I think the most common answer is going to be Tears of the Kingdom, and that is one for me that stands out for sure, but I will try to add some more unique inputs as well. Many are games that came out longer than a year ago, but i didnt get around to playing until more recently.
-Escape From Tarkov, Single Player. Okay look, I have 3000 hours in EFT Live/regular. There is nothing that competes with it, nothing like the experience. But there are so many excessive and unlikely to be changed negatives to the experience that I simply cant put more time into it anymore, much less recommend it to others. LUCKILY the SPT version exists, and it is so fucking fun and refreshing. No cheater, no long load times, no disgusting server desync. No busted ass rogue and boss AI. Hate the stupid base exp rates? change them. Hate the ridiculous hideout install times that only exist to keep people from bullrushing high tier ammo in week 1? change them. I have mods installed that vastly improve the enemy AI, that fix the truly deranged shooting/recoil physics, that show you more data on different ammunition in game so you dont need a wiki open constantly, sell you gunsmith compatible guns so i dont have to build that shit for the 1000th time. Shit I even turned off fall damage so i could yeet myself off cliffs and chase down gun shots. It is simply much much much more fun. Its really the only Tarkov experience i can recommend these days.
-Mechabellum. This game is what ive wanted from the auto battle genre since it first popped up. Its got the perfect blend of conceptual strategy (think chess, the first game in the genre was auto-chess after all), randomness (the starting loadouts and perks on each round work as a very effective randomizing seed) and LACK of high APM micro bullshit that makes traditional multiplayer RTS a nightmare to pick up and learn. Its wonderful and im going to be playing so much of it as they are adding more coop modes and maps. 150 hours already.
-Monster Hunter Rise. This last year was the year that monster hunter really clicked for me, after like 5 years of on and off trying and failing to get into it. I think what changed was finally understanding that the game is just pushing you to improve on a purely mechanical perspective, constantly. In the same way that dark souls combat rewards you for ‘getting good’ (learning the movesets, knowing when to push and pull back, etc) Monster Hunter just wants you to be a goddamn badass, but youll have to work for it. Go slap that dragon with a big fish. 250 hours (yeesh)
-Hades. This is one of maybe 3 games ever that i could actually describe as ‘perfect’. Im sure a lot of people have read this sentiment online, but here’s the thing; I tried Hades 3 times previously and, while i did enjoy the experience and got like 2-5 successful patricides, it never really clicked into place. Until this time. The entire reason i got back into it was getting a steam deck, which i cannot recommend enough (if the price is right, be wary that a steam deck 2 in late 2024 is quite possible). but that was just a trigger. What actually made the difference was me slowing down a bit to appreciate the absolutely unparalleled and breathtaking attention to detail that the game constantly fulfills. 21000 voicelines, and ive never heard a repeat in 80 hours. Still unlocking new things like 30 or 40 successful runs in. Even the most supremely minor things: There is a decoration you can buy for your room, a big harp. you can run up to it and pluck some gross discordant notes. Neat, this kind of thing is in a lot of games, but still neat. EXCEPT plucking this thing enough gives you unique dialogues with a certain character. plucking it enough in between different runs shows you actually improving, making some less gross notes, then gross chords, then less gross chords, all with unique dialogue unlocks as you go. and eventually you pluck it and produce some real music. I cannot emphasize enough, this is a silly little decoration in your room that is totally optional and it wouldnt shock me if 95% of players completely miss it. THIS is the level of detail the game is constantly operating on. Super rare niche legendary boon from Demeter that kills stuff with a certain condition when its at 10% hp? bam, unique demeter voiceline for using it to beat the final boss. shit like that, is why this game is special, and what makes it next-level.
-Project Wingman VR. I love PW, i put like 30-40 hours in the regular game and it stands out to me as the best arcade flying game(ily AC7 but AC8 has to step up). But I recently got my VR headset working properly and tried PW in VR using my modest T.16000M throttle and stick, and oh my sweet lord there is something so transcendent about the experience. So rarely do i feel goosebumps when i play a game anymore (getting old) but this was like 2 straight hours of goosebumps. I also literally, actually, shit my pants a little when i collided with another plane, so thats nice.
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
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.)
Pentiment
Such an amazing game, probably one of my top 5 favorites. Thank you for reminding me I’m due for a replay!
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
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.
We Love Katamari
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.
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.
Playing It takes two with my spouse
My partner and I just finished the game a few weeks ago and were surprised at how good and memorable it is. There were like 5 times in that game where we were like “Wait, we’re not near the end?” and it was such a treat every time
This game was FANTASTIC. Would definitely play a sequel if it came out.
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.
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!
- 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.
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.
This one is on my list too! How does it compare to Factorio?
Satisfactory feels a lot more like other open world games. Not that it’s actually comparable to skyrim, but it is kinda shifted in that direction. There is value to go exploring and find different things or useful areas which can help you progress. Satisfactory has a huge map with a to of beautiful places to explore and build on, but the map is not random generated, so the replayability is a bit limited for the base game.
Satisfactory is a lot slower on progress and never reaches the “endgame” of Factorio, i.e. you won’t get a swarm of drones and slap down huge blueprints to harvest whole areas and the factory will probably not be as “refined” and structured. You get small blueprints so you can easily make parts of production lines.
An obvious point is also that Satisfactory is 3D. So you have a whole extra dimension to use for production lines, and the game features several components which allows you to make use of walls, ceilings and additional platform levels to refine your lines.
But even though the game has very different visuals and several different aspects, they hit that same sense of satisfaction with constructing systems with maximum output and see things work. I highly recommend trying it, although you might want to consider waiting for the full release (which is TBA, but speculated to be “soon”).
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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
