Games You'll Never Forget
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This isn't necessarily a "favorite games of all time" thread, but rather a discussion about games that have stuck with you for some reason, whether in a positive way, a negative way, or a just plain weird way. Games that you catch yourself thinking about regularly not because they're one of your favorites, or even that they're good games. Just games that are intriguing enough to stick with you for long periods of time after you've played them.
The game that fits this slot for me is one that I've got incredibly vivid memories of playing as a child, and have talked about to quite a few people, but have never found another human soul that has played it anywhere. It's called Dust: A Tale of the Wired West.
Here's a high-quality gameplay video for references' sake:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQd5y9YGUgYDust is a point and click adventure game themed around the Wild West where you play a stranger who's taking refuge in a run-down town and has to build themselves back up after nearly dying in the desert after being pursued by the town's most infamous criminal. The game was released in 1995, and has an incredibly fun, yet gritty aesthetic where character sprites are merely photographs of real life actors animated to look like they're moving and talking in sync with their dialogue. While not in dialogue, they have these crude, 3D rendered character models that wander around town, and the character portraits don't appear until you start a conversation with them. It certainly looks like a game of its time.
It's definitely an adult game, throwing plenty of non-kid friendly dialogue and sociopolitical issues your way as you see the town's misfortunes and the struggles that the people face (which really leads me to question how I came into possession of it at the age of 7), but the game has a sense of humor and an unsettling charm that I've been unable to shake since I played it as a kid. I recently found a compatible version of it available for download online as a means to preserve the game, and playing through it again was a real treat. The puzzles are fun and creative, the characters are unique and the story that gets uncovered about the town and its population in contrast to the standard "stranger vs. the outlaw" story is really compelling. If archaic point and click style games are your think, I genuinely do recommend this one.
But what about you guys? I wanna hear about the games you'll never forget.
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Like most people who existed in the 90s, I was a pretty big fan of Oregon Trail growing up, and I couldn't help but be reminded about it while reading your post. Aside from the more adult-oriented dialogue and themes, how would you say the two games compare?
Really like this topic, by the way. Even after deliberating for a bit I still don't have an answer that I feel truly satisfied with.
Until I find one that I feel fits this topic perfectly, Super Smash Bros. Melee is my answer. It's kind of a boring response because it also happens to be one of my all-time favorite games. It holds a lot of memorable value for me for obvious reasons, since like many people I consistently played it from when it first came out in 2001 and into college and beyond, and like most people my habits, preferences, and understanding changed as well over time—both in and outside of the game. It's kind of amazing how I can vividly associate most of the characters with the time and stage in my life that I actively played as, and construct this life narrative framed within the context of who my main was during that time.
One of the my favorite things to do whenever I visit friends and they blow off the dust of their GameCube and sparsely used memory card is to unlock as many characters as I can. Given all of the unique unlock conditions for each of the characters outside of grinding VS. Mode matches (which I also remember the quota for each character), it's weird how I still distinctly remember each one and the most optimal method for each one—something I can't readily say or come close to saying for any other game.
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Breath of the Wild is probably a game that I won't forget. I managed to snag a copy of the Wii U version a bit early (around a week) and in an effort to beat the game before launch, played around 7 or so hours a day.
With the Pro HUD Enabled and without any sort of guide or walkthrough, I pretty much had to figure things out on my own. The weird ways in which I attempted to solve puzzles which would otherwise be simple was what made the game so exciting. Instead of climbing up the Dueling Peaks, I launched myself up with a boulder. I didn't realize that I could use Cryonis on the Ice Blocks, so I was shooting them with bombs instead. I didn't realize that I could just sneak around the Lynel above Zora's Domain, so I spent 6 hours trying and trying until I could kill it with ease.
The game itself was... alright. It was more the experience that I had with the game, one of discovery and failure, that I think could only be accomplished in an experience like this. One where I was exposed to no leaked information, and only had seen trailer information. Even if I choose to avoid walkthroughs or guides in games, I might end up seeing or hearing about a part of a game before I discover it for myself. Breath of the WIld prevented me from going through that.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is my other answer. I had loved the first game, so getting to play the second was exhilarating. I hadn't played the first game in a few years so I was a little out of practice, but despite being only 9 years old, I managed to 100% complete the game after months of trial and error. I will never forget my successful run of Grandmaster Galaxy's second star. The game was just magical, in the same way that the first game was, but I was old enough to truly form memories with it, unlike the first game. Now I can appreciate both of them, and in certain aspects (primarily the presentation) I even prefer the first game, but accomplishing everything I could in Galaxy 2, 100% completing a game for the first time, is a joy that I cannot match.
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@Ikarou said in Games You'll Never Forget:
Like most people who existed in the 90s, I was a pretty big fan of Oregon Trail growing up, and I couldn't help but be reminded about it while reading your post. Aside from the more adult-oriented dialogue and themes, how would you say the two games compare?
The two games definitely share a theme of hardship and starting your adventure with next to nothing, but aside from that, I'd say they're completely different beasts. Oregon Trail tells its story pretty much purely through emergent gameplay moments like contracting dysentery and fording a river hoping you don't lose your valuable oxen. Dust is a game that's supported by a pretty plain interface, but is told through mostly intentionally scripted story events, characters, and set pieces with only a small handful of emergent moments that aren't guaranteed, such as getting robbed on the streets of Diamondback for carrying too much money in your pocket.
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Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.
It's not for any life-defining reasons, it was just one of the first games I ever really played, entering the gaming space when I was young during the Gameboy-era (it wasn't THE first, but the others were licenced Scooby Doo games, Tetris, and the GBA version of SMB2, which are also strangely close to me yet didn't have that gripping effect).
Everything about it really clicked. Presentation, gameplay, writing, aesthetics...even though I was a dumb kid at the time, I'd while the days away exploring the world (and inadvertently backtracking) and showing a few friends at school what I was fighting or ask them for advice when I was stuck. 'Course, beating Cackletta at the end was a real troubleshoot given the whole "you're at 1 HP and she attacks first" and I wasn't quite good at pattern recognition to avoid her, but I think that sense of accomplishment when I finally did get past her.
I found the remake to be sort of disappointing by comparison, to the point that I didn't end up picking it up. Academically, it should be better due to superior graphics and fixing of old problems and whatnot, but the Dream-Team style graphics are a lot more..."generic" is the right word for it? The Bros Attacks seemed to have lost their impact, Cackletta lost her first turn, and other detail changes (enemies redesigned to be more in line with current mainline/NSMB-onward designs -- up to and including the replacement of one of my more liked enemies in the Mecha-Chomp for just Mechakoopas, which left me feeling like they were recycling Dream Team assets --, genericization of Toads and a few other NPCs (RIP Psycho Kamek) felt off.
I could also gush about other Mario RPGs that won my heart -- namely Super Mario RPG and the Paper Mario games before Sticker Star, but I think out of all them Superstar Saga stands out the most. It really kind of...exemplified the care-free days of my childhood.
You never forget your first, right?
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There are many for me. I grew up in the NES/SNES era, but looking back, the N64 and PS2 era (Gamecube was a meh for me) were the most memorable. Here are only a few examples:
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: I found the three-day cycle to be an interesting concept I haven't thought of. Yeah, it can be a pain depending on your play style, but I liked it. I really liked the storyline also.
Super Mario 64: Yes, an overstated one, but it just shows how revolutionary it was. I actually got to play a Mario game in a way I want, rather than just going to an exit (although, that was obviously the goal of the game overall). I remember being sick and staying home from school shortly after this came out just to play this and try to finish it.
Final Fantasy 6: Probably my favorite game of the FF series that, to me, combined the best features of both 5 and 7 (which both are among my Top 5). The character party was interesting, Kefka was a great villain, and the graphics were great for a SNES game, imo.
Final Fantasy 14: Memorable, but not for a good reason. I was looking forward to this one after FF13's disaster, but found it to be even worse, which I didn't even know was possible. Probably one of the biggest disappointments in the past decade for me.
Pretty much any meme games, such as the CD-i games, Zero Wing, etc.
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Some of these choices might seem obvious and a little generic, but if I am being honest these are the games that will always stick with me.
Sly 2 Band of Thieves: Considering this is my favorite video game of all time, I had to put this on here. While Sly 2 isn't the most taxing of platformers and there isn't a lot to come back to after you have finished the main story, it was ultimately the video game that said to me, "Hey kid, video games can have mature engrossing narratives with characters you can invest in while still allowing you to have fun in a video game playground." I know some folks might not expect a game about a talking anthropomorphic raccoon, turtle and pink hippo to go to some mature places from time to time but hey, Kingdom Hearts can get away with cartoon characters tacking with mature subject matter, I reckon Sly Cooper and pals have a shot.
Red Dead Redemption: Kind of an obvious answer since this game always crops up on "Top Games of all time" lists, but for me, it's a game I'll never forget simply for how it was the first sandbox game I ever bothered to get invested in and take seriously as a young teenager. The expansive Wild West setting, the charismatic and likeable John Marston, and who could ever forget that ending on their first playthrough? Despite these accolades, I don't think Red Dead 1's gameplay has held up as well as other sandbox games since and as I have gotten older and played more games, I have grown rather bored of it and don't have a lot of incentive to come back to it much. I mean, the main bulk of the gameplay is very standard and basic Gears of War cover shooting along with serviceable horse combat. The only mechanic that was worthwhile was "Dead-Eye" which was really just a more stylish slow motion power up that allowed the player to pick their targets. I'm still gonna remember Red Dead 1, but I'm probably not going to play it again anytime soon.
LA Noire: I kind of don't have alot to say about this one other than it's a game filled to the brim with memorable scenes, characters, and lines of dialogue. It didn't exactly win gangbusters like Red Dead Redemption the year before, but it has totally earned its cult following. Not many games can be a solid hybrid of classic adventure game, third person shooter, and sandbox along with having one of the best written stories of any interactive medium. I would argue there is alot that can be learned from LA Noire.
Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands: Yes, it's not Walking Dead, it's not Wolf Among Us, it's a spin off of an RPG all about looting and first person shooting. If there was a product that really showcased the potential this studio had for the future, it has to be this one. I understand the Telltale studio were sometimes known to be cheap sell outs, had bad working conditions, and created buggy adventure choiced based games that didn't offer much in terms of replayability, but I would argue that despite all of this, there were still dedicated and very talented people up there working their butts off to make the best thing imaginable on a tight deadline AND a terrible game engine. Imo, Tales from the Borderlands is the epitome of this notion considering that anyone who plays Tales can see how much fun each voice actor, each animator, each storyboard artist, and each director and writer of every episode was having while making it. I'll never forget the well rounded and likable Rhys and Fiona, the tightly structured narrative of past and present, the catchy music, the great sense of humor, solid character drama, and that season finale was just fire all around. Tales still has the usual Telltale hick ups like lackluster puzzles, heavy QTE sequences and only a journey of different choice outcomes as opposed to the destination, but it still manages to be an enjoyable ride at least it was enjoyable enough to resonate with me and become one of my favorite pieces of fiction.
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Don't have as much to say about it as the others but honestly games that stick with me the most were the ones me and my little brother played to death as kids in cooperative fashions. Streets of Rage 2 is always a fun playthrough, even if now Streets of Rage Remake made it completely redundant. There's also Saturn Bomberman which I don't hear mentioned too often in gaming circles, very surprising considering it's what I would consider the peak of all Bomberman design. Nice tight levels, cooperative play, fresh and ascetically pleasing worlds, great music and of course a master mode for those Bomberman classics. The versus mode even has fairly decent gimmick stages and it supported online multiplayer for up to 8 people in 1997 which I think is pretty cool.
Playing games cooperative with my brother is a huge factor to their staying power in my memory, but one game I have outside of that is Skies of Arcadia. The weird thing about this one is that I know it's flawed, there are some fairly glaring issues especially with the Dreamcast version that could make a young child become disenfranchised fairly quickly. Skies managed to do something to me though, to the point where when I first got it on Dreamcast for my birthday I DEMANDED everybody else leave my party because my mother told me I wasn't allowed to play it until the guests left. To this day I even run a tabletop roleplaying group where I heavily borrow from the writing style and character arc formations of Skies, it just is that deep in my heart.
This has been a ramble.
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There's a couple that come to mind. I've never been particularly good at putting my thoughts into words though, so hopefully this makes some semblance of sense.
Donkey Kong Country 1/2/3:
These are the very first games I ever played, so they have a special place in my heart. It's still one of my favorite trilogies in all of gaming even today. I didn't really understand it at the time, but as I got older I think I also realized that the DKC trilogy helped me realize how much I love atmosphere in games. Sure, they're games about monkeys and crocodiles, but DKC and especially DKC2 just ooze atmosphere thanks to its excellent audiovisual presentation. The graphics might not be that great nowadays, but I still love them and the atmosphere they bring.Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask:
I think Ocarina of Time was the game that really made me a gamer. It was probably the second or third game I ever played that wasn't a platformer of some kind, so having this giant (at the time) world to explore was simply magical. That's not to say that I don't think NES and SNES games are wonderful adventures in their own right, but well, I was just a kid then, so that big leap to 3D really did a number on my young mind. I think OoT showed me that video games could really send me on wondrous adventures to far-off lands from the comfort of my own room.Majora's Mask, on the other hand, is a pretty strong contender for my favorite game ever. I didn't really have any friends until high school, so video games became one of my escapes. The general melancholy atmosphere of Majora's Mask really spoke to me for that reason. I didn't have a whole lot of games growing up, and one I played repeatedly was Majora's Mask. Even after finishing it, I would always come back to sooner or later. It just resonated with me. It helped me through some tough times. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess did the same, but I was a bit older, and although I love them only slightly less, I really have to hand it to MM for what it gave me.
Hopefully that wasn't just an incomprehensible load of nonsense that just spilled out of my mind.
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This is gonna sound super dumb and feel free to ignore this but I feel like in reality a game that will stick with me forever will actually be Minecraft. And that has nothing to do with the game itself is more to do with the hundreds of hours I spent with friends who otherwise I would have grown apart from, playing together, creating stuff together, pushing the boundaries of what was possible with the game and when we reached a wall we'd start to push it from outside the game. Plugins mods, all that type of stuff. It was literally years and years of bonding that was all made possible by a very memed game which I will remember forever.
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I will never forget Payday 2.... And not because it's a great game, in fact, it's at most a decent one plagued by bugs and a horrible Racing Engine on a FPS. But I will never forget it because it's the closest game I've been on a community, and can give information about every huge moment of the game's meta and development cycle mostly by memory.
It was the first game I've boycotted after the whole Crate fiasco. It was the first game I recommended by heart before it. I've seen evey meta imaginable (CAR4/Loco, DRMs, Dual Pistols, the brief as hell Sentry Meta, double shotguns, Judge + anything and the most recent LMG meta). I've felt the feel of the bad ending, and celebrated the good ending. My mind was blown by some of the heists. And that soundtrack, THAT SOUNDTRACK. I've spent 835 hours on it, and I'm not ashamed of that... Ok, maybe a little ashamed...
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I don't think there are many games I'll ever forget, but I think Undertale is my choice game for this thread. It's just too charming and unique for me to forget it at any point in my life.
I'll also agree with what @Chester-Lidden mentioned earlier. Minecraft is definitely just as memorable, in huge part also to its music.
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