Have no fear, the Top 10 is here! I knew I would be writing a bit more about my top games, but some of these turned out pretty hefty, probably not a bad thing though it took a while. Two games went unguessed this time, namely 10 and 8 which were The Stanley Parable and Black Mesa. Also, this'll probably be my last activity on this side of Christmas, so... Merry Christmas!
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#10 #17 |
The Stanley Parable (Ultra Deluxe) Skyrocketing its way into the Top 10 we have one of the most unique and entertaining games ever created. This year the long awaited ULTRA DELUXE version launched which turned out to be as much of a sequel as a remaster (and technically it’s a remake, complicated stuff) with easily more than double the content of the original, and while this was most certainly what made me reevaluate the game’s placement, retrospectively I think this always belonged up here. It's brilliant, it’s hilarious, it’s Skyrim (#18), it’s Persona 3 (#30), the Stanley Parable is a gift that keeps on giving with too many quotable and memorable bits. Simply too many. And while not all the game’s now nearly 50 endings are created equally (The Broom Closet ending is of course in a league of its own and my personal favorite), there’s bafflingly many clever, creative and hilarious ones in the mix. And despite it being a short game that I have spent less time on over multiple playthroughs than some games take to beat once, I feel a special connection to it, like it’s a nostalgic game I played as a child except it isn’t. If nothing else I’m pretty sure it’s a piece of media that has had a hand in shaping my sense of humor, for better or worse (better, definitely better). |
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#9 #9 |
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Oh look, it’s the winner of this year’s cumulative list! (Sorry if I spoiled that for anyone). Widely beloved doesn’t begin to describe Breath of the Wild and there’s a very good reason for that. Nintendo’s first venture into full on open-world was a resounding success and I’m not sure I’ve played any other game that made simply exploring the world as compelling as it is here. Seeing a Sheikah Tower or Shrine in the distant immediately compels you to want to go there and movement options like gliding with your leaf or surfing on your shield can make the simple act of moving around the world highly enjoyable. And while the game might have lost the dungeons that the series is known for, puzzles are more prevalent than ever both in Shrines, Divine Beasts or the world itself with some extremely creative ones in there. The gameplay in general as good as it’s ever been, the combat is solid, Rune powers are cool, gathering materials to cook and craft and prepare yourself for extreme temperatures, there’s just a lot to love in this incarnation of Hyrule. I was a bit out of the loop when I played the game so I was surprised to later learn that people hated the durability system, which to me was one of the game’s great assets. It added variation to the gameplay by forcing you to switch between different weapons on the fly and it added an element of strategic “weapon management”. Do you want to bust out your finest weapons right away or save them for that special occasion? Sure, it would have been welcome if the late game weapons had a bit more durability or even if there had been some method of repairing equipment, but regardless it was an element that I really liked about the game. Breath of the Wild is a massive game with tons of elements to it and I think few would deny that there are flaws to be found in some of those, but it’s the fact that the game is so damn enthralling despite that which shows just how good it is, and of course how much potential there is going forward. Tears of the Kingdom is less than 6 months away and that’s… Pretty exciting. |
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#8 #8 |
Black Mesa Black Mesa is proof that fan-made games can be just as good as the real deal, even when the real deal is a legendary series like Half-Life. Black Mesa is a remake of the first game and yea pretty much all the praise I had for Half-Life 2 (#12) applies here as well. They manage to make a linear adventure through a science facility feel absolutely epic with variety, unique weapons and some damn good music in certain sections. And despite most of the game being a fairly faithful recreation of a game from 1998 there are many small touches that make it feel like a modern-day Half-Life game, and a major overhaul of the final part of the game which is excellent and very unique. With all this in mind Black Mesa is quite frankly the best FPS experience that I’ve had and a huge recommendation both to existing Half-Life fans and any who have considered giving the franchise a go. |
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#7 #7 |
Doki Doki Literature Club! Yeaaa, I can’t really talk about this one without spoilers. To the uninitiated all I will say is that this game gets a big recommendation to all but the faint of heart.
Spoiler!
Doki Doki Literature Club is HORROR with a capital everything and if being a semi-traumatic experience isn’t worthy of a Top 10 spot, I don’t know what is. Its outward appearance hides an altogether different game once you get to the second half and even though I didn’t go into the game blind to that fact (which would probably have been the purest experience), nothing could have prepared me for what was in store. As a horror game DDLC is the most disturbing and unsettling one I’ve ever played, but it’s also just as much a mind-bending experience. While other games might poke holes in the fourth wall here and there, Doki Doki Literature Club smashes it with a sledgehammer and in a way the game’s awareness of its own status as a game makes it feel more real, which in turn makes it more disturbing. I think many people who have played DDLC view it mostly as simply a game with a clever concept or gimmick, but to me it’s the execution of that concept that’s truly impressive. The writing is phenomenal and the poems are expertly crafted with subtle hints at deeper meanings, resulting in a feeling that something darker is lurking under the surface even in the first half, when the game is mostly sunshine and rainbows. Partially because of this the non-horror part that could have risked simply feeling like filler before you get to the real game becomes essential build-up and on subsequent playthroughs you will start to notice new elements in it once you know what is to come. There’s also a great attention to detail and lots of secrets beyond simply playing the game from start to finish (try messing with the character files before you start it, if you dare). DDLC is a unique and incredible game, but it is of course also small one and the question is if a 5-hour game which will always stand strongest on your first playthrough can remain among my absolute favorites forever. And it is a good question; one which I cannot give a sure answer to, but what I can say for sure is that my first playthrough of DDLC was undeniably one of the most powerful experiences I’ve ever had with a game and that, I think, is unlikely to change. |
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#6 #6 |
Persona 5 So, the funny thing about Persona 5 is that I’ve played through this game 1.5 times, and that’s not because I stopped on purpose. I got Persona 5 on a bit of a whim back in 2017 because I’d heard good things about the Persona series in general and because it was releasing for the PS3 which I had, believe or not, gotten a year earlier (late adopter would be an understatement). And that turned out to be a damn good whim because I immediately loved this game and was pretty damn engrossed in it, however due to circumstances I ended up taking a break from the game when I was about 60 hours in. When I returned, I played it once and when I next booted up my PS3 the game wouldn’t start… in fact none of my games would. Yeah, according to PlayStation customer service my account had been hacked (not sure how that prevented me from playing physical games, but something was clearly wrong) and when I finally got it back and could play my games again my save file was gone (retrospectively I think I accidentally deleted it myself by doing a total reboot when trying to get the console to work…) So, what did I do after spending an appropriate amount of time feeling devastated? I binged the game in less than two weeks (during vacation). I’m not usually one to binge games or any media really but with Persona 5 it just worked; I didn’t get tired of it, even the part I had played previously was fun to revisit. And so, after 160+ hours in total I finally reached the epic conclusion to this game of games. I don’t even know if it’s necessary to say that much about the game itself beyond that. Amazing story, several great characters, one of the best soundtracks ever and just an incredibly stylish game. I’ve stated previously that I’m not the biggest turn-based combat fan and I do think the combat is the game’s weakest link, but even that is pretty fun and the knock down and Persona catching mechanics put it quite high as turn-based systems go in my eyes. With it being such a long game and there being much else on my plate I haven’t had a chance to replay it since the first 1.5 time(s), but now that Royal is on Switch, I do plan to pick that up and give it another go on of these days. Just maybe not in less than two weeks this time. |
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