Remember when you were a kid and you missed out on games because you simply couldn’t afford to keep up? Borrowing and renting were a big part of my life and I’m sure a lot of you could say the same as well. Otherwise you had wait for big occasions like holidays and birthdays. Being a kid gamer was rough. That was back in the 90s when video games were still blooming. Yes, I realize video game started technically in the 70s, but I’m talking about the rebirth that happened with the NES in 1985. The point is I started near ground zeroes and have tried to keep up as best I can. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for kids nowadays. Ha, and I thought my back catalog was bad. How do kids have the time to go back to the 80s and play the best all the way through today?

For them I don’t think it’s about the money, but the time. Yes, even jobless kids surrender to Father Time. Even if one were to hole themselves up in a room without contact, there’s still no conceivable amount of time they would to legitimately play every good game from the NES to now. Most people aren’t as crazy and as interested in video game history as I am though. That is to say, I bet kids don’t care. They care about the now. What’s hot that I should be taking a look at that I might have missed? Funny you should ask that because I have a handy-dandy list for you so let’s get to it!

30 Best: Rogue Legacy

Rogue Legacy was the first roguelike I was ever compelled to finish. It always felt like you were earning something. Yes, it is difficult, but it can be overcome by grinding. When I reviewed it way back in 2014, it was for the PS Vita version. Because I could play it in bite-sized chunks, I was always compelled to keep going, which made said grinding a breeze. I never thought a game about continuing a family's legacy afflicted by a curse could ever be as good as Castlevania, but here we are.

29 Bad: Watch Dogs

We all love the "one more thing" stunt companies pull, right? Ubisoft is the one big publisher that has consistently done for years now. None seemed more momentous than the reveal of Watch Dogs at E3 2012. Needless to say, this certainly blew up hype for what we now know as the PS4 and Xbox One. It was a great demo in 2012, but the next showing was severely downgraded in visuals. By release, it was just another hack Grand Theft Auto clone meshed with Assassin's Creed. It sounds cooler then it was.

28 Best: Ratchet & Clank

Ratchet & Clank was kind of understandably left in the cold. It was a remake or more like a reimagining of the first game that tied into the movie that bombed. That's part one. Part two is the fact that Dark Souls III released the same day.

What if they made Ratchet Souls?

Oh, and it's thought of as a cartoony platformer. Who wants to play one of those that isn't Mario especially when you can render demons in two? Well, I do! It's so freaking fantastic I don't know where to begin and now I'm out of time!

27 Bad: Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War

Middle-earth: Shadow of War? More like Middle-earth: Shadow of More War because that's what you got. It was more of the same, but a lot clunkier. It was way too overbearing on what was originally such a great and unique concept. No one has copied Monolith Productions' Nemesis system. Nobody! People copy other games all the time so why is this any different? I guess that's beside the point. Anyway for what started out as a promising series went on to disappoint. I have a two-word finale: loot boxes.

26 Best: I Am Setsuna

E3 2015 was a momentous year for game announcements. For starters, Square Enix announced their new development studio, Tokyo RPG Factory, that they promised would focus on smaller, more retro type experiences. Their first project was I Am Setsuna, which is very reminiscent of Chrono Trigger. The camera placement, art style, the fact that you can do combo moves, and the list goes on. It's a sequel in all but name, but it's also more than that. It's really underrated.

25 Bad: Destiny 2

I played through Destiny 2, liked it, and then put it down. Every time a new DLC pack dropped I thought it would re-engage me, but everyone, including Forsaken, just hasn't wowed me. The first Destiny was a great idea and one that other studios are starting to copy and improve upon like The Division and Anthem. So I should thank it for that, but it really didn't live up to the hype and the second game is further proof that something went wrong somewhere in the process.

24 Best: Iconoclasts

Iconoclasts is kind of like a Metroidvania, but one that is level based. So each area of the game is like its own map with doors and platforms inaccessible at first, but eventually, you'll learn the trick in that stage. It takes the concept of this genre and adds in elements to an otherwise straight-up action platformer.

In my review I likened it to a 2D version of Ratchet and Clank and Mega Man Legends. It's quite simply a masterwork in visuals, music, controls, and writing.

23 Bad: Metal Gear Solid V Ground Zeroes

Let me just start out by saying Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is one of my favorite PS4 games of all time. I love the series overall, but the prequel, Ground Zeroes, was a rip-off. It was a glorified demo sent out to retail for $40! And this is a game with basically one environment and one main mission that is less than an hour long. There were extra missions, but they weren't good. Now granted the price was quickly dropped, but even at $30 physical, it was still a sham.

22 Best: Moonlighter

Moonlighter is part The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and part Dragon Quest IV. See, by day you're a shopkeeper and by night you explore dungeons to restock your shop. It crafts a great balance of market gameplay with a solid action roguelike. I know that word usually follows with "this game is challenging" but it's actually pretty average on that scale. It's a great jumping on point and seriously a front-runner for my personal game of the year. If you want to know more and or hear me gush, then check out my review.

21 Bad: No Man’s Sky

No Man's Sky was promoted and hyped up like it was going to be the Jesus of video games. It was to be a messiah that would bring us all together. Well, as they say, talk is cheap.

The way Hello Games, the developer, carried on it was bound to break. No title could live up to that kind of talk, but I don't think they were being malicious. I think they just got caught up in their own hype.

20 Best: Flinthook

Flinthook is another roguelike, but one that is far more challenging than Moonlighter. You're essentially like a space bounty hunter out to free your brethren from the clutches of evil pirates. You do this by zipping around randomly generated ships with your hook shot, collecting loot, and fighting bosses. You'll be perishing a lot, but I never found myself frustrated as you're constantly rewarded. Plus the visuals are beautiful. You can hear more in my review as if that wasn't obvious by now.

19 Bad: Dying Light

Dying Light was one of the first games that broke the January curse. That's pretty much a no man's land in terms of releases, which is strange. Since 2015 we've gotten a lot of high profile launches in there, but enough about that. Dying Light was also a very early example of what the PS4 and Xbox One were capable of. It was a power showcase and it got out when zombie and parkour hype couldn't be higher. It was fine then, but pretty forgetful now.

18 Best: Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

Life is Strange: Before the Storm gets a bad rap, but let me set the record straight. Yes, I too was confused when this prequel was announced and that someone else was developing it and that voice actors were being replaced.

The Dungeons and Dragons scene alone is worth it.

I was hesitant, but jumped in and was floored. The thing it does right is not mess with the timeline of the original. It's backstory with completely different issues and doesn't try to answer questions nobody asked for. Plus Chloe and Rachel are adorable together.

17 Bad: Batman Arkham Knight

Batman: Arkham Asylum broke the long curse of terrible Batman games and Arkham City was even better. With two games being knocked out of the park I was pretty sure Arkham Knight was going to wow me too. Unfortunately, it did not and it's mostly due to the Batmobile gimmick. It really does feel like that, a gimmick that overstays its welcome. It controls fine and looks cool, but it was not the style of gameplay of the previous two. Change can be good, but not in this case.

16 Best: Oxenfree

I've never really been one for point and click adventure games. Story based titles interest me, but the puzzles, well, not so much. Thankfully, in the past near-decade, more and more games have released with narrative focuses without the cumbersome nature of obscure puzzles. Life is Strange is a good example and one even more niche than that would be Oxenfree. Some high school kids get whisked away to a weird island after a radio signal goes haywire. It's got some good banter and the mystery is pretty unique. It's like Lost meets, uh, Riverdale?

15 Bad: Just Cause 3

Just Cause 2 was a nice little surprise in 2010 especially after the lukewarm reception of the first game. The thing that sold people was the lush, open island fitted with tons of things to blow up. Oh, and that grappling device was like gadget of the year in my book.

A just cause for a bad time. 

So what went wrong with the third game? It was more of the same, which isn't bad. It also looked good and played well. The thing that held it back was a plethora of glitches and long load times.

14 Best: Detroit Become Human

I think it's safe to say that April and the better part of May were dominated by gamers either playing or talking about God of War. It, unfortunately, overshadowed Sony's next big PS4 release, Detroit: Become Human. If you played any of David Cage's games like Heavy Rain, then you know what you're in for. That is to say, the narrative wants to be serious, but comes across as goofy. It's charming in a way, though, and no one is more earnest in his games than Cage. They have downfalls, but they are also unlike anything else on the market.

13 Bad: Mirror's Edge Catalyst

Oh EA. When will we ever stop believing in your empty promises? So, first of all, I was thrilled that they bounced a new Mirror's Edge. For a long time Catalyst seemed like an actual continuation and then it was slowly revealed as a reboot. You can't just make one game and then reboot it. That's insane! It wasn't even better than the first. Maybe if it was better I'd be more okay with a reboot, but boy did they fumble.

12 Best: Hob

I hesitated putting Hob on this list because while I love it the memory is crushing. See it launched last September to generally high praise, but the developer, Runic Games, closed two months later. It didn't sell as well as they hoped.

I dare you not to cry.

I sang my praises from the mountaintops, but I guess my voice and my fellow journalists just weren't loud enough. So while it pains me to remember a good game getting overshadowed by a closure, I still think it's important to play even if it is kind of too late.

11 Bad: Friday The 13th The Game

Friday the 13th: The Game started off as a humble homage to the film series. On Kickstarter it began as Slasher Vol. 1: Summer Camp before the team, IllFonic, acquired the license to the movies. The pitch was great, but it kept getting pushed back more and more. When it finally did release it felt like a Steam Early Access game. It was still buggy as all heck and continues to be. I admire the developers for trying to invoke the horror of Jason, but it just didn't come together the way it should have.