Top 100 Games of All-Time: #65

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Release Date: October 26, 2004

Platform Played On: PS2

2018 Placement: #67 (+2)

steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net

What It Is:

The wildly successful follow-up to both GTA 3 and GTA: Vice City. It’s the final PS2 era GTA game before the next true numbered sequel on PS3/360. It contains all the mayhem and destruction of the other GTA games along with irreverent humor and taking place in the 90s. The protagonist CJ starts out as a gang member and works his way up the social ladder until he’s in charge of everything, all the while being harassed by Samuel L. Jackson as a cop (among other harassments, like say the infamous David Cross and his toy airplanes).

There’s tons of weapons and cars and it’s the first time San Andreas and Los Santos were put on the GTA map – the predecessors to GTA V’s versions. There’s also the fictional version of Las Vegas (Las Venturas) that is one of my favorite locales in all of GTA (and I’m hoping we get a hi-def version of it in GTA VI someday). There’s gang missions, story missions, side missions where you torch a weed farm, and all sorts of other capers and hijinks. A classic 90s soundtrack blares through whatever genre of radio you like to listen to (Radio X or The Dust for me) and I guess there’s also the infamous Hot Coffee mod. It’s a true open world experience where San Andreas is your oyster in a time before open worlds had checkpoints and towers to climb.

Why It’s Important To Me:

While GTA has always been a single player affair (up until the success of GTA Online) I’ve always considered GTA a local co-op game. During the PS2 era, me and my friends would load up a GTA and just fuck around by messing with cops or stealing tanks and seeing how long we could last. And once the inevitable six star assault killed us, we’d pass the controller to the next person and see what chaos they could cause. Eventually we’d do an actual mission or two to unlock some cool new stuff and then go back to shooting rockets at civilians or parachuting out of planes onto a military base.

GTA: San Andreas was the epitome of the “fuck around and find out” gameplay once all three cities were unlocked. We’d ride to the top of Mt. Chiliad before driving whatever we had off a cliff and laughing as it either exploded in slow motion or we somehow miraculously survived. CJ was highly customizable in his look, and you could own all sorts of cool cars. At the time, San Andreas felt like it was the peak game world where you could do anything you wanted and really make your own fun. A true “open world” that had first been envisioned in GTA 3 and it was just an absolute blast to play with friends.

My Strongest Memory:

Fuck David Cross and his stupid model airplane.

Why It’s #65:

GTA V has been the gangbuster GTA, persevering for nearly a decade due to GTA Online and its updates. But San Andreas was not only the formula-setter and blueprint for success, but it was the one I spent the most time playing with my friends. I only tangentially got into GTA Online due to not having many people to experience cooperative mayhem with, so I have many more strong feelings towards the late college nights where we’d fuck around in San Andreas. It’s the #1 GTA in my heart and I’ll always have a place for it on the top 100. Catch me listening to Tom Petty while cruising outside of Los Santos any day.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #66

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project

Release Date: February 14, 1992

Platform Played On: NES

2018 Placement: #56 (-10)

screen_TMNT3-01

What It Is:

In the 80s and 90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were all the rage. And after the success of the arcade game the TMNT game formula was basically cemented as “co-op brawler.” TMNT 3: The Manhattan Project was the first game to release after the Secret of the Ooze and while the game did include Tokka and Rahzar, there wasn’t any Go Ninja Go involved. Instead the plot revolved around Shredder making the entire Manhattan island float into the sky? For some reason? It’s a Turtle game plot don’t think too hard about it.

The game is a straightforward brawler where each Turtle is armed with their different weapons and a special attack that lowers your health each time you use it. Of course you can’t kill yourself by doing it, so the best option is always to spam your special attack when you’re at one health do to max damage. There isn’t too much complexity to this game and it has the same level of difficulty as any brawler of the NES era. But it is wrapped in a nice Turtle shell (heh heh) and includes some lesser known villains of the franchise like Groundchuck and Dirtbag as bosses, so that’s cool.

Why It’s Important To Me:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were my jam growing up as a kid. From the movies to the cartoon show to a comic audiobook I listened to on cassette tape many times, I loved the four ninjas and their master Splinter. I never owned the original, balls-hard NES game and while I liked the Arcade Game, this one was the one that really spoke to me first out of all the Turtles games. I played this a bunch in my basement as a kid, dragging my friends into the co-op mode to beat up on Foot soldiers.

It’s also a Konami game (my first Konami game, actually) and had a variant on the Konami code to unlock a debug menu where you could give yourself more lives and continues, which is mostly why I actually played this one a bunch. (Modular difficulty in games is actually good, y’all!) But it also was the first game I can remember to have a sound test menu within its cheats, and so this game was the first one where I really got to enjoy a video game soundtrack. In fact, this game was probably the genesis of me wanting to have video game soundtracks to listen to outside of the actual games. I would sit in that debug menu and listen to music tracks without playing the game and it was fantastic. I can still hear Tatsujin in my head without any prompting.

My Strongest Memory:

Well, listening to the game’s music in the debug menu is probably my strongest, but I already talked about that one.

My favorite moment in the game itself, though, happens at the end of the fourth level. You’re in the Manhattan subway and the level music fades out and the boss intro fades in as Dirtbag comes riding in on a minecart. Except…the minecart doesn’t stop and Dirtbag does a little wiggle of frustration as he just rides past your Turtle. The boss music then just fades out and you’re left with a second or two of silence and your Turtle just stares at the camera…before the minecart comes back and Dirtbag jumps out to fight you for real.

It’s a remarkably dumb joke that always makes me laugh because it encapsulates TMNT humor. Just a quick gag that’s completely unexpected at that point in the game. The music fading in and out is what makes it for me. If you want to see it in action yourself, take a look here.

Why It’s #66:

This game isn’t going to win any Oscars for its story, and its gameplay is by the numbers brawling. But the Turtles will always spark a nostalgic joy in my mind and heart. While others grew up on Final Fight or Streets of Rage as their brawler of choice, I always landed on the Turtles because I liked them across all media. It has a bopping soundtrack and fun character bosses and is the first video game to use Super Shredder as the final boss, since it’s the first Turtle game to come after Secret of the Ooze. What isn’t there to love?

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #67

Control

Release Date: August 27, 2019

Platform Played On: PS4

2018 Placement: Unranked

Drifter_combat-768x432

What It Is:

If you’ve ever read anything from the Secure-Contain-Protect archives, Control is just that in game form. You play as Jesse Faden, who enters the Federal Bureau of Control in search of her missing brother and guided by something she considers a friend that communicates with her telepathically. The FBC investigates Objects of Power (objects that do weird supernatural shit) and Altered World Events (events where weird supernatural shit happens) and contains them within their headquarters in the Oldest House, which itself is an Object of Power – a building that is larger on the inside than outside and shifts its structure at a whim. You quickly discover that all hell has broken loose within the building and you’re thrust into the role of the Director due to picking up an OoP called the Service Weapon.

From rubber ducks that play hide and seek to a malicious refrigerator, there’s all sorts of weird stuff going down in the building. It makes for a spooky, unsettling atmosphere that is tinged with humor if you read all the reports scattered about the Oldest House. Mundane things like officer workers getting upset they can never find the bathroom because the walls keep shifting are mixed in with terrifying redacted reports of people dying. Oh, and I guess the main game mechanic is shooting and using a few cool supernatural abilities like flying and mind control, but really it’s the atmosphere that makes the game.

Why It’s Important To Me:

As I’ve said before, horror is not my genre. However, Control is exactly the right amount of disturbing and unsettling while also keeping me on the edge of my seat. This game was everything I could have asked for in terms of a spooky, supernatural game. From the creators of Alan Wake (which is another spooky game right up my alley of spooky), they absolutely nail the idea of a government agency trying to control the uncontrollable. I read over every document I found, I listened to every audio file and explored every nook and cranny to eat up all the possible material I could about this universe. Including the brutalist architecture of the The Oldest House, this game has probably the most captivating world-building and atmosphere of any game in the last decade.

I got into this game so much I Platinumed it on PS4, which isn’t something I do often. So when I do put in the time to get every trophy you know it’s a worthwhile cause. In addition, it has some really cool optional bosses that keep with the Object of Power theme and make you use your abilities in neat ways. Jesse Faden is a great character and a solid protagonist, who is as unsure of what’s going on in the FBC as the player. The supporting cast is also stacked, with Dr. Darling carrying the brunt of the work through live-action film sequences and his role getting more and more weird and disturbing as the game progresses.

My Strongest Memory:

So first, obviously, the Ashtray Maze. I’ve already talked about it on my podcast but this was the absolute top setpiece of the entire game. I don’t want to spoil it so just play the game and when you get to the Ashtray Maze be prepared to be amazed. (Pun intended.) It’s just pure joy in action-shooter form and the best sequence Remedy has ever put together. Topped off by a wonderful soundtrack, it is absolutely the highlight of the game because it makes you really feel like a badass using supernatural powers.

The other strongest memory is on the disturbing end of the spectrum. Throughout the Oldest House you can find different videos, one of which is a series called the Threshold Kids. It’s a puppet show, ostensibly aimed at training children to understand the FBC and supernatural entities. The puppets are creepy and the show is just a little off-kilter every time you watch it. There was one that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, simply because it ends on a creepy line and then the puppets turn to look at the camera, their gaze lingering in an unsettling matter for just long that I thought they were going to reach through the TV and grab me. Finally the video ended, but I’d never been more nerve-wracked by a video game. No thank you.

Why It’s #67:

The atmosphere, characters, and world-building of Control are absolutely top-notch. The gameplay, however, is standard boring third-person shooter. Even if it does give you cool abilities like telekinesis and floating in the air, most of the enemy encounters involve shooting and hiding and shooting and hiding. The enemies are also overtuned, to the point that you can be killed by something off-screen without warning even if you’re at a high level. For such a wonderfully creative world, 90% of the combat is lacking that same inspired creativity. I think if it had nailed the actual gameplay better, Control could have been a top 10 game of all-time. Let’s hope for a Control 2 that improves the combat, everyone.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #68

Shin Megami Tensei IV

Release Date: May 23, 2013

Platform Played On: 3DS

2018 Placement: #43 (-25)

hqdefault

What It Is:

Shin Megami Tensei is most famous for the Persona series (which has now dropped the SMT label starting with Persona 5) but has a lot of other franchises underneath its belt. From the SRPGs of Devil Survivor to the long-named Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, there are plenty of different games within the SMT umbrella. But of course, there is also the mainline numbered Shin Megami Tensei games, the most recent of which was IV on the 3DS.

The SMT series proper plays partly like a demonic Pokemon: it’s a turn-based RPG where you find and recruit demons into your party and fight other demons. It uses the Press Turn mechanic, where if you exploit the weakness of the demon(s) you’re fighting you get an extra turn, but if you hit one of their strengths you’ll lose extra. Similarly the enemy can exploit your weaknesses to get extra turns as well so you have to be careful which demons are in your party so you don’t give enemies an advantage. It’s an intriguing system that adds extra layers to battle that could be perceived as difficult, but once you get used to the system everything flows together nicely. Oh, and eventually you fight God. Because it’s not an SMT game if you don’t challenge God at some point.

Why It’s Important To Me:

Persona 3 was my first SMT game and while I tried to get into Nocturne, it didn’t really click for me. I enjoyed Devil Survivor because I’m an SRPG slut and I still have an unopened copy of Devil Summoner 2 with the Raiho plushie somewhere. But it wasn’t until SMTIV that the non-Persona SMT formula just clicked for me. I put over 90 hours into this game on the 3DS and dethroned multiple gods along the way and had a blast doing it. It’s a fun battle system and has the same addictive gotta-catch-’em-all style collection as Pokemon, along with a pretty bleak yet hopeful story.

It also pulls a surprise twist on the players as it starts out in a very feudal-like setting, with the main character being a Samurai in a country called Eastern Mikado. But a few hours into the 80+ hour game your group decides to head down a tower into the “Unclean Ones’ Country” and the player discovers that Mikado is actually an alternate world and you descend into an apocalyptic Tokyo. It blew my mind when I was playing it even though nearly every SMT game takes place in some form of an apocalyptic Tokyo. I think that was what hooked me: between the story beats and characters that were in your party (that weren’t demons) it really grabbed me from the very beginning.

My Strongest Memory:

If you know anything about Shin Megami Tensei games, you’ve probably heard legends of the Matador fight from SMTIII: Nocturne. That’s the boss fight where the game stops fucking around and tells you “learn how these systems work or you’re not getting any further.” It’s a “tough” fight that’s fairly straightforward if you’re following the rules of the game, but will absolutely kick your ass if you’re trying to brute force your way through.

Which brings me to my favorite boss fight of this game, the absolute beast of the Minotaur. It’s not quite the same level as Matador, but the Minotaur is still the “skill check” boss fight of SMTIV and can be quite difficult if you aren’t prepared for it. He also has the best modern design of any new demon – I mean look at that picture above. Look how awesome that character design is! AND this is the first time the “boss” battle music kicks in during the game and it fucking slaps, giving the battle even more weight. AND he basically precedes the Tokyo reveal so he’s not only a skill check boss, but he is the boss right before a big twist in the game. Long story short, I was gripping my 3DS tight the entire battle and was ecstatic when I succeeded at beating him.

(If you want to watch his intro/see the boss battle, watch this here. It’s so good.)

Why It’s #68:

It’s a damn good RPG and the SMT series outside of Persona shouldn’t be slept on. They are some fantastic RPGs with stories that are slightly more adult than what Persona’s high school drama brings to the table. If you’re looking for a little less anime-ass-anime tropes, SMTIV does a good job of not delving into questionable territory (as far as I can recall). It also provides just enough of a challenge to be satisfying but not annoyingly so. It’s good shit.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #69 (Nice)

Overwatch

Release Date: October 27, 2015

Platform Played On: PS4/PC

2018 Placement: #27 (-52)

overwatch_08

What It Is:

A hero-based shooter that took the world by storm and created a lot of, ahem, fan art. Overwatch is known for each character having a unique weapon and play style, from Mei’s freezing and ice walls to Hanzo’s arrows and dragonstrike. But each character also has a vibrant personality through both design and voice acting making the game one of the most talked about new multiplayer releases for a long while: eventually spawning the Overwatch League as a professional e-sport league attempting to create local town support for their teams.

The game itself is a 6v6 objective-based first-person shooter, where there’s an Attacking and Defending team either trying to escort a payload to a destination or taking/defending a specific point on the map. It requires a lot of teamwork to execute between managing your own ability cooldowns, syncing up with teammates’ abilities, and guessing at what the other team has lined up to compete against you. Between the DPS, Tank, and Support roles there’s something for everybody to play as even if you aren’t a particular crack shot with aiming.

Why It’s Important To Me:

I spent an ungodly amount of time playing Overwatch on PS4 with a group of online friends. I participating in six-person stacks nearly every night for a while, playing with people from a forum I visited at the time. It was the most I ever got into an online multiplayer game: usually my online experience is mostly co-op with friends I already know, and I stay away from shooters because I’m just bad at them. But the Tank and Support roles were up my alley; I could play with a group and affect the match without having to worry about my K/D ratio and the world was so vibrant that it instantly captivated me. I also loved how unique the heroes and abilities were: that’s what really separated this from a regular shooter.

I also got extremely into the Overwatch League once it began. I’ve never been an e-sports fan and rarely watched any competitive matches of any other game, but for the first two seasons of OWL I was glued to my computer watching every game I could on Twitch. I watched more Overwatch than normal sports and became a huge fan of the LA Gladiators and Washington Justice, to the point that I own merch for both of them. I love discussing teams and players and OWL matches online with people and it just makes me excited to watch matches live – I get into it as much as I would the Super Bowl.

My Strongest Memory:

I went to see the Washington Justice play live at their two-day Homestand in February 2020, not knowing at the time it would be one of the last outings I participated in for over a year. It was actually exhilarating to experience the match live with the crowd of fans getting into the game being played on the screen in front of them. The weekend we did it, me and HarveyZ both agreed that two full days of Overwatch was a little much but looking back it was absolutely worth seeing it live and getting to experience the rush first-hand: especially since many other teams’ Homestands were cancelled due to COVID.

As for a specific memory of playing the game, I don’t really have one. I have a fondness for the PS4 crew (that I don’t play with anymore since I switched to PC and mostly just dabble around in it now) and the good times I had playing online with them. I could tell you about how excited I got every time I unlocked a new trophy on PS4 after pulling off a new skill with a new character, because every time I got one of those (and I got nearly all of them) I was so proud of myself. I’m especially proud of finally achieving the Lucio’s The Floor Is Lava trophy, although Reaper’s Waste Not, Want Not still eludes me.

Why It’s #69 (Nice):

I have a rocky relationship with Overwatch. I want to love it a lot more than I currently do. I’m still excited for Overwatch League and enjoy watching other people play it. But every time I log onto it by myself I play a few matches and realize how much fun I’m not having. If you don’t have a squad and aren’t playing with other people, the game is toxic and unbearable, especially at lower skill levels. Teammates don’t try to listen or work together, everyone thinks they’re the best at the game and don’t try to improve their own abilities, and mistakes are met with yelling and toxicity. The balance of the game also fluctuates wildly and because the team is working on Overwatch 2, there hasn’t been any significant content updates for over a year. That’s why Overwatch has the single biggest drop in the top 100 from the last time I did this. But I still love the game despite all the mess, will watch OWL when it starts in April and I’ll definitely be jumping into OW2 when it comes out.

(But also, fuck Bobby Kotick.)

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #70

Portal 2

Release Date: April 18, 2011

Platform Played On: PS3

2018 Placement: #58 (-12)

portal2_pc_05

What It Is:

Portal 2 is the longer version of Portal’s tech demo. While the first game took the gaming world (and internet) by storm, proclaiming stuff about cake, turning GLaDOS into an overnight superstar and getting Still Alive stuck in everyone’s heads, it was still a very short affair. Portal 2 takes the mechanics and humor of the first game and expands it into a “full” 8-10 hour story-based romp. It also adds a bunch of new twists and turns on how to use your portals effectively, keeping the entire concept fresh but never wearing out its welcome.

And while the puzzles are exciting and challenging, it’s the expansion of the Aperture Science story that’s really the shining beacon of this game. The first game cemented GLaDOS as an exceptional villain, but as you progress through Portal 2 you learn a lot more about Aperture as a whole. There’s also a fun co-op mode that really creates some fun portal puzzle situations and is a blast to go through with a friend.

Why It’s Important To Me:

I mean, it’s Portal. I liked the first game but this one just blew me away with the creativity and humor. The entire potato sequence had me rolling on the floor laughing (and not in an acronym way). It’s a longer game but it still never overstays its welcome. Each puzzle mechanic is introduced and used efficiently so the game never feels repetitive. The writing is just top-notch Valve at its finest.

It’s also just a testament to how first-person games don’t have to always be shooters. This game is pure puzzle from start to finish, you never fire a bullet yourself. It uses all the spaces it creates in a satisfying way without resorting to shooty-shooty bang-bang. And I’m not saying shooty-bang is bad, but at peak FPS inundation it was nice to see the first-person format used in a different way.

My Strongest Memory:

I already mentioned the potato sequence, which takes up a significant section of the game but the start of it is probably the one line that’s stuck with me for over a decade. “Oh hi, how are you holding up? BECAUSE I’M A POTATO.” The delivery of that line nearly made me die laughing the first time I heard it. And then there’s Space Core, who I actually have a print of fanart of on my wall. Yes, Space Core was a simple core with a simple joke but I still loved him.

Wheatley is also a top-tier character. Stephen Merchant does a wonderful job delivering his lines. Honestly I don’t want to give away more about this game than I have to. It’s just so charming, fun, and exhilarating to play. Every aspect of the game just drips with quality and it’s honestly a shame Valve doesn’t make games anymore.

Why It’s #70:

I love Portal 2. It’s one of those few games that is perfectly polished from start to finish. I don’t wish there was more of it, I don’t wish there was less of it. It’s the Goldilocks of puzzle games – just right. I don’t have strong emotional ties to it, but it is just damn good and will still quote “BECAUSE I’M A POTATO!” to myself every now and then.

Or “I’m in space.”

It’s a game that sticks with you.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #71

999/Virtue’s Last Reward

Release Date: December 10, 2009/February 16, 2012

Platform Played On: DS/3DS

2018 Placement: Unranked

capsule_616x353

What It Is:

So I’m sort of cheating on this one b/c this is technically two games, but it’s my countdown and my rules. There’s only one other time I’m going to do this on the list so it’s not going to happen often. And the reason I’m specifically doing it for this one is because both of these games are visual novel puzzle games that are linked via story. There is a third game in the series but it really, truly, absolutely blows the ending so I can’t really recommend it.

In both 999 and Virtue’s Last Reward, you take the protagonist role of a man trapped in a death game: Junpei in 999 and Sigma in VLR. Both games require you to solve puzzles to move forward and figure out the mystery of what the hell is going on. Part of the solution of each game is getting multiple endings, and each game starts playing with timeline shenanigans and making all of the endings canon (surprisingly). You gather more and more info until all the story pieces start coming together and it’s done in a fantastic, gripping way from start to finish in both games.

Why It’s Important To Me:

Both of these games profoundly affected me story-wise. I was so engaged and blown away as each twist was revealed in both games. Virtue’s Last Reward is an absolute master-class in alternate timeline storytelling and gives you just enough weird stuff to keep you on the edge of your seat and wondering what the hell is happening. Both me and my friend played through it and while we’re pretty good at figuring out where stories are headed and what twists are gonna be written, VLR specifically had us both going “WHAT” “WHAT” “HOLY CRAP” several times from the sheer unexpectedness of several developments. 999 isn’t as complex as VLR, but that makes sense because it’s the first of the trilogy of games.

These types of games also live and die by their characters, and let me tell you all the characters in these games are golden. Despite some…questionable clothing decisions for characters like Alice and Lotus, almost all the cast is entertaining as hell and fun to be around. Even the very obvious villain characters are a joy to hate. I love these casts.

My Strongest Memory:

When I played 999, I remember getting into the final stages of the true ending path and just being utterly gripped by how the story ramped up at the end. I can still envision exactly where I was: late at night, sitting on the couch at my grandmother’s house while on vacation there with my parents. And when the finale crescendoed into the final puzzle I was absolutely blown away, fucking shaking and grinning from the final reveal. It even used the DS system in a unique way that couldn’t be replicated (and as such, the replacement puzzle included in the Nonary Games rerelease is utter dogshit).

It was a finale that got me super emotional because the entire game built up the friendship between Junpei and June and the end totally destroyed me. I was so invested in the characters and saving everyone from the death game that the puzzle (even if it was a simpler, straightforward puzzle than 90% of the rest of the game) carried the perfect amount of weight and made me feel like I was truly saving everybody.

Why It’s #71:

These two games are the first on my list that truly sparked an emotional reaction out of me. Not nostalgic emotions from when I played them with friends, but an actual emotional response from the game itself. Both of these games have such a wonderful story with heartfelt relationships between their characters in the midst of Saw-like death games where people get murdered. It’s really a shame the final game was such a wet fart finish to the trilogy, but these two games should absolutely be played together as one entity – and then maybe just imagine your own ending.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #72

Mega Man X2

Release Date: December 16, 1994

Platform Played On: SNES

2018 Placement: #32 (-40)

xhunter2(5)

What It Is:

The first sequel of Capcom’s first expansion of the Mega Man franchise. Mega Man X2 is a solid platformer where the eponymous X takes on the Mavericks and Sigma for the second time. It has a few updates and QOL upgrades from the first one, most noticeably the fact that X starts with a dash now – something that was relegated to an armor upgrade in the original. Sigma also has three Maverick Hunters on his side who have stolen Zero’s body, paving the way for Zero to become a deuteragonist in the future MMX games.

It stays true to the Mega Man and X formulas: 8 Maverick robots, each with a special weapon that X gets after defeating them. And they all have weaknesses to another robot’s weapon, so figuring out the proper order is essential for players unless you’re a masochist and want to do a buster-only run. There’s also loads of secrets, from Sub-Tanks to armor upgrades, that give X an advantage in battle.

Why It’s Important To Me:

I played a lot of Mega Man and Mega Man X growing up as a kid. They were my passion projects: I would save the passwords so I could continue my quest of killing all 8 Mavericks when I had to shut the console down and go to bed. I love the concept of the Maverick Hunters (proto-Organization XIII-style love of villain groups, I guess) and of course, Mega Man X2 has some boppin’ tunes. See Magna Centipede’s theme or Flame Stag’s theme. Man, Flame Stag’s stage is so good.

It also has the final level where, surprise, Zero is resurrected by Sigma only for you to have to fight him in one of the coolest boss themes of the entire Mega Man series (bested pretty much only by a later X vs. Zero theme from X5/X6) even if it is very quickly repetitive. Fighting Zero was the absolute highlight of the game for me and something I still remember to this day. Imagine my surprise when I found out that if you manage to clear all the optional Maverick Hunters and rescue Zero’s body, you don’t actually have to fight him and he helps you in the end! So cool for a game to have that optional goal back in the day.

My Strongest Memory:

I think for this game my strongest memory is the fact that I actually beat it. I was unfortunately unsuccessful in Mega Man X – I always got stuck on the third phase of the Sigma battle. But this one I was actually able to beat Sigma Virus and see the credits. It was a huge accomplishment for me at the time.

I also loved how the final battle took place in Magna Centipede’s stage. Revisiting an old stage you’d already cleared somehow added weight to the confrontation for me. Instead of trekking through yet another damn castle stage before fighting the final boss, you’re retreading territory you’ve already covered and are familiar with. It’s a cool twist on the finale that other Mega Mans hadn’t really done before (except Mega Man 3 and the Doc Robots, but that was mostly different).

Why It’s #72:

Mega Man X2 represents the second-largest drop of any single game on this list from it’s previous spot. And the reason it dropped is because while I love this game as a whole and have a few very specific memories of specific Mavericks, there’s also a lot I don’t care about. I mean, Wire Sponge? C’mon. That’s really just not an interesting boss at all. For a long while I thought X2 was my favorite of the X franchise. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t. Yes, it’s still my second favorite and miles above any of the Playstation X games. But I just don’t have as high a regard as I thought I did. It’s still obviously worthy of an entry, though!

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #73

Kingdom Hearts II

Release Date: March 28, 2006 (NA)

Platform Played On: PS2

2018 Placement: #57 (-16)

Demyx

What It Is:

Before Kingdom Hearts as a franchise became an absolute convoluted mess that makes everyone who tries to explain it sounds like a conspiracy theorist, it was only a slightly confusing mess that made everyone who tried to explain it sound like a conspiracy theorist. When Kingdom Hearts II hit shelves, there were only two games in the franchise and so far the story was pretty straightforward. Organization XIII was introduced in the Chain of Memories spinoff and became the main villain group of the full sequel. It still focused a lot on Disney and bringing those worlds to video game life. But it also started the trend of “okay what the hell is going on in these games.”

At its core, Kingdom Hearts II is an action-RPG headlined by Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The basics are not super complex and the AI can be a bit wonky (fucking HEAL ME DONALD) but when you get to the high-level combat (especially the Data fights in the Final Mix version) it can be actually pretty punishing. KHII introduces new things like Drive Forms to make the battles a little more fun, but honestly why everyone played this was because of the multitudes of Disney worlds. And it had that in spades as well – from Lion King to Aladdin to Hercules, it has most of the worlds of the strongest 90s Disney movies.

Why It’s Important to Me:

I have a very specific thing that always appeals to me when it’s a thing. Namely a numbered villain group where each member has their own unique weapon/trait that makes them stand out. The Four Fiends from Final Fantasy IV. The Seven Deadly Sins. The Four Horsemen. The Forsaken (from Wheel of Time). The Sinister Six. The Chosen from XCOM 2. Or maybe one bad guy for each of the twelve Zodiac symbols. Or maybe using tarot card symbols. Bonus points if they’re revealed slowly and you build anticipation as to what their specialty is and maybe one of them has been under your noses the whole time. I don’t know why I love this trope but I do and I won’t apologize for it.

Organization XIII is probably my favorite iteration of this type of group and a big part of why I love this game so much. Each member of Organization XIII has their own personality, along with a unique weapon, style, and color (mostly). From Luxord the Gambler of Fate to Xaldin the Whirlwind Lancer, each one has an element and weapon they use when you fight them and they are some of the best and most memorable battles in any ARPG, in my humble opinion. Yes, a lot of people love Kingdom Hearts because of Disney, but honestly I’m there for Organization XIII and that’s all there is to it. I was excited to explore Disney worlds, but I can’t say I wasn’t more interested in finding out which Organization member was behind the Heartless debacle in each world.

My Strongest Memory:

Motherfucking Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne. He’s one of my favorite video game characters of all-time and I love him to death. He’s not a fighter, he’s a musician, and he’s super lazy and doesn’t actually want to do any battling or scheming. How he got into Organization XIII is anybody’s guess (seriously, I’m sure they explain it in one of the many future KH spinoffs that convoluted the story further but I’m not gonna unravel that thread) but he was instantly my favorite of all the characters.

I can immediately picture the battle where you fight him in Hollow Bastion, in fact the entire Hollow Bastion sequence in the mid-game of KH2 is probably my favorite setpiece of the entire series. It’s where the meme-famous “they fucking killed Goofy” scene comes from and everything about that section is just perfect. But I distinctly remember the Demyx fight and how much I just loved his intro. I can hear “Dance water dance!” in my head almost pitch-perfect. Here, take a look if you want to watch it yourself. Demyx is just the best (and it includes the famous Goofy dies scene as well for your amusement).

Why It’s #73:

I love Organization XIII so much I have several art pieces of Demyx, Axel, and Xemnas that I put up on my wall (when I have wall space to have them). Kingdom Hearts II will forever be my favorite KH game simply because it has the best, simplest, easiest mix of ARPG fun, cool explorable Disney worlds, and the best iteration of Organization XIII (especially all their Data fights in Final Mix). However, let’s be real, the game is overall dragged down a little simply because of the absolute nonsensical turns it’s taken (and how Disney sort of ruined the Disney worlds with a tighter oversight in KH3). Still, in a bubble, KHII is an awesome game well worth the time to play it.

Top 100 Games of All-Time: #75

Tales From The Borderlands

Release Date: November 25, 2014 (Ep. 1) – October 20, 2015 (Ep. 5)

Platform Played On: PS4

2018 Placement: #59 (-16)

14114219235_67762c8e9f_k

What It Is:

It’s another Telltale game in the same style that they got famous for. A mostly choice-oriented dialogue-based game with some action quick-time events and a few puzzles scattered throughout. And like most of their games it’s expanding on someone else’s franchise. This time, however, it’s based in the video game world of Borderlands instead of a movie/book/comic property. And let me tell you, Telltale knocks it out of the park with this one.

The big sticking point with the Borderlands franchise for a lot of people isn’t its setting, it’s everything else. From the slightly-too-meme-y humor to the fact that it’s made by Gearbox (whose CEO is Randy Pitchford, a strange case all by himself), there are a lot of reasons that some people don’t like the franchise. Telltale takes the Borderlands universe to its utmost and tells the best story yet, using new and old characters while doing it. It keeps the same tone but puts a new twist on the humor and it ended up being not only Telltale’s best work, but the best game associated with Borderlands and a testament to letting developers make different genre games in established universes.

Why It’s Important to Me:

With Telltale games, I always waited until the entire season of episodes was released before diving in. And I basically binged Tales of the Borderlands because the story kept me glued to my screen for the entire game. The characters and humor are fantastic, the plot twists are excellent, and the game itself is just worth every positive adjective you can come up with.

It’s a game I hold in high regard because it’s not a “game”-heavy game but still keeps me entertained and involved. Most of the decisions are dialogue-based and the choices it makes you make are some of the best of Telltale’s work. While the story itself is more on rails than Batman: Enemy Within, the execution of the plot and seeing the results of your decisions is still world-class. And this game came off the heels of Borderlands 2 when I was at my most interested in Borderlands so seeing fantastic writing in a universe I adored just make me swell up with pride and tears.

My Strongest Memory:

The Borderlands franchise is known for having awesome song introductions for each of their games – the first starts with Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked, for example. Tales from the Borderlands keeps up this trend for each of their five episodes and let me tell you, the intros for both chapters 3 and 4 not only have awesome songs that were immediately added to my playlist after hearing them, but were also intros that kept me hooked and I watched from start to finish even though they were credit sequences. Here’s the chapter 3 intro – just watch it – and look how it not only gives you easy characterizations of all the main characters as well as being entertaining on top of a jam.

I’ll also include the chapter 4 intro, but be warned, it has a song that goes under the classification of “song you can’t help but sing emphatically with your fist clenched towards the sky.” You know the kind of songs I’m talking about. So I remember both of these intros very fondly. But in addition, something happens shortly after the episode 4 intro where I was absolutely blown away that they had the balls to do it in a spin-off game. I won’t spoil it here but it was one of the most shocking moments in the entire Borderlands franchise and that’s saying something.

Why It’s #75:

It’s been a while since I played this but whenever I think about this game I get a dumb smile on my face. And I can instantly hear both “The Pieces of the People We Love” and “To The Top” and see the intros in my mind. It’s a weird comfort game that I would enjoy playing again with people so they can witness the story. It’s hilariously stupid at times and utterly heartfelt at other times. Just a perfect mix for a narrative-focused game. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go sing “To The Top” again with my fist clenched in the air.