The Five games that define you as a gamer

[Phaerim]

I know this is probably going to be tough for many of you, but I wanted to ask (in my opinion) the best gaming community:

What five games define YOU as a gamer. Give a top five and a short reason for each. I find the gaming community to be vast and game preferences might be totally different for each player. I tried to look for some lists as to what games defined certain types of gamers, but only found "Top something something of all time" everywhere.

In order to help people being somewhat strict about their list, try to concentrate on games, that moved you in a certain direction of genre or convinced you to learn something new - anything. Games that weren't just flavour of the month games for you. I'll start.

1. Little Big Adventure 2

I'm not kidding. This game was the basis of my ability to learn the english language. I am danish and started to play this game at the age of 8. Armed with a vocabulary and a dictionary I started out Twinsens adventure to save Twinsun.

2. Baldur's Gate 2

This game rocked my world on so many levels. I can't remember how many times I completed this game, and with so many different classes. Baldur's Gate DEFINED the RPG genre in so many ways, and the system was brilliant to explore and play in. I know the complete storyline in my head - plus the twists and NPC reactions. This game is the sole reason I ever picked up games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Fallout in the years to come. I know the games varies, but the added RPG element have done it everytime for me.

3. Mario Kart 64

This game introduced me to the more social aspect of gaming. To this day I still dust off my Nintendo 64 with my three best friends, before hitting the clubs in the weekends. This game is hilarious and adds a whole new level of social interaction aswell.

4. Resident Evil

Birthed my addiction to survival horror - or just horror games. Had I not seen that zombie chew off the face of a dead cop back in the days - and thought: "Holy crap, this is so awesome - and I am about to shit my pants", I would probably never have picked up Silent Hill, Bioshock, Amnesia: The Dark Descent or Thief: Deadly Shadows. Again this game had so much atmosphere that I cannot describe it. I wanted dark stories with twisted plots and creepy atmosphere - and it all started with Resident Evil.

5. World of Warcraft

Effectively introduced me to the MMO genre, and still my favourite this day today. This game is a titan compared to other games. It has become the IKEA of the gaming industry - everyone love to hate it, but every god damn soul on the planet have or once had an account - like everyone owns a piece of IKEA furniture. I have laughed, raged, discussed, comforted and helped people through this game. Still being in my guild from vanilla WoW, that I cleared everything but Kel'Thuzad with, this game have seen the birth of children and unification of couples.


I look forward to see what games, people come up with

 

[Squilookle]

Hmm, let's see. In no particular order...

Battlefield 1942 just about ruined all other war shooters for me, because once I had played that, I never again wanted to play a shooter that had vehicles lying around that you couldn't drive.

Operation Flashpoint showed me how you do a believable modern war singleplayer campaign right. Cutscenes were a bit iffy, but the complete lack of bombastic hoo-rah saving the world, AND the lack of 'war is hell, contemplate contemplate contemplate' misery gave it a story that resonates far better than anything Call of Duty or Medal of Honor has ever produced.

At the time, Goldeneye on the 64 just seemed like a decent shooter to me, but over time, as more and more shooters came out that utterly failed to live up to it, I came to realise that I'd hit console shooters right near its peak, and Perfect Dark and Timesplitters aside, it was mostly all downhill from there.

Same with TIE Fighter- my first flight combat game. The nature of the missions were so intricate and believable I have never to this day seen another game come close to matching them, except for Crimson Skies on PC, which cited TIE Fighter as an inspiration.

Most recently, Mount and Blade Warband finally delivered the giant Medieval RPG with no magic whatsoever that I never realised I always wanted. I don't expect I'll ever see another RPG I'll want to play from anyone else again.

 

[tippy2k2]

My five games eh...this is hard! I'll give it a shot...

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
This was the game that got me into the multi-player CoD and considering the amount of time that I've sunk into each version since then...

2. Final Fantasy Tactics
The game that introduced me to the tactic-style RPGs. I now seek these types of games out whenever possible.

3. Mass Effect trilogy
There are very very very few games that I am willing to replay (I just don't like replaying games for some reason) and Mass Effect was one of those rare games. Loved the story, loved the game-play, loved the characters, loved the tear jerkers; if it was in this game, I likely loved it.

4. SWAT 4
Quite possibly the only other game that I have replayed multiple times and one of the few PC games that I own. I really wish that more game companies would create this type of game (in fact, feel free to PM myself or post games that are like SWAT).

5. Madden & FIFA
Fuck it, I'm cheating and putting both down. Take THAT society! I love sport games. I believe I have purchased every major sport's game at some point (except basketball....God I hate basketball) but Madden and FIFA are the two that I buy the most often.

 

[krazykidd]

Final fantasy . This game introduced me to jrpgs and thought me to read . Iv'e been in love with the genre eve since , which makes Squares fall from grace that muh more painfull for me to watch .

Final fantasy 6 . This game enforced love for the genre and story in video games in general . Because of this game , story comes first and foremost in all my games .

Final fantasy tactics . This game introduced me to Strategy jrpgs . A genre i now love just as much as regulsr jrpgs . The added tactical gameplay and challenge is right up my alley .

Lost odessey . This game was the first game to make me feel emotion from a story . This is when i started thinking of gaming as an artistic medium . A way to convey emotion.

Xenosaga episode 3 . This is the first game the make me cry . Reinforcing what Lost odessey started . It thought me the importance of well written characters , good story , and a world/characters you can really immerse yourself in and care for .


The games are listed in the order i played them , this is why i put xenosaga episode 3 ( ps2 ) after lost odessey ( Xbox360).

Edit: i just wanted to mention that for me personally xenosaga ep 3 is one of the best game in the jrpg genre . It has everything i could wish for , and does everything spot on . From gameplay to story , the immersion , to characters , it's a game the have learned from everything that has come before it , and surpasses most to come after it . It is my ideal game .

 

[ResonanceSD]

Team Fortress 2.​

Shoot dudes with rockets, stab dudes with icicles, set fire to dudes with a car exhaust, then hit them with a mailbox.

Freelancer​

With mod options in the hundreds, this was an awesome standalone experience made even better.

Portals 1&2​

Black Humour, *A NEW MECHANIC* and a game that requires you to briefly think for yourself.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Saints Row 2​

Because sometimes all you want to do is go nuts.

Assassins Creed 2​

Funny, awesome, and fast paced action with a decent plot.

Even if the plot did get repeated in 2.1

and 2.2.

And Ubisoft delayed AC3 for PC.

The bastards.

 

[Occams_Razor]

Hmm, interesting idea, this is going to be tricky.

1. Freelancer
This was the first game I remember playing that showed me the scale on which video games can exist, and the level of detail in a world that can be rendered by passionate game designers. Flying through ion clouds, watching distant space stations flash in and out of view during lighting flashes was one of my first "Woah" moments in gaming, and its really what propelled me into loving the medium.

2. Bastion
Easily my favourite indie game of all time, there is something about this game that I find incredibly compelling. The way they have the story flow seamlessly with the gameplay, the fact that they introduce to to a world full of lore and history with almost no expositional dialogue required. I loved the art style, the narration, the story, the gameplay. Oh, and the soundtrack was beyond awesome. I still get chills every time I hear "Build a Wall"

3. Team Fortress 2
One of the games I've sunk the most hours in to, it appeals to a different side of my love of gaming. I love the team based shooter aspect, where you are actively encouraged to work together, otherwise you are going to get rolled over. Many, many fun times rolling over teams as the heavy, or being that obnoxious sniper.

4. Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door
This is one of those games that has always stuck with me, its one of the most fun experiences I've had gaming, and I honestly can't tell you why. I love this portrayal of the mario universe, I love the aesthetic, I love the often tongue-in-cheek and self-aware humour. Its one of those games I go back and play every now and again, just for the sake of.

5. Super Smash Brothers
Probably the first game I ever played compulsively, it was usually the first thing I would do when I got back from school. I've played every iteration since then, but nothing quite compares to playing that first one, trying to beat it with every character, spending time in the practice mode, and getting trampled by my older brother.

 

[Berithil]

Lets see:

Star Wars: Rouge Squadron. The first game that I replayed multiple times, and one of the first games I ever played.

Crash Bandicoot games. The first console games I played. This includes CTR, Warped and Crash Bash.

Sly Cooper and Ratchet & Clank These are the games that took me from gaming as an occasional entertainment distraction, to turning me into a full fledged gamer.

Morrowind. My first open world game that I played. Also, the first game that I really sunk more time into than I should of.


There are others, but these are the key ones in my journey to gamerhood (now a word!)

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

I'm going to mention a few titles that probably nobody's ever heard of, but they still defined me and most of my childhood.

1) Interstate 76 - Nitro Riders

A game I spent countless hours of my youth on. It's basically a 3D driving game where you play as vigilantes, equipping a variety of vehicles with all sorts of weapons and armor ranging from machine guns to guided missiles. You did missions where you had to fight enemies using similarly weaponized cars, escort missions, timed races, etc etc...it all was just insanely fun with all the different loadouts and fairly big maps.
Still waiting for a remake or a game which is similar, anyone got any suggestions?

2) Earth 2150

My first introduction to the RTS genre, as opposed to most other friends who were busy playing Age of Empires or Command & Conquer. Earth 2150 was a futuristic RTS with campaigns and multiplayer, I'll leave it at that because there's really nothing more to it. Still spent a lot of time messing around in this game

3) Thief 2 - The Metal Age

My first introduction to RPG's. Thief goddamn 2, nothing more needs to be said right?!

4) AssaultCube

An extremely simplistic but still heavily skill-based first person shooter based on the Cube engine, it was my first proper step into multiplayer shooters. I spent a while honing my skill in that game and becoming recognized in the amazingly friendly community

5) Runescape Classic / Runescape

My first introduction to MMORPG's. As most contenders of it's genre it was basically one HUGE grindfest, but it featured some fairly hardcore PvP which other MMO's didn't offer. Stuff like taking the enemy player's gear and everything they had in their inventory upon killing them, or betting millions of gold on duels between you and your foe (staking). I spent hundreds of hours (maybe thousands?) in this so it definitely deserves a mention.

I probably spent more time playing WoW, but hey MMO's are MMO's right

 

[Haefulz]

Pokemon - My favorite game series of all time, and the one I've spent the most time with. Hands down, this game defines me.

Halo - This was my first game of the previous generation, and paved the way for my enjoyment of FPS games. Sure, I played Goldeneye back in the day, but I never really got into a FPS game until Halo, and the entire series has been something me and my friends all enjoy together.

Rainbow Six Vegas - This was the first online multiplayer game I ever got into, and still one of my favorite multiplayer games of all time.

Oblivion - My first game of the current generation, and probably the game I've sunk the most hours into for any single game this generation. Skyrim was awesome and better, but I played Oblivion way more.

Banjo-Kazooie - My first N64 game, and still my favorite platformer of all time. The worlds were just amazing, the puzzles and collecting was fun, and the platforming/move system was second to none.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

1. Final Fantasy VII

The game that introduced me to JRPGs and still my favourite to this day.

2. Golden Axe

My first gaming experience, or at least the earliest I can remember. Played it on my neighbours Commodore 64.

3. Super Mario World.

The SNES was the first console I ever owned and this was my first game on it. Still the best platformer off all time.

4. Gears of War series.

The best multiplayer game I've ever played. My friends and I still play the multiplayer at least 3 times a week. However, the games are only good if you play with friends.

5. Persona 4.

Easily one of the best videogame experiences ever. I can't begin to describe how good this game is.

 

[mohit9206]

games that define me as a gamer ? its those games that let me be me .
these being the Walking Dead because it lets me be who i really am in life,
burnout paradise coz its the most fun ive had in a racer.
also goood rpg's and maybe even sports games

 

[triggrhappy94]

Fallout 3/Obilivion
I put in so many hours into these games. When I sat in class in middle/high school, I'd think about what I was going to do in the games that night. I ended up with save files with over a hundred hours and I still had more stuff to do.

Rollar Coaster Tycoon
I remember playing this at the after school place I went to as a kid. I spent hours on it. I've installed it on every computer I've owned. I'm not sure if it's what got me initially interested in finance and business, or I was drawn to it by an early interest, but now I'm majoring in Economics and I feel like this game was part of the reason.

Call of Duty 2
I remember playing this game one-on-one with a close friend. I also remember trading off death with the campaign. This is the grandfather of the phenomenon. I still maintain that the campiagns in this game (especially the Russian and first mission of the American) are better than anything other military-themed first person shooters have to offer--with the except of CoD 4.

Megaman Battlenet
I met some of my closest friends through this game in elementry school. The gameplay alone makes it worth playing. Incredibly interesting, incredibly fun.

Saints Row (2)
I don't have as many fond memories of this one, mostly because I played SR1 and 2 a while after they came out. This game made going for 100% (or at least most completion) fun the whole way. It's fun, ridiculous, but still has a pretty good story. The only complaints I've ever had were that it gave up the best stuff too easily, and it wasn't long enough. Saints Row along with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout are the main staples of my game library.

 

[Jason Rayes]

Wow. Just 5? Note that these are not the best games I have ever played as such, they simply affected me enough that decades later I'm still a gamer, and they influence my tastes to this day.

Ultima IV:
(1985)

The first Ultima I played and the one that introduced me to RPG's being about more than "Kill monsters". It actually made you think about your choices, since you were supposed to become an example to the people of the land you had to make sure you embodied the 8 virtues by not stealing, lying or generally being a bastard. The game would remember your choices and the overall depth of philosophy backing the goal of the quest was unheard of in gaming really. After embodying the virtues you had to enter the Stygian Abyss and recover the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom and become The Avatar, the lands ultimate hero. I was only 14 when I played this and it blew my mind with its depth. RPG's are still my staple gaming diet.

Elite:
(1984)

This free roaming space sim was awesome. You had a huge array of planets to explore and could either make a killing by trading, become a mercenary and rob others or go the opposite route and arm up and go kill pirates. It may look primitive now but with its wireframe graphics it was one of the early 3D games and arguably one of the first sandbox games. And it all fit in the Commodores 64k. This game gave me my first taste of the space sim genre and while games of this mode are few and far between I still love them.

System Shock:
(1994)

Ok, Ultima Underworld was enough to make me by my first PC after years of being a Commodore fan. For me though, System Shock was the definitive game by looking glass. I loved its cyberpunk vibe, loved its genre mixing gameplay and loved its villian. Excellent game.

Master of Orion:
(1993)

The game that really got me addicted to turn based strategy. I loved that you controlled a galactic empire but also loved that you got to control your fleets in turn based combat when battles errupted. Master of Magic of did the same thing in the fantasy realm. The fact that I love games like Sins of a Solar Empire and Heroes of Might and Magic is all down to MoO.

Kings Quest:
(1984)

I was a fan of Infocom's text adventures before this but this was the first graphic adventure myself and most others played. It had cheap deaths and the text parser was crap but it pretty much invented a genre I still love to this day.

 

[Astoria]

Crash Bandicoot 1 because it was the first game I ever played and got me interested in gaming.

Abe's Exodus because it gave me a great sense of accomplishment when I saved all 300 mudokens and started my OCD to 100% games.

Fallout 3 because it was the first I guess 'hardcore' game I played and it reignited my interest in gaming. It also introduced me to RPGs.

Assassin's Creed series because it's a series that you can take a lot from philosophically and it's actually taught me a fair bit of history.

I haven't played another game that's meant enough to me that I'd say it's defined me.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Hmm.

Chrono Trigger. This game is my gold standard for JRPGs. It's very nearly ideal - memorable characters, a clever plot, fun, fast paced combat, superb writing, and a musical score that is second to none.

Baldur's Gate 2. As Chrono Trigger is my gold standard for the JRPG, Baldur's Gate 2 is my gold standard for everything a western RPG can be, with a strong, personal plot, masterful writing, and excellent characters all around, from the pure, snakelike evil of Jon Irenicus to the lovable insanity of Minsc and even the douchey Anomen Delrend. Combine that with challenging, tactical combat and it remains one of my favorite games to this day.

Freespace 2. Freespace is the perfect space combat simulator. Not only is the combat and flight perfect, but the enemies are memorable and chilling in their strange way, what few characters there are - characters like Aken Bosch or Lt. Commander Snipes - are memorable in their ways. The plot of the games is peculiar and often puzzling, but it only reinforces the feel of being just another pilot in a great, cataclysmic war. Freespace wasn't my first space sim, but it's the only one that has really stuck with me.

StarCraft. Not only for basically being my entry into the strategy genre, but it also had a very interesting plot. The sheer adaptability of the game made it viable to me even to this day.

Quest For Glory: These games practically defined my childhood, and to this day I still occasionally play them. Hell, at this point I've practically memorized most of the dialog. These were games that made you think, made you laugh until your sides were splitting, occasionally made you rage or mourn the acts of the villains and their attacks on characters you'd come to call friends.

 

[Cranky]

Mass Effect 2
I literally fell in love with everything. It showed me how fun a third-person shooter could be.

Crash Bandicoot
The first game I remember playing that also got me interested in actually following gaming.

Halo: CE
The 2001 edition with so much replayability was my first FPS. Needless to say, it remains my favourite FPS.

Arkham Asylum
Everything I hoped for in a game. Awesome sneaking, action and immersive story and environment.

Spider-Man 2/Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Cannot explain.


5 is a small number really.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Riven
Another World
Secret of Monkey Island
Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday
Anchorhead

Not necessarily my 5 favorite games, but most representative.

Basically, dynamic and non-repetitive gameplay, difficult and thoughtful challenges and a cracking good story. I don't like being confined to any genre so I've represented RPG, Platformer, 1st and 3rd person adventure and text adventure with stories ranging from fantasy to comedy to sci-fi to horror. But whatever it is, it must be adventurous - I can't stand pissing around with "dramatic" and "meaningful" moments like relationship problems such as Heavy Rain and Walking Dead.

 

[Miles000]

Jazz Jack-rabbit.
First game my dad bought *cough cough* me, and first game I ever played.

CTR and Spryo demo hidden within CTR.
First console game. Played at a mates house, lead to me getting my own Playstation.

Command and Conquer: Generals.
Played it at my cousins. Bought my own PC and copy *cough* to play it.

Age of Empires.
I got this game out of a cereal box... Really...

Lets go with Halo: CE.
First time I ever played on an xbox was the Library mission... on legendary... with some seriously fucked up control scheme... Southpaw or something I think it was called. Also I had never heard of Halo, or played any FPS before that point.

I blame that nightmare inducing experience for my love of games that are relentlessly difficult.

 

[generals3]

C&C Red Alert: The first RTS i actually played and to this day RTS remains my favorite game genre.

Runescape: My first MMORPG on which i spent a ungodly amount of time. I also loved how quests were actually difficult and required some brains to complete. That game has ruined the questing experience in other MMO's because they seemed so easy compared to runescape's quests. (this might have changed though, i didn't play runescape for years but i remember a quest that actually took me an entire morning to complete)

Metal Gear Solid: My first shooter with an extremely deep and complex story that actually made me think about RL more than once.

Battlefield 1942: That game was just pure gold, the fun i've had with the vehicles was just so great i've never been able to enjoy 1st person shooters without vehicles as much as before i played it.

Civilization II: my first TBS empire building game, i fell in love with the game since i first watched someone else play it. There is just something i love about building my own empire and crush other empires.