Ace Combat 7 in VR! It's so much fun having to track targets by moving my head inside the cockpit is such a unique experience. I'm a way better shot in VR too
God Hand has a dynamic scaling difficulty system akin to Resident Evil 4 (same director). The better you are at the game the tougher it gets. That said, the baseline level of difficulty is reflex-heavy & rewards careful observation of enemy attacks. Persistent players can get through most challenges, with the boss fights being the hardest barriers. I would compare the difficulty to Sekiro in 1:1 fights, the fights become this careful dance where one mistake can kill you. Hella fun if you're into it.
One thing Witcher 3 does better than most open world RPGs even now is being able to make consistent small-scale side quests that are arguably more interesting & well written than the main quest. Almost every village has a unique monster quest that could act as a short story in an anthology series. The tutorial zone, White Orchard, is a perfect example of this. Every questline links to another, and clever players can put together a storyline for the whole village over the course of several years.
Aside from that, the DLCs are amazing. Gwent is a blast, and the soundtrack is still one of the best I've ever heard in gaming. Geralt is a wonderful protagonist too, he's not the fantasy Batman that the marketing likes to portray him as. He's curious, empathetic, and isn't afraid to make a fool out of himself.
It's rough but in an extremely charming way! The wiki is extremely helpful for pretty much every piece of info you need on the game. The MHoldschool discord is also a great resource for questions & general help - along with going online & asking folks.
Most people use emulators! There's a weird bug on actual PS2 hardware that only lets 3 people do a quest at a time, plus having a keyboard for the chat at all times is really nice.
If you're interested in playing Monster Hunter Dos, join the community! Playing online feels like experiencing a slice of the old internet & online gaming. The server is full of kind, uplifting people excited to see others hunt alongside them!
I absolutely loved Persona 5, especially playing it at a politically turbulent time in my life when I was still figuring out what my values were and who I wanted to be. The whole message of doing something, anything resonated with me a lot. I also love the atmosphere of Tokyo they captured here. Being able to see foreshadowed events months in advance by talking to ordinary NPCs was so fun on a replay.
I'm in a weird spot where I actually prefer the Vanilla ending over Royal (while still greatly enjoying the additional Royal palace). The pacing of the vanilla ending gave me such an inspired "put the game down and go change the world for the better" feeling that Royal's more melancholy tone didn't capture. Also like some other comments mentioned some of the writing regarding Ann's arc & others (like adult women getting romantically involved with a high schooler) rubbed me the wrong way. If I revisit the game again, I want to try out the Rose & Violet (Kasumi as protag) mod as I've heard really good things about it
Signalis is fantastic, it blends the careful resource/inventory management of classic RE with the somber psychological storytelling of Silent Hill (specifically inspired by SH 1-3).
The basic premise is that you're an android named Elster searching for your lost human co-pilot after crashing your ship. The environments range from industrial machinery, to hellish twisting labyrinths, to dense urban corridors. The game is surreal, has an incredible soundtrack, and tells an emotional non-linear story. Highly recommend it.
It's interesting because only a couple of these I would call my "favorites", but they're the games I can keep coming back to and enjoy. Yakuza 0 has so many games within itself that I could get so much enjoyment from just playing Outrun. Similar to Tabletop Sim where mods could keep me engaged for a long time.
In terms of games I actually play all the time, Monster Hunter & KH2 are up there. In theory I actually prefer Bloodborne, but Elden Ring offers so much more exploration and variety that it feels like the better choice for this kind of list.
Seriously, I can't believe how bad ACNH fumbled the bag with progression and upgrades. Unlocking the various stores in New Leaf was so fun to experience over a long period of time. Then in New Horizons I got the singular Nook shop upgrade and... that's it? One update added the Roost but... that's it? Such a letdown to feel like I was playing a stripped down version of New Leaf.
Hope you enjoy the mod! There's also a City Folk Deluxe mod that removes Grass Degredation & adds a lot more stuff if that's more your jam
Ace Combat 7 in VR! It's so much fun having to track targets by moving my head inside the cockpit is such a unique experience. I'm a way better shot in VR too
The 1818 edition specifically says he eats berries & plants that he forages, & avoids eating meat
Hope you have fun! Godhand's a blast
God Hand has a dynamic scaling difficulty system akin to Resident Evil 4 (same director). The better you are at the game the tougher it gets. That said, the baseline level of difficulty is reflex-heavy & rewards careful observation of enemy attacks. Persistent players can get through most challenges, with the boss fights being the hardest barriers. I would compare the difficulty to Sekiro in 1:1 fights, the fights become this careful dance where one mistake can kill you. Hella fun if you're into it.
One thing Witcher 3 does better than most open world RPGs even now is being able to make consistent small-scale side quests that are arguably more interesting & well written than the main quest. Almost every village has a unique monster quest that could act as a short story in an anthology series. The tutorial zone, White Orchard, is a perfect example of this. Every questline links to another, and clever players can put together a storyline for the whole village over the course of several years.
Aside from that, the DLCs are amazing. Gwent is a blast, and the soundtrack is still one of the best I've ever heard in gaming. Geralt is a wonderful protagonist too, he's not the fantasy Batman that the marketing likes to portray him as. He's curious, empathetic, and isn't afraid to make a fool out of himself.
It's rough but in an extremely charming way! The wiki is extremely helpful for pretty much every piece of info you need on the game. The MHoldschool discord is also a great resource for questions & general help - along with going online & asking folks.
https://wiki.mholdschool.com/mh2/
Most people use emulators! There's a weird bug on actual PS2 hardware that only lets 3 people do a quest at a time, plus having a keyboard for the chat at all times is really nice.
There's a full english translation that works perfectly, no issues from my playthrough
https://break-arts.com/projects/mh2dos/
Hope you enjoy when you get to it! Highly recommend playing online alongside the single-player. Makes the grind more manageable & a lot more fun
If you're interested in playing Monster Hunter Dos, join the community! Playing online feels like experiencing a slice of the old internet & online gaming. The server is full of kind, uplifting people excited to see others hunt alongside them!
https://mholdschool.com/viewtopic.php?t=120
I absolutely loved Persona 5, especially playing it at a politically turbulent time in my life when I was still figuring out what my values were and who I wanted to be. The whole message of doing something, anything resonated with me a lot. I also love the atmosphere of Tokyo they captured here. Being able to see foreshadowed events months in advance by talking to ordinary NPCs was so fun on a replay.
I'm in a weird spot where I actually prefer the Vanilla ending over Royal (while still greatly enjoying the additional Royal palace). The pacing of the vanilla ending gave me such an inspired "put the game down and go change the world for the better" feeling that Royal's more melancholy tone didn't capture. Also like some other comments mentioned some of the writing regarding Ann's arc & others (like adult women getting romantically involved with a high schooler) rubbed me the wrong way. If I revisit the game again, I want to try out the Rose & Violet (Kasumi as protag) mod as I've heard really good things about it
Signalis is fantastic, it blends the careful resource/inventory management of classic RE with the somber psychological storytelling of Silent Hill (specifically inspired by SH 1-3).
The basic premise is that you're an android named Elster searching for your lost human co-pilot after crashing your ship. The environments range from industrial machinery, to hellish twisting labyrinths, to dense urban corridors. The game is surreal, has an incredible soundtrack, and tells an emotional non-linear story. Highly recommend it.
Signalis tank controls are optional btw!
Hope you enjoy! Lost Legacy has a slower start but my favorite finale in the Uncharted series
God Hands a great choice! I throw it on when I want something that I can engage with my whole focus on
It's interesting because only a couple of these I would call my "favorites", but they're the games I can keep coming back to and enjoy. Yakuza 0 has so many games within itself that I could get so much enjoyment from just playing Outrun. Similar to Tabletop Sim where mods could keep me engaged for a long time.
In terms of games I actually play all the time, Monster Hunter & KH2 are up there. In theory I actually prefer Bloodborne, but Elden Ring offers so much more exploration and variety that it feels like the better choice for this kind of list.
The sad answer is it's usually the option that leads to the least amount of harassment or chance of assault.
Internet Archive link
https://archive.org/download/epstein_202601
For anyone wanting a link to the full batch, the Internet Archive has it
https://archive.org/download/epstein_202601
Seriously, I can't believe how bad ACNH fumbled the bag with progression and upgrades. Unlocking the various stores in New Leaf was so fun to experience over a long period of time. Then in New Horizons I got the singular Nook shop upgrade and... that's it? One update added the Roost but... that's it? Such a letdown to feel like I was playing a stripped down version of New Leaf.
Hope you enjoy the mod! There's also a City Folk Deluxe mod that removes Grass Degredation & adds a lot more stuff if that's more your jam