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(Saw this question asked on another popular link aggregation website and it got me thinking)

If you could play one game for the first time all over again, what would you choose? This might be because you want to do it all again, or because you don't think you got enough out of it the first time. It could be experiencing the game exactly as you were back then, or experiencing a game with what you know now.

For me, it's Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past, experienced exactly as I was back in 1991.

Nothing comes close to how jaw-droppingly amazed I was by that opening sequence. The epic orchestral score, the cinematic rainstorm, creeping around in the dark... it was a generational leap above anything I'd played on 8-bit computers and consoles, and even the Megadrive. I'd love to play it again without thirty plus years of Nintendo/Zelda knowledge, or without knowing about the dark world.

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[-] 404@lemmy.zip 74 points 1 year ago

OUTER WILDS.

It's a fantastic exploration game if you go in blind and I wish I could forget it all and explore it all again.

[-] davetansley@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

Yeah, it really was amazing to play blind. We especially enjoyed the DLC... when we first realised what it was all about, it nearly blew our minds!

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[-] straypet@lemmy.world 52 points 1 year ago

The Outer Wilds.

A game you can only play once and that one time is magical.

[-] zeroshift11@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

I came in to type just this. One of the best games ever made!

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[-] biofaust@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago
[-] Quazatron@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

I find Half-Life and Portal are some of the best games ever made regarding world building, story telling and general addictiveness.

I keep coming back because I've never found any other game like those.

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[-] Chadsalot@lemmy.world 33 points 1 year ago

Windwaker.

Don't think its considered retro yet, but I wish I could forget every second of it I played. The complete emotional Rollercoaster I went through playing that game was incredible.

One of the few games where I really felt like I was the "super important protagonist" and the world really depended on me.

[-] davetansley@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

It's 20 years old... if Windwaker isn't considered retro now, then Atari 2600 games weren't considered retro in 1997 :)

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[-] klangcola@reddthat.com 32 points 1 year ago

It might be relatively new, but I'd say Subnautica.

It was such a breath of fresh air when it came out, and instilled both such a sense of wonder at all the vibrant lifeforms of 4546B and also instilling such dread upon encountering reapers or diving deeper than ever before. I still remember the mixed sense of wonder and unease upon discovering the Jellyshroom caves for the first time

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[-] Wxnzxn@lemmy.ml 27 points 1 year ago

Disco Elysium

The sheer joy of realising it's not "just another" RPG, slowly pulling the curtain on how intricate the worldbuilding is, discovering the main character and in turn reflecting on yourself. It's become a small addiction to watch first time streamers and let's players for me, to vicariously relive that process.

Another candidate might be Ultima 7, the interactivity and how "real" it felt in the 90s was mindblowing for kid me.

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[-] Strayce@lemmy.sdf.org 27 points 1 year ago

Secret of Monkey Island. Like most adventure games you can only really play it once. It'd be nice to enjoy it again.

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[-] Voytrekk@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago

World of Warcraft. Starting out in an MMO for the first time is magical. No worries about the endgame, just the desire to explore and learn.

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[-] SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz 23 points 1 year ago

Subnautica.

The first game to make me truly sad that I had finished it. Wow, what an experience!

I loved exploring and piecing together the story. I loved discovering new creatures and ecosystems. I loved finding strange things and figuring out what to do with them.

I've never played a game quite like it before or since. My god, it was really amazing. I beat it without needing a guide or walkthrough. It's great enough to the point where, if you are curious enough, you won't need one!

It's certainly a slower-paced game, as it's not all non-stop action, so it's not for everyone. But if you're a patient and curious person, this may be for you.

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[-] Sevirynn@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 year ago

Outer Wilds. You can't even really replay it, not like you can other games. But boy, I will never forget the unbridled joy of unraveling its mysteries - and ironically, would love to so I can do it all over again.

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[-] fluid_s@feddit.de 20 points 1 year ago

Oblivion. I liked Skyrim but Oblivion quests were so much better

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[-] JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 19 points 1 year ago

Maybe Stardew Valley? I found that very enjoyable.

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[-] theangryseal@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

I’m gonna break the rules and name more than one.

Super Metroid

Link to the Past I beat it with my mom as a kid. I’d love to go back and just be a kid who loves his mom playing that game again.

Ocarina of Time My mom and I snuck and opened the Christmas present every evening after my dad went to bed. We were at the forest temple when I actually opened it for Christmas and pretended to be surprised.

Wind Waker I was so disappointed over the cartoon graphics I almost didn’t play it. Once the game won me over I fell in love with everything about it.

Twilight Princess My first Zelda as an adult living on my own. I bought it on GameCube and played it with my ex. We had no cable, no internet, no phone. It was the only entertainment we had (video games) and it was an experience that made us closer.

Symphony of the Night I just fucking love that game.

World of Warcraft I want to go back and play with my son. We did arenas and we were an unstoppable team. Some of the best nights of my life were spent side by side playing WotLK and Cata.

I could go on but someone is standing here bugging me now. Take care folks.

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[-] z3rOR0ne@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 year ago

Chrono Trigger. Hands down the greatest JRPG I've ever had the pleasure of playing.

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[-] rafadc@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Final Fantasy VII

I went straight on from super Nintendo to this. You can imagine he level of amazement I got.

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[-] Hennimore@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

Outer Wilds. It's the best game I have played, and it can't really be played a second time.

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Diablo 2 of course. It's the best game ever made. I still play it for a month or two every year.

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[-] malchior@aussie.zone 16 points 1 year ago
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[-] xfts@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Not retro, but Celeste hands down. That game is an emotional roadtrip of a platformer. My favorite indie game out there.

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[-] Blapoo@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago

Undertale

That game fucked me up good on a personal level

[-] Alivrah@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago

The Last of Us.

It's very linear and short to the point most of that sense of wonder goes away immediately after you finish it once.

Also being a horror game, the more you play the less scary it is.

The big moments hit really hard the first time around, but then that's kinda it. Still love it though.

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[-] Swarfega@lemm.ee 15 points 1 year ago

Portal. I thought it was just a puzzle game. I love twists in movies and this one really caught me off guard.

[-] chowdertailz@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Dark Souls. It was a game that had so many surprises just to fuck you over randomly. Random boulders, hidden enemies, boss mechanics, mimics, hidden gems. Played the hell out of it but the first time was like magic. 2, 3, bloodline, elden ring... I had expectations. Only played a couple hours of demons souls before I dove hard.

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[-] silentknyght@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

World of Warcraft. 2005 was a hell of a time for that game.

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[-] ethans1@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

Metal Gear Solid. Going from tooling around in the NES Metal Gear to sneaking thorough Shadow Moses while figuring out 4th wall breaking puzzles was amazing.

[-] Nikki@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

celeste every day, that game got right to my heart

[-] Kichae@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 year ago

Ocarina of Time, or Final Fantasy VII. Both of them had just incredible impacts on me as a teenager, and I'd love to be 16 and experiencing them for the first time again.

[-] WeebLife@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

Mine would be bioshock 1.

[-] JoeBidet@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 year ago

The Secret of the Monkey Island

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[-] chunkystyles@sopuli.xyz 13 points 1 year ago
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[-] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

Mass effect 2

[-] Mac@mander.xyz 12 points 1 year ago

World of Warcraft.

What a great game to be a noob in.

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Final Fantasy 6. Still my favorite game of all time.

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[-] MrGerrit@feddit.nl 12 points 1 year ago

Yeah, its going to be Legend of Zelda: A Link to the past for me.

It's such a great game, played it for hours and hours. It truly made Hyrule came to live.

[-] Tiritibambix@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 year ago

Shining Force

[-] GustavoM@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Chrono Trigger for the "trippy" story.

Pretty much any NES game for the "gamer" soundtrack (beep bops.)

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[-] FuriousLing@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago

Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, or Super Mario RPG. I couldn't get enough of Squaresoft in the SNES days.

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[-] remote_control_conor@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Final Fantasy 7 (the original).

And it's not even close. What a journey.

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[-] Buttholeconnoisseur@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Nier Automata. Every thing about the game is amazing, but would love to experience the endings and heart wrenching moments again for the first time.

[-] shiroininja@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Earthbound. It’s been my favorite game since I first rented it from blockbuster

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[-] JoeBidet@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 year ago

Sid Meier's Civilization!

[-] militaryintelligence@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Metal Gear Solid on PS1

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Dark Souls.

But I suck and this time I don't get sucked into the entire series. That oughta save me some time and money.

If I had to take a Retro game, Chrono Trigger for sure.

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this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
464 points (96.6% liked)

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