black goat's favorite video games

on a terrifyingly rambly level that no one should really care about

Oh hey there.

This page is a bit different to the others. This is probably gonna end up as a pretty rambly website, pretty much the equivalent of a lengthy blogpost about things that I'm pretty passionate about. Some more, some less.

My friend Felix made their own list of favorite games recently, as a Markdown list with some ratings jotted next to them - and that inspired me to do the same. When I gave it some thought, I realized that I wouldn't be able to give a ranking of sorts though. I enjoy too many vastly differing video games, for so many reasons.

So, instead, I'll just list them in the order that I think of them, with the reasons why I like them. Heck, if I find some pattern, maybe I could sort them into subsections one day. But not tonight. Enjoy some mostly unfiltered dumb thoughts and opinions on video games I like.

Oh, also - this page will be an eternal work in progress. Sections will be missing every now and then, but if I find or remember a new game I'm obsessing over, I will always add it to the L I S T.

The L I S T

  • OneShot
  • Undertale & Deltarune
  • Minecraft
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • A Hat In Time
  • Celeste
  • Beacon Pines
  • Ori and the Blind Forest / the Will of the Wisps
  • Jazzpunk
  • 3D Mario Platformers
  • Splatoon
  • Super Animal Royale
  • Deep Rock Galactic
  • HITMAN: World of Assassination
  • HELLDIVERS
  • Rhythm Doctor
  • Tower Unite
  • Lonely Wolf Treat Series
  • Starry Flowers
  • Bad End Theater
  • Unrailed!
  • PlateUp!
  • PAYDAY 2
  • Phasmophobia
  • Ragnaröck
  • VRChat
  • Sea Of Thieves
  • Hades
  • The Stanley Parable (Ultra Deluxe)
  • I Expect You To Die
  • Just Shapes And Beats
  • Animal Crossing - New Horizons
  • OneShot

    Self-aware cat software. Made by On Little Cat Feet, also known as nightmargin, GIR, and Eliza.

    Steam, soon to release on Nintendo Switch

    Honestly, I don't even want to talk too much about the actual story of this game as to not spoil the experience, even if probably everyone who accidentally finds this page knows the game quite well at this point. If you don't, I beg you to play this one. If I had to do a ranking, this would be the game I would currently put at the very top.

    Not only is the game and its story extremely enjoyable, this game is responsible for so many friendships I was so incredibly lucky to be able to form over the years - even if most of them have paled in comparison to some others. If you're reading this, you probably know who you are, and trust me, I haven't forgotten about you out there. Shoutouts to SimpleFlips the OneShot Discord, for the years of internet friendship.

    I love my puter, all my friends are inside it!

    Undertale & Deltarune

    omg is thta snas dundrtael??!1!? Made by Toby Fox & Temmie Chang, with an ever growing team.

    Played on Steam & Nintendo Switch.

    Does this game and it's in progress sequel really need an introduction? Everyone knows this game. And based on the persona I go by, I think it's pretty obvious that I liked these games. Like, alot.

    Again - a game I don't want to spoil anything about for the two people on earth that haven't played this yet. And just like with OneShot, this game has more personal ties for me that make the experience that much more powerful. Honestly, this game was probably the catalyst for me to finally snap out of my edgelord phase back when it came out and I played it, on Felix's recommendation.

    Minecraft

    Block game with funny rat mod and balanced clay. By Microsoft, formerly Mojang Studios.

    Java Edition forever.

    Wow, another game that needs no introduction. Sometimes, I wish I knew how many hours I've sunken into this game, and the many mod packs I've played over the years. Here's the obligatory "back in my day, before MS, everything was better" part of my Minecraft rant - so there you go.

    There are two regrets that I have with this game. One being that several years ago, I wasted alot of money on some dumb YouTuber public server. The other and more meaningful regret, to be honest, is that I've lost my original, very first proper world, that I created in Beta 1.8, back when Creative Mode was introduced. I very clearly remember having spawned in a swamp, and the first thing I built once I figured stuff out was a brick house. And then, I built a little cobblestone pool, with a single jukebox inside it. I listened to cat there. It was wonderful. Soon after, a stone brick hotel was built. With a Minecart track to a mountainous grassland, going past some contraption that I don't even remember that well - leading into a massive brick-and-glass-panes tower that had a penthouse and an underground railway connection, next to a massive roller coaster made of Lapis blocks.

    The world would eventually get another wooden track in the original swamp, and a massive and ugly wood-plank structure when I first installed client commands. I still tried my best to make it nice, but... damn. Memories.

    Team Fortress 2

    The original hat game. Made by Valve Software.

    Steam.

    The very first shooter I've played, and a damn good one at that. I've never been any good at this game, and spent most of my time in custom servers, for a while even one I rented out myself. The amount of hours I must've spent on cp_orange just messing with console commands is absolutely embarrassing - but hey, I enjoyed myself. Isn't that what you want from video games?

    Even nowadays, despite the bot crisis and everything else going on around TF2, it's still a wonderful game to revisit. I eat dirt every time I do, but it's worth it for the absolutely precious player interactions.

    Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

    Rush B, omg, what doink. Made by Valve Software.

    Steam, obviously.

    This list would feel woefully incomplete if I wouldn't include this game onto the list.

    As of writing, I've wasted a solid 2200 hours on the game, starting around I think 2015. And even then, the highest I've ever gotten is a MG2 rank - barely above average. It's one of those games you keep getting dragged back into, especially if you have friends who want to get their shooter itch scratched. And I'd be lying if I would say that I'm not enjoying it, too.

    Out of all the shooters I've played, this one will always be the one I come back to.

    A Hat In Time

    Life is hard, life is stressful. Made by Gears for Breakfast.

    Played on Steam, most recently on Deck.

    Whenever I get the itch for playing a platformer, I return to this cute-as-heck game with it's still challenging options available for me. I have yet to complete all Death Wishes, and watching speedrunners absolutely destroy this game fills me with awe. If I had more time on my hands that I totally don't waste on other things like this list, I would want to become part of the Boop Troop, which is what the speedrunners of this game call themsevles.

    The soundtrack of this game is one even my parents keep coming back to - and neither of them play video games!

    Celeste

    Strawberries & Death simulator. Made by Extremely OK Games.

    Played on Steam.

    When I came into this game, I thought that I wasn't half bad at platformers. This game has taken me off of my somewhat high horse within minutes of me picking it up, but god damn, was it fun.

    Again, I wish I was better at this game - watching speedruns of it is almost mesmerizing. And here I am, not even having completed the B-sides. I still got up that damn mountain though.

    Beacon Pines

    Weaving a story while uncovering secrets. Made by Hiding Spot Games.

    Investigated on Steam.

    This is another one of those games where I really don't want to spoil anything, and I'll keep it short.

    I've played this game through with a friend, and watching the story unravel with every choice we made was not just fascinating and extremely fun, it has also tugged on our heart strings several times. Combined with some absolutely phenomenal sound and music design and its unique artstyle, I can't recommend this enough.

    Ori and the Blind Forest / the Will of the Wisps

    My Tears Are Crying - The Game(s). Made by Moon Studios.

    Played on Steam.

    I think my uni friend Zazama has put this in the most accurate way I could think of: While the story of the games may not be exactly in-depth, the absolutely gorgeous visuals with the soundtrack that makes you shiver every time will absolutely make you cry, no matter what. That, combined with the best Metroidvania gameplay I've played so far, especially in the sequel, makes for an all around wonderful experience that noone should miss.

    Jazzpunk (Directors Cut)

    "It's rude to ask a lady her font-weight!" - Made by Necrophone Games.

    Downloaded straight into my brain interfaces using Steam.

    Holy shit. This game is the definition of chaos, in the absolutely best way possible. While it is a walking simulator type of game, you will laugh your ass off throughout the entirety of this game. Even when you think it has peaked, it still keeps getting better, burying you in nerdy jokes and beyond dad-joke level puns.

    Super Mario 64 DS, Odyssey, and Galaxy 1 & 2

    The classic 3D Mario Games you were expecting, obviously by Nintendo.

    Played on Nintendo DS Lite, Wii, Switch & Steam Deck.

    I believe these games need no introduction. Super Mario 64 DS was one of the first videogames I've ever touched, and for years, I never understood how to defeat King Bob-Omb, despite him explicitly telling me. It took me three years and some years of playing other games to understand that the A button picks up his silly butt.

    The Mario Galaxy Series was then finally when I actually went for 100% completion in a game. I've spent months in these games infront of my Wii, exploring the well known planets. I liked it so much, they influenced my very first username ever. One that I dissociate with now, but still. Odyssey is definitely the best out of all these games to me - but hey, they obviously would have learned from all the stuff they've made since then.

    Splatoon 2 & 3

    Oh my god, Squid Game reference in 2024???1!!/!/!one! Made by Nintendo.

    Played on the Nintendo Switch.

    While I never made it far in the multiplayer, I absolutely devoured this game for a solid 4 months. Octo Expansion has got to be one of the best DLCs I've ever spent money on. Splatoon 3's primary story was excellent too, basically continuing what was already good in Octo Expansion, with Side Order being an excellent Roguelite that I spent less time in that I'd like to. In summary - squidpartying!!

    Super Animal Royale

    The only Battle Royale that is actually good. Made by Pixile Studios.

    Played on Steam.

    I mean it - this is the only Battle Royale that I actually consistently enjoy. The 2D- top down perspective with the very simple but hard to master gameplay makes this game stand out for me from the rest - and obviously, it helps that everything is exceedingly fluffy. It's also one of the few games that does microtransactions in a way that I don't entirely hate.

    Deep Rock Galactic

    ROCK AND STONE TO THE BONE! Made by Ghost Ship Games.

    Digging in the name of Karl on Steam.

    I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole, diggy diggy hole, digging a hole! This has to be one of the best horde shooters I've ever played. The writing is excellent. (MUSHROOM. MUSHROOM. WE'RE RICH.) The environment is superb. The game is fucking hard sometimes. I love it. For Rock and Stone.

    HITMAN: World of Assassination

    Rube Goldberg Murder - The Game. Made by IOI Interactive.

    Committing murder on Steam.

    Despite the absolutely awful pricing that IOI has committed with the modern Hitman series, the final entry into the trilogy, formerly known as Hitman III, is everything I could want from a Hitman game. You can lose hours in this game trying to set up the most ridiculous kills, just to see your target get electrocuted by the most random electrical socket in a puddle. 10/10.

    HELLDIVERS

    FOR SUPER EARTH! Made by Arrowhead Game Studios.

    Spreading Managed Democracy on Steam.

    Both Helldivers 1 and 2, by the way! I played the top-down shooter with one of my friends because it was one of the best split-screen-like games to enjoy together infront of the PC. The modern entry in first person takes the cake for being absolutely bombastic, in EVERY sense of the word. As Max0r has put it - this game is military propaganda, and it fucking worked. Triple the defense budget.

    Rhythm Doctor

    One button rhythm game that I still manage to suck at. Made by 7th Beat Games.

    Performed CPR on Steam.

    I absolutely love this game. I played this during Early Access the most. Since then, the community has created so many custom levels that are either brilliant shitposts or so brutally hard that I question my capability of playing any games in the first place - how do I manage losing at a game that has nothing but ONE BUTTON TO PRESS????

    Tower Unite

    The virtual livingroom experience. Made by Pixeltail Studios.

    Played on Steam.

    While this game takes months to update, when it does, it usually drags me back in for several hours at a time. I have unfortunately never played GMod Tower, but if you have, and don't know about Tower Unite - first of all, how? And second, go play right now!...or actually, wait for the next patch, so that there's actually someone to play it with.

    Lonely Wolf Treat Series

    I want to hug this wolf so badly. Made by NomNomNami.

    Cried on itch.io.

    Starry Flowers

    The softest gays to exist. Made by NomNomNami.

    Loved on itch.io.

    Bad End Theater

    TRAGEDY ATTACKS WITH A TERRIBLE FATE!! Made by NomNomNami.

    Playwrighted on Steam AND itch.io.

    Unrailed!

    PICK UP THE GODDAMN WOOD! Made by Indoor Astronaut.

    Derailed on Steam.

    PlateUp!

    The suffering of Food Service compressed into 5 minutes. Made by Yogscast Games.

    Screamed at each other on Steam.

    PAYDAY 2

    The not-actually-so-original-cause-its-the-second Heisting Game. Made by OVERKILL.

    Obtained The Diamond for Los Pollos Hermanos on Steam.

    Phasmophobia

    aaah! a g-g-g-ghost!! Made by Kinetic Games.

    Screamed my lungs out on Steam, played in VR.

    Ragnaröck

    Living out the dream in VR. Made by wanadev studio.

    Hyped up vikings on Steam, played in VR.

    VRChat

    If only this wasn't the only feasible option. Made by VRChat Inc.

    Played on SteamVR.

    Sea Of Thieves

    Drink up, me hearties, yo-ho! Made by Rare Interactive.

    Plundered on Microsoft Store (ew) and Steam.

    Hades

    Bisexual chaos. Made by Supergiant Games.

    Escaped from Tartarus on Steam.

    The Stanley Parable (Ultra Deluxe)

    Is this... a bucket? Made by Crows Crows Crows.

    Questioned my sanity on Steam.

    I Expect You To Die

    The best of the best, still die like the rest. Made by Schell Games.

    Bond-burgered in SteamVR.

    Just Shapes And Beats

    Just dodge the pink, lol. Made by Berzerk Studio.

    Raved on Steam Deck & Switch.

    Animal Crossing - New Horizons

    Wasting away during Covid when you had nothing else to do. Made by Nintendo.

    Sold turnips on Switch.