#45: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)

I loved Metal Gear Solid (more on that later!), Sons of Liberty was a bit too "out there" for my taste, Snake Eater was a glorious return to form. The story focuses on Big Boss before he became big boss. The characters are all captivating, the game introduces interesting new mechanics like hunting for food and  using camouflage to go by unnoticed. What sets this game apart though are the wonderful boss fights whether dodging hordes of bees,  hunting down a hidden foe in the trees, outsmarting an old sniper, running away from a crazy flamethrowing maniac or fighting the Boss in a beautiful field of white flowers the game delivers some of its best moments through those fights.

On the story side, the game returns to a more straightforward plot although retaining some of the MGS exentricities without going overboard. It also features one of the best and saddest endings in all the video games I've ever played.

#44: Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1)

I must admit I bought this game because it had "Final Fantasy" in the title. I didn't really know I was buying a SRPG but it was a wonderful surprise. The game follows Ramza as he gets screwed over by people repeatedly (I don't remember much from the plot apart the fact that Delita is an asshole). There's a wide variety of jobs to chose from and battles can get quite challenging (the batlle against Velius nearly forced me to start over) but I enjoyed every bit of it. It was refreshing to see a Final Fantasy game where I could actually die and have to rethink my strategy.

#43 Hint: The title before this one was widely praised for the reinvention of the franchise. The title after this one was widely criticized for the reinvention of the franchise.

Resident Evil 5?

You got it! I didn't think it would be that easy.

A while ago? The guy was banned three years ago, unless you're remembering the wrong person.

I want to say Mass Effect 2, but that would be much higher up your list, would it not?

Hey, ain't nothing wrong with that, it's a really well-made mod, and CKII fits the ASoIaF universe pretty perfectly. Funny thing, I bought the whole game during a Steam sale just because of the prospect of a decent Game of Thrones mod, even though the actual game didn't interest me much. I started a playthrough in the vanilla game and watched a few YouTube videos with the intention of getting a hang of the basics and then immediately moving on to Westeros, but then suddenly my little duke became the king of Denmark (I say "suddenly" like I didn't actively plot to murder everyone and their mother who preceded me in the line of succession), and I was having such fun (killing children and boning my cousin-wife), that I sort of forgot what I had originally come there for. But I have tried a few of the scenarios in the mod, like War of Conquest as Aegon and Robert's Rebellion as Tywin Lannister. Fun times.

@shogia

I really thought the first clue would be simple. A mental image of dat big gnorc boody is one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about the original Spyro. Or even the original PlayStation.

But yikes. I should start catching up.

46. Rock Band 3
PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 (2010)
Harmonix

By the time Rock Band 3 had released, I was already familiar (and a huge fan) of this newest sensation in the video game world. And the "rock band" genre deserved every sale it got. Unique gameplay elements, focus on local muliplayer fun (which anyone could pick up and play), great music, and fun customization options really made you feel like a real rock star. Unfortunately, Activision and EA saw this incredibly fun new hit as a way to make as much cash as possible, instead of nurturing and treating the genre with respect like it deserved. But before it all crashed and burned, Harmonix gave us the greatest of them all in Rock Band 3. Guitar, Bass, Drums, Vocals, and now the Keyboard gave us even more options to rock, and an amazing lineup of music (made even greater by the vast online store) made it so everyone could have their favorite song to rock out to. Like many rock stars and bands, the "rock band" genre was gone far too soon, but the mark it made will not be forgotten. Raise your goblet of rock and salute!

45. Rayman Legends
PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360 (2013)
Ubisoft Motpellier

When Rayman Origins released, it was given immense praise by those who played it. I also thought it was a great game, but at the same time experienced some flaws that really held it back. A lack of tightness and precision in Rayman's movement (and silly control options. Whoever made it so Rayman dashes forward when you press "run" and "attack" should go back to Platformer school) left me wanting, as a Platformer without tight controls will never reach its highest potential, no matter how impressive the other aspects (and they were impressive!) Fortunately, when the Rayman Legends demo hit earlier last year, I was pleased to find that Rayman had cleaned up his act, performing admirably under the biggest control challenges. That coupled with an amazing (AMAZING!) art direction, wistful yet charming (and at times quite beautiful) music, solid and incredibly diverse level design, and a fantastic sense of humor catepulted this game into the stratosphere. I also need to give a shout out to the music levels. Simply brilliant is all that needs to be said.

I forgot about 44, it was Professor Layton and the Unwound Future xD.

Anyway I got my 43 ready .

It's a 3DS game! It is the long awaited game from a series that lacked a proper new release in years!