LogFAQs > #971071491

#40. Final Fantasy IV

The OG JRPG. FF4 introduces all the FF concepts that apply to the modern age and as someone who played it on day 1, it was game changing. That stuff hits me in the right spot, but FF4 also has some of the most interesting rom hack content out there, from the Free Enterprise randomizer (which is amazing) to some of the fan games that have been made (I've probably played 6 different FF4 hacks, which is saying something because I own every copy of FF4 out there!) I most recently played the pixel remaster and had a great time going back through the game, even getting all of the stupid achievements.

#39. Chained Echoes

This game. My god. All I can think about is how essentially one person made all the content for this thing. Usually indie JRPGs are short little jaunts, or if they're really packed with stuff, maybe 15-20 hours. Chained Echoes looks like a 16 bit RPG but has the scope and feel of a PS1 game, all while wearing its influences on its sleeve: Xenogears, FF6, Suikoden, Xenoblade, etc. This guy knows the right games and nails the impressions perfectly.

And while it borrows from all of those games, it is entirely its own game with tons of interesting ideas, both in combat and narratively. Chained Echoes manages to somehow stand alongside JRPG titans without looking like a one-man show, which is the absolute highest praise I can give it. I don't know if it'll stay this high on future lists as I slowly accept the magnitude of what one person accomplished here, but I was legitimately shook at how the game kept going above and above my expectations every time.

#38. The Walking Dead

This game probably had the biggest emotional impact on me of any game I've played. The relationship between the two main characters is beautiful and devastating. I'm not sure that any other game crushes your spirit quite like this one, and if you like that kind of thing (I do), then it's one of the best games around.

This is another game I'll gladly never play again but it's a damn masterpiece.

#37. Street Fighter IV

This game is still great! I played SF6 a few weeks ago and oh my god. Nothing makes me feel like a boomer than getting demolished on a modern fighter. SF4 feels like a modern fighter but also plays in a way that doesn't make me feel like a moron. I love this game's mechanics and meters. Like SF2, nobody is going to play this game against me, but I enjoy just playing the CPU or whatever. A great game.

#36. Outland

This Ikaruga-like in platformer clothing plays like a metroidvania but without the nonlinear progression. It's honestly a dumb genre mashup but it somehow works super well. The game's difficulty curve is so smooth that you end up doing some pretty impressive stuff with your hands to get through the obstacles. This one's just fun.