Guessed by @Darashiva

It's been a while since I last played through Ōkami. It was a yearly staple of my life for four years in a row, but now I've gone four years in a row without playing it. Maybe it's no coincidence my sanity has been getting worse and worse... I don't think it'll be much longer before I put myself in Amaterasu's shoes to fill Nippon with flowers for a fifth time.

It's often lost on us in this day and age just why people used to have all these legends, mythologies, folklore. Putting it in videogame form like this is a good way to remind us of how important those stories were. Everything about Ōkami feels like a legend in all the right ways - it's about giving us hope, making us see the good in people and the good in ourselves, and using that to make the world a better place. It's about reminding us to be forgiving, to be tolerant, to be kind, and that when we help people, they help us back. It's about healing, it's about understanding our inner demons and making peace with them. It's about the world we've been blessed with, the beautiful nature that surrounds us, it's about the sun.

And given how much it rains where I live, I really do appreciate the sun.

Top 50 >>

Guessed by @Darashiva

At this point I'm nearly done trying to sell this game to you all, hopefully the image above is enough!

Though I mean that as a half-joke, it's true that in the 9 years since I've been enamoured by these characters, it never felt like I found anyone who gets it. I've talked to many people who love the movies, seen many glowing praises for this wonderful game too, but I never found someone who identified with them like I do...

What's inside you, what do you hide?
I know the parts of you that you locked away and wished had died...

2023 saw the release of the long-awaited and long-delayed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, finally closing out the film trilogy. The Eidos-Montréal game, a masterpiece in its own right, did well to release in 2021 as I was starving for anything Guardians at that point. Back then, I saw an awesome fan comic based on the game, it just oozed passion for these characters in a way I hadn't felt before. This year, when I was obsessing over Vol. 3, I saw that same artist post new drawings based on the film, and I saw that passion again - I decided it was time to be part of this, so I interacted with them and started meeting more and more people in this wonderful little community of space raccoon fanatics.

I know this is a bit of a tangent, but it's important because this game is about a bunch of outcasts struggling to deal with their ghosts. I've always identified with them, especially with Rocket, but I never fully understood why... until this year.

I haven't replayed the Guardians game this year, I'm still recovering from the overwhelming feelings Vol. 3 caused on me in two waves: the first, when the movie itself tugged away at every emotion inside my body; the second, many months later, when I was cast out of that little community of outcasts. There it was, a small group of misfits stumbling into each other through their love of Guardians of the Galaxy, and even among people like that, I didn't belong. It was through no fault of their own, I just pushed them away, Rocket style.

It's like all the pieces finally clicked into place, I finally understood why I relate to this character so strongly. All along, I've always been like him. All Rocket's ever done is push people away, he has burned bridges with countless people just like I have, but deep down he wants nothing more than to have close friends he can rely on and trust. He lashes out at them and pushes them away because it can be genuinely scary to be open with others, especially when you have so many ghosts in your past... but eventually, he finds a group of people who understand him and forgive him for his attitude, and help him see the good he has inside.

That community that cut me off, they are my ghosts. And I've struggled to deal with it. But in the past few months, I'm starting to believe that I, too, might be finding my own caring and understanding family. A place I can truly belong in. Whether we save a galaxy along the way or not, that's just a bonus.

Tonight we ride straight into the fire.
Are you ready to go, go, go?

This year has been truly a rollercoaster ride for me - one where I've largely failed to achieve the goals I'd set myself twelve months ago, but also filled with self-discovery and intense emotional experiences throughout. At times, it's felt as if I truly lost myself this year, and in many ways it still feels that way, but I also feel like I've learned so much and am still learning so much about who I truly am, and one thing that's remained unchanged throughout that learning process is my love of Guardians of the Galaxy. If anything, I've only gotten a better understanding of why my love for these characters runs so deep. I'm not sure what the future holds for me, but one thing is for sure, 2024 will be like a ride straight into the fire. I just have to believe that, with the right people beside me, that fire can't possibly hurt us - as long as I keep believing, I will be ready to go, go, go.

Top 50 >>

Final clue - tried to make it a gimme.

02
- You may come across numerous dragons throughout the game, but you’ll only get to fight one in the penultimate level.
- To be exact, there’s 48 dragons you may come across in the first 16 levels, before you fight one in level 17.
- Jade, gold, and silver (or is it stone?)
- One of the earliest games in a highly successful series, with the protagonist being one of gaming’s most iconic characters.
- The series has transcended gaming, with the likes of movies, comics and animated series also bearing the title.
- This game is being remastered (along with two others in the series) as part of a collection that is due for release in February. The two other games in the collection are already on my list.

Current list - https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/247804/the-official-thread-the-14th-annual-greatest-games-event-post-only-once/4/#3

Tomb Raider. Checking your list it would have to be 2

#7

Change YoY: =   My Rating: 9.6 / 10

Trails in the Sky SC is the absolute peak of the series, one that no other game in it has managed to reach despite several excellent entries having followed it since. Picking up pretty much immediately after the first game, following mostly the same cast of characters with a few nice additions thrown in, SC uses the foundation set up in the first game to push the story to new places and begins to reveal the larger world that would soon be explored even further. However, even with the scale of later games dwarfing this one, none of them have quite reached the same heights of storytelling and character development as Nihon Falcom did here. 

The writing here is excellent (owing much to the wonderful localization work by Xseed Games), and though it is not quite as vast as some of the later games in the series, anyone who wants to experience everything Trails in the Sky SC has to offer can still expect upwards of 60 hours of game time, practically all of it brilliant. A distinct element that makes The Legend of Heroes games stand out are the little stories that happen around the main characters. There are several minor characters in this series whose exploits have spanned several games in the series, across different sub-series. You can meet characters here that will later appear in the Trails of Cold Steel games for example, still continuing their own stories that began here. It's not something the developer really needed to do, but it makes the world feel so much richer and lived in, simply because it's not just the main cast that have lives. People around them travel the world, get married, find jobs, and it's all up to the player to witness these little stories should they choose to do it.

With an excellent score and a great, tactically deep battle system rounding things up, this is simply one of the best games I've ever played. I started playing video games over 30 years ago now, and in that time very few games have had such an impact on me as the first two Trails in the Sky games. The Legend of Heroes is a series that is behind only Final Fantasy and Dark Souls (or just Sousborne in general) in my personal estimates, and this is the very best entry in it thus far. 

I agree. This is why I had Immortals: Fenyx Rising on my list for a year. It has it's flaws, but telling a new legend with these well-known gods and myths. Okami is better, which why it is consistently high in my list. And I guess your love for Guardians of the Galaxies stems from it being a modern legend. Sure it has space ships, but the way it is told feels more like legends than gritty realism. To many artists these days fear to be seen as silly with over-the-top stuff, but that limits their creativity. We need more legends in art - old ones retold and new ones.

Correct. The first three clues were in reference to the secret system. Three dragon statues can be found and collected in each of the first 16 levels - one jade, one gold, and one stone / silver. The other clues are self explanatory.

Done a table for users who got the most guesses from my list. I've also allocated points for the number of clues required for a correct guess (5 for 1 clue, 4 for 2 clues etc) and done an average clues per correct guess. Hopefully my maths hasn't failed me.

#6

Change YoY: =   My Rating: 9.7 / 10

Over 15 years since its original release on the PS2, Shadow of the Colossus remains a wholly unique experience. Many have obviously tried to emulate its style, atmosphere, and tone, including the original creators, but nothing has matched what Team Ico achieved in this masterpiece. From the moment the game begins and the first notes of its introductory song 'To the Ancient Land' hit as you follow a man riding a horse through the wilderness and carrying something on his lap, it felt like I was about to experience something truly special.

There is this sense of quiet grandeur in Shadow of the Colossus that separates it from practically every other game I've ever played. Unlike so much of the medium, it isn't afraid to take its time and let the silent ambience of the world speak for itself. For vast stretches of the game, you're simply riding across the landscape with just your horse for company, just taking in your surroundings. Eventually, it becomes almost a meditative experience. However, when you do reach your destination, the atmosphere changes quite drastically as you come face to face with any of the 16 colossi you need to take down, though the sense of melancholy that permeates the game never completely disappears.

Despite on the surface being about taking down 16 (mostly) huge boss monsters, in a lot of ways SotC is almost a puzzle game. Every one of the colossi needs to be taken down in a specific way, and a huge part of the fight against each one is about figuring out just how to do that. It gives the game not only much of its challenge, but makes each fight unique and exciting to tackle. And then, the colossus crumbles down to the ground, the protagonist is hit by black tendrils that cause him to faint, and suddenly the feeling that something's not quite right about what you're doing rears its head once again. It's a beautiful, sad, and poignant experience, one that will undoubtedly remain with me for a very long time.

Sweet, shared second place! Apparently I did need a lot of hints though lol.

About my 10-1:


10. Live A Live (SNES)

Live A Live is a great JRPG that only recently became officially available in the west. I however did play it unofficially - that is, fan translation - and it was the best game I haven't yet played for second time. Like DQ4, LAL is divided into chapters; a structure I love. And in this case you can play most of them in your preferred order.
Warning about the end: this is one of those JRPGs that have hidden real ending; don't miss the final chapter!


9. Okami (PS2)

I assume no explanation is needed.


8. Myst (PC)

While third game is better in gameplay/puzzles, original is still my favorite of the series because of the story and setting. And puzzles are more fair than in most sequels.


7. Max Payne (PC)

Excellent style throughout and enjoyable gameplay.


6. Privateer 2: The Darkening (PC)

I call it "the best movie I've ever played". While not actual part of my clear favorite series Wing Commander, this spinoff is great on its own right. Best cast of actors ever in a game (many of them even performing well, for greenscreen), nice freelancer universe and a rather unique shooting style make this worth more than one playthrough.


5. Loom (PC)

I said Grim Fandango (#14) is "beautiful, atmospheric and unique game with good puzzles". Loom goes even above it in all those.


4. Wing Commander II (PC)

WC2 wouldn't be quite as high if it wasn't for the two great expansions. But as second best game of my favorite series, I have to put it up here.


3. The Secret of Monkey Island (PC)

You've seen by now my love for Lucas adventures and I consider original Monkey Island the peak of it. Surely subjective view, it being the one I played first of them. But nevertheless I value it this high.


2. Phantasy Star (SMS)

Also a subjective choice. Everyone loves their first JRPG, whether it is one of FF, DQ or whatever - and for me it was Phantasy Star 1. But I do think it's also one of best examples of the genre. The world expanding to other continents and then to other planets is well planned. I hate it when games (particularly RPG) are linear, but it's OK if they can fade it into the world so that player doesn't even realize it on first playthrough. PS1 is such a game. And I do like the 3D dungeons better than 2D of later games.


1. Wing Commander (PC)

My answer to "what is the best game ever" has remained the same for almost three decades: Wing Commander 1.
I'll just list reasons. Nicely divided to short missions. Branching mission tree - something I love - and related to that, the best invention (still sadly rare in games): you don't have to always win, you can lose a mission here and there and the game goes on without keeping you there playing it again and again (well, except on the expansions and the couple desicive missions). You have wingmen characters who can die - or you can even kill yourself if you want to; either way you get to attend to their funeral. Friendly fire was pretty rare thing back then and in some games it does fit into the gameplay. Your ship doesn't have just one life meter: it has regenerating shields, armor separately on four sides, taking damage can destroy your weapons, slow you down, cut down max shields, take away your ejection seat or radar... so many types of damage before you die and same for wingman and enemies. Good balance along game that you have two better and two worse ships that are different but somewhat equally good. You've got medals, promotions and killboard to motivate you. Plenty of cutscene talk and between missions chatter.
But it really comes down to the enjoyable gameplay, thrill of the dogfight. When you hit the afterburner to get on the side of the approaching enemies, turn to put full charge of shots on one of them and finish him with a missile, then start hunting next one... This is what I consider to have been the greatest gaming pleasure of my life.
Some may say game being short is a bad thing, but for me it means I will play it again. And again. Besides, there's the two expansions and the very similar sequel with two expansions and if those 100 missions aren't enough there are several more games in the series that are on this list.