Gaming

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

Red Dead Redemption. Probably stuck with me more than any other game Ive played. The story, the characters, the world, all of it.

Really hope it gets a rerelease

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. ^^; )

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.

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.

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’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.

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.

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.

Last of us. Only the first one though

Outer Wilds and Soma.

Both live pretty much rent free in my head since I played them.

Shadow of the Colossus. The entire vibe of the world just got to me.

The final act of Disco Elysium fucked me up for a while

A few that come to mind:

• Gris - such a beautiful game. I was going through something when I played it and I just felt such a connection.
• Undertale - just an all around incredible game. I'm a big fan of Earthbound and this scratched a similar itch.
• Beneath a Steel Sky - I love point and click adventures and this one will love forever rent free in my head. (bonus: it's free on GoG)

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.

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

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

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.

The closest is Ghost Trick I guess? But frankly while being another masterpiece, it didn't stick THAT much more than the others, after a month or two even the 10/10 games come to mind only if I think of a related topic.

The most influencial would be Etrian Odyssey IV since it got me into giving JRPGs another go, after years of not being impressed by any of the classics (Final Fantasy 4-5, 6 kept my attention until the endgame, Golden Sun...), and now I basically beat them (mostly Atlus' so far) on a bimonthly basis. I guess EO in general sticks the best, but it's hard to label one game since I quickly went and started playing all of them.

Disco Elysium. There are so many good quotes, particularly out of the thought cabinet, that I remind myself of on like a weekly basis.

I was in a bad place the first time I played through it. The Precarious World and One More Door stick in the back of my mind constantly, and I cried like a baby the first time I read "In the dark times, should the stars also go out?" Never before has a game so emotionally resonated with me, this hope in the face of crushing despair, despite everything.

Hugos House of Horrors was the first video game I played — I was probably 7 or so and my mother would perm this ladies hair every few weeks. She was a family friend and was in a wheelchair, so we would go to her house. She had a computer that had this game on it and I was just mesmerized by the whole creepy/campy vibe.

Spec Ops: The Line I thought it was just another military 3rd-person shooter. Boy was I wrong. That thing hit me hard!

Also Oni by bungie. I like the style and I remember that the climax was somewhat emotional for very jung me.

This war of mine I cannot play this game for long and I absolutely love it for that.

There are others too but the common thing is that they were emotional for me. Sure I remember great visuals or gameplay but at the end of the day the games that make me feel stuff stay with me.

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.

Medievil

The ending of Unreal 2 (the single player game) when your team have all died and left messages for you to listen to as you fly away alone on a spaceship

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!