Games #50 - #46: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9080521
Games #45 - #41: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9080995
Games #40 - #36: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9082358
Games #35 - #32: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9082907
Games #31 - #27: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9084360
Games #26 - #21: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9086184
Games #20 - #16: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9087936
Games #15 - #11: http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=9089353
Okay, I finally enter the top 10:
#10 - Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus is a majestic and unique masterpiece, thanks to its mindblowing colossus boss battles and the concept of them being the only "enemies" there are in the game's world, which helps to give off a very unique atmosphere of desolation. Each collosus battle is a completely different experience that left me astounded, but not only they're visually imposing, the battles themselves are incredibly well designed: each of them is like its own giant puzzle and figuring out how to solve these "puzzles" is one of the things I enjoy the most about the game. But, as you continue defeating the colossi, you start realizing that maybe what you're doing is not the right thing to do...I really really like it how this game makes you question the morality of your actions. Which takes us to its storytelling: I love how SotC is very subtle about the way it tells its story, and the ending is one of my favorite moments in gaming (I cried when watching it). The game's world does an amazing job at giving a great sense of scale and its emptiness is what gives it the atmosphere of loneliness that I mentioned before (though some may not like this emptiness). The OST is outstanding, and the theme that plays when you kill a colossus got particularly stuck in my mind. I haven't played the PS4 remake, but honestly I'm don't think I will ever do...it's just that certain visual changes in that remake do nothing for me, I guess nostalgia is just too powerful.
#9 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
This is a divisive game, but it definitely has some of the highest highs in the series which, for me, completely overshadow its lows (well, the ones that actually bother me). Firstly, the game's dungeon design is top notch, definitely some of the most brilliant level design in a series filled with great level design, and the puzzles are incredibly clever, even more than Twilight Princess'. The areas outside the dungeons are also masterfully crafted, especially the Lanayru Desert area, which has the genius puzzles involving the time stones. The items in this game are as amazing as in Twilight Princess but, unlike that game, they actually have great usage outside the dungeons where you find them. The boss battles are also incredibly well designed, and they are more challenging than in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. The battle against Koloktos and the battles aginst Ghirahim are some of my favorite boss battles ever. The divisive motion-controlled combat in this game is also something that I enjoyed a lot, as it wasn't just mashing the B button like in the other 3D Zelda games, and you actually have to pay attention to what your enemies do.
The story in this game is my favorite of all the Zelda games (only Wind Waker's story comes close), it just has so many memorable characters and moments. Regarding the characters, SS has my favorite incarnation of Zelda in the series, and I really really like to see how Groose grows as a person during the story. Ghirahim is also one of the most memorable villains in the series. An aspect of this game that is really underrated are its side quests: the game has a lot of NPC-related side quests which have their own mini stories and allow you to get to know more about the personalities and interests of said NPCs, I spent so much time doing those side quests and they are one of my favorite parts of the game. The art style in this game is gorgeous and the soundtrack is wonderful, in my opinion one of the best in the series.
#8 - Tales of the Abyss
Tales of the Abyss' plot kept me engaged all the time, as it does a great job at keeping things interesting and it has a lot of great moments (though sometimes it feels too long winded). The lore of the game's world (Auldrant) is particularly intrincate, the amount of effort they put into creating it is amazing and I really like the whole concept of it. Luke fon Fabre, the game's protagonist, is a divisive character: due to his background, he's highly spoiled and many times plain annoying, but one of the things the story does best is to show how he changes his attitude as he sees the consequences that his harsh decisions can have. Another thing that I really like about this game's story is how the relationship between the characters evolves, as they don't particularly get along very well at the beginning of the game but, as the story progresses, the chemistry they have together improves (I particularly love how the relationship between Luke and Tear evolves). Also, I must mention that Jade Curtiss is one of my favorite J-RPG characters ever. Regarding the villains, I really like how each one of them has ties to the protagonists, so they all are equally important to the plot. In general, the game does a great job at showing the interactions between the characters, mainly thanks to the skits. The gameplay is fun and it doesn't feel nearly as dated as Symphonia's thanks to the addition of the free run mechanic and the Field of Fonons mechanic (though I had a hard time learning this so I couldn't pull it off many times). The character growth system, based on items named "capacity cores", is flexible, as it allows you to choose which stats you want increase the most when leveling up by equipping the right capacity core. The soundtrack is fairly underrated and the opening theme, named Karma, is just amazing.
#7 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Similarly to Mario 64, nostalgia kind of helps this game to be this high in my list, but that's not the main reason it's in this position: the main reason is that I think it's the most well rounded of all the pre-BOTW 3D Zeldas (I've only played BOTW for a few hours so far, so I won't compare it to the others right now, though at this point it's pretty evident that it has really different piorities to them). Firstly, the game's pacing is mostly impeccable, as it has basically no padding and the intro is pretty short (padding is a problem that TWW, TP and SS certainly have). The game's dungeons, especially the ones when Link is adult (well, more like teenager), have very well made intrincate layouts and the puzzles are clever, though kind of basic compared to the ones in TP and SS. Also, the dungeons excel in terms of atmosphere and making you feel like you're truly in danger. The Forest Temple and the Spirit Temple are my favorite dungeons in the series.
The boss battles in this game are memorable and very well designed: the battles against Twinrova and Phantom Ganon are among my favorites in video games. Another thing I really enjoy about OoT is the atmosphere of mystery it gives off when you're kid Link and how it changes to a more depressing atmosphere when Link becomes adult. The game also has a good amount of side content, for example, I love the Gerudo Training Ground and Biggoron Sword side quest. The soundtrack is probably my favorite in the series: the Gerudo Valley theme, the Forest Temple theme, the Lost Woods theme and many others are some of the most memorable tracks in gaming.
#6 - Tales of Vesperia
I must admit that I still have not finished this game but I've played it for more than 120 hours and I think that's enough time to give a good judgement of it. Tales of Vesperia has my favorite or second favorite cast of characters from any JPRG (up there with Final Fantasy VI's cast), it's just amazing how fleshed out each one of the characters is, the game gives a lot detail about their struggles and how their way of thinking changes through the story. I also love their personalities: the main protagonist, Yuri Lowell, is my favorite J-RPG protagonist ever, mainly thanks to him being completely different to your usual J-RPG hero and thanks to his highly highly likeable (and honestly cool) personality; the other characters are amazing too (Rita, Judith 
) and have fantastic chemistry together, which takes me to how the game also shows in great detail how their relationship evolves with time. The plot is overall engaging and well written (even if a little bit too long winded), I'm right now at a point when it's getting particularly good.
The gameplay is super fun and fluid, I love the Fatal Strike mechanic, which allows you to knock enemies out in a single hit if you consistently use the right kind of artes against them and, by creating a combo of Fatal Strikes, you can get different bonuses after battle and certain stat boosts when in Overlimit mode. The game's character growth system, based on learning skills through your weapons, is highly engaging, and you can even learn modifications to artes via this system. Tales of Vesperia has an insane amount of side content that gives a lot of insight into the characters' personalities, the lifes of the NPCs and the game's world as a whole. Visually, Tales of Vesperia is just gorgeous, thanks to its cel-shaded art direction (but sadly they dropped this art style after this game, so every Tales game released after Vesperia looks worse than it, though that will most likely change with Arise).
Also, Happy New Year to everyone!!
Last edited by Keybladewielder - on 02 January 2020
