Pokemon Snap. My entire family was obsessed with this one. Even now it’s so fun to return to. Seeing Pokemon in their natural habit, and so well animated compared to the Game Boy games was such a treat. Plus it had Sandshrew. 10/10 by default.
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Ninja Gaiden Black. It took a lot to tear me away from stabbing Devil May Cry as a kid, but Ninja Gaiden definitely was the game that made me have to take pause. Still have no idea how they got this to run on the original Xbox at 60fps. Fucking wizards over at Tecmo. Game played like a dream.
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Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. A bit obvious considering my latest Pop Strikers video, but Raziel is still one of my favorite protag designs of all time. Combine that with a staggeringly well written script and brilliant voice acting, and you get a game that punches well above the hardware it’s on.
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Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga. I know people Stan Mario RPG, but I just love the aesthetic and charm of Superstar Saga. Didn’t go in with high expectations but it sunk its teeth into me and I played it nonstop. Some of the best pixel art on the GBA too.
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Brutal Doom/Project Brutality If cathartic game feel is something you crave, there is seriously nothing I’ve ever played that even comes close. The sound design, gin effects, and untalented excess make a classic even more classic. Perfect.
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Resident Evil 4. Never really got into the original trilogy as a kid, but RE4 absolutely blew me away. Have replayed it a bunch and it’s still as cathartic as ever. Pure B Movie bliss.
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Chronic Cross. My friend showed me the intro to this game in middle school and I was awestruck with how beautiful it was. The entire soundtrack is perfection. The fact that it included a great game for free was just a bonus.
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Guilty Gear Xrd. I cried when this trailer dropped. Loved Guilty Gear since 2002, didn’t think there’d ever be another. Probably the most influential game to my creative career. This game’s amazing cel shading is what convinced me to finally give 3D a go for real. Definitely don’t regret it.
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Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales Honestly haven’t played a ton of this one, but what I did I loved. This is actually the game that inspired me to get into retro low poly modeling. I loved the models in this game more than anything.
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Halo 2. What hasn’t been said about this game? Absolutely fantastic follow up to the original. Played for hours on Live with my friends, but Campaign was always my favorite. Was skeptical of Arbiter at first but loved how he added a whole new dimension to the story.
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