Thursday, May 30, 2019

Top 30 Favorite Video Games

In my attempt at the impossible task to rank down my top 30 current video games, criteria is used for one title in an entire franchise only, to allow for a more fair overview. The video game industry is bigger than ever, hundreds of titles come out every day, and there is only such an amount of precious time.

This subjective opinion of mine is equal to others, and it took a bit longer for me to assemble this. Some of the previous entries in the previous related blog post: https://flow-rush.blogspot.com/2014/03/top-25-video-games.html  have been replaced by upgrades, others have vanished, and new ones have risen. My reviews back then still apply to the entries that remained on this 2019 list:

#30.La-Mulana

#29. Sin & Punishment 2: Successor of the Skies

This sequel is everything the original was, but so much more, and the Star Fox developers should take note on how to get successful once again by looking at Treasure's Wii treasure. THIS is how you do an arcade style hybrid on rails shooter with excellent bosses, satisfying longevity and brutal difficulty.
#28.Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is a magnificent video game with balancing and varied gameplay which includes enemy design, presentation and features, and is an absolute must play for any Metroid, Castlevania or Metroidvania/Castleroid fan. 


#25.Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
While Snake Eater has the best boss line up, the most charming atmosphere and a killing Cold War setting, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty/Substance has in my opinion the best story in the overall series, with twists at the end that reflect back onto some of society's current structures.

#23.Punch-Out!! 
Fantastic re-imagination of the original NES version where Little Mac must once again start at the bottom and eventually reach the top to become the world champion. Only this time, He must also defend that dear title. Featuring pretty much all of the favorite boxing opponents from the original except for the licensed character, Punch-Out!! plays similar, yet feels fresh on the Wii. The opponents get a little bit more personality because they can talk now, and some of the graphic animations are funny. 
#22.Deus Ex

#19.Wario Ware Gold
A best of edition of all of the previous Wario Ware games, Gold has the largest amount of micro games availlable, either with buttons, rotation or touch controls. For the first time having voice acting too, the presentation, humor and of course the gameplay are still shiny, and it's excellent as a pick up and play kind of game.
 The sequel improves in every way. Factors such as presentation, the emotional storyline, smoothened combat and a bigger world make it a greater time to return towards this. The Sinistrals are primarily remembered the most for featuring one of the best boss battle songs in any video game.

Aside from being a lengthy journey, Lufia II is also filled with other content, such as a somewhat hidden casino town, an awesome randomizing particular dungeon and the very unique ability(1 year before Pokémon) of raising monsters who will assist you in your struggles.

What arguably made Rise of the Sinistrals the most outstanding is most likely how it's puzzles are designed that are each scattered throughout the dungeons, temples and towers. The developers of Neverland really got creative with them and could easily rival any The Legend of Zelda puzzle and sometimes even surpass them, another unique treat amongst SNES RPG's.

#17.F-Zero GX
The fifth edition is the definitive, most ultimate based entry.

The multiplayer scene lets you create custom rule sets per match, which is nice, and you can play locally or wireless using the Switch. The online experience seems to have improved, letting you play through matchmaking, or get into arena's with friends.

After the whole roster is available, perhaps then we could have an objective based analysis using tournament statistics. Anyhow, like any part in the franchise, the best thing about these games for me is the celebration aspect of representing each franchise fairly. 

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a massive undertaking, and the replay value is immense. it's not perfect, but it's the best that's available!

#14.Batman: Arkham Knight
 Marvelous and rich finale towards the Arkham Batman games, Arkham Knight is the first next generation entry and for the first time, you will be able to control the Batmobile and perform neat tricks with it. 
With a huge city to explore comprised of 3 main islands, the adventure has never been bigger. The excellent gameplay variety includes stealth, combat, detective work and now also road action. The majority of Batman's gadgets return alongside newer ones, and the cast is rich, huge and it contains the perfect excuse to bring Joker back, deepening his relationship with the Bat even further.
Arkham Knight is a great closure for the series, but considering that Batman is more popular than ever arguably, I am sure that he will return when speaking of video games, it's just that the story ought to be approached differently then.

#13.Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward

#12.Xenoblade
 My personal favorite of the trilogy is Echoes. After Samus's previous adventure, she once again discovers the substance known as Phazon on the planet Aether, a weird world that is split up into a light and a dark dimension, very similar to the concept found in A Link to the Past and Ikaruga as well. With interesting locations, new visors and an immersive soundtrack, as well as the introduction of Dark Samus, they all keep Metroid Prime 2 my favorite 3D based Metroid part.

#8.Secret of Mana
I have said so much about From Software's franchise already, they are arguably the best games I have played to an extent during my late 20's.

I have beaten Dark Souls about 10 times now, and the only other game that comes close to that amount is the previous entry. While each of the titles brings something and enriches more, I keep coming back to the original Dark Souls, because I love the atmosphere.

The methodical combat, the difficulty, the beautiful dark medieval fantasy, the few music songs, the online multiplayer experience, the lore, the gameplay, the secrets and so much more...Dark Souls really is a masterpiece for me. And so many agree with me.

#3..The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

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