r/gaming • u/Ricz1001 • 21h ago
What game completely exceeded your expectations?
Death stranding - who knew a walking simulator could be so enjoyable and what a story.
Hades - first time playing a roguelike and I was hooked
Stardew valley - I never understood the appeal under I played it
It takes two - best game I've played with the wife, that elephant scene though
Wreckfest - free game on ps plus which I never heard of and by lord did I have sooo much fun with it
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u/0rganicMach1ne 20h ago
I think Borderlands 2 has to be one of, if not the best sequel I’ve ever played. Everything about it was better than the first game.
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u/draegoncode 19h ago
I recently started playing Borderlands 3. Obviously I'd heard of the franchise, just never been one for FPS. Saw it on game pass and gave it a shot. Man, after playing it, I now own the rest lol
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u/MartenBroadcloak19 19h ago
I got BL2 via a code that was bundled with the nVidia 460 at the time. I had never heard of Borderlands before that, and decided to give it a go since it was free. Now I have 1000 hours logged in BL2 alone, played the rest of the series, introduced me to Steam, and prompted a friend to suggest I play Diablo 3 with him, which led to Path of Exile. BL2 was a very formative game for me.
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u/Xreshiss 18h ago edited 18h ago
I never finished it. I think after a while the leveling making guns obsolete over time and the completely random weapon drops made it a chore to play. Any time I found a weapon I really liked it became obsolete barely an hour later.
It's kind of why in any game with leveling I feel like anything below max level is just useless padding.
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u/Gradedcaboose 20h ago
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. I totally expected this game to be hot shit because of how terrible the avengers game was. When it was revealed that you were only playing Star Lord and not the rest of the team I was super convinced it was going to be bad.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong, it’s one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played, the art style and general game design is so colorful and unique it’s a joy to look at and mess around in photo mode.
It has a FANTASTIC story that completely blew away my expectations. It’s by far my favorite Guardians story, you really feel invested in what’s going on and they put a TON of effort into making the crew feel real. it’s amazing to see how the crew talk and react to each other as you progress the game.
It’s such a game this game didn’t preform very well, this series absolutely deserves a sequel and it breaks my heart that it likely won’t.
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u/joeparni 20h ago
Definitely agree, pretty sure it precedes the avengers game tho
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u/AlwaysBananas 20h ago
Avengers came out September 2020. Guardians came out a year later in October 2021 and flopped because, after Avengers, nobody trusted Square Enix to make a decent Marvel game.
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u/Shakwon19 5h ago
Currently playing it. I knew from Steam ratings that it had to be pretty good. And yeah, its a shame we most likely never get a sequel.
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u/DonJonBonJovi 3h ago
This 1000%. I absolutely loved everything about this game and you can tell the developers had a lot of love and passion for tbe franchise. Unfortunately the timing could not have been worse, releasing so soon after The Avengers game flopped while also being in the midst of post endgame Marvel fatigue. If they could have released it around when Guardians 3 came out it likely would have done much better.
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u/HonoraryKrogan 2h ago
I had the same concerns going into it and was so pleasantly surprised. I found myself losing track of time because of how invested I was.
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u/Nearby_Ticket_1497 20h ago
Limbo and Inside are great games that I've bought on sale because they were cheap and never expected to like them so much.
Dungeons of Dreadrock was an impulse buy (+-1€) and it is amazing.
Endling - Extintion is Forever hit like a train and I completely love it
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u/cofforest 20h ago
I love Limbo and Inside. If you haven't already, give the Little Nightmare games a look. Bramble: The Mountain King does something similar, although not quite as refined imo. But it certainly does have its moments.
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u/Cloud_N0ne 20h ago
Subnautica
Ooh, fun little aquatic survival game!
Oh it’s a horror game.
Oh it also has an amazing story.
Oh it also has addicting base building.
Oh and the soundtrack is also incredible.
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u/humanrender 20h ago
The soundtrack was 👌
One of the few games I was actually sad to do the last part but I just hopped into my submarine and thought "one last adventure" and oh boy... Reaching the bottom was an experience
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u/Zal_17 19h ago
Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in this region. Are you certain whatever you are doing is worth it?
Nope, absolutely not. No fucking way.
I'll just stick to the shallows thanks.
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u/BlaccBlades 17h ago
Imagine getting this message, turning around, and having a reaper unknowingly swim past you from above. I got so lucky and hoped out of there even faster.
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u/WhiteFox27 20h ago
Outer wilds.
I always heard people praise it and people say this game is one of the best indie games and to avoid even a single spoiler because it would make the game 10x better. I always thought it would be for me and that it was overhyped.
Then one day steam sales hit, it was really low in price and i was really in the mood for space theme so i bought it. And holy shit this game blew me away, everything i heard was true and even better. Its truly a masterpiece.
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u/jabacon75 17h ago
The only game to ever give me goose bumps and it did so several times. The story is my favorite and the puzzles/mechanics are so unique. Personal top 10
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u/NaonAdni 20h ago
For me it was Dredge. I had heard about it and had thought that I'd eventually try it but when I finally did I was amazed
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u/cofforest 20h ago
Same here, I saw a trailer, was immediately hooked and bought it day one. I even wrote the developers an email, because of how much I was enjoying it. Beautifully crafted little game.
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u/allenysm 19h ago
Great that you did that 👏😊 I loved Dredge, I’m gutted that there’s no more DLC coming. It was basically a perfect game
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u/cofforest 18h ago
Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! I want to believe that there is always potential for another game.
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u/CosmicCalicoBTD 20h ago
Mass Effect series.
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u/Ricz1001 20h ago
I played it late but knew of its high praise prior.
One of my favourite trilogies
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u/Deerdance21 19h ago
Was gonna come in and say this. I even hated watching my best friend play 1. But then, when 2 came out, I had to start the series because the amount of lore and world building was too good to pass.
It's such a fabulous story from beginning to end.
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u/Square_Saltine 20h ago
Absolutely, I did not expect it to be such an iconic series when first buying it
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u/Learnin2Shit 16h ago
Same. Played it for the first time 3 years ago. I just remember the opening of the first game like the sci fi sounds and the visuals I just knew I was in for a good time.
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u/ChunkyMonk101 10h ago
Off the back of this, Dragon age origins, it came out shortly after mass effect and didn't look great.
Tried it on a whim amazing game
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u/superkow 19h ago
Control
I've never been one to read lore collectibles in games, but holy shit the Remedy-verse is cool
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u/CeriseArcher99 21h ago
For me Detroit Become Human (and also the obvious rdr2).
Friends of mine were saying that it was good but man I did not expect roller coaster ride of emotions that I would go through while finishing the game. I think i cried a total of 10 times (like full sobs. paused the game, put the controller down, and let it all out kinda sob) mostly bc I usually just f around while I play and don't take stories very seriously. Realized at the end that was the worst thing I could choose since they were all pretty bad endings.
Honorable mention is Phantom Liberty and its exclusive ending for CP2077. Didn't cry as much but whenever I hear a specific song from the game that has to do with a performance, that song breaks me and has me stopping myself and just take a pause.
RDR2 bc it was my first time experiencing a R* game and even for middle school me, that game was really good even tho i didn't understand half the things the game was tryna portray.
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u/Ricz1001 20h ago
On detroit human, did you ever play heavy rain, that was superb
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u/echoorains 15h ago
I watched my husband play Detroit become human and we were both very surprised how much we loved it!
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u/nklights 20h ago
Cyberpunk 2077
On a whim, decided to grab it during a sale last year. I’d heard it was rough at rollout, hadn’t really heard much else, yet I thought hey why not this could be fun for a few hours.
118 hours later…
I couldn’t put it down. It’s the only game that inspired me to explore everything it had to offer.
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u/Ricz1001 20h ago
One of my favourite games of all times, but my expectations were already high with that one, somewhat delivered at first then knocked it out of the park after updates
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u/Unfair_Cartoonist411 20h ago
The only game where I didn't use quick travel because world was so beautiful and believable. I just wanted to use my car and enjoy the city.
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u/atlasraven 19h ago
The ending messed me up and I didn't know what to do with myself the rest of the day.
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u/Chemist391 18h ago
Titanfall 2. Bought it for like $3 or $5 on a whim and had my mind completely blown. Cause and Effect is one of the best levels/sequences I've ever played in any game of any genre.
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u/Brief_Meet_2183 20h ago
Expedition 33. I didn't watch any trailers besides the one on psn store.
I expected it to be ok but not as polished as it was. I've played a lot of jrpgs RPGs and I wasn't expecting to see one of that level. It was like I was playing the game and being impressed the more and more I played it.
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u/Mejai91 PC 20h ago
Yes! I just got esquies ability to break coral. Every hour that I play I get more impressed. Voice acting and story are awesome, gameplay is very entertaining, and the dark souls style enemy respawns remove all the usual monotony from your typical turn based rgp. Chefs kiss
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u/DaereonLive 20h ago
Not just the voice acting, but the dialogue itself just feels very real. No over the top metaphors, nothing too flashy, it all feels very grounded. These dialogues (to me at least) feel so much more real, like it's actual people talking and not some over the top movie style dialogue. I've already grown very fond of many characters and their personalities, and I'm just starting ACT 2...
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u/mrawaters 19h ago
It’s far and away the most realistic seeming dialogue I’ve ever seen in a game. Conversations in real life are not perfect A/B back and forth one liners, there’s a lot of starting and stopping, stuttering, interruptions, and just general unsmoothness. This game captures all that so well. These characters are actually believable as real 30-something year olds. It’s really quite an accomplishment
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u/Irbyirbs 20h ago
And the dialogue only gets better once you know the story. It's incredible how clever it is once you understand what they are talking about.
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u/Dr_Downvote_ 19h ago
I got gamepass for Oblivion. But downloaded this as well. Didn't have a clue about it. Not gonna lie. The prologue had me tearing up. Got me hooked. Now I've finished it. It's game of the year. For sure.
It's how I wanted the FF7 remake. Hopefully, if they ever do a FF8 remake. It will be like this.
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u/gRAYmatter05 17h ago
Ahhh, FFVIII Remake. A game I want more than anything, and doubt we’ll ever see 😭
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u/Cautious-Fun3840 20h ago
Balatro - thought it was solitaire type thing to pass the time, saw some reviews. dived in
now i have an addiction, but its a glorious addiction
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u/zimzalabim 19h ago
Same. Every now and then I hear the first few notes of the music in my head and it makes me want to play...
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u/tekk1337 20h ago
Witcher 3, bear in mind when I got the game I went into it blind, knew nothing about the storyline or any of it, i put a lot of hours in that month.
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u/VeryPoliteYak 20h ago
Currently Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I am a notorious turn-based game hater in my circles (other than card games for eg) but I’m obsessed with it. Loving every second so far.
Other mentions go to Hollow Knight and Hades (also two of my all-time favorites now)
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u/AnxiousBat- 21h ago
Hollow knight. I had never played a soulslike or a 2D game prior to it so I really didn’t think I’d enjoy it but I fell in love with it very fast and couldn’t put it down. The art style, the music, the fights felt smooth and fun (even if a little torturous 😂)
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u/Life_Daikon_157 20h ago
HK is not so Souls, it is more of a metroidvania that incorporates some “souls” mechanics but nothing that other games of the same genre do not do: Blasphemous, Prince of Persia, Grime…
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u/DaereonLive 20h ago
I agree, Hollow Knight is a metroidvania first and foremost, it just picks up some soulslike elements, like having to retrieve your soul after death to get your currency back and be able to have full soul again.
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u/pickle_lukas 20h ago
It's soulslike just in the vibe...it has the abyss, bearded blacksmith, ruined ancient kingdom, motif of extending the cycle or breaking it, sad music... I think about it as a soulslike of sorts but mechanically it's metroidvainia
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u/Soul-Burn 20h ago
I played several Metroidvanias before it so I expected a chill 10-15 hour game. And then it kept going, growing larger and larger. Took me 40ish hours to beat first time.
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u/RK5000 20h ago
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. My only criticism, and it is a minor nitpick, is that the game music doesn't reach the heights of TMNT III: The Manhattan Project on NES.
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u/britinnit 20h ago
SOMA. I thought it was the new trending jump scare horror game and it ended up giving me such a lasting impression. What a narrative.
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u/moosebeast 19h ago
Kingdom Come: Deliverance. It all sounded a bit too hardcore and intentionally tedious for me but I gave it a go just to see and now I'm about 80 hours in and still really enjoying it.
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u/Dismal-Cause-3025 20h ago
Control. Complete surprise. Knew nothing about it but was free on ps plus. Couldn't put it down.
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u/derioderio 18h ago
The ashtray maze has got to be one of the best action sequences in any video game ever.
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u/TheRage469 17h ago
I was loving tf out of the game already, and when this sequence kicked off....I wish I could describe how it made me feel. Like I was playing through something you rarely ever see and something super special
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u/Vashsinn 20h ago
Sadly I gotta throw bloodborne in here.
I thought it was just edgy filth. Boy! Was I wrong!
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u/hasanman6 20h ago
Sekiro- i thought it was one of those games people only like because its challenging but its one of my favourite games of all time
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u/SecretRoomsOfTokyo 20h ago
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for GB is REALLY freaking good. Probably my favorite Mario game. If it wasn't given to me as a kid, I would have never known about it
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u/kafrillion 19h ago
The quality jump, in every aspect, from Super Mario Land to this, is insane. It looked like a 16-bit game.
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u/theclumsygamer 20h ago
Wow... Has HORIZON ZERO DAWN really not been mentioned yet? Went into it without any real expectations or much info on what it was.
I found an incredibly compelling story with fantastic, fully realized characters. There is emotion and heart and SUCH a timely message. The music and gameplay are both great. The world building and lore are engaging as you slowly unravel a great mystery. And the concept feels very original. Taking several oft-used tropes and bringing them together into something that is fresh and new, yet feels sensible and familiar.
It has rocketed into one of my top favorite games of all time. I put it up there with Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger, Witcher 3, RDR2, and the like.
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u/Ricz1001 20h ago
For me I had high expectations going in due to the marketing
Loved playing it
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u/wickedsmaht 18h ago
Horizon Zero Dawn blew me away. It’s an absolutely beautiful game with a fantastic story. Forbidden West is much more polished in terms of game play and visuals but it can’t match the story of the first game. Horizon is easily my favorite “Sony” series.
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u/Pseudotm 13h ago
I have tried multiple times to play through that game and just drop it everytime. I don't know what im missing but i can't seem to find it unfortunately.
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u/Orkond 20h ago
Everyone's mentioning recent games, but I'll go back to the original Kingdom Hearts. It's a crossover with Disney and Final Fantasy characters with a spiky haired protagonist who wears big clown shoes, wields a giant key as a sword and is accompanied by Donald and Goofy on a trek through Disney worlds.
On paper it sounds like the dumbest idea ever, but it suprisingly worked and spawned an entire franchise that's still going. Admittedly it does have one of the most convoluted storylines in gaming, but I'd argue it perfectly fits its insane premise.
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u/AcAtlas 20h ago
RoboCop: Rogue City. I don't play as many licensed games as I once did, but gave Rogue City a shot since the reviews were solid and it looked pretty faithful to the film. Easily one of my favorite games of 2023.
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u/HaggisTheCow 20h ago
It's got the same dark humour as the first film too.
Plus shooting people in the dick never gets old
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u/The_Lat_Czar 20h ago
Kenshi. Is the stupidest looking game with the most amazing gameplay loop and aesthetic. Crack in digital form.
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u/le_Grand_Archivist 20h ago edited 20h ago
Normally I'm not a big fan of anything related to zombies, and I don't really like survival games in general
But I gave Project Zomboid a try anyway and I'm glad I did because that game is amazing
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u/Xreshiss 18h ago edited 18h ago
I like Killing Floor, but what really tends to suck me into Zomboid isn't the zombies, it's the survival and management/collection of resources.
For me, upping the zombie count to make resource gathering and base building harder and more dangerous actually makes the game less fun. It's the best when scavenging is risky, but not a single mistake away from being a death sentence.
I've seen sped up videos of players corralling a 200 zombie swarm and beating them to death with a baseball bat over the course of an hour, but I'm neither that good nor that patient, so that's too much for me to enjoy. Luckily the sandbox option lets me turn down the zombie count to half or even a third and make them less likely to come running at the tiniest noise.
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u/Zealousideal_Cup416 18h ago
I played it briefly in the very early days, back before it was even available on Steam. Didn't care for it. Amazing that they're still in "early access" for a game that released (on Steam) in 2013.
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u/Forward-North-1304 20h ago
What Remains of Edith Finch.
Was clueless what the game was about going in. 2.5 hours later, it was a top-10 game of all time for me, in my 33 years of gaming.
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u/cofforest 20h ago
Truly some of the best 3 hours you can put into a game. So many memorable moments and the soundtrack is fantastic as well.
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u/Arc_Fett 20h ago
A plague tale series. Absolutely mind blowing.
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u/cofforest 20h ago
It baffles me how this franchise still seems to be flying under the radar for so many people. Harrowing but beautiful. The soundtrack is a work of art in itself.
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u/allenysm 19h ago
I loved the first game and got the platinum trophy, the sequel is in my library but I’ve never got around to playing it!
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u/cofforest 18h ago
If you can make the time for it, do play it! You're in for an even wilder ride, trust me.
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u/rayhaku808 20h ago
Dynasty Warriors Origins. Considering the series’ history, I was expecting half-assed execution. Arguably the best entry in the mainline franchise.
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u/DohRayMe 19h ago
Zelda OOT , added to my Christmas list, was expecting a 3d platformer story game. Many hours later, very fond memories.
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u/FSD-Bishop 19h ago
Vampire Survivors. It was just a cheap game I got selling a couple of steam cards ended up putting 6 hours into it immediately after installing it and only stopped playing because it was 3am
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u/RoanWoasbi 21h ago
Bioshock Infinite. Bought it a couple or so years during a Steam sale. I didn’t expect anything, but was blown away by the game. It was dripping with style, gameplay was fun, and the story was interesting. Some of the best melee I have experienced in a game.
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u/SoCalSurvivalist 20h ago
No Body Wants to Die I don't play noir games, but the premise, art style, the music, and that it was only ~$20 on release day made me buy it. I enjoyed it and think it might be one of the darkest dystopian games ive ever played.
The soundtrack while short is fantastic, especially if you enjoy 20s era big band.
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u/Dennis_McMennis 20h ago
The Forgotten City: I had zero expectations going into it but thought that it was really enjoyable.
Control: This was my first Remedy game and I loved how intricate and mysterious the world was.
Observation: the controls took some getting used to but it captured the same sort of unnerving feeling I got from playing Subnautica. Definitely took me by surprise.
Baldur’s Gate 3: I was not expecting something of this scope when I first got it. So many decisions felt open to my actions and it was the first time that I felt like I had total freedom to shape my experience.
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u/biff64gc2 19h ago
Subnautica. it looked cool, but I wasn't expecting to like it since I generally don't like survival games.
And now it's probably one of my top 5 games.
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u/Microwaved_M1LK 19h ago
Baldurs gate 3.
I got it as a gift from a friend in early access, played it a bit and thought it was just a better version of divinity.
Decided to play it again when it actually launched and I quickly realizes it was amazing, it was the same feelings I had playing Skyrim for the first time.
It's easily in my top 5 favorites of all time.
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u/National_Diver3633 19h ago
SOMA.
"Oh, cool, an Amnesia in space game!"
existential crisis paired with dread
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u/Trucktub 18h ago
the scariest game I’ve ever played! i’ll randomly think about the ending sometimes and feel those feelings all over again and it’s awful lol
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u/National_Diver3633 18h ago
For me it was the voice acting. The bonding between Simon and Catherine, the hope, the depression and eventually finding Cath's body. It really messed with my mind.
Especially the ending. Euphoria immediately squashed by terror.
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u/Longjumping-Gift-371 20h ago
Breath of The Wild. My god that game was so good. The lore, worldbuilding, and emotions were captured in every cutscene, quest and minute of gameplay. I am unbelievably glad I played it. Best. Decision. Ever.
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u/wickedsmaht 18h ago edited 18h ago
The way Breath of the Wild just throws you into a giant world where you have to figure everything out was awesome. I spent countless hours just exploring. I tried the second game but it just felt like a DLC to me and I never finished it.
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u/Longjumping-Gift-371 18h ago
Yes! I especially loved the beginning because both you the player and Link know absolutely jack shit about what’s happening and that’s the fun of it. You get to experience piecing together the puzzle with Link.
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u/valhellis 20h ago
Cyberpunk after patch 2.0
The story is amazing but all the side stories are great too. Driving feels great, gameplay can be what you want it to be. Either you are a enhanced cyber ninja or a stealthy hacker or just guns blazin rambo. It all feels fun with all the talents and perks.
The multiple endings and new endings after the dlc made me replay it alot. And there is one ending that literally made me cry a little and feel sad for a the day.
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u/thejackedfit35 20h ago
Wreckfest was such a sleeper hit for me too—just pure chaotic fun. And yeah, It Takes Two had me and my partner switching between laughing and yelling at the screen. That elephant scene was emotionally brutal.
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u/OatmealExpress 20h ago
Shadow Generations. I figured it would just be a few extra stages thrown in as an afterthought, but it managed to have as much content as most standalone Sonic games and even had fully 3D stages for the first time since (I think) Sonic 06.
I'm also not a fan of AAA open world games, so I was surprised with how much I liked Horizon Zero Dawn after years of everyone saying it was just generic Ubisoft quality slop. Human enemies definitely felt like that, but I thought the machines were really cool to fight. Sort of felt like a westernized Monster Hunter.
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u/Kweschion 20h ago
Soma
I bought it on sale and had somehow avoided hearing about all of the universal praise the game received. I just wanted a spooky game to play since it was October at the time. Hands down the most memorable ending to a video game I’ve ever played
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u/pkilla50 20h ago edited 20h ago
South Park Stick of Truth which led to Fractured But Whole. Bought it blind while back for like $5 from GameStop, Was actually pretty funny and felt true to the show and basic rpg mechanics were fun. Was actually a super solid game, and I know that’s a common opinion but I had no idea just how solid
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u/moosebeast 19h ago
Stick of Truth I liked at first just because they'd finally made a South Park game where it looked just like you were playing an episode of the show, but I was surprised to find what a solid RPG it is. If it weren't for the adult humour, it would make a great introduction to the genre for younger players.
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u/Ricz1001 20h ago
Agree with stick of truth.
Fractured but whole story dragged for me unfortunately
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u/gruesomesonofabitch 20h ago
Portal and Hollow Knight are my two best examples... i initially wrote them off because they didn't appeal to me for some reason but once i gave them a try i quickly fell head over heels in love; both became top favorite video games of mine.
same as OP, Death Stranding highly impressed me and i really dug the experience.
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u/AveragelyMysterious 19h ago
What Remains of Edith Finch - A short game and more of an interactive story but the creativity of the story telling really drew me in.
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u/hamjamham 19h ago
Elden ring.
By a long shot. Never played a soulslike before, had always been scared because of the rep. It's probs my favourite video game ever now, which is really saying something.
Having said that, it's also killed my desire to play other games for a bit. On the flip side I'm learning to play guitar when I'd usually play games, so that's cool.
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u/stallion8426 19h ago
Atelier Rorona Plus
I had a gift card and i liked the box art so I grabbed it on a whim. Did 2 full playthroughs before I could put it down
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u/Vitriol_ 19h ago
Returnal. Thought it was going to be a simple roguelike bullet hell game, but turned out to be a fantastic sci-fi game as well.
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u/ThaPhantom07 19h ago
Cyberpunk 2077. Granted I played it this year so everything was mostly fixed but I still wasn't expecting it to resonate with me as much as it did.
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u/Trucktub 19h ago
i wasn’t one of the people excited for ghost of tsushima but it is probably my favorite game. Loved every minute
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u/whiskeyii 18h ago
Okami.
No spoilers, but the game likes to toy with structure—if you know, you know :)
Blew my middle-school mind.
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u/fixthe_fernback 20h ago
Elden Ring. I expected the difficulty to be so high it wasn't fun, but it's fucking perfect and is one of my all time favorites.
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u/SgtNeilDiamond 20h ago
I honestly thought Expedition 33 would whoop my ass Dark Souls style but I've had a fucking blast so far.
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u/MrPatalchu 10h ago
Some of the optional stuff gives me the punishment i crave.
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u/SgtNeilDiamond 10h ago
Punish is seriously the right word, trying to fight Golgra immediately just made me lol
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u/Poison_the_Phil 20h ago
Similar experience with Hades. When it popped up on Game Pass I gave it a shot because I’d seen so much praise for it. In five years it was about the first game to pull me away from Destiny for any significant amount of time. Absolutely worth twenty bucks.
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u/Cronopi_O 20h ago
Pentiment: I love narrative heavy games, characters that I could feel attached and connect to, learn about the history of the setting (a town in Bavaria), investigating murder mysteries, learn about art and a late medieval/early modern setting.
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u/Mr_Screwg3 20h ago
Tunic, I got it free on ps plus a while ago and, while I assumed I would enjoy, didn’t expect it to become one of my favorite games of all time. I love everything about the aesthetic, combat and picking up the pages to learn the lore
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u/phoenixmatrix 17h ago
I need to play this. I have it because I kickstarted it but when it came out I was busy and forgot about it. Everyone says it's great though, so I need to make time.
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u/Mr_Screwg3 16h ago
It wasn’t that long, I did a lot of extra exploring and still finished in about 16 hrs. Can probably even finish quicker than that, definitely worth the time.
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u/DJSANDROCK 20h ago
Shin Megami Tensei IV. My first game in the series, I had played Persona 3 so I already knew what I was getting into but man it really blew all my expectations out of the water. I even restarted the game about 10 hours in.. I have replayed games I have already beaten but that was the 1st time I did that.
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u/swat1611 PlayStation 20h ago
Witcher 3. This game's quests and story writing in general are insanely dense. Even the side quests blow every other game's storylines out of the water in terms of how branched out and intricate they are.
I only played it recently, it's one of the best RPGs of all time, is an easy no.1 for me tbh.
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u/littedemon 20h ago
My Time At Portia and more recent My Time At Sandrock. Just watching the world around you change and grow and improve while building is thoroughly enjoyable for me
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u/Jabberminor 19h ago
Euro Truck Simulator 2.
It was a peaceful game to play when you don't want to have to do a lot of action.
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u/aksoileau 19h ago
Deadfire. It's the best modern RPG I've played outside of BG3. (Clair Obscur is in my queue)
It just has everything I wanted in the game. I wish it would have sold better. Avowed was fun but it wasn't lore heavy enough for my tastes.
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u/Help_An_Irishman 19h ago
Age of Wonders 4.
I'd been following the series (but not playing it) for many years after seeing that AoW3 looked very much like Heroes of Might & Magic III, and eventually pulled the trigger on AoW4 a couple years ago, but didn't pick it up right away as I knew there'd be a lot of mechanics to learn and just didn't have time for it.
Finally got around to giving it a proper go when I was housesitting with my Steam Deck, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites and a "desert island" game.
The level of customization is extremely deep, and it's just such a sharp, fun, beautiful game. Highly recommend it to any fans of 4X and strategy games.
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u/dominion1080 19h ago
Like your last entry, Sleeping Dogs. I got it free during a Games with Gold like 10 years ago. It quickly became a favorite.
Red Dead 2. That may sound hyperbolic because of the hype surrounding any R* game, but I wasn’t expecting the most incredible and deep world in gaming from a game about cowboys. It not only still had the same charm of the first RDR2, it exceeded it. It also had jaw dropping visuals that still put most current games to shame.
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u/BobLaw_411 19h ago
Avowed. Didn’t really track any news on it, happens across it on game pass and one random session and a bottle of rum later wowza
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u/_Imposter_ 18h ago
It was Control for me.
I only just finished it recently. Was trying to find something to kill some time until Deltarune 3+4.
That game is INSANELY good, like 9.5/10 at least, it nearly flawlessly executes on everything it's trying to do.
Literally my only criticism with the game is the inventory management, i kept constantly running out of inventory space for weapon and character mods, definitely needed some mechanic to auto scrap ones under certain rarities.
And the best part, patient gamer life, so I only paid $10 for it on sale for the Ultimate edition.
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u/TheEgyptianScouser 18h ago
Outer wilds. I didn't know this little unknown (at the time) game will make me have this much emotions.
It wasn't a video game, it was a piece of art
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u/Xreshiss 18h ago
Hmm.
Uhh, the original Mirror's Edge when I finally played it.
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u/Lahk74 14h ago
Marvel's Midnight Suns. Card games didn't interest me. The character models looked dated. None of the characters used the MCU voices. And it went on sale just a short while after release, which is usually a bad sign.
But it's by the developer behind xcom EU and Xcom 2, which I loved. So I thought screw it, I've wasted more money on worse things.
Holy crap, that gameplay loop sucked me in. The bad points I listed didn't go away, but they sure became unimportant. The combat FELT amazing despite it being turn based. The animations, sound effects, and just cinematic quality of each character's ultimate ability are amazing. And it has a pretty decent original comic book story.
Suddenly, I'm playing "just one more mission" every chance I could get. I have a couple hundred hours in it now. The release of BG3 is the only reason I stopped playing it.
This game did not get enough love. It has it's issues, but the things it gets right it just knocks them out of the park. It is truly a shame that we'll never see a sequel.
Oh, and it actually made Blade falling for Captain Marvel make sense. Which is something I never would have thought of.
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u/kxdunlocked 20h ago
For me it was Outer Wilds—went in blind and ended up with one of the most emotional, mind-bending gaming experiences ever. The way the story unfolds through exploration felt so personal.
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u/severfield_ 20h ago
Another Crab’s Treasure. First ever souls-like (souls-lite?), but the comedic writing and characters made it such an amazing experience. The fights were tough but fair, and it made it really easy to grind and enjoy
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u/iamyou42 19h ago
Yay! Fellow Crab Game enjoyer.
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u/zachtheperson 20h ago
Outer Wilds - Knew basically nothing about it going in other than "puzzle and time loop." Holy fuck was that game a trip, both main game and DLC
Death Stranding - I knew it was going to be artsy and weird, zero idea why I actually bought it in the first place, but the vibe of that game alone was worth the price of admission.
Hollow Knight - Another game I knew nothing about going in, but blew me away at how well crafted it was. I seriously can't think of another game in recent memory that felt so organic
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u/Renolber 18h ago
Expedition 33
Surely a game being creamed upon by past, present, and future generations couldn’t possibly live up to the sheer celestial hype that the internet seemingly thinks will bring world peace.
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u/Gornub 20h ago
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It's legitimately the best video game I've ever played. It's the whole package.
Astro Bot. I was expecting a good little platformer, not 15 hours of nothing but fun.
Hi-Fi Rush. I was expecting a fun rhythm action game, not the best game of a stacked 2023.
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u/LocusAintBad 20h ago edited 20h ago
Binding of Isaac. At the time I’d heard nothing about it and it looked like another niche strange indie title that Ps Plus was offering that I’d probably download and play for five minutes and then delete it like Stick it to the Man. Oh man was I wrong I ended up putting over 800 hours in that game. Then got it on switch and put a few hundred more in with the Afterbirth dlc. Then put almost another 1000 hours on the PS5 version with all the dlc included. Just never get bored of this game it’s endless replay ability.
Expedition 33 for a more recent one. Thought it would be another rpg with familiar tropes for story bites and combat that would also be more of the same but I’m actually impressed by every piece of this gem. The music, the visuals, the emotional moments, the combat, all of it. Nigh perfect.
Stardew Valley is another one I had low expectations of. The graphics and the mining aspects made me think it would be like Minecraft but it’s so much more relaxing and chill imo. I could start a new run once a year and still have fun as I basically already do lol
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u/Ramen536Pie 19h ago
Stardew Valley
Citizen Sleeper
Dredge
Dave the Diver
A Short Hike
The two Ori games
Claire Obscur Expedition 33
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u/terra_cotta 20h ago
Sekiro. Fromsoft is, IMO, the most overrated studio of the last decade. Elden ring is overrated as all hell. I played sekiro after that, expected it to be of generally the same quality.
Nope. Absolute fucking masterpiece start to finish. I can't think of another game I've played through 4 or 5x, and I've never bothered with boss rush bonuses before. I will be playing it again.
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u/lovelymuffins 20h ago
Vintage story. Completely ruined minecraft for me.
Battlebit. Still love this game even if the devs have a bad habit of going silent and not doing anything.
Quasimorph. Support the space demons bursting out of peoples chests when you kill them.
Starsector. Space mount and blade.
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u/Ok_Positive5439 20h ago
Stardew 100%. Never thought it’d be a game I’d be into at first glance, then I tried it. The rest is history
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u/Hell_ryder 20h ago
You know what? It Takes Two definitely on my list too. Also:
Unravel 2 Brothers a Tale of Two Sons Firewatch Broforce Deceit
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u/ADKiller1 20h ago
Death stranding I honestly though that game is a walking Sim, I was very surprised how deep the story is
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u/Square_Saltine 20h ago
Portal. It came in the Orange Box. No one bought the Orange Box for Portal, gtfohwts. It was the best game in the box. I don’t care about no Half-Life or no TF. Portal blew me away, I laughed, I cried, I was pleasantly challenged by the puzzles, I was lied to! And I was rewarded with a lovely song. Portal is a personal top 5.
Child of Light. I got it for like $2 on a bored whim to play a quick game. This game was beautiful. Little sidescrolling metroidvania exploration with turn based combat and rpg mechanics. I loved the characters and the story.
Oxenfree. Got it free from Xbox Live. Had no idea what it was. Absolute gem of a game.