• HotWheelsVroom@lemmy.mlOP
    103·
    7 days ago

    For me: Easily Portal 2.

    A deeply rich story, funny dialogue, and great puzzles that will truly make your brain think. The story is very rich and spans across several different eras of Aperture history, going as far back as the 50s. The dialogue is funny and some of the lines are the most memorable in all of gaming (like the Cave Johnson lemon rant). And last but not least, the puzzles are great. They start off pretty simple, but as you progress further in the story, they get more and more complicated, especially when you get the repulsion gel and proposion gel. I feel like Portal 2 is the Gold Standard for puzzle games that every game that comes after it will be judged on.

    Also, if you don’t own Portal 2 yet, now is a fantastic time to get it - it’s on sale for $1 on Steam, same with Portal 1. And if you want both games, the bundle containing both games is $1.50. Do not miss out on this offer, it’s so worth it.

    • LalSalaamComrade@lemmy.mlEnglish
      10·
      7 days ago

      I did not play Portal 1, but directly went with the second part. Easily the best game. I’ve also played the precursor to the Portal series, called the Narbacular Drop. Also a nice toy project.

        • HotWheelsVroom@lemmy.mlOP
          8·
          6 days ago

          My favorite moment of Portal 2 is easily Cave Johnson’s lemon rant. Easily one of the best quotes in all of video game history.

          “All right, I’ve been thinking. When life gives you lemons? Don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day! It thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man who’s going to burn your house down! With the lemons! I’m going to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down! [COUGHING]”

    • RonnieB@lemmy.world
      8·
      7 days ago

      If you already have beaten Portal 2 you should check out Portal Revolution. Free mod with voice acting and a lot of new puzzles.

    • TBi@lemmy.world
      1·
      6 days ago

      I just bought it two weeks ago for 10$. Excellent game though. Well worth 2 coffees!

  • Gregor@gregtech.eu
    12·
    5 days ago

    Satisfactory. It’s so fun automatizing stuff for 4 hours that could have been done manually in 30 minutes. I like looking at all of my work in the game and thinking “how, this is impressive”.

    If you like building I guess Minecraft is an epic choice. I have sunk hundreds of hours into the game, easily

  • pscamodio@feddit.it
    231·
    6 days ago

    I would add Outer Wilds to the list.

    You can really only play it once in a lifetime but I think it’s the best video game experiences available.

    Honorable mention for Tunic and Cocoon for the same reason

    • Hammocks4All@lemmy.ml
      1·
      5 days ago

      I’ve tried to play it twice and barely make it 30 minutes in. Been meaning to try it again though because I keep hearing it’s amazing.

  • halfeatenpotato@lonestarlemmy.mooo.comEnglish
    481·
    7 days ago

    Outer Wilds.

    If you like space games and puzzle games (in the sense that you need to piece together the situation you’re in), this is a great choice.

    Highly recommend not looking anything up before you play.

    • vxx@lemmy.world
      51·
      6 days ago

      I love puzzle games and was so excited to play it, especially after friends that I value the opinion about games claimed it was the best game they’ve ever played.

      I’ve tried, but it didn’t grip me and I gave up after 2 days of trying to get into it.

      Maybe one day when the universe thinks it’s the right time for me.

    • Coldgoron@lemmy.world
      8·
      6 days ago

      Just did the dlc for outer wilds recently. It was refreshing how it added to the story without detracting from the main game but It was pretty damn scary for me, a person who doesn’t play horror games. I still think it’s worth it. Somewhat odd choice for the dlc when the main game was mainly an archaeological space puzzle but they made it work.

      • apprehensively_human@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        5 days ago

        The coolest thing when you start the DLC is that you realize that this whole thing has just been out there the entire time you’ve been playing and you didn’t know it. Then you finally get there and you can play the entire DLC while the rest of the game keeps going without you.

    • FuzzyRedPanda@lemm.eeEnglish
      3·
      5 days ago

      +1 for Crosscode! I will admit the terrain puzzles can feel tedious after a while, but goodness, this game has great mechanics, story, and charm. One of my favorite games of all time.

      I am so excited for the next game coming out by Radical Fish Games.

    • UprisingVoltage@feddit.it
      2·
      5 days ago

      I bought crosscode some months ago on GOG and I’m slowly working through it.

      I’m constantly amazed at how it feels like a grand AAA mmorpg. The complexity of the maps is astounding (sometimes at a fault) and there is a lot of stuff to do. A tales of grindea on steroids, if you will

      Strongly recommended if you enjoy the genre

  • Badabinski@kbin.earth
    21·
    6 days ago

    I haven’t seen it mentioned here, so I’ll rep for Noita. It’s an amazing rogue-like with great atmosphere and a really compelling world to explore.

    There’s a chemistry/alchemy system in the game that is really detailed and fun to explore. The game’s tagline is “every pixel simulated,” and it’s not an exaggeration. Noita is like those falling sand games that were popular in the early 2000s, where each particle of sand could interact with other particles. Imagine that, but you’re a badass witch flying through the world and blasting motherfuckers who try to get in your way. Your wands can set things on fire or freeze them or melt them with acid or blow them up or other crazy shit.

    The wand mechanics are incredibly deep. Like, it’s not “turing complete” levels of deep, but the rules for spells interact in incredibly interesting and exploitable ways. The feeling you get when you discover a powerful combo of spells is incredible.

    The devs also have a cool policy of turning bugs into gameplay mechanics. I really can’t say much about this without spoiling things, so this one is hard to talk about. Basically, if someone finds an exploit, they oftentimes won’t “fix” it. Instead, they’ll take it and tweak it to add consequences for using the exploit, or they’ll balance it a bit to make it harder/remove a bit of the benefit. It’s a really cool approach and has lead to a great relationship between the devs and the community. They don’t take our toys away, they just make them work better in the world.

    I played the game completely blind until I got my first win (it took about 80 hours of playtime), and I’d highly recommend that approach for folks who are willing to tolerate failure and who like to experiment. If it’s too frustrating then that’s okay, there are a lot of guides out there to help out new players without giving up too much. Many people describe your first win as you beating the tutorial, and there’s some truth to that.

    It can be gruellingly difficult at times, but it’s just so damn good, and there’s so damn much of it. I have around 600 hours in in that game which is twice as much as any other game I’ve played.

    • FuzzyRedPanda@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      5 days ago

      Nice try! I looked at the Steam reviews with people who had 600+ hours playing this game and said something like “it’s hard and cruel and punishing on a level we as a people have not experienced before” and I knew I would never have the time or patience to play this! 😄

      • Badabinski@kbin.earth
        2·
        5 days ago

        Playing it blind is absolutely like that. In retrospect, I’m surprised that I stuck with it. I usually struggle with hard games! The atmosphere and mechanics were enough to keep me playing tho. Totally understand though, it’s not everything for everyone.

    • Poik@pawb.social
      8·
      6 days ago

      I’ll back this up, and recommend people having a hard time look into Spell Labs on the steam workshop (and elsewhere) to help get further into the game. Once the game really clicks, it’s super satisfying. Even before then, the ridiculous wonder of all the things are great. It’s just as hard as it is amazing and that can be a turn off. There are other quality of life mods available in the workshop for people wanting to just enjoy the game, but the tutorial in Spell Labs is one of the biggest helps I got in unlocking progression.

      Noita Together sessions were the big thing that turned the game into an obsession for me.

    • ouRKaoS@lemmy.today
      3·
      6 days ago

      Noita is my favorite game that I’m terrible at, lol. I love Metroidvanias & everything Roguelike/Roguelite, so this game ticks the right boxes for me. I die in more spectacular ways Everytime I play, but still have a good time.

  • skarn@discuss.tchncs.de
    21·
    6 days ago

    A couple of oldies, that deserve to still be played. Disclaimer: I played both games when they were already ~8 years old, and completely outdated in terms of technology.

    Planescape: Torment

    One of the best RPG ever created, and that is entirely for the world building and writing, and how much of the gameplay ends up being based on these rather than the combat mechanics (which are just ok)

    Deus Ex

    Again it was way ahead of its time in terms of world building and depth, and it was still an unashamed PC game, that dared to challenge its users a little and didn’t need to have a GUI that could be used with a gamepad, unlike the sequels.

    • riquisimo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      2·
      6 days ago

      What are your favorite games to play?

      I used to love president as a kid, now I play it a lot in clubhouse games on the switch. I know a few friends who play spades.

  • arthur@lemmy.zipEnglish
    4·
    5 days ago

    Civilization III and/or V

    Edit: If you have lot’s of time available.

  • ramenshaman@lemmy.world
    13·
    6 days ago

    There was an outstanding RTS game from 1997 called Total Annihilation. The soundtrack was 11/10, it was made by Jeremy Soule, the guy who did the Skyrim soundtrack. Some might say that Supreme Commander 2 is their most recent successor to TA, but they are wrong. Check out Beyond All Reason (BAR). It’s in Alpha and it’s free but it’s already sooooo good.

    • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
      2·
      6 days ago

      I think most people that enjoyed SupCom1 didn’t like SupCom2. The first game was leagues better, imo. There was also Planetary Annihilation some years ago, which was much simpler, then an expansion and I dunno how different that one plays.

  • apotheotic (she/her)@beehaw.orgEnglish
    81·
    5 days ago

    Tunic - at face value it is a gorgeous, brilliantly fun soulslike. Beneath the surface, however, it becomes apparent that the “souls like” part of it is a facade for the true game. Probably one of the single greatest gaming experiences of all time.

    The Witcher 3 - it often goes on sale for like… £3 or something ridiculous, and its a standout example of an excellent open world RPG.

    Celeste - possibly the single greatest (2d) platforming game ever made, with a soundtrack that is truly unforgettable by the great Lena Raine. Also if you play it you’ll find out you’re trans*

    *(your mileage may vary)

    • dmegatool@lemmy.ca
      2·
      6 days ago

      Done Celeste… Well… Still playing. Done A-B-C sides. Now I’m onto the D sides which are fan made. Way harder but it’s really well made. Feel official. There’s also the Stawberry Jam mod which offer like a full game worth of content. Didn’t play that much yet.

      Its in my highest ranked game. It’s up there with a very few masterpieces. Like top 5 ish ever. I don’t think it’s for everybody but goddamn this game is something.

      • apotheotic (she/her)@beehaw.orgEnglish
        1·
        5 days ago

        I loved strawberry jam, what a monumental fan work.

        I think Celeste can be for everybody, with assist mode you can tune the difficulty to your liking if you’re a less experienced gamer, and the game encourages you the whole way through a well balanced difficulty curve (IMO).

    • chunkystyles@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      4·
      6 days ago

      I will always say TUNIC in these threads. One of the best gaming experiences of my life.

      I’m a similar vein, Outer Wilds is also excellent.

      There definitely different experiences. But, they are both a “go in blind and just explore” kind of game.

      • apotheotic (she/her)@beehaw.orgEnglish
        1·
        6 days ago

        Yeah I adore Outer Wilds and I think the storytelling experience of it is gorgeous - one of my all time favourites. I settled on not mentioning it here because I think its a tad less accessible due to the ship movement.