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.
- 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.
- 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
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
- 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.
Hummmmm. Hard one, this. I think this is my final 10, after some consideration. I break it down to three categories:
Forever games
- Civilization V: Was a comfort game for years, could probably play it forever as a type of Solitaire. Several thousand hours of content still remain with learning the Vox Populi mod and modded extra civilizations.
- Football Manager: I would try to argue I’m allowed to buy each year’s edition for the data update but if I must choose one it’s 2024. Digital crack that I have lost months at a time to before.
- Magic The Gathering: Arena I would want a card game on the list, and even though I quit playing Magic a long time ago this would be the one with the most limitless content.
- Noita: I’ve never played it, but I’ve been told this game has potentially thousands of hours of content so it sounds like a perfect time to get started with it.
Evergreen action games
- Ninja Gaiden 2: I could probably spend a thousand hours just trying to beat my own high scores in Survival mode. The combat in this game just never gets old.
- Elden Ring: May be a surprising pick to some since this isn’t even my favourite Fromsoft game and I’ve only played through it once and currently don’t plan to come back. But I do enjoy a Soulslike every now and then and if we’re being economical in terms of content this has to be the smartest pick.
Modding games with infinite content
- STALKER Anomaly: One of my favourite games, an open sandbox with potentially infinite content and a modding scene that could keep it fresh forever.
- Fallout New Vegas: Same reasoning as above. I also love the story and a lot of the writing and I could rotate different styles of roleplay to keep it fresh.
- Skyrim: I’ve never actually played Skyrim, so this would be a perfect reason to. All the mods could probably keep me entertained forever.
- Baldur’s Gate 3: I’m not actually super high on this game, but it’s an investment for the future. If I could choose Pathfinder Kingmaker+Wrath of the Righteous as a combo instead I probably would as I prefer that rules framework. But BG3 is unbelievably popular and has a modding kit that will let fans make custom campaigns, and so I pretty much am just banking on that to keep me going with this one.
EDIT: I might be persuaded to replace Fallout: New Vegas with Pokémon SoulSilver as there is some overlap between it and STALKER Anomaly/Skyrim and a Pokémon game might be worthwhile to have. Or I might replace it with a full simracing rig and iRacing. I don’t own one at the moment as it’s expensive as hell and I don’t simrace but this sounds like a decent reason to start and probably worth the investment (I’d eat the upfront payment for the rig with the knowledge that I’d not buy any more games for the rest of my life).
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.
Minecraft
Factorio
FFXIV
Star Citizen
Stardew Valley
Slay the Spire 2
Clone Hero
Project Zomboid
Xcom 2
Skyrim
Honorable Mention: Dolphin Emulator (if the games count as dlc instead of individual games)
Do you think the rest of your life is enough time to finish Star Citizen or do you like it as it is now?
Haha hard to say, I’d hope they finish it before I’m dead but there’s no guarantee there. I think they’ve made a lot of good progress lately though, I’m hoping that trend continues.
- Terraria
- Nier: Automata
- X4: Foundations
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Beat Saber
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Stellaris
- Witcher 3
And I still have 2 games left to choose
- Oxygen not Included. Near perfect colony simulator IMO. Plus if I’m screaming at the dupes doing dumb stuff, I’m not complaining at RL people doing dumb stuff.
- Stardew Valley. I can min-max if I want, I can roleplay it if I want, I can even loaf around chatting with villagers.
- Factorio. I’ll stop playing it once I get enough iron. (You never have enough iron.)
- RimWorld. It could be Dwarf Fortress instead, but IMO RW is better designed, and the mod selection is amazing.
- Minecraft. Modded the shit out of. Probably 1.12 or 1.7.10.
- Final Fantasy VI. I thought about Chrono Trigger; it’s also fun but FF6 has better replay value.
- OpenTTD. CHOO CHOO! I tend to spend more time staring at the paused game and planning shit out than actually playing it, but the whole process is fun.
- Donkey Kong Country 2. It’s a sentimental game for me, and I can literally play it blindfolded.
- Civilization V. When I’m really pissed at something, I play as the Shoshone in the easiest difficulty, Pangaea, small map, versus Venice. No city states nearby. My goal is to reduce Venice to a one tile civ.
- Pokémon Emerald. Or even better, some hack that keeps everything vanilla but allows you to catch all 386, there should be one out there. Leaf Green or Fire Red could be, too.
For number 10, I know that exists for Crystal so I don’t see why not for Emerald. Hacked Crystal is the only way I play Gen 2 these days.
Found one already — aptly named “Emerald 386”. I never bothered with it because mGBA implemented link cable damn well, but in the light of your post using a catch’em all hack makes more sense.
Upon looking into it, it seems like Emerald Final is another ROM hack that seems more in depth, so I might give that one a shot at some point. I may try both though just to see what’s up.
Crusader Kings 2
Imperator Rome
Fallout 4
Dwarf Fortress
Kenshi
Worker and Resources Soviet Republic
Pokemon Heartgold
Super Smash Bros Melee
Fallout New Vegas
Pokemon Emerald
Civ 3 is all I need really.
I’d probably want a few sandbox games too. Minecraft, Besiege, and GMod. We’ll add Civ 5 just in case. And Halo 3 or Reach for online and Forge mode.
Since online games are a thing, honestly 10 games is a huge list for me personally:
- FFXIV (I could probably live with just this one)
- Slay the Spire 2
- Europa Universalis 4
- Elden Ring
- Dyson Sphere Program
- DCS:World (idk if this will have the longevity once I finally learn every plane)
- Guild Wars 2
- Terraria
- Victoria 3
- Baldur’s Gate 3
Oof tough because Sts1 I think is the better game, but both games are great
STS1 is better right now, STS2 will be better once they finish early access.
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
