Well, I'm finally back. It took two months, but now I'm back to posting regular Let's Play videos. I'm now covering Super Mario Sunshine, a childhood favorite, an underrated classic, a flawed gem. And uploading videos of that game reminded me of all of the other games I loved as a child and, by extension, the games I love now. For the past two years I've annually updated my list of my top 25 favorite video games, and I think it's time we revisit that list - especially because I've experienced more fantastic games this year than in any year prior.
All games are allowed with one notable exception: compilations. If I allowed them then Super Mario All-Stars and Kirby's Dream Collection would easily top this list just because of how much content they have alone. I also will not put multiple versions of the same game on the list, because that's just cheating.
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#25: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a Zelda guy. To this day I still cannot beat Moldorm in A Link to the Past, and hell, I died over seven times in the first dungeon in Ocarina of Time. That's right, over seven times. But if I'm not good at Zelda games, does that make them bad games? Hell no. And Majora's Mask is my proof.
There is something to be said about a game that is pure emotion. Modern indie developers try to do it all of the time with games like Limbo or Journey, but I still think Nintendo did it best with this game right here. Despite my sheer inability to play Zelda games, I still returned to Majora's Mask, determined to save the virtual world of Termina from its seemingly fated demise. Sure, I got frustrated, but that didn't matter. The game convinced me that I had to continue to press on, no matter what. And very few games can do that.
#24: Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)
It wasn't until the late 90s that gaming developers started to realize that gaming wasn't just for kids. The generation of people who grew up with an Atari or NES now grew up and still wanted to play games. As a result Rare made great games like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark to cater to those audiences. But in 2001, they also made a third game for the older crowd, and it is the funniest platform ever created.
Conker's Bad Fur Day, from a technical standpoint, is a pretty badly-designed game, with some awful difficulty spikes, some near-broken areas, and crappy controls in certain parts, but the charm, comedy, and pure Britishness that oozes from this game make it so fun regardless. You may be frustrated at this part, but then you remind yourself that you're a talking squirrel shooting evil Teddy Bears in a parody of Saving Private Ryan. It's impossible to not smile after reminding yourself of that.
#23: Kirby's Adventure (NES)
In the midst of all of the NES classics that people continue to remember to this day, one constantly is overlooked: a game that pushed its platform so far ahead that it almost looks like it belonged in the subsequent console generation. This game, Kirby's Adventure, is not only my favorite NES game, but it also is one of my favorite Kirby games, and it is one of few NES games that still holds up perfectly well by today's standards.
#22: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
Video games have a leg up over other forms of entertainment because of the element of control that they provide. You don't watch Mario run and jump across the screen, no, you are Mario. It is strange, then, that one of the greatest games ever made happens to have very little gameplay.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a game about using the right item at the right time. You find these items throughout your investigations and then have to present them in the courtroom with the goal of revealing the truth behind a case and getting your defendant a "not-guilty" verdict. And while that may seem simple and perhaps boring, it is the execution of such a simple concept that makes this game and its sequels more immersive and entertaining than most other games. The characters are either likable or hatable, but they are all hilarious and quirky in their own way, the courtroom antics play out as if the defense and prosecution were in the WWE, and the truth may be harder to reveal than one might think. I chose the first game solely for the incredible fifth case, which is better than any other case in the entire series. It also helps that the first four cases are also all fantastic.
#21: Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)
While Kirby's Adventure is my personal favorite NES game, there's no denying that Super Mario Bros. 3 isn't a great game. In fact, it's a fantastic game. But on the GBA, Super Mario Bros. 3 got even better. Some of the random quirks of the NES version were simply removed, and the GBA being a more responsive platform in general removed some of the more frustrating elements (ex. "Oh COME ON, I PRESSED A!"). Don't get me wrong, I played the NES version and it's still great, but the GBA version is so much better, despite not adding any new content.
Trust me, there are going to be a lot of GBA ports on this list. That was my childhood right there.
#20: Donkey Kong Country 2 (GBA)
When the original Donkey Kong Country released on the SNES, everyone flipped out because it looked too good to be true. For the first time in gaming history, a video game world actually looked somewhat realistic. And that thought was exciting. Most people say that the sequel was better than the first, and I agree. But how does such a beautiful game work on a tiny handheld?
Donkey Kong Country 2, above all else, plays really well and controls really well. The visuals, while very impressive, are merely the icing on the cake. And it is that gameplay that carries over flawlessly. In addition, the game was expanded to have more mini games and a new, fantastic boss battle. And it also helps that the game still looks fantastic for GBA standards.
#19: Shovel Knight (PC/Mac)
This is one of the greatest success stories of modern gaming history. An upstart company had a dream, but they didn't have the money to make it a reality. So they turned to the internet, and many other people believed in Yacht Club's dream and wanted to play it, so they funded the game.
The result is an incredibly well-polished sidescroller that is not only a love letter to the classic, but a classic all on its own. It's a ton of fun and it plays better than the games it tributes. It's my second favorite release of this year.
#18: Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES)
A sequel can sometimes be easy to make because game companies can just expand on the ideas of the first game and polish some of the issues the first game had. Rare did exactly that with DKC2. So what can a company do, then, to make a third entry not seem lazy and repetitive? By throwing in every idea they could think of.
Some people call this game the epitome of one-level gimmicks, and while that is true, these gimmicks enhance the game as opposed to detracting from it. This game has more memorable levels than any of its predecessors, and I love this game for it. Just not the GBA port, though - it's garbage.
#17: Portal (PC/Mac)
Valve is known for doing things that the rest of the industry just doesn't do. While I'm not a fan of Half-Life, its more immersive way of delivering story became a staple for many games to follow. Left 4 Dead essentially started the zombie shooter genre that's been done to death nowadays. And Portal, well perhaps that's the greatest one of all.
Portal is a first-person puzzle game that took away the arcadey-ness of almost every other puzzle game ever to exist at the time. Instead, it focused on immersing the player in the world of Aperture Science and then throwing mind-bending puzzles at him or her. The Portal Gun is one of the most iconic guns in gaming because of how off-the-wall and brilliant it is. Not to mention, the plot twist is brilliant.
#16: Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)
When I played this game for the first time earlier this year, I was overcome by an overwhelming sense of childish wonder and joy. The game presents itself so well that it brings the player on the ride with Pit, Palutena, Viridi, and a large cast of colorful characters. And that alone made me forget about some of the more frustrating elements that so many people nitpick on. Besides, when you play the game and really get into it, you'll likely forget how finicky the controls seemed at first.
The real star of the show here is Pit himself. He's going on a quest as a loyal servant to his goddess and he couldn't be happier about it. He isn't the brightest, but he learns with the player, figuring out things as the game progresses, making observations, laughing, and overall just enjoying himself. And that's exactly what I did when I played this game. Figured things out, made observations, laughed, and enjoyed myself.
#15: VVVVVV (PC)
In a world overpopulated by retro revival platformers, it's hard to find something that truly stands out. That's where VVVVVV comes in, an open-world 2D platformer where, get this, you don't jump. Instead of jumping, you flip your gravity such that you fall either up or down. And the mechanic is simply brilliant. Some of my favorite games are the ones that take one small concept, expand on it, and make a brilliant game out of it. This game does just that.
But there's more to it than that. VVVVVV features 5 different dungeons, each of which revolves around some new mechanic, whether it be hitting wires that immediately flip you the other direction or bizarre mazes where you exit the right side of the screen and end up at the left of the same screen. So while the game as a whole is an expansion on one simple concept, it also is a set of smaller concepts that make that main idea that much more brilliant.
#14: Pac-Mania (Arcade)
My favorite arcade game always has and likely always will be Pac-Mania.
As mentioned with VVVVVV, some of my favorite games revolve around the expansion of one simple concept. In this case, the concept is Pac-Man's ability to jump. That ability completely changes the nature of Pac-Man, and it also removes some of the frustrating parts of the original where players have to just hope that a ghost won't go a certain way. In this game, if you die, it's your fault.
That doesn't mean that the game's easy, however, because Namco realized that jumping was a huge advantage and decided to flood each stage with tons of ghosts, including some ghosts that can jump themselves. This game is brilliant and I love it.
#13: The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth (PC/Mac)
This year my friend convinced me to start playing The Binding of Isaac again. I bought the game shortly after its original release because I really enjoyed Super Meat Boy and the idea of a procedurally generated rogue-like game interested me. The problem was I was horrible at the game, for frustrated, and left. It wasn't until I was convinced to return that I decided to be more persistent with my approach, trying and trying again. Now I'm pretty good at the game and I really enjoy it. That's why the remake was my most hyped game of this year.
Rebirth essentially takes what is great about Isaac, polishes it, and then adds a button more content. It's as brilliant as the original, just tons better.
#12: Banjo-Kazooie (N64)
This year I decided to boot up my XBOX 360 again and navigate the XBLA store. When I did so, I came across a bundle of the first two Banjo-Kazooie games. I remember having a blast playing the first Banjo on my old N64 emulator on my old computer, so I decided to make the purchase. When I booted up Banjo-Kazooie again, I was reminded of why I love this game so much.
A lot of 3D platformers of this time had players exploring worlds, but it was only this game and its sequel that really did a good job at immersion. While in Mario 64 I was roaming around random floating rocks looking for various collectibles (I'm talking to you Whomp's Fortress!) in Banjo I felt I was actually part of a world. That's what made this game work so well.
#11: Psychonauts (PC)
Banjo may have had players exploring huge worlds, but the story itself was very bland and uninteresting. Meanwhile, Psychonauts not only has incredibly immersive worlds and environments, but it also has a great story with colorful characters to boot. This gives me a reason to explore these creative, bizarre worlds inside of people's heads.
#10: Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
But while Psychonauts and Banjo-Kazooie both had fantastic worlds to explore, Super Mario 3D World decided to follow up on the great 3DS title by heading for the more linear obstacle-course approach. No longer would the focus be on more slow, deliberate exploration. Now Mario is back to the way he was in his old 2D games, platforming and using crazy power-ups with the goal of making it to the flagpole at the end. This game has some of the most creative levels in Mario history, and as a result it is my favorite 3D Mario game. An unpopular choice, sure, but it's a good choice nonetheless.
#9: Super Mario World (SNES or GBA)
Super Mario World on GBA was the second video game I ever played. Recently I played through the game's SNES version and I remembered why I love the game as much as I do. It's a simply magical game that radiates pure joy. Few games can emulate the happiness that is experienced in Donut Plains 1 when Mario takes off in flight with his first cape feather. And watching Mario wipe away a castle with a mop is simply priceless. It holds up perfectly well today, and while I cannot choose between the SNES original or the GBA port, either version is still a fantastic game.
#8: Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom (PS2)
All of the previously mentioned 3D platformers are fantastic, but none can top the majesty of Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom, a game that combines immersive worlds with fantastic level design. While the story may not be as deep as Psychonauts, the entire Spongebob cast is found throughout the whole game, keeping things entertaining and making the worlds full of life and color. This whole game feels like an extended episode of the cartoon (when it was good, of course). It also controls like a dream, the music is fantastic, and it looks great even by today's standards. It's not only by favorite 3D platformer, but it's also my favorite licensed game and my favorite game of the 6th home console generation (not counting portable consoles, of course).
#7: Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
I have a genuine belief that any franchise Retro Studios touches will somehow manage to become better. I'm no Metroid fan, but Metroid Prime being one of the most praised game of the 2000s, it was clear that I should be excited for the Donkey Kong Country game coming out on Wii. And I was. Yet somehow the game managed to exceed even my overblown expectations.
The game has great music and visuals, and it controls perfectly, but the most important thing to note about this game is that it has some of the greatest level design of any platformer. Retro knew what Donkey Kong Country was and decided to not only make this game a true Donkey Kong game, but they also threw all sorts of crazy new ideas at it. It is a brilliant game that everyone has to play.
#6: Portal 2 (PC)
Puzzle games rarely have good sequels. Any Tetris sequel simply didn't work, and games like Minesweeper or Snake never got sequels because there was no point. Luckily Portal was a much more complex puzzle game than the ones just mentioned, but regardless, a sequel is difficult. That makes it much more impressive, then, when Valve makes a sequel to Portal that almost makes the first game irrelevant.
Portal 2 does everything that the first game does and expands on it, adding new mechanics that no one ever thought of before, such as gel that makes Chell bounce or speed up or light bridges that can go through portals. In addition, a few new characters are thrown into the mix to make the story much more entertaining and interesting overall. It's hard to top the plot twist of the first game, but Portal 2 does that really well... twice.
It's just a fantastic game. Play it.
#5: Kirby's Return to Dreamland (Wii)
Kirby is one of my favorite series of games because every single game in the main series is solid - there is no "odd-man-out", no Super Mario Sunshine or Zelda II (even though both of those games aren't bad by any means). Sure, some of the spin-offs are a bit odd, but the main series consists of a bunch of fantastic games. Any of them are guaranteed to impress. But this one? This one will blow your mind.
Return to Dreamland has a fairly simple plot, but like a lot of other Kirby games it decides to change up the story a bit towards the end. The difference here is that this game's version of that is bar none the best one of the whole franchise. In addition, the game has some of the best Kirby level design, and the superabilities are a welcome addition that change up the gameplay at the right times. It's the best Wii game, and the best game of the 7th console generation.
#4: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)
RPGs are great for their story, but not for their gameplay. The primary element of success in most RPGs is selecting an attack and praying that the game will be kind enough for it to do enough damage. The Mario RPGs went against this annoying gameplay trope by integrating elements of control into battles by pressing the right buttons at the right time to do extra damage. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga expanded this even further by making the timed button presses integral to battling. No longer was the attack you chose the factor behind winning or losing battles, although it still plays a part. Now players' skill was the most important part. This mechanic may be the reason I don't like most RPGs, but it also is the reason why I love this game so much. This game is the best RPG ever made by a long shot.
Oh, and Fawful is the funniest character to exist in a video game. That too.
#3: Super Mario Land 2 (GB)
Despite all of the childlike wonder everyone experiences while playing Super Mario World, nothing can top the simplicity and near-perfection that is Super Mario Land 2. It's a game that is designed so brilliantly and is so fun to play. Not only can Mario explore the six worlds in any order he wishes, he also can platform through levels that are designed to be played with both the Fire Flower and the Bunny Carrot, no preferences. While the Carrot may seem overpowered at first, it is perfectly balanced overall and the game is designed for it to be used and used well. In addition, there is not a single level that isn't memorable or unique in some way, and the game is quirky and charming and stands out on its own. It's a fantastic platformer and it's the best main series Mario game.
#2: OpenXCOM (PC) / X-COM: UFO Defense (DOS)
One of the greatest experiences I have ever had as a gamer was the first time I ever played X-COM: UFO Defense. It's not only a brilliant strategy game, but it's scary and atmospheric in a way Five Nights at Freddy's or Slender never could be. Every time a soldier shoots at an alien, I tense up and fear for the soldier's life, because if he misses then he very likely will get killed by that alien within the next turn, and when a soldier dies in X-COM, there are no 1-up Mushrooms. It's one of the first more mature games I ever played and it's my favorite.
Recently, a group of passionate X-COM fans finished up a freeware rerelease of the original game called OpenXCOM. It's essentially the same game as UFO Defense, however it features some enhancements that I never realized were needed. Now there are circles around your base in the Geoscape so you can see how far your sensors can reach. There are many performance improvements that simply weren't possible in the days of MS-DOS, as well. This is the definitive way to experience X-COM, however the people behind OpenXCOM didn't make the original game, therefore it shares the spot with it.
#1: Yoshi's Island (GBA)
Yoshi's Island is not only platforming perfection, it is video game perfection. There is nothing wrong with this game. Absolutely nothing.
But perhaps even more surprising than that claim is the fact that I continue to be surprised by this game. Even so many years after first picking it up, I continue to find new things. While going back and playing through my favorite levels recently, I noticed how much personality the enemies have. When you hit a swinging ghost with an egg, for example, he takes a second to pause and look directly at the player with an expression that can be best summed up as "What the hell, bro? Not cool!". The bandits have this awesome menacing grin on their face that looks like an eight-year-old who took a toy from his younger brother because he thinks he's big and powerful. Then when you jump on him, he looks upset, as if Mom walked into the room and told him to give the toy back. The attention to detail in this game continues to amaze me.
If you haven't played this game, you are missing out big time. This game is not only my childhood in a nutshell, it is also a game I continue to come back to over and over again and never cease to have a really fun time. It's the perfect video game, and as much as Nintendo tries to replicate that magic with the sequels, they forget the part that makes the game magical to begin with: passion and love. Mindless sequels will never bring back Yoshi's Island. True passion for the game you're making just might.
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