For the past few months, I have been writing mostly about productivity. And that’s fine since it is one of the things I am more passionate about. But since the first of January, I also have been writing a productivity newsletter in Spanish every weekday. So I wanted to take a break from this blog about that subject.

This means I am going to talk about my other passion: video games (Nintendo ones, mostly). So here is my personal list of the best games I’ve ever played:

10. Super Mario Galaxy

Starting with a 3D Mario game. I think Super Mario Galaxy is one of the best 3D Mario games. I played it a while ago so I don’t recall much of the technical part of it, but I do remember how happy I was when playing it.

9. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

I don’t care what nostalgia could say about other Mario Kart games. This one is the best one ever made. More tracks than any other, more characters, easy modes for kids, and five different types of battle games. The list could go on and on. So yeah, this is on my list.

8. Celeste

This is the only indie on my list. Not because I think bad about indie games, but because I don’t play a lot of them. But I decided to give this one a chance because of their mental health messages. Even though I’m not very good at platformers (and boy, this one is hard), I’m so glad I gave it the chance. It is a well-rounded game. Probably one of the best level design work I have ever seen. This is a game I recommend a lot to everyone.

7. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

There was a time when I told myself that Fire Emblem was my favorite saga. Not anymore, is Zelda. And it always has been. But this Fire Emblem game is great. It was the first game (and still the only one) I had to do a spreadsheet to cover all the things I wanted to do and the growth and choices for each character. If you like strategy games, this is one you should play.

6. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

For the 3DS. It is my favorite top-down Zelda. First time in a Zelda I enjoyed the freedom of going whenever I wanted. The dungeons were great, the two different worlds and even the story was very good for a Zelda. There are still a lot of Zelda games I haven’t played and want to. So this could change. But this one has a special place in my heart.

5. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Hands down the best RPG I have ever played. I played it on the Switch. Beautiful art (even though I’ve never been a fan of Akira Toriyama), great characters, a never-ending story that doesn’t get boring. It is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend this game enough to RPG fans. I remember I started the demo (roughly 5 to 6 hours) and had to buy it immediately after I finished it. Haven’t finished it, I need to go back and beat the final boss.

4. Super Mario Odyssey

The reason why this game is here is not because of its graphics (though they are good), the story (which is not something people play Mario for), or even the gameplay (which I think is incredible). The reason this game is here is because I couldn’t stop smiling from start to end. And because that part in New Donk City is probably the best time I have ever spent a video game in my life.

3. Paper Mario

Now we are arriving at the top three. And yes, Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 is there. It is not the best RPG I’ve ever played (go back to number 5), and it is probably not the best Mario game I have ever played. But this game was my introduction to RPGs in general. It was one of the first games I have ever reached the end. And it is, to this date, the only game I have played more than five times. I just love this game. I have it original for my Nintendo 64, I bought it on the Nintendo Wii U, and now I have it as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service (and played it again not so long ago).

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

What can I say about this game that is not on the Internet already? It is a masterpiece. I say that Nintendo’s best video game of 2017 is Super Mario Odyssey because Breath of the Wild is not a game, but an entire experience. It transcends the status of “video game”. I loved every hour I spent with this game, but it is number two. You know where I’m going. Number one won’t be a surprise.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Yes. Everything that Nintendo did great on BotW, they did it even better here. Everything is better. The exploration, the addition of the building stuff, more ways to reach places, the new world just below the original. It is just a perfect game. And it is, without any doubt, the best game I have ever played.

Here is my top ten playlist in IGN: https://www.ign.com/playlist/Ernesgonzalez33/lists/my-top-10-games

That’s all for today folks. A different kind of article today. By the way. Some of you (or nobody) may have noticed that I had to publish this post last week. I’m changing the schedule. I’ll publish a blog post every last Friday of the month now since I’m giving more priority to my daily productivity newsletter. But I don’t want to forget this blog, so I’ll be here. Posting about productivity, video games, my job, or whatever else I find interesting.