2012 video game lists

Updated favorite video games lists.

-1984

10    Solar Fox (Arkad)

9    Excite Bike

8    Millipede/Centipede

7    Boulder Dash

6    Galaxian

5    Pac Man

4    Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

3    Pooyan

2    Robotron 2084

1    Jetpac


1985

Boulder Dash 2: Rockford's Revenge

10    Balance of Power

9    Bomberman

8    A Mind Forever Voyaging

7    Binary Land

6    Gradius

5    Space Harrier

4    Field Combat

3    Ice Climbers

2    Battle City

1    Super Mario Bros






1986

10    Alex Kidd in Miracle World

9    Solomon’s Key

8    Zanac

7    Adventure Island

6    Paper Boy

5    Bubble Bobble

4    Balloon Fight

3    Metroid

2    Super Mario Bros 2

1    Legend of Zelda


1987

10     R-Type

9    Zelda 2: Adventure of Link

8.    Rainbow Islands

7    Bureaucracy

6    Nord and Bert Couldn't Make Head or Tail of It

5    Maniac Mansion

4    Castlevania

3    Mega Man

2    Tetris: The Soviet Challenge

1    Dungeon Master






1988

10    Snatcher

9    Hidden Agenda (Jim Gasperini)

8    Space Harrier 2

7    Ghouls n’ Ghosts

6    Arkanoid

5    Spy vs Spy

4    Ninja Gaiden

3    Mega Man 2

2    Contra

1    Super Mario Bros 3


1989

10    Dig Dug 2

9    Twin Bee 3

8    Blazing Lazers

7    Cobra Triangle

6    Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

5    R-Type 2

4    Prince of Persia

3    Adventures of Lolo

2    Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back

1    Final Fight






1990
ActRaiser
Ducktales
Lost Patrol
Eye of the Beholder
Smash TV

10    Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers

9    Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse

8    Super Contra

7    Ninja Gaiden 2

6    F-Zero

5    Mega Man 3

4    Loom

3    Lemmings

2    The Secret of Monkey Island

1    Super Mario World


1991

10    Mega Man 4

9    Another World

8    Sonic the Hedgehog

7    Super Ghouls n’ Ghosts

6    Ninja Gaiden 3: The Dark Ship of Doom

5    Monkey Island 2: Lechuck’s Revenge

4    Area 88/UN Squadron

3    Street Fighter 2: World Warrior

2    Super Castlevania IV

1    The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past


1992

Mega Man 5
The Legend of Zelda: Third Quest
Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge

10    Street Fighter 2 Turbo

9     Puyo Puyo
  
8    Pocky and Rocky

7    Sonic the Hedgehog 2

6    Jezzball/Maxwell's Maniac (Marjacq Micro/Dima Pavlovsky) 

5    Super Double Dragon

4    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

3    The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse

2    Super Probotector: Alien Rebels/Contra 3: Alien Wars     

1    Super Mario Kart


1993

Jurassic Park
Mega Man X  
World Heroes

10     Sonic the Hedgehog 3

9    Shadowrun
    
8     Gunstar Heroes

7    Bart Simpson's Nightmare

6    Doom

5    E.V.O: Search for Eden

4    Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

3    Sam & Max Hit The Road

2    The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

1    Day of the Tentacle  


1994

Donkey Kong Country
Jazz Jackrabbit
Mega Man X2
Micro Machines

10    Cyberdogs

9     Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

8    Contra: Hard Corps

7    The Great Circus Mystery: Starring Mickey and Minnie

6    Puzzle Bobble

5    Beneath a Steel Sky

4    Uni Rally/Uniracers

3    Lode Runner: The Legend Returns

2    X-Com: UFO Defense/UFO: Enemy Unknown

1    Super Metroid


1995

Diddy's Kong Quest/Donkey Kong Country 2
Jumping Flash
Warcraft 2
Zoop

10    Micro Machines 2: Special

9    The Dark Eye

8    Full Throttle

7    Mega Man 7/Mega Man X3

6    Heroes of Might & Magic

5    Alien Soldier

4    Gunbird

3    Worms

2    Strikers 1945

1    Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island


1996

C-Dogs (Cyberdogs 2)
Dixie Kong's Double Trouble/Donkey Kong Country 3
Donpachi
Death Rally
Mega Man 8
Quake
Samurai Shodown 4: Yamakuzas Revenge
Sengoku Ace Episode II/Sengoku Blaede/Tengai

10     Resident Evil

9     Metal Slug

8    Leisure Suit Larry: Love For Sail

7    Three Dirty Dwarves

6    Tapestry (Daniel Ravipinto)

5    Nights: Into Dreams

4    Mario Kart 64

3    Diablo

2    Soul Blade

1    Super Mario 64


1997

Diddy Kong Racing
Dungeon Keeper
Duckman
Mega Man X
Need for Speed II

10    Blade Runner

9    Worms 2

8    Fallout

7    Croc: The Legend of Gobbos

6    Diablo: Hellfire

5    Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

4    Strikers 1945: Part 2
  
3    Starcraft

2    Dodonpachi

1    Final Fantasy VII


1998

Banjo Kazooie
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
F-Zero X
Gunbird 2
LSD: Dream Emulator
Medievil
Micro Machines V3
NHL 1999
Photopia (Adam Cadre)
Rockman & Forte
Sanitarium
Space Bomber

10    Liero (Joosa Riekkinen)

9    Fallout 2

8    Dink Smallwood

7    Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines

6    Hexplore

5    Starcraft: Broodwars

4    Grim Fandango

3    Baldur’s Gate

2    The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

1    Metal Gear Solid


1999

Aisle (Sam Barlow)
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
Darkstone
Grandia
Guwange
Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
NHL 2000
Roller Coaster Tycoon
Soul Calibur
Super Smash Bros
Vib Ribbon
Worms Armageddon

10    Silent Hill

9    Exhibition (Ian Finley)

8    Castlevania/Legacy of Darkness

7    Final Fantasy VIII

6    System Shock 2 

5    Unreal Tournament

4    The Longest Journey

3    Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast

2    Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

1    Planescape Torment


2000

Banjo Tooie
Diablo 2
DX-Ball 2
Dragon Blaze
Galatea (Emily Short)
Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
NHL 2001
Space Channel 5

10    Ricochet (Counter-Strike)

9    Shade (Andrew Plotkin)

8    Escape from Monkey Island

7    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

6    Rameses (Stephen Bond)

5    Shrapnel/9:05 (Adam Cadre)

4    Deux Ex

3    Elasto Mania (Balázs Rózsa)

2    Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn

1    The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask


2001

Conkers Bad Fur Day
Cyberd
Deadline, or, Being Douglas Adams (Gunter Schmidl)
Devil May Cry
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
Final Fantasy X
Freak Out!/Stretch Panic
Frequency
Gothic
IF Arcade
Jak & Daxter
Kingdom Hearts
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory
Pleurghburg: The Dark Age (Chrille Blomqvist)
Project Zero/Fatal Frame
Ribbons (J.D Berry)
Serious Sam
Super Monkey Ball
Zone of the Enders

10     Super Smash Bros Melee

9     Rez

8     Luigis Mansion

7     Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

6     Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

5    Max Payne

4    Shadow of Memories/Shadow of Destiny

3    Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal/Ascension

2    Silent Hill 2

1    Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty


2002

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Ketsui
Mad Maestro
Ratchet & Clank
Sly Raccoon
Super Monkey Ball 2
The Trials of Odysseus Kent (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)  

10    Hobo Soccer (Magic Whisper)

9    Psyvariar: Revision/Psyvariar: Medium Unit

8    Pop n’ Music 8

7    Guilty Gear XX

6    Super Mario Sunshine

5    Ikaruga

4    Noiz2sa (Kenta Cho)

3    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

2    Metroid Prime

1    Metroid Fusion


2003

Amplitude
The Apprentice (Herculean Effort Productions)
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
Espgaluda
Kya: Dark Lineage
Narcolepsy (Adam Cadre)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Samorost (Amanita Design)
Soul Calibur 2
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4
Warioware Inc: Minigame Mania
Yume Nikki (KIKIYAMA)
Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner

10    Seiklus (cly5m)

9    Perfect Cherry Blossom  (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)

8    5 Days a Stranger (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw) 

7    Beyond Good And Evil

6    dodonpachi DAI-OU-JOU

5     Silent Hill 3

4    The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

3    Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

2    Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

1     Parsec47/rRootage (Kenta Cho)

2004

A Case of the Crabs (Pinhead Games)
Beatmania IIDX 8th Style
Glass Rose
Go go roppongi Stick!
Imperishable Night (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Psyvariar 2: Ultimate Final
Polarium
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Tontie (Eyesmaze)
Tuboflex (Molleindustria)
Tumiki Fighters (Kenta Cho)

10    Levers (Patrick Smith)

9    Blue Chairs (Chris Klimas)

8    Cirque de Zale (Rebecca Clements)

7    Katamari Damacy)

6    Mushihimesama

5    7 Days a Skeptic (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)

4    The Apprentice II: Knights Move (Herculean Effort Productions

3    Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

2    Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

1    Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords


2005

Anna (Vince Twelve/xiigames)
The Apprentice Deluxe (Herculean Effort Productions)
Beatmania IIDX 9th Style/Beatmania IIDX 10th Style
Blue Wish (x.x)
Cave Story (Daisuke Amaya)
Cedric and the Revolution (Bernie)
Conker: Live and Reloaded
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
Electroplankton
Espgaluda 2
Guilty Gear XX Slash
Gunroar/Val & Rick (Kenta Cho)
Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
Pop n' Music 11
Resident Evil 4
Soul Calibur 3

10    We Love Katamari

9    Killer 7 

8    Soviet Unterzögersdorf (Monochrom)

7    Psychonauts

6    Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

5    Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

4    Experimental Gaming: Tower of Goo, On a Rainy Day, The Crowd, Gravity Head, Square Off, Attack of the Killer Swarm, Riff, Attack of the Killer Swarm, Darwin Hill (Kyle Gabler)

3    Whom the Telling Changed (Aaron A Reed)

2    Jade Empire

1    Pathologic


2006

Automaton (Mr Colossal)
Blue Wish Resurrection/Eden's Edge (x.x)
Hallway of Adventures (Mordalles)
La La Land 5/La La Land 4/La La Land 3/La La Land 2/La La Land (TheAnemic)
Museum of Broken Dreams (Jonas Kyratzes)
Mushihime-sama Futari
New Super Mario Bros
The Shivah/Blackwell Legacy (Dave Gilbert)
Torus Trooper/Titanion (Kenta Cho)

10     Within A Deep Forest (Nifflas)

9     Beatmania IIDX 11: IIDX RED
  
8     Pop n' Music 12

7     WarioWare: Smooth Moves

6     Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock

5     De Baron (Victor Gijsbers)

4    The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

3    Spooks (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)

2    Guilty Gear XX Accent Core

1    Trilby's Notes (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)


2007

Beatmania IIDX 13: DistorteD
Blackwell Unbound (Dave Gilbert)
Chalk (Joakim Sandberg)
Contra 4
Feed the Head (Patrick Smith)
Frozzd (Jesse Venbrux)
Game, game, game and again game (Jason Nelson)
Hyperbound (Michael Iantorno)
Knytt Stories/Knytt (Nifflas)
La Croix Pan (TheJBurger)
Mountain of Faith (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
Murder In A Wheel (Renzo “Eshaktaar” Thönen)
Nelly Cootalot (Alasdair Beckett)
Pacman Championship Edition
Sumotori Dreams (Péter Soltész)
Rorschach (Collecting Smiles)
Samorost 2 (Amanita Design)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Trilby: The Art Of Theft (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)

10     Garden of Coloured Lights/Excellent Bifurcation (Linley Henzell)

9    Sam & Max Season 1: Cont’

8    Mass Effect

7    Mondo Agency/Mondo Medicals/Clean Asia (Cactusquid)

6    Super Mario Galaxy

5    The Witcher

4    Bioshock

3    Portal

2    Passage (Jason Rohrer)

1    6 Days A Sacrifice (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)


2008

Achievement Unlocked
Blue Wish Resurrection Plus (x.x)
Des Rêves Élastiques Avec Mille Insectes Nommés Georges (Deirdra Kia)
Do-Don-Pachi Dai-Fukkatsu
Fallout 3
Free Culture Game/Queer Power/Oiligarchy (Molleindustria)
Geometry Wars Evolved 2
How Many…
Little Girl In Underland (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson?)
Psychosomnium/Seizuredome (Cactusquid)
Rescue: The Beagles (Nenad Jalsovec)
Self-destruct/Xoldiers (Terry Cavanagh)
Tension/The Void
Virtual Silence/Seven Minutes (Tuukka Virtanen)
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition

10    A Second Face (Jospin Le Woltaire)

9    Gateway II (Anders Gustafsson)

8    Nanobots (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)

7    Aether (Edmund McMillen)

6    Karoshi 2.0/Execution/Pazzon/Torque/Karoshi/Karoshi Factory/Karoshi:     Suicide Salaryman (Jesse Venbrux)

5    Gravitation/Police Brutality/Between/Perfectionism  (Jason Rohrer)

4    Dear Esther (thechineseroom/Dan Pinchbeck)

3    World Of Goo (2d Boy)

2    Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot

1    Braid (Jonathan Blow)


2009

!, Robot/Shifters Box (Ben304)
4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Uniqueness (Petri/Kloonigames)
And Yet It Moves (Broken Rules)
Au Sable/All Our Friends Are Dead (Amon26)
Backup/Bars Of Black And White (Gregory Weir)
Blue Lacuna (Aaron A Reed)
Chaser (Connor Carpenter/shadestorm)
Devils Tuning Fork (DePaul Game Elites)
Eden’s Aegis (x.x)
Evidence of Everything Exploding (Jason Nelson)
Flower (thatgamecompany)
Play: Free Will - The Game (raitendo)
Gray (aeiowu/fucrate)
Gravity Bone (Brendon Chung/Blendo Games)
Harpooned (Conor O’Kane)
lose/lose (Zach Gage)
Korsakovia (thechineseroom/Dan Pinchbeck)
Mental Repair Inc (Renzo “Eshaktaar” Thönen)
Nestlings (Lewis Denby)
New Super Mario Bros Wii
The Path (Tale of Tales)
Repent (Aaron Oldenburg)
Small Worlds (David Shute)
Spectre (Vaguely Spectacular)
Super Karoshi/Focus (Jesse Venbrux)
Takishawa Is Dead! (Andrew Brophy)
Tales of Monkey Island
The Endling Archive (Kazuki Mishima)
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Today I Die (Daniel Benmergui)
Walker & Silhouette (C.E.J. Pacian)
We the Giants (Peter Groeneweg)
White Butterfly (Linley Henzell)
Windosill (Patrick Smith)

10     The Company of Myself (Eli Pülonen)

9    Time Fcuk (Edmund McMillen, William Good & Justin Karpel)

8    The Marionette (Team Effigy/Auriond)

7    Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

6    Batman: Arkham Asylum

5    Judith/Don’t Look Back/Pathways (Terry Cavanagh)

4    Radiator 1-2: Handle With Care/Radiator 1-1: Polaris (Robert Yang)

3    Dragon Age: Origins

2    Everyday The Same Dream (Molleindustria)

1    Opera Omnia/Home/Therapy Game/Mirror Stage/The Black Yeti/Signifier (Stephen Lavelle/increpare)  


2010
    
...But That Was [Yesterday]/Together (Michael Molinari)
A House in California/Hummingbird Mind (Jake Elliott & friends)
Alan Wake
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
The Arm/Refus Q. Jibberjabber's Day Out/Flin McGraw's Last Day (tipp)
Beautiful Escape: Dungeoneer (Nicolau/calunio)
Being There (Jordan Magnuson)
Blades of Passion (Drew Wellman)
Crimzon Clover (Yotsubane)
Conquer the Shadow World/Lackadaisium (Ultimate Walrus)
Covetous/Good Fortune (Austin Breed)
Cow Clicker (Ian Bogost)
Depict1 (Retro Affect)
Digital: A Love Story (Christine Love)
Dragon Age: Awakening
Dual Transform (Andrew Plotkin)
Eternally Us (Ben304)
Feign (Ian Snyder)
Flaws (Jon Ingold)
Frenzy Defense (Jan Willem Nijman)
Hero Core (Daniel Remar)
Howard Glitch Game (Robert Allmand)
ir/rational (Tom Jubert)
Limbo (Playdead)
Loneliness (Jordan Magnuson)
Loved (Alexander Ocias)
My First Quantum Translocator
Norrland/Gamma4 (Cactusquid)
Octodad (DGE2)
One Chance (AwkwardSilenceGames)
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
P0nd (Peanut Gallery)
Puji (Alexander Jhin, Matt McKnett, and Pat Kemp)
Puzzlebots (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)
QWOP (Bennett Fodd)
Sand-dancer (Aaron A Reed & Alexei Othenin-Girard)
Super Crate Box (Vlambeer)
Super Meat Boy (Team Meat)
Super Street Fighter IV
suteF (Ted Lauterbach)
Symon (Singapore MIT Gambi Game Lab)
Technobabylon – Part II/Technobabylon – Part 1 (James Dearden)
Tedium (EddieC)
The Dream Machine Chaper 1 & 2 (Erik Zaring & Anders Gustafsson)
Tower of Heaven (askiisoft)
Which (Mike Inel)

10    After (Aaron Oldenburg)

9    Memory Reloaded/Leaky Worlds: A Playable Theory (Molleindustria)

8    The Journey Down: Over The Edge (Theodor Waern)

7    VVVVV/Phobiaphobiaphobia (Terry Cavanagh)

6    Super Mario Galaxy 2
  
5    Mass Effect 2

4    Life Flashes By (Deirdra Kia)

3    Snakes of Avalon (Igor Hardy/Ascovel & Alex Van Wijst/Baron)

2    Looming/The Day/Narthex (Gregory Weir)

1    Treatise/Hush/Modernauts/Primitive Pattern/Starfeld/100 Names/Queue/The Terrible Whiteness of Appalachian Nights/The Rose Garden/Catalan/Cascode (Stephen Lavelle/increpare)


2011

A Mother's Inferno (Dadiu/David Adler)
Animal Puncher/A Mother in Festerwood (Austin Breed)
American Dream (Stephen Lavelle, Terry Cavanagh, Jasper Byrne and Tom Morgan-Jones)
At A Distance (Terry Cavanagh)
Batman: Arkham City
Cat and the Coup (Peter Brinson/Kurosh ValaNejad)
Crime Zone (thecatamites)
Fotonica
Glitchhiker (vlambeer)
Hot Throttle (Cacusquid)
Labyrinths (György Dudas)
NightSky (Nicalis/Nifflas)
No Longer Subject to Judicial Review (NiallM)
Raccord Sniper (Nicolai Troshinsky)
Rebirth (Daniel-D. "Guert" Guertin)
Soul Brother (Jasper Byrne)
Spent (McKinney)
The Stanley Parable (Cakebread)
Suction Co-op (Gustav Dahl)
Technobabylon Part III (James Dearden)
The Dream Machine: Chapter 3 (Erik Zaring & Anders Gustafsson)
The End of Us (Chelsea Howe & Michael Molinari)
These Robotic Hearts of Mine (Alan Hazelden/Draknet)
To the Moon (Kan Gao)
Wunderputt (dampgnat)
You Shall Know The Truth/The Book of Living Magic (Jonas Kyratzes)

10    Trauma (Krystian Majewski)

9    Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony (Final Form)

8    Negative Spacecraft (Chris Cornell)

7    A History of Democratic Process in Eire/English Country Tune/Salome/     Pirouette (Stephen Lavelle/increpare)

6    Rayman Origins

5    Balloon-Diaspora/Ruins (Jake Elliott)

4    Bla Bla (Vincent Morisset)

3    Maybe Make Some Change (Aaron A Reed)

2    Portal 2

1    Bastion


2012

.heartbeats (Sebastian Trelles)
As Slow As Possible (György Dudas)
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
Brace (Merritt Kopas)
Drawception
dys4ia (Anna Anthropy)
First Draft of the Revolution (Emily Short)
Hotline Miami
I Remember the Rain (Jordan Browne)
ir/rational Redux (Tom Jubert)
It's all Fun and Games Until Someone Blows Their Brains Out (Mikael Vesavuori)
Laza Knitez! (Team Buttfighters)
Lone Survivor (Jasper Byrne)
The Love Letter (axcho and knivel)
Mirrormoon (Team Focaccia)
Promises/The Good Sister/RAPIDFIE (Stephen Lavelle)
Resonance (Vincent XII)
Slender: The Eight Pages (Mark J. Hadley)
Super Hexagon (Terry Cavanagh)
The Colder Light (Jon Ingold)
The Republia Times (Lucas Pope)
Thomas Was Alone (Mike Bithell)
To What End (Chelsea Howe, Michael Molinari)
Unfinished Swan

10    Perspective (nfyre)

9    Anestesia (Pedro Paiva)

8    Vidiot Game

7    Journey Down: Over the Edge HD (Theodor Waern)

6    Journey (thatgamecompany)

5    Unmanned (molleindustria)

4    Mass Effect 3

3    Thirty Flights of Loving (Brendon Chung)

2    Almost Goodbye/Prom Week (Aaron A Reed)

1    Dear Esther


2013

Slave of God (increpare)




My inner (dualistically oriented) grown-ups favorite games:
These are my favorite games as deemed so by the intellectual within me, by the person within who does not wish to play games only for the sake of playing them or having fun or getting better at it or appreciating the aesthetics, and so on. These games are games that transcend the time which I spend with them and contribute to the dialogue I have with myself and others concerning matters of what a good life is, what justice can be, if love is possible, and other questions of prime importance. There are a number of games that fit neither here or in ”the list of my inner child”, which are those games that gameplay-wise are very good, yet I discovered them as an adolescent (or later), and the games which have adult themes and are very well-executed, yet do not seem to have themes which I necessarily think I can incorporate into my daily living, themes that do not make me remember the game in other contexts than that of nostalgia or video game criticism.

First stage
Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn
Bioshock
Deus Ex
Jade Empire
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Portal
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
System Shock 2 

Second stage
Grim Fandango
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot
Opera Omnia
Portal 2
Silent Hill 3
Shadows of Memories
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
The Longest Journey
World Of Goo (2d Boy)

Third (and final?) stage
Braid (Jonathan Blow)
Dear Esther (thechineseroom/Dan Pinchbeck)
Final Fantasy VII
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Pathologic
Planescape Torment
Silent Hill 2
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask



Sequelitis
In a business where sequels abound and the question of ”why” seems to get it's most clear answer in fiscal numbers or notions of ”improvement” (of game mechanics and graphics, mainly), I have great respect and derive chunky joy from sequels which make their point of departure meaningful, and also have producers who are gutsy enough to support that willing departure from established sequel-conventions of ”bigger and higher”. And sometimes, that damn sequel with improved interface and graphics, or with more nuanced game mechanics, makes me question why I was skeptical to the ”now made perfect” sequel in the first place.

We identify a series – videogame or otherwise – according to how well it obeys the formal rules established by its predecessors, much as we identify the next number in a numeric set according to whether it was derived from the set's algorithm. The act of obeying those self-made rules (along with our awareness of such obedience) becomes a trope in itself, a behavioral habit that identifies us as consumers of a product. By demanding the continuation of a series, an audience can become as typecast in its desires as the product that it demands.

The cycle of iteration creates an illusion of progress without granting true progress – freedom from the cycle, from zero, from the set. Think of escaping the cycle as a return to a state of Taoist p'u – the uncarved block that represents receptivity, passivity, and the simplicity of beginnings. Sense cycles, repetitions of personal behaviors, can never be permanently discarded. However, they can be modified toward a better identity once a person, with self-awareness, leaves that state of p'u and tries to do – and become – something new. 1

Third place, first outing
Dodonpachi
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
System Shock 2
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Second best, nigh the top stop
Fallout 2
Guilty Gear XX
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Portal 2
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords 

First place, second row
Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Silent Hill 2
Street Fighter 2: World Warrior



RPG's
1 RPG's
Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast
Dragon Age: Awakening
Fallout
Fallout 2
Final Fantasy VIII
Mass Effect
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

2 RPG's
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal/Ascension
Dragon Age: Origins
Jade Empire
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The Witcher

3 RPG's
Baldur’s Gate
Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn
Final Fantasy VII
Planescape Torment
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords


Mods
Since mods often are community efforts, endlessly bettered and updated as a living ofganism, attributing them dates or specific authors can be hard. Sometimes it's possible, but for the sake of laziness I'll skip that part completely and just go ahead and tell you about the game modifications which have greatly contributed to my enjoyment of these (RPG) games.

Baldur’s Gate


Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn


Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Planescape Torment
The Bigg's Widescreen mod/Ghostdog's incredible UI mod
Qwinn's Planescape: Torment Tweaks
Planescape: Torment Ultimate WeiDU Fixpack
Planescape Torment: Unfinished Business

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
TSL Restored Content Mod


Shmups
Boy did I used to love these. For the last five years or so, instead I've dropped out of sight, seeing how what is produced these days is very inspired by the Japanese arcade tradition. All right, so I used to love that tradition – these days I do not, but my taste for procedurally generated content and the opposite of punishing gameplay is still strong, even if it doesn't take much to put me off.

2CCQuality
Blue Wish Resurrection (x.x)
Cyberd (?)
Dragon Blaze
Eden's Aegis (x.x)
Eden's Edge (x.x)
The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
ESPgaluda
Garden of Coloured Lights (Linley Henzell)
Gunbird 2
Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony (Final Form)
Imperishable Night (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
Psyvariar
Psyvariar 2
Tumiki Fighters
Ultimate Stage (?)
White Butterfly (Linley Henzell)

1CCQuality
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
Gunbird
Ikaruga
Mushihimesama
Noiz2sa (Kenta Cho)
Perfect Cherry Blossom (Zun/Team Shanghai Alice)
Self-destruct (Terry Cavanagh)
Strikers 1945

Beyond 1CC
Area 88/UN Squadron
dodonpachi DAI-OU-JOU
Dodonpachi
Parsec47 (Kenta Cho)
rRootage (Kenta Cho)
Strikers 1945: Part II

Independent Point & Clicks
High nostalgia factor for me, almost from the get-go, for some reason, even though I didn't exactly ”grow up” with SCUMM and LucasArts. I've clicked a lot in my life, and in games made in Adventure Game Studios especially, but I'm out of the loop also in this area. The genre needs less weird puzzles and, brace yourself, ”meaningful choices”. Or non-choices. But things that evoke some sense of purpose and has life-affirming qualities beyond the isolation of a puzzle.

2 Clicks Away From Total Awesomeness
Anna (Vince Twelve/xiigames)
Blackwell Legacy (Dave Gilbert)
Blackwell Unbound (Dave Gilbert)
Little Girl In Underland (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)
Mental Repair Inc (Renzo “Eshaktaar” Thönen)
Nelly Cootalot (Alasdair Beckett)
Rorschach (Collecting Smiles)
Technobabylon Part 1, 2, 3 (James Dearden)
The Dream Machine (Erik Zaring & Anders Gustafsson)
The Shivah (Dave Gilbert)
The Trials of Odysseus Kent (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)  

1 Click Away From Total Awesomeness
5 Days A Stranger (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)
7 Days a Skeptic (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)
A House in California (Jake Elliott & friends)
A Second Face (Jospin Le Woltaire)
Cirque de Zale (Rebecca Clements)
Gateway II (Anders Gustafsson)
Murder In A Wheel (Renzo “Eshaktaar” Thönen)
The Apprentice Deluxe (Herculean Effort Productions)

The Clique
6 Days A Sacrifice (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)
Snakes of Avalon (Igor Hardy/Ascovel & Baron/Alex Van Wijst)
Spooks (Lively Ivy/Erin Robinson)
Soviet Unterzögersdorf (Monochrom)
The Apprentice II: Knights Move (Herculean Effort Productions)
The Journey Down: Over The Edge (Theodor Waern)
The Marionette (Team Effigy/Auriond)
Trilby's Notes (Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw)





Interactive Fiction
A genre wish I have held the highest hopes for, for many years now. Mostly I get frustrated over the interface problems and prefer ”less interaction” and more meaningful choices, which reflects what game I've put on this list too. And although also this is a genre I am utterly tired of right now, I have high hopes for what the future will bring.

X
9:05 (Adam Cadre)
Aisle (Sam Barlow)
Deadline, or, Being Douglas Adams (Gunther Schmidl)
Dual Transform (Andrew Plotkin)
First Draft of the Revolution (Emily Short)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams/Steve Meretzky)
Narcolepsy (Adam Cadre)
The Colder Light (Jon Ingold)

Xyz
Being There (Jordan Magnuson)
Blue Chairs (Chris Klimas)
Blue Lacuna (Aaron A Reed)
Galatea (Emily Short)
Ribbons (J.D Berry)
Shade (Andrew Plotkin)
Tapestry (Daniel Ravipinto)
Walker & Silhouette (C.E.J. Pacian)

Xyzzy
Almost Goodbye (Aaron A Reed)
De Baron (Victor Gijsbers)
Exhibition (Ian Finley)
maybe make some change (Aaron A Reed)
Photopia (Adam Cadre)
Rameses (Stephen Bond)
Shrapnel (Adam Cadre)
Whom the Telling Changed (Aaron A Reed)


Horror Games

This is a list with the video games that has scared the most shit out of me. Most of these are not classic horror games with monsters, bur rather disconcerting experiences which through questions, atmosphere, and play make for the most interesting scares I've gotten. My favored type of horror puts the player in the dawning realization of being the evil force at work behind the horrors unveiling, or of going someplace bad with no choice except to comply. It plays with dissolution of identity, of losing sense of self in a world where there is barely any certainty as it is. It makes me ponder my place in the universe, or tries to psyche me out with confused realities. But it also makes me fear the next door, the next hallway, and the next apparition.

The games are arranged by category, and the top positions in each category are not necessarily the best games of those mentioned, but the ones that does what the category implies best.

Perhaps the best horror series ever, in par with Silent Hill, which only gets
better with every game and deserves special attention:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chzo_Mythos


Subdued angst:
http://www.increpare.com/2009/02/opera-omnia/
http://mikeinel.deviantart.com/art/Which-Short-Game-152503626
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/09/browser_game_pick_the_day_greg.html
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=1228
http://distractionware.com/blog/?p=759
http://www.jonas-kyratzes.net/games/the-museum-of-broken-memories/
http://xiigames.com/anna/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Castlevania_IV

Existential displacement:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_2:_Sons_of_Liberty
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_pathologic_pc
http://www.increpare.com/2010/11/treatise/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planescape:_Torment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_of_Kain:_Soul_Reaver_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_Ex
http://playthisthing.com/pazzon

Twisted, uncanny, disgusting and freudian:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill:_Shattered_Memories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hill_%28video_game%29
A Mothers Inferno Dadiu/David Adler
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=5395.0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_Frame
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer7

Psychological:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitarium_%28video_game%29
http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games6/gameindex/gateway_2.htm
http://snakes.hardydev.com/

Mind games:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29
http://www.kongregate.com/games/AlexanderOcias/loved

POEtic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Eye_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Esther

Lovecraftian:
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Darkness:_Sanity%27s_Requiem
http://www.moddb.com/mods/nestlings

Cyberpunk/identity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Shock_2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_Fusion
http://www.moddb.com/mods/korsakovia
http://gamejolt.com/freeware/games/puzzle/sutef/4195/
http://www.joltcountry.com/trottingkrips/shrapnel.html
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/08/howard_glitch_the_youtube_indi.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneath_a_Steel_Sky

Nightmarish confusion:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/542658
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/511754
http://www.gamemakergames.com/?a=archive&submit=1&searchtype=creator_name&search=TheAnemic (La La Land Series)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LSD_%28video_game%29
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/26339

Atmospheric otherworldliness:
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/07/browser_game_pick_looming_greg.html
Yume Nikki
http://www.thedreammachine.se/
http://www.devilstuningfork.com/
http://www.asecondface.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_%28video_game%29
http://rpgmaker.net/games/2068/

Disconcerting/surreal:
http://www.gamemakergames.com/archive/the-arm
http://indygamer.blogspot.com/2007/12/mondo-agency.html
Ib (kouri)
http://cactusquid.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=games&action=display&thread=13
These Robot Hearts of Mine Alan Hazelden (Draknet)
Animal Puncher (Austin Breed)
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/06/trailer_norrland_cactus.html
Hotline Miami
http://www.indiegames.com/2010/09/browser_game_pick_feign_ian_sn.html

Exploration based fear:
SCP - Containment Breach
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Enemy_Unknown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Metroid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metroid_Prime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park_%28SNES_game%29

Twitchers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_%28video_game%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioShock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_4


I do recommend you trying some of these out, most of them are short indie games which do not take more than half an hour to complete.