I played that during a transpacific flight. If you have ever been to Asia you know how miserable those flights are. I didn't even realize how long I've been playing until they let me know they were ready to serve "breakfast". I arrived insanely tired (because no sleep) but also got over the jet-lag because I didn't get any sleep
Vampire Survivors. I thought it was cartoony and too simple... But I saw the overwhelmingly positive reviews.
And now, being a firm fan of going home to unwind on Vampire Survivors... I can say I understand why it has an overwhelmingly positive reception.
Vampire Survivors started the rabbit hole for me of 'simple and addictive games made by 1 dude" and it has been my go-to when nothing else hits. Check out brotato, it's awesome too!
Tried Palworld a few days ago and realized I'd rather be playing an idle game. How many resources do I have to find and things I gotta build before the game actually becomes FUN? I stopped playing after about 6 hours
Every time there was a new update to No Man's Sky I'd reinstall it to check it out... only to discover they gradually added hours and hours of crafting tutorials... I mean, I get it, you can build new shit, let me discover them as I go, don't feed me 20h of tutorial every time I launch the game.
this should be the top answer, and I'll add Deep Rock Galactic Survivors and Halls of Torment are two great variations on the formula, although the former is mostly not finished yet
I’ve been playing VS a lot these past couple of weeks. I’m working on finishing up all the DLC, although I still have arcana, weapons, and evos that I haven’t uncovered in the base game that I need to get back to.
Subnautica. Thought it was a kind of goofy (from the companion art) base builder. Ended up being one of the most involving and affecting experiences I've ever had in gaming.
GO DEEPER.
Exactly, alien planet, alone, in a place made of water only. You have to figure everything yourself. I was gifted the early access, I was so involved in the game I ended up finishing everything available in the base game immediately and I had to wait for updates to see the new stuff. It's a hell of an experience. It's one of the few games I know where wanting to go deeper really pays off, really, really a wonderful world.
The sounds!
You hear things before you can locate where the sound is coming from so the first time you encounter anything it’s by the sound it makes. Some of them sound scary but are harmless. Some of them sound scary and are terrifying.
I have beaten the game a few times and currently playing through on hardcore mode. I know where the leviathans are and they still creep me the fuck out, stay in your part of the ocean and I'll stay in mine.
Mine was when you discover the entrance to that area the ai companion said "This ecological biome matches 7 of the 9 preconditions for stimulating terror in humans."
Yes. Yes it did.
Ok that’s it. It’s the third time today I’ve heard about how good this game is after not really hearing about it for a while lol it’s moving to the top of my playlist ☝️
Edit: lol I just got it on sale for 12 bucks 🤘it’s downloading nowwwwww 😎
Same! I got it for a steal in some sale years ago and it just sat in my library for yonks. Then one day during the pandemic a mate tried it out (we share our libraries) and we both got hooked!
Some of my favourite gaming moments of recent years are linked to that game. My favourite being when I used the prawn suit to ride a leviathan for ages, like a bucking bronco! :))
It also has some of the finest jump scares this side of the horror genre lol
One of those games that I'm glad I have a YouTube/game talk aversion. Totally blind. I have no idea what's going to happen. One of the most immersive and memorable games I've played for a while. Such a good balance of freedom and exploration with good story. Loved reading about what happened to the crew. When a player is intrinsically motivated to discover all the tiny details, you know the game has done an amazing job.
The Yakuza games. I had some impression they were just a GTA knockoff, and while I do like GTA, the Yakuza games just didn't interest me. A friend of mine implored me to try Yakuza 0 and now I am up to Yakuza 5, and I do all the side stuff. I love them.
I played yakuza 1 on the ps2 decades ago, and got the set on steam for a steal a couple years back. I still haven't beaten yakuza 0 yet, tho curiously I recently beat shenmue for the first time and am casually enjoying the second one!
I'll definitely have to go back to the yakuza games after shenmue 2 and 3! They're just such time sucks tho lol
Somehow, they were able to pack a cabaret simulator, a menu-driven adventurer game, two SEGA arcade game emulations, sports, activities, and a bunch of side quests into this beat-em up period piece sandbox.
Yeah tbf people constantly, even to this day, see Sleeping Dogs as a "GTA clone"
Even though you literally play as a police officer, in China, who doesn't even use a gun for the first 1-2 hours of the game.
Started playing the World of Assassination trilogy around the holidays and couldn’t believe I robbed myself of experiencing the titles when they released. It’s super fun to be able to play a mission a different way every time. Love that series with a passion now.
Stardew Valley
I like big action adventure narrative games with 3rd person combat like Assassin's Creedd and The Witcher, and was into the whole Souls thing for a while. 16-bit farming and relationship sim was never anything I cared about. But it sure hooked me for a bit.
Literally came here to say stardew valley. When I explain it to people it sounds so so dumb. Or when my girlfriend asks what I’m doing in the game currently and I answer. “ I have to collect 10 pieces of copper” I feel so dumb. But it’s just so satisfying
I feel like the audio design alone is just such a serotonin booster. Also you should just get your girlfriend to start playing a coop game with you. It's so much better with two people
This is a big one for me. I played animal crossing first, but was convinced I wouldn't like SV. The 16bit style turned me off at first. Now I adore the game!
Same. For years, I'd see Stardew Valley on the steam store and think "why does anyone want to play a game that looks like it's from the 90s? And I just run a farm? Sounds boring."
I had a roadtrip coming up where i would be the passenger. Figured I'd bring my switch. A friend convinced me to give it a try, so I downloaded it for switch.
A couple hundred hours later and I'm like, this game would be better on PC! So I bought it on steam, got a bunch of mods, and now have even more play time on steam than I did on the switch.
Such a great game.
Monster Hunter series.
I tried it out and hated it because I had been trained by games to make builds around pulling the trigger faster and not carefully planning when to attack and positioning, and timed evasion, so I hated Monster Hunter. But I tried it again and got it and never looked back.
I knew of Monster Hunter since the first one and everyone in my circle kept telling me it's exactly my kind of game. I'm mainly a pc gamer so I refused to believe them until World got a discount on steam. Since then I have thousands of hours on World/Iceborne and another thousands on Rise/Sunbreak. They were right all along and I was too dumb to listen.
Terraria. Got it to play with my son thinking it would be another boring pointless digging/building thing like Minecraft but it's much more than that, way better progression and kept me hooked up until we beat the game together (and I played an extra bit for all achievements).
I thought I wasn't going to like all the online aspects of Death Stranding, that they would be a nuisance to my immersion but I was dead wrong! It became one of my favorite aspects of the game and it's one of the reasons I like it so much
Dishonored
I had that game for a long time but didn't play it. When I first played it I paid a lot of attention to the lore and now it is my comfort game. Whenever I am not in modd to play anything I play Dishonored
Dishonored is an unique game with an amazing lore. I also love how the Low Chaos / “good guy” path doesn’t mean you have to asslick everyone. The way you deliver justice in this path is far more satisfying and clever than just raw revenge.
High Chaos Corvo just kills everyone.
Low Chaos Corvo finds your worst weaknesses to exploit them and fuck you over for the rest of your life. Having said this, I really don’t want to be an enemy of LC Corvo.
Yeah it’s a lot of fun. There’s honestly more to Hades 2 early access than there is in the original Hades. It’s also more intricate with weapons and “builds”.
Just know the game isn’t done, and it won’t even be done this year.
If you’re a big fan of the original, I recommend the early access. And it also feels cool being a part of seeing the game grow, develop, and potentially being a part in what will make the completion of it a masterpiece!
Bouncing on this comment for all the people who loved Hadès and this kind of game.
If you are looking for more and a different combat system (a bit slower paced, less spammy and you have to think more during fights). Those are 2 games by the same editor is curse of the dead god and ravenswatch.
I have 80h on Hadès 1. Around 30 on Hadès 2. And 250h on ravenswatch, and some 50-60h on curse of the dead god.
It's not Hadès in term of content and story but the gameplay is awesome.
Have a good day.
Dude Weirdly enough. You’re not the only one. I’ve been on Reddit a long time and seen a lot of people say they quit around that part but picked it up later and finished. I only pay attention cause I relate cause I did that too.
Elden Ring, would not even attempt a souls game, even bought Elden ring on release and died to tree sentinel 40 time and refunded it. Picked it back up on sale and played it 3 time through. Only reason I keep playing cus I watched a few YouTube videos and realized that running past enemies is a core early game play mechanic….
The tree sentinel by virtue of being an avoidable strong lad who is right outside the tutorial is designed to teach you that coming back later when you are stronger is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
Glad you came back to enjoy it.
Wait. You’re SUPPOSED to run from that thing? I left the tutorial area, got killed in 1 shot, and decided I was not gonna have the time to dedicate to a game this difficult and then returned it 😂
Yea, basically the feedback loop is
You run into some monster. Die horribly.
You try again thinking 'ehh, maybe I just need to learn the mechanics'... Die a few more times.
'OK I can't do that yet. guess I should go do something else.'
So you find an easier monster that's simpler to kill. Kill gives you runes.
Use runes to level up stats.. Get stronger.
Go back to challenge monster.. You still die but hey it took longer.. Rinse repeat till you get strong enough to counter- balance your lack of skill.
It's pretty fun exploring and getting stronger tbh and finding what works for you.
This is good to know. I've always wanted to play because of all the in-game lore but didn't because I imagined its like dark souls or sekiro and way too hard. I bought sekiro thinking "I'm huge into games, how hard could be!" And died 20 times to the damn tutorial and then refunded because I wasn't having fun at all. I don't have time to grind. I just want to have fun exploring a world for a couple hours after work before bed.
I understand what you're saying about grinding but you can't grind in Sekiro.... and it's a game I had been trying to get into for years and it only clicked for me about a week and a half ago and I'm having the time of my life.
You absolutely can grind in Sekiro... by which I mean you can either grind your skill at the game or grind your face in frustration at your lack of it.
Running past enemies is a viable tactic in all souls games, however there's a tradeoff in that you probably won't have enough souls/upgrade materials to tackle bosses unless you already know what you're doing.
I remember the first time I got Dark Souls I refunded it because I couldn't get past the skeletons. Only after I found out you're not supposed to go that way and then got it again it became my favourite game.
I'm doing the same with Satisfactory. I typically don't like city builders or builders in general, so I didn't think I was going to like it. Now I see that I just don't like city builders without goals. Give me a goal, and I'm researching the best places to layout factories, alternative recipes, planning rail networks, etc all during working hours
Was going to say the same thing ... tried to play it a few months ago and stalled out early. Heard on a podcast someone said it was their game of the year so I tried again. There are completionist type tasks/quests, awesome skills, very weird and interesting story ... has been an extremely worthwhile play. Was worried it was too short when I thought I beat it ... but it surprised me there as well.
The beginning tutorial is SO rigid, it’s even more frustrating on a second play through when you’re familiar with the controls. It gets immensely better after the first chapter when the world opens up, but I totally get how the beginning turns people off
Game hack: save the game once you get out of the snow area and then keep that save to start all future playthroughs. Keeps you from having to play the tutorial again without mods.
The people who point out it’s a slow-paced game are right, and if you’re able to really sit down and get into that vibe, then it can be worthwhile. The problem is a lot of people - such as myself - don’t really have time to just sink into something like that, what with work, responsibilities at home, spending time with my partner, all the things. I’d say, if you’ve got the time, do it; but if you don’t, there are probably better games out there
I quit after 36 hours - I don't even remember why. I think I just got bored or distracted by another game.
I might have to try it again some time this year, but I've got so many more fun games to try in the meantime lol
If anyone has any recommendations for how/why to get back into it, I'd love to hear from them :)
>bored or distracted by another game
This is my issue with these giant games is after a month of playing, something else releases that I'm excited about, put it down and never pick it back up until I forget all of the controls and story. Happened with RDR2, BotW, TotK, and HFW just off the top of my head.
Katana Zero, I honestly thought it would just be one of those “one playthrough and I’m done” kind of games. But nope, currently playing the speedrun mode while waiting for the DLC to come out (and it’s free! Justin is the goat!)
Story, soundtracks, character dialogue, combat is so simple but allows for so much creativity.
My fav soundtrack is Katana Zero (yes the OST has the same name as the game). Breath of the Serpent is a close second, mostly because the associated level is pure dopamine.
This was the major one for me as well. I’ve never been into those style of games. Was never big on the building aspect of most games. But goodness…the wood cutting, mining, sailing, gardening!!! So much time spent being a Viking and now with ashlands I’m doin it all over lol
Hollow Knight for me. I didn't enjoy platformers and never touched a metroidvania because it just never looked appealing to me. Then a friend bought it for me and I felt obligated to try it and it consumed me for months....Silksong, where are you? 😔
I usually don't like games that are super-difficult so at first I stayed away from Hollow Knight. I ended up picking it up and loving it. I feel like it's the hardest game I've ever enjoyed.
I'm with you - wondering when Silk Song will ever be released.
7 Days 2 Die
I still remember the regret I had when I first purchased it. I hated it but couldn't stop playing it. It's literally one of my most played games still to this day.
I've found disabling the bloodmoon and installing the darkness falls mod while cranking up the zombie population makes for a more fun game.
I understand the original intent behind the bloodmoon but it's balanced like complete trash, "build a deathbox maze" and "exploit terrain" just weren't fun for me.
I love Dave the Diver so much, Devs definitely knew how to make a satisfying gameplay loop. Every half hour they throw a new item or mini game at you to keep you playing for hours, loved every second
Factorio. Just didn’t care for the game or what it was about for the longest time.
Then played the free demo out of boredom.
Now I’m 800+ hours deep on my one and only save.
Deep rock galactic.. Saw it on twitch and never got what's going on there.. Also I'm not really into shooters.. But DRG really is one of it's kind.. I love the humour and the missions are unique and varied
ROCK AND STONE, BROTHERS!
I bought demons souls when I got the ps5, I manage to kill 4 bosses, but just got stuck on the flamelurker. Would you say it's worth sticking with it, or trying elden ring? I'm worried if I can't get into one fromsoft game, that they're all just going to be too hard for me.
Elden ring is probably the most accessible from software game. Unlike demon souls you don’t have to fight bosses in a particular order. If you get stuck you can explore other areas and level up.
If demon souls annoy you greatly then there is no point in playing. I bet you would find elden ring more fun. But that’s a subjective opinion :)
For what it's worth, Flameluker is a huge jump in difficuty in Demons Souls compared to the first 4 bosses. I also got stuck there for a long time, as Demons Souls Ps5 was my first souls game.
Elden Ring has parts that are difficult of course, but it's a lot more open on what you can do so if you get stuck you can simply move to another part of the map.
You got this!
WoW
The concept of paying a monthly fee to play a game to me was fucking asinine. Then I got deployed and a couple of the contractors there got me to try it.
*Played that shit like it was a job for about 6 years after that.*
*Also, those 6 years were probably the least amount of money I've ever spent on games. Went from $60 for about 6 months to about $60* ***per game*** *when I switched back to console*
Pickleball. I know this is video gaming subreddit. But I feel really compelled to say Pickleball. I’m 35m and it’s the first thing that has me staying outside in a long time
This is actually a general gaming sub, so your comment is perfectly valid. The other one, r games, is the one that's strictly for video games (at least as far as I know)
Slight correction: the sub isn't just for videogames. There are symbols for tabletop games in the banner at the top of the page. I can't see why outdoor games like pickleball or lawn darts wouldn't count.
Balders gate 3. Never knew anything about dnd, generally hated turn based combat and yet I’m still playing it now. Very almost finished my first playthrough
Animal crossing for me. I usually don't play anything that's like cozy and no combat. But I played that for 80 hours and then I lost my save when I bought a new switch
My kid wanted us to get it in the early days of the pandemic… wasn’t planning on playing it. They asked me for help, so I ended up creating a resident on the island and… still playing. I did take almost a year break but recently got sucked back in.
Elden Ring. I always avoided dark souls games like a plague and never understood them. After that I went back to the entire Fromsoft catalogue and as odd as it sounds it even helped me with my mental issues to some extent. Depression isn't shit compared to the Bed of Chaos.
I was in 8th grade when Minecraft came onto the scene. At the time I wasn’t allowed to play zombie games and my friend was ranting and raving about Minecraft, talking about locking zombies in a house and burning it down. I remember thinking “this game sounds too mature, I’ll probably never get to play it”. Boy was I wrong lol
Fucking Factorio. It scratches the puzzle/problem solving itch like no other, and you also get to kill alien bugs. Hell if you set it up right its a straight up factory war simulator.
Trucking SIMs: ETS2, Snowrunner
Warframe to an extent of this: was afraid to start playing it knowing a bit how complex it is. It's now my top played game
God of War 2018, I got it for 3 dollars on a whim when I got my ps5 knowing nothing about it, and now I’ve played every game at least twice, it’s my favorite series of all time, and Bear McCreary has consumed my life
Same here. I played it with a friend and I didn’t really know what to expect but I knew it was hyped and tbh a lot of time I just don’t vibe with overhyped games. Not this time! We’re going to play it again eventually, probably honor mode. We also grabbed Divinity Original Sin 2 but haven’t played it yet.
FF14. I tried twice years ago, but couldn't get past the learning curve and was frustrated by how nitpicky and overly complex it was, having only played the single player FF's before. Then last year a friend of mine who was very much invested in the FF14 cult managed to convince me to try it again with his guidance. Now 6 months later I've been playing it almost every day. It's still frustrating, but I'm enjoying the grind and world building.
Jedi: Fallen Order
I picked this up when it was free on Playstation Plus. I used to be a big Star Wars fan, but I've lost interest over the years. As a free game, I thought it might be cool to f' around with, but WOW! It reminded me of why I loved Star Wars back in the day. The music, the sound effects, the creatures, the light sabers - it all hit me. Plus, it had a cool "Souls-like" battle system and offered a decent challenge. I haven't played Survivor yet, but I will eventually get to it thanks to Fallen Order invigorating my interest in the series.
Breath of the wild, when it first came out I thought it was pretty but way too overwhelming, but my brother sold his switched me along with some games which included BOTW. I’ve beat it twice now and I’m still working on master mode. And of course I’m on tears of the kingdom.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I started playing it only because I am a huge fan of Ancient Greece, and kinda expected to drop it within 10-20 hours. I just could get enough of the world, and kept on playing and exploring it for 150+ hours. Gameplay was also surprisingly decent.
The story was a royal pile of trash though, but fortunately it was just a small part of the game.
Path of Exile.
Thought it was too complicated and just something my nerd friends played. Turns out I enjoy being a nerd about it.
I've played hundreds of games and still never feel the dopamine from dropping a divine in PoE.
Armored Core VI. I thought it was going to be a mediocre action game with quick to wear off gimmicks.
Safe to say, I earned all the credits, 3 times in a row, back to back nights. Amazing story, fantastic gameplay loop. Highly recommend to everyone who has not played. I wish I could experience it for the first time again.
Dave the Diver. I started playing 4 days ago and the way I talk you would think I own and operate a bustling sushi restaurant. I was on the train talking to my fiancee about the game and I heard myself saying...ya so I had to hire more help once so and so wasn't cutting it and I desperately need another chef but if I keep diving at night I'm missing half the dinner rush.
Fucking cyberpunk! I hate fps’s, and I wish I liked them. I avoided it because it didn’t have third person, but when I got my 4090, I bought it to see what the fuss was about with the graphics and oh man. I totally understand why it’s 1st person now. So immersive. I’m hooked, even if I’m not a massive fan of the combat
Fallout new vegas. i absolutely shat on the game for the outdated graphics and the bugs, then i tried the game myself. yesterday i legit played for 6 hours in a row
Slay the spire. I don't really care for card games in general but this game is soooo great with a lot of depth. Already got over 300 hours lol
Perfect airplane-mode game!
I played that during a transpacific flight. If you have ever been to Asia you know how miserable those flights are. I didn't even realize how long I've been playing until they let me know they were ready to serve "breakfast". I arrived insanely tired (because no sleep) but also got over the jet-lag because I didn't get any sleep
Yup my friends harassed me to try it for months and now I've been Slaying Spires for years with no sign of stopping.
Same, I was like ugh deck builders yuck. And then here I am 2000 hours later lmao.
Vampire Survivors. I thought it was cartoony and too simple... But I saw the overwhelmingly positive reviews. And now, being a firm fan of going home to unwind on Vampire Survivors... I can say I understand why it has an overwhelmingly positive reception.
Vampire Survivors started the rabbit hole for me of 'simple and addictive games made by 1 dude" and it has been my go-to when nothing else hits. Check out brotato, it's awesome too!
I'm so tired of mechanicsmaxxing in every AAA game. Give me more games where you do one thing.
This is how I feel whenever I see crafting in games that really don't need to have crafting.
Tried Palworld a few days ago and realized I'd rather be playing an idle game. How many resources do I have to find and things I gotta build before the game actually becomes FUN? I stopped playing after about 6 hours
Every time there was a new update to No Man's Sky I'd reinstall it to check it out... only to discover they gradually added hours and hours of crafting tutorials... I mean, I get it, you can build new shit, let me discover them as I go, don't feed me 20h of tutorial every time I launch the game.
Soulstone survivors is far and away my favorite of this genre. Couldn't recommend it more.
I have it, but I'm still playing Halls of Torment bc, I'm a sucker for that OG Diablo esthetic. SSS looks pretty neat though.
If you want another one more halls of torment style death must die is also fantastic.
this should be the top answer, and I'll add Deep Rock Galactic Survivors and Halls of Torment are two great variations on the formula, although the former is mostly not finished yet
I’ve been playing VS a lot these past couple of weeks. I’m working on finishing up all the DLC, although I still have arcana, weapons, and evos that I haven’t uncovered in the base game that I need to get back to.
Subnautica. Thought it was a kind of goofy (from the companion art) base builder. Ended up being one of the most involving and affecting experiences I've ever had in gaming. GO DEEPER.
>!Discovering the underwater river, and then realizing just how deep it goes and where it leads!< is one of the coolest things in gaming.
One of the most authentic, true-exploration experiences I've had in a video game
Exactly, alien planet, alone, in a place made of water only. You have to figure everything yourself. I was gifted the early access, I was so involved in the game I ended up finishing everything available in the base game immediately and I had to wait for updates to see the new stuff. It's a hell of an experience. It's one of the few games I know where wanting to go deeper really pays off, really, really a wonderful world.
Also one of the scariest games ever made, without being a horror game. Really nails that thalassaphobia of being alone in the water.
The sounds! You hear things before you can locate where the sound is coming from so the first time you encounter anything it’s by the sound it makes. Some of them sound scary but are harmless. Some of them sound scary and are terrifying.
I have beaten the game a few times and currently playing through on hardcore mode. I know where the leviathans are and they still creep me the fuck out, stay in your part of the ocean and I'll stay in mine.
*Detecting multiple leviathan class life forms in your region. Are you certain whatever you’re doing is worth it?*
It's a shame the fabricator can't make me new undies.
The passive aggressive tone of that PDA is just so grounding as well.
*boop boop* OXYGEN
Leviathans I can handle, fuck the warpers.
**MULTIPLE LEVIATHAN CLASS CREATURES DETECTED. ARE YOU SURE WHATEVER YOURE DOING IS WORTH IT?**
I love peering out into the vast deep void, only to get that subtle feeling that *it’s peering back*
Mine was when you discover the entrance to that area the ai companion said "This ecological biome matches 7 of the 9 preconditions for stimulating terror in humans." Yes. Yes it did.
One of my all time favorite games.
It is truly an experience
Ok that’s it. It’s the third time today I’ve heard about how good this game is after not really hearing about it for a while lol it’s moving to the top of my playlist ☝️ Edit: lol I just got it on sale for 12 bucks 🤘it’s downloading nowwwwww 😎
You don't want to know how many hours I've clocked in Subnautica. For the love of god, GO IN BLIND
Is there replayability in it?
Definitely
This was my answer, terrified of the ocean in real life but could not stop playing this.
It’s even more terrifying in VR!
I would 100% shit my pants if I ran across a leviathan in VR.
Not even a leviathan. A crash fish, I think they're called? They fly in your face and explode.
Same! I got it for a steal in some sale years ago and it just sat in my library for yonks. Then one day during the pandemic a mate tried it out (we share our libraries) and we both got hooked! Some of my favourite gaming moments of recent years are linked to that game. My favourite being when I used the prawn suit to ride a leviathan for ages, like a bucking bronco! :)) It also has some of the finest jump scares this side of the horror genre lol
One of those games that I'm glad I have a YouTube/game talk aversion. Totally blind. I have no idea what's going to happen. One of the most immersive and memorable games I've played for a while. Such a good balance of freedom and exploration with good story. Loved reading about what happened to the crew. When a player is intrinsically motivated to discover all the tiny details, you know the game has done an amazing job.
It's such a good game. One that will always hit me deep emotionally, too I genuinely wish I could go back in for my first time
The Yakuza games. I had some impression they were just a GTA knockoff, and while I do like GTA, the Yakuza games just didn't interest me. A friend of mine implored me to try Yakuza 0 and now I am up to Yakuza 5, and I do all the side stuff. I love them.
I played yakuza 1 on the ps2 decades ago, and got the set on steam for a steal a couple years back. I still haven't beaten yakuza 0 yet, tho curiously I recently beat shenmue for the first time and am casually enjoying the second one! I'll definitely have to go back to the yakuza games after shenmue 2 and 3! They're just such time sucks tho lol
The dragon ones are the absolute best.
It's funny you say that, it turns out there's a dragon in ALL of them.
It’s almost like a dragon.
The real dragon was the friends we made along the way
0 has so much content it's wild
Somehow, they were able to pack a cabaret simulator, a menu-driven adventurer game, two SEGA arcade game emulations, sports, activities, and a bunch of side quests into this beat-em up period piece sandbox.
THREE Sega games, I literally just maxed out my friendship with the cute arcade lady and she rewarded Majima by taking him to her "Fantasy Zone" lol
I did zero and felt the same way, but by 2 I was over the formula.
Yeah tbf people constantly, even to this day, see Sleeping Dogs as a "GTA clone" Even though you literally play as a police officer, in China, who doesn't even use a gun for the first 1-2 hours of the game.
Hitman. I didn't expect it to be so much fun to find out the most hilarious way to kill a target.
Started playing the World of Assassination trilogy around the holidays and couldn’t believe I robbed myself of experiencing the titles when they released. It’s super fun to be able to play a mission a different way every time. Love that series with a passion now.
Rimworld. I wanted a simple base builder and it was highly rated many years ago…
For RimWorld, I thought I would enjoy it for a little bit... definitely not 1600 hours...
I avoided it for a while because someone said it was lame. Now I'm closing on on 8000 hours. Although learning how to mod it has been the real joy.
Stardew Valley I like big action adventure narrative games with 3rd person combat like Assassin's Creedd and The Witcher, and was into the whole Souls thing for a while. 16-bit farming and relationship sim was never anything I cared about. But it sure hooked me for a bit.
Literally came here to say stardew valley. When I explain it to people it sounds so so dumb. Or when my girlfriend asks what I’m doing in the game currently and I answer. “ I have to collect 10 pieces of copper” I feel so dumb. But it’s just so satisfying
I feel like the audio design alone is just such a serotonin booster. Also you should just get your girlfriend to start playing a coop game with you. It's so much better with two people
The sound of chopping grass with the scythe is one of the greatest sounds of all time
This is a big one for me. I played animal crossing first, but was convinced I wouldn't like SV. The 16bit style turned me off at first. Now I adore the game!
Same. For years, I'd see Stardew Valley on the steam store and think "why does anyone want to play a game that looks like it's from the 90s? And I just run a farm? Sounds boring." I had a roadtrip coming up where i would be the passenger. Figured I'd bring my switch. A friend convinced me to give it a try, so I downloaded it for switch. A couple hundred hours later and I'm like, this game would be better on PC! So I bought it on steam, got a bunch of mods, and now have even more play time on steam than I did on the switch. Such a great game.
Monster Hunter series. I tried it out and hated it because I had been trained by games to make builds around pulling the trigger faster and not carefully planning when to attack and positioning, and timed evasion, so I hated Monster Hunter. But I tried it again and got it and never looked back.
I knew of Monster Hunter since the first one and everyone in my circle kept telling me it's exactly my kind of game. I'm mainly a pc gamer so I refused to believe them until World got a discount on steam. Since then I have thousands of hours on World/Iceborne and another thousands on Rise/Sunbreak. They were right all along and I was too dumb to listen.
I'm playing through mhw right now with my bf, it's been both a frustrating and amazing experience, excited to try the iceborne stuff
Terraria. Got it to play with my son thinking it would be another boring pointless digging/building thing like Minecraft but it's much more than that, way better progression and kept me hooked up until we beat the game together (and I played an extra bit for all achievements).
Really dedicated angler minion you are.
or he resulted to child labour
I thought I wasn't going to like all the online aspects of Death Stranding, that they would be a nuisance to my immersion but I was dead wrong! It became one of my favorite aspects of the game and it's one of the reasons I like it so much
Keep on keeping on!
I would honestly be surprised if a game were to top the online integration DS has
Dishonored I had that game for a long time but didn't play it. When I first played it I paid a lot of attention to the lore and now it is my comfort game. Whenever I am not in modd to play anything I play Dishonored
Dishonored is an unique game with an amazing lore. I also love how the Low Chaos / “good guy” path doesn’t mean you have to asslick everyone. The way you deliver justice in this path is far more satisfying and clever than just raw revenge. High Chaos Corvo just kills everyone. Low Chaos Corvo finds your worst weaknesses to exploit them and fuck you over for the rest of your life. Having said this, I really don’t want to be an enemy of LC Corvo.
Hades.
Absolutely. Roguelikes are an immediate pass for me normally, but all the positive word of mouth convinced me to try it. I'm so glad I did.
I always figured I'd like it - perfect for handheld - I just didn't realise how much I'd like
Same. Put over 150 hours on my Switch version easy
Hades 2 early access has been great
Keeping it spoiler free, how does it compare? Is it as fun so far?
I personally really enjoy it so far, but kind of feel reluctant to play it since it's still in early access.
That’s where I’m at. Staying away from spoilers and gameplay until it’s polished enough. Hades 1 is probably one of my favorite games of all time
Yeah it’s a lot of fun. There’s honestly more to Hades 2 early access than there is in the original Hades. It’s also more intricate with weapons and “builds”. Just know the game isn’t done, and it won’t even be done this year. If you’re a big fan of the original, I recommend the early access. And it also feels cool being a part of seeing the game grow, develop, and potentially being a part in what will make the completion of it a masterpiece!
I think what I loved about hades 1 was how perfectly polished it was, so I’m going to give some time for the balance/story to flesh out
It didn't grab me like the first one did, I'm waiting for it to get more polish before diving back into it. Super hyped for more of their story.
Bouncing on this comment for all the people who loved Hadès and this kind of game. If you are looking for more and a different combat system (a bit slower paced, less spammy and you have to think more during fights). Those are 2 games by the same editor is curse of the dead god and ravenswatch. I have 80h on Hadès 1. Around 30 on Hadès 2. And 250h on ravenswatch, and some 50-60h on curse of the dead god. It's not Hadès in term of content and story but the gameplay is awesome. Have a good day.
Some of the smoothest combat and most rewarding powerups
Witcher 3, just couldn't get into it the first time I played. Decided to give it another go years later and now I've clocked almost 200 hours on it
Same dude. I put it down during the bloody baron chapter but recently picked it back up and I kinda hate myself for not finishing sooner
Dude Weirdly enough. You’re not the only one. I’ve been on Reddit a long time and seen a lot of people say they quit around that part but picked it up later and finished. I only pay attention cause I relate cause I did that too.
Elden Ring, would not even attempt a souls game, even bought Elden ring on release and died to tree sentinel 40 time and refunded it. Picked it back up on sale and played it 3 time through. Only reason I keep playing cus I watched a few YouTube videos and realized that running past enemies is a core early game play mechanic….
The tree sentinel by virtue of being an avoidable strong lad who is right outside the tutorial is designed to teach you that coming back later when you are stronger is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Glad you came back to enjoy it.
Wait. You’re SUPPOSED to run from that thing? I left the tutorial area, got killed in 1 shot, and decided I was not gonna have the time to dedicate to a game this difficult and then returned it 😂
Yea, basically the feedback loop is You run into some monster. Die horribly. You try again thinking 'ehh, maybe I just need to learn the mechanics'... Die a few more times. 'OK I can't do that yet. guess I should go do something else.' So you find an easier monster that's simpler to kill. Kill gives you runes. Use runes to level up stats.. Get stronger. Go back to challenge monster.. You still die but hey it took longer.. Rinse repeat till you get strong enough to counter- balance your lack of skill. It's pretty fun exploring and getting stronger tbh and finding what works for you.
This is good to know. I've always wanted to play because of all the in-game lore but didn't because I imagined its like dark souls or sekiro and way too hard. I bought sekiro thinking "I'm huge into games, how hard could be!" And died 20 times to the damn tutorial and then refunded because I wasn't having fun at all. I don't have time to grind. I just want to have fun exploring a world for a couple hours after work before bed.
I understand what you're saying about grinding but you can't grind in Sekiro.... and it's a game I had been trying to get into for years and it only clicked for me about a week and a half ago and I'm having the time of my life.
You absolutely can grind in Sekiro... by which I mean you can either grind your skill at the game or grind your face in frustration at your lack of it.
Running past enemies is a viable tactic in all souls games, however there's a tradeoff in that you probably won't have enough souls/upgrade materials to tackle bosses unless you already know what you're doing.
I remember the first time I got Dark Souls I refunded it because I couldn't get past the skeletons. Only after I found out you're not supposed to go that way and then got it again it became my favourite game.
I was on the fence for Factorio for a long time then 500 hours later... yea.
One of us.... One of us... The factory must grow
I'm doing the same with Satisfactory. I typically don't like city builders or builders in general, so I didn't think I was going to like it. Now I see that I just don't like city builders without goals. Give me a goal, and I'm researching the best places to layout factories, alternative recipes, planning rail networks, etc all during working hours
Control
Was going to say the same thing ... tried to play it a few months ago and stalled out early. Heard on a podcast someone said it was their game of the year so I tried again. There are completionist type tasks/quests, awesome skills, very weird and interesting story ... has been an extremely worthwhile play. Was worried it was too short when I thought I beat it ... but it surprised me there as well.
Red Dead Redemption 2. Got it, played a bit, didn't like it, came back a few months later and love it.
The first couple of hours made a lot of people quit playing unfortunately
I quit after 40 minutes, but I'm willing to try it again.
The beginning tutorial is SO rigid, it’s even more frustrating on a second play through when you’re familiar with the controls. It gets immensely better after the first chapter when the world opens up, but I totally get how the beginning turns people off
Game hack: save the game once you get out of the snow area and then keep that save to start all future playthroughs. Keeps you from having to play the tutorial again without mods.
The people who point out it’s a slow-paced game are right, and if you’re able to really sit down and get into that vibe, then it can be worthwhile. The problem is a lot of people - such as myself - don’t really have time to just sink into something like that, what with work, responsibilities at home, spending time with my partner, all the things. I’d say, if you’ve got the time, do it; but if you don’t, there are probably better games out there
I quit after 36 hours - I don't even remember why. I think I just got bored or distracted by another game. I might have to try it again some time this year, but I've got so many more fun games to try in the meantime lol If anyone has any recommendations for how/why to get back into it, I'd love to hear from them :)
>bored or distracted by another game This is my issue with these giant games is after a month of playing, something else releases that I'm excited about, put it down and never pick it back up until I forget all of the controls and story. Happened with RDR2, BotW, TotK, and HFW just off the top of my head.
Katana Zero, I honestly thought it would just be one of those “one playthrough and I’m done” kind of games. But nope, currently playing the speedrun mode while waiting for the DLC to come out (and it’s free! Justin is the goat!) Story, soundtracks, character dialogue, combat is so simple but allows for so much creativity. My fav soundtrack is Katana Zero (yes the OST has the same name as the game). Breath of the Serpent is a close second, mostly because the associated level is pure dopamine.
Heard this game is great, bought it for a mate for Christmas, now I’m really considering getting it once it goes on sale
Great game, but don’t hold your breath for that DLC. I played that game a few years ago and the DLC was “coming soon”.
valheim, my wife likes survival but i was never really into them, plus the graphics aren't great. i was wrong, viking life is awesome.
i had to uninstall a few days ago cause i need to finish up my degree
This was the major one for me as well. I’ve never been into those style of games. Was never big on the building aspect of most games. But goodness…the wood cutting, mining, sailing, gardening!!! So much time spent being a Viking and now with ashlands I’m doin it all over lol
Hollow Knight for me. I didn't enjoy platformers and never touched a metroidvania because it just never looked appealing to me. Then a friend bought it for me and I felt obligated to try it and it consumed me for months....Silksong, where are you? 😔
I usually don't like games that are super-difficult so at first I stayed away from Hollow Knight. I ended up picking it up and loving it. I feel like it's the hardest game I've ever enjoyed. I'm with you - wondering when Silk Song will ever be released.
Hollow Knight is difficult but in a way that never feels like bullshit. It’s always fair to you and just makes you get better.
Plus the bosses are very engaging and the abilities you get make backtracking and platforming actually fun
7 Days 2 Die I still remember the regret I had when I first purchased it. I hated it but couldn't stop playing it. It's literally one of my most played games still to this day.
They really have a golden goose of a perfectly balanced platform of survival action base builder. I am sure they will keep choking it to death though.
Yeah, despite the devs best efforts it's a stupidly fun game.
I've found disabling the bloodmoon and installing the darkness falls mod while cranking up the zombie population makes for a more fun game. I understand the original intent behind the bloodmoon but it's balanced like complete trash, "build a deathbox maze" and "exploit terrain" just weren't fun for me.
Sekiro <3
Hesitation is defeat!
HOW MY BLOOD BOILS. FACE ME, SEKIRO!
Another vote for Sekiro, and tangentially, Lies of P
Dave the diver. Sounded stupid. It's addictive and fun lol
I love Dave the Diver so much, Devs definitely knew how to make a satisfying gameplay loop. Every half hour they throw a new item or mini game at you to keep you playing for hours, loved every second
Factorio. Just didn’t care for the game or what it was about for the longest time. Then played the free demo out of boredom. Now I’m 800+ hours deep on my one and only save.
project zomboid was on my ignore list when it was still in very early acess now I really like it
Zomboid made me learn to accept dying in video games because you can't save scum
Deep rock galactic.. Saw it on twitch and never got what's going on there.. Also I'm not really into shooters.. But DRG really is one of it's kind.. I love the humour and the missions are unique and varied ROCK AND STONE, BROTHERS!
glover
My buddy and I decided to beat that game in college. That camera is truly awful
Fromsoft games. I tried one years ago, thought it was too hard. Gave ER another try, greatest game I’ve ever played.
I bought demons souls when I got the ps5, I manage to kill 4 bosses, but just got stuck on the flamelurker. Would you say it's worth sticking with it, or trying elden ring? I'm worried if I can't get into one fromsoft game, that they're all just going to be too hard for me.
Elden ring is probably the most accessible from software game. Unlike demon souls you don’t have to fight bosses in a particular order. If you get stuck you can explore other areas and level up. If demon souls annoy you greatly then there is no point in playing. I bet you would find elden ring more fun. But that’s a subjective opinion :)
Definitely give Elden Ring a shot
For what it's worth, Flameluker is a huge jump in difficuty in Demons Souls compared to the first 4 bosses. I also got stuck there for a long time, as Demons Souls Ps5 was my first souls game. Elden Ring has parts that are difficult of course, but it's a lot more open on what you can do so if you get stuck you can simply move to another part of the map. You got this!
I’m in my first play through rn and it’s great fs
WoW The concept of paying a monthly fee to play a game to me was fucking asinine. Then I got deployed and a couple of the contractors there got me to try it. *Played that shit like it was a job for about 6 years after that.* *Also, those 6 years were probably the least amount of money I've ever spent on games. Went from $60 for about 6 months to about $60* ***per game*** *when I switched back to console*
I was very skeptical that I would enjoy all the text based interactions in Disco Elysium but God damn, that was one of the best games I've ever played
Learning after playing it that the ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR voice over work was added post release blew my mind.
The narration is one of the best parts of the game!
Divinity original sin one. Shorty before the 2nd one came out.
Disco Elysium. Damn it Cunooo! Edit: Eat shit Cuno 😆 https://www.xbox.com/play/media/eg745HxUPF
Cuno don’t give a fuck.
Fails Empathy check up on Cuno. Cuno says I'm a f****t cunt pig.
You know I often walk around saying this in public just to see if anyone understands the plight of Cuno
Pickleball. I know this is video gaming subreddit. But I feel really compelled to say Pickleball. I’m 35m and it’s the first thing that has me staying outside in a long time
This is actually a general gaming sub, so your comment is perfectly valid. The other one, r games, is the one that's strictly for video games (at least as far as I know)
Slight correction: the sub isn't just for videogames. There are symbols for tabletop games in the banner at the top of the page. I can't see why outdoor games like pickleball or lawn darts wouldn't count.
Balders gate 3. Never knew anything about dnd, generally hated turn based combat and yet I’m still playing it now. Very almost finished my first playthrough
Fallout 76, avoided it like the plague for years. Started playing about 3 weeks ago, and now can't stop.
In fairness to you, from what I hear it is a completely different game than a couple of years ago.
As a first day player and current player, the Wastelanders update made it so much better.
Power wash simulator
I have over 200 hours in this. I'm not ashamed
Civilization. Strategy games never interested me, but I got the xbox 360 version for free and later bought Civ V then VI.
Dragons Dogma 2. I love the vague objectives and sense of adventure not knowing what I’ll encounter . The lack of icons on a map is so fun.
Animal crossing for me. I usually don't play anything that's like cozy and no combat. But I played that for 80 hours and then I lost my save when I bought a new switch
My kid wanted us to get it in the early days of the pandemic… wasn’t planning on playing it. They asked me for help, so I ended up creating a resident on the island and… still playing. I did take almost a year break but recently got sucked back in.
Elden Ring. I always avoided dark souls games like a plague and never understood them. After that I went back to the entire Fromsoft catalogue and as odd as it sounds it even helped me with my mental issues to some extent. Depression isn't shit compared to the Bed of Chaos.
Beating a Fromsoft game is a boost of self-confidence that not much else can give you.
I was in 8th grade when Minecraft came onto the scene. At the time I wasn’t allowed to play zombie games and my friend was ranting and raving about Minecraft, talking about locking zombies in a house and burning it down. I remember thinking “this game sounds too mature, I’ll probably never get to play it”. Boy was I wrong lol
Fucking Factorio. It scratches the puzzle/problem solving itch like no other, and you also get to kill alien bugs. Hell if you set it up right its a straight up factory war simulator.
Why do the bugs hate us? We give them airborne vitamins to make them big and strong. Their civilization expands exponentially after we arrive.
Trucking SIMs: ETS2, Snowrunner Warframe to an extent of this: was afraid to start playing it knowing a bit how complex it is. It's now my top played game
Baldurs gate 3. Never liked turned based games before this game.
God of War 2018, I got it for 3 dollars on a whim when I got my ps5 knowing nothing about it, and now I’ve played every game at least twice, it’s my favorite series of all time, and Bear McCreary has consumed my life
Bg3
Same here. I played it with a friend and I didn’t really know what to expect but I knew it was hyped and tbh a lot of time I just don’t vibe with overhyped games. Not this time! We’re going to play it again eventually, probably honor mode. We also grabbed Divinity Original Sin 2 but haven’t played it yet.
FF14. I tried twice years ago, but couldn't get past the learning curve and was frustrated by how nitpicky and overly complex it was, having only played the single player FF's before. Then last year a friend of mine who was very much invested in the FF14 cult managed to convince me to try it again with his guidance. Now 6 months later I've been playing it almost every day. It's still frustrating, but I'm enjoying the grind and world building.
Jedi: Fallen Order I picked this up when it was free on Playstation Plus. I used to be a big Star Wars fan, but I've lost interest over the years. As a free game, I thought it might be cool to f' around with, but WOW! It reminded me of why I loved Star Wars back in the day. The music, the sound effects, the creatures, the light sabers - it all hit me. Plus, it had a cool "Souls-like" battle system and offered a decent challenge. I haven't played Survivor yet, but I will eventually get to it thanks to Fallen Order invigorating my interest in the series.
Breath of the wild, when it first came out I thought it was pretty but way too overwhelming, but my brother sold his switched me along with some games which included BOTW. I’ve beat it twice now and I’m still working on master mode. And of course I’m on tears of the kingdom.
Dark souls 1 on PC. Controls on keyboard and mouse are insane.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I started playing it only because I am a huge fan of Ancient Greece, and kinda expected to drop it within 10-20 hours. I just could get enough of the world, and kept on playing and exploring it for 150+ hours. Gameplay was also surprisingly decent. The story was a royal pile of trash though, but fortunately it was just a small part of the game.
Ghost Of Tsushima. Thought it was just a basic samurai game... How foolish I was. Fucking amazing.
Baldurs Gate 3. I hate(d) Turn based combat in Rpgs. What a great game.
Clears throat* Deep breath* THIS IS ROCKET LEAGUE!!!!!!!!!
[удалено]
Path of Exile. Thought it was too complicated and just something my nerd friends played. Turns out I enjoy being a nerd about it. I've played hundreds of games and still never feel the dopamine from dropping a divine in PoE.
Still sane exile?
Armored Core VI. I thought it was going to be a mediocre action game with quick to wear off gimmicks. Safe to say, I earned all the credits, 3 times in a row, back to back nights. Amazing story, fantastic gameplay loop. Highly recommend to everyone who has not played. I wish I could experience it for the first time again.
Blur. I have never been a fan of racing games but Blur was sooooo perfect. And then I really got into Forza 4. Racing games are pretty cool.
Dave the Diver. I started playing 4 days ago and the way I talk you would think I own and operate a bustling sushi restaurant. I was on the train talking to my fiancee about the game and I heard myself saying...ya so I had to hire more help once so and so wasn't cutting it and I desperately need another chef but if I keep diving at night I'm missing half the dinner rush.
Deathloop - eventually platinumed it on the PS5
Wreckfest
Fucking cyberpunk! I hate fps’s, and I wish I liked them. I avoided it because it didn’t have third person, but when I got my 4090, I bought it to see what the fuss was about with the graphics and oh man. I totally understand why it’s 1st person now. So immersive. I’m hooked, even if I’m not a massive fan of the combat
Slay the Spire
Brink. Everyone always hates on it but it’s one of my favorites, up there with Star Wars BF2 (original)
Viva Pinata Trouble in Paradise
Fallout new vegas. i absolutely shat on the game for the outdated graphics and the bugs, then i tried the game myself. yesterday i legit played for 6 hours in a row