My Top 10 Favourite Games List Imploded… Now It’s 24

Revisiting a list I put together a decade ago seemed like fun until my top 10 favourite games list imploded. Here’s my 24(ish) favourite games.

Hard to believe but it’s been 10 years since I originally did my My 10 Favourite Games of All Time… More or Less list. Hard to believe it’s been 10 years since a lot of things actually. You can check that out and get the lay of the land before we descend into madness.

For such a long time, my opinions on games never changed. It was very rare to have a bump or a change in my list. But a lot happens in a decade. Since I originally did this list:

• I got married
• I had two kids
• I bought a different car
• I’ve changed job several times (#ContractorLife)
• I moved churches
• There’s been a global pandemic and we all had to stay inside quite a lot for a while
• I’m home a lot more than I used to be with the young ones at night
• A whole stack of absolutely amazing games came out
• I shifted heavily to PC since everything releases on everything now except for the super ridiculously expensive Switch

As I mentioned in my 2024 review, a lot of my posts last year were super serious… including that review. So as promised, here’s a light hearted one.

I have 15 game consoles. I majored in Games Technology at uni. I have a very wide and ecclectic taste in movies but also in games. So there’s the picture.

Here’s a revisit of my favourite games. It was 10 originally, but I absolutely could not get it down to 10. So, after my favourite games list imploded and a soul searching chaotic dive into madness ensued, here they are.

#24: Games with the kids (bit of a cheat)

Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat variant on an Honourable Mentions section, but there’s something absolutely great about getting to share gaming with my kids who are both starting to really enjoy it (in moderation for them, relax, put your pitch forks down)

In truth this whole little section might actually be emotionally number 1 as there’s nothing like seeing children light up with joy, but there isn’t a single game here, it’s a superfluous list, so here’s a bunch and seems fair given all those little provisos to have it at 24:

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, We Love Katamari (AKA “Roll”), Tatsujin in the arcades and its crazy drumming, Mario Kart Arcade & Double Dash, A Hat In Time, Paper Mario 2 (Thousand Year Door), Robo Quest, Spyro Reignited & Crash N-Sane, Crab Champions, Yooka Laylee, Sonic Colours Ultimate… and a few of the ones further down the list.

Check them out, and obviously use discretion for what is right for your kids. Certain sections in Paper Mario, Wind Waker and A Hat In Time I don’t let the kids play as a call out, but let the good times with your little ones roll.

I’m also going to put a kidsafe/not kidsafe comment on all the ones from here on out if my fellow parents are looking for ideas or which ones you could play with them or while they’re awake.

#23: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Alright, here we go. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is an absolute triumph. An action platformer meets RPG meets Metroid and becomes the first Metroidvania of all time.

But, Dawn of Sorrow is simply the perfected Castlevania experience. Soma Cruz has the ability to absorb souls and abilities in addition to all of Alucard’s fun from SOTN. There are more weapons, the graphics are great, the RPG mechanics work well, and that music is so so good (Wizardry Lab is classic gaming music at its best). I watched a list from GameTrailers back in the day where they called this one out as the peak game in the series, and they were right. Bloodstained is also pretty good as a modern version of it but not quite as good as Dawn of Sorrow in my experience, and Aria of Sorrow on GBA is a slightly more old skool version of this one.

Available on DS or e-Shops, and safe for older kids.

#22: Tiny Rogues

I was not ready for how good this little roguelike would be, nor for how many hours of my life it would consume.

This is a GameBoy Colour game on your big screen with hundreds of modern roguelike mechanics built in. The sounds are all 8-bit, everything is pixel style, the controls are super simple, and there are hundreds of weapons and items to experiment with across I think they’re up to 20+ character classes now. You’d think going through 10 worlds of 10 levels over and over would get old, but the variety of buffs, items, damage types, and random event based levels just keeps you going through again and again.

Available on Steam and very kidsafe.

#21: Skyforce Reloaded

I love a good SHMUP. As a teenager I would keep playing games like the Raiden series, Tyrian 2000, Giga Wing and Raptor Call of the Shadows. I’m currently playing a really cool Zelda/SHMUP hybrid called Minishoot Adventures which is quite good too, but not far enough in to have it challenge a list like this just yet.

But the best SHMUP I’ve ever played is Skyforce Reloaded, an RPG SHMUP, and a mobile game as well for those who don’t have a console or game ready PC.

Addictive, great difficulty curve, lots of planes and perks to discover, pick up and play in short or long bursts, replayable ad nauseum, and mindless clean fun.

Available on everything (I play it on Android) and very kidsafe.

#20: Yoshi’s Island & DKC 2

In an upset, these were in the top 10 last time, and I still love them dearly. But alas, as more time goes on, more games get released, and these platformers fall slowly behind.

But they’re both still iconic, top tier, amazing platformers that still look and play great. I don’t have to tell you about these, you know what they are.

Available on SNES and e-Shops, and very kidsafe.

#19: Tekken Tag 2

Tekken is a great fighting game franchise, and although Tekken 8 is the current iteration at the time of writing, I still think Tekken Tag 2 is the best in the series.

Over 60 characters. Playable with 2-4 players. Tons of costumes to unlock. Great stages with epic music. Accessible to beginners and very fun to master for seasoned gamers. I’ve watched several parties turn from Smash Bros 4 to Tekken Tag 2 for 4 player fun instead.

Available on Wii U (that’s what I have it on), 360 and PS3. Desperately needs a modern release or remaster. Kidsafe for older kids, with one character in his default costume being quite scary in Arcade Mode (True Ogre).

#18: Immortals: Fenyx Rising

Zelda: Breath of the Wild came out and for most people it became most people’s favourite Zelda game (more on that later). Not for me though, because there are so many games that do open world so, so much better. I wrote a review to that effect after I finished it.

Immortals: Fenyx Rising was one such game that pretty much perfects every area that Breath of the Wild tried. Proper voice acting for absolutely every character. Fantastic, Pixar level graphics and style. Greek mythology based story that you can learn most of the stories from. RPG level up system with so many things to upgrade and find. Different weapons and abilities. Huge map to explore to whatever level you would like to. And it’s quite funny.

Available on Steam/Ubisoft Connect, and mostly kidsafe (the villain can be a bit scary sometimes for younger gamers and there’s a few sneaky adult jokes).

#17: Need for Speed Heat

“Why won’t they do a sequel to Need for Speed Underground 2?”

They did. And it’s better.

I did have NFSU2 on my old list in the honourable mentions, but Heat just takes everything from that and levels it up. Stunning racing mechanics and graphics. Great soundtrack that changes depending if you’re racing at day or night. Fast and Furious-lite story. Day and night time driving for levelling up your bank and reputation. Heaps of cars and upgrades. Plus the world you’re in is a pure mix between California, Florida and Queensland’s Gold Coast (mainly Southport/Surfers Paradise area). That weather system.

Available on Steam/EA and most other platforms, and kidsafe outside of the story which has a few PG-13 swears in it.

#16: Dreamcast Capcom Fighters – Marvel VS Capcom 2, Capcom vs SNK2, Street Figher 3: Third Strike

I’m not a pro gamer, but I do enjoy watching eSports sometimes for fun. MVC2 was on my original list, but over time, learning more of the complicated mechanics of these other two games means these 3 specific Dreamcast fighters take this spot.

And yes, my Dreamcast is still plugged in with arcade sticks for these games, much as it is for anyone else who has one… or knows what a Dreamcast is.

Available on Dreamcast, Steam (mostly) and other collections. Most characters are kidsafe but sometimes a little scary (5+?)

#15: Dead Cells

I liked the 2D Castlevania games, so I thought I’d give this a try.

And over 8 years, a few hundred hours went by into this one.

Roguelike Castlevania, procedurely generated biomes, heaps of weapons and combinations (a true weakness of mine as you’ll continually see through this list), zany story, a Castlevania crossover, and probably came out at a time I had a lot of time at home.

Available on most platforms and kidsafe for older kids.

#14: Knights of the Old Republic 2

This was in the top 10 last time. Not much else to say besides it’s the best Star Wars game ever made, has a fascinating case study of the Star Wars mythos, HK-47 is the best Star Wars droid ever, and Darth Traya is an all-time villain… or is she? Alas, age is starting to take its toll on its greatness, but if you remember it’s from 2003, you should be okay.

Available on PC and mobile, and not kidsafe.

#13: Ghost of Tsushima

I know this is in most people’s top 10, or top 5 even, and it got close for me. This is a triumph, although a better version of it exists (more on that later). I thought it would actually make my new top 10 but then my favourite games list imploded so…. it’s here.

That’s not to say this game is lacking in any way – it is a perfect, open world, samurai RPG. Amazing story, stunning stylized Japanese setting, heaps to unlock and explore, and a captivating story with almost no boring or meaningless sidequests. In fact one of its main quests on Iki Island had me in tears with a poignant point about who owns the choices that people make.

Available on Steam and PS5, and definitely not kidsafe.

#12: Tales of Berseria

I love a good JRPG, and in the Tales franchise, this is my favourite. Arise is definitely fun and maybe Tales of Graces Remastered will swap out here, but who knows? For now, it’s all about Berseria and it’s anti-hero anime antics.

Captivating story about a young girl who is turned into the villain, you play Velvet’s adventure in revenge on her brother in law for destroying her life. It’s an anime brought to life with an engaging combat system, twisting story, excellent acting, and Magilou has to be one of the most well acted characters ever.

Available on Steam and other things, and not kidsafe.

#11: Metroid: Other M/Fusion

This is where I’ll lose a bunch of fans cause I am in the smallest minority in history on this one. These were in my top 10 before. Super Metroid is great, Metroid Dread is cool, the Metroid Prime games I absolutely love to death…

But Other M and Fusion represent a spin on Samus that I really enjoy. In all the other games, she’s pretty much just a robot. In these games, you get to see her as a person in a sci-fi universe, they’re not overly long, they’re short and sharp and pointed experiences and have some great showcases of Samus’s abilities and that all-time Metroid gameplay we all love. And they both have a true sci-fi mystery storyline. I love it.

Perfect games if you’re sick at home or have a few hours and you want to finish an entire gaming experience in one small but excellent shot.

Hate me in the comments, but people who like the other Metroids more like a Samus who isn’t a person, doesn’t talk, and doesn’t have any dimensionality besides carrying a big gun. Or, you read a bunch of reviews and didn’t play either of them for yourself. Or, I guess you just didn’t like them and that’s fair enough and these lists are entirely subjective so cool your jets and keep going through hey.

Available on Wii, GBA and e-Shops, and kidsafe for older kids.

#10: Generals: Zero Hour

Good golly, we’re finally at 10. This is why I couldn’t get to just 10 and my favourite games list imploded, cause I enjoyed so many,

Remaining in the top 10 is the best RTS I’ve ever played – Generals: Zero Hour is an arcade-y spin on modern warfare, with so many great maps, units, and set ups.

Oh, and mods.

The mods extend this game and keep it modern, fresh, and ever increasing in units and graphical upkeep. Project Raptor and Enhanced are two of my favourites, with PR: War Commanders being the one I think I currently have loaded.

One of the best thing this game has going for it is no population limits. Go nuts.

Available on PC and kidsafe.

#9: Mario Galaxy 2

The best Mario game ever made. And the Mario games are some of the best ever made. There you go.

Available on Wii and very kidsafe.

#8: Middle-Earth: Shadow of War

I love me some Lord of the Rings, and Shadow of War is one of the best open world RPGs to boot. Troy Baker doing Talion and the liberties it takes with the story are fantastic. Always something to find, upgrade, or learn about the mythos, and endlessly replayable.

Available on PC and other platforms, and keep your kids way away.

#7: Trials of Mana

Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 3) was one of the best SNES RPGs ever.

And they gave it new life with the ground up remake, Trials of Mana. Voice acting, cartoony graphics, modern action RPG controls, and a tweaked level up system. The pre-existing class system is still here and you’ll be trying combinations for ages. Create a party of 3 from a cast of 6 and watch the story and the world change. You’ll want to replay it with each character as your main character. Turn your brain off, turn your smile on, and enjoy.

I did play and finish the newer Visions of Mana, which started out great, but Trials of Mana has several edges over that title overall.

Available on Steam and other platforms, and kidsafe besides the final few bosses for Kevin/Charlotte and the Darkstone boss.

#6: Elden Ring

Hooooo boy.

When I first played and reviewed Elden Ring, I said it was brilliantly awful, or awfully brilliant. That’s because the last section of the game is truly broken with how many stupid one hit bosses and enemies they plaster around that make the last few sections of the game places you run through instead of taking your time.

But outside of that, as you’ve no doubt picked up on a theme in the games I like, you can play as multiple classes, hundreds of weapons, and it has a zen like exploration with a stupidly huge world and almost too much to explore.

And I have replayed so many new save files to try out just one more build combination, just one more exploring order, just one more attempt at a different ending.

If you keep in mind that your weapon level matters as much or more than your character level, you’re going to have a good time. The Elden Beast, Fire Giant and almost every enemy in the Mountaintop and Azula regions still suck.

This has got to have one of the best game worlds though. Emerging from a castle guarding a huge region only to find a lake that’s even larger than the area you just beat, reaching it to the Altus Plateu and seeing the Erdtree up close for the first time, finding out you can go all the way from the top of the tree through multiple layers of dungeon to its roots, and all the really interesting lore and characters and things to discover – if you’re an explorer, this is your game.

Do a dual katanas or a dual Great Stars strength build and you’ll be trapped in the world and loving it.

Available on most platforms and keep the kids way away. I did appreciate the ability to configure the blood level or turn it off and wish more games had it.

#5: Mass Effect Trilogy

Femshep is my favourite female character in gaming. Renegade of course.

Mass Effect is a hallmark in gaming and was a total paradigm shift when Mass Effect 2 and then 3 came out. They remastered it as well and it runs so well, loads fast, and looks great.

This is a space RPG at its finest, a remarkable story, Hollywood voice cast including superstars in Martin Sheen and Carrie-Anne Moss, endlessly customisable with how many choices and dialog options you can choose, and every mission has weight and significance and interest. Mark Meer is doing his best sci-fi robotic action hero Male Shep if that’s your sci-fi jam but Jennifer Hale did so absolutely great as Femshep you simply have to go that direction. Also, everyone wants to marry their best friend, right? So make sure you date Garrus.

One of the first games that came out that had production values way beyond any movie could attempt to recreate and would inevitably be a downgrade.

To slip an unpopular opinion in here, 3 is the best of the trilogy, especially with all the DLC present in the Remastered version.

Available on everything and not kidsafe.

#4: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Continuing on an unpopular opinion, this is my favourite game in the huge Final Fantasy franchise, and one of the best RPGs ever made.

Yes, I’ve played 7, and 7 Remake. I’ve played 8 and 9. I love 15 with Noctis and the ultimate boys road trip RPG, and 16 with Clive and some insane boss battles, the best Cid in the series, and memorable moments but unfortunately not super replayable. I love 6 with Kefka winning and so many different ways to customise your party, soundtrack, and gameplay.

But man oh man, 13-2 is perfect.

Final Fantasy 13 was super controversial when it came out, and even the people who loved it like me knew it had a bunch of problems or annoying things you needed to accept or get passed to get to the amazing parts of the game like on Gran Pulse. 13-2 fixed every single negative comment that was put against the game.

Cast changed too often? Noel and Serah stick around the entire game. Paradigm shift too slow? It got sped up. Enemies had too much HP? Fixed. Too linear? Now you can get classes to level 99 by Chapter 4 or 5 by branching out. All modern RPGs have an element of automation in them, and the 13 Trilogy is what you have to thank for it.

Plus, great story, Caius is a thrilling, interesting, and layered villain who you can relate to, Noel and Serah are terrifically well acted and interesting, the original 13 cast is around and continue their fascinating stories, and the time travel mechanic lets you explore branching timelines and sci-fi twists. Plus it has a monster capturing dimension bringing Pokemon and moster fusion type RPG mechanics into a mainstream Final Fantasy.

And the soundtrack. Wow.

Ignore the critics – this is an all-time RPG, and you can keep coming back to it to try to play it differently. And hey, 13 has a few mods that fix the paradigm shift length, and Lightning Returns (the third game) has some Majora’s Mask level mechanics and a good conclusion to the story. Plus there’s some 4K texture packs for all the games that make them look as good as Final Fantasy 15.

Available on Steam and PS3, and begging for a re-release or remaster. Mostly kidsafe except later parts of the story.

#3: Horizon: Forbidden West

This game released on PC with its DLC built in after being on PS5 for a while first like Ghost of Tsushima. I enjoyed Zero Dawn a whole lot, I loved the story and the premise of being 1000 years after our time and the world returning to tribes, viewing all of our society as ruins and ancient wisdom, as we do with the ancient worlds of our time. And after playing Ghost of Tsushima and hearing they merged in a lot of those mechanic improvements, I finally picked it up.

This is the game that made me revisit this top 10, because even 20% of the way through it, I realised, I am playing a top 3 game. I actually had this jumping between spot 2 and 3, but because of fear of recency bias, I’m giving it spot 3. Although it certainly has potential to take and hold number 2 in the future.

From a technical perspective, and perhaps even a narrative standpoint, this could be the best game ever made. In the same way that the Mass Effect sequels were a paradigm shift of their time in 2010 and 2012, Forbidden West is simply astounding and currently in a class on its own.

The first time I left one of the main mountains in Utah and rode my robotic mount through the desert, climbed the snowy mountains of the California border, glided down through a snowy night as the sun set into a forest of massive redwoods, having the sun rise through these massive trees, and eventually making it to the coastline… unforgettable. It was like a trip through those real world locations that you just couldn’t make in as efficient a fashion.

The ocean physics are ridiculous. It’s alive. Truly. There are realistic currents, both above and under the water. The waves are dynamically generate and shift your ability to swim. The ocean system alone could be its own game and it would still be a masterpiece.

The weather system with hurricanes, storms, snow, sandstorms and whatever else are astounding. The motion capture is the best I’ve ever seen, even better than most modern movies.

Aloy has so many more abilities this time. Zero Dawn was a bit slow but this version of Aloy is zippy, strong, and has so many more outfits, weapons, and playstyles. She swings her spear like Link and shoots her bow better than Lara Croft.

And man oh man, there is so much game here. As in Zero Dawn, and even moreso this time, because all the entire map is our real world West Coast USA, it’s even more compelling as you find ruined buildings, landmarks, and climate altered ecosystems of our current world. What’s even crazier is you climb and fly above it, run around it, and dive beneath it. How on earth this game loads within 3-4 seconds every time is beyond me.

And I haven’t even mentioned the story. Taking a minor plot detail from game one and turning it into an even bigger sci fi twist than the first game I didn’t think was possible. Every element of its narrative is astounding.

Plus, Carrie-Anne Moss and Sam Witwer in major roles, just magically turning up dozens of hours into the playtime.

Get it.

Available on PC and PS5, and not kidsafe (maybe older kids though at your discretion).

#2: Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

I love the Zelda series. Ocarina of Time I’ve played once a year since it came out in 1998. I love the Oracle games on Game Boy Colour. I enjoyed the cute dynamics of Link and Zelda in Skyward Sword. I’ve played all the other ones through except Tears of the Kingdom, and Majora’s Mask originally took this spot for favourite Zelda.

But man oh man, Twilight Princess, specifically the HD update, has grown on me like a weed that turns into a crazy forest that you just want to get lost in.

Link has never been better than he is here. The story has never been better. The soundtrack, the horseback combat, the swordplay. Link gets continually interesting abilities in a world that keeps getting better and better. Midna and Zelda are fantastic. The HD version added some improved mechanics like being able to use the tablet for inventory and maps without interrupting the main gameplay and gyroscopic archery, and it’s just been cleaned up enough to see more of the art style.

And the story of Link trying to find his childhood sweetheart Ilia is mega cute and touching when it plays out. Plus, Zelda feels like full fledged royalty girl boss powerhouse in this one.

Nintendo for whatever reason still hasn’t and won’t approach another Ocarina of Time style Zelda game, so until then, this is the best we’ll get.

Available on Wii U, Wii and GameCube, and kidsafe for older kids.

#1: Chrono Cross

Spoilers – this game will never change position.

It’s not as technically impressive as most of the other games here, but from a story and soundtrack perspective, Chrono Cross is a landmark.

This is a game that reaches into your mind and your soul for its entire playtime. Everyone keeps saying they’d totally play a sequel to the brilliant Chrono Trigger. Well, don’t miss your chance – it’s been out for 26 years! This is a game that has touched my heart and never let go.

And fortunately, a true miracle happened, and Square Enix released a remaster for this game for all platforms called The Radical Dreamers Edition, also featuring the Choose Your Own Adventure style Radical Dreamers SNES game, which is an alternate dimension version of this game, and a great experience in its own right. And as an extra bonus, if you finish both games, you get answers on a Janus related fan theory that has floated around for decades.

I am a little disappointed that it didn’t get the same remarkable remake treatment like Trials of Mana or Final Fantasy 7, and especially the remaster’s initial launch there were a few issues, but if it makes the original PlayStation game more accessible to more people, I’m all for it. The game’s unique elements and level up mechanics still stand out and hold up.

Chrono Cross is about a 17 year old named Serge who is sucked into an alternate dimension where he died at the age of 7 and his father went missing trying to save him. Everyone else kept living their lives and you get to explore a world in which you no longer existed, which is a fascinating concept I’m sure most people have wondered about at some point in their lives (hopefully not in a depressing sense). What happened to his childhood sweetheart, his family, his village? Does one life make that much of a difference?

Serge meets over 40 other recruitable characters of mixed levels of interest, but a lot of them have a fairly significant place in the story or in the side stories. Leena, Glenn, Riddel, Viper, Norris and their relationship with two other characters, Garai and his son Dario, are particularly memorable. Plus as something pretty advanced for its original 1999 release, the characters all have an accent filter on their lines, giving everyone their own flavour.

But the true star is the young girl with the Australian accent, KId. All you know at the start is that Lucca from Chrono Trigger looked after her at her orphanage.

In 12000BC, Princess Schala of the Kingdom of Zeal at the behest of her mother powered the Mammon Machine with magic so she could commune with the alien being Lavos, only to be sucked away through time. What happened to her? Chrono Trigger didn’t tell us.

But Chrono Cross did. And it’s unforgettable. It’s about a girl, trapped in a memory, as so many of us are or can be, and what can be done to set the soul free.

Gripping, exciting, unforgettable. And Yasunori Mitsuda created the all time best soundtrack of any medium of any genre here. If you’re not a gamer, at least listen to the soundtrack.

Here, and in every timeline and dimension, Chrono Cross Is The Best Game Ever Made

“I will find you.

Even if I have to search the world over. 

Sometime… somewhere… I’m sure.”

Available on all platforms and mostly kidsafe (G8+).

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So as you can see, my favourite games list imploded, exploded, and spilled over into 24ish titles, with a few cheats. Who knows how else this could go.

If you’re a gamer, or interested in what different types of games are out there, or something to play with your kids or to unwind, I hope you got some ideas. With young kids at home and the changing schedules of getting older, I definitely have more opportunities to game than I did given having to be home more.

Also, cheers to Google Gemini for generating the cartoony style mashups of a bunch of characters from these favourites above. Just sad face it has no idea how to draw anyone from Chrono Cross.

Who knows what else will come out in the next 10 years?

How about you? Are any of these your favourites? If your favourite games list imploded as well from 10 to 24, what would it look like?