One of my most favorite games of all time, and one that I always find myself coming back to. There is just always something to do in this game, and the endless modding possibilities make it never got old to me. Last year around this time I started my true 100% playthrough of it, going through every single version in existence and going for not only all achievements, but also all blocks, items, mobs, terrain generators, biomes... And I gotta say, this is the game I've had the most fun with throughout the entire year. Seeing it evolve in real time has been a very interesting experience, and I have a long way to go until I "beat" it.

I think I will be excluding this game in future lists, just because I play it pretty much every year, and it will likely always be in the top 10 games.

Although this is one of many replays for me, this game is as good as I remember it from my childhood. Everything about it was great; the story, memorable cast of characters, some fun missions, fantastic open world, smooth driving, great music... Despite completing the game 100%, a task that's normally tedious with these types of games, I had a blast all the way through. If I had any complaints about this game, it'd be about the late game... Being forced to date that one girl in Las Venturas and then the return to Lost Santos bit was a bit annoying...

Overall though, easily my favorite GTA game and one of the best in the series all around.

This one was a tough choice, since I really enjoyed all the Metal Gear games. Throughout the past year, I've taken it upon myself to complete (though not 100%) every single mainline Metal Gear game. Each one was a masterpiece in its own right, and I am glad I finally got to sit down and experience the full series. Although from all the games that I played, this one is my absolute favorite. This is doubly so because I also played it for the first time back in 2017, whereas some others (like 2 and 4) I played for the first time this year, and yet this game is still my favorite.

Everything about it is just oozing polish. It has some of the best stealth gameplay in the seventh generation, some pretty neat survival mechanics, a deep but easily to follow story, memorable characters, moments and setpieces... Just a wonderful experience that I recommend to any stealth gamer out there.

You cannot go wrong with good old Skyrim. This was probably my 5th or 6th playthrough, and it reminded me just why this game was such a success. Although the combat is dull and the writing is mediocre to sometimes just laughable, the magic of this game comes from leveling up your character and just having the freedom to explore the world at your own leisure and do any quest you want. It also has some fantastic role-playing mechanics I have yet to see replicated in another game, such as the ability to marry and have a family, build your own home etc.

Although far from the best RPG ever made, as it has some glaring flaws, this game is still a great playthrough, but you don't need me to tell you that.

An atmospheric masterpiece. The granddaddy of stealth games. Not only does this game have some of the best stealth gameplay I've ever experienced, but it also improves on its prequel in pretty much every conceivable way, from controls to core mechanics to setting... I much prefer this game's mansion raiding and larger levels over Thief: TDP's tomb raiding shenanigans. Not to say the original thief is bad by any means, but it tries too hard to be a semi action game than what it should truly be about: Stealth.

Furthermore, this game has great sound design and some of the most deeply immersive atmosphere that I've seen in any game before and since. Simply masterful.

Even though I love the original Half-Life and I am a big HL fanboy, dare I say I prefer this over the original. I replayed all the Half-Life games this year (expansion packs for the fourth time, original for the 12th and the sequel for 5th), and my opinion still stands: The first game and its expansions is a lot more fun and replayable than the second. Don't get me wrong, the second game is also fantastic, but all the dialogue and somewhat slower combat and less weapon and enemy variety make for much smaller replay value. That is why I find myself replaying the original a lot more often.

And this expansion pack takes all the strengths from the original and improves on them. More weapon and enemy variety, same overall gameplay loop and art direction, new perspective for the black mesa incident and the perfect length. Whereas the original Half-Life is still great, its Xen levels near the end were a very anti-climactic way to end the game. This expansion doesn't have that issue, and has all the positives I can say for the original and then some. Easily the best Half-Life experience I've had this year, despite it being yet another re-play.

The most fun and yet frustrating rogue-like I've ever played. Isaac has got no sh*t on this. This game is hard as nails, but in a good way. It's designed really well, so that almost every death is punishing but entirely the player's own fault. Each run has an almost guaranteed chance to give you the items you need in order to succeed, the hard mode is truly hard (talking about hell), and the game feels so rewarding whenever you beat it as a result. Of course, luck plays a factor in this, like any other rogue-like, but with enough skill, you can turn even the worst runs around and become victorious.

This game is also a prime example of how achievements should be done. There's only 20 of them, and each one requires the player to adapt a completely different playstyle, thus leading to complete game mastery and domination. The only gripe I have is the shopkeeper bs. Although stealing from them is dangerous and requires survivability skills moving forward, which I appreciate, they can so easily get angered when it wasn't even your fault (e.g. red from exploding their shop outside of your control). I had so many black market runs ended because of this that it started to get very annoying.

Overall though, this was my first time playing this game as it has been on my radar for years, and I don't regret 100%'ing it as I feel like I truly mastered it.

Only my second time playing this, and it's still the best racing game I've ever played. For a game from 2008, it looks gorgeous, and the cars handle extremely well and realistically. It is also chuck full of content to keep you hooked for a long time, and was an absolute joy to complete 100%. Not to mention the banger soundtrack. I just wish the buggies didn't suck as much as they did...

Entirely new for me, and although I did not track it in my completionator as I simply tried it out, it was still enough to warrant a spot on this list. My absolute love for cats aside, this game has a beautiful art direction and atmosphere, and is the most relaxing game I played all year round.

Played this one briefly on halloween, which is why I didn't track it here. Although incredibly short, there is a lot of replay value as it almost feels sandboxy in a way. Very neat mechanics and it genuinely made me feel anxious when playing. Despite not getting scared easily anymore, I still love a good horror game, and this is definitely one of them. I also appreciate how it utilizes jumpscares in a way that doesn't feel cheap, and the random events and encounters that can happen each night make it a lot less predictable than your standard scripted horror experience.