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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?

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[–] Different_pie@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

My all-time favorite game is Factorio. If I were stranded on a deserted island and could bring only one game, it would undoubtedly be Factorio. That said, Crusader Kings II will always hold a special place in my heart—even though I tried diving into Crusader Kings III, it just never captured the same magic.

[–] Iskorion@lemm.ee 4 points 2 days ago

Baldurs Gate 3 anyone? I’m kind of shocked to not see it in here. I’ve never enjoyed a game more. Only sad thing is that there won’t be official dlcs or expansions… But then again there’s mod support! Other than that I really enjoy EU IV after 2k hours, but all-time-favorite? I don’t think so.

[–] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago

By played hours the Binding Of Isaac probably.

By impact in my heart Metal Gear Solid.

[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Probably Morrowind.

Properly distinct beast races, freedom to fuck up the world, really rewarding exploration, awesome scenery and concepts, great soundtrack, you can free slaves, and Argonians have never looked better overall.

Second place, probably Red Dead Redemption 2. Every single aspect of that game is outstanding. The pacing, the story, the characters, the combat, the exploration, the horse genitals, the music, the graphics, the massive scale of the world.. Just truly a masterpiece of a game, and I think Rockstar will never surpass it.

Honorable mentions for Caves of Qud, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy 7 (original AND remake/rebirth) and Starflight (mostly played on C64 but Genesis/Megadrive version is far better)

Oh, fuck, and Silent Hill 2, that's somewhere in the top three. Both original and remake. Fucking exceptional works of art.

[–] TwoHardCore@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

+1 on the Max Payne mention...great game!

Came out near the time of my favorite PC game, Unreal Tournament.

As far as arcade games, I'd say maybe Rygar or Dragon's Lair...but those are so old (like I am) that I might not be remembering them so well?

[–] Ok_imagination@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

That's a tough one to answer. I have to say league of legends, because it's always our friends fallback game.

But other favorites are:

  • Terraria
  • Subnautica
  • Bravely Default
  • Warcraft 3 - mainly the custom maps, we played so much of that
  • Slay the spire
[–] almost1337@lemm.ee 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The OG X-Com is probably up there as a game that I keep coming back to. Especially after I learned about some of the total conversion mods for it.

[–] Eso@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

X-Com: UFO Defense (1994) is definitely up there for me as well, but I don't think it can dethrone Baldur's Gate (1998) which I have to give top spot.

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 27 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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

[–] NelDel@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 4 days ago (2 children)

The spells in Morrowind are so creative & fun too! Levitate & recall were my favorites.

[–] Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 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!

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[–] whyrat@lemmy.world 25 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

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%.

[–] duchess@feddit.org 16 points 4 days ago (5 children)

I'd say that Portal 2 even improved the first one in every aspect.

[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm on the fence about which is better. Portal 2 is an improvement, but also has its flaws.

Part of the reason I would argue Portal 1 was better is because it was so unexpected. I went in expecting "interesting puzzle game" which it is, but I did not expect to also get "excellent humor with strange horror vibes and incredibly good personality."

If someone didn't know what a Glados was I think the first one is better. I also recognize that many people who have never played Portal are well aware of Glados.

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[–] Vespair@lemm.ee 3 points 3 days ago

I dunno. Frankly they're both absolutely pantheon, legendary games that deliver a near-perfect gaming experience, but I feel like Portal 1 delivered a kind of tighter package where Portal 2 meanders just a little bit, and while Wheatley is still brilliant I'm not sure I he hit the same way or struck the same tone as GlaDOS. But we're talking about like nanometers of difference in quality here either way as both games are goddamn stellar.

[–] Flagstaff 9 points 4 days ago

Portal felt like a very long, pretty well-done tech demo, but Portal 2 is where it's at.

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[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 16 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

It's easily The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

It has everything I could ask for in a game: Sword fighting. Magic. Secrets. Dungeon crawling. An alternate dimension. Side quests. Different tools and items. There's enough content that it feels fulfilling to complete it. Peak art. Peak music. NPCs don't talk too much, and there are just enough of them to make the world feel alive. Bosses.

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[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

World of Warcraft!

I know people like to look down on it here but it's trully an amazing theme park metaverse experience.

I don't have much time for it these days but just playing couple of hours every week is such a joyful experience. There's just so much to do in the game, great writing, legendary characters, great people playing it. True metaverse experience everyone has been chasing lately.

[–] superglue@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

Age of Empires II is my all time favorite game. Gears of War 1 - 3 are a close second.

[–] EarMaster@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Transport Tycoon was fantastic and thanks to OpenTTD I still play it from time to time.

Gothic 2 is by far the best Action RPG of all time. Witcher 3 comes close, but still fails to surpass it in so many places.

Banished always gets me with it's atmosphere. It feels cozy but at the same time you are close to complete annihilation. Oxygen not included hits the same mark, but also has a distinctive art style and humor to it which I love.

Stanley Parable (and it's Deluxe edition) never fails to make me laugh. But it can get tedious sometimes...

[–] cattywampas@lemm.ee 20 points 4 days ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] krzschlss@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago (8 children)

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.

[–] 50_centavos@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Playing that now, just beat fake monk, next is the gorilla. Once the combat clicked for me everything made sense.

[–] noxypaws@pawb.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I can't beat Genichiro Ashina, but I think I'm going at him too early, but damnit I should still be able to!

He’s one of the first hard tests. You just gotta keep throwing yourself at him until it clicks. I went the other way and did Lady Butterfly which had its own pain. You have to play aggressively. Hesitation is defeat and all of that

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[–] joshthewaster@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago (3 children)

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.

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[–] Vespair@lemm.ee 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I play almost every genre (minimal interest in sports games, admittedly), and my favorite changes all the time. But in general, here are some of my all-time top games:

Final Fantasy Tactics

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (people who think BL2 is better than TPS are wrong)

Spider-Man (PS4)

Hades

Civilization 6

[–] Xechon@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (people who think BL2 is better than TPS are wrong)

Are you Australian by chance? I have a lot of complaints about TPS, but then after watching some taskmaster Australia I had a theory; I wonder if there is some fundamental difference in preferred pacing that causes those to fall flat for other audiences? In dialog, humor, events, etc.

[–] Vespair@lemm.ee 3 points 3 days ago

East Coast USA, born and raised and lived in all my life. So no, not Australian.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 3 days ago
[–] MorningThunder@lemm.ee 10 points 4 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.

[–] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 13 points 4 days ago (13 children)

It's a difficult question to answer. I personally barely consider Disco Elysium to be a game, more like an interactive story that uses certain game mechanics as grammar elements and punctuation in its storytelling. It's a novel masquerading as a game. It's three novels in a trenchcoat. But if we do count it then it is my pick, by a landslide.

Otherwise it's probably Baldur's Gate 2. It's the story game I've replayed the most over the years and it was absolutely fundamental in my journey as a gamer, the definition of a formative experience. Even though parts of it are dated now (some clunk is to be expected from a 25-year-old game) I still prefer it to BG3. It's got a great story, great companions and an all-time great villain. David Warner put in an incredible performance and even all these years later there aren't many video game villains who have surpassed Irenicus in sheer aura.

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[–] remon@ani.social 12 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

StarCraft: Brood War

[–] KITA@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Dark Souls.

It fundamentally changed me as a person. All of the other fromsoft games are great but none of them really encapsulates the experience that is the first Dark Souls game.

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[–] WereCat@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I probably can't decide on a single one but if I had to list:

  • Operation Flashpoint (a big candidate on best)
  • Mafia 1
  • Giant: Citizen Kabuto
  • Half-Life series
  • Portal series
  • Dark Souls/Elden Ring
  • Age of Empires II (also big candidate on best)
  • Mass Effect series

And I'm gonna stop myself here because there's way more which just complicates choice

[–] eRac@lemmings.world 2 points 2 days ago

Giant: Citizen Kabuto

Deep cut. Such a strange game.

I remember playing 3-person multiplayer with no router in that game. A friend had two Ethernet ports but couldn't bridge them, so he'd host and the other two of us would join. Some stuff worked smoothly, but other stuff was super broken.

[–] inlandempire@jlai.lu 12 points 4 days ago (6 children)

Any of those three

  • Disco Elysium
  • Death Stranding
  • Outer Wilds
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[–] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

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.

I replayed the entire game after completing Cyberpunk 2077 and finished it this weekend. Sadly for me the game doesn't hold up that well in various aspects and it was one of my favourites. The story is great, the ending is really well done, but the combat is too simple, the leveling of the game is all over the place, the RPG aspect of the game is really underwhelming and the game is just too damn long. I actually ended up enjoying Cyberpunk 2077 more at the end, but TW3 is a better game in general.

As for my "all-time favorite", that depends.

Nier: Automata changed me, the game had a real impact on me.

Zelda BOTW is the game that made me feel happier while playing it.

Sekiro is the game that just clicked perfectly.

DAO was my all time favourite RPG but Divinity 2/BG3 both took that spot.

Chrono Trigger is the game that I'll always remember, the singleplayer game that I've replayed the most.

Terraria is my favourite indie game.

I have a real soft spot for Bloodstained, I loved Casltevania Symphony of the Night and I waited so long for Bloodstained and the guys delivered what I expected. The first game that I wanted to do 100%.

[–] RandomVideos 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Minecraft

There are so many things you can do in the game, especially using mods

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[–] the16bitgamer 1 points 2 days ago

With endless replay. Rollercoaster Tycoon 1&2. Shout out to Open RCT (sim city 3000 is a close second)

Console favourite- The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening

Sound track - Chrono Trigger

That long play (where you forget what you were doing if you put the game down) - Metroid Fusion/Prime

Pokemon - Emerald or Soul Silver depending on my mood.

[–] Flamekebab@piefed.social 9 points 4 days ago (3 children)

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.

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[–] blomvik@sopuli.xyz 7 points 4 days ago

Gothic 2, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, GTA: San Andreas and Arcanum are for og ny favourite games that are a bit too flawed to be all time favourite.

Final Fantasy 6 and 7 were so good, but I can't play them alone, we used to pass along the controller.

I love point and clicks like Grim Fandango and Monkey island.

I played Planescape: Torment in 2006 and it left such an impression on me.

Of never games there's Disco Elysium and The Obra Dim.

Not to mention Zelda's, Illusion of Time, the Mana series, Mario's, the old Blizzard games, Brotherbound games and other amiga games. Quake........

Maybe Day of the Tentacle?

[–] tatann@lemm.ee 9 points 4 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)

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