40-35 from my list. 40. Kingdom Hearts (PS2) Final Fantasy Disney, what could have gone wrong? Well plenty, but it didn't so that's what is important. If there was a significant flaw it was the Gummi Ship, but there wasn't too much focus placed on it. The characters from both sides of the table stir up wonderful memories, relying on what is already known to build a good story. There are plenty of wonderful levels to explore and the combat is a solid action RPG battle system. A good mix of abilities incorporated into the action providing a number of tactics into battles, whether against a generic enemy or a boss. 39. Link's Awakening (GBC) The size of this gameboy game is immense, filled with sidequests in addition to the eight dungeons. The ability to use multiple items at the same time gives the items a wider variety of uses and allows for a completely new set of puzzles by pairing items. The most influential item, roc's feather is obtained in the first dungeon and is integral to the gameplay. The combat benefits greatly from the ability to jump and keeps battles at a high pace with otherwise undodgeable attacks. The clever dialog, characters, and easter eggs thrown in add a wonderful feel to the world of Koholint and its foreboding Wind Fish, waiting for you at the end of the game. 38. Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PS) It's difficult to create a platformer with flight and not end up with a bunch of linear levels, but the Spyro team does it well. Collecting the countless eggs within the levels provides an easy enough goal and allows for plenty of exploration. The addition of other playable characters also helps to temper the fatigue that can often result from longer games. The larger levels in this game compared to previous Spyro games sets it apart from the field. 37. Puzzle Pirates (PC) The premise for this game is great, an MMO based on puzzles. Not all of the puzzles are original (bejeweled clones included) but throwing a persistant rating system on top of them really adds to the experience and makes it less of a one game takes all deal. This rating is based largely upon what the community was like in the past as it has gone downhill over the years as less unique content was added to the game. One of the major bonuses to this game compared to most MMO games is that it largely rewards skill rather than playtime. I wish more MMOs would take this approach but realize that it isn't in their interest financially. 36. Little Big Planet (PS3) User generated content is the major addition in this game, but the levels created by the development team are quite good in their own right. The sheer flexibility of the level creation tools allows people with enough creativity to do everything from crafting music boxes to building functioning ALUs and games such as tic-tac-toe. Oh, and platforming levels too, whether completely original, or a mockup of another game. In addition DLC has added new features which branch out on the basic platforming tools with water and the paintgun. They also put in some cute features for multiplayer with otherwise inaccessible areas and the ability to sticker your friend or take out your aggression to get a few more point bubbles.
Primarily an RPG player but have interest in any game that will make me think.
