I finally did it.  It took me 13 years but I finally finished my top 50. I'm sure it's an embarrassing list, but it's what I came up with and I'm sure I could argue against every position on my own list.  There's just too many great games to put in a list this small.  One thing is certain, though, the Nintendo Switch has been a beast.

Thanks.

I mean, you could've posted in the official thread instead, but I'll take it, thanks.

It happens to the best of us.

Whoa. The other thread was a better fit. But thank you.

I'm proud of you. It's always cool compiling someone's first list, always lots of new games to add to the spreadsheet. And I actually predicted your #1 correctly, am I amazing or what?

Haha...you've been patiently pushing me for quite a while.  Just happy to have actually followed through this year.  The list has been made for 3 years, although I did have to add a few new titles.  And yes, I'm proud of you for guessing my #1 title considering that it is the basis for my screenname and my avatar and is a game that I have purchased for dozens of folks (remember when we could gift games to each other?).  At this point its place on my list is probably more symbolic than anything else, but it is a game that I play at least once a year if not to completion then at least through the first couple bosses.  Is it the best Metroidvania at this point?  That's a difficult claim to make, but what it managed to achieve almost 30 years ago rarely gets bested by modern gaming efforts.

Here's to a new Metroid in the coming years to take away the crown definitively.  It's certainly what I'm always hoping for.

And because we need more great Atlus-RPGs, here is another one: Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE. This game was announced pretty early in this big Nintendo Direct, with which they wanted to save the WiiU. But it was at that point very early in development, and it took ages until it released. The general idea was a crossover between Shin Megami Tensei (if you didn't noticed: Tokyo Mirage Sessions is reverting the shortcut SMT) and Fire Emblem. The result is an awesome RPG.

Basically you are this Tokyo highschooler, who is starting his career as an idol. You meet with other idols and learn about singing and dancing for fans. But this all is a facade: all these idols are fighting evil mirages, that suck the creative energy called Performa out of people. These mirages come from another world. But you also find otherworldly help. Chrom, Tiki and other Fire Emblem characters are joining your team and helping you out. With their help you explore dungeon set up by evil mirages on Tokyo landmarks and fight mighty foes.

The fighting system is one of the most interesting systems I ever saw in an RPG. Presentation wise it is set up as a show for otherworldly ghosts, you fight for their entertainment in an arena. You can attack in many ways, but if you hit elemental weaknesses of your enemies, a connected character can follow up and this way chaining attacks into a session.This adds a layer of tactics into the game.

The areas in which you find battles are these strange labyrinths, set up by the mirages. They are built with elements from present day japanese culture. These are mazes with puzzles, shortcuts and other stuff. Just like you expect from Atlus level design.

Between these labyrinths you wander through contemporary Japan while progressing with the story. This involves a lot of everyday stuff, including the usage of the WiiU gamepad as smartphone with a messenger which show messages from other characters in the game.

You also bond with Fire Emblem characters, who are lending their powers to you and enabling you to fight the mirages. As you strengthen your bond, your powers and abilities grow.

This game got a port to the Switch, so more people can enjoy this grreat RPG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6K1EMAEQog

Yes, the mighty has fallen. This game took the #1-spot in the past years, but I have a new #1. That doesn't mean I no longer like the game, on the contrary. It just means other games deserve the spot. So now let's talk a bit about Heroes of Might and Magic III.

So this game is a great combination. You manage your resources, build your cities and send your heroes into the world, exploring, claiming artifacts, resources and troops and battling the enemy. Battle is a good tactical hexfield fight. This game gives a pretty good impression of you being an emperor controlling your lands in a fantasy world with magic. The different factions have so many mythical creatures battling on their side.

It is no problem, even these days, to pick up the game and create a random map to battle it out with a few CPU-players. Or to play the great single player campaigns again. It just still works. I never really tried multiplayer though. The game has a map-editor and a lot of complexity with upgrading capabilities for both your cities and your heroes.

The presentation works still to this day, although the 2D graphics may seem outdated for todays standards. But the sprites are nice with afew effects here and there. The music is great (although HoMM II has orchestral music on CD beating this).

The game is from the legendary strategy specialist dev New World Computing. They invented the whole sub-series of Heroes (apparently based on an earlier game by them, King's Bounty, which I probably should play one of these days). Sadly, as the mother company 3DO got into financial trouble it also meant the end of New World Computing.

This works well under Linux with the Windows-emulator Wine, but there is also a project called VCMI that modernizes the engine and allow for modding. Ubisoft also released a HD remaster of the game. So plenty of options to play it today.

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

A little bit late...

Ocarina of time is perfect. That's all.

Truer word have never been spoken.

A long time ago I played a level or two of the japanese version of Katamari Damacy on the PS2. And I had major fun. I didn't know much about it, but the feeling of strangeness and the fun of rolling up stuff, it got over well. So I was always aware that this game might be nice. But it never found it's way to europe. I considered one of the sequels, but never made the jump. Well, Namco ported the original as Reroll for Switch and PC (later followed by PS4 and Xbox One).

The gameplay is quite simple. You roll that Katamari through a level and everything you roll over and that is smaller than the Katamari sticks to it, letting it grow in the process. So that you can roll up bigger things. And that's it basically. In the normal levels you are tasked to reach a certain size within the time limit, other levels have different objectives (like rolling up as many twins as possible). The challenge is in meeting the goal in the time limit. You have to plan a path along items, that are just the right size. To small and your Katamari doesn't grow much and you fail the time limit. To big and you can't roll it up, wasting time and failing the time limit.

As simple as this gameplay loop is, as satisfying it is. Especially if you grow a lot in the same level. There is something strangely enjoyable in starting with rolling up telephones and cabbages, grow into a Katamari that rolls up trees and houses and end up rolling rainbows, volcanoes and entire islands. All at the same level. You can see where you started, but instead of rolling up the cabbages there, you instead roll up the whole field now. This feels just so great.

People in the level ignore the Katamari as long as it is small. But once you start rolling up humans they flee in horror and policeman shooting at it (completely useless though). Everything living you roll up still moves at the Katamari, wriggling to get free. As horrible as this is, it looks kinda funny.

The story is, well extremely strange. The King of all Cosmos (who always adresses himself as we), has drunkenly destroyed the stars. You play the little prince, his son, and as he sired you, you are indebted to him (his words) and has to fix his mess. So you roll up big Katamaris, replacing the destroyed stars. The King is kind of a dick, but the prince is nevertheless happy and works tirelessly.

I should also mention the music. It is music I would normally not like very much. But it matches the quirky style of the game so well, it just clicks and makes playing a level even more enjoyable. Yes, the whole game is a strange mix, but it just works. I think everyone should try it out. If you own a Switch, there is a free demo of the game on the eshop. You should give it a try.

A near perfect game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2zB4zucavo

And here we have another masterpiece. Pandora's Tower was one the last big games for Wii, it was part of Project Rainfall together with Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story.

You explore long abandoned awe inspiring towers, that are now overrun with monsters. They are filled with big monuments, strange machinery and some environmental puzzles. With your chain you climb through these towers to the master beast, a being of majestic power. This all to save your loved one from the curse of the beast, which transforms her into a monster.

The game masterfully transfers a mood of sadness and mystery. The world seems to fall apart, the towers hanging by enourmous chains over a chasm that rips deeply into the world. Small hints, notebook entries, dreams help you slowly discover the mystery of what happened here. And the towers itself are filled with wonder. This all makes exploring so worthwile.

At the same time you shouldn't explore too long, because Elena will transform into a beast while you roaming the towers. Even if the timer isn't running out, she starts slowly to mutate and transform. And this makes her sad, a feeling transported both through her expressions, her dialogue and the music. If you return early though, you might find her in different activities that leave her happy and upbeat. So the game guides you to always keep Elenas well-being on the back of your mind and the will to return to her fast. So it is always a delicate balance between exploring just a bit more of the tower and to return to her early to keep her falling into depression. The interactions between your character Aeron and Elena are diverse, so it doesn't get old to be there for her.

This game is an underapreciated gem on the Wii. It came too late in the Wiis lifetime, further delayed in it's release in the West and getting way too less attention. After we now getting ports/remasters of Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Xenoblade Chronicles it is now definitely Pandora's Tower that is highest on my porting wishlist for Switch. This game deserves a second chance, it needs more exposure. But I am doubtful. I think this game will be left on Wii forever, never getting the exposure it deserves. Which is really a shame. At least it is available digitally on WiiU (in difference to Another Code R), and you should get it as long as the eshop is still open for WiiU. Until March, this is probably the last chance to legally get the game, as I don't expect a port or remaster or anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgB48Bq8Rho

Sent you a DM and posted in the official thread.

Now I really need to finish part 2 of FFX, which isn't very long.

But I dread actually typing up my book about my #1 game, it will literally take over 4 hours I think. So I might skip out on that haha. Maybe next year.