Alright I'll just post my next 5 now before I get too far behind. The unguessed ones were 30, 29 and 26 which were Persona 3, Tales of the Abyss and Diablo III.

Yeah.

#27

YoY: -3     My Rating: 9.2/10

Another one of the more obscure titles on my list, Grandia was a game I discovered somewhat randomly while browsing through the PS1 section of the PS Store well over a decade ago now. I was a bit starved for new JRPGs at the time, the genre being in a bit of a slump on home consoles at the time, and this one looked like it might be interesting, so I decided to give it a go. A few hours later I was hooked, and several dozen later it had become one of my favourite games of its kind in general.

One of the key reasons why I love the game so much, is because it manages to capture a very specific feeling in a way that few games can, and that's the feeling of adventure. Which is fitting considering adventure is the main character's primary motivation at the start of the game. Other reasons follow, but that's where the game starts, and it creates that sense of awe and discovery with every new location the player visits. In general, Grandia does a great job at characterization. Every one of the characters you play as has their own specific goals and dreams, and the game makes sure to make each one stand out in one way or another. Another aspect that deserves to be mentioned is the battle system, which is really well designed and should be adapted for use by other games as well. The great music, upbeat and often whimsical story, and especially the characters make this a game I will go back to again one day.

My List as of today December 07th, 2022

Wrong thread?

Okay so we caught up, and even #23 has already been guessed, but here's second hints for the others, and #22 added.

25 - Halfway through the list some of you are probably thinking "how has there still not been a game from this series, this series of all series in S.Peelman's list?" Well, here is one.
Hint 2: I have mentioned this plenty of times on this site before, but this is the one that amazed my young self because of a certain weather effect at the start. Guessed by Veknoid_Outcast - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

24 - The box-art of this game depicts a sequence that's used as the exciting intro for this game, which happens to actually be a flashback from the story halfway through the game.
Hint 2: It's quite the chilly sequence. Guessed by Veknoid_Outcast - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

23 - The great soundtrack that sounds a little like wedding dance music and the 'secret' (but not really secret) storybook backstory make this game stand above its equally acclaimed sequel for me. Guessed by UnderwaterFunktown - Super Mario Galaxy

22 - It is staring right at you. Guessed by Veknoid_Outcast - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Guessed by @UnderwaterFunktown

This should have been the greatest Metroid game.

It absolutely perfected the foreboding atmosphere the franchise is known for. It managed to bring in alien characters and dialogue, making its story a lot more engaging than its predecessor, without losing anything in terms of lore or that feeling of isolation that defines the series. The art direction is breathtaking and evocative, every room, every area not only looks beautiful but gets you thinking of what used to be. Unlike the somewhat disjointed world of the first game, Aether feels tangible and connected, it feels like a real place, and you can see how the Luminoth used to live there. And the smaller-scale level design is fantastically realized too, with an insane amount of twisting interconnected rooms and corridors that are impossible not to get lost in - it's overwhelming, but so very Metroid.

Unfortunately, for as much as it gets right, Echoes never reached its fullest potential because of a few bad decisions and a rushed development cycle (not helped by the attempt to force in a multiplayer mode, I'm sure). It is clear to see where corners have been cut, especially when you see the blocked passageways in the dark world, the type of thing you'd expect to find an upgrade for, but it never comes. Speaking of the dark world, it is single-handedly the worst thing about the game - never mind having the gameplay interrupted by loading screens, the main issue was the decision to make the player heal (very slowly) inside the light beacons. I get that they'd risk making the game way too hard without that, but what they've done instead is replace the dark world's tension, with boredom. Because let's face it, we all just sit there inside those beacons for minutes at a time to heal. And limited ammunition on the special beams sucked.

Anyways, it's hard not to feel disappointed by Prime 2, because it is so good when it's at its best. And to be fair, even with its issues, it would've still been the best game in nearly any other series. But Metroid games are very high quality, and they don't often do "flawed". Echoes does, and that sucks, but this is still an amazing game, and outside of the few things it gets (quite) wrong, it honestly should be seen as the blueprint for what a Metroid Prime game should be.

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Graveyard Keeper was an interesting surprise to me. The description caught me, by describing that you keep a graveyard in good condition, while also indicating a strange and morbid humour. And yes, it delivered. To the point I bought it again for multiple platforms and have replayed it now. Especially since it got expanded with DLC.

The game starts with a short sequence, in which the character seemingly dies in our world, while returning home to his love. He ends up in a kinda medieval world, where he is appointed the new Graveyard Keeper in line with the Ancient Contract. Nobody here seems suprised, that out of nowhere a new Graveyard Keeper turns up. At first you are tasked with digging up a skull named Gerry. Once unearthed said skull helps you to find your footing in your tasks, while also pointing out possibilities for profit, which in turn he wants to turn into alcohol.

You have to bury the corpses you get delivered by a talking donkey, while keeping that graveyard tidy, so the quality goes up. With high enough graveyard quality the bishop allows to hold sermons. You also have a garden in which you can grow crops, which you can cook or brew beer with. And you can mine, cut down trees and getting lots of resources, which you can use in crafting more and more advanced stuff to keep everything going.

A major part is alchemy, that allows you to craft potions and embalming liquids. You can use pretty much everything as a source of alchemical substances, including the corpses and their organs.

This all is combined with an interesting story that unfolds. This world and the villagers have a past, which you can slowly uncover as you help with various problems they face. But over all is the task of your main character: get back to his own world and to his love. The tone of the story is often light, even with a dark history of this world. Expect some quite morbid jokes.

The game has a pretty artstyle, and some nice effects for a 2D game with cool lighting and weather effects. The music is quite catchy, although more titles for less repetition would have been nice.

The game has three DLCs. Breaking Dead (which is included usually in PC versions) allows you to create Zombies, which you can use to automate tasks. Highly recommended, because cutting down a tree is only fun for the first thousand times or so. Stranger Sins adds a tavern and a lot of story about things that happened 200 years ago. It is quite nice to see the ruins you encounter everywhere as actual buildings in the past. Game of Crone and Better Save Soul are the newest DLCs, which add new mechanics and stories.

One thing annoyed me: the fishing minigame is bad. I hate it. Luckily I can buy every fish I need for the story from the fisherman at the lighthouse. I also recommend to buy a teleport stone early on from the tavern owner, so you don't need to walk everywhere.

Overall this was a very enjoyable experience for me. It may be too grindy for some, or the humour too lowbrow and morbid. But if you can enjoy that, this game is very fun. It is available pretty much everywhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd5S5rlKf_M&ab_channel=tinyBuildGAMES

Is #25 A Link to the Past? (rain?)

Is #24 Uncharted 2?

Is #22 Majora's Mask?

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