41. Earthbound (SNES)

This game feels like it was made by a team of precocious preteens and I find that neat.

40. Europa Universalis IV (PC)

If playtime determined placement in this Top 50, this game would be quite a bit higher. It's not a perfect game, but is easily one of the best games I've ever played based around staring at a map for hours.

Rivals of Aether II?

Guessed by @Veknoid_Outcast

The game I can't stop playing as we speak.

I first played Rivals of Aether II a few months ago. Friend of mine was a backer and so I got a chance to play the beta on his computer, I fell in love pretty much instantly. For those who don't know, I used to be a competitive Smash Bros. player, but I quit after falling out of love with Ultimate during the pandemic years. I never saw myself getting back into a competitive game as I felt like I lost that edge, but this game surprised me in every way. I'd played the first Rivals of Aether before but it never fully clicked with me. This one though, it clicked from the moment I picked up the controller. It's just so much fun. Fleet is my main and I love playing her (but I hate fighting everyone too!).

I feel like adding this here so soon is a bit of a "cheater pick" though, because honestly, this game is in early access. The devs won't admit it, but everyone knows. There's only a few characters, barely any content, and the devs themselves have said they're holding back on console releases until they have some story content out. Still, I love playing this even if I'm always raging at my screen with every match that goes by. And I'm sure it'll only keep getting better and better over the years.

I think my main drive to becoming a competitor in this game was the idea of meeting new people, and being part of a community again. I've been in desperate need of those things... Couple months into it though, and I feel like that idea was misguided. I guess it's in the nature of online-centric games that people, well, they don't really care at all about each other. Were this to become over the years what Smash was to me back in the day, maybe it'll go much higher in the list, but we'll see.

FULL LIST >>

#45 - This game was deemed too cool and stylish for Resident Evil

#44 - This 2005 game was remastered in 2011 and remade in 2018

#43 - It wouldn't be unreasonable to think this game was related to a book by Friedrich Nietzsche 

#42 - This game's creator cautioned that future entries in the series would be smaller in scope; how could they not be?

#41 - This game started a long-running franchise, which just this year saw a new installment with a significant role reversal

45: Devil May Cry

44: Shadow of the Colossus

43: Beyond Good & Evil?

Correct on all three!

#42: Super Smash Bros Ultimate

#41: The Legend of Zelda

Hey! That is the second Kyle Hyde game, the one made by Cing and that Nintendo could remake for Switch as they acquired the rights and recently released a remake of the other Cing series Another Code. And I took the 'puzzle' as a soft hint that it is a puzzle adventure.

I put out hints up to forty and you want to reveal already in the 30s.

And yes, obviously Doki Doki Literature Club. :)

Exactly right :)