Making a list of 100 games might sound like an easy task but I loved so many games I played over the last 25+ years that it's borderline impossible to only choose 100. But guess what? I'm doing it. I tried to imagine a situation where I could only choose 100 games to play for the rest of my life and never see or play any game other those 100. It would be hard giving up a lot of games but I'd be okay as long I have no regrets with the 100 that I chose.
Any game I've played qualifies for the list - be it on a Nintendo platform, Sega, Sony, a SmartPhone game, a PC game...literally any game I've personally played. (Spoiler: There are no SmartPhone games on my list!) I started at the top of list with my favorites, since those are the easiest to figure out, but as I got further down the list, towards #100, it became harder and harder to distinguish which games made the cut and which didn't. So that's why I am making this post - a list of games that were the "runner ups" of the list - the honorable mentions. The games that I wish I could fit on the list but couldn't. These may or may not be #'s 101 through 110, I don't know what numbers I'd give them. I just wanted to mention a few great games that barely missed the cut and thought they deserve being mentioned at the very least.
As always, please remember this list as well as any others that will follow is comprised purely of my own experience, so chances are, you will disagree with me at some point. These coming lists are not the games I think are "best" objectively but rather the games I personally have enjoyed playing the most. Anyway, without any further ado, here are the honorable mentions of my favorite games...
Catherine
(PS3, 2011)
It honestly kills me that this game couldn't make it into my Top 100 Games list. When I played this game last January I was honestly pretty amazed how unique, fun, and challenging it was. The story really sucked me in and I could never wait to see what would happen next. The puzzles in between the story scenes were always challenging, sometimes even incredibly frustrating, but the fact that the story was so good, it only made me try harder to get through the following puzzle - just to see what happens. Easily one of the more surprising games I've ever played, and a game I picked up for a mere $12 on a whim, I really had no idea what I was in store for when I first popped this hidden gem into my PS3. Catherine may not have made the Top 100 but it was certainly worth mentioning if only for how memorable and unique it is. I doubt we'll ever see anything quite like it again. It is truly one of a kind.
Heavy Rain
(PS3, 2010)
Like Catherine, this is also one of the more unique games I've ever played. Like Indigo Prophecy before it and Beyond: Two Souls after it, this game plays pretty much like an interactive movie. The graphics are phenomenal, the story is great, and the characters are all well written. Mostly a murder mystery with a decent amount of surprises, the choices you make ultimately affect the ending you see. I didn't find that it was worth playing through the game multiple times (which is what it kept it off my Top 100 list) but the experience I had playing it was memorable and I will always remember this game fondly. I think I always wanted a game like this - a completely interactive cinematic experience - I just never knew I did until I played it. I always love when a game fills a void that I never knew existed. That's why this game is absolutely worth mentioning.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
(DS, 2005)
Just like the last two games on this list, Phoenix Wright really took me by surprise. Based on the description alone, there's no way I'd ever want to play this, but for some reason I did anyway, and ended up loving it. Phoenix Wright is, on the surface, a visual novel courtroom comedy. To me, that does not sound appealing. But I swear it's fun. And not just the original Phoenix Wright - all of them. I just chose the original for this list since it was the most memorable to me. You play as Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney, in a point and click style adventure, solving murder mysteries, looking for clues, and then proving the culprit's guilt in a court room trial. Only this isn't your typical courtroom drama - it's actually very over the top and very funny, which to me is its main draw. They managed to take something incredibly boring like a court trial and made it into a ton of fun. Easily one of the best, if not the best "point and click" style adventure game I've ever played. The game gets bonus points for opening me up to a new genre of game, but unfortunately just barely misses the Top 100. Still a game series very much worth playing.
Portal 2
(PS3, 2011)
Once again we have another uniquely fantastic game. This game was recommended to me during a visit to Gamestop one day in 2011 and initially it did not sound like something I would like, but a few weeks later I bought it on a whim, and ended up loving it. Portal 2, much like its predecessor which I never got to play, is a unique First Person Puzzle game. Your only weapon is a gun that shoots portals and your mission is to figure out each puzzle room to move onto to the next using this portal gun. It's a lot more interesting and fun than it sounds - I promise! Weaved in with the ingenious mechanic of the portal gun are endearing and hilarious characters as well as a pretty interesting story. The game itself is almost like a series of trials and is often pretty challenging, but so satisfying when you figure out a puzzle that's stumped you for some time. One of the most unique games I've ever played and one I wished would've made it to my Top 100 but absolutely needed to be mentioned on my honorable mentions at the very least.
Luigi's Mansion
(GCN, 2001)
One of the launch games for GameCube, I actually didn't play this one until a few years after its release. I had heard it was short and easy and not worth buying, so I never did. Eventually it became a cheap "Player's Choice" title and I figured I might as well give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised as it played almost like a kid-friendly version of Resident Evil or how you'd imagine a Ghostbusters game would play. You play as Luigi, who just "won" a haunted mansion, where Mario was kidnapped. In searching for his brother, he has to hunt down ghosts to eventually find him. Capturing ghosts was sort of a puzzle in its own way, as not every ghost could be captured the same way. I enjoyed the uniqueness of this title and the puzzles it gave me. I just wish this game was longer. Fortunately, it spawned a sequel that managed to improve on most of its flaws.
Illusion of Gaia
(SNES, 1993)
Finally we come to a game that's on the older side, this action RPG was developed by Enix and was the second in a series (between Soul Blazer and Terranigma). This game had a fun battle system, a decent story, fantastic music, and overall memorable locations. It played similarly to Secret of Mana, or Zelda games in some ways. It was definitely one of the better action RPGs on SNES, and one I found to be very enjoyable and memorable, but not quite as fantastic as other games in the genre, which is why it just barely missed the Top 100.
Little Nemo: Dream Master
(NES, 1990)
Going back even further, we have this gem for the NES. I absolutely loved this game as a kid, and while I still enjoy it today, it doesn't hold up quite as well as I hoped. It's still worth playing and even moreso worth mentioning. It is notable for each level taking place in dream-like areas, with the main character, Nemo, feeding candy to certain animals to gain their abilities. It sounds weird at first, and it is, but it's a very fun game (if somewhat challenging) on the NES. One of the more memorable NES games I've played as well, which is why I decided to mention it here.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
(GCN, 2004)
Had I made my Top 100 Games list a few months ago, this game would've absolutely made it on the list, but I have since replayed it and unfortunately realized the game isn't as great as I remember. Don't get me wrong - it's still very fun and worth playing - but the Achilles' heel of this game is the need for more players. Sure, you can play the game alone, but you're missing out on the core experience. Playing this game alone feels very shallow and you only wish you had at least two more people to adventure with. With four players though this game is awesome, which is how I initially experienced it 10 years ago. Not only do you need multiple people to fully experience the game, but everyone needs a Game Boy Advance and a GBA to GCN link cable. If this wasn't such an inconvenience, the game would've been so much better. It's a shame because for a good decade I've loved this game but after trying it again as a lone player last year, it just wasn't the same. Still a great game if you can get a few people together with GBAs and the link cable which can be found cheap online. Playing alone however? Not as worth it. But I still really enjoy the locales in the game as well as the superb soundtrack - one of my absolute favorite soundtracks of all time actually.
Yoshi's Story
(N64, 1998)
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Yet another game I really wanted to include into my Top 100 list but unfortunately just got beat out by other games that were just slightly better. I highly anticipated this game back in 1998 since I loved Yoshi's Island on SNES. No, this game did not live up to its predecessor but it's still a great game in its own right. I loved the textured backgrounds - certain levels looked like they were constructed of cardboard, fabric, cotton, glass, etc. It was a fun graphical style that heightened my enjoyment of the game. The level designs were all pretty fun and unique, too. One design choice that is kind of mind boggling, and the reason why I couldn't find in myself to put it in my Top 100, is the level structure. By this, I mean there are no end goals - the level ends when you get 30 fruit of any kind. By eating particular types of fruit, you gain more points but ultimately it doesn't matter which fruit you eat if your only goal is to get to the next level. Who cares about points in a platform game anyway? In addition, each playthrough only gives you access to 6 levels, one from each world, rather than the traditional level progression where you conquer each level in a particular world before moving onto the next. This means to see every level you have to play through the game a minimum of 4 times, but in order to open new levels in worlds past the first one, you have to find hidden hearts. The more hearts you find in a level, the more levels you're able to access in the next world. It's a confusing decision that was made and it kind of ruins the game a little bit. Overall though this game is still very fun and worth playing, even if it doesn't quite live up to Yoshi's Island.
Chibi-Robo!
(GCN, 2005)
Another unique title on the Gamecube that I enjoyed a lot. This game puts you in the role of a 2-inch robot that cleans the house and does other tasks for the family who purchased him. The game is very quirky and has a lot of charm. It's also very unique. If playing as a little robot, cleaning the floors, picking up trash, and finding lost items sounds boring, it's because you haven't tried anything like this game. You won't find anything quite like it anywhere else. It's a highly enjoyable title and just barely missed the Top 100 list.
So with a few honorable mentions out of the way, there are plenty more that deserve to be mentioned but if I talked about every game worth playing, this list would be a few hundred long. But I figured I'd at least give some mention to a few games I really wanted to put in my Top 100 but they just barely missed it.
Continue to check back for the next 10 posts to read about the 100 games I found to be my personal favorites - games that I could probably replay 100 times over each and never grow tired of them. I will post 10 games in each post, beginning at #100 and working my way down to #1. Stay tuned and keep checking back as we count down my all time favorite games!
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