this is a messy collage of all my favorite games as you can see! I had to think hard about it since I love and cherish almost every game i've played throughout my life. if you just came here to judge me and leave, you've seen everything you need to see already ^-^ i'm an old man, you might've noticed all but 3 games are from the 2000s or late 90s. this isn't subject of any extreme bias (it might), but in these paragraphs below explaining why I love these games so much. you might have to zoom out since I accidentally made everything so... huge.
-Super Smash Bros Melee (Gamecube)- anyone that's known me for a while knows I will ride with this game even beyond my own grave. this is the first game I both witnessed and played. this is a game that's always been there no matter what era of my life I'm in. playing with my gamecube, watching people compete, or getting frustrated at Slippi Ranked, it's always in the background of my day to day, and I wouldn't have it any other way~
-Super Smash Flash 2 (PC)- just like melee, this is a game that's always been somewhere in my life. i've seen all the updates, the community grow, the mods, the meta evolve ever since 0.8, which doesn't seem like a long time ago! as I grew up and changed, SSF2 did the same alongside me almost like a sibling or childhood friend. I don't have any other game that holds this status in my heart
-Yoshi's Island (SNES)- Yoshi's Island is a beautiful and adorable exploration game. there isn't much to say about it that hasn't been said by thousands of people online already. I love the laid-back platforming and weird bosses, it really rides home how new and different this game is from mainline mario games at the time.
-Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube)- a lot of people give me the Stink Eye (TM) when I talk about how good of a game mario sunshine is. just because it isn't your precious childhood game Mario Galaxy doesn't mean it isn't a high quality game after all! Sunshine is such a weird and challenging game and I love that, plus it's the perfect game to kick back in your moderately lit air conditioned room, a salty snack next to you, and play while the deadly summer sun tries to let it's way in ^-^ yes, the blue coins are frustrating to get, but they aren't required to beat the game, you can easily ignore them and still enjoy yourself other ways
-Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)- one of the post 2000s games here, surprising! this is a game I wish I could experience for the first time again, it's such a charming adventure full of twists and turns that make me smile every time. I could spend hours and hours just running and jumping around these worlds and collecting random moons I haven't thought to get before, or finding people's balloons in luigi's balloon minigame. it's such a genuine joy, if you haven't played it yet go give it a try!
-Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)- my favorite RPG series of all time actually. as someone who is impatient and hates the monotonous gameplay loop of traditional RPGs, this game really feels tailor made for people like myself. everything is quick and snappy, and doesn't waste your time so you can get right to walking around the colorful beanbean kingdom. the dialogue and characters always manage to make me chuckle, and the bosses always bring something new to the table, though since I played this game hundreds of times i've gone numb to these "new" mechanics. who hears hoarse horses?
-Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky (DS)- mouthful of a title, but these are all the same game apart from sky that has some postgame stories and extra player/partner pokemon choices. Sky is the game that inspired me to tell stories. it's a story of growth and adventure, from your partner going from a timid, naive and easily scared kid to a strong and capable leader, to the player character learning more and more about their past, the sacrifices, the friends we loved and lost, the new bonds and broken trust, it's such a beautiful world full of life and love in every nook and cranny.
-Pokemon Platinum (DS)- I didn't lump this in with Diamond and Pearl since to me Platinum feels like a completely different game. it's a rather simple little game like every early pokemon game, but to me it feels like the last "Pokemon" pokemon game which is something I have trouble explaining. I love the rocky mountains and expansive seas. I love the deep forests and strange caves. I love the mystery in the history of Sinnoh and the creation of the Pokemon universe as we know it. of course, there are slow moments, but all these little things drown it out to me.
-Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS)- the definition of a perfect remake. it takes Super Star, an already amazing game full of life and color and adds new and better music, better looking and more colorful sprites and backgrounds, excellent quality of life changes, new sub games for a new challenge, and new lore and gameplay mechanics that walked so modern Kirby could run. I don't get despite all of it, SNES Super Star still reigns as the better title in many Kirby fans' minds...
-Kirby Planet Robobot (3DS)- alongside Super Star Ultra, Robobot is the best 2D Kirby game of all time! it broke away from Return to Dreamland's safe designs and made something truly unique. the Robobot armor is something you actually want to get instead of a throwaway gimmick forced into your hands every level, the level design is easy to digest but still holds obscure secrets that's sure to tickle a completionist brain, and the True Arena is nice and painful! if you're a newgen Kirby fan that hasn't played this game give it a try! I don't think i'm allowed to say HOW exactly you can...
-Final Fantasy IV (SNES, released as Final Fantasy II in the USA)- this is a very recent addition to my "favorites" list, but very deserving addition. I won't go into it much because I can't really talk about it without spoiling every little bit of the story. it's a skill issue on my end. all I can say is check it out! it's such a beautiful game that I can't stop rambling at my friends about... I feel the same about 6 and 7, but 4 sticks out in my mind the most ^-^
-Link's Awakening (Gameboy)- an adorable romp on a strange island. Link's Awakening is so weird and charming like a lot of nintendo games from this era. the strange nintendo reps, the offputting enemies, big and small, the simple and engaging world and dungeon design, and that ambiguous wind fish lore... it's such a charming little game! get the remake on Switch if you can!
-Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast, Gamecube, PC) SA2 is my first and favorite Sonic game. I adore the gameplay style trying something a little different, getting all emblems is a little frustrating, but at least the Chao Garden is a whole other game inside an already expansive game. the story is on a strange line between really dark and serious and silly and non serious... still despite that, hearing live and learn the first time made all the struggle worth it! it still gives me chills...