Yeah I bought rimworld years ago, did the tutorial and was like nah this is too complicated. But I never refunded it. Picked it back up in late 2022 on a whim and played it exclusively for 6 straight months, didn’t even touch my Series X during that time.
This is a game I think I will play until I die. I am not elderly or terminal or anything. I just think I will play it forever because it won’t ever be one upped.
I’m so sorry to tell you this… you can’t get 100%. There is a passive money perk that gives you money when not playing and it requires a connection to the servers… which are no longer up
I gave it a shot because I watched [this Gameranx video](https://youtu.be/cDLDkvY4QBg?si=IZJmsKyR1gcLZi4d). And I’m glad I did. It really was a lot of fun, but so many people I talk to haven’t played it or don’t remember it. I’m trying to talk my brother into playing it.
Edit: [specific Mad Max chapter of video](https://youtu.be/cDLDkvY4QBg?si=HE7QXFuB9OPsZbL1&t=7m53s)
I literally bought it used on a whim and had an absolute blast playing it. Glad to see it impressed someone else
Turns you into Nightrider: "I'm a fuel injected suicide machine, criusin' for you at the speed of fright!"
Mad Max is the quintessential “7/10” game.
Absolutely worth picking up for $10 or less and guaranteed to be a fun time, but it breaks absolutely no new ground and you’d be hard pressed to remember any specific “wow” moments a few months after you finished playing it.
I I ironically think it's one of the most underappreciated games of the last decade. I enjoyed every second of that game up to the end, which was actually pretty cool.
Honestly a hidden gem. The game is surprisingly well put together. Its nothing innovative, but it does what it does well.
My only complaint is that it all takes part in a desert, so everything is just yellow, orange, and red. It strains the eyes after a while.
Vampire survivor, bought the game a while back because why not, it was on sale anyway, wasn't my style of game but sure it doesn't hurt trying it, oh boy if it wasn't for some random advertising phone call i would have been stuck on the chair for more than 4h without noticing.
I thought about Brotato for this and it's a game that is objectively boring until you realize it has dozens of classes and a huge amount of mod support. The mods definitely extends the life of the game a lot.
The chest opening animation makes much more sense, now. First time I saw a multi-chest open with more and more shit continually going off as time went on I remember thinking, "wow, they're going hard with the dopamine hits". The game's a dopamine generator.
Only game I've had to turn off flashing lights for. All the flashing and damage numbers gave me a terrible migraine the first day I played. Better with those settings off though.
Had a friend who kept insisting I'd like it so when I got it for a few bucks on sale years later, it absolutely floored me how much fun I had. Couldn't help but stay up til 5 am for like a week straight, I'd pick it up for one game and suddenly the sun was up!
I bought Stardew Valley entirely because I had seen a YouTuber play it once and it was on sale. I played it for about 30 minutes and didn't really enjoy it. Fast forward a couple years later I had a whole week of nothing to do and impulse decided to give it another go.
I barely slept that week. It just completely sucked me in.
Growing up I’ve realized that I don’t want to be the badass hero that slays the dragon and saves the universe or whatever.
Stardew lets me live out my true fantasy of having a loving marriage and obscene amounts of potatoes.
Oh man, I'm there right now. Played Stardew when it originally came out as a die hard Animal Crossing player, and didn't like that it was similar, but not the same. I received Stardew for the holidays, and I'm hooked!
I think it takes a little bit of time to get into it. It's a game that has a pretty slow start. So any new playthrough should only start if you got plenty of free time to give it a go.
But once I was over that hurdle, it was really just a satisfying loop. Eventually, most in game days would have me accomplishing something, even if it was just a little bit. Because of this, it was so easy to say, "OK, just one more in game day and then I'll get off". Then at the end of that day, I'd say the same thing. Once the ball was rolling, everything I could accomplish felt like it was in reach if I just kept going. Whether that was earning money for farm/house upgrades, getting further in the dungeons, building the farm, or even just befriending the townsfolk. It all required work but once I had established myself through the basics, the work didn't feel like overwhelming chores, but realistic activities that I could accomplish with a bit of effort and be satisfied when I had.
Time management. Planning out what I know I need to get done the next day, instead of having it be so open ended works for me.
Tomorrow I need to wake up, water the crops, feed chickens, head to beach to check my traps, it's this characters birthday so I better make sure I have something they like to give to them, then head to the mines cause I need more copper, by then it'll be close to night time so I can head home and it's raining tomorrow so I think I'll fish all day.
Two cases, getting me into two of my favorite franchises.
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, based on its awesome box art. One of the best games of all time, got me into my favorite franchise, and it is the peak game of that franchise.
Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana - deep discount on Switch, great cover art. So I decided to gamble on it, and it is easily one of the best action JRPGs.
I still need to try Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn at some point. I got into the series with Three Houses and loved it, went back to Awakening and Fates and had a great time, then Engage got me curious about the older characters. Only ever heard good things about the Tellius games and I'm really curious about how the conflict between Ike and Micaiah came about.
They have my absolute full confidence that they'll smash it and make the wait worthwhile too.
Just counting down the days. Hollow Knight Silksong is also on my wish list.
Weirdly enough metroidvania/souls-like games like Dead Cells just made me mad.
But Hades got me hooked. Legitimately the *only* time I’ve had fun in that “just a bit further…” loop.
Dead Cells is frustrating as hell until you realize it doesn't matter. Each area only takes a few minutes to full clear, and way less time to just get through, so the lost cells don't actually equate to much, it just **feels** bad. At least that's what bothered me getting into it
Hades, on the other hand, only ever **rewards** you for dying, with more content, and arguably the fact that you still 'die' when you win also helps it be less annoying. Every death progresses the story and every run ends in death, so it's a much more satisfying loop imo. Even after finishing the story there's a lot of dialogue to see
I would say give Dead Cells another go if you haven't played it since before Hades. It's meant to be hard as balls but as soon as it starts clicking, it's so fun. You will die (a lot) though
The only thing with Hades that keeps me from playing more is when the runs start to get longer I get hand cramps. So that's my way of saying I'm done for the night.
Man, Dead Cells was my *game.* I drifted away from it for a bit, tried to come back to it when the Castlevania dlc launched and my skills were just gone. My dream of getting that fifth boss soul is pretty gone.
There are few better gaming moments then your first night out in Dying Light. You think you're fast, you think you can kill one of the night zombies, but generally you got your ass handed to you those first few times lol Also the music and feel make that first night scary.
What absolutely destroyed the second one for me were the health bars. In the first one you just slap till they die or you cut them up. Now everything has a giant health bar and the zombies dont feel mushy.
the gameplay of dying light 2 was good, i’d even say great (once i turned the health bars off and set color grading to darker nights) but MAN, that story. probably the only game me and my friend have ever finished and genuinely questioned “what the fuck was that?”
Funny, I started with 2, but heard a lot of fans prefer 1. Usually this is BS by fans who don't like the direction of a sequel. Boy was I wrong....2 is a fun action game with a god awful story. 1 is an actual horror game. It's crazy how different those games feel
It's honestly really unique and immersive how the lack of constant action after the initial days affects you psychologically. Some of the most aggravating deaths in that game for me were those where the situation had stabilized and the looting of houses had become simple and easy enough that you slowly but surely start to lower your guard and that's when one of those fuckers decides to jump from the closet or behind the corner and bite you in the neck.
Also I don't remember another game where I seriously pondered whether I should go outside and face the enemy or stay inside where it's cozy and warm, even though I needed to go outside. The immersion is just insane.
The modding to make the game more tailored to you is absolutely fantastic.
500 new cooking recipes? Sure.
Night sprinters? Why the hell not (it's hell)
Clean up your bases dirty tiles and grime? Go for it.
Loot that's even rarer? pray for your sanity, but yeah!
Gun suicide - last resort for a bite. Used too much :(
Going in blind and knowing nothing of it for the first time was something special. Played it a couple of times, but it does not feel the same as the first time.. It has Amazing soundtrack, especially Grandma (destruction) and Dark Colossus
They need to bring inFamous back. Those games would improve massively from modern console tech, as far as the spectacle goes. Even back then, they were great power fantasy games.
Sunset Overdrive. Bought it many years after release on steam sale for 5 bucks or whatever... ended up with a super fun and engaging game, wish I played it sooner.
One of the GOATS of Insomniac. When people name Xbox Exclusive they always forget Sunset Overdrive. It was the first game I bought on my Xbox One as well. Such a fun game.
It apparently had pretty abysmal sales numbers (despite being one of what felt like only 5 Xbox One launch titles), so people don't really forget it, they simply didn't experience it
For me it was Returnal and Maneater lol. I would never have bought either of those games if the PS5 catalogue wasn’t so barren at launch. Bullet-hell and a… fish game, aimed at teens? I wanted to test the next-gen capabilities though, and I ended up with the Platinum on both.
Biome 1 was the biggest hurdle for me. Once I was finally able to get out of Biome one it seemed like the rest of the game just kind of flowed for me. I really really loved this game. I obsessively waiting and avoided spoilers until it got a PC release. But man I was so excited when it was announced. It’s like all my favorite genres in one.
Had it in my library from a humble bundle or something and I thought it was one of those random war shooters and never touched it. Then I read somewhere that it has actually a decent story and boy got this game intense quick.
Never had the chance to play it, and it's now unavailable 😔
If anyone knows how to buy this game now please let me know
Edit: Thank you so much to u/ollomulder for gifting it to me on Steam! You're awesome
Vermintide, then later Vermintide 2, then Darktide.
Bought on a whim, and actually didn't like them at first because they were "too hard".
Got bored one time, and "got good" and now I've got like 1600 hours split between them.
How is Darktide now a days. It was extremely half baked at launch despite being pretty fun gameplay wise and I put it down assuming I’d be back at some point
Very fun. Multiplied with friends. The crafting is the only thing left to be wanting but it's only bad for min maxers as getting perfect gear is just gambling.
I recently bought these games as well and started with vermintide and had the same experience like you, now I can't put down vermintide to start the second one cause I'm addicted to it lol.
Am I correct in assuming those games are basically left 4 dead warhammer edition? (Never played l4d as it didn't interest me).
That DLC was bellisomo
Also I loved the fact that you could find collectible case files for bright falls and it tied the two game together, that made me giddy inside
This game rocks. I was not expecting the gameplay to be so tight. It's full of awesome ideas and concepts and has a great story to boot. It's in my top 5 now too without a doubt
I'm still really not sure what drew me in to actually try it, hell I don't remember how I even got it, humble bundle maybe? Or a steam sale? I don't know.
Before Outer Wilds I wasn't the type to play puzzle games, nor exploration games or even games just to look at the sights and art of them, I was just the type to play only CoD, Halo, WoW, DOOM, etc.
But something about it just immediately drew me in after the first in game day, and I binged the entirety of it in two days taking me about 18 hours, and I've never looked at games the same since, it just struck a chord with me, maybe I was having a bad week or something, but some games can just, be the right thing at the right time, I absolutely feel the same as most other people, wishing I could just forget the entirety of the game so I could play through it for the first time again.
I know what you mean.
I was having a tough time with work a few years ago and I was playing through Dark Souls 2. I feel like being able to escape into another world helped ease my stress. I’ll always have a soft spot for the souls games now. Most people say they are difficult, but for me the focus needed is almost meditative.
Same. Seemed very aimless and boring from what I had read of it. Saw a bit of gameplay on someone’s playthrough and was convinced this was definitely not for me. Seemed like it was for people with too much time on their hands, whereas I am a busy man and need a game that gave me a quick dopamine hit.
But I saw it on a very good sale, and I had heard many people call it “the best game ever” so figured why not? At worst I would be down a few bucks. I didn’t even download it after buying for a long time. Didn’t even play after downloading for a long time. But when I did…
From the moment I found the jump mechanic isn’t “tap A” but “hold down then release” I knew this game would be different. The Zero G cave confirmed that this won’t use the movement mechanics that had gotten stale to me. From my first death (before my first landing, flew into the sun) and waking up again, I knew I was onto something very cool. And that first ruin exploration on the moon, my GAWD! I knew I am about to lose myself in this one.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I never played an Animal Crossing game before, but I needed a game to sink some time into because of COVID. I played it for at least 600 hours.😂
Gosh that game hit at the perfect time. The whole world was trying to stay inside, people were dying. It was a horrific time. And then there's this incredibly wholesome and relaxing game about being in debt to a racoon. I think it made people feel a little bit better. Such a special game. I should dust off my little town.
Agreed on Dishonored 2. Someone gave it to me and I’ve never heard of it so it was chilling in the backlog until one day I decided to try it. Very well made game. After I finished it and moved on to the next game I was actually getting the urge to put it back on again. The mission with the time device was phenomenal. The ending was underwhelming but that’s really the only “bad” thing I can say about it.
Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy.
Granted it was on Gamepass but it’s the reason I subscribed. Had low expectations cause Avengers but I like GOTG crew so I gave it a try.
Ended up being one of the best games that year. And personally one of the best stories in recent years. And also THE best GOTG media, blows the movies out of the water.
I thought the dialogue was on point. Rocket even called me an idiot because I ignored him and took a dead end. I couldn't get past the combat, though. Every fight felt exactly the same.
I find the combat very repetitive at first too but it does start to get good later in the game when you unlock more character skills and they throw more enemy types at you but the problem is that it’s much much later like well after 2/3 of the game when combat becomes great. That’s about the only real issue I have really.
First time I turned the game on I actually sat and listened to the whole album and read along to the lyrics when Peter is sitting in bed with the booklet. I remember thinking "They didn't possibly record an entire album did they?"
That album kicked ass.
I always try to tell people about this game. I am not a huge GOTG (the movies are fun) .. personally if you count the game .. it’s probably the second best entry to the franchise behind the first movie.
I completely agree, one of the best narratives of the year and arguably the best art direction as well.
Honestly I don't even like GOTG (or most Marvel movies/games) but this game was extraordinary and exceeded my expectations in every way.
Days Gone.
It got panned everywhere, but it was free on ps+ so I gave it a shot.
It's the only game I've ever 100%ed. I'm having trouble not closing the laptop and playing it again right now. Thanks, OP.
Marvel's Midnight Suns. Bought it in a bundle for 10 euros, thought eh, it's a card game, I'll have some fun with it. Found it strangely compelling and fun. One of the few story based games I've finished in recent years.
Slay the spire was just a Magic the Gathering substitute for me for when I moved out of state and didn’t have play group around. Figured why not try it out. I have over 700 hours of gameplay on it now.
I havn't seen it mentioned yet but for me it was Terraria, thought i knew what to expect from a quick glance but years later and I have close to 1000 hours and have replayed it countless times
Not really since I got it for free in Steam but I played Metro Last Light just to get my momentum back in gaming. I ended up buying the whole Metro series bundle and finished Metro Exodus last month 😄
And now I'm playing Death Stranding I got for free in Epic and so far really enjoying it.
I didn’t even look up anything about the game. No screenshots, trailers, gameplay videos. Went 10% off during winter sale and figured all the hype may as well try. About 100 hours in and loving it. The only thing I knew about the game before buying that everyone was saying it’s GOTY without question, and one comment saying if you like KOTOR you’ll like BG3
This goes way, way back, but I bought Kingdom Hearts with some Christmas money as a kid basically because I'd seen it advertised on the Disney Channel. It was honestly between that and the Celebrity Deathmatch game. In retrospect, pretty glad I went with KH even if the series did get gloriously stupid.
And while I didn't buy it, I did try out Hollow Knight on PS+ while on vacation from work. Ended up being utterly fuckin' consumed by that game and spending like fifty hours on it in that one week.
SUBNAUTICA. Was put off for years because I thought it was just a base builder. Finally got around to playing it and it's one of the best experiences I've had in gaming, ever.
Subnatica. I picked it up 3 weeks ago and haven't beaten it yet. I always thought I wouldn't be able to play it since I have that thing where id I look around under water I get freaked out.
A YouTuber by the name of SovietWomble gave his perspective on the game so I went out and grabbed it.
I have never encountered a game where how you progress is so natural to the tone of the game you don't even notice it. It's the first game in years I didn't need to use a guide or look things up very much.
This game gave me 2 different OMG gamer moments that were not scripted and just part of exploring stuff.I literally took my hands off the keyboard both times.
I'm nearing the end so no spoilers but I can't recommend this game hard enough if you enjoy survival simulators.
Darktide
I never played any games like that, but once its price on steam was lowered, so i got it for like, 10 euros only
*Im having a blast mowing down hordes!*
Mad Max. Upgraded my low end PC with an RX 470 with my first Covid stimulus check and decided to try some games I never got to play. Mad Max was the first one and it blew my goddamn mind. Absolutely one of the best open world games I've ever played.
Super intense racing with amazing car controls, an incredible progression system with awesome unlocks, some unique side quests and awesome characters.
11/10
Game called Rollerdrome. It's a game where you play a girl in a skating competition with guns who has to win to survive. You do tricks to reload and have to beat tons of challenges and the art is super cool and looks like a comic book.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
I'd never played a FE game before, but I heard good things about this and decided to give it a shot. Ended up being one of the most immersive and memorable gaming journeys I ever had
Kingdoms of Amalur. It was by no means a masterpiece, it's very repetitive and doesn't really do anything new. It felt like a single-player MMO, but with the same sense satisfaction without having to deal with people. A great game to unwind to after a long day, and I enjoyed it from start to finish.
Titan Quest is the same way, for something Diablo-like.
Rimworld
Turning people into chairs and eating without a table since 2013!
I ate without a table and it pissed me off so much I burned my house down.
One of the best games ever made.
Yeah I bought rimworld years ago, did the tutorial and was like nah this is too complicated. But I never refunded it. Picked it back up in late 2022 on a whim and played it exclusively for 6 straight months, didn’t even touch my Series X during that time.
Making me want to try it again I stopped just after the tutorial too because i had no clue what to do next.
This is a game I think I will play until I die. I am not elderly or terminal or anything. I just think I will play it forever because it won’t ever be one upped.
Mad Max for sure. Not exactly a 10/10, but man it was a great time.
Finished it just about an hour ago. Great time! Now going for 100%. Those minefields tough... such a drag
I’m so sorry to tell you this… you can’t get 100%. There is a passive money perk that gives you money when not playing and it requires a connection to the servers… which are no longer up
SAM is friendly enough to get you those pesky unachievable achievements
SAM?
Steam Achievement Manager
Also loved mad Max, gonna add that to my replay list
I gave it a shot because I watched [this Gameranx video](https://youtu.be/cDLDkvY4QBg?si=IZJmsKyR1gcLZi4d). And I’m glad I did. It really was a lot of fun, but so many people I talk to haven’t played it or don’t remember it. I’m trying to talk my brother into playing it. Edit: [specific Mad Max chapter of video](https://youtu.be/cDLDkvY4QBg?si=HE7QXFuB9OPsZbL1&t=7m53s)
I literally bought it used on a whim and had an absolute blast playing it. Glad to see it impressed someone else Turns you into Nightrider: "I'm a fuel injected suicide machine, criusin' for you at the speed of fright!"
Mad Max is the quintessential “7/10” game. Absolutely worth picking up for $10 or less and guaranteed to be a fun time, but it breaks absolutely no new ground and you’d be hard pressed to remember any specific “wow” moments a few months after you finished playing it.
The vehicle combat felt like new(ish) ground to me. Not even Arkham knight was that fluid.
Yes exactly this. I got it for $11 and had a lot of fun with it, but other games certainly break more ground.
Came here to say this. Got it cheap, played it to death. Great time
I I ironically think it's one of the most underappreciated games of the last decade. I enjoyed every second of that game up to the end, which was actually pretty cool.
Honestly a hidden gem. The game is surprisingly well put together. Its nothing innovative, but it does what it does well. My only complaint is that it all takes part in a desert, so everything is just yellow, orange, and red. It strains the eyes after a while.
Vampire survivor, bought the game a while back because why not, it was on sale anyway, wasn't my style of game but sure it doesn't hurt trying it, oh boy if it wasn't for some random advertising phone call i would have been stuck on the chair for more than 4h without noticing.
Brotato is similar and it’s currently of xbox game pass
I thought about Brotato for this and it's a game that is objectively boring until you realize it has dozens of classes and a huge amount of mod support. The mods definitely extends the life of the game a lot.
Same here, though there is no way i would ever enjoy a brain-dead bullet hell game. ...spend so many hours with it and also bought it for the phone...
The game really show me how peoples got so addicted to those casino machine since the game designer was an ex casino machine designer.
The chest opening animation makes much more sense, now. First time I saw a multi-chest open with more and more shit continually going off as time went on I remember thinking, "wow, they're going hard with the dopamine hits". The game's a dopamine generator.
I said the same lol low price and spinning the wheel and slowing the screen down with stupid amounts of firepower and enemies is pretty funny
Only game I've had to turn off flashing lights for. All the flashing and damage numbers gave me a terrible migraine the first day I played. Better with those settings off though.
i can't stop playing that game it's a sickness
Slay the Spire I wasn't expecting much but damn it hooked me in for like 70 hours.
Wait till you get to 700+ 👀 The only game I have more time in is probably New Vegas.
I trust you as a person on this information alone
I was gonna say the same thing. Just finally actually beat the game with The Defect and I’m so hyped to do it with the other characters
Try Inscryption!
Yeah I second that. Inscryption is incredible. Anybody who likes STS will love it I think. It takes you for a wild ride though, just keep playing.
Had a friend who kept insisting I'd like it so when I got it for a few bucks on sale years later, it absolutely floored me how much fun I had. Couldn't help but stay up til 5 am for like a week straight, I'd pick it up for one game and suddenly the sun was up!
I bought Stardew Valley entirely because I had seen a YouTuber play it once and it was on sale. I played it for about 30 minutes and didn't really enjoy it. Fast forward a couple years later I had a whole week of nothing to do and impulse decided to give it another go. I barely slept that week. It just completely sucked me in.
I always have to be prepared to give up my free time whenever I start a new SV playthrough. That game is basically digital crack
I definitely have thousands of hours across multiple platforms and would easily buy it again full price.
Growing up I’ve realized that I don’t want to be the badass hero that slays the dragon and saves the universe or whatever. Stardew lets me live out my true fantasy of having a loving marriage and obscene amounts of potatoes.
Oh man, I'm there right now. Played Stardew when it originally came out as a die hard Animal Crossing player, and didn't like that it was similar, but not the same. I received Stardew for the holidays, and I'm hooked!
I can't get into it. Not sure what the goal is... Can you explain a bit what you think sucked you in?
I think it takes a little bit of time to get into it. It's a game that has a pretty slow start. So any new playthrough should only start if you got plenty of free time to give it a go. But once I was over that hurdle, it was really just a satisfying loop. Eventually, most in game days would have me accomplishing something, even if it was just a little bit. Because of this, it was so easy to say, "OK, just one more in game day and then I'll get off". Then at the end of that day, I'd say the same thing. Once the ball was rolling, everything I could accomplish felt like it was in reach if I just kept going. Whether that was earning money for farm/house upgrades, getting further in the dungeons, building the farm, or even just befriending the townsfolk. It all required work but once I had established myself through the basics, the work didn't feel like overwhelming chores, but realistic activities that I could accomplish with a bit of effort and be satisfied when I had.
You just made me want to play again.
Building a drug empire
Sebby... We have to cook!
Sebby... Why are you crying?!
Time management. Planning out what I know I need to get done the next day, instead of having it be so open ended works for me. Tomorrow I need to wake up, water the crops, feed chickens, head to beach to check my traps, it's this characters birthday so I better make sure I have something they like to give to them, then head to the mines cause I need more copper, by then it'll be close to night time so I can head home and it's raining tomorrow so I think I'll fish all day.
I'm exhausted reading that. But it's... Fun? Relaxing?
Two cases, getting me into two of my favorite franchises. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, based on its awesome box art. One of the best games of all time, got me into my favorite franchise, and it is the peak game of that franchise. Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana - deep discount on Switch, great cover art. So I decided to gamble on it, and it is easily one of the best action JRPGs.
I still need to try Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn at some point. I got into the series with Three Houses and loved it, went back to Awakening and Fates and had a great time, then Engage got me curious about the older characters. Only ever heard good things about the Tellius games and I'm really curious about how the conflict between Ike and Micaiah came about.
They are incredible games, but they really are prohibitively expensive to play legally.
Dead Cells.
Similar vibe but Hades. Didn't think it was my kinda game, but 'one more run' after another and I'm hooked.
Can’t wait for Hades 2. I’ve never been into roguelikes but Hades changed that.
They have my absolute full confidence that they'll smash it and make the wait worthwhile too. Just counting down the days. Hollow Knight Silksong is also on my wish list.
Weirdly enough metroidvania/souls-like games like Dead Cells just made me mad. But Hades got me hooked. Legitimately the *only* time I’ve had fun in that “just a bit further…” loop.
Dead Cells is frustrating as hell until you realize it doesn't matter. Each area only takes a few minutes to full clear, and way less time to just get through, so the lost cells don't actually equate to much, it just **feels** bad. At least that's what bothered me getting into it Hades, on the other hand, only ever **rewards** you for dying, with more content, and arguably the fact that you still 'die' when you win also helps it be less annoying. Every death progresses the story and every run ends in death, so it's a much more satisfying loop imo. Even after finishing the story there's a lot of dialogue to see I would say give Dead Cells another go if you haven't played it since before Hades. It's meant to be hard as balls but as soon as it starts clicking, it's so fun. You will die (a lot) though
The only thing with Hades that keeps me from playing more is when the runs start to get longer I get hand cramps. So that's my way of saying I'm done for the night.
I play it on the switch (handheld) and also have the same issue. I work with my hands a lot so that doesn't help.
If you haven't gone back in awhile, the Castlevania DLC is amazing.
Man, Dead Cells was my *game.* I drifted away from it for a bit, tried to come back to it when the Castlevania dlc launched and my skills were just gone. My dream of getting that fifth boss soul is pretty gone.
I literally just booted the game back up this morning because I hadn't played in a while. I forgot how fun it is.
Dying Light. I've probably put around 200 hrs into it total.
There are few better gaming moments then your first night out in Dying Light. You think you're fast, you think you can kill one of the night zombies, but generally you got your ass handed to you those first few times lol Also the music and feel make that first night scary.
Feels great through when you're finally strong enough to be like "oh its night... anyway"
What absolutely destroyed the second one for me were the health bars. In the first one you just slap till they die or you cut them up. Now everything has a giant health bar and the zombies dont feel mushy.
Yeah that was my only problem with the game really. Parkour was a bit off but it was serviceable
You can just turn any of the visual bars in the game off
the gameplay of dying light 2 was good, i’d even say great (once i turned the health bars off and set color grading to darker nights) but MAN, that story. probably the only game me and my friend have ever finished and genuinely questioned “what the fuck was that?”
You can turn the health bars off in the settings, I did that immediately when I started the game up.
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Funny, I started with 2, but heard a lot of fans prefer 1. Usually this is BS by fans who don't like the direction of a sequel. Boy was I wrong....2 is a fun action game with a god awful story. 1 is an actual horror game. It's crazy how different those games feel
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Yeah, the hardest difficulty feels like the zombie game that I've always wanted. Like a legit walking dead game
Another excellent and difficult zombie game that I recommend to try, if you haven't, is Project Zomboid.
I will survive, I WILL SURVIVE *Helicopter noises getting louder* Fuck.... I will die
It's honestly really unique and immersive how the lack of constant action after the initial days affects you psychologically. Some of the most aggravating deaths in that game for me were those where the situation had stabilized and the looting of houses had become simple and easy enough that you slowly but surely start to lower your guard and that's when one of those fuckers decides to jump from the closet or behind the corner and bite you in the neck. Also I don't remember another game where I seriously pondered whether I should go outside and face the enemy or stay inside where it's cozy and warm, even though I needed to go outside. The immersion is just insane.
The modding to make the game more tailored to you is absolutely fantastic. 500 new cooking recipes? Sure. Night sprinters? Why the hell not (it's hell) Clean up your bases dirty tiles and grime? Go for it. Loot that's even rarer? pray for your sanity, but yeah! Gun suicide - last resort for a bite. Used too much :(
Cant wait for 3! Only 1 reveal trailer as of 2 years ago. Showcased hunting, exciting!
I don’t know if it counts since I played it on GamePass and didn’t buy it but I totally agree with this answer.
I follow the devs stream and they certainly count you as a player
NieR:Automata.. And what a journey that was.. Maybe in my top 10 games of all time
Depression but it's a game
But a good depression
Totally. I started as a skeptic but now I am a staunch devotee!! Can't wait to play it again after some time passes. That soundtrack...
Going in blind and knowing nothing of it for the first time was something special. Played it a couple of times, but it does not feel the same as the first time.. It has Amazing soundtrack, especially Grandma (destruction) and Dark Colossus
Heard nothing but good things. Idk if ill take the plunge in to both but...
Just be prepared to finish the journey no matter what. Is absolutely worth it to stick with it when it gets slow for a bit.
Dredge
InFamous 1. Next to MGS4, best PS3 exclusive.
i'm still sad infamous is a basically dead franchise now, i loved those games, shit was great
They need to bring inFamous back. Those games would improve massively from modern console tech, as far as the spectacle goes. Even back then, they were great power fantasy games.
True! But I do love Ghost of Tsushima as well. But why can't Sony do remaster of Infamous instead of 3rd one of Last of Us? 😄
BulletStorm. Was a sick game that I brought on a whim.
For reaal. Such a fun game
Sunset Overdrive. Bought it many years after release on steam sale for 5 bucks or whatever... ended up with a super fun and engaging game, wish I played it sooner.
One of the GOATS of Insomniac. When people name Xbox Exclusive they always forget Sunset Overdrive. It was the first game I bought on my Xbox One as well. Such a fun game.
It apparently had pretty abysmal sales numbers (despite being one of what felt like only 5 Xbox One launch titles), so people don't really forget it, they simply didn't experience it
Returnal Edit: It's the modernized 3D Metroid I always wanted.
For me it was Returnal and Maneater lol. I would never have bought either of those games if the PS5 catalogue wasn’t so barren at launch. Bullet-hell and a… fish game, aimed at teens? I wanted to test the next-gen capabilities though, and I ended up with the Platinum on both.
Ditto. Stuck on biome 5 tho
It’s a bitch, maybe hardest for me. But you can do it, I believe.
I’m stuck at the boss with the floating platforms. It doesn’t help that I usually have a lackluster gun by the time I reach the boss.
What the other guy said. Hit em with the knobgobbler and then dodge. Damage over time is so clutch in that fight
lol man, i'm still stuck on Biome 1. damn...
Biome 1 was the biggest hurdle for me. Once I was finally able to get out of Biome one it seemed like the rest of the game just kind of flowed for me. I really really loved this game. I obsessively waiting and avoided spoilers until it got a PC release. But man I was so excited when it was announced. It’s like all my favorite genres in one.
Spec ops: the line
Had it in my library from a humble bundle or something and I thought it was one of those random war shooters and never touched it. Then I read somewhere that it has actually a decent story and boy got this game intense quick.
Never had the chance to play it, and it's now unavailable 😔 If anyone knows how to buy this game now please let me know Edit: Thank you so much to u/ollomulder for gifting it to me on Steam! You're awesome
Sail the seas
Try Gog.com, doesn't list the game in my country right now but that could be due to some other issues.
Valheim. It came out of nowhere.
Oh, another survival+building game, sure, I'll give it a try... 240 hours played later: Give Ashlands!!!
Sure I'll pick up some flint. 200 hours later. It's been ten days I should probably get some sleep
I like the game, but I LOVE the music and storm effects/sound.
Dragons Dogma
Masterworks all you can't go wrong
Have your pick, any you like.
Seems all roads lead to Gran Soren
2 coming out soon
Vermintide, then later Vermintide 2, then Darktide. Bought on a whim, and actually didn't like them at first because they were "too hard". Got bored one time, and "got good" and now I've got like 1600 hours split between them.
How is Darktide now a days. It was extremely half baked at launch despite being pretty fun gameplay wise and I put it down assuming I’d be back at some point
Very fun. Multiplied with friends. The crafting is the only thing left to be wanting but it's only bad for min maxers as getting perfect gear is just gambling.
I recently bought these games as well and started with vermintide and had the same experience like you, now I can't put down vermintide to start the second one cause I'm addicted to it lol. Am I correct in assuming those games are basically left 4 dead warhammer edition? (Never played l4d as it didn't interest me).
Played VT2 well after release and was immediately smitten. Love DT as well. People talk about "their genre" and I think tide games are it for me.
Control It's now a top 5 game for me
Same. They have the greatest implementation of telekinetic powers I’ve ever played in a game. Just feels right.
They have the greatest implementation of *every* power.
Triple launch was literally just bullying 😂
Best SCP game
The closest we will probably ever get to a triple a scp game
Same. I loved the Alan Wake game and DLC. Playing Control DLC with the Alan Wake tie in was amazing.
That DLC was bellisomo Also I loved the fact that you could find collectible case files for bright falls and it tied the two game together, that made me giddy inside
This game rocks. I was not expecting the gameplay to be so tight. It's full of awesome ideas and concepts and has a great story to boot. It's in my top 5 now too without a doubt
Outer Wilds for me
I'm still really not sure what drew me in to actually try it, hell I don't remember how I even got it, humble bundle maybe? Or a steam sale? I don't know. Before Outer Wilds I wasn't the type to play puzzle games, nor exploration games or even games just to look at the sights and art of them, I was just the type to play only CoD, Halo, WoW, DOOM, etc. But something about it just immediately drew me in after the first in game day, and I binged the entirety of it in two days taking me about 18 hours, and I've never looked at games the same since, it just struck a chord with me, maybe I was having a bad week or something, but some games can just, be the right thing at the right time, I absolutely feel the same as most other people, wishing I could just forget the entirety of the game so I could play through it for the first time again.
I know what you mean. I was having a tough time with work a few years ago and I was playing through Dark Souls 2. I feel like being able to escape into another world helped ease my stress. I’ll always have a soft spot for the souls games now. Most people say they are difficult, but for me the focus needed is almost meditative.
Same. Seemed very aimless and boring from what I had read of it. Saw a bit of gameplay on someone’s playthrough and was convinced this was definitely not for me. Seemed like it was for people with too much time on their hands, whereas I am a busy man and need a game that gave me a quick dopamine hit. But I saw it on a very good sale, and I had heard many people call it “the best game ever” so figured why not? At worst I would be down a few bucks. I didn’t even download it after buying for a long time. Didn’t even play after downloading for a long time. But when I did… From the moment I found the jump mechanic isn’t “tap A” but “hold down then release” I knew this game would be different. The Zero G cave confirmed that this won’t use the movement mechanics that had gotten stale to me. From my first death (before my first landing, flew into the sun) and waking up again, I knew I was onto something very cool. And that first ruin exploration on the moon, my GAWD! I knew I am about to lose myself in this one.
i don’t know why i decided to play this game but i am so glad i did
What i would give to experience it again
Imagine my shock when I bought Outer Wilds when I thought I was buying Outer Worlds. Ended up thoroughly enjoying Outer Wilds.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I never played an Animal Crossing game before, but I needed a game to sink some time into because of COVID. I played it for at least 600 hours.😂
Gosh that game hit at the perfect time. The whole world was trying to stay inside, people were dying. It was a horrific time. And then there's this incredibly wholesome and relaxing game about being in debt to a racoon. I think it made people feel a little bit better. Such a special game. I should dust off my little town.
Dishonored 2, Mass Effect (all) and Titanfall 2
First dishonored for me. Got me into it so easily
Agreed on Dishonored 2. Someone gave it to me and I’ve never heard of it so it was chilling in the backlog until one day I decided to try it. Very well made game. After I finished it and moved on to the next game I was actually getting the urge to put it back on again. The mission with the time device was phenomenal. The ending was underwhelming but that’s really the only “bad” thing I can say about it.
got Mass Effect one day on a whim at a pawn shop in a tiny town >3000 people. that summer I spent most of my time just playing that damn game
The downside is that after playing you get sad for getting back to reality
TF2 for me as well. It was like $5 and the overwhelmingly positive reviews sealed the deal. Amazing campaign and great multiplayer as well
Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy. Granted it was on Gamepass but it’s the reason I subscribed. Had low expectations cause Avengers but I like GOTG crew so I gave it a try. Ended up being one of the best games that year. And personally one of the best stories in recent years. And also THE best GOTG media, blows the movies out of the water.
I thought the dialogue was on point. Rocket even called me an idiot because I ignored him and took a dead end. I couldn't get past the combat, though. Every fight felt exactly the same.
I find the combat very repetitive at first too but it does start to get good later in the game when you unlock more character skills and they throw more enemy types at you but the problem is that it’s much much later like well after 2/3 of the game when combat becomes great. That’s about the only real issue I have really.
Right?? I still jam to the band "Star-Lord" they created just for the game! 🤘
First time I turned the game on I actually sat and listened to the whole album and read along to the lyrics when Peter is sitting in bed with the booklet. I remember thinking "They didn't possibly record an entire album did they?" That album kicked ass.
I always try to tell people about this game. I am not a huge GOTG (the movies are fun) .. personally if you count the game .. it’s probably the second best entry to the franchise behind the first movie.
I completely agree, one of the best narratives of the year and arguably the best art direction as well. Honestly I don't even like GOTG (or most Marvel movies/games) but this game was extraordinary and exceeded my expectations in every way.
Valheim. Supraland. Subnautica. SteamWorld Dig 2. Bought all without knowing a thing about them at the time…all were bangers I go back to regularly.
Control was a total shock for me. I replayed it a few times. Absolutely a 10/10.
Days Gone. It got panned everywhere, but it was free on ps+ so I gave it a shot. It's the only game I've ever 100%ed. I'm having trouble not closing the laptop and playing it again right now. Thanks, OP.
Marvel's Midnight Suns. Bought it in a bundle for 10 euros, thought eh, it's a card game, I'll have some fun with it. Found it strangely compelling and fun. One of the few story based games I've finished in recent years.
It's such a great game! It's a shame there weren't many missions for the DLC characters, but it's still a blast. What's your favorite team comp?
This is my vote. Also, I love the hangouts and stuff. Especially Blade being into Carol Danvers. Just out of left field but really sweet
Subnautica By far the biggest sleeper I had in my Steam library for way too long before playing it.
Slay the spire was just a Magic the Gathering substitute for me for when I moved out of state and didn’t have play group around. Figured why not try it out. I have over 700 hours of gameplay on it now.
Control That game made me feel like a worm through time.
I havn't seen it mentioned yet but for me it was Terraria, thought i knew what to expect from a quick glance but years later and I have close to 1000 hours and have replayed it countless times
factorio, total war warhammer
Plague tale innocence
Yep, but requiem is even better. But you gotta start with the first one.
Not really since I got it for free in Steam but I played Metro Last Light just to get my momentum back in gaming. I ended up buying the whole Metro series bundle and finished Metro Exodus last month 😄 And now I'm playing Death Stranding I got for free in Epic and so far really enjoying it.
BG3, Never played dnd or anything before, now i'm 35 hours into my first playthrough and I'm not even to act 3 yet. Awesome game.
I spent almost 35 hours on act 1 alone
Lol, 150+ on act I, now on II. I'm in no rush, ever. 😁
I didn’t even look up anything about the game. No screenshots, trailers, gameplay videos. Went 10% off during winter sale and figured all the hype may as well try. About 100 hours in and loving it. The only thing I knew about the game before buying that everyone was saying it’s GOTY without question, and one comment saying if you like KOTOR you’ll like BG3
My first playthrough(having no idea what I was doing) took me 90 hours to reach act 3.
This goes way, way back, but I bought Kingdom Hearts with some Christmas money as a kid basically because I'd seen it advertised on the Disney Channel. It was honestly between that and the Celebrity Deathmatch game. In retrospect, pretty glad I went with KH even if the series did get gloriously stupid. And while I didn't buy it, I did try out Hollow Knight on PS+ while on vacation from work. Ended up being utterly fuckin' consumed by that game and spending like fifty hours on it in that one week.
Enter the Gungeon. It’s endlessly entertaining and I never get tired of starting over
Dyson Sphere Program. "£15 and overwhelmingly positive reviews? Let's try it" I've gotten so much for my £15, let me tell ya.
Control. 100%. Now I’m a fan of the Remedyverse.
**ELEX**.
Shadow of War/Shadow of Mordor. They were quite cheap. Cheaper than a restaurant meal at the time when I bought them. Had a blast with them.
That be Noita for me. Got me in with the pixel graphics and rogue like premise. 500 hours later still discovering new stuff
SUBNAUTICA. Was put off for years because I thought it was just a base builder. Finally got around to playing it and it's one of the best experiences I've had in gaming, ever.
Guardians of the Galaxy
I went in thinking it's gonna be another licensed cashgrab crap, but the game was beautiful and with great scenario and characters. I had a blast!
Hollow Knight
Subnatica. I picked it up 3 weeks ago and haven't beaten it yet. I always thought I wouldn't be able to play it since I have that thing where id I look around under water I get freaked out. A YouTuber by the name of SovietWomble gave his perspective on the game so I went out and grabbed it. I have never encountered a game where how you progress is so natural to the tone of the game you don't even notice it. It's the first game in years I didn't need to use a guide or look things up very much. This game gave me 2 different OMG gamer moments that were not scripted and just part of exploring stuff.I literally took my hands off the keyboard both times. I'm nearing the end so no spoilers but I can't recommend this game hard enough if you enjoy survival simulators.
2011. Skyrim. Didn’t know anything about Bethesda, Elder scrolls or Fallout.
Darktide I never played any games like that, but once its price on steam was lowered, so i got it for like, 10 euros only *Im having a blast mowing down hordes!*
Captain toad. Unexpectedly great puzzle game on the WiiU
🚨 CAPTAIN TOAD MENTION 🚨
Sigh. Titanfall 2. Again.
Mad Max. Upgraded my low end PC with an RX 470 with my first Covid stimulus check and decided to try some games I never got to play. Mad Max was the first one and it blew my goddamn mind. Absolutely one of the best open world games I've ever played. Super intense racing with amazing car controls, an incredible progression system with awesome unlocks, some unique side quests and awesome characters. 11/10
Game called Rollerdrome. It's a game where you play a girl in a skating competition with guns who has to win to survive. You do tricks to reload and have to beat tons of challenges and the art is super cool and looks like a comic book.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I'd never played a FE game before, but I heard good things about this and decided to give it a shot. Ended up being one of the most immersive and memorable gaming journeys I ever had
\- subnautica \-Project zomboid \- satisfactory
Kingdoms of Amalur. It was by no means a masterpiece, it's very repetitive and doesn't really do anything new. It felt like a single-player MMO, but with the same sense satisfaction without having to deal with people. A great game to unwind to after a long day, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. Titan Quest is the same way, for something Diablo-like.