Have you played a game that stayed in your head long after you played it?

For me, Outer Wilds would be that game. I feel like I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I beat it a couple years ago.

  • Curvature
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    1 year ago

    Portal 1.

    Something about the ambiance mixed with the puzzles really stuck with me. I replay it almost once a year just to relive it.

  • shapesandstuff@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    I keep reading about Outer Wilds. I think its about time this summer.

    To answer the question: Risk of Rain 1&2

    And maybe the leviathans of my childhood. Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask…

  • Amby@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 year ago

    Definitely Outer Wilds as well.

    Hell, looking into the soundtrack changed my daily playlist to something heavily Midwest Emo.

  • The_Terrible_Humbaba@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    For me, that game would definitely be Disco Elysium. I’ve never connected with a game as much as with that one. I’m actually reticent of playing it again for fear of it not living up to the first experience; I felt like my first playthrough was perfect, even if technically speaking it wasn’t.

    Other than that, I also still think about Mass Effect a fair bit.

    On a side note: if you liked the investigating and “detective-ing” of Outer Wilds, then you will probably also enjoy Return of the Obra Dinn, The Forgotten City, and The Case of the Golden Idol. I’d also add Disco Elysium to that list, but be aware it’s a lot more text heavy.

    • yuun
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      1 year ago

      Oh Disco Elysium all the way, it’s possibly my favorite game. I have a notebook filled with lines in the game that stuck with me.

      I want more of it, but it looks like that lightning won’t strike twice.

      fwiw I did play it through twice, and maybe enjoyed it even more the second time - caught more of the little details

      • yuun
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        1 year ago

        Subdue the regret. Dust yourself off, proceed. You’ll get it in the next life, where you don’t make mistakes. Do what you can with this one, while you’re alive.

    • Monkeytennis@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Great recommendations there, each got under my skin. I feel the same about David Lynch films, they connect with something inside me, and lodge permanently in my brain.

      I’d put What Remains of Edith Finch, Dear Esther, Talos Principle, Stanley Parable, Metroid Prime and maybe Portal 1+2 in there too - they share an authentically mysterious vibe.

      Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds hit me hard, they nailed the atmosphere perfectly. Haven’t actually played DE, was a bit put off by the sheer amount of dialogue, but I need to try it.

    • JediMimeTricks@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      When I saw the OP’s question, my immediate thougt was Outer Wilds and Disco Elysium. Nice to see both represented at the top!

    • Julian@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      By chance I ended up playing journey with only one other person. We got separated at one point and I thought someone else connected, but at the end it only showed one name.

  • acowley@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I never did finish Outer Wilds and still think about it a lot! I need to go start it again because it is genuinely spectacular, but I struggle with my constraint of only being able to put short-ish play sessions into it.

    Playing Ocarina of Time with my son was an epic journey I treasure. It completely captured his imagination, and I was along for that ride.

    Grim Fandango was, and continues to be, a dream for me.

    While I’m there, Full Throttle also executed its style so well that some of its moments still serve as cultural/stylistic landmarks in my mind.

    Mass Effect 2 had several moments where the atmosphere and universe totally hit the mark (Going into the Afterlife Club… come on!).

    Red Dead Redemption connected me to that setting in ways movies can’t reach.

    Edit: I forgot to mention Firewatch! That game established a mood unlike any other game I can think of.

    • IronTwo@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Man, Firewatch. I don’t know how they managed to make the player connect on an emotional level with a character that you don’t even get to meet, but they did a fantastic job.

  • carnha
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    1 year ago

    The Talos Principle - for me, the puzzles hit the sweet spot of being hard enough to be on my mind all day, but never feeling like the solution was out of reach. But even more than the puzzles, the philosophical elements made me reflect on life, civilization, and personhood in a way nothing else has. It was a peaceful, tranquil experience of just me, a serene soundtrack, and thought provoking text and puzzles.

  • Grizzzlay@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Undertale. The messages that game give you. Goddamn. That game also came to me at a point in my life where I needed it. The soundtrack saved me from contemplating a terrible decision. It saved my life. Wonderful game and an incredible experience.

    • DarkLead@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Oh man I feel the same way about it, I still listen to the soundtrack all the time, and sometimes it’s the only thing that can calm me down in bad situations.

  • I_Am_Jacks_____@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Mass Effect – particularly Mass Effect 2 – left an impression, but The Last of Us is and will always be the game that has stuck with me the most/longest.

  • Drew Got No Clue@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’ve mentioned this game already in a few comments recently, but I think it really deserves more attention.

    Prey (2017): I’ve loved it since the first moment, and I still think about the story and lore very often. It’s almost impossible to find a similar game (Bioshock 1 and System Shock 2 have quite some things in common with Prey, but the latter has its own unique vibe).

    • Julian@lemm.eeOP
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      1 year ago

      Oh yeah, I loved prey. One of the biggest mindfucks of an opening. Mooncrash was also really interesting, kind of a prototype for deathloop.

      • RobertJCross
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        1 year ago

        The 2006 version of Prey had an amazing opening as well. I replay it often. Art Bell is in it.

    • Pixel of Life@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Yes! Prey is great. I think I’ve completed it like 3 or 4 times over the years. Still don’t have all the abilities unlocked so maybe it’s time for yet another NG+ run.

  • CaptainDogwater@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Easily RimWorld for me. The stories that play out over time, and how to make productivity more efficient live in my head rent free.

  • styx@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago
    • half life 1, finished around 25 times.
    • kotor 1, finished around 20 times with different classes, genders, alignment.
    • kotor 2, finished around 25 times with different classes, genders, alignments, party members.
    • might and magic 7, finished around 25 times with different party classes, alignments.
    • might and magic 8, finished around 25 times with different party classes, alignments.
    • mass effect 1&2, finished around 3-4 times.

    Who has obsession, me? No you have 🙃

  • RobertJCross
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    1 year ago

    Metal Gear Solid 2. The reveal at the end has stuck with me because 9/11 happened a couple months before and it was so poignant and apropos that my heart rate jumped for the entirety.

    Deus Ex. For the same reason as above but in the opposite direction time-wise.

    Outer Wilds. Like most have said. Amazing game.

    Black & White. Playing god had never been so much fun.

    Thief. Stealth in a way that had never been done before.

    Morrowind. First RPG I wanted to do every little thing in.

    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I grew up in LA during the 90s. This game was the closest thing to using a time machine. The amazing story was just a cherry on top.

  • polygon@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    The Witcher 3 is probably the greatest video game I’ve ever played.

    The Last of Us 1 & 2 is probably the greatest video game story I’ve ever experienced.

    These 3 games are something I think about in some capacity very often and are, in my mind, the benchmarks that every other game is held to.

    Mass Effect and Dragon Age are my notable mentions.