what are in you're top 3 favourite games of all time?
for me mine are 1. Elden Ring, 2. RDR2 3. BOTW, all because they genuinely blew my mind when playing them for the first time and changed how I saw and played video games.
I’ve probably got some weird takes, but let’s go:
Honorable mentions: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for the worldbuilding and music, Final Fantasy XIII for exactly the same reasons, The Talos Principle 2 for simply giving its NPCs the agency to say “nah, I don’t wanna go back, I’m staying home,” and Chaos Rings 2 for creating one of the most high-stakes yet viscerally unpleasant stories I’ve witnessed, wherein to proceed through the game, the protagonist ritually sacrifices his ever-shrinking party of people.
+1 for a Chrono Trigger ranking. For as popular as it still is in retrospect, I think people still don't quite give it the full recognition it's due for smashing pretty much every dreary console RPG convention that the genre had been persistently saddled with up until that point, while still remaining a console RPG. Believe it or not the developers had plans to make it even more ambitious at the beginning but they weren't able to pull it off in the time allotted.
There are a lot of subsequent RPG titles (like even Final Fantasy goddamned Seven, not to mention Pokémon) that should have learned a bevvy of lessons from Chrono Trigger, but still didn't. It was well ahead of its time.
- Chrono Trigger is at the way top. The greatest game of all time hasn’t been bested in 30 years. Telling the best narrative I’ve heard in my life, and packing it into 20 short hours, with timeless art and amazing music, and into FOUR GODDAMN MEGABYTES, this is one many try to beat, and none have succeeded. Not even Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
I would lose the count of how many times I have read praises (well deserved) for Chrono Trigger, and it only makes me feel bad with myself because I left it unfinished (I am close to the 1st ending... I think) because I was lost all the damn time and needed a guide to move forward, something that I really don't enjoy, and I didn't have too many gaps while playing it to be fair.
I enjoy RPGs and jRPGs, even when they are not my favorite genres, but I don't like to feel lost all the time.
Now, it should be obvious that I didn't play this game back in its day, my last game session was about a year ago in my DSi XL (arguably the best way to experience it) so I have 0 nostalgia googles about it, although I am a Toriyama fan and I loved the art style, graphics and music, it is only the pace and the narrative that didn't caught me completely...
I know I shouldn't force myself to finish it as gaming is a hobby after all, but damn, I really want to complete it, at least one playthrough lol (I don't like to leave stuff unfinished).
If anyone has tips to not feel lost all the damn time (aside of not stop playing for a brief time) I am all ears.
Unfortunately it's a thing when going back to older games after being living in the map marker era for so long. This is a big part of why games back then came with annotated maps so you'd at least have a reference for all the locations.
I'd say at the minimum, don't be afraid to pull up maps and take notes.
You're not the only one. I've beaten The 7th Saga more times than Chrono Trigger lol.
I gave Chrono Trigger a fair whack and just got bored. I suspect JRPGs just aren't for me.
Out of all retro JRPGs from that era, I'd say Chrono Trigger is the one that has aged the best, but it definitely is still a product of that era and that can be a bit of an acquired taste. If you haven't played any other modern JRPGs, I'd suggest checking out how the genre has evolved today, you might have an easier time getting into newer titles.
It’s why we got so many games!
I wish I liked Crosscode more. I really enjoyed the writing and loved the puzzles, but the combat just didn't feel that good to me. Ended up dropping it in the second dungeon and never picked it up again.
Updoting for Chronotrigger. Always at the top of my list. Every list.
Except worst lists.
My top 3 choices are (in no particular order)
I know these are very bland choices, but these games had a huge impact on me. I've only played disco Elysium recently, but it truly is a masterpiece. FNV gives me warm memories of [the good parts, at least.] of my childhood, and outer wilds... I don't even really know how to describe it.
This isn't an exhaustive list by any means, and there are some other games that affected me on the same level, but I could only pick 3 :)
I adored Disco Elysium while playing it, but the ending felt kinda rushed/soured for me so it didn't quite hit top 3. However, the book Sacred And Terrible Air by Robert Kurvitz that was fan translated to English semi recently helped a great deal with unanswered questions about the world the game takes place in that I had which really helped brighten my overall opinion of the game in retrospect.
The book isn't very approachable I think with almost zero exposition, so it actually helps to have played the game first.
Twenty-two years later and still nothing really compares. I've played it through 5... 6?... times and the characters still feel compelling.
I miss Westwood... everyone that came after only imitated their work, and while some have made improvements to the gameplay, none have really accomplished the same level of storytelling in the RTS genre.
Kind of a perfect game, one that keeps you coming back again and again.
I'd definitely have a higher opinion of FTL if it didn't feel like the entire game ended up just being about the final boss. Knights of the Old Republic is also one that I felt that, if you knew the twist ahead of time, lost a lot of its impact.
I recently played Kotor for the first time since its release and unfortunately, it really felt kinda cheesy and bland. But right before that I played Disco Elysium so that was maybe the wrong order.
Yeah Kotor 1 is a very classic Star wars hero story, which is fun in its own way. Kotor 2 With TSLRCM patch will likely hit a lot better for you after disco Elysium.
From my youth:
Mega Man 2
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Super Metroid
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Fallout
Current, as games have grown as a medium:
Borderlands
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NieR Automata
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Baldur's Gate 3
My favorite type of games were really always the story-rich non-linear storytelling of the Baldur's Gate/Fallout style but in my youth I was far more attracted to Fallout than Baldur's Gate. However, there are no modern iterations of Fallout in the same style. New Vegas is fun and all, but what I would give for a modern fallout in the style of BG3.
Expedition 33 blew me away with the opening. I haven't finished it yet as the combat is tricky though, so I'm not enjoying that part as much.
Honorable mentions:
I hope you played Terraria with mods, like Calamity.
BOTW Fallout: New Vegas Skyrim
Hell yeah, new vegas was mentioned
A fellow Dust enjoyer, nice
Based and uwu-pilled
Shadow of Mordor is just so much fun to screw around in. Does a really good job making you feel badass
Off the top of my head, in no particular order:
All great games
- Kenshi
- Morrowind
- Titanfall 2
Do you know of any game that has the Kenshi, Morrowind aesthetic ? I crave more. You know, this:
Any recommendation welcome !
Star Wars Galaxies was kinda like that. No idea if it's still playable though.
Likely weird take, but Scorn?
More Gigerian and claustrophobic, but vaguely similar. I did not much like its gameplay though, the 3d made me nauseous.
Check out Outward. It has a Morrowind/Everquest kind of feel. It's an offline RPG, but you can play co-op. You have to basically discover all the mechanics/secrets through trial and error or talking to NPCs, which makes it feel very old school.
Man I wish more comes to mind. I was eager for the Morrowind themed Kenshi mod, but that looks like it stalled out. 🫤
Morrowind is top tier. Every time I play a bit differently or go somewhere new, it feels new again. I've never had that from another game. Compare to Skyrim (which I also liked), I kinda felt like I experienced everything my first go-round.
Games that deserve to be in the top three but don't fit:
My parents wouldn’t buy me Diablo II for Christmas because it was too evil for the season.
…they did buy me Dimmu Borgir’s “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant”, though!
Its just so good, played it a fair bit when I was a young teen and picked it up again a couple years ago and haven't stopped playing 8 - 20 hours a week. Best game ever imo, never gets old.
Easily my favorite game when I was in middle school and high school, and it still holds a very dear spot in my heart and memories from that era of my life. Excited for s&b
I remember seeing the teaser trailer when I was a preteen and was so hyped, took like 10 years but when it did come out I had covid (which was lucky for me because I didn't feel that sick and I got paid leave for 14 days to play the game). Played on PC from day 1 and beat the game In a week or so, it wasn't that buggy imo. I loved the story and I encountered minimal issues during my play through, and only one that caused me to need to reload a save.
Other favs probably rimworld, gta 4, stanleys parable
Dwarf Fortress, Kenshi, and Ocarina of Time
It's really hard for me to separate my nostalgia for older games with what I'd think about them now. There are some games I've played a LOT but haven't touched in years for one reason or another.
Some pre-Steam games would be things like Halo 3, World of Warcraft, Runescape, and few Pokemon games.
On Steam my most played game BY FAR is DoTA 2 at ~2100 hours. I loved that game and I still think it's really well designed... I just haven't played it in years because it makes me too mad to play with randos and it's impossible to get 5 friends who play DoTA online at the same time anymore.
If I was going to pick a top 3 outside of those nostalgic outliers, maybe:
Have you tried deadlock yet?
I tried it out when the testing started. It's... fine. I'm not much of a shooter/action game player, so the higher skill elements of it are a bit of a barrier on top of re-learning a lot of DoTA-type stuff. I can imagine getting into it more if it came out years ago. But now it's hard to find the time and motivation I'd need to dedicate to even get back to the level of incompetence I had with DoTA.
Rock and stone, brother.
Not that they're the best games, but they're definitely my favorites. Though if I'm being honest there's a large gap between number one and number two, and anything other than Satisfactory feels like it could move in the top 10 depending on my mood.
So I guess if I'm being honest with myself it's more like
1: Satisfactory
massive gap
2-∞: any other traditionally well-liked game, depending on my mood on a given day
Not gonna rank them because I can't.
Age of Empires II I've played since release and still do occasionally.
Everhood 1 everything about it I love. During covid things got very dark for me personally and this game just hit perfectly on some stuff plaguing my mind at the exact right time I most needed it. The devs were one hit wonders unfortunately. Coming from that, the sequel was atrocious.
Thief 2: The Metal Age. It's like crack to this brain of mine. Yes I play The Dark Mod too.
Runners up:
LISA: The Painful
Diddy Kong Racing
Thief 2 is just incredible. Many games try, but none can dethrone the stealth game king.
And I totally forgot about Diddy Kong Racing, but yeah. It's legitimately a better game than Mario Kart 64.
Aye and it helps the fans are so passionate making new maps to play for both Thief games and TDM.
DKR holds up so much better. It's just more* realised too. Way more stuff to do. MK64 is skeletal more like an arcade game really. Wish it'd get some reverse engineering love as much as I enjoy the fan made map packs for MK64.
With DKR once you get used to the car drifting camera movements, bunny hopping the hovercraft, letting go of the gas before hitting boosts, and learning the plane can also trigger ground boosts you'll feel like a god.
I see a lot of people shit on the hovercraft while I'm over here bunny hopping sharp corners jumping up to smash into walls on purpose like a psycho so I don't slow down ping ponging all over. It's such a joy.
I've been curious about LISA: The Painful for a long time.
For what has my attention currently:
Good-aligned "resist the Durge" works out better anyway imo and feels like the intended canon playthrough.
Edit: Honorable Mentions: x) Fallout NV, but i can't be arsed to mod it AGAIN, and vanilla is too buggy, so currently no NV for me x) Dragon Age - Origins: played this through on the Xbox 360 3 times! x) Dead Cells: i wish i were young enough for the reflexes needed to get to 5 boss cells. Doesn't stop me from trying, tho!
I like you!
umm thanks i guess 🥹
Fallout 2/New Vegas
Terraria
Pillars of Eternity 1-2
But please ask me in a hour and probably will give you 3 new favs.
Probably:
Fallout 2 isn't as refined and tight as Fallout but I personally enjoy it more. It's arguably far too big but as I've played it so many times (unusual for me - I'm usually a one-and-done person when it comes to time sink RPGs) that isn't a bad thing. I enjoy the writing, mechanics, and atmosphere. Also I voice a robot dog in a mod for it.
Red Alert 2 is the best C&C game ever. I do not care for any of the 3D ones and Red Alert 1 is rather too difficult for me. However RA2 I have finished on hardest difficulty several times. I've never really bothered with the multiplayer for it outside of co-op because I don't play to be competitive. I tend to take my time and like it that way.
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is maybe my favourite point and click RPG. I go back to it every few years and it always sucks me in. I know most of the puzzles off by heart but I'm more there for the sense of escapism and gentle humour. There's other amazing point and click games but for whatever reason this one really speaks to me. It's not even a nostalgia thing - I've only ever played the 2009 director's cut! I'm old enough to have played the '90s version but never did.
Honourable mentions:
*Startopia
*The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
*Theme Hospital
*What Remains of Edith Finch
Startopia's music, humour, and gameplay are all top notch. Runs on a potato, makes me laugh, and features my old pal, Arona.
BoI:R is great. I've put a ridiculous number of hours into it. The latest DLC has made it a bit too big for my tastes but in general I enjoy it a great deal.
Theme Hospital is like Two Point Hospital but tighter, funnier, and prettier. Lots of fun.
What Remains of Edith Finch is art. It's funny, moving, tragic, and beautiful. I encourage everyone to play through it. It won't take that long - a few hours. Such a fantastic experience. Gone Home is pretty damn good too.
The soundtrack of red alert 2 is the only one I ever deliberately listened to outside of a game.
I second What Remains of Edith Finch, but funny? I couldn't see that. One of the few games that made me cry and it gave a lasting impression. I played it shortly after the birth of my first son though. The bathtub scene and the ending hit really hard.
Funny in that it has moments of levity. It's not wall-to-wall misery even if it's filled with tragedy.
Top 3 is hard. I'll start with the first three that came to mind, in no particular order:
But there are so many that I could have listed instead.
The Commander Keen games are amongst the first I remember playing, I loved those and played through them so many times.
Baldurs Gate 3 was such a masterpiece, it probably could bump W3 off that list.
Although, Ultima 7 was the first RPG I played where I became properly immersed in the story. The world, the characters, the way the mystery of the main story unfolds. And it is actually a really good jump-in point for the series as it's set a couple centuries after number 6.
Fallout 1 also could easily make the list. I loved the way such a small and intimate quest for your vault unfolds into something bigger.
This is good taste right here.
Going by favourite as "Left the most lasting impression on me" it would have to be:
I tend to run an unranked top 10 so three of those would be.
Honourable mentions: Metal gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid, MGSV: Ground Zeroes and Sons of Liberty
Crab... Battle...
Broke muh knife
Thank you for enlightening me with this masterpiece. I will forever repeat this every time i replay the game while struggling to kill those crabs for food in that godforsaken cave
Sons of Liberty is the most cohesive entry in the series IMO. Best story too; prophetic, really.
In no particular order, and without adjusting for recency bias:
Right now the game is in a weird state where the original company who owned it went backrupt, and the game is in the process of being revived by a different company. In the meantime, the already low player count got lower. On top of that, there's two versions of the game: an old version that used Steam matchmaking (as the matchmaking server went down when the game original closed); and what had been the current patch, being accessible on a beta branch, which currently has issues making it hard to actaully play a match.
Ultima IV
Phantasy Star Online
Destiny (not Destiny 2)
Hell yeah PSO! My friends just got back into Phantasy Star Universe on the private Clemantine server. It's glorious :D My top 3:
Disco Elysium sits completely unchallenged at the top spot as the most meaningful experience I've had playing a video game. I resonated deeply with its themes and its main character as someone who has struggled with depression, addiction, obsession and trouble moving on. It's an astonishing achievement in both writing and in the use of a game as a storytelling medium, an one of the best ever examples of "video games as art".
The rest of the list is almost impossible to order, because there are so many different ways to rank them. Games I've played that I think are the objectively best? Games I would like to just sit down and play right now the most? Games that made the biggest impression on me as a person, especially growing up?
Regardless, it's probably any two out of:
Will probably add Expedition 33 to it in the future, but need the dust to settle on it first. EDIT: Hell, Blue Prince has a good shot at making the list too.
EDIT 2: Somehow forgot Dishonored 1&2 and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. It really is impossible to list just three!
Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud 2
I don't like it actually but I have over 5k hours in Dota 2.
I don't like it actually but I have over 5k hours in Dota 2.
Average dota 2 experience.
I really think someone needs to make a modern evolution of Dark Cloud. Maybe the technological limitation was actually a benefit though, because a modern game would probably try to do open world, full 3d construction, and things like that. The technology at the time required that they keep it fairly simple but also really well designed.
There was a petition for a Dark Cloud 3 a while back, apparently the creators were hip to the idea.
Witcher 3 was one of the first "big games" I got to experience. I still think of the characters occasionally and it has some very memorable quests. It's been on my "to replay" list for a while to see if it still holds up against my memories of it.
This is another early "big game" I played, though I didn't finish it then. I won't spoil it, but at some point I was up against a boss, way under levelled and didn't feel like grinding. However I started a new playthrough this year, got further along and it's still very good. The story telling and world building are simply excellent, combat is fun (except a certain section I won't spoil) and I really want to see what else happens in my current play through. My only gripe is that keyboard & mouse sucks without an overhaul mode, which unfortunately doesn't work on Linux.
I couldn't think of a third game, so here's a list of other good games that don't quite make it.
Phantasy Star Online: Episodes I & II
What the hell was it about that game? There was just something addictive. I barely even played it online, but I could just sink hours into it.
Right? I never tried it online for years either, though my friends and I did a lot of local co-op. Even though online is in the name, I actually think the offline is what really makes the game.
Anyway, there was just something beautiful to me about that drop chart. You could hunt specific things with specific characters, and the rates made most of it feel rare but findable.
I don't know how they struck that sweetspot so perfectly. Had all the hook of an mmo while still being grounded and approachable.
My friend and I played split screen for years in high school on a tiny 12" CRT. I'll never forget finally beating the Ruins on extreme difficulty. He had to revive me 10 times during the boss fight because one attack would always 1-shot me. It was a 15-minute white-knuckle struggle, and it was incredible.
Really glad to see someone say Earthbound. I love that game and have really enjoyed sharing it with my kids. I started them young on it while teaching them to read. I'll sit with them and narrate the game and it really helps them a lot with learning to read. Just got to Happy Happy Village with one of them the other day.
That and Moonside are my favorite locations!
Factorio of course.
Honourable mention to Little Big Planet and Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe; both of which absolutely shaped my childhood
Outer Wilds
Mario Galaxy 2
UFO Enemy Unknown
ME has stuck with me as my favorite game for fifteen years now. I love it visually, the soundtrack is incredible, and the gameplay is fantastic.
Lingo and its sequel are a bizzare, unmatched puzzle experience. I don't know what else to say there.
And Yet It Moves is... something else. An indy platformer from the heyday of Indy platformers. It is an interesting example of how story can influence art style.
Mirror's Edge is such an incredible game. The aesthetics and pace are utterly absorbing.
Do you maybe mean Limbo?
No, Lingo. Two games, both in the past few years. It's confusing word puzzles in an equally-confusing world.
Minecraft and Factorio are definitely my top 2, after that it gets difficult. Probably Mario Kart (not necessarily a specific one, but if you'd ask me to nail it down it'd be Double Dash (for the nostalgia) and 8 Deluxe (currently best imo) at the top).
These are the only games I have consistently played for over a decade and that I keep coming back to in one way or another because I enjoy them so much. And that to me is the most important aspect of a game: my actual enjoyment of it
Edit: Honorable Mentions:
cyberpunk 2077
eve online
counter strike source
Honorable mentions:
Only three is a cruel restriction; I grant myself at least a top four.
I’ve tried getting into hyper light drifter but quickly got lost. Do you have any tips?
I used this interactive map to help me in some areas: https://hyper-light-drifter-map.de/
Oh , probably
Civilization (the OG dos version)
Planetside 2
Warframe
PS2 does rule <3
Much hidden gem.
Factorio Outer wilds Horizon zero dawn
-Minecraff -Generation Zero -Farcry Franchise
Can you elaborate on why Generation Zero? I remember seeing a trailer for it randomly before it released and thought it looked great. Haven't heard a peep about it from anyone though, so assumed it ended up being boring.
The game is not actively being developed anymore, sadly. I'm not going to say it was the greatest game ever but it's one of those games where the environment is just great to spend time in. It's not overly story heavy. The gun play is spot on. The physics are good where it counts and goofy where it doesn't. The sound design is stellar atmospherically. It's awesome with friends and good enough solo. This is coming from someone who bought all the DLCs and has never done that for any game before. I'd recommend the story DLCs at least for anybody. This game is just begging for mods. The environment is that good. If you haven't tried it but can catch it on a sale it's totally worth it.
In no particular order:
I just really like those three games. They're all fun in their own ways and in the case of Undertale it shaped a huge part of my 20's because it was through playing it that I learned to love humanity even with its bumps and scrapes. It kept me from turning into a full on misanthrope.
Honorable mentions go to GTA Online (I have almost 6000 hours in that game total, it's my favorite pastime), Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (multiplayer), and Titanfall 2.
I'll cheat because picking just 3 is impossible.
Alpha Centauri
I still have no idea why they just let the IP drift into oblivion, and chose to keep milking Civ instead...
It's possible that its legendary status relies on that. A bit like Firefly.
Forever stuck in mid to late 90s JRPGs, if I had to pick 3
Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy Tactics Suikoden II
For me it’s always about how much fun I had playing them, so right now and in no order:
Honorable Mentions:
Disco Elysium
Hi-Fi Rush
...third is hard. Maybe Mass Effect Trilogy. Maybe Rogue Trader/Pathfinder WOTR.
These games are rooted in my childhood and connected to memories of simpler times and good friends. I Still play video games but I don't think I could ever experience the same level of joy and excitement that I got from gaming as I did when I was younger. These days I'd rather just go for a nice walk with my dog like the boring old man that I am.
took too much scrolling to find AOE 2
fistful of frags is strangely addictive, what's your load out / weapon choices?
I haven't played in a couple of years so I don't even remember all the different weapons. I just loved the challenge. I found the game by accident on steam, tried playing and got totally crashed. It took me couple of months to be able to stand my ground and finish the round in the top half. Really hard but as you say, really addictive. I don't have that much time for games now but if I do one day I might get back to FoF.
Only 3 choices makes it a tough one since there are many exceptional games...
If I had to erase every experience of all games, the ones I'd keep are (in no particular order): Cyberpunk 2077 Fallout: New Vegas Sunset Overdrive
Morrowind
Final Fantasy X
The Last of Us
The first two are interchangeable first and second.
Next two are Final Fantasy VIII and inFamous 2, again interchangeable.
Morrowind was such a game changer for me. I'm still bummed that Bethesda dropped the best things about it for their later games.
Factorio, Anno 1602, Civ 3
Easy choices for me, but I don’t know how to order them.
Anno 1800 gets an honourable mention for feeling like a great spiritual successor to 1602, but I have a ton of nostalgia for the first game.
Betrayal at Krondor. A huge world for exploring, at a time when that didn't exist.
Chrono Trigger. The replay value is so high.
Wolf 3D or Doom or Doom 2 or Quake 3, for similar reasons.
StarCraft, at a time when BattleNet was small and the ladder rankings and fights were all global.
My best friend and I used to spend summer afternoons trying to figure out the answers to all the riddles on the chests (in Betrayal at Krondor). We sucked at it (lol) but when we finally managed to crack one, the feeling was euphoric.
The music was awesome. I used to listen to the CD while I slept.
Descent for the movement.
Unreal tournament for getting ten PC's on a token ring for PvP lan.
Warcraft 2 because it's rad and a pirated copy got me a job at the trading card shop.
Ragnarok Online in the early 00s is the only reason I’m alive to post this comment
Diablo II for sure, what an amazing technical achievement in the year 1999
Theeeen probably Earthbound.
Hey fellow RO player.
I quit when my hometown Morroc got obliterated on iRO. I've tried coming back once right after the server mergers, but I don't know what kind of methodology they've used when determining name conflicts, I've lost quite a few character names to what I assume were randoms from other servers banking on taking over the names. Pissed me off way too much. Tried coming back a second time about a year ago, but I was unable to figure out my character account passwords with the warp portal changes and what not.
Doom Crosscode Cave Story
crosscode mentioned, hell yeah!
edit: I forgot Guitar Hero / Clone Hero was a game not a 'standard hobby', I play e-drums on that daily still..
Elden Ring, Dwarf Fortress, and Disco Elysium.
I don't get to play games much nowadays but I was a rank 50 lone wolf back in the day. Good times.
Copy Kitty
Anno 1800
Satisfactory
Factorio Minecraft And 3rd is split between rimworld and baldur's gate 3
Really hard to narrow it down, but I think this would be it:
Honourable mentions: Portal 1 & 2, Pokémon SoulSilver, Hollow Knight, Dishonored, Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2, Batman Arkham Asylum and City, Inside, Gunpoint, any Forza game before the most recent one (haven’t played it), all the Bungie Halo games, and many more. I just love video games I think.
Control, the horizon games and stardew valley.
Minecraft Borderlands 2 Bioshock
honourable mention for Zelda on N64
but the top 3 are based on replayability and just how easy it is to spend time playing them
Really hard to have any real favorite. But the games I've played the most in my life:
Super Mario Bros (NES)
Diablo Franchise
Destiny 2
I took into account the impact at the time of release as well as the timelessness of the games.
Street Fighter II for getting me into fighting games. While I don't play that version anymore it is a favorite because of how much I did play it and later fighting games.
Valheim - hundreds of hours of enjoyment from the first moment I was dropped into the world by a giant crow. So much fun time with friends, building stuff, and just exploring. Such a well done game with fantastic lighting, sound, and things to do. Only long tine gripe is fighting on slopes!
Helldivers 2 - yeah, another more recent game but it is also just the exact thing I am looking for in a mutiplayer game with friends. Nearly everything is viable in most difficulties, the game has mechanics for accidental team kills, the setting evolves, but in a way that encourages participation in scheduled events without forcing it, and the devs have listened when the player base pushes back on changes that don't mesh with the tone of the game.
Enjoyed a lot of other games too, but those are ones that hit specific things that I love and enjoyable to replay over and over and over and over...
No one is going to agree with me, but here I go:
That being said, i’ve excluded any mmos out of this list, purely because sometimes i struggle to call them my favorite games, despite having playing several thousand hours of each. Some of them have been unbelievably impactful at certain times in my life, but i’m afraid the embers are getting cold now
I can't deny that nostalgia has to do with the first two fossils in the list, though I still maintain that I like them more than their latest counterparts in their franchises.
Not Half Life though: it was ~15 years old when I first played it, no nostalgia there.
Still, between the many games I would gladly build a monument to, those are games that I can play beginning to end without getting bored, annoyed or burnt out (as long as you allow me to use the Ship Of Harkinian randomizer for Z:OoT, otherwise replace that game with Perfect Dark ig).
Going to have to go with the three that had the biggest impact on me.
1: Doom / Doom 2. In addition to being two of the most influential and important FPS games of all time, they got me into modding, programming, the internet, 3D graphics, shaping my entire future career path.
2: Kerbal space program. No moment in all of gaming had me leap out of my chair and whoop the way landing in the Mun for the first time did. Now that I understand orbital mechanics, I get annoyed at almost all depictions of space flight in movies.
3: Factorio. Got to this one late, on Switch about 6 months ago. I can't think of any game which has rewired my brain as much. As a programmer, I come away from each play through with entire new methods of solving problems at work. May be the single most in depth and addictive game I've ever played.
In no particular order ( mostly cos i think ranking beyond a certain degree of precision hurts the art involved ):
then i suppose one tier below, not consequent of any particular shortcomings, but rather just not being at the same "transendent" level as the above:
NieR automata literally changed my life, so it kinda deserves it's own top spot, but placed as is in spirit of the question.
Riven, Shadow of the Colossus, and Guilty Gear Strive.
(in no particular order)
Riven: The Sequel to Myst is INSANE
3 is really tough, but I'll say:
Other GOATs of mine are already mentioned by others. Y'all have impeccable taste
Maybe another game deserves that last spot, but those 3 games were the 1st ones that came to my mind.
Honorable mentions:
Mario Kart DS
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy
Hotel Dusk & The Last Window (can you guess my favorite console by this point?)
Pokémon Soul Silver
TWEWY
Time Hollow
All the other God of War games (even Ascension)
Batman Arkham saga (even Origins)
The Witcher 3
Xenoblade
And a bunch others that would make this list absurdly big, which is not the main point of this post.
Metal Gear Solid 3, Subnautica, Papers Please.
I love the Metal Gear series but the Cold War setting of 3 works so well with the theme of the game. It also features crab battles and the ladder boss.
Subnautica really captures the feeling of being lost in some alien world and slowly making it your new home. The electronic voice assistant manages to send chills up your spine with lines like "oxygen."
Papers, Please explores complex moral decisions in such a simple way. I wish to live my life more like Jorji.
Morrowind - the first game that let me leave the path. It completely changed RPGs for me, and I loved it.
Solasta - this game captured the D&D feeling like no other game has. My wife and I have spent hundreds of hours playing this together.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - this game touched me emotionally, more than any game before it. The whole 3rd act is an emotional rollercoaster. Plus it has one of my favorite action sequences ever, in The Siege of Weisshaupt.
Master of Orion 2
Lords of the Realm 2
Caesar 3
It's hard to tell because I have played a lot of games but that comes to mind immediately right now. I would say:
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that I absolutely fell in love with and it's one that I regularly go back to just lose myself in and still find new things in it. Arthur Morgan might just be my favorite protagonist of anything ever. It's still one of the best looking games ever made. The game looks like a painting. And you know they did something truly special when they managed to make my ADHD ass enjoy just walking in a game without running.
Gary's Mod is an odd pick for me because I almost thought about leaving it out because I cannot like don't see it as a game. I have thousands of hours on it and most of my time has been spent exploring empty maps. It's more of a tool of relaxation for me than anything else but it's deeply meaningful to me. If I had to summarize it, I would say that the Source engine is my home.
Titanfall 2 is simply the best FPS I've ever played. Both multiplayer and solo. It's amazing. I have spent weekends just playing the main campaign on max difficulty on loop without ever getting bored and the multiplayer was fucking fantastic.
If Titanfall 2 had full bot support, I would not play any other shooter...
My dream, right there.
Oldschool RuneScape
kinda makes me sad that this seems to be the only mention of osrs in this thread.
That was literally why I wrote a comment! I saw zero mentions of osrs
I guess most people play single player games, even though osrs is getting new all-time player peaks every other week these days.
Geoscape song is such a vibe
Honorable mentions
Dragon quest monsters Final fantasy tactics Terraria
All legendary
Star Wars Pod Racer Halo Reach Word of Warcraft
Pod racer was the first game I was better than my younger sibling and when I bought my very first CD (Green Day). I spent hours playing that game with my CD on repeat.
Halo Reach was the first Halo game I was really into and first console modern game played. I spent so many hours playing online and IRL with friends.
World of Warcraft is the game I’ve played the longest. I’ve been playing since a few months after launch. Even though I initially thought it was “too cartoony”, it has kept me entertained for decades. Some of my favorite books are from Warcraft lore. I’ve played countless hours with friends, but now I play solo more than anything. I chase achievements, transmogs, and pets.
Gonna show my age a bit here.
The Last Of Us part 1 and 2 and the Witcher 3
Did you play RDR1? I thought that one was much better than 2, story wise. Not that 2 was bad. Rockstar games are always good imo.
Baldur's gate 3 is also in my top 3, story wise and how well it was made and time spent playing it. I finished the campaign 6 times now, 4 of which with friends playing couch coop.
Also Age of Empires 2 because when I was young I played that game for over at least 3000 hours (if not double) and I still play it sometimes. Just well balanced and lots of good memories from back then, having LAN parties with my friends and playing it for days.
Honorable mentions: EvE Online, Mount and Blade Warband, XCOM Enemy Unknown, Helldivers 2, Disco Elysium, Mini Metro, Tactical Breach Wizards
Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Kingdom Hearts 2, Jak 3
It's hard as there's a lot of different games that I like for different reasons, but if I had to narrow it down it'd probably be:
Mostly based off hours played: EU4, Borderlands 2, Bioshock.
I excluded League of Legends even though I probably have the second most hours in that. Toxic as shit and I'm glad I gave it up.
Read everyone else's picks and Tales of Phantasia is one RPG I've gone back to countless times. Might be the only one where I can come back to it months later and pick right back up where I left off. I know it that well.
Today:
Of all time is a hard one. I guess I'll go by most play hours. So in no particular order, WoW, Stellaris, and Warframe.
EUIV will probably be replaced by EUV when it comes out.
The Last of Us, Mass Effect 2, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Oh, cheeky 4th one: Magicraft (best bite-sized PoE/arpg ever)
Planetside 2 used to be my no.1 game, but I haven't played in a couple years and do not believe I'll ever return.
Skate 3 Gta 4 Re4
All three of these games just respect your intelligence and are composed of systems deep enough to give you countless ways to solve their challenges.
Fallout New Vegas Batman: Arkham City Path Of Exile
Final Fantasy XI
\
Shovel Knight
\
Hades
Those are all relatively new games. How old are you? Just decade, not specifics. I'm in my 40s. I'd say my top 3 are World of Warcraft, Factorio, and Final Fantasy 6.
Of all time?
Galaxian - I have an antique table top arcade version my aunt gave me about 20ish years ago that I enjoy.
Civilization - Hot seat multiplayer was awesome. Pikeman as active borders for your country.
Doom - Soundtrack alone is worth the experience
Hello fellow old!
Honerable mention to Warcraft 3 TFT.
Half-Life 2, Max Payne 2 and Mass Effect because I‘ve been an impressionable teenager and a nitpicking adult.
Dungeon Keeper.
BOTW.
Emperor: Rise of the middle kingdom
Smb3.
HL2.
Team Fortress Classic.
Falcon 4.0 gets my respect for forcing me into advanced computer tinkering and sending me into my career eventually.
MGS3
Rocket League
Resident Evil 4
My top 3 are based on "for their time".
Morrowind
Portal
Halo 2
Dune 2, WoW, Stardew Valley
I also loved the Portal games, they might be a contender for third place.
Haven't played Gianna Sisters, but I've heard the soundtrack for the newest one was made by the incredible Machinae Supremacy.
Dota 2
Starcraft: Brood War
Vagrant Story
Beat Off The Wiener was a game I enjoyed as a youth as well.
Going by time played it's probably something like:
Bg3
Fo NV
Cultic
PHANTOM CRASH!
RDR2
Project Zomboid
Nier:Automata gets an honorable mention.
Xenogears is an amazing story. I never got into the other games in the series. Do you know if they are worth it?
XenoSaga is worth it, though it suffers the same fate as Xenogears being rushed at the end. Xenoblade is definitely worth it. None of them cross over but they have the same themes and motifs, plus a little fan service for series old heads.
Final Fantasy VII Kingdom Hearts II (or BBS depending on the day of the week) Persona 4 Golden
To be honest these three could be different any day of the week. I play more than just RPGs but because these are heavily story driven they stick in the front of my mind more when it comes to these questions.
Your title says "What are in you are top 3 favourite games of all time".
You were thinking of "your", which is possessive. "You're" is a contraction of "you" and "are"; the apostrophe is a hint there.
Given that this is Lemmy and we have advanced technology - I hope OP edits the title to fix it.
Gameboy Tetris, Galaga on the Amiga, ZX Spectrum Atic Atac.
This might change everyday, especially for #3 I don't have a definite pick. But I chose the lesser-known game.
Now this is a tough one to be honest. But if i had to pick:
Honorable mentions (cant leave these out): Return of the Obra Dinn, Wasteland 2, Darkest Dungeon, and many more...
One has to be Crusader Kings III considering the amount of time that died in that game. I did Lingua Franca (world domination) when mods and savescumming voided achievements, my whole empire fell apart literally 20 seconds after I achieved world domination lol, could barely hold it together to achieve the feat.
The other one is probably Rocket League. Low skill floor, skyhigh skill ceiling, wonderfully designed esports game. If you could still freely go in and out of casual games, I‘d probably still play it. But I peaked and don‘t feel the need to play ranked anymore and casuals started to feel like ranked.
After these two I can probably name ten more but I can‘t say which takes a top 3. League of Legends, Counterstrike 1.6, Battlefield 3, HITMAN, Dark Souls II (yep lol, I could probably draw a map of this game from memory), NIOH 1/2, Monster Hunter World, Sleeping Dogs, Muse Dash, all these games killed countless hours with fun, but it‘s hard to put one above the other. Apart from League of Legends, that one takes the rear.
Halo 2, Minecraft, and Factorio.
Impossible to rank, so I'll pull from at random from a top 25 I did not long ago:
Squarez Deluxe
Tormentor❌Punisher
Ultima 6
Couch coop: Ssx tricky Original Halo
Solo: Roller coaster tycoon Skyrim Rdr (zombies)
Competitive: Sc2
Mmo: Wow
But I'm older. So that's a factor. Haven't gamed in years.
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag and Rogue. Skyrim. Dishonored. Bioshock. NFS MW (2012). The Pentiment. These are in no particular order.
Duskers, Homeworld & Earth-2150
Favourite of all time?
Wing Commander (2 if I have to pick one, otherwise 1, 2, and secret missions).
Monkey Island (3 if I have to pick one, 1 to 3 otherwise).
Third is difficult, but... Disco Elysium, I guess..?
(What games I've spent the most time playing, though..? Definitely Crusader Kings 2 and 3, followed by Stellaris.)
Portal 2 and Warframe. I'm not sure about a third, several contenders. And can't really say which spot any are in, feels more like they share 1st.
Questions like this are always hard, it's never a certain answer and it shifts over time, no matter if something new comes along to take a place or not. It's as fluid as anything else.
Tears of the Kingdom was amazing. The only thing BotW did better was how it felt riding on horseback through Hyrule field dodging lasers. But that was the high point, the average experience in BotW was less fun that TotK for me.
TotK really might be one of my top 5.
It's too hard to really rank every game. I spent a ton of time on Minecraft over the years but haven't recently. Like over a decade ago I liked gmod and still spent so much time on it but haven't played recently.
Lately colony management games have been scratching the itch. Do id probably say Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld, and Oxygen Not Included.
Breath of the Wild. Kingdom Hearts. Gris.
For just being great in immersion and story.
Nier Automata Deus Ex GOTY (and Human Revolution) Red Dead redemption 2
Shout out to WarCraft 3!
Arma 3, Battlefield 2, minesweeper
I want to know what titles were knocked out of top place for OP
Elden Ring, RDR2, and BOTW feels like such a basic removed gamer list.
We all gotta start somewhere
Call me Nostradamus 'cause it's Silksong.
So Silksong is going to be a trilogy? Rock on!
Eventually... all we can do is believe.
With all the times I asked posts like this I am sure that it is possible to correlate my person between different sites even if I used different usernames. How many people can share the same 3 games?
Someone like the SNES.
Probably he is a Nintendo hater /j (but not entirely, it happens).