This won't be easy, but let's see what we've got here...
10: Metal Gear Solid
When Metal Gear Solid is done right, there’s nothing quite like it. I’ll admit that 4 and 5 are probably why this isn’t higher for me. I certainly enjoyed 4 when it came out, but don’t know if I would go back to it now, and 5 was basically the antithesis of everything I loved in the franchise. What I loved though is so prevalent in the first three core games; the exploring, the crazy as hell anime story, the awesome characters and conversations, and most of all, just sneaking. It all fit together in a package that still feels unique to itself as a Kojima project today.
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9: Super Mario
It’s hard not to love your time with a Super Mario game. Almost any Super Mario game is just full of so much joy and just the right amount of challenge. Super Mario Bros 3 is maybe my favorite of the franchise, but I have lots of memories playing Super Mario World, Galaxy, among all the others. Here’s hoping that Nintendo puts 3D World on the Switch for more people to get their hands on!
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8: Ni No Kuni
As a lifelong Ghibli fan, it was difficult to not be immediately invested in the first game when it came out. I got the Wizard’s Edition with the magic book, and it created this connecting effect where I felt like I was a part of this wonderful, positive and uplifting world I had always wanted to explore. I love how the franchise is so positive and painstakingly crafted with themes of helping others. Let’s get that third game!
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7: Mega Man
Those who have read my reviews on the forum know pretty well I love me some Mega Man. Even when it’s bad, there’s still this instinctual drive to just watch things explode that always feels so amazing and cathartic. It feels so good to go through and blast a boss with the weapon they’re weak to. They’re also usually just the perfect length to beat in an afternoon which I’ve come to appreciate more as time as gone on and as I’ve gotten older.
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6: Metroid
There are few series as satisfying to explore and make your way through as it is to uncover the map in a Metroid game. Delving deep into an alien world and finding hidden routes and encountering monsters that live in that ecosystem feels legitimately like almost nothing else out there. That feeling of personal growth through unlocking the environment through power ups is another thing that is mostly unique to Metroid, minus the genre it preceded, and never quite feels as good as when Metroid does it best.
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5: Shenmue
I was a late adopter of the Shenmue franchise. I never had a Dreamcast and didn’t understand the appeal until I picked it up in the HD collection. But I can never go back. There are no games paced and done quite the same as how Shenmue feels, where you operate on a schedule, get to know people and just live in a space as intimately as the games pull off. It doesn’t matter who you talk to or where you go, the characters and the locations all feel alive, breathing and legitimate.
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4: Castlevania
I love Metroid, but I love Castlevania more. Granted, there are definitely things that Metroid does that are better, but Castlevania can go to so many different styles, and I love it every time. Being a part of a the gothic architecture, horror monsters and twisting halls can be satisfying as a straightforward game like Super Castlevania, or an exploratory Metroid-vania like Aria of Sorrow, and I will enjoy it every time. I don’t believe that there are any parts of this franchise I wouldn’t pick up and play, even if they don’t all play exactly the same. The draw of the series to me doesn’t come from how they play the same, but how they feel, and there’s always that cozy Gothic vibe that is so difficult to replicate.
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3: Mother (Earthbound)
Admittedly, I’ve only played Earthbound. However, it remains one of my favorite games of all time. The way that it incorporates humor and character into even the smallest of encounters and making the world feel so alive and child-like is second to none. Earthbound oozes personality, and feels legitimately comforting.
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2: Chrono
Chrono Trigger was the first game I ever played, and Chrono Cross, even though I don’t like it quite as much, has its own appeals as well, and was my reason for learning to play the guitar. The intimacy of the characters and feelings of making actual change is something that feels so special to do, and certain story beats are just so affecting. The games I love the most often need, for me, to have that level of character, growth and story, and Chrono has this in spades.
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1: Final Fantasy
Of all the franchises that came to mind, Final Fantasy was a given for being on my list, and never bumped below the top spot. There are so many memories I have of arrestingly poignant moments through most every game in the franchise. Through my entire life, a new Final Fantasy has always been a moment in time that helped me through difficult moments and taught me about world building and character arcs that are to this day unmatched for me.
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Honorable mentions that didn't quite make it were:
11 - Pokemon
12 - Zelda
13 - Silent Hill
14 - Crash Bandicoot
15 - Kingdom Hearts