Kbin: What is your all time favourite video game?
Whether you started with a 2600 and a joystick in your hand, an N64 with a blistered palm or building your first PC in your teens, what is that one video game you've played at some point that to this day sits at the top of your list.
The Outer Wilds. IMO, non-violence-based gameplay design is an underexplored space, especially in 3-D games. The Outer Wilds manages to feel like a fully-fledged game, rather than a traditional walking simulator, using exploration as it's core gameplay loop.
Further, it's main progression system is you, the out-of-game player, learning about the world. There's no abilities you gain or keys you have to find. You unlock new areas, not as a programmed game mechanic, but as a function of reasoning about what you've discovered and gaining insight into how the game world works. Any playthrough could be beaten in about 15 minutes -- there's nothing physically blocking you from triggering the end of the game -- but it takes you 15 hours or so of flying around the solar system to accrue the necessary insight to get there.
It's really a special game.
It’s a toss up for me between Outer Wilds and Subnautica. I found Outer Wilds after playing Subnautica and looking for something with the same feeling.
Anyone that liked Outer Wilds should also play Subnautica. Although the game play is more similar to No Man’s Sky (even though Subnautica is definitely much better than NMS)
The first Subnautica.
I’m playing Subnautica for the first time right now, after hearing it was similar to Outer Wilds. I’m discovering I have a much bigger fear of vast open water than I do for space!
And an amazing soundtrack to match the thrills and sadness of the journey. Dlc was awesome too.
The music towards the end aaa
I wish I had the guts to play it - the anxiety I got from the water-tornados and huge vast emptiness of space, the black hole - the game did such an amazing job at giving me an overwhelming sense of dread that I had to just stop playing. I consider that a compliment towards the game lol
Hey, speaking as someone who hated all the planets (especially the a fog-ridden one I won't spoil)
Part of the reason why I fell in love with this game was the realization that nothing could ever really harm you. The anxiety I feel when exploring the water-tornado planet was always there -- slightly dampened by the understanding that nothing dangerous could ever happen. At most, I was flung up to space. Black hole? Don't worry, you'll just end up far away. I'm always anxious, always fearful. I had to learn to be with those feelings, instead of pushing them away.
This was outer wild's personal message to me: it's okay to feel scared or overwhelmed. It's okay to be crushed by narrowing tunnels or die of oxygen depravation or whatever else the universe can throw at you. You'll always be back in front of a crackling campfire. That's the safety that the game always guarantees you.
Honestly, with enough exposure to outer wilds, I tried doing black hole trick jumps and sometimes even drove my ship right into the tornados for fun.
I really hope you continue playing! This was one of the best games I'd ever played.
Original Myst was like that- you could technically beat the game inside of seconds- if you knew the answer. (Empty world where everyone was sealed inside books- you could free them by freeing one of two heirs. You had to decide which was the “right” heir.)
The puzzles left clues around the entire game to explain things unlocking puzzles
Tried to get my now-husband to integrate the soundtrack into our wedding, but alas!
And for anyone reading this thread and thinking it sounds worth a try: a) do no further research, go in blind, very important and b) Outer Wilds is the one you want, not to be confused with The Outer Worlds.
I have never played The Outer Wilds, however your description makes the game sound similar to No Mans Sky. Is this a fair assumption?
Beyond being set in space I would say they are pretty different. Outer Wilds is set in a single, hand crafted solar system. The planets are kind of "cutesy" and small. Like you can see the curve of the horizon when you are on each planet because they are each designed as spherical levels you are meant to explore most of.
The space flight mechanics are also pure Newtonian physics ala the Expanse, whereas the ships in no man's fly like planes, not rocket ships.
All that said. If you liked No Man's Sky I think there's a decent chance you'll like Outer Wilds.
Outer Wilds was such an awesome experience. I listen to the soundtrack sometimes and the emotions rush back, especially a few songs from the DLC.
I'm so happy this is the top answer. The best game of all time imo. Needs more clones.
Tetris. Tetris is the King.
But the game is racist.
Gameboy or NES? NES was my jam
I liked NES better because it had color, but I had a Gameboy too.
Tetris doesn't count because it's not a video game.
It's a transcendental experience
Mass Effect. The one game I wish I could entirely erase my memory of and do it all again. 3
"You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it"
It's been years since I've played ME, but this scene will never not give me chills...
Walking around the Citadel in Mass Effect 1 is one of my favorite gaming memories. It felt like I really was free to explore a giant space city. It felt so massive and open.
I'm okay with giving it a once every two years run, that's enough to forget it enough to enjoy it all over. Leviathan is easily the best dlc made for any game, imo. Witcher e's blood and wine being a close second.
Mass Effect is the only game I ever played where I read -every single entry- of lore in the encyclopedia. First game with achievements I did 100% on as well. I built my own Normandy models, even... both of the SR-1 and -2.
I hope ME4 is a return to form when it releases. I also hope the TV series I've heard about treats the franchise well... The story would do well as a prestige title IMO so I'll be super bummed if they don't do it justice.
Did you know there are books? They're alright. Nothing terribly earth shaking about em but they're fair.
Elder Scrolls III Morrowind. Everything in that game feels so different than anything else, including the other Elder Scrolls.
Morrowind: Nix hounds, kwama, guar... Cities made from the husks of ancient crustaceans... Fast travel networks with time consequences based on the speed of the insect you're riding inside of. Insane lore that feels like a real religion... Are you the chosen one? Is there such a thing? Have you been "chosen" or are you choosing to make it happen? Ash ghouls.
Everything else: Deer, wolf, bear... Renaissance-era European architecture... Instantaneous fast travel with no basis in lore. Dragons.
I'll forgive the cliff racers.
Great choice, Morrowind is incredibly well done. The mix of lore and mechanics made the world feel very real in-game. Being out in the sticks actually felt like being in the sticks.
Love the instructions too. No quest marker, I'm gonna give you vague directions, find it.
Morrowind is my favorite too. Even all these years later I feel like I'm on a vacation in another world when I play it.
100% Morrowind. No fantasy game has come close to giving me the feeling of wonder and adventure that TES3 has. It’s been over 20 years and I still reinstall it once a year or so to roll a new character and find new things to do.
Yeah Morrowind is so incredibly alien compared to the rest of the games. Everything is so weird and unique in the best possible ways.
Morrowind really is something special
Titanfall 2 is the most fun I've had with a video game. The movement is so amazingly fluid, it's like Quake or Unreal Tournament but with more verticality, and then there's the Titans themselves, which feel like awesome weapons of war, yet not insurmountable to a skilled pilot on foot. Everything from the gameplay balance to the mechanics to the visuals and sound design is incredible, and the single-player story was very touching and exactly long enough to satisfy you without overstaying its welcome. I'm gutted that we're probably never getting a Titanfall 3.
That game is like the gold standard of fps for me. There isn't a better game yet. That level, you know the one, the first time you play it is something kind of magic.
Definitely the original portal.
I'm generally not an FPS guy, but the puzzle game in the FPS format was really cool to see.
And when you finally do beat the game you can't help but think...
"This is a triumph"
I made a note - huge success.
But yeah, my original playthrough - great puzzle game, then suddenly there was plot, and a huge plot twist, then the ending was crazy, then that song.... So freaking good.
Honestly one of the very few games... no one of the very few things that has actually lived up to the hype!
Super Mario World
Sid Meier’s Pirates! (originally on the C64)
I would love to find a pirate game that captures the magic of this game. So simple, but so much fun!
My favorite version is the original DOS one for some reason.
Super Mario RPG
This is up there for me with Super Mario 64.
Satisfactory.
I love making efficient systems and the freedom to do things the way I want to, such as by using the game's alternate recipe system.
The exploration and movement systems in the game are also to notch. It's not quite Titanfall, but I struggle to think of any other game where simply moving around is so fun. That's on top of how pretty the actual environment is to explore.
Final Fantasy VII (the original)
Final Fantasy 6 for me. The bad (mad) guy TRULY winning was just the coolest as a kid. It definitely tore apart my expectations for what a good game was ever since.
I don't think I've played a game more than FF7 (well, Warhammer 40K Dark Crusade might have it beaten by now, not sure, along with the original Star Wars Battlefront games as a distant third), some things I did:
I feel I did even more things but it's been like 20 years, don't remember more...
Skyrim because it's not just vanilla skyrim.
Vanilla skyrim is good, but skyrim is also modded skyrim.
Some of those mods are basically games in their own right. And not average games either. Enderal and The forgotten city have won awards and are genuinely great.
You can easily spend a thousand hours playing Skyrim and that's saying something for a game that doesn't rely on grinding or have an online mode.
Morrowind and Oblivion don't get enough credit. Skyrim stood on the shoulders of giants.
Skyrim for me as well. I have literally played thousands of hours. Mostly modded, making different builds. I think I only finished the main quest two times.
Stardew valley
DDR probably. Helped me lose a bunch of weight and actually get reasonably healthy.
That's fantastic, good for you.
I have massive respect for anyone who plays DDR even somewhat regularly. Nice work!
Outer Wilds and 2nd place isn't even close
I would've thought you'd say Space Cadet Pinball, lieutenant.
Elden Ring
I just purchased and downloaded last night (steam sale). As a new dad, my time to play has become severely limited. But I am super excited to dive in.
The only "souls-like" game I have ever played was Code Vein, so I am pretty much going in blind.
LMK if you have any pointers or advice for a newbie!
My only advice: explore. If it’s too hard come back latter. Don’t go online to look for walkthrough or video until the last last last minute.
Minecraft: easily in the tens of thousands of hours played. I have been and continue to play it on and off with some regularity
I just started playing creative for the first time. It's like a whole new game to play.
I should try that. Skip the hours of grinding. It always felt like cheating, but it would let you really focus on the design.
The Sims 2 was really cheesy but had a lot of in-depth gameplay that balanced it out. The only thing better was The Sims 3, but it didn’t have as much charm.
I'm honestly stuck between Tetris (basically any form of it) and the entire Binding of Isaac series. I have put countless hours into these games and they're the ones I constantly go back to, no matter what.
Curse of Monkey Island, not even close.
Tough choice as there are a lot of games I love, but I think I’d pick The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It’s definitely my favourite in the Zelda series.
Twilight Princess was my entry into the series and even though I probably wouldn't enjoy it today as much as I am enjoying TOTK (I am a sucker for open-world games) it is still is my favorite Zelda.
I replayed it not too long ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it still. Perhaps not as much as my first play-through, but then again, it’s nigh impossible to feel the same thing you feel when playing something for the first time.
Super Metroid. Still holds up after so long.
I was hoping someone said this one lol Super Metroid was so good even my mom and my aunt got hooked on it right along with me!
Oblivion.
I think I was 12 or so when I first played it and absolutely no other moment in gaming in my life beats the pure joy and ecstasy I felt when, on my second start of the game, instead of leaving the sewers and going straight to Vilverin, I turned around and found the Imperial City and ran to it, being amazed that I just could do it and the game just let me do it. It was the first time I understood the concept of an open world game.
My first start of the game I went straight to Vilverin and couldn't go down the first flight of stairs because I was looting everything and I got over-encumbered. I'm not a native English speaker, and at the time I didn't understand what that word meant, so I just thought I didn't something wrong since I couldn't move or do anything and just decided to start again.
I started with a super nes - super mario world will always be my game!
I spent like 15 years of my life on World of Warcraft through all the good and bad, but it was the friends I made and the late night messing around that was the fun.
I started Wow casually during Cata. MOP was the first MMO launch I experienced and it blew my mind. I played the first few months of each expansion through Legion, but never really did anything outside of quick queue LFG stuff.
Once the pandemic hit, I had some free time and returned to Shadowlands. People say it was the worst expansion but I met such fun and incredible people and I thought the dungeons were amazing. We all went our separate ways when Dragonflight came out and so I stepped away. It wouldn't be the same without those awesome people.
But WoW definitely holds a special place in my heart because of the bonds you can form through the various activities.
I'm so old I played vanilla wow. I still had like my private tags last time I logged in
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
Knights of the Old Republic I & II, I've spent so many hours playing those game when I was a teenager that I don't even know. I remember finishing them multiple times with different build and when I though that there was nothing left to do I discovered the restoration project and mods that the replay options became infinite.
Jagged Alliance 2
What a game
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
It's so satisfying. What is your favourite modpack so far? Mine is GregTech New Horizons
AllTheMods has been what's kept my attention the longest. Currently playing ATM8 which I think is 1.19 and it's pretty fun. Currently trying to build a Mekanism Fission reactor without entirely irradiating my modding dimension.
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..."
EarthBound
Freespace 2 (I’m old). Still one of the most compelling story’s I’ve enjoyed in a video game to date.
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.
Crash Bandicoot: Warped will always have a special place in my heart
It was my first normal Crash (already loved CTR) and it probably the best one as well. Amazing game
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.
This was a tough one, but I think I've finally settled on Super Mario Kart.
It's not the best game in the franchise, but I think it's still my favourite, and the game I still have the most hours put into ever.
It's been 30 years of play now, and ongoing.
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.
Left 4 Dead 2. It's not my favorite game, or what I think is the best game of all time, but it's definitely my most played by more than 1k hours. The game hits a sweet spot in terms of tactical gameplay that's almost chess-like in its level of complexity, balance, and replay-ability. The fact that it was released 14 years ago and still has a massive modding community and playerbase speaks to its quality. It's also on sale on Steam right now for $.99, and as it uses the Source engine, runs well on the most basic of potatoes.
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.
Age Of Empires. I still play to this day!
You mean AoE 2 right?
Mario Kart 64
Unreal Tournament '99.
I spent hours playing on instagib servers and also replaying the 'campaign' as a kid. It was the first game I likely logged over 100 hours on.
In high school we hid copies of UT99 on the file share so we could pull it down to our crappy Dell / Netware computers and bang out a couple rounds before class. It was the best.
I wouldn't live where I live if it weren't for Team Fortress 2. So I'll have to say that.
you live in 2fort?
The thing that made me fall in love with classic video games: SMB3 (NES)
Favorite game that got me into the next iteration: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. With a nice helping of a Perfect Dark as a palette cleanser.
More modern: I've got about 1000 hours into Skyrim and have played Diablo 3 more than I'd like to admit.
I'm massively looking forward to Starfield.
Disco Elysium
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.
I'm about due to rediscover that game soon, character movement feels so nice I'd often hop on just to zip around and bounce off some walls for a bit.
Gothic I&Ii
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or GTA 4. 100% nostalgia picks since these are the games that I played endlessly as a preteen into high school. I would maybe throw Pokemon R/B/Y in there too since those were the games I played endlessly until I was old enough to start detasseling and buy myself GTA 4, Oblivion, and an Xbox 360
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!
Jet Set Radio Future on the original Xbox.
I just love everything about it.
I've been working on refurbishing my 1.0 Xbox lately and getting some games I never had but always wanted, JSRF is on my list!
I’m probably weird when I say Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn. At first a failed game that became a labor of love by the people that took it over. It took multiple years and expansions for it to come to a “conclusion” and the once i finished it, I was very satisfied.
To me it’s similar to the Marvel project up until the conclusion of the Thanos arc. I’m not the biggest marvel fan or much of a Disney fan. I do really respect the courage it takes to throw that many years at a project and trust it almost all the way.
FFXIV feels like that. It has that final fantasy marriage of interesting yet somewhat complex story with a message that makes you think. Its an MMO but honestly you can enjoy it up until the conclusion of End Walker with a couple of friends and some queuing up for the story fights. You shouldn’t have to do any terribly difficult encounters to progress the story and experience the game unless you choose to. The. Every so often you run into a song and get blown away. The game does a great job of usually having each expansion have a visual and music theme and sticking with that without making it feel like repetitive copy paste job.
I almost never like replaying a game or heck rereading the same book. But this game is the one exception where if a friend finds interest, I’ll resub and level yet another job with them and totally enjoy all over again.
Definitely Dark Souls. I have played DS 1, 2, 3, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, and Sekiro. I only have completed DS 1 and 2 out of them (mostly due to time, with the exception of 3 which I just don't like).
I know the DS1 map like the back of my hand, the mechanics feel natural to me, I feel like I'm being treated fairly and have the skill to complete challenges, and it genuinely feels rewarding for me. I feel good after playing Dark Souls for a bit. Even when struggling with a boss, 95% of the time it felt like I had made a mistake which could be fixed next time.
