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11. System Shock Not the remake, not the sequel, but the DOS original. It's amazing how much this game gets right given that nothing else really came before. The intelligent music system, the sprawling station layout, and the incredible audio from SHODAN's VA really hit all the right notes for me.

10. Cave Story Near and dear to my heart, I've been playing this game for over a decade and I still come back to it every so often. It blew my mind what a game could offer for free and it introduced me to the wonderful world of indie games. If you're a fan as well I recommend Kero Blaster! 🐸

9. Umihara Kawase This game quickly became one of my favourite platformers ever made, never mind for the Super Famicom. Tight, responsive controls, intelligent and thoughtful level design, and an emphasis on grappling hook physics that puts Bionic Commando to shame, I love this game.

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8. TowerClimb Another fantastic roguelike. It features obtuse controls with an extreme difficulty curve but once you learn the mechanics, everything clicks and there's a surprising amount of depth and nuance. It has given me incredible feelings of euphoria no other game has managed to achieve.

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7. UFO 50 There might be a bit of a recency bias behind this pick but I adore the fantasy console Mossmouth created as a foundation for all the games in this collection from the wavetable sound to the carefully selected colour palette, to the backstory of how all the games were "discovered." GOTY

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6. FTL: Faster Than Light This game introduced me to roguelikes, and it has kept me consistently coming back over the course of a decade. Many games have come out since then that have tried to emulate it, but nothing comes close that I've tried. Love this game so much :3

FTL: Faster Than Light cover art. Advanced Edition specifically

5. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair One of my favourite killing games. Great setting, characters, case design, and batshit insane plot. For me this is where Danganronpa peaked. V3 is great too but I will always have fond memories of playing this game for the first time.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair cover art

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4. Mother 3 Heartfelt sequel to one of the greatest RPGs ever made. Emotionally taxing in the best way possible, with an amazing (optional rhythm based) combat system to boot. Tackles some difficult subject matter and has some powerful themes revolving around capitalism and technology.

3. Ghost Trick Shu Takumi's magnum opus. The premise is you're a ghost and you have the power to go to 4 minutes before someone's death and revive them. Great writing, characters and timeless 3D pre-rendered art style that has aged incredibly well. Must play if you like Ace Attorney!

Cover art for Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. Originally released for the Nintendo DS and ported to iOS, PC and Switch.

2. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Play 999 first! The pacing drags a little due to the way the game is structured, but it still has some brilliant plot twists and amazing character writing. Cemented Uchikoshi has one of my favorite game directors. Excited for his next game, Last Defense Academy!

The cover art for Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward. Released on Vita, 3DS and PC.

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1. Snatcher Hideo Kojima's first PC88 project, Snatcher is a menu driven adventure game that combines elements of Blade Runner and Terminator to make an unforgettable cyberpunk experience. It left such an impression on me that I consider it to be my most beloved game. I hope to own a copy someday.

Cover art for Snatcher, an adventure game for the PC88.

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