You don't need company to live through the greatest gaming experiences. This Top 50 gathers the best retro games built for a single player, from adventures and RPGs to solitary challenges, based on RomWize's reassessed scores. For each title: its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Revolution in action-adventure gaming by Hideo Kojima. Raiden infiltrates an offshore facility in a staggering postmodern staging. The depth of infiltration, memorable bosses, meta storytelling and character controversy make MGS2 a controversial and brilliant work of art."
"Enriched version of MGS2 with substantial bonus content. The extensive VR Training with hundreds of missions, new difficulty levels and additional Snake Tales make Substance the definitive version. One of the most content-rich PS2 experiences for Kojima fans."
"Rockstar deliver a stirring immigrant mafia fresco with Niko Bellic, a reworked Liberty City and Euphoria physics that bleeds into every fall. Slower than its descendants, but the writing on debt and the American dream remains an absolute peak."
"BioShock is one of the greatest FPS ever made. Rapture, the fallen Art Deco underwater city, is unforgettable. Revolutionary environmental storytelling, joyful Plasmids, heartbreaking Little Sisters."
"BioShock Infinite Complete Edition with all DLC including Burial at Sea, return to Rapture with Booker and Elizabeth. The most complete version of a major work, the DLC considerably enriches it."
"Red Dead Redemption is one of the most important games ever created. John Marston, the twilight of the Wild West, a narrative of rare maturity. Living and poetic open world, total freedom in sublime nature. An absolute monument."
"Red Dead Redemption is one of the most important games ever created. John Marston, the twilight of the Wild West, a narrative of rare maturity. Living and poetic open world, total freedom in sublime nature. An absolute monument."
"A remarkable feat of porting on Switch. The image inevitably loses sharpness, yet this dense world and its carefully written side quests hold up just as well. Roaming Velen on the go remains a small technical miracle."
"Brutally demanding yet never losing sight of emotion. The pixel-perfect jumps feel flawlessly tuned, and the story about anxiety lands with real honesty. Assist options open the challenge to anyone without diluting the thrill of finally nailing a screen."
"The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is one of the most played games in history. Nordic High Reaches, dragons, Dovahkiin shouts. Total absolute freedom, colossal content, infinite exploration. An unsurpassable monument."
"Skyrim Legendary Edition is the complete version with the three major DLC: Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn. Hundreds of additional hours of exceptional content. The definitive way to play Skyrim."
"Final Fantasy IX is a melancholic and beautiful tribute to the series' roots. A return to basics with medieval fantasy style, deep characters including Zidane and Vivi, and one of Nobuo Uematsu's finest soundtracks. An emotional end-of-cycle PS1 masterpiece."
"An RPG that slyly subverts its own genre. Being able to spare every enemy changes everything, and the witty writing hides genuine depth. The retro presentation can throw you off, but few games leave such a personal mark."
"Fire Emblem Awakening on 3DS saved the franchise and created a new generation of fans. Character support system, pair-up in combat and optional permadeath. Epic storytelling and memorable cast. A masterpiece."
"Direct sequel to Mario Galaxy, harder, denser, more inventive. Yoshi finally playable with complementary abilities (tongue, transformations). Fifty galaxies with ever crazier ideas, Nintendo level design at absolute peak. Secret green stars for ultimate challenge, Comet mode for speedrun. Even more orchestral musically. Considered by many superior to the first, the peak of all-time 3D platforming. Absolute must-own."
"The classic JRPG in all its warmth. The S version adds voice acting, a 2D mode and extra content that enrich an already charming tale. The combat breaks no new ground, but the bond you form with the party makes all the difference."
"An exceptional Treasure run-and-gun with two heroes and combinable weapons. Gorgeous, creative, wildly inventive throughout, an absolute peak of the console."
"Ocarina of Time 3D on 3DS is the definitive version of the greatest video game ever made. Remastered visuals, gyroscope for aiming, Master Quest included. The perfect masterpiece in its best version. Essential."
"Zelda no Densetsu Toki no Ocarina 3D on 3DS, original Japanese version of Ocarina of Time 3D. The definitive version of the greatest video game ever made in its original Japanese presentation. For collectors."
"Cosmic survival horror by Silicon Knights, arguably one of the most singular entries in the genre. A sanity meter that breaks the game itself, a saga spanning two thousand years and thirteen protagonists. Ideas still stunning twenty years on. A genuine one of a kind."
