Positions #50 - #46: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9080521
Positions #45 - #41: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9080995
Positions #40 - #36: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9082358
Positions #35 - #32: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9082907
Positions #31 - #27: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9084360
Ok, the next few games before the top 20:
#26 - Suikoden II
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Suikoden II's story is just masterfully written, there were some moments when I was completely blowed away at how things unfolded, especially some of the brilliant military strategies certain character in the game would come up with. The amount of memorable story moments this game has is something else, and I love the overall political tone the story has. An aspect that makes the Suikoden series unique is the huge amount of playable characters you can get in each game: there's up to 108 characters, named "Stars of Destiny", that you can recruit to aid you in battle. Many of the sidequests you do to get these characters involve really nice side stories which help to flesh out the characters you want to recruit and the game's world as a whole. Also, your Castle, which is like your military base, develops as you add more people to your ranks (this is one of my favorite things about the game) and it has some really nice side activities that you can do. Of course, it must be mentioned that this game's sprite art is ageless.
#25 - Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni no Kuni has an story with a lot of charm and many many heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking moments (there's a certain scene at the start of the game that literaly made me cry), I think the game does a great job at making you feel attached to Oliver's struggles. Another one of its biggest strengths is its amazingly fleshed out world, there's just so much attention to detail put into it, from the World Map itself to the lore they built for it, which can be explored in more detail in the Wizard's Companion, an in-game book that shows the huge amount of love that was put into the game's worldbuilding; of course, the towns are also very fleshed out and are a pleasure to explore. Overall, they truly nailed the sense of adventure with this game. The battle system is probably the most divisive part about the game, and it certainly is not perfect, but I still enjoyed it and I really liked the pokémon-esque monster catching mechanics. Visually, Ni no Kuni is one of the most gorgeous game's I've ever played and the OST is just wonderful.
#24 - Super Mario 64
I have a lot of great memories from the first time I played this game (the way it blowed me away...), and from the second time too but, while nostalgia certainly helps games to rank higher in my list, it's not the main reason this game is ranked this high: the main reason is that it just excels at what it sets out to do, which is taking Mario to open 3D environments while giving you good platforming challenges. One of the best aspects about Mario 64 is the freedom it gives you explore the different levels and get stars in any order you want (well, most of the time), you never know what challenges and hidden places you'll find while exploring and that sense of wonder is one of the things that make this game so amazing. But exploring wouldn't be as fun if Mario's mobility in the game wasn't top notch: his agility, the amount of movements he can use, and how these movements allow you to tackle obstacles in many different ways, make exploration in this game a true joy. Of course, it must be mentioned that this game's OST is just amazing (the Jolly Roger Bay theme must be one of my favorites in gaming).
#23 - Super Mario Galaxy 2
Mario Galaxy 2 takes the concept of the first game to the next level with some of the tightest and most brilliant level design in the 3D Mario series. Yes, the first Galaxy has very well designed levels, but sometimes they can be too simple and/or easy, and Galaxy 2 avoids these pitfalls more than the first game, while having even smarter and tighter platforming challenges. The new Mario power-ups in this game are great, the highlight being Cloud Mario, which allows for some really creative platforming. Yoshi is also a nice addition to the Galaxy formula, as he gives even more variety to the gameplay and his sections are well done, though he's kinda underused. Also, this game truly shines in terms of boss battle design, one example of this is the Gobblegut battle, which is one of my favorites in Mario games (also, I prefer the Bowser battles in this game than in Galaxy 1). The amount of side content this game has is amazing too, I spent so much time trying to get the green stars.
#22 - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
The second Paper Mario game is one of the most creative and unconventional Mario games there is, as it leaves behind many of the series' tropes such as saving the princess, battling Bowser or the Mushroom Kingdom setting in favor of an intriguing plot that develops in a far away land with some truly interesting locations that are not your usual forest/lava/ice/desert levels.
One of my favorite things about this game is the cast of playable characters, they're just so likeable, charming and have their own motivations and back stories + they play very differently. Regarding the gameplay, it takes the Paper Mario formula to the next level, as Mario now can use different Paper Abilities in the overworld which allow him to reach places he couldn't reach before; said Paper Abilities are acquired during the main story and make use of Mario's paper-like properties, for example, he can transform into a paper plane to fly for a little while, or into a paper boat to cross water bodies. Just like in Paper Mario 64, there's Action Commands that you can perform during your turn or your partner's turn to deal more damage to enemies, and they're even more varied and fun to perform than in the first game. This game also got some really nice side quests which help to flesh out the world's inhabitants, and the optional mini games (which allow you to purchase very useful items) are very fun to do. Of course, I absolutely adore the art-style. Why can't they make another Paper Mario game like this one.
#21 - The World Ends With You
TWEWY got one of the most engaging and intriguing plots in any game I've played, there was always moments that'd leave me wanting to know what would happen next in the story. The game also does a fantastic job at developing its main protagonist, Neku Sakuraba, who progressively changes the way he sees other people thanks to the harsh experiences he has to go through and his interactions with other people who have similar struggles. The Shibuya setting is another thing I really like about this game, it just has a very lively yet mysterious atmosphere that I found very immersive. TWEWY's battle system is certainly one of the most unique aspects about it, as it makes full use of the DS's touch screen: different movements will require different ways to slash/touch the screen. But, at the same time, you'll have to use the handheld's buttons to control your partner in the DS's top screen (though, if you're having problems controlling both characters at the same time, you can put the character in the top screen on auto-play). Also, I love this game's soundtrack, though it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Last edited by Keybladewielder - on 26 December 2019
