Darashiva on 10 November 2025
Let's get some honorable mentions out of the way, then. These are largely games that fell off the list from last year, and would basically be #51–55 if the list went that far.
Total Annihilation:
- Alongside Command & Conquer, this was the game that made me a fan of the RTS genre back in the mid-to-late 90s, and every once in a while I still go back and play a few matches to get a bit of that nostalgic feeling back. Total Annihilation has hung in my top 50 ever since I first started putting such a list together, but every year it's fallen a few spots further down, and now finally it's off the list completely.
The Legend of Heroes: Trail to Azure:
- One of the many Trails games on my list, this one breaking into the top 50 just last year, though not very high. It's still a great game, just not quite good enough to hold on to its spot.
Suikoden II:
- This is a game that I could actually see returning to the list at some point in the future once I get around to replaying it. It's been well over half-a-decade since I played through Suikoden II, and I have this feeling that the reason it's fallen off this far down is that I've just forgotten much of the experience. Basically, I just need to refresh my memory of the game to see if it still deserves to be on my list, but for the time being it has to give up its spot.
Final Fantasy XVI:
- Another game that made just a short visit into my top 50, and it's now gone. I still think FFXVI is a great game, but not quite among the series' best. Has its faults, but the vast majority of the experience was great.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie:
- One of two Trails games I played this year, and this one just barely missed breaking into the list. Largely an excellent game, but there are some issues holding it back enough to not warrant a spot in the top 50.
