Finding Your Favorite Game - Game Discovery in a Crowded Market - Extra Credits

You ever just feel swamped by the number of game titles out there? Sometimes it's easy to miss gems in the tidal wave of games on every storefront. We explore the 5 biggest reasons why you might not have found your favorite game. From localization issues, to niche storefronts like itch.io or dmm.com, to different cultural taboos, there's a lot to navigate! What is your favorite overlooked game or platform?
And thanks to Z & Parker from serenityforge.com/ for guest writing this episode!
Thank you all so much for participating! It was an amazing experience to get back to the game jams and see that this was the biggest one yet. There were so many amazing entries, we strongly encourage you check some of them out for yourself: itch.io/jam/extra-credits-gam...
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#ExtraCredits #Gaming #GameDesign

[@extrahistory]

I'll share my two big recs: If you're looking for places to discover writing about video games, I recommend giving www.critical-distance.com/ a look. They're a great site that compiles a lot of different thoughts on games and gaming and definitely worth a peek. One of the games you might not have tried that's a favorite of mine is, ironically, published by Serenity Forge: Where The Water Tastes Like Wine. It's like Extra Mythology and Extra History squeezed together as you hitchhike your way across America during a... nebulous kind of time. It explores how stories are made, how they get told, and why we share them and it is gorgeous in a way that makes my heart ache for home.

[@jerryakerstream8569]

Awesome thanks, my grandson is your biggest fan, he loves extra history, and Sci Fi. Favourite was you space travel series.

[@bluelake713]

Jerry Akerstream that’s fair it was a great series

[@mitochondria6247]

uh, kinda late, but isn't that game one of the ones that went free a week or two ago on epic?

[@Gmackematix]

Does anyone else have a song by The Cardigans going through their head after this video?

[@erens208]

But what if your favorite game is a AAA game or franchise hmmm

[@ancillarity]

Kudos for talking about emulators honestly.

[@SergioBobillierC]

Just six words: "Games you may not have tried" 👊

[@MookalH]

Oh man they should bring that back

[@morgothainur9389]

We need that back

[@agapitoliria]

Please do, I did actually find some incredible games thanks to those videos

[@SamButler22]

That's how I got into Paradox's strategy games, and I have now put in thousands of hours!

[@piteoswaldo]

I think half my Steam library came from that series. Still haven't played Enter the Gungeon, though. Sorry, Mat.

[@acebalistic1358]

0:06 for reference, if you tried to play every steam game over the span of a year, not counting new releases, and you didn’t do anything but game, you would get about 18 minutes per game.

[@luigivercotti6410]

That...doesn't sound that bad, actually...

[@lakefish7743]

Some might take longer to load, to be fair..

[@acebalistic1358]

@@luigivercotti6410 that's not accounting for wait times, loading, lag, crashes, eating, sleeping, using the restroom, download times, new releases, moving, breathing, or any of that

[@jizaod88]

Oh pretty much the time some reviewer put into playing the games they review

[@nafrost2787]

I'm know this isn't the point, but how did you arrive to this number? They said steam has 30,000 games, meaning if you devote one year to all of this games, (on average) you would spend 86,400/30,000 = 2.88 seconds per game.

[@bassman9261995]

A new fav game a friend recommended to me is “Baba Is You”. It’s got this cool puzzle mechanic that relies on code blocks that you can mix/match to change the rules of the game.

[@Lordsofplural]

yes

[@Niko-ex3bn]

Its a wonderful little game that I quite enjoyed.

[@bilbobaggins8378]

Baba is u is super hard and I googled all the anders

[@mambodog5322]

Baba is incredibly difficult though, so be warned.

[@danielemazzali9810]

If you like puzzle game that game is awsome. Like Stephen sausage roll or snakebird

[@BirdMoose]

One of the big things I think should be mentioned is that a lot of the games that you run into are either broken or just bad. This creates the dilemma that trying to seek out new games (especially from indi devs/ devs you aren't familiar with), is often an exercise in playing dozens of unplayable games to find a few decent ones, and trying hundreds of broken and mediocre games to find something truly special. Not that you shouldn't try just a frustrating reality of the system.

[@Kenionatus]

That's where professional (or semi professional) reviews can help a lot. Even if you don't know whether you'll like the game after watching, you'll know whether it's well made or not.

[@whateverthisis389]

Yea,there's alot of bad games out their,some,the Developers just don't have the equipment to make a good game,some just lack common sense,some do have the equipment to make a game,just not the equipment to keep updating,while most are just ways for Developers to make Money-Grabs

[@bidbux9500]

I discovered my favourite game just a year ago. I don't know what I found in Hollow Knight, but oh boy did I find something in it! Its character design, art style, simplistic yet sophisticated gameplay. I just love everything about it!

[@eanschaan9392]

Dude, same boat here. I absolutely love that game.

[@firebal6129]

Same! I somehow (and I’m not proud of this) put 40 hours into that game...within a weeks time I love hollow knight SO MUCH

[@sharkastic2633]

Best game ever (That’s an opinion).

[@jackg1135]

Same, dude!

[@Hexzeed]

its a great game, But you never know if that game really is the one. maybe someday you’ll find another favorite. though imo thinking that theres a game thats the one is pretty... meh.

[@MontyBeda]

My favorite game changes depending on mood and moment in life, meaning the less time I have to play the more I prefer games that do not have time and load quickly and are easy to pause and quit if needed. So I guess it is neverending quest to find the only one favorite game.

[@robertserban2422]

How is this comment posted 22 hours ago?When the video just hit

[@the_void996]

I agree, that’s why I think people instead should ask for a list. When people ask me what’s my favorite game I usually don’t want to bother explaining, so I just choose something most people know like Minecraft.

[@acebalistic1358]

How do you have a comment from a day before the video was released

[@MontyBeda]

@@the_void996 I always use lists. I can never have just one favourite thing. And videogames are no exception.

[@MontyBeda]

@@robertserban2422 I am patreon so I get link to video 24 hours earlier.

[@Serenityforge]

Thank you all so much at EC for the opportunity. We hope this will help folks find their favorite games, and maybe also help developers reach their favorite fans!

[@jannegrey593]

I do realize that you probably won't respond, but does anyone have an idea IF there is an "unofficial" translation to English of this Game "Taiko Risshiden V"? Or plans of an official translation? Sounds like something up my alley.

[@Serenityforge]

@@jannegrey593 I wish there is one too. It's a game I'd love to share with my friends.

[@adaml5886]

@@Serenityforge Do you know of any way to purchase a legitimate copy (in the US) of the Chinese version?

[@grammarmaid]

My face lit up when I saw your logo at the start of this video. The King's Bird is one of my favorite games of all time, and how I best know of you guys. Playing and re-playing that game helps get me through hard times. Thank you so, so very much!

[@itsallinthesoup2543]

Everyone should play "Thomas was Alone". So much is done with characters that have the most basic designs possible (every character is a rectangle)

[@OpaqueDreamer]

I second this, it's one of my favorite games. I was amazed by how much I came to care about a group of rectangles.

[@Ahrpigi]

"It's unreasonable to expect gamers to purchase every console and pay $60 per game" AAA Games Industry: *shocked Pikachu face*

[@GamesAndWhales]

Also AAA Games Industry: Raises cost of games to $70 plus all the previous extra monetization.

[@Ahrpigi]

And still can't even pay their staff appropriately or eliminate abusive crunch. Gotta give those CEO bonuses though.

[@brumagemm]

Uhhhh, they absolutely know this. That's why Microsoft is buying ZeniMax, so fans of Elder Scrolls, Dishonored, or Fallout will buy those soon-to-be XBox exclusives not just for game sales but so fans have more reason to buy XBoxes and less reason to buy Playstations

[@OSDisco]

@@brumagemm That's not the purpose of exclusives. If anything, bethesda fans who get ps5' s would end up spending more money to get xbox' s.

[@kyletrite4779]

So it’s basically like dating...

[@kaboomluong9373]

At least you can refund some

[@CleverClothe]

I'm pretty sure I haven't dated over 300 women. So definitely not dating.

[@oldramen373]

Exactly, sometimes you gotta date people that dont cost $60

[@TheSugarRay]

Dating is supposed to be fun. That is why there are dating games.

[@prestonjones1653]

@@TheSugarRay I thought those were for people like me who are lonely but also have crippling depression and social anxiety?

[@Mariofan7]

I would also recommend to actively seek youtube channels that give attention to smaller titles. Recently I've been watching "I Dream of Indie", and as the name says they mainly cover indie titles. There are tons of small channels like these

[@Paper-dust]

Like Get Indie Gaming

[@insaincaldo]

Yeah, seen lots of games through LP channels, it's also a great way to experience games that interest you, but you can't play.

[@danielemazzali9810]

Snowman gaming suggested lots of good games too

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks for the shout-out Michele! 😀

[@dens790130]

Thank you for those , i've just subscribed them all ;)

[@somebodycooliguess1597]

I recommend The Sexy Brutale. It's not sexy or particularly brutal. You're in a 1920s mansion/casino thing and the guests are getting picked off one by one by the staff. You have time travelling powers you have to go through the night over and over trying to save them all. Not much replay value but it's really charming and the soundtrack is a banger

[@totalynotcatherine]

"Aww, remember theaters?" I'm now depressed.

[@Shrooblord]

My favourite passtime......... maybe there'll be theatres again after The Current Situation..........

[@tulsatrash]

Wax.

[@chaomatic5328]

*laugh in french*

[@totalynotcatherine]

@@chaomatic5328 Wait... Are French theatres open? I'm moving to France, bye!

[@stevenn1940]

I just realized that savvy people should have brought back drive in theaters. Literally a theater with built in social distancing.

[@XerosXIII]

my favorite game recommender always says: _Hey hey people, seth here"_

[@hannibalburgers477]

hush you will offend extra credits.

[@misterwheatley1386]

>Haven't found your favorite game *Laughs in Paradox games*

[@antoninedelchev6076]

Laughs in Factorio

[@mitochondria6247]

Ah, a man of exquisite tastes, I see.

[@GabrielShitposting]

@Ethan Tobias THE FACTORY HAS TAKEN ME HOSTAGE *HELP*

[@Daniel-yy3ty]

puny hoomans, making such a ruckus just to build a flimsy rocket with not enough boosters...

[@skyler6175]

Technical aquasition successful

[@StellariumSound]

Really surprised to hear words like DMM and RenPy even mentioned. Twine is a personal favorite.

[@HealyHQ]

Hell, yes!

[@conk444]

My favourite game is Space Station 13, a roleplaying atmospheric calculator space employment simulator.

[@CoffeePotato]

"You Haven't found your favorite game yet"....*awkward staring at several 500+ hour Tactics Ogre saves and challenge run from the last decade*

[@houmand]

Lucky for me, I found Witcher 3. Absolutely astonishing levels of quality. Sensibilities right up my alley. And I'm one of the few that loved the sword combat - cranked that difficulty and mastered the sidestep and roll.

[@blitszina2570]

0:44 I see a reference to spirit farer and I absolutely love it

[@crossgamer2261]

I started playing this a few days ago and I can't get enough. Such a great game!

[@blitszina2570]

@@crossgamer2261 I know right, not gonna lie one of the characters made me cry

[@mekafinchi]

One of my favorite lesser known games is A Dance of Fire and Ice, a small 1-input rhythm game which has given me 17 hours with just as many levels, and I haven’t even beaten them all! It’s also got Steam Workshop support for custom maps and an in-game editor. Truly excellent

[@mimicmey]

I love the music in that game. The art is pretty nice too.

[@ten.seconds]

It's a game crafted with love.

[@7thBeatGames]

Hi, glad you like our game

[@mekafinchi]

:o

[@fal_pal_]

Everyone needs to be buying games on itchio, they're the most developer-friendly + consumer-friendly game marketplace around, period.

[@themore-you-know]

So what happens when your favorite hidden gem suddenly becomes one of the biggest games of the year? "Among Us" is a polished copy of a 2011 or 2012 Starcraft2 custom map called and based on "The Thing". The task system was extended and the chatting is reserved for meeting sessions instead of local space, but it's otherwise very close to its source material.

[@IAmPancake]

huh.

[@JiMii78]

For anyone who liked Ace Attorney, try Ghost Trick. It’s the AA creator’s masterpiece. this is how I introduce my faves

[@arnaldosantoro6812]

5:25 As a musician, those notes kinda hurt They are written backwards :(

[@shinobix4925]

Damn, I didn't even notice that

[@sheepphic]

Music notes look like p's and d's, not q's and b's (my band teacher's mnemonic was that you want to be paid, not quibbed), and the flags (the little line coming off of lone eighth notes) always go to the right

[@kerentan9446]

that annoyed me a bit too :/

[@keksitzee1094]

unless adjacent notes are simultaneous and there isn't enough space to write them on the same side

[@technonine7586]

Oh god, that explains why that musi note looked so wrong

[@hebl47]

I have too many interests and enjoy too many genres to just settle on *ONE* favourite game. But I think I can say that I've ticked a few categories as favourite (so far existing) game found.

[@fivemonkeees]

Anything by Christine Love. "Analogue: A Hate Story" is an absolute gut-punch of a game.

[@lordlagomorph]

Some hidden gems I've found- "Lisa the Painful" (one of my all-time favs) and "Long Live the Queen"

[@mhollis1989]

My process: 1) hear of game 2) look up games for gameplay 3) (If what I find is to my liking) Save for game

[@Catlover-zu2uq]

Omg i needed this so much thank you so much!

[@makotoyuki345]

I’ve already met my significant other Me and Tales of Symphonia have been together since I was 14, we’re even the same age too

[@omriorgad7771]

What's the game about?

[@Miyakans]

That was a fun one.

[@tuamigajordana]

I get you, me and Chrono Cross have been in a relationship for 22 years.

[@daetur]

@@omriorgad7771 JRPG with a very bright and kind of cute style that masks a pretty serious, and at times, pretty dark story with themes about sacrifice, discrimination, and personal bonds. Has some decent twists. If you've never played any of the Tales games, they do a great job of focusing on character development and party interactions with a lot of little skits and scenes, and have a really nice active battle system that's a breath of fresh air from turn-based JRPG fare. Highly recommended the series- and Symphonia is one of the best- if you're a story or character-driven gamer.

[@thedavischanger]

Cloudbuilt - a single-player, third-person parkour game Divinity: Dragon Commander - a mash-up of Risk-like strategy, political decision making, and shallow RTS

[@thedavischanger]

@Evop Fx I don't feel very w.

[@jafar257]

People for love of all things good don't sleep on 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.

[@shanesteinhauser9680]

Buying my copy today!

[@107zxz3]

At a convention I went to, there was a section for local indie games. That's where I found my all-time favourite: Hacknet

[@RickyBalboa]

Ascendant is such an underlooked game which makes me crazy. It's a 2D rogue like beat em up with wonderful art design

[@DwyllAbandonedAccount]

I already found my favorite game out of Crusader Kings 2, and im hoping CK3 takes over that

[@dieland9011]

My favorite game is Dont Starve Together

[@Eggx3]

Yaaaay

[@xtv62]

Terraria is definitely among my favorite games. The game start slow but there is so much to do and see, you discover new equipments and weapons, getting progressively better and better. It's a great game whether you want to just relax and mindlessly mine ores, build and decorate your house and world, organize your items or get into harduous and exhilarating battles against bosses and events!

[@timothyhunt2117]

this is less obscure but stonehearth is a good town building and resource management game.

[@owensilberg2966]

Good ol' r/incrementalgames for me, lots of fun games there that I love, and that don't take a huge time commitment to see success

[@ten.seconds]

Ohh, didn't know that's a thing.

[@demolisherman1763]

I think I’ve found my favorite game, the masterpiece of Team Fortress 2. Although I’ve *only* sunk in 1300 hours so I’ve got a lot to learn. But it’s a great game and I don’t know what game I would like more, although I do have some verity with other games but tf2 is what I’ve spent the most time on.

[@TheRealE.B.]

TF2 was the game that made me realize that shooters could actually be fun.

[@bukler3934]

Agree dude, I clock at around 2500 hours (not accounting for some idling), and it's a marvel of a game with an even more amazing community

[@forevermasteri4330]

This video excites me to present three of my favorite indie games (played on PC, through Steam)! ! || _The following three video games also came to home consoles._ ========== *CrossCode* ========== * Released in 2018 (PC, Nintendo Switch) || CrossCode is a single-player Sci-Fi Action-RPG with pixel graphics and a gripping story/plot. You play as a blue-haired _Spheromancer_ named Lea who has lost her memory playing the in-universe MMORPG _CrossWorlds_. She is mute, limited to the words programmer Sergey hard-codes into her speech module. Over a long emotional journey to recovery, she meets other players, battles enemies and solves deep Zelda-like puzzles across the game's world. _CrossCode_ has a lot to teach and does it well, but there is a game option to turn off the tutorials if you want to. You can also fast-forward through almost any cutscene or set of dialogue by holding down a single button. || ==================== *Dungeon Defenders (1)* ==================== * Released in 2011 (PC Spotlight) || The Old One's Army event was added to _Terraria_ through a crossover between that game and _Dungeon Defenders II_, but this is a spotlight on the first _Dungeon Defenders_ game, DD1, not the more well-known sequel. DD1 established the series's unique hybrid of Action-RPG combat and Tower Defense gameplay. The player, or their team of 2-4 people (2-6 on some maps), must defend Eternia Crystals from hordes of enemies, by summoning defenses (towers) and/or fighting the monsters directly in-combat. _Dungeon Defenders 1_ is a deep and complex game, especially with all its paid DLC. Some of it is essential, but these days, the full DD1 package often goes on-sale for under $20.00 USD. This is a game designed to be played for hundreds of hours (in total). Not everyone can afford or wants to invest that much playtime into a single video game. Compared to its sequel and more recently its remaster: _Dungeon Defenders: Awakened_, the first game has outdated graphics in places and noticeable design flaws. However, the newer games have their own set of problems. Despite its old age, _Dungeon Defenders 1_ is my all-time favorite tower defense game! I only came back to DD1 this year, after its final update last year. Now if you ever see me in-game, you might wonder why I got heroes named: "Empress," "Queen Vanessa," "DJ Grooves," etc... || ============ *A Hat in Time* ============ ██ ▔▔ * Released in 2017 (PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One) || THIS GAME, the *"cute as heck"* 3-D platformer, is a *masterpiece* and personally: *a miracle experience!* _A Hat in Time_ is my new super-passion and obsession! It revitalized my mental health after a Nintendo game catastrophic last year and resurrected prolong happiness that has been long dormant.

[@youtubewatcher7957]

My favorite game (that's gotten some more visible love lately) is Wandersong. It's exactly the game that 2020 needs. I'm also a big fan of A Short Hike for when I just need a little bit of calm in the day.

[@highwind1991]

Resident Evil 4 and I found each other 15 years ago and it's been great lol

[@tristanwegner]

Shout out to SplatterCatGaming (first hour of a game) and Clemmy Games (compilation of many games) for introducing me to many fun Indy games, that are rarely talked about.

[@SamButler22]

18 years ago, on a PS2 of all places, I found Deus Ex and haven't looked back since. I actually remember being in Game with DX in one hand and Spider-Man 2 in the other agonising over which to get, the kid who worked there was like "Do you need any help? Oh, yeh they're very different, I can't really help"

[@cydouzo]

"Off" by Mortis Ghost. An amazing hidden gem, with a deep mind twisting story and fantastically disturbing art

[@sufjanwaleryszak1765]

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator aka TABS is my favorite game!

[@calebfouts7118]

One of mine too

[@shitfart1459]

Mine too

[@Empyric]

Such a good genre

[@theguy2193]

Finally, One of these amazing episodes again!

[@luyxamian]

Endless sky is my favorite, basically a newer version of escape velocity it's pretty simple, but still fun

[@horstweinert7204]

Let me shout out a game Ive never seen covered anywhere then: Ring Runner Flight of the sages

[@jorixpalorn3738]

That was a good one!

[@zp3413]

CrossCode is an incredible game and criminally under played and talked about. It's action thrilling, it's story is beautiful and has twists I really didn't see coming. It's just amazing

[@angeldude101]

Hey! I was wondering if I'd find another CrossCode fan here! The dungeon added in the new expansion is absolutely _breathtaking!_

[@Rehteal]

Here are three obscure ones that need some attention: Neoverse - Like Slay the Spire, but with drastically more choice and agency, and just well presented in general. Troubleshooter - A Korean turn-based tactics game with XCOM-like gameplay, and JRPG levels of depth, plus some solid visual novel aspects. Madness: Project Nexus - It's a 3D game based on the Madness Combat cartoons of Newgrounds fame. It's very good, very close to full release, and made with immense passion by a tiny, skilled team.

[@notafangirl]

Love my local library for finding games I never expected, whether good or bad. It's how I've found my favourite game Little Nightmares, and I'm hella excited for Little Nightmares 2 next year.

[@tnecniw]

My favorite game o f all time... Is actually quite well known. Hollow knight :D (SILKSONG WHEN?! D:)

[@MoRkaha]

Haven't played HK in a while.

[@traceable7875]

A hat in time is my favourite game!

[@lostrobotmusic]

Yeeeeeessss, the levels with the Conductor and that haunted mansion were so good!

[@piguyalamode164]

My favorite game as of today has to be Celeste. I've done all the things I set out to do in Celeste... and yet I just can't bring myself to say I'm done. Just a glorious game in almost every way.(and it's not very expensive and goes on sale too)

[@bahmet6928]

There isint enough time to play them all Nolife gamers: *are you challenging me?*

[@insaincaldo]

The answer is yes.

[@Yellow13Firestorm]

this is why I like lets plays so much. you come for the personality of the youtuber but you also get to see so many games you wouldn't see otherwise. Take for example Chuggaaconroy. Very energetic and i love his sense of humour and his freak outs, but he showed a lot of games i had only heard of in passing one time or not at all. Okami and Xenoblade come to mind.

[@GrassesOn97]

America: YEAH! GUNS, EXPLOSIONS, GORE, TOTALLY ACCEPTABLE!!! (video games shows nipple) America: AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

[@Zarsla]

I saw Serenity Forge. And was like I know them... And then I was like... they made Four Sided Fantasy. I love FSF, It's fun.

[@maewilkes8883]

I love this video! ♥️ People need to know about these things and it helps to build stronger communities around particular games. Good job, folks! 👍

[@AlexTheUruguayan]

I bought "Into the Breach" from Epic Games Store for 0$ and it's well-worth at least 15$ more than that. Fantastic puzzle fighting game.

[@seanv42]

People really have to reflect on why they love games. What exact game experiences and styles do you prefer? Spending a few weeks thinking about exactly what you like in your games has a big impact on your enjoyment. I personally found that rapid decision making was important to my gameplay. So I started looking for fps's with lots of strategic decision making, such as hunt showdown and escape from tarkov.

[@thehelencheng]

My recent favorite gem is GNOG! The colors, music, and toy-like designs are so pleasant and relaxing. The puzzles are fun and not too hard. It's short but very satisfying. Basically the perfect game to unwind after a bad day.

[@kerbo312]

my favorite game is DCS, a game you probably never heard of, it's a 1 to 1 simulation of many modern aircraft, i highly recommend this to any fan of aviation

[@muddrosal8065]

MouseHunt: It's a browser/mobile based slow-play MMORPG that you play in the background of your everyday life. The game has had regular updates since it was created over 12 years ago and the majority of the players have been playing regularly for many years, I myself have played since it started. Mousehuntgame.com It's a slow game to start, but it really picks up once you get deep into it! Also there is a large and friendly community built around it and the developers have weekly livestreams where the players can chat about the game with them.

[@scottyoung4226]

I'm not a huge gamer, but I loved a game called Limbo, and recently bought a game called Inside from the same company. I love them. They are both 2D sidescrollers, but they have auto-save checkpoints after virtually every obstacle. So, the games are both a lot more about figuring out how to get past each obstacle, rather than being about how quickly you can press the right combination of buttons.

[@markguyton2868]

As someone who wants to enter the game industry (or at least find a job for experience at this point...), things like this do kind of scare me if I ever get the chance to build and release something out there for people to see. I guess I'll jump that hurdle if I reach that point. Also, try Monolith or Zero Ranger for any Rouge-Lite or Shmup fans out there. Both are pretty good gameplay and story wise.

[@SocraTetris]

I dont think its extremely hidden, but The Talos Principle is one of my favorites, simply for gamifying actual, philosophical dialogue and philosophy-history without reducing it to just a set of mechanics. And its completely unlike any other game the studio has made

[@fredgerd5811]

My biggest tip for finding great games (idk if I believe in having a single favorite) is to stick with studios, esp indie ones, that deliver games you love. Watch for what they do next. Chances are those developers are chasing similar interests to yours and thats why they made a game you already love.

[@GammaFn.]

If you love platformers or miss arcade racers, check out Nitronic Rush. It's free! Then, if you like Nitronic Rush, go get Distance on Steam. It's the spiritual successor made by the same team, which greatly improves on NR.

[@lochlanhanham8308]

I always like to think of it as "my favourite game so far"

[@TheCreepypro]

great to see this from you guys especially since you guys used to do a series promoting less popular games that people may not have tried while all the ways and resources you guys listed here are good it would be nice to see your guys personal recommendations from time to time as well

[@shanesteinhauser9680]

As a Genesis/SNES collector I'm blown away by the number of hidden gems on those systems. Tons of excellent games from the 16 bit era simply had bad marketing or limited reach. As a result they barely sold. Decades later those games have been discovered by retro enthusiasts and demand hundreds of dollars per copy. One of the reasons I go to Opencritic is so that I can find obscure, but excellent games that I never would have known about otherwise. Good game reviewers can shine a light on an otherwise hidden gem. I think a lot of people take that for granted these days.

[@DekuOfPower]

Gameplaywise, my favorite game right now is VVVVVV. It's a semi-open world 2D platformer, and one of the best made of its genre I've ever had the pleasure of putting my hands on, using its gravity switching mechanic to great success. And the lack of normal jumping gives complexity to seemingly simple challenges.

[@Slimecantdefeatme]

I played that game on 3ds forever ago, super good game! Though I was never able to get all of those optional orb things.

[@kristiann8676]

Kingdom Come Deliverance is definitely my favorite game of all time

[@davidjeang5783]

I'd like to add a note. Online Playthroughs for games you have slight interest in, but aren't on the highest priory can be quicker and satisfy your need if the game isn't something you're willing to buy but want to at least experience. Plus you can multitask to a degree while watching if you have a multiple monitor system.

[@oegaboy]

Psychonauts is such a surreal experience filled with some dark humor to lighten the mood.

[@wolfstarchaser]

I wish I'd heard about the Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter before the day after the game launched. If I knew then how much time I'd spend in that game, and the advantages of Kickstarting it, I'd have thrown my money at it instantly.

[@jordanrejon5091]

My day always gets better when extra credits uploads

[@juanandrealvarezmeza6179]

My favorite game is outer wilds. It is an open world space exploration game. You have the same abilities throughout all of the game and you can get to anywhere on the map from the beginning. The only thing that prevents your progress is knowledge about the world. It is incredibly well designed

[@turtlecatpurrz]

I know that this isn’t exactly niche since all of these are on Steam, but the amount of joy I have gotten out of Mr Driller DrillLand, Hero U, and AudioSurf knows no bounds.

[@_0_restart_0_]

A wildly underrated game is Holdfast: Nations At War. An indie game made by Anvil Game Studios. You fight in the napoleonic wars with 149 other players with old muskets on huge battlefields. It recieves free updates and actual fun;not toxicity. Its on steam for 20 dollars and you can join regiments for immersive linebattle events on discord! If you are into history and games, you might enjoy it :)

[@yahelgoren9111]

5:40 oh remember theaters ):

[@Gnidel]

I know my taste good enough to know that a game to be my favorite needs to have a great soundtrack and fast-paced gameplay. The first part helps a lot with finding great games - I just need to find good soundtrack, exclude turn-based JRPGs and the game will have a high chance of ending as one of my favorites.

[@riflemanpickles7013]

Darkest dungeon is one of my favorite games. It is a difficult dungeon crawling rouge-lite that instead of losing progress you lose your heroes and might to start over again if you lost your best ones, but you do keep progress in shops you buy upgrades in. It is a mostly random game ie. What heroes you get to choose from to add to your roster after each dungeon, though with the notable exception of the 4 final dungeons which are always the same. There are also many factors that go into a run through of a dungeon such as hoping you get good encounters, hoping the dungeon layout is good, hoping you don't get the thing from the stars which is a mini-boss you can get if you have the endless harvest dlcs, managing a health bar in addition to a stress meter that if it gets to high then it might give your character a negative debuff or a heart attack that will either kill your character outright or bring them to 0 health if the meter gets to high. There are even more factors that go into your run like hunger or the torch level, but there are too many to explain in this one comment. Over all it is very fun even though it is challenging, has great voice acting and music, and is very challenging even on the easiest difficulty. If you like any of things you should check it out. In the end it is one of my favorite games and something you should check out if you read to the end of this really long comment.

[@Firzenick]

Lost Magic is a tactical RPG where you draw and combine your magic in an almost RTS fashion, it's an amazing game and I have never again found anything like it. Wizard of Legend is a recent roguelite where you collect spells, magic items and outfits to take into dungeon delves, spellslinging about. Both of these games had quite the retro aesthetic even for the time, but used the newer tech to make that old style look more gorgeous than it could have at the time and I'm just waiting to find another game like either of these, or I'll end up having to go and make one myself.

[@TheSkyRender]

My main sources of new game ideas are actually KZbin content creators. Some are more obscure than others, but many of them feature games that I would never have found otherwise. Favorites include RTGame, DangerouslyFunny, and Let's Game It Out. Through them I have found some great indie gems over the years: Factorio, Forager, Hydroneer, My Summer Car, Rec Center Tycoon, Satisfactory, Stardew Valley, Subnautica, Super Life (RPG), and more...

[@The_Somewhere_Monarch]

The Shadow Hearts series for the PS2 is a dark fantasy role-playing game series that I absolutely love. Radiata Stories is another hidden gem which sold less than 400k copies, although that’s more of an action RPG. Also for the PS2 is the Timesplitters series which is my favorite FPS franchise with a greater focus on humor and customization (including a map maker, over a dozen game modes, and individually tweaking rules down to the exact spawning of weapons). These are some oft forgotten games of the past that even most of my close friends have only ever heard me talk about.

[@theirishace923]

Hidden masterpieces: Battlestations Midway Battlestations Pacific Men of War Assault squad 2 Call to Arms World War 2 online Call of War Conflict of nations: World War 3 Homeworld remastered collection Ravenfeild Steel Division Normandy 44 Theater of War (only for old computers) Unturned Post Scriptum Squad 11-11 memories retold These are mostly tactical type games, I really enjoy them all and not many people know about them and if you are not interested in tactical games the still might appeal to you

[@Managarm]

One of the best and sweetest games I ever played was "The Fabulous Screech" by Jonas Kyratzes. I will never forget that game

[@yitzhakkornbluth2554]

Turn-based puzzle: Deadly Rooms of Death. The first game is free, the others are fairly cheap. User-made levels are available too.

[@bleh329]

I challenge the idea of having only one, or select few, favourite game. Of all the games I’ve played, I have an actual list of 24 favourites. All considered for how much I enjoyed the gameplay, how often I go back to them, how moved I was by the story and characters, and/or how well each element of the game contributed to the overall experience.

[@vozhdenko932]

My favorite game is something you've probably never heard about: S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl

[@LordAsheye]

Earlier this year a friend recommended the Shadowrun series of CRPGs and they quickly became some of the best games I ever played. Played both Dragonfall and Hong Kong, though if I had to choose one I'd say Hong Kong is slightly better as the gameplay and graphics are a bit more refined.

[@sandropazdg8106]

Fav Childhood Game. Battle Arena Toshiden 4. Decent 3d fighter with 10 also very good minigames including puzzlefighters and asteroids. Sure nowadays you can get those minigames on any ftp app but for a 10 y/o with a whole summer to spare and not cash surplus it was heaven.

[@floatingtablestudios6287]

when you do the extra credits game jam on itch without knowing what they are (4 weeks later video pops up on youtube) Oh they make videos?