15. Super Mario 3D Land
I've obviously loved and played every single entry in this series throughout my life, but this one brought back a feeling to me that I didn't realize had been missing for some time from other entries.
Much like in the New Super Mario Bros. series, this game has Mario navigating through 8 worlds, each with a theme and an ending boss.
The game begins deceptively easy. You'll blow through 8 worlds in no time and think "well this was fun, but kind of a breeze," but you're not finished yet. The real game can then begin, as you are presented with 8 "special" worlds through which you must battle baddies and reach Bowser so the real showdown can begin.
This game keeps the Star Coin mechanic, where three special coins are placed somewhere in each stage, and you'll need to collect every single one in the game to open the last level. It's quite a challenge.
The final stages of this game demand some of the highest levels of precision I've ever seen in this series, but I wasn't the least bit mad about it. I took loss after loss after loss as growth, and boy did it feel good to finally complete. A Super Mario game hasn't given me that specific feeling since Super Mario 64, so that's why this one ranks so highly for me.
14. Hotline Miami
A lightning-paced top-down shooter set in 1989 Miami that puts you in the place of the world's most easily manipulated human being: A guy who gets messages on his answering machine giving him random addresses and thickly coded instructions to go murder everyone there, so he just puts on a mask and does it.
Well, with you in the chair, he certainly tries to. You'll die no fewer than 50,000 times playing this game, but it's the kind of game that lets you smash that Retry button and give it another go, again and again.
The enemies are very armed and very quick, and the millisecond they see you, they'll either give chase or open fire. If you take one bullet or one stab, you die.
You, however, are just as fast, and they are just as killable. So it all comes down to how quickly you think on your feet and how fast your trigger finger is.
There is an overarching story, and by finding a hidden letter in each level and then unscrambling them to solve a puzzle, you unlock access to a couple of bonus ending levels that will explain the strange calls you're getting. It's much more dark comedy than it is gritty crime drama, but it's still satisfying in its own right, and even if you don't bother with them, this game is still a blast.
Also, my goodness, that soundtrack. Hell yes.
13. Far Cry 3
Far Cry is my favorite series discovery of the decade (as will become evident). Its third installment was the first one I played, and it was a bit of a Pandora's Box for me.
Other than playing Goldeneye as a kid, the only other first-person shooter I'd ever spent any time with was Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, because in 2009 all my friends played it, and I liked having friends, so I bought it for my PS3 so I could be in on the fun. And I really did enjoy that game! Its story was well written and unpredictable, and the online multiplayer was great when I was playing with friends. But I only picked it up because I could play it with friends. Online play without friends was supremely toxic. And I never had an Xbox, so I never got into the Halo series. So, to me, first-person shooters were singular, uninteresting games that had no value beyond co-op play.
That all changed when I grabbed Far Cry 3 on a whim during a Steam sale and cracked it open. Instead of a linear, predictable experience, I was greeted with a robust, exciting sandbox ripe for exploration. Sure, I could do story missions, but I can also dart around this beautiful island climbing radio towers to reveal more of the map! Hey, I need a bigger wallet; I can go hunt some wildlife and use their pelts to make a bigger one! This family needs my help; I should go whoop some pirate ass for them!
My absolute favorite thing to do, though, is retake the outposts for the island's rebels. To do this, you have to infiltrate an area being patrolled by enemies. The layout of each is completely different and presents its own set of challenges. You can go in guns blazing and get into a big firefight if that's your style, but I've always preferred the stealth approach, which is much more challenging and gets you a lot more XP.
The overall story of this game is a little goofy, but this series hinges on the trope of the everyman being plunged into a situation that's over his head. You play as Jason Brody, a young man vacationing with his brother and a small group of their friends somewhere in the South Pacific. While skydiving, you accidentally land on Rook Island and are quickly swept up in the conflict between rebel citizens who side with the island's natives and a paramilitary pirate organization who wants to enslave and/or eradicate them.
Still waiting for this to be optioned for a movie starring Samira Wiley as Citra.
12. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Now take everything I said about Far Cry 3 and picture it taking place inside the most over-the-top 1980s sci-fi movie imaginable.
You are Rex Powercolt, cybernetic super soldier navigating the dystopian future of 2007, because of course you are. Your enemy is Colonel Sloan, a megalomaniac who wants to return the world to the dinosaur era via calculated missile launches, because of course he is and of course he does. The outposts in this game are called "garrisons," because of course they are.
Also, the blood dragons are just giant fucking EL-wired t-rexes.
This is parody done perfectly. The dialogue is all hilarious, starting with Rex's indignation during the game's tutorial ("Can't I just go fucking kill people?") and ending, well...never. But you will be a ball of joy as you roam this neon wasteland and bask in its synthwave soundtrack.
11. Super Mario Odyssey
Sitting down to write about this game, I'm reminded of how I felt when I got it on release day and put it into my Switch. How does one begin to summarize the entirety of a legendary series?
Odyssey is one of Nintendo's all-time most ambitious undertakings. It serves as a museum, a shrine, and a love letter to the fans of the Super Mario series, AND it still managed to be a great game!
Mario sets sail across unbelievable worlds that are simply stunning in their character and individuality. Each one could have been its own game on an older console. You visit the woods, the ocean, the skies, and more, interacting with the flora and fauna of each in your efforts to collect Power Moons.
The return of moons to the series is just one of many nods to its previous entries. I think every single title is represented somewhere if you look closely enough. One of Mario's many obtainable costumes will put him into his Super Mario 64 skin. The music as the Odyssey flies is reminiscent of Koji Kondo's incredible score to Super Mario Galaxy. The Luncheon Kingdom is reminiscent of Yoshi's Island (which, yes, is technically an entry in the Super Mario series!).
In each world, you'll also have to play through a 2D section that tests your true platforming skills. The camera remains in the 3D space though, creating a unique visual experience that just feels so damn good to play! (The 2D section of the Seaside Kingdom is particularly incredible: It's on the ocean floor, and the Cheep Cheeps continue swimming over you as you play through it!)
There's also a new clan of enemies to get in Mario's way: A bizarre family of anthropomorphic rabbits called the Broodals. They are, oddly enough, the least interesting part of this game.
The main new mechanic introduced here is Cappy, your hat companion, who can throw at pretty much anything, toss into the air to bounce off of, and sometimes throw at an object to possess it as Mario. I cannot begin to explain how cool and fun this is.
Yes, the fact that there are 999 moons to collect is extremely daunting, but you don't have to come anywhere close to that to get the main crux of what this game has to offer. I'll be honest, it does have me a bit worried for where the series goes from here, because this feels a lot like the closing chapter of a very large volume. Maybe that's a good thing though, who knows?
