I feel like my “all-time favorite” changes depending on my mood, but if I had to pick just one, I’d probably go with The Witcher 3. That game just hit all the right notes—amazing story, incredible world-building, and so much stuff to do without feeling like pointless filler. Plus, the expansions were just as good, if not better than the base game.

What about you? Are you more into RPGs, shooters, or something else entirely?

  • slazer2au@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Morrowind. One of the few games you can fail the main quest by going on a rampage or by selling the wrong item.

      • Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Come on, now…

        1. Grind to gather resources.
        2. Make a potion to fortify intelligence
        3. Make a potion to fortify alchemy
        4. Drink potions
        5. While potions are active, make another set of fortify intelligence and alchemy potions, which - as a result of your potion-enhanced intelligence and alchemy skill - now fortified even stronger and longer.
        6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 a few times to become the smartest god-like being around for an infinite amount of time.

        Game-breaking, but I would absolutely do it in real life if I had the option. I want the brains!

  • cattywampas@lemm.ee
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    14 days ago

    Not just my mood, but I have different flavors of favorite.

    In terms of nostalgia and all-time enjoyment, hard to beat Ocarina of Time.

    In terms of pure “this game is so good”, may have to go with Red Dead Redemption 2. Truly a masterpiece.

    In terms of most hours played, Civilization 6 at over 2000 hours.

    • cod@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      I like this way of doing it. For me:

      Nostalgia and all-time enjoyment, probably Pokémon Gen 2 / Remakes (Silver / Gold / Crystal / SoulSilver / HeartGold). I consider them all one game of different “flavours”. If I had to choose one I’d probably go with SoulSilver. The remakes added some much needed modern conveniences, and having your Pokémon follow you around in the overworld was awesome.

      Pure “this game is so good”, probably Elden Ring. Before the DLC I’d probably go with Dark Souls III because of Gael and Friede, but Shadow of the Erdtree blew me away.

      Most hours played, Skyrim at over 5,000. HITMAN is in second place at a bit over 1,300.

  • whyrat@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    Best single game is probably Portal. The pacing, storytelling, innovation, sound, all are top notch even 20+ years later. Graphics aren’t phenomenal, but don’t need to be. The challenges and easter eggs made it a blast to 100%.

  • krzschlss@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Sekiro.

    Only hard until you start to understand the dance moves. Then it becomes pure nirvana.

    After NG+7 I had to stop playing it and give some other games a chance.

    • moody@lemmings.world
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      13 days ago

      I’m still surprised how well received it was, not because I disagree, but just because of the numbers. It’s currently sitting at 95% positive ratings on Steam, and that’s with 229k reviews, for a game that plays so different from what gamers expected out of FromSoft.

    • NelDel@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      13 days ago

      Even when I suck at a boss fight it feels like I learn something new every time, such a good gameplay loop

    • nogooduser@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      I got stuck on it and then stopped playing for so long that I feel that I need to start again. I do intend to start it again if I ever get the time to put into it.

  • tatann@lemm.ee
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    14 days ago

    The Witcher 3, followed by the Mass Effect trilogy (I consider it as a whole)

    And honestly, Cyberpunk 2077 could complete the top 3

    But if I have to consider multiplayer games, with 3000+ hours on Warframe (considering I haven’t touched it for years), I guess it could also be considered my favorite (I think I also spent 1000h on ME3 multi)

  • joshthewaster@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Super Mario World - just a fun game. Lots of little secrets and fun to speed run.

    Titanfall - I played an absurd amount of this one and really wished there was a 3rd one. 1-2 remind me of the pattern seen in trilogys where 1 sets the stage, 2 deviaties pretty far and polarizes fans and then 3 uses the best of both while trying to feel more like 1. (Mario 1-3, Halo 1-3). My favorites in this pattern tend to be 3 so I’m disappointed I never got Titanfall 3.

    Pubg - when it was new. Lost me years ago now but that first 6 months to a year was awesome. So many crazy games and absurd fun.

    • nogooduser@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      I loved Titanfall 1 so much. Titanfall 2’s campaign was absolutely fantastic but I didn’t get on with the multiplayer so much.

      I actually think that was a “me problem” rather than a problem with the game. I think that I had just had enough of multiplayer shooters as I’ve not played one since.

  • celeste@kbin.earth
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    14 days ago

    My nostalgia faves are still The Longest Journey and Grim Fandango. My love of stories told with games started here. I do need to think about what my all time favorites are, though. That’s a big question.

    • Malix@sopuli.xyz
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      14 days ago

      oh man, The Longest Journey has been on my todo list for eternities. Ages ago I was being a pixel-peeping-perfectionist and I hated the aliasing on the character models - but now that ScummVM does the game perfectly I really have no reason to wait… but… here we are.

      Since the game is dear to you, how about some motivational sales pitch for it? Why should I drop everything else and go play the game right now? :D

      • celeste@kbin.earth
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        13 days ago

        One thing I really loved about it was even though the character models were as weird looking as you’d expect from the era, the backgrounds were beautiful and when i played it years later with more modern sensibilities, I still was fond of them. The story took advantage of the fact that the main character was an artist, so there were a number of colorful or visually interesting segments.

        The whole experience felt so vast, and even not being a child any more (which can make stories seem vast because of your own imagination), there still feels like there’s a lot to both worlds. And history to characters, just out of view.

        It also lives up pretty well to its name. There’s a lot of it. A lot of lore and locations and puzzles. Some of the puzzles are obtuse to the extreme, and silly. There’s one that’s almost legendarily bad, so it has that bit of history if you’re interested lol.

        It’s tough to say what’s nostalgia and what’s my preference and what’s genuinely great. You’d probably have to play it to find out!

        • Malix@sopuli.xyz
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          13 days ago

          the character models were as weird looking as you’d expect from the era

          Oh sure! Love the lowpoly/pre-rendered backgrounds aesthetic. The aliasing thing I mentioned earlier is just a “petpeeve” of mine, I can’t stand the jagged edges / lack of antialiasing. The rough pixel edges of the modes look so out of place when the pre-rendered backgrounds are so smoothly antialiased.

          Though, there’s an argument to be made that when playing in modern high resolution, the character models are a lot sharper than the upscaled/blurry backgrounds :D

          Some of the puzzles are obtuse to the extreme, and silly. There’s one that’s almost legendarily bad, so it has that bit of history if you’re interested lol.

          I guess same goes for pretty much every point&click adventure game, sometimes you just need to be in the same “headspace” as the puzzle designer to get it, otherwise you just don’t.

          But, sure I’m down for some history of a bad puzzle! I love obscure tidbits of old games.

  • Malix@sopuli.xyz
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    14 days ago

    same deal, favorites change according to mood, but there are overall few mainstays:

    Indiana Jones & The Fate of Atlantis.

    It’s a childhood favorite I return to every now and then. It’s a point&click adventure, and to me it’s essentially the 4th (and last) Indiana Jones movie. :D

    Apart from one or two bad bits the game pulls, it’s otherwise pretty logical from start to finish. 3 different paths from mid to late game, and mostly good voice acting (for the time). I know the game by heart at this point, but still it feels fun to play, every time. Nostalgia-goggles probably play a big part.

    kinda spoilery descriptions of said bad bits
    • there’s a “puzzle” where you need to go back and forth trading items between 2 characters, until eventually some hint from the recipient drops. Not hard, just… tedious.
    • the hot air balloon controls are bad. Not impossible to use, but just imprecise for no real gameplay reason.
    • if you didn’t LOOK at one specific Atlantean cupboard’s door, you have no clue how to solve a later puzzle. Though, you can return to the cupboard, but nothing hints there being instructions for the later puzzle on it.

    Cyberpunk 2077

    I know it’s a divisive game, don’t care, works for me. The bleak vibes of the game just speak to me. Have played it through several times since launch, occasionally still find new things here and there. Not the deepest rpg around, but a good action-rpg with neonlights.

    Unnamed Space Idle

    I’ve been on this idle/timewaster for way over a year, slow progress raising the numbers all the time. Sure it’s a bit low on gameplay, but absolutely neat little game to occasionally click few times when watching some longform content or so.

  • MorningThunder@lemm.ee
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    13 days ago

    Shadow of the Colossus was barely even a game, it was art. I don’t think I even played it for more than 20 hours total but just a simple masterpiece.

  • Flamekebab@piefed.social
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    14 days ago

    Fallout 2 is probably one of my favourite games of all time. Absolutely amazing game, if a bit sprawly. I’ve played through it many times and expect I will do again.

    Red Alert 2 - the pinnacle of the isometric RTS genre. Bordering on too silly but without tipping into absolute farce. Mechanically very strong, the art is lovely, and even has nostalgia for me.

    The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. Massive game but a run can be completed relatively quickly. I always disable the music because I don’t like games that try to scare and intimidate me. I’m pretty good at the game so it tends to be pretty relaxing for me, if a bit fugue-state-y.

    Battlefield: Bad Company 2: the apex of the Battlefield multiplayer games for me. The others have plenty going for them, but BFBC2 was the best compromise between destructibility, player counts, etc. for my tastes. Sniping took significant skill and one couldn’t go prone - it meant that open areas didn’t feel like a death sentence (looking at you, later BF games!).

    Assassin’s Creed: Origins/Odyssey two open world games with beautiful maps and locations to explore. I think I preferred the setting of Origins but the story of Odyssey. A bit of escapist fantasy, I suppose. I loved the Ezio trilogy too, mind you.

  • JackRider@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Oh man, same problem. I can’t decide what I like more there are just too many good ones. The Witcher 3 is definitely up there for me too, but then I think about Red Dead Redemption 2 and how insanely detailed that world is, and I start second-guessing everything. Then there’s Elden Ring, which just blew my mind with how massive and rewarding it felt to explore. But if I want something more casual, I always go back to Stardew Valley or Hollow Knight both just have that perfect mix of chill and challenge. And of course, Mass Effect 2 still holds a special place in my heart.

    What kind of games do you find yourself replaying the most? Do you go back to the same favorites, or do you always try to play something new?

  • mysticpickle@lemmy.ca
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    14 days ago

    Star Control 2 - it’s a mix of RPG storytelling with zany aliens mixed with Asteroids style PvP arcade gameplay. Like Ham and Cantaloupe, you think the combination wouldn’t work but it just somehow does. The writing and lore of the whole universe is just super rich and really immerses you into the whole universe.