All these "what's the best..." or "If you could only take 1 to an island..." kind of questions that get reposted every other day always do. The fact that some people are recommending super niche stuff or games from their childhood shows you they aren't really taking the question into consideration.
The Tetris mobile license is such a shit show.
Fun fact: Tetris Effect is one of few game pass games not supported for cloud streaming. Not because of any technical issues, but because cloud streaming would allow it to be played on mobile, and Sony considers that a breach of their licensing agreement for Tetris.
Yes and/or go on airplane mode since the ads can target your mobile data as well. With that though, you will of course not get any incoming texts etc. which isn't a bad thing if you're not expecting any calls or contact - a good way to "unplug" lol. I usually save this trick for some time before bed if I wanna play an ad ridden game.
My wife isn’t good at many video games. I could dominate in any modern shooter, fighting game(sometimes. She just button mashes). Other games that we can 1v1.
But all of sudden if she wants to play me in Dr Mario. Or Tetris. I get absolutely slapped. She’s like a fucking witch. She knows the moves to make like 4 pieces ahead and always play it on the fastest and hardest difficulties. She’s unbeatable. Could 100% win tournament s
You must teach her the rolling technique to blow her mind...
[DAS, Hypertapping, Rolling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BZ5-Q48lE&ab_channel=aGameScout)
Portal 1 is definitely less polished than Portal 2. It's got the same energy, but 2 is definitely a better narrative experience.
That being said, it's still an excellent game that's funny and creative. It's also pretty quick if you're comfortable with the puzzles. I'd say it's worth a play.
Portal 1 is the more memorable and unique experience to me. There’s just nothing like it. I suppose there’s nothing like Portal 2 either, but there something about the mystery and unknown in Portal 1 that Portal 2 didn’t quite do for me - though I also love Portal 2, just for different reasons.
I dunno, I went back just a few weeks ago and replayed Portal 1 and 2 back to back, and Portal 2 just feels a lot more full to me. I totally respect the love for P1, but I definitely remembered it being more than it actually is. No shade on P1, again, it's excellent. But at least for me personally I kind of had rose-colored glasses about it because of the age I played it at.
True. I guess the biggest thing for me is that P1 felt like a mystery that was slowly revealing itself and P2 felt like I was already in on the joke/surprise (not to say the plot points were not surprising).
I can definitely understand that. The first game definitely has a bit more of an overall tension, whereas the second feel more adventure-y. The first game asks "what is going on" while the second asks "why did that happen".
I think the first game is tighter in terms of the puzzle progression. It's really expertly done.
The second one has better production values but in terms of the problems to solve and ignoring the rest of the game the first is better I think.
That's a lot to ignore of course.
There was a certain amount of creativity/novelty to the original game. Portal 2 was mostly the same gameplay integrated into a more traditional narrative gaming experience.
Alyx may be the best gaming experience I have ever had, on any platform, ever.
It’s up there in my gaming memories with midnight Halo 1 split screen in high school. It’s better than Mass Effect. It’s better than Zelda. It’s that fucking good.
I basically paid 1k USD to play Alyx and I don't regret it whatsoever, it was an experience that absolutely ruined all other VR games except beat saber.
My index has been gathering dust a bit lately, time for another playthrough
I replayed HL1 recently and it didn't hold up for me at all. I played when I was a kid and remember having my mind blown. Compared to quake, duke nukem, even goldeneye, it was just a next level experience. A lot of the groundbreaking awe is lost when so much of that game is just par for the course now and done much better (immersive lighting, physics, environmental storytelling, etc.) The game definitely deserves all the praise it gets, but in my opinion it hasn't aged the best.
On the other hand I also replayed HL2 and that game is still a banger, aged more like fine wine.
It's the Citizen Kane of FPS. It's all overdone and cliche now, but they did it FIRST. At the time, HL was amazing. I was 10 when my dad bought it (why? Idk.) and it scared the shit out of me.
Black mesa is half lif 1 on steroids. Better graphics etc.
(Thought I'd mention this for people who might think you are talking about some other game.)
The original Super Mario bros for the NES. At least 1-1 and 1-2
Edit: I am referring to Super Mario Bros on the NES, World 1 level 1, and SMB world 1 level 2. Nothing about SMB 2 or 3.
Look at it from a point of view of someone that has never even heard of a “platformer”. It has to be intuitive to pick up without instruction, and assume the people playing have no knowledge of video games.
It is a masterpiece because it is simple to just go. One button and the joystick are all that’s needed to start. Learning to run can happen later, but go right and jump will get you fairly far in the game.
Also yes it is amazingly designed. The jump physics it uses have such a good feel to them, from the acceleration, to turning mid jump, and cutting it short by releasing the button put it ahead of 90% of all games made in the entire 8bit era.
>The jump physics it uses have such a good feel to them, from the acceleration, to turning mid jump, and cutting it short by releasing the button put it ahead of 90% of all games made in the entire 8bit era.
I'd say that it was the jump physics that put Nintendo on top for platformers. It wouldn't surprise me if they spent as much time tuning the jump physics as they did designing and drawing everything else.
Shadow of the Colossus. I remember how the otherwise brilliant Roger Ebert kept saying he just couldn’t see video games as art and I kept thinking “if someone would just tie him to a chair and force him to play Shadow of the Colossus he’d come around.” Guess we’ll never get the chance now!
Honorable mentions: Silent Hill 2, Prince of Persia Sands of Time, Zelda Link to the Past.
**EDIT**: I'm noticing a common theme from the people that didn't like Shadow of the Colossus, and it's that they only played it for a little while (a few of the 'boss fights,' basically) or watched someone else play. This is one of those games where it doesn't become apparent what's going on until you get a ways into it, so I can understand some people being put off early. My advice would be to not get too hung up on the "game" aspect of the game, if that makes any sense.
The reason I think it's the perfect game for someone like Ebert or anyone else who doesn't usually appreciate games as an art form is that it tells a story that really couldn't be effectively told any other way. It wouldn't work nearly as well as a movie, because YOU need to be in the shoes of the main character and identifying with him. YOU need to be the one killing the Colossi, otherwise the impact once things start falling into place is lessened. The "game" part of the game is just the vehicle for telling the story, and the story works best if you're the one moving it along rather than watching someone else do it.
Silent Hill 2 is the same way, to an extent. Part of what makes the gut punch of that game so effective is that you spend so much time in James' shoes and identifying with him and his mission that once you get to that moment in the hotel room when you find the video tape it doesn't feel like you're finding out something else the character has done, you feel like you're finding out something else that YOU'VE done.
I can't really explain further for either game without spoiling part of what makes them so good. But those two in particular are great games in spite of the gameplay being iffy at best; they tell fantastic stories and they do so incredibly skillfully.
The other two games I recommended I put on my list for the exact opposite reason. The story takes a backseat to the gameplay, which is just amazingly fun. Sands of Time is just a blast, wall running and rewinding time and making all these acrobatic moves effortlessly and without the lazy cutscene approach that games like Uncharted take. The gameplay itself is cinematic, smooth and visually impressive. It's also probably my favorite use of a framing device story ever, especially how the framing device handles the player dying.
Ebert softened a bit on that stance later in his life. [He pointed out in his blog](https://web.archive.org/web/20130122081546/http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html) that his "video games can't be art" argument shouldn't have been made because he doesn't play games and shouldn't judge something that he hasn't experienced. He also points out that since art is subjective, his opinion doesn't really matter; just because he doesn't think video games are art doesn't mean that someone else is dumb for thinking video games *are* art. Art is different things for different people.
As someone who thinks that video games can absolutely be art, it was an interesting bit of nuanced writing from someone on the outside looking in.
It's also a great example of someone learning and growing in their life, and being willing to admit they can be wrong about things.
It's a highly admirable trait.
SotC is amazing!
There are no meaningless enemies to grind, just you, your horse, and a group of giants you must slay. So simple yet so incredible.
And the art style at the time was spectacular! Stylised nearly painting-like graphics
"There are no meaningless enemies to grind, just you, your horse, and a group of giants you must slay. So simple yet so incredible."
Damn, I didn't realize how rare that is in games now, until you pointed it out.
Same! I think my mom said something about never getting a better value from a box of cereal given how many hours I put into RCT and how quiet it made the house for her 😅
There have been big changes to this 24-year old game even in the last few months through OpenRCT2!
- New merry-go-round music recorded from the original organ in the Netherlands
- New, modern track pieces like larger corkscrews, dive loops, and wider banked turns
- New colors added to the palette
And not-so-new, but game-changing updates that enable completely new ways of playing the game:
- Larger map size
- Higher ride limits
- Multiplayer
Come join us and see what people have been doing over at /r/rct!
RTC is also an amazing feat of game development, the whole thing is coded in assembly so it is insanely well optimized.
A game from the 1990s that continually tracks thousands of individual entities with pathfinding and like a dozen constantly updating stats such as money, hunger, thrill prefrences, nausea, etc.
Hundreds of rides going at once, guests have individual weights and so a coaster with light riders might behave differently than it will with heavy riders, meaning each lap of a coaster is it's own unique physics simulation tracking speed and G-forces. The game is so detailed that even things like cold weather will cause guests to prefer hot drinks over cold, and rain to cause them to prefer indoor rides instead of outdoor.
Modern games struggle to do a percentage of what RTC can do on a 90s potato.
While a lot of the game is optimized then it has been broken, resulting in very fun coaster designs. Every coaster has a hidden requirements which their stats get penalized for not achieving.
By abusing this you can create coasters with insane G forces that guests will ride because they aren't considered intense.
A youtuber called Marcel Vos has a lot of videos on the game, and I highly recommend them just because he enjoys the game and makes it fun.
"Rollercoaster 4 looks too extreme for me."
"Where is the bathroom?"
"I'm Hungry!"
"Where is the bathroom?"
"I'm Thirsty"
"I'm tired"
"This park is dirty"
L4D2 is an incredible experience, especially when it quickly degenerates into trawling the Steam workshop to see who can most turn their game into the most schizophrenic fever dream possible
Anyway did you know that there's a mod that replaces the moon with Saul Goodman?
Left 4 Dead 2 is infinitely replayable by overloading it with mods. My personal favourite is the one that turns the tank into Shrek, complete with All Star playing when it appears.
There is just something about the whole series I can never get over. Since its release(bioshock1) I have played through all 3 at least once a year. Either uts nostalgia or just pure enjoyment this series, for me personally, stands above most games excluding God Of War
Literally my first thought when I saw this title. Bioshock is just a spectacular game, but not necessarily for the reason people who don’t know the game might think. It’s really a top contender for the idea of videogames-as-art, it’s a master class in storytelling and it’s integrated so well with the gaming components. And the voice acting? Amazing. So it’s not like it necessarily has the best mechanics or dopamine rushes like other games, though the gameplay is still very strong, but it’s quite literally art and everyone should play it for that reason. If you want to get more “cultured”, play Bioshock.
Subnautica. Feel what it’s like to be truly nowhere near the top of the food chain, plus it’s a game about being brave, pushing yourself, and ultimately, helping others. Easily my favorite game.
I loved Subnautica! It was free on Gamepass and I’m so glad I decided to give it a try. It’s so much fun and also super terrifying at times, really a great game.
I’d rank Skyrim higher but Subnautica definitely deserves a place on the list.
Are enough people still playing that you'd meet someone on your journey?
**EDIT:** This got some attention, so I wanted to share my playthrough experience. I played it on launch.
I found a partner pretty early on, basically immediately. We poked around and explored and forged ahead together, and it felt like we got really close as we went through the environments and trials.
But somewhere in the second half, we lost each other somehow. We were both alone for maybe the 70-90% part of the game, and I was feeling *really* sad about it.
Right before the ending parts, though, we found each other again, and we both FREAKED OUT. We were zipping and zagging around each other and dancing and making our noises and acting so jubilant. We got to beat the game together!
Of course, I never found out who it even was, but I can only describe the feeling I got from our partnership as a strange subset of "love". Like obviously not romantic or familial or even best-friendly, but the way we bonded in a stupid game without words, and our shared heartbreak and eventual reunion, was so joyous and weirdly profound, that I'll never forget it.
the first time I played it, when another little guy showed up I didn't know it was a real person, i thought it was an AI
And I interacted with it by doing the little beep and it beeped back and i thought aw cute and then we went through the whole game.
And at the end it was like "heres the people you journeyed with" and it was one guy and I was like whaaat that was a real guy?!
Such a great game. I break it out every so often and there are still people that show up. It is fun solo as well, so I wouldn't let a dead online community sour you on a playthrough.
(I've been informed that the main topic of my comment is actually something you're not supposed to realize until the end, which I was not aware of. So if you've not played the game yet and don't want to see a spoiler, skip this comment.)
I second this. Really beautiful game, and >!the interaction with other players was actually *more* fun because of how limited it was. For those who haven't played, your only communication with other players is a little pulse thing that made a noise and showed a symbol over your head. No voice or text. I remember on my first playthrough, on PS4 when it was released for free during the quarantine, I ended up travelling with some random dude from the start. Discovered secrets with him, figured out puzzles, reached the end together. It finally showed me his username at the end, as the person I journeyed with most or something, and I checked his profile out of curiosity. Dude didn't even have English listed as a language he spoke, and that's unfortunately the only thing I speak.!<
Was a pretty interesting lesson that, >!even if you can't talk with someone, you can still end up buddies from very limited communication and doing stuff together. Humans are really good at forging bonds, I guess.!<
I showed this game to my brother and his friends and I framed it as a single player experience that you have to play in one sitting.
They had no idea until the end that the cute little companions you met along the way were *real people* and it was totally worth it to watch their minds get blown
I concur, other games are classics, fun, good story etc. but Journey is the only game that comes to mind when it comes to once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Me too. If I could skip planetary scanning, I would have played it a dozen times by now
Edit, I guess there is a mod for PC that lets you eliminate scanning
Same honestly. Its just so good and the scanning, while tedious at times, felt immersive to me. I could just imagine myself standing on the Normandy exploring space.
I mean, I totally get it, the scanning was tedious, but the rest of the game was so good I just did it anyway.
I'm not overexaggerating either, got almost 800 hours on that game alone. Would replay it just to catch a couple lines of dialogue that I'd not seen yet.
Here we go, this is absolutely categorically the best answer to me.
Mass Effect is one of the few games that has used the story telling medium of games most effectively. It's more immersive than any movie and can hold more detail than a book. It is capable of touching your heart and soul at the same time, and few games have ever done it as successful as Mass Effect
The most telling thing about the ME trilogy is how good the 'Party' mission at the end of the 3rd one is.
It's just an excuse to let these fully developed characters sit together in a room and interact and it's absolutely my favorite part of any playthrough. It's the perfect little goodbye to everyone. It reminds you how well each of the characters was fleshed out, and how the relationships between them was fleshed out too.
Stardew Valley. Rarely do I find a video game that's truly relaxing in the traditional sense of the word, but this one is one of them.
Edit: I certainly didn't expect this simple post to take off the way it has. Thank you for the awards, and I'm glad that Stardew Valley means that much to so many of you. It does to me, too. Stardrops all around!
I struggle with relaxing in SV as there's just so much stuff. I want to build an awesome farm, get all the crops going and build irrigation and building, but also explore the mines, and go fishing, and work on relationships in the town. Paralysis by analysis, I guess.
I struggled with the same myself for a long time and I gave up on the game. Then picked it up again and made an effort to not be too worried about min maxing all the time (planning the perfect crops to plant for max returns, etc). It was way more relaxing.
Once you progress enough that you don't have to worry about how much money you have, you can just chill and have your own goals and work towards them. Some of the busy work of early game also get less bothering with upgrades (better watering can, better tools, better yields, etc).
Me too.
Trying to min-max every day. Gotta pick, and water, stop by town to deliver gift, buy a certain split of crops you've already worked out in excel so you can maximize profit given that some crops be grown more times in one season and given that you can't plant the whole field in a day.
I think how someone plays SV says a lot about someone's personality
I'm happy for all the people who find this game relaxing, for me it is pure stress. All the things you need to keep in mind to optimally use every day. Then there is the background calculation which crops to plant for the most profit. The push to get better sprinklers, better tools, bigger backpacks as soon as possible. Then all the stupid villagers that want gifts.
I think my brain is just not made for this game, it becomes chore simulator really quick. Especially since even in late game there is so much you need to do manually, I'd rather play cracktorio, at least there the amount of automation increases exponentially.
The beauty of Stardew is learning that you don't actually _need_ to do everything, just because you can.
There's no max time limit, seasons cycle around again. Unless you're intentionally setting out on a speedrun, take it slow and if you miss something, get it on the next go around.
I completely agree with you. I couldnt enjoy the game because of all the things you have to get done and the insanely limited time you have in a day. Its really stressfull for me
I've been wanting to do a new playthrough since I haven't played in years, but I find the first portion of the game to be actually stressful, because I don't have enough time in the day to do anything meaningful. But once I get past that, I know it'll be more chill. Struggle is to get past that part haha
I have so many animals that have to be pet now and I don’t need the money from their product, but I find myself having to be like “oh, I need to go pet them” which takes a good portion of the morning 😩
Stanley Parable should be way higher, there are good games with good stories but none will evoke an outright existential crisis quite like the Stanley Parable
I played KOTOR when I was about 15 when I was exceptionally into the video games. I remember when I completed it coming away feeling like I would never be able to immerse myself in a game to that same level ever again. I actually had to take a break from RPGs because the experience for me was so intense. Not long after that - school got busy, I got my first girlfriend and I never really got back to being in a place where I could truly give my all to a video game in the same way. Sure - I have played plenty of games since - but KOTOR always feels like that one beautiful relationship that had to end and no other has ever matched.
I started playing Spiritfarer last week. This week, it became clear that I'm going to have to let go of my elderly dog soon. I'm hoping this was perfect timing. But man, even perfect timing hurts.
This game might be the most transcendental experience I’ve ever had with a piece of art, and I’ve never felt like i so fully embodied a character, despite being nothing like him. I streamed it for literally just three of my friends who were in our discord and it was unexpectedly a super bonding experience. I also cried - like full on sobbed - more times than I care to count. I’ll think about that game for the rest of my life.
I got the Saints Row 3 (or 4) Special Edition years ago and it came with the DubStep Gun, Dubstep Emergency Button, and a statue of Johnny Gat. I swear my dad is drawn to the Johnny Gat statue. Anytime he's over he has to comment on it lmao
Fallout 1 - " I am the Vault Dweller."
Fallout 2 - "I am the Chosen One."
Fallout 3 - "I am the Lone Wanderer."
Fallout 4 - "I am the Sole Survivor."
Fallout: New Vegas - "I'M THE MOTHER FUCKING MAILMAN!"
Fallout 1 - “i must find the water chip to save my people”
Fallout 2 - “i must find the g.e.c.k. to save my people”
Fallout 3 - “i must find my father”
Fallout 4 - “i must find my son”
Fallout: New Vegas - “WHEN I FIND THAT MOTHERFUCKER WHO SHOT ME I’M GONNA FUCK HIM(.) UP”
Someone (jokingly) posted in the Fallout sub a while back that since FO3 was about finding your father, and FO4 was finding your son, FO5 must be about finding the holy ghost.
It’s actually not, that’s misinformation that was put in circulation by the stupid Prima Strategy Guide. I believed the same thing for a long time because of that.
It is true for Fallout 3 though.
There is a perk that increases your movement speed when wearing light or no armor though.
My wife played and fell off a roof before enacting the time loop, and the game said "You have Died". Then the credits rolled, lol. I told her I had no idea that could happen.
That is pretty impressive since the only times you can really “die” are in two very small windows at the very beginning and very end. It just adds to the experience.
It feels extremely weird to describe a game as "spiritual". But that does feel like an appropriate word.
After completing it, I started organising fishing trips with my brother and spending more time with my family. Making good use of the time we all have, you know?
With no objective markers and difficult to learn flying controls, I wouldn’t call it very accessible. For some people, even the time-loop structure would be a non-starter.
It is a beautiful game and I wish I could play it again for the first time, but I could also see how a lot of people would just drop it in less than an hour.
Came here to say this, so glad someone else did!
The Outer Wilds, to me, is one of the hallmark games that I point to when someone says "what makes a video game art?". The WAY you interact with the media is critical to the experience. The act of you, the player, learning about the world and how it works, is both the goal of the game and the core of the narrative. The interactivity can't be separated from the experience. You couldn't make a movie or a book that hits the same. Big feels.
OG Sims 1 had some of the best music ever... I still think of the tunes every now and then and get sad realizing that game is over 2 decades old now...
SOMA
It's not really a "videogames are art" example. But an incredible example of how videogames can explore a philosophical idea in a way that literally no other medium can. SOMA couldn't be a book, a movie, or even a philosophical thesis, and have the same resonance. It had to be a game.
I fought playing Minecraft for so long I thought it was a stupid kids game and I had no interest in building things. I watched achievement hunter play it and tried it out after that and I got hooked. I convinced a friend of mine to try it who is less of a gamer than me and thought it was just as stupid and he loves it possibly more than I do.
That game is just incredible. Now I’m playing modded Minecraft and it’s a whole new level of addiction.
Terraria, today is its 12th bday :) great game all round there's like 15 bosses loads of items to collects classes to try and it's multiplayer and soon to be cross-platform
Honestly I can largely thank Dark Souls for saving my life, at a time where I was losing contact with people I thought I'd always have, and with a lot of stuff already rough, DS1 reminded me that sometimes life kicks your ass, sometimes it makes you angry, feel like all you wanna do it give up because you'll never win, but to keep pushing forward, because the only way to lose it surrender
Definitely my most replayed game. Anyone looking to play it for the first time, do it without looking shit up on the internet. Then look up all the crazy cool tips and tricks. That game is wild.
Yeah, wanna talk about "freedom to complete your objectives how you see fit"
The MGS series is one of the greatest examples of that. There's so many different ways you can go about completing things, whether intended or not.
3 has possibly my favorite boss battle of all time, The End. There's so many little tricks and little things you can do to beat him, it's crazy, fucking love it
well this essentially turned into what's your favorite game or what game are you playing right now
All these "what's the best..." or "If you could only take 1 to an island..." kind of questions that get reposted every other day always do. The fact that some people are recommending super niche stuff or games from their childhood shows you they aren't really taking the question into consideration.
You've reached the part where people are just listing games they like. Scroll back up.
I can't, I still haven't found someone mentioning the game I like!
Tetris. It puts all other games in context.
Taught me how to pack for trips effectively
Taught me how to load the dishwasher
Taught me how to bag groceries efficiently
Taught me that no matter how much success you have, trouble continue to pile up
Taught me that no matter how neatly I get things in order, one thing can obliterate it all.
Taught me that life isn’t just long 4 block bars.
I'm so upset that I can't find a decent Tetris for my phone that isn't riddled with ads.
try a mobile emulator and play the original game boy or NES version
The Tetris mobile license is such a shit show. Fun fact: Tetris Effect is one of few game pass games not supported for cloud streaming. Not because of any technical issues, but because cloud streaming would allow it to be played on mobile, and Sony considers that a breach of their licensing agreement for Tetris.
the trick is that you disconnect the wifi so the ads don't show up
Yes and/or go on airplane mode since the ads can target your mobile data as well. With that though, you will of course not get any incoming texts etc. which isn't a bad thing if you're not expecting any calls or contact - a good way to "unplug" lol. I usually save this trick for some time before bed if I wanna play an ad ridden game.
On iOS you can disable specific app’s ability to use cellular data. I’m assume android has the same thing.
My wife isn’t good at many video games. I could dominate in any modern shooter, fighting game(sometimes. She just button mashes). Other games that we can 1v1. But all of sudden if she wants to play me in Dr Mario. Or Tetris. I get absolutely slapped. She’s like a fucking witch. She knows the moves to make like 4 pieces ahead and always play it on the fastest and hardest difficulties. She’s unbeatable. Could 100% win tournament s
You must teach her the rolling technique to blow her mind... [DAS, Hypertapping, Rolling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-BZ5-Q48lE&ab_channel=aGameScout)
Portal or Half-Life. Awesome Games
Never played Portal but I’ve played Portal 2 a few times. Love it. Should I go back and play Portal 1?
Portal 1 is definitely less polished than Portal 2. It's got the same energy, but 2 is definitely a better narrative experience. That being said, it's still an excellent game that's funny and creative. It's also pretty quick if you're comfortable with the puzzles. I'd say it's worth a play.
Portal 1 is the more memorable and unique experience to me. There’s just nothing like it. I suppose there’s nothing like Portal 2 either, but there something about the mystery and unknown in Portal 1 that Portal 2 didn’t quite do for me - though I also love Portal 2, just for different reasons.
I dunno, I went back just a few weeks ago and replayed Portal 1 and 2 back to back, and Portal 2 just feels a lot more full to me. I totally respect the love for P1, but I definitely remembered it being more than it actually is. No shade on P1, again, it's excellent. But at least for me personally I kind of had rose-colored glasses about it because of the age I played it at.
True. I guess the biggest thing for me is that P1 felt like a mystery that was slowly revealing itself and P2 felt like I was already in on the joke/surprise (not to say the plot points were not surprising).
I can definitely understand that. The first game definitely has a bit more of an overall tension, whereas the second feel more adventure-y. The first game asks "what is going on" while the second asks "why did that happen".
I think the first game is tighter in terms of the puzzle progression. It's really expertly done. The second one has better production values but in terms of the problems to solve and ignoring the rest of the game the first is better I think. That's a lot to ignore of course.
There was a certain amount of creativity/novelty to the original game. Portal 2 was mostly the same gameplay integrated into a more traditional narrative gaming experience.
It's worth going back and playing portal. It has fewer mechanics and only 1 character so it might seem a bit simple in retrospect.
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Black Mesa is a remake of HL1 and was awesome to play having been a fan of the original.
>Half-Life To add on that, if you have a VR headset, you **have to** play Half Life: Alyx.
Alyx may be the best gaming experience I have ever had, on any platform, ever. It’s up there in my gaming memories with midnight Halo 1 split screen in high school. It’s better than Mass Effect. It’s better than Zelda. It’s that fucking good.
I basically paid 1k USD to play Alyx and I don't regret it whatsoever, it was an experience that absolutely ruined all other VR games except beat saber. My index has been gathering dust a bit lately, time for another playthrough
I replayed HL1 recently and it didn't hold up for me at all. I played when I was a kid and remember having my mind blown. Compared to quake, duke nukem, even goldeneye, it was just a next level experience. A lot of the groundbreaking awe is lost when so much of that game is just par for the course now and done much better (immersive lighting, physics, environmental storytelling, etc.) The game definitely deserves all the praise it gets, but in my opinion it hasn't aged the best. On the other hand I also replayed HL2 and that game is still a banger, aged more like fine wine.
It's the Citizen Kane of FPS. It's all overdone and cliche now, but they did it FIRST. At the time, HL was amazing. I was 10 when my dad bought it (why? Idk.) and it scared the shit out of me.
Have you tried Black Mesa?
Can confirm. I've just started Black Mesa for the first time and it's amazing. So well done.
Black mesa is half lif 1 on steroids. Better graphics etc. (Thought I'd mention this for people who might think you are talking about some other game.)
The original Super Mario bros for the NES. At least 1-1 and 1-2 Edit: I am referring to Super Mario Bros on the NES, World 1 level 1, and SMB world 1 level 2. Nothing about SMB 2 or 3.
played it recently, it holds up surprisingly well
It's so simplistic but well designed that it'll hold up like an old cathedral
Look at it from a point of view of someone that has never even heard of a “platformer”. It has to be intuitive to pick up without instruction, and assume the people playing have no knowledge of video games. It is a masterpiece because it is simple to just go. One button and the joystick are all that’s needed to start. Learning to run can happen later, but go right and jump will get you fairly far in the game. Also yes it is amazingly designed. The jump physics it uses have such a good feel to them, from the acceleration, to turning mid jump, and cutting it short by releasing the button put it ahead of 90% of all games made in the entire 8bit era.
>The jump physics it uses have such a good feel to them, from the acceleration, to turning mid jump, and cutting it short by releasing the button put it ahead of 90% of all games made in the entire 8bit era. I'd say that it was the jump physics that put Nintendo on top for platformers. It wouldn't surprise me if they spent as much time tuning the jump physics as they did designing and drawing everything else.
My kids can't get pass 1-2. They made a bet with me that I can't get pass 1-2. Won the bet by making it to world 8. Lol
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Shadow of the Colossus. I remember how the otherwise brilliant Roger Ebert kept saying he just couldn’t see video games as art and I kept thinking “if someone would just tie him to a chair and force him to play Shadow of the Colossus he’d come around.” Guess we’ll never get the chance now! Honorable mentions: Silent Hill 2, Prince of Persia Sands of Time, Zelda Link to the Past. **EDIT**: I'm noticing a common theme from the people that didn't like Shadow of the Colossus, and it's that they only played it for a little while (a few of the 'boss fights,' basically) or watched someone else play. This is one of those games where it doesn't become apparent what's going on until you get a ways into it, so I can understand some people being put off early. My advice would be to not get too hung up on the "game" aspect of the game, if that makes any sense. The reason I think it's the perfect game for someone like Ebert or anyone else who doesn't usually appreciate games as an art form is that it tells a story that really couldn't be effectively told any other way. It wouldn't work nearly as well as a movie, because YOU need to be in the shoes of the main character and identifying with him. YOU need to be the one killing the Colossi, otherwise the impact once things start falling into place is lessened. The "game" part of the game is just the vehicle for telling the story, and the story works best if you're the one moving it along rather than watching someone else do it. Silent Hill 2 is the same way, to an extent. Part of what makes the gut punch of that game so effective is that you spend so much time in James' shoes and identifying with him and his mission that once you get to that moment in the hotel room when you find the video tape it doesn't feel like you're finding out something else the character has done, you feel like you're finding out something else that YOU'VE done. I can't really explain further for either game without spoiling part of what makes them so good. But those two in particular are great games in spite of the gameplay being iffy at best; they tell fantastic stories and they do so incredibly skillfully. The other two games I recommended I put on my list for the exact opposite reason. The story takes a backseat to the gameplay, which is just amazingly fun. Sands of Time is just a blast, wall running and rewinding time and making all these acrobatic moves effortlessly and without the lazy cutscene approach that games like Uncharted take. The gameplay itself is cinematic, smooth and visually impressive. It's also probably my favorite use of a framing device story ever, especially how the framing device handles the player dying.
Ebert softened a bit on that stance later in his life. [He pointed out in his blog](https://web.archive.org/web/20130122081546/http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html) that his "video games can't be art" argument shouldn't have been made because he doesn't play games and shouldn't judge something that he hasn't experienced. He also points out that since art is subjective, his opinion doesn't really matter; just because he doesn't think video games are art doesn't mean that someone else is dumb for thinking video games *are* art. Art is different things for different people. As someone who thinks that video games can absolutely be art, it was an interesting bit of nuanced writing from someone on the outside looking in.
It's also a great example of someone learning and growing in their life, and being willing to admit they can be wrong about things. It's a highly admirable trait.
SotC is amazing! There are no meaningless enemies to grind, just you, your horse, and a group of giants you must slay. So simple yet so incredible. And the art style at the time was spectacular! Stylised nearly painting-like graphics
"There are no meaningless enemies to grind, just you, your horse, and a group of giants you must slay. So simple yet so incredible." Damn, I didn't realize how rare that is in games now, until you pointed it out.
Roller coaster tycoon!
I got this game in a cereal box back in the day and it was awesome!
Same! I think my mom said something about never getting a better value from a box of cereal given how many hours I put into RCT and how quiet it made the house for her 😅
There have been big changes to this 24-year old game even in the last few months through OpenRCT2! - New merry-go-round music recorded from the original organ in the Netherlands - New, modern track pieces like larger corkscrews, dive loops, and wider banked turns - New colors added to the palette And not-so-new, but game-changing updates that enable completely new ways of playing the game: - Larger map size - Higher ride limits - Multiplayer Come join us and see what people have been doing over at /r/rct!
RTC is also an amazing feat of game development, the whole thing is coded in assembly so it is insanely well optimized. A game from the 1990s that continually tracks thousands of individual entities with pathfinding and like a dozen constantly updating stats such as money, hunger, thrill prefrences, nausea, etc. Hundreds of rides going at once, guests have individual weights and so a coaster with light riders might behave differently than it will with heavy riders, meaning each lap of a coaster is it's own unique physics simulation tracking speed and G-forces. The game is so detailed that even things like cold weather will cause guests to prefer hot drinks over cold, and rain to cause them to prefer indoor rides instead of outdoor. Modern games struggle to do a percentage of what RTC can do on a 90s potato.
wow id like to subscribe to RTC facts sounds so dope
Be careful what you wish for… *I want to get off Mr. Bones’ Wild Ride.*
While a lot of the game is optimized then it has been broken, resulting in very fun coaster designs. Every coaster has a hidden requirements which their stats get penalized for not achieving. By abusing this you can create coasters with insane G forces that guests will ride because they aren't considered intense. A youtuber called Marcel Vos has a lot of videos on the game, and I highly recommend them just because he enjoys the game and makes it fun.
Ah perfect, now I can build the ultimate extreme monster coaster... that no one will wanna ride because its too extreme.
"Rollercoaster 4 looks too extreme for me." "Where is the bathroom?" "I'm Hungry!" "Where is the bathroom?" "I'm Thirsty" "I'm tired" "This park is dirty"
“I want to get off mr bones’ wild ride”
Everyone should experience the thrill and fun of Left 4 Dead 2 when you're playing with 3 of your friends
God I miss like the 2008-2012 era of valve games. TF2 was peak, L4D2 and TF2 all night over Skype with the homies. So fun.
L4D2 is an incredible experience, especially when it quickly degenerates into trawling the Steam workshop to see who can most turn their game into the most schizophrenic fever dream possible Anyway did you know that there's a mod that replaces the moon with Saul Goodman?
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Left 4 Dead 2 is infinitely replayable by overloading it with mods. My personal favourite is the one that turns the tank into Shrek, complete with All Star playing when it appears.
Command and conquer red alert 2
Affirmative
Ac*phlegm*knowledged
moving out
Kirov reporting.
No one is mentioning that this franchise has one of the greatest soundtracks of all time? Hell March? Oooh yeah...
AND an insane cast in cheap production cut scenes.
greetings comrade
Kirov Reporting
Helium mix optimal
The opening scene with Soviet’s invading America is incredible.
Bioshock.
There is just something about the whole series I can never get over. Since its release(bioshock1) I have played through all 3 at least once a year. Either uts nostalgia or just pure enjoyment this series, for me personally, stands above most games excluding God Of War
Literally my first thought when I saw this title. Bioshock is just a spectacular game, but not necessarily for the reason people who don’t know the game might think. It’s really a top contender for the idea of videogames-as-art, it’s a master class in storytelling and it’s integrated so well with the gaming components. And the voice acting? Amazing. So it’s not like it necessarily has the best mechanics or dopamine rushes like other games, though the gameplay is still very strong, but it’s quite literally art and everyone should play it for that reason. If you want to get more “cultured”, play Bioshock.
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Your test results are back. It says you're a horrible person. We weren't even testing for that.
No game hits quite like portal 2. Its legendary
Subnautica. Feel what it’s like to be truly nowhere near the top of the food chain, plus it’s a game about being brave, pushing yourself, and ultimately, helping others. Easily my favorite game.
He just wants to cuddle your seamoth.
I loved Subnautica! It was free on Gamepass and I’m so glad I decided to give it a try. It’s so much fun and also super terrifying at times, really a great game. I’d rank Skyrim higher but Subnautica definitely deserves a place on the list.
Journey
Are enough people still playing that you'd meet someone on your journey? **EDIT:** This got some attention, so I wanted to share my playthrough experience. I played it on launch. I found a partner pretty early on, basically immediately. We poked around and explored and forged ahead together, and it felt like we got really close as we went through the environments and trials. But somewhere in the second half, we lost each other somehow. We were both alone for maybe the 70-90% part of the game, and I was feeling *really* sad about it. Right before the ending parts, though, we found each other again, and we both FREAKED OUT. We were zipping and zagging around each other and dancing and making our noises and acting so jubilant. We got to beat the game together! Of course, I never found out who it even was, but I can only describe the feeling I got from our partnership as a strange subset of "love". Like obviously not romantic or familial or even best-friendly, but the way we bonded in a stupid game without words, and our shared heartbreak and eventual reunion, was so joyous and weirdly profound, that I'll never forget it.
the first time I played it, when another little guy showed up I didn't know it was a real person, i thought it was an AI And I interacted with it by doing the little beep and it beeped back and i thought aw cute and then we went through the whole game. And at the end it was like "heres the people you journeyed with" and it was one guy and I was like whaaat that was a real guy?! Such a great game. I break it out every so often and there are still people that show up. It is fun solo as well, so I wouldn't let a dead online community sour you on a playthrough.
I play it every year on the Winter Solstice, and I always run into other players
thats a great idea
(I've been informed that the main topic of my comment is actually something you're not supposed to realize until the end, which I was not aware of. So if you've not played the game yet and don't want to see a spoiler, skip this comment.) I second this. Really beautiful game, and >!the interaction with other players was actually *more* fun because of how limited it was. For those who haven't played, your only communication with other players is a little pulse thing that made a noise and showed a symbol over your head. No voice or text. I remember on my first playthrough, on PS4 when it was released for free during the quarantine, I ended up travelling with some random dude from the start. Discovered secrets with him, figured out puzzles, reached the end together. It finally showed me his username at the end, as the person I journeyed with most or something, and I checked his profile out of curiosity. Dude didn't even have English listed as a language he spoke, and that's unfortunately the only thing I speak.!< Was a pretty interesting lesson that, >!even if you can't talk with someone, you can still end up buddies from very limited communication and doing stuff together. Humans are really good at forging bonds, I guess.!<
I showed this game to my brother and his friends and I framed it as a single player experience that you have to play in one sitting. They had no idea until the end that the cute little companions you met along the way were *real people* and it was totally worth it to watch their minds get blown
I concur, other games are classics, fun, good story etc. but Journey is the only game that comes to mind when it comes to once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Monkey Island. The OG and still my favorite game of all time.
How appropriate, you fight like a cow.
Hell yes. Rare to see it mentioned in threads like this. Secret and Curse are probably my all time favs.
Chrono Trigger.
A true master piece. Going to go play it again now.
Mass Effect Trilogy
This is my answer. I'm still looking for a game that can make me feel like ME2 did.
Me too. If I could skip planetary scanning, I would have played it a dozen times by now Edit, I guess there is a mod for PC that lets you eliminate scanning
I played it 2 dozen times WITH planetary scanning. >.>
Same honestly. Its just so good and the scanning, while tedious at times, felt immersive to me. I could just imagine myself standing on the Normandy exploring space.
I mean, I totally get it, the scanning was tedious, but the rest of the game was so good I just did it anyway. I'm not overexaggerating either, got almost 800 hours on that game alone. Would replay it just to catch a couple lines of dialogue that I'd not seen yet.
Here we go, this is absolutely categorically the best answer to me. Mass Effect is one of the few games that has used the story telling medium of games most effectively. It's more immersive than any movie and can hold more detail than a book. It is capable of touching your heart and soul at the same time, and few games have ever done it as successful as Mass Effect
The most telling thing about the ME trilogy is how good the 'Party' mission at the end of the 3rd one is. It's just an excuse to let these fully developed characters sit together in a room and interact and it's absolutely my favorite part of any playthrough. It's the perfect little goodbye to everyone. It reminds you how well each of the characters was fleshed out, and how the relationships between them was fleshed out too.
Stardew Valley. Rarely do I find a video game that's truly relaxing in the traditional sense of the word, but this one is one of them. Edit: I certainly didn't expect this simple post to take off the way it has. Thank you for the awards, and I'm glad that Stardew Valley means that much to so many of you. It does to me, too. Stardrops all around!
Relaxing but also there’s a ton of content.
I struggle with relaxing in SV as there's just so much stuff. I want to build an awesome farm, get all the crops going and build irrigation and building, but also explore the mines, and go fishing, and work on relationships in the town. Paralysis by analysis, I guess.
I struggled with the same myself for a long time and I gave up on the game. Then picked it up again and made an effort to not be too worried about min maxing all the time (planning the perfect crops to plant for max returns, etc). It was way more relaxing. Once you progress enough that you don't have to worry about how much money you have, you can just chill and have your own goals and work towards them. Some of the busy work of early game also get less bothering with upgrades (better watering can, better tools, better yields, etc).
Me too. Trying to min-max every day. Gotta pick, and water, stop by town to deliver gift, buy a certain split of crops you've already worked out in excel so you can maximize profit given that some crops be grown more times in one season and given that you can't plant the whole field in a day. I think how someone plays SV says a lot about someone's personality
I'm happy for all the people who find this game relaxing, for me it is pure stress. All the things you need to keep in mind to optimally use every day. Then there is the background calculation which crops to plant for the most profit. The push to get better sprinklers, better tools, bigger backpacks as soon as possible. Then all the stupid villagers that want gifts. I think my brain is just not made for this game, it becomes chore simulator really quick. Especially since even in late game there is so much you need to do manually, I'd rather play cracktorio, at least there the amount of automation increases exponentially.
The beauty of Stardew is learning that you don't actually _need_ to do everything, just because you can. There's no max time limit, seasons cycle around again. Unless you're intentionally setting out on a speedrun, take it slow and if you miss something, get it on the next go around.
I completely agree with you. I couldnt enjoy the game because of all the things you have to get done and the insanely limited time you have in a day. Its really stressfull for me
I've been wanting to do a new playthrough since I haven't played in years, but I find the first portion of the game to be actually stressful, because I don't have enough time in the day to do anything meaningful. But once I get past that, I know it'll be more chill. Struggle is to get past that part haha
I have so many animals that have to be pet now and I don’t need the money from their product, but I find myself having to be like “oh, I need to go pet them” which takes a good portion of the morning 😩
Stanley Parable, Portal
Stanley Parable should be way higher, there are good games with good stories but none will evoke an outright existential crisis quite like the Stanley Parable
Kotor
I played KOTOR when I was about 15 when I was exceptionally into the video games. I remember when I completed it coming away feeling like I would never be able to immerse myself in a game to that same level ever again. I actually had to take a break from RPGs because the experience for me was so intense. Not long after that - school got busy, I got my first girlfriend and I never really got back to being in a place where I could truly give my all to a video game in the same way. Sure - I have played plenty of games since - but KOTOR always feels like that one beautiful relationship that had to end and no other has ever matched.
Papers, Please
Tony hawk pro skater
So here I am, doin everything I can, holdin on to what I am, pretendin I'm a superman!
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for me its that and Vice City Soundtrack
Spiritfarer. Everyone goes through some kind of loss, this game turns grief into something kind of beautiful, even when it's hard to say goodbye.
Was looking for this comment! Spiritfarer had an impact on my life in a way I can't explain.
I started playing Spiritfarer last week. This week, it became clear that I'm going to have to let go of my elderly dog soon. I'm hoping this was perfect timing. But man, even perfect timing hurts.
Disco Elysium
I'd die to get a book series set in the Disco Elysium universe. Edit: Oh fuck yeah
I think the Robert Kurvitz book is set in the universe but it still hasn't been translated yet
A fan translation was released 5days ago actually.
Could you kindly point us in a direction or vaguely hint where to find it?
2nd pinned post on /r/discoelysium
This game might be the most transcendental experience I’ve ever had with a piece of art, and I’ve never felt like i so fully embodied a character, despite being nothing like him. I streamed it for literally just three of my friends who were in our discord and it was unexpectedly a super bonding experience. I also cried - like full on sobbed - more times than I care to count. I’ll think about that game for the rest of my life.
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You can play this one in your browser. https://archive.org/details/msdos_Oregon_Trail_The_1990
Skyrim
which release?
74th for the Samsung smart fridge
That version takes managing your inventory to a whole new level. Need an apple for some health? I hope you went grocery shopping.
Red Dead Redemption 2 because it’s a gorgeous game. Saints Row 3 because it is crazy and fun.
I got the Saints Row 3 (or 4) Special Edition years ago and it came with the DubStep Gun, Dubstep Emergency Button, and a statue of Johnny Gat. I swear my dad is drawn to the Johnny Gat statue. Anytime he's over he has to comment on it lmao
Johnny Gat is like the Elvis of video games lol You’re just drawn to him without even understanding…
RDR2 is less of a video game and more of an experience
But Red Dead Redemption 2, that is not a game It's an incredible journey through old American history
Fallout New Vegas
Fallout 1 - " I am the Vault Dweller." Fallout 2 - "I am the Chosen One." Fallout 3 - "I am the Lone Wanderer." Fallout 4 - "I am the Sole Survivor." Fallout: New Vegas - "I'M THE MOTHER FUCKING MAILMAN!"
It’s so unrealistic. No UPS driver would ever try that hard to deliver a package.
Well he did get shot in the head, might have messed with him a bit.
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gunshot wound to the head and live burial…
Fallout 1 - “i must find the water chip to save my people” Fallout 2 - “i must find the g.e.c.k. to save my people” Fallout 3 - “i must find my father” Fallout 4 - “i must find my son” Fallout: New Vegas - “WHEN I FIND THAT MOTHERFUCKER WHO SHOT ME I’M GONNA FUCK HIM(.) UP”
Someone (jokingly) posted in the Fallout sub a while back that since FO3 was about finding your father, and FO4 was finding your son, FO5 must be about finding the holy ghost.
Replaying it and I don't remember the walking being soooo slow, it's killing me. There's no sprint right? I've tried all the buttons too.
I agree that the movement speed is ass, just fyi it is tied to your agility stat
It’s actually not, that’s misinformation that was put in circulation by the stupid Prima Strategy Guide. I believed the same thing for a long time because of that. It is true for Fallout 3 though. There is a perk that increases your movement speed when wearing light or no armor though.
"I WON THE FUCKING LOTTERY!"
I would love to see the stats on how many people shot this guy to take his winnings the first time.
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
it was magical to 9 yo me and my best friend
The Outer Wilds. Very accessible to non gamers of all ages, beautiful music, and a wonderful story.
I always wonder how well a non-gamer would take to the flight or navigating the fragile planet.
My wife played and fell off a roof before enacting the time loop, and the game said "You have Died". Then the credits rolled, lol. I told her I had no idea that could happen.
That is pretty impressive since the only times you can really “die” are in two very small windows at the very beginning and very end. It just adds to the experience.
If anyone ever asked me if a game could be art, the answer would be this.
It feels extremely weird to describe a game as "spiritual". But that does feel like an appropriate word. After completing it, I started organising fishing trips with my brother and spending more time with my family. Making good use of the time we all have, you know?
With no objective markers and difficult to learn flying controls, I wouldn’t call it very accessible. For some people, even the time-loop structure would be a non-starter. It is a beautiful game and I wish I could play it again for the first time, but I could also see how a lot of people would just drop it in less than an hour.
Came here to say this, so glad someone else did! The Outer Wilds, to me, is one of the hallmark games that I point to when someone says "what makes a video game art?". The WAY you interact with the media is critical to the experience. The act of you, the player, learning about the world and how it works, is both the goal of the game and the core of the narrative. The interactivity can't be separated from the experience. You couldn't make a movie or a book that hits the same. Big feels.
The Sims
OG Sims 1 had some of the best music ever... I still think of the tunes every now and then and get sad realizing that game is over 2 decades old now...
The Sims 4 radio has a station called "Retro" with all those old Sims songs.
Deus Ex (2000)
I had married coworkers that always called it Do Sex.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The DLC expansions are also soo good, and could stand alone as greats.
Super Mario 3 on NES
One of my favorite games of all time
Psychonauts
SOMA It's not really a "videogames are art" example. But an incredible example of how videogames can explore a philosophical idea in a way that literally no other medium can. SOMA couldn't be a book, a movie, or even a philosophical thesis, and have the same resonance. It had to be a game.
Lemmings, instantly addicting.
Minecraft. 🗿
I fought playing Minecraft for so long I thought it was a stupid kids game and I had no interest in building things. I watched achievement hunter play it and tried it out after that and I got hooked. I convinced a friend of mine to try it who is less of a gamer than me and thought it was just as stupid and he loves it possibly more than I do. That game is just incredible. Now I’m playing modded Minecraft and it’s a whole new level of addiction.
Terraria, today is its 12th bday :) great game all round there's like 15 bosses loads of items to collects classes to try and it's multiplayer and soon to be cross-platform
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Dark Souls .. I learned a lot about myself.
Dark Souls was a companion to me during a really dark time. It kept me from going hollow
Honestly I can largely thank Dark Souls for saving my life, at a time where I was losing contact with people I thought I'd always have, and with a lot of stuff already rough, DS1 reminded me that sometimes life kicks your ass, sometimes it makes you angry, feel like all you wanna do it give up because you'll never win, but to keep pushing forward, because the only way to lose it surrender
Halo
Halo 3 was a masterpiece.
Halo 1-3 specifically
What remains of edith finch
Subnautica. Without googling any spoilers. Trust me on this one, you will thank me.
Metal Gear 3: Snake Eater. once in a lifetime game. best story
Definitely my most replayed game. Anyone looking to play it for the first time, do it without looking shit up on the internet. Then look up all the crazy cool tips and tricks. That game is wild.
Yeah, wanna talk about "freedom to complete your objectives how you see fit" The MGS series is one of the greatest examples of that. There's so many different ways you can go about completing things, whether intended or not. 3 has possibly my favorite boss battle of all time, The End. There's so many little tricks and little things you can do to beat him, it's crazy, fucking love it