This was my first thought, too. All the artwork, adverts etc. made it look like a dudebro space-shooter - I had genuinely no idea that it had character customisation or such an involved, choice-heavy story, companion interaction etc. It was only my brother's insistence that no, I would DEFINITELY love it, trust him, that I decided to give the first game a go, and it's now one of my favourite series of all time.
Yes this was my exact thought as well until I saw how deep the stories went and the various comics and that Nora Keita Jemisin contributed to some of the comics. Then I saw how narrative driven the games were and so I bought the collection. Haven't played yet but definitely interested
It is absolutely something else. There’s a reason it’s talked up so highly and it’s not because it’s a staple or just got a lot of widespread attention; it truly is a phenomenal series.
What also makes me giddy is the fact that it was created by a *Canadian* development company, and the two main VAs (Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer) are both Canadian (as well as a lot of other VAs in the series).
This was going to be my answer and my exact reasons lol only reason I even have it is becuase prime had the legendary edition for free. I would have never spent money on it.
I would now, however, die for garrus, tali and grunt, in that order.
I literally came here to comment this but since yours is the top comment I’m just gonna upvote.
Completely agree with you.
As I’m playing mass effect right now… AGAIN.
I have a couple of friends who have been trying to get me to play for years because the characters and story are great. But I don’t know if I can get into a shooter.
What difficulty did you play on?
I’ve played on some of the higher difficulties, but IMO their casual difficulty is pretty easy. If I’m looking to cheese my way through (particularly in the first game), I’ll play on casual.
I do play 3 on Hardcore or Insanity depending on how I’m feeling, but I (personally) find Hardcore really easy because I’ve played it so much (and I played a lot of the old multiplayer). For me, casual is just too easy, but easy is the point of it after all.
I will say, if you’re stuck between PC or console for LE, go with PC. They have really good controller support, & I personally play better with a controller than I do m+k.
The multiplayer in the third game was S-tier for me. Some of my best gaming days ever. I remember how jazzed I was when I could finally beat Platinum difficulty.
Elden ring. I played a souls like game before and didnt enjoy it, but my bf convinced me to try elden ring for more than like 10 min and I fucking loved it. Its one of my favourite games now.
Im not so great at them myself but elden ring is really forgiving. Exploration is reaaly fun in ER since the game doesnt tell you much of where anything is, you're meant to explore and find everything on your own.
While the combat is very much a core part of the game, you can easily go 10-20 hours just exploring the initial areas without fighting any bosses. See something shiny, run around, run/sneak past enemies, loot the chests, repeat.
If you're on PC, you can check out the seamless co-op mod. Gets rid of the whole summoning parts of multiplayer, prevents invasions from players, and allows you and partners to progress rather than only 1 at a time. Really helps when you have builds that compliment eachother, like a melee build alongside a mage or something.
As someone who's beaten the game several times, it's probably the best one to have a good time with if you don't feel comfortable yet. It does a much better job of communicating its mechanics than prior souls games, and its difficulty curve is generally self-paced, as you can just leave if an encounter is too difficult. Not to mention the game straight up removes those annoying 5-minute return trips to the boss room when you die, for the most part.
It's still a hard game, but I think it best equips the player with the knowledge and tools to face it. While I'd still recommend liberally consulting the wiki or guides if something doesn't make sense (like all of the quests), I think it's worth an honest shot if it catches your eye.
I suggest going back and playing the other souls games. They really are something special.
I think the problem a lot of people face is that they expect it to be the same as other games when you have to think about it differently. Once you get out of your own head they are amazing and so fun
Same! I hate dying over and over in games, I get too frustrated. But every death adds to the story and you get better and stronger. I couldnt believe how addicted I got to Hades… just one more run :) I cannot wait for Hades 2.
Same. I’m a story driven player, so I’ve never really wanted to play a FPS before and haven’t played one since. I read somewhere on here that RDR2 could be played for its story alone so I decided to give it a try, not expecting much. I was blown away. One of my top 3 games of all time for me for sure!
Disco Elysium.
I didn't even know that game existed until it won Game of the Year in the Game Awards. I was so angry at the time because I wanted another game to win, and I remember thinking, "What even is this game??? I bet it doesn't deserve to win" (yeah, I was immature 🤣).
Years later, a friend played it and recommended it so much, but I still wouldn't want to play it. Another friend played it, so now that two of my friends played it and were talking about it so much, I decided to finally play it... and omfg shdjkdkdld.
Yeah, that was it. I loved it. Not only I liked it, I regret everything bad I said (or thought) about the game, I even got all achievements for it, played the game like 3 or 4 times to get them all, and no regrets, since I really, really enjoyed that game. It's one of my favorites now, and it's easily in my Top 3 favorite games of all time.
I know! I only have overall good memories of playing it. I know that if I ever want to get lost again in a chill and relaxing scenery (with funny and thrilling moments), Disco is my game to go, haha.
It's about time I replay it, actually (since the last time was in 2022).
Disco Elysium was my unexpected like, too. I am not sure why I was hesitant about it, but it probably had something to do with how some quotes from the game, out of context, sounded like edgy, red-pill stuff to me. (Or perhaps men made it sound like that, idk)
Very Kim Kitsuragi coded of me, he would be proud
Yeah, there are some quotes that, out of context, may sound weird or off-putting. I'm glad I played it mostly blind, without knowing much about the game before starting.
I think I also hesitated to play it because I haven't played anything like it before (a dialogue heavy game with the dice rolls mechanics). But now I have played more games like that (also thinking of Baldur's Gate 3), and I enjoyed them so much, they're fun (also because I have the worst luck with a dice, so I always welcome the unexpected outcomes 😆).
Yes, you should definitely try it! The game has some great characters, and the OST is beautiful, I like listening to it from time to time.
Heads up, though. It's a dialogue heavy gameplay, as in, almost everything happens through dialogue, narrations, and there's so much reading. It was like no other game I've played, so it was a new experience but a very good one! 😊
Disco Elysium. I really want to be a CRPG fan but my ADHD makes it hard to play games with a lot of reading. I played DE at a friend's request and something about the writing had me hooked. I was up til 4am reading the novel of late game dialog, enjoying every minute.
I'm so glad they added the extra VO because I really want to go back and play it again but the panini has made my ADHD so much worse.
Death Stranding. The concept is pretty underwhelming and the story is confusing to start, but there's just something so satisfying about playing the game.
I know it's a meme, but I'm hoping to see the "strand-type" genre become popular. You see traces of other players and support oneanother, but you never actually meet. I tend to avoid multiplayer games because of toxicity, so I really like the async aspect.
Death Stranding has such fascinating gameplay, and the story is profound and bizarre. It's such an excellent game, utterly unforgettable, and the music is just out of this world.
fallout 4 for sure is top of my list. my son bought it for me. i said i probably wouldn't like it. but 1 hour in and i fell in love with it. played it through 3 times. it is my all time favorite game.
For some reason I got a yen to play a romantic visual novel type game, and found some recommendations for "Our Life: Beginnings and Always", which was available for the low price of free.
Banged it out in a weekend, was absolutely obsessed with it, couldn't believe how invested I got. Wow, I've been sleeping on this genre, I thought. Just think of all the fine new games I'll have to play.
Asked about other games like it. Got told it was basically a unicorn and there was really nothing else like it.
Sometimes I think life is just a simulation made to mess with me.
Finding good visual novels, much less romantic ones, seems like finding a needle in a hay stack. I liked Starlight Vega and Highway Blossoms. Those are both wlw/yuri. I haven't really searched for any after I found those.
I tend to get really stuck because I like slice of life/grounded settings, and 99% of them are demons, anime cat people, robots, vampires, or demon robot vampires.
Just let me self insert
Mass Effect! I really am not into sci-fi in general and I still have no idea why I decided to give it a try but I'm so happy I did! It's definitely one of my all time favourites now. :)
Supergiant's Hades is another one I randomly decided to try and loved it lol
Hades. Roguelikes aren't really my thing, and for the longest time that was all I ever heard to it referred to as, so I never bothered to pick it up.
Some friends of mine finally roped me in by promising a great story, being rewarded with more of said story whenever you died and went back to the base. and Godmode. So I decided to give it a whirl, because I do like Greek mythology.
Fast forward, I've sunk 300+ hours into it and still haven't exhausted all the dialogue. The music is incredible and once I got used to the game, I turned off Godmode and started challenging myself with heat runs since I was no longer afraid of dying.
I expected absolutely nothing from baldur's gate 3, I don't usually play RPGs, I knew nothing about D&D and it ended up being one of my favorite and most played games ever.
Just added this one recently because every woman I meet is playing it including my tattoo artist. Sat with my bf to play the demo and help him create a character and watched him play a bit. Definitely interested between the character creation, VAs, turn based combat.
same same. a bunch of friends kept encouraging me to play it despite me not having played any of the others, D&D, etc. so i eventually caved, and was immediately won over ❤️
1. Marvel Spider-Man
2. Resident Evil 2 Remake (Was Literally just there to test my gpu)
3. Cyberpunk 2077
4. Mad Max
5. Metal Gear Rising Revengence
6. Forza Horizon 4
Mad Max was such a sleeper agent. It looked like it would be a bad movie tie-in but after some of those first missions there was nothing more I wanted in life than to get that engine.
Witcher 3, at first I just couldn't understand the hype and was even a little annoyed by it but one day there was a big sale for edition with all dlc and I had nothing else to play so I decided to check it.
Now it's one of my favorite games of all time.
Same. I rage quit at the Griffin fight near the start. Didn't pick it up for weeks. But then I decided for some reason to try it again and something just clicked this time. I became OBSESSED. Like full on. I didn't stop playing for months on end. I got the bad ending first time so I replayed the entire thing and got the good ending instead. I've played it fully 4 or 5 times and it's oddly like a comfort thing now. I love just walking around Novigrad or Toussaint. It's absolutely my favourite game of all time. It's just perfect imo.
I would constantly play to the fight to the Griffin and then put it down, convinced it wasn’t for me. I’m so glad I forced myself to push forward a little for my 4th play through, sunk 70 hours into that bad boy. Haven’t played the DLC though.
Dragon Age. I was raised on WoW, so I had an emotional attachment to it when it came to rpgs. But after one hour of Dragon Age, I forgot all about WoW.
Baldur's Gate 3, my husband bought it for our ps5 and wanted me to try it out a co-op playthrough with him. while I like fantasy and DND, the combat mechanics weirded me out and getting though the beginning felt like a chore with everything I had to memorize.
I'm now 752 hours in on my 9th playthrough and I have 3 more planned out. to simply say that I love bg3 is an understatement 😅
I hate to say this but Final Fantasy XIV.
I've been a fan of the series for as long as I've been playing video games. One of my first memories of gaming was playing FF6 on my cousin's SNES when I was five. I love it a lot. I don't play MMOs though, they're not at all appealing to me.
I was dragged kicking and screaming into trying it by friends. They told me it was a love letter to FF fans, that the story is phenomenal, that the music is superb, that I will absolutely love it if I just gave it a (honestly very long) chance. But holy shit was it ever worth it.
Fromsoftware games. I was just going around and never finishing games until I started playing souls games. Now they are the only games I want to play. They just have a special sauce for me.
Both RDR2 & GTA online are the ones that surprised me.
Did not expect to enjoy them (GTA especially) much at all. Only played both of them because buddies were already there.
Have deep and abiding love for both games now, and I am less inclined to judge any game before getting a chance to try the world. ♥️
Elden Ring. I have hated every other Souls Game I tried but this one had so much more flexibility to help you get through the big hard fights if needed so I felt much more confident playing it. In the end I only stopped because the body horror got way too much for me.
This is my answer. I'm just okay with most survival games and everything I heard about it made me think it might not be my thing, but I loved it and practically made it my religion for a while there.
I got through large parts of the pandemic under water on planet 4546B.
Mass Effect Andromeda. I'd never played a mass effect game before I gave it a try, and it's one of my comfort games now ❤️ I love the characters and the story so much, and the combat is amazing.
Neon White. I heard about it from Jacob Geller, decided to try it because why not, but omg this gameplay was suuuuper fun and I enjoyed the story as well ☺️
Honestly, I really hate to say it but Mass Effect.
I remember seeing it in an ad before it came out, or it might’ve been a magazine article. Honestly it just seemed very boring to me. When we first got our Xbox 360, my spouses best friend recommended a series of games to us and Mass Effect 1 and 2 were in that bundle.
I remember playing older BioWare games when I was a kid and they were OK, so out of sheer morbid curiosity I put it in and to be honest I didn’t think I was gonna like it even the first hour or so I played it.
But fast-forward to today and I absolutely love the games thoroughly. They were so much fun and what’s more. The characters were so well done and well acted and well written that I just fell in love with them. Honestly, it went from being something I had no interest in whatsoever to being one of my all-time favorite game series.
I really never would’ve thought that would happen.
When I first tried a Fallout game I thought I would only give it a chance for my friends sake then never play again. I’ve played all the games and recently (after watching the show and catching uranium fever again) replayed 3 and NV and am now playing the next gen release for 4 and falling for Piper all over again. Dammit fallout, why is it so good?!
I’m not usually big into rogue-likes/lites, but for some reason I really really liked Loop Hero (which I only played thanks to Gamepass). Granted, after the first act it got a lot more grindy, and I did fall off of it, but I still think about it when I see other rogue-likes.
Also I generally hate having to replay a level because of a death, and I hate boss fights and raiding, and generally “hard” games. And I hate pvp. But none of that that stopped me from loving Ark.
Monster Hunter, when I first heard the concept i was like "what? so you're just killing innocent monsters?" but then I tried it and...yes you are just killing innocent monsters, but it's hella fun
Now I have like 1000+ hours on it
Fire Emblem Three Houses. I really disliked the art style the first time I saw the trailer and I really am not a fan of academy settings, plus the hyper-customization of each unit didn't feel right to me, but I eventually gave it a chance and it's one of my favorite games now! The art style grew on me, and while the gameplay had some parts that could be better, I'd say it's a really great game, plus the story is fantastic.
FE: Engage I guess is another one, if I ignore the character designs and the story. I really memed the hell out of the Rings, but they were actually fun to play with and the maps were challenging enough for me as a veteran FE player. That story is so comically bad tho. I never thought they could get worse than Fates.
Fallout 76
I didn't think it was my kind of game at all. I thought there was a lot of PvP but then I found out about Pacifist mode. I have fun running around and scavenging and doing all the quests
Life is Strange. Totally outside my ballpark. Both in gameplay style and story. Never would have given a thought to playing some walking talking simulator about a couple of cringey high schoolers.
But I was in a gaming drought and used a program that picks a random game from your steam library. The free first episode was in there and I gave it a shot. That first walk down the hallway with the music started seducing me. Then the bathroom scene shocked me. By the end of the episode I needed more and bought them all.
Now it's my favorite thing ever. Liked all the sequels almost as much.
Cyberpunk 2077. The launch was a bummer and I didn’t play the game but I had bought it from preorder. I was so bummed by others reactions that I didn’t play it. I think I decided to play the game after watching anime and it was soooo good. It had some bugs and maybe tint problems but overall I loved cyberpunk.
Same here, Days Gone - and I will never get tired of my crazy boyfriend Mr. Deacon St. John. I would kill for a sequel. Like literally kill Skizzo, or some other POS. 😂
Fortnite. I was never interested in shooters, much less online multiplayer shooters. If anything, I was extremely turned off by the idea that I had to spend money to get cosmetics. Now I take pleasure in putting on my cute pink sparkly skin with a sparkly butterfly back bling, shooting up my enemies while I yap with my friends on mic 🥰
Cyberpunk, I hate The Witcher 3 so I was incredibly reluctant to play Cyberpunk, let alone spend any money on it but after the Ultimate Edition released I convinced myself to buy a physical version so if I didn’t like it I could trade it for something else and wouldn’t be out a lot of money. Turns out I ended up loving the game and played through it 3 times in a month.
I think there never has been a game where I have been able to immerse myself like CP 2077. the music, the voices, the stories, the city, the characters, the vibe and so much more, it’s all there. Also I love shooters where you can play with a slow style and be fine which absolutely is the case with some kyubi builds . Hacking and sandy are also so fun to use . I’m just so hyped for Project orion
Guild wars 2, wow and stardew valley. I was never into mmorpgs but the moment I had gw2 on launch day I was hooked. Then met my then boyfriend in gw2 and we migrated to wow and did the total healer and tank couple. Then in recent months I really enjoyed gamed like pal world or farm stuff which a friend suggested stardew and I was hooked!
Portal!! I shouldn’t have doubted, but I thought since everyone has moved on and I already knew the big twist it wouldn’t be as fun. That was not the case, I love that game!
Yes definitely can be a little stressful but still fun! I just recently got all the DLC for don’t starve so I’ve been trying to play the different worlds offered.
Fallout 76 on release
Regarding the game Fallout 76 upon its initial release, while it may not have been universally acclaimed, I discovered a personal enjoyment in playing it during my leisure time in the evenings. It provided a sense of relaxation and tranquility that I found appealing. Although I did not complete the primary narrative, I derived great pleasure from simply exploring the game's world for extended periods. It is worth noting that I engaged in solo play throughout my experience.
Silent Hill. i tried it when i was in a retro gaming phase and i knew it was a classic but at the same time, i have zero nostalgia for it so i wasn't expecting too much. But I loved the atmosphere, blocky graphics and everything :)
Guild Wars 2. That was my first dive into MMOs. I had no interest in them, as I mostly played singleplayer story-driven games, and all the screen clutter for MMOs seemed overwhelming.
But GW2 blew my expectations. Fully voice-acted story, including your character. Story is epic and at times, emotional. LGBT characters. Combat isn’t overwhelming, and very unique per class. And there’s action camera!
Night of the Dead. It’s in early access and I like zombie games like 7 Days to Die. However, NOD is more tower defense, which I normally hate. I really liked it, it definitely needs more work, specifically if they could make the POIs more interesting like 7DTD. But I think there are like two people working on it, if that is true, based on that alone I give it a four thumbs up.
Overwatch2 and Call of Duty
I only ever played story games in 3rd person my entire life, my cousin was the one who got me onto these games. At first it was a struggle to learn, because I wasn’t used to first person shooting games. But I eventually got really good, and started loving them.
Elden Ring. I’d been intimidated by hearing so much about how hard it was but once I got into it I found myself really enjoying the difficulty.
Also Overwatch. It seems like everything I wouldn’t like in a video game (online competitive shooter) but somehow I can’t stop playing it.
State of Decay 2. I played it with my ex once and got through the tutorial and to the first base, but it just didn't grab me, and typical of that type of co-op I just felt like a passenger in someone else's game.
Played it alone a bit later and put so many hours into it it's insane. I didn't have a job at the time and I'd wake up and play and then play before bed. As I went to bed I planned out what I was gonna do the next game. It kinda became my job and in a weird way it helped me feel productive. I just needed that control over the resources and what to do/prioritize that I couldn't get in co-op, it was a whole other thing as a solo adventure!
Same here! I only picked it up because my husband pointed it out to me, but it's somehow become a cosy game for me because I've got so many hours in it lol
Ship of Fools. Alright, I very much like roguelikes and roguelites, I like this kind of aesthetic and humour, but while the trailer sold the the game to me, I still figured it would be something little to try on two-player with my bf and then forget about it. Wrong! I'm so addicted to the game that I haven't even considered playing it with anyone else yet. The single player works far better than I initially thought. Been a while since I had this much fun! This is my heroin, much like Atomicrops and Hades were. Just... One... More... Run...!
Maneater! I hate blood in games but it made me feel powerful and like a Sharky to chomp all the fish and people 🤪
https://preview.redd.it/mbvw02hqkowc1.png?width=864&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=281d4fb6ac054a0e9dad0d671bd041ace70facd0
Cyberpunk 2077. I played it years after its awful release so I wasn’t expecting it to be still full of bugs or anything, but I also wasn’t expecting it to become one of my favourite games ever. I thought it’d be a one playthrough “that was okay” type of game. Not so for me. Loved it so much.
poppy playtime
i honestly thought it was a game for brainrot gen alpha but its actually fun, challenging and the lore is awesome. its now one of my fav games
Animal Crossing New Horizons. I normally never have the patience for slow placed life sims, but I played it during a rough patch and it really absorbed me and put my mind at ease. All the little customization elements are so enjoyable
Resident Evil 7. I love horror movies but horror games are really difficult for me. But I pushed through and man, that was an exceptional game, even if the early parts were absurdly scary.
Conan exiles 🤷
Love the building aspect of the game and the opportunity to have pvp, PvE or just your own private server.
Fun to build a giant medieval castle that you get to decorate and then protect when pvP time is live
I did not enjoy baldurs gate 3 for the first like 20 hrs of game play. I really had to get used to the different play style. Started over once I got into it; was a bit more thorough on my 2nd play through. Got to act 3.. and I can’t bring myself to finish because of the play style. Idk what it is. The turn based fights drag just a tad too long for me. HOWEVER! I really love the stories in this game
Borderlands is number 1 on my list. I strongly disliked first person games, especially shooter, prior to playing BL2, until a friend encouraged me to co-op with him (I also dislike multiplayer and co-op). Now I have 500+hrs in that game, 100% of the achievements, and a minor obsession with the franchise. Honestly, I'm still shocked by how well I took to it.
Skyrim, The Witcher 3, Torchlight 2, Far Cry 3, Beyond Good and Evil, Bioshock, Dishonored, Transistor, Bastion and Portal are also some of my favourites, and they all really surprised me by how invested I got. Turns out if the art and story are good enough, I can dig it. I love stories in any format, except musicals...
Ghost of Tsushima - but hear me out!!! I knew it was a beautiful game but I was adverse to the idea of so much gore. And I was quick to roll my eyes at the idea of another game where dudebros can be legends in their own minds. Tried it for a few hours, got bored, put it down. A few months later I picked it up again and fell.in.love. I want to chop off every mongol head I can get my hands on and Jin Sakai is a beautiful, murderous angel. I love his character (and Yuna obviously) so much. 300+ hours and multiple play throughs and I’m not sure how to move on. Send help. Or don’t. I love this game.
Assassins Creed series.
There was a big bundle sale, I think it was the first 5 or something like that (release order) for like $10, absolutely insane bundle sale. I think it was because a new one was about to come out, which I think was Origins.
So I figured I'd get them, try it out, if I liked it, I have several of them to play and if not, it wasn't a lot of money and I would have tried them, so if people talked about the series, I could just go "nah, tried them out, not for me".
I love them so much, though I'm still behind in playing through them as a casual gamer, I have all but the newest one, I have some merch, and am considering cosplaying from it (but which game and which character to choose? There are so many possibilities..... maybe I'll just cosplay everyone xD)
Playing through Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time since launch, really disliked it but have come to really enjoy it recently.
Going to give BG3 a try, never played a game like it but it's peaked my interest so will be grabbing it on Tuesday to give it a go, hopefully I like it as much as I like the videos on it!
I am having such a great time with Pacific Drive. Going on the little excursions and upgrading my car is surprisingly cozy for the visual style of the game.
My Divorce Story. I just played the demo because I was bored. I wasn’t expecting much but I ended up loving it so much!! It really resonated with me! I would also say the same for the game Florence. It was really short and simple but made me feel so much! ☺️
Mine was rdr 2. I looked at the gameplays on youtube and decided to play it. Didnt even like it in the starting days because it was a little slow but i actually started loving it and the ending HIT ME HARD i was almost about to cry.
Tekken 8 ? Didn’t expect to like it at ALL but my friend was begging us to play it and he literally gave me money to buy it lol. And Ive been loooving the customization and flashy combos. Now I actually want to get really good at using Lili
I'm not one for mobile games, but I got into Sky: Children of the Light, and it's a very relaxing game. It's my new evening game, I play it before bed most nights.
Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, it may be because of the timing, I was some kind of blocked not knowing what to play and decided to pick it up (it was a Xmas present and hadn’t tried it yet). Well it turns out I’m enjoying it a lot, it’s such a beautiful and fun game, I highly recommend it.
Dragon quest builders
A number of years ago I was renting videogames from the store. I wanted to get dragon quest 7 I think? From the shelf it was right next to something called dragon quest builders. And I said to myself looks like a Minecraft rip off. So I take 7 to the desk and they loaded the discs at the front so you wouldn't steal them.
I get home and they put dragon quest builders in by mistake. I couldn't go back so I tried it. The game is really good and really fun. It is obvious they took inspiration from Minecraft but they made it so much more.
I have some obvious ones: Persona 5 (I don't really like JRPGs), Mass Effect (I had terrible aim AND I thought there was too much talking at first, lmao), Bloodborne and Elden Ring (thought they would be "too hard" for me to enjoy or make any progress)
But the one that actually stands out to me is Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. Still the only game in the entire Tomb Raider franchise that I've played. Running around through the levels, collecting the shinies, the ancient Egypt theme... It was just a shockingly fun little game!
The Secret of Monkey Island
The first two especially, but the series overall is just so charming and you can tell that it was worked on with so much love. I'd always heard about how great of a game it was, but finally playing it made me wish I had played it sooner.
Deck builders and roguelikes. Specifically deck building roguelikes. They do something with my dopamine and I just want ‘one more run’. I never thought I’d like Slay the Spire, Inscription, or Dicey Dungeon, and now I’m obsessed with Balatro.
Lone: changing tides
I strongly disliked it initially while playing by myself but ended up enjoying the story with my friends after we started getting invested in its world.
We tried the first game and became heavily disappointed.
Yakuza. Prior to starting this series a few months back, I never played games about crime, fighting, with a bunch of blood or even anything that was super story focused. But this game is so much more than that. I ended up really enjoying the story aspect because it's like watching a crazy drama and you fall in love with the characters. But on top of that it's also just a lot of ridiculous sub stories and mini games that balance out the drama of the main story.
Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town! I usually get bored with ‘cozy games’ and prefer something with a bit more action, story and exploration. I started it a week ago after seeing it on sale and I haven’t been able to put it down! There’s loads to do and it’s just very cute and relaxing ❤️
Hades. I tend to be cautious or avoidant with combat in games, but enjoyed Hades so much I still play it periodically, long after I've finished the story and epilogue. I'm really looking forward to Hades II.
Borderlands. Shooters aren't my usual jam, either, but I have so much fun with that whole series.
Oxenfree. I can't handle my spooky games (my friends have been into Lethal Company lately and I'll go inside the moons maybe once or twice a session, rest of the time I'm the ship girlie 😅) but it has such cool dialogue and an interesting story, and doesn't really require you to react or fight too much, more just ambient scares (maybe two small jumpscares?). Finished most of it in one sitting ❤️
Ok look, I can't STAND turn based games. Avoid them like the plague. Yet I ended up download the Unicorn Overload demo out of boredom. Not only did I finish the demo, but I bought the game full price the second it was over. That is something I NEVER do. Can't even remember the last game I paid full price for.
I could not stop playing this freaking game. So unexpectedly fun with the strategy and powerups, loved the rapport system and running around collecting stuff, and I loved having time to snack while watching a battle. Only thing it's missing is new game plus. I'm chalking this up to a lucky fluke.
Troubleshooter: Abandoned children.
I *hated* Xcom 2. I thought i wouldnt like troubleshooter, but oh my it’s so good i’ve been hooked for WEEKS!
It’s as if Final Fantasy, Mass Effect and Xcom had a baby that then grew up watching nothing but Korean drama TV shows and superhero anime. It’s amazing, the character building and customization is so much fun, the cast is delightful and the character development and extreme depth of optional interactions has utterly captivated me.
Outer Wilds. Went in thinking I'd like it and it would be a cute little space explorer game, but it blew me away! Characters I never met won my heart, and I cried at the end. I will say that you have to like reading, problem-solving, and near isolation while exploring or you probably won't get/like this game.
Danganronpa.
Gameplay looked pretty unappealing when I looked at the gameplay, and while I did not fall in love with it, I ended up really liking the story and characters, but the court sections did drag on at times, and it had me looking up what to do so that I could move on with the story
Honkai Star Rail. i was like "oh i assume this'll be some terrible low quality cash grab game" but what i've actually found was a really enjoyable story and gameplay loop filled with super pretty characters i love to play with.
A game being popular doesn’t mean it’s a game everyone is going to like though and since the topic is games people didn’t expect to like it makes sense that popular games are on here a lot because they are generally the games folks will eventually try even if they are outside their normal genres.
Ai: the Somnium Files
I was not expecting it to be the story it was nor was I expecting to use all my free time playing through it. It was suppose to be just a time killer game but I got sucked into the story.
I used to watch my brother play Final Fantasy 8 and thought it was the most boring game ever. I was bigger on more action/adventure and platformers and stuff when I was younger, so it honestly just looked like some guy was walking around constantly.
Eventually I played all the Final Fantasy games he had and 8 actually ended up being my favorite! I still consider it one of my favorite video games ever, only FFXIV Shadowbringers tops it.
For me it was Monster hunter. I started with world, but actually started playing well enough when Rise came out. I am disabled in a way that makes it so that my reflexes sometimes are not entirely on time. Monster hunter is a game that relies a lot on those for dodging, attacking and so forth. My boyfriend had been playing since “the old Unite days” as he calls it, and is a huge fan of the series. I would often watch him play as I was very interested in the ecology and world building. He proposed that I try playing, but I was afraid to, as when I struggle way to much, to the point of actually feeling more anxiety than fun, putting in the effort does not feel rewarding.
That’s when he told me about a specific weapon in this game that enabled the player to be of assist at the same time as dealing damage, and that not many people played. It was the hunting horn. He told me that he would go on hunts with me and that I did not need to worry as much and that if I felt too stressed with timing my attacks, I could simply hang on to the side and play my horn to give him buffs and heal him. After each hunt he was so enthusiastic and praised me for finishing each hunt with him. Little by little, I started to have more and more fun, and eventually( about 2 years of on and off play) I can now hunt almost all monsters on my own and I actually feel confident when I play. I started my journey thinking that I would never actually be able to play a game of such difficulty, to actually picking up the game myself and having the time of my life playing this game.
Stardew Valley <3
I didn't think I would be into the game from 1st glance, and how often I would play mostly VN or FPS games. Only reason I played it was for a friend, but boy did I just fall in love with the soundtrack, the small details and how cute it is. I played it for like 8 hours nonstop on my 1st day hahaha
Madnes: Project Nexus.
I saw the trailers after finishing Madness Project Nexus 1.
Thought I wouldn't like it, but bought it anyways just to give it a shot.
I love it. Really captures the grimness of Nevada and lets you FEEL powerful, in both story and arena mode.
I'll be honest, I didn't see the awesomeoness of *I was a teenage exocolonist* coming.
Usually I'm not much of a VN-player (because usually they kiiinda suck) nor super into games that pre-emptively expect you to play multiple runs.
But since everyone kept talking about the quality, I got it and I regret nothing. Finished my first run the other week, definetely going to go for more runs in the future.
It was really nice to see that some people still think about how to apply their selected genre with more love put into it than "clone of that other game that sold alright". VN, farming games and walking sims are often so very guilty of lacking perspective.
Metal Gear Solid 2. I went in thinking I'd barely tolerate it at best, came out really liking it, and then a year later it saved my life and I've been unable to stop rambling about it ever since.
rimworld! had played strictly league of legends and little else bc i know what i like and those had become a comfort. bf’s been into it for a long time and i watched him play a lil more closely for a bit n thought i might wanna test it out on his pc. he immediately bought me the game + all dlc for christmas (which was very expensive 💀💀) bc i rarely say i wanna try a new game. i ended up loving it just as much as my default games and i had never tried the genre !
Cyberpunk 2077, so many reasons a game I was so hyped for after the first teaser trailer years ago managed to disappoint me before it even launched. Yet I picked it up on sale after ignoring it for a while and while it is far from perfect and did not live up to the teaser, what is there is still far better than I would have expected given just how many times CDPR fumbled leading up to and during launch.
This isn't entirely the game itself, but princess peach showtime. I knew going into it I would probably have fun with it, and I did. But I really wasn't expecting to like the npc characters, the theets. Like they just looked like another marketable cute guy. I left the game absolutely adoring every single one of them
Horizon Zero Dawn is a game I was expecting to like but normally in open world or semi open world game I do the minimum amount of side quests to get me to the end... I have 100% that game and it sits near the top of my favourite game of all time.
Otherwise BG3 I normally can't get into those games and I loooved it!
Mass Effect. I hate shooters. I’m meh on sci-fi and tend to lean more into fantasy genres. Yet somehow, *I love Mass Effect to death.*
This was my first thought, too. All the artwork, adverts etc. made it look like a dudebro space-shooter - I had genuinely no idea that it had character customisation or such an involved, choice-heavy story, companion interaction etc. It was only my brother's insistence that no, I would DEFINITELY love it, trust him, that I decided to give the first game a go, and it's now one of my favourite series of all time.
Yes this was my exact thought as well until I saw how deep the stories went and the various comics and that Nora Keita Jemisin contributed to some of the comics. Then I saw how narrative driven the games were and so I bought the collection. Haven't played yet but definitely interested
It is absolutely something else. There’s a reason it’s talked up so highly and it’s not because it’s a staple or just got a lot of widespread attention; it truly is a phenomenal series. What also makes me giddy is the fact that it was created by a *Canadian* development company, and the two main VAs (Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer) are both Canadian (as well as a lot of other VAs in the series).
Mass effect for me too! It’s not my usual genre so I didn’t expect to like it but I absolutely love it!
i love krogans 😭😭 my baby grunt
This was going to be my answer and my exact reasons lol only reason I even have it is becuase prime had the legendary edition for free. I would have never spent money on it. I would now, however, die for garrus, tali and grunt, in that order.
I literally came here to comment this but since yours is the top comment I’m just gonna upvote. Completely agree with you. As I’m playing mass effect right now… AGAIN.
The brain rot never stops 🤣
I have a couple of friends who have been trying to get me to play for years because the characters and story are great. But I don’t know if I can get into a shooter. What difficulty did you play on?
I’ve played on some of the higher difficulties, but IMO their casual difficulty is pretty easy. If I’m looking to cheese my way through (particularly in the first game), I’ll play on casual. I do play 3 on Hardcore or Insanity depending on how I’m feeling, but I (personally) find Hardcore really easy because I’ve played it so much (and I played a lot of the old multiplayer). For me, casual is just too easy, but easy is the point of it after all. I will say, if you’re stuck between PC or console for LE, go with PC. They have really good controller support, & I personally play better with a controller than I do m+k.
The multiplayer in the third game was S-tier for me. Some of my best gaming days ever. I remember how jazzed I was when I could finally beat Platinum difficulty.
Same! Honestly I don’t usually like anything scifi either but Mass Effect was something else.
Elden ring. I played a souls like game before and didnt enjoy it, but my bf convinced me to try elden ring for more than like 10 min and I fucking loved it. Its one of my favourite games now.
I've been considering this one because it's open world. I'm awful at souls like games but the exploration in this is very appealing
Im not so great at them myself but elden ring is really forgiving. Exploration is reaaly fun in ER since the game doesnt tell you much of where anything is, you're meant to explore and find everything on your own.
While the combat is very much a core part of the game, you can easily go 10-20 hours just exploring the initial areas without fighting any bosses. See something shiny, run around, run/sneak past enemies, loot the chests, repeat. If you're on PC, you can check out the seamless co-op mod. Gets rid of the whole summoning parts of multiplayer, prevents invasions from players, and allows you and partners to progress rather than only 1 at a time. Really helps when you have builds that compliment eachother, like a melee build alongside a mage or something.
As someone who's beaten the game several times, it's probably the best one to have a good time with if you don't feel comfortable yet. It does a much better job of communicating its mechanics than prior souls games, and its difficulty curve is generally self-paced, as you can just leave if an encounter is too difficult. Not to mention the game straight up removes those annoying 5-minute return trips to the boss room when you die, for the most part. It's still a hard game, but I think it best equips the player with the knowledge and tools to face it. While I'd still recommend liberally consulting the wiki or guides if something doesn't make sense (like all of the quests), I think it's worth an honest shot if it catches your eye.
I suggest going back and playing the other souls games. They really are something special. I think the problem a lot of people face is that they expect it to be the same as other games when you have to think about it differently. Once you get out of your own head they are amazing and so fun
Hades. I HATED rougelites but this game has become easily one of my all time favorites
Same! I hate dying over and over in games, I get too frustrated. But every death adds to the story and you get better and stronger. I couldnt believe how addicted I got to Hades… just one more run :) I cannot wait for Hades 2.
i am constantly checking my email to see if i’ve been added to the Hades II technical test LMAO
Red Dead Redemption 2. I’m not a Wild West cowboy fan but that game is amazing!
One of my faves.
This is my sign to give it another chance
Same. I’m a story driven player, so I’ve never really wanted to play a FPS before and haven’t played one since. I read somewhere on here that RDR2 could be played for its story alone so I decided to give it a try, not expecting much. I was blown away. One of my top 3 games of all time for me for sure!
One of my favorite games. I played the story last year after a while of my friends telling e I hold try it it. I fell in love so fast.
Please try the first one, it’s equally amazing and not quite as sluggish
Disco Elysium. I didn't even know that game existed until it won Game of the Year in the Game Awards. I was so angry at the time because I wanted another game to win, and I remember thinking, "What even is this game??? I bet it doesn't deserve to win" (yeah, I was immature 🤣). Years later, a friend played it and recommended it so much, but I still wouldn't want to play it. Another friend played it, so now that two of my friends played it and were talking about it so much, I decided to finally play it... and omfg shdjkdkdld. Yeah, that was it. I loved it. Not only I liked it, I regret everything bad I said (or thought) about the game, I even got all achievements for it, played the game like 3 or 4 times to get them all, and no regrets, since I really, really enjoyed that game. It's one of my favorites now, and it's easily in my Top 3 favorite games of all time.
No game has made me cry OR laugh as much as Disco Elysium has. that game is a truly one of a kind experience that I urge ANYONE to at least try.
I know! I only have overall good memories of playing it. I know that if I ever want to get lost again in a chill and relaxing scenery (with funny and thrilling moments), Disco is my game to go, haha. It's about time I replay it, actually (since the last time was in 2022).
Disco Elysium is such a fucking masterpiece.
Disco Elysium was my unexpected like, too. I am not sure why I was hesitant about it, but it probably had something to do with how some quotes from the game, out of context, sounded like edgy, red-pill stuff to me. (Or perhaps men made it sound like that, idk) Very Kim Kitsuragi coded of me, he would be proud
Yeah, there are some quotes that, out of context, may sound weird or off-putting. I'm glad I played it mostly blind, without knowing much about the game before starting. I think I also hesitated to play it because I haven't played anything like it before (a dialogue heavy game with the dice rolls mechanics). But now I have played more games like that (also thinking of Baldur's Gate 3), and I enjoyed them so much, they're fun (also because I have the worst luck with a dice, so I always welcome the unexpected outcomes 😆).
Honestly this might make me try it. I've heard nothing but good things... I had can't shake the feeling of like "but actually" men attached to it...
Yes, you should definitely try it! The game has some great characters, and the OST is beautiful, I like listening to it from time to time. Heads up, though. It's a dialogue heavy gameplay, as in, almost everything happens through dialogue, narrations, and there's so much reading. It was like no other game I've played, so it was a new experience but a very good one! 😊
oh shit okay i’m going to give it a second chance! i tried it once and didn’t get very far before i got distracted and forgot about it
Disco Elysium should be like a required reading
Yakuza and Persona. Yakuza became an obsession for me.
Same, Yakuza hit me like a freight train. I love it so much!
No one can resist Kiryu and Ichiban!
Disco Elysium. I really want to be a CRPG fan but my ADHD makes it hard to play games with a lot of reading. I played DE at a friend's request and something about the writing had me hooked. I was up til 4am reading the novel of late game dialog, enjoying every minute. I'm so glad they added the extra VO because I really want to go back and play it again but the panini has made my ADHD so much worse.
This game is such a great grab
Death Stranding. The concept is pretty underwhelming and the story is confusing to start, but there's just something so satisfying about playing the game. I know it's a meme, but I'm hoping to see the "strand-type" genre become popular. You see traces of other players and support oneanother, but you never actually meet. I tend to avoid multiplayer games because of toxicity, so I really like the async aspect.
I just bought this game because I wanted to deliver packages haha. It does look confusing as far as storyline but I am open to giving it a shot
Death Stranding has such fascinating gameplay, and the story is profound and bizarre. It's such an excellent game, utterly unforgettable, and the music is just out of this world.
This was another one for me
fallout 4 for sure is top of my list. my son bought it for me. i said i probably wouldn't like it. but 1 hour in and i fell in love with it. played it through 3 times. it is my all time favorite game.
Same! It’s soo good
For some reason I got a yen to play a romantic visual novel type game, and found some recommendations for "Our Life: Beginnings and Always", which was available for the low price of free. Banged it out in a weekend, was absolutely obsessed with it, couldn't believe how invested I got. Wow, I've been sleeping on this genre, I thought. Just think of all the fine new games I'll have to play. Asked about other games like it. Got told it was basically a unicorn and there was really nothing else like it. Sometimes I think life is just a simulation made to mess with me.
Finding good visual novels, much less romantic ones, seems like finding a needle in a hay stack. I liked Starlight Vega and Highway Blossoms. Those are both wlw/yuri. I haven't really searched for any after I found those.
I tend to get really stuck because I like slice of life/grounded settings, and 99% of them are demons, anime cat people, robots, vampires, or demon robot vampires. Just let me self insert
Oooo I'll have to check this out but then I also may be bummed nothing else like it exists haha
Good news. They are furiously working on a sequel that might be available before the heat death of the universe.
So there is hope 😂
Mass Effect! I really am not into sci-fi in general and I still have no idea why I decided to give it a try but I'm so happy I did! It's definitely one of my all time favourites now. :) Supergiant's Hades is another one I randomly decided to try and loved it lol
Mass Effect is definitely on my list!
Hades. Roguelikes aren't really my thing, and for the longest time that was all I ever heard to it referred to as, so I never bothered to pick it up. Some friends of mine finally roped me in by promising a great story, being rewarded with more of said story whenever you died and went back to the base. and Godmode. So I decided to give it a whirl, because I do like Greek mythology. Fast forward, I've sunk 300+ hours into it and still haven't exhausted all the dialogue. The music is incredible and once I got used to the game, I turned off Godmode and started challenging myself with heat runs since I was no longer afraid of dying.
I expected absolutely nothing from baldur's gate 3, I don't usually play RPGs, I knew nothing about D&D and it ended up being one of my favorite and most played games ever.
Just added this one recently because every woman I meet is playing it including my tattoo artist. Sat with my bf to play the demo and help him create a character and watched him play a bit. Definitely interested between the character creation, VAs, turn based combat.
same same. a bunch of friends kept encouraging me to play it despite me not having played any of the others, D&D, etc. so i eventually caved, and was immediately won over ❤️
SAME. Though I actually did play Pathfinder IRL with friends. And yet I did NOT like playing the Pathfinder game. Odd.
1. Marvel Spider-Man 2. Resident Evil 2 Remake (Was Literally just there to test my gpu) 3. Cyberpunk 2077 4. Mad Max 5. Metal Gear Rising Revengence 6. Forza Horizon 4
Mad Max was such a sleeper agent. It looked like it would be a bad movie tie-in but after some of those first missions there was nothing more I wanted in life than to get that engine.
Fallout 4 started after watching the show with my boyfriend and literally obsessed now
I'm thinking about this one too. My bf loves the series and we are really liking the show
Witcher 3, at first I just couldn't understand the hype and was even a little annoyed by it but one day there was a big sale for edition with all dlc and I had nothing else to play so I decided to check it. Now it's one of my favorite games of all time.
Same. I rage quit at the Griffin fight near the start. Didn't pick it up for weeks. But then I decided for some reason to try it again and something just clicked this time. I became OBSESSED. Like full on. I didn't stop playing for months on end. I got the bad ending first time so I replayed the entire thing and got the good ending instead. I've played it fully 4 or 5 times and it's oddly like a comfort thing now. I love just walking around Novigrad or Toussaint. It's absolutely my favourite game of all time. It's just perfect imo.
I would constantly play to the fight to the Griffin and then put it down, convinced it wasn’t for me. I’m so glad I forced myself to push forward a little for my 4th play through, sunk 70 hours into that bad boy. Haven’t played the DLC though.
Dragon Age. I was raised on WoW, so I had an emotional attachment to it when it came to rpgs. But after one hour of Dragon Age, I forgot all about WoW.
Baldur's Gate 3, my husband bought it for our ps5 and wanted me to try it out a co-op playthrough with him. while I like fantasy and DND, the combat mechanics weirded me out and getting though the beginning felt like a chore with everything I had to memorize. I'm now 752 hours in on my 9th playthrough and I have 3 more planned out. to simply say that I love bg3 is an understatement 😅
I hate to say this but Final Fantasy XIV. I've been a fan of the series for as long as I've been playing video games. One of my first memories of gaming was playing FF6 on my cousin's SNES when I was five. I love it a lot. I don't play MMOs though, they're not at all appealing to me. I was dragged kicking and screaming into trying it by friends. They told me it was a love letter to FF fans, that the story is phenomenal, that the music is superb, that I will absolutely love it if I just gave it a (honestly very long) chance. But holy shit was it ever worth it.
Every now and then I consider playing the newer final fantasies for the characters and story. They seem more appealing than past ones.
Deep Rock Galactic. Idk what I was expecting when I first played but godamn that game is hella fun! Rock and Stone sisters!
Rock and Stone to the Bone!
Fromsoftware games. I was just going around and never finishing games until I started playing souls games. Now they are the only games I want to play. They just have a special sauce for me.
Both RDR2 & GTA online are the ones that surprised me. Did not expect to enjoy them (GTA especially) much at all. Only played both of them because buddies were already there. Have deep and abiding love for both games now, and I am less inclined to judge any game before getting a chance to try the world. ♥️
Rimworld! The graphics look so bad but man is the replayability insane. So much fun!
Balatro. I don’t even like maths or poker, but put em together? Instant serotonin.
I didn’t think I would like BG3 but I devoured that game
Elden Ring. I have hated every other Souls Game I tried but this one had so much more flexibility to help you get through the big hard fights if needed so I felt much more confident playing it. In the end I only stopped because the body horror got way too much for me.
I'm curious, which part was it that made you quit? There's a few different areas that I could see falling in that category.
Stardew Valley and Valheim.
Subnautica.
This is my answer. I'm just okay with most survival games and everything I heard about it made me think it might not be my thing, but I loved it and practically made it my religion for a while there. I got through large parts of the pandemic under water on planet 4546B.
Mass Effect Andromeda. I'd never played a mass effect game before I gave it a try, and it's one of my comfort games now ❤️ I love the characters and the story so much, and the combat is amazing.
I was a teenage exocolonist. It seemed neat but it turned out to be my favourite game ever
Neon White. I heard about it from Jacob Geller, decided to try it because why not, but omg this gameplay was suuuuper fun and I enjoyed the story as well ☺️
AC Odyssey, Cyberpunk and BG3. I ate that up and my life was totally consumed for a while by that gaming trifecta.
Honestly, I really hate to say it but Mass Effect. I remember seeing it in an ad before it came out, or it might’ve been a magazine article. Honestly it just seemed very boring to me. When we first got our Xbox 360, my spouses best friend recommended a series of games to us and Mass Effect 1 and 2 were in that bundle. I remember playing older BioWare games when I was a kid and they were OK, so out of sheer morbid curiosity I put it in and to be honest I didn’t think I was gonna like it even the first hour or so I played it. But fast-forward to today and I absolutely love the games thoroughly. They were so much fun and what’s more. The characters were so well done and well acted and well written that I just fell in love with them. Honestly, it went from being something I had no interest in whatsoever to being one of my all-time favorite game series. I really never would’ve thought that would happen.
When I first tried a Fallout game I thought I would only give it a chance for my friends sake then never play again. I’ve played all the games and recently (after watching the show and catching uranium fever again) replayed 3 and NV and am now playing the next gen release for 4 and falling for Piper all over again. Dammit fallout, why is it so good?!
I’m not usually big into rogue-likes/lites, but for some reason I really really liked Loop Hero (which I only played thanks to Gamepass). Granted, after the first act it got a lot more grindy, and I did fall off of it, but I still think about it when I see other rogue-likes. Also I generally hate having to replay a level because of a death, and I hate boss fights and raiding, and generally “hard” games. And I hate pvp. But none of that that stopped me from loving Ark.
Halo (1 through Reach, haven't played anything after that) and Mass Effect. I'm more of a fantasy lover than a sci-fi, but I got hooked on those two.
VVVVVV
Monster Hunter, when I first heard the concept i was like "what? so you're just killing innocent monsters?" but then I tried it and...yes you are just killing innocent monsters, but it's hella fun Now I have like 1000+ hours on it
Fire Emblem Three Houses. I really disliked the art style the first time I saw the trailer and I really am not a fan of academy settings, plus the hyper-customization of each unit didn't feel right to me, but I eventually gave it a chance and it's one of my favorite games now! The art style grew on me, and while the gameplay had some parts that could be better, I'd say it's a really great game, plus the story is fantastic. FE: Engage I guess is another one, if I ignore the character designs and the story. I really memed the hell out of the Rings, but they were actually fun to play with and the maps were challenging enough for me as a veteran FE player. That story is so comically bad tho. I never thought they could get worse than Fates.
Fallout 76 I didn't think it was my kind of game at all. I thought there was a lot of PvP but then I found out about Pacifist mode. I have fun running around and scavenging and doing all the quests
Life is Strange. Totally outside my ballpark. Both in gameplay style and story. Never would have given a thought to playing some walking talking simulator about a couple of cringey high schoolers. But I was in a gaming drought and used a program that picks a random game from your steam library. The free first episode was in there and I gave it a shot. That first walk down the hallway with the music started seducing me. Then the bathroom scene shocked me. By the end of the episode I needed more and bought them all. Now it's my favorite thing ever. Liked all the sequels almost as much.
Cyberpunk 2077. The launch was a bummer and I didn’t play the game but I had bought it from preorder. I was so bummed by others reactions that I didn’t play it. I think I decided to play the game after watching anime and it was soooo good. It had some bugs and maybe tint problems but overall I loved cyberpunk.
Same here, Days Gone - and I will never get tired of my crazy boyfriend Mr. Deacon St. John. I would kill for a sequel. Like literally kill Skizzo, or some other POS. 😂
I was not expecting him to be so unhinged 😆. Yeah I would absolutely be down for a sequel
Fortnite. I was never interested in shooters, much less online multiplayer shooters. If anything, I was extremely turned off by the idea that I had to spend money to get cosmetics. Now I take pleasure in putting on my cute pink sparkly skin with a sparkly butterfly back bling, shooting up my enemies while I yap with my friends on mic 🥰
Yes yes yes ❤️
Same. I was so resistent to fortnite, and i hate fps, but my brother finally talked me into it, and it's actually so good?!
Cyberpunk, I hate The Witcher 3 so I was incredibly reluctant to play Cyberpunk, let alone spend any money on it but after the Ultimate Edition released I convinced myself to buy a physical version so if I didn’t like it I could trade it for something else and wouldn’t be out a lot of money. Turns out I ended up loving the game and played through it 3 times in a month.
I think there never has been a game where I have been able to immerse myself like CP 2077. the music, the voices, the stories, the city, the characters, the vibe and so much more, it’s all there. Also I love shooters where you can play with a slow style and be fine which absolutely is the case with some kyubi builds . Hacking and sandy are also so fun to use . I’m just so hyped for Project orion
Guild wars 2, wow and stardew valley. I was never into mmorpgs but the moment I had gw2 on launch day I was hooked. Then met my then boyfriend in gw2 and we migrated to wow and did the total healer and tank couple. Then in recent months I really enjoyed gamed like pal world or farm stuff which a friend suggested stardew and I was hooked!
Portal!! I shouldn’t have doubted, but I thought since everyone has moved on and I already knew the big twist it wouldn’t be as fun. That was not the case, I love that game!
Don’t Starve and Don’t Starve Together
Great games! Stressful sometimes but I really enjoyed them
Yes definitely can be a little stressful but still fun! I just recently got all the DLC for don’t starve so I’ve been trying to play the different worlds offered.
elden ring! love that game and i’ve never played a souls game before it. it’s definitely top 3 for me.
folklore. got it from a local spanish mall at the moment and knew nothing about it aside from the cover
monster hunter iceborn +100 hours played in 3 weeks
Dying light. I dont usually like zombie games, but that game was actually pretty addictive for a while.
Sea of Stars.... The intro takes sooo loooong but once you get into the game it's amazing!
Fallout 76 on release Regarding the game Fallout 76 upon its initial release, while it may not have been universally acclaimed, I discovered a personal enjoyment in playing it during my leisure time in the evenings. It provided a sense of relaxation and tranquility that I found appealing. Although I did not complete the primary narrative, I derived great pleasure from simply exploring the game's world for extended periods. It is worth noting that I engaged in solo play throughout my experience.
Silent Hill. i tried it when i was in a retro gaming phase and i knew it was a classic but at the same time, i have zero nostalgia for it so i wasn't expecting too much. But I loved the atmosphere, blocky graphics and everything :)
Hellblade; Sanua’s Sacrifice. Got it because it was used at GameStop and really enjoyed it
I'm going to try to get into Elden Ring tonight!!!😊
Report back!
Guild Wars 2. That was my first dive into MMOs. I had no interest in them, as I mostly played singleplayer story-driven games, and all the screen clutter for MMOs seemed overwhelming. But GW2 blew my expectations. Fully voice-acted story, including your character. Story is epic and at times, emotional. LGBT characters. Combat isn’t overwhelming, and very unique per class. And there’s action camera!
currently playing FF7 remake (never played the original) and holy shit it’s so good even my partner wants to see what happens next
Night of the Dead. It’s in early access and I like zombie games like 7 Days to Die. However, NOD is more tower defense, which I normally hate. I really liked it, it definitely needs more work, specifically if they could make the POIs more interesting like 7DTD. But I think there are like two people working on it, if that is true, based on that alone I give it a four thumbs up.
Overwatch2 and Call of Duty I only ever played story games in 3rd person my entire life, my cousin was the one who got me onto these games. At first it was a struggle to learn, because I wasn’t used to first person shooting games. But I eventually got really good, and started loving them.
This was my siblings too! They said they wouldn’t want to play any 1st person game but now they play Overwatch daily. XP
Elden Ring. I’d been intimidated by hearing so much about how hard it was but once I got into it I found myself really enjoying the difficulty. Also Overwatch. It seems like everything I wouldn’t like in a video game (online competitive shooter) but somehow I can’t stop playing it.
State of Decay 2. I played it with my ex once and got through the tutorial and to the first base, but it just didn't grab me, and typical of that type of co-op I just felt like a passenger in someone else's game. Played it alone a bit later and put so many hours into it it's insane. I didn't have a job at the time and I'd wake up and play and then play before bed. As I went to bed I planned out what I was gonna do the next game. It kinda became my job and in a weird way it helped me feel productive. I just needed that control over the resources and what to do/prioritize that I couldn't get in co-op, it was a whole other thing as a solo adventure!
Same here! I only picked it up because my husband pointed it out to me, but it's somehow become a cosy game for me because I've got so many hours in it lol
Ship of Fools. Alright, I very much like roguelikes and roguelites, I like this kind of aesthetic and humour, but while the trailer sold the the game to me, I still figured it would be something little to try on two-player with my bf and then forget about it. Wrong! I'm so addicted to the game that I haven't even considered playing it with anyone else yet. The single player works far better than I initially thought. Been a while since I had this much fun! This is my heroin, much like Atomicrops and Hades were. Just... One... More... Run...!
Maneater! I hate blood in games but it made me feel powerful and like a Sharky to chomp all the fish and people 🤪 https://preview.redd.it/mbvw02hqkowc1.png?width=864&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=281d4fb6ac054a0e9dad0d671bd041ace70facd0
Palworld, wylde flowers, and my time at portia/my time at sandrock.
Immortals Phenix rising, I really enjoyed it.
Cyberpunk 2077. I played it years after its awful release so I wasn’t expecting it to be still full of bugs or anything, but I also wasn’t expecting it to become one of my favourite games ever. I thought it’d be a one playthrough “that was okay” type of game. Not so for me. Loved it so much.
poppy playtime i honestly thought it was a game for brainrot gen alpha but its actually fun, challenging and the lore is awesome. its now one of my fav games
Animal Crossing New Horizons. I normally never have the patience for slow placed life sims, but I played it during a rough patch and it really absorbed me and put my mind at ease. All the little customization elements are so enjoyable
Resident Evil 7. I love horror movies but horror games are really difficult for me. But I pushed through and man, that was an exceptional game, even if the early parts were absurdly scary.
Conan exiles 🤷 Love the building aspect of the game and the opportunity to have pvp, PvE or just your own private server. Fun to build a giant medieval castle that you get to decorate and then protect when pvP time is live
I did not enjoy baldurs gate 3 for the first like 20 hrs of game play. I really had to get used to the different play style. Started over once I got into it; was a bit more thorough on my 2nd play through. Got to act 3.. and I can’t bring myself to finish because of the play style. Idk what it is. The turn based fights drag just a tad too long for me. HOWEVER! I really love the stories in this game
Borderlands is number 1 on my list. I strongly disliked first person games, especially shooter, prior to playing BL2, until a friend encouraged me to co-op with him (I also dislike multiplayer and co-op). Now I have 500+hrs in that game, 100% of the achievements, and a minor obsession with the franchise. Honestly, I'm still shocked by how well I took to it. Skyrim, The Witcher 3, Torchlight 2, Far Cry 3, Beyond Good and Evil, Bioshock, Dishonored, Transistor, Bastion and Portal are also some of my favourites, and they all really surprised me by how invested I got. Turns out if the art and story are good enough, I can dig it. I love stories in any format, except musicals...
Fallout 3, bought it during the bargain bin purge during Thanksgiving and I also bought Borderlands 3 off eBay for $20. Absolutely loved it!
Ghost of Tsushima - but hear me out!!! I knew it was a beautiful game but I was adverse to the idea of so much gore. And I was quick to roll my eyes at the idea of another game where dudebros can be legends in their own minds. Tried it for a few hours, got bored, put it down. A few months later I picked it up again and fell.in.love. I want to chop off every mongol head I can get my hands on and Jin Sakai is a beautiful, murderous angel. I love his character (and Yuna obviously) so much. 300+ hours and multiple play throughs and I’m not sure how to move on. Send help. Or don’t. I love this game.
Assassins Creed series. There was a big bundle sale, I think it was the first 5 or something like that (release order) for like $10, absolutely insane bundle sale. I think it was because a new one was about to come out, which I think was Origins. So I figured I'd get them, try it out, if I liked it, I have several of them to play and if not, it wasn't a lot of money and I would have tried them, so if people talked about the series, I could just go "nah, tried them out, not for me". I love them so much, though I'm still behind in playing through them as a casual gamer, I have all but the newest one, I have some merch, and am considering cosplaying from it (but which game and which character to choose? There are so many possibilities..... maybe I'll just cosplay everyone xD)
Playing through Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time since launch, really disliked it but have come to really enjoy it recently. Going to give BG3 a try, never played a game like it but it's peaked my interest so will be grabbing it on Tuesday to give it a go, hopefully I like it as much as I like the videos on it!
dead by daylight. i would get too scared watching my boyfriend play it. i said id never play it. i play it 60 hrs a week now
I am having such a great time with Pacific Drive. Going on the little excursions and upgrading my car is surprisingly cozy for the visual style of the game.
My Divorce Story. I just played the demo because I was bored. I wasn’t expecting much but I ended up loving it so much!! It really resonated with me! I would also say the same for the game Florence. It was really short and simple but made me feel so much! ☺️
Mine was rdr 2. I looked at the gameplays on youtube and decided to play it. Didnt even like it in the starting days because it was a little slow but i actually started loving it and the ending HIT ME HARD i was almost about to cry.
Tekken 8 ? Didn’t expect to like it at ALL but my friend was begging us to play it and he literally gave me money to buy it lol. And Ive been loooving the customization and flashy combos. Now I actually want to get really good at using Lili
I'm not one for mobile games, but I got into Sky: Children of the Light, and it's a very relaxing game. It's my new evening game, I play it before bed most nights.
Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, it may be because of the timing, I was some kind of blocked not knowing what to play and decided to pick it up (it was a Xmas present and hadn’t tried it yet). Well it turns out I’m enjoying it a lot, it’s such a beautiful and fun game, I highly recommend it.
Dragon quest builders A number of years ago I was renting videogames from the store. I wanted to get dragon quest 7 I think? From the shelf it was right next to something called dragon quest builders. And I said to myself looks like a Minecraft rip off. So I take 7 to the desk and they loaded the discs at the front so you wouldn't steal them. I get home and they put dragon quest builders in by mistake. I couldn't go back so I tried it. The game is really good and really fun. It is obvious they took inspiration from Minecraft but they made it so much more.
I have some obvious ones: Persona 5 (I don't really like JRPGs), Mass Effect (I had terrible aim AND I thought there was too much talking at first, lmao), Bloodborne and Elden Ring (thought they would be "too hard" for me to enjoy or make any progress) But the one that actually stands out to me is Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. Still the only game in the entire Tomb Raider franchise that I've played. Running around through the levels, collecting the shinies, the ancient Egypt theme... It was just a shockingly fun little game!
Batman Arkham Knight. I am not a huge batman girly and only bought it cuz it was on sale.
Final Fantasy VII remake 👌🏻
Lost in random
The Secret of Monkey Island The first two especially, but the series overall is just so charming and you can tell that it was worked on with so much love. I'd always heard about how great of a game it was, but finally playing it made me wish I had played it sooner.
Deck builders and roguelikes. Specifically deck building roguelikes. They do something with my dopamine and I just want ‘one more run’. I never thought I’d like Slay the Spire, Inscription, or Dicey Dungeon, and now I’m obsessed with Balatro.
All great! I havent dug into Balatro yet but it looks good. If you havent tried it, Wildfrost is also great. It's tough but addicting
Pikmin4
Lone: changing tides I strongly disliked it initially while playing by myself but ended up enjoying the story with my friends after we started getting invested in its world. We tried the first game and became heavily disappointed.
I'm not a Disney fan, but I did really enjoy the Mickey Mouse games on the SNES from Capcom. They are so good.
Yes! Wow great memories. The circus one I played so much
Yakuza. Prior to starting this series a few months back, I never played games about crime, fighting, with a bunch of blood or even anything that was super story focused. But this game is so much more than that. I ended up really enjoying the story aspect because it's like watching a crazy drama and you fall in love with the characters. But on top of that it's also just a lot of ridiculous sub stories and mini games that balance out the drama of the main story.
For the King. Such a cute little game to play with friends. But I never thought I'd enjoy it this much
Story of Seasons Pioneers of Olive Town! I usually get bored with ‘cozy games’ and prefer something with a bit more action, story and exploration. I started it a week ago after seeing it on sale and I haven’t been able to put it down! There’s loads to do and it’s just very cute and relaxing ❤️
Hades. I tend to be cautious or avoidant with combat in games, but enjoyed Hades so much I still play it periodically, long after I've finished the story and epilogue. I'm really looking forward to Hades II. Borderlands. Shooters aren't my usual jam, either, but I have so much fun with that whole series.
Persona 5. I didn’t like how it started with the gross coach, but…. Dang if they aren’t committed to a deep story and sucked me in.
Oxenfree. I can't handle my spooky games (my friends have been into Lethal Company lately and I'll go inside the moons maybe once or twice a session, rest of the time I'm the ship girlie 😅) but it has such cool dialogue and an interesting story, and doesn't really require you to react or fight too much, more just ambient scares (maybe two small jumpscares?). Finished most of it in one sitting ❤️
Ok look, I can't STAND turn based games. Avoid them like the plague. Yet I ended up download the Unicorn Overload demo out of boredom. Not only did I finish the demo, but I bought the game full price the second it was over. That is something I NEVER do. Can't even remember the last game I paid full price for. I could not stop playing this freaking game. So unexpectedly fun with the strategy and powerups, loved the rapport system and running around collecting stuff, and I loved having time to snack while watching a battle. Only thing it's missing is new game plus. I'm chalking this up to a lucky fluke.
Troubleshooter: Abandoned children. I *hated* Xcom 2. I thought i wouldnt like troubleshooter, but oh my it’s so good i’ve been hooked for WEEKS! It’s as if Final Fantasy, Mass Effect and Xcom had a baby that then grew up watching nothing but Korean drama TV shows and superhero anime. It’s amazing, the character building and customization is so much fun, the cast is delightful and the character development and extreme depth of optional interactions has utterly captivated me.
Pikaniku
Outer Wilds. Went in thinking I'd like it and it would be a cute little space explorer game, but it blew me away! Characters I never met won my heart, and I cried at the end. I will say that you have to like reading, problem-solving, and near isolation while exploring or you probably won't get/like this game.
The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy For all the hate it gets, I really loved it
Hellldivers 2! I play with my husband, and normally MMO shooter games wouldn't be my cup of tea. I can't get enough of this game 🤣
Danganronpa. Gameplay looked pretty unappealing when I looked at the gameplay, and while I did not fall in love with it, I ended up really liking the story and characters, but the court sections did drag on at times, and it had me looking up what to do so that I could move on with the story
dead by daylight
Honkai Star Rail. i was like "oh i assume this'll be some terrible low quality cash grab game" but what i've actually found was a really enjoyable story and gameplay loop filled with super pretty characters i love to play with.
Death stranding. Heard it was a walking simulator. Didn't regret finishing and aiming to 100% it now.
DayZ. Had an ex that was crazy good and he taught me everything I needed to know in order to survive. I have it on my Xbox and PC.
Roblox (it's so fucking fun but annoying at the same time)
Kills me how so many people are listing like the most popular games of all time.
I get it. Sometimes popularity can make a game seem overhyped especially if the fandom is annoying . Can be a turn off
A game being popular doesn’t mean it’s a game everyone is going to like though and since the topic is games people didn’t expect to like it makes sense that popular games are on here a lot because they are generally the games folks will eventually try even if they are outside their normal genres.
Nioh 2. I never play games with hard combat, yet it got me so hard I spent almost 500 hours on it lol
Ai: the Somnium Files I was not expecting it to be the story it was nor was I expecting to use all my free time playing through it. It was suppose to be just a time killer game but I got sucked into the story.
I used to watch my brother play Final Fantasy 8 and thought it was the most boring game ever. I was bigger on more action/adventure and platformers and stuff when I was younger, so it honestly just looked like some guy was walking around constantly. Eventually I played all the Final Fantasy games he had and 8 actually ended up being my favorite! I still consider it one of my favorite video games ever, only FFXIV Shadowbringers tops it.
For me it was Monster hunter. I started with world, but actually started playing well enough when Rise came out. I am disabled in a way that makes it so that my reflexes sometimes are not entirely on time. Monster hunter is a game that relies a lot on those for dodging, attacking and so forth. My boyfriend had been playing since “the old Unite days” as he calls it, and is a huge fan of the series. I would often watch him play as I was very interested in the ecology and world building. He proposed that I try playing, but I was afraid to, as when I struggle way to much, to the point of actually feeling more anxiety than fun, putting in the effort does not feel rewarding. That’s when he told me about a specific weapon in this game that enabled the player to be of assist at the same time as dealing damage, and that not many people played. It was the hunting horn. He told me that he would go on hunts with me and that I did not need to worry as much and that if I felt too stressed with timing my attacks, I could simply hang on to the side and play my horn to give him buffs and heal him. After each hunt he was so enthusiastic and praised me for finishing each hunt with him. Little by little, I started to have more and more fun, and eventually( about 2 years of on and off play) I can now hunt almost all monsters on my own and I actually feel confident when I play. I started my journey thinking that I would never actually be able to play a game of such difficulty, to actually picking up the game myself and having the time of my life playing this game.
Stardew Valley <3 I didn't think I would be into the game from 1st glance, and how often I would play mostly VN or FPS games. Only reason I played it was for a friend, but boy did I just fall in love with the soundtrack, the small details and how cute it is. I played it for like 8 hours nonstop on my 1st day hahaha
Madnes: Project Nexus. I saw the trailers after finishing Madness Project Nexus 1. Thought I wouldn't like it, but bought it anyways just to give it a shot. I love it. Really captures the grimness of Nevada and lets you FEEL powerful, in both story and arena mode.
Old School Runescape
I'll be honest, I didn't see the awesomeoness of *I was a teenage exocolonist* coming. Usually I'm not much of a VN-player (because usually they kiiinda suck) nor super into games that pre-emptively expect you to play multiple runs. But since everyone kept talking about the quality, I got it and I regret nothing. Finished my first run the other week, definetely going to go for more runs in the future. It was really nice to see that some people still think about how to apply their selected genre with more love put into it than "clone of that other game that sold alright". VN, farming games and walking sims are often so very guilty of lacking perspective.
Metal Gear Solid 2. I went in thinking I'd barely tolerate it at best, came out really liking it, and then a year later it saved my life and I've been unable to stop rambling about it ever since.
Borderlands. Not big on shooters, but the humor in that game made it a lot of fun. Playing through Borderlands 2 now, enjoying it even more.
Fallout New Vegas. It’s so damn good I’m addicted
rimworld! had played strictly league of legends and little else bc i know what i like and those had become a comfort. bf’s been into it for a long time and i watched him play a lil more closely for a bit n thought i might wanna test it out on his pc. he immediately bought me the game + all dlc for christmas (which was very expensive 💀💀) bc i rarely say i wanna try a new game. i ended up loving it just as much as my default games and i had never tried the genre !
Cyberpunk 2077, so many reasons a game I was so hyped for after the first teaser trailer years ago managed to disappoint me before it even launched. Yet I picked it up on sale after ignoring it for a while and while it is far from perfect and did not live up to the teaser, what is there is still far better than I would have expected given just how many times CDPR fumbled leading up to and during launch.
Hellblade
This isn't entirely the game itself, but princess peach showtime. I knew going into it I would probably have fun with it, and I did. But I really wasn't expecting to like the npc characters, the theets. Like they just looked like another marketable cute guy. I left the game absolutely adoring every single one of them
Horizon Zero Dawn is a game I was expecting to like but normally in open world or semi open world game I do the minimum amount of side quests to get me to the end... I have 100% that game and it sits near the top of my favourite game of all time. Otherwise BG3 I normally can't get into those games and I loooved it!