[Question] Top 20 Games of the last 20 Years?

(you are the worst)

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I'm really terrible with words, and I tend to like very similar things in all my games, so I'm afraid you will see excessive amounts of "narrative", "engaging", "superb", "wonderful" and "atmosphere".

It goes without saying there are a LOT of completely astounding videogames I've left out of the list, but consider this a sort of mixture of personal, personal favourites and "games you need to play before you die".


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1. ICO (PS2)

Hands down my favourite videogame of all time. A beautiful distillation of what can be done with videogames, without bogging it down with excess bloat of moral choices, customisation, multiplayer or multiple endings. I mean even those are all there, just seamlessly integrated, or held back as a cute bonus. A simple, engaging fairytale told elegantly, it's a beautiful, touching journey with wonderful sights, sounds, and tiny narrative arcs woven into gameplay and its mechanics.

2. Vagrant Story (PS1)

My second favourite game of all time. This came out at a time when medieval settings were one of the least interesting things I could think of, so I basically skipped out on picking it up. I ended up borrowing it from a friend and started playing as I was supposed to be making dinner downstairs, boiling potatoes. The opening intro, with its superbly directly cutscenes, playable sequences, amazing music, punchy yet prosaic dialogue and just really gripping narrative got me so hooked I burnt the potato kettle really, really badly.

That game is a superb action RPG with a weird and deep real time/turn based combat system and one of the most gripping and exciting stories I've ever encountered in games. From the opening moments I was completely hooked on the storyline, the complex characters and the strong atmosphere. I kept playing because I HAD to find out what happens next, and at the time I had not run into games that dealt with themes of identity, guilt and repressed memories in quite this way. The cast of characters is vast and wonderful, the environments incredibly atmospheric, with the city of Leá Monde, with its alleyways, rooftops, cathedrals and underground dungeons becoming an important character of their own.

Featuring one of the greatest soundtracks ever (from the wonderful Hitoshi Sakimoto), Vagrant Story was an incredible journey, an intriguing murder mystery, a gripping political conspiracy, a haunting portrait of a site of deep tragedy and an engaging character study of a broken protagonist, and had one of the most powerful and moving endings I've yet to see in a videogame.

One of my favourite tales in any media, I enjoy replaying it yearly.

3. Rez (PS2)

Third favourite videogame ever, Rez was a wonderful fusion of sight, sound and gameplay, a hypnotic Panzer Dragoon style musical shooter where everything you do creates notes, with you essentially making up part of the background music as you shoot your way through a virtual reality in an effort to liberate an AI.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi combined his love of videogames, Kaminsky and electronica to explore the evolution of cultures and life itself, all the while making an amazingly satisfying and heady shooter, and one of the most striking and original action videogames around.

A superb soundtrack makes this an absolute (if short) masterpiece. The final level is one of the greatest things you will ever experience.

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From here on I can't really put them in any kind of particular order, so here's the remaining 17 without numbered spots, as the order doesn't really matter:


Secret of Mana (SNES)

Part of the trinity of my 10/10 SNES games, Link to the Past and Super Mario World were sadly released outside outside this 20 year limit. Secret of Mana is a beautiful action RPG with an engaging story, vast world to explore, likeable characters, a great soundtrack, a superb and unique GUI ring system and the coolest dragon ever made, Flammie.

Plus you can play it through with two friends, but even on your own it's an amazing epic well worth experiencing and revisiting. WELCOME TO MATANGO.

Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time (N64)

Ocarina of Time always makes everyone's top videogames lists and with good reason. It may not have aged AMAZINGLY in terms of graphics but at the time it looked absolutely incredible, and I feel it still looks very nice today.

It's a massive adventure, effortlessly fusing exploration, discovery, combat, puzzles and even bits of stealth, with an engaging storyline, a wonderful cast of characters. It was a superb transfer from 2D to 3D, with inventive use of space, scale and pacing, and some revolutionary elements, from Z-targeting (now aped in pretty much every single third person and first person game where you lock onto something with a shoulder button) to the auto-jump.

For me, it's "just" a fondly remembered adventure I remember playing for months and months, discovering all the little secrets and details, but as well as remembering it fondly, I have a deep respect for what it achieved and how it affected the industry. There are probably a lot of gamers today who never played Ocarina of Time itself, but they have played bits of it in many, many other games since.

Planescape: Torment (PC)

I played this years too late, but it turned out to be a deeply affecting experience. Just going to copypaste what I wrote back in 2009:

"Intelligent, beautiful, inspiring.

One of the greatest narratives of anything, Torment is a CRPG set in a fascinating D&D universe of Planescape and tells a mesmerising story of an immortal amnesiac in search of his memories, but also purpose. Beautifully written, with hours of engaging dialogue, great characters, meaningful freedom of choice and roleplay, and wonderful, non-linear storytelling. An affecting experience I hope more and more people get to play through."

Grim Fandango (PC)

My favourite adventure game, Grim Fandango is a FANTASTIC tale of a Land of the Dead travel agent who gets mixed up in a film noir mystery of murder, conspiracy, dangerous skeleton women, underground resistance groups, a giant, orange demon mechanic with a drinking problem, and Robert Frost shaped balloons, among other things.

Filled to the brim with wonderful characters, excellent writing and a god-tier jazz soundtrack, it's a very funny, intelligent and thoroughly enjoyable adventure that everyone should experience.

Metroid Prime (GC)

Another amazing 2D to 3D transfer, Metroid Prime also perfected controls for a first person controlled adventure game, with superb use of lock-on and UI. A deeply atmospheric adventure on the planet of Tallon IV, Metroid Prime was filled with beautiful environments that were great fun to explore, a masterful soundtrack, excellent boss fights and incredible little details like steam fogging up your helmet visor, to the little droplets of rain as you look up, elevating the game from "really great" to "just plain magical".

Radiant Silvergun (Saturn)

I've always enjoyed Treasure's action games, but this is their magnum opus. A dizzyingly vast and hectic vertical scrolling 2D shooter with a unique RPG like weapon system, color based chaining, an absolutely amazing soundtrack, beautifully inventive boss fights, an engaging storyline and, of course, the sword.

The sword is one of the most fun and versatile weapons I've ever experienced in an action game. It works as an offensive and defensive weapon, doubling as your smart bomb and offering an amazing degree of control and finesse to its use.

Pick up the XBLA port or play the game on SSF. Either way you need to experience it.


Wario Ware Inc. (GBA)

Was torn between this and Rhythm Tengoku, but in the end the original eked out a slight lead. A beautiful deconstruction of videogame activities, it's a hilarious collection of wonderfully imaginative minigames, played back to back in super short bursts. An incredibly charming love letter to videogames and Nintendo, with a loveable cast of characters and terrific music and sound design, it plays around with structure and pacing, constantly delighting you in new and funny ways.

And as the ultimate proof of how great and important a title Wario Ware is, it received the mandatory clone on the PSP, in WTF Work Time Fun. Which of course completely misunderstood what made WarioWare so special.


Rock Band 2 (PS3)

Basically Rock Band 1 + 2 as I feel they complement each other. Copypasting from 2010:

"I mostly played these by myself, but even then they are two of the most wonderful videogame experiences one can have. Amazing song selection, peerless audio, a wonderful visual style that's warm, charming and completely nails the basement band feel, complete with T-shirts and worn amplifiers. Everything flows with a deep, deep love and respect for music and the performance.

Rock Band 2, combined with Rock Band 1's songs, is the greatest music game there will ever be, and one of the most satisfying, one of the most fulfilling, engaging and downright magical experiences you can have with a videogame console.

And that's even before I finally bit the bullet and bought some DLC tracks. Eminence Front and I Got Mine have never been so satisfying than now."

Halo - Combat Evolved (XBOX)

Another game I played years after its release but still absolutely adored. I've completed it five times now and it's somehow one of those games that will probably never get old for me. Beautiful to look at, superb fun to play, with still some of the best controls in a console FPS, it seamless fuses tight corridors, furious firefights, stealth, exploration, large scale battlefields, vehicles and wonderful scifi narrative with plenty of great dialogue, plot twists, intrigue and deep melancholy, with an absolutely god-tier soundtrack.

I really enjoy the later games in the Halo series (especially ODST) and have read many of the books, but it is the first game that really truly still feels "special" to me, rather than merely "great" (Reach, ODST, Wars) or "okay" (2, 3). I have Halo 4 waiting and looking forward to going through its campaign. We'll see how it turns out.

Bayonetta (360)

"The most glorious action title in recent years. Smart, wonderfully animated, dizzyingly hectic, beautifully paced, brimming with imagination, amazing setpieces, cheeky (and some genuinely funny) humour, knowing references to pop-culture and Sega's back catalogue, as well as determination to entertain and challenge the player the whole way through."

Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

While FFVI is arguably the better game, VII holds an obvious special place in my heart for being the first Final Fantasy I actually got to play, rather than just read about on the pages of Super Play.

Just as well, as I still love FFVII. It has an incredibly engaging storyline, with a huge cast of memorable characters you genuinely grow to care deeply for (looking at you, VIII), a terrific soundtrack, a massive, beautiful world to explore and tons and tons of great setpieces, plot twists and little tiny moments that engage and stay with you after the story is over.

Just like VI.

Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)

I absolutely adore DKC, but 2 is the one I like best. It took the original and improved it in a billion ways, giving you more to do, and looking even prettier while you do it all. One of the few games I've genuinely played to 100% completion (102%), it will remain one of my favourite Rare games, and because Super Mario World can't make it, it will be my 2D platformer of choice on this list.

Resident Evil (GC)

For ages I was torn between this and Resident Evil 2 as my favourite RE game, but the GameCube remake makes the list for being not only a fantastic Resident Evil game, but a remarkable example of how remakes/reimaginings of older games should be done (looking at you, shoddy HD "collections"). A super atmospheric haunted house of survival horror, receiving an astoundingly pretty overhaul on visuals and audio, REmake is a winning formula of incredibly tense dread, horror, action, exploration, puzzles as well as inventory and resource management. Not to mention the finest videogame ass there is.

It's not too late, Capcom! You can still remake Resident Evil 2 with this engine on the Wii U!

Metal Gear Solid (PS1)

The series later went batshit stupid, but this one still stands as an incredibly atmospheric and inventive military thriller, with a great cast of characters, a genuinely engaging narrative and an at the time unprecedented attention to detail, the game was packed with amazing moments of gameplay and cinematic inventiveness, with action setpieces and memorable boss fights as well as superb little touches to delight and marvel at.

When a boss characters reads your memory card to see what konami games you've played and then uses telekinesis to move your actual controller around on the floor, that's when you have something truly special.

Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time (GC)

Another fantastic 2D to 3D transfers, Sands of Time is a wonderful tale of high adventure and arabian mystique. It does super exciting things with narrative, pacing, level design and beautifully integrates player failure and death into a part of the gameplay and storyline. Its characters are likeable, its atmosphere wonderful, and it offers you a genuine ADVENTURE and JOURNEY you will want to see to the end and will have great fun during it.

Castlevania - Symphony of the Night (PS1)

An amazing mix of RPG and Metroid, with wonderfully intricate sprite art everywhere, and a vast, VAST castle (or two) to explore, with tons of atmosphere, multiple endings, massive boss fights and a fantastic soundtrack.

Ghost Trick (DS)

I wrote a piece on it for gamers month, but suffice to say it's another crazy adventure game from the creator of Phoenix Wright, with you playing as a spirit trying to prevent people's deaths and solving a great mystery in the process. It has a massive range of excellent characters, has a unique and completely charming look, with excellent music and a gripping storyline with plenty of twists. Play it. Buy ten copies.


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Honourable Mentions:

Max Payne 1 & 2, Halo: ODST, Blast Corps, Goldeneye 007, Super Mario 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Silent Hill 1-3, Chrono Trigger, Jet Set Radio, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Syndicate Wars, The Dig, Full Throttle, Psychonauts, Resident Evil 4, Half-Life 2, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy XII, Grandia, Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter, Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2, Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Ridge Racer Type 4, Dino Crisis, Manhunt, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Contra 4, Muramasa, Shantae, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Vanquish, Infinite Space, Journey, Bastion, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto IV, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Crackdown, Dead Rising, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Viewtiful Joe, Thief 1 & 2, Hitman: Blood Money, Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Stunt Race FX, Lylat Wars, Gravity Rush, Limbo, Hotline Miami, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mass Effect, Enslaved, Demon's Souls, Minna no Rhythm Tengoku, Portal, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Dishonored, Spec Ops: The Line, STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, Gradius V, Guardian Heroes, Machinarium, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!, F-Zero GX, Super Monkey Ball, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Advance Wars, Full Spectrum Warrior, Terranigma, Patchwork Heroes, Locoroco, LittleBigPlanet, Shadow of the Colossus, Tenchu: Fatal Shadows, Okami, Katamari Damacy, Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, Disgaea, Wipeout 3, Rival Schools

There's nowhere I can't reach.

That's.. what I said. All the listed things are in the game.

How ya doing, buddy?

You should be. Go edit your post right this minute young man

And yes, the European and Japanese versions have a little bonus ending if you pick up a watermelon at the last beach and carry it with you to the ending.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?