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Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

This was just a groundbreaking game. I know the graphics aren't as nice as Skyrim, but the world has more depth and the guilds are all full games in themselves.

Such a big open world, fully populated with flora and mystical fauna (Minotaurs and unicorns), an endless supply of side-quests.

Oblivion destroys Skyrim in the following places:

• Much more interesting and in-depth Thieves Guild, Assassin's Guild, Fighter's Guild, and Mage's Guild.
• Being a vampire is infinitely better than being a goddamn werewolf
• Skyrim leans too heavily for the Nord race, while Oblivion's story leaves race selection more open-ended. I always want to be an Argonian but it felt weird to be an Argonian in Skyrim.

Probably Dark Souls for me, the replay value and the many different ways to take on challenges in the game haven't really been replicated, even after many attempt. If not that, then Alpha Protocol. I think they did choice and consequences the best in a game. I'll also throw Dwarf fortress in there too, since people need to play it.

I can't really name a single one that would be THE one. But the one I returned to the most over the years was the original Dragon Quest Monsters.

I had it on my Game Boy since I was in elementary school and even then played through it multiple times. Later I played through it multiple times on emulators. I just love this game so much.

It has a lot of flaws, starting with the limitations of a Game Boy game, but later games and other monster collectors never captured my heart like this one did.

The games that started it all for me: Mega Man 2, Earthbound

The games I've played the most: Rocket League, Starcraft

All time favorite playthroughs: Portal 2, Skyrim, Halo 3, Ghosts of Tsushima, RDR2

It's a tie between Wildermyth or Yakuza 0.

Two games that tell their stories in wildly different ways. Yet, they both got me to feel some serious emotions.

Outer Wilds.

If you haven't played it, don't read anything about it, just go in blind. It's an amazing experience that I wish I could play again for the first time.

Some other favorites worth mentioning:

Minecraft
Celeste
Doom 2016
What Remains of Edith Finch
Titanfall 2

Witcher 3 is, for me, the best single player game I've every played. Though Ocarina of Time comes a close second - and I never even played it on release only years later when I bought an N64 at uni.

For multiplayer, however, you can't beat Halo with a load of mates round and a crate of beer.

This is a hard call, and after a lot of self-deliberation...It must be Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, the updated 3DS version. It's a moody, dark, and interesting title within the Zelda game series! The deadline before the world ends pushes the player to figure out the most efficient way to make progress to save the world. The updated Bomber Journal makes this experience so tight and compelling!

Burnout 3: Takedown

Super Mario 64!

Planescape: Torment.

It had a great story that questioned good and evil (rare for a DnD style game). The graphics were great at the time. The soundtrack was (and still is) phenominal and the characters were actual characters.

Freespace 2 (I’m old). Still one of the most compelling story’s I’ve enjoyed in a video game to date.

probably Forza horizon 5. closing in in 500 hours

best memories are from Minecraft for sure tho

Mine are purely sentimental and I don’t expect anyone to agree, but the original monkey island, the original fallout or Baldurs Gate 1. They all have arguably better sequels but playing those games for the first time was something else.

I'm going to say The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for personal reasons.

When I was playing it, I was getting therapy for clinical depression. Breath of the Wild's entire structure really helped me process my depression and contextualise my issues, and I honestly think it helped me a lot more than would any game that is actually about depression.

Minecraft, specifically modded Minecraft. I've been for a decade and constantly come back to it, and I can easily lose a day or 12 teching up and automating everything

Team Fortress Classic. The game was fun but the modding community really took it to the next level.

Gonna have to say Warframe

I started playing in 2013 when it went open beta. I've had a couple breaks from it during the last 10 years and every time I come back its like a whole new game. At this point its like 10 different games wearing a trench coat lmao.

Final Fantasy VII, it's the most pefect game made by human hands.

considers

I think that it'd have to be something with a lot of replayability, which doesn't lose value to me after one playthrough.

Also, it can't be a genre where the game was limited by technology. I mean, I remember Wolfenstein 3D being amazing when it came out relative to other games of the time -- walking around in a 3D world was so mind-blowing -- but the novelty of that technology has long-since worn off, and there are many more-impressive 3D games today.

I guess roguelikes are probably about the top of the heap there, and my favorite is probably Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. I still regularly play that, which seems to me to be a good test of whether it's still at the top of my list.

I wouldn't live where I live if it weren't for Team Fortress 2. So I'll have to say that.

Command and Conquer, it's one of the few things I can remember fondly sharing with my dad growing up. Also it has such a great soundtrack.

Half Life 1. That game was so ground-breaking, so atmospheric, so interesting in its puzzles and its combat that it just blew my mind and made me a forever fan.

Probably Life is Strange. It did a lot for me in my mid-late 20s.

#ArcadiaBaeNotBay

Bloodborne for playing, Drakengard 3 for the characters and music, Tactics Ogre for the story.

Interesting. No love for city builders and strategy games (RTS and TBS). Here are several, in no particular order:

• SimCity (4th is probably my favorite). Cities Skylines is the modern spiritual successor.
• Civilization series (arguably all versions were excellent for their own time)
• Starcraft (both are great)
• W40K Gladius (underappreciated gem)
• Kohan (nobody knows about that game. Kohan 2 was OK)
• Age of Wonders (3 and 4)
• Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War (the first one)
• Warlock - Master of the Arcane (honestly, I had more fun with that than with AoW)
• Majesty (the first one, very unique, "indirect" strategy)

The list can go on, and there were so many fantastic strategy games over the years...

The King of Fighters, the whole franchise, it's just that special to me since my childhood

It might sound dumb, but Guardian Tales. It's a gacha game on mobile and Switch, but I really love it. The story is great, it's fun to play, and the devs are very generous. I've played it multiple times on different accounts just because I have so much fun with it.

NFL 2k5.

And I'm still mad with EA about the exclusive NFL License.

Last of Us for story.

Original Modern Warfare 1 & 2 for all the memories I had of playing that in college.

Chrono Trigger! Great plot, and it swaps the slow burn that brings a lot of JRPGs down for a shorter story with a ton of replayability. Gameplay and characters are also great!

Stardew valley was a really fun game to play with my wife

Tekken 3 for the sheer amount of times I beat it front to back. I had no memory card for my PS1 as a kid so I'd leave my Playstation on all weekend while I beat the game. Some days the power went out and I'd lose progress and have to beat it all over again.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night. Had no idea what I was getting into and have been chasing that same experience ever sense.

Streets of Rage 2. Favourite soundtrack, too.

Deus Ex on PC, from the year 2000.

This game made me rethink what a game could even be. Whenever I thought of what a great game would be I'd think "It's like Deus Ex but..."

Either Super Mario World or FF7

Tecmo Super Bowl

What a tough question to answer, stretching all the way back to Atari 2600 for me.

I think I'll pick No Mercy/Virtual Wrestling Pro 2 on the N64. Possibly thousands of hours both solo and competitive at a friends with some incredible round robin tournaments with up to five participants. Just amazing Create A Wrestler and one of my handful of favorite gameplay mechanics ever. Also we were paying during the exciting days of pro wrestling so we had that enthusing us as well.