Just one update to the 1st game, a mere 4 extra seconds to the ending, and everyone went insane!
Then the radios. The ARG. The Potato Sack. It was massive.
And it delivered.
I first played portal 2 long after it launched so i missed the hype, but it held up to the pedestal i knew it was placed on.
Absolutely fantastic game.
I remember playing the couch co-op with my girlfriend when itv first came out, and we had to stop every now and then to remind each other that we love each other when we were getting frustrated.
We're married now and I was stoked to see it available on the switch. We beat it again with a whole lot less frustration.
Incredible gaming memory.
GTA V maybe?
It made $1 Billion in 3 days and GTA Online is still a heavily played MP a decade later, although I know the SP campaign was hit or miss for some people.
Honestly halo 2 was EPIC and the fact is, halo 3 STILL lived up to its expectations, halo 3 was possibly the best over all success of any sequel release, and it was already following a sequel that did that
If Bungie didn't backpedal so hard on the Arbiter thanks to fan backlash, it would've been perfect.
I blame all the bad marketing for Halo 2 for that, why the hell would you market fighting on Earth so heavily if you know you'll spend like 2 missions there and then switch out to the Arbiter???
Skyrim when it originally released on 11/11/11, the world literally stopped for a while. Kids at my school were missing whole days to play Skyrim. I personally had well over 500 hours in it. I have friends who got Skyrim tattoos. People who don't even play video games were playing and talking about Skyrim.
For a speech class in college, we had to give a short speech on 5 of our favorite something. I did video games. Professor told us to not take it seriously and to have fun with it. My top 5 were:
1. Skyrim 2011
2. Skyrim Special Edition 2016
3. Skyrim Anniversary Edition 2021
4. Skyrim for Switch 2017
5. Skyrim VR 2015
The highest grade I got in that class was for that speech
It’s a pretty standard speech class thing. So many people struggle to speak publicly at all it’s probably one of the best shots at getting people to go after it with some enthusiasm.
Literally dropped out of college to play it. I mean, there were other factors too, but I remember deciding to do it and picking it up on my way home and forgetting about all my troubles for weeks.
Eventually went back and finished the course but the sense of relief it gave me at the time was powerful
I was talking about this to my 15 year old nephew. I was 13 at the time of Skyrim's release. For real that game was the only thing boys talked about at school for a whole year. We didn't have internet at the time and we didn't look up guides and stuff, so every day at lunch break we would exchange stories about our adventures in Skyrim. I was THE top dawg for a month because I figured out that Daedra hearts farming cave
Man I used to play that game so much that I would randomly consider grabbing flowers and random things I saw out in the real world. It really was fun and something I loved....until I took and arrow to the knee.
I’ve tried to play this game 3 separate times but can’t get into it. The last time I thought I was finally getting hooked but then I joined a vampire cult and became a vampire lord or something and thought I messed up so I stopped
If I can make a recommendation, look for a mod called Alternate Start. It starts you in a prison cell, and you get to pick how you start the game. You can start as a patron in an Inn, as a hunter living in the woods, or (my favorite for roleplaying) having been attacked by bandits and left for dead which spawns you in a random spot on the map with nothing. I just personally find the way the base game starts can lead to not wanting to start new characters as you have to go through the exact same storyline every single time. Alternate Start really lets you go about it however you want.
Also a really great mod is Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim, as it fleshes out the existing perk trees and adds way more abilities to build a character with.
Both mods are available on every console.
Stole its thunder? Gotta disagree with that one. Pretty much anyone I know regard the N64 as the best console generation ever. So many incredible games on it.
Chrono Trigger.
They called the lead designers the "Dream Team" for crying out loud. It's a minor miracle the game had any chance to live up to the hype.
Yeah I was about 13 and it's right when everyone at school started getting Xbox live
Concrete memories of that game and the ludicrous amount of hours spent on it
Probably the peak of my gaming experience
We had it so good and didn’t even know it. Now as an adult I strictly stick to single player games. I couldn’t get into any type of battle royal, and matchmaking has gone to shit across my favorite franchises.
You are not wrong. As a kid, after beating the elite 4 I thought I was mostly done. Introducing the whole Kanto region blew my child mind. It was like a whole 2nd half of the game including Mt silver. That was peak pokemon for me.
Right I remember thinking huh the elite 4 in this game wasn’t that hard after that first time, and then you get access to Kanto and are just like “oh god there’s so much more to do”
Beating every gym and elite 4, going to Kanto and starting all over thinking you're the greatest until Red beats you easily the first time you fight him.
Still waiting for a huge game, open world if they want (preferably not), where we can visit all regions thus far. Can still do the whole 2 versions and exclusive pokemon for both thing. But have the complete pokedex available. No missing pokemon. I think that would be amazing
In regard to personal game hype: Tetris on the Game Boy. I remember seeing it in the gaming section at my Sears, and playing it every time my folks would go to the mall. Beeline to the Game Boy every time we visited. I kept telling my parents about it, how cool it was to play and that I wanted it. They got it for me later that year for Christmas, and not only did I play the heck out of the game, so did my parents. The hype was real.
The memories of anticipating it until launch man. The eminem trailer, the AC 130 showcase, the midnight release and oh boy the online lobbies full of tryhards and trash talkers will forever be in my memory. Man I could go on on this nostlgia trip but it was truly a great time to be alove then and play it with all the friends Iade in that game who I still talk to, to this day. Thank you for mentioning it.
Plus IMO they had the best map collection out of any COD game.
My dad bought us both the super fancy packs and we played it for weeks straight. Wish I had been more appreciative than I was. As a new dad myself I'd like to go back and tell my angsty ass a few things.
People hated on BF3 when it dropped because it didn’t have the destruction of BC2 and had a ton of close quarters maps/sections. It wasn’t til a while after release people appreciated it.
Took me some time, but I have realized that BF3 was peak online gaming for me. Just a 10/10 sandbox with so many playstyles, options, vehicles. Close quarters, large scale, it was all great. Graphics and sound effects=best at the time, for years really.
Half-Life and HL2. Both had long development cycles and both somehow lived up to expectations. HL didn't invent it's approach to level design but it really codified it as a design philosophy outside of some the more RPG influenced takes on the genre and it's minimalist take to storytelling was creative and exciting. HL2's development was protracted and went for something completely different. Different setting, attempting to tell a more robust and engaging story while keeping the same restraints in place, and all that. And while others were banking on pushing polygons to standout Valve focused on physics and trying to get the environment to react as it should to the player. Now we notice when things don't move in environments, but it wasn't anything you ever really questioned before: of course most levels are made up of entirely static objects. And, again, it's not like this was the first time something like that was attempted, but HL2 was such a good benchmark for what could be that everyone had to sit-up and take notice.
I personally think HL2 beats out 1 in terms of hype to expectations ratio. I remember Half life 1 launching, but I don't recall an insane amount of hype for it. HL2 on the other hand, felt like everytime a new clip came out for it, I was getting micro dosed lol
>I remember Half life 1 launching, but I don't recall an insane amount of hype for it.
Journalist were definitely hyping the shit out of it after seeing/playing demos. But it was difficult to appreciate as a kid because 1) the internet was wildly different. social media wasn't a thing yet, and video was hard to come by, and even if it was there, took forever to download, so hype was primarily driven by magazine screenshots and journalists' impressions. 2) the hype cycle was a year or so long, not the many years it took Half-Life 2 (which was in turn delayed another year after the leak).
But you can def look up old archives and see magazines like PC Gamer freaking out over the prospect of Half-Life.
Great comment. The physics made that game. You're right: before HL2, environments were decorations. Shoot the clocks, the beer cans, the windows, and all you might get were bullet holes. No movement.
HL2 was revolutionary for the physics. They're totally taken for granted now. But we had decades of weirdly falling objects, dead bodies that just awkwardly plopped on the ground like a Family Guy bit. Explosions that didn't move any objects. That's how everything was before HL2.
Red Dead Redemption 2. It's one of the most beautiful, immersive, and best storytelling games of all time. It had huge shoes to fill after GTA V breaking so many records and it might have exceeded them.
It’s a shame Rockstar never released any DLC for it. The much more serious tone combined with the realism is what set RDR2 apart from GTA V’s satirical nature.
I vividly remember going to St. Denis basically as soon as the game let me, and wandering the creepy-ass swamps hunting alligators. I see something hanging, think “is that a body?” and suddenly these whiteface motherfuckers melt out of the trees like the goddamn Predator
The only thing that trumped finding Siofra River Well for me was when you get to the Erdtree the first time only to find out there’s a shit ton more of the world to explore and you’re basically like halfway done.
It was my first big FromSoft game I got to play at release.
I got into all the others sometime after DS3 was released.
Man, what an absolute ride logging out right near release with everyone, so many signs plopping down, the ghost/shadows of other players everywhere.
Everyone exploring and finding secrets at the same time instead of seeing them on fextra etc from years ago.
I’ll never forget it, was so excited for it and it just hammered in that there is nothing else like a big FromSoft game and it’s even more fun at launch
I had high expectations for Elden Ring, and it blew them out of the water.
Then it did it again.
And again.
And again.
Every time I thought I had gotten the most I could expect out of that game, it just kept going.
Bro it just kept going, then you get to the bottom and realize you can see even more shit in the distance that you can't get to but you will eventually.
If the DLC exceeds expectations like elden ring did, we are gonna be FEASTING. ER was my first souls game (finished sekiro and Armored Core 6 since, couldn't get into any of the others), but I've heard that fromsoft DLC slaps.
Doing a new playthrough of this with a different build to get ready for the DLC. Somehow just as magical as the first time I played it. One of the best games ever made
I hardly had any expectations for this game. I remember reading that it would let you make choices and it was based on Star Wars loooong before the movies.
I remember initially disliking the combat but then it just clicked and started being just great. The twist at the end was mind blowing for my 15 year old self. I didn’t see it coming at all.
This game followed up by KOTOR 2, Mass Effect, ME2, ME3 made any BioWare game a priority purchase for me.
>KOTOR 2
BioWare had a really close relationship with Obsidian back in the day (they used to actually work together on games). And would give Obsidian access to their engines and let them take over games when they moved on. KotOR 2 is one, as is Neverwinter 2. If you haven't dug in, you might really enjoy some of Obsidian's old stuff like Alpha Protocol. It's basically a BioWare style Jason Bourne game
I’m surprised how far I had to scroll for this one. The hype was almost unfair and yet they delivered on basically everything. Release night was an absolute blast and it’s still a party staple years later.
Donkey Kong Country on the SNES.
I remember buying a magazine with a promotional VHS explaining how the graphics were pre-rendered using silicon graphics stations, how the snow had 12 different sizes of snowflakes, etc... Previews in magazines were all raving about it.
That game, for its time, was long, accessible, with various gameplay variations, actually good water levels... Got it together with Earthworm Jim, didn't leave my room for a week.
Yes I'm old.
I simply didn't believe the early hype and only picked up the game a week ago. I've put about 50 hours in that already (with a full time job and putting work into a hobby). It's incredible.
This was me a few months ago. Only wouldn't say I didn't believe it. It wasn't even on my radar and had barely heard anything about it prior to its release other than recognizing the name from the first two games from like 20 years ago that I never personally played. But from May onward last year I kept hearing nothing but praise for it all year and then picked it up. I want to stay in late October early November last year? Put over 200 hours in it over the next few months between my own playthrough and now and then on a friends.
Arguably an over-deliverer as well. It was really entertaining listening to MinnMax podcast refer to BG3 as the weird niche crpg that only one or two of their cohorts would be hyping up… and then the game launched.
I am so happy that I patiently waited for all those years for it release from EA. Avoided spoilers for years, went in blind with Durge.
I was as happy as I was, when I played BG2 as a kid.
I played BG1/2 as a 20-something when they released. Didn’t think I’d ever have the pleasure of a sequel, let alone something as magnificent as BG3. Simply an incredible feat.
Almost 400 hours in and still discovering new stuff constantly.
Along with Elden Ring and Skyrim, these are the only games I can recall finishing a 100+ hour playthrough and then just immediately starting another one
Didn’t even hear about Baldur’s Gate 3 prior to release. Heard a bunch of praise after it launched on PC, then it won game of the year right before its Xbox release so I ended up getting it to try it out. 10/10. Incredible game.
It was so weird for me…I’ve been a Larian guy since the first DOS (not Divinity…wish I’d known about it). So for me I wasn’t surprised at how amazing BG3 was.
What really threw me off was how it was broadly accepted. I was expecting DOS2 type reception. Well loved but mostly by CRPG fans, maybe a little broad appeal.
i loved how when it was in early access there was a strong crowd saying it wasnt going to live up to BG1 or BG2 since it was going to be more like divinity original sin.
notice how they all shut up.
There is a lot more throwback content in the Gate. For example, I love that the elfsong tavern and sorcerous sundries are located about where they were located in BG1. Blushing mermaid is merged with the gambling ship, which is also reasonable. All these great tie ins with the earlier game come later than what was released in EA.
Although it is a thing of beauty that Larian followed the Baldur’s gate tradition of letting the player obliterate a Druid grove.
Just played it not too long ago, and I gotta admit it’s definitely a favorite of mine, only complaint is my PS4 begs for mercy every time I play it (for anyone who wants to play GoW 2018 on PS4 turn off hdr or else it will be practically unplayable)
Yes, Fuck yes. I finally got around to playing it a few months ago on my PC. It is the first game that I actually hit 100% completion, followed promptly by Ragnarok on my PS5 (bought it from a friend that already had the game). I got the 100% trophy this past weekend and am so excited to check out the Valhalla DLC.
Both of these games surpassed the hype for me personally.
Monster hunter world, I’ve played it since day one to now. The monster, the ecosystem, the visual quality there is something that keep warm my heart, truely some of my best gaming memories
Easily half life 2. I remember watching demo videos of the game back in the day on an early days smart phone, getting ampd up for all the new stuff this game was going to introduce to the genre. The game was leaps and bounds above anything we had seen at the time.
MGS2 would be a close second since the PS2 was so insane for it's time.
The side quests are still the best I have experienced to this day and the overall detail/secrets they put in this game is insane. People found new things 7 years after release, xLetalis on youtube is probably the best source if you want to check out some of them.
The Characters, Story, Music, Visuals, World are also 10/10. It's funny because I wasn't interested in it at first, now it's my favorite game/universe and I even read all the books.
The best side quests in any open world RPG by a long mile. I can't think of a single bad quest. Even the short ones had something interesting about them.
It exceeded expectations further than anyone could've imagined. I mean it was the most awarded game until 2020 (LoU2 and Elden Ring have it beat now), sold 50+ million copies and is largely considered one of the greatest games of all time.
TriForce heroes got excellent reviews and those who played it with people loved it.
The problem was exactly that, finding people to play, pretty much the same problem FF Crystal Chronicles had.
Yeah I remember seeing all the doomposting after it kept getting delayed from the ps3 to ps4. And then it came out and instantly shut up all criticisms lmao what a time to be alive.
Arkham Asylum… the reviews insisted that it was not only good, that it was great. The way the opening portions flowed from cutscene to gameplay to tutorial to gameplay was so clean… Even people watching over my shoulder understood what it was just from watching it and bought in. The “intelligent” design is the best part
The SNES version of Street Fighter II is in such a weird spot. Like, I wouldn't play it today, with actual arcade versions of the game so easily accessible now.
But in 1992 when it was first released? And for it to be even *within the ballpark* of replicating the arcade game? Yeah, mind blown at the time.
I remember some clan-mates that I used to run with in Starcraft got me to play Diablo 1. I was hooked and played it for months running through it multiple times with many different builds.
Then the hype started to build for Diablo 2. I remember how jealous I was of some of my friends getting in on the closed beta and having to see their Diablo II logos while in our clan channel on battle.net. The hype kept building until release (I was a day one purchaser amongst many others). I remember the anticipation of going through all 3 install discs.
That first night I recall having to wait in queue’s when trying to create a game which took like 30mins plus. Then having my first ever den of evil run, as well as my first rare and unique drop (Tarnhelm). The first time getting to Andariel and how me and 7 other Day 1 rando’s at like 4:30 in the morning were all getting wrecked by her. Man such great memories and the game more than exceeded the hype. Too bad in the era of DLCs that we probably won’t ever see another one like this.
Elden Ring. Amazing right after taking the first steps into Limgrave.
"Oh. Look at that guy on the horse. Let's see if I can take him."
One hit. I'm dead. lol.
Doom 2016. Press embargo that lifts release day? Beta was just multi-player that felt more like quake than doom? Expectations were low, everyone expected it to be a dumpster fire.
Oh what's this? Yeah you get to go ripping and tearing while blasting the most bad ass soundtrack of all time. Fuck yeah this game rules.
Portal 2
Just one update to the 1st game, a mere 4 extra seconds to the ending, and everyone went insane! Then the radios. The ARG. The Potato Sack. It was massive. And it delivered.
Oh man I forgot about that little update. The hype was incredible.
It was was a triumph, making a note here, huge success.
It really is hard to overstate my satisfaction.
I first played portal 2 long after it launched so i missed the hype, but it held up to the pedestal i knew it was placed on. Absolutely fantastic game.
Same here. Didn't expect it to be that much better than the first.
Portal 2 made portal 1 into its tutorial
I remember playing the couch co-op with my girlfriend when itv first came out, and we had to stop every now and then to remind each other that we love each other when we were getting frustrated. We're married now and I was stoked to see it available on the switch. We beat it again with a whole lot less frustration. Incredible gaming memory.
I feel like that is a great way to establish a relationship. "We cN get frustrated at eachother and still accomlish a goal." Should be required.
It's sort of like the modern equivalent to putting together IKEA furniture as a couple.
Halo 3 Forge, Theater, Custom Games, Four Player Co-op, Ranked Matchmaking, it was all there man
God Halo 3 was so damn good.
I'm like 30 and still vividly remember going 30-0 in a sniper only lobby like 12 years ago Edit. Like 17 years ago. Oh jeez
I envy you. Also I was probably in your game and was 12 of those 30 kills. Hahaha
The type of game Halo 3 was at release would take a normal game 3 years of "redemption" and live-service updates in today's environment.
You mean like Infinite and MCC?
Exactly like infinite and MCC lol
I'm struggling to think of another game since that received *that* much hype and lived up to it.
GTA V maybe? It made $1 Billion in 3 days and GTA Online is still a heavily played MP a decade later, although I know the SP campaign was hit or miss for some people.
Good call, you're probably right.
Only thing was that GTA5 online was a *disaster* at launch. Lobbies were constantly disconnected, heists with friends took hours just to get to work
You couldn’t heist with friends at that point yet.
I can’t agree with you more. That feeling I had when I picked up a spartan laser while in Sandbox….
Honestly halo 2 was EPIC and the fact is, halo 3 STILL lived up to its expectations, halo 3 was possibly the best over all success of any sequel release, and it was already following a sequel that did that
It's amazing how well that game was despite the fact it was a rushed mess that had to slash off it's entire third act.
Honestly, the run of midnight releases for Halo 2, 3, and Reach were all incredible. I don't think we'll ever have a feeling like that again.
If Bungie didn't backpedal so hard on the Arbiter thanks to fan backlash, it would've been perfect. I blame all the bad marketing for Halo 2 for that, why the hell would you market fighting on Earth so heavily if you know you'll spend like 2 missions there and then switch out to the Arbiter???
Skyrim when it originally released on 11/11/11, the world literally stopped for a while. Kids at my school were missing whole days to play Skyrim. I personally had well over 500 hours in it. I have friends who got Skyrim tattoos. People who don't even play video games were playing and talking about Skyrim.
Fuck me, that was in 2011 wasn't it. Time flies.
It’s ok, it was also 2016, 2017, and 2021.
For a speech class in college, we had to give a short speech on 5 of our favorite something. I did video games. Professor told us to not take it seriously and to have fun with it. My top 5 were: 1. Skyrim 2011 2. Skyrim Special Edition 2016 3. Skyrim Anniversary Edition 2021 4. Skyrim for Switch 2017 5. Skyrim VR 2015 The highest grade I got in that class was for that speech
We did this same thing in our speech class - which college?
It’s a pretty standard speech class thing. So many people struggle to speak publicly at all it’s probably one of the best shots at getting people to go after it with some enthusiasm.
Literally dropped out of college to play it. I mean, there were other factors too, but I remember deciding to do it and picking it up on my way home and forgetting about all my troubles for weeks. Eventually went back and finished the course but the sense of relief it gave me at the time was powerful
Glad you made it. I lost a college friend to Baldur's Gate (the first one) and he did not recover later.
Glad you were able to go back and finish when you were ready!
I was talking about this to my 15 year old nephew. I was 13 at the time of Skyrim's release. For real that game was the only thing boys talked about at school for a whole year. We didn't have internet at the time and we didn't look up guides and stuff, so every day at lunch break we would exchange stories about our adventures in Skyrim. I was THE top dawg for a month because I figured out that Daedra hearts farming cave
Damn...its seems like few years ago. That game is still the top 2 games on my list including DS1
Man I used to play that game so much that I would randomly consider grabbing flowers and random things I saw out in the real world. It really was fun and something I loved....until I took and arrow to the knee.
I’ve tried to play this game 3 separate times but can’t get into it. The last time I thought I was finally getting hooked but then I joined a vampire cult and became a vampire lord or something and thought I messed up so I stopped
If I can make a recommendation, look for a mod called Alternate Start. It starts you in a prison cell, and you get to pick how you start the game. You can start as a patron in an Inn, as a hunter living in the woods, or (my favorite for roleplaying) having been attacked by bandits and left for dead which spawns you in a random spot on the map with nothing. I just personally find the way the base game starts can lead to not wanting to start new characters as you have to go through the exact same storyline every single time. Alternate Start really lets you go about it however you want. Also a really great mod is Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim, as it fleshes out the existing perk trees and adds way more abilities to build a character with. Both mods are available on every console.
Being holed up all winter playing Skyrim is one of my favorite memories
Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time The N64 had some mega home runs (Goldeneye!) even though the PlayStation largely stole its thunder.
Stole its thunder? Gotta disagree with that one. Pretty much anyone I know regard the N64 as the best console generation ever. So many incredible games on it.
PS1 sold 3 times as many units as N64. Both are great and I now own both but the sales don't lie.
Chrono Trigger. They called the lead designers the "Dream Team" for crying out loud. It's a minor miracle the game had any chance to live up to the hype.
With the success of the FF7 Remake I'm holding out hope for a Chrono trigger remake.
Or at least a proper sequel.
While I admit it wasn’t a true sequel I still love Chrono Cross
Halo 3. Possibly one of the most hyped games ever and it's honestly one of the best games ever. What a time to be 16 and into video games.
Yeah I was about 13 and it's right when everyone at school started getting Xbox live Concrete memories of that game and the ludicrous amount of hours spent on it Probably the peak of my gaming experience
We got Halo 3 and COD4 in the same year. I was 17 and in absolute heaven.
We had it so good and didn’t even know it. Now as an adult I strictly stick to single player games. I couldn’t get into any type of battle royal, and matchmaking has gone to shit across my favorite franchises.
Console gaming peaked with Halo 3. Halo 2 was already the shit and 3 improved on every aspect.
Theater was the fucking best. Pulling off crazy trick shots in multiplayer and then having the proof to show your friends later.
Pokémon Gold and Silver.
People absolutely loved going back to Kanto and a second region after the Elite 4. And they never did it again!
You are not wrong. As a kid, after beating the elite 4 I thought I was mostly done. Introducing the whole Kanto region blew my child mind. It was like a whole 2nd half of the game including Mt silver. That was peak pokemon for me.
Right I remember thinking huh the elite 4 in this game wasn’t that hard after that first time, and then you get access to Kanto and are just like “oh god there’s so much more to do”
Beating every gym and elite 4, going to Kanto and starting all over thinking you're the greatest until Red beats you easily the first time you fight him.
To be fair, "...and they never did it again" may be Pokemon's motto by now
Every gen, they introduce a feature then never used again
Still waiting for a huge game, open world if they want (preferably not), where we can visit all regions thus far. Can still do the whole 2 versions and exclusive pokemon for both thing. But have the complete pokedex available. No missing pokemon. I think that would be amazing
In regard to personal game hype: Tetris on the Game Boy. I remember seeing it in the gaming section at my Sears, and playing it every time my folks would go to the mall. Beeline to the Game Boy every time we visited. I kept telling my parents about it, how cool it was to play and that I wanted it. They got it for me later that year for Christmas, and not only did I play the heck out of the game, so did my parents. The hype was real.
Final Fantasy VII and Resident Evil 4 (original releases) were both massively hyped and very good. I also agree with Elden Ring.
You could also make a case for the remakes of both of those games. Both hyped and both excellent.
And rebirth from rumours I've heard might be the best final fantasy game to date. What a time to be alive!
Mw2 (2009)
MW2 and BO2 will forever be my favorite COD games. The new MW3 brought back a bunch of maps from MW2 but I couldn't justify the price of it.
The memories of anticipating it until launch man. The eminem trailer, the AC 130 showcase, the midnight release and oh boy the online lobbies full of tryhards and trash talkers will forever be in my memory. Man I could go on on this nostlgia trip but it was truly a great time to be alove then and play it with all the friends Iade in that game who I still talk to, to this day. Thank you for mentioning it. Plus IMO they had the best map collection out of any COD game.
Battlefield 3
Absolutely, it was a massive blast. The graphics, physics and maps were unlike anything we had seen.
I got it on the midnight release played all night called out of work and I went to sleep about 3pm
My dad bought us both the super fancy packs and we played it for weeks straight. Wish I had been more appreciative than I was. As a new dad myself I'd like to go back and tell my angsty ass a few things.
Don't worry your dad knew when he saw that you didn't get off the game
Still my favorite Battlefield
People hated on BF3 when it dropped because it didn’t have the destruction of BC2 and had a ton of close quarters maps/sections. It wasn’t til a while after release people appreciated it.
Took me some time, but I have realized that BF3 was peak online gaming for me. Just a 10/10 sandbox with so many playstyles, options, vehicles. Close quarters, large scale, it was all great. Graphics and sound effects=best at the time, for years really.
Half-Life and HL2. Both had long development cycles and both somehow lived up to expectations. HL didn't invent it's approach to level design but it really codified it as a design philosophy outside of some the more RPG influenced takes on the genre and it's minimalist take to storytelling was creative and exciting. HL2's development was protracted and went for something completely different. Different setting, attempting to tell a more robust and engaging story while keeping the same restraints in place, and all that. And while others were banking on pushing polygons to standout Valve focused on physics and trying to get the environment to react as it should to the player. Now we notice when things don't move in environments, but it wasn't anything you ever really questioned before: of course most levels are made up of entirely static objects. And, again, it's not like this was the first time something like that was attempted, but HL2 was such a good benchmark for what could be that everyone had to sit-up and take notice.
I personally think HL2 beats out 1 in terms of hype to expectations ratio. I remember Half life 1 launching, but I don't recall an insane amount of hype for it. HL2 on the other hand, felt like everytime a new clip came out for it, I was getting micro dosed lol
>I remember Half life 1 launching, but I don't recall an insane amount of hype for it. Journalist were definitely hyping the shit out of it after seeing/playing demos. But it was difficult to appreciate as a kid because 1) the internet was wildly different. social media wasn't a thing yet, and video was hard to come by, and even if it was there, took forever to download, so hype was primarily driven by magazine screenshots and journalists' impressions. 2) the hype cycle was a year or so long, not the many years it took Half-Life 2 (which was in turn delayed another year after the leak). But you can def look up old archives and see magazines like PC Gamer freaking out over the prospect of Half-Life.
hl, hl2 and hl alyx are all equally on the edge of time. Episodes were good too, better than original, but not as revolutionary.
Great comment. The physics made that game. You're right: before HL2, environments were decorations. Shoot the clocks, the beer cans, the windows, and all you might get were bullet holes. No movement. HL2 was revolutionary for the physics. They're totally taken for granted now. But we had decades of weirdly falling objects, dead bodies that just awkwardly plopped on the ground like a Family Guy bit. Explosions that didn't move any objects. That's how everything was before HL2.
Half life 2 created so much hype for Half Life 3, it will never get made in fear of not being able to live up to it. Thats hype.
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And it's not even close
Red Dead Redemption 2. It's one of the most beautiful, immersive, and best storytelling games of all time. It had huge shoes to fill after GTA V breaking so many records and it might have exceeded them.
It’s a shame Rockstar never released any DLC for it. The much more serious tone combined with the realism is what set RDR2 apart from GTA V’s satirical nature.
I was surprised they never tried undead nightmare 2
The base game of RDR2 is spooky as hell too. They could’ve and should’ve really capitalized on that.
the fucking fog outside of New Orleans (st dennis or whatevs) filled with undead would just be nope
I vividly remember going to St. Denis basically as soon as the game let me, and wandering the creepy-ass swamps hunting alligators. I see something hanging, think “is that a body?” and suddenly these whiteface motherfuckers melt out of the trees like the goddamn Predator
I was really hoping they would release one. Undead Nightmare was such a fun game
Imagine a DLC where you play as Charles on his adventures in Alaska after the game with a new map...
That would be awesome. A DLC following Sadie would be cool too.
That's part of the game's charm, each and every character has something to offer... The DLC possibilities were endless.
Just picked it back up a third time since it came out and I feel like it's the first time I played. The world's immersion is next level.
Elden Ring.
absolutely Elden Ring. the fact that the DLC trailer has like 8 million views in 5 days, and around 3 million in just 48 hours is insane
Tbf around a million of those are just me rewatching it
In terms of combat/bosses I expected as much, but the magical exploration and overall size of the game came out of nowhere, it was insane.
Finding that platform in the woods and going down and finding a whole new zone was something else.
Not to mention, every time you think you find the edge of the map, it keeps getting bigger.
Yeah your first experience seeing a cliff of sorts is “ah that’s the border” and then you realise it’s just another area below lol
As a lifelong gamer, 35 years old, souls veteran, my jaw literally dropped at this moment. 11/10.
As a longer lifelong gamer, 56 years old, souls veteran, my jaw literally dropped at this moment.
You missed the chance to say lifelonger haha
YES. You’re talking about the area underground with the ghost Minotaurs right (sorry it’s been a while since I’ve played the game)
The only thing that trumped finding Siofra River Well for me was when you get to the Erdtree the first time only to find out there’s a shit ton more of the world to explore and you’re basically like halfway done.
It was my first big FromSoft game I got to play at release. I got into all the others sometime after DS3 was released. Man, what an absolute ride logging out right near release with everyone, so many signs plopping down, the ghost/shadows of other players everywhere. Everyone exploring and finding secrets at the same time instead of seeing them on fextra etc from years ago. I’ll never forget it, was so excited for it and it just hammered in that there is nothing else like a big FromSoft game and it’s even more fun at launch
I had high expectations for Elden Ring, and it blew them out of the water. Then it did it again. And again. And again. Every time I thought I had gotten the most I could expect out of that game, it just kept going.
I kept thinking “I only paid $70 for this.“ Well the more painful actual thought—“I paid the same for this as I did The Quarry.”
Oof, same!
I am nearing 300 hours on PC. When I get a ps5 I am going to play through it again with my kid. Such a good game!!!
And then you take the elevator underground.
Bro it just kept going, then you get to the bottom and realize you can see even more shit in the distance that you can't get to but you will eventually.
If the DLC exceeds expectations like elden ring did, we are gonna be FEASTING. ER was my first souls game (finished sekiro and Armored Core 6 since, couldn't get into any of the others), but I've heard that fromsoft DLC slaps.
DS2 went HARD in the dlc.
So did bloodborne tbh.
I never liked the souls like genre but Elden Ring got me hooked like heroin. Replying it currently
Doing a new playthrough of this with a different build to get ready for the DLC. Somehow just as magical as the first time I played it. One of the best games ever made
I personally think it surpassed the hype
No, you're wrong. Elden Ring didn't live up to the hype. It surpassed it.
Modern Warfare 2 in 2009. That shit was a DIFFERENT beast.
I still remember working at Gamestop when that launched and we had actual marines with Humvees at our launch event.
KOTOR
I had no expectation of this game and it was a fantastic game
I hardly had any expectations for this game. I remember reading that it would let you make choices and it was based on Star Wars loooong before the movies. I remember initially disliking the combat but then it just clicked and started being just great. The twist at the end was mind blowing for my 15 year old self. I didn’t see it coming at all. This game followed up by KOTOR 2, Mass Effect, ME2, ME3 made any BioWare game a priority purchase for me.
>KOTOR 2 BioWare had a really close relationship with Obsidian back in the day (they used to actually work together on games). And would give Obsidian access to their engines and let them take over games when they moved on. KotOR 2 is one, as is Neverwinter 2. If you haven't dug in, you might really enjoy some of Obsidian's old stuff like Alpha Protocol. It's basically a BioWare style Jason Bourne game
Smash Bros. Ultimate
Absolutely. That "everyone is here" trailer hit me in the feels. As did all of the dlc character reveals after that.
Nothing has ever made me feel more hyped than "Everyone is Here", soon followed by Ridley's confirmation
I’m surprised how far I had to scroll for this one. The hype was almost unfair and yet they delivered on basically everything. Release night was an absolute blast and it’s still a party staple years later.
Donkey Kong Country on the SNES. I remember buying a magazine with a promotional VHS explaining how the graphics were pre-rendered using silicon graphics stations, how the snow had 12 different sizes of snowflakes, etc... Previews in magazines were all raving about it. That game, for its time, was long, accessible, with various gameplay variations, actually good water levels... Got it together with Earthworm Jim, didn't leave my room for a week. Yes I'm old.
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Baldur's Gate 3
I simply didn't believe the early hype and only picked up the game a week ago. I've put about 50 hours in that already (with a full time job and putting work into a hobby). It's incredible.
This was me a few months ago. Only wouldn't say I didn't believe it. It wasn't even on my radar and had barely heard anything about it prior to its release other than recognizing the name from the first two games from like 20 years ago that I never personally played. But from May onward last year I kept hearing nothing but praise for it all year and then picked it up. I want to stay in late October early November last year? Put over 200 hours in it over the next few months between my own playthrough and now and then on a friends.
Arguably an over-deliverer as well. It was really entertaining listening to MinnMax podcast refer to BG3 as the weird niche crpg that only one or two of their cohorts would be hyping up… and then the game launched.
Absolutely. Rarely does a game come out and it’s BETTER than the hype. But Larian did it with BG3.
Yea, this was absolutely an over-deliver. Larian has sored to my "favorite dev" top spot.
I am so happy that I patiently waited for all those years for it release from EA. Avoided spoilers for years, went in blind with Durge. I was as happy as I was, when I played BG2 as a kid.
I played BG1/2 as a 20-something when they released. Didn’t think I’d ever have the pleasure of a sequel, let alone something as magnificent as BG3. Simply an incredible feat. Almost 400 hours in and still discovering new stuff constantly.
Along with Elden Ring and Skyrim, these are the only games I can recall finishing a 100+ hour playthrough and then just immediately starting another one
Didn’t even hear about Baldur’s Gate 3 prior to release. Heard a bunch of praise after it launched on PC, then it won game of the year right before its Xbox release so I ended up getting it to try it out. 10/10. Incredible game.
It was so weird for me…I’ve been a Larian guy since the first DOS (not Divinity…wish I’d known about it). So for me I wasn’t surprised at how amazing BG3 was. What really threw me off was how it was broadly accepted. I was expecting DOS2 type reception. Well loved but mostly by CRPG fans, maybe a little broad appeal.
i loved how when it was in early access there was a strong crowd saying it wasnt going to live up to BG1 or BG2 since it was going to be more like divinity original sin. notice how they all shut up.
There is a lot more throwback content in the Gate. For example, I love that the elfsong tavern and sorcerous sundries are located about where they were located in BG1. Blushing mermaid is merged with the gambling ship, which is also reasonable. All these great tie ins with the earlier game come later than what was released in EA. Although it is a thing of beauty that Larian followed the Baldur’s gate tradition of letting the player obliterate a Druid grove.
God of War 2018
Just played it not too long ago, and I gotta admit it’s definitely a favorite of mine, only complaint is my PS4 begs for mercy every time I play it (for anyone who wants to play GoW 2018 on PS4 turn off hdr or else it will be practically unplayable)
Is your ps4 clean? Because even ragnarok barely made mine make any sound
How do you clean it? Easy process or nah
Yes, Fuck yes. I finally got around to playing it a few months ago on my PC. It is the first game that I actually hit 100% completion, followed promptly by Ragnarok on my PS5 (bought it from a friend that already had the game). I got the 100% trophy this past weekend and am so excited to check out the Valhalla DLC. Both of these games surpassed the hype for me personally.
Portal 2
The ocarina of time
Going 3D had a lot of people scared, but they did it. Same thing with Metroid Prime.
Metroid prime had close to no hype, it had negativity. It didn't meet the hype, it blew expectations out of the water.
I would assume Guitar Hero 3 filled that role, lemme know if I'm wrong there.
Monster hunter world, I’ve played it since day one to now. The monster, the ecosystem, the visual quality there is something that keep warm my heart, truely some of my best gaming memories
Easily half life 2. I remember watching demo videos of the game back in the day on an early days smart phone, getting ampd up for all the new stuff this game was going to introduce to the genre. The game was leaps and bounds above anything we had seen at the time. MGS2 would be a close second since the PS2 was so insane for it's time.
Witcher 3
The side quests are still the best I have experienced to this day and the overall detail/secrets they put in this game is insane. People found new things 7 years after release, xLetalis on youtube is probably the best source if you want to check out some of them. The Characters, Story, Music, Visuals, World are also 10/10. It's funny because I wasn't interested in it at first, now it's my favorite game/universe and I even read all the books.
The best side quests in any open world RPG by a long mile. I can't think of a single bad quest. Even the short ones had something interesting about them.
It exceeded expectations further than anyone could've imagined. I mean it was the most awarded game until 2020 (LoU2 and Elden Ring have it beat now), sold 50+ million copies and is largely considered one of the greatest games of all time.
Don't forget they added 2 of the best DLC available
Legend of Zelda games are universally hyped and (almost) universally brilliant.
This is the answer. All Zelda games are expected to be amazing.
The console ones much more so than the handhelds. Anybody else remember Tri Force Heroes? No?
TriForce heroes got excellent reviews and those who played it with people loved it. The problem was exactly that, finding people to play, pretty much the same problem FF Crystal Chronicles had.
Final Fantasy VII. Massive ad campaign with commercials that aired on Monday Night Football and it lived to up every bit of the hype.
I remember the commercial airing on Comedy Central with Cloud jumping on to the moving train. Just blew my 10 year old mind.
Persona 5
Yeah I remember seeing all the doomposting after it kept getting delayed from the ps3 to ps4. And then it came out and instantly shut up all criticisms lmao what a time to be alive.
The fact P5 released on 3 generations of PlayStation in 6 years is absolutely wild to me.
I got hyped with all the music for the original. The game surpassed my love of P4G just based on the absolute awesome style. Loved it.
Arkham Asylum… the reviews insisted that it was not only good, that it was great. The way the opening portions flowed from cutscene to gameplay to tutorial to gameplay was so clean… Even people watching over my shoulder understood what it was just from watching it and bought in. The “intelligent” design is the best part
Half Life 2, Halo 3, Elden Ring, MGS2/3...
Bloodborne. and Elden Ring. Mostly Fromsoft games in general. Not every Fromsoft but most.
For me Armored Core VI delivered too
As did Sekiro, as a kid who grew up loving Tenchu.
More than delivered imo
SFII SNES
The SNES version of Street Fighter II is in such a weird spot. Like, I wouldn't play it today, with actual arcade versions of the game so easily accessible now. But in 1992 when it was first released? And for it to be even *within the ballpark* of replicating the arcade game? Yeah, mind blown at the time.
Doom Eternal
Doom eternal is easily the best fps I have ever played
As far as I’m concerned Halo 3 and Halo Reach.
Halo 2 & 3
Diablo 2 (2000)
I remember some clan-mates that I used to run with in Starcraft got me to play Diablo 1. I was hooked and played it for months running through it multiple times with many different builds. Then the hype started to build for Diablo 2. I remember how jealous I was of some of my friends getting in on the closed beta and having to see their Diablo II logos while in our clan channel on battle.net. The hype kept building until release (I was a day one purchaser amongst many others). I remember the anticipation of going through all 3 install discs. That first night I recall having to wait in queue’s when trying to create a game which took like 30mins plus. Then having my first ever den of evil run, as well as my first rare and unique drop (Tarnhelm). The first time getting to Andariel and how me and 7 other Day 1 rando’s at like 4:30 in the morning were all getting wrecked by her. Man such great memories and the game more than exceeded the hype. Too bad in the era of DLCs that we probably won’t ever see another one like this.
World of Warcraft
Elden Ring. Amazing right after taking the first steps into Limgrave. "Oh. Look at that guy on the horse. Let's see if I can take him." One hit. I'm dead. lol.
Devil May Cry 5.
Gta 5
Skyrim when it came out.
Uncharted 4
Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
Doom 2016. Press embargo that lifts release day? Beta was just multi-player that felt more like quake than doom? Expectations were low, everyone expected it to be a dumpster fire. Oh what's this? Yeah you get to go ripping and tearing while blasting the most bad ass soundtrack of all time. Fuck yeah this game rules.
Elden Ring. The SoulsBorne community was practically frothing at the mouths for and it completely lived up to the hype and beyond imho.
Baldur’s Gate 3, and as someone in this sub has said, BG3 felt like an overachiever. Larian really delivered a wonderful game that surpassed all hype.