To celebrate the launch of our website and to help you get to know the crew a little better, I went out and asked the writers what their favorite games of all time are, and what games they’re looking forward to the most.
Tórbjørn
My top 3 games of all time, from least to most favorite, are Noita, Okami and Rain World.
I’m a big fan of roguelikes, and in my opinion, nothing in the genre tops Noita. With its deep mechanics and insane RNG, it’s so utterly unforgiving and cruel, that it constantly requires the player to think outside of the box. There’s so much variety in perks, spells and enemies, that I keep finding new things, even after so many hours.
Okami remains a masterpiece to this day. It’s basically bursting with pure creative energy, with some of the most entertaining mechanics I’ve ever seen. On top of that, the visuals are just incredible. The worst, but also best thing about it, is that it just doesn’t know when to end.
Rain World is not for everyone, but it’s definitely for me. An entire ecosystem is simulated, and you’re pretty much at the bottom of the food chain. For that reason, the game isn’t fair at all, much like how it isn’t fair for a lot of prey animals in real life. Rain World will kick your teeth in, and so I fear Stockholm syndrome has set in for me, because I love it.
Top 3 upcoming games: Kyora, Streets of Rogue 2, Okami Sequel
Benjamin
Three of my favorite games of all time, in no specific order, are Minecraft, It Takes Two, and Counter‑Strike.
Nothing beats the classics, and Minecraft is definitely that. The only limit is your imagination, and I love that the game does not force you to play in a single “correct” way. There are endless possibilities, and with its huge modding scene you simply can’t grow tired of it.
It Takes Two is a super fun and cozy game to play with someone close to you. I really enjoyed the split-screen display for several reasons, first of all, it gave me a kind of nostalgic feeling, like the classic co-op days of sitting side by side. Being able to see what your partner is doing also makes it easier to help, or just laugh when they miss the obvious way forward. The story, environment, and puzzles are all amazing.
Counter-Strike is probably the franchise I’ve spent the most hours on, everything from playing competitive matches to having fun on community servers with custom gamemodes has been a blast. I don’t play it a lot anymore, but it truly has a special place in my heart.
Top 3 upcoming games: Stranger than Heaven, Valor Mortis and KEMURI
Karol
My top three games I’ve played are (in no order) Disco Elysium, Outer Wilds, and The Witcher 3 Blood and Wine DLC (or the Witcher 3 more broadly if picking a DLC is too strange).
To me, Disco Elysium is the best-written work of fiction I have experienced, more than any book I have read or movie I have watched, and while I have some small gameplay gripes, its use of the game medium does still overall contribute much to the experience, allowing me to put it in my top three games as well as #1 story.
Outer Wilds is, to me, the best ‘game’ game, and what’s genius is that its narrative exists primarily as part of its mystery/puzzle gameplay, creating an amazing fusion that greatly enhances the richness of its tightly-designed micro-solar system, which is the real star of the show.
Finally, The Witcher 3 excels at its sense of place and is the most interesting and satisfying open world I have experienced, with the Blood and Wine DLC taking this to even greater heights – every time I listen to some ambience or music from it, it’s like honey is being poured over my brain. What these three games have in common are that they’re about places: being there, exploring them, living them; to me, going to another world is my favourite thing games let me experience.
Top 3 upcoming games: Prove You’re Human, Persona 6, Stranger Than Heaven
Lajos
The Talos Principle: What started out as some puzzles for Serious Sam 3 that didn’t work out in the context of that game, got lifted into a prototype and then this masterpiece of a puzzle game. The visuals and music still hold up today and the philosophical questions and answers from time to time (who we are, why are we here, is it all worth it?) woven into the narrative still give me existential nightmares, but also hope for humanity. I also played it during COVID which gave it an extra layer of narrative (And I loved the remake with the “In the Beginning” DLC too!)
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos: Basically this was my Super Mario 64, as in the first 3D platformer that I played, since I didn’t have access to a N64 back then. This turned out to be closer to the truth than I imaged, since Apogee Software first pitched it as a Yoshi game to Nintendo. Although the tank controls feel more like racing around the levels rather than actual platforming, I enjoy that. It’s a got cute visuals and style and there are some banging tunes in there.
Prey (2017): I just love everything about it. The setting, the visual, the storytelling, one of the best introductory twists and one of the best twist endings in my opinion. There’s replay value with the different approaches you can take to solving problems, and the GLOO Gun is the next best weapon-that’s-not-a-weapon after the Portal gun. I’m very sad about its original marketing (or lack thereof) and the closure of the dev team, this should have been a much bigger success.
Top 3 upcoming games: The Talos Principle III, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Rivage
Teo
My top 3 games of all time are Garry’s Mod, Borderlands 2 and Fallout: New Vegas.
My love for Garry’s Mod comes from the fact that it gives you total creative freedom to do whatever you want. All the addons created for it allow you to further customize your experience and discover new things to do. It’s definitely the kind of game that never stops being fun due to all the variation. It was also my first Steam game purchase, which unlocked hours of sandbox fun and experimentation for me.
Borderlands 2 is definitely one of the most fun looter shooter experiences I’ve had. Its humor, unique artstyle and lively world filled to the brim with interesting characters and quests to complete make it a truly excellent game.
My feelings towards Fallout: New Vegas are especially strong, since I’ve actually lived in Vegas for many years. Seeing familiar locations and exploring the Mojave really hits home for me. I believe that it is one of the coolest RPGs ever, and its perks, quests, detailed world, complex factions and different outcomes based on your choices really cement that belief.
Top 3 upcoming games: Postal 2 Redux, Neurospasm and Dad by the Sword
