Can you tell me how it compares to Subnautica if you’ve played it? I’ve been looking for something that scratches that very particular itch that Subnautica hit so well, and so far I just don’t like the aimlessness of the other survival/crafting games I’ve played. Subnautica’s purposeful progression really hit the sweet spot.
I keep trying No Man’s Sky, but after 2 years I finally figured out why it never clicks for more than a few hours at a time: it’s essentially a live service game, which for some reason I never recognized. It throws all its updates at you immediately, which destroys any real sense of earned progression in some ways, and its economy is designed for frequent and persistent play and multiplayer, so if you’re just playing casually, progress is sloggy as hell in other ways. And there’s just a thousand discovered things to do at all times, it’s overwhelming. It’s my fault for misunderstanding, but I’ve been trying to play it like I played Subnautica, and that’s just not what this is.
The closest I’ve come so far to recreating the Subnautica magic was Dysmantled, which is a totally different game in a lot of ways but really terrific in its own right. Looking forward to their next game, Dysplaced, next year.
Anyway, I’ve had my eye on The Forest lately. Waiting for a sale, wondering if it will fit the bill.
The Forest should be on sale (just checked, it’s $5 on Steam until Nov 28), and it’s somewhat Subnautica-like. There’s a definite horror element to it, though, so in that way, it’s a different experience, but you still do the “find food, find water, build a base, craft tools” thing.
I don’t think it’s as good as Subnautica, but for $5, it’s still a fun experience, and there is an ongoing story/quest to give you something to focus on. I sank 8 hours into it in the first two days, and there’s still a ton to uncover, so I think it’s worth a play.
Pokemon (1st gen and 2nd gen -- plus some of the spin-off stuff from that era to a lesser extent) captivated me in a way no other games have before or since. Honestly, I hope nothing ever grabs me that hard again; it's kind of scary how obsessed I was in retrospect.
A number of N64 games also made a big impact on me. Majora's Mask was probably my second favorite game (after Pokemon) for many years. (OoT made an impression too, but I played MM first.) I loved the music in Diddy Kong Racing. I got 120 stars in Mario 64, and when I tried it again as an adult, I really appreciated how short and to the point levels could be (not that I played that way as a kid) -- also the camera in that game sucked. Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness kind of disturbed me a bit as a kid, but it's probably the first game I encountered a sort of "New Game Plus" in, which was neat. (People have since told me that's the "black sheep" of the series and that it's really weird that that's the only one I've played significantly.)
Duke Nukem 3D was the first game I modded, I think (very simple graphical stuff). Definitely wasn't age appropriate but I played the heck of it anyway. Didn't really get much into other shooters other than playing through the main game of Perfect Dark on N64 and playing split-screen Golden Eye with friends.
I also played a lot of Sim<Whatever> games -- particularly SimCity 2000, SimEarth, and SimTower. Also had a bunch of others like SimFarm and even some of the more obscure ones like SimSafari. Streets of SimCity and SimCopter being able to load SC2K maps was really neat though. Played a fair amount of other city builders and simulation games like Caesar III and Roller Coaster Tycoon too. My parents probably hoped I'd become some sort of business manager. :p
I had a lot of creative tools back then as well which I treated as not-that-different from video games. Various Kid Pix programs (one of which had a bunch of odd video clips integrated -- including a short documentary about jackalopes of all things), Kid's Studio, Digital Chisel, some version of HyperCard, etc. Game Maker -- which I found around the year 2000 back when it was still on www.cs.uu.nl -- ultimately led me to being a professional programmer.
If you'd be interested in a kind of spiritual successor, try CrossCode. Not exactly the same, the combat is very different, but the general exploration reminds me of Golden Sun a lot.
This is by far not my favorite game, but one that distinctly remember. I didn’t have any video game systems before I was 10, so my uncle let me borrow his. I played this sooo much before I had to give it back.
When I was a kid I used to walk to the movie store to rent games. I would go back every time I had money and rent Chrono Trigger, but some one would always erase my save, so I would have to start over.
On my birthday I got a check from my grandma that was for 50 dollars. I walked right up to the game store and slammed my check on the counter for one copy of Chrono Trigger. I didn’t know how money, checks, or sales tax worked.
Luckily, my mom bailed me out. I played that game for years. I still have such fond memories of that game.
It’s amazing that CT never spawned an ongoing franchise. Aside from the controversial CC, there have been no other followups or even remakes, only a remaster. It’s like the platonic ideal of a JRPG, sitting alone and unsullied in the timestream.
Mario RPG was my favorite (yes Im eating good right now). I like describing it as a toy, there are so many things to be done for no other reason than to have fun, enabled by the fact you're a platformer character in a 3D fantasy world. You cant jump onto the store's counter in other RPG's of the time, but you get to in this game, and you're rewarded with being scolded by the shopkeep. You can jump on all the NPC's, on wedding cake, pianos, hyperactive kids, all the beds, catapults. Jumping is often times your response to NPC dialogue.
super breakout on the 2600 was the game in our house when i was a kid. mom was the champ, though, forever and always. aided by the weeks of practice she got ahead of everyone else as she'd get it out and play at night before santa brought it
i wanted to like arkanoid and its variants on the c64, but all the ones i uh.. 'acquired'.. used joysticks, not paddles; and joysticks are just wrong for that type of game.
I'm thinking about the games I played in my childhood that influenced what I like to play now, so it might be only halfway relevant to the question.
First monster collector: Pokemon Blue. Digimon World 1 was also one of my favourites, because of how real it felt, like a real monster. The one other monster game I really got into as a child was Dragon Warrior Monsters 2, I think I played Cobi's journey. It helped that a lot of my friends were playing it.
First builder: Simcity 3000. Started my lifelong love for city builders, even though I'm not great at them per se.
Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper 2 were my introduction to management sims and also my favourites for a long time.
As a kid I absolutely loved this RTS called Warbreeds because of the ability to graft any weapon onto any unit. Nowadays though I just find such mechanics fiddly, but as a kid it felt so sci-fi. In terms of time spent playing, though, the standout RTS was probably Starcraft.
I also played on a lot of MUDs as a kid. Wheel of Time (but had never read the books), Discworld (but had also never read the books), Aardwolf and I think one or two others. I was amazed at how it felt like I could do so much (even though most of the "free" actions were just emotes.
My first graphical MMO was I think Maplestory, which was a huge part of my social life as a kid. I think I miss the feeling of being part of a big community than the MMO experience itself, honestly. Nowadays when I try getting into MMOs it feels like that feeling of being a part of a giant community of people is gone.
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