Gaming

No game has ever occupied so much of my mind as NieR: Automata. I beat the game, thought "huh, that was pretty good", and then thought about it again the next day. and again. and again. again. again. again. again. again. I just could not stop thinking about what the game was trying to say or how it made me feel, and it's just become more and more important to me as time has gone on. Really incredible game

For me it’s Return of the Obra Dinn. I was blown away by how well this game is done. I blew through it in like 2 days. The way the story plays out is so cool. Afterward I hassled my wife to play it because she loves that murder mystery stuff but she bought it and still hasn’t played it lol.

Anyway highly recommend if you’re into puzzle games.

Neon white was super fun, still working in 100% for the good ending.

Ori and the Blind Forest + Ori and the Will of the Wisps. So much can be said

Zelda Ocarina of Time. I was growing up when it came out and I was so little I couldnt' really play it yet, so I watched my big brother play it. Whenever he let me try, I woudl just run around on Epona around Hyrule Field in circles lol

Control, just so much fun

MMOs: Vindictus, BDO, and Lost Ark. Just with playing them for 2+ years ea, that creates a lot of fun and happy memories with the people I played with

The Witcher 3 (mainly the DLCs), the story was so good, like it's the only game I can remember where I was waiting to play it every weekend just for the story.

Ocarina of Time - the music is so amazing, I can still remember all of it.

Runescape Classic (like 2002) for making me impervious to scams - you get scammed by some players once and that sticks with you.

Celeste, even made me cry a bit towards the end, first from it being sad but then happy at the very end.

Final fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts games also are always stuck in my head even to this day

Starcraft, when the first one released and then the expansion, I always wondered what happen to Kerrigan/Jimmy and the Protoss templars. We don't have any official answers all the way until Starcraft 2 released. That "it's about time" trailer was about as hype as I can be for a very long time. And then it faded behind DOTA 2 and LoL.( I didn't even know when the 2nd one or 3rd campaign released. too busy with indie game/kickstarter boom and then Rocket Leauge. ^^; )

The big ones for me are the one where I made friends and very personal experiences:

Tibia, Eve Online & Warhammer Online

Which reminds me, I haven't messaged certain former guild leader in a while!

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

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

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

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

Horizon Zero Dawn (and sequel), Control, Mass Effect 2, Grim Fandango, Dreamfall.

In a very different way, Kerbal Space Program because it gives a good understanding of orbital mechanics.

Kenshi. Kenshi is the single most unique game I have ever played I think. There is no campaign, you are just sent into one of the largest maps ive heard of in a video game with the goal of "survive". So many ways to play, I've had so many different adventures in that game, with stories that I crafted that have stuck with me for years. I am still heartbroken I lost my saves from 2019 :(

Second choice is prototype. I dunno why but I just adore the shapeshifting combat, and edgy early 2000s aesthetic. Alex Mercer is one of my all time favorite supervillian/hero characters, he's just cool, man.

Oblivion has lived in my head since the moment I first played it back in 09. Finally started teaching myself how to make mods for it last year and now it takes up even more of my brain!

Loom

It's been, what, 30 years? I still think about that game pretty frequently.

The STALKER series really stuck with me for some reason.It's probably the familiarity of the landscape/atmosphere. Post apoc eastern Europe isn't that much different from normal eastern Europe lol

Barotrauma also stuck with me because of the atmosphere. Amazing game to play solo and feel the weight of the setting, although the bots you play with are a bit iffy and the multiplayer doesn't carry the same feeling of dread and isolation

Red Dead Redemption. Probably stuck with me more than any other game Ive played. I still listen to the soundtrack on a regular basis.

Really hope it gets a rerelease

Hollow Knight and Ori Will of the Wisps pop up in my head constantly. They're atmospheric masterpieces.

Ace Attorney. The first 3 and Edgeworth spinoffs are legit masterpieces.

Outer Wilds and Omori. Both beautiful games and if I had to choose one to play through for the first time again, I couldn't.

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

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

Thief. The first three, at least. (*)

Splinter Cell as well.

Basically, Splinter Cell got me into what became my favorite genre: stealth.

Then I went and played Thief because stealth, and just everything about those games furthered my love for not only stealth, but it was my gateway to immersive sims as well.

Also, the level "Robbing the Cradle" in Deadly Shadows will always stick with me. As someone who hates survival horror, that level was both fucking incredible and also a nightmare that I had to use a walkthrough to get through quickly.

KOTOR got me into RPGs, and New Vegas came around and has stuck with me ever since.

And Skyrim I guess, since I've played it way too many times.

Should probably add Prey (2017) as well. Incredible game. For that matter, Dishonored. Both have a permanent place in my mind. And when I say Dishonored, I mean the first two, although I also enjoyed Death of the Outsider.

(*) I actually enjoyed Thief 2014 for what it was. Not nearly on the level as the originals, but it was still okay, if a sadly forgettable entry which kind of put the nail in the coffin for future releases.

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

Metal Gear Solid. All of them, but especially MGS 4 left me speechless and sad-tisfied. I played it pretty much every year until my PS3 didn't want to exist anymore. I still have times where I recall scenes from the whole saga.

Metal Gear Solid 2. The reveal at the end has stuck with me because 9/11 happened a couple months before and it was so poignant and apropos that my heart rate jumped for the entirety.

Deus Ex. For the same reason as above but in the opposite direction time-wise.

Outer Wilds. Like most have said. Amazing game.

Black & White. Playing god had never been so much fun.

Thief. Stealth in a way that had never been done before.

Morrowind. First RPG I wanted to do every little thing in.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I grew up in LA during the 90s. This game was the closest thing to using a time machine. The amazing story was just a cherry on top.

Started thinking about it and turns out I have a few:

• Thomas Was Alone for the overall vibe, music and writing
• Celeste for the the story and gameplay
• Hollow Knight for the world, music and mechanics
• Metroid Prime for being generally incredible
• Overwatch for being my intro to online games and the friends I made playing it
• Halo 3 because a mate of mine and I played it so damn much

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

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

The entire Witcher trilogy, but especially the Witcher 3. Replaying after reading the books adds so much depth the world and the political decisions you are forced to make. The world is beautiful, the ambient sounds and soundtrack are so good ("winds howling") and the story is gripping.