Video Games!

There's a certain satisfaction you can only get from playing a video game. Books and comics engage my imagination like nothing else, but video games... well, now that I'm thinking of a way to explain it properly, I find I'm coming up short without resorting to some sort of generic description. I think the best way to talk about the medium would be to talk about specific games.

So, just like I did for my favorite comics (see 12/30/20!), I put together a 5x5 for my favorite video games. To reiterate how the grid is organized: the closer a square is to the middle, the more I like it. So, Tier 4 makes up the outer perimeter; Tier 3 is made up of the four squares in an "X" formation around the center; Tier 2 is made up of the four squares in a "+" formation around the center; and finally, Tier 1 is the center itself. (Yes, I just copied and pasted the description from my own blog post. What are you gonna do, report my plagiarism to... me?)

Like last time, we'll start with Tier 4, and I'll attach links (some of which are to Wikipedia because I unfortunately couldn't find anything better, but let's be honest: we all use Wikipedia daily) for those interested in the games at hand. Enjoy!

TIER 4

• Persona 4 Golden -- A few years back, I never would've called myself a JRPG fan, but the Persona series almost singlehandedly changed my mind. P4G's not the first game in the series that I played (that honor goes to Persona 5), but it somehow feels like I played it a long time ago. Maybe it's the small town vibes. It just feels so... homey. Or maybe it's Nanako Dojima. God bless her soul.
• Yoshi's Island -- This is a game that I actually did play a long time ago, and have played many times since. Outside of Pokémon games, it was the first game I played that truly got its hooks into me and never let go. That metaphor's a bit too violent for Yoshi's Island, actually. Let me put it this way instead: I touched fuzzy and have been dizzy ever since. (I played the GBA version, by the way.)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim -- I can't even begin to imagine how much time I put into this enormous fantasy world. My first playthrough was 250 hours, but then I played it again, and again, and again, and... yeah. The graphics haven't aged well and the game's far from perfect, but many of my fondest gaming memories are in the snowy northern reaches of Tamriel, glitches and all.
• Octopath Traveler -- I've played a lot of beautiful-looking games in my time, but I've never played a game that looks like this one. Rendered in stunning 2.5D (look it up!), the game boasts some of the most gorgeous vistas in the industry, one of the most hummable OSTs ever, and an excellent cast of characters to ground it all. Tressa's the best, though. ("For you!")
• Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls -- Despite releasing in 2015, this entry in the seminal Danganronpa franchise is as clunky as a PS2 game (and looks like one, too). You don't play this game for the gameplay, though: you play it for the characters. More specifically, the leading ladies: Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa (one of my favorite characters ever). Their bond is everything.
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception -- Nathan Drake is my favorite video game character of all time, and one of my favorites period. His third adventure has some of the best action set pieces in the franchise -- and that's saying something. At the time, I thought it was the series closer (even though the ending was a bit open-ended); had that been the case, I would've been more than satisfied.
• WarioWare: Smooth Moves -- There's something to be said about games that, for lack of a better phrase, embrace the fact that they're games. They can be as crazy or inventive as they want to be. That's exactly what this WarioWare entry is: a no-holds-barred, all-out video game. And talk about masterful use of the Wii's motion controls. They'll be studying the Mortar and Pestle for years to come.
• Mass Effect 2 -- Star Wars got me into space operas, but I'd argue that the original Mass Effect trilogy is the space opera, and argue further that the middle child is the most loveable of the bunch. The first acts as a great opener, and the third has the best gameplay, but 2 has the best story hands down, and that's something I value immensely in games like this. So pumped for the remake!
• Ghost of Tsushima -- The Sly Cooper games marked my first foray with Sucker Punch, and I loved Infamous, but Ghost and Tsushima is far and away the developer's most monumental achievement to date. While I did feel the gameplay got a little repetitive (though the palpable progression system was nice), the story, graphics, and characters (Yuna!) are all 10/10 in my book.
• Persona 3: FES -- I hate this game's combat. Hate it with every iota of my existence. Tartarus, where the combat mainly takes place, will forever be ingrained in my memory as a place of absolute suffering and torment. What pushed me to keep going, then? You should be able to guess by now: the story and characters. What they go through... Jesus Christ. I love them dearly, dearly I do.
• Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia -- Fire Emblem has issues, as any Fire Emblem fan will happily tell you. I wasn't privy to those issues going into Echoes, my first game in the franchise, and that turned out to be for the best. It allowed me to enjoy the experience unbiased, and I ended up truly loving the game, in spite of the issues I dug up of my own accord. I could listen to the OST all day.
• God of War III -- "ATHENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword -- The statue of Link that I have on my dresser is based on the silent hero's Skyward Sword appearance, and I don't regret the pricey purchase one bit. Many people regret playing the game, but I don't regret that, either; I didn't have the motion control issues everyone else claimed to. I just enjoyed a wonderful Zelda story -- my favorite to date.
• Bloodborne -- "We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood... Fear the Old Blood." Yeah. This is probably the craziest game I've ever played -- not in the same way WarioWare is crazy, but because of how wholly it embraces its gothic and Lovecraftian influences. Of the FromSoftware games on this list, Bloodborne has the richest atmosphere.
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker -- When you say "adventure," I say "Wind Waker." No matter how many times I play this game, I can all but smell the brine as Link unfurls his sail and sets forth across the Great Sea, nothing but the unknown before him. Skyward Sword may be my favorite Zelda story, but Wind Waker is without question my favorite Zelda game.
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses -- If there's any one Fire Emblem game that unveils the potential behind the franchise, it's this one. This is the Fire Emblem game that I'll happily speak to the flaws of -- not because I loath it, but because I love it, and I know Intelligent Systems can do better. Still, it wouldn't be on this list if it wasn't extremely precious to me... or if Annette wasn't in it (see 12/17/20!).

TIER 3

• Dark Souls III -- Imagine you're walking on top of a storm cloud, and somehow, there are statues of what seem to be dragons floating on top of it with you. Now imagine looking up, and seeing an actual dragon fly down; a large man with an even larger, electrically-charged spear is atop the dragon. That's Dark Souls III. Of the FromSoftware games on this list, it has the most memorable boss battles.
• Shadow of the Colossus -- When I first tried playing SOTC on the PS2, I was bored and confused. My second attempt on the PS3 wasn't much different. The game finally struck a chord with me with the PS4 remake -- many chords, actually. The minimalistic storytelling on display here is some of the most brilliant work in video games, as is the unforgettable OST. And the boss battles -- the colossi? *wipes sweat from brow*
• NieR:Automata -- As far as gifts I've received go, this game is among the absolute best. Whatever made my brother think this game would be perfect for me is the kind of genius you only experience once in a life time. I love the story and characters oh so much, but if I had to take one thing from this game, it'd be the OST. There's no question: it's the best OST ever. Ever. Prove me wrong.
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves -- Years ago, I found this game lying on a table at my cousin's house. She told me it was really easy, which inspired me to give the franchise a shot. It wasn't that hard, but that wasn't the point: I fell in love immediately, and bought the second game soon after. For a long time, it was my favorite in the series, until a certain unexpected fourth installment arrived.

TIER 2

• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate -- I don't consider any of the games on this list "just games," but SSBU is the one entry on this list that's truly "more than just a game," since I've entered tournaments for it. My brothers and I live and breathe Smash as a whole, and in my humble opinion, this is the best one yet. For those wondering, I play Ike and Link... and am crossing my fingers for 2B or Solaire as DLC.
• The Last of Us -- While there are games I've spent more actual time playing, I don't think I've played any game as many times as TLOU. The first time I played it back in 2013, I was so moved I told my English teacher about it, and she happily discussed it with me despite barely having touched an Atari. The twelfth time (yep, played it 12 times), I still found myself in awe. I imagine I always will.
• Dark Souls -- I dabbled in Dark Souls on the PS3, dropped it, played through Dark Souls III years later, and knew I had to go back and see what I'd missed. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I can play it with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back nowadays, yet it still manages to amaze me. Of the FromSoftware games on this list, Dark Souls has the most vivid world.
• Persona 5 Royal -- I'll never forget attempting to navigate P5's subway system with my brother at the controls, as it's the thing that convinced me to play the game myself. I'll never let go of the bonds I forged with Sojiro Sakura, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Makoto Niijima. And I'll never, ever experience something quite like this again. What a special game, man. What a special game.

TIER 1

• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End -- Sic parvis magna. It means greatness, from small beginnings. It's the motto Nathan Drake and I both live our lives by, and it's the perfect way -- the only way -- to understand what this game means to me. I'm having a hard time even thinking of anything else to say, even though there's so much it's not even funny. I guess... I guess I'll say this: Don't let life get in the way of the people you love, and don't let the people you love get in the way of life. Striking a balance is a lifelong challenge, but it's one you'll have to undertake no matter what, so commit everything you have to seeing it through.

Another super-long post down! I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I do writing them, Dear Reader. Until next time, stay safe and play some video games -- and let me know if you play any good ones!