22: Powerslave (Should have really gotten that from the first hint, but I completely missed it for whatever reason)

13: Breath of the Wild

11: Super Mario 64?

You are correct on all three. I knew there was someone here who got the Iron Maiden reference last year - glad it got caught again.

#12

Change YoY: =   My Rating: 9.5 / 10

To put into perspective just how much I enjoy the Soulsborne games from FromSoftware, this is the second lowest of five of their games on my list. Dark Souls III serves as a perfect send-off to the series, bringing the story that had always existed in the background of the series full circle to a fitting conclusion, while also making some wonderful improvements to the gameplay the series had become known for. There are elements that don't quite reach the heights of the first game, but others were also the best in the whole series. In addition, Dark Souls III features some of the most memorable locations in the entire series, and it also contains the absolute best boss fights in the whole franchise. The music composed by Yuka Kitamura and Motoi Sakuraba is excellent, the visual design and art direction were FromSoftware at their finest, and the gameplay was the most fluid and varied in the series, taking some lessons from Bloodborne's faster-paced combat while still retaining the feel of the previous Dark Souls titles. With some of the most intriguing lore in the whole series as well, Dark Souls III is a worthy final chapter for the series.

There was a clear sense of finality present here, with the world spiraling further and further into decay. You'd suddenly find yourself in a place familiar from the first Dark Souls, and see just how far they had fallen in the countless eons since the events of that game. Some characters from previous titles would also make appearances, often either long-since deceased or barely shadows of their former powerful selves. This was made more and more obvious the further you got in the game, until it was practically spelled out to you in the final expansion. Yet, at the very end, by visiting a certain character after everything else was done, you were left with a sense of hope that perhaps something beautiful would yet be born of these dying embers of the age of fire that was about to finally wither away.

No. 13. The Last Of Us Remastered

It's a very depressing game, one that can absolute destroy your mood but there is no denying that it's exceptionally well made and has a great story. The Last of Us part 1 will probably snatch this spot when I get around to it but this game is very hard to plan for a playthrough ad it is so depressing. 

No. 12 God of War '18

Before they went full on Dad with Kratos and after they had him just be a vessel of pure rage, they found a balance that makes for one of the best character action games there is and one that uses a completely unconventional camera angle that seems like it wouldn't work but does so wonderfully. They'll never capture the lightning in a bottle, that this was again unless they kill Atreus and have Kratos just go wild again pulling down any God who gets in his way and them brings him back around to soften him up. 

No. 11 Red Dead Redemption 2

When it released, it felt too long and unevenly paced but in subsequent playthroughs I have found that this game is very close to flawless and the flaws it does have are easily ignored, everything actually has a purpose and it is the most emotional gaming experience there is. It was so ahead of it's time that games still can't come around to it's quality level. So much of the game is perfection but the game really demands that you fall into it's pacing cause if you have ideas of rushing or do not flow with it when it slows down or ramps up, it can be very frustrating. It'd be higher on my list if not for this fact. 

No. 10 Theme Hospital

I have slight trouble placing this game because all it is, is a Hospital management sim but it is easily the best management sim game there is and one that even to this day, I can play and have fun. I have never made my full way around the spiral and finished the game but I've never ceased to have fun trying. What makes it so great is it's replayability, it's depth and complexity which increases as you make your way through the game and the general vibe that it goes for, comedic tone and light heartedness in a genre that can be quite cold. The music and all is so iconic. Many hundreds of hours I have spent playing this epic title. I will say that Two point Hospital comes very close if not eclipsing it in some areas so I'll slide Two point Hospital in with this game for spot No. 11 since it is very much an imitation. 

Another clue.

#10

• Sun and Night in Okinawan
• The first hint refers to the names of the two main protagonists
• It's almost impossible to lose the game's final battle unless you specifically go out of your way to do so.

#9 Elden Ring

• Night of the Black Knives

12) Pokemon X and Y

17) The Thousand Year Door?

Last chance for these

20) I AM THE LAW

• Disco, communism, apocalyptic, trainwreck... which kind of cop are you?
• Disco greek afterlife
• 2019 winner of best narrative at the game awards

16) Looks can be decieving and this little white cat has got moves like a Smash Bros. figther

• Though it's not really in Smash Bros and not really a cat. It does fight a big bird at the end though
• Second of two metroidvanias
• Shiny Catsquirrel vs Owl Frankenstein

15) Blue hair anime chain gang

• Anime cop and his space pet
• Platinum
• In the Astral Plane with my Astral ____

13) An Earthbound-like with black and white horror elements

• 5 letters, starts with an O. Yeah you're gonna need a hint that big
• OM_RI
• Developed by webcomic writer Omocat

12) Color Your Night

• The Meaning of Armbands
• Gun to the head, pull the trigger, summong your _______
• FES, Portable, Reload

Guessed by @drbunnig

It's now been two years since I finished Alien: Isolation, and put it at #20 as a last second addition to this list. I wasn't fully sure of where to place it because of the lack of time to process it, but one thing I would've never expected back then was for the game to remarkably climb even higher on the list for two consecutive years after. I kind of assumed recency bias was playing a hand as it often does, but this game, man, holy shit.

I haven't even replayed it since then, though I have watched a few other playthroughs, most notably watched my best friend play through it about a month ago. I don't think I could be convinced into going through this hellish nightmare again, lol. I'm not exactly experienced in horror games, I've barely played any of them - my interest in this is mainly because of the Alien franchise - but I'm pretty sure even if I went on a marathon of playing through every famous and acclaimed horror game, I wouldn't find a single one that'd scare the living shit out of me like this did. And beyond just the scares of course, this stands right up there with the best works of the Alien franchise with its stunning aesthetics and vibes, and a story that ties into the movies in a great way even if it is rather basic. That Sigourney Weaver agreed to play a role in this because she thought it was ambitious and interesting should tell you everything you need to know really.

I'm still kinda shocked at the recent announcement of a sequel to this. I never thought it'd get one, and now I wonder if they mean a literal sequel that continues the events of this game's storyline, or just more of a new game that shares similar concepts. Either way, the people at Creative Assembly have showed that, even if they specialize in a different genre entirely, they sure know how to make a damn good Alien game. Isolation is the best thing to come out of the franchise since the 1980's, which maybe isn't a high bar, but it really is so special.

FULL LIST >>

Guessed by @UnderwaterFunktown

It's been a few years now since I last replayed Pokémon X & Y, and I'm starting to miss it. I know having this as my favorite Pokémon game is a hot take and I acknowledge it every year, but the last time I replayed through it proved to me that I'll never feel differently about it, and the internet's overwhelming indifference for this game will never change my opinion. This game is beautiful, it was a tremendous work made with so much passion and heart, and it shows in every aspect of it.

I know every franchise game in existence is always supposed to be "the biggest one yet", but X & Y truly did feel and to me still feels like the most ambitious and definitive Pokémon experience. Everything about this game feels absolutely huge to me. Maybe it's the ridiculously awesome soundtrack which blows away most OST's I've ever heard, or maybe it's the fact that it was the first fully 3D Pokémon game, or maybe it was the Mega Evolutions which at the time seemed like the big next step for the series, only to turn out to be the first (and by far most impactful) of many attempted gimmicks since. Or maybe it's anything else. The story and characters are criticized by many, but they've always impacted me and the ending remains absolutely beautiful and gets me emotional every time. I don't know what it is exactly, but X & Y really do feel so massive and important to me, I remember back then they felt that way to most people, and I don't know what's made people change their minds on it but mine hasn't changed. The franchise has gone downhill after this, not since it.

FULL LIST >>

Guessed by @Runa216

Honestly, I gotta apologize to Metroid Prime. After squeezing its way into the top 10 last year with the amazing remaster, I'm now dropping it outside of it yet again. Ridiculously enough, having first played this in 2014 - the same year I first made this list - it has only made the top 10 four out of eleven times, despite having never dropped any lower than #12, a position it ended up in a whopping five (!!) times. So, I'm sorry, Metroid Prime. Hey, at least you didn't end up at #12 again?

Anyways. Yeah, this game is a masterpiece. The kind of masterpiece you struggle to use any different term for, that word is the first and only thing that comes to mind whenever you think about it. Meaning I struggle to even think of what to say about it. Have I mentioned it's a masterpiece? Cause yeah, it sure is a masterpiece.

No really, I don't know what else to say. There's barely anything I could possibly fault this game for. Just a ridiculously well-made translation of everything Metroid should be into a first-person perspective, visually stunning and among the most impressive technical achievements on both the GameCube and the Switch, with an incredible soundtrack that immerses you entirely in this amazing alien world, filled with tense moments and discoveries, very interesting lore behind everything you see, the controls feel great, the level design is fantastic, and most importantly: it's all just so iconic. So, yeah. Masterpiece.

FULL LIST >>