ohhh boy okay let's go over the big ones

dragon age (all of 'em)

inquisition was the first game i ever played that let me romance a gay character that had substance to him. seriously, i know more exist but dragon age: inquisition let me feel seen where i'd normally felt incredibly unrepresented by bland characters with nothing to them except for the "ahah flirty and drunk" stereotypical stuff

then there was dragon age 2, coming in with a better story than any of the other games and tackling the big issues. it felt real in a way that some games just don't get and i fell in love with hawke, with how even the main character got to be an actual character instead of a blank slate

and origins is the one i've spent the least amount of time with, but it's still a game i appreciate and have played at least a little bit of. zevran getting to be the flirty stereotypical bi character but then growing and being an adult about his issues in the end was so damn refreshing you have no idea kgjfdhg

in general, the writing for dragon age games has always pulled me in and helped me during rough times. i found dorian exactly when i needed to, right as i was about to face my own father for the first time in 6 years. it's been a great comfort for me even a few years later to be able to replay these games and fall in love all over again

ai: the somnium files

i didn't know if i was going to be all that into this game, i just watched my friend play all of the routes like a few weeks ago though and i'm for sure in love with it. some of the jokes are a bit Much sometimes but at the end of the day they're mostly just goofy and trying to lighten the mood of an incredibly dark and complicated story. you can actually follow the story quite well, it loves to make you feel like a smart detective seconds before taking a sharp right turn and making you instantly jump into trying to piece it all together again

it also gave me an excuse to spend a ton of time with a good friend who also adores the game and experience it together, and genuinely nothing's better than enjoying something someone adores with them all over again

final fantasy (like most of 'em)

i got a tattoo from xv when i was 17 and have absolutely no regrets. i joined the hype when xv came out and then worked backwards going with whatever interested me the most, now i've played all of them except like 3 from the main installments and it's just been a really good series for escapism. xii will always be my favorite even if it wasn't my first, the story just strikes the best with me. a lot of final fantasy plots are all over the place, but xii always felt more put together and the characters are super strong and well done

genshin impact

i hate mihoyo but at the same time, genshin is a good distraction and another way to play with my friends and help them out on commissions or grinding that last level up material. the teapot has absolutely sucked up all of my attention lately and tart just game home recently so it's been a rlly nice feeling to just collect resources in the world and relax to the music

bioshock (all of 'em)

i won't say too much because it's got a Lot going on in the story at all times, but the bioshock games are all super enjoyable and fun to play. i love a good story and that goes doubly so for games that have smooth controls and gameplay mechanics. i can't recommend it enough honestly it's just a golden series

one last special shoutout to hades for just being an amazing game 10/10 well done supergiant