34. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES)
As the first and only side scroller in the series, Ys III is a controversial game among Ys fans. But it's far and away my favorite for just that reason as the change led to Falcom finally disposing of that awful bump-into-enemies-to-attack mechanic. It also brings to the table a charming simplicity, some nice Metroidvania lite gameplay, and Mieko Ishikawa's incredible soundtrack (which, amazingly, didn't suffer one bit from the legendary Yuzo Koshiro sitting this one out). Also working in its favor is a whole heap of nostalgia. There are perhaps better versions of Ys III, and though I'm currently playing through Oath in Felghana on the PSP and am impressed with the many improvements over the original, the SNES version will always be dear to me. It just gives me a special feeling. I need to take off my pants now. Please leave me alone.
