Related to a post I made last year, but a little different because (1) you get to choose 10 now instead of 5, and (2) other games don’t get deleted, you just aren’t able to play them, so you don’t need to think about the good of humanity or anything, purely just selfish picks because it only impacts you.
A couple notes:
- Any equipment necessary to play the games, you’re obviously allowed to have
- You can play any DLC for the games you choose
- You’re not allowed to make any games for you to play. If you make video games, either as a career or hobby, only other people are allowed to play them
- Mods are allowed, but you’re not allowed to make any for you to play. You can try to commission someone else to make them for you, though
- If there was historically a trilogy, for example, that now is sold on a major storefront (Steam, Xbox, PlayStation) as a single game (such as Mass Effect or Hitman) that counts as one game now. Game bundles, though, do not count. Basically, if it’s in one entry in your steam/xbox/ps library, it’s one game
I’m interested to see what this community chooses, and hopefully it’s different enough from my old post to warrant some good discussion here.
I love lists, so this is an easy one for me:
- Bayonetta: unfathomably high skill ceiling. I could spend forever getting better at this game and consistently having fun.
- The Wonderful 101: same as Bayonetta.
- God Hand: not many games provide the exhilaration of a perfect God Hand run. I would have the best time spending the rest of my life perfecting my God Hand gameplay.
- Ninja Gaiden 2: peak action groove. Playable crack cocaine. Would never get tired of it.
- Gunvein: no shmup encourages you to concquer and obliterate the screen like Gunvein, even though it’s tough as nails. It’ll take me forever to no death the highest difficulty, and I’ll savour every moment.
- Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R: I would like to be Shadow Gallery-looping people into eternity with Zato/Eddie.
- Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes: immensely deep systems with one of my favorite fighting game characters of all-time: Chaos. Infinite potential to get better at both the game and playing Chaos.
- Persona 4 Arena Ultimax: Ken Amada is the most lighthearted fun I’ve had in a fighting game. I will need him to always be available.
- Hellsinker: easily most mechanically dense shmup of all-time. Easily at least hundreds of hours to digest and internalize everything.
- Gravity Rush: best traversal in gaming. I’m content to just boot it up and float for hours.
I’d have to give up 13 copies of Vagrant Story.
Ball X Pitt, Power Wash Simulator, Vampire Survivors, RDR2. That is all.
In no particular order:
- Kerbal Space Program
- Factorio
- Rimworld
- Valheim
- Minecraft (Java)
- Ark SE
Those are my main games and easy for me to pick.
The last 4 slots are tougher. They’re likely to change the longer I think about it.
- Some version of Civilization. I’m not sure which I’d prefer.
- Something technical. Shenzen IO, Human Resource Machine, MHRD, etc
- EverQuest. If a live service MMO isn’t allowed, I could arguably run a private, emulated server using the EQ emu project.
- If I can pick a sold-as-one collection that I bought years ago but is no longer available for purchase, it would probably be a collection of Infocom text adventure games.
I couldn’t find a solid 10 but…
- Minecraft for sure; the mod packs are insane and just GTNH could last me months.
- rimworld - I suck at it but… I have time to learn
- Oxygen not included - i have to be in the mood for this but it can hook me for hours
- fallout 3 - ive never actually finished this because I’ve always got distracted by mods
- Car mechanic simulator 21- I love the car mechanic games, I have hours in each even though ive basically finished them
- Mass effect trilogy(I’ve never finished the series and the fact they all interweave means its defo on my bucket list)
- If multiplayer is allowed: Ark survival evolved or ascended.
- elden ring with randomizers.
- Neverwinter Nights
Especially with all the modules, and the online role playing servers, this one has kept me entertained for over twenty years. - Caves of Qud
I’m going to finish this one… some day. - Daggerfall
For nostalgia’s sake - Songs of Syx
I just got started with this one, but it feels like a game I could not get tired off any time soon. It’s still under development, so I hope I get the updates as well? - Streets of Rogue
A fun game that I like to play with my son - Unlimited Adventures
A precursor to Neverwinter Nights from the early 90s. Has a huge library of modules to play. - Cyberpunk
I mainly like it as a virtual world to explore - Fallout New Vegas
It was either this or Fallout 2. But FNV has mods, so I guess this one will win. - Fallout 2
Ok, I want this one too :) - <Placeholder for some kind of roleplaying MUD>
I don’t know enough about them yet, but I’ve always wanted to properly get into one. With only 10 games to play, I hope I will be able to stay focused enough to get invested in one.
- Neverwinter Nights
- Factorio
I’ve never played it. We’ve agreed I’ll never start. We’re sure it will hook me like crack to a junkie. So all I need is this one, and I figure I’ll die of thirst.
- Zero-k i can’t stop
- World of warcraft, classic, before cataclysm. Buy some arrows and bribe a lock for a summons.
- Can I decide Linux is a game? But EL6 or EL5 before Lennart wrecked it.
- Warcraft III original
- Total annihilation with all DLC and balance updates
I cant think of any more.
Journey
GTA San Andreas
GTA V
OpenTTD / TTD
Minecraft / modded
Half Life 2
Interstate '76
Age of Empires II
Roller Coaster Tycoon
And probably Factorio for the very end
I am curious about Journey on the top. I haven’t played the game, partly because I got the impression that it’s a relatively short game with little replay value. Now I went to look again and I did find a few Steam reviews with hundreds of hours of playtime but they don’t really elaborate on why they keep playing it. Here is what one review says:
“Albeit not a long game (typically 2h long), it has a great replay value, mostly because of its anonymous multiplayer.”
I’d love to hear your take on why you’d want to keep replaying it. I am OK with spoilers if necessary.
- Factorio
- Kerbal Space Program
- Minecraft
…don’t care about the rest of the list
Nightreign - hundreds of hours in and I can’t get enough. The gameplay loop is so satisfying. I think they made this game just for me.
Noita - infinite wand tinkering
Bloodborne - greatest game ever, and I will die on this hill
Elden Ring - obvious masterpiece and widely replayable
Hades - perfection of the genre, great storytelling, masterful voice acting
Crusader Kings 2 - always lose a hundred hours to this when I dip my toe back in
Half Life Alyx - another perfecting of the genre
Morrowind - dated but truly the best of the series
Mario Kart - loved each iteration and I’d need something a little more lighthearted in my ten games
Terraria - another one I end up spending dozens of hours in when I start it back up. i always loved crafting and building in this more than similar 3d games.
Which Mario Kart?
I guess the Switch version just because there’s so much to do, but I’d take any. I cut my teeth on the SNES version way back in the day. Haven’t played the newest one yet tho.
I think 8 Deluxe is the best choice here.
- Minecraft, obviously.
- Skyrim, obviously again.
- No Man’s Sky.
- Elden Ring.
- Wii Party, for local multiplayer.
- Deadlock, for PvP multiplayer.
- Gary’s Mod, for variety.
- Roblox, for variety again.
- Terraria.
- Project Zomboid.
Can you tell I’m almost only into sandbox / open world games ? x)
I could be convinced to replace Roblox as a variety game with Diablo II.
For me, I’d probably have to go with:
- Skyrim - my most played game of all time, and nearly endlessly moddable
- Elden Ring - probably my favourite game, if you twisted my arm and forced me to choose
- Hitman: World of Assassination - my second most played game of all time, and tons of content there. Way more replayable than a lot of people realize
- Dishonored - the best linear stealth game of all time imo
- Pokémon SoulSilver - I’ll get in occasional Pokémon moods and this is my favourite one
- Forza Motorsport 6 - maybe a weird choice, but I play this game every Christmas with my dad, and I wouldn’t want to throw that tradition away
- Halo: Master Chief Collection - CE was my first ever video game, and I played the hell out of Reach back in the day, so this is mostly a nostalgia pick, but seriously who’s gonna argue against some Halo
- Batman: Arkham City - I have such strong nostalgia for this game for some reason, way more than lots of other games I’ve played. Not too sure why, but it definitely draws me back every now and then
- NHL24 - I guess it could be any NHL game since they’re all basically the same just with updated rosters and occasionally a new feature, but 24 is the most recent I own so I’ll stick with that one. Anyway, I love hockey and this is a great game to pull out when friends come over
- GTA V - when my wife and I first got a place together, we used to play this game together (pass the controller back and forth) after work every night. We still occasionally pull it out to play together, and I wouldn’t want to put a stop to that
GTA V - when my wife and I first got a place together, we used to play this game together (pass the controller back and forth) after work every night. We still occasionally pull it out to play together, and I wouldn’t want to put a stop to that
You inspired me to see if my partner would want to share playing GTA 6 in this way. That sounds fun! Thanks :)
There’s lots of fun stupid stuff you can do, at least in 5. Obviously I can’t comment on 6.
- Set a countdown timer and you have to switch right at the timer, then right before the timer goes off drive off a cliff or jump out of a helicopter and the other person has to try and survive. Basically death swap
- Try to steal a tank or fighter jet from a military base and switch after every death
- One person exclusively controls the left half of the controller, one person exclusively controls the right half of the controller, try to complete a mission or a custom objective
- Start a timer and see who can get a five star wanted level the fastest
Basically do stupid shit and don’t take it seriously. Extra points if you both suck at the game.
Yeah my wife enjoyed watching me play the GTA v campaign and we played a bit of online together for a while but the used GPU on her PC would always start to crash out
This was really thought-provoking as my “choose 10 forever” list is much different than my top 10 games list. My goal here was choosing games that provided variety and depth, while typically also being great narrative experiences as well.
- Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. Since trilogies count as one. They’re all JRPGs with deep mechanics that I could master over my lifetime. XIII-2 provides replay value with side content and catchable monsters, and Lightning Returns is nonlinear. XIII has the amazing story that would always remind me our fates aren’t written in stone.
- Bloodborne. An action RPG with a great setting and atmosphere and endless replay value.
- Stardew Valley. I’m not a big cozy game person because of my backlog, but if I could only play 10 games, I’d finally have time to sink into this game, making different characters and romancing everyone and transforming the game with mods.
- Final Fantasy XIV. This would be my big damn fantasy RPG with a beautiful world I wouldn’t mind living in.
- Dance Dance Revolution. Specifically Stepmania so I can play all the songs, but if I had to choose an official game, it would be Ultramix 2. I need at least one fitness game here. I’ve been playing for years and am still nowhere close to mastering the game. For longevity, I probably should pick Ring Fit Adventure, Just Dance, or Wii Fit, but DDR is just too nostalgic, even if my list of 10 would eventually turn into nine as I age.
- Pokemon Crystal. Black 2 has the most vanilla content and replayability, but Crystal is compatible with the Pokemon Pikachu 2 pedometer, which would get me moving. Since mods are allowed, I could also have access to Pokemon Prism, Crystal Clear or any other hack for additional replay value.
- Flower. Flower has a way of always coming back to me when I need it most. It’s a great way to decompress and meditate.
- Darkest Dungeon. Rolls roguelikes, dungeon crawlers and survival horror games into one demoralizing package. It’s a long game, and every playthrough is different due to the depth of randomization at play.
- Shovel Knight. Really fun gameplay both as an action game and as a platformer with tons of DLC and side content without falling into the Metroidvania trap of having repetitive scenery.
- Cyberpunk 2077. I need an FPS to round out the list, and since I’m not a PVP type of person, I need to get replay value by other means, so an open-world RPG shooter will be perfect.
I totally forgot about ROM hacks when I chose Pokémon SoulSilver, otherwise I probably would’ve picked either Emerald or Crystal.
Shadowrun (Sega version) - one of the best RPGs of all time
Grim Dawn - I was a big Diablo 2 guy, and this is the next step up
Chronotrigger - probably my favourite RPG
Terraria - just a treasure of a game and fun for lan coop
Deus Ex - my favourite game of all time
Final Fantasy 6 - perfect example of what was good about the SNES
Sonic 3 and Knuckles - there’s a lot of excellent 8 and 16 bit platformers, this one is edging out some tough competition from Shinobi 3
KKnD - I’m going back to my PC roots in real time strategy, and I’m going with an old favourite that never lets me down when I go back to it
OpenTTD - I can (have) spent years building up a transport empire
Tyrian 2000 - the king of shmups
There’s definitely games I regret not being able to play again, but I’d be happy with this lot.
I love Shadowrun, but I’ve never played the Sega RPG. I hear a lot of people saying good stuff about it. I’ll have to track it down.
No simracers here, I see.
- Assetto Corsa - wheel, pedals, tripples. Could finish the list here
- Creeper World III
- Planetside 2
- Dirt Rally 2
- Dead cells
- Deadzone rogue
- Portal
- Minecraft Java 1.8.0
- Back4blood
- F.E.A.R
Off the top of my head…
Oh, wow, F.E.A.R. now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while!
It still absolutely holds up. You will be amazed. Phenomenal shooter.
If Planetside 2 had offline bots, I would never touch any other shooters. I have yet to find other ones with the same type of recoil patterns and gun stats system where every different carbines and smg have personalities and traits making them something to master, besides CS which I can’t enjoy.
Out of all the reasons I love Planetside 2, it basically ruined shooters for me.
You should opt for Richard Burns Rally instead of Dirt. Unlimited content like AC.
I agree, but I’m also a fan of Neil Cole’s work in DR2. I suppose I could pick RBR with Neil Cole mod. Btw, just saw my RBR folder the other day…100GB:-)
since any dlc is allowed, maybe by picking Minecraft you get all the other versions with it?
Approved.
