Number 33: The Banner Saga:
I first heard about the multiplayer version and gave it a go, wasn't my cup of tea since I'm not a PvP type of gamer but I did love the art direction and music. The first game in a planned trilogy and in single player form came in January 2014 and it blew me away completely. The old boys from Bioware who started Stoic Studios bring their very best to this title. The visuals are beyond stunning and paired with the music, there were segments of the game that made me teary-eyed from the sheer beauty of the production.
The story is very good as well and it lends from various forms of mythology; the game takes the most cues from Norse mythology though, which makes it extra special to a Norwegian like myself.
Characters are great and full of personality and when some inevitably die; it will really affect you, unlike most other games.
Gameplay is also heavily reliant upon your characters; if you lose too many warriors, you'll have trouble defending the caravan and if you avoid too many battles, you run the risk of facing larger groups of enemies and losing out on lots of reputation points that will be essential for anything from bartering goods and food and to training your soldiers. The battle is grid-based and turn-based and puts a lot of stress on tactics and some of the battles are extremely challenging at higher difficulties. Each fighter has a defensive stat and a strength stat; a high defensive stat will basically negate most attacks and you may have to chip away at the defensive stat, or armor if you will, to start dealing proper damage to the unit's strength, which doubles as the hit-points as well.
It is a combat system that reminds me a great deal of my number one title on this top 50 list, and that's likely part of the reason why I enjoyed it so much, the visuals, story, characters, soulfull music and engaging gameplay is the rest.
For an Indie title; you'd be hard pressed to find its equal, it even stands head & shoulders above most full-priced AAA releases, and yet it is made by only three people. This will become a classic for the ages, if you haven't played this game yet; you owe it to yourself to try it as soon as you get the chance, it is a marvel in modern gaming and reach and pinch nerves that most games never come in contact with.
Hint for number 32:
This game is all kinds of awesome, and easily the peak of a long-running series that was originally released for Windows but came to the Playstation shortly after. Oh, and this title has Samuel L. Jackson in it; that's automatic points right there!
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