Gaming

Black & White 1 and 2

For me it’s Return of the Obra Dinn. I was blown away by how well this game is done. I blew through it in like 2 days. The way the story plays out is so cool. Afterward I hassled my wife to play it because she loves that murder mystery stuff but she bought it and still hasn’t played it lol.

Anyway highly recommend if you’re into puzzle games.

Red Dead Redemption. Probably stuck with me more than any other game Ive played. I still listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis.

Really hope it gets a rerelease

Kenshi. Kenshi is the single most unique game I have ever played I think. There is no campaign, you are just sent into one of the largest maps ive heard of in a video game with the goal of "survive". So many ways to play, I've had so many different adventures in that game, with stories that I crafted that have stuck with me for years. I am still heartbroken I lost my saves from 2019 :(

Second choice is prototype. I dunno why but I just adore the shapeshifting combat, and edgy early 2000s aesthetic. Alex Mercer is one of my all time favorite supervillian/hero characters, he's just cool, man.

Horizon Zero Dawn (and sequel), Control, Mass Effect 2, Grim Fandango, Dreamfall.

In a very different way, Kerbal Space Program because it gives a good understanding of orbital mechanics.

world of goo. still my favorite experience in almost 40 years of pc gaming.

Death Stranding. Beautiful landscapes with awesome moments like treking through a snowstorm to reach a distant prepper outpost. Waiting for rain to stop while playing the harmonica for bb. Definitly could have had one more zone to round it all off, or maybe expanded the final boss area zone to full size.

The big ones for me are the one where I made friends and very personal experiences:

Tibia, Eve Online & Warhammer Online

Which reminds me, I haven't messaged certain former guild leader in a while!

Red alert 2 and counterstrike will be with me forever. I played those games so much growing up that I always find myself going back to them.

Loom

It's been, what, 30 years? I still think about that game pretty frequently.

Disco Elysium, easily. I think about it daily, and it was just written so powerfully.

Half Life 2. Specifically, the crossbow that shot rebar. That thing was AWESOME.

Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2. My favorite game series of all time. Honorable mention to Red Dead 2 and God of War Ragnarok. I’m a slut for cinematic games.

Ori and the Blind Forest + Ori and the Will of the Wisps. So much can be said

Zelda Ocarina of Time. I was growing up when it came out and I was so little I couldnt' really play it yet, so I watched my big brother play it. Whenever he let me try, I woudl just run around on Epona around Hyrule Field in circles lol

Control, just so much fun

MMOs: Vindictus, BDO, and Lost Ark. Just with playing them for 2+ years ea, that creates a lot of fun and happy memories with the people I played with

Metal Gear Solid 2. The reveal at the end has stuck with me because 9/11 happened a couple months before and it was so poignant and apropos that my heart rate jumped for the entirety.

Deus Ex. For the same reason as above but in the opposite direction time-wise.

Outer Wilds. Like most have said. Amazing game.

Black & White. Playing god had never been so much fun.

Thief. Stealth in a way that had never been done before.

Morrowind. First RPG I wanted to do every little thing in.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I grew up in LA during the 90s. This game was the closest thing to using a time machine. The amazing story was just a cherry on top.

When I finished Life is Strange 1, it just felt I lost a friend and it lingered for weeks. Whenever I was hearing the soundtrack, I felt really sad because of stuff that happened in the game.

The entire Witcher trilogy, but especially the Witcher 3. Replaying after reading the books adds so much depth the world and the political decisions you are forced to make. The world is beautiful, the ambient sounds and soundtrack are so good ("winds howling") and the story is gripping.

Starcraft, when the first one released and then the expansion, I always wondered what happen to Kerrigan/Jimmy and the Protoss templars. We don't have any official answers all the way until Starcraft 2 released. That "it's about time" trailer was about as hype as I can be for a very long time. And then it faded behind DOTA 2 and LoL.( I didn't even know when the 2nd one or 3rd campaign released. too busy with indie game/kickstarter boom and then Rocket Leauge. ^^; )

Hollow Knight and Ori Will of the Wisps pop up in my head constantly. They're atmospheric masterpieces.

Bloodborne has the most haunting atmosphere of any game I played and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I first played.

I received Eternal Darkness for Christmas in 2002. I will NEVER forget the feelings that game inspired in me thanks to the unique "sanity" system and creepy lovecraftian atmosphere.

I remember my brothers and I huddled around the basement TV into the wee hours of the morning over our Christmas holiday totally creeped out but so driven to complete the story that we pressed onward.

What a fantastic game that was and I'm so grateful for those memories with my brothers. I don't think I've ever had such a deep connection with a game since.

For me it was Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4, as well as Devil May Cry 3.

I used to have a pretty hard time thinking about what were my favorite games and the ones that changed my tastes and probably perspectives.

I realized that every time get asked this question the first games that come to mind are always these 3.

Fallout 3. Especially the morale dilemma's I could never bring myself to blow up Nuke town.

Half-Life 2. I have so many playthroughs that I lost count. At the time of release, the gameplay and physics were mind-blowing. The atmosphere over time got even better when Valve released bloom lighting. The water and sky were breath taking. I still go back and visit to this day.

Back in the days Guild Wars, not the sequel but the OG; present time I have spent way to many hours getting stuck in Snowrunner.

Mother 3 still affects me in ways no other game has, even to this day. It's truly a beautiful game.

Metal Gear Solid. All of them, but especially MGS 4 left me speechless and sad-tisfied. I played it pretty much every year until my PS3 didn't want to exist anymore. I still have times where I recall scenes from the whole saga.

For me it's still Anarchy Online after almost a decade since I played it last. The atmosphere in the game and community was amazing. After that I would say mass effect and the elder scrolls.

Outer Wilds and Omori. Both beautiful games and if I had to choose one to play through for the first time again, I couldn't.