47. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
For a game about solving mysteries and catching murders Ace Attorney is shockingly light-hearted and goofy, but the writers really managed to strike the right tone with it, making the funny sections serve as a great contrast to the more serious ones instead of derailing them. The writing is very clever in the cases themselves as they often have sudden twists and reveals that turns what everyone knows about the case on its head, ruining what you thought you knew. In later games, this would sometimes lead into a convoluted tangle of a story, but in this first installment they achieved a solid balance and launched a new and much beloved IP for Capcom.

Dynamite cop?

Yes!

Well then, with my first 5 games guessed I'm gonna start posting write-ups once again. Writing new ones for all 50 games would be a bit too time-consuming for me this year, but rather than writing for a few titles here and there I've decided to reuse a lot of the returning ones, maybe with some minor changes (good thing I wrote them up in a word document). I will still write a new one if my opinion has changed notable or of course for the new faces on the list.

Placement/ Last Year	Write-up	(Box) Art
#50 #40	Super Smash Bros. Melee So yeah, Super Smash Bros. Melee was among the biggest drops on my list this year, like it was the year before (and the one before that). Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing title and purely from a gameplay perspective it’s probably more fun than 2/3 of my list (granted that also includes some games with very little actual gameplay), but with Smash Bros. being as iterative as it is, it takes a bit more than that great core gameplay for me to consider one of them among my favorites. But unlike Smash 4 which got the axe last year, Melee is still here because it has enough uniqueness, with its own aesthetic, its somewhat faster pacing and of course the adventure mode, to feel like a distinct entry worth revisiting.
#49 #50	The Beginner’s Guide Despite a general downward movement of returning titles this year, The Beginner's Guide has managed to stick around here at the start of the list. I think I expected something very different going into this game years ago, but what I got what a very unique and very compelling narrative that’s probably still among my favorite stories in games. There is still a little pinch of the humor we know and love from the Stanley Parable, but it mainly has a more serious tone with a story that catches you off guard, though it also manages to surprise and intrigue in the weirdness of the many smaller games it is comprised of throughout.
#48 #45	Metroid Dread Though it has never made it too high on here Dread holds on to my list for the third year in a row. To me, while Dread is not perfect, it definitely takes the crown for the best 2D Metroid and one of the best metroidvanias in general. It has everything that made the older titles great coupled with smoother movement and gameplay, amazing bosses and lovely over the top cutscenes. My few complaints are that the counter mechanic is a bit overused and that the ending was a bit nonsensical, but the game was still a joy to play overall.
#47 NEW	DOOM Eternal Replacing DOOM (2016) which debuted on nearly the same spot on my list last year we have DOOM Eternal and what a game. I think it’s one of the most viscerally satisfying games that I’ve ever played combining the excellent high pulse shooting gameplay of the first with surprisingly fun platforming. I do think the game falls short in some areas though, I read most of the codex entries in the first but in this one they just felt drab and while I’m more about the single-player the multiplayer in this seems needlessly complicating compared to 2016. But when it comes to pure gameplay very few games have this beat so it was still one of my best game experiences this last year.
#46 #37	Resident Evil 2 Remake A game I really need to REplay and I probably will before I finally get around to 4 Remake, but for now it fell a number of spots, though I still remember it as really good. I think what I really like about the gameplay of this and REmake (not on my list but consider this an honorable mention) is that mix of survival horror and puzzle solving, where they actually manage to excel in both rather than the puzzles just feeling tacked on. As a horror game, while it’s far from the scariest one out there, it certainly has some moments that get your pulse going and also has just the right kind of creepy atmosphere throughout.

#48

Change YoY: -1   My Rating: 9.0 / 10

God of War was never really one of my favourite franchises, despite its critical acclaim and clear fan adoration. I only ever played the first PS2 game and decided that I didn't really need to play the rest as it didn't hook me all that well. I liked it fine, but that's all. I skipped the rest of the entries on the PS2, PSP, and PS3, and outside of admiring the gorgeous graphics from the outside, never really bothered to even follow the series passively. The tone, style, and gameplay just didn't draw me in. As such, it wasn't until the new God of War was announced that my interest was piqued. It looked different, but in a way that still clearly marked it as part of the same series. The tone was instantly different, and Kratos as a character felt like he had much more depth to him. I still didn't get the game at launch, or anywhere near it, but when I eventually did, I absolutely loved it.

The difference from the previous games was immediately evident as you start the game. Instead of a huge, epic battle against some massive mythological being, you're just chopping down a tree for your deceased wife's funeral pyre as it turns out. Not exactly the kind of start you would have ever seen in the original trilogy and its spin-offs. From there the game keeps getting better, striking a perfect balance between the old and new styles. The story is expertly told, and the relationships between the various characters are wonderfully written, each bringing something unique to the game. The combat is also great, having a wonderful feeling of weight to it, and the visuals and music work in perfect sync to add meaning and atmosphere to each individual moment. In fact, to me, the parts that stayed with me the most were the small moments between the characters, even if the huge, epic scenes are awesome as well. When you can see a video game character's emotions reflected in just the way they move, you know you're seeing something special.

While I'm at it, here's the next set of clues for my list so I stay suitable ahead of the curve.

#45

-Fighting against Blight

#44

-A thousand years can weigh heavy on a person

#43

-Brush

#42

-The end is in sight from the start

#41

-Grass -> Desert -> Water -> Giant -> Sky -> Ice -> Pipe -> Dark

Some guesses

43 - Okami

42 - Breath of the Wild

41 - Super Mario Bros 3

Yes, correct on all three.

44 is Lost Odyssey. 45 could probably be a lot of games; I'll guess Prince of Persia, but I don't think you'd have it this high on your list.

Haven't finished my list yet. Like most years, I doubt it will change very much.