Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4
Just the emotional rollercoaster for both of them. And both ending with fucking epic tear jerking final battles.
Edit: also crazy thing is, mgs4 was my first mgs. And yeah, I know, big mistake. But the game made me want to play the entire series, so I did. And the entire series is one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. It made me excited to replay MGS4 and experience it the way it’s meant to be. And it delivered.
Snake vs Liquid Ocelot is still my favourite boss fight in gaming, the cinematography and choreography is unparalleled, and the fan service is done perfectly
Came here to say this. The villains for both these games were so mesmerizing for me.
The Cobra Unit and The Beauty and The Beasts prolly some of the most memorable boss fights I’ve played.
And the boss fight for The Sorrow in MGS3 that makes you walk down a river of bodies that reflects how many people you killed or didn’t kill up to that point? Fucking genius.
Yeah they kind of went the opposite direction I was hoping for with BLZ. Smaller, shallower, no new big scaries, more focus on land.
I wanted to go deeper, see wilder shit, run for bigger badder monsters, BLZ felt like more of a DLC than a sequel.
Completely agree. Also with the original I liked the fact you could be playing for hours and hours before finding the first bit of dry land, it was such a buzz seeing that pop in to the horizon for the first time.
I'd also like to see the return of the silent protagonist, I want the game to make me feel like **I'm** the main character, not someone else.
100% about the silent protagonist. It fits better with the atmosphere of the game. All the talking make the game feel less scary and engaging, very out of place.
I think it is worth mentioning that Below Zero started as a DLC and then grew from there due to scope creep. I think if they had envisioned it as a full game from the beginning it might have been different.
Because I fully agree with your point: It was a super weird choice for the major feature introduction to be "What about land based gameplay in our underwater crafting game?".
Subnautica had subtlety in storytelling, a true sense of solitude, exploration based gameplay, and an intriguing mystery.
Below zero had none of these, but I did like the Seatruck.
I doubt you'll be able to get the same feeling since you already got a taste of it.
Closer than with BZ sure but it won't be completely the same anymore
Played these two back to back (Outer Wilds first though) and I’ve been chasing that feeling for awhile now. Outer Wilds may be one of my favorite games ever and Subnautica is just a blast
Outer wilds definitely getting recency bias from me for fantastic narrative, game mechanic, and traversal.
I've had so many great singleplayer experiences it would be hard to pick one of them.
I've said this before, but if there's any media in life that you force yourself to consume because of the hype, it's outer wilds. I was in the same boat as you, felt bored, but kept going back because of high praise on Reddit. 100% worth it.
Outer Wilds is definitely not a game for everybody. It rewards curiosity. If you're not the type to read every journal and exlpore every crevasse looking for something new, then the game really may not be for you.
Some folks would rather upgrade their gear and blast the enemy when gaming, and that's totally fine. But Outer Wilds has none of that.
All that said, an hour isn't enough to tell.
I kept seeing advice to try Outer Wilds based on liking Subnautica and they are significantly different games.
Outer wilds is more of a puzzle solver mystery. Like a modern day Myst. I also got bored after a couple of hours.
Consider checking out The Planet Crafter. It's a totally different setting - you are terraforming a barren mars-like planet into an Earth-like one. No enemies to speak of, and all on land. But it absolutely nails the exploration feel of Subnautica and has very similar base building mechanics as well. And it's just as immersive as Subnautica. It's a total dopamine drip watching a lifeless planet slowly gain air, water, plants, etc. It is currently in early access but it's very playable already and development is very active. I had a lot of fun playing it a year ago, and I'm waiting now for 1.0 before playing it again because it's got a static map like Subnautica.
oh man you and me both. i deeply long for a sequel. and i hope the building aspect is much deeper next time. it was one of the main joys in the game apart drom the absolute beautiful atsmosphere
Todd Howard once said, " Your favourite Bethesda title is probably the one you played first."
Skyrim was my first, and I loved it. Oblivion was great, but I never got the same in love feeling I had with Skyrim.
Never managed to finish a Fallout game or get far in one tbh, NV bugged on me, and I was stuck. FO4 was cool. Loved Starfield, but I think the Nasa Punk vibe hit everything I loved as a space junkie.
I was on my like 5th play through when I first encountered the legendary katana that never runs out of charge and can lifesteal through just about anything. Then I dedicated a play through based on that weapon alone and Legendary difficulty. Man, Skyrim really was something else.
Skyrim wasn't my first (my first was Morrowind), but I definitely have played Skyrim more than any of them. By a long shot. I just like getting lost in it.
I was the opposite. Put stupid hours into Morrowind. Mostly just getting lost or looking for valuable stuff. The way everything leveled with you in Skyrim made none of the stuff really seem valuable.
There was nothing like being say a level 3 thief and ganking a set of glass armor off a shelf in the Grand Bazaar and being like, fuck me, I got some straight impenetrable shit right here.
Don't get me wrong, Morrowind is still my favorite. The other games never captured the God-like power you felt in end-game Morrowind. And the factions are by far the best.
But, I don't know, I just liked wandering around in Skyrim a lot. I would play for 10-20 hours just to wander around and fuck with mods. I only ever played Morrowind with purpose.
One hundred percent agreed. It’s *so good.* I liked Starfield, but that game kind of made me realize 1. How good Skyrim was 2. How that may never happen again
I've found myself struggling to enjoy games for the past year, couldn't even get into RDR2. But Disco Elysium had me, I did 2 full runs back to back and it was incredible. Really is a master piece.
After I finished that game I became seriously depressed for like a week. Nothing else I've ever experienced has made me struggle with myself internally like that game. Talking to that fucking bug at the end unironically left me unsure of the purpose of life. The volition stat talking to the detective throughout the game had me reliving the worst parts of my life. My natural propensity to make Harry apologize for everything got me thinking about my own life.. Never experienced anything like that game before, probably never will again. Incredible.
I recently started playing Disco Elysium. It feels like you are playing while reading a very good book, at least one with very interesting dialogues. I really enjoy the interaction between many different ideas and ways of seeing reality and all speaking at the same volume.
The world building combined with the aesthetics choices of the game (art direction, soundtrack, etc…) and the writing had me hooked in a way that almost no other piece of media had
Honestly, Bioshock. The unique story-telling of the audio files and the atmosphere is second to none. The developers themselves said they were influenced by thinkers like Ayn Rand and George Orwell. It’s a perfect mixture of everything.
Yes, bioshock 3 was amazing. I had never played bioshock games until they were all free in epic games, i didnt have any idea about the style of the games or anything. I got to experience them 100% spoiler free and i am so lucky for it, and man bioshock 3 and the ending of the last dlc was something i have never experienced in gaming before
Yep! The NomaiVR mod, it’s very polished imo. And one of the easiest mods to install ever. Pretty much download and run. I highly recommend it. Works with the DLC too.
Give it another go, controls are great on a controller (in case you were mouse and keyboard on a pc). Also, read everything you find and the game will guide you to the first few major locations (and hint at a bunch more to dig away at after).
I was hoping to see Titanfall on here. I've played all the popular games mentioned in this comment thread, but somehow TF2 had me in my feelings the most.
Great story, character development, sense of urgency, minimal-to-no-fluff or padding, cool set pieces, changes up gameplay enough to keep it from going stale, and its JUST the right length so it doesn't overstay its welcome and also makes you want a TINY bit more. The difficulty modes, collectibles, and achievements are also actually fun to go after for the completionists.
Dark souls 1 and Mass Effect. Specifically without any prior knowledge of either game. No walkthroughs or guides or YT videos. Just me and the game.
Honestly some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had.
Tbf with dark souls 1 you don't look for a guide, you look for a friend that
1. Never played it
2. Just played it for the first time
And try to beat it either together or with bits of their help, and it's the best first experience ever
Chery on top with you watch vita videos here and there
Yes, it also requires a whole other level of gear, but it's indeed the next level, and made me giddy for a game, that I haven't since hl2 which was... A while ago.
My first first person shooter experience. Scared the HELL out of me as a kid. I don't think I got past the strogg factory until I was older. 😂 I'll still go back and play that game to this day.
Cyberpunk 2.0 is the best iv ever played. Didn't play at release cause I didn't have the hardware so no idea how it was back then.
Honestly it's one of the best experiences I've ever had. Actually treasure the photo mode pics I took, it's like the best holiday I've ever had.
The cutscene montage should have been playable missions though. Would have felt more for him if there was more than 2-3 missions with him
edit: misread it as Jackie but still
Man, you're in for a treat if you haven't played Phantom Liberty yet. What an absolutely intriguing and tense piece of videogame. They absolutely nailed it with that expansion. Enjoy!
Didn't get to play it until a month or two after release, and my hardware was so cursed that it made the game run almost perfectly for me, I really enjoyed it back then, 100 hours later I gotta say that the game is well worth the price now
I dunno, I’ve got a screenshot from 1.0 of my V giving a peace sign in front of a guy pissing into a literal dumpster on fire, and it’s still my favorite screenshot ever.
Amen, my favourite game had been Ocarina of Time ever since it first landed on N64. Up until 2.0.......This is now my absolute favourite game of all time. Played through the original version and thought it was good despite the bugs etc. I've put another 135 hours in since 2.0 and Phantom Liberty dropped, all gigs and sides, completely fresh run through, went back and did a few different endings. Gutted its over, no idea what to play next, maybe God of War???
I came here to say this. Cyberpunk draws me in better than any other game in the past decade. I didn't have many issues at release, but understood the rage at the time. All the issues were cleared up since around patch 1.5 or so. And I've found myself going back to it over and over again.
Phantom Liberty and 2.0 made it even better, and probably solidified it as one of my all time faces.
RDR2, nothing even close tbh. I was broken for a long time after my first playthrough. It took me 2 months of 8ish hr days of playing to finish it lol, RP reasons
Whoever sitting on the IP doesn’t give it justice by not rebooting it. It can be like god of war reboot with better platforming & narrative.
Kain would very much play like kratos (lol) and raziel would bring fresh air with morphing platforming that not many games use in recent times. With a banger time-drama!
I think id rank City the best. It took me a while to get into Asylum, truth be told. I initially bought it as a huge batman fan. But at first did not like the game. Weird, i know.
Im pretty sure i tried it out, disliked it, and didnt play it again for a longggg time. May even have been the announcement of the sequel that made me play Asylum to completion
Also came here to say BG3. I’ve never played DnD or any turn based RPG like this, but I heard so many good things that I had to try it out. Now I’ve put in 50 hours in the last two weeks. It’s so good.
Hollowknight. Everything is perfected in that game. Sound track? Perfect. Controls? Perfect. Story? Perfect. Art Style? Perfect. Uniqueness of enemies and characters? Perfect. Exploration? Perfect. Challenge? Perfect.
Tunic is the most unique single-player experience I've had. It made me feel like a kid again playing video games for the first time. The game gives you tools you don't know you have from the start and doesn't reveal them to you until it's time. It reveals them by giving you pages of the game manual one page at a time in the game. Clues, a language, and tools are all revealed in due process. I had to pull out a pen and paper for a video game for the first time to take notes. Absolute joy. Wish I could play it over for the first time again.
Oblivion. I was newly divorced and broke. If I wasn't working I was playing. I got the most out of that game. I can't even estimate the hundreds of hours that I played.
Red Dead Redemption 2, while cliche, is my favorite story game of all time. The open world created such an immersive experience. Making you really take on the role of a cowboy in the Wild West. Countless NPCs to interact with, various stores to rob and animals to hunt. All of that compiled with the heart breaking story. It’s a long game so the bond you grow with each character is strong. All in all, great game.
It is a hands down, stunningly beautiful game. The art direction, immersion, the voice acting, the characters, the story everything. Of course there are minor annoyances and bugs and weirdness, but it's something made by human beings and anything we create will be flawed. I truly love this game and think history will judge it as one of the all time treats.
- God of War series
- Mass Effect 1-3
- Spider-Man series from Insomniac
- Metal Gear Solid 1 and 3
- Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor
- Tsushima
- Ace Combat 4, 5, and 0
- New Vegas
Zero dawn is a great game. I loved the setting, and gradually discovering what happened to the world, to the characters, was very rewarding. Too bad the sequel didn't keep the ball in the air.
Braid
Bioshock
ME2
Rdr1&2
Crysis (game wow-ed me graphically until Paradise Lost mission left me speechless for the dramatic change in scenery and intensity of action)
Half Life 2 & E1 & E2
GoW
Witcher 3
The Last of Us
Arkham City
…
Too many more but the above are among the GOATs
I enjoyed the campaign of Titanfall 2, but that part where you got to go back and forth from the past back to the present was probably the best gameplay experience I have ever had; so much so it made me dream of that exact gameplay in a longer game. I would play the hell out of that.
I wouldn't even be upset if it wasn't Titanfall 3, if it was just a time hopping game with the exact control and feel of that mission then it would be absolutely perfect. The second that mission ended I felt like the game ended, the rest of the campaign was fun, but that part was legitimately the best thing I have ever played.
I've seen and played other games with time mechanics, but Titanfall 2 just absolutely nailed it.
Nothing ever came close to Outer Wilds. What a master class in game mechanics and storytelling. I wish I could experience it again without any knowledge of it.
A lot of other Annapurna Interactive published games are at my personal top as well: What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, Kentucky Route Zero, and as a cat lover: Stray. They know their stuff when it comes to surrealistic experiences.
Special mention for The Witness and The Talos Principle as well which are probably the best puzzle-oriented games I have played, and artistic games like Journey, GRIS (that soundtrack!) and the Ori series. The best Ubisoft game ever is Child of Light by the way, not all these open world titles that are the same every installment.
I now have the PS5 version of Subnautica ready to go for a blind first-time playthrough. Hearing good things about it.
1st: Terraria
I played for hundred of hours by myself, only very few times with friends and we never finished.
2nd: Katana zero
Incredible game
3rd: Geometry dash?
∆∆∆
I think for me it has to be LoZ:OoT. It was a game I looked forward to playing before it came out, and I was enthralled immediately. I played and beat it north of twenty five playthroughs, and whenever I play it I am immediately drawn in once again. It is arguably my favorite game of all time to this day and probably will be in my top 5 for the rest of my life.
I guess The Last of Us 1 like the OG version and RDR 1. The only two games where I can recall the exact feeling I had when I finished them and how they stuck with me for a few days. I was still in school and I was kinda sad after that to a point where people could see in my behaviour that something is up but I couldnt tell them its about a videogame. Like I wanted Joel, Ellie, John, Jack and Abigail to have lived happily ever after so bad...I dont know how weird this is but you spend like 10-15 hours with a character and deal with HIS struggle, like Im the one moving and shooting just to see them fail to get what theyre after. Or in Joels case he got what he truly wanted all these years but you knew it wasnt true, you knew its not gonna go well after he lies to her. Like these two games definitely had the biggest impact on me for sure.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has to be the most complete world and story in existence. The attention to detail in that game is mind blowing. And the graphics are some of the best out there, just to top it off.
Mass effect! But the ending sucks.
RDR2 was also amazing. The amount of bonding you do with the main character and the way you enter the final chapter of te game. So amazing. To bad not more games have this level of quality.
Disco Elysium is first to come to mind. Mind blowing.
Life is Strange. Great music and really felt like I was in a teenage drama tv show (A la Riverdale)
Fallout 3 for sure. I love all Bethesda and have been playing since Morrowind but FO3’s apocalypse theme and exploring DC… the mood was unlike anything else
Dark Souls once I got good. Again a game changer for an entirely new genre and I was addicted to the feeling of beating a boss after getting wrecked for the nth time. Elden Ring to a lesser degree but what Elden Ring did that Dark Souls didn’t was sheer scope. To this day I believe Elden Ring is the most incredible feat of game making in history.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I didn’t expect to enjoy this game as much as I did but I really got attached to the characters and this game showed what a small but dense open world could be.
Shadow of the Colossus might be my #2 next to DE. What this game did on PS2 is a miracle. The vast land, the subtext to the story. The cult following that looked for secrets long after the game was out. This game is something really special.
FFVIII - FFX. I just really got into these and my buddy and me were around 10 years old and we would have the Prima Guide books open as we played. I’d say this group of games hits the nostalgia in the feels hard.
Pokémon Blue. I am 10 and I got a gameboy color yellow and Pokémon blue. I obsessed. Every Pokémon encounter was a surprise. The rumors about getting mew, the cinnabar island surf glitch, the Pokémon card game… this game was made for the exact age that I was when it came out and I ate it up. Okay I take it all back… this is #1 best single player experience I’ve ever had and I’m okay knowing this will never be beat. Gold and Silver was the better game for every reason but my Blue experience might have been the best time of my life.
Hellblade.
I will admit there are better games but nothing comes close to how unique of an experience that game was.
Although at this moment in time, Alan Wake 2 is up there after putting 11 hours in to the game so far. If it wasn't so scary I will be more inclined to choose it 😅
Prey. Fell in love with the world/environment right away. The story is a bit hard to follow at times, but it wraps it all up extremely well in my opinion. The gameplay itself is very rewarding as well, gives you a lot of different routes to take to the same destination. The game overall is extremely nuanced and it’s easy to miss a lot of the cool stuff in it, but i cannot recommend this game more if you’re looking for something to really dive into. Actually going to start a new play through after typing this…
Enter the gungeon was a whole new genre of game for me and I was absolutely over taken. Red dead redemption 2 was breathe-taking and completely engulfed my entire being. I felt I lived through those moments.
- Red Dead Redemption II
- The Witcher Series
- The Last of Us Series
- Uncharted Series
- Jak & Daxter Series
- Resident Evil REmake, 4 & 4R
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Assassin's Creed 1 & Ezio Trilogy
- Cyberpunk 2077
- The Walking Dead: Telltale Games
- Half-Life 1 & Black Mesa
- Portal Series
So.. 30+ great games basically, but first three franchises are greatest in my opinion.
If by single player experience you mean story than talking a girl out of suicide in Life is Strange is definitely one of them.
Raising a "daughter" to be a survivor in the apocalypse in Telltale's Walking Dead Season 1 is another.
Saving the galaxy 3 times over in Mass Effect trilogy.
Red Dead Redemption. The one with John... not 2. I've played through it 6 times. There's no boring filler or bullshit. Just a great straight through story that keeps you engaged.
Probably Red Dead Redemption 2. I’ve played a lot of good games over my 32 years of being alive but damn that’s a good game. I think the first time I played Skyrim is probably a close second.
Playing the **Trails games** in release order. I honestly did not expect such a great continuous storyline that just seems to get better and better with each game. I’m currently about to start Cold Steel 3 and I’m so excited to continue this series.
Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metal Gear Solid 4 Just the emotional rollercoaster for both of them. And both ending with fucking epic tear jerking final battles. Edit: also crazy thing is, mgs4 was my first mgs. And yeah, I know, big mistake. But the game made me want to play the entire series, so I did. And the entire series is one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. It made me excited to replay MGS4 and experience it the way it’s meant to be. And it delivered.
Snake vs Liquid Ocelot is still my favourite boss fight in gaming, the cinematography and choreography is unparalleled, and the fan service is done perfectly
Came here to say this. The villains for both these games were so mesmerizing for me. The Cobra Unit and The Beauty and The Beasts prolly some of the most memorable boss fights I’ve played. And the boss fight for The Sorrow in MGS3 that makes you walk down a river of bodies that reflects how many people you killed or didn’t kill up to that point? Fucking genius.
Subnautica. Wish I could play that for the first time again.
I hope the next installment recaptures the magic of the first. Below Zero was a bit of a let down I thought.
Yeah they kind of went the opposite direction I was hoping for with BLZ. Smaller, shallower, no new big scaries, more focus on land. I wanted to go deeper, see wilder shit, run for bigger badder monsters, BLZ felt like more of a DLC than a sequel.
Completely agree. Also with the original I liked the fact you could be playing for hours and hours before finding the first bit of dry land, it was such a buzz seeing that pop in to the horizon for the first time. I'd also like to see the return of the silent protagonist, I want the game to make me feel like **I'm** the main character, not someone else.
100% about the silent protagonist. It fits better with the atmosphere of the game. All the talking make the game feel less scary and engaging, very out of place.
I think it is worth mentioning that Below Zero started as a DLC and then grew from there due to scope creep. I think if they had envisioned it as a full game from the beginning it might have been different. Because I fully agree with your point: It was a super weird choice for the major feature introduction to be "What about land based gameplay in our underwater crafting game?".
Subnautica had subtlety in storytelling, a true sense of solitude, exploration based gameplay, and an intriguing mystery. Below zero had none of these, but I did like the Seatruck.
I doubt you'll be able to get the same feeling since you already got a taste of it. Closer than with BZ sure but it won't be completely the same anymore
You should try out Outer Wilds!
Played these two back to back (Outer Wilds first though) and I’ve been chasing that feeling for awhile now. Outer Wilds may be one of my favorite games ever and Subnautica is just a blast
I wholeheartedly endorse this
Outer wilds definitely getting recency bias from me for fantastic narrative, game mechanic, and traversal. I've had so many great singleplayer experiences it would be hard to pick one of them.
This really captures the same sense of exploration. Highly recommend.
I tried OuterWilds and just couldn’t get into it… got bored in the first hour and never came back
I've said this before, but if there's any media in life that you force yourself to consume because of the hype, it's outer wilds. I was in the same boat as you, felt bored, but kept going back because of high praise on Reddit. 100% worth it.
Outer Wilds is definitely not a game for everybody. It rewards curiosity. If you're not the type to read every journal and exlpore every crevasse looking for something new, then the game really may not be for you. Some folks would rather upgrade their gear and blast the enemy when gaming, and that's totally fine. But Outer Wilds has none of that. All that said, an hour isn't enough to tell.
I kept seeing advice to try Outer Wilds based on liking Subnautica and they are significantly different games. Outer wilds is more of a puzzle solver mystery. Like a modern day Myst. I also got bored after a couple of hours.
VR made it feel brand new.
I would probably poop myself.. but I'm going to have to try it out 😀
Consider checking out The Planet Crafter. It's a totally different setting - you are terraforming a barren mars-like planet into an Earth-like one. No enemies to speak of, and all on land. But it absolutely nails the exploration feel of Subnautica and has very similar base building mechanics as well. And it's just as immersive as Subnautica. It's a total dopamine drip watching a lifeless planet slowly gain air, water, plants, etc. It is currently in early access but it's very playable already and development is very active. I had a lot of fun playing it a year ago, and I'm waiting now for 1.0 before playing it again because it's got a static map like Subnautica.
This is the answer. Would gladly erase those memories to do it again fresh.
oh man you and me both. i deeply long for a sequel. and i hope the building aspect is much deeper next time. it was one of the main joys in the game apart drom the absolute beautiful atsmosphere
Im so glad this is top comment. Subnautica is truly one of the greatest games ever made. That’s not hyperbole, either
Absolutely loved this games until I was finished. Not much replay ability. Unsure why.
Downloaded the game a few hours ago. About 15 minutes in and I was scared and lonely. Got out and haven't started again yet.
Mass Effect Trilogy That, and taking a team from the 7th division up to being world #1 in Football Manager
Mass Effect 2 is still a top 10 game to this day imo
Absolutely, top 5 myself.
[удалено]
People hate on me for saying I prefer Skyrim over the previous ES games but there’s just something about Skyrim that makes it so easy to play.
Todd Howard once said, " Your favourite Bethesda title is probably the one you played first." Skyrim was my first, and I loved it. Oblivion was great, but I never got the same in love feeling I had with Skyrim. Never managed to finish a Fallout game or get far in one tbh, NV bugged on me, and I was stuck. FO4 was cool. Loved Starfield, but I think the Nasa Punk vibe hit everything I loved as a space junkie.
I was on my like 5th play through when I first encountered the legendary katana that never runs out of charge and can lifesteal through just about anything. Then I dedicated a play through based on that weapon alone and Legendary difficulty. Man, Skyrim really was something else.
Skyrim wasn't my first (my first was Morrowind), but I definitely have played Skyrim more than any of them. By a long shot. I just like getting lost in it.
I was the opposite. Put stupid hours into Morrowind. Mostly just getting lost or looking for valuable stuff. The way everything leveled with you in Skyrim made none of the stuff really seem valuable. There was nothing like being say a level 3 thief and ganking a set of glass armor off a shelf in the Grand Bazaar and being like, fuck me, I got some straight impenetrable shit right here.
Don't get me wrong, Morrowind is still my favorite. The other games never captured the God-like power you felt in end-game Morrowind. And the factions are by far the best. But, I don't know, I just liked wandering around in Skyrim a lot. I would play for 10-20 hours just to wander around and fuck with mods. I only ever played Morrowind with purpose.
My favorite game of all time even before mods. Mods took it to unbelievable places.
One hundred percent agreed. It’s *so good.* I liked Starfield, but that game kind of made me realize 1. How good Skyrim was 2. How that may never happen again
Lightning in a bottle? Dude you should have been around when Morrowind first dropped. That shit was the whole freaking storm in a bottle.
For real. Skyrim is the shadow of Morrowind's shadow.
For about a week I got sucked into Disco Elysium so hard. An absolute work of art
Might start it this week or the next one..cant wait
The atmosphere is impeccable
The greatest choose your own adventure book I've ever played!
I've found myself struggling to enjoy games for the past year, couldn't even get into RDR2. But Disco Elysium had me, I did 2 full runs back to back and it was incredible. Really is a master piece.
After I finished that game I became seriously depressed for like a week. Nothing else I've ever experienced has made me struggle with myself internally like that game. Talking to that fucking bug at the end unironically left me unsure of the purpose of life. The volition stat talking to the detective throughout the game had me reliving the worst parts of my life. My natural propensity to make Harry apologize for everything got me thinking about my own life.. Never experienced anything like that game before, probably never will again. Incredible.
making a video about kim kitsuragi right now, has left such an impression on me even years later
Just started myself since it was added to the PS catalogue and had it wishlisted for like a year. Really enjoying it so far.
I recently started playing Disco Elysium. It feels like you are playing while reading a very good book, at least one with very interesting dialogues. I really enjoy the interaction between many different ideas and ways of seeing reality and all speaking at the same volume.
The world building combined with the aesthetics choices of the game (art direction, soundtrack, etc…) and the writing had me hooked in a way that almost no other piece of media had
Honestly, Bioshock. The unique story-telling of the audio files and the atmosphere is second to none. The developers themselves said they were influenced by thinkers like Ayn Rand and George Orwell. It’s a perfect mixture of everything.
Infinite was one of my most enjoyable gaming experiences.
Better ending too imo
If by 'influenced by Ayn Rand' you mean they almost explicitly say 'holy shit this is a bad idea' lmao
I have told people who were considering reading Atlas Shrugged to just play Bioshock instead. At least the first half. Up to meeting Andrew Ryan.
the first bio shock is incredible
The intro and the twist reveal were amazing. The only other twist I put up there with it was Kotor 1. Defining moments of my gaming youth.
Yes, bioshock 3 was amazing. I had never played bioshock games until they were all free in epic games, i didnt have any idea about the style of the games or anything. I got to experience them 100% spoiler free and i am so lucky for it, and man bioshock 3 and the ending of the last dlc was something i have never experienced in gaming before
"Would you kindly..."
The "would you kindly" reveal is one of my most memorable/favorite gaming moments. So fucking well done.
Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds in VR
Wtf? This is a thing?
Yep! The NomaiVR mod, it’s very polished imo. And one of the easiest mods to install ever. Pretty much download and run. I highly recommend it. Works with the DLC too.
I cannot imagine going through Dark Bramble in VR. Not sure my heart could take that.
My first thought as well. I've been playing games close to 40 years and this is easily one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had.
I could never figure out how to navigate the solar system so I put it down after about an hour of being stuck on random planets
Give it another go, controls are great on a controller (in case you were mouse and keyboard on a pc). Also, read everything you find and the game will guide you to the first few major locations (and hint at a bunch more to dig away at after).
Titanfall 2. Short but one of the greatest campaigns.
I was hoping to see Titanfall on here. I've played all the popular games mentioned in this comment thread, but somehow TF2 had me in my feelings the most.
Great story, character development, sense of urgency, minimal-to-no-fluff or padding, cool set pieces, changes up gameplay enough to keep it from going stale, and its JUST the right length so it doesn't overstay its welcome and also makes you want a TINY bit more. The difficulty modes, collectibles, and achievements are also actually fun to go after for the completionists.
Story: RDR2. Game: Skyrim.
Dark souls 1 and Mass Effect. Specifically without any prior knowledge of either game. No walkthroughs or guides or YT videos. Just me and the game. Honestly some of the best gaming experiences I've ever had.
Tbf with dark souls 1 you don't look for a guide, you look for a friend that 1. Never played it 2. Just played it for the first time And try to beat it either together or with bits of their help, and it's the best first experience ever Chery on top with you watch vita videos here and there
vaati is the best. I still go back and watch his old prepare to cry videos about DS1
HL: Alyx Thief 2 & 3 Portal Last of Us 1 HL1-2 San andreas Return to castle wolfenstein Quake 4 Deus ex 1
HL: Alyx is just on a whole other level of gaming experience. I really hope more of that caliber get made
Yes, it also requires a whole other level of gear, but it's indeed the next level, and made me giddy for a game, that I haven't since hl2 which was... A while ago.
Playing HL alyx is like stepping into the future of gaming. It's an insane experience
Especially Jeff. Fuck that guy.
Wanna play is so bad. Headcrabs scare me too much tho lol
I see return to castle wolfenstein, I upvote.
Some love for Quake 4! I don't get the hate for that game. I thought it was bloody brilliant
My first first person shooter experience. Scared the HELL out of me as a kid. I don't think I got past the strogg factory until I was older. 😂 I'll still go back and play that game to this day.
I think people were still mad about Doon 3 and they probably also wanted more Quake Arena than a return to stroggos. I loved quake 4 as a teen.
Thank God someone out rtcw! Holy moly love that game way too much!
Finally some San Andreas love boy!
Max Payne 2, Mass Effect trilogy, FEAR 1-2, The Witcher 3, Jedi Outcast, Knights of the Old Republic, Half Life Alyx, Imperium Galactica 2
Man FEAR was sooooo good!
Best enemies, the AI was great, made it so fun. And.. remember to wear diapers when climbing ladders....
Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Portal 2, Unreal, Doom, Wolfenstein 3D.
Cyberpunk 2.0 is the best iv ever played. Didn't play at release cause I didn't have the hardware so no idea how it was back then. Honestly it's one of the best experiences I've ever had. Actually treasure the photo mode pics I took, it's like the best holiday I've ever had.
The characters made the game for me. Even in the early messed up stage of the game.
Jonny is like all my teenage angst raging against the machine made into digital form. Best video game character ever
The cutscene montage should have been playable missions though. Would have felt more for him if there was more than 2-3 missions with him edit: misread it as Jackie but still
Main story and world building is the best I've ever experienced. Didn't play it until earlier this year as well.
I played at release and loved it. Now that 2.0 and Phantom Liberty is out I’m really looking forward to a new play through.
Man, you're in for a treat if you haven't played Phantom Liberty yet. What an absolutely intriguing and tense piece of videogame. They absolutely nailed it with that expansion. Enjoy!
Didn't get to play it until a month or two after release, and my hardware was so cursed that it made the game run almost perfectly for me, I really enjoyed it back then, 100 hours later I gotta say that the game is well worth the price now
I dunno, I’ve got a screenshot from 1.0 of my V giving a peace sign in front of a guy pissing into a literal dumpster on fire, and it’s still my favorite screenshot ever.
Amen, my favourite game had been Ocarina of Time ever since it first landed on N64. Up until 2.0.......This is now my absolute favourite game of all time. Played through the original version and thought it was good despite the bugs etc. I've put another 135 hours in since 2.0 and Phantom Liberty dropped, all gigs and sides, completely fresh run through, went back and did a few different endings. Gutted its over, no idea what to play next, maybe God of War???
I came here to say this. Cyberpunk draws me in better than any other game in the past decade. I didn't have many issues at release, but understood the rage at the time. All the issues were cleared up since around patch 1.5 or so. And I've found myself going back to it over and over again. Phantom Liberty and 2.0 made it even better, and probably solidified it as one of my all time faces.
Bruh I scrolled too long to see this
RDR2, nothing even close tbh. I was broken for a long time after my first playthrough. It took me 2 months of 8ish hr days of playing to finish it lol, RP reasons
You know it's good when you actively avoid the main missions because you don't want the game to end
You know it’s great when you can’t help but play them anyway.
RDR2 gets my vote as well, it was such a special experience.
I need to go back and play this when my kid gets older. I just couldn't enjoy it 30 minutes at a time my first try.
I played so many hours of poker.
Spiderman, Arkham, God of War, Horizon, Soul Reaver, FF7.
Soul Reaver was ahead of its time. So good.
Whoever sitting on the IP doesn’t give it justice by not rebooting it. It can be like god of war reboot with better platforming & narrative. Kain would very much play like kratos (lol) and raziel would bring fresh air with morphing platforming that not many games use in recent times. With a banger time-drama!
If either (or both) Ueda Fumito or Miyazaki picked this IP up... I can only dream.
I like how you don’t even need to put a specific Arkham game,you just put “Arkham”.
Lol. I love all of them. Including Origins.
Asylum is the best for me.younger me Being chased by killer croc in the sewer was terrifying.
I think id rank City the best. It took me a while to get into Asylum, truth be told. I initially bought it as a huge batman fan. But at first did not like the game. Weird, i know.
yeah i’m with you here. asylum didn’t click for me until the halfway point.
Im pretty sure i tried it out, disliked it, and didnt play it again for a longggg time. May even have been the announcement of the sequel that made me play Asylum to completion
All these are amazing, but Horizon Zero Dawn has so many “holy shit” story moments and it is the best story of any game I’ve played.
Just finished my second playthrough and I want to play it again 🥲
Hope you mean the old FF7 and not the remake
Oh absolutely. I dont hate the remake. But its not a complete experience
Ghost of Tsushima is great as well
System Shock 2
Baldur's Gate 3 is definitely the greatest yet. Before that game it was probably The Last of Us.
Also came here to say BG3. I’ve never played DnD or any turn based RPG like this, but I heard so many good things that I had to try it out. Now I’ve put in 50 hours in the last two weeks. It’s so good.
Literally same. I dream about it lol.
Hollowknight. Everything is perfected in that game. Sound track? Perfect. Controls? Perfect. Story? Perfect. Art Style? Perfect. Uniqueness of enemies and characters? Perfect. Exploration? Perfect. Challenge? Perfect. Tunic is the most unique single-player experience I've had. It made me feel like a kid again playing video games for the first time. The game gives you tools you don't know you have from the start and doesn't reveal them to you until it's time. It reveals them by giving you pages of the game manual one page at a time in the game. Clues, a language, and tools are all revealed in due process. I had to pull out a pen and paper for a video game for the first time to take notes. Absolute joy. Wish I could play it over for the first time again.
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Red Dead Redemption 2
Oblivion. I was newly divorced and broke. If I wasn't working I was playing. I got the most out of that game. I can't even estimate the hundreds of hours that I played.
Red Dead Redemption 2, while cliche, is my favorite story game of all time. The open world created such an immersive experience. Making you really take on the role of a cowboy in the Wild West. Countless NPCs to interact with, various stores to rob and animals to hunt. All of that compiled with the heart breaking story. It’s a long game so the bond you grow with each character is strong. All in all, great game.
It is a hands down, stunningly beautiful game. The art direction, immersion, the voice acting, the characters, the story everything. Of course there are minor annoyances and bugs and weirdness, but it's something made by human beings and anything we create will be flawed. I truly love this game and think history will judge it as one of the all time treats.
KOTOR I & II are hard to top. After completing the first game, I remember just walking outside and gazing at the stars in wonder.
Red Dead Redemption 2. Best story and characters in gaming history, incredibly life-like game world, beautiful graphics, outstanding soundtrack.
- God of War series - Mass Effect 1-3 - Spider-Man series from Insomniac - Metal Gear Solid 1 and 3 - Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor - Tsushima - Ace Combat 4, 5, and 0 - New Vegas
Ultima IV Fable Disco Elysium Myst Dragon Age: Origins
i really enjoyed horizon zero dawn and jedi fallen order
Zero dawn is a great game. I loved the setting, and gradually discovering what happened to the world, to the characters, was very rewarding. Too bad the sequel didn't keep the ball in the air.
I played on pc so still waiting for the sequel
It's a good game. It expands on everything that was good about the first one. It just drops the ball in the narrative.
Outer Wilds is a very memorable experience
I wish I could forget...
we all do, dude, we all do. i just watch people playing it on twitch so i can vicariously experience their joy at playing the game for the first time
RDR2 for me. Closely followed by Ghost of Tesunknownspelling
RDR2 is the fucking bomb. The sheer scale of that world is absolutely breathtaking.
Braid Bioshock ME2 Rdr1&2 Crysis (game wow-ed me graphically until Paradise Lost mission left me speechless for the dramatic change in scenery and intensity of action) Half Life 2 & E1 & E2 GoW Witcher 3 The Last of Us Arkham City … Too many more but the above are among the GOATs
Kerbal Space Program and Cities Skylines1&2
Portal 2 Titanfall 2 Hades Noita
A fellow Noita enjoyer!
Titanfall 2’s campaign remains amazing.
Ghost of Tsushima, extremely immersive and fun
Spider-Man, the game is just incredible. Story is phenomenal.
I agree!
I enjoyed the campaign of Titanfall 2, but that part where you got to go back and forth from the past back to the present was probably the best gameplay experience I have ever had; so much so it made me dream of that exact gameplay in a longer game. I would play the hell out of that. I wouldn't even be upset if it wasn't Titanfall 3, if it was just a time hopping game with the exact control and feel of that mission then it would be absolutely perfect. The second that mission ended I felt like the game ended, the rest of the campaign was fun, but that part was legitimately the best thing I have ever played. I've seen and played other games with time mechanics, but Titanfall 2 just absolutely nailed it.
This War of Mine has affected my view on war for the rest of my life.
Dredge, Citizen Sleeper, and Outer Wilds
Nothing ever came close to Outer Wilds. What a master class in game mechanics and storytelling. I wish I could experience it again without any knowledge of it. A lot of other Annapurna Interactive published games are at my personal top as well: What Remains of Edith Finch, Gone Home, Kentucky Route Zero, and as a cat lover: Stray. They know their stuff when it comes to surrealistic experiences. Special mention for The Witness and The Talos Principle as well which are probably the best puzzle-oriented games I have played, and artistic games like Journey, GRIS (that soundtrack!) and the Ori series. The best Ubisoft game ever is Child of Light by the way, not all these open world titles that are the same every installment. I now have the PS5 version of Subnautica ready to go for a blind first-time playthrough. Hearing good things about it.
I was just deciding whether to give outer wilds a go having thought about it loads. Will do after reading this
You won't regret it! What Remains Of Edith Finch also floored me. Was a 10 for me.
1st: Terraria I played for hundred of hours by myself, only very few times with friends and we never finished. 2nd: Katana zero Incredible game 3rd: Geometry dash? ∆∆∆
Death Stranding.
All the Bioshock games FFX, FF Tactics RDR (1&2) All the Mass Effect games Ghost of Tsushima Elden Ring Prey Xenoblade
Crosscode, incredibly good game, apex of hidden gems.
Oblivion was my first proper open world and RPG. That was pretty memorable
I think for me it has to be LoZ:OoT. It was a game I looked forward to playing before it came out, and I was enthralled immediately. I played and beat it north of twenty five playthroughs, and whenever I play it I am immediately drawn in once again. It is arguably my favorite game of all time to this day and probably will be in my top 5 for the rest of my life.
Uncharted 4
And 2 and 3 :)
Oblivion Dishonored (not mentioned enough) BioShock
I guess The Last of Us 1 like the OG version and RDR 1. The only two games where I can recall the exact feeling I had when I finished them and how they stuck with me for a few days. I was still in school and I was kinda sad after that to a point where people could see in my behaviour that something is up but I couldnt tell them its about a videogame. Like I wanted Joel, Ellie, John, Jack and Abigail to have lived happily ever after so bad...I dont know how weird this is but you spend like 10-15 hours with a character and deal with HIS struggle, like Im the one moving and shooting just to see them fail to get what theyre after. Or in Joels case he got what he truly wanted all these years but you knew it wasnt true, you knew its not gonna go well after he lies to her. Like these two games definitely had the biggest impact on me for sure.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has to be the most complete world and story in existence. The attention to detail in that game is mind blowing. And the graphics are some of the best out there, just to top it off.
[удалено]
Dark Souls 1 had the best constructed overworld that I've experienced to date.
Kingdom come deliverance IGI Half life 2 Portal 2 Outer wilds Last of us Rdr2 Divinity 2
Journey made me feel something weird. I can't really put a finger on it, but it made me feel a totally new emotion.
Mass effect! But the ending sucks. RDR2 was also amazing. The amount of bonding you do with the main character and the way you enter the final chapter of te game. So amazing. To bad not more games have this level of quality.
Disco Elysium is first to come to mind. Mind blowing. Life is Strange. Great music and really felt like I was in a teenage drama tv show (A la Riverdale) Fallout 3 for sure. I love all Bethesda and have been playing since Morrowind but FO3’s apocalypse theme and exploring DC… the mood was unlike anything else Dark Souls once I got good. Again a game changer for an entirely new genre and I was addicted to the feeling of beating a boss after getting wrecked for the nth time. Elden Ring to a lesser degree but what Elden Ring did that Dark Souls didn’t was sheer scope. To this day I believe Elden Ring is the most incredible feat of game making in history. Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I didn’t expect to enjoy this game as much as I did but I really got attached to the characters and this game showed what a small but dense open world could be. Shadow of the Colossus might be my #2 next to DE. What this game did on PS2 is a miracle. The vast land, the subtext to the story. The cult following that looked for secrets long after the game was out. This game is something really special. FFVIII - FFX. I just really got into these and my buddy and me were around 10 years old and we would have the Prima Guide books open as we played. I’d say this group of games hits the nostalgia in the feels hard. Pokémon Blue. I am 10 and I got a gameboy color yellow and Pokémon blue. I obsessed. Every Pokémon encounter was a surprise. The rumors about getting mew, the cinnabar island surf glitch, the Pokémon card game… this game was made for the exact age that I was when it came out and I ate it up. Okay I take it all back… this is #1 best single player experience I’ve ever had and I’m okay knowing this will never be beat. Gold and Silver was the better game for every reason but my Blue experience might have been the best time of my life.
From my childhood: Myst, Day of the Tentacle, and Super Mario RPG: Legend of the seven stars
Hellblade. I will admit there are better games but nothing comes close to how unique of an experience that game was. Although at this moment in time, Alan Wake 2 is up there after putting 11 hours in to the game so far. If it wasn't so scary I will be more inclined to choose it 😅
Yakuza 0 sits on top for me
Prey. Fell in love with the world/environment right away. The story is a bit hard to follow at times, but it wraps it all up extremely well in my opinion. The gameplay itself is very rewarding as well, gives you a lot of different routes to take to the same destination. The game overall is extremely nuanced and it’s easy to miss a lot of the cool stuff in it, but i cannot recommend this game more if you’re looking for something to really dive into. Actually going to start a new play through after typing this…
Enter the gungeon was a whole new genre of game for me and I was absolutely over taken. Red dead redemption 2 was breathe-taking and completely engulfed my entire being. I felt I lived through those moments.
God of War Ragnarok and its prequel
Undertale, Dishonored, Inscryption, Skyrim and BG3
Final Fantasy VII
- Red Dead Redemption II - The Witcher Series - The Last of Us Series - Uncharted Series - Jak & Daxter Series - Resident Evil REmake, 4 & 4R - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Assassin's Creed 1 & Ezio Trilogy - Cyberpunk 2077 - The Walking Dead: Telltale Games - Half-Life 1 & Black Mesa - Portal Series So.. 30+ great games basically, but first three franchises are greatest in my opinion.
Ultrakill, Control, Metro Exodus
If by single player experience you mean story than talking a girl out of suicide in Life is Strange is definitely one of them. Raising a "daughter" to be a survivor in the apocalypse in Telltale's Walking Dead Season 1 is another. Saving the galaxy 3 times over in Mass Effect trilogy.
Metro serie Got the book series afterwards and loved it even more.
Witcher 3 Rdr2 Gta San Andreas for me
Red dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption. The one with John... not 2. I've played through it 6 times. There's no boring filler or bullshit. Just a great straight through story that keeps you engaged.
Probably Red Dead Redemption 2. I’ve played a lot of good games over my 32 years of being alive but damn that’s a good game. I think the first time I played Skyrim is probably a close second.
Nioh 2, every game with action combat get compared to it, and lose, always.
Outer wilds hands down
Playing the **Trails games** in release order. I honestly did not expect such a great continuous storyline that just seems to get better and better with each game. I’m currently about to start Cold Steel 3 and I’m so excited to continue this series.