No, but you're on the right sort of track.

One of the Borderlands games?

So, maybe, Soccer, the simple black-box NES version, isn't the 46th best game ever made. I mean I'm looking at an ad for God of War Ragnarok on the TV right this moment, and it sure seems like that game has a lot more effort into it than this. This game is so primitive, even every FIFA game would be a better football experience than this is. Especially nowadays. But this is one of those games that hold a special place in my life, which only a tiny few can claim. In my early years of gaming, when technology was still a mysterious, dare I say, mythical thing and the most advanced thing in my whole family was my uncle's corded car-phone, all me and my cousin would play together was Duck Hunt, and Soccer. I'll see him again sooner or later but now almost 30 years later we went our own ways, but playing this game together still feels like it was yesterday.

Speaking of, Duck Hunt cannot be forgotten. This game has a bit of an advantage over Soccer. This game has aged much better for one, it is still fun and challenging to play. It's probably due to the character this game has. Both figuratively but also very much literally courtesy of the famous dog, probably gaming's most famous dog, later aptly named 'Duck Hunt Dog' by Super Smash Bros. The other advantage is, for me personally anyway, that this is probably the first game I ever played. Shooting ducks an the tv-screen with an actual gun was mind blowing for a young child. Of course, my parents rather had me playing the clay pigeon shooting mode. But that was no fun, like I said, the dog was all the character.

There's people that hate this game, and there's people that love this game. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground for Star Wars Shadows of the Empire. Obviously, I'm in the camp that loves it. I thought it was super cool, it was one of the first games in the Star Wars franchise I played that went beyond the movies, and introduced new characters and that was extremely interesting. Its atmosphere is gritty and dark, the Empire feels omnipresent and threatening. It has cool weapons, cool bosses and cool locations. And of course the Jetpack, and Jetpacks are cool. The music is cool, especially in the penultimate level; the intimidating Prince Xizor's Palace. By the Force this game's just cool. What wasn't cool though was how you didn't get to see the actual ending if you didn't complete the game at its highest difficulty setting (which you had to unlock first), but eh, that's why Youtube was invented.

#44

YoY: -5     My Rating: 9.0

There were very few games that ever made me even consider getting an Xbox 360. I had a PS3 at the time, and just about every game that I was interested in came out on it anyway, so I had no need for a 360. I didn't care about Halo, Gears of War, or Fable. However, that generation was missing one thing: a great Final Fantasy game. Except we did get one, just under a different name and on a console I didn't own. Lost Odyssey was just about the only game I really felt sorry for missing during this period of time, and that remained the case until a decade later. My then-girlfriend, and current wife, bought herself an Xbox 360, and I figured I might as well try and find a copy of Lost Odyssey now, and eventually I did, for 5 euros. One of the best 5 euros I've ever spent.

There's a lot I loved about Lost Odyssey. The setting is quite unique, a world that is just emerging into a new world of technology following something of an industrial revolution, albeit one powered by new forms of magic, the characters are very well-written and each have their own clear personalities and goals, the story is admittedly a bit cliched, but includes enough twists and turns to always keep the player guessing, and the music by Nobuo Uematsu is excellent. Yet, rather oddly, perhaps the best part of the whole game are these short written stories the player can unlock over the course of the game that recount various events from the past, mainly related to the main character Kaim. While they aren't necessarily any masterpieces of literature, they are expertly crafted and emotionally resonant short stories that left a lasting impression on me, some of them hitting me quite hard as well. I still remember many of them vividly, even though it's been years since I played the game.

Indeed it is! Since the hint was too vague to figure out which one, that's a correct guess in my book: It's Borderlands 2.

That is not Trails!

Hmm, but a good reminder, Lost Odyssey was a game that sounded interesting. And now I own a Xbox and they have good backward compatibility, so I could actually go look for the game. Good reminder!

... Actually it is on sale in the Store, I might bite.

Indeed. You are now in lead with correct guesses with three.

Guessed by @Ultrashroomz

I think this is probably the most unremarkable Metroid game ever made. As in, it's as standard fare as it gets for the series. Go into the underworld of Zebes, kill big lizard guy and alien dragon, then kill a brain in a jar. I mean, it's a remake of the first game, so it's not wrong in taking this approach, but where the original entry has a very distinct tone and style from the rest of the series, Zero Mission makes the atmosphere more like a light-hearted take on Super Metroid. Which I suppose is pretty defining on its own, since no other Metroid game is anywhere close to being light-hearted. Funny enough, I think it is almost entirely skippable for anyone who wants to just play through the mainline games, because the story feels like it really begins with the second one. This is more just a foundation for what Metroid as a whole is about, a light and easy appetizer before you get into the real stuff, but not really that important of a chapter in any of the franchise's stories.

So because of its relatively upbeat tone, and its near total lack of an actual storyline, this game feels almost like the Mario of Metroid to me. And you know I'm not the biggest fan of Mario. But while I do find Zero Mission significantly less interesting than all the other great Metroid games, it's just because this series has such a ridiculously high standard, seeing how great this game is.

Top 50 >>

No, Trails was #45. And yeah, give Lost Odyssey a try if you get the chance. 

#43

YoY: -6   My rating: 9.0

I can't remember exactly what attracted me to Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, perhaps it was the post-apocalyptic setting that wasn't just a drab and colourless wasteland as in so many other games with a similar setting, or maybe it was the knowledge that Andy Serkis was heavily involved in the voice acting and directing of the game, but whatever the reason, I knew I had to play it. I did, loved it, and although it isn't quite as high on my list as it once was, I still think it's an excellent game.

Enslaved is basically an action-adventure game, with heavy focus on melee combat and platforming, with some other elements thrown in for variety. In general the gameplay is very straightforward and uncomplicated, but fun nonetheless. However, the main reason why it has stuck with me for so long are the two main characters and the relationship that develops between them over the course of the game, from reluctant partners brought together due to circumstance and necessity, to people who genuinely care for each other and want to protect the other. The good writing, intriguing mystery at the core of the story, and the beautiful setting are just a nice bonus.