Current Top 10
#1. Hellsinker (2006)
it came into my life when i was in a certain place, and when it was in a certain place.
i was young, and hungry, and searching for that which i could call important. and i thought i had found it in this game – brilliantly cryptic, yet untarnished by way of its obscurity. it provided me with a slate upon which to start theorizing as to what it could possibly mean.
and by god i wanted it to mean something. i wanted desperately for it to mean something. i eagerly waited for the translation to provide me with answers, so that i might see how close i got. i was obsessed with it, and only stopped being obsessed once it hit me that this game wasn’t mine anymore… and that i had to share it with people like him.
i can’t help but imagine a narcissist endlessly polishing an engraving in the hopes that one day it’ll finally reflect their own face. and when that day comes, the narcissist will proudly step forward and announce themselves as the authority on who this engraving portrays.
#2. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (1997)
ref. NAMCO – 風のクロノア door to phantomile オリジナルサウンドトラック (1998)
there’s a certain purity that’s present here which enraptures me.
it’s so sweet. so charming. the music brings me to tears and that’s ok.
the mechanics are just about everything you need to make a solid platformer and, by the very end, they get absolutely everything they can out of them.
and then it’s over – right when it’s time for this story to end.
#3. Armed Police Batrider (1998)
light of my life. fire of my loins. pain in my neck.
in many ways, this is everything i could ever want in a video game. this explains why i’ve put untold hundreds of hours into it. it also explains why i’ve mined this game down to the core, figuring out strategies to eke every last point out of the modes i target. and as each additional strategy decreases survivability even more, it explains why i cannot seem to clear the game i’ve given so much of myself to.
i wouldn’t say this game hates me though. i think it’s just bewildered that i happened to take it so seriously.
ref. venting
#4. Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart (2018)
Years ago, you fell for someone who captured your heart and imagination – someone who gave you a dream.
sometimes a game just feels right to play, you know?
you dial in the controls just the way you want and then the act of flowing through the tracks provides the joy itself.
at least, that’s my only explanation for why over half of the time i’ve spent in this game has been spent playing solo: no cpu, nobody else, just me and the course ahead of me.
maybe i should buy a motorcycle.
#5. (Post-) In the Groove 2 (2005)
it’s tough to say if itg could now be considered a game so much as the cultural interpretation of a game. nowadays “itg” refers more to a fan community that originated around custom songs created for a game that itself has roots in being (to put it coarsely) a ddr fangame. and custom songs is the key distinction to focus on here, since those have allowed this community to splinter off and flourish in far more ways than the original game’s fixed songlist could ever allow for. and more to the point, the game that started it all isn’t even directly played anymore, as its cabinets are increasingly rare and those which still exist often have their software replaced with newer engines which contain extra additions or alterations that benefit those who play specific types of custom songs.
and i find all this to be intoxicating.
it’s a scene that’s just a little gritty, with a cease and desist at its very core. it’s a scene that’s largely indifferent to commercialization, with songpacks freely distributed and diy instructions available for many mods and builds. it’s a scene with a history of references and in-jokes and legends that stretches back decades, and piecing it together is rewarding to the parasocial.
so maybe it’s street skating, but without the risk of grievous injury.
#6. Final Fantasy X (2001)
this likely implanted a template of what i want a story to be. and even though i played it as a kid, i feel like the power of its story has only deepened after revisiting it years later.
#7. Gimmick! (1992)
every little piece feels like it was built with such care…
#8. SSX 3 (2003)
it’s kind of insidious, you know? like, here we have a game that feels really good to play once you’re able to play it well, and the better you play it the better it feels. it rewards mastery very directly and very kinetically…
up until the point where the physics start to break…
and then until the point where optimal play requires breaking the physics.
#9. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
the apotheosis of the two-minute stim session genre.
#10. Ryu Kyu
in a perfect world i want to be here, in the mental space i’ve constructed for this game. i imagine the candy cab sitting in the corner of some ryokan, not too far away from the indoor onsen, the air thick with steam and cigarette smoke. it’s surprisingly cozy, and its music birthed my adoration for okinawan music which continues to its day.
although it breaks my brain to actually play this game. it breaks my brain to watch people play this game!
(ref. space email - Ryu Kyu Strats)
Historical Block
- Crash Bandicoot 2
age 5 favorite - Final Fantasy X
age 13 favorite - Alien Soldier
age 17 favorite
honorable mentions
- Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
childhood companion. this game doesn’t have much to it but you can wheelie everywhere. - Logic Pro Adventure
it’s kinda strange and skeletal but that adds to the charm. i especially love the arcade soundtrack, and wish i could figure out a way to rip it (the sound test is broken for all the logic pro games?). - Dynamite Headdy (1994)
it is absolutely great, and astounds me on multiple levels, though it also has a lot of weirdly unfun bits crammed in (the bonus stages, tower of puppet depending on how the rng behaves, the final boss if you want to play it safe) - Miracle Ropit’s Adventure in 2100
yeah right lol