Gaming

Red Dead Redemption. Probably stuck with me more than any other game Ive played. The story, the characters, the world, all of it.

Really hope it gets a rerelease

Black & White 1 and 2

The STALKER series really stuck with me for some reason.It's probably the familiarity of the landscape/atmosphere. Post apoc eastern Europe isn't that much different from normal eastern Europe lol

Barotrauma also stuck with me because of the atmosphere. Amazing game to play solo and feel the weight of the setting, although the bots you play with are a bit iffy and the multiplayer doesn't carry the same feeling of dread and isolation

The entire Witcher trilogy, but especially the Witcher 3. Replaying after reading the books adds so much depth the world and the political decisions you are forced to make. The world is beautiful, the ambient sounds and soundtrack are so good ("winds howling") and the story is gripping.

Half-Life 2. I have so many playthroughs that I lost count. At the time of release, the gameplay and physics were mind-blowing. The atmosphere over time got even better when Valve released bloom lighting. The water and sky were breath taking. I still go back and visit to this day.

When I finished Life is Strange 1, it just felt I lost a friend and it lingered for weeks. Whenever I was hearing the soundtrack, I felt really sad because of stuff that happened in the game.

Outer Wilds and Soma.

Both live pretty much rent free in my head since I played them.

Ori and the Blind Forest + Ori and the Will of the Wisps. So much can be said

Zelda Ocarina of Time. I was growing up when it came out and I was so little I couldnt' really play it yet, so I watched my big brother play it. Whenever he let me try, I woudl just run around on Epona around Hyrule Field in circles lol

Control, just so much fun

MMOs: Vindictus, BDO, and Lost Ark. Just with playing them for 2+ years ea, that creates a lot of fun and happy memories with the people I played with

No game has ever occupied so much of my mind as NieR: Automata. I beat the game, thought "huh, that was pretty good", and then thought about it again the next day. and again. and again. again. again. again. again. again. I just could not stop thinking about what the game was trying to say or how it made me feel, and it's just become more and more important to me as time has gone on. Really incredible game

Cyberpunk 2077. Say what you will about the state of the game, especially when it released. But there's something about the endings that keeps me thinking about the game and has me really excited about coming back after enough updates have passed.

The big ones for me are the one where I made friends and very personal experiences:

Tibia, Eve Online & Warhammer Online

Which reminds me, I haven't messaged certain former guild leader in a while!

Last of us. Only the first one though

Not a fantastic game, but the first Walking Dead Telltale series really hit me in the feels and so has stayed with me. The Witcher 3 definitely affected me, but it's hard to seperate that feeling from the books.

I'd say Kerbal Space Program, Factorio and Rimworld because whenever I play those it's like coming home, but since I'm always playing at least one of them, it feels a bit like cheating.

The feeling of the Tribes games is always there in my mind. I occasionally go back but the freedom of movement in that game is just so liberating. I never know why they aren't more celebrated. (Titanfall 2 comes close, but still not quite the same).

Battlezone 2 is IMHO another unsung classic. I loved the mix of RTS and FPS. Another one from before the mechanics of FPS and the general feel of motion had standardised (to a fault) which I think helps it keep it's hooks in me.

Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2. My favorite game series of all time. Honorable mention to Red Dead 2 and God of War Ragnarok. I’m a slut for cinematic games.

Persona 3 FES. It was a pivotal game for me. Beating that game was my gateway to more challenging RPGs and made me start paying attention to voice actors due to the amazing performances in that game.

The Witcher 3 (mainly the DLCs), the story was so good, like it's the only game I can remember where I was waiting to play it every weekend just for the story.

Ocarina of Time - the music is so amazing, I can still remember all of it.

Runescape Classic (like 2002) for making me impervious to scams - you get scammed by some players once and that sticks with you.

Disco Elysium, easily. I think about it daily, and it was just written so powerfully.

Hollow Knight and Ori Will of the Wisps pop up in my head constantly. They're atmospheric masterpieces.

Metal Gear Solid 2. The reveal at the end has stuck with me because 9/11 happened a couple months before and it was so poignant and apropos that my heart rate jumped for the entirety.

Deus Ex. For the same reason as above but in the opposite direction time-wise.

Outer Wilds. Like most have said. Amazing game.

Black & White. Playing god had never been so much fun.

Thief. Stealth in a way that had never been done before.

Morrowind. First RPG I wanted to do every little thing in.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I grew up in LA during the 90s. This game was the closest thing to using a time machine. The amazing story was just a cherry on top.

For me it was Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4, as well as Devil May Cry 3.

I used to have a pretty hard time thinking about what were my favorite games and the ones that changed my tastes and probably perspectives.

I realized that every time get asked this question the first games that come to mind are always these 3.

Well I would answer Outer Wilds (in particular, with the DLC), but since you already said it, ummm....

Probably Hollow Knight. I remember just loving the exploration in that game, and the difficulty made everything feel well earned. I haven't played Elden Ring yet, but it sounds like people had a similar reaction to that, but in 3D.

Neon white was super fun, still working in 100% for the good ending.

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is the easy answer for me. It hit me at just the right time, in just the right way. It was masterfully crafted. The sound track was, at the time, perhaps the best pairing of a video game and sound track ever made.

Mother 3 still affects me in ways no other game has, even to this day. It's truly a beautiful game.

Disco Elysium. There are so many good quotes, particularly out of the thought cabinet, that I remind myself of on like a weekly basis.

I was in a bad place the first time I played through it. The Precarious World and One More Door stick in the back of my mind constantly, and I cried like a baby the first time I read "In the dark times, should the stars also go out?" Never before has a game so emotionally resonated with me, this hope in the face of crushing despair, despite everything.

Your dog dying in fable (I think fable 2?) :(

Metal Gear Solid. All of them, but especially MGS 4 left me speechless and sad-tisfied. I played it pretty much every year until my PS3 didn't want to exist anymore. I still have times where I recall scenes from the whole saga.

world of goo. still my favorite experience in almost 40 years of pc gaming.

Starcraft, when the first one released and then the expansion, I always wondered what happen to Kerrigan/Jimmy and the Protoss templars. We don't have any official answers all the way until Starcraft 2 released. That "it's about time" trailer was about as hype as I can be for a very long time. And then it faded behind DOTA 2 and LoL.( I didn't even know when the 2nd one or 3rd campaign released. too busy with indie game/kickstarter boom and then Rocket Leauge. ^^; )

Medievil

The ending of Unreal 2 (the single player game) when your team have all died and left messages for you to listen to as you fly away alone on a spaceship