What games have you played in the last 365 days that stand out to you as the most memorable experiences?

I can't hype The Outer Wilds enough. It's such a fun exploration game that evolves into a big mystery.

I also just finished Ixion for the second time. It's a city builder but with stress. I enjoyed it a lot because it scratched my particular brain itch, but I can see it not being for everyone though. IXION soundtrack is a banger though.

Hades really is a banger. I cannot wait for Hades 2, my goodness.

Another perfect game for me is Outer Wilds. It's hard to really get across the emotional impact it has on you.

Unfortunately due to the nature of the game, you can only really ever play it once. You are able to complete the game immediately, but the whole point is you discover clues as you explore that eventually build up to a point where it all clicks together, and suddenly you know what you must do.

Go in completely blind. Play on your own with your headphones on and get truly immersed. Try not to look up any guides. If you can get there on your own it's truly satisfying.

When people say videogames are stupid I think of this game and feel sorry for what these people miss out on!

Edit: Oh mechabellum too - great shout. It's criminal how small the player base is for such an addictive and fun game.

I reckon it's gotta be Disco Elysium ; that game changed my life. I just came to it at a particular point in time where some of the messages of the game hit especially hard.

A friend was recently telling me that it seems like it's exactly their kind of game in many respects, but that their impression is that they would find it too depressing to play. Whilst it is true that the setting is pretty grim, I also found it to be one of the most hopeful games I've ever played.

If anyone isn't familiar with Disco Elysium (DE), it's a RPG where you play as an amnesia cop trying to solve a murder. It's very introspective and quite heavy on the text, which I personally loved. It's a very grey world where there isn't a clear right answer in anything and it's so well executed that it made things feel real.

As an example, one of the things DE is known for is its creators thanking Marx and Engels when receiving an award for the game, leading many to view DE as "that communist game". However, although you can play as a communist, the game pulls no punches for any of the ideaologies, especially communism. It was made by an Estonian game studio, and it never feels overly idealistic - this particular kind of sad wistfulness towards history is something that only a post-Soviet country could pull off, I reckon.

As others have mentioned: Outer Wilds.

It's a game I can never experience in the same way ever again, and I am jealous of everyone who has yet to play it.

Outer Wilds. Will probably stick with me for the rest of my life.

Death Stranding also had some moments that I remember fondly.

Slay the Spire still got an immense amount of attention from me, even though I started playing it longer ago than 365 days. I discovered how fun this game can be with a friend / a group. Building the deck together and making decisions really amplifies the emotions :D.

Demon Souls, first souls like I finished, on PS5. Just an incredibly polished experience.

Besides TotK:

- Project Diablo 2 Season 7: If you've been meaning to check out the Diablo series, or you're not impressed with Diablo IV, then this is the variant of the game you have to try. Of course, Diablo 2 is a classic and PD2 is a well received mod, but Season 7 adds some much welcome graphical QoL changes - 60FPS and HD text rendering that looks pretty good even on 4K monitors. Of course, the graphics still doesn't compare to Resurrected or other modern games, but if you can look past that, you're in for a helluva ride. This is hands down, the best ARPG, IMO.

- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: If you're a Star Wars and an Age of Empires fan, you have to check this out. On the surface, it's just a reskinned AoE 2, but calling it just that wouldn't do it justice. You can have fleets of X-Wings and Tie Fighters, little R2 units as your villagers, destroyer droids, Jedi Knights as priests, bounty hunters, and of course, stormtroopers. All your classic Star Wars character types, all the familiar SW locales like Tatooine, campaigns based on movie plots, all of it accompanied by original soundtracks by John Williams from the movie - and you've got a winner. Unfortunately, this game never received the official HD treatment like AoE did, but thankfully, the Expanding Fronts mod exists - it adds much needed QoL fixes, plus new civilisations, units, maps and music from the movies. You may want to pair it with the cnc-ddraw patch for better graphics btw. I've been playing this game almost every single day with my friends using ZeroTier and it's been sooo much fun.

- 0 A.D.: This is another RTS that every AoE/RTS fan should check out. It's a cross-platform open-source game that's been under development for a long time, and whilst still technically an "alpha", it's reached a state where you can genuinely enjoy campaigns and multiplayer games without any major issues. A couple of things that stand out for me is a) the music, which is really, really well done, matching the civilisation you're playing b) the details on the buildings - you can zoom in super close and appreciate all the details, in fact, it's not just the buildings but the attention to detail in general stands out in so many ways, for instance, even your farms look different with different civilisations c) the AI is really well done - even on "easy" mode it can pose a bit of a challenge and isn't a complete pushover (unlike AoE's easy AI), and you can also customize their behavior as well (per civilization) when starting your game (you can choose between defensive, aggressive, balanced etc) - which greatly adds to the replay value and d) you can have effectively unlimited population and very large battalions with lots of different formations, for some epic battles (provided your system can handle it of course). The only thing I miss are the keyboard shortcuts from AoE, but it's not a big deal since you aren't playing any ranked games or playing with randoms. Overall, the quality of this game, especially for an open-source game, is amazing, and makes it must-try for every RTS fan.

I don't play games at release so my lists are often varied anyway. Only one of these truly blew my mind, but I think the others stood out well enough:

Paradise Killer: The detective and investigation genre has been well fed these past years. When Obra Dinn came out I felt sated. It was everything I ever wanted from a mystery game. The recent release of The Case of the Golden Idol struck a similar vein, even if far shorter and (IMO) easier. There's a thing about those however, as well as most games of the genre: They're often tied down to vignettes, select scenes laid down by the developers with clues that are obligatory to find or stand out blatantly. Games like Ace Attorney or DanganRonpa straight up won't let you progress until you've found everything that you need to beat your case. And while that is not exactly stale, it feels somewhat constrained.

Paradise Killer flips that metaphorical table and throws you into a wild, vibrant world with little to no aid. I'll spare the plot details, as its somewhat complicated to talk about them, but you are an investigator sent to crack the "Crime to end all crimes", a bloodbath that is going to send this - supposedly - paradise into a chaotic fate unless its stopped. And after a brief explanation of what happened, you're sent on your merry way, expected to meet and interrogate every NPC, as well as comb through the scenario.

The dialogues are typical from what you expect, some friendly back and forth, some very unfriendly back and forth, characters with deep dark secrets that aren't always related to the current case but might turn up unexpected surprises. The real standout of the game, however, is the freedom and expectations you have for this world. You're not chained to the murder scene (which you can't even access for most of the game) or a few select areas. Instead you're supposed to walk and climb and jump and look into every named area, learn about this world, dig up secrets, compare and pick apart testimonies, comb up random pieces of evidency as well as solve a few minor puzzles along the way. Its a mystery game with a single case - in a way - that runs far, far deeper than any other detective adventure I've ever played. Its a story that starts deep and dark, then plunges far further with every single new information you learn about this deranged place and its citizens. I don't think I'll ever be as sated as when I finally sat down and put everything together, getting ready for the final trial (which you can start at any point, the sword of Damocles of having enough evidence always hanging over your head) and proceeded to build and tear down every remark I've heard along the way. But then again, I thought I'd never find a games as satisfying as Obra Dinn as well.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin: A mix of farming sim and character action game filled with so much heart it overflows. Sakuna takes several elements from games I'm used to play - the asshole main character who finds herself taking care of an unwanted group, crop growing mechanics, 2D stylish combat - and breaths fresh air in all of those.

The characterization and growth that these people go through is nothing short of stellar. I've gotten somewhat tired of redemption arcs or bonding that happens through a traumatic event or crushing defeat, or simply is forced by the narrative. In Sakuna there's no sudden moment where the characters start to band together. Instead, slowly, they start relying on each other's talents, realizing what they can do for each other - and for themselves. Its about learning their value, honing their abilities, and sharing the kindness they get with others. It something that's hard to put in words - how to properly describe people growing fond of each other? - but the narrative is genuinely heartwarming, and most of all it feels organic.

The Rice growing also stands out, in a more grueling light. This isn't a farming game where you tile a field, randomly throw seeds, water them and call it a day. Every action that you take is exhausting, from preparing the soil, to planting - every individual seedling, one by one - to measuring the proper flow of water, considering the fertilizer ingredients, thinking about the proper temperature, and that's not to mention the harvesting. You'll separate the rice stalk by stalk, and manually hull the rice until its fully white (or leave it brown, if you're okay with a lesser quality). Its a repetitive, arduous job, but it makes complete sense both mechanically and narratively. First, Sakuna is a harvest goddess, meaning her levelling up happens entirely through a proper harvest. This is her literally growing as a goddess. Secondly, that backbreaking labour gets slowly easier, both by her learning new planting skills and by being helped by her soon-to-be friends. Its how she grows as a person. Little by little those tasks get easier, faster, as she gets stronger and starts valuing other's labour more, as well as her own. Its a slow process, but briliantly laid out by the developers.

Dragon Quest Builders 2: This one is simple. This game is basically a drug. The DQB series follow the formula of block crafting games, but with a fantasy setting and a storyline. Rather than having a sandbox to do as you wish, you'll be guided through a world in need of saving, not by a hero but by a Builder. And not only does DQB stand out on its presentation and satisfying mechanics, but it simply oozes charm and is a ridiculously sweet adventure, almost to the point of being saccharine.

And it has so many puns you'll want to walk into the sea.

Skimming through my Steam library, here are the games that I'd call memorable/left an imprint for me in the last year.

• Neon White - Score attack/leaderboard chasing is NOT my genre at all, but the game felt so good to get into a flow state and solve the puzzle, chasing that last Ace medal timing. There are more things I could have gone and chased, but getting all Ace medals, gifts and finishing the story was sufficient for me. I'd be curious to figure out if playing again, almost a year later, if I could do any of the later levels!

• Security Booth: Director's Cut - A very short experience but such a fascinating and creepy one. You're asked to man a security booth and let in or reject cars based on a list of license plates. Things get weird and that's all I really want to say. This is also a game that feels like it was originally released on a PS1.

• The Case of the Golden Idol - Both Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn are some of my favorites of all time , so when I heard that Golden Idol was like both of them together I was extremely curious. It's more Obra Dinn than Outer Wilds, but the core mystery in each level is so interesting to uncover. Nothing ever really comes out and says "So this is what happened" in a cutscene, but you read a letter in one room, maybe a letter in another, then you're checking between them for the dates and trying to figure out what happened when. I felt so smart when a puzzle came together and when I saw/solved one of the big mysteries before they basically tell you the answer. So so so much fun and I need to get into the DLC.

• Marvel's Spider Man and Miles Morales - I played the first Spider Man on Sony's streaming service a couple years ago, so I knew all the story beats already. That didn't stop the emotional impact from STILL hitting me from some of the final villain's speech to Peter. I had also never played Miles Morales, so it was great to put them both back to back. The story can feel very routine/by the numbers but I almost didn't care because I was having so much fun swinging through New York. Cannot wait for Spider Man 2.

To the moon. Man, what a roller coaster of emotions.

Pentiment

Dave the diver. This is such a fun game, it’s hard to explain. Simple concept dive for fish and run a sushi joint. Somehow it’s managed to become all games in one and every angle of play is well thought out. The diving part is part shooter/adventure/exploration/rpg. The Sushi joint aspect is collector/rts/management simulator. The animations are top notch as well. I can’t recommend it enough.

Disco Elysium - for the unrivaled thick atmosphere

Divinity original sin 2 - for the amazing combat system

Nova Drift - for getting me in the zone every single run

Deep Rock Galactic:

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

"Mushroom."

Playing It takes two with my spouse

I started playing Factorio about a month ago and I’m completely addicted. I love it so much. I guess there’s not much more I can say about it, given how everybody but me had already heard of and played this game. But it’s definitely my #1 gaming highlight of the year.

The Blaster Master Zero series is a trip down memory lane and a fun romp. Excellent nostalgia feels if you ever played the original.

The horizon games have been good for both storytelling and gameplay.

Firewatch, while much too short, tells a moving story about the isolation that loss brings.

The Stanley Parable is one giant Easter egg with I finite replayability.

I'm a huge fan of "sky children of light" when I'm stressed out.

The free just cause games on PlayStation are kinda meditative in their own way, allowing you to fly across the countryside in a wingsuit.

I've also played BOTW, but am fairly disappointed in the lack of challenge. TOTK however, I am looking forward to.

Finally, Control. It has sweet gameplay, a cool story, a creepy as hell atmosphere, and links all the Remedy games together, all of which is love for the same reasons as I love Control. Of all the games I am looking forward to, Remedy is giving me the most antici...

pation.

Stray. I liked the length, gameplay, story, colors, and being a little orange cat. The puzzles weren’t too hard either.

The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. The controls were a little fiddly sometimes, but it’s VR so that’s not unexpected. The story was mostly a backdrop for the zombie-killing and fetch-questing, but it was a lot of fun.

Satisfactory.

I do software development for work, so the game resonates with me intensely. Doing math to optimize input/output and refactor systems to obtain best capacity compared to the available technology. It's great.

And yes, I have played through Factorio too.

As of yesterday, Baldur's Gate 3. Really love shoving gobbos off of rooftops.

Before that, I think Against the Storm might be my pick. I'm usually not in to city builders past the 2-3 hour mark. Basically as soon as my city is functional I want to try again and make something pretty AND functional. Against the Storm basically has you do that beginning stretch over and over in a rogue-like format. It's fucking awesome.

Edit: now that I see someone mention Deep Rock I gotta make that my pick. Rock and stone!

I finished Omori a few months ago and it was a standout experience, really enjoyed every moment and could sing a lot of praise on its sound design and usage of gameplay mechanics to tell a story!

I haven't seen it mentioned, so I'll say The Last Campfire. Cozy, cute, a bit challenging, and the story was worth it.

Do you have a guide or something to reference to setup EFT Single Player as you've described? I haven't played in a long time (last time was right around when the first versions of the SP mod was made public) because I got fed up with the online experience. I'd love to jump back in to SP eventually to see what's changed, I definitely miss the EFT gameplay.

Kingdom Come Deliverance. There definitely is a bar to entry with how steep the learning curve is.

Once past that, it’s probably one of the best immersive RPGs I’ve ever played. Bonus points if you’re a history buff and study European history in the late 1300s.

That being said, I can say this game isn’t for everyone

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York
Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong
Vampire: The Masquerade - Night Road
Vampire: The Masquerade - Heartless Lullaby
Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of The Forest
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Vampyr
Sonic Frontiers
Milk Inside A Bag of Milk Inside A Bag of Milk
Milk Outside A Bag of Milk Outside A Bag of Milk
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Half Life: Alyx
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Dark Souls
Hi-Fi Rush

That's easy for me, the Snowrunner Year 1 expansion pack. Specifically Lake Kola and Imandra, when coaxing a heavily laden truck through the deep snow, day slides to night and the northern lights come out. A borderline spiritual experience because to get there you have to have got through things that seemed impossible.

Pizza Tower is genuinely amazing.

Cassette Beasts also surprised me in how good it was.

I think the number one was DUSK. I initially put it off as just another boomer shooter trying to "ride the wave" of the trend, but after giving it some time to get past the first few levels, it really is more than that. It's sort of a combination of the "badass" gameplay of Doom but with a horror story and atmosphere. There were truly some terrifying moments in the game, and a lot of the levels a pretty nightmare-fuel. The low-poly aesthetic sort of turns this up a notch in a way.

It has this very refreshing gameplay loop where part (or multiple parts) of a level will be a typical boomer shooter focus on gunning down hordes of enemies or even a boss fight, while in the meantime you're navigating a labyrinthine environment with some pretty terrifying imagery. A lot of the story is implied during the levels and then explained in between levels through text, so the player is really left guessing for a lot of the game, and the story opens up far more than one could ever expect.

A lot of people may go into DUSK expecting Doom or Quake or even a more modern game like UltraKill, but I think it's a lot more than those three combined.

Gris

Frostpunk. OMG never have I played a game like this. It was emotionally exhausting and I didn't realize it until I finished the first scenario. I was like if been holding my breath for a few weeks and was finally able to let it out. Started a second scenario and I honestly don't think I can do it again. I loved it but WOW.

Minecraft and Civilization VI.

Sounds bland? Somewhat. It's more the fact that I started playing them with the kid and the wife for the first time effectively. The kid got a Minecraft account when it was three days old, both the wife and I played it heavily during the (horrible/stressful) pregnancy as she got sick from other games for some reason. Now playing it together was fucking wholesome and easily one of the most memorable experiences. We now run a small private server for us and some friends and it is an absolutely fantastic bonding experience - even more so as I can easily join when I am on one of my rather frequent business trips.

Civ6 is a bit similar experience wise but it also started a absolute transformation in the kid - it has read all (literally ALL) the childrens and adolescent history books in our rather well equipped local library and we now have to very carefully have to choose which adult books are appropriate - and therefore are learning a lot about history we never figured we would need to read about. (Scythian history? Really,kiddo?)

"I Was a Teenage Exocolonist" continues to be an experience; I haven't seen all 29 endings yet, partially because I can't bring myself to screw over some of the characters in the ways I would need to to get some of them.

HiFi Rush
Hogwart's Legacy

For a game that somehow missed my radar entirely, Anno: Mutationem is almost everything I want in a game: compelling story, fun characters, simple but engaging gameplay, and the visual style is just… I don’t know if it gets any better than that.

TUNIC was such a fun lil gem. So many smiles when you see the all the cheeky shit the devs pull off at every corner.

TotK just blows your mind in what you can do.

But come on.... FFXVI has so much spectacle. And Soken's soundtrack is just too hype. Games aren't just about gameplay, or we would've never had No More Heroes 2. Such big, grandiose moments that you just can't help but remember. Of course, it has so much boring tedium too, which I suspect are there to really make those huge, epic moments stand out even more.

hi fi rush hands down. particularly one cut scene which has the literally coolest transformation I've experienced in a game : https://youtu.be/cU5utimmtkg?t=96

• unpacking
• firewatch
• ooblets

I was so angry when Battlefield 2042 came out in 2021. SO MAD. I'd waited years for that game, and the state it was released in was downright embarrassing. Just not even in the universe of finished or playable - it was a joke.

I was so furious because I'd convinced my friends that it was going to be amazing. Thankfully we all signed up for EA Play for a month rather than buying a copy for $90AUD.

We all went and played call of duty for 2 years instead, but it fractured the group.

Recently BF2042 went back on sale for $20. A friend sent us all some youtube videos and convinced the whole squad to give it another run as they had been actively working on the game for the entire two years. I'm so glad he did!

We have had some absolutely epic 128 player matches the last 4 months. So much fun, it has felt like the old days.

One friend has put in the hours and learned to be a pretty competent chopper pilot. We have had a couple of games with a full squad in the chopper repairing and gunning and managed to stay alive the entire match without a single death. Absolutely legendary.

We've had others jumping between vehicle and ground play and basically turned the tide of battle just with our little squad. Man we've had some fun! It's the first time in years that I've regularly managed to field a full squad all on voice comms and it's just been so great.

I really liked that little crab island shooter. Cute and inexpensive. Not a huge or blockbuster game but pretty fun for me. I need a new FPS after OW2 ruined OW1.

• Paradise Killer : One of the best Detective/Mystery/Investigation games that I have played, and I've played quite a few; I've essentially spent the last couple of years trying to collect more of them. It took me a while to try because of the art style, but of course you shouldn't judge a book/game for its cover/art style, and actually the style grew on me as I played. The soundtrack is quite nice as well, making the general vibe and atmosphere of the game pretty great, and that's another big reason I still think about that game.

• Heaven's Vault : Mystery/Investigation and Fantasy/Sci-fi in which you play as an archaeologist and where the main gameplay mechanic is translating ancient texts of an ancient language, in order to decipher the history of the galaxy and uncover its great mysteries. And I mean you, as the player, translate them; the game only tells you whether you are right or wrong after you have attempted to translate the same symbols several times.

• Planescape: Torment : Finally got around to playing it, and it will definitely stay with me. It was apparently one of the inspirations for Disco Elysium - which should say a lot - but it's actually a Fantasy game based on D&D 2e. There is about 1 third of the game which was developed by a different team who took a very different approach and so the quality doesn't really match, but still a great experience over all. I'd say the first two thirds are 10/10, the last third is 5/10, and the end was 8.5/10.

Well, that's a good exercise, I've actually completed more games in the past year than I thought I did...

• Lunar: Silver Star (Story Complete) - I'm not usually fond of "typical" turn-based RPGs, but there was something about Lunar's fairly simplistic gameplay, beautiful art and sound design, the quirky translation from Working Designs, it's just a very "charming" game and it's been on my mind for a while since then, everything kinda comes together to form a really memorable experience. I'm looking forward to playing Eternal Blue sometime soon-ish.
• Uncharted: Golden Abyss - Okay, hear me out: Golden Abyss is sort of the black sheep in the Uncharted franchise and I wouldn't say I love it - it can be very frustrating at times, the story is somewhat subpar compared to mainline games and as a showcase for the PS Vita, it can also be pretty gimmicky - however, it was my first Uncharted game, back in 2012, and I had to wait until I got a PS5 (in 2020) to finally experience the other games. It was well worth the wait, I absolutely love the series and that's why I wanted to replay Golden Abyss (for that bit of nostalgia) last year.
• Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - I've been on a (fairly recent) journey to try and explore my own mental health through various mediums, with video games being one of my primary passions/hobbies/time sinks, I've been trying to find games that explore this subject specifically - Hellblade is, of the ones I've played yet, the one that does it best. It's a very intimate game and it can be really sensory heavy at times (I don't think I would've been able to play it, were I in a less than ideal mental state at the time), but it's such a rewarding experience, being able to see and feel Senua's tale that way. I can't wait for the second game.
• A Plague Tale: Requiem - This is the most memorable and emotional experience I've ever had in a video game, bar none. I played Innocence and Requiem back to back and I enjoyed it so much, I can't recommend it enough. I fear my words wouldn't do the game(s) justice tbh. And that OST is wonderful.
• Nier: Automata - What does it mean to human? I would say this is one of the games which had me reflect on our own condition and society the most, haha. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the gameplay (that's usually more my kind of RPG - Action focused), with various other interesting mechanics (shmup gameplay, etc). The OST is one of the best I've ever heard. One of those games you wish you could erase from your memory and relive all over again.
• GRIS - Another game with a focus on mental health. Simple, beautiful, emotional. No spoken words, yet I felt like I went on a journey at a time when I feel I needed it most, I cried multiple times, but I'm really grateful for what I experienced. Probably the most memorable sound design I've experienced last year!

OP if you liked Project Wingman VR, you absolutely owe it to yourself to try out VTOL VR.

As a combat flight simulator enthusiast I can’t recommend it enough. Virtual joystick so you don’t need to set up a HOTAS (it works surprisingly well), online multiplayer with a very active modding/custom scenarios community, and a good balance between realism and arcade.

I literally rebuilt my pc with this game in mind 🤪

The Last Campfire was a moving experience that I'm not likely to forget any time soon. And a pretty good little puzzler, while we're at it.

The Xenoblade Saga and all DLC included in the experience ; Cyberpunk 2077 and Shovel Knight, best experiences so far

Sea of Thieves. I've had so many great interactions with other pirates, and the freedom the game gives me allows fights/battles to go in some very interesting ways. I'm not sure I've played another game that lets me outsmart my opponent in so many ways, and the ability to speak to other pirates can provide for some very interesting or funny moments. The other day I was attacked by a reaper ship, once they knocked down our mast I started swimming with a gunpowder barrel towards their ship. They swam right past me while looking for me, unfortunately I was killed just feet from their ship. But they had no idea about my second gunpowder barrel and started sailing closer to my ship. As it sunk, the barrel was freed from the chains of gravity and hit their ship, killing most of their crew. We all had a laugh in the ferry of the damned after that. They were pouting that we had no treasure so we teased them with how we just sold a giant pile of it when they started chasing us.

Another time we were about to log off so me, in a sloop, approached some random galleon to give them all our supplies. We were really lucky with finding them and had an absolute fuckton of supplies. The first words from them as we approached were "They're here" and they all jumped on our deck ready to attack. We told them we come in peace, with gifts, and gave them our supplies. In return, they gave us a key to one of our chests, which had three items we needed inside of it, that we would have otherwise missed out on. Got like 5 achievements out of that interaction.

Diablo 4. I'm still playing my first character, Necromancer. I put on some chill music and work on completing all the quests and dungeons. It's really relaxing and thoughtless. I finally killed the random spawning Butcher and was so excited I text my wife about it. Lol

GTA Online. Me and my kids have a Motorcycle Club and we cruise around and shoot people together and it brings me joy!

Stray - There's not a massive amount to it, but what's there is charming, with just enough storytelling to drag you in. Plus you're a cat. Who doesn't like cats?

Guardians of the Galaxy - The gameplay feels a little rough around the edges, and the characters have an extremely irritating habit of starting to talk just before you cross the invisible lines that stop them talking again (and unlike God of War, that conversation is now lost), but it felt like a Marvel game should. More fleshed out than the movies (especially Drax and Mantis, who are just fucking moronic on screen). I feel everyone (including me) ignored this on launch because of The Avengers, which is a shame because it deserved to do better.

Ghostwire Tokyo - Definitely unique. It's kind of a shooter, but not. They've added a (free?) update to it with a school, so if you played it before and wondered where the horror element was, go back and play that bit.

Death Stranding - The first strand type game. I've certainly never played an apocalyptic Deliveroo driver before. I recommend mostly just mainlining the story here, as the payoff is the best bit.

Humanity - Neat little puzzle game. Not especially challenging. Somewhere between Lemmings and an obscure Amiga game called Timekeepers.

Endling - Come for the cute foxes. Stay for the sudden realisation that you can actually lose those babies and this isn't what you thought it was. Like Stray it's not overly long, although somehow even bleaker.

Ive been abusing steep for days now, and boy is that game the after dinner thin mint of gaming. Its gorgeous, and offers million of ways to go down tue several proposed mountains.

Metro 2033 Redux: I'm not usually big on first person shooters, but love horror games so I gave it a try. The atmosphere and mechanics combine to make it a really immersive and tense experience. I loved that they put a stealth option in a FPS. There's limited gas mask filters which pushes you to move faster, while at the same time the traps and lack of ammo make you want to slow down; which keeps up the tension even if there's nothing elsr happening at the moment. There's a good variety in the types of levels, so you're not just blasting your way through everything all the time.

Their approach to moral choices was also very well implemented; instead of giving you clunky and obvious dialogue options, they just watch how you play the game to determine which ending you get.

Elden Ring and Dead Cells stand out to me the most.

Played Hardspace Shipbreaker. Damn it's good to do some industrial action :)

We Love Katamari

Just like you, Tears of the Kingdom. I played for 140 hours before attempting the final boss. Man, was it worth it. That ending was one of the best and most satisfying endings I've ever had to a game.

I replayed through Hypnospace Outlaw. And hoo boy does that game hit harder when you're playing it whilst the major social networks are crumbling.

Can second Mechabellum. It's super fun, the right mix of casual but still competitive. The match duration makes it great for squeezing in a game or two. And I love how the game has weekly tournaments built in. They even have one for each timezone. The built-in competitiveness without having to register on external sites really reduces the entry barrier.

Hunt: Showdown.

The thrill, the suspense, and at times, action.

In theory, could do that with EfT too, but, EfT doesn't work on Linux, so that doesn't count :/ (And, with the recent changes, I feel EfT became too much of grindfest, while Hunt feels.. chill at times. Which I love.)

I would be very interested in those Tarkov modes/mods you have, OP. I got into it a bit but would just get mangled by well geared groups of players too often that it made it quite frustrating.

E: disregard, I found your other comment with the details.

As for memorable games, I played all the Quantic Dream games recently after seeing someone play Detroit: Become Human on stream. The story(s) in each one are amazing and unique in their own ways. They make you feel emotion and you're immersed in the character's experience. Their facial mocap really takes the games to the next level. The emotions just feel so real, which I find many games fail to do with only janky animated expressions.

The Guardian Legend for NES. I never heard of it until about a month ago and I am OBSESSED. I played through it on an emulator, bought the cartridge, and now I'm playing through it again on an NES. It's a combination of Zelda 1 exploration and a vertical shoot 'em up with a dash of metroidvania, set on a futuristic space station. I can go on and on about how good it is so I'm working on a long form review as I play through it again.

Definitely a tie between Broke the Investigator (for the ending I got) and Beyond The Edge of Owlsgard (because I like the story and characters for the most part from how far I have gotten).

Also for a single moment in BTEOG where the English voice actor for the main character goes on what was an unscripted rant about something that leads to a death in game.

Street Fighter 6 taught me to enjoy fighting games again.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's about Time showed me (again) that rebooting a franchise is worth it. There is so much to do and I haven't been challenged like this since Hollow Knight. The levels are gorgeous and creative. Plus, the game is teaching my son that it is OK to lose and that persistence pays off.

Silent Hunter 5 with The Wolves of Steel mod. Those U-boat sailers were crazy. 50 lived in a space the size of an apartment for months. And the aces sailed right into the middle of the convoy to attack at night! They were also extremely outgunned by the British alone, it's amazing how effective submarines are. Also fuck Nazis but manually stalking and targetting ships is fun!