My favorite game ever is Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.

So my family has always kinda been into video games, my dad and my step mom were into them, but actually I remember the person who'd play them most (other than me) was my grandma. She liked Mario more, but I remember sitting and watching her play Wind Waker and then when I was feeling sick one day I decided to go ahead and give the game a shot, and I fell in LOVE.

The Wind Waker style is SO CHARMING, at least for me, I think the colors are bright, the characters are ALL unique and adorable looking. Each character has so much personality just from their appearance, and even after talking to them they're all so charming. The world design is beautiful, sailing around the seas, which I know is most people's complaints, is so fun for me cause it's fun to look at.

I like the ability to sail just where you want and each island holds it's own little surprises. BOTW is known for being so fun to go out and explore, but I definatly got the same feeling when I first was playing WW, but I STILL have fun sailing around in WW, where as in BOTW I got bored of exploring after getting all the shrines.

The music is ICONIC, it's beautiful and there's not one song in it that I'm just kinda like "eh" about.

Going around the world of Wind Waker is a blast, the puzzles in it are a lot of fun, I think the stealth mission at the beginning in Forsaken Fortress is unique and fun. I get SO pumped when going to the tower of gods, and the ending makes me cri evry tim.

Anyway, I might be one of those people with nostalgia glasses on but I just can go back to this game over and over again and never get bored. Beat it 100% a 1000 times and I'd be fine. (Also bring WW HD to the switch plz thx.)

Honorable Mention: I have 1000 hours into Stardew Valley and counting, so that's something to consider

y'all ready to hear me lose my goddamn mind about morrowind???
good, y'all don't deserve that.

but the third in the elder scrolls series was the first game i played on my original xbox and so much of it stuck to me as a dumb kid with skinned knees, even though i couldn't quite grasp how much of an effect it would have on me as a teen and, later, an adult writing and just...existing.

I did a day in a Discord chat where I just answered as many obscure ES trivia as I could because I clung like mad to morrowind. after learning that the main writer (kirkbride, please respect) did lots of drugs while writing it, everything became a hair clearer.

if you ever have a moment, read the thirty six lessons of vivec. there's a very vibrant part of my life i live by means of reaching heaven by violence (it makes far more sense in context, i assure you).


along a similar vein would be fallout new vegas. incredible writing with themes that are oft-haunting. "old world blues" was completely eradicated by the shortsightedness of fallout 4, where the game becomes entirely focused on "getting back to your old glory!!" getting lost in the haze of "what was" and "what could have been" makes you blind to the importance of life proper around you.

or something. mostly the ost was a banger.


honorable mention goes out to knights of the old republic, moreso 2 than 1. the idea of using in-game mechanics to have an adverse effect on story (not going to spoil it; it's actually quite well written) and toss a whammer of a realization to both character and player just makes me all tickly inside. love little things like that; they win my heart over.



also tyranny. please god play tyranny so i can scream about bronze age middlemen to the great evil thanks.

if you want my other video game thoughts you'd have to pay me; reviews don't come cheap

god i would say that this one's a tough one for me because there are just. so many games that i just absolutely adore for one reason or another. but whenever someone asks this question there are only two games that immediately come to mind: okami and dishonored.

okami is one of those games i initially played... i think in late middle school? early high school? i know was a bit late to the fandom but i'd say it's one of my favorite games specifically because i have such vivid sensory memories of playing it back in the day. of course the visuals hold up well to this day, the music is gorgeous, the brush mechanic is pretty darn unique. there's very little i could say negatively about the game honestly, but i'm pretty biased as well. but the one thing that sticks out for me is whenever i think about the game or play it today, i get transported back to my parents' basement. it's winter and the woodburning stove is blazing hot against my side with the scent of smoke in the air and one of the dogs is chewing on a stray piece of wood and my mom comes halfway down the steps to make fun of the characters' voices and oh geez look at me getting emotional at memories :')

with dishonored i just? find the whole world and the lore super interesting? and i just love the mechanics it provides you with. not to mention you can make it a stealth game or action game depending on your preference of play, and both are equally challenging in their own ways. it's good stuff, man.

Heroes of Might & Magic 3, a game that came out in 1999, I bought originally and am still playing to this day. It is a strategy game that uses hexagonal movement, has base-building a la civilization but is quite far more complex when it comes to battles and numbers. I think it has aged quite well especially graphics-wise despite being so old and the campaign & soundtrack especially hold up well. It also features a random map generator and hundreds of scenarios as well but most of my hours come from the pvp. Don't buy the remake edition on steam but go for gog version as it includes all the expansion packs if any of you do decide to get it though. I'm not best at selling it but it's because I just have a lot of hours on it but I know it's a very niche thing.

My honourable mentions would include paradox games, crusader kings/europa universalis etc but those also have a very steep learning curve and i'd recommend it to history buffs or strategy fans tbh.

I don't have just one. Picking just one is too cruel and only part truth!

Suikoden V
- Amazing plot-line (very captivating and memorable)
- Lots of great characters (107-108!)
- Interesting lore
- Integrates both turn-base, reactive, & tactical fighting style (pretty complex, too, sometimes you have to work with both sea and land maps simultaneously)
- Downfall: you have to level up 3 parties with great gear, runes, and of course level them up to beat the game; however, nothing ever indicated such. So, I had one beefy team for the ending and two low level teams. I couldn't beat the game unless I decided to do mindless grinding for countless hours, or start again if I rather grind while doing the story.

I first played this as a kid and it stuck with me for well over a decade. It was a rentable back then, and I finally managed to get my own copy in the past year. It's even better than I remember. I just... I can't even fully explain.

NieR Automata
Initially, I hated this game. I thought it was very disappointing until my second+ play-through.
- Interesting lore
- Likeable characters / interesting character dynamic
- Fun gameplay with fighting, prioritises dodging unlike many games I've tried
- Beautiful graphics and inspiring settings. I especially liked three areas that I'll refrain from sharing. ;3 But, I was also really impressed with the little details, like how 2B's stockings pinched into her thigh to make make the unveiled thigh part buldging out a little. As a girl gamer, I thought that was a very nice touch cuz it does that IRL. xD
- Destroyed my mind and soul. People say that the first NieR hurt the "feels" more, but I'm a thinking type and I don't usually respond as desired to things that purposely aim at the heartstrings. So, as a thinking type, who has thought and wondered many of the philophical/etc. questions/themes in the game, it really blew my mind, and as a result: my heart/soul. I could understand it and empathise with it very well.
- Downfall: very predictable storyline overall. I had accurately guessed almost all of their "WHOA, SPOILER ALERT/PLOT TWIST" elements within the first few hours the first play through, which was kind of disappointing. Thankfully, there was more to it than those elements. Also, there were some questions I wanted answers to but never got >| I suspect they might be in the original NieR...

FFX ~LONG SAP STORY~
Like NieR A, I originally hated FFX as a kid, but then I replayed it as an adult. My dad's and my birthdays were only a few days apart so we always celebrated them together. One year, he forgot my birthday. Turns out, he was in the hospital. We were also basically at odds at that point after a little fight, and he refused to see me. That following Christmas, we never got together yet again (and he never got me a gift but I had his [neither of us like caards]). The following march, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, and informed me.He had anywhere from a couple days to a couple months left to live. So, I went to his house, and I gave him his gift (he collected a particular type of ceramic masks) along with a Cirque du Soleil DVD because we both loved CDS. He was unable to watch the DVD, and gave the mask back to me seeing as he won't be having it for much longer.

While he was lucid, he told me he'd give me some money so I could buy myself some birthday presents and Christmas presents from him. I declined. Taking care of his house and his wife (who is also very sickly), it felt like months, but it was only a week. After he died in April, I ended up buying myself FFX HD as that coming year's birthday present from him (with my own money). I played it and I sobbed like a baby. Tidus and his dad Jecht basically had the exact same relationship as me and my dad (and it was always hard, growing up and even in my early adult years). Thanks to FFX, I felt like I could understand him (my dad) a lot more.

I can't say that the characters are my favourites (Wakka/Lulu, OTP! WOO!), but I love the setting, the races, the sports,and the over all concept/philosphy. My favourite part are the aeons/fayth in terms of lore.
Also, FFX's version of Shiva is the best

FFVIII
First FF game I ever got to play by myself~.
- Love the characters. Could always relate to Squall. Never liked Rinoa, but replaying it recently, I have come to appreciate and understand her more. I can pretty much relate to all the characters now. My favourite character is laguna.
- Concept of Seed = ♥
- Like the overall story. I found it very artful how they integrated the past, present, and future
- Graphics/setting are gorgeous. Back then, each frame was like it's own composition and I feel and think that they put more ornate details into these frames than they do now... lots of colours, too.
- I think the GF (summon) concept is neat
- Going through a new playthrough, and think the corrupted junction trick is pretty awesome. It takes hours and hours of grinding but it's very... gratifying.

FFXII/Tactics
- Probably my favourite FF setting. So much cultural diversity! Areas are gorgeous
- The races are some of my favourites, too, from Viera to Bangaa, and so on
Downfall: FFXII's story felt a little too rushed/fast-paced

.hack//G.U.
- Love the story and the concept
- I connected with the characters so much that it almost felt like they were MY friends (is that weird?!)
- Love the graphics, settings, and overall style
- That character development T____T
- In the PS4 version, they include files which you can unlock through gameplay, I believe, to learn more about PS1 games (if you didn't play them), which I find fantastic
- The forums/online community in .hack//G.U. feel very well-integrated/involved. Like, it almost feels like perusing the forums here, yenno?
- The avatars/phases were well-designed and thought out
- I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING!!!

Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Another one from my childhood that I loved, and found to be very memorable.
- Graphics/style
- Great settings (I love interesting/unique areas, yenno?)
- Zora, Deku, and Goron - I loved all of these races. I felt a great affinity to the Zora for some reason.
- Epona <3
- The songs & sounds/soundtracks
- The side quests (I think the side quests were probably my favourites, like the dairy chase, the dairy bar/band scene, the couple mission that was a bitch, and so on[/s]

Funny enough, I have never beat the games listed above, but I did beat all of my honourable mentions.

Honourable mentions: Assassin's Creed, Persona 5, Mass Effect, Fire Emblem Birthright, Pokemon X, Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, Rune Factory 4 (guardians~), Rune Factory 3 (for the hybrid)

Thank you for reading my verbosity... 8 |

flare, Heroes of Might and Magic are heckin' good games, and I definitely didn't expect to see it mentioned here? I played more of 4, myself, but that was mostly due to access rather than preference, skdjlfhskdjfhsd.

ANYWHO, onto my actual answer:

Project Diva Future Tone, because I'm really good at it and everyone who watches me play at least feign being impressed, and it makes me feel good about myself. TuT

Growing up, I didn't really have access to the Internet – we had it in my home, but exclusively on my father's computer – or to video games unless I purchased the games and systems myself (without an allowance, either, so, like??? where even do you get the money). My introduction to the world of video games, then, was a little late compared to most of my friends, and even then, I wouldn't get to actually play video games until a little later in life when my sister and I pooled our funds together to go a Gamecube + two of my other favorite games, Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure you thought it was gonna be Wind Waker, HA and Pokemon Colosseum, which remains my favorite game of my favorite game franchise to this date. The very first game I laid eyes on, however, was Final Fantasy X, and to this day, I have more distinctive memories of it over the years than virtually anything else. For someone with the memory retention of a rock, that's... that's high praise.

I backseat video gamed for most of my child days even after gaining access to them myself. I remember crowding around our CRT with my sister to watch my dad play through the earliest parts of the game; I remember sitting by that same CRT, half hiding under a blanket because I wanted to support my sister during the Yunalesca battle but was honestly scared poopless by her giant zombie Medusa head. Little Me was even worse at video games than Big Me is now – it was such an accomplishment when I finally beat Sinspawn Gui on my fourth heckin' playthrough of the game after that was my restarting point three times before.

There's more than nostalgia involved, though, of course. I'm never going to say that FFX is the pinnacle of gaming – there are almost definitely games out there that are more technically impressive in just about every aspect – but it satisfies my desires as video game player almost to a “t”. As I mentioned, I'm very bad with video games that are largely skill based. I default the JRPGs more than anything else because, unless you're going for the big secret bosses, most things can be tackled by grinding enough (plus, I like good stories, and I usually like JRPG stories, so that's a bonus). The act of grinding itself is very therapeutic for me. If I'm stressing, I'll level grind. If I just need to clear my head, I'll level grind. Jam out to some battle music, get lost in the repetition. FFX's leveling has always been especially rewarding/relaxing to me through it's not-as-janky-as-Cheddar-would-lead-you-to-believe Sphere Grid. I love the narrative of the story, too. I love to list it as an example of good world building through the main protagonist: namely in that information is explained to Tidus in order to explain it to the character, but it rarely suffers the typical drawback of making the main character you have to learn things alongside feel like an idiot, which makes that method of learning through explanation a lot less tedious (as well as the whole game, because I can't... stand... following... dumb and/or annoying protagonists...) The world itself is my favorite Final Fantasy one to date. I love that you can understand the story they mean to tell entirely with face value, but there's so much more beneath that you can lose yourself in if you dig a little deeper. The soundtrack is just... JUST... UGH... I have literally just cried at this before, I hate it. That opening cutscene is absolute perfection. Everything is just solidly good. Slap on my entire childhood on top of that, and is it any wonder why I like it so much?

I also have very clear memories of my sister and I crowding around my dad and that CRT to watch him play X-2 for the first time because of how pumped we all were for a sequel to X... but we don't talk about that game.........

i feel weird not putting a final fantasy game here, but if i'm honest, i'm not sure which one i'd put because i love a lot of them, so i'm gonna go with my non-FF favourite!

the elder scrolls v: skyrim. my first elder scrolls game, and more than likely the thing that uncovered my love for norse mythology. i don't remember how exactly i was introduced to it, but i know i started playing it on release. of course, sharing the game disc with my brothers meant that i couldn't play it all the time, but luckily for me, potato and puddles from team mongoose had a skyrim lets' play that i could watch when i wasn't playing it, so, heck yeah!

upon playing skyrim, i fell head over heels in love with it. it was absolutely beautiful, to me - the scenery, the music, the story. i fell in love with the lore, too. skyrim was what introduced me to the elder scrolls universe, and i fell in love with the universe as a whole because of skyrim, and i'm very excited for es6 to be coming out in several years from now. i played skyrim for years after it came out, with breaks inbetween. it was one of those games that i always came back to, because it always evokes a feeling of peace within me.

skyrim is, honestly, my home away from home.

Skyrim. I will always love Elder scrolls: Skyrim. I don't know if I can explain it as well as the rest of you. But it has everything I love. Fantasy, magic, neat races, and a whole massive world to explore. I have not even finished the game, not even close, even after.....4+ years? It was the very game that made my ex have to buy me my own xbox 360 to play it on my own in my room because he'd have to pry me off his system when he wanted to play games. Ahhh so much fun!

Last of us: I am not great with horror or zombie games. I turn into a little baby, jumping at every shadow in the Resident evil games. But this game? I love it so much. I love the story and love the characters. You get so attached to them and god. I so wanna play this game again but I only have a xbox!

These are my 2 favorite games that I can lose hours playing.

suikoden series in general, but 2 and 5 get special mention.

tales of symphonia. i really like graces too, though i'm aware of its flaws.

persona 5!

i'm a big jrpg nerd and i've lagged behind (i wanna play nier!). i also saw mention of heroes of might and magic. 3 is still the best although i do enjoy 5... i'm still more addicted to 3. civ v is also a favourite of mine.

i also love survival games...if i actually play them. i just want let's plays nowadays bc i don't have a computer to run them.

I have a feeling these are all gonna sound generic, but~

Dragon's Dogma, Divinity: Original Sin II, Dragon Age - The three D's of my kind of RPGs. Dragon's Dogma was definitely lacking a bit in story, but the gameplay was everything I could ever ask for in a single-player hash-and-slash and I don't think I'll find that again in another game. The fact that you can change your class at any time was amazing, the Pawn system was great, and battling was fun. I enjoyed the game immensely, even if I thought the ending was lame and the story was so-so.

I found Divinity after looking desperately for an RPG me and my boyfriend could play as a couch co-op on the PS4. And I'm not disappointed. It doesn't seem like anything too special, but it has been a lot of fun and we've put a lot of hours into it (like... he works on the weekends, and both of us can't wait for him to get home so we can play for 8 more hours haha). It's definitely scratching an itch I've had. I was basically looking for a Dragon's Dogma we could play together, so we gave this a try, and it's been a lot of fun.

Dragon Age was one of my first loves. Dragon Age: Origins had great story and great companions, Dragon Age 2 had great companions and a fun, fast-paced gamestyle (like Dragon's Dogmna), and Dragon Age: Inquisition was very pretty. I found all three to have a lot of replay value, to make different choices (and romance different people lol). I named my two cats Anders (we just call her Andy) and Dorian, lol. 

Supergiant Games: Bastion, Pyre, Transistor. All three of these games had beautiful art and superb soundtracks. The narration in Bastion and Transistor was so, so, so amazing. I've got Supergiant posters up all over my apartment because it's all so pretty. I haven't played their new game, Hades, yet. But I will definitely buy it once it's out of beta. 

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For games that aren't necessarily my favorite, but are just fun to play with a close friend or two: Vermintide 2, Dead By Daylight, Green Hell, 7 Days to Die, SCUM.

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And lastly, some shout-outs to the games I grew up on as a kid and just have these vivid memories of. Sudeki for the original Xbox. This game was really fun?? And I remember it having cute music and cute NPC character designs. And then you go into a dark alternate-universe and meet your dark-Universe selves and play as your dark-Universe selves with different skills and I remember this blowing my adolescent mind and leaving a fond impression. 

Anyone ever play Rugrats, I think for the original Playstation? I remember that game being a million different things in one. I remember playing the multiplayer games by myself for hours (because I had no friends and no siblings as a child lmao). And they had a range of multiplayer games that were all fun?? And I remember there were minigolf courses where you could just ditch the mini-golfing and go exploring temples and stuff and find stuff before eventually returning to your mini-golfing.

I can't tell you how many times I played Tony Hawk's Underground 2 for Xbox, either. That was fun. 

Shoutout to old-school Runescape, which I played on the sh*ttiest dial-up in the universe. I could have died thirty seconds ago and not know it. But bless this game and playing it with my old Warrior Cats RPing buddies. 

i love LEAGUE O LEGENDS...


tft that is