For the past several months I've been kicking this around and decide whether or not I should bother with this list. I don't play quite as much as I used to, and in particular the last few years I've played less than ever. Writing, even inconsequential stuff, doesn't come quite as easy as it once did for some reason so that's made things even harder. Then this ridiculous pandemic happened and suddenly I've had more free time and started playing a lot more than I had in years, and it's jump started my interest in gaming again in a big way.
Still, the writing part hasn't quite clicked, but after a few false starts I decided to say 'fuck it' and just force it. If it sucks, so be it. Hell, 5 people at most are going to read it so really cares?
So what will the top games be? What will be number one? Will I finish my list before Vader finishes his Top 100? To find out the answers to these questions and more STAY TUNED!!!!
All these years of reading about you playing this game and I finally decided to see what the fuss is all about. I'm downloading it tonight.
Outside of Solitair, I find virtual card games hard to get into, but full respect for the dedication!
#8. The Last of Us
As I've said before, I don't like games with realistic depictions of violence. Ridiculous over-the-top violence like MadWorld and Bulletstorm or anything else filled with executions follow by a witty catch-phrase is great. But once you show me children getting attacked or innocent people being murdered for virtually nothing... well I'm less comfortable with it. But sometimes, uncomfortable is good. Uncomfortable is the only way you get a game like The Last of Us.
Joel and Ellie's jaunt across post-apocalyptic clicker-filled America was a great tale of suvival, but it got rough to watch and play at times. The corpses, the blood, the cannibalism, the torture, and attempts of child rape are all pretty awful and disturbing. Naughty Dog presented it all in a way that made it compelling and made you want to see if things get just a little worse or a lot worse. And having that wrapped up in excellent gameplay that encouraged stealth over mindless violence made it that much harder to put down.
The story and main game alone would make it a classic, but The Last of Us hits that rare one-two punch of having an incredible online mode too. "Factions" team vs. team battles might be simple, but god damn its really hard to stop playing. I utterly sucked at it, and no that's not just my opinion. I had more than one asshole with a microphone bitch at me and ask me if I knew what the hell I was doing (to be fair I did not, I was new). That hardly matters though. Once I had a general understanding of what I was doing, I was having fun even if I did continue to more or less suck. And remember, as bad you might be, everyone can get lucky with a molotov cocktail once in a while. The game is a total package. A great 12 hour story and adventure combined with an online mode that you can play pretty much forever... or at least until you get called "Fuck face" 200 times and your feelings get just a little too hurt.
The finale in terms of gameplay just about made slogging through the rest of it worth it.
Snide (but well-deserved) comments aside, the ending is a legit moment of insight which is more than can be said for most endings, not just endings in game stories.
#7. Hollow Knight
Generally speaking I do not like games that are on the harder side of the difficulty spectrum. Easy and Normal? That's my jam. Hard? No sir, I don't like it. My reflexes have slowed down, and my free time is limited. If a boss battle takes me over a half dozen times, that's probably the end of the experience for me. Of course there are exceptions. There is after all Hollow Knight.
Hollow Knight is a Tim Burtonesque Metroidvania that is set in an insect kingdom that mostly ravaged by demons or some other wordly malevolent entity. It's a little creepy, but mainly its cute as all fuck. It's also mercilessly difficult. Much of that comes from the sheer variety of platforming and boss challenges. Many games recycle bosses and landscapes with a few changes, that allow players to put their previous experiences to use. Not Hollow Knight. Each area is full of new experiences that will challenge you, and more likely kill you. Repeatedly. It won't be pretty. Lord knows it wasn't for me. I "quit" playing several times before I couldn't resist much longer and returned to the game.
What kept me returning over and over is wondering what else this marvelous little world could contain. The world of Hollow Knight is absolutely gorgeous, filled with secrets and cute and frightening takes on creatures you'd find in the insect kingdom. And they usually want to kill you. However, every once in a while you'll stumble across a character that is preoccupied with ending your life, and might even help you. Additionally, to learn the history of the world and the reason why your character is on his journey, you'll need to spend plenty of time visiting and revisiting locations. But it is absolutely worth spending all the time you need in order to discover all the secrets in this little world. The wonderful stories and lore that exist in the world of Hollow Knight are the only thing that surpass the insane challenge that the gameplay provides, and it all combines to create one of the most satisfying experiences of the past decade.
Game Under, the premier Australian games podcasts, outsourced the review of this Australian game to an Irishman lol.
I still need to play this. I downloaded it through GamePass, but I need to finish Xenoblade first. So I might get around to it somewhere mid august.
And that is only if I don't decide to play anything else first. 
How dare you! You take that back!