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I have played a lot of games in my time, but I only ever played games at my house, I never really went to friends' places to sample alternate consoles' offerings. As a result I started off playing some very lowkey mac shareware games, went to the SNES, the PS1, PS2, Gamecube, PS3 and then just hung around on the PC since then. I have missed plenty of games that are taken as the common experience of gaming, such as:

 

Doom, Quake, Literally Every Pre "The Walking Dead" adventure game (except Broken Sword 2), All the Halos, Mario Bros. 2 and 3 and all the World games, Ocarina of Time, Half Life 2 System Shock 2,.

 

That's just a quick sampling of games I know that (some) people consider integral gaming classics but have not broken into my life for one reason or another. I want a thread for people to make the case for games they think are unmissable. I mean literally unmissable, not just "Oh yeah it's really good". I want games that people will feel bad over me missing out on them.

 

Fair warning, aging games will be a bit of an issue. I started Half Life 1 a while back and though it was enjoyable, the clunkiness of it did make me really appreciate the difference between control of it and modern FPS games. I didn't think the game was bad or worthless as a result but it certainly contributed to me getting distracted from the game and setting it aside.

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I'll nominate Portal (the first one) because it's the only game I think is perfect. There are games that don't have anything wrong with them, but Portal is the only game I look at and say "I can't imagine how this would be any better".

 

Despite that highest of praise, I'm not sure I'd call not playing Portal "missing out". It's not like Spec Ops where the game has something to say, and we're all richer for having listened. It's just a really, really good game. Is that what you mean about "unmissable", that there should be a reason to play it beyond "It's good", and having played the game should somehow enrich you as a person?

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Portal totally works, I meant unmissable in the sense that it offers something special, whether that's a message, a game mechanic, or some little thing you think it did in a unique way.

 

The point is that you feel like people shouldn't miss out on it, not that it's "Unmissable" -IGN.com

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Portal was going to be my suggestion, but lacking that I'll say Journey. Likewise, simply a perfect game. If you want something to pair it with, go with WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgame$ on the GBA, to show the breadth of things that video games can accomplish.

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Literally Every Pre "The Walking Dead" adventure game (except Broken Sword 2)

 

Including Grim Fandango?

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The answer is always Deus Ex. Though I think that is a harder game than others to visit in retrospect as someone playing catch-up, because the depth and density of that game only really reveals itself over multiple playthroughs. It's still incredible the first time (and much much more accessible, I think, than System Shock 2) but my love of that game grew and grew and grew as someone who has lived with it, played through on every difficulty, seeing 3 different endings, different paths, etc. AND THEN YOU LOOK UP A WIKI AND THERE'S STILL MOUNTAINS OF CONTENT THAT I SOMEHOW MISSED. IN A GAME THAT IS NOT OPEN WORLD.

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Including Grim Fandango?

Yup Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle.

 

I'm currently unsure whether to rectify that with the updated version or not. I probably will go with this rerelease, given the constant praise it gets for being faithful.

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In that case, if I had to pick one of the classic adventures as unmissable, I'd go with Grim (and I assume the remastered version, based on everything I've heard). 

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There's no such thing as an unmissible game, I think, because gaming is such a wide medium with so many different things it does, and what one enjoys about games determines what kinds of games one needs to have played. Tetris, Pokemon, Deus Ex, Quake III, Freespace 2, and Spelunky are all unmissible for certain sorts of people but totally skippable for other sorts of people. Someone who needs to have played Quake III might be totally fine with having skipped Pokemon, and vice versa.

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Because it hasn't been mentioned, Dark Souls is in my opinion a perfect game, as well as the best game ever made. It's impossible to point at one thing that makes this game standout, because there is just so much that makes it brilliant. You are a lone wanderer in a hostile, dieing world that doesn't want you there. And they make sure that you know that. You'll die a hundered times, and keep coming back, just so you can make that bit of progress, creep around that dark wall, and find redemption or another horrible thing to want to maul your face off.

 

But ultimately, it's a game that's made me feel excited and got adrenaline pumping like no other game has done before. Killing bosses in that game gave me a rush like I never had done before, and even after completing it numerous times, I still think back to the haunting land of lodrum, of it's intertwining passages and hidden secrets, of it's hidden story and lore that's so tucked away and obscure that it's tales are re-told and argued over on forums and subreddits like camp fire stories.

 

I'm sure there's someone better out there who can sing it's praises better than me.

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There's no such thing as an unmissible game, I think, because gaming is such a wide medium with so many different things it does, and what one enjoys about games determines what kinds of games one needs to have played. Tetris, Pokemon, Deus Ex, Quake III, Freespace 2, and Spelunky are all unmissible for certain sorts of people but totally skippable for other sorts of people. Someone who needs to have played Quake III might be totally fine with having skipped Pokemon, and vice versa.

 

I agree with this, to borrow a thought from

, games are so large to consume, and so mutable in what it means to consume them, pretending anyone can really have a complete rounded understanding of all games is a fallacy. To this, trying to complete a fixed list of all the "best" games, you probably end with a worse experience than just playing stuff you like, and certainly a less unique experience. This is a real games are for fun type argument, but it's more of an appeal to entertain yourself with entertainment you find entertaining.

 

There's probably better reasons to dive into gaming history. I feel like you can trace design DNA through a genre, and if a genre vibes with you it's probably worth a dive into, or if you're a designer it's probably worth it to note design decisions made over the genres development.

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I didn't intend for this thread to be about solidifying a concrete pantheon of The Games. I wanted people to give personal impassioned cases for games. Maybe not everyone would enjoy the actual play but you want to communicate what it is about the experience really makes you treasure your particular game/s.

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Have you played Pac-Man? This is a serious question. Pac-Man is one of the purest distillations of fun in a video game (I'd count Warioware in this category as well). It should be played by everybody.

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I don't like Pac-Man.

 

I love Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+!

 

I've never played Ms. Pac-Man.

 

(Warioware is good, though.)

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Well, I guess its debatable as being unmissable. But playing halo 1 local multiplayer was some of the funnest gaming I've had. I still enjoy online but theres a certain magic to local multiplayer. Its that gut squirming intensity when you find yourself in a sniper battle with a friend who's sitting right next to you. Or the hours spent grenade launching vehicles out of the map. 

You could probably have had the same kind of experience on other games from that era so I guess what I really mean is missing out on local multiplayer shooters. 

 

Also more on topic Timesplitters 2 was a ton of fun. I still played that up until a few years ago. It had a ridiculous amount of content.

 

ahh I was trying to recount all the things I like about that game. There is too much.

 

Seriously try Timesplitters 2. 


 

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Timesplitters 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. I'd kill for a beat-for-beat remake of that. Or just like an HD version. Also on PC, even though it's basically the only FPS I've ever been able to enjoy, let alone tolerate, on a console. Mostly just want PC for convenience.

 

Sadly, it doesn't seem like Crytek (who owns it, oddly enough) has any plans to touch the franchise.

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Timesplitters 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. I'd kill for a beat-for-beat remake of that. Or just like an HD version. Also on PC, even though it's basically the only FPS I've ever been able to enjoy, let alone tolerate, on a console. Mostly just want PC for convenience.

 

Sadly, it doesn't seem like Crytek (who owns it, oddly enough) has any plans to touch the franchise.

Yah as would I. There's timesplitters rewind which is an HD attempt I think. I don't know how well its going though.

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I'll second Portal, Warioware, Journey, Metroid Prime, Spelunky, and (of course) Pokémon,

 

A few picks that I'm not entirely sure would meet your own personal criteria for "unmissable" but definitely fit mine:

-Shadow of the Colossus

-Earthbound

-Pikmin 2

-Nier

-Gone Home

-The World Ends With You

-Persona 4

-Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

-Cave Story

-Attack of the Friday Monsters

-Super Mario 3D Land

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BGOAT?

 

uUXn6LO.jpg

 

(my answer is always and forever Super Metroid)

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I'll second Portal, Warioware, Journey, Metroid Prime, Spelunky, and (of course) Pokémon,

 

A few picks that I'm not entirely sure would meet your own personal criteria for "unmissable" but definitely fit mine:

-Shadow of the Colossus

-Earthbound

-Pikmin 2

-Nier

-Gone Home

-The World Ends With You

-Persona 4

-Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

-Cave Story

-Attack of the Friday Monsters

-Super Mario 3D Land

Heh, I've played three of those if you include Portal. I know I'll play SotC one day, maybe P4, but probably not many of the others.

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Unmissable is such a weird thing. It exists almost solely in the realm of fashion and cultural relevance, i.e. you are 'missing out' if you don't play this because you can't join in on the conversation. In Idle Thumbs land, that means games like Gone Home, Far Cry 2, Dishonored, Crusader Kings 2, Spelunky, Snoopy's Flying Ace, Thirty Flights of Loving, anything by LEC post-Maniac Mansion. For a large part of the world it's Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty.

 

Not the greatest, but unmissable.

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I want to second Persona 4. While I've not finished, it's clearly a must experience game. 

 

I'd also like to nominate Bayonetta (or pretty much any game from Platinum). While I can't play them for more than an hour at a time because they're stressful, they are so incredibly deep that I feel everyone should try them once.

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Not sure if unmissable exists, or what it really means, but these are games that haven't been mentioned yet (i think) that certainly I would be very happy if I found out others have played, and disappointed when others haven't. 

 

Jagged Alliance 2    *AGE WARNING*

Deep turn based strategy, memorable and fully voiced characters, fairly open ended, full of little secrets and cool things. Just by the sheer number of failed iterations, remakes, and similar games, and the successful mods, it still has a huge following. I am quite surprised that a big studio hasnt taken a chance with it, like Maxis did with XCOM. For many, it is the end all and be all of turn bases strategy games.

 

XCOM UFO Defense  *AGE WARNING*

The Julian Gollop original. Hard, brutal, and crazy. You really feel that aliens are invading Earth and that the humans are underdogs. Prepare to get shot from the darkness. Another turn based squad masterpiece, often found at the top of best games ever lists. Xenonauts is a modern take that is (so far, only put a few hours in) pretty close to the original. 

 

League of Legends

Most popular game of all time, if you go by their statistics. The more accessible of LoL/Dota/Dota2, and does a great job of creating a game balanced around casual and competitive play. Worth if if you are into multiplayer, or just to see an open appraoch to game design (if you also read up on their dev. blogs explaining their philosophies).

 

A Mind Forever Voyaging

Infocom classic Text adventure, very open ended and ambitious, set the scene for "open world" games. Clear beginning and end, and a huge, exploration based middle. Just text, though, so that might not be your thing.

 

Photopia

The "Gone Home" of the IF community, when it was released about 10 years ago (?) that caused the community to discuss "what is game?". Short, touching, but it is also one of the first games that really made me feel that games could be art. Download it here, or play it online here

 

Dwarf Fortress   *WARNING*

Seemingly impossible to learn, steep learning curve, crap graphics and UI, but what this game lacks in almost everything it completely makes up in gameplay and experimentation. A randomly generated world is not just placing objects in the environment, but creating a history of the world with its own heroes, wars, cities, and the like, and you are able to visit anything in that history at any time. Add that to complex combat damage (characters can lose fingers, get bit in the crotch, etc.) and wonky physics, it will teach you that losing is fun. 

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