Both correct!

Well at long last, I finally have everything ready to start posting!

This year, I made a bit of a change to my list - instead of making a Top 50 with some honorable mentions at the end, I decided I wanted it to be a Top 40, with the last ten entries serving as "official" honorable mentions so to speak. Most of these games are here for nostalgic value or how they impacted me at different points of my life, rather than how I currently feel about them. As such, they'll all be listed together in this one big post before we get to the list proper.

     Guessed by @Salnax
Possibly my first ever favorite game (or maybe just my first game in general), Sonic 2 was a staple of my earliest years, though I only managed to finish when returning to it as a teenager. I've probably gone more than a decade now without playing it, but its impact on me is undeniable.

     Guessed by @Salnax
I played this for hundreds upon hundreds of hours back in 2014, and even after I moved on to spend most of my time with other games, it remained a staple of gaming nights with friends for many years. It's been left in my past now, but I still cherish those times.

     Guessed by @UnderwaterFunktown
I've mixed feelings on Death's Door. On the one hand, it's one of the best indie Zelda-likes I've ever played. On the other, I kinda wish it wasn't a Zelda-like, as it had so much potential to be a darker and more original game. Still, even if its impact on me is waning, I do think it was a great game.

     Guessed by @UnderwaterFunktown
My least favorite of the good Metroid games. I've replayed Zero Mission many times, and for as fun as it remained and still remains, I do find it a bit shallow both mechanically and aesthetically. I suppose it's only fair, seeing as how it's a portable remake of the very first entry in the series. Let's just say I'd rather play this over Metroid 1 any day.

     Guessed by @Bofferbrauer2
So, ten whole years after I started making these lists here, Minecraft finally shows itself! It's not exactly a "New" entry, because I've played it long before even joining VGC, but it is its first time on my list and that's because, this year, I got into a community server and played a bunch on it. Building things together with friends was super fun, we made really cool stuff, and it helped me cope through some of my toughest times. So yeah, this means a lot more to me now than it used to.

     Guessed by @Salnax
I've played many Football Manager games, but this was the one I put endless hours into when I bought it on a shared account with a friend. We each created our own clubs and moved up the divisions, creating super memorable stories along the way. I posted the full story of my club, Wepkeer, back in 2020 when I first listed this game, but that post no longer exists because of you-know-what. Oh well.

     Guessed by @Salnax
Rock Band 3 here is a stand-in for all games in its series and Guitar Hero, as it was my favorite of all of them and gave me the most awesome memories. These games were my whole life in the late 2000s, and honestly? I miss those times.

     Guessed by @UnderwaterFunktown
Man, I still remember how awesome it felt when Samus returned. It had been some dark years to be a Metroid fan up until this came out. Admittedly I feel like the game gets a bit too caught up in that feeling too, forcing some Metroid staples for no reason, but it's still a great game I've replayed a few times.

     Guessed by @Mnementh
Another year goes by without me getting through the Mass Effect trilogy. I don't know what it is with those sequels man, they just never clicked with me. I still want them to. But for the time being, I'll continue listing the first game here as it's genuinely amazing.

     Guessed by @Mnementh
I feel like my second playthrough of Cyberpunk 2077 is coming up sometime soon and like it'll skyrocket up my list when that happens. It hasn't happened yet, though. I've only played this in the glitchy launch version everyone hated, yet it's still here because, well, it's awesome. I still remember the impactful bad ending I got (the one with a Rubik's cube, if you know you know), I need to make that right someday!

Anyways, that's it for my "honorable mentions". Looking forward to the first entry of the "real" list, thanks for bearing with me on this big post!

FULL LIST >>

#42 - Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii)

Some say this is a terrible game. I disagree. Sonic and the Black Knight has an gorgeous fantasy setting with beautiful lakes, forests, caves, towns... Actually, it might be one of the best-looking Wii games. And the soundtrack... Well, Sonic games usually have very good music, but this one stands out. I'll never forget the final boss theme on this game. Amazing!

Whew, so. Guess I retconned the last 10 entries out of the "real" list or whatever. Anyways, hoping someone will show up to guess tomorrow's entry - I know this is less about my hints being too hard and more about the fact that there's not a lot of movement in the thread right now, but, here's some more hints.

#40 - I GOT NIGHTMARE EYES!!!!!
Hint 2 - The protagonist's best friend is in the most wholesome gay relationship ever

#39 - What is a rival?

(Bonus: both of these are indie games)