I'm gonna say StarCraft just to participate, though I don't think that's right.

No, that's not it. 

Some clues!

#50 - a lot of critics compared this game favorably to Onimusha in 2001

#49 - some characters in this shmup, including the first boss Golden Ogre, are 3D models pre-rendered as 2D sprites

#48 - the heroine of this GBA remake returns next month

#47 - can a game truly be “ultimate” if it’s missing the beloved story mode from this fighter?

#46 - what do you get when you combine Nietzsche, a hovercraft, and an anthropomorphic boar?

48) Metroid Zero Mission

47) #BringBackSubspaceEmissary! (Ultimate or Brawl?)

Zero Mission and Brawl are correct!

#50: Lost Odyssey

• Final Fantasy in all but name

#49: Okami

• A wolf and a brush

#48 Super Mario Bros. 3

• The big bad got kids in this one, though later that was changed, so now they are just his minions

#47

• Nexus...
• ...binds the northern lands together...

#46 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

• You could just go and finish the game as soon as you leave the opening area

So I decided after all to do a few write ups after all just for the honorable mentions that were *new* to my list this year (so essentially games I played since my list last year, not every game from #100 to #51 has been on my list before (though suprisingly many have)). Also I've tried to put a bit more effort into the visuals and using my own screenshots where possible this year rather than writing super long essays which I've done plenty before.

OneShot might have very little actual gameplay to speak of, but it's unique, well-written and breaks the 4th wall extensively which is something I love when done well. It's ending is also essentially a more nuanced version of a game higher on my list, so that's nice.

So Super Mario Wonder entered my list actually because I had made a duplicate entry and suddenly needed another spot (I hope nobody studied my first list of honorable mentions too closely). I'm not sure it would have been my go-to-choice if I hadn't played it this year, but credit where credit is due as someone who isn't the biggest 2D Mario fan I would say it's far above the rest and managed to give me a bit of that feel from the 3D games. It might not be a game I plan to replay anytime soon, but I would still count it among the very best 2D platformers.

Playing as a cat is awesome. I have nothing more to add.

I was sort of wondering if anyone would call me out for including Silksong when I reviewed it 7.5 not that long ago. To be fair I still stand by most of my critisism though in retrospect I would have phrased it a little differently. I'm a simple man; I enjoy difficult games, but I stop enjoying them if it feels like it's wasting my time and Silksong oversteps that line sometimes, but the rest of the time it's an amazing Metroidvania. I imagine if I ever do a Metroidvania replay it would also rank quite highly because some of the roughness can be diminished if you know the best order to do things in.