This list used to be about my top 50 games ever, but since Giant Bomb wants me to put 95 items into a list for a new quest I thought hey, why the hell not? Keep in mind I revise this list every now and then, check back frequently to see changes.
A few things of note:
I'm currently revising this to version 56.0 so there's 103 items at the moment, will fix that soon...
Showing 1-10 of 103 items
Fantastic 3D platformer filled to the brim with charming characters and humour. All of the levels remained cliche, yet cartoony and colourful enough to draw you in. The characters all spoke in their signature mumbling jargon while keeping the distinct Rare humour in their dialogue. You couldn't forget the fact that everything under the sun had been given a pair of googly eyes, either. Rare's first attempt at this genre seemed to get it all right with palatable levels and just enough stuff to collect without going overboard. While it's debatable whether the quality of the platforming gameplay succeeded that of Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie had a real charm with its characters and levels that Mario just couldn't capture, which is why I still love it and will happily go back to it today.
Saying these two titles were the best of the franchise just because they were the first, I feel would be shortsighted on my part. The real reason I liked the original games so much more was because their collectathon aspect at the time wasn't so much to ask for. With just the right level of dedication, you could catch 'em all and add all 151 entries to your Pokedex. In subsequent games catching all of the Pokemon would require one to purchase all sorts of dumb, uninteresting spinoffs and attend numerous official Nintendo events in the middle of nowhere. With Red and Blue, the number of critters felt like a reasonable challenge for you to tackle without too much help and just rewarding enough to feel worthwhile.
If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d say atmospheric. Everything just drew me in and captured me in this desolate world of Tallon IV. There was a real lonely feel, and just the right ratio of combat in the first person-shooting to the exploration of the alien planet. Metroid Prime had some really fantastic environments, ranging from the frostbitten tundra of Phendrana Drifts, to the scorching hot Magmoor Caverns and eerie alien corridors of the Phazon Mines, and being so isolated in your exploration of these deserted locales added to the immersion. The weapons of the game were fun to use, the enemies and bosses equally exciting to defeat. Everything had been wrapped up together really tightly in a way that I felt the subsequent installments of the trilogy just couldn’t live up to. It was a real masterpiece and an experience I won’t forget any time soon.
This rides in at number one spot on many Game of the Ever or favourite lists, and for good reason. Extremely tight game and defined how adventure games should be made. Even Miyamoto himself has trouble replicating the same experience of Ocarina of Time.
Best character development I've ever come across. Plotline becomes a little convoluted at the end, but the characters remain oh-so strong.
A game which became incredibly competitive almost by mistake. Surprising how much depth there is to this game.
My game of 2011, beat it three times in the week it was released. Proof of how far a handful of people can go with a good idea if they all work well together.
I played this almost a decade after it first came out, but it still holds up today. Amazing storytelling, concept and music.
My game of 2012, if only because I was lucky enough to have a bug-free experience. The character development and writing in this game is really amazing - truly sets the bar for games in the future.
Would try to put this lower to prove I'm not just a big Rare fanboy, but I've played it too many times and I'd just be lying to myself about how much I enjoyed it. Great humour, solid adventure/platformer gameplay and just an overall good game.