@RSM-HQ: I always disagree with those publications’ lists too. However, they provide a general view of what the consensus is on “best game of ________.” Whether you find that important or not depends on how much you value the opinion of the tribe, which is determined by your own personality. I’m somewhere in between. I use public opinion to discover new things, and then I assess those things through my own lens. I assumed that you knew that when I mentioned “My Top Games of _________,” it was a comparison of the games I have played, not some arrogant statement as to what are “objectively the best games ever.” Obviously, “new” games enter my favorites lists all the time. My opinion is always changing, and I claim not to be an authority on “the best ________ ever, for that would be foolish.

Determining which game ranks above another in my mind depends on a game’s mechanics and gameplay loop first and foremost. It’s obviously subjective, but one of the reasons ranking games is easier for me than ranking songs is that I consider games to be more of a science than an art. Other factors are intuition and gut, qualities that do not fit into “rational thought” but are still valuable in an individual assessment of one’s own experiences. It obviously has no bearing on YOUR personal experiences, and I do not expect it to. However, another’s opinion can set expectations high or low.

Someone set your expectations high for Dragon Age 3, or else you would not have reacted so strongly with disappointment. It is really not completely rational to let the individual opinion or collective opinion of others tint your expectations, but you allowed it to happen to you, it seems.

I will say that I cannot rank my favorite songs of all time because, while I examine the technical aspects of music as important in my critique, I cannot fairly lump so many kinds of songs across centuries and cultures together for comparison’s sake. So maybe that’s how you are with games. Games, to me, just hit differently.

So, to summarize, I would agree that “rational thought” in ranking games is not what primarily determines it for me but the gut instinct and feeling/experience with playing it, “having fun” as you put it earlier. “Having fun” looks different depending on the person.

I respect how you think, though. You helped me consider how to look at games differently, and that comparing them isn’t a logical action. I can concede to that for the most part.

Edit: I never liked GTA, and I don’t like many “critically acclaimed” games.

I can’t think of any developer that has innovated in gameplay and turned the industry on its head more times than Nintendo. It almost feels like a lie to say anyone else.

Linear platformers are my favorite type of games, so yes.

@RSM-HQ: You’re playing role of critic when you criticize Dragon Age 3, though. If you can only narrow down favorite games in certain genres to 5-10, why can you logically not continue the process of elimination? The process of narrowing down games through comparison and contrast is the exercise of determining “the best _________ of the year, of all time” etc. You just don’t like completing the process, and that is okay. People have different cognitive functions with which they operate. We all have different operating systems.

It’s interesting that you have so much vitriol towards someone who can categorize their opinions in a way that is satisfactory to them, while you completely accept your categorization.

In the end, it’s really not THAT serious either way. They’re games.

@RSM-HQ: A few of the games you listed are on my “to play” list. I’m sure they’ll show up in some other year’s list, haha.

I can rank my Top 100 games without any trouble. It comes down to personality and psyche. Some people like to organize their opinions with numbers and rankings, and others do not. To many, it just seems pointless, or they get caught up in the little details and cannot justifiably put one item above another on a list. If you look at my blog, you will see my Top 100 Games of All Time. That list will look a little different these days. I will update it in the future, but many games, particularly the ones near the top, will stay in the same area, most likely.

I usually just play one game at a time, but sports games can fill that spot of an ”in between“ game for me.

Super Mega Baseball 3 has been a go-to lately. Since it’s the last week of school, I’ve been playing through a short, customized season with one of my classes to see how far we get. Looks like elimination in the first round of the playoffs. :(

This game is releasing at the perfect time for me. Summer break for teachers in my district begins next week. Gonna pick the game up today amidst errand running.

I have enjoyed @ConanTheStoner’s take on the game so far. It has me excited to jump in!

Trump. DeSantis doesn’t have the gumption or boldness that Trump has, but DeSantis is still pretty good.

@Pedro: I’m saying you can’t prove that a special bias towards Zelda exists because it is Zelda. TOTK has a 6/10 score on Metacritic. What if I believe that whoever gave it that score is anti-Nintendo or anti-Zelda because they are tired of Zelda getting high scores? Isn’t that also a valid point in your world? It’s not provable, but it’s the same argument.