“1000 Games You Must Play Before Game Over” [200-101]

It ain’t over ’til it’s over.
-Yogi Berra

All good things must come to an end, so they say. Well, here we are at our second to the last set of 100 games out of our 1000 Games collaborative celebration of gaming history, gaming joys, and reaching 1000 posts here at TWRM. I’ve enjoyed the ride. Let’s milk it a little longer.

We’ve got some really great games lined up here… Any of your favorites?

#0200. Darius Twin
Taito’s beloved shooter series, but actually balanced for console-play. A fun play of the Darius series that won’t require a jar of quarters to master.
-The Dapper Zaffre Mage

#0199. No More Heroes
This one-off gameplay was equal to Suda51’s crazy visions.
-The Hopeful Sega Mage

#0198. ICO
The underrated brother of SotC. There’s so much I could say about ICO. It’s dated, yes, but it’s ultimately charming. The relationship between Yorda and the protagonist is so strong despite the lack of conversation.
-The Final Fourteenth Mage

#0197. Slime Rancher
A life simulation FPS game… that doesn’t involve hyper-realistic gore and mayhem. The emphasis is very much on fun as you gather slimes and farm them. With its lively graphics and sense of fun, it’s a blast to play. Yeah?
-The Moronic Cheese Mage

#0196. GoldenEye 007
One of my favorite games from N64 as a kid. Not sure how it holds up, but it was so fun to play with friends.
-The Midnight Mystic Mage

#0195. Super Mario 3D Land
The best 3D platformer you’re gonna play on a handheld, that’s for sure.
-The Red Hot Chili Mage

#0194. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The CoD game that set the series apart from other shooting games. After this game, the series was never the same.
-The Shamrock Show Mage

#0193. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2
Yes, everyone likes the first one the best. But who doesn’t like the excuse to wield a lightsaber and choose between light and dark?
-The Green Screen Mage

#0192. Uncharted 4
The final chapter for Nathan and Elena is every bit as epic and well-crafted as you’d expect. It’s apparently quite a feat to continue to improve upon perfection, but Uncharted 4 proves it can be done.
-The Timely Mage

#0191. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Knock out the King Hippo! This game shouldn’t work, but it does! Gameplay that you don’t want to quit.
-The White Out Mage

#0190. Okami HD
This must be one of the most visually interesting games I’ve ever seen. It’s a vivid interpretation of Japanese mythology experienced like Capcom’s take on the Legend of Zelda.
-The Well-Red Mage

#0189. Star Wars – TIE Fighter 
As good as X-Wing was, TIE Fighter was even better. A terrific space flight simulator on its own, add the Star Wars license and let the player build a career as a crack TIE pilot with a dramatic story in internal strife in the Empire, and you’ve got something never quite replicated since.
-The Slipstream Mage

#0188. Castlevania 2
Though it often catches flak for being quirky and mistranslated, I enjoyed it greatly. Without this first attempt at a Castlevania with RPG elements, SOTN might not exist.
-The Indecisive Night Mage

#0187. Metroid Prime
Brought the Metroid formula to 3D with style and grace. Made the change in perspective work for Metroid and brought the series back to prominence.
-The New Age Retro Mage

#0186. Shining Force 2
While this game took a more nonlinear approach to Shining Force 1, it was just as brilliant in it’s execution. With impressive visuals and almost unlimited customization, there’s a reason fans of the franchise consider this one more highly than all others.
-The Normal Mage

#0185. Donkey Kong Country
The real king of Kong.
-The Wandering Mage

#0184. Theme Hospital
One of the most fun management-style games ever made. Finding new funny illnesses to cure kept this game interesting from start to finish.
-The Regional Exclusive Mage

#0183. Psychonauts
A great example of a platformer, as well as a genuinely great action game with likeable characters. Deals with very adult issues such as mental health and death on a very childlike level. Cult classic.
-The Off-Centered Earth Mage

#0182. Metro 2033
A first-person shooter with an interesting story in post-apocalyptic Russia that really expresses the idea of conservation of ammo.
-The Kingly Yellow Mage

#0181. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
A group of students is trapped in their school and forced to kill each other by a homicidal bear. Is it brilliant? Yes, and also followed by three equally-as-amazing games full of twists.
-The Blood-Stained Metal Mage

#0180. Bloodborne
-The Silver Sentinel Mage

#0179. Dragon Warrior (aka Dragon Quest)
Gaining levels in this game instilled discipline.
-The Bookwarm Mage

#0178. Jade Cocoon 2
A step-up from the first with a lot more colorful characters. Think primitive Pokémon and add fairies. The story doesn’t make sense until the end, but very fun to play.
-The Keeper of the Darkness Flame Mage

#0177. Fatal Frame 2
Who knew taking pictures of angry ghosts in an abandoned Japanese village could be so creepy? Well, nevermind. I answered my own question.
-The Middle-aged Horror Mage

#0176. Command & Conquer: Red Alert
The original was good, and Red Alert perfected C&C. One of the best real-time strategy games ever created, Red Alert, with its actually filmed cinematics and clever alternate timeline WW2 campaign, stands as a champion of the genre.
-The Ink-Stained Mage

#0175. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Huge, engaging adventure with plenty of heart and clever twists on fantasy tropes.
-The Bizzaro Mage

#0174. Lufia 2
A very well done JRPG on the SNES. The SNES is known as a bastion of good JRPGs and this one is certainly a top tier game. It’s a prequel to the first Lufia game, so in essence, you may want to play this one first. Easy to use battle system, great story, only gripe is that it starts off slow, but stick with it and you’ll see why it is so good.
-The Beer Mage

#0173. The Stanley Parable
More of an experience than a video game. If you’ve ever pondered the concept of player agency then you’re in for a treat and, if you’re like me and you play through the game multiple times in a single sitting, you’re bound to start questioning your own existence.
-The Optimistically Sentimental Alabaster Mage

#0172. Dark Cloud
Severely underrated action RPG gem by Level-5. Still plays just as good nearly 20 years later.
-The Blue Moon Mage

#0171. Sid Meier’s Civilization IV
The Civilization series is a mainstay even for those who aren’t usually into strategy, and IV is perhaps the archetypical entry. Whether this is your usual fare or not, you’ll find yourself ‘just-one-more-turn’-ing for hours at a time.
-The Sometimes Vaguely Philosophical Mage

#0170. BioShock
Dystopian, steampunk, period piece horror, FPS with an engrossing story and one of the all-time greatest twists in gaming.
-The ABXY Mage

#0169. Mega Man Legends
A game that was completely out of left field for the Blue Bomber. Combines action, exploration/RPG elements with an interesting story set in the far-flung future where the world is completely submerged.
-The Hyperactive Coffee Mage

#0168. Doki Doki Literature Club
A surprise from head to toe, this game turns its player’s expectations on their heads and executes this in a way only a game could.
-The Mail Order Ninja Mage

#0167. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
500 years after the catastrophic end to XIII-2, Lightning becomes God’s puppet to guide souls to a new world. An incredibly rewarding experience… if you can get past the steep learning curve.
-The Livid Lightning Mage

#0166. Grim Fandango
LucasArts adventure games at their height. Imaginative world, fantastic story, great puzzles.
-The Badly Backlogged Mage

#0165. Celeste
With many qualities leading it to be a great impact on people, Celeste‘s story covers a girl with anxiety doing her best to overcome it. Coinciding with this, the gameplay has one overcoming their normal instinct to give up on a regular basis.
-The Valiant Vision Mage

#0164. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
The JRPG perfected. It takes the formula of traveling around the world with the goal of collecting a number of magical artifacts, adds the charm and humor of the Mario universe, and tops it off with compelling paper gimmicks and an engaging battle system. The world feels alive thanks to its diverse locations and humorous writing.
-The Iron Mage

#0163. Space Invaders
The first game with multiple lives and reactive bosses, and to imagine new things rather than imitate reality. Space Invaders introduced imagination to gaming, demonstrating that they could be about absolutely anything.
-The Purple Prose Mage

#0162. Phantasy Star Online EP 1 & 2
Probably -the- defining game of PSO, making the change from turn-based RPG to action 4-player co-op. Sci-fantasy has never had a better aesthetic.
-The Dapper Zaffre Mage

#0161. Fantasy Zone
Underrated Master System shooter, addictive and visually appealing.
-The Hopeful Sega Mage

#0160. Dragon Age: Origins
No other DA game can top Origins. What a great story and set of characters. Alistair is the standout but they’re all wonderful. The choices and endings will be with me for a long time.
-The Final Fourteenth Mage

#0159. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
An action-packed little adventure on the Game Boy, I sunk many hours into this. Wario’s various powers separated him from Mario’s platformers, but its chunky presentation helps the game look great on the small screen. Plus, it’s fun to play – and it’s Wario!
-The Moronic Cheese Mage

#0158. Super Smash Bros.
The dream come true: you could battle it out with all of your favorite video game characters!
-The Midnight Mystic Mage

#0157. Sonic Colours
Modern Sonic games have been a bit dodgy but this one was innovative, brilliantly designed and great fun.
-The Red Hot Chili Mage

#0156. Sonic the Hedgehog
The Sonic game that started all of the hype. Run as fast as you can through each level and catch as many rings as possible.
-The Shamrock Show Mage

#0155. Gears of War
Another Microsoft classic. This time the baddies come from below. A fun FPS with a surprisingly heart wrenching story.
-The Green Screen Mage

#0154. Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon’s story is as engaging as its gameplay. Playing a post-post-apocalyptic huntress stalking robotic dinosaurs is apparently as fun as it sounds. Game of a generation material.
-The Timely Mage

#0153. Anticipation
It’s like Pictionary drawn by a computer. Anticipate that you will not know what the heck is being drawn, and laugh when you figure it out! Be confused forever by the handful of pictures you can’t guess.
-The White Out Mage

#0152. The Legend of Zelda
A massive open-world adventure on the NES that got many people (like me!) into video games in the first place. This seemingly endless world was filled with so many secrets, dungeons, and enemies, it was haunting, addicting, enthralling, and it always left an impact on me every time I played it. Oh, and it also kicked off one of the most iconic and beloved video game franchises in history.
-The Well-Red Mage

#0151. Panzer Dragoon Saga
An emotional and evocative RPG set in an incredible and unique world, where a boy and his dragon are the only hope against a brutal empire oppressing the lands with their armada of airships. Adds in a terrific combat system that allows for customizing your dragon’s for varied combat situations.
-The Slipstream Mage

#0150. Metroid 2: Return of Samus
Though the Game Boy was very limiting to work with, M2ROS Developers managed to give birth to a rather gigantic connected world in comparison to most other Game Boy platformers. Some of my favorite pieces of Metroid equipment actually got their start here.
-The Indecisive Night Mage

#0149. Conker’s Bad Fur Day
Cursing, the lewdest humor around, pop culture references and a giant, singing pile of poo. What more could anyone want in a platformer?
-The New Age Retro Mage

#0148. Shining Force 1
This underappreciated gem defines the tactical RPG genre, though nobody seems to want to talk about it. Modern franchises like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics owe a lot to this series.
-The Normal Mage

#0147. Terraria
2D Minecraft, but also better.
-The Wandering Mage

#0146. Day of the Tentacle Remastered
Intelligent time-travel based puzzles with a twisted sense of humour, unforgettable characters and hilarious animations. Despite Maniac Mansion being a classic, this sequel blows it away.
-The Regional Exclusive Mage

#0145. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
Wow, this game was just perfect for me. Genuinely satisfying combat as well as an amazing concept. If you know, you know.
-The Off-Centered Earth Mage

#0144. Saints Row: The Third
What simply started as a clone of Grand Theft Auto has matured into this amalgamation of bizarre characters and extravagant combat. This entry began the off-the-rails nature that the series is known for now.
-The Kingly Yellow Mage

#0143. Deadly Premonition
A quirky survival horror heavily inspired by Twin Peaks. Despite occasionally clunky gameplay and visuals, the story and characters make for an extremely unique experience.
-The Blood-Stained Metal Mage

#0142. The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
-The Silver Sentinel Mage

#0141. Zelda II: Link’s Adventure
Classic example of taking what ain’t broke and trying to fix it, with interesting results.
-The Bookwarm Mage

#0140. Breath of Fire III
One of those early RPG games that really started something great in role-playing. A wonderful improvement from its previous instalment to further challenge the juggernaut they call Final Fantasy. And you get to be a Dragon! Or is it Dragon-Man? … Man-Dragon? IDK, just play it.
-The Keeper of the Darkness Flame Mage

#0139. Silent Hill 2
Atmospheric, creepy, and still one of the most insane plot twists of all time, Silent Hill 2 is horror perfection. The PS2 was a treasure trove for horror fans and Team Silent’s second entry stands above them all.
-The Middle-aged Horror Mage

#0138. Ecco the Dolphin
It was something totally different for its time, and still holds up this day as strange and weird and surprisingly unsettling. Pristine beauty and Geiger-level horror, all while playing as a dolphin. Ecco was a huge part of my childhood.
-The Ink-Stained Mage

#0137. Rocket Knight Adventures
Beautiful and challenging with great tunes, Konami at their zenith.
-The Bizzaro Mage

#0136. Valkyrie Profile
A 2D RPG/platformer on the PS1 with beautiful visuals that still hold up today. In the 32/64 bit era, there was a race to make everything 3D even when it didn’t need it. VP didn’t cheapen the experience with blocky polygons, but rather beautifully detailed looking sprites. The gameplay is well crafted and the story is fun and emotional. A little on the expensive side for a physical copy, but if you see it in the wild, buy it. You won’t regret it.
-The Beer Mage

#0135. The Talos Principle
Without Portal I don’t think this game would exist, but Portal isn’t on my list mainly because Talos Principle executes on the first-person narrative puzzle genre in such a deft way. Simple to figure out and enjoy, but absolutely loaded with depth and a near-perfect difficulty curve.
-The Optimistically Sentimental Alabaster Mage

#0134. Hollow Knight
Gorgeous and melancholy yet hopeful. A challenging game that all Metroidvania fans MUST play.
-The Blue Moon Mage

#0133. The Last Guardian
I’m not sure I’ve ever had an emotional experience with a game like the one The Last Guardian delivers. It explores one relationship between two characters, makes that its entire subject, and does an incredible job communicating it.
-The Sometimes Vaguely Philosophical Mage

#0132. Resident Evil 4
Expertly blends the elements of survival horror and third-person action-shooters in a way unmatched by even any other RE game.
-The ABXY Mage

#0131. Persona 3 Portable
A fantastic JRPG that is vastly superior to whatever Japanese companies are dishing out today. With a rich, engaging story, tough fights and interesting characters, both playable and not, Atlus shows how to do JRPGs right.
-The Hyperactive Coffee Mage

#0130. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni No Kuni features gorgeous Studio Ghibli artwork combined with the game-making know-how of Level 5. A heartfelt adventure that is definitely worth embarking on.
-The Mail Order Ninja Mage

#0129. RiME
Grief is a powerful and awful journey. This interpretation of the painful feelings that make up grief will touch your soul in a way few stories can.
-The Livid Lightning Mage

#0128. The Secret of Monkey Island
The first time LucasArts nailed what would become their iconic “point & click” aesthetic. Spawned several sequels, one of which is good.
-The Badly Backlogged Mage

#0127. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Have you ever wanted a strategy-RPG that had you really, really feeling for its characters? Fire Emblem usually does an amazing job at this, and Shadows of Valentia has full voice-acting among its characters in order to amplify the feelings.
-The Valiant Vision Mage

#0126. Old School RuneScape
On the surface, it’s a clunky, dated, generic fantasy RPG that seems to be cashing in on the nostalgia of its player base… But at its core, it is one of the most densely packed, charming, and rewarding MMOs to ever exist, with obscene amounts of content at every turn.
-The Iron Mage

#0125. Grand Theft Auto III
It set the standard for verisimilitude in a realistic setting and brought maturity to the gaming mainstream.
-The Purple Prose Mage

#0124. Star Tropics
A great top-down adventure that was like a more polished Zelda title. Oddly one of the rare examples of NA getting a great game that never released in Japan.
-The Dapper Zaffre Mage

#0123. Castlevania
Everything that’s right with Nintendo-Hard ’80s gaming.
-The Hopeful Sega Mage

#0122. Catherine
What other game has a huge butt monster? Really, though, the puzzles were amazing and quite complex. It is the perfect mix of challenging yet rewarding. Baa!
-The Final Fourteenth Mage

#0121. Star Ghost
An addictive and innovative space shooter from a former Retro Studios employee, featuring a David Wise soundtrack. Obscure? Yes, but a steal on your Wii U or Switch; the challenging gameplay mechanics call for surprising strategy elements as you battle for high scores.
-The Moronic Cheese Mage

#0120. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
One of the best games that there is and definitely the best Star Wars game.
-The Midnight Mystic Mage

#0119. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The best fighting game in general. I don’t know how the hell they managed to make it better than Smash 4 but gosh darn they did it.
-The Red Hot Chili Mage

#0118. Pokémon Red Version / Blue Version
An amazing journey to catching many classic Pokémon characters.
-The Shamrock Show Mage

#0117. Undertale
A friendly pacifist? Or genocidal maniac? In Undertale, you decide your path.
-The Green Screen Mage

#0116. Journey
A transcendent journey through the warmth and turmoil of life. A wordless story that resonates with a truth deep within all of us.
-The Timely Mage

#0115. Lemmings
Frustratingly addictive. Victory dance for all puzzle solvers!
-The White Out Mage

#0114. Shadow of the Colossus [PS4]
Shadow of the Colossus was already a stellar game, and then the PS4 remaster came along. Now it’s a 10/10 as far as I’m concerned, perfect and perfectly captivating, morose, serene, and powerful, a game to which nothing more can be added or taken away without detracting from it.
-The Well-Red Mage

#0113. Star Wars [Arcade]
The first truly immersive arcade game, especially when playing the sit-down cabinet. Vector graphics, stellar controls, and a licensed soundtrack with recognizable digitized voice audio clips. The Force will be with you, always.
-The Slipstream Mage

#0112. Altered Beast
Though it wasn’t the best sample of Sega’s graphics and sound, it was a solid beat ’em up being the first beater to give the player stages of transformation while offering a mythological atmosphere and arcade-style challenge/gameplay.
-The Indecisive Night Mage

#0111. Super Smash Bros. Melee
The fan favorite that created an a massive following that is still ongoing to this day. For better or for worse.
-The New Age Retro Mage

#0110. Ristar
The best platformer on the Genesis, and that includes the Sonic games. Ristar deserves mad praise for its technical achievements, musical compositions, and innovating gameplay on a system that was already well past its prime. In a parallel universe, Ristar shines brightly as a franchise full of quality titles.
-The Normal Mage

#0109. Dragon’s Dogma
A solid RPG with amazing replayability.
-The Wandering Mage

#0108. The 7th Guest
One of the first games to make full use of CD media, this was a real game changer. So many puzzles and a genuinely creepy storyline, 7th Guest is a true classic.
-The Regional Exclusive Mage

#0107. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
You don’t even need to be a fan of the series to play this. If you’re a fan of 80’s spy movies or films along the lines of Rambo and the older Bond movies, this is a great experience nonetheless. Oh and if you’re a fan, BIG BOSS!
-The Off-Centered Earth Mage

#0106. L.A. Noire
An open-world marvel that has not been replicated. How often do you get to play a detective in a crime-ridden city that mirrors the ones in Grand Theft Auto?
-The Kingly Yellow Mage

#0105. Finding Paradise
The sequel to To the Moon. Like the first game, you play as a man and woman seeking to fulfil a dying man’s wish. Prepare for more tears.
-The Blood-Stained Metal Mage

#0104. Advance Wars
-The Silver Sentinel Mage

#0103. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Brilliant design, unforgettable secrets.
-The Bookwarm Mage

#0102. MS Saga: A New Dawn
If you are a fan of the Gundam series but want an RPG element, this is a great one to try. You literally build your mobile suit throughout the game. And it’s Gundam!
-The Keeper of the Darkness Flame Mage

#0101. Persona 5
Perhaps not as memorable as Persona 4‘s cast and story, the series’ fifth entry oozes style from every virtual orifice and remains one of the best JRPGs of the current console generation. Rarely do I look forward to spending 150 hours with a single game that isn’t an MMO, but for the Persona series I’ll always make an exception.
-The Middle-aged Horror Mage

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage, Mage Cast, or Story Mode.