Everyone has their favorites. So here's some of my favorite video games. If you want to see me gush about just the Sonic the Hedgehog series, jump over here.
| Game | Description |
|---|---|
 Astro Bot (2024)  |
About a year after the PS4 came out, I got one for Christmas. It was my first venture into non-Nintendo hardware, and I wanted to expand my horizons, and while I still generally prefer Nintendo consoles and games over both PlayStation and PC, there is the occasional gem that I'll find on either that I will swear by. I was hoping to have more of those types of games with the PS5, but, well, we all know the punchline. I think I only heard vague things about the Astro Bot series (yes, there were two games before this one) before the popularity of this game exploded, and while the favorable comparisons to the 3D Mario games did intrigue me, what grabbed my attention more were the numerous cameos in the game. I knew about some beforehand, like Crash Bandicoot from his series, Sol Badguy from Guilty Gear, and, appealing to me personally the most, Ulala from Space Channel 5, but I was pleasantly surprised to see some other familiar faces like Amaterasu from Ōkami, and blown away by some of the deeper cuts like Vibri from Vib-Ribbon. The gameplay itself is incredibly charming, making fantastic use of the DualSense's haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and speaker, and it frankly created a more immersive experience than any other movie-like game on the console ever could. Though much of the game is easy, there are harder levels for completionists to get the rest of the bots (of which there are over 300, though not all of them are character cameos) which actually put your skills to the test and force you to learn the level design. If there ever was a reason to get this console, this game would be it. |
 Baten Kaitos Origins (2006) |
I was browsing games to emulate one day, and recognized the game's title since it had a remix on Gaur Plain in Smash Wii U, so I randomly decided to give the game a try. This was one of the best decisions I ever made, because this game has the most fun mechanics of any RPG I've ever played. One day I'll finish it, though—it is an old-school multi-hour (and multi-disc) RPG, after all. |
 Celeste (2018)  |
You ever have a game hit you right in the heart? Celeste did that to me. It's such a beautifully crafted game, with a phenomenal soundtrack, and Madeline actually has anxiety and the occasional panic attack, so she becomes a character you genuinely care about. The level design is also unique, and while it can be a bit challenging (as in, by the time I beat the game, I had over 1700 deaths), it's still a wonderful game that deserves all the praise it gets. |
 Deep Rock Galactic (2018)  |
Very rarely do I play shooter games, and even rarer is when I play a first-person shooter game. I like to be able to see my character and have that spacial awareness to see where I'm able to go. Thankfully, unlike other shooters I've played in the past, including Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, Fortnite, and Splatoon, Deep Rock Galactic is not a competitive game—I think that's the aspect of those aforementioned games that I dislike the least (though I can at least still have fun with Fortnite and Splatoon), and I like that it's a teamwork-based game focused on survival and completing a common goal. This is, by far, one of the most fun games that I have ever played, and that level of appreciation is elevated higher by the fact that I can do so with close friends in my life. Rock and stone, you beautiful dwarfs. |
 Kid Icarus: Uprising (2012)  |
I was late to the party with this game (like, really late), and I think finally playing it was when that regret hit me the hardest, but this game was incredible. The cutscenes are beautiful, the soundtrack fits everything, and the dialogue is easily the best part about the game. |
 Kingdom Hearts (2002)  |
While not quite as good as the sequel, in my opinion, there's still so much that this game has to offer. It plays fairly differently from future games, its plot is way more simple |
 Kingdom Hearts II (2005) |
In the past, I rarely replayed games, primarily because I knew what's coming, and I felt there wasn't really that much more for me in terms of what the game could offer beyond the initial playthrough. The Kingdom Hearts series helped prove me wrong, though, because even if you know the story, there's still so much you can do in the game that makes it worth reliving. I don't think there's a better example of this than Kingdom Hearts II: by itself, it's already a fantastic sequel by both expanding on the story established in the original Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, refining the gameplay of the first game by creating one of the best combat styles of an action RPG, and integrating the characters into the Disney worlds in a way honestly not seen in any other game, but it's an even more fantastic individual game by just how much it offers, with its collectibles, Drive Form abilities, character-specific Limits, numerous side boss battles, and everything else. |
 Life Is Strange (2015) |
I'm bad at on-the-spot decision making (unless I know what I'm doing), so I don't really play a lot of decision-based games, especially when those games are super stingy about it and certain things can affect what happens next. But Life is Strange handles it in such a good way. You can rewind time to see the outcome of a different decision, or you can let it play out and see how things go. A big thing is you can also take time to think it out, unlike 90% of Telltale's games. I also adore the alternative genre of music that the game uses, and I have a lot of those songs in my music. |
 Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (2007) |
One of my favorite kinds of media is the crossover. I absolutely love seeing characters interact with others that aren't from their series, play off of each other, and even just simply occupy the same space. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of my other favorite crossovers like the Mario & Sonic games, the Kingdom Hearts series, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and, of course, Super Smash Bros. itself, but there's something that's just so cool about this game in particular. With the DS version having been one of my first video games, I obviously hold a lot of nostalgia for that version in particular, but in growing up and becoming more familiar with Nickelodeon's catalogue—especially since, at the time of first playing this game, my familiarity extended to just SpongeBob, Timmy, and Jimmy—as well as giving the game a proper playthrough, I've come to appreciate just how much fun this game is. It has an incredible selection of shows, with the main five being SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, Danny Phantom, and Tak and the Power of Juju (for some reason), and additional unlockable characters from My Life as a Teenage Robot, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Invader Zim, and Catscratch, with plenty more making cameos in the game via collectibles. This game also had separate versions on the Wii (and PS2) and Game Boy Advance, but the former is unfinished and unsatisfactory (though I will give props to its playable cast, which, in addition to characters from My Life as a Teenage Robot and Invader Zim, includes unlockable characters from The Ren & Stimpy Show and Rocko's Modern Life), and the latter is less interesting both in terms of story and gameplay, so the DS version is by far the superior version, and definitely just one of the better Nickelodeon crossover video games. |
 NiGHTS into dreams... (1996) |
Out of all of Sega's less popular franchises, I think this one's the coolest. I can get enjoyment out of stuff like Space Channel 5, Crazy Taxi, ChuChu Rocket!, Shinobi, Ristar, and so much more, but talk about a unique concept for a game that hasn't really been used since. Sure, you can fly around in various other games like there's no tomorrow, and by comparison, it looks incredibly simplistic and limiting since you're just in a 2D plane, but the gameplay is incredibly fun and captivating, and it actively tries to push you to go the extra mile even if you think you can't. If you fail, then you get to try again, learn the layout of the level more, improve your score, and maybe even figure out a secret or two. NiGHTS is also just such a cool character, and I love them in any game they're in. |
 Octopath Traveler (2018) |
I'll admit it: I'm terrible at RPGs. But this one really intrigued me, all the way back when it was revealed in that Direct in 2017. I downloaded the demo, and enjoyed it completely. I was sure to stay on top of everything about the game as time went on. I also downloaded the second demo, and enjoyed that fully as well. And I was definitely sure to preorder the Wayfarer's Edition, which was absolutely worth the cost. It looks amazing, it sounds amazing, and it plays amazing. |
 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations (2004/2007)  |
Of the three games in the original trilogy, this one has to be my favorite. The way everything was handled beautifully made it easily the best game of the three, and the last case is, hands down, my favorite case out of all of them. The very last scene was also a very nice and badass callback to the first game in the series. |
 Pokémon Black (2010)  |
Pokémon has been a franchise that's always stuck with me. Ironically, I was scared of it as a very young child, but after being properly introduced to it, it has remained one of my favorite franchises since I started playing Emerald for the first time. But of the games I've played, Black has to be my absolute favorite of the bunch—it is extremely memorable as a whole, has an engaging story, has an impressive visual style (especially for a DS game), and so much more. |
 Portal 2 (2011) |
This is another game that pleasantly surprised me in terms of how much I appreciate it. In addition to my previous comments on first-person games and shooters (yes, this technically counts), I've also always been more of a console gamer than a PC gamer, and the combination of those three aspects was why I didn't want to play either Portal game for so long, because, as intriguing as they were, I didn't think I'd enjoy it as a game. Boy, was I wrong. Both of these games are fantastic, but the second one amps it up by a ton in terms of both mechanics and story. Very few sequels end up being better than the original, and Portal 2 is definitely one of those. |
 Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (2007)  |
The Professor Layton series is one I hold very near and dear to my heart, and I could go on forever about how much I adore this series. Every game is an adventure from start to finish, complete with puzzles that you have to wrap your brain around, stories that twist and turn at every possible chance, and side content to keep you entertained even after you've beaten the game. While Curious Village was no slouch in any of these departments, Diabolical Box ups the ante by increasing the amount of content that you have at your disposal, with four fully explorable locations, puzzles that utilize unique mechanics (like a train ticket included in the game's instruction manual and the DS's microphone), and minigames that are more involved with the environment. |
 Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (2008) |
I told you I could go on forever about this series. Talk about a phenomenal experience on such tiny screens. This game, by far, has the best story in the franchise. It's filled with so much intrigue that keeps you wondering what on earth is going on, and the ending just keeps slamming you with twist after twist, gutpunch after gutpunch, putting you on an intense rollercoaster ride of emotions that you don't want to end. This game, quite fittingly, will never be lost to time. |
 Shovel Knight (2014)  |
This is a really great platformer. It's a nice shoutout to all the NES-era platformers, with its gameplay, level design, and soundtrack, while still keeping things fresh, with its storyline and characters. And I love just how much is in this game, making you want to come back and enjoy levels again and again. |
 Skullgirls (2012)  |
This one was bought solely because I happened to stumble upon the wiki for the game, but I'm glad I did find it, because it's easily one of the best fighting games I've ever played. Solid gameplay mechanics with an incredible roster, a story that intertwines with itself every which way to create some incredible lore based around the series, and don't even get me started on all the great music this game has. |
 Super Mario Galaxy (2007)  |
It is perhaps a hot take to say that I think this is much better than the sequel, and it would probably irk some people if I added to that that I haven't even played the sequel. However, I'm an absolute sucker for a good story, and this game has it in spades. Is it, realistically speaking, carried single-handedly by the main character introduced in this game and her companions? Yes. Do I care? No. Rosalina is such a great character, with wonderful personality traits and an incredible design (seriously, she's gorgeous), and it will always pain me to think that Miyamoto shoved that all aside for the sequel. Thankfully, she became such a popular character that she's since become a mainstay in the franchise. More specifically about the game, however, it's just so fun. I have a soft spot for space, and the levels in this game take that and make such memorable locations out of it, all while never forgetting the standard Mario touch. Major shoutouts to this game for also being the first in the series with a fully orchestrated soundtrack, which is a tremendous bonus when playing the game. |
 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)  |
As I mentioned, I'm a sucker for big crossovers, and this game has all of it. With popular franchises like Mario, Kirby, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon, not as well known franchises like Game & Watch and EarthBound, iconic franchises like Metroid, Castlevania, and Banjo-Kazooie, and third-party franchises like Metal Gear, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, Persona, Dragon Quest, Fatal Fury, Minecraft, and Kingdom Hearts, Ultimate is definitely one of the greatest games of all time, one of the greatest crossovers of all time, and deserving of the name "Ultimate". |