Top 100 Games of All-Time: #92

Super Meat Boy

Release Date: October 20, 2010

Platform Played On: XBox 360

2018 Placement: #77 (-15)

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What It Is:

You are Meat Boy. Bandage Girl has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Fetus and you have to rescue her. And that’s it! That’s all the plot you get for this twitch platformer that will (likely) frustrate you to no end.

Each world had 20 levels – both light and dark version – and a boss fight at the end. There was nothing between you and the end of each level except a whole bunch of obstacles that will instantly kill you, and all you have to rely on is your expert platforming skills. It’s fun, it’s bloody, and it’s an essential challenge for any person who enjoys platformers. The game also had a stellar soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky in it’s original release – later updates replaced the music with a lot of inferior tracks (although some fine ones) so I really recommend playing the original version if you can.

Why It’s Important To Me:

Platforming has always been one of my top 3 favorite genres in gaming. And in 2010 when this came out, platformers were having a resurgence in mainstream acceptance. We were starting to crest over the bald space marine wave and indie games were stepping out into the spotlight again. Super Meat Boy grabbed my heart and my fingers as it was snappy and fast and just a pleasure to play. It’d been a hot minute since a good platformer had really gotten its hooks in me and for a long while Dr. Fetus was my personal nemesis.

I tried for a long time to 100% the game. I got fairly close (it was the only achievement on the 360 I didn’t get for the game) but in the end I wasn’t able to get everything done before I finally let the game best me. Still, it revitalized the platforming genre for me and also helped put indies on my radar. Between Super Meat Boy and a few others in 2010, I knew from this point forward good games could come from anywhere and not just the AAA advertised developers.

My Strongest Memory:

I’ve got two for this one. The first is the Battle of Lil’ Slugger: the first boss of the game. The level itself is a fairly straightforward chase but the music is just so damn good – please listen to it if you haven’t. I played this level and was just floored by the soundtrack to the point that I played the level several more times just to hear it again and then went and bought the soundtrack so I could listen to it on my iPod. I also immediately sent the song to my friends being like “HAVE YOU HEARD THIS AWESOME SONG OH MY GOD.” It was immediately a hit to me.

The second was unlocking The Kid. I Wanna Be The Guy is a famously unfairly hard platformer game and The Kid is from that – a secret guest character to be unlocked. And true to the game he hails from, the levels you have to beat to unlock him are a terror. I spent a good hour or two on his three (yes, only THREE) levels refusing to let the game beat me and when I finally beat them all I was ecstatic. I’m pretty sure I actually got up and shouted. I’ve lost a lot of patience for repeating challenges over my years of gaming, but back then I still had the drive and it was so worth it to conquer those stupid levels.

Why It’s #92:

There was a time that Super Meat Boy would have ultimately been higher on my list simply because its soundtrack rocks and it’s a really well done platformer. And while I feel this game is important in gaming history and paved the way for later platformers like Celeste, it’s been a long time since I played it and the magic has faded a little, especially since I can’t play it on new systems because I just can’t play it without the original rockin’ soundtrack. Maybe on the day I can pull my 360 out of storage, hook it up, and play some of my old favorites this will rise in the rankings again. But until then Meat Boy has to survive in the 90s.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #93

Doom

Release Date: May 13, 2016

Platform Played On: PS4

2018 Placement: #71 (-22)

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What It Is:

Hell has come to Mars, and it’s Doomguy’s job to clean it up. Pull out your pistol, shotgun and BFG because it’s demon hunting time!! Sure there’s plot, but Doomguy doesn’t give two shits about it! He doesn’t care about puzzles, thought-provoking moral dilemmas, or anything really outside of kicking demon ass and chewing bubble gum. And he’s all out of gum.

Some games try to change up their style to keep things fresh, but Doom was a breath of fresh air in an FPS environment that was very much Call of Duty-ized over the last decade or so. It’s all about motion – there’s no ducking behind cover and waiting for your health to regenerate. You’ve got to be in the thick of things with your chainsaw to refill health and ammo and moving fast through each battle room to take on the demon surge. Shoot demons, shoot demons, and shoot demons – that’s what this game is about and it doesn’t ever stray from that.

Why It’s Important To Me:

I’ve never been much of a first-person shooter fan – I played the original Doom back in the 90s and dabbled with Goldeneye and Perfect Dark on consoles. But most FPS games that I really enjoyed had some sort of extra element to them: your Fallouts with the RPG elements and the VATS system or your Bioshocks with the Plasmids/Vigors. I never got into Call of Duty because I am hard against Activision and also military shooters never really appealed to me, and every time I’ve tried to play Far Cry I fall off the wagon a few hours in.

But Doom 2016 embodies all my strongest feelings for the straightforward FPS genre. It’s fast-paced, it’s frenetic, and you’re always switching between all your weapons on the go as you’re bombarded with attacks. It forces you to really get into the thick of the action through the mechanics – there’s no slow-paced gameplay to be found. It’s just plain fun, too. The design philosophy behind the game is “people like shooting things with awesome guns, so let’s let them do that a bunch” and they didn’t get bogged down with anything else. And that’s why this version of Doom just works.

My Strongest Memory:

Honestly I don’t really have one for this game – mostly because the entire game passed by me in one big, gory, demon-infested blur. The final boss was pretty memorable and I had a lot of fun fighting it – it was challenging so I felt accomplished beating it but it wasn’t hard enough that I yelled at my television.

And I think that’s probably my biggest takeaway. This game (on whatever difficulty I played it on – probably the “normal” setting) was enough of a challenge to be interesting but never too much that it got frustrating and I wanted to give up. It was a breath of fresh air in a sea of mediocre games chasing the trends. The more I thought back on it, the more I loved how refreshing the experience was compared to other games I’d been playing.

Why It’s #93:

Has a sequel ever made you think slightly less of a game? Even if it was unintentional? Doom Eternal kind of did that for me with this game. While Doom 2016 trimmed the fat and gave a lean, directed experience that was all killer no filler, Doom Eternal added back a bunch of bloat that was a little unnecessary. It doesn’t diminish the greatness of Doom, but unfortunately I still have a bit of leftover sadness that pushes this lower down the list than it’s 2018 placement. It’s lack of story also hurts it like other games I’ve listed before. Even though I don’t want a complex story with my run-and-gun gameplay, its only appreciation for mechanics and not an emotional connection that makes me love this game.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #94

Shadow of the Colossus

Release Date: October 18, 2005

Platform Played On: PS2

2018 Placement: #75 (-19)

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What It Is:

Shadow of the Colossus is a revolutionary game that took the idea “what if only boss battles?” and made it artistic and compelling. It’s you and your horse Agro versus sixteen colossi and each one a different puzzle. You have a sword and a bow and your climbing ability and that’s basically it – there’s no skill trees or RPG elements. Each colossus has a weak point and it’s up to you to figure out how to tackle each fight.

The world itself is empty except for the colossi, so the time between battles is mostly spent enjoying the vistas as you ride Agro to your next destination. There are occasional map puzzles forcing you to figure out how to get to the next colossus, and there are lizards to find and kill to add to your stamina, but not much beyond that. The simplicity of the game’s objective is deliberate and intended to be part of the appeal.

Why It’s Important to Me:

I remember sitting down with my friends and us taking turns at tackling different colossi. Collaboration was a huge part of my experience with this game, as some of the colossal battles made us scratch our heads until we all collectively went “oh!” after somebody cracked the code. It was exhilarating to take down a colossus with an audience who collectively breathed a sigh of relief when the final hit took the giant down.

It’s such an elegant game that existed before the time of “systems” and “skill trees” and turning every game into a numbers-go-up simulator to get the endorphin shots from EXP bars completing. The art style is beautiful and each colossus is designed so well – from the environments you fight them in to how they move to what you have to do to defeat them. And they feel like majestic creatures – I remember coming up to the first colossus and just watching it move for a while before even attempting to go after it. It was just such an impressive game when it released – it stood out from what was being made at the time and even now no game really comes close to evoking the same feelings.

My Strongest Memory:

The fifth colossus was when the game went from good to holy shit god-tier for me. The battle takes place in this large lake area that is filled with ruins. You swim inside the ruins and climb up part of them, only to see a giant bird-like colossus fly past you. It’s breathtaking and shocking at the same time – up until this point the colossi have all been walking around and getting on them has taken some form of climbing up their limbs. But this creature is flying! How are you supposed to tackle this?!

The journey of figuring out how to climb onto this colossus is just the first part. Then there’s the absolute terror-inducing part of hanging onto its wings for dear life as it flies around the lake. You have to Spider-Man your way across its back as it soars through the air, flapping its wings, turning left, right, and upside-down, circling around while it (and you by proxy) defies gravity. All while an epic score of music is playing over your feats. It’s the stand-out colossus for me simply because of how awesome it felt to tackle the entire scenario.

Why It’s #94:

This game is so important to me I’ve bought it three times: the PS2 version, the PS3 collection of it and Ico, and the PS4 remake by Bluepoint. And yet…I’ve only played it fully through once. I made it through two or three colossi on the PS3 before stopping and one of my biggest PS4 shames is never even installing it after I bought it – I have yet to touch the remake. Am I scared that it won’t deliver the same epic, emotional beats it did my first time playing? Do I just have problems revisiting games nowadays, regardless of how I feel about them? Whatever the reason, while Shadow of the Colossus is an amazing game that’s also a work of art, I find myself unable to place it higher due to my lack of motivation in replaying it. Maybe it’s a game I relegate to fond memories. Or maybe I just need to bite the bullet and play the PS4 version and fall in love all over again.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #95

Into the Breach

Release Date: February 27, 2018

Platform Played On: PC

2018 Placement: Unranked

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What It Is:

Have you ever wanted to fight giant bugs in cool mechs in a puzzling scenario? Well that’s what Into the Breach gives you in spades. There are several different squads of mechs you can unlock and if you feel like it you can mix and match them to your heart’s content. Every mech has their own advantages and disadvantages: it’s up to you to figure out how to use their abilities in the most efficient bug-killing way. Along the way you can get power-ups and pilot upgrades as well to enhance your abilities and give you more options in each tactical situation.

It’s more of a puzzle game than a tactics game because every round you will clearly see all the information: where enemies are attacking, where new enemies are spawning, what order all the moves will be in, etc. It’s up to you to figure out how to safely defend the buildings full of civilians from the bugs while not losing your mechs (or your pilots). The variations in mech strategy and the roguelike elements allowing you take on anywhere from two to four worlds per run for completion purposes give this game a ton of  addictive replayability.

Why It’s Important To Me:

This game was a perfect short burst game for me – before I got into other roguelikes, Into the Breach was my go-to “I have 30 minutes to kill let’s boot up a quick game of Into the Breach.” I keep meaning to buy it on Switch so I can also have it on the go because it’s a perfect game for handheld and travel. The combat puzzles you’re faced with each game are straightforward but still require you to think carefully and not act too fast, and that’s the kind of puzzles I like.

I have a very hard time pinpointing any flaws in this game as well. It may be close to a perfectly designed game. All the systems and restrictions work in tandem to form an absolute joy of a game to play. I never felt like the game was cheap or unfair and I never got frustrated because of a specific set-up because 10 times out of 10 it was my fault for moving too fast and not being careful about all my options. Sometimes a game just clicks with you and how much brainpower you want to put into a game, and this one was the Baby Bear just right fit for me.

My Strongest Memory:

One runthrough I got to the second phase of the final mission and I thought I was done for. From the very first round of the phase I thought I had an impossible task ahead of me. I’d taken too many hits already in the first phase; if the enemy got even one successful hit off on me they would deplete my power supply and I’d lose the run. And from first glance the enemies had boxed me into a corner and I was prepared to curse out bad game design because I was in a Kobayashi Maru no-win scenario.

But instead of gnashing and wailing I sat down and concentrated; I looked over every inch of the tiled map and weighed all my options. It took me a good ten minutes, but I realized there was one perfect way to activate all my mechs and survive the round. And I did. And then I did it again in the next round. And the next, until suddenly I was victorious and successfully blew the bugs to oblivion and saved that universe. It was one of the most satisfying victories I’ve ever had in any puzzle/strategy/roguelike game because it was a series of impossible scenarios where even one wrong placement would end me. But I made it through and damn did it feel good.

Why It’s #95:

I love this game to death and can’t think of anything wrong in it’s design. All the mechs are fun, the enemies are varied, there’s plenty of goals and achievements to work towards (and they unlock more mechs in-game so they aren’t pointless trophies), and it’s got that addicting “just one more run” feel. And while everything about the game is solid, at its core it’s a very basic, light-on-story puzzle/strategy game. The mech dressing and universe appeals to me but it lacks the emotional punch games higher on this list have given me. I wouldn’t have considered it a flaw before, but a certain roguelike that will appear later on this list changed my mind about story in rogue-likes forever. But it doesn’t diminish the quality of everything else in the game – this is a must-have game if you have even an ounce of fun solving puzzles.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #96

Final Fantasy X

Release Date: December 17, 2001 (NA)

Platform Played On: PS2

2018 Placement: Unranked

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What It Is:

The 10th game in the Final Fantasy franchise, the first Final Fantasy on the PS2, and the first to get a numbered sequel in X-2. Like previous Final Fantasies, it’s an RPG that relies on turn-based combat and an involved story that takes place over many hours of gameplay. It changes up the formula a little bit in a few ways, though, to the point that it has my favorite combat system of all the Final Fantasies. First, your entire party is readily available at any time and you can switch them out in combat whenever you want, thereby making it truly feel like a party on an adventure and not forcing you to sideline characters. In addition they remove the ATB/time systems in battle in favor of a global turn order where you can see both the enemy and your next turns. This ends up giving you time to think and also adds a layer of strategy to the battle.

Final Fantasy X also has the Sphere Grid, which is one of the most complicated skill trees for leveling in Final Fantasy history but also a personal favorite of mine just because. It’s no materia or Magicite, and the Zodiac boards improve upon its general idea, but it’s a visually neat system even if it ends up being complex for complexity’s sake.

Why It’s Important To Me:

There are three mainline Final Fantasies that are in a league of their own (and will all show up later on this list) and that’s not really debatable. But I waver back and forth between the fourth best and it really depends on my mood. Last time I did this list, I’d just gotten off revisiting FFXII through Zodiac Age and was on a high off of its job system, characters, and story. But this time around I’m appreciating FFX due to it’s characters, story (and ending!), combat, and music. It also features Seymour who has the absolute wildest hair for any villain in any media ever created.

Final Fantasy was a series I grew up with and so the series always has a special place in my heart. X in particular I remember strongly because it was my first PS2 game (technically I had it and Metal Gear Solid 2 at the same time, but they were the two games I got with my PS2 back in 2001.) I still remember being wowed by the improved visuals in CGI cut-scenes and listen to voice-acting for the first time in a Final Fantasy game. Even if some of the dialogue is very cheesy and some scenes are so bad they’re good, I still love it for being one of the two games that made me go wow at the possibilities on the PS2.

My Strongest Memory:

Blitzball.

It’s a needlessly complicated mini-game that’s included as a diversion but I played the shit out of Blitzball when I originally played the game. I loved the game itself, the different techniques you could use, and how you could recruit and set up your team. It’s probably the mini-game I spent the most time in out of all Final Fantasies (yes, including Triple Triad).

Even now, I’ve recently started a new playthrough of FFX on my PS4 and what I’m looking forward to the most is unlocking Blitzball so I can mess around in it. Story? Pfft, gimme that large water sphere where I can swim around, confuse the enemy team and fire the Jecht Shot to burn some defenders.

Why It’s #96:

It’s been a long time since I played Final Fantasy X and a lot of my memories about the game itself are faded. I totally forgot about how nonsensical and awful the intro sequence is (but it came rushing back to me as I replayed it) but I do remember thinking the same thing back in 2001 and the game comes together once the story takes off and you have a full party. The strongest feelings I have for the game are about it’s combat tweaks and Blitzball, though, and those two things aren’t enough to carry it higher on the list. It IS the fourth-best mainline Final Fantasy, though, at least until I start thinking about Final Fantasy XII again.

Episode 86 – Bagels In Milk

It’s a new week and TMan and HarveyZ have new opinions to share and argue about. Join them on their journey as they debate the best types of cookies and what is allowed to be dunked in milk. They do eventually talk about games, going over a semi-eventful first week in their fantasy draft before talking about the Indiana Jones and Star Wars game news. Finally, HarveyZ’s BS-o-meter is put to the test as TMan throws Pokemon names at him to see if he can pick out what’s real and what’s not. We hope you enjoy!

(This episode was recorded January 20, 2021.)

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As always, thank you so much for listening and please leave us ratings and feedback however you’re listening to our podcast! Please stay safe out there and stay out of groups if you can!

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #97

Batman: The Enemy Within

Release Date: August 8, 2017 (Ep. 1) – March 27, 2018 (Ep. 5)

Platform Played On: PS4

2018 Placement: Unranked

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What It Is:

It’s Batman.

Okay, I guess I can be a little more descriptive. This is Telltale Games’ second Batman story, told over five episodes and can continue the story using some choices you made in the first game. It has mild point-and-click gameplay, some QTEs, and a little bit of playing as the world’s greatest detective; but it’s mostly dialogue and dialogue-related choices. But it’s a completely new and unique take on the Batman universe that isn’t tied to a specific comic book story.

But primarily, it’s Batman. You know what you’re getting into when you pick up this game.

Why It’s Important To Me:

The thing about comic book properties is that there is a lot of history to them. There have been so many stories told with our favorite superheroes that run the gamut from awful dogshit to edge-of-your-seat page-turners. And so it’s hard to separate what the collective knows as “Batman” and “the Penguin” and “the Joker” and so on from what the characters could be in a different light. This game takes your preconceived notions of what specific members of Batman’s rogues gallery are and flips them on their heads – I don’t want to go into specifics because the game is story-heavy and I don’t want to ruin it for others.

It also dedicates an entire episode to The Riddler, who has always been my favorite Batman villain. They turn him into a Saw-like trap master which I found to be a great use of the character. This game gave me a new story in the Batman universe with unique takes on characters without feeling like they had to fit into the known existing quantity. And that’s why I was gripped by the story and ended up rating this particular Telltale game so highly – I love being surprised even if the skeletal framework is familiar.

My Strongest Memory:

I can’t really talk about it without spoiling the game. But there is a long build-up over the first four episodes of choices and how you treat a specific character in the game – and how you choose to deal with them has a significant impact on how episode 5 goes down. The final resolution is probably similar across both choices, but it’s about the journey not the destination (as are most Telltale games).

Needless to say, it’s the interactions with that character that really elevate this game to another level for me. Sorry for the vagueness.

Why It’s #97:

I waffled back and forth on whether to include this one at all. There were like five games that were fighting for this position as the first “new” game on the list (as the previous three have all been nostalgia-related picks from my previous 2018 list I felt I had to include no matter what).  I bounced between a bunch but finally settled on this one because I couldn’t find a reason not to include it. All the others I remembered flaws or disappointments or reasons I could poke holes in the game. Batman: The Enemy Within doesn’t have any of those. It’s just a well-done story and that’s all there is to it.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #98

The Suffering

Release Date: March 8, 2004

Platform Played On: PS2

2018 Placement: #88 (-10)

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What It Is:

Torque is a death row inmate accused of murdering his wife and two children, although he can’t remember the action and says he blacked out. Then while he’s in prison a bunch of supernatural horror scary things start murdering all the other inmates and Torque decides to kill them right back and maybe also escape while figuring out what actually happened to his family.

It’s a pretty standard survival horror game, but slightly more run-and-gun action-oriented (think Resident Evil 6 not Resident Evil 2). Enemies are creatures based around prisoner executions, including burrowing enemies that represent being buried alive (I hated those fuckers the most). There’s a fairly basic morality system (by today’s standards) in play as well that will affect the ending you get, but for 2004 the added choices on whether to be completely evil or not were a neat addition. You also get to rage out and become a monster every now and then to completely decimate the enemies attacking you, giving you a sense of strength over helplessness that is sometimes missing in horror games.

Why It’s Important To Me:

Do you know that one game you’ve played that you feel like you have to champion for? Because you personally feel like if you don’t keep talking about it, the game itself will fade away into oblivion and the collective unconscious will completely forget about it? That’s this game for me. I’m not a big horror gamer so this action-based horror game was much more up my alley than anything else and it’s stuck with me to the point that I feel I must ring the bell on it so people will remember it exists, even if it’s just a “Oh hey, yeah I remember that! Wow!”

I mean, I know games like Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill 2 and others are objectively better games by a wide margin on most units of measurement. And yeah maybe on every other top 100 games list those would be argued for instead of The Suffering. But while everyone else was playing those games, I was playing this one and it was fun. And that’s what matters for a game, yeah?

My Strongest Memory:

The intro of the game was creepy as hell. There’s an earthquake, the lights go out, and then inmates start being pulled off-screen while screaming bloody murder. As you move around the prison you see guards and inmates mutilated and killed in front of you in various horrifying ways, but without getting a clear look at the monsters plaguing the facility. It’s also combat-less for the majority of the beginning so it just ratchets up the tension until you finally start fighting the creatures.

It’s a really well-done opening that might be stock schlock in the horror game element nowadays, but when I played it for the first time back in the day it was vivid enough that it stuck with me.

Why It’s #98:

Like I said above, there are plenty of games just within the horror genre that are objectively better than The Suffering. And then outside the genre there are waaaaay more. But this isn’t objective, this is my subjective list. While I don’t feel strongly enough about it to throw it really high on the list, it’s important enough to me to get a place right here because I feel like it’s not going to show up on many lists that aren’t mine. I’ve gotta do right by it.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #99

N++

Release Date: July 28, 2015

Platform Played On: PS4

2018 Placement: #89 (-10)

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What It Is:

Ninjas are cool. And ninjas like gold. So to be the best ninja, you have to collect all the gold and make it to the exit. Without dying, of course. Simple premise, right? Well after an hour of screaming while doing the same level over and over and over maybe you won’t think it’s as simple. Still, N++ is the single-best game in the gold-loving ninja platformer genre.

The platforming is a little floaty and not as tight as a Super Meat Boy or Celeste, but once you grasp the gravity of the situation (ha-HA!) you’ll be able to climb up walls and bounce off blocks with ease. Avoid missiles, lasers, patrolling robots, mines, and all sorts of other hazards as you collect gold to increase your time. Be as greedy as you want to get as high a score as possible, but a ninja only has but one life to give for their country so if you’re too greedy you’re gonna have to tackle the level again.

Why It’s Important to Me:

The first iteration of N was a Flash game (R.I.P. Flash) that released in 2005. Once it was released, me and a few of my college friends all got into playing it to see who could get the best scores and whether we could complete the most treacherous of levels. One of us believed that the only way to succeed was to get ALL the gold and get out. Others felt survival was the only necessity. Whatever the philosophy, it was a single-player experience that still felt uniquely competitive as we were all grabbing gold on our own time and trying to one-up each other.

N++ is the final (and best) iteration of the N series and while it’s been a long time since my friends and I competitively chased for gold, playing this version of the game still fills my heart with happiness remembering good college times with my buddies.

My Strongest Memory:

Pitcher Plant. Okay, so this is kind of cheating at my own rules because this is a level from the original N and not N++. But I specifically remember this level because all of us got stuck at it for a long time. It was the bane of our existence for at LEAST an afternoon, maybe even an evening. Or a couple days? Time is a construct. Anyway, this level is so burned into my brain that I scrolled through the list of 500-ish total stages on the N fandom wiki and as soon as I saw the words “Pitcher Plant” I knew EXACTLY that was the level I was thinking about in my head. (And it was, as is evidenced by the picture of the stage in the entry.)

It was tougher than it looks.

Why It’s #99:

I haven’t played N++ in a few years. Most of the memories I associate with the game itself are from its predecessor, N. In reality, N++ is on here probably as an amalgamation of N, N+, and N++ just because I love this particular platformer series so much due to having a friend group enjoy it with me. It’s worth a spot on my top 100 and I chose N++ because it’s the most easily available and most modern version, but I can’t put it above others because of the nebulous nature of why this game’s on here in the first place. It’s still the finest iteration of the series and definitely worth a play.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #100

The Lost Vikings

Release Date: April 29, 1993

Platform Played On: SNES

2018 Placement: #92 (-8)

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What It Is:

Before Norse mythology was cool and you could be an Assassin in Valhalla, there was the trio of lost Vikings. Erik is the agile one: he can jump and dash. Baleog is the muscle: he’s the only one that can attack with either his sword or bow. And Olaf is, well, he’s definitely not the brains. But he CAN hold a shield and block dangerous obstacles, along with hang-gliding for the fun of it.

Erik, Baleog, and Olaf are normal everyday Vikings who get kidnapped by a spaceship and end up rocking and rolling through time and space, from the prehistoric times to a weird fun house-esque world to ancient Egypt and more. It’s a game about solving puzzles while avoiding enemies and navigating death traps while you switch back and forth between each Viking and use each of their specific skills to progress. There’s humorous dialogue between the three Vikings as they progress through the stages which keeps the game light in tone despite some of the horrific deaths you can put them through.

Why It’s Important To Me:

In the early years of video gaming, there weren’t a lot of options for co-op. Either you played brawlers like Final Fight and Streets of Rage, you shot things together in games like Contra, or one player was a lackey like Tails while Sonic did all the work. The Lost Vikings was a game I really enjoyed playing with my friends because we got to navigate and solve platforming puzzles together. We also got to fuck with each other and completely mess up an entire level’s worth of hard work because one of us accidentally fell onto some spikes or messed up Olaf’s hang-gliding at the wrong moment or used a bomb for funsies and couldn’t progress anymore.

While it’s absolutely an enjoyable single player game I get distinct happy feelings when I think about this game because I can remember sitting in my basement playing it with my friends as we tried to navigate every single level. And then writing down the password of each level as we progressed because there weren’t save states back then, only motherfucking passwords. But when you lost the sheet of paper that had all the passwords and had to start over…anyway, that’s neither here nor there.

My Strongest Memory:

It’s weird, but the first thing that always pops to mind for me with this game is the aforementioned fun-house world. There’s a specific mechanic where the Vikings can inflate themselves like a balloon to traverse the area. And while it didn’t awaken anything in me, when I close my eyes I can still see the sprite of poor inflated Olaf. He looks so hilarious compared to the other two when they’re inflated because the other two keep their left-to-right look but he ends up looking straight at the camera with his arms wide like a little helpless ball of Norsitude.

Just don’t think about what happens when he hits the spikes. (Pop.)

Why it’s #100:

This game is mostly fond nostalgia for me. When I looked at the lower numbers on the list I made in 2018 that were in danger of being knocked out thanks to new games, I mentally told myself “Lost Vikings has to stay on the list no matter what.” And if I had that visceral a response to it’s inclusion, well, it deserves a spot on the list. But I also couldn’t put it above many other games I enjoyed that are new to the list. So that’s how we’re starting this epic adventure off – with a game I wanted to keep on this list through hell or high water.