The last game you played that really blew you away

Final Fantasy 10. I remember being utterly astonished that folks talked as it was the first FF game for the PS2. Had the best "leveling" system of any FF game i've played.
 
Zelda - All of them (Love the series)
Final Fantasy VII-VIII
Final Fantasy X-X2 on PS4
Grand Theft Auto V
Pariah PC
Turok PC
Need for speed the run PC
World of Warcraft till Mist of Pandora then it went kaboom
Walking Dead all of them to date.
Bioshock 1 & infinite
Alice Madness Returns
L.A Noire
Plants vs Zombies
Beyond good or Evil
Need for speed underground series
Batman series PC
Borderlands (All them are fun)
 
Dark Souls
The Last of Us
Tomb Raider (100% completion, and I just don't do that on games)
Bioshock: Infinite
 
Deus Ex HR. I'm a sucker for a good plot, good telling of the plot, and immersive atmosphere, and that game excelled in each. Oh, and the gameplay was fun, too. To this day I believe it was the best release of 2011, but it was drowned out by mobs of Skyrim fans going hysterical over that shitty arrow-to-the-knee joke and the other half-assed advancements Bethesda passed off as an engine. Well, I took that to an ugly place quick.

Prior to that, probably The Witcher 2. For some of the same reasons, but also due to the masterful visual works. In the first or second scene, when Roche opens the door to enter the interrogation room, the visual fidelity there gave me pause. Even some friends gave a 'woah' the first time they saw that scene. I distinctly remember a declaration of, "Woah, the graphics just got really good," or something to that effect.

As much as I wanted to say The Witcher 3--and it was indeed a great masterpiece--it fell just shy of 'blowing me away.' Due in part to I guess my more negative attitude toward the industry compared to years ago.

Still waiting on something to really deliver.
 
Arkham Knight was the last game that blew me away. Despite its many issues it was a great game.
 
Last of Us was probably my last really blown away experience.

Before that it was Mass Effect 3. I'd say The Witcher 3, but I kinda lost interest (dried myself out on sidequests) and haven't returned to it for a few weeks now.
 
Titan Quest and Expansion.

I was real late on this one. (2014)

It wasn't until I discovered titanquest.net that I realized how great this game really is....
 
Deus Ex HR. I'm a sucker for a good plot, good telling of the plot, and immersive atmosphere, and that game excelled in each. Oh, and the gameplay was fun, too. To this day I believe it was the best release of 2011, but it was drowned out by mobs of Skyrim fans going hysterical over that shitty arrow-to-the-knee joke and the other half-assed advancements Bethesda passed off as an engine. Well, I took that to an ugly place quick.

DX:HR didn't impress me at all, since it had previous games to live up to. Yes even the "hated by everyone" Invisible War impressed me more than HR. I'm not saying that it was a bad game, but it failed to deliver anything new, instead it took the elements of the original game, and served them on a silver platter for noobs. I've never ever seen a level design more obvious than in DXHR. In the original DeusEx it was fun and rewarding to find hidden entrances and secret rooms, in HR, it was so obvious that it was more straightforward to take the "secret" path than to go trough the main entrance. And they even included a "traveler" reward to make it even more blatant. Now look at what you made me do.
 
The Uncharted Collection has reminded me why I love those games so much. Having a 1080p/60 version with all 3 in a single package is even better. I can't get enough. Once I clear all 3, I'll probably make a run through 'em again.
 
I've been very disappointed with games lately. I haven't played anything recently that really sucked me in. Divinity Original Sin was great, but it didn't hook me like others have.

Looking back, the last one that really sucked me in was Mass Effect 1, then going back further before that it was Morrowind and Kotor. Oblivion was a disappointment, and while Skyrim was an improvement over Oblivion, it just didn't come close to the feel that Morrowind has.
 
Almost every game I've waited to play has blew me away in some sort of aspect.

But for some reason, however good the game was, I can't stand replaying it over again.
I don't like repetition and especially when I know what to expect. It doesn't fit me very well.
Only a select few will I pick up again after getting bored of them originally.

With this being said.
World of Warcraft grabbed my attention the most once I fully committed to it. When I first tried to play it during Vanilla days, I just couldn't get past level 20. I didn't have the drive to keep going and it bored me. Then I picked it up again and fell in love with the game for my first true play through.

I have never played a game at the time with such adventure, such excitement and an overwhelming feeling of being able to do everything and anything.

I think what got me off guard the first try, was the fact it was my first MMO and I had no idea how to play one and it was too much to take in. lol

Now, 10-11 years later, and because of WoW, I will always favor a great MMO over most games. Unfortunately, they are losing their appeal and the originality new MMOs bring to the table, just aren't that original. IMO
 
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I'm with you on that Eshlemen. I picked up WoW during TBC and instantly got hooked on it, which is the reason my backlog grew exponentially!

I guess i started losing interest after the Lich King. I played some in Cataclysm, more in Mists. But failed to make it to 100 in this last one. They killed it for me after they took away hybrids.

But I guess that's a good thing since I'm back on task to clearing my backlog!
 
YES
I played that LONG after it was out and thought it was an amazing game.
Alan Wake, yes, good call.

+1 for Alan Wake. I beat it twice on the PC (bought day one on xbox 360 back when it came out but never finished it on that). I may go back and play it again...I just liked it that much. Something about the atmosphere, the way the character rationalizes the various situations in his head, the smooth animations, great lighting effects. It was just a damn good game. Yeah, I'm playing it again.

Witcher 3, GTA V, and Final Fantasy IX were the others in recent memory that really "blew me away". I'm just a sucker for an engaging experience (may not be alone in that regard).
 
Was actually talking about this with my co-worker today.

I grew up in a time where most games were linear(Final Fantasy series mainly) and I really enjoy linear games that have a good story line. The 'sandbox' games have become the latest fade (imo) and I have not really played a good game that kept me playing in a very long time.

Final Fantasy IX was the last RPG that I completed that I completely fell in love with and still can drag me in for another 50 hours if I loaded it up right now.

The last 'sandbox' type RPG/game was Morrowind. I loved the story line and was just a great game. I did not take full advantage of the 'sandbox' aspects of it as I just stuck to the story line.

I will probably get flammed for this next one but I thoroughly enjoyed the Call of Duty SP campaigns. Did not agree with the price for rehashed game engines and stuff but thats not the topic. I stopped at Ghosts as Advanced Warfare did not look that interesting. Some were way shorter then I liked but they always had a very fun story line that kept me playing for hours.

When I did own a PS4 for a few months (collected dust most the time so sold it), I did enjoy a bit of TLOU but found myself rather bored after a few hours but I blame that on mainly my boredom with a controller over the game.

Lastly, Halo 1. Just an overall epic game. Could just play that game for hours.

TL;DR - Final Fantasy IX, Morrowind, Call of Duty SP games, Halo 1
 
Tomb Raider reboot, Super Mario Galaxy (played this around 6 months ago for the first time), and GTA V for PS4.

I got the GTA V and Last of Us PS4 bundle last year thinking Last of Us would be totally awesome. But ended up liking GTA V a lot more than Last of Us. I was not a fan of previous GTA games but they really did a great job on GTA V.
 
Witcher 3, GTA V, and Final Fantasy IX were the others in recent memory that really "blew me away". I'm just a sucker for an engaging experience (may not be alone in that regard).
Never really played any of the Final Fantasy games, but TW3 and GTA V had awesome SP moments. First time playing GTA V, I couldn't get enough of the story.
Trevor is hilarious.
I will probably get flammed for this next one but I thoroughly enjoyed the Call of Duty SP campaigns. Did not agree with the price for rehashed game engines and stuff but thats not the topic. I stopped at Ghosts as Advanced Warfare did not look that interesting. Some were way shorter then I liked but they always had a very fun story line that kept me playing for hours.

When I did own a PS4 for a few months (collected dust most the time so sold it), I did enjoy a bit of TLOU but found myself rather bored after a few hours but I blame that on mainly my boredom with a controller over the game.

I will admit.
The COD MW 1 and 2 campaigns were awesome.
Even WaW SP campaign was good.
 
I finished SOMA on the PS4 today... It was amazing! I don't think I've played a game start to finish so fast in years and years...
 
STALKER:Shadow of Chernobyl. Completely changed how I judged first person shooters. I was a die hard FPS fan,but was getting tired of the same old run'n'gun games,SOC changed all that. Fallout 3/New Vegas were good,and I'm looking forward to Fallout 4,but nothing matches the immersive gameplay of STALKER.
 
I agree with STALKER Chernobyl, and Alan Wake. Sleeping Dogs was one I really liked. Another was Max Payne 3. Papi Y Yo had an interesting feel, and was something different. LIfe is Strange is pretty engaging... Something I realize now all those games have in common is a unique setting grounded somewhat in reality.
 
Recent: Witcher 3, just because so much work went into it. Every leaf you turn over is a fully fleshed out side plot that could take hours and never feels detached from the main game. There was no filler content, the developer didn't take shortcuts. The amount of work that went into it is just staggering and it only becomes more evident as you get deeper into it. I cannot wait to see what they do with Cyberpunk 2077, good god.

ALL-TIME:
Red Dead Redemption, #1, perfect game, I couldn't believe the world I had stepped into. I never wanted to leave.
Borderlands (First person shooter Diablo with humor)
Battlefield 3: The first time I loaded into Caspian Border at the end of the beta was a real WTF moment, the explosions in the distance, the jets flying overhead, I was awestruck.
Dark Souls
Far Cry 1
Crysis (It took me a month to get past the first stage on the beach because I'd get sidetracked doing sandbox things like watching the physics of a barrel thrown up a hill roll back down and seeing it pushing plants aside as it came, shooting the guys in the patrol boats, or watching vehicles explode when a grenade was thrown underneath). I think my eyes moistened the first time I saw the explosion of the handheld nuke.
 
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I'll try to do one from every generation since the SNES/Genesis era. That's when I got my first console, so I guess that was the beginning of actually being a gamer.

SNES/Genesis:
Sonic 2 - I thought the speed of the game was the coolest thing. Mario suddenly felt like a slow game.
Chrono Trigger - this one is an asterisk for me. It's actually probably my favorite game of all time, but I didn't play it until years and years after the generation was gone. Amazing story, fun to play, decisions that change how the story plays out...near perfect.

PS/N64:
Mario 64 - playing in a 3d world completely changed the way I saw games
Perfect Dark - I remember being blown away by the multiplayer. Basically Goldeneye perfected.

GC/PS2/XB/DC:
Phantasy Star Online - my intro to the world of MMORPGs
Halo - I remember thinking how cool I thought the game looked from an aesthetic point of view
Morrowind - Yeah, my PC couldn't run it, so I played on Xbox. I couldn't get over how amazing the world was. I never actually played the main story and still put hundreds of hours into it. Finally breaking into the Vivec vaults is one of my favorite gaming memories.

PS3/360/Wii:
Last of Us - the culmination of near perfect story telling and gameplay

PS4/Xbone/Wii U:
Sadly nothing here yet. Destiny would have probably gone here if it had turned out like they originally planned.

PC (anytime):
WoW - I fell in love with the seamless, huge world back in 2004
Starcraft - the first online game I ever played
Counterstrike - I was blown away that a mod could be so good
Witcher 3 - the amount of love that oozes out of every aspect of this game is incredible
 
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I wasn't really thinking as detailed as some of you that posted after me, but there are really a lot of games that come to mind that I really enjoyed. I like a lot of games, but there are only a few that I play where I never get the feeling of "let me just get to the end of this part and I'll turn it off, so I can say I got that far...".

Alongside W3, GTA V, Alan Wake, and FF9, I'd definitely have to include Max Payne 3 (was just plain, awesome action), and most definitely WoW. I don't think I've ever played a game more than I did WoW. It was just the best "all around" game - it had social interactions, tons of content, massive world, etc. In fact, I still play it, and will continue to until the servers shut down (whenever the hell that happens).

Eshelman said:
Never really played any of the Final Fantasy games, but TW3 and GTA V had awesome SP moments. First time playing GTA V, I couldn't get enough of the story.
Trevor is hilarious.
9 is a great way to start Final Fantasy. It was basically the last big FF game on the PS1, and really delivered in story, atmosphere, quality, etc. It was also admittedly, my first FF game as well. I grabbed it on my Vita last year and it's one of my favorite games to play on-the-go.
 
well so far anyways.

For me:

The witcher 3 - simply great and really reignigted my gaming love 10/10

batman arkham knight - a flawed gem, after interim patch a quite good game (and i LOVED the others) 8/10

MGS V - supreme presentation and technique - but flawed ending. 8/10

Best games in years if you ask me.
 
The last game? Murdered: Soul Suspect. Not much of a game but more storytelling. I enjoyed it.

Before that, Alien Isolation. Never has a game frustrated me more, but no matter what, I couldn't stop playing until I beat it. Its longer than I expected it to be, and the atmosphere was spot on.

Also, The Evil Within. I Love horror that is both psychological and physical, and this game delivered on both. I played start to finish and hope for a sequel, but I'm not holding my breath.

Also, along with everyone else, before that, The Last of Us and the Uncharted series.

And I can't forget to mention to wolfenstein the new order and old blood. Awesome reboot/sequel to the series, I had a blast just blowing everyone up.

Before that Its my go-to list.
Stalker, fear, half life, the suffering, manhunt, shadow of the colossus, and little big planet.
 
Of all time.... easy, Everquest. It was so new, so novel, and so utterly unforgiving. Every dungeon, encounter, were all mini-events, every single day.

Beyond that... Quake, Fallout 2, SS2, HL2, Borderlands, STALKER, MW2... have all been very memorable.
 
Recent:
Witcher 3

Other:
Morrowind
Battlefield 1942
Chrono Cross
Chrono Trigger
 
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Only takes about 8 hours to beat, but you get totally immersed in the world. Only $10 on steam. Well worth it.
 
Just finished Everyone's Gone to the Rapture. Very difficult game to explain, it's like an interactive video book. Completely unlike anything else I've played with an incredible story and incredible moments (even though you do nothing but slowly walk around). I had goosebumps four or five times while playing the game, it can be very intense, however nothing is ever chasing you or timed.
 
When I didn't know what to expect and wasn't sick of the music and some sounds, Warframe.

Did someone update Deus Ex visually and finish that?
 
I have to say...

Journey.

I played it when it came out on PS3 and I just replayed it on PS4 and I was in tears by the end. Truly remarkable game.
 
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