I actually think I added like 3 or 4 games to my list this year. Elden Ring is one, but so is a game that got DLC this year and a sequel to a game I didn't like (Maybe its status kept me from accepting JUST how much I loved it)

Wanted to say Dune, but Mnementh beat me to it. Though did he? If it's not C&C I'm claiming Dune.

This is in the ballpark, but I posted that game this morning; Dynamite Cop for Dreamcast.

Correct! You are on a roll, fourth correct guess so far. A lot of people hated that level, but I never minded really.

It's a bit later than those, though you mentioned the right series.

You claim wrong

Also, for both of you, the first Dune wasn't an RTS, and couldn't be one (time advances in ticks of one hour instead of real-time).

Huh. Upon looking into it, it seems you're right. What I was remembering was in fact Dune 2 (which I remembered as being "Dune 1"), and Dune 2000 (which I remembered as being the sequel).

Also, if the series was mentioned, I'm afraid I'm going to have to potentially steal it from Mnementh. My apologies to him, but I guess it is, great game, Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness then.

No steal, I mentioned the other series in question but commited to C&C, so everything is fine. And my memory is woozy on Dune 1, I remember it being mainly an adventure with strategy parts in it, but can't remember exactly how that strategy went down. As Dune 2 clearly is an RTS, I kinda assumed it was also in Dune 1.

We have a winner, Warcraft II it is!

#48

YoY: -6         My Rating: 8.9/10

One of the bigger positive surprises from the last few years, for me personally at least, was A Plague Tale: Innocence. I was certainly looking forward to playing it even before release, but didn't expect to like it as much as I did in the end. The story of Amicia, Hugo, and their friends in the plague and rat-infested 14th century France just managed to hit a lot of notes that I find fascinating in video games. It's certainly not a perfect game, and occasionally the limits of the budget do show through, but as far as I'm concerned, this is a perfect example of a game that's more than the sum of its parts.

A Plague Tale can be an absolutely gorgeous game, often in various disturbing ways as well, not that there aren't moments of pure beauty as well. Yet, it is in the minor details that the game doesn't quite reach the sheer visual fidelity of AAA titles. There are other minor gripes too, like the voice actors' french accents, which took a while to get used to, at least for me. The performances themselves, especially by Amicia's voice actress, are very good. Probably the weakest part of the whole game is the final boss battle, which becomes a bit too "video-gamey" for lack of a better term. It is in the characters and story that the game truly shines, not that the gameplay is bad by any means, but it was the writing and the desire to see what happens next that pushed me forward constantly. I'm not sure when I'll get around to playing the sequel, but I am definitely going to do so at some point, and it's all thanks to Innocence.

Further clues

#50 The bonus stages are for earning continues in this game my friend. If you want those precious jewels, you’ll have to scour the levels themselves.
The game doesn't really get to show off the attribute its star is known for. You'd need to play its namesake on more powerful hardware to get that fix.
You won't be zooming around multi faceted levels here. You're in for a more measured, traditional platform experience.

#49 Story-heavy handheld sequel that unfolds over a number of days, rather than one day like the previous game.
It's a much more personal story for the protagonist.
The company that made this game has sadly gone bust, but I believe that Nintendo owns the rights, so there's hope that our hero will come out of hyde-ing in the future.

#47 Destroying speakers will stop music playing in that particular part of the level.
Due to a bug, it's impossible to collect everything in the original version of the game. To access the secret level, you have to use a cheat code or an Action Replay.
The developer was rebranded and went on to produce some of the biggest selling games in history.

#46

(NEW)

An Uncharted game replaces an Uncharted game on my list lol (3 with 1). And yea while this still is definitely not one of the best Uncharted games, it grew on me a lot when I replayed them this year. It’s a lot less cohesive than 2, but the set pieces and combat might the best in the series. Throwing back grenades is a great feature that should have carried over to 4, and the plane crash & mansion burn down are awesome. Another entry that may not last to next year, but a great entry in the series regardless.

#49: Kyle Hyde says this must be "Last Window: The Secret of Cape West". The bankruptcy of Cing is such a tragedy, given this series and even more Another Code and the fact they went bust just before adventure games got a second wind. I kinda doubt Nintendo owns the rights, they didn't do anything with it except a random appearance of Ahley Mizuki Robbins in Smash.