LogFAQs > #977307199

55. Celeste
My favorite 2-D platformer. Considering that's a genre I don't usually enjoy, Celeste being this high up on my list means a lot. I love pretty much every part of this game. The precision gameplay is perfectly tuned to its difficulty, making hard sections in short bursts. Celeste throws a lot of challenges at you, but the checkpointing is so frequent that it never comes across as insurmountable. It feels designed to ensure that anyone could beat this game as long as they keep at it and don't give up.

Which ties in perfectly with the narrative. Celeste has a simple story about overcoming mental demons, but it's exactly what works for this type of experience. Gonna bust out the term Ludonarrative Harmony, as Celeste does that better than almost any other game I can think of, culminating in one of my favorite final levels ever.

54. Psychonauts
Psychonauts is an exceptionally charming game. It's the kind of experience where you get the impression that the writers put all their best little ideas in one package. While the story isn't particularly complex, taking place mostly at a summer camp, its exploration of character psychology provides plenty of nuance. The game does a fantastic job at using unique visuals to infer information to the player.

Speaking of visuals they're worthy of praise as well. I love how weird everything looks in Psychonauts. The characters are practically mutants, and their mindscapes are a variety of over-the-top environments. Rather than making things look pretty, the game focuses on making things look memorable, which is to its benefit.

The gameplay being just 'okay' holds it back somewhat, but I'm not actually sure Psychonauts would have benefited from a robust combat system or whatever. Its focus was never supposed to be on that aspect. The collectathon angle provide enough moment-to-moment enjoyment regardless, and it thankfully it doesn't go overboard with that.

Psychonauts 2 is great too (although not quite meeting 1's standard), but Game Pass deleted my save file halfway through. Thanks, Microsoft.

53. Devil May Cry 5
https://i.imgflip.com/86gohk.jpg

DMC5 is fucking phenomenal when it's good. The problem is, it's not always good! V's 'just okay' combat really drag down the pacing, especially compared to Nero's 9/10 combat and Dante's 10/10 combat. I respect the developer for shaking things up with a completely different playstyle, but it just didn't end up being very interesting.

The plot also takes too long to kick in. While story isn't the focus of a character action game, games like DMC3 and Metal Gear Rising have shown that entertaining plots can really elevate the experience. Unfortunately, the first 2/3 of DMC5 mostly feels like it's spinning its wheels. Thankfully, the last 1/3 is great, and it all ends on an extremely strong note. If this ends up being the final DMC game, I'll be satisfied.

Special shoutout to Pull My Devil Trigger and Bury the Light, two absolutely fantastic songs that helped elevate the DMC5 experience.

52. Super Smash Brother: Melee
I think this was my #1 favorite game when I was like, 14 years old. How the mighty have fallen...kind of. At its core, Melee still has the most fun gameplay in the series. Captain Falcon with SSBM physics is a peak fighting game experience. And while later Smash games have eclipsed Melee's roster, back then, it really felt like something special. Like you were seeing the potential of what an ultimate gaming crossover would be like.

However, SSBM is also held back by its age. I haven't touched it in over ten years. There's no online, no HD re-release, and no one in my vicinity who'd be interested in playing. Unlike games with a focus on story, where I can at least remember the plot and characters years after finishing it, Melee is on Top 100 List life support. It'll drop more and more as time goes on, and my nostalgic memories of Falcon Punching CPUs fades to dust.

As for the other Smash games I considered Ultimate for this list, but decided against it 100% due to the awful online. There was an entire pandemic where Smash Ultimate would have been a fun game to play, but alas.

51. Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Speaking of games that used to be #1 on my list...where do I even begin to talk about Umineko?

Few games have affected my life more than it did. I've made enduring friendships specifically because of Umineko. For a couple years on B8 I was the 'Umineko guy' because of how hard I pushed it. More than almost any other game on this list, it was an event for me.

But all that was back when only the first half of the story was released. To be blunt; I really don't like Umineko Episodes 5, 6, and 8. Episode 7 was cool. The other three...not so much. If I were to partition Umineko, Episodes 1-4 would be in the Top 20 on this list, while 5-8 wouldn't make the list at all. They really soured me on the experience as a whole. I'll always appreciate the fun times Umineko gave me, but I'm not sure I can even call it a good story when everything is taken as a whole.

Even so, I've made my peace with the second half by now. I can still look back and appreciate the entertaining parts. Especially the music, which will always be fantastic.