15 Kid Icarus: Uprising - Talk about reviving a dead franchise. Masahiro Sakurai not only brought the Kid Icarus series back to life, but supercharged it in the process. Going from a simple 2D platformer to an on rails / third person shooter mix sounds insane on paper, but boy does it work. The flying sections are very similar to the gameplay of Star Fox 64, only much crazier and visually impressing. They serve as a nice warm up for the on foot sections, which I actually enjoyed more. The gameplay is given a nice sense of depth thanks to an abundance of different weapons for you to play around with. Whether you like getting up close for melee attacks or sniping off foes from a distance, there's a weapon type for everyone. This is all fine and dandy, but what puts this game on another level is the dialogue. Every character in the game has extremely well written lines with great voice acting to back it up. The banter between Pit, Palutena, Viridi, Hades, and my personal favorite, Thanatos, is unequivocally entertaining. Sakurai always puts his whole heart into every game he develops and it certainly shows here.
14 Kirby's Epic Yarn - How ironic is it that my favorite Kirby game doesn't even play like a Kirby game? That's not to say I'm complaining mind you, quite the opposite. While it may not have started off as a Kirby game, it still has all the charm the series is known for. Good Feel crafted an absolutely stunning world made from yarn and fabric. It really is a beautiful game with great attention to detail and it nails the concept. The gameplay immerses you in the patchwork world even further by allowing you to interact with parts of the levels. The levels themselves are a ton of fun to play through with creative designs such as a giant beanstalk, a jungle full of dinosaurs, a level made of instruments, and a very cozy cabin. There are also a number of transformations which take the place of copy abilities. The Fire Engine and Dolphin are especially fun, but they all provide a nice twist. The soundtrack is also excellent, mainly consisting of piano pieces. It may not be the hardest game out there, but it's bursting with charm and never failed to make me smile.
13 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - Despite being based on a portly red plumber best know for his platformers, the Mario & Luigi series are some of the finest RPG's out there. What makes Bowser's Inside Story stand out is the ability to play as none other than the Koopa King himself. That's right, for the majority of the overworld portions of the game you get to control Bowser, battling enemies, solving puzzles, and learning new abilities as you go. Of course, the Mario Bros. are present as well, but Bowser really steals the show here thanks to some masterful dialogue that gives him some much needed personality. In fact, the game is downright hilarious, keeping the fantastic sense of humor the series is known for. This game has everything you could ask for in an RPG and then some.
12 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - Superstar Saga narrowly beats Bowser's Inside Story as my favorite game in the Mario & Luigi series. While Inside Story has better visuals and more refined gameplay, I prefer Superstar Saga just because of how weird it is. Rather than taking place in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi travel to the Bean Bean Kingdom, which is delightfully odd. It's a place that feels very foreign to what we are accustomed to from Mario, and I love it. This was also the game I feel gave personalities to Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser. The Bean Bean Kingdom is also home to some entertaining characters of its own, with Popple and Prince Peasely being standouts. Everything else is what you would expect from a Mario & Luigi game, but the change in scenery helps it stand out and feel different enough from games that came after it. Also, Luigi is hilarious in this game. Seriously, just go play it for yourself.
11 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - If there was ever a game to showcase how a game can be an experience, this would be it. I don't want to say too much about it for fear of spoiling anything for those who haven't played the game yet, but it's an incredible journey to say the least. Over the span of 3 hours I was drawn into the story and world unlike any other game I've played. The gameplay consists of fairly simple puzzles performed using only two buttons. The twist is that you control both brothers simultaneously using both analogue sticks. Narrative is the game's true strong point however. Though the characters only speak in gibberish, it tells an extremely compelling story. More impressive it its ability to show the relationship of the brothers and how they grow along the journey, all without using words. Those three hours I spent in the game were the most engrossing and emotional I have ever experienced in a video game. This game is nothing short of a masterpiece and I highly recommend you play it.
14 Kirby's Epic Yarn - How ironic is it that my favorite Kirby game doesn't even play like a Kirby game? That's not to say I'm complaining mind you, quite the opposite. While it may not have started off as a Kirby game, it still has all the charm the series is known for. Good Feel crafted an absolutely stunning world made from yarn and fabric. It really is a beautiful game with great attention to detail and it nails the concept. The gameplay immerses you in the patchwork world even further by allowing you to interact with parts of the levels. The levels themselves are a ton of fun to play through with creative designs such as a giant beanstalk, a jungle full of dinosaurs, a level made of instruments, and a very cozy cabin. There are also a number of transformations which take the place of copy abilities. The Fire Engine and Dolphin are especially fun, but they all provide a nice twist. The soundtrack is also excellent, mainly consisting of piano pieces. It may not be the hardest game out there, but it's bursting with charm and never failed to make me smile.
13 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - Despite being based on a portly red plumber best know for his platformers, the Mario & Luigi series are some of the finest RPG's out there. What makes Bowser's Inside Story stand out is the ability to play as none other than the Koopa King himself. That's right, for the majority of the overworld portions of the game you get to control Bowser, battling enemies, solving puzzles, and learning new abilities as you go. Of course, the Mario Bros. are present as well, but Bowser really steals the show here thanks to some masterful dialogue that gives him some much needed personality. In fact, the game is downright hilarious, keeping the fantastic sense of humor the series is known for. This game has everything you could ask for in an RPG and then some.
12 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - Superstar Saga narrowly beats Bowser's Inside Story as my favorite game in the Mario & Luigi series. While Inside Story has better visuals and more refined gameplay, I prefer Superstar Saga just because of how weird it is. Rather than taking place in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Luigi travel to the Bean Bean Kingdom, which is delightfully odd. It's a place that feels very foreign to what we are accustomed to from Mario, and I love it. This was also the game I feel gave personalities to Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser. The Bean Bean Kingdom is also home to some entertaining characters of its own, with Popple and Prince Peasely being standouts. Everything else is what you would expect from a Mario & Luigi game, but the change in scenery helps it stand out and feel different enough from games that came after it. Also, Luigi is hilarious in this game. Seriously, just go play it for yourself.
11 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - If there was ever a game to showcase how a game can be an experience, this would be it. I don't want to say too much about it for fear of spoiling anything for those who haven't played the game yet, but it's an incredible journey to say the least. Over the span of 3 hours I was drawn into the story and world unlike any other game I've played. The gameplay consists of fairly simple puzzles performed using only two buttons. The twist is that you control both brothers simultaneously using both analogue sticks. Narrative is the game's true strong point however. Though the characters only speak in gibberish, it tells an extremely compelling story. More impressive it its ability to show the relationship of the brothers and how they grow along the journey, all without using words. Those three hours I spent in the game were the most engrossing and emotional I have ever experienced in a video game. This game is nothing short of a masterpiece and I highly recommend you play it.