Metal Gear Solid 3, Subnautica, Papers Please.

I love the Metal Gear series but the Cold War setting of 3 works so well with the theme of the game. It also features crab battles and the ladder boss.

Subnautica really captures the feeling of being lost in some alien world and slowly making it your new home. The electronic voice assistant manages to send chills up your spine with lines like "oxygen."

Papers, Please explores complex moral decisions in such a simple way. I wish to live my life more like Jorji.

• STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl
• EuroTruck Simulator 2
• Battlefield 2

Honorable mentions: EvE Online, Mount and Blade Warband, XCOM Enemy Unknown, Helldivers 2, Disco Elysium, Mini Metro, Tactical Breach Wizards

1. rock band 3, spent multiple summers playing this all day long

2. skyrim, still play it every year for like 3 months straight. its insane

3. borderlands the pre sequel. i honestly prefer this one over any other borderlands game

Did you play RDR1? I thought that one was much better than 2, story wise. Not that 2 was bad. Rockstar games are always good imo.

Baldur's gate 3 is also in my top 3, story wise and how well it was made and time spent playing it. I finished the campaign 6 times now, 4 of which with friends playing couch coop.

Also Age of Empires 2 because when I was young I played that game for over at least 3000 hours (if not double) and I still play it sometimes. Just well balanced and lots of good memories from back then, having LAN parties with my friends and playing it for days.

Grammar. ~~You're~~ -> Your*

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Kingdom Hearts 2, Jak 3

Gonna show my age a bit here.

1. Chromehounds. Nothing since has filled that 20 story tall mecha hole in my heart. The way you could build your hound into the role you wanted to play really hasn't been done well in any game since

2. MAG (massive action game). Ps3/ps4 128vs128 matches online? It was such a clusterfuck and I loved it.

3. Binding of Isaac and all its expansions. Game has been a solid and consistent time sink in my life for more than 10 years. Quirky and infinitely replayable.

Star Wars Pod Racer Halo Reach Word of Warcraft

Pod racer was the first game I was better than my younger sibling and when I bought my very first CD (Green Day). I spent hours playing that game with my CD on repeat.

Halo Reach was the first Halo game I was really into and first console modern game played. I spent so many hours playing online and IRL with friends.

World of Warcraft is the game I’ve played the longest. I’ve been playing since a few months after launch. Even though I initially thought it was “too cartoony”, it has kept me entertained for decades. Some of my favorite books are from Warcraft lore. I’ve played countless hours with friends, but now I play solo more than anything. I chase achievements, transmogs, and pets.

Master of Orion 2
Lords of the Realm 2
Caesar 3

It's hard to tell because I have played a lot of games but that comes to mind immediately right now. I would say:

1. Red Dead Redemption 2.
2. Garry's Mod.
3. Titanfall 2.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a game that I absolutely fell in love with and it's one that I regularly go back to just lose myself in and still find new things in it. Arthur Morgan might just be my favorite protagonist of anything ever. It's still one of the best looking games ever made. The game looks like a painting. And you know they did something truly special when they managed to make my ADHD ass enjoy just walking in a game without running.

Gary's Mod is an odd pick for me because I almost thought about leaving it out because I cannot like don't see it as a game. I have thousands of hours on it and most of my time has been spent exploring empty maps. It's more of a tool of relaxation for me than anything else but it's deeply meaningful to me. If I had to summarize it, I would say that the Source engine is my home.

Titanfall 2 is simply the best FPS I've ever played. Both multiplayer and solo. It's amazing. I have spent weekends just playing the main campaign on max difficulty on loop without ever getting bored and the multiplayer was fucking fantastic.

Mostly based off hours played: EU4, Borderlands 2, Bioshock.

I excluded League of Legends even though I probably have the second most hours in that. Toxic as shit and I'm glad I gave it up.

Read everyone else's picks and Tales of Phantasia is one RPG I've gone back to countless times. Might be the only one where I can come back to it months later and pick right back up where I left off. I know it that well.

• Wing Commander 4 - At the time, I was very young, and this game changed how I looked at videogames. For my little brain, the FMV cutscenes and genuinely decent acting (ffs, it has Mark Hammil) somehow made it click that games could have compelling narrative
• Kingdom Hearts - this game changed my life in many ways. I can genuinely say I wouldn't be doing what I do today if it weren't for this game and my involvement in the fan community around it. This game is very special to me because of its themes and major plot beats, and how those interacted with my life at the time. This game taught me that you could go beyond "compelling narrative" and break my heart with a video game lol
• Natural Selection 2 - I wish this game were more popular in its prime. This is the epitome of what I think good competition looks like, and a great manifestation of what I personally love in esports

Final Fantasy XI
Shovel Knight
Hades

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Xenogears
3. Vagrant Story

Nier:Automata gets an honorable mention.

1. Europa Universalis IV
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
3. Lords of the Realm II

EUIV will probably be replaced by EUV when it comes out.

Those are all relatively new games. How old are you? Just decade, not specifics. I'm in my 40s. I'd say my top 3 are World of Warcraft, Factorio, and Final Fantasy 6.

1. Singaporean Bridge - It's basically a crossover of Bridge and Werewolf / Polar Bear / Among Us. That small change of not knowing who your partner is from the start makes for games that are way more fun.
2. Pokemon Soulsilver - I love the following mechanic. The other features of the game are really great too.
3. Raze 2 - I have seen others describe it as the "Halo of flash games". Personally, I had a blast playing it. Also, Waterflame's soundtracks are the GOAT.

Impossible to rank, so I'll pull from at random from a top 25 I did not long ago:

• Trails to Azure - This one had a massive impact on me, from musings on depression and self-worth to love for a city, a community, and the hard choices that come from that love. Incredible story and character writing. All boosted by a well-developed world with a lot of moving parts and a crazy good soundtrack.
• WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames - Endlessly replayable. Holds up even to this day. Every time I think about it, I'm amazed at how they got lightning in a bottle with this new idea.
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Just one of those games where every single facet clicked for me. Visuals, writing, setting, soundtrack, gameplay, meta-gameplay, decision points. All of it.

1. Super Metroid
2. Fallout: New Vegas
3. Factorio

• Shadow Warrior 2 (playing with Quake 3 arsenal)
• Prey (playing in VR)
• Burnout Paradise (playing with wheel and VR).

Oh, cheeky 4th one: Magicraft (best bite-sized PoE/arpg ever)

Planetside 2 used to be my no.1 game, but I haven't played in a couple years and do not believe I'll ever return.

Of all time?

Galaxian - I have an antique table top arcade version my aunt gave me about 20ish years ago that I enjoy.

Civilization - Hot seat multiplayer was awesome. Pikeman as active borders for your country.

Doom - Soundtrack alone is worth the experience