Zemeckis - 1, Mayans - 0

Seriously, how daft do you have to be to think the Mayans could call cut when clearly Zemeckis showed us the epicness that will be 2015? Besides, I would have been royally pissed off if the world ended and I still hadn't conquered Dark Cloud completely. Doesn't matter. I was hoping to have the game finished by the end of the year, but thanks to the agonizing knock-down drag-out that is the Demon Shaft, it doesn't appear to be the case. Ugh...

What does that leave me with? Nineteen finished games for the year? What a piss-poor year in my own personal gaming department. Well, not really as I did finish some fantastic games this year and really, a lot of my time was spent playing various other titles that have been an absolute blast - just haven't finished them, and/or really fought to finish them.  Games carrying the flags for Forza Motorsport and Formula 1 especially fit the bill. Others include the original Super Smash Bros. which I finally got my hands on this past year or some odd gems like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for the Intellivision and most recently, Street Fighter x Mega Man. But what really slowed me down this year is I spent a lot more time focusing on my game collection which has expanded by leaps and bounds. Systems more than doubled and games are simply spilling off my shelves. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing - I know my wallet would say it's a bad thing.

The end of the year isn't about mindless chit chat though. It's a time to reflect on those games that stunned me or excited me beyond compare. It's about those games that I had a genuine blast playing through no matter how good or bad they ended up being when all was said and done. It's about those games that I'd go back and play again from start to finish without a second thought. Yea, it's about those games. Sadly, the pickins were few this year. However, of those games beaten, there were some absolute joys which made for a fantastic little list of favorites. But first, I feel I must start with an special honorable mention. While it certainly doesn't belong in the top of the year listings, it definitely deserves its time in the spotlight for other reasons.

Honorable Mention: Super Columbine Massacre RPG!
-Despite it's shoddy gameplay, it's a total psychological mind-bender straddling a thin line between game and art and does so marvelously.

10. 7th Saga
-Just another turn-based RPG that stretches on into oblivion, or is it? Ok, I guess it is, but with it's unique "competition" presentation and eerie sprite set, it feels like something more than just your average Final Fantasy clone.

9. Dungeon Explorer
-A simplistic reinvention of Gauntlet's top-down hack n' slash model but souped up with some action adventure/RPG stylings giving the game a more worldly feel.

8. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
-Honestly, if I didn't put this on here, I can imagine the grief I'd get. But seriously, it's Ocarina of Time. It's not the best Zelda, but it is a pretty damn good game and along with Banjo-Kazooie made me realize the N64 isn't that bad of a console after all (as he says through grimaced expression).

7. Jet Moto
-I can't quite pinpoint why, but for me, this game just exudes hours of fun. Even as a kid when I was forever outwitted by the beast that is Ice Crusher, I'd simply enjoy hours of running randomized championships to my heart's content. And after beating the game for Beat All Games, I spent the next few days running randomized championships again loving every minute of it.

6. Crystalis
-Simply incredible action adventure game from start to finish, this was the first "new" NES game I came across, i.e. I never played it growing up, that really grabbed me and managed to leave me wanting more - even with the final boss being a disheartening pushover.

5. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
-After four back-to-back playthrough's it's tough to remain excited over this game, however seeing the Western Heartlands come to life is enough to make me want to pop the disc in once more. And while it does have it's problems, notably boss fights, it's a solid hack n' slash that vividly dishes out typical D&D canon.

4. VIP and Wall Mix 1: ASCII Art Edition
-It's likely nostalgia that makes me return to this game time and time again, because it certainly can't be all the ugliness, dependency on glitches, lopsided difficulty, errant design and so on and so on. But then again, that's all part of the charm that somehow makes this the most enjoyable and memorable game in the VIP and Wall series. Of course, the others befall the same issues, but it never feels as campy as is does with the game.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog
-My very first known memory of the Sega brand is thanks to this game which helped redefine what's possible outside of the safety net of Mario and all his Nintendo friends. I believe I can still name the Genesis-era Sonic games as the best series of all time, and Sonic the Hedgehog is part one of four of that brilliant little period in gaming history.

2. Super Mario Bros. 3
-And while Sonic the Hedgehog may be helping push my favorite series along, it'll still never achieve the definitive greatness that is Super Mario Bros. 3. I cannot possibly recount the number of times I've tackled this game nor can I even hint at how many more times I'll likely do so in the future.

1. Katamari Damacy
-Wait! Something dares trump SMB3? Well, if anything were to do so, this is the game to do it, and totally deserves to at that! Much like VVVVVV, Katamari Damacy focused on a solitary gimmick and ran with it. Add to that one of the greatest game soundtracks ever, a fascinating world full of...well, things, and incredibly addictive gameplay making you (as in me) itch to immediately move on to its sequels, well it's not that hard to see why it's trumped the whole year's worth of game's beaten.