63
PORTAL 2
RELEASED 2011 | LAST POSITION 47
James: A game that bends the rules of
space also exists outside of time. Portal 2
is one of the funniest games ever made.
Even if the portal puzzles get easier to
parse with every run, I’m always finding
new routes and accidentally developing
speedrun strats, buoyed by good
humour, great performances, and
excellent tunes throughout. If you’ve yet
to play the co-op campaign, do it now.
Spec out incredibly complex solutions to
simple problems, together.
Harry: If you like jokes, games, and
puzzles, Portal 2 is essential. It’s not a
looker by today’s standards, of course,
but it doesn’t need to be. Cleverness,
invention, and laughs win over graphics
any day. Plus, it’ll probably run very nicely
on your Steam Deck.
62
ANNO
1800
RELEASED 2019 | LAST POSITION New
Phil: Ubisoft’s trade-focused city-builder
has grown into something remarkable.
Over a handful of DLC seasons it’s doubled
down on the satisfaction of seeing a
territory grow by adding a handful of new
regions with specific quirks. In Africa, you’ll
create canal systems to irrigate the land. In
the Arctic, you’ll build airships to
circumnavigate imposing glaciers. And
back in Europe, you’ll expand your docks
into a global hub supporting your
ever-expanding empire.
The Top 100
FE ATURE
FORZA HORIZON 4
RELEASED 2018 | LAST POSITION 36
64
James: The game that helped me
understand why James Spader makes
love to his car in Crash. Cars are cool
and hot and Horizon 4 knows it. Play it
as a racing simulation or turn on all the
assists and play it like Lego. Or just deck
out a van with a Dragonball Z livery and
drive it off cliff edges, capturing the
poetic footage as it tumbles.
Nat: Forza lets me tear down my own
backyard in the big daft Halo jeep, which
makes it the best racing game ever.
Rich: I just love that you can have a race
in Transit vans.