#2 Metroid Prime
Retro Studios somehow kept the same feeling in the art direction while moving the game to 3D. Prime added three key elements that didn't quite exist in the previous games. They are the descriptive lore, the 3D Morph Ball, and the different scan settings. The ability to scan and read about everything added a massive catalog of lore to the series. Whoever did the writing at Retro Studios pulled out all the stops for this. Everything in this game has great descriptions in the scan visor. How do you make a description of just a simple door sound so compelling? The Morph Ball in 3D leads to some of the most unique and interesting puzzles in any game I've ever come across. Once you get the magnetic Morph Ball the puzzles really get crazy. The X-Ray, and Thermal visors are the first ever rendition of Batman's "Detective Mode", and Geralt's "Witcher Senses". These modes of gameplay for revealing hidden secrets of the map have become a staple of many games. Metroid Prime is an absolute classic and perfect to a degree that few games reach these days.
#1 Mass Effect 2
This year I went through my list and asked myself one key question. If you were to wipe my memory of all these games, and force me to replay them in 2019, how well would I rate them according to 2019 standards? Mass Effect 2 always made a really good spot on my list every year, but I just didn't feel right putting it in the #1 spot. Hindsight is 2020, and I usually need a good 5-10 years of it to call a game the Greatest Game of All Time. Also, the difference between #10 and #1 on my list is razor thin. Well, this year I just had to give it to Mass Effect 2. Partly because my old roommate who normally hates western RPGs with a passion loves it. As I said in my Chrono Trigger commentary, whenever a game can transcend genre hatred you know it's special. Just look at all the people that never touched traditional Zelda, but absolutely love BotW do death!
Mass Effect 2 streamlined Mass Effect's gameplay, by taking out the clunky menu system. From the beginning Mass Effect 2's storyline is interesting, and compelling. The game opens up with the main character dying, and then being brought back to life, by a mortal enemy. Said mortal enemy wants the main character to put together a team for a suicide mission. Everything you do in this game determines whether or not your suicide mission is successful. Several supporting cast members either end their character arcs dying for the mission, or rising above and living, depending on what you did through the game. Almost all of these supporting cast members are written perfectly, and are genuinely interesting. We have, a mad scientist responsible for genocide, trying to make up for his past mistakes, an ex-cop gone vigilante, a dying assassin, two science experiments gone wrong, a hivemind AI robot, and a girl who's entire species has huge immunodeficiency problems. Mass Effect 2 makes this spot for it's dynamic choice/consequence system that remembers everything you did, including your save file from the original game.
Last edited by Cerebralbore101 - on 31 December 2019
