Need to get going with new games:

#42: Guessed by Machina: Valkyria Chronicles 4

#41: Guessed by Veknoid_Outcast: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

#40: Guessed by S.Peelman: Majora's Mask

#39: The extraterrestrial Pandoravirus causes horrible mutations that creates monsters.

#38: Help the kingdom of Nostria.

#37: After a god was killed a few years ago, it happens that childs are born without a soul which are called hollowborn.

_{ranking in the guessing game, list so far}

#40

YoY: -4    My Rating: 9.0/10

Very few games have ever caught my eye in a way that Okami did when I first saw it. There simply wasn't, and still really isn't, any other games that look like it. The watercolours-in-motion look was entirely its own, and a gorgeous one at that. Obviously, beautiful visuals aren't enough by themselves, but fortunately there's a great game to go along with them. As far as games of its kind go (ones inspired by The Legend of Zelda), it's one of the very best.

Of course, it's not perfect, but the faults it has are relatively small all things considered. It is a very long game for one, perhaps a bit too long, though in general it does manage to thrown in interesting new locations, characters, and abilities frequently enough so that it never gets dull to play. The character voices can also get a bit grating at times, and some other minor aspects may not have aged without issue either, but overall this is still an excellent game. 

#39

(-5)

Long series of (-5)s here on my list bcuz of new entries and certain movements so for all intents and purposes these next few entries rly haven't moved in spots, just got shifted down by other entries. Anyways now that I've made that clear, this game is extremely good. Easily one of the best mario games to date. The control of Mario is phenomenal, completely unmatched by any other game. Also the "around the world" theme is rly fun and makes for some great level design. It does vary a bit per level on how much I'm enjoying the game, and like most Mario games it does peak kinda early, but when it's great it is GREAT. The "Jump Up Superstar" segment is a goddamn masterpiece and one of the best in the series. Wish the game had more moments like that but nonetheless it is one of the most fun games in the series to date.

Edit: Wrong quote

40... Wing Commander 3?

38? WarCraft III, maybe?

I like deep tactical gameplay, which is why I prefer usually turn-based gameplay over action gameplay, as the faster paced variant has to be cooked down a bit to make it possible to make faster decisions. But Valkyria Chronicles is actually turn-based gameplay with a lot of deep decision making. The game only uses some tricks to hide the fact. So you can move freely - until you have eaten up your alloted movement for the turn. Also seemingly stuff happens in sound and visually - but if you take notice, this doesn't actually have any effect until the turn moves forward.

So yes, this is turn-based gameplay dressed up to look more like real time. And this is fun! I have the deep decision-making but with more adrenaline as the action seems to go forward.

Also the 3D-view is usually a thing that I would think brings less overview helping my decision. But I do have a map-overview too and the 3D-view give you many visual helpers to help make the right decisions. This is a well thought through interface.

The setting is a fictional setting, which is inspired by europe and World War One. The characters are likable and in their history and actions understandable and each has their own unique character.

Visually the game creates very beatiful images with the style of hand-drawn colored images. This is very nice and I do like a less realistic style very much, if it is done well with artistic intention, which is clearly the case here.

Overall this is a well-made package for a fan of tactical games like me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSmVJc88HxE

Decent guesses, but both not quite.

They do both have a connection in some way to my games, not because they are the same series or something, but your guess for #40 features an actor from the franchise of my #40, and #38 is the same genre.

More hints:

#41: Guessed by Veknoid_Outcast: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

#40: Guessed by S.Peelman: Majora's Mask

#39: Guessed by Bofferbrauer2: Phoenix Point
The extraterrestrial Pandoravirus causes horrible mutations that creates monsters.
While the game is set in 2047, the lore puts the outbreak of this virus at... 2020 coincidentally, a year after the release of the game.

#38: Help the kingdom of Nostria.
Play either as Elisa, Aivar or Katharine.

#37: After a god was killed a few years ago, it happens that childs are born without a soul which are called hollowborn.
Some mages try to put animal souls in the kids. What could possibly go wrong?

#36: Guessed by S.Peelman: Resident Evil: Revelations
The main characters from the first game in the series are back, but this time on a ship.

_{ranking in the guessing game, list so far}

is #40 a Rogue Squadron game? Wouldn't know which number to guess.

Resident Evil Revelaitons. Nice. It's not in my list this year, but a great game nonetheless.

Warmer, correct franchise, and even comparable somewhat though my game's a bit more on rails, so still not quite.