83
ALIEN:
ISOLATION
RELEASED 2014 | LAST POSITION 27Andy K: In the seven years since Isolation
was released, I haven’t encountered a
single game with an enemy as terrifyingly
intelligent as its xenomorph. It’s wild no
one tried to top it. Maybe they just couldn’t.
Creative Assembly created something
really special here: a big-budget game
based on a major Hollywood property that
is intelligent, subversive, and systematically
interesting. It’s a great stealth game, a
genre-defining horror experience, and the
stylish retro-future aesthetic makes it still
one of the prettiest games on PC. In terms
of design, art, audio, and atmosphere, it’s a
masterpiece. The story has some great
moments – particularly the heartfelt
message from Ellen Ripley to her daughter,
which Sigourney Weaver plays beautifully.
There will never be a better Alien game.84
SUPER MEGA
BASEBALL 3RELEASED 2020 | LAST POSITION 34
Chris: The Super Mega Baseball series
has always been a fun and cartoony
on-field baseball game, but SMB3 added
tons of depth when it comes to making
your randomly generated players
memorable. Their skills can be enhanced
during a season or fade over time as they
grow, age, and eventually retire. The player
system gives your team a feeling of
continuity over multiple seasons, and
SMB3 continues to take away the sting of
MLB: The Show not being on PC.
The Top 100
FE ATURE
WORLD OF
WARCRAFT
RELEASED 2004 | LAST POSITION 43
85
Sarah: I’ll always love
World of Warcraft but I’ve
struggled with motivation
to log in since the launch
of Shadowlands. We went
from being ridiculously
overpowered in BFA to
power systems that feel
like they were tacked on
as an afterthought. I’m
still there and still raiding,
but even that feels more
like a chore the further
into the expansion we go.
Steven: World of Warcraft
is still such an influential
game, but yeah, it feels
like it’s in the midst of a
serious identity crisis. If
you’ve never played it, it’s
still an enormous and
enjoyable experience, but
my god is Shadowlands
starting to feel like a big
disappointment. At least
WoW Classic is trucking
along just fine (assuming
you’re not into PvP).