My favorite games (for now)
These are how I feel as of April 2025. The list will no doubt change again.
15. Civilization V
I dread to think about the number of hours I lost in this one. I have a particularly memorable story about a great cold war with a mountain range in between all the cilizations, which ended in a scientific victory. And then I have a story where two civilizations absolutely decked me in the first few turns. Every player has a personal story like that.
14. One Finger Death Punch
A very simple power fantasy game where you use a couple of buttons to slay a few hundred stick men. There are powers, too, but it’s more to be ludicrously flashy to embrace the vibe. Super simple, and taps into the childhood imagination when I doodled on a many, many pieces of paper when I should have been focusing on class.
13. Guitar Hero III
I have the musical capabilities of a drunk chimp, but I still riffed these chords when I was younger. I could never quite reach Expert mode, but it was a great way to appreciate music up to the 2000s when I was younger. I still have songs from this game on my scattered Spotify playlists, and Through the Fire and Flames is in my weightlifting mix.
12. Hi-Fi Rush
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. A rhythm-based slapper of a game where you beat your way across mobs and bosses, alongside a stupid story. Who knew that having a rhythmic heart-machine makes the protagonist that powerful?Tap-tap-tap-tap SLAM, followed by a villain monologue which gave the cartoon energy of Saturday morning TV.
11. Hades
One of the best roguelikes of all time. But it’s not just the gameplay; the story fits perfectly into the Greek mythos, with a tragic figure who is fighting out of the underworld to be reunited with his mother. Couple that with some dialogue which drips with personality, as well as some interesting romance qualities, and you have yourself one of the best games of the 2020s.
10. Baldur’s Gate III
A modern classic. I was torn between this and Dragon Age: Origins, but once I took off my rose-tinted spectacles I had to recognise that BG3 is a seismic achievement of a video game. Hundreds of choice branches, compelling characters, incredible performances, and an RPG system with enough jank to make fights both tactical and entertaining. Just don’t make the same mistake I did and push Shadowheart’s dark urges.
9. Resident Evil 2 RE
I am not normally a horror fan, and this game crept up on me. But I came in with a blank slate, and was floored by the suspenseful vibes, light puzzling, and the dumb lines peppered throughout it. And the stalking act with a behemoth following you around the home gave the game great suspense. Resident Evil 4 RE fits into this category too, and the team absolutely knocked it out of the park with these remakes.
8. Monster Hunter Rise
The best Monster Hunter game is the one you play with friends. For some that will be Monster Hunter World, but for me it is this one on the Nintendo Switch. it helped that the gameplay was much faster this time, using the wirebugs to play flashy (and ineffective) moves while laughing over Discord. I tried and failed to play previous Monster Hunters, but this one was near perfect for me.
7. Bloodborne
It’s difficult to pick a favorite Soulsborne. I loved the vibes of Dark Souls III, while Elden Ring has some fantastic world exploration (alongside some of the best DLC in history). But this one wins out because of its Gothic vibes, so powerful that the day afterwarfds I picked up a collection of short stories from Lovecraft. An achievement of a video game (that is stuck in 30fps).
6. Minecraft
I’m the OG player who downloaded it from Notch’s personal website, and when he updated it every week or so with new items to play around with via the client. I played it with friends, and I played it by myself to vibe out with the world. A relaxing game with a special kind of liminal loneliness to it, acting as a comfort game to vibe out while listening to a Book Club book.
5. Warcraft III
Sure, I liked the story; it’s a punky and simple tale which was perfect for my age when I played it. Arthas needed therapy, honestly. But its more for the mods, where I played tower defence games as well as getting lost in DOTA. This was a huge time sink, where I stayed up until the wee hours on the family computer strategising what to do. Simple, fun, and intuitive with a light tactical feel.
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
This was a hard one. Breath of the Wild was a fantastic game, and also gave the sense of adventure. But when I think back on what hit me in the past, I just really enjoyed going out to sea in the Wind Waker and seeing what islands I can find and plunder. There is an innocent fun in the Wind Waker which I haven’t seen replicated as well, even in later games. I like nearly every Zelda game, but this one is special.
3. Undertale
The more video games you play, the more you appreciate Undertale. Unfortunately I completely wasted my childhood, but at least it meant that Undertale hit me pretty hard. I loved what it did with player choice, its characters, and how the gameplay informed the story. The simple style and approach both served to make the story strong. And the music is one of the best in the industry, so much so that I listen to remixes on Spotify.
2. Celeste
It’s hard to pick a favorite run-and-jump game, and there is a certain Italian plumber who will beat you with a pipe if you pick otherwise. But I loved Celeste. I loved how each of the worlds have a unique mechanic, combined with your own leap abilities. I loved how respawns are rapid so you can hop in quickly. And I loved how the theme of the story is tied to the gameplay, as you conquer a mountain (as well as yourself).
1. Journey
I could focus on the music, which won awards for its power. I could focus on its art style, which still holds up to this day. I could focus on its gameplay and length, which is near-perfect in its scope and its execution. But I want to focus on the feeling the game gives you; of conquering something insurmountable, of having a connection with a complete stranger online, and of an ending which rings true on the finality and beauty of death. Journey is a triumph.
