Top 100 Games (#60-51)
#60+59 - Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! and Punch Out!! (Wii)
These two games are basically the same, which is why they basically take up the same spot.
The original is here because it's my favorite NES game of all time. The Wii version is here because of all the added style, charm, and personality that was shoved into this game when brought to Wii.
Both games are simple tests of reaction and pattern recognition, but that doesn't make them easy. Far from it.
This game really makes you feel like a rookie underdog in over their head with the drive to make the impossible happen. I still remember how loud I yelled when I beat Bald Bull on the NES version for the first time.
I love the feeling of accomplishment this game gives.
#58 - Cuphead
I've always been a fan of animation. Newgrounds flash, Cartoons, Anime, Youtube indie animators, you name it. It's one of the most expressive mediums with one of the highest skill floors. In my eyes, it's one of the most passionate mediums an artist can dedicate themselves to, and I respect it immensely.
Hand drawn animation in games is the shit to me, and Cuphead is no exception. When I first learned someone was making a game that used rubberhose styled animation, I knew I was buying it. I bought Cuphead day one before I even knew it was a Boss Rush shmup, and I didn't care.
What I got was one of the most creative, mechanically satisfying games I've ever played. Its really is a love letter to old school rubberhose cartoons, taking full advantage of the creative liberties the medium offers to make some of the most interesting boss fights I've ever seen. They squash and stretch and transform into wild things each phase.
And the game feels great to control. Parrying is satisfying, the Dash feels good, and the charms system to swap your load out for specific fights is great. It's hard as fuck, but I love a challenge.
This game is amazing, Im so happy it exists and I'm even happier its as good as it is.
#57 - ULTRAKILL
MANKIND IS DEAD.
BLOOD IS FUEL.
HELL IS FULL.
ULTRAKILL combines 2 of my favorite genres, character action games and boomer shooters, executes it flawlessly, and wraps it up in a colorful PSX inspired bow.
This game sucks and fucks.
It is one of the most mechanically deep games I've played in a minute. It is FAST, and it is DIFFICULT. The barrier to entry is high and the skill ceiling even higher. It's overwhelming at times, some rooms or bosses feel impossible.
But when it clicks, it so SO SATISFYING.
You put the time into this game and it rewards you with some of the slickest and most stylish shit I've seen in a game.
I entered a stairwell with my revolver in hand, flicked a coin up into the middle of the shaft, performed a technique that let me moon jump to the top of the room, swapped to my rail gun mid-air and ricochetted the shot off the coin to kill the enemies below me. Then, I swapped to my shotgun mid-air and parried my own shotgun bullets to make them explode, killed the enemies at the top. I landed, and left the room.
All in like, 3 seconds.
The only reason this game is as low as it is is because when I played it, only 2 chapters were out. Once I finally give the rest of the game the time it deserves, I imagine it'll rank higher.
#56 - Pokemon Black
It's Pokémon again! And guess what? It won't be the last time it shows up here.
Pokemon Black and White were really ambitious games for Game Freak. They were soft reboots that added the most Pokemon of a single generation. It was the first game not set it Japan, instead taking place in a North Eastern American inspired region. It placed a higher focus on narrative, with more mature themes and an older cast.
The visuals are also stand out. Full 3D environments with fully animated sprites. They pushed the DS to its limit, and that effort paid off because these games are a treat to look at.
They're some of the best Pokemon games ever made. The only reason they rank here is because I personally was never really obsessed with them. As a kid I didn't like the direction the series was going at the time, and as an adult, there's a Unova game I like more.
#55 - Super Smash Bros. Melee
Melee is a game I wish I was good at, and will never be.
I'm very at odds with this game. It's my favorite to watch, my favorite aestheticly, my second favorite to play solo, the one I'm most nostalgic for.
But I hate playing it competitively because of it's lack of input buffer. Everytime I pick up the controller against someone else, it feels like I'm playing underwater with a controller covered in butter.
This was my first smash game, and I look back on it very fondly. I love the era in time this game captures. I love the liminal spaces littered throughout. I love adventure mode, I love wavedashing, I love the sick shit people in this can can do.
Conceptually, I love everything about this game, but I just can't do the things I want to do it in. I played other competitive smash games for years, but the skills don't carry over because of that input buffer. I know it's a barrier I can overcome with dedication, but I still haven't and at this point won't be able to.
It's a shame, because if I could this game would be so much higher. And I know that's true because I've played smash mods with Melee mechanics and input buffer, and I absolutely adore them.
If mods counted, Project M would 100% make this list.
#54 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Another smash game, but for a different reason. I think Brawl is the best game to play from a casual standpoint.
Subspace Emmisary, Co-op events, Co-op classic mode, stage builder, special smash. If you and a buddy are just tryna good off and press some buttons, Brawl is perfect for that.
Not to mention the modding scene. Brawl has the largest modding scene of all smash games, and there is so much you can do to make Brawl infinitely fun. Custom stages, custom characters, gameplay overhauls. Project M, which to me is the best smash game ever made.
But even vanilla Brawl is still a blast. Something I learned from being in the competitive smash space for as long as I have, is that sometimes people forget the value of just playing for fun vs playing for glory.
Brawl is still fun to this day, and it always will be.
#53 - Pikmin
I've always liked the Pikmin games. The serene and peaceful environments juxtapose the pressure of the ticking clock and the dangers those same environments pose. It creates this tension of wanted to stop and smell the roses, but realizing that time you spent sniffing put you behind schedule for the day.
That tension is why I like Pikmin 1 over the rest. In 2, you're just trying to earn money for a greedy corporation. In 3, you can stockpile resources so effectively that the time limit is a non issue. But Pikmin 1? you have 30 days, thats it. Find your ship parts in that time, or die trying.
Its gameplay is the most basic in the series. But as I get older, I realize gameplay is not the only factor that goes into making a game a memorable experience. Pikmin 2 and 3 are still great games (that probably also deserve to me on this list), but that constant race around the clock is why Pikmin 1 ranks here above them.
#52 - Tetris Effect
For a long time, I considered Tetris to be my favorite game of all time. In my eyes, I still consider Tetris to be a perfect game. If I could only play one game for the rest of my life, it would be Tetris.
And this is my favorite version of Tetris.
It focuses on the aspect I love most about Tetris, the flow state you slide into while playing. Where the world outside quiets and dims, and you dont even think about where the next piece goes, it just perfectly lands there right where it needs to be.
It's an audio visual masterpiece, and is the only reason I want to buy a PSVR, so I can fully immerse myself in it.
There is one other Tetris game that ranks above this one, but its a little different, and you'll see why when we get to it.
#51 - Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
This one is gonna be a little short, mainly cause I'm getting tired of writing.
The Mario and Luigi RPG games are perfectly serviceable RPGs. They got a bunch of charm and look great, but in my eyes they never really do much that stands out.
Bowser's Inside Story is different tho. This game is incredibly creative mechanically, switching up with mini games every so often to keep things fresh. It characterizes Bowser in a great way, and gives the game an actual protagonist who speaks and reacts to the events happening. That small change did a lot towards making this game way more enjoyable than others in the series.
It's kind of a shame, because after playing this entry, I never enjoyed any other Mario and Luigi games as much as before.