(Saw this question asked on another popular link aggregation website and it got me thinking)
If you could play one game for the first time all over again, what would you choose? This might be because you want to do it all again, or because you don’t think you got enough out of it the first time. It could be experiencing the game exactly as you were back then, or experiencing a game with what you know now.
For me, it’s Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, experienced exactly as I was back in 1991.
Nothing comes close to how jaw-droppingly amazed I was by that opening sequence. The epic orchestral score, the cinematic rainstorm, creeping around in the dark… it was a generational leap above anything I’d played on 8-bit computers and consoles, and even the Megadrive. I’d love to play it again without thirty plus years of Nintendo/Zelda knowledge, or without knowing about the dark world.
The Outer Wilds.
A game you can only play once and that one time is magical.
I came in to type just this. One of the best games ever made!
I was going to say outer wilds too, what an amazing experience.
Played about 2 hours of it and uninstalled. It was incredibly boring. Why do you think it was magical?
Spoilers. ❤️
But seriously, maybe it just didn’t work for you and that’s okay. Nothing is everything to everyone.
It took me about two or three hours to learn to navigate and find my first “magical thing”. When I did I was hooked. But yeah it can be slow to start.
OUTER WILDS.
It’s a fantastic exploration game if you go in blind and I wish I could forget it all and explore it all again.
Yeah, it really was amazing to play blind. We especially enjoyed the DLC… when we first realised what it was all about, it nearly blew our minds!
Yeah, I’ve never wtf’d so hard in a game as when I entered the thing and left the other thing in the DLC.
That game was so well done and thought through.
What’s sad is that I know I will forget the lore and the journey on how I figured out how I got to the end. But I don’t think I’ll forget the specifics for the ending.
I’m shocked that this isn’t everyone’s answer tbh lol
Those are the people that haven’t played it yet.
I got it in my library and only played for 10 minutes somehow. After reading als those comments maybe now it’s time to play it
Outer Wilds. You can’t even really replay it, not like you can other games. But boy, I will never forget the unbridled joy of unraveling its mysteries - and ironically, would love to so I can do it all over again.
You can’t even share much about this game without ruining it for someone else. I love this game so much but it’s really difficult to get someone else to play it as well.
Well. In a sense you’re replaying it all the time ;)
I wish I got another fresh chance with it. Perhaps with less hype and fewer expectations of greatness. I somehow managed to ruin the game for myself. I got to the tunnels of the hourglass twins and lost interest there, and watched a playthrough some time later. Which is obviously not the same as experiencing it all.
Windwaker.
Don’t think its considered retro yet, but I wish I could forget every second of it I played. The complete emotional Rollercoaster I went through playing that game was incredible.
One of the few games where I really felt like I was the “super important protagonist” and the world really depended on me.
It’s 20 years old… if Windwaker isn’t considered retro now, then Atari 2600 games weren’t considered retro in 1997 :)
Oh shit
Hah. You’re old.
I mean I am too but…you.
Probably my favorite Zelda and the most underrated game in the series imho
Half life or Half life 2.
I find Half-Life and Portal are some of the best games ever made regarding world building, story telling and general addictiveness.
I keep coming back because I’ve never found any other game like those.
I don’t how old you are, but the first one was the first very big implementation of scripted scenes. To see something happening in an FPS as in a movie was mind-blowing.
The second one is just absurdly well designed. And the visuals are imbued of this Eastern European architecture and vibe that right now, walking the streets of Warsaw, I am gladly breathing in.
Seconded.
Portal 1 / 2 wouldn’t be far behind
Half life Alyx is top of them all for me! Highly recommend
published VR only, and - from Valve of all companies: Windows only!! F*ck them for that :(
There are mods out there! And honestly as much as it sucks to be an exclusive title like that, it honestly slaps for the same reason. The universe has so much potential to be told through the vr perspective, its absolutely incredible. Don’t bash till ya tried it! I’m telling ya, it’s a one of a kind experience
VR is not for me. The technology can’t replace good storytelling, and HL2 sucked at that compared to HL1, sadly. It was still okay-ish but nowhere near as stellar as HL1. Also, VR is locked to expensive hardware with most drivers limited to the bloatware shitty windows. No thanks.
Secret of Monkey Island. Like most adventure games you can only really play it once. It’d be nice to enjoy it again.
I think I’ve played it through more than 20 times. I roughly do it once a year… 1,2 and 3 at least. It’s no longer about the challenge, story or puzzles, it just feels like coming home.
Totally agree. I always play the first three every few years or so
Day of the tentacle, Sam and max, Simon the sorcerer, all the classics
Like most adventure games you can only really play it once.
And then there is me, who just finished Hotel Dusk again as a ritual hoping Nintendo brings it back as it is about to be with Another Code!
I sat down with my son and let him play it. Seeing him experience it for the first time was a pretty awesome experience. He cracked up at the sword fighting.
It might be relatively new, but I’d say Subnautica.
It was such a breath of fresh air when it came out, and instilled both such a sense of wonder at all the vibrant lifeforms of 4546B and also instilling such dread upon encountering reapers or diving deeper than ever before. I still remember the mixed sense of wonder and unease upon discovering the Jellyshroom caves for the first time
I guess I am very picky in games and most of them are boring to me, but Subnautica (first game) has a special place in my heart. <3
Disco Elysium
The sheer joy of realising it’s not “just another” RPG, slowly pulling the curtain on how intricate the worldbuilding is, discovering the main character and in turn reflecting on yourself. It’s become a small addiction to watch first time streamers and let’s players for me, to vicariously relive that process.
Another candidate might be Ultima 7, the interactivity and how “real” it felt in the 90s was mindblowing for kid me.
Ultima 7 is a great one.
I will also add System Shock as well.
Ocarina of Time, or Final Fantasy VII. Both of them had just incredible impacts on me as a teenager, and I’d love to be 16 and experiencing them for the first time again.
World of Warcraft.
What a great game to be a noob in.
That would be way up on my list, too. Man was I amazed when I first saw some random guy playing the beta at my university.
Top spot has to be Max Payne 1 for me, though. That the comfort game of my youth and I think I still know nearly all dialogue by heart.
Mass effect 2
Final Fantasy VII
I went straight on from super Nintendo to this. You can imagine he level of amazement I got.
I picked it up blind after getting carried away in the magazine hype and excitement. I’d not played any FF games before that… man, that was quite an experience!
Maybe Stardew Valley? I found that very enjoyable.
Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, or Super Mario RPG. I couldn’t get enough of Squaresoft in the SNES days.
Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger or Earthbound. So many feels my little brain didn’t have words for.
Subnautica.
The first game to make me truly sad that I had finished it. Wow, what an experience!
I loved exploring and piecing together the story. I loved discovering new creatures and ecosystems. I loved finding strange things and figuring out what to do with them.
I’ve never played a game quite like it before or since. My god, it was really amazing. I beat it without needing a guide or walkthrough. It’s great enough to the point where, if you are curious enough, you won’t need one!
It’s certainly a slower-paced game, as it’s not all non-stop action, so it’s not for everyone. But if you’re a patient and curious person, this may be for you.
Planet Crafter gives me Subnautica vibes, though it’s still in early access. But it has the “build a base and survive in a hostile world with cool things to explore” already and potential to become really great.
That said, Subnautica was the first thing I thought of when I first saw this thread but not planet Crafter.
Same for me yeah, such a great game. I remember doing so many things like setting free all animals i caught in their own habitat before leaving, because i wanted to play the last little bit out of it. Also filling the rocket food for the trip back home. I cried, when i started the flight.
Maybe give outer wilds a try. Exploration and really unique level design.
I dint think ive ever played a game that made me so anxious. The first time i went into the deep and the giant ghostly leviathan came at me i almost had a panic attack.
