My Top 100 Games of All Time: #90-81

90. Donkey Kong Country Returns

(Wii, 2010)

When this game was announced back at E3 in 2010 words cannot express just how amazingly hyped I was for it. As you'll see later on in the list, the Donkey Kong Country games have a very special place in my heart and to hear that the series would be returning made me ecstatic. While this game didn't quite live up to the original trilogy in my eyes, it's still very much a fantastic game. The level design is often creative and fun, controls are mostly good (except for the small amount of motion controls), the music is great, and the overall game design is top-notch, just as we'd expect from Retro Studios. I assumed beforehand the game wouldn't be the "same" as the original trilogy - after all this game came out 14 years after Donkey Kong Country 3, the previous entry in the series. Also, this game was made by Retro, rather than Rare which made the originals. So going in I expected there to be changes. And I'm fine with most of them. But this game did not have that massive impact that the other games in the series did. Like I said, the game is amazing, and I can't recommend it enough for fans of the original DKC games or platformers. This is easily one of my favorite games on the Wii. I just wish it were a little more like the originals. But when we get down to it, it's like comparing an A to an A+ and there's no shame in place number 90 on my list.

89. F-Zero GX

(GCN, 2003)

I love the F-Zero series. This is easily one of my all-time favorite racing games. It's extremely fast and challenging with a pulsing soundtrack that pushes you along. The visuals are absolutely fantastic in this game as well. This game is such a fantastic racing game that I'd highly recommend it to anyone - racing game fan or not - as long as you're open minded and don't mind challenges. This game is very difficult - probably the hardest racing game I ever played. It also has a ton of variety, the ability to make your own racing crafts, plus 30 characters to choose from, each with their own stats, a story mode, and of course the traditional grand prix and time trial modes. I've played this game a ton during the Gamecube era and I could easily put another 50 hours into it if I wanted to. A true spectacle on the criminally underrated Gamecube. Oh, how I wish Nintendo would recognize how badly this series needs a new game.

88. Limbo
(PS3, 2011)

One of the most atmospheric and chilling games I've ever played. It's a short game and only available via download, but worth every single penny I spent on it. The game is fully in black and white and this artistic choice actually enhanced the mood of the game. The story is bare bones and there's barely any enemies in the game but it's a fantastic platformer with some puzzle elements. At times I even found myself stuck on how to progress. It feels like a journey, which is probably how it's meant to be, and one that I never wanted to end. Of course as we all know, every good thing must end, but looking back, this game might've been the perfect length for what it offers. I might even consider it a masterpiece, which is a bold statement to make. Long story short, it's a fantastic and memorable game that everyone should play.

87. Mischief Makers

(N64, 1997)

Developed by Treasure and Published by Enix, this game was one a kind on the N64. It's not a truly original game on its own, but one I found to be very memorable and highly enjoyable. I call it one of a kind on the N64 since there were only 2 side scrolling platform games on the system - Yoshi's Story and Mischief Makers. Though I'd say they were significantly different in gameplay style. This game has a lot of personality, the levels are mostly very creative, provides a lot of challenge, and on top of all that, there is a fantastic soundtrack to boot. A true hidden gem on the Nintendo 64.

86. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus

(PS2, 2002)

When I saw this game in Best Buy in 2002, I was immediately interested because of the cool cel-shaded graphics. Though cel-shaded visuals seem to have died off in the last 5 years or so, it was a big thing during the PS2 era. When I played the game, I was immediately hooked at how intuitive and fun the controls were. Playing a thief raccoon never seemed so fun. The gameplay is pretty simple but the levels are generally creative and always a blast to go through. The flow of the game is almost always in motion, there's really never a dull moment in the game, which is something I love about the game. I didn't like its sequels nearly as much as this game, though they were good, but this game is one of the great PS2 platformers.

85. Sonic the Hedgehog

(Genesis, 1991)

I have always been a Nintendo fan, first and foremost, and my experience with Sega systems is very limited, but I can see why people would love this blue hedgehog's games. I wouldn't say I grew up on Sonic but I was able to play the Sonic series on Genesis in the early 90's thanks to a nearby neighbor. My first impression was that Sonic was different from Mario but the same kind of game. To this day, I still have yet to beat the original Sonic, but it's still a fantastic game with a fantastic soundtrack. The Sonic trilogy on Genesis are easily the best games I've played on a Sega system and are probably still the best games I've played that were developed by Sega. I have yet to beat this game as it's a pretty difficult one, but I do tend to go back to this great game every so often just to see if I can get any further than I did the last time, and even if I don't, I still had fun doing it.

84. Mario vs Donkey Kong

(GBA, 2004)

Donkey Kong is one of my all-time favorite characters in video games and nearly every game he stars in seems to appeal to me in some fashion. Mario vs Donkey Kong takes the original Donkey Kong formula that was expanded on in the original Game Boy game of the same name, and stretches it even further. Mario vs Donkey Kong pretty much became its own series, which is great, because the games are a lot of fun. I knew I would like this game when I picked it up in 2004 as I am a big fan of Donkey Kong on Game Boy. I didn't expect the game to be as good as it was, though. I still play this game to this day, and though it's on the short and easy side,  it's fun all the way through and that's what counts the most.

83. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

(GCN, 2003)

Mario Kart games have an wonderful ability to stay relevant and entertaining for a very long time. Every game in the series is just as playable today as they were when they came out. Despite additions and improvements the series has seen, I never find any difficulty in revisiting any Mario Kart game. Double Dash is easily one of my favorites for a number of reasons - I love the dual character gameplay, the character-specific items, the track selection, and the game was just overall very memorable to me. I have been hooked on Mario Kart ever since Super Mario Kart and have played the hell out of every game in the series.  Double Dash is also the best racing game the Gamecube has to offer.

82. DuckTales

(NES, 1989)

This game was a gift to me from my grandma when I was kid for my 8th birthday, just before she passed away, and as such I'll always associate this game with my grandma who I never really got to know. Personal sentiments aside, this game is just really good. It would be one thing if I got this game as a kid and hated it or liked it as a kid and later in life realized how bad it was, but this game was great in 1989 and it's still great today. So great that Capcom remade it. The remastered version is almost as great as the NES original, and I highly recommend you play it if you loved the original. This game started the string of fantastic Disney Capcom games (one more you'll see in this list) and remains one of my all-time favorite NES games. It's fairly short but actually remains somewhat challenging and infinitely replayable. I've probably burned through this game 20 times and I could still continue to go for more. Not to mention I was a huge fan of the DuckTales cartoon, so that helped too.

81. Shadow of the Colossus

(PS2, 2005)

I bought this game on a whim when it came out afterI heard many amazing things about it. Lest to say, it blew me away the first time I played it. I have since replayed it and while I still think it's great, it didn't quite blow me away a second time. Then again, few games do. For a concept that's so deceptively simple, this game had a lot of depth, required a good amount of puzzle solving - mostly how to kill the colossi - and most of all it had atmosphere. This game was perfect in how it set the mood. You were a lone wanderer trying to save a girl and in order to do so you must slay the 16 giant colossi that wander the land. And that's it. Sounds so shallow, but it's really not. They really made you feel like you were the one hero, lost in this giant world. And I'll never forget the first time I took down the first colossus - one of the most memorable moments I've experienced in gaming. Upon completion of the game for the first, I was even still in awe. That's how good it was. That's the true mark of a great game.