Nate: I'm kinda sad we didn't get a sequel on the Switch, but a fun showcase of what the Wii U could've done.
TenguGemini: An "enhanced" port of one of my all time favorite games ever. I personally prefer the PS1 version, but this is still FF Tactics. It had to be on my list.
John: Super-cute gentle platformer. It's very fun to bounce around on the jelly.
Iffy: One of the highlights of my PSP days, this was everything I wanted PS Universe to be and then some.
Nate: This is either the dumbest or most introspective game of the decade, I have no idea which one.
Pauncho Smith: Maybe the 2D Kirby formula is starting to wear a little thin, but still mostly fun.
lieronet: I've always felt this game never got the love it deserved. It's a cross between a puzzle game and a roguelite, but somehow isn't quite either.
I bet John would call it an action game. It's a dungeon crawler where the dungeons take 10-15 minutes, and it has a wonderfully dry sense of humor.
Rhete: A cute as heck 3D platformer that succeeds where other attempts have failed. This game just feels great to move around in and doesn't weigh you down with a million collectables. Shout outs to the fantastic boss fights as well, and the incredible mod support on PC that has led to me playing fan made levels for about as long as the game took to finish to begin with.
Zeloz: Just the cutest little Game Boy Homebrew I've ever played. The promotional art and premise would have you believe it's a riff of Nintendo's Balloon Kid/Balloon Fight GB/Hello Kitty World, but it plays more like one of those old Flash or phone games where you control a jumpy character scaling increasingly ridiculous heights. The game is no more complex than that, but it's got an addictive quality to it that's reminiscent of old arcade games.
It got a commercial cartridge release and, more recently, a fully-colorized re-release (Tobu Tobu Girl DX), but you're really not missing much just playing the freeware monochrome original.
Nate: Ok, so what if we mixed Shadow of the Colossus with Barney the Dinosaur? Boom.
Remnant: Dragon Age Origins was one of my favorite games. I played it all the way through at least 5 times. Dragon Age II was...Dragon Age II. I don't hate it, but it didn't make this list for good reason. Inquisition combines the best elements of both games, gives the player a huge world to operate in, and follows-up on plot and character threads from the previous games while titillating what could be coming in the future. Given everything happening at EA/Bioware during this decade, I don't think I could have asked for a better third Dragon Age game.
Rainiac: Skullgirls doesn't boast as many characters as other prominent fighting games released this decade, but it's very much a case of quality over quantity, as each of the available fighters is colourful, varied and loaded to the brim with personality. Special mention to Big Band, who plays his opponents a tune using the various instruments welded to his body, then smashes their face off with a Level 3 Super.
Atamine634: A short first-person walking sim that's about exploring an everchanging psychedelic world that grows and morphs around you. It's a stress-relieving sensory experience at its core so it lets you take as much time to let the game wash your anxieties away.
Zeloz: The primary reason this game intrigues me is that, on a purely functional level, it's a dating sim; you plan your days, raise stats, pass or fail story flags depending on those stats, and receive an ending depending on what story flags you hit. But it's not really a dating sim, because you don't really have to end up with any of the suitors. Instead, you're just trying to not die horribly in a world where most everyone has a reason to make you dead. The game doesn't make it easy to take the moral high ground or grind up the "correct" stats, either; there are a lot of choices, especially in the beginning, where the game outright refuses to let you do the "right" thing (unless you're minmaxing from the get-go).
Despite the so-so audio and visual presentation, it's a fantastic subversion of the traditional dating sim formula and comes highly recommended.
Remnant: Assassin's Creed was my most beloved series for a long time. I loved the historical settings, the modern-day conspiracy story, the stealth, the free-running; I didn't even mind the maybe-they're-aliens-but-maybe-they're-not twist at the end of Assassin's Creed II. After Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and the departure of Patrice Desiletes, something went wrong. Assassin's Creed Revelations worked fine, but it was clear that some things we're going in a certain direction before and then there was a shift. And then...Assassin's Creed III happened. Damn if Assassin's Creed III didn't happen. Historical setting and protagonist both boring and bit nonsensical? Check. Conspiracy story stripped of all subtlety? Check. The final payoff to the Desmond story six years and five games in the making fumbled to end with a whimper instead of a bang? Big check.
But then Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag came along with interesting historical setting, a fun protagonist, making the modern-day Templars-as-Illuminati versus Assassins-as-guerilla-hacktivists fun and interesting again, and all this was the mere icing on the cake that is the BEST PIRATE GAME EVER. Yeah, that'll do.
Atamine634: The best club simulator ever made. I mean that genuinely. The abstract, trippy visual style of the game captures the audiovisual stimulation of being inside a club extraordinarily well.
Zeloz: It's not much more than wide-screen Rolling Thunder with an online leaderboard, but for the asking price (which is any price on itch.io), it's a nice game with a goofy name, and it stands proudly with hijong park's other arcade-y itch games.
DoorCurtain: I've only played a couple of Thom's games, but this one is memorable even if I found Silus better (the latter released this year so it's unfortunately disqualified). In short: you're navigating a base on the moon. With the power of floaty jumps, you maneuver to where you need to go within a strict time limit. The interesting thing is, the more you learn about the layout of the map, the less strict the time limit becomes...until you get to that *one* playthrough where you learn one last tidbit, that leads you to navigate the base with even more efficiency than you did before. So, the time limit seems strict, then it isn't, then it is again. Cool!
FreezingInferno: Oooh, a Ghosts 'n Goblins homage? Don't mind if I do. Maldita Castila manages to be far fairer than its inspiration; less random shit popping out of nowhere to kill you, more planning and reflexes required. Getting its true ending is no mean feat.
DoorCurtain: It was this game, more than any other I've played before or since, that got me to respect video game development on a very deep level.
The thought of making my own games was challenging, but a simple WarioWare microgame? That's manageable! So I set out to create something simple: a game where you tap a block of ice three times to eventually reveal a Nintendo DSi underneath. Except, the work I needed to put in to program having three different sprites for the block of ice, the tricky coding I needed to do to make sure the DSi was always underneath the ice sprites, having the sprites reveal each other in sequence as the player tapped the block of ice three times; well all of that was way, way, *way* trickier than I thought.
"If making a microgame is *this* complicated," I told myself, "then all the other games I play are unbelievable feats of engineering and problem solving." I still want to make a game someday, but maybe I should start with finishing this dumb little microgame I abandoned all those years ago. Or Nintendo could bring it back for modern audiences, since the Switch also has a touchscreen (all WarioWare DIY games are played with simple taps on the screen, no buttons).
My personal story about this game aside, though, Body Rock is a fantastic song, listen to its uncompressed version in WarioWare Gold's soundtrack.
FreezingInferno: Six good to great Disney NES games in one compilation, all cheaper than even the cheapest physical cart for one of them. The value alone is worth it, but the games themselves are also great.
Pauncho Smith: This game made me wonder if any of the devs who worked on it had even been to New York City.
John: The decade belonged to Increpare more than any other games artist. He's not only endlessly prolific, but he enabled others to create countless works of art with Puzzlescript and Flickgame, two of my favorite game-making tools ever. And as much as I love some of his grander and more ambitious work, this tiny navigation puzzle with an evocative framing device is the game my brain jumps to first when I consider how important his work's been to me.
Remnant: The first Infamous was a ton of fun. I played it twice (once as a superhero, once as a supervillian) and enjoyed every moment. I would have platinum'd the game if weren't for the stupid stunt challenge trophy. Those things always trip me up. Same reason I didn't platinum Prince of Persia (2008)...a 14-hit-combo? Really?!
But I digress.
The second Infamous took a formula that worked and followed-up with vastly improved presentation and storytelling. I played the heroic path first, and the characters and world were so much more fleshed out and well-done and resonant that by the conclusion, a tear was in my eye and I decided that I'd never play the villain side. The ending of Cole's (heroic) story in Infamous 2 was so unexpected, perfectly-executed, and satisfying that I walked away from the game and left it on that note forever.
Zeloz: I can't say the game does anything especially innovative or special; it's an off-brand Mystery Dungeon spinoff of an RPG series that mostly stayed on late 00s Japanese cell phones, and it deviates very little from Chunsoft's games. Regardless, I have put in a large chunk of my time into the game, specifically the PlayStation Vita port (which was delisted along with the other titles on the ill-fated "PlayStation Mobile" platform), simply because of its simple pick-up-and-play nature. Not a lot stands in between opening the game and starting up a new attempt at the dungeon, and from then on it's just your wits and RNG that'll determine how far you progress.
The protagonist being a total cutie might also have some impact on my vote.
Atamine634: A story about mental illness and communication that resonated with me deeply with a beautiful art style that's like a mix between Revolutionary Girl Utena and Steven Universe.
Nate: An interesting pixelated mystery game, I need to go play through it a second time.
lieronet: For when modded Minecraft just isn't enough. Factorio is a game that tickles my math-brain like none other. Build a factory that makes more factory so you can make more factory so you can launch a rocket (and then continue building a factory). This might be the perfect engineering game. Oh, and it also has incredible mod support.
Zeloz: Even as a Vita fan, there aren't a lot of Vita exclusives I can point out and say "Yes! THIS is totally worth owning this console for!" TxK is essentially Tempest 2000 for the PlayStation Vita, and though the thumbsticks aren't the best analogue replacement for, say, a rotary knob or a mouse, the controls are workable. And, in line with other Jeff Minter works, the visuals and sounds are completely out of control and maybe just a little overwhelming. Not Space Giraffe overwhelming, but it gets close.
jetstorm4: This game is good. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The platforming mechanics work very well and when you've set up a wall run to go it goes very well. While structured more like a Mario game for some odd reason, it works for the feeling this game is going for. Don't skip on it just because it doesn't have a boost button.
John: Extremely cute and funny Chip's Challenge reinterpretation with hilarious hand-crafted cutscenes between levels.
Carmichael Micaalus: A game about a girl climbing a floating tower to stop an evil witch! A fun little game with a nice soundtrack to go with it.
Nate: You know how everyone hates Monopoly? Well, what about Monopoly with Mario and Final Fantasy characters? See, instant classic.
John: Wonderful puzzles and a really neat world structure, I love how the levels twist in and around on themselves. It even works in a nice little story! One of my favorite ZZT adventures.
Zeloz: Best use of 3DS 3D. No, seriously! Adapting Sega's amazing Super Scaler arcade games to the 3DS's style of 3D is one of the best decisions ever made during that decade, and Galaxy Force II is easily the most impressive and ambitious of those games. There's even the option to have the view of the game rotate, with simulated mechanical noises, to simulate the experience of playing the game on a Super Deluxe sit-down cabinet (though it can get to be pretty harsh on your eyes if the 3D's not set just so, or if you're not using a New 3DS). I cannot recommend this experience enough.
Pauncho Smith: I quite enjoyed this game's take on time manipulation.
Atamine634: One of the coolest psychedelic experiences I've had with a game and I'm glad it's made for unique replays.
Remnant: I've spent a ton of time this decade studying the psychology of perception. This is a fairly straightforward puzzle-platformer in the vein of Limbo (and even has a basic visual style that you could say was ripped-off from Limbo) with color-changing gameplay, but it is peppered throughout with meditations on the nature of perception--"We don't see the world as it is; we see the world as we are."--that perfectly vibe with the gameplay experience. It was just a beautiful and thoughtful experience and a joy to play.
Iffy: A game I liked a lot more than most...I enjoyed it despite its many flaws. Let's just say there hasn't been a good Neptunia spin-off since.
Rainiac: Clever and witty FMV murder mystery conceived by legendary video game composer Tim Follin. Inspector Jenks is an easy protagonist to root for and the acting rarely falls into cheesiness. The late great Paul Darrow steals the show as the menacing owner of a 'business course' that may or may not be the front for a sinister cult. We'll probably never get the planned sequel now, which is a great shame.
John: Gorgeous moving music video videogame. I love this "genre" to bits, and this is one of my favorite ones out there.
jetstorm4: I've been following OrigamiHero's games for quite a long time, who has always had a good hold of platformer and exploration mechanics to make their games just right. In my opinion, their earlier 2011 game, A Game With a Kitty 3 is still the one I come back to a lot and have fun with. A funny, cute platformer with the best kitty(?) wearing a funny hat.
jetstorm4: A remake that takes the original SNES game, widens the background field of view with new, incredible looking art that was apparently taken from the original assets and unused concepts from the original game, and makes something that feels absolutely incredible to play. Give this a shot if you haven't done so, it's a WILD ride.
DoorCurtain: Just putting this on the list to remind everyone that even though the Nintendo 3DS' days are mostly behind us now, this aspect of the system shouldn't be forgotten. I had a ton of fun collecting puzzle pieces from people I walked past, as well as journeying through a couple of fun RPGs with the Find Mii duology. I had fun exploring the haunted house game with Reggie Fils-Aime's Mii. StreetPass Mii Plaza was core to the Nintendo 3DS' appeal, and I think we all want something like that again someday. Maybe with a successor to the Nintendo Switch or something.
Pauncho Smith: More sportsball games need giant sheep people on their team rosters.
Zeloz: There isn't a lot here for those not super-into old Japanese 8-bit computers, but for nerds like me who often find themselves salivating over impossibly expensive old PC-88s on Yahoo Japan Auctions or who frequently listen to old Ys and Dragon Slayer soundtracks, this is pretty great stuff. Every stage being based off of a different Japanese PC (and having the graphics to match) is just a cool concept in itself, but the cameo appearances of heroes and villains from popular (in Japan) old PC games is also really cute. There's a whole lot of background information on the systems themselves to collect if you're able to read Japanese, but it's a joy to play even if you aren't.
John: It's Mario :)
Atamine634: One of my new favorite FPSs and mostly for a shallow reason. The game's aesthetic and variety of locations are breathtakingly gorgeous. The running and shooting feel good and it's nice they have a system that lets you recharge your overkill powerup.
John: Oh my god the TEXTURE. The flavor of the game would be enough to make me love it on its own, but it's elevated further by the consistently funny writing and warm nice worldview. Pure joy from start to finish.
Carmichael Micaalus: A lot of people I know like to dunk on Secret of Mana. Like, all the time. Then Squonx said "hey, we remade this game," which gave me a chance to replay it and realize "no, this is still a fun game." It's a very faithful recreation, and entirely voiced as well.
DoorCurtain: Pokemon Gold and Silver are my favorite entries in the series. They expanded upon the framework of the original, rounded out some kinks like having separate special attack and special defense stats, and had a fun theme about legacy and living up to expectations formed from the past. The remakes were a very tasteful update of the original games, and best of all, every Pokemon ever could walk behind the player to be interacted with, like Pikachu in Pokemon Yellow. It's the closest the series has come to actually achieving the promise of having your Pokemon double as a pet. I loved all the easter eggs like being able to rematch all 16 gym leaders with much stronger fights, and the item that reverted the music back to its Game Boy original sound (they even made chiptune remixes for songs that weren't in the originals!). While the frame rate being at 30 and the single-use move learning items bug me, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are otherwise my favorite games to go back to.
Rhete: The feel bad RPG of the decade.
Atamine634: One of the best FPSs I've played last decade, Dusk is a bit basic in aesthetics but is crafted with so much love and detail that it's impossible for me not to respect the effort.
Remnant: Is it possible to create a satisfying, story-based, single-player experience in the free-to-play mobile space? Is Masato Kato's writing and nostalgia for his work on Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross enough to carry an entire game? For my (lack of) money, the answer was a resounding "Yes." At least as far as the main story goes. The ongoing post-main-story content is more of a mixed bag.
Nate: A good spiritual sequel to Viewtiful Joe while being its own thing. It's colorful, it's crazy, and now it's getting released onto more consoles than just the Wii U.
Remnant: The biggest surprise of the decade. Take the general exploration-to-upgrade loop of a Metroidvania and combine it with the resource collection-to-upgrade loop and the ability to dig your own paths from Minecraft. Top it off with excellent sprites and music. I'd never even heard of this game until I saw it on the dashboard of my friend's PS4, but as soon as I booted it up I never wanted to stop.
Zeloz: A surprisingly fun multiplayer game from the Switch's launch lineup. Needing to carefully cut bits and pieces off of each other to solve puzzles requires a lot more back-and-forth between players than I'm used to, and introduces a lot more in the way of possible screwing of each other over, leading oftentimes to both players laughing at just how much of an asshole the other player is.
jetstorm4: A game that advertises itself as an "RPG for people with jobs", but it's actually a clever twist on the style of RPG that SaGa III or Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Presents except it's difficult and the story has meat on it. As Kellan searches for his father Orazio, he finds a legacy that Orazio, a sad, pathetic individual has left behind in his quest for revenge, and the people (party members) who have all been affected by his quest for power. It's a fast-paced, beautiful looking RPG that's also a quick 10-12 hour playtime. Go play it!
Carmichael Micaalus: Turns out I like puzzle games that just let me go at my own pace; who knew?
Rainiac: Part
Metroidvania non-linear action adventure game, part old-school brawler. Making the setting for the game contemporary Mexico was an inspired decision, as busting out meaty wrestling moves as a luchadore to pummel the undead is a lot of fun.
Atamine634: A geometric puzzle game based on Islamic art and sacred geometry, Engare is part spirograph puzzles and part drawing tool used to create your own art and patterns.
John: ALLTYNEX Second feels like a victory lap. After spending nine years on their hour-long masterpiece shmup RefleX, Siter Skain released its action-packed twenty-minute follow-up just two years later. It's obviously not as ambitious narratively as RefleX, but it's even more dense with gorgeous inventive action set-pieces, and the sword/laser mechanics are a blast to play with.
Polly: It's almost hilarious that Alice: Madness Returns launched against Duke Nukem Forever. Madness Returns is the sequel I'd been waiting on for years, sustained similarly on only rumors and hearsay, so when it finally materialized, it truly was a wonder. Madness Returns continues our dark dive into Alice's frayed psyche and realizes its world with more stunning detail than ever before. On top of that, the game PLAYED like a modern game, and featured a solid mixup of ranged and melee combat options that were as vicious as they were fun with level design and gimmicks that were a fun mix of old and new school design. When it released, there really wasn't anything quite like what Madness Returns ended up being and its unique identity has stuck with me since.
Atamine634: A anxiety-inducing rhythm game that eases my anxiety. The focus needed to get through levels gives the experience a trance-like hypnotic state that I find meditative for just getting me out of my head and I'm greatly appreciative of any game that manages that. I also deeply appreciated that this game was one of the most visually stunning things I've ever seen. Some of the finest eldritch imagery I've ever seen.
Rhete: A vision of the future. Contorting my body around to dodge virtual bullets in slow motion is quite simply something no other game has made me do. The final levels saw me crouching down to hide behind in game cover. By far the best shooter I've played in VR so far.
Remnant: Everything that made the first one great, but with a bigger world, better upgrades items (like a hook-shot!), and more variety. Lacks the novelty of the first, but is ultimately more fun to play than the first, giving it the edge.
Carmichael Micaalus: Probably the best Metroid-like I've played in a long while. It's the right mix of grim story, excellent music, weird secrets, and good controls. It could be easy to argue there's too many weapons, but to me, it just lets you find a playstyle that works for you. I had three or four favorites and generally just cycled through those.
John: Heather's games are just getting better and better over time for me, this is my favorite one yet. Funny and cohesive with a strong voice and vision, and I just love how it feels to exist in its dream.
DoorCurtain: I am very wary of trying new games. Just look at the rest of my list, it's almost all Nintendo games, because I am a self-avowed basic bitch. But this was one of my most memorable attempts to branch out, and this 3DS collection with the admittedly unimpressive official art "sprites" and sometimes empty-sounding music (listen to the lack of drums on Pursuit ~ Caught in the 3DS version versus the DS version) nonetheless got me hooked into one of the best mystery game series ever made. Following the tale of Phoenix Wright, defense attorney, as he solves seemingly-impossible case after case is incredibly thrilling due to the gameplay of pointing out the contradictions in people's testimonies. The third game, Trials and Tribulations, is particularly masterpiecely.
Also, Ace Attorney games are fucking hilarious. Some of the absolute funniest writing in video game history. If you want to play a game that will make you laugh, and you haven't checked this series out, please do yourself a favor and dive into the series with the trilogy. It's available on 3DS, Steam, and Switch.
Remnant: This was the first game that I platinum'd just because the trophy challenges gave me something to aim for and I didn't want to stop playing. The parkour and stealth of Assassin's Creed with the counter-combat of the Batman Arkham games plus the Nemesis system, which I won't explain here, but if you've never tried it, you have to see it in action for yourself.
Zeloz: byuu, pioneer of the cycle-accurate SNES emulator, designed a new expansion chip near the beginning of the decade, the MSU-1, that would allow SNES games to stream music and video of a certain size from the cartridge to the system itself, much like a CD add-on unit. I don't know if this chip has ever been made physically, but using certain cycle-accurate emulators or an SD2SNES flash cart, one can play SNES games enhanced with streamed music or full-motion video, and the result is pretty nifty!
Of course, the best utilization of this chip has got to be 2012's homebrew port of Road Blaster/Road Avenger, a Data East FMV anime from 1985 that is just a series of increasingly improbable car chase scenes where you fight your way through a road gang led by not-Haman Karn. It was one of the best Sega CD FMV games when it was on that system, and the increase in colors might actually make this port better than that one.
Rhete: One of the few artsy games that I completely love. The story in this just resonated with me perfectly.
John: Never underestimate the power of a single Very Good Joke, pristinely executed. A good joke can wiggle its way into your brain and stay there forever, and make your life just a little bit brighter for doing so. The Shadowland Prophecy is my favorite McClure game, and it's a VERY good joke.
Zeloz: It's not as good as the books, but it's better than the movie. The way the fighting feels takes some getting used to (and a bit of money grinding, if we're being honest), but the game's just too vibrant and overly-animated for me to really hate. The Anamanaguchi tunes pair perfectly with the game, too.
John: My first Spiderweb Software RPG and it made a super-positive impression. It gave me everything I knew I wanted and a lot of things I didn't know I needed. The story is thoughtful and well-written, the fighting and resource management never stop being fun and strategic, and the climax is incredible. The haunting last lines of the story are still echoing in my head months later.
Pauncho Smith: Patty Wagon has it right; the only way to save children is to punt them.
Nate: Someone said "What if Disney made a version of Clue?" and, you know what? It works way too well. Kinda sad this game never caught on.
Atamine634: Zelda meets Yume Nikki was always something I was gonna love on some level, but I was still taken aback by how much I loved getting lost in its world.
Nate: The only flaw of this game is that there's not a newer version out there with more sarcastic jabs.
Atamine634: One of the most visually striking games I've played and also a fantastic exploration of puzzle-solving potential in infinite 3D space.
Remnant: Human Revolution was a great game. Mankind Divided brought what made that game great to a more focused, more intimate scale. It wormed its way into my mind a way that very few non-horror-genre experiences ever have.
Carmichael Micaalus: Look, I'm not saying that you need to go and slap the shit out of the personification of sickness to prove you love your mother. I'm just saying it's a badass way to do so is all.
Nate: An interesting way to tell a story, but not much variety in the endings.
Rhete: While the actual platforming is nothing to write home about, Puppeteer still managed to endear me with it's lovable cast of characters, beautiful aesthetic, and non stop bombastic set pieces. An absolute hell of an experience.
Atamine634: A unique interactive experience where music and abstract landscapes are one-and-the-same for you to play with. I've had some wonderfully calming and anxiety melting moments with this game and it's one of my favorite psychedelic experiences in the medium.
Zeloz: One could argue that the game selection here doesn't measure up to the same quality of the original's, but there is an undeniable charm to the wider variety on display here; I strongly disliked playing the crime mystery game included, but I absolutely love how it parodies old Famicom Disk System releases that were put out in two separate parts. In fact, most of what puts this game over its predecessor for me is just how committed the devs get with rounding out their parallel 80s-world with systems other than their Fauxmicom machine. It's a little suspect that the not-Super Famicom seems to still sound like the not-Famicom, and one must wonder how that universe found a way to make portable color games battery-efficient so quickly, but the added details are charming nonetheless.
jetstorm4: My personal favorite of the Devil Survivor games and one of the main Atlus rereleases I think is better than the original release. While a pretty standard story plays out, the battles and situations make this game quite tense as it goes on, and even gives the best alignment choice with The Anguished One!
Rhete: 5 points for being a stunningly gorgeous top down arena shooter that feels incredibly good to play. 5 points for one of the best soundtracks ever. 5 points for the secret final boss that mocks you before relentlessly kicking your shit in. A perfect 15 out of 10.
Atamine634: Red Candle Games' debut horror title was what I would call a mix between Fatal Frame and Silent Hill, but leans more towards the Silent Hill side of mature storytelling. Which is good because the psychological horror story Detention has to tell is worth the time for horror fans and you might learn some world history you didn't know before.
Iffy: Another game that was very impactful on my life and had a story I resonated really strongly with. Probably my favorite iteration of the Tales battle system thus far too.
Carmichael Micaalus: As I have said before, I am a simple person of simple pleasures. Scantily clad women wearing glasses and kicking ungodly amounts of ass all over the place just happens to cover a lot of those pleasures.
John: Esposito has obviously worked on a ton of notable games the last decade (including Bubsy3D, Sonic Dreams Collection, and Donut County) but this early one has stuck in my head for years... it's just a very very good joke.
Rhete: A boss rush game that is intense as hell. Sword fights mixed with bullet hell never felt this good. The final boss that you may only see depending on which choice you make at the end was the perfect cherry on top.
John: Searing and necessary political game. Pointed righteous spitting fury at Nintendo and all the other corps with a stranglehold on our art and our culture.
Carmichael Micaalus: The sequel to World of Hurt, Princess Remedy keeps the same combat and graphical aesthetics while adding a new buddy system. Really enjoyed this one as well!
Pauncho Smith: What better way for the 3DS to go out than with the biggest Persona fanservice crossover to date. Persona 3 Portable's female protagonist is finally canon (somewhat).
Nate: A love letter to Super Sentai and a pretty good RTS that excels at what it set out to do. With there was a bit more opportunity to grind though.
John: Exciting brilliant arcade action cellular automata game from Loren Schmidt. One of my favorite score-attack games of the decade, I had a lot of fun learning its nuances and upping my high score.
Nate: It's nice to have a fully customizable party in a more traditional RPG, like the old Final Fantasy games for the gameboy or the Four Warriors of Light, but with a bit of humor behind it.
Nate: Here's one no one remembers! A tight and fun action rhythm game that flopped and is now fading into obscurity.
