Yakuza 0

YoY: -3     My Rating: 9.2/10

Proof positive that open world games don't have to be massive to be great or memorable. Yakuza 0 simply filled it concise and intricately designed world with a huge variety of different engaging things to do, from absolutely ridiculous side quests to activities that have no reason to be as deep and varied as they are. But they are, and the game is all the better for it. It also features two protagonists, who have impressively different gameplay styles, both having their own fighting styles and side quests. 

Yakuza 0 also balances the ridiculous with the serious amazingly well, as the player might go from a life and death battle with a yakuza boss to a side quest about teaching a dominatrix how to be better at her job. It's quite the balancing act, and the game pulls it off near perfectly. I would take Yakuza 0's well-designed, compact world over most massive and repetitive open worlds filled with hundreds of indistinct markers denoting another pointless collectible. You know, Ubisoft games.

Sorry I've been MIA for a while!

More hints!

#35 - A gag at the end of this game promised a numbered sequel; instead we got a vehicle construction game
Banjo-Tooie (guessed by Darashiva)

#34 - A demo for this game was included on a collector's disc with ports of four other games from the same franchise
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (guessed by UnderwaterFunktown)

#33 - The same folks who made #35 made this game, which is finally getting an official re-release after 25 years
GoldenEye 007 (guessed by Darashiva)

#32 - This open-world RPG features a geographic region dominated by a race that shares its name with the villains of Thor 2


#31 - A major console maker passed on publishing this game in the west, something it rectified 11 years later
Demon's Souls (guessed by Darashiva)

#29

(-9)

Yet as much as I loved Spider-Man, I think the Arkham series' initial outing just barely edges it out. Such a lovely, tightly packed story in a fantastic, atmospheric location that confines and controls Batman in all the perfect ways. The array of villain encounters are a blast with highlights from Killer Croc and ESPECIALLY Scarecrow with some of the best scenes in any games I've played, and the combat is of course revolutionary for this genre of games. I did a replay of this game this year in my attempt to make it through the series (still need to get to Arkham Knight), and while it did lesson on replay specifically for a pretty rough final act, it is still a masterclass in what it's trying to accomplish.

28) And with good reason since Nier: Automata is right!

27) It's not To the Moon, no, though I've been meaning to replay that.

34 is definitely Wind Waker.

Correct!

35: Banjo-Tooie

33: Goldeney 007

31: Demon's Souls

Well done!

#26: Sounds like Portal.

#28: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard?