awakening starts with an animated cutscene of Link sailing in a thunderstorm and capsizing, being found and saved by Marin, panning up to a volcano with a massive egg in it, TITLE CARD. It grabs the imagination immediately. Beyond the intrigue, or maybe because of it, the characters and writing have burrowed deeply into my heart. The game acknowledges in the first text box that this is a Zelda game with no Zelda, and the motif of dreams recurs through your adventure. A mysterious owl keeps showing up, alluding openly and opaquely to your goal of waking the Wind Fish and what that means to the inhabitants of the island. Between the typical dungeons, you have conversations with folks that, unlike most conversations in most games, have nothing to do with the plot or your next objective. Hell, you even go on a date! It all just serves to convey that the people on this remote island are just People, and ultimately give another narrative tension to your quest and its bittersweet resolution. It’s all wrapped up so neatly. It isn’t a grandiose quest across time or a wide expansive world. For the first game on a little handheld in a series of big console games, it overachieves and becomes my favorite among them. - Nick
17. Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Nintendo Switch
2016, as a Nintendo fan, was a year of transition. The Wii U was dropped into an unmarked grave, Zelda was the entirety of E3, and the NX was looming in the near future. Mario peeks around the curtain, The Commercial drops, and we get our first look at what would be the Nintendo Switch. Mixed in with the known quantities of Breath of the Wild and Yet Another Skyrim Port, we got the briefest glimpse of a new 3D Mario. At this point, if you’re a purist like me, it has been 14 years since the last free-roaming Mario platformer, and even then, Sunshine is remembered with sideways glances. All this preamble to say, rolling into 2017 was like a nuclear bomb going off for 9 months in a row. After the stark dearth of quality games for the tail end of the previous console, every month had something exciting or notable, amplified by the novelty and utter success the Switch was on its own. A brand new big boisterous romp capping off October felt like the absolute climax of a launch year, and Odyssey is just that: a celebration, a revival, a “we’re so back” to put a bow on the year. It’s a best-in-class platformer, every step on the route to your next whimsy an opportunity to show off your growing finesse in the systems. It’s like swinging through a jungle gym while a marching band accents your every maneuver. It’s not hyperbole, Super Mario Odyssey is just a joy to pick up until you somehow manage to put it down. - Nick
16. Metroid Dread (2021)
Nintendo Switch
Nineteen long years after Metroid Fusion, Mercury Steam delivered the biggest jolt to the franchise’s formula since the Super Nintendo era in the form of Metroid Dread. After years of methodical movement and face-tanking one enemy after another, Dread’s frenetic pace and emphasis on combat were revelatory, each boss a puzzle to be solved with my newly-acquired skills instead of a sponge for an ever-increasing number of missiles. In sixth grade when my obsession with Metroid took off, I spent countless hours posting in the MyNintendo forums and writing fan fiction that speculated about the implications of Samus’ Metroid DNA and how the Galactic Federation might respond to the destruction of their Metroid breeding program. Dread answered both of these questions — and others I didn’t even know I had — in as clearly and ambitiously a manner as I possibly could have hoped for. As these narrative threads were pulled tighter and tighter in increasingly surprising ways, the game steadily built toward the greatest boss fight in series history against the twisted Chozo Raven Beak, a battle that pushed me to the absolute limit and required my full bag of tricks to stay alive. Somehow, Dread managed to offer a satisfying conclusion to a narrative arc that spanned seven console generations while also deepening the overall lore of this universe, the Chozo, and Samus herself. I still can’t quite believe this game exists, Metroid freakin’ Dread, even as I type this. I am unashamed to say that its conclusion impacted my inner child in a profound way and gave me the kind of gaming memory that remains seared into your senses long after the credits roll, the kind I didn’t know I could still make at the ripe old age of thirty, the kind that you remember for a lifetime. - Chris
15. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (2017)
Nintendo Switch
Recipe for Shovel Knight: season a whole container of Mega Man with the best parts of 2D platformers from the 8-bit era; mix well with a chiptune soundtrack (warning: HOT!); garnish with a Dark Souls-esque corpse run mechanic; divide into four parts, and serve each with a unique paired cocktail.
Shovel Knight is an absolute delight that looks, feels, and plays how we remember 8-bit video games without any of the frustrations, limitations, or jank that our nostalgic memories have elided over time. Functionally, it’s a Mega Man game — defeat eight wicked knights who have sworn allegiance to the sinister Sorceress and gain new abilities based on their powers — but the use of a shovel as our titular hero’s primary weapon opens up traversal and platforming that would make the Blue Bomber’s simple run-and-jump mechanics green with envy. Every stage is chock-full of equipment, secret treasure troves, and hidden collectibles to dig, bounce, and smash for. The soundtrack is sensational, with tracks as evocative and catchy as anything ever done in the genre, and each boss fight comes with a bespoke theme based on the preceding stage. If this tickles your fancy then I have good news — that’s just the base game. Treasure Trove includes all three of the DLC expansions that were originally conceived as stretch goals in Yacht Club’s initial Kickstarter. While Plague Knight is hit-or-miss, Spectre Knight dramatically changes the traversal and combat mechanics of the base game and tells a compelling tale in its own right, and King Knight features a full campaign AND a brand-new card battler that’s as addictive and well-balanced as anything else on the market. - Chris
14. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (1995)
SNES
If a good sequel to a movie or book needs to ask new questions while answering old ones, giving us new heroes to root for and new villains to jeer at, then a good sequel to a game needs to do the same but with world design and with gameplay conceits. It’s a conversation: what did the players learn from the previous game? What did the developer learn? What steps do we take to raise the stakes and remove the parts that didn’t land? Donkey Kong Country set the bar impossibly high — an impressive visual showpiece, aurally jaw-dropping, with surprisingly tight gameplay. Who knew this big lumbering ape could feel so heavy while maintaining a sharp sense of control and agility? Yet, somehow, a mere 12 months later, they released a sequel that checks all the boxes. They even drew new boxes in the margins just so they could check those, too. DKC2 is tighter, faster, more varied, a little tougher, stunning, and an 11/10 soundtrack drives you from ships to theme parks to the Lost World. Plus, there’s a massive spider wearing sneakers named Squitter. - Nick
13. Fire Emblem Awakening (2012)
Nintendo 3DS
One of the only reasons to own a 3DS, Fire Emblem Awakening features a beautiful, engaging story whose mechanics tie deeply into the narrative. Relationships have a tangible effect on the tactics, both through the in-battle pairing system and its various narrative mechanics — building rapport with your allies through support conversations made you stronger on the battlefield, and the best of your army’s traits could be passed down to the next generation of warriors as you methodically perfected your team. This is a game whose characters are so iconic that Sakurai had no choice but to add to the throng of Fire Emblem characters in Super Smash Bros (eat it, nerds!), and the story at times legitimately moved me to tears, its familial themes hitting all the right emotional beats. There’s not much else I can write without spoiling some of the best surprises Awakening has to offer, but it’s safe to say this is not just Fire Emblem’s last stand — and the old guard’s absolute apex — but also the start of something new and wonderful for the franchise. - EJ
12. Final Fantasy VI (1994)
SNES
To call the narrative and thematic scope of Final Fantasy VI ambitious would be reductive: from the first haunting notes of the opening credits as waifish protagonist Terra Bradford marches forward in mechanized armor, backstory a mystery and motivations opaque, it’s clear the game will depart from generic JRPG sword-and-sorcery storylines that were emblematic of that era. And what a story it is, filled with some of the biggest gut punches Square had ever thrown at the time: Cyan’s momentary reunion with his slain family on the Ghost Train, Kefka’s second-act triumph, picking up the pieces of a broken world devoid of the party you’d spent dozens of hours getting to know, and an eventual reunion with Terra that forces her to choose between her newfound happiness as village caretaker and saving the planet from ruin. To get there, Square pushed the Super Nintendo to its absolute limits and delivered audacious set pieces that I still can’t believe exist on 16-bit hardware. Nobuo Uematsu wrote a fucking opera for this game for fuck’s sake, and is so deep in his bag throughout that it leaves no doubt as to the GOAT of video game composition. Each character has unique abilities, but everyone can equip magicite — crystallized remains of Espers — to learn and master magic, making your party compositions more customizable than any previous FF title. Want Edgar the engineer to sling black magic, or monster mimic Gau to be a healer? Go for it; the world’s your oyster. Big bad Kefka’s erratic nihilism makes him both fearsome and fascinating, and the final battle — a four-stage fight complete with matching four-movement classically-inspired music — is one of the best in franchise history. Simply put, Final Fantasy VI is not just a generational game — it is the greatest turn-based JRPG ever created. - Chris
11. The Last of Us (2013)
PlayStation 3
The Last of Us launched in the waning days of the PlayStation 3 and quickly established itself as both a sunset title for the ages and the biggest critical success in Naughty Dog’s history. While the game trafficks in fungally-infected people, it’s far from standard zombie fare — this is a deeply human story about the lengths we’re willing to go in order to protect those close to us. Limited materials and frightening enemies place the title firmly in the survival horror genre, with cover shooting mechanics and a real-time crafting system that emphasize the immediacy of this world’s dangers. The game’s narrative is easily its strongest suit, though, with fully motion-captured, career-best performances by industry vets Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. While AAA video game stories had been steadily moving in the direction of film and television for years, The Last of Us accelerated that growth and jump-started a move towards even more realistic depictions of human behavior. These characters look, sound, and feel so authentic, so true to life, that as we get lost in the story of Joel and Ellie it’s easy to forget at times that this is a video game — which makes the ending, and the bone-chilling actions we take on behalf of Joel, that much more impactful. When I first rolled credits on this title in the summer of 2013, I don’t think I spoke for a good five minutes, the ambiguous look on Ellie’s face replaying over and over again in my mind’s eye. If ever the day comes that video game narratives are broadly held as equal to their counterparts on the silver screen, we will all owe a debt of gratitude to this game for getting us there. - Chris
10. Mega Man X (1993)
SNES
Mega Man X is the Blue Bomber’s hotter younger brother — the edgy reboot revitalized the series after years of flagging sales and blasted the franchise into the 16-bit era, quadrupling the units sold by its most recent mainline counterpart. Technically, this is a sequel — X, the final creation of Dr. Light, is found in a capsule decades after his creation amidst a conflict between Reploid Mavericks bent on exterminating humanity and the Hunters who seek to stop them. Everything that the Mega Man series does well, X does better: Where MM has ponderous walk-and-shoot movement, X has blazing fast speed, dashing, and wall jumping, all of which open up vertical stage designs and traversal options that were once unthinkable; Where MM has small, generally humanoid robot masters with one or two distinct attacks, X has hulking, anthropomorphic Mavericks with tricky attack patterns and a deep bag of special abilities; Where MM has Dr. Wily (again…and again), X has the lightsaber-toting, wall-hopping, head-blasting Sigma (who admittedly became something of a Dr. Wily himself after 8 entries, but at the time was a welcome breath of fresh air); Where MM has virtually no optional content, X has a bevy of hidden HP-expanding hearts, health-restoring sub tanks, and armor upgrades that give the player a clear sense of progression; Last, and certainly not least, the soundtrack is an absolutely blistering series of bangers that stands amongst the best ever made for a video game — if not the best. I’ve probably beaten this game fifty times, including a bucket list sub-hour 100% speedrun that ranks among my most glorious gaming achievements; it is incredibly fun and infinitely replayable. More than that, it’s flawlessly well-designed and executed, a transcendent title that is as close to perfect a game as I have ever played. - Chris
9. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)
Xbox
As a kid, I’d tell anyone who’d listen that “the movies are my least favorite thing about Star Wars,” simultaneously deflecting potential criticism for being a nerd, while also opening the door for fellow geeks to join me in exploring the rabbit hole that was the Expanded Universe. In Knights of the Old Republic, Bioware created a distinct world steeped in a rich lore waiting for players to discover, respectful of its source material but never held back by it — the game understands what makes the films great, using George Lucas’s sandbox to enable players to scribe their own chapter in the Star Wars saga. The writing is concise and mature, the characters are complex and eminently likable, and the mechanics are engaging in every aspect. KotOR implements a version of D20 turn-based combat, giving players the opportunity to queue attacks and pause mid-battle to set up the actions of other party members, but presents it in a cinematic package more befitting of a game set in a galaxy far, far away. It’s also the progenitor of the modern morality system, which informs the relationships you can foster, the force powers you can use, and the branching narrative paths you can follow. Two decades later, and its DNA is evident everywhere you look, having inspired generational title after generational title — Bioware as we knew them may be gone, but they’ll never be forgotten. - EJ
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the tightest, most precise version of Mario Kart to ever exist, its final form an absolute treasure trove of racing excellence. Featuring almost a hundred courses to choose from (many of which are beautiful recreations of iconic tracks), this game became the go-to wherever I brought my Switch. It’s just…perfect. Nintendo engineered racing nirvana — karts have a heft to them, forgoing the slippery feel from prior entries, and drifting is now concise and predictable, lending itself to a more skill-based affair. The way this game controls is no doubt the platonic ideal, one they’ve been iterating towards for the better part of 25 years. The best part of the Deluxe package though? Battle mode was not only restored to its former glory, but meaningfully expanded on in several ways: Balloon Battle now utilizes a point system designed to prevent opponents from getting knocked out and spectating entire matches; levels are laid out brilliantly, maximizing interaction without creating logjams at the center; Bob-omb Blast makes its triumphant return; Renegade Roundup, a frenzied cops ‘n’ robbers inspired co-op mode enters the rotation; and the online multiplayer manages to be all but flawless. Deluxe did it all, setting expectations for future releases so astronomically high that I’m not sure they can ever be reached again. - EJ
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
Xbox 360
Host to innumerable moments of an almost aching beauty, punctuated by a strange, wistful nostalgia for a place I’ve never been before, Skyrim is the first game whose world so wholly and completely entranced me. The depths and intention of the world design still resonate with me to this day, as deliberate and granular as anything that followed in its footsteps. The melancholy of the open world is breathtaking at times, and the haunting score — occasionally relieved by a pleasant orchestral flourish or bolstered by a sweet choral refrain — kept me grounded, often forgoing fast travel just to be in the moment a little longer. Collecting books and arranging them on a bookshelf in my own home, a meal cooking over the fire, was as fulfilling to me as unearthing the treasure at the end of a dungeon I’d just painstakingly cleared of Draugr, and displaying my battle-earned trophies was often as satisfying as defeating a dragon on the outskirts of some windswept peak. It was the first time I’d ever felt that level of immersion in an RPG, no longer hyper-focused on min-maxing individual systems, but just being a part of the universe and accepting whatever it offered me — as well as the consequences of my own actions. There was no golden path, just whichever path I chose to forge myself. Hundreds of hours later and there’s still no other game I’d rather be lost in. - EJ
6. Super Smash Bros Melee (2001)
GameCube
Choosing a single Smash game for this list felt like an impossible task, as each iteration is so unique: at their core, Super Smash Bros is a celebration, meant to be enjoyed by anybody — the ultimate party game — but under the hood it may be one of the most arcane fighters ever created. The mechanics are deep and complex, yet incredibly approachable: it’s singular in its concept and execution. Melee is of course the fastest, most technical of the sequels, but it’s the perfect smattering of loving easter eggs and unlockables that made it the most played game of my adolescence. It was the first game I owned for the first console that was ever really mine, and became an obsession as I spent countless days in middle school waking up hours before my alarm to play through challenges and collect as many trophies as possible (a habit that later informed my own brief stint collecting amiibo). Attempting to smash all the targets on every single stage or beat Nick’s home run records with my favorite characters was just as entertaining as dropping into Hyrule or Onnett to Falcon Punch my brother off the map. Melee is as evergreen as a video game can be, fun for any kind of gamer, at any age or skill level, and its influence still reverberates to this day — the GameCube controller remains the gold standard for competitive play, and Melee continues to be a staple at events and tournaments across the country. For a series that I unconditionally adore, whose entries have brought me together with friends and family (and made enemies out of some), Melee is without a doubt the most beloved among them. - EJ
5. Metroid Prime Remastered (2023)
Nintendo Switch
In sixth grade, my Mom offered to rent a game for me and my brothers for the GameCube, the first console I had ever owned all by myself. Josh, my younger brother, wanted to rent Metroid Prime. I don’t remember what I wanted to rent, but it wasn’t that; what the hell is Metroid? Nonetheless, I popped the tiny-sized disc into my cobalt GCN and soon the haunting, otherworldly title screen theme danced in my ears; seriously, what the hell is this? Once I set foot on Tallon IV for the first time, it was over — I was completely, hopelessly in love from that moment forward. The electronic, ambient soundtrack pulsed in my ears and I started using my scan visor on everything, regardless of whether it resulted in a logbook entry or not, telling Josh: I’m on a scientific mission! Each new area mesmerized me, Phendrana Drifts and its driving piano melody especially, each new lore mural some clue to a civilization long-since doomed, each new ability a revelation about something I’d seen many times before that now suddenly made perfect sense. It was the kind of gaming kismet that happens once in a lifetime, maybe twice if you’re lucky, the perfect marriage of mind and material that you just know is going to last forever. This loving remaster is somehow as beautiful as anything on the Switch and showed the world once and for all that this was no game of the moment, but a true masterclass in environmental storytelling that will still be excellent in another twenty years’ time. Josh, I hope you know that you changed the course of my gaming career and, in many ways, my entire life, by winning the argument that day; I will never be able to thank you enough. - Chris
4. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Nintendo Switch
If Breath of the Wild is ‘man discovers fire,’ Tears of the Kingdom is ‘man invents wheel.’ Or maybe space flight, I don’t know. It learned (almost — almost!) every lesson it needed to from the first game and streamlined or doubled down on everything that worked, save for some *notable* gripes about weapon durability (though mileage may vary). It no longer felt like it had half a foot in the modern game space, with Ocarina of Time’s shadow looming heavy, but rather a fully realized sandbox truly meant to make your own. Instead of giving players an arcane handful of tools and asking them to solve a puzzle ‘properly,’ Nintendo delivers a clever and diverse set of mechanics that allow puzzles to be dissected a hundred different ways, urging players to think critically about a problem and concoct their own solution. It enables the most creative among us without demanding everyone be an artist, and the blueprint is recognizable enough to appease players looking for a direct sequel — but the way we’re asked to interact with the world is so much deeper, more intentional, and its presentation more cinematic. It manages to be one of the greatest open-world RPG’s ever made, while still feeling like a proper Zelda game. It exists at the intersection of countless concepts, genres, and expectations, and somehow manages to surpass all that came before it. It’s a miracle this kind of game can even exist, let alone eclipse its predecessor in every conceivable way — Tears of the Kingdom is without a doubt the promise of Breath of the Wild fully realized. - EJ
3. Super Mario World (1990)
SNES
Super Mario World is an unimpeachable game. It starts strong and never stops. If you’ve ever enjoyed a platformer, or wanted to get into them, then I don’t know if there is a better starting point. The NES-era Marios are all fantastic in their own right, but it was on the Super NES that Nintendo perfected the genre. Where Mario Bros 3 really leaned into the unique, short levels, and varied power-ups, World is more like its namesake: a World where you can explore a level, find a secret exit, and suddenly you’re in a haunted house, or up on Star Road, or opening up a Switch Palace. It’s that sense of surprise and exploration that boosts Super Mario World over the top. You still get the creative level design, especially in the aforementioned Houses of Boo. Levels aren’t just a series of obstacles, they reward pushing the boundaries, especially when you’re carrying around a huge key looking for the cartoon keyhole to swallow you up and spit you into a hidden spot on the map. Sure, the soundtrack is largely a single song reprised in a dozen different styles, but it’s a really good song. Also, Yoshi is the best. - Nick
2. Pokémon Crystal Version (2001)
Game Boy Color
Pokémon’s second generation introduced so many memorable creatures and long-lasting features that it routinely tops series-best lists; as the definitive edition of that era, Pokémon Crystal Version is, without a doubt, the best thing that Game Freak has ever produced. The improved power and color palettes of the Game Boy Color brought the series vividly to life for the first time and allowed for the Johto region’s traditional Japanese aesthetics to be more beautifully realized than Gold and Silver. The list of first-time features is utterly staggering to consider after this many years: animated sprites, gender and breeding, the introduction of dark and steel types, happiness and it’s associated evolution, backwards compatibility, a day-night cycle, time-specific Pokémon spawns and evolution, the separation of special attack and special defense, berries, held items and held item evolution, legendary Pokémon as version mascots, a visible EXP bar during battles, a segmented backpack with pockets for each item type, Pokérus, trainer rematches, special Pokéballs, shiny Pokémon, and a selectable female protagonist. PHEW! Oh yeah, one more thing: thanks to the programming work of the late Satoru Iwata the entire Kanto region becomes accessible after defeating the Elite Four, making this the first true sequel (and only one of two) in franchise history. Discovering the ways Kanto had changed after Red’s adventures in Gen 1 made my ten-year-old imagination run wild — Koga’s daughter succeeded him as gym leader! Cinnabar Island was leveled by a volcanic eruption! Blue is running the Viridian City gym!! Even then, after sixteen hard-earned badges and a hundred new Pokémon captured (including Suicune, my all-time favorite), one last jaw-dropper awaited at the summit of Mt. Silver: the legendary Pokémon Trainer Red and his monstrously strong team, a fitting final test for those who wished to be true Pokémon Masters. - Chris
1. Hollow Knight (2017)
Nintendo Switch
It’s without a hint of doubt that I say this is the pinnacle of the genre, better than any Metroid or Castlevania, and it isn’t even really close. But yet, I recognize just how adversarial this game can be. I know that it takes a while to get your first map, and even then, you have to fork over a sizable stack of cash just to have the privilege of knowing where you are within the labyrinthine passages. I know that death carries real consequence, that if you don’t manage the Souls-ian corpse run, that you will lose the precious Geo that affords you many enticing upgrades. I wouldn’t say that Hollow Knight is mean. I’d be more likely to say it pushes back, it challenges you, but it does so steadily. Often, the hardest thing you have to do is just decide what you want to do next after each mobility upgrade opens new paths. This width in design doesn’t stop at the world, but in the combat and how you approach customization. The charms you find and wear are much like the badges in Paper Mario or the rings in Dark Souls, unique modifiers that lend themselves to exploitation or just enhancing a particular playstyle. The bosses are often tough, always memorable, and a joyous combination of pattern recognition and spacing, taking advantage of the tight movement and physics of your own attacks. Hallownest is a derelict remnant of a civilization, with architecture still protruding from caverns slowly reclaiming and nobody left but the very strange, very sad, or very stupid: the humming mapmaker, a calm respite and beacon of hope you desperately need; the strange bug who craves a challenge and seeks the divine purpose in battle; the friendly Quirrel who is on his own journey of understanding. Even though this world is wracked with a lonely air, it still fills me with a sense of comfort. A warm cup of coffee on an otherwise dreary rainy day. And the soundtrack? Fuck around. In this house we bow to Christopher Larkin. - Nick