For me it will always be the Kings Quest/Space Quest/Police Quest and Quest for Glory games - they are what got me sucked in completely. I always gamed all the old stuff but those series is what turned me into a gamer. That takes spot no 1.
no 2. The Longest Journey and Dreamfall (Dreamfall Chapters gets an honorable mention) - These games because they followed on the point and click series that got me into gaming with stunning stories.
no 3. Mass Effect series - excluding Andromeda - that just never felt 100% like its part of the story - I dont know they just failed at the story in that one. But all of it before that I adore. Its one of those that gets replayed at least once a year.
no 4. Diablo 2 and 3 - It filled my hack and slash category - pity I dont even wanna look at D3 anymore - so over it.
no 5. For now its Guild Wars 2 - I love the game and story and overall total pretty of it. It fills my MMO addiction - especially since its not a subscribtion game.
I have much more but These are my most impactful in no particular order.
1. Need for Speed III hot Pursuit (PC)
The first game i literally bought from my own money, the guy at makro tried to persuade me to buy sega rally 2 instead and i was like NO i want that, i even downloaded all the free dlc cars on my 33.6 modem and free xsinet internet (with all the ads back then)
2. Street Fighter II (all versions, all platforms even the HD one)
It was the first game i ever finished (the arcade version) the gameplay is just timeless i still play street fighter II these days on the Xbox 360 (hd version) and Ps2 (anniversary collection)
3. Sega Rally 2 (PC)
I just had to go check it out after the guy at makro showed me the game when i bought NFS III back then and when i eventually got my hands on it along time afterwards i was pretty much hooked on it. the gameplay and graphics were pretty damn good. and even though it only has like 4 environments, you never really get tired of it.
4. Soul Blade (PS1)
It was the first 3d game i ever played, i was in primary school and during one interval we went to a tuckshop close to the school to buy sweets and i was in total awe as to how it looked (the arcade version is called soul edge), we never bought the sweets at the end of the day. when i eventually got to high school a friend told me that he saw it at a store at the local mall and i asked him to go buy it for me (i remember i paid R160 for it and i still have the game in its original jewel case and manual).
and thats why i have every soul series title in my possession (yes even the shitty wii rpg called soul calibur legends)
5. Half Life 1 (PC)
Ohk so i didnt buy this game, i had a demo of it (think it was called half life uplink) from a pc format disc and it literally blew my mind, the gameplay and story made games i was playing like duke nukem 3d and hexen 2 look like a joke, a friend gave me a cracked copy back then (cracked by class) and i played that game into the weee hours of the morning, it also took my pc to its knees and running it in open gl mode looked waay better than d3d mode on my 4mb ati rage pro. the loading was superlong (as i had little ram) but even that didnt deter me from playing it.
Bioshock Infinite
All the Bioshock games are good but Infinite had Elizabeth. I loved the game from start to finish. Then I played the DLC and loved it even more.
Mass Effect 2
The best Mass Effect of them all. The characters, the story, the gameplay. It was all done so perfectly. How could they screw Andromeda up so badly?
Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction
The game that I spent the most hours in ever. I played it on and off for years. No other game could do that.
The Walking Dead
I have played the Telltale’s masterpiece 3 times already. Twice on PC and once on the XBox One. It tells a gripping story and my eyes fill with tears every time at the end. It’s just so good.
Dark Souls 3
It makes other games feel boring. It’s the kind of game that you want to play again. A part of me likes Dark Souls 2 Scholar of the First Sin more however. Outstanding games.
I honestly think the best/only way to approach this properly is the way Hammer did, otherwise I think you’ll (almost) always find something you missed or forgot about in the spur of the moment.
Not going to do that now though, so here is my immediate list, but not in a particular order.
This is a really difficult handful of games to compile, because I remember the games I played in my youth with some very rosy glasses, smeared full of old-school nostalgia. In trying to remain objectively subjective, I guess the list would include:
Command & Conquer - Yup, the very first one. I played the demo to bits and completed both GDI and Nod campaigns multiple times, then completed countless skirmish matches. Red Alert could never dethrone the one that started it all for me.
Star Control 2 - I just remember enjoying the game so much. The sense of scale, exploration and excitement in meeting new alien races ticked off every box on my wanderlusty personality.
The Witcher 3 - No other game had such an emotional impact on me at the end that Geralt’s tale did. I wandered around aimlessly in the gameworld after completing the main story and I’m still hesitant to do the final stretch of Blood and Wine, because I know the game will end.
Forza Motorsport 2 - It was the first game I bought on the first console I ever owned. It was a brilliant racing game that I spent countless hours in.
Ori and the Blind Forest - It epitomises everything that I love about platforming games and the emotional draw to the story just kept my attention right to the end. It’s also the only game I’ve ever bought twice for myself.
This list is based on the time I started playing them so it’s obviously steeped in nostalgia, but In no particular order:
Pokemon (don’t make me choose a version)
The Lord of the Rings: Battle for middle earth 2 ( I still enjoy this and hope for a sequel every day)
Oblivion
Warcraft 3
Fable: The lost chapters or Diablo 2, can’t decide
I really , really enjoyed the Witcher 3 as well (and I’m not usually into story-based games) but it misses a spot because I think I just enjoyed gaming more when I was younger. It would definitely get a spot over Fable if I played both today.
). Will post mine later today.