As I mentioned two days ago,ย reaching 900 games is such a big mental milestone – it feels like we’ll reach the end of so many things soon and I know I’m so close to finishing it now that I shouldn’t give up. Still, though, after this there are a few more of these wrap up posts as it feels my selections get more random – and probably higher quality, as I feel I’ve been saving the best for last (something I needed anyway to give me that extra push to keep going). So what stood out during these last fifty games?
Best Game I Had Not Previously Played
It’s going to be an RPG heavy bunch this time, as I’ve kept some good ones behind that came up during these fifty. I adored Grandia II and want to get to more in the series and it likely would have taken this place if I didn’t get a last minute chance.
As you’ve just read, I loved Mother 3 and on some level, this might be the near-perfect RPG for me. I’ll need to play more of it – in about a year, I guess, when this all ends – as there was so much more there that I wanted to uncover. It’s probably one of the better games of the list for me – and it’s probably time Nintendo recognised it.
Worst Game
On the other hand, it’s probably quite clear that the run and gun and other platformers feel like the worst games right now.ย I don’t have fond memories of Alex Kidd, for example and Gunstar Super Heroes is in a similar boat.
The least memorable, most generic entry in that group, though, was Alien Soldier. Even now I couldn’t tell you much about it. I’m sure it’s decent in its genre, but it just didn’t have anything in it for me.
Most Surprising Game
I feel like I could have put Suikoden III in some of the other best categories, but it feels like it’s the best fit for this category: I was expecting a decent RPG not unlike several others, but the scope of the game, its characters and everything else were so good that I bought the others in the series as well to play later. It was just that massive, and I wasn’t expecting that going in – it’s possibly one of the bigger finds of the list for me.
Biggest Disappointment
What didn’t live up to my expectations? There were several and I must admit that Far Cry, for example, didn’t quite live up to the expectations you get from this world.
But really, though, Jak II was the genuine shame.I can’t say that the original was the best of its kind, but between it and its handheld version I was expecting something quite fun. The sequel’s difficulty sucked out any joy I had in the missions, with some misjudged control choices. There are some interesting possibilities in the world, but I couldn’t see too much of it.
Games We Kept Playing
I was looking at what game was in this list, but I haven’t gotten back to most of the big games, in part because I’ve been playing more ‘modern’ games in my spare time (Final Fantasy XV is really my thing). However, there is one game I’ve gotten back to every once in a while when I grabbed my tablet: Slitherlink is that addictive. It’s easy to pick up and play a level or two of and get through. It’s a lot of fun and just works that well.