38 Lost Odyssey

Videogames’ immaturity has ensured that we’re used to questing for humanity’s baser goals: wealth, power, immortality and Princess Peach.

Lost Odyssey turns convention on its head (at least that of the narrative variety, this is a traditional JRPG elsewhere) by revealing an immortal protagonist who is fed up with life and wants out.

Littered throughout the game are 31 tiny stories plucked from protagonist Kaim’s 1000 years of existence. Penned by esteemed Japanese novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu and translated by Jay Rubin, a Harvard professor best known for his translations of Haruki Murakami’s work, they provide us with the year’s best writing in a videogame, stuffed with sentiment but shy of sentimentality.

While it’s a shame that Shigematsu’s pen didn’t extend to the rest of the dialogue in the game, it’s worth playing just for these moments. Elsewhere this is an orthodox but lovely JRPG that delights all the way to its conclusion, proof also, after the lacklustre Blue Dragon, that ex-Square founder Hironobu Sakaguchi really does know how to make a good videogame.

37. WipEout HD

Despite the far future aesthetic, the blemishless sci-fi visual design, and bonnets so clinical you could eat a meal off them, WipeOut HD bristles with a weird sort of nostalgia for players of the PlayStation originals. It’s a return to form, for sure, but also an extension of everything that made those first games so beguiling. And all for that price! Another game that’s unfairly struggled to have its brilliance recognized from behind this host console’s waning image.

32. Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer

There’s something extraordinary in the fact a tough old, cranky Rogue-like could place so highly in a list of this sort. But perhaps this is the logical conclusion for a game that somehow managed to find a wider audience than beardy D&D players. The bright visuals, cute humour and slim, fast flow of play no doubt make Shiren slip down where its bloated cousins would stick in the throat. I think Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon, despite the super-saccharine tone, is the better game, but Shiren’s portability makes it a more reasonable prospect for many players.

You can read the Eurogamer team’s comments in full here.