I think we all have these special games, that either never quit our harddrive, or always sit atop the cartridge/disc pile.

Mine are:

  • Zelda: Oracle of Ages

  • Morrowind

  • Nuclear Throne

The first two are my little “madeleines de proust”, memory triggering games that are always soothing when feeling down. There’s nothing like being called “OUTLANDER” five times while crossing an alleyway in Balmora; really brings a smile to my face!

And Nuclear Throne has reached a point where it’s become my peripheral tester; a bit like what Massive Attack’s Mezzanine is for audiophiles. I’m embarrassingly bad at it, seldom reaching the titular throne (let’s not talk about looping…), but damn, do I love just dumbly shooting everything on sight.

  • charred ( charred@sh.itjust.works ) 
    6·
    3 years ago

    Love morrowind and I’ll keep coming back to it, but for me it’s Oblivion which took my heart. Every now and again I’ll play it and realise why I love these games all over again and end up playing for hours

  • Killer_Tree ( Killer_Tree@sh.itjust.works ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    For me, it’s not always frequent but over time I always end up replaying Earthbound (Also called Mother 2) every year or so. I’ve played it on various SNES emulators for PC, switch, DS, and once on a dedicated tablet with a gamepad.

    With the setting of a 1990s America/world, it just feels good to load up with a baseball bat and bash some baddies. I love that enemies are seen before you are forced to fight them so you have the opportunity to avoid fights if you want, and the rolling HP gage is a nice twist on turn-based combat.

    The humor is silly but doesn’t detract from the narrative, and the world is filled with interesting NPCs to discover and talk to. The game does show its age with some mechanics, and mid-game it can get a little confusing to know where to go, but you can always go buy a hint from the hint guy or stay at a hotel and read the morning paper for clues.

    Sometimes I just play the soundtrack while I work, which is great because they nailed most the music. My only complaint is that you lose the ability to enjoy the bicycle tune shortly after you unlock it.

  • Waker ( Waker@lemmy.pt ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    Unfortunately for me, league of legends. At least once a year I’ll go back to it being my main game. Glad I don’t play rankeds anymore though.

    Also Minecraft and Stardew Valley.

  • goforliftoff ( goforliftoff@sh.itjust.works ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    Baldur’s Gate 1 and, to a lesser extent, 2 call me back quite often. I’d say I play them at least once a year. I also enjoy Crusader Kings 2. Yes, 3 is more visually appealing, but 2 is just so rich with content in comparison. Those plus Civ 5 can keep me busy for, well, far too long.

  • hakase ( hakase@lemmy.ml ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    For me, these games are, in order of release: Civilization IV, Dark Souls, Subnautica, and Monster Hunter World

    Each of them scratches a different itch, and no matter what mood I’m in, one of these games is likely calling to me.

  • Giggler ( Giggler@sh.itjust.works ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    For me it’s Rocket League. For a game that can really piss me off I can’t help but come back to it. I think because even though it can tilt me it also feels so good when I’m clicking with random teammates and get a win. The extent that it can make me mad makes the wins better somehow. It is also the one game that I truly feel like I’m competent at lol and not just bumbling around.

  • orion ( orion@sh.itjust.works ) English
    2·
    3 years ago

    I always come back to Battlefield 4. I re-installed BF4 last night and had a great time, will probably play it some more tonight.

    Also Zelda: Link’s Awakening. I’ve replayed the remake on Nintendo Switch a couple of times now (and DX version a few times) as it’s the best Zelda IMO.

  • ChosenUndead15 ( ChosenUndead15@lemmy.world ) 
    2·
    3 years ago

    Doom 1 and 2, and Resident Evil 4 are games just keep coming back with no discernible reason. They are just that good and repayable.

    Side note, recommend checking out MyHouse.wad (ironically, is a .pk3) if you like weird Doom mods. Is extremely high quality and the go as blind as possible.

    Edit: A Link to the Past is also another game I just gravitate towards to replay for no reason. I haven’t played many Zelda games and is the one I like the most.

  • ice9 ( ice9@lemmy.world ) 
    2·
    3 years ago

    Strangely, Planetside 2. I have yet to find a game that scratches the same itch. (Battlefield games come close, but the maps in newer games have been so poorly designed compared to BC2 and BF 3)

  • Spluk42 ( Spluk42@sh.itjust.works ) 
    2·
    3 years ago

    Probably the games I come back to the most are Half-life and Portal. Reliably play them once every couple of years. I don’t tend to replay games much but those two are always installed and available.