by tk_frampt
Unordered because I wasn't feeling good about putting arbitrary numbers by many of the entries.
I'm almost certainly missing some games but I'm thinking off the top of my head at the moment.
Showing 1-10 of 37 items
Anxiety in a bottle and, whoops, I drank it all! I finished it for the first time during finals week of a rough semester of university when I was really questioning myself and some of my life choices. It offered me a nice bit of self-reflection and, ultimately, relief after a ton of nerve-wracking. I greatly appreciate that I had both of those things at a particularly hard time.
I have a fondness for all the Rare entries but the original is the one I most often go back to. It's a comfort game; if I'm feeling particularly down and just need something to zone out to, it's there.
Again, I have a fondness for the whole of the original trilogy but 3 is just a bit above the rest. It helped me connect with folks around me when I wasn't quite good enough at that.
Both the PS2 and PSV versions. Golden is the better version, even if I didn't appreciate all of its additions.
Imperator! It's the only time I remember being obsessed with a game demo. I've played through the Battle of the River Trebia countless times and I'm still terrible at timing flanks. It took place in 218 BC, didn't you know?
I think it's the most well-rounded Metal Gear and the OST doesn't get enough love compared to later entries. It has an aesthetic that owns the PS1's usually-derided vectors. More indie games should crib from it, imo.
Yes, the final boss is dumb. Yes, its story is the least consequential to the overarching narrative. Yes, it scales back the RPG elements of the original and orients itself more toward action....Yes, it's the best.
Style for days. The storytelling is minimal but engrossing because everything happening looks so damn cool. Best battle system in MegaTen, as well. It's the only reason I know what a yurlungur is. Puzzle Boy is ridiculous, though.
I enjoyed it enough to complete it on Commander difficulty in Ironman mode back when it was still pretty buggy.
Oddly enough, this game also helped me connect with others in an important way. I guess it's true that folks are quick to bond over mutual fear of exploding and/or drowning. The puzzles are stronger in VLR though the original's self-contained nature and scaled-down scope (lemme tell ya...VLR has some *scope*) make it preferable.