Name the game and what you learned

[u/_TimApple_]

[u/nethereus]

Chrono Trigger for anyone who started RPGs with FF7

[u/No-Thought7571 → u/nethereus]

https://giphy.com/gifs/PkCDv7CIK8d2M

[u/burnanation → u/nethereus]

The first two RPGs I ever finished, Crono Trigger and Secret of the Mana.

The summer I got them was super rainy so I got to spend a lot of time inside that summer glued to the TV rotting my brain away. It was glorious.

[u/swimmer2pointOH]

Mass Effect

[u/TwanValdez → u/swimmer2pointOH]

Have to agree. The trilogy has to be one of the greatest (and is so in my opinion) of narratives in gaming.

[u/BrandonMcClain → u/TwanValdez]

Just picked up the trilogy on steam for 5$. So excited to experience it for the first time. 

[u/TwanValdez → u/BrandonMcClain]

Only advice I will offer is this.

Don't look up anything, take your time, and do everything you can.

Also, let things play out as they go, makes each playthrough more meaningful.

[u/BioshockEnthusiast → u/TwanValdez]

Half the fun is realizing something bad is about to happen because of a choice you made 37 hours ago, then realizing that the game might not let you do anything to stop it.

Choices have consequences, kids.

[u/wittyjokename92 → u/BioshockEnthusiast]

Still remember getting to the middle of 3 and just struggling with a few choices that no matter what I did I couldn't get certain options to light up. Reloaded the save and undid hours of play to see if I just needed more side quests of paragon/renegade points.

But nope a bad decision I made in the first game and reinforced in the second locked me out of the option in the third. Didn't happen nearly enough for how big those games were but looking back at it and realizing that because I didn't have a dlc installed and didn't have Internet at the time of 3 i just lost a big option to the game.

Of course with the legendary edition they removed that problem entirely which makes 3 less mechanically challenging and more narratively fun

[u/lousy_at_handles → u/BioshockEnthusiast]

Choices have consequences, kids.

Except of course for the ending

[u/BioshockEnthusiast → u/lousy_at_handles]

Warranted and hilarious, bravo.

[u/Some_Syllabub2704 → u/BrandonMcClain]

I cannot overstate my jealousy. Echoing the other poster, for the love of all that is good and holy do *not* look up spoilers.

[u/djnehi → u/BrandonMcClain]

I wish I could go back and experience it for the first time again. It is a journey.

[u/aSensibleUsername → u/djnehi]

The final mission of the second game was something else, never fails to give me goosebumps...

[u/What-fresh-hell → u/BrandonMcClain]

Talk to your crew after each mission!

[u/Common_Dread → u/swimmer2pointOH]

Mass effect was one of those games I could never get past the start after several tries, but one day it just clicked

Since then ive played it through maybe 4 times and it will never cease to amaze me how good the writing is

Truly one of the best series ive ever played next to the Ezio trilogy

[u/dllre → u/swimmer2pointOH]

Same. I had a rough childhood and Mass Effect taught me the value of working for others and working together.

[u/freehotsaucedragon → u/swimmer2pointOH]

Took way too long to find this one. “I am the model of scientist Salarian..” 😭

[u/Burggs_ → u/freehotsaucedragon]

Had to be him

[u/Electrical-Yellow134 → u/Burggs_]

Someone else might have gotten it wro-

[u/DiogenesTheHound → u/swimmer2pointOH]

The vibes and aesthetic of ME1 are unmatched. Even the sequels didn’t live up to it.

[u/P4n0pticZ → u/swimmer2pointOH]

Absolutely Change the way you Look at narratives for ever. Nothing came Close to that Kind of perfection so far.

[u/Purpleavenger33]

Ogre Battle 64 and Kotor. That twist in Kotor will never be forgotten

[u/Duyan898 → u/Purpleavenger33]

Best fucking plot twist ever

[u/acrazyguy → u/Duyan898]

Unfortunately it was spoiled for me and unlike most spoilers for things I haven’t interacted with, I’ve never forgotten it

[u/Confident_Lake_8225 → u/Purpleavenger33]

Ogre battle 64 mentioned!!! What the fuck is a chaos frame???

[u/Purpleavenger33 → u/Confident_Lake_8225]

It will be forever my 🐐 game and usually replay it at least every 1.5 years and would pay $200 for a remake with chaos frame removed

[u/Shortman19]

Would you kindly consider BioShock

[u/r107und3rgr0und → u/Shortman19]

a man chooses, a slave obeys

[u/[deleted] → u/r107und3rgr0und]

Fine, i’ll play it again

[u/Professor_Hexx → u/[deleted]]

man, I tried that a few weeks ago. every time I did a "hack" (the plumbing minigame) the game would crash. Killed it for me and just gave up :-(

[u/SojournerCrim454 → u/r107und3rgr0und]

Mr Bubbles... Come out and play.

[u/thejmkool → u/Shortman19]

I played this only recently, and hadn't had it spoiled. Sublime.

Edit: I discovered, since posting this, that one of my coworkers has played Infinite, but not the original. And also hasn't had the ending spoiled. You can bet I made a recommendation.

[u/Mrchristopherrr → u/Shortman19]

This was my answer- I smoked just the right amount right before finishing Infinite and basically had a religious experience.

[u/Happy_Goose3833 → u/Shortman19]

https://giphy.com/gifs/dYZuqJLDVsWMLWyIxJ

[u/RowAn0maly → u/Shortman19]

So glad this is one of the top comments 👌🏽

[u/manofinaction]

Disco Elysium. But just as you can't convince anyone to play anything, it goes doubly or triply so for a game that is basically a walking simulator and a visual novel. One of the best games I've ever played.

[u/FlamingoPristine1400 → u/manofinaction]

I've tried and failed many times but I did get a couple of people to play it to good results.

[u/Arikaido777 → u/FlamingoPristine1400]

[u/fatuglyfool → u/manofinaction]

There will NEVER be another Disco Elysium. The amount of love and care and time that got put into it is mesmerizing. The fact they've worked on that universe for literal decades in form of a DnD campaign is still baffling to me

[u/JamesL0L → u/manofinaction]

“God, please.”

[u/Apart_Dance_5767 → u/manofinaction]

Everybody I've convinced to play it has slotted it somewhere in their Top 10 games of all time. (2 people)

[u/Sirromnad → u/manofinaction]

"Hey man, you know what you should do. You should read a million words"

It's a tough sell...

[u/FlamingoPristine1400 → u/Sirromnad]

It's fully voice acted now

[u/Eva_Pilot_ → u/manofinaction]

It's amazing to me that most essays about the game end up being a 2 hour long political manifesto and I haven't seen one that was bad.

[u/allisthomlombert → u/manofinaction]

This has had one of the most profound effects on me out of any piece of media I’ve seen/played. It is the human heart laid bare.

EDIT: Also on my current playthrough of it I actually knocked out Measurehead first try with only a 3% chance and it was one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done lol.

[u/DustyJustice → u/manofinaction]

I absolutely love this game but I have a hard time finishing it/ firing it up because it’s not often I’m in the headspace to feel like complete fucking garbage and get slapped in the face over my own real life by a video game

[u/Most-Fennel-7352 → u/manofinaction]

I dont know what I missed with this game it should be right up my alley. But part of it feels like "Baby's first introduction to socialism and other political theories" and also it felt like it was really hard to play without a guide. I ran into so many dead ends where I had no idea what to do next and think I might of even soft locked my progress at one point. It didn't feel as ground breaking with what it was saying as people online have made it out to be but maybe im missing something.

[u/RollingKatamari]

Shadow of the Colossus

[u/Parsley_sayge → u/RollingKatamari]

YESSSSSSSS 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[u/JerseyCobra → u/RollingKatamari]

This is the one. It was the first game that made me consider the medium as a work of art.

[u/Pure_Earth2121 → u/RollingKatamari]

I swipe way too long to find this

[u/RollingKatamari → u/Pure_Earth2121]

Tbf it's a 20 year old game, I doubt many of the young ppl on this subreddit have played it.

[u/brydels → u/RollingKatamari]

yup. it's this one. I cried from the cutscene before the final Colossus. I spent hours and hours just inhabiting the world of that game, and many more just pondering the meaning and themes.

[u/deerbreed → u/RollingKatamari]

Ico has the same magic but it's not as concentrated.

[u/Stunning_Pride2636]

fallout new vegas

[u/animeistheog → u/Stunning_Pride2636]

I just bought this game so super excited 

[u/broke_n_boosted → u/Stunning_Pride2636]

Lots of eggs cracked there

[u/SuperArppis]

Metal Gear Solid 1

[u/NYJetLegendEdReed → u/SuperArppis]

2 stuck with me longer but I agree. The ending of 2 just had me sitting there for like an hour thinking. (Granted I was like 13 so my mind was blown)

[u/Soma2710 → u/NYJetLegendEdReed]

I was about to comment on another sub about how AI slop is going to control our algorithms by putting out garbage, then filter it out and then I realized that Hideo Kojima predicted this would happen in 2001.

[u/Gregg-C137 → u/Soma2710]

Shit…he did

[u/duncanstibs → u/NYJetLegendEdReed]

Two stuck with me longer in that the final cutscene lasted about a year - but for me MGS1 had a bigger impact on my life.

[u/SuperArppis → u/NYJetLegendEdReed]

Hehe, while second game was amazing, I really missed playing as Snake.

But yeah the plot was really good and so was the message.

[u/Dry_Dot3269 → u/SuperArppis]

That intro music with the submarine scene, the dialog? As a child that was the first time I felt like a realistic story could be just as punchy as a fantasy one.

Then the game started. Those first 3 were magic for me.

[u/joker2189 → u/SuperArppis]

Love this was the first one I saw

[u/scoreguy1 → u/SuperArppis]

MSG1 was the first time a game felt cinematic to me, and the controller rumble in that opening cutscene was just 🤌

[u/MuscleFlex_Bear → u/SuperArppis]

“WHAT!? I deactivated it!!”

[u/cybrcld → u/SuperArppis]

I love MGS1 but MGS3 was a masterpiece

[u/SuperArppis → u/cybrcld]

I thought MGS3 was amazing and clear evolution from MGS1, but it didn't blow me away like MGS1 did.

[u/cybrcld → u/SuperArppis]

Absolutely fair opinion 👍

It’s one of those things where MGS3 was only really good because MGS1 existed. MGS1 was the perfect stand alone but MGS3 was an insane sequel.

What gives me the push for MGS3 is the ending sequence (last 2-3 hours of gameplay) was absolute cinema.

It was like boss after boss after destroy Metal Gear followed by escape the exploding facility into the final fight of Snake vs The Boss in the white flower meadow and the ending theme song starts playing in the background.

So good 😊

Like I said, totally fine liking MGS1, I’m just making convo

[u/ImpressFederal4169]

League of Legends. You'll never wash off that feeling of disgust

[u/Apart_Dance_5767 → u/ImpressFederal4169]

I don't want to undersell it, but it changes you for the worse.

[u/Xbrand182x → u/Apart_Dance_5767]

Haha true…loads up another game

[u/Legitimate_Spray_427 → u/Apart_Dance_5767]

If you aren't prone to be toxic and don't have a weak mental, the game is pretty great

[u/ResponsibleStep8725 → u/ImpressFederal4169]

>You'll never wash

[u/ItzMeHaris]

Metal Gear Solid.

Teaches you that war is bad and to not disregard your life and to just live.

[u/MogMcKupo → u/ItzMeHaris]

War is not only bad, but a perpetual cog in the machine that modern society is based on. To keep our structure intact, many people in power believe war is required.

[u/p_in_gu_]

Soma

Asks question what makes us human

[u/JimmyTheRunt → u/p_in_gu_]

This 100%! Mind blowing narrative, amazing concept, and fleshed out characters. 10/10 for me

[u/erenistheavatar → u/p_in_gu_]

The Talos Principle too then

[u/p_in_gu_ → u/erenistheavatar]

Yeah i am a huge fan of the series, 2 really explored this

[u/blzsoul → u/p_in_gu_]

For me, it was asking myself, are you willing to sacrifice yourself so that a part of you could live happily knowing you won't be...

[u/tguy0720]

Outer Wilds

[u/HillsHaveEyesToo → u/tguy0720]

Damn. I got the game for cheap, i didn't even break the plastic cover. Maybe i should start playing

[u/Unabated_Blade → u/HillsHaveEyesToo]

When you start, give yourself ~2 hours to play, and hard commit to those two hours, no matter how you feel. The game has a tendency to bounce people but I've found that encouraging a prolonged first session helps with getting through.

[u/supercleverhandle476 → u/Unabated_Blade]

Tried it twice.

That intro is rough, even knowing that there’s apparently a gem waiting on the other side.

I’ll give it another go someday.

[u/ComatoseJoy → u/supercleverhandle476]

I also bounced on the intro my first time playing it. Took me a year or two to pick it back up, but it’s one of my all time favorites now

[u/ElvisDumbledore → u/supercleverhandle476]

Similar. I tried it once. I need to rebuild my gaming pc but it's first on my list after that.

[u/OffbeatChaos → u/ElvisDumbledore]

I tried it because I played Subnautica and everyone told me it was a similar kind of game. It seemed cool but I got the worst motion sickness ever.

I wonder if that ever goes away? I had to stop playing I was so nauseous.

[u/ASquidRat → u/OffbeatChaos]

Mess with the fov (usually people prefer narrower), you sit as far from the screen as u can. If you have any of that reactive ambient light behind your screen turn it off. I can totally understand getting motion sick from this game.

[u/Asuzaa → u/HillsHaveEyesToo]

I didn't even know it HAD a physical release until now, so I'm surprised it was cheap anywhere. Is it possible you have Outer Worlds rather than Outer Wilds?

[u/Filthy510 → u/tguy0720]

I'm a 40 year old welder/mechanic type guy... This game made me cry.

[u/lupedog]

Spec Ops: The Line

[u/Exotic_Course_2597 → u/lupedog]

Its only a war crime if you get caught

[u/GOODKyle → u/Exotic_Course_2597]

“Welcome to Dubai”

[u/Cherry_BaBomb → u/lupedog]

"Do you feel like a hero yet? "

[u/Swiggins- → u/lupedog]

"The US military does not condone the killing of unarmed combatants. But this isn't real, so why should you care?"

"To kill for yourself is murder. To kill for your government is heroic. To kill for entertainment is harmless."

[u/Robotic_Organic → u/lupedog]

Yep. And that one with the mortor still haunts me.

Sad that it isnt buyable anymore

[u/lupedog → u/Robotic_Organic]

You can still buy it from a third party like G2A or physical from Walmart

[u/lupedog → u/Robotic_Organic]

You can still read the book it was based on though

[u/StableLamp → u/lupedog]

One of the best moments I had in that game was when you are surrounded by civilians who are being aggressive. A prompt appears to shoot them or something along those lines. I did not want to shoot them so I shot up in the air and they all ran away.

There are other moments in that game where the game tells you to do something but you can ignore it or do something else.

[u/SmileDensee]

portal

[u/Darth_Piernoxx → u/SmileDensee]

Portal 2 because I play multiplayer with my brother

[u/SmileDensee → u/Darth_Piernoxx]

portal 2 is literally better in every way it’s insane how good of a sequel it is. I feel like follow ups aren’t usually as good

[u/misterpickles69 → u/SmileDensee]

You are 100% correct and the first one is damn near perfect.

[u/_G1N63R_]

Telltale’s The Walking Dead series
https://giphy.com/gifs/e26OhuJO0wKWWX4Epp

[u/zgillet → u/_G1N63R_]

Honorable mention (I'm stoked!):

https://giphy.com/gifs/HXHVAkgN1oEXRoZOFX

[u/MundieORiley]

Last of Us when I first played it back in 2013 and Dark Souls 3.

[u/JiggsForlano]

DooM, Zelda, Mario, halo, GoW

[u/Jumpy_Individual_526]

FFX

[u/Kheldarson → u/[deleted]]

The first time I played with another player all the way to the end, I had to put my controller down. There's something about connecting with another person and learning how to communicate in a completely new way that just... I don't know. It resonated.

The only other comparable thing I've experienced has been reflecting on The Interior Castle, and honestly, I wonder if the game devs read that book as part of their inspiration.

[u/RC-Lyra]

Baldurs Gate 3 was it for me

[u/artificial_sunlight → u/RC-Lyra]

For me Baldur's Gate (1)

I needed to learn English to understand the game, fell in love with the lore. Bought literally hundreds of D&D/Forgotten Realms books(in English). Learned to mod(a little). Played the sequel, NWN 1+2. Was out of gaming for 10 years and came back for BG3.

[u/Drayenn → u/artificial_sunlight]

Im here to continue the meme and say baldurs gate 2.. what a fantastic game..i replay it every 4 years or so. I always find new things i havent seen, i try classes i havent played, and mods keep it fresh. One of my rare 100% achievement completed game.

[u/Specific-Library-312]

Sorry for being basic, but Skyrim.

[u/StormMalice]

What Remains of Edith Finch. It broke the door down on how movie like a game could be.

[u/ConfIit → u/StormMalice]

My friends and I watched while one of us played through it. The bath tub scene made us cry

[u/GuiltyCredit → u/ConfIit]

My heart ached for Gregory. Excellent game but hurts.

[u/NikRsmn → u/StormMalice]

Ive gamed my whole life. From epic stories like the final fantasies and warcraft to to open world games where you make your own story like Skyrim and I still cant grasp why edith has such a permanent place in my heart. Its such a beautifully done story that still has me in a chokehold

[u/srbandrews]

Planescape: Torment

[u/EFB_Churns → u/srbandrews]

This one knows game

[u/No_Phone_8059]

Kingdom come deliverance 1 and 2

[u/WofferFang]

Stardew can legit be therapeutic if you let it.

[u/OkAccountant7442]

mass effect 1-3

[u/Oz347]

Bioshock

Expedition 33

RDR2

[u/True_Protection6842 → u/Oz347]

I'm playing Expedition 33 right now and it's pretty incredible.

[u/Speartopia → u/True_Protection6842]

let us know how you feel past act 2, its genuinely one of the 3 games that changed how i think about gaming as a whole.

[u/True_Protection6842 → u/Speartopia]

I just got to the first camp site with the currator after the flower fight. Loving it so far.

[u/Calthurian → u/Oz347]

Upvoting for Expedition 33.

[u/Grausam]

Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

[u/ChaosCelebration → u/Grausam]

I played this game for the first time when the school I applied to said no. I did it to prove I could do hard things and persevere. I did it. I beat it now every time I get a setback in life. My runs are measured in the minutes now. What was once a twelve hour struggle is now a 15 minute jaunt. It reminds me things get easier. It reminds me that I can get through anything.

[u/NombieTeeth8]

https://giphy.com/gifs/pylNZOmEWUMwGXdzQj

[u/loadingbrain_oops → u/NombieTeeth8]

phantom liberty

[u/SolarStab → u/NombieTeeth8]

Cyberpunk cracked my egg

[u/Ira_Dalor → u/NombieTeeth8]

This. When I think of games that changed how I think of gaming cyberpunk and far cry 3 come to mind

[u/kamakazi339]

There are a bunch.

The last of us especially the original story.

Detroit: Become human

Metal gear franchise if only for the complete mind fuck

[u/Spectre-ElevenThirty]

https://giphy.com/gifs/kHUbte7X4PgL7o0exQ
Red Dead Redemption 2

[u/Significant_Swing_76 → u/Spectre-ElevenThirty]

RDR1, when you cross the border into Mexico.

I almost cried. Listening to Jose Gonzales’ - Far away.
Never had a gaming experience like that before, nor since.

[u/Grindfather901 → u/Spectre-ElevenThirty]

This is way too far down on this page.

[u/AdeptusPina]

Disco Elysium

[u/SweetReply1556]

Nier Automata

[u/DiogenesTheHound → u/SweetReply1556]

Nier 1 as well. Both games really make you think about the future and nature of humanity and what community, family and friendship mean.

[u/Due-Excuse5515 → u/SweetReply1556]

Was looking for this

[u/Ebice42 → u/SweetReply1556]

How did they get the credits to make me cry!?

[u/PDuLait]

The Stanley Parable. You will thank me.

[u/Normal_Push_3080 → u/PDuLait]

Did you get the closet ending? The closet ending is my favorite 

[u/ModifiedLeaf]

World of Warcraft

[u/burnanation → u/ModifiedLeaf]

This game taught me that if you aren't careful, your fun distraction can spiral out of control and take over your life.

[u/BigJon83]

Fallout. The first one.

[u/kmed1717]

Whatever your 1st Soulsborne game is.

These games literally teach perseverance.

[u/theREALlackattack → u/kmed1717]

100% as funny as it sounds Elden Ring taught me to confront my fears and not be afraid of trying to

[u/Sirromnad → u/theREALlackattack]

It's why Elden Ring is so successful. It was a built in a way that allowed a much broader range of players feel that same satisfaction while also not compromising on it's design philosophies.

[u/jon_bone]

Donkey Kong 64 and I learned how much I love 3D platformer collect-a-thons

[u/Endrimaris]

Depending on where you are in your life, but I would absolutely list:

• Expedition 33,
• Disco Elysium,
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,
• The Last of Us,
• The Witcher 3,
• Plague Tale,
• Cyberpunk 2077,
• Inside and Limbo,
• Mass Effect trilogy,
• Pentiment,
• Shadow of the Colossus,
• Spec Ops The Line,
• Citizen Sleeper,
• Deus Ex (in general, the older and the newer ones),
• NieR: Automata,
• The Last Guardian.

[u/TL15SD]

Control

[u/g-body8687]

Bioshock Infinite

[u/ConfIit → u/g-body8687]

The ending to the last dlc is likely the most memorable moment in gaming for me. Really completes the series

[u/DrAsthma]

Kentucky Route Zero: games are art. And very moving art when it's good.

FFX: this is the video game version of that cat stevens song about the dad and son. You will bawl. And it's gorgeous and awesome.

[u/rob_h1mself]

Silent Hill 2. It left scars.

+1 on Soma

[u/orangegilkey5]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

[u/ArtistLovely]

1, Cyberpunk 2077, specifically the temperance ending. i haven't cried that hard in awhile. #2 Endling. genuinely one of the saddest games ive played, i think. i recommend playing it whenever its on sale, its really good. #3, rdr2. #4 mass effect. ive finished both the first and second game but can't find myself finishing the last game. im at the very end with my current priority mission being cerberus base, but im scared to end the series so I'm stepping back for a bit. this game has made me cry multiple times. I'll never forgive them for killing mordin.

i don't know why my message is in this font😔

[u/Yitzben]

Spiritfarer

[u/cerenir → u/Yitzben]

this is a good example

[u/ChaosCelebration → u/Yitzben]

I played this shortly after my father passed away. It really helped me. Did a lot of crying.

[u/im_rickyspanish]

Doki Doki Literature Club.

If you know, you know.

[u/Krazy-Vaclav → u/im_rickyspanish]

Told my friends to play it.

Played it as a couple.

They were just about to hit "quit", thinking their iidiot friend fooled them.

Then they found Sayori in her bedoom.

[u/Pure_Earth2121 → u/im_rickyspanish]

Doki Doki

[u/NoAcanthocephala7035 → u/Pure_Earth2121]

Everyday, I imagine a future where I can be with you

Dododo dododo do
Do dodo dodo do do

[u/Cherry_BaBomb]

Mass Effect trilogy

[u/Ohmynoix]

The last of us

Red Dead 2

[u/Tuques]

Ocarina of time/mario 64. 2d to 3d was ilife altering.

[u/KleitosD06]

Expedition 33

[u/imnotreallyheretoday]

RDR2

[u/Unique_Prior_4407]

Fire watch and persona 5 Royal

[u/Ashy_Boiz → u/Unique_Prior_4407]

Took too long to find someone who said persona

[u/WanderingKing]

Undertale

[u/RTR_99]

Going to be a rare one I guess but Cyberpunk changed me.

A friend had cancer when I played through it and really struggled with the fact that the character knows he's dying soon and figuring out wether he wants to go in a 'blaze or glory' or to be unknown.

Some of the conversations with Jonny hit so hard.

[u/ScoobieNoobieDoo]

zelda botw for now lol

[u/1992Jamesy]

Life is Strange (The original) & Hellblade are two games that left me with feelings I couldn't quite explain. Both are masterpieces

[u/Suspicious_North6119]

Resident Evil 4. Mass Effect. KOTOR. Fable. Skyrim

[u/NYJetLegendEdReed]

Breath of the Wild at launch day on Switch 1 was an insane experience.

[u/Jvanvuren4475]

Elden Ring

[u/CastoCFC]

Crimson Desert. It taught me to be patient & pay attention to details. Not everything in an Open World RPG needs to hold your hand. Just figuring things out has been so rewarding.

Beyond Galaxyland, BattleSuit Aces, & Into the Breach. It taught me that Indie games can be better quality than AAA games and shouldn't be overlooked.

Chrono Trigger & FF6. It taught me that classic rpgs can still hold up & are better than most newer titles.

[u/Background_Clue_3756]

Xenogears

[u/GirthStone86]

Celeste, for me it helped me hate myself less. 

For others, well let's just say I'm sure a few eggs were cracked

[u/Visible_Revolution89]

Outer Wilds

[u/JaCre476]

Kingdom Come Deliverance

[u/LeeHazuki]

As a 14 year old kid, it was Shenmue for me. Taught me a lot.

[u/Anlow_]

Probably overdone,but Soma. An amazing horror game with some really awesome themes about identity.

[u/VorAbaddon]

Chrono Trigger - created my basis for narrative driving the gameplay forward and VGM as casual listening.

Everquest - Drove me to MMO's and really unlocked that love of community play, getting in depth with and learning the mechanics behind the gameplay. I dont just want a "build" I can follow, I want mechanics deep enough to need to learn/explore, but functionally simple enough they can be analyzed and predicted.

FF XIV - Probably the most impactful on a personal standpoint beyond just gaming. The Shadowbringers/Endwalker combo literally made me a more empathic and understanding person. Something about the way it presented things made a few things about my worldview click in a way that hadn't before. Seriously if could memory wipe one game and re experience it? This is the one.

Nier: Automata and Nier Replicant (PC remaster): Taught me that gaming can give you an existential friggin crisis. Good lord.

[u/Aura_Azula]

Dragon Quest XI S

[u/Breaker988]

Sekiro

[u/Marzouque]

WTH, where is Dragon Age: Origins in this forsaken thread

[u/Turab]

FFX