Top 5 Best And Worst Video Game Experiences.

[King Mark 3,631]

 I haven't fully completed my lists

 

BEST:

1-Dark Souls 2. Probably my favorite genre of game ("soulsborne") and to me this the best of the series with it's huge world and varied high fantasy settings

2-Genshin Impact : The only live service game I've really played but since it's a single player RPG and not an MMO I've been playing 2 years and won't quit until it ends. I love the addictive exploration, combat system and storyline that rivals the best JRPG's. And the music score is amazing.

3-Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen. This is an almost "ideal" RPG.

4-Infinite Undiscovery ( rather obscure JRPG that didn't get good reviews but I enjoyed it a lot. I remember loving the story and characters)

5-Ultima Underworld 2 Labyrinth of Worlds . One of the first 3D first person RPG's . This game made me a life long fan of RPG's

 

WORST

1-The Witcher 3  .Constant crashes and corrupt saves completely ruined this for me on the PS4 and made me anxious I couldn't even finish the game

2-Divinity Original Sin :Same reason as 1

(both these choices are because of severe technical issues and not because of the gameplay which was great in both cases)

3-Sekiro Shadows Die Twice: Yes it's a soulsborne but it was so difficult to master (forced parry mechanic) that it wasn't fun at all and I just wanted it to end .I spent 2 days trying to beat a boss which turned out to be mid-game only and I needed a guide to beat the 4 phase impossible final boss (and even then I almost gave up)

4-Death Stranding. The only game I ever quit after a few hours

5-Black Desert. My attempt at trying a real MMO. I hate it and don't see the point.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Are you asking for our favorite and least favorites games overall?

 

Or specifically something about the experience of playing them?

[King Mark 3,631]

Well I think both. If technical issues ruin a game it can be put in "worse experience"

 

Obviously a bad game can't be "best" even if the gameplay is technically perfect

[Edmilson 7,436]

Okay, so I'll list some of my favorite scenes and moments I ever saw in a major videogame. I think there'll be some spoilers, though.

 

The first one was with BioShock Infinite. This game is one of the very best I ever played and it really surprised me with the quality of its writing, characterization and themes. But there is one scene that I thought it haunted me since I played it: when Booker is wandering around and encounters an older Elizabeth, who shows him a truly apocaliptic vision of Columbia attacking New York City. It's a moment that feels a bit like "Mirror of Galadriel"-like, showing what would happen should him fail in his mission. The video will be in the following spoiler tag:

 

Spoiler

 

 

Another very haunting "dark future" type scene was from Jedi: Fallen Order. The whole game is a pretty somber, tragic portrayal of the Jedi massacre promoted by the Empire, but close to the end of the game you see a vision of Cal's newly formed Jedi Order with the childs on the holocrom being hunted by the Empire. It's a very dark moment but very in line with the game's themes.

 

Spoiler

 

 

Another cool moment was from Horizon: Zero Dawn. Throghout the game you'll slowly learning how the world entered that post-apocalyptic state, where ancient civilizations shared Earth with futuristic machines. Once you start entering the old facilities left by the "Ancient Ones", you discover the horrifying truth of the end of our civilization. That was a very powerful moment for me.

 

On the other hand, another cathartic moment, though for entirely different reasons, come at the end of Red Dead Redemption 2 - aka my favorite PS4 game (and probably favorite game, period) of all time. The game features stellar, prestige-TV like quality of writing and character development (and not just for the main ones), and when you get to the time of saying goodbye to Arthur Morgan... It's impossible not to be moved. And the better part: the ending you get is entirely conditioned with how much of a bastard or a cool guy you were during the game! Thankfully, I played nice and got the, for a lack of a better word, "happy ending".

 

Spoiler

 

 

RDR2 may be my favorite individual game, but my favorite series of games (or franchises) is undoubtedly Mass Effect. And I think my favorite ME game is the third one, which I felt it had Avengers: Endgame/Return of the King-style payoffs of story arcs and character moments from previous installments, but with you controlling the characters. And I say that not just in the literal way, but like, as Commander Shepard, you  are responsible for the lives and fates of various civilizations. By the third game, if you did your job well done and managed to unite all planets that once hated each other to face a common, existential threat, it's very satisfying to see all of them coming together to face the Reapers. Oh boy, I love ME so much, it's a franchise that combines three of my favorite subgenres (conflicts between organic beings and machines, space opera and Lovecraftian horror) into one amazing package!

 

There's some other great moments I had in gaming as well, like the endings of Marvel's Spider-Man, The Last of Us and TLOU2. And there's a game like God of War, which I just thought it was awesome all the way through, with so many cool moments that would make this post even longer, lol.

[Edmilson 7,436]

Oh, another great experience I had with videogames was with Cyberpunk 2077. I know this game is not exactly beloved due to CDPR fucking the launch and destroying the game's public image, but I really loved it.

 

A few of the game's moments stand out positively to me. The first one was the Dream On sidequest, where an investigation leads to a horrifying discovery and sets up an intriguing mystery that I hope will be addressed in future CP games (if they ever come to happen).

 

 

The second was another side quest, titled The Hunt (aka the River Ward side quest). It was kinda like a David Fincher serial killer thriller but in a cyberpunk world, so in other words - great. 

 

Fun fact, I did both Dream On and The Hunt, which are the two creepiest side quests in CP2077, on the same night. Needless to say I had nightmares that night 

 

 

I also loved CP2077's ambience, writing and the whole "you're in an almost unsolvable situation, with no happy endings in sight" atmosphere. The moments where you realize that, despite your best efforts, you are a condemned man (or woman) are the game's best.

[Jay 37,351]

Despite being a Gen Xer and all my formative video game experiences being the amazing experiences of playing all the original Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Monkey Island, etc etc games back in the day..... The Last Of Us 1, Left Behind, and 2 might have usurped everything for the best "experience".  Just amazing.

 

Worst experience I dunno how to answer.  Doesn't everyone have games you try, and get frustrated with, so abandon? I don't really dwell on that or keep track of what frustrated me the most.  What's the point?

[King Mark 3,631]

 Placing an old game like Ultima Underworld  in there reflects how I felt at the time in the mid 1990's and doesn't mean I'm a retro gamer .I wouldn't play the old Final Fantasy games now unless they re-make them like FFVII.

 

In general movies age better than video games, with a lot of the  classics still being better in every way than what they put out today

[Jay 37,351]

Man I could not disagree with your thoughts on that more strongly if I tried

[Koray Savas 2,251]

The pixel remasters of the first Final Fantasy games look great. 

[Faleel 5,346]

They do look nice for what they are.

 

Not really a fan of the Octopath/Triangle Strategy "brown 'n blurry" look though

 

wierd, the pictures look a lot better than the trailers I remember...

[Bellosh 3,418]

I don't play games that would eventually warrant it to be a called a horrible experience. I usually just stop playing it. So those I won't even list.

 

My favorite video game experience of all time is Uncharted 2.

 

And possibly Super Mario World when I was a kid.

 

On 20/01/2023 at 10:28 AM, Jay said:

Worst experience I dunno how to answer.  Doesn't everyone have games you try, and get frustrated with, so abandon? I don't really dwell on that or keep track of what frustrated me the most.  What's the point?

 

100000000%

[Faleel 5,346]

Hollow Knight. The Worst.

[Romão 2,274]

The first time I played and finished The Return of the Obra Dinn. It instantly became of my all time favourite games.

 

Of course, playing Curse of Monkey Island and Grim Fandango when I was 14 left an indelible mark in my youth and are experiences and memories I will always treasure

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I think I bought and played Obra Dinn years ago because of you. Great game! Love the music too.

 

My favorite gaming experience of all time is playing Fallout 3 on the PS3 in 2010. I never played JRPGs or even western RPGs growing up, so when my brother told me I had to check out this game one day, it was my first time playing a game like it.

 

Coupled with the fact that it was set in DC and that my hometown is in the game, it felt like exploring my own backyard. The moment you leave the vault and see the entire wasteland in front of you, completely explorable in any direction, I was in awe. May have been my first open world game as well. 

[Edmilson 7,436]

I dunno what I would categorize as my worst videogame experience... I tried Sekiro once and just could not adapt to how that game must be played. It was very different from what I'm used to do when I'm play most action adventure games, so trying to play it was not a fun experience at all. And I'm glad I didn't like the game, because I saw my brother fighting the ridiculously hard final boss and I came to the conclusion that there's no way I could beat that (even if I miraculously managed to get there). Also, I'm completely against those long boss fights with many parts that, if you die, you go back to the very beginning of the battle. 

 

Another crappy game experience was with Death Stranding, but that was for completely different reasons. I found the plot and characters somewhat dull, which was made worse by the VERY LONG interminable cutscenes. Really, the ending of the game is just a collection of long and very talkative cutscenes. I'm not against cutscenes, which are essential to introduce players to that world, but there needs to be a balance between playable and not-playable parts. Too much cutscenes and it stops being a game, becoming rather an interactive movie.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

That’s Kojima for you.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Got another entry for worst, Red Dead Redemption 2.  Not a "bad game" technically and it has a scale basically unheard of for games.  It tries a lot but doesn't do a single thing well. 

 

The constant attempts at realism ends up making it a slog to play, where a more "gamified" approach would have made a for better experience (the sluggish, realistic movement that feels like controlling an actual old man, the slow menus, dim realistic lighting that obscures characters, unsatisfying gunplay)

 

Story and characters are boring.  

 

Not sure if I've said it before but it reminds me of one of those big flop epics like Heaven's Gate or Cleopatra where you can see all the money on the screen.

[Thor 7,494]

On 20/01/2023 at 4:28 PM, Jay said:

Despite being a Gen Xer and all my formative video game experiences being the amazing experiences of playing all the original Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Monkey Island, etc etc games back in the day..... The Last Of Us 1, Left Behind, and 2 might have usurped everything for the best "experience".  Just amazing.

 

I'm also a Gen Xer, but unlike Jay I've barely played any video games after the year 2000. A few FIFA tournaments with friends and some of the Telltale games reviving the old Lucasarts point-and-click games are really the only exception, and even that is several years ago (haven't played the new MONKEY ISLAND from last year yet). So we would need to go back to the 80s and 90s.

 

My alltime favourite game is THE DIG, that's a no-brainer. But if I only have four more picks after that, and they have to encompass both Lucasarts, Sierra and everything else, it becomes very difficult. If I'm going to take a wild, 'kill your darlings' stab at it, it would perhaps look like this:

 

1. THE DIG

2. Championship Manager '93-95

3. The entire Monkey Island series

4. Wing Commander III

5. Gabriel Knight II

 

...obviously leaving off a great many gems.

 

As for least favourites, that's also difficult. There were many games I found too difficult and frustrating, like HEART OF DARKNESS, MAGIC CARPET, LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE and others. RIVEN and MYST were impossible too, but they had fantastic atmosphere to weigh up for it, and don't belong on a 'worst' list. Then there's the whole genre of strategy games that rarely appealed to me (except for a small bout of CIVILIZATION and COLONIZATION in the 80s and early 90s) and all the shoot-em/beat-em up games where you die. I usually watched other people play these, as if they were a film. Since this particular type of game is the most popular these days, that's one of the explanations for why I stopped playing video games in the early 2000s.

[Schilkeman 963]

Favorite game/experience 

 

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

 

i first played this game when I was fourteen. I grew up poor and didn’t have much access to games, but I had a SNES with Mario All-Stars and World. I thought all games were platformers. One day, a friend of mine tries to show me Final Fantasy II. I don’t get it, you have to choose your attacks from a menu? Why can’t I just hit it. He tells me Zelda might be more for me. It’s raining outside. It’s raining in the game; the atmosphere at the start is superb. I get to the castle door, and can’t get it in. My friend says to go around the side, there’s an entrance there. I go over, and don’t see anything. He says it’s below that bush, just lift it up. My mind is blown, I didn’t know games could do things like that. Similar to seeing Star Wars, or listening to Mahler, for the first time, my life will never be the same. I’ve been chasing that high ever since.

 

2. Halo 3

 

I’m a senior in college. I, a diehard Nintendo fan, had jumped ship to the Xbox 360, and was playing catch-up on some old games, and decide to give this Halo another shot. I had played it when it came out at my friend’s house, but it was with the Duke controller, and I couldn’t wrap my head around dual analog movement. I try it again, and fall in love. I sell a bunch of textbooks I’m not really using and by the cat helmet edition. I buy game fuel. I play Halo 2 on a screen projected onto the side of a GameStop, waiting for midnight. I take the whole next day off school, and play the entire campaign. I fall in love with online multiplayer. I’ve been chasing that high ever since.

3. Rogue Squadron

 

In 1997, I had a big brother from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. He took me to see the special editions (see above about life changing). A year later and I am a hardcore fan, reading every book I can find, and replaying Shadows of the Empire on my beloved N64. I get Rogue Squadron for Christmas from the same Big Brother. The attention to detail astounds me. The little stormtroopers running below, the adaptive music, the ability to see planets I had only read about. 2 might have been better, but the first one is my favorite. I’ve been chasing that high ever since.

 

4. Mass Effect

 

The real catalyst for me switching to Xbox from Nintendo. It’s as if BioWare came to me alone and said “we have read your mind, and have made a game based on all the nerdy space shit you seem to love.” The sequels lost the feel of the first game, except Andromeda, which has some issues, but I still defend. Give me a space ship and unexplored worlds, and a AAA graphics budget with the design ethos of Star Trek, and I will buy your game no matter how flawed. I’ve been chasing this high ever since.

 

5. Solaris

 

When I was young, and before my Super Nintendo, I got ahold of my grandpa’s Atari 2600. The games were primitive, and didn’t particularly enjoy playing them, but one day at the thrift store were we would usually buy my clothes, I came across a cartridge for a space game (see above) called Solaris. For a buck, it was worth a shot. I enjoyed the game, but my mom fell hard for it. My 2600 was plugged into my very old tv in my room, and my mom came in every night for weeks to play this game while I was falling asleep. My dad died when I was three. It was hard, just me and her. It was comforting having her there, not in a “mom” capacity, but in a “you’re not alone” capacity. It’s not a high I have a desire to feel again, but I’m thankful for the experience.

 

I call “now” the time I’ve had the worst gaming experiences. I don’t like where the industry is at, particularly in the big-budget space, both business and game design-wise. I find myself playing a lot of older games. I have hope the industry might find its way again, but with the amount of money at stake, I’m not holding my breath. I generally don’t succumb to the “it was better in my day” type thinking, but with the current state of film and video games, I understand the pull.

 

 

[A24 4,331]

1. 

 

[Koray Savas 2,251]

On 28/2/2023 at 2:33 PM, Not Mr. Big said:

Got another entry for worst, Red Dead Redemption 2.  Not a "bad game" technically and it has a scale basically unheard of for games.  It tries a lot but doesn't do a single thing well. 

 

The constant attempts at realism ends up making it a slog to play, where a more "gamified" approach would have made a for better experience (the sluggish, realistic movement that feels like controlling an actual old man, the slow menus, dim realistic lighting that obscures characters, unsatisfying gunplay)

 

Story and characters are boring.  

 

Not sure if I've said it before but it reminds me of one of those big flop epics like Heaven's Gate or Cleopatra where you can see all the money on the screen.

That’s a mighty hot take there. I actually agree with part of it, when it comes to the realistic movements and animations. However, it’s clear to me that Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the greatest achievements in gaming history, even if it’s not for me. 

[Kasey Kockroach 2,344]

1. Ratchet & Clank (2002)

2. Bug Fables (2019)

3. Psychonauts (2005)

4. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (2003)

5. Hollow Knight (2017)

6. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022)

7. Sly 2: Band of Thieves (2004)

8. Steamworld Dig 2 (2017)

9. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (2018)

10. Medievil (1998)

 

 

I can’t think of enough games I hate to make a top 5 and hope to keep it that way. But my intense distaste for Mario Sunshine is well documented by my friends and family. 

[Jay 37,351]

Steamworld Dig 2 is soooo good

[Schilkeman 963]

I never feel more out of the target demographic for the video game industry than when I'm trying to make sense of service games.