Due to 2021 not being a particularly great year in gaming and things having changed quite a bit since the last time I talked about my all-time favorite video games on Middle of the Row, I decided to forgo my usual year-end list and take another crack at my most treasured virtual adventures. In the past four years I revisited some of my most beloved titles and realized that they have a flaw or two I had forgotten about, and others rose up even higher than before. Then there was 2020, which saw the releases of multiple instant classics that set new bars for their respective genres. Speaking of genres, that’s how I organized this write-up. That way, only the best of the best in each category shows up here. I’ll also try to keep it up to date if anything else truly brilliant comes along.
So, without further ado, here are my favorite video games of all time:
Honorable Mention: Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VII Remake takes a game I love dearly (more on that later) and does more than just throw a new coat of paint on it; it revitalizes an iconic, a nearly quarter century-old game by changing the gameplay and mechanics just enough to feel familiar to old-school players while appealing to newer generations of gamers. It also uses nostalgia to evoke emotions from longtime fans like myself, but never leans so far that first-time players feel like they’re missing something. If that isn’t the perfect example of a video game remake, I don’t know what is.
The Racer: Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Most racing games barely register as a blip on my gaming radar, with the only real exceptions being the Mario Kart series. I’ve played each entry in the franchise since Mario Kart 64, which some people claim is the best of the bunch. However, my leader of the pack is unquestionably Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, which introduced character-specific power-ups and allowed you to mix and match them thanks to each cart carrying two riders instead of the franchise norm of just one. Bowser shells, fireballs, and chain chomps, oh my! Why that gameplay gimmick hasn’t even returned as an optional mode in later installments is beyond me. The dual drivers/powers allow for an extra layer of strategy, and helped create all kinds of hilarious chaos on the game’s many amazing racetracks. I’ll never forget the day a friend of mine saved himself from falling off of Rainbow Road with a chain chomp, and then used it to mow down the three people who were about to pass him. Absolutely crazy!
Runner-up(s): Mario Kart 64, SSX Tricky
The Platformer: Astro Bot
Astro Bot is a vibrant, colorful collectathon with charm for days and the best level design I’ve seen in the genre. It’s clearly inspired by the past few 3D Mario games, but aside from the music, Astro Bot basically one-ups (heh) the legendary plumber in every aspect. Each level feels totally unique, the power-ups are all fun to use in both combat and puzzle solving, and the boss battles are top notch. It also hits the nostalgia nerve because the game is simultaneously a great platformer and a celebration of 30 years of PlayStation. Multiple levels and bots (your comrades/collectibles) are adorable versions of iconic franchises and characters from Sony’s tremendous catalogue. Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter, Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, God of War, Horizon, The Last of Us, Shadow of the Colossus, Tomb Raider, Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, the gang’s all here!… Well except for Final Fantasy (despite developer Team Asobi’s requests of Square Enix), but if that’s the only real complaint I have about Astro Bot I can’t qualify the game as anything but a smashing success.
Runner-up(s): Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong 64, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, Yoshi’s Story, Mega Man X4
The Interactive Drama: Until Dawn
This frightening interactive drama (basically a playable movie where your choices affect the story) from Supermassive Games puts you in the shoes of a group of teens/young adults who reunite on a snowy mountain one year after a tragedy befell two of them at the same locale, and now find themselves being hunted by a masked murderer with seemingly no way of escaping. The creative minds behind Until Dawn are acutely aware of the tropes and cliches found in slasher flicks, and use that knowledge to great effect, both by leaning into them – such as making most of the playable characters fit into slasher victim archetypes – and by letting you turn those same tropes on their head when you’re controlling a character. There’s also particular shift in the story that is done so well I found myself genuinely terrified (yet again), and ended up being quite impressed with the foreshadowing and clues that only make sense in retrospect. The game also has multiple endings which allow each character to survive or meet a grisly demise, therefore ensuring that subsequent runs are still intense, even if you already know the story’s biggest twist and turns.
Runner-up(s): Heavy Rain, Detroit: Become Human, Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, Tales from The Borderlands
The Hack n’ Slash: God of War III
While it has been overshadowed as of late by the series’ action adventure sequelboot, God of War III is still the best game in the hack n’ slash genre. The end of Kratos’ quest for revenge in ancient Greece is jaw-dropping, even when considering the scope of other all-time great hack n’ slashers. The first boss in God of War III is crazy enough to outdo many, many final bosses from lesser series, and it only gets crazier from there. literal Gods and Titans alike fall before you, and seeing the Ghost of Sparta enact his vengeance on those who wronged him so greatly is often as epic as it is gruesome. The original God of War trilogy and the awesome PSP spin-offs are known for their over the top fantasy violence and the saga crescendos with enough spilled blood to drown even those sitting at the very top of Mount Olympus. With that in mind, it definitely isn’t a game for everyone, but those who like a little bit of gaming ultraviolence will almost certainly enjoy God of War III.
Runner-up(s): God of War II, Dante’s Inferno
The Dungeon Crawler: Gauntlet Dark Legacy
There are very few games that I’ve sunk more time into than the arcade-to-console fantasy title, Gauntlet Dark Legacy. I spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours leveling up all the playable characters (the Jester and Archer were the best, FYI), plowing through the game’s enemy-packed, memorable words and engaging in its outstanding boss battles again and again and again. Despite lacking gear to earn and skill trees, I was completely enveloped in the ultra-addictive gameplay loop of this dungeon crawling masterpiece. My love for Dark Legacy even got to the point that whenever I had friends over their choice of game to play eventually became “anything but Gauntlet.” I played it on my gamecube until the console itself burned out, and that was after spending who knows how long on the Playstation 2 version! I have been waiting for years to play a new game that could fill the Gauntlet Dark Legacy-shaped hole in my heart, but have yet to find one. In fact, the main reason I had considered buying an Xbox Series X was the possibility of playing Dark Legacy via backwards compatibility.
Runner-up(s): Diablo III
The Superhero: Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City tells one of the caped crusader’s best stories while putting you into his batshoes, allowing you to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham’s criminals before brutally beating them down. The iconic vocal duo of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return from Arkham Asylum – and the animated series – to portray Batman and Joker respectively, and deliver two of the best vocal performances of their careers. Arkham Asylum’s combat was perfected in Arkham City as well, and has been imitated dozens of times by other developers since. And as amazing as it was to explore the legendary hospital for the criminally insane, Arkham City tops it. Instead of one creepy-ass building, you get a huge chunk of Gotham to glide around while discovering a mind-breakingly large amount of hidden secrets, Easter eggs, and (*shudders) Riddler Trophies to collect. Lastly, it features multiple memorable boss battles against a wide range of heavy hitters from the best rogues gallery in comic book history. I don’t know what else anyone could want from a Batman game.
Runner-up(s): Marvel’s Spider-Man, inFAMOUS 2, inFAMOUS Second Son, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham Knight
The DLC: Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
I wasn’t going to place DLC games in a category for my list initially, but how could I not when one surpasses its already awesome main game that was almost on my list? Blood Dragon is a mini Far Cry set in a world that pays homage to and makes fun of 80’s action/sci-fi flicks. Released in 2013 and taking place in the distant future of 2007, Blood Dragon puts you in the shoes of Rex Power Colt, a cyber commando voiced by Terminator/Aliens fan-favorite actor Michael Biehn. As Rex, you explore a new map filled with tons of neon lighting, a killer synth soundtrack, hilarious dialogue and wonderfully nerdy references to 80’s entertainment and pop culture. Whatever muse Ubisoft Montreal had when they came up with Blood Dragon, they should go back to it because this is my favorite Far Cry to date. Also, the omission of Blood Dragon in the remastered Far Cry 3 was easily one of the biggest missed opportunities of the previous console generation.
Runner-up(s): Borderlands 2: Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, Destiny: The Taken King, The Last of Us: Left Behind, Destiny 2: The Final Shape
The Beat ’em Up: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Shredder’s Revenge is a retro game in all the right ways – as a cooperative beat ’em up and as a TMNT title – that introduces only a small number of more modern mechanics that end up raising its replayability. The character level-up system in particular kept me coming back to build up the different heroes – not just the turtles – who all have their own attributes and attacks. There are also cameos, collectibles, and challenges that encourage you to revisit previously beaten levels. You won’t feel left out if you’re a genre purist though, because Shredder’s Revenge also has an arcade mode that does away with those additions and is a great way to test your mettle, reflexes, and endurance. No matter your playstyle preference, this shockingly low-priced package offers plenty of fun for solo players and groups of friends alike.
The Open World: Ghost of Tsushima
I’m exceptionally picky with open world games because I rarely feel invested enough to make it through their lengthy playtimes, but the rare exceptions tend to great. The only ones that I really, truly have really gotten lost in are Far Cry 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Ghost of Tsushima. Ghost wins the top spot in this category because its feudal Japan setting is equal parts immersive and expansive. Sucker Punch’s latest title is packed with awe-inspiring visuals and has a perfectly-sized, clutter-free map that makes exploration feel like an adventure rather than a checklist. The cast of main characters is outstanding too and I really grew to care for almost all of them. This is one of the few games with such well-written characters that it brought me to tears, and one of the even fewer to do so multiple times. Ghost of Tsushima is also the only stealth-action game I’ve ever played where going into combat slowly and quietly or quickly and chaotically are both worthwhile options.
Runner-up(s):Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Yōtei, inFAMOUS 2, inFAMOUS Second Son, Prototype, Far Cry 3
The Online Multiplayer (Player Vs. Player): Killzone 2
Similar to open world games, competitive multiplayer titles have to clear a pretty high bar in order to win me over, yet Killzone 2’s online mode cleared that bar and then some, even overshadowing its spectacular campaign in the process. The different classes – including ones like a sniper who could temporarily turn invisible and a saboteur with the ability to disguise themself as a member of the opposing team – are all fun to play initially, yet require dedication to master. The guns and movement all feel appropriately weighty, giving the game a more grounded feel than most shooters, despite it being set in a universe with futuristic space nazis. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fast-paced though, as quick reflexes are a must if you want your team to be victorious. While I burn out on the average competitive multiplayer in about an hour or two, Killzone 2 kept me hooked for dozens, maybe more and I have yet to find another player vs player experience that has grabbed me in the same way.
Runner-up(s): Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Resistance 2
The Online Multiplayer (Player Vs. Environment): Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Space Marine 2’s cooperative campaign puts you in the heavily a giant super soldier clad in power armor. Your mission is vital to humanity’s survival, but the game does a great job portraying you as just one of many cogs in an endless war between mankind, aliens and servants of Chaos gods. The subeprb gameplay uses one of the only block/parry mechanics in gaming I actually like and rewards an aggressive playstyle. The enemies number in the dozens-to-hundreds in most encounters and holding your ground while using brutal executions with an array of powerful weapons to regain armor makes for an incredible power fantasy, even moreso when playing with fellow “battle brothers.” After the campaign you have operations, strategems (essentially endgame story missions) and the insanity that is siege, Space Marine 2’s horde mode to keep you busy. The three post-campaign options feature tons of replayability via multiple classes of playable marines that each have an important role on the battlefield as you purge heretics and destroy xenos scum.
Runner-up(s): Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, Resistance 2, Halo: Reach
The Indie: To the Moon
I feel like this outstanding indie title would serve as a great (and superior) companion piece to Pixar’s Soul, as they both explore themes regarding how even the smallest experiences or events can drastically change a person’s life and their future. To the Moon follows a pair of memory specialists tasked with using a machine to revisit and alter the memories of a dying man. The goal of the operation is to manufacture a believable memory that he succeeded in his dream of making it… Well, to the the moon. The scientists end up searching for the integral moments that made the man who is, and in a sense, getting to know him while barely ever speaking with him. It’s a powerful tale with a heartwarming love story, soul-crushing losses, lots of laughter, tons of tears, and it all stuck with me long after the credits rolled. The characters and world of To the Moon are equal parts quirky, likable, and most fittingly, memorable.
Runner-up(s): Castle Crashers, Undertale
The RPG/JRPG: Final Fantasy Rebirth
While reading through the previous entries on this list, you may have noticed that I only included a few titles older than the last two console generations. That’s because I believe that as the technology behind them improves, video games are only getting better, and beloved classics – although still great – tend to feel less impressive as a result. Less than a handful of games from my childhood have truly passed the test of time in my eyes, and the best of them will always be Final Fantasy VII. It’s the video game that made me realize the potential of the medium. The huge world, epic story, numerous flawed-yet-lovable characters, and the greatest musical score I’ve ever heard were all burned into my brain at a young age while I watched my brother play FFVII, and I grew even more fond of them when I went through it myself. It balances super-powered, turn-based action with deep and poignant storytelling, but is somehow far, far more than the sum of its parts.
Runner-ups: Crisis Core: FInal Fantasy VII, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee/Pikachu
The Fighter: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Most fighting games aren’t really my thing, but I will probably love the Smash Bros. series for the rest of my life. They’re fighters with intuitive yet deep mechanics, but also party games you can play to have a laugh with friends, and a celebration of gaming as a whole. The latest iteration, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, exemplifies the latter quality particularly well. With tons of music, instantly recognizable levels, and a stupefying roster of over 80 brawlers, it’s an astonishing ode to the history, diversity and fun of video games. You’ve got Nintendo mainstays like Mario and his crew, newer friends/opponents in the vein of the squid kids from Splatoon and third party heroes such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, and most of them play quite differently from everyone else. The main reason I watched Nintendo expos live for the past few years wasn’t to hear about new games, but in the hope of finding out whoever was jumping into the fray next via DLC.
Runner-up(s): Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee
The Handheld: Pokémon Gold & Silver
I’ve been a pretty big fan of Pokémon since the very first games – and the pocket monsters therein – debuted over twenty years ago, but I believe that the series was almost perfected in 2000 with the second generation. Gold and Silver added 100 new pokémon – more than a handful of them being among of my favorites to this day – and introduced a few of the most memorable and game-changing (pun intended) mechanics that the franchise has seen. I still remember the jubilation I felt when I learned about the move deleter who could make your pokémon forget “permanent” skills that were no longer useful, and using the day/night cycle in order to catch or evolve unique pokémon blew my mind back in the day. In addition to new features and quality of life improvements, Gold and Silver also had one of the better stories among the mainline games, only being slightly surpassed by Ruby/Sapphire and X/Y. With all said and done Pokémon Gold and Silver were – and still are – the very best.
Runner-up(s): Pokémon Red & Blue, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
The Shooter: Doom: The Dark Ages
It is insane how much id Software has reinvented the rebooted DOOM franchise while keeping true to its core gameplay mechanics in the last 9 years. DOOM 2016 was all about retro-inspired running and gunning; weapon swaps, air dashes and acrobatics were the name of the game in DOOM Eternal; DOOM: The Dark Ages (outside of the occasional mecha piloting and dragon riding!) wants you to stand and fight while parrying projectiles and throwing your chainsaw shield like an uber violent Captain America; that is until you’re close enough to bludgeon them with one of your bone-shattering melee weapons or turn them into a Jackson Pollock of gore with your trusty super shotgun. Somehow surpassing its excellent predecessors, DOOM: The Dark Ages isn’t just an awesome power fantasy: it is the power fantasy in my mind. What else could compare with putting you in the nigh-immovable shoes of someone so fearsome that the armies of Hell, Heaven and everything in between them tremble before your terrifying might as you “rip and tear until it is done?”
Runner-up(s): DOOM (2016), DOOM Eternal, Resistance 2, Bioshock Infinite, Halo: Reach, Killzone 2, Gears of War 2
The Wild Card: Borderlands 4
The first Borderlands kick-started the looter shooter genre craze that’s still raging today, and Borderlands 4 stands above all others as of now. The amount of guns, grenades, energy shields, and gear you can find throughout the multiple, varied planets in Borderlands 4 is just staggering, and testing them out on the enemies and monsters around you is a total blast. There’s a sniper rifle that spews rounds like a mingun, a talking energy shield with the personality of a dominatrix, an assault rifle with an underbarrel satellite laser and oodles more! Borderlands 4 also retains most of the humor and a couple of the endearing, goofball characters that drew the fanbase in originally while introducing tons of new ones, including the best and most varied Vault Hunters (player characters) so far. Here’s hoping the upcoming DLC matches that of its predecessors!
Runner-up(s): Shadow of the Colossus (2018)
The Action Adventure: The Last of Us Part II
If you read my favorite games of 2020 list, my co-review with Lauren or listened to MotR’s podcast episode on The Last of Us Part II, then you already know what I think about it: It’s my favorite title from the last console generation, and one of the most important games in the history of, well, gaming. Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic sequel has moments of genuine beauty, and sequences of terrifying brutality that make you question the actions “you” take throughout its narrative. It’s a revenge story, but also a meditation and exploration of how hollow and unhealthy vengeance is. It’s a story about love, and how someone can love another person so much that they feel compelled to do unforgivable things on their behalf. It’s an assault on your emotions, and one of the most impactful experiences I’ve had from any form of art or storytelling. It’s a challenging yet outstanding experience that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who can handle it. The fact that some people gave up on it so quickly in anger due to the directions it takes story-wise further hammers home its message, making it that much more memorable in my opinion.
Runner-up(s): The Last of Us, God of War (2018), Shadow of the Colossus (2018)
The Remake: Final Fantasy Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth builds on everything that worked in the original Final Fantasy VII, 2020’s Final Fantasy VII Remake, and tweaks the very few things that didn’t. The result is a game that’s about as close to perfection as I’ve ever experienced. The open world of Gaia begs to be explored because it’s so much fun to uncover its secrets, embark on its challenges, and because it allows you to spend even more time with its unforgettable cast of characters. This is a game that rewards franchise fans, but never leaves out those who only jumped on the FFVII bandwagon with Remake, and it maintains that balancing act throughout an adventure that lasts dozens of hours. Then you have the absurd amount of addictive minigames, the exhilarating combat, the phenomenal soundtrack, and a story that’s as epic as any Final Fantasy has ever been. To me, the development of the remake trilogy was already a gaming miracle in and of itself, but Rebirth surpassing the 1997 classic – which was my favorite video game for over two decades. I never would’ve seen that coming. From the shocking opening to the bonkers ending, Rebirth is absolutely stunning.
Runner-ups: Final Fantasy VII Remake, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee/Pikachu, Resident Evil 2
The Horror: Dead Space (2023)
Aside from competitive multiplayer, I feel like horror games might be the hardest to balance. Give the player too many options to defend themselves and their fear dissipates, give them too little and they get frustrated with playing hide and seek. Motive Studio’s Dead Space remake is among the only exceptions to that rule, because I was scared even during the moments I was well-armed. I credit a lot of that to the game’s setting: the USG Ishimura, an isolated, deep space mining vessel that’s backed by the best lighting, sound design and the best HUD in any game. Credit is also due to what you’re fighting, the necromorphs. They’re monstrosities spawned from a infection that drives almost anything organic insane and eventually twists it physically as well, creating abominations of flesh and bone. Some necromorphs announce their presence with unsettling noises as they lumber towards you in the open, and others will jump at you from vents, grates or come of nowhere in zero gravity. Dead Space is absolutely packed with horrific imagery and has enough creepy atmosphere to sustain life on an entire planet. The remake also introduces just enough of the improved gameplay mechanics from the sequels – and an AI director to randomize encounters – to edge out Dead Space 2, which was my favorite horror game until now. I’ve found very few other games, movies or other media in the genre that come anywhere close to matching the almost overwhelming fear and dread that Dead Space can create – even on replays.
Runner-ups: Until Dawn, Bioshock, Resident Evil 7, Dead Island 2, The Evil Within
And there you have it, my favorite video games of all time. If you liked what you read you can follow me on Twitter and Letterboxd. Until next time, remember: the best seats are in the Middle of the Row!
Middle of the Row 