this post was submitted on 15 Oct 2023
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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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[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 year ago (5 children)

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 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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 55 points 1 year ago (7 children)

The Outer Wilds.

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

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[–] biofaust 41 points 1 year ago (11 children)
[–] Quazatron 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] Chadsalot 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] EdibleFriend 10 points 1 year ago

Hah. You're old.

I mean I am too but.....you.

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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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[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (6 children)

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 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

It's hard to pick just one:

  • Deus Ex. It's timelessly topical despite being released in 2000. It predicted the War on Terror and a massive pandemic to name a couple.

  • Spiritfarer, for maximum onion chopping. Saying goodbye to Gwen really messed me up since I became very attached to her, and I can't finish the last stretch of the game because it's too emotionally taxing.

  • Undertale and wholesome fan-games like Act to Flirt.

  • Half-Life 2, circa 2004 when it was a leap ahead of everything else. I was unsettled by the teaser screenshots due to how real it all seemed to be during its heyday. (I did re-capture part of that feeling with M Mod and its great yet faithful modernisation effects. Plus there's some blursed mods you can combine with it such as replacing Alyx with Krystal, voiced by the original actress.)

  • Duke Nukem 3D: Alien Armageddon. It blew me away how much custom content and passion has been invested, so good that it almost felt like I was playing Duke Nukem for the first time all over again.

  • There's many more worth mentioning such as Unreal, Morrowind, Oblivion, Company of Heroes 1 and the forgotten gem that is Ground Control.

Man, I was born just at the right time to experience a stunning variety of titles and enjoy the mods that improve them.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (5 children)

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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[–] theangryseal 20 points 1 year ago (4 children)

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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[–] rafadc 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Maybe Stardew Valley? I found that very enjoyable.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

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[–] xfts 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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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[–] Hennimore 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (4 children)
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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Undertale

That game fucked me up good on a personal level

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[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] Alivrah 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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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[–] silentknyght 14 points 1 year ago (7 children)

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

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[–] chowdertailz 14 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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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[–] assassinatedbyCIA 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.

The universe! The characters! The plot! That reveal! Oh, man. To be able to experience that again for the first time. Wow.

[–] WeebLife 13 points 1 year ago

Mine would be bioshock 1.

[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The Secret of the Monkey Island

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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[–] Nikki 13 points 1 year ago

celeste every day, that game got right to my heart

[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

World of Warcraft.

What a great game to be a noob in.

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[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Shining Force

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

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[–] GustavoM 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Chrono Trigger for the "trippy" story.

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

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Sid Meier's Civilization!

[–] remote_control_conor 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Final Fantasy 7 (the original).

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

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[–] militaryintelligence 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Metal Gear Solid on PS1

[–] Buttholeconnoisseur 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

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