It also had an amazing song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXHQb7RN9lE

I'm going to guess Evil Genius, but I really can't remember if these clues apply to that game or not.

#10 Advance Wars

Why did it make the list?
Advance Wars is purely about gameplay.  It’s a turn based game played on a tiny little screen.  It is hard for a game to be impressive in that context.  But the gameplay, the glorious, glorious gameplay…well you jut have to play it to know what I mean. 

Normally if you want to play a game about both building an army and then conquering the other side, then you need an intricate RTS or 4X game on the PC.  Advance Wars manages to give this same type of experience and yet the maps tend to take 30 – 60 minutes to complete.  I think the fact that you get to build an army from scratch on most maps is what pushes it over the top for me, because I can't think of another "short" game that lets you do something like this. Also the game play just feels smooth like a well crafted like a Civilization game.  Just one more turn is the experience you get from Advance Wars (and also “just one more map”).

There are 4 different games in this series that have been released outside of Japan, two on the GBA and 2 on the DS.  I like them all more or less the same, so I chose the first one for my list.  (Actually, I might put this one and Dual Strike slightly ahead of the other two.)

Original experience:
I had a friend who would periodically show me games on his GBA.  First he showed my Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, and I would fool around on that game whenever I went over there.  Then he showed me Advance Wars.  After that I knew I definitely HAD to have a GBA.  At the time I wasn’t interested in handheld games at all, but Advance Wars was the game that changed my mind.

How does it hold up today?
All Advance Wars games are still awesome today.  These games never tried to be graphically impressive in the first place, but the gameplay is just pure magic.  I am also upset that the series seems to be canceled.  I would love to see a Switch Wars.  Myself and many other Advance Wars fans would love to see a Switch Wars.  "Switch Wars!  Switch Wars!..."

Nope, I never heard of that game, but looking at it, it looks to be similar to my game, which is a plus. I'm going to post it now though.

11

Theme Hospital

• Windows PC
• 1997
• Construction & Management Simulation
• Bullfrog Productions

As you'll see there's many games with a certain level of humour in my list. I often like games that have an original theme, some unrealistic twist or in general just don't really take themselves seriously very much. One such game, and probably even the biggest joke of them all, is 'Theme Hospital'. It is a construction and business management simulation game where the player builds and runs their own hospital.

Obviously, it's no ordinary hospital in this game, because that would be boring, and the patients have the most wild and imaginative diseases. One will have a large, bloated head, another will be invisible, or have hair all over his body or even seems to be radioactive emitting a greenish glow. These diseases have the weirdest, wildest explanations.

Because of this, it's a timeless game, like many others from Bullfrog were. There will probably never be a sequel and some games tried to replicate it's tone, but obviously none succeeded. To me though, 'Theme Hospital' remains a classic and a game I could play any day, all day.

And then we finally enter the top ten. Well, "finally", time actually flies pretty fast I'd say.

#10
Though there are exceptions, games in this franchise usually have names that refer to an important item or feature. This entry's title however, aptly references it's world instead.

#9 Puyo Puyo Tetris

Why did it make the list?
Puyo Puyo Tetris is hands down, no contest, the very best version of Tetris.  Even standalone, vanilla Tetris is a game worthy of someone’s top 50 list.  However, before 2017 I only liked Tetris.  This game made me a true convert.  I love Puyo Puyo Tetris!

Puyo Puyo Tetris takes two great games, and combines them so that the result is greater than the sum of its parts.  The beauty of both Puyo Puyo and Tetris is that they are both fun but simple games.  Puyo Puyo Tetris finds 5 different ways to combine Puyo Puyo and Tetris together.  The result is a game that is still simple to play, but has an amazing amount of variety to it.

The best part of Puyo Puyo Tetris is the local 4-player.  This has become my go to 4-player game now.  My family and I play it quite a bit, but I have also found a lot of our friends really love the game too.  Even people who normally don’t like video games really like Puyo Puyo Tetris to the point that they say, “Wow, I really want to buy a Switch now!”  (Of course, all year I have been replying, “You’re going to have to wait, because the system is sold out everywhere.”)   

Original experience:
I was a good ways into Zelda: Breath of the Wild when we got this.  Then I very slowly finished Zelda, because my family and I were always playing Puyo Puyo Tetris.  We were all pretty obsessed with it for several months.


How does it hold up today?
It was released on the Switch this year.   However, this is the type of game that will never get old.  I would not be surprised if I play Puyo Puyo Tetris every year for the rest of my life.

Evil Genius was heavily inspired by the Dungeon Keeper games (which happen to have been made by Bullfrog Productions), but with a James Bond type theme.

I haven't played Theme Hospital, but I will have to give it a try.  For a long time I have been wanting to play a game like Dungeon Keeper again.

Is this Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?

Entering the top teeeennn!!!

#12
Hint 1: A ghost haunts a mysterious village.
Hint 2: It's not the first game released in the series, but story-wise it comes first.
Hint 3: A flute.

#11
Hint 1: Easter Island is one of the places you visit.
Hint 2: The desert is another place you visit.
Hint 3: You also visit the ocean.

#10
Hint 1: Notoriously hard cow.

#9
Hint 1: Automatic levels.