List items
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2019 #1
I think this is probably the best game ever made, best at taking advantage of all aspects of a game. with clever gameplay mechanics/puzzles, freedom of traversal/exploration, a coherent and incredible story that plays out in a varied way depending on where you go. all wrapped in complex simulations, beautiful visuals, incredible music. it feels impossible for a game to be so consistently good at everything and make it seem so effortless. the physics of the universe. the way the story coherently unravels no matter what angle you approach it from. the fun uniqueness of each planet, especially the dlc zone, the way it lets you alone to do it all at your own pace. the way the 21 min time limit doesn't get in the way and in fact causes you to explore in different paths each time , in search of shortcuts/optimized routes, which causes you to stumble into other new areas. the way the ending so powerfully bring every single moment together, into a single perfect point about the end of all things and the beginning of new ones. it's unbelievable. i don't know how it exists. how did they make something so smart
the ending is the only game to give me that unique feeling of completely forgetting where you are and just fully experiencing something
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2015 #1
it's the lord of the rings but for games for me, the one true story epic in gaming to me. with an incomprehensible scale and quality of storytelling/writing/voice acting that holds up eternally. there are so many places/vistas/moments/characters/story beats that stand out in my head. for a game so big, with at least 4 different 'wtf i cannot believe how big this game is' moments the first time through, so much of it still stands out. i distinctly remember feeling that "wtf there's an underground map in elden ring/zelda how big is this shit' feeling multiple times in witcher 3 . the first time i got to velen and opened the map. then again when i got to novigrad, and again when i got to skellige. and it just delivers constantly, from start to finish. the world and story work is complicated, with characters that are old and world weary, who know each other and the state of things better than the audience does, who are mature and complicated. it's funny. it's dramatic. it's tragic. it's relaxing and deeply peaceful.
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2016 #1
nothing has ever been as powerful as the moments of discovery and revelation. the slow unraveling and ramping up of the games puzzles is legendary, with each area feeling unique while also additively training your brain to better solve the next. the number of incredible moments of asking 'what is this damn game', the secrets, the videos, the challenge, the variety and cleverness of the puzzles. unmatched in gaming, while also still touching on those "hey remember myst" vibes that really affect me
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2017 #1
possibly the best surprise of the last 10 years. to ship a game with such a coherently and deeply realized universe, with such strong combat, best in class visuals, music, enemy design, combat variety, it's unbelievable. they made a ubisoft style open world game but did it right by practicing restraint. it's one of the few digestibly sized open world games out there and it doesn't get appreciated enough for that.
the pleasure of uncovering the game on our own before release played a somewhat special role too. having genuinely no expectations going in beyond pretty visuals and potentially fun combat and to find something so complete was a one of a kind experience. the historical sci-fi storytelling in it is truly incredible, with very well thought out, intelligently assembled ideas, complex ideas, presented in small chunks. the way the story just keeps going and giving you more and more detail and all of it being affecting and so smartly written. a one of a kind
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2018 #1
https://www.reddit.com/r/reddeadredemption/comments/f31bz4/at_75_my_mother_decided_to_play_through_red_dead/
…the “game” was somewhere between my recollections as a child of playing dolls that I dressed and placed in imaginary scenes and playing cowboys and Indians with those plastic figures whose legs were bowed so they could ride securely on their little plastic horses. But beyond the imaginary part of it all; it was so real. As if I was living in another time when folks travelled over roads that were narrow paths that led over wooden bridges and through rushing streams. And when the weather changed- my first worry was whether Arthur needed a coat or a bigger hat…and we kept going along beautiful trails, rowing wooden boats, jumping on wagons-noting all along stars in a changing sky, old houses that seemed familiar-as if they were from history and not an artist’s pen.…and my attention to detail throughout spilled over into the real world beyond. I would hear voices in the supermarket that sounded like the background voices in RDR2.
it's a true one of a kind, there will never be anything like rdr2 ever again. no game htis expensive will ever be this hyper focused on creating a sense of place and more importantly a sense of PACE that matches the people and time they are in. it's a spiritually pleasing game and emulates the pleasures of simply walking in the woods in a way no game ever has. the greatest main character of all time, an incredible 6-season-tv-show style story that really is just beautiful in the end.
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2020 #2
the best first person shooter combat of all time, it feels like exercise to play on higher difficulties in the best way. it is uncompromising in its vision and completely nails it. the marauder is a phenomenal test of your skill. it's the sekiro of fps games. nothing makes me work harder and rewards me with more sheer fun than this combat. the enemy variety, the way they interact with each other, the way they force you to use all your tools, the sheer speedy, mastering the dps maximization, the dlcs were awesome and felt like a fitting conclusion to the game/series. massively ramps up the art variety. it's only fault is the storytelling being a big letdown from the first game but i had actually forgotten about this until just now that's how little it matters
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2017 #9
in a lot of ways my dream game, finally i have a game that i can play whenever i want and there's somethihng new for me to do. with endlessly satisfying gameplay loops. the shooting, looting, and visuals have had me hooked for just shy of a decade now. through thick and thin destiny has always been there. it's not always been good but i've always enjoyed it. it's the standard setter for the genre for a reason, no one has come close. and it's sort of ruining my ability to care about loot in any other game because why does that stuff matter when i've got a character and guns that stick around with me in a world that i care about...
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2018 #3
such a singularly ME style game with it's world/story/visuals/music. i love period pieces and mythology and especially when those two combine with seafaring stuff. maybe my favorite ost ever
the greatest detective game ever, so trusting in the player to figure their own path through the mystery. everyone has had their own snowballing moment. it's really the only game that has truly genuinely made me feel like i have solved a mystery
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2015 #9
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2017 #5
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2020 #1
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2016 #4
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2014 #1
there is very little in media that i revere or have extreme nostalgia for but Alien is one of them. it's kinda my star wars, in terms of visuals and sounds that will always get me going
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2019 #2
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2014 #8
evokes something that no other game ever has, that dreamy, lynchian sadness. the sadness that was so perfectly captured in that Atlanta episode when he wakes up after dreaming of his mother who is no longer alive
it captures some unspoken understanding of the world and life in a way few things do - "we live inside a dream"
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2017 #6
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2016 #5
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2020 #4
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2013 #1
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2021 #1
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2021 #2
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2019 #5
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2020 #5
top 25 has a fair amount of games that i want to give extra love to that haven't been talked about enough by myself as games that I really do love and think about a lot
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2016 #3
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2018 #2
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2018 #6
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2015 #2
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2022 #2
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2013 #9
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2019 #8
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2016 #6
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2017 #2
most audacious storytelling - feels like a korean film in terms of the wildly varying tones
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2017 #8
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2022 #3
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2022 #1
i cherish my first playthrough and the puzzles
of all the remaining games on the list, this is the one i'd least want to replay and I don't know if you can ever replay tunic once you've cracked it open
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2013 #2
fringe multiverse stuff
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2020 #3
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2015 #5
I think I like the idea of MGSV more then the game itself, I dunno
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2019 #6
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2018 #8
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2021 (outer wilds DLC repeat caused everything to be bumped after 7)
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2021 #3
The ultimate RE game would have the horror of 7, the level design/puzzles of (2 and 7), the environment/art variety and stupid tone of 8, and the combat interactivity of 4.
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2019 #3
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2017 #7
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2021 #5
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2021 #4
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2022 #5
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2016 #8
most innovative shooter in years!
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2014 #3
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2013 #3
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2014 #5
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2017 #4
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2020 #6
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2016 #10 (replacing Witcher 3 Blood and Wine)
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2018 #4
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2019 #7
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2014 #2
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2021 #8
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2021 #6
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2022 #6
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2021 #9
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2018 #10 replacing Destiny 2 at #5
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2021 #7
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2019 #9
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2013 #6
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2014 #7
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2016 #9
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2022 #4
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2014 #6
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2013 #7
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2018 #7
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2020 #7
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2017 #3
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2015 #6
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2013 #5
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2015 #4
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2013 #8
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2016 #7
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2022 #8
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2020 #9
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2022 #7
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2015 #7
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2019 #10 (replacing Bloodborne)
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2016 #2
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2014 #10
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2015 #3
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2019 #4
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2017 #10
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2013 #4
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2020 #8
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2022 #10
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2018 #9
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2013 #10
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2015 #8
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2022 #9
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2018 #10
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2014 #4
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2020 #10
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2015 #10
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2014 #9
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