Im almost not sure if I want that. Most of the games I would do that for are older games from like 25 years ago, and I honestly can't see playing them today and ever having those fond moments like I did then. In my case, the time of playing them also mattered a lot.
Most of the games I would do that for are older games from like 25 years ago, and I honestly can’t see playing them today
I'll take the opposite side of that
I bought an old Radio Shack Color Computer off EBay and had a total blast playing Dungeons of Daggorath with my kids. Plus, it's educational: it teaches you to type "A L " really really fast
Same, of course the memory of the time you played is also important. I was more asking hypothetically since this is not possible, as a game you'd love to experience again, maybe at that time also. Like go back and play it back then.
I’ve tried to play this game twice. I get confused and have no idea what to do or where to go or what to do when I get there. Spent about 12 hours playing and just feel lost. And everytime I bring it up. People reccomend I just keep playing. And yet I’m still lost haha
That's surprising that you feel so lost. Did you perhaps miss the journal / discovery board in the back of your ship? Basically just need to look at that and try to flesh out any of the plot threads you see on there.
Whenever one isn't progressing, take a break and try a totally different direction or just wander wherever you can for a cycle or two and you'll have stumbled on to some new leads probably.
Its pretty intentional that most players hit a stall around the middle because you have to start challenging things you THINK you know but haven't actually proven to be certain yet.
Well. That makes things make a little more sense I had no idea about it. I just thought it was various ways to experience a death loop over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
I just looked it up and it's actually called the Rumor Map apparently. It's pretty important to organize all the things you find in a loop and check yourself to see if there is more to uncover on some plot point.
If you get in your ship it's opposite the pilot seat. I'm sure it was pretty maddening to not have that tool and hear people say such high praise about the game lol.
If you haven't been spoiled on it, you might find the game a lot more enjoyable giving it another shot some day!
One of the very few genuine flaws in Outer Wilds is that it does a really, really bad job of ensuring players find the rumor map / discovery board. It's such an essential feature, one that so often makes or breaks people's experience of the game, and I've seen so many players express this exact same sentiment of "I had no idea what it was doing" only for someone to point out that they'd missed the rumor map.
I felt the same way. I had a hard time with it because you don’t really know what you’re supposed to be doing. I ended up getting frustrated with it and looked up how to finish it.
After I finished it, I regretted looking it up. It really is a masterpiece but it takes a certain type of person to be able to get through it. I couldn’t get through it myself, but my partner and I have fun playing these types of games together.
We’re currently enjoying working through the dlc now.
I guess I’ll say I get it if you want to quit or just look up the solution, but I promise it’s worth it if you make it through
I think the biggest predictor of whether people will vibe with Outer Wilds is how much natural curiosity they have and how self-motivated they are. Outer Wilds doesn't push players towards any particular objective, it instead tries to give players questions so they go looking for answers. Of course a game that relies so heavily on intrinsic motivation isn't going to be for everyone, but the thing that makes the game so difficult for some people to get into is the same thing that makes those who do get into it love it so much.
Some non-spoilery advice if you decide to give it another shot:
Use the ship log every loop and read what's new. Look at the biggest cards in rumor mode and try to find them. There are several "secret" locations in the game that many of the hints point towards which contain information that puts the game's mystery into perspective and gives players a sense of direction and purpose. In the playthroughs I've seen where they didn't finish it was almost always because they played for a long time without finding any of the "big" secret locations.
I really loved it, up to the point where I just couldn't contain the level design in my brain anymore. Guess I ran out of brain memory or something, but when a 3D space with changing orientation and gravity comes into play, I just did not know anymore where I already explored ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Add time pressure into that mix and the game lost me.
Hey, it's okay, friend, not every game has to be for everyone and that's fine.
What worked for me, I guess, was to not approach it in terms of a game where I'm trying to make progress, so much as a vast place with a lot of mysteries that all actually make sense once you work it out; and that happens naturally if you let your curiosity drive you. You will, in fact, be making progress; you just won't realize it until the pieces fall into plane and, all at once, you know.
But really, due where I was in life when I played it and how much it helped me process things, I'm not sure I would give up the experience I already had.
Agreed! I think this applies to any game where you have to explore both the world and the gameplay. It gives you these incredible "ah-ha" moments that you'll never forget and have an impact on your gaming for the rest of your life. I think for me the number 1 game I had this experience with was Animal Well. Our group played both Animal Well and Outer Wilds for our indie game club and every single person had multiple moments like this for each game.
What I love most about the game is the community's refusal to spoil it for others. Spoilers exist, but you really have to look for them.
Honestly, it's a testament to how good the game is that we all collectively, agreed to say nothing about it beyond "It's incredible, I wish I could play it for the first time again. Go play it". I wasn't told to not spoil it, I just won't.
Anyways, Outer Wilds is mine. There's lots of games in this list that I love: MGS, KOTOR, FO:NV, I would rate all of them above Outer Wilds in a "my favourite game" list.
But, Outer Wilds really gains something from the first experience above and beyond what those others do, and it's worth preserving.
The correct answer to this question is always Outer Wilds.
It's a game that can be beaten in five minutes if you already know the solution. But the process of discovering that solution, and unearthing the incredible story around it, is one of the most unbelievable gaming experiences you will ever have.
It's an absolute masterpiece and if you haven't played it yet, you really, really need to.
I beat it, but I needed walkthroughs because for some reason my game was so stuttering after the first loop it was basically unbearable especially in some areas.
::: spoiler Tap for spoiler
and the anglerfish were imposibble to go around because I didn't have any controller, so I had to install a cheat plugin and I thought why not add a halfl-ife asset pack and voicemod so the ending altough cursed still made me cry.
:::
Portal. I played the whole thing on the first sit down as soon as it downloaded, but the audio had glitched so I missed the voice over. Missed a huge part of the experience.
That was my vote! There's little to no replay value, but damn what a ride. Spent 2 or 3 weeks imagining portals IRL. "I could snatch the TV remote without moving if..."
"Now you're thinking in Portals!" was the most accurate tagline I've ever experienced.
Its comments like this that made me finally go and purchase The Outer Worlds a few months ago. Going in blind and within 10 minutes I'm thinking, what is this bullshit?!?! I have yet to try the right game yet but that always makes me laugh.
::: spoiler It's still my favorite game. The ending hit me so hard; had me messed up for a while. I just started Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 in hopes of having a game hit me as hard as Nier: Automata did. spoiler :::
My main gripe is that replaying the story as 9s can get pretty slow, and the combat isn't nearly as enjoyable.
Deus Ex. A strangely prescient game that had shaped how I view the world.
The need to be observed and understood was once satisfied by God. Now we can implement the same functionality with data-mining algorithms. You will soon have your God... and you will make it with your own hands.
It just seemed like a fishing simulator, but it got creepier as it went on. Definitely an ending I didn't expect. That may have been me just getting too into finding every fish.
Great gameplay loop and played on steam deck excellently.
Honestly, I had completely the opposite experience with Dredge.
The first few days in the game feel truly scary, with your terribly slow ship, and every strange light in the darkness is terrifying. Those initial quests with the pulsating wet package are creepy, and you wonder where that's going to lead, and what storyline will come from that.
But then, you get a few engine upgrades and there's suddenly not a single danger in the game you can't easily run from. You're invincible and the whole ocean is your oyster. The pulsating package was just a bit of flavour and nothing comes of it at all - in fact the quests in the game are almost entirely plain fetch quests, totally shallow with very little real story. And while the ending gets interesting, it's all too brief.
Now don't get me wrong - I loved Dredge, actually! But I loved it as a cosy collect-em-all fishing sim, bombing around the ocean in your fun and zoomy boat, rather than the narrative-driven Lovecraftian horror the trailers made it out to be, which ultimately I felt it wasn't at all.
Inscryption. I thought it was a poor man's Slay The Spire using janky escape-room mechanics as a cheap, nifty gimmick to lend it some value.
It appeared on Game Pass, and upon trying it I sneered a little at it, as Spire and Monster Train were my only experiences with deckbuilders and I had been spoiled. I had no idea how good it really was. Gameplay mechanics it can't match up, but it contains a story thats shot straight into my top 10 of all time.
It shares an exclusive room in my memory alongside Bioshock, Deus Ex, KOTOR and the like.
Unfortunately it can't take me by surprise twice. The shock, suspense and mystery have been depleted and I cant feel it again. Ive been told the dev has more games that are all gold like that, but I cant look them up. I went into Doki Doki knowing that something happens and youll just have to find out and its spoilers and iykyk etc, and when it did it it just felt kinda neat but thoroughly underwhelming. I just need to hope that I stumble onto one of the devs other projects like a beautiful landmine in the future.
Alright, this is the review that has finally convinced me to get it - a friend told me I'd like it after Outer Wilds, but did not give me enough hook - this sounds interesting.
That game came out when I happened to be really into the PBS Space Time series and I was learning as much as my brain could comprehend about general vs special relativity; which is all I can say without spoiling the game lol. So even if I could forget all of the story I don't think it would have quite the same impact. It would still be something magic though I'm sure. I still enjoy watching others experience the game for the first time too.
Likewise. Outer Wilds was an incredible experience but it's one of those things that will inherently have zero replay value. Unless maybe you feel like doing a quick run-through as a comfort food nostalgia game, or something. It's fairly unique in that your progression in it is based purely on your personal knowledge of what you've discovered in the solar system, and if you had foreknowledge there's literally nothing stopping you from beating it on your very first launch without even doing a single time loop. There's even an achievement for doing the same, no doubt intended to be earned once you already know everything.
I want to say "Baldur's Gate 1+2", but I'm honestly not sure that I'd have the patience to learn the fight system nowadays. I still never finished the Throne of Bhaal expansion (even though it actually finishes the story of the first two games, it's basically Baldur's Gate 3), because high level play becomes such a hassle.
Second retro favourite after that is probably Pillars of Eternity 2, the atmosphere wasn't as good as in PoE 1 but the gameplay is way better. I'd definitely be up for playing that right now.
Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos (and it's expansion, The Frozen Throne).
The level of storytelling for a strategy game's campaign completely blew me away at the time. The "good"-coded guys are haughty and rigid, the "bad"-coded guys are (mostly) just trying to get by in a world that rejects them at every turn, not to mention you play as the lovable young protégé and prodigy that slowly casts aside his humanity until he becomes a "big bad" for everyone else. The campaign has world-altering events take place, and you actually get to see the world altered after the fact.
For how great Fallout 2 is, it's amazing how horrible the first hour or two is. It's such a shame as it has filtered more than one first playthrough. Hell, I've given up on replaying the game one or two times myself midway through that opening bit.
A lot of good ones here already listed, some of those I've started and veered off due to busy life with kids.
What I didnt see was uncharted 4. Never played any other in the series, but bought that one from steam sales. You know when you picked up a good book which you couldnt put down but had to read through as fast as possible? Or new tv series that you had to binge? Well surprisingly uncharted 4 was that for me last year. After I was finished I felt empty: "whats now?".
The first Uncharted, at the time, reminded me what I loved about gaming, and they've only gotten better. And just as they were basically a new Indiana Jones, the new Indy game is pretty much an open hub world Uncharted, but they both stand on their own.
Project wingman. I was expecting a silly arcade flight sim with a passable plot. I did not expect the emotions. Soundtrack is peak. Also hella immersive in vr.
Edit: I realized the comm after I posted. In that case I'd probably go with fallout 3. Just wandering around uncovering secrets with no guides was great. Plus being able to experience liberty prime football tossing nukes while spouting jingoistic one liners as if it was the first time would be amazing.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. A game of pure charm.
I used to habitually replay it every Christmas until one year it just felt too janky. They were supposed to be remaking it but the expected release date came and went without a word and now it's just vaporware.
A masterpiece. The entire game you have the sands and can rewind all of your missteps, only to lead up to one final, ridiculous platforming challenge where they take the sands away. Like the whole game was training you for that moment. Such a unique experience.
That's really cool to see this here. That's one I haven't played yet but keep thinking about because watching the wild first person parkour leaping just felt like some of the best dreams I've ever had.
It does feel dreamlike. To be honest, the story is not that much of an issue that forgetting it to be able to replay it for the first time is such a huge difference. But it is enough about story-telling that I only replayed it once after some months, and then shelved it.
Definitely atmospheric and suited for children, too.
Assassin's Creed 2.
Loved the characters, the story, the beautiful setting, the riddles...
Yeah, the Parkour was frustrating sometimes, but man... what an awesome game.
It's one of those games I will never touch again, because I want to remember it the way I do.
In Elden ring I explored every fucking inch of the world hoping to see something new.
This is, imo, the best game ever made.
People say that the breath in the wild rewarded exploration but the game felt soullless and empty to me. Oh, another fucking Kurok seed, oh great, a fucking puzzle. I never came across anything interesting.
In ER I was obsessed with the lore, loved the combat, I felt like there was something new around every corner I wanted to see. It was fucking magical.
In both games you have a vast world to explore. You see something in the distance, and it turns out it's actually a place you can go to, which is such a cool feeling. You're rewarded for every path you go down.
In Elden Ring you're rewarded with some weird new scroll or a weapon that even if you won't use it, you can totally see why it's unique and cool in its own way.
But in Breath of the Wild you're rewarded with a shrine that gives you nothing, or with another fucking Korok seed. And also while you were exploring your weapon broke.
I keep trying Myst. First tried it when I was about 5 on my dad's PC, some 30 years ago. Every few years I'll give it another shot, spend a couple of hours before giving up. I like to think I'm good at puzzle games, and Myst has such legendary status that I refuse to look at a single hint. I will solve it off my own back. Its like a mini white whale.
My problem is I havent managed to solve a single puzzle yet. I cant even be sure ive identified where the first puzzle is.
As a puzzle game, Myst is usually cited as an example of what not to do. It was popular at the time for showing what CD-ROMs could do. Wonderful visuals, and I like the lore.
I heard a good way to judge a good puzzle in a game. When you struggled through it and figure it out, you say to yourself "I should have seen the solution sooner". You shouldn't feel like it wasted your time by being obtuse.
Myst puzzles feel obtuse all the time. Especially that damn tree combination puzzle.
Based on this criteria, everything about the sequel, Riven, seems like it passes with flying colors, as everyone says the puzzles tell the story and feel like real devices in the world, rather than a world constructed to be a puzzle itself.
I'm really looking forward to playing it with my grownup brain haha.
Riven is a significantly better game. It places you in a cohesive, well thought out world where everything feels like it has a structure and a logic to it, it makes exploring that world hugely rewarding, and it weaves the puzzles into the diagetic logic of the world in a way that feels seamless.
I just got it on GoG on sale. Can't wait to try and tackle it after like...20 years or more? Surely, my brain should be able to grasp some of its logic now! :D
My mom will be so proud. I grew up playing it with her and we had to resort to walkthroughs a lot. XD
Also Starcraft: Brood War, Shadow Watch, and, yah, Morrowind. I took over an entire house in Balmora to serve as a treasure room. Then hit the max item limit and had to re-place everything by hand while also taking over another house.
Never been in the military but after the prologue I assumed any sane recon squad lead would radio the HQ and ask for advice instead of 'getting to the bottom of this'
And every horror movie should be ten minutes long and end with the kids taking one look at the spooky cabin, getting back in the car and driving back to their dorm.
That's not really in the spirit of the question though. The question boils down to "what game made you feel some kinda way that you'd like to replicate?" It's entirely hypothetical. Theres too many amazing games that have been made in the last thirty years to ever finish them all. But that doesn't take away from that moment in a game that was so new and impactful that it became seared into. I've had experiences so deep it literally changed how I felt about death and loss and it would be amazing to feel those feelings again.
I wish I could know everything about building and strategy with cyberpunk and play it with all the bells and whistles now without knowing the story. I actually have a few endings left to do.
For real tho, maybe System Shock 2.
It's kinda short & the reparability isn't high/immediate (over the years as memory fades, I like to replay it).
Out of point-&-click adventure games, Grim Fandango - not to experience the story again for the first time, but the superb atmosphere.
Same reason for Dank Souls 2, I wanna go to Majula for the first time again, like a proper hollow that I am.
Because I'm halfway through it right now, and I think it'd be really funny if I started the game "for the first time" only to find that 1. there was already a save, 2. named what I name him, 3. with 12 hearts, and 4. on a Wii used only by me.
The non retrogaming answer is something like nomans sky where the game got better after release. But I dont wanna forget any of the old games I played and lose the memories that make me love them.
I love these kings of threads because there's always some unknown to me gem in there. I had never heard of this game, but your comment and the glowing reviews have me sold and excited to go check it out. Thank you, kind internet stranger.
I got SO FAR through it and somehow lost my cloud saves after a hiatus so...I guess I am gonna have to experience it for the first time again!
It can be a little tedious in long stretches, but I absolutely loved how this game took us back to those fun quirky self-expressive days of the Internet.
Probably World of Warcraft. That's a couple thousand hours in total as I played on and off on private servers throughout the years from 2006-2012, plus a brief stint with BfA.
Actually, no, I'd rather not forget how I saw the game evolve, even if my experience wasn't the ideal one.
Thomas Was Alone, The Fall, Rumu, To The Moon, Stanley's Parable, Toem, Primordia, Turing Test, The Entropy Centre, Subnautica, Bioshock 2, Portal 1/2.
Though honestly any game with good story would probably count here.
Your comment has reminded me of Eternal Darkness on the GameCube. That did various things like lower the volume with a fake on screen TV display. That didn't work for me because it was different to my own on screen TV graphics.
But when they faked that my memory card was corrupt and the save was gone, that one got me. 😂
I think I had to Google that one back in the day. The simple one that got me was when the commander guy says the codec for contacting that certain character is on the back of the case.
What case? I can't see a case? I'm not carrying a case? God knows how long it was before I found out they meant on the back of the actual PS1 box the game comes in. I can't remember if they ported that over to the GameCube version.
Also an X-Men game on Genesis that said you need to reset and my friends and I couldn’t figure it out until I reset the game and it completed the level. Very clever.
Best sanity system ever. Plenty of games have simulated characters going insane, but only Eternal Darkness had the sheer fuck you energy needed to simulate the player going insane.
If you dig that vibe, give Signalis a go. Incredible love letter to the horror classics, and an incredible game in it's own right.
Okay, now that I have thought about it, I have realized it Has to be a game that fits the following bullet points:
• Isn't part of a franchise I've played multiple games in. That would ruin my first time experience playing a sequel or plenty of games in a series.
• Not something someone I watch online makes content on.
So I'm thinking a good answer for me would absolutely be a game like SuperTuxKart. It's its own individual thing and I don't really watch channels that play it. It's the prefect candidate for me that I would absolutely love to pick up for the first time. Especially since the 1.5 update ( if it's out already ).
I still keep playing it with all the gfx patches, it's a masterpiece. 2 and 3 are not bad either, but the original is unmatched. Love the user generated mods as well.
Im almost not sure if I want that. Most of the games I would do that for are older games from like 25 years ago, and I honestly can't see playing them today and ever having those fond moments like I did then. In my case, the time of playing them also mattered a lot.
I'll take the opposite side of that
I bought an old Radio Shack Color Computer off EBay and had a total blast playing Dungeons of Daggorath with my kids. Plus, it's educational: it teaches you to type "A L " really really fast
Same, of course the memory of the time you played is also important. I was more asking hypothetically since this is not possible, as a game you'd love to experience again, maybe at that time also. Like go back and play it back then.
OUTER WILDS! If you've played it, you know why. (If you haven't, do not ask. Play it.)
I’ve tried to play this game twice. I get confused and have no idea what to do or where to go or what to do when I get there. Spent about 12 hours playing and just feel lost. And everytime I bring it up. People reccomend I just keep playing. And yet I’m still lost haha
That's surprising that you feel so lost. Did you perhaps miss the journal / discovery board in the back of your ship? Basically just need to look at that and try to flesh out any of the plot threads you see on there. Whenever one isn't progressing, take a break and try a totally different direction or just wander wherever you can for a cycle or two and you'll have stumbled on to some new leads probably.
Its pretty intentional that most players hit a stall around the middle because you have to start challenging things you THINK you know but haven't actually proven to be certain yet.
Discovery board?
Well. That makes things make a little more sense I had no idea about it. I just thought it was various ways to experience a death loop over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
I just looked it up and it's actually called the Rumor Map apparently. It's pretty important to organize all the things you find in a loop and check yourself to see if there is more to uncover on some plot point.
If you get in your ship it's opposite the pilot seat. I'm sure it was pretty maddening to not have that tool and hear people say such high praise about the game lol.
If you haven't been spoiled on it, you might find the game a lot more enjoyable giving it another shot some day!
It hasn't been spoiled, no. Thank you!
One of the very few genuine flaws in Outer Wilds is that it does a really, really bad job of ensuring players find the rumor map / discovery board. It's such an essential feature, one that so often makes or breaks people's experience of the game, and I've seen so many players express this exact same sentiment of "I had no idea what it was doing" only for someone to point out that they'd missed the rumor map.
I felt the same way. I had a hard time with it because you don’t really know what you’re supposed to be doing. I ended up getting frustrated with it and looked up how to finish it.
After I finished it, I regretted looking it up. It really is a masterpiece but it takes a certain type of person to be able to get through it. I couldn’t get through it myself, but my partner and I have fun playing these types of games together.
We’re currently enjoying working through the dlc now.
I guess I’ll say I get it if you want to quit or just look up the solution, but I promise it’s worth it if you make it through
I think the biggest predictor of whether people will vibe with Outer Wilds is how much natural curiosity they have and how self-motivated they are. Outer Wilds doesn't push players towards any particular objective, it instead tries to give players questions so they go looking for answers. Of course a game that relies so heavily on intrinsic motivation isn't going to be for everyone, but the thing that makes the game so difficult for some people to get into is the same thing that makes those who do get into it love it so much.
Some non-spoilery advice if you decide to give it another shot:
Use the ship log every loop and read what's new. Look at the biggest cards in rumor mode and try to find them. There are several "secret" locations in the game that many of the hints point towards which contain information that puts the game's mystery into perspective and gives players a sense of direction and purpose. In the playthroughs I've seen where they didn't finish it was almost always because they played for a long time without finding any of the "big" secret locations.
This is legit the first time anyone has given me actual advice. Thank you! I’ll probably give it another shot at some point
I really loved it, up to the point where I just couldn't contain the level design in my brain anymore. Guess I ran out of brain memory or something, but when a 3D space with changing orientation and gravity comes into play, I just did not know anymore where I already explored ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Add time pressure into that mix and the game lost me.
Hey, it's okay, friend, not every game has to be for everyone and that's fine.
What worked for me, I guess, was to not approach it in terms of a game where I'm trying to make progress, so much as a vast place with a lot of mysteries that all actually make sense once you work it out; and that happens naturally if you let your curiosity drive you. You will, in fact, be making progress; you just won't realize it until the pieces fall into plane and, all at once, you know.
It would be like the one upside of a TBI.
But really, due where I was in life when I played it and how much it helped me process things, I'm not sure I would give up the experience I already had.
Agreed! I think this applies to any game where you have to explore both the world and the gameplay. It gives you these incredible "ah-ha" moments that you'll never forget and have an impact on your gaming for the rest of your life. I think for me the number 1 game I had this experience with was Animal Well. Our group played both Animal Well and Outer Wilds for our indie game club and every single person had multiple moments like this for each game.
What I love most about the game is the community's refusal to spoil it for others. Spoilers exist, but you really have to look for them.
Honestly, it's a testament to how good the game is that we all collectively, agreed to say nothing about it beyond "It's incredible, I wish I could play it for the first time again. Go play it". I wasn't told to not spoil it, I just won't.
Anyways, Outer Wilds is mine. There's lots of games in this list that I love: MGS, KOTOR, FO:NV, I would rate all of them above Outer Wilds in a "my favourite game" list.
But, Outer Wilds really gains something from the first experience above and beyond what those others do, and it's worth preserving.
The correct answer to this question is always Outer Wilds.
It's a game that can be beaten in five minutes if you already know the solution. But the process of discovering that solution, and unearthing the incredible story around it, is one of the most unbelievable gaming experiences you will ever have.
It's an absolute masterpiece and if you haven't played it yet, you really, really need to.
The wonderful thing about benzodiazepine gaming is that if you wait a couple years you can experience the same game a couple times before it sticks.
I beat it, but I needed walkthroughs because for some reason my game was so stuttering after the first loop it was basically unbearable especially in some areas.
::: spoiler Tap for spoiler and the anglerfish were imposibble to go around because I didn't have any controller, so I had to install a cheat plugin and I thought why not add a halfl-ife asset pack and voicemod so the ending altough cursed still made me cry. :::
'Stanley examined the question carefully, he knew the answer he gave would be important'
Maybe the Stanley parable or the Beginners guide, but I'm not sure what undoing there effect on me would be.
Have you tried Wanderstop?
Its on my to play list after getting it on sale. I get the impression this is davey's burn out recovery
Yup, he made a short intro video about his creation process/challenges for the game and says this directly.
Portal. I played the whole thing on the first sit down as soon as it downloaded, but the audio had glitched so I missed the voice over. Missed a huge part of the experience.
That was my vote! There's little to no replay value, but damn what a ride. Spent 2 or 3 weeks imagining portals IRL. "I could snatch the TV remote without moving if..."
"Now you're thinking in Portals!" was the most accurate tagline I've ever experienced.
This was not a triumph.
I'm making a note here: huge abcess
The whole Mass Effect series
Was typing this when I saw your comment. +1 Commander
I'm commander Shepard and this is my favourite game on the Citadel.
Outer Wilds. I never beat it, but I played through a lot of it. I went in completely blind, not knowing what it was, and my mind was blown away.
I wish I could experience all of it brand new whenever I go back to finish it up.
Its comments like this that made me finally go and purchase The Outer Worlds a few months ago. Going in blind and within 10 minutes I'm thinking, what is this bullshit?!?! I have yet to try the right game yet but that always makes me laugh.
Outer Worlds is a good game too, but doesn't hold a candle to Wilds
Yeah. If there’s one answer to the question of what game can you only play for the first time once, is Outer Wilds.
Monkey island, Myst, Riven and Heavy rain.
SHAUN... SHAUN SHAUN.... SHAUN
Seriously? :) It was an ok story but the guy was so annoying and the QT events soooooo frustrating. Just make it a real adventure.
The shaun shaun thing reminds me a lot of this character in lost that had nothing else to do but run around shouting WALT WALT all the time :P
How fitting, you fight like a cow!
(Swords clang)
Every enemy I've met, I've annihilated!
I would not want to grapple with a dairy farmer.
Great list
Subnautica probably, to experience the way the world unfolds.
Agree, sequel is more of the same, but at the same time isn't anything close enough.
Similar style is prey 2017 and deathloop. I love being rewarded for what my favourite streamer calls "being a nosy bastard".
I heard subnautica 2 has some drama
Portal 1 and Portal 2. Every time.
Ooh good choices
Nier: Automata. God, if I could feel that pain again... what a fucking game.
Even just the goddamn soundtrack.
The entire game is flawless.
::: spoiler It's still my favorite game. The ending hit me so hard; had me messed up for a while. I just started Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 in hopes of having a game hit me as hard as Nier: Automata did. spoiler :::
My main gripe is that replaying the story as 9s can get pretty slow, and the combat isn't nearly as enjoyable.
The soundtrack quickly became one of my favorites. It's on rotation with Chrono Trigger/Cross, Xenogears, Expedition 33, and Hades.
Cyberpunk 2077
With you on this one 🫶
Outer wilds
Deus Ex. A strangely prescient game that had shaped how I view the world.
try the Randomizer mod https://mods4ever.com/project/DXRando
Whelp, time to reinstall it again! Thnaks!
May you never uninstall ever again!
Outer Wilds
Outer Wilds! 🥲
Return of the Obra Dinn.
EDIT: Aaand Lucas just went and posted a two and a half hours narrated modeling mega timelapse.
Well. It's not like I had plans for the rest of the evening or anything...
Mine as well. The intersection of detective work and historical knowledge paying off hit me just in the right spot.
Ocarina of Time
Outer Wilds
Do you hear music?
KOTOR
Half-life 2
Half-life thr... I mean 4
Disco Elysium for sure
Transformative narrative experience..
Yes! The good thing, it's repayable! My number one game ever.
I agree with so many here, but I have a new one.
Dredge.
It just seemed like a fishing simulator, but it got creepier as it went on. Definitely an ending I didn't expect. That may have been me just getting too into finding every fish.
Great gameplay loop and played on steam deck excellently.
Honestly, I had completely the opposite experience with Dredge.
The first few days in the game feel truly scary, with your terribly slow ship, and every strange light in the darkness is terrifying. Those initial quests with the pulsating wet package are creepy, and you wonder where that's going to lead, and what storyline will come from that.
But then, you get a few engine upgrades and there's suddenly not a single danger in the game you can't easily run from. You're invincible and the whole ocean is your oyster. The pulsating package was just a bit of flavour and nothing comes of it at all - in fact the quests in the game are almost entirely plain fetch quests, totally shallow with very little real story. And while the ending gets interesting, it's all too brief.
Now don't get me wrong - I loved Dredge, actually! But I loved it as a cosy collect-em-all fishing sim, bombing around the ocean in your fun and zoomy boat, rather than the narrative-driven Lovecraftian horror the trailers made it out to be, which ultimately I felt it wasn't at all.
Still fun, though!
im gonna check this out! on gog!
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines.
Either that, or Fallout: New Vegas
Inscryption. I thought it was a poor man's Slay The Spire using janky escape-room mechanics as a cheap, nifty gimmick to lend it some value.
It appeared on Game Pass, and upon trying it I sneered a little at it, as Spire and Monster Train were my only experiences with deckbuilders and I had been spoiled. I had no idea how good it really was. Gameplay mechanics it can't match up, but it contains a story thats shot straight into my top 10 of all time.
It shares an exclusive room in my memory alongside Bioshock, Deus Ex, KOTOR and the like.
Unfortunately it can't take me by surprise twice. The shock, suspense and mystery have been depleted and I cant feel it again. Ive been told the dev has more games that are all gold like that, but I cant look them up. I went into Doki Doki knowing that something happens and youll just have to find out and its spoilers and iykyk etc, and when it did it it just felt kinda neat but thoroughly underwhelming. I just need to hope that I stumble onto one of the devs other projects like a beautiful landmine in the future.
What a fantastic game. I played it for 20 hours straight when I first got it. Absolutely magnificent.
Alright, this is the review that has finally convinced me to get it - a friend told me I'd like it after Outer Wilds, but did not give me enough hook - this sounds interesting.
I like your pick, Morrowind. I was very hyped to play it, and when I could finally own it, it was even better then I had hoped.
I think my pick would be Inscryption. What a weird and delightful game :)
Omg, I just bought GeForce 3 and it could do the water shader thing (ripples for rain and running through it).
(This one was an official primo pic.)
This was on non-GF3 GPUs:
I don't think I would erase it from memory tho, I like that it's with me over the decades.
SOMA for sure.
Outer Wilds, probably.
My first thought too. Probably in my top three games, but you can only play it the best way once.
I went back and tried to play the DLC and even that just wasn't the same. I want to play them both blind.
I still keep it installed but I'm waiting a decade more before I replay it. Hopefully I forget enough to have a similar experience
That game came out when I happened to be really into the PBS Space Time series and I was learning as much as my brain could comprehend about general vs special relativity; which is all I can say without spoiling the game lol. So even if I could forget all of the story I don't think it would have quite the same impact. It would still be something magic though I'm sure. I still enjoy watching others experience the game for the first time too.
Did I cry when I talked to Gabro at the last campfire? Yes, yes I did.
Likewise. Outer Wilds was an incredible experience but it's one of those things that will inherently have zero replay value. Unless maybe you feel like doing a quick run-through as a comfort food nostalgia game, or something. It's fairly unique in that your progression in it is based purely on your personal knowledge of what you've discovered in the solar system, and if you had foreknowledge there's literally nothing stopping you from beating it on your very first launch without even doing a single time loop. There's even an achievement for doing the same, no doubt intended to be earned once you already know everything.
Same here.
INLAND EMPIRE — You know full well what the answer would be.
SHIVERS — It is written on *the city itself*.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY (Medium: Failure) — It’s Schedule One, right?
Breath of the Wild
The Mass Effect trilogy for sure.
Oh shit! Mass effect! Forgot about that!
Bioshock.
Would you kindly forget the Bioshock franchise?
Obra Dinn
Shadow of the Colossus
Always Shadow of the Colossus, my favourite game ever.
I want to say "Baldur's Gate 1+2", but I'm honestly not sure that I'd have the patience to learn the fight system nowadays. I still never finished the Throne of Bhaal expansion (even though it actually finishes the story of the first two games, it's basically Baldur's Gate 3), because high level play becomes such a hassle.
Second retro favourite after that is probably Pillars of Eternity 2, the atmosphere wasn't as good as in PoE 1 but the gameplay is way better. I'd definitely be up for playing that right now.
Red Dead 2
For me it's RDR1. I still haven't beaten the second one just so I can "still have more to play."
Day of the Tentacle
Black and white 1 and 2. 2 cause I loved the rts element they added
TUNIC. It is such a unique game with such a unique puzzle that I don't think it can be replicated.
Figuring that shit out felt like brain magic
Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos (and it's expansion, The Frozen Throne).
The level of storytelling for a strategy game's campaign completely blew me away at the time. The "good"-coded guys are haughty and rigid, the "bad"-coded guys are (mostly) just trying to get by in a world that rejects them at every turn, not to mention you play as the lovable young protégé and prodigy that slowly casts aside his humanity until he becomes a "big bad" for everyone else. The campaign has world-altering events take place, and you actually get to see the world altered after the fact.
And that one time, at bandit camp.
I want to say Fallout 2 but then again 46 year old me would probably give up halfway through the fucking temple of trials.
That shit was brutal if you tried to make a non combat based character.
For how great Fallout 2 is, it's amazing how horrible the first hour or two is. It's such a shame as it has filtered more than one first playthrough. Hell, I've given up on replaying the game one or two times myself midway through that opening bit.
A lot of good ones here already listed, some of those I've started and veered off due to busy life with kids.
What I didnt see was uncharted 4. Never played any other in the series, but bought that one from steam sales. You know when you picked up a good book which you couldnt put down but had to read through as fast as possible? Or new tv series that you had to binge? Well surprisingly uncharted 4 was that for me last year. After I was finished I felt empty: "whats now?".
A very few games have gripped me that way.
The first Uncharted, at the time, reminded me what I loved about gaming, and they've only gotten better. And just as they were basically a new Indiana Jones, the new Indy game is pretty much an open hub world Uncharted, but they both stand on their own.
Ohh! Good call! Uncharted!
Uncharted is on a next level. It's a game ahead of its time.
Psychonauts.
That game was so good. At one point you telepathically delve into the mind of a giant lungfish and it feels completely rational to do so.
Skyrim or Fallout New Vegas
Nier Automata
I first played it on the Switch because I didn't have a PC working then. Now I have my dream PC, and can't bring myself to play it again
Detroit Become Human. What an absolutely amazing story game
Hollow Knight, Bioshock, Dark Souls, Resident Evil 7/8, Shadow of the Colossus, Soma, Sifu, Tunic, Outer Wilds and Firewatch.
Shadow of the Colossus for sure. Such a compelling story shown and not told. So incredible experiencing in that first play through.
Delilah seems nice.
Planescape: Torment. So much to erase.
That game is too memorable. I tried replaying it a while back after not touching it in 15 years.
Five minutes in and nope, this whole story is seared into my long term memory and there’s nothing fresh yet.
I’ll try again when I’m 80.
Metal gear solid
Best horror: Dead Space Best story: Horizon Zero Dawn Best Multiplayer with Friends: Halo 3 Best Action: DOOM 2016
Honestly I think why HZD sticks with me is because I work in tech and see how easily plausible that scenario is.
Metal Gear Solid
Project wingman. I was expecting a silly arcade flight sim with a passable plot. I did not expect the emotions. Soundtrack is peak. Also hella immersive in vr.
Edit: I realized the comm after I posted. In that case I'd probably go with fallout 3. Just wandering around uncovering secrets with no guides was great. Plus being able to experience liberty prime football tossing nukes while spouting jingoistic one liners as if it was the first time would be amazing.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. A game of pure charm.
I used to habitually replay it every Christmas until one year it just felt too janky. They were supposed to be remaking it but the expected release date came and went without a word and now it's just vaporware.
A masterpiece. The entire game you have the sands and can rewind all of your missteps, only to lead up to one final, ridiculous platforming challenge where they take the sands away. Like the whole game was training you for that moment. Such a unique experience.
Just a shame the sublime platforming had to be continuously interrupted by repetitive fights! Still, I want to play it again now.
Quake 1, Myst
Shadow of the colossus or Transistor.
A story about my uncle
That's really cool to see this here. That's one I haven't played yet but keep thinking about because watching the wild first person parkour leaping just felt like some of the best dreams I've ever had.
It does feel dreamlike. To be honest, the story is not that much of an issue that forgetting it to be able to replay it for the first time is such a huge difference. But it is enough about story-telling that I only replayed it once after some months, and then shelved it. Definitely atmospheric and suited for children, too.
Untitled 🪿 Game
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Assassin's Creed 2. Loved the characters, the story, the beautiful setting, the riddles... Yeah, the Parkour was frustrating sometimes, but man... what an awesome game. It's one of those games I will never touch again, because I want to remember it the way I do.
Fist fighting the Pope is definitely in my top 10 gaming moments
Elden Ring. Hands down.
In Elden ring I explored every fucking inch of the world hoping to see something new.
This is, imo, the best game ever made.
People say that the breath in the wild rewarded exploration but the game felt soullless and empty to me. Oh, another fucking Kurok seed, oh great, a fucking puzzle. I never came across anything interesting.
In ER I was obsessed with the lore, loved the combat, I felt like there was something new around every corner I wanted to see. It was fucking magical.
I couldn't go back to BotW after Elden Ring.
In both games you have a vast world to explore. You see something in the distance, and it turns out it's actually a place you can go to, which is such a cool feeling. You're rewarded for every path you go down.
In Elden Ring you're rewarded with some weird new scroll or a weapon that even if you won't use it, you can totally see why it's unique and cool in its own way.
But in Breath of the Wild you're rewarded with a shrine that gives you nothing, or with another fucking Korok seed. And also while you were exploring your weapon broke.
I couldn't even finish botw. I found it monotonous and the world empty.
Myst! An oldie, but I had basically done this when the remastered version came out a few years ago and it was still a 10/10.
I keep trying Myst. First tried it when I was about 5 on my dad's PC, some 30 years ago. Every few years I'll give it another shot, spend a couple of hours before giving up. I like to think I'm good at puzzle games, and Myst has such legendary status that I refuse to look at a single hint. I will solve it off my own back. Its like a mini white whale.
My problem is I havent managed to solve a single puzzle yet. I cant even be sure ive identified where the first puzzle is.
As a puzzle game, Myst is usually cited as an example of what not to do. It was popular at the time for showing what CD-ROMs could do. Wonderful visuals, and I like the lore.
I heard a good way to judge a good puzzle in a game. When you struggled through it and figure it out, you say to yourself "I should have seen the solution sooner". You shouldn't feel like it wasted your time by being obtuse.
Myst puzzles feel obtuse all the time. Especially that damn tree combination puzzle.
Based on this criteria, everything about the sequel, Riven, seems like it passes with flying colors, as everyone says the puzzles tell the story and feel like real devices in the world, rather than a world constructed to be a puzzle itself.
I'm really looking forward to playing it with my grownup brain haha.
Riven is a significantly better game. It places you in a cohesive, well thought out world where everything feels like it has a structure and a logic to it, it makes exploring that world hugely rewarding, and it weaves the puzzles into the diagetic logic of the world in a way that feels seamless.
I would tend to agree. Riven is a lot better designed. In fact, I would go so far as to recommend jumping into that one.
There's quite a few remakes of Myst, as well, and I think some of the shave off the edges.
I just got it on GoG on sale. Can't wait to try and tackle it after like...20 years or more? Surely, my brain should be able to grasp some of its logic now! :D
My mom will be so proud. I grew up playing it with her and we had to resort to walkthroughs a lot. XD
oh yea it's rough, probably especially in the beginning
I think you need to play it like it's still 1993, spend a few months on the game
Spec Ops: The Line
"Do you feel like a hero yet?"
Also Starcraft: Brood War, Shadow Watch, and, yah, Morrowind. I took over an entire house in Balmora to serve as a treasure room. Then hit the max item limit and had to re-place everything by hand while also taking over another house.
Never been in the military but after the prologue I assumed any sane recon squad lead would radio the HQ and ask for advice instead of 'getting to the bottom of this'
And every horror movie should be ten minutes long and end with the kids taking one look at the spooky cabin, getting back in the car and driving back to their dorm.
Fair, yet it broke the immersion for me 🤷
None. Every game was a product of its time, hence bound to many external factors.
Let it go... And take the chance to experience what you haven't yet, there's more to do, than can ever be done.
(on a roll with 2 Disney references, apologies)
That's not really in the spirit of the question though. The question boils down to "what game made you feel some kinda way that you'd like to replicate?" It's entirely hypothetical. Theres too many amazing games that have been made in the last thirty years to ever finish them all. But that doesn't take away from that moment in a game that was so new and impactful that it became seared into. I've had experiences so deep it literally changed how I felt about death and loss and it would be amazing to feel those feelings again.
Apologies, thats just the way I understand it. 99% will understand it as intended, I'm with the 1% 😁 (neurodivergent).
Basically, only a new game can achieve this was my point. Except for turning back time.
Death Stranding
I went it to that totally blind and holy shit was it amazing. It's not even my usual type of game so I have no idea why I picked it up.
I love it when that happens with a game. Getting blindsided by something truly exceptional is such a surreal experience.
I am still delivering stuff and rebuilding roads, lines and so on.
The shouts of other players that are close..... The music... The sense of accomplishment when besting a mountain...
Everything in this game was perfect except the combat. But it was easy enough.
I found the game to be better overall when you bump the difficulty up to hard or very hard and avoid using vehicles.
I bought a PS5 recently so I'm going to do another run through on the directors cut version and then on to DS2 which I'm excited for.
Keep on keeping on.
SOTC
Either Battletoads or Out of this World!
100% with you on Out of this World!
Bioshock, Dark Souls 3, and Cyberpunk 2077
I wish I could know everything about building and strategy with cyberpunk and play it with all the bells and whistles now without knowing the story. I actually have a few endings left to do.
Skyrim, Portal 2, Slime Rancher, or the first Deus Ex.
Pong or Tetris.
For real tho, maybe System Shock 2.
It's kinda short & the reparability isn't high/immediate (over the years as memory fades, I like to replay it).
Out of point-&-click adventure games, Grim Fandango - not to experience the story again for the first time, but the superb atmosphere.
Same reason for Dank Souls 2, I wanna go to Majula for the first time again, like a proper hollow that I am.
System Shock 2 is in my top 3 games of all time.
SOMA
@eru777 If your game matches the one in the screenshot and you haven't played Tamriel Rebuit yet, do it!
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Because I'm halfway through it right now, and I think it'd be really funny if I started the game "for the first time" only to find that 1. there was already a save, 2. named what I name him, 3. with 12 hearts, and 4. on a Wii used only by me.
Chants of Sennaar, Rain World, Celeste
The last of us or bioshock infinite
Final Fantasy 7 Chronotrigger Secret of Mana
Can’t believe nobody mentioned Last of US.
The non retrogaming answer is something like nomans sky where the game got better after release. But I dont wanna forget any of the old games I played and lose the memories that make me love them.
Her Story. https://www.herstorygame.com/
Syberia
Surprised no one mentioned it
final fantasy X
Adastra.
The month-long post-game depression is totally worth it.
hypnospace outlaw without question
I love these kings of threads because there's always some unknown to me gem in there. I had never heard of this game, but your comment and the glowing reviews have me sold and excited to go check it out. Thank you, kind internet stranger.
I got SO FAR through it and somehow lost my cloud saves after a hiatus so...I guess I am gonna have to experience it for the first time again!
It can be a little tedious in long stretches, but I absolutely loved how this game took us back to those fun quirky self-expressive days of the Internet.
Stand with Gooper!
Probably World of Warcraft. That's a couple thousand hours in total as I played on and off on private servers throughout the years from 2006-2012, plus a brief stint with BfA.
Actually, no, I'd rather not forget how I saw the game evolve, even if my experience wasn't the ideal one.
God damn it, Fisher!
Inscryption
What a work of art that game is.
Absolutely, Im so torn when bringing up this game as I refuse to spoil even a morsel of it but at the same time I feel the need to sing its praises
In terms of modern games, both of the Last of Us games and Alien: Isolation. I'm sure there's loads of old games but my memory is awful.
To the moon! The game was so emotional.
Persona 5 Royal
Thomas Was Alone, The Fall, Rumu, To The Moon, Stanley's Parable, Toem, Primordia, Turing Test, The Entropy Centre, Subnautica, Bioshock 2, Portal 1/2.
Though honestly any game with good story would probably count here.
Anti chamber, portal, journey, and Rez.
Add Tunic to this.
Silent Hill 2
SOMA
Morrowind is a good one too
Hunt Showdown or Evolve
Alan Wake. There’s certain parts of that game that mess with your head.
Your comment has reminded me of Eternal Darkness on the GameCube. That did various things like lower the volume with a fake on screen TV display. That didn't work for me because it was different to my own on screen TV graphics.
But when they faked that my memory card was corrupt and the save was gone, that one got me. 😂
Like metal gear solid where you had to switch controller ports. Finally figuring that out made me feel like a goddamn genius.
I think I had to Google that one back in the day. The simple one that got me was when the commander guy says the codec for contacting that certain character is on the back of the case.
What case? I can't see a case? I'm not carrying a case? God knows how long it was before I found out they meant on the back of the actual PS1 box the game comes in. I can't remember if they ported that over to the GameCube version.
Also an X-Men game on Genesis that said you need to reset and my friends and I couldn’t figure it out until I reset the game and it completed the level. Very clever.
Best sanity system ever. Plenty of games have simulated characters going insane, but only Eternal Darkness had the sheer fuck you energy needed to simulate the player going insane.
If you dig that vibe, give Signalis a go. Incredible love letter to the horror classics, and an incredible game in it's own right.
Legacy of the Ancients
Celeste is a good contender, Hades II as well.
I would never do that. I'd just play it again.
Okay, now that I have thought about it, I have realized it Has to be a game that fits the following bullet points:
• Isn't part of a franchise I've played multiple games in. That would ruin my first time experience playing a sequel or plenty of games in a series.
• Not something someone I watch online makes content on.
So I'm thinking a good answer for me would absolutely be a game like SuperTuxKart. It's its own individual thing and I don't really watch channels that play it. It's the prefect candidate for me that I would absolutely love to pick up for the first time. Especially since the 1.5 update ( if it's out already ).
I think MGS2 on the original PlayStation or PS2. That was a dream a few decades later.
Dark souls 1 maybe?
Or Bloodborne. Maybe XCOM Deus Ex sequels. I might need to play those again.
Celeste
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and/or Explorers of Sky
The Witcher 3, Elden ring.
AC2
Dark Souls
Edit: My bad, didn't notice the name of the community. I sure hope DS doesn't count as retro lol
Discovering that world for the first time was so special. Still nothing quite like it
I think it's retro by now.
Easy To the Moon. Great little indie game with an amazing story that will make you cry
Braid
Thief: The Dark Project
I still keep playing it with all the gfx patches, it's a masterpiece. 2 and 3 are not bad either, but the original is unmatched. Love the user generated mods as well.
Police Quest
Fuck those piggy shits
Hylics 1 & 2
Rain World
Project Ozone 3 mod for minecraft
Love...
League of legends because I hate myself
On a more serious Note Mischief makers is the only one that comes to my mind
Detroit: Become Human.
I was going to say RDR2, but I guess I need to shut up and play Outer Wilds.