11. Shadow of the Colossus (Playstation 2 – 2005)

I don’t think I can say much about Shadow of the Colossus that hasn’t been said already. The game is absolutely epic and incredibly touching. A game that consists solely of boss fights should not work on paper, but the depth of the encounters and the experience of looking for them in this engaging world, makes for a phenomenal experience. The fights themselves are big puzzles, and it is very satisfying to finish off these creatures, or is it? The game is not afraid of making the player question the morality of their actions. The minimalistic approach to story and gameplay strengthens the experience, and makes for a great work of art.

Had I been paying attention I'd have guessed Metroid Prime after the first hint.

Xenoblade Chronicles?

Is 7 Trails in the Sky 2?

More hints for my games:

9.  a)  This is the first time an entry of this handheld console game was released in North America.  However the series started in Japan over a decade earlier.
b)  Once your character is named, its going to stay that name.
c)  The name of the system the games in this series appear on often influence the name of the game.

5. a) Some people call this the best game in a very old and popular series, even though it's actually a spinoff game.
b)  This game starts with a historian in the game world explaining how your character was actually the more pivotal person in history and not your best friend.

Yes, that's the one.

I only played like an hour of it and I don’t really remember what happens but I was thinking maybe Secret of Mana?

5) That's FF Tactics.

Yes, it is.

#19

Nier: Automata (PS4)

YoY: +1

I am, and have always been a huge proponent of video games as a storytelling medium. Because of their inherent interactive nature, video games can create stories in ways that no other medium is able to. When done right, the resulting narrative can be something truly special, and very few games have taken better advantage of this than Nier: Automata. I had played the original Nier, as well as the first two Drakengard games before, and I was a fan of all of them, but thanks to the involvement of PlatinumGames, Nier: Automata was able to not only have an interesting story thanks to Yoko Taro, but the gameplay was also great.

Yet, it is the characters and story that truly make this such an amazing game. The themes the story deals with and discusses through the various characters are handled wonderfully, and often lead to some absolutely heartbreaking moments. Few games have impacted me in a similar level as Nier: Automata, and this game features one of only two moments in all video games I've played that forced me to take a break from the game, not because I didn't like it, but because of how hard it it. This is a beautiful, wonderfully written game that will remain with me for years to come.

Nope.

Yes, that's it.