To celebrate our 10 year anniversary I think it's only fair that we do the exact same thing every video game magazine did whenever they reached a milestone... create a top 100 list. So that's what I'm going to do. I've spent the last couple weeks thinking this over and I have a list in front of me that I'm pretty happy with. No one else on earth will be happy with it, but as I always say, "fuck off it's my list and I don't give two shits what you think you little pissant." At least I think I say that.
Also, if you recall I did do a top 28 list a while back. However, that was 5 years ago and many great games have come out since, so even that top 28 has some changes in it. There's a few new games, a few games my opinions have changed on, and there was one really great one that I completely overlooked somehow when I made the list the first time. So rest assured there will be some very noticeable changes.
And it's going to go by fast. Since I've got that new job starting in just over a week, my free time may be reduced, so I'm going to try to get all 100 games posted within the next two weeks. I need to sharpen up my writing since this is a PR job so it's good practice. Writing about insurance benefits and filing medical claims is just like video games right?
100Sonic Adventure
99Kaboom
98Conquests of the Longbow
97Streets of Rage 2
96Lollipop Chainsaw
95Bloodborne
94 Crazy Taxi
93Bit.Trip.Beat
92Wii Ski & Snowboard
91RiverCity Ransom
90Dragon Quest Monsters
89Jones in the Fastlane
88Dark Cloud 2
87Professor Layton and the Curious Village
86MadWorld
85Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
84Torneko the Last Hope
83Crystal Castles
82Space Harrier
81Retro Game Challenge
80Final Fantasy VII
79Bulletstorm
78Rayman Legends
77Super Dodge Ball
76World of Goo
75The Magic of Scherazade
74Minecraft
73Fantasy Zone 2
72Golden Axe: Revege of Death Adder
71Final Fantasy Legend II
70Hotel Dusk
69Splatoon
68Pitfall
67Dragon Quest V
66SteamWorld Dig
65Street Fighter 3: Third Strike
64Order Up
63Hearthstone
62Monkey Island II: LeChuck's Revenge
61Bayonetta
60Galaga
59 Earthbound
58Super Mario Bros.
57Wii Sports Resort
56Pac-Man CE: DX
55Trauma Team
Dragon Quest VIII is so good that it’s beyond numbers!
#2. Valkyria Chronicles
I have bought Valkyria Chronicles three times. I have played it even more. I have sunk countless hours saving Gallia with Squad 7. The first DLC I ever bought was for this game. I could not get enough of it. The hand-drawn HD graphics and the (sorta) real-time turned based strategy combat made it something I'd never seen before and immediately pulled me in. But it was the story of Squad 7's victories and losses on and off the battlefield that kept me gripped and wanting to play more. Sega really did a masterful job of weaving the stories of these characters amidst an epic European'ish war, and the end result is a line-up of character stories that you grow to become emotionally invested with. The main characters are all unique and memorable, but even some of the secondary characters find a way to shine with their character biographies and a few quick witty lines that come out during combat.
I've enjoyed every time I've played through Valkyria Chronicles, but I will say nothing ever quite matched my first run with the game. I would stand up in front of my television and study the map up close, figuring out where the enemies were and what strategies I would need to use so that I could continue to play without losing a single squad member. It really made me feel like I was this great military mind that could have easily been in charge of the European theater in another lifetime. Of course those moments would come crashing back to reality when my military genius was deflected by the brilliant manuevers of the "normal" difficulty level and kept me stumped on how to move forward (the first time I fought the Batomys tank I nearly quit the game for good), but eventually I'd bounce back and feel the rush of victory. It's an amazing game, and none of the sequels seem to have lived up to the first. Does remind me that maybe it's time to check in and see how that translation for VC3 has turned out...
So how does VC4 compare to this? It's released on Switch and it looks like an enjoyable anough game that, if I ever find the time, I'd like to give it a try.
I'm on the second to last mission in VC4 and I while things may change, right now I've enjoyed the first one a lot more and I've been feeling pretty let down by this game. There are a lot of great moments and at least during the first half of the game of the battles are probably better, but something happened in the second half where lots of things Fall apart. I'll throw down a preview for it once I'm done. My mind might get changed in these final Acts so we will see.
I know what the number 1 game is!
You mean it’s not Custer’s Revenge?
TWEWY:
Hell is offensive? Is your wife from the bible belt?
Is the mobile version compatible with Android? I've always wanted to play TWEWY, but my DS's broken screen is now completely dead.
DQ8:
I came close to buying this on multiple occasions. That said, Herdy Gerdy is legit. Your wife fucked up on both counts.
Valkyria Chronicles:
One of the better war stories going around in any medium.
Well to be fair, "hell" isn't going to turn a lot of heads when an adult says it, but when a 4 year old drops it to their pre-school teacher it is looked at as a problem.
And I would recommend the mobile version of TWEWY aka Solo Remix. I enjoyed it a lot, though it's easier to play on a tablet than a phone. Also, a few of the boss fights took a bit of a hit due to limiting the screens from 1 to 2, but it's still an excellent experience.
#1. Final Fantasy Tactics
And here we are, number one. After 20 years, and three different versions I think it's safe to say that this may very well be the greatest game ever. I've always considered it a stellar game. Originally it came out shortly after Final Fantasy VII and while everyone couldn't stop talking about how great that was, I was always trying to convince people that Tactics was in fact the better game. When I would describe the game to people I'd tell them, "it's like a new version of chess, except it's for smart people." Yes.... I cringe a bit thinking how many times I actually said that, but I stand by it being an amazing game. But it was last year during a cruise I took with my family that I think I finally appreciated just how great it was. I mean, here it is, more than 20 years since it's original release and I was still as caught up in the action and the story. Hell, I'm probably even more into the battles now than I was then. I was even able to look past trying to use the touch controls on a small device. Everything about it is just too engrossing.
The first time I realized just how brilliant this game was when I came across a random battle with a large group of Calculators, a character class that uses math to hurt you (sounds like a push-over right?). I was near the end of the game so my characters were pretty over-powered or so I thought. Turns out these Calculators were a surprisingly badass group. They have attacks that hurt people based on what level they're on, or particular spots on the board. THey're usually hard to pull off, but since they were controlled by AI these moves were smacking me from every angle. I put up a pretty good fight, but after an almost 30 minute fight my team was wiped out. Normally if I play that long and have nothing to show for it I get pretty upset, but I realized I was actually smiling. Even in a loss I was having a great time.
And the game has stayed good since then. 10 years later I played it on the PSP, with a better script and some FMV and it was even better. 10 years after that I had the newly released mobile version and it was just as much fun as it's ever been. This game is truly timeless. The graphics are still crisp, the music is still magical. And the story is still just complex enough with so many characters that I'll still probably have to have a guide to remind me of who the hell is who. ANyway, there it is. Best game ever.