Games that hit you like a ton of bricks.

[ProfessorLayton]

Heavy Rain. Never has a game made me have to think about what decision I would make next as much as Heavy Rain. I actually wrote a full review for it here (shameless plug) [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.205308-Professor-Layton-Reviews-Heavy-Rain] and I was surprised at how hard a game could hit me like that.

 

[Xeros]

Definitely Fallout 3. I borrowed it from my friend expecting it to suck (I wasn't a big fan of Oblivion, and that's all he compared it to). Goddamn, I spent more time on that game than anything else I've ever played.

 

[CaseySmith]

Total Annihilation, Thief: Deadly Shadows, Silent Hill, Transport Tycoon, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Deus Ex, Unreal Tournament, Unreal, Civilization 4, Final Fantasy 7, Penumbra: Black Plague. I predict the next wave of bricks will be from Mafia 2, Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Civilization 5.

It's funny though, because I consider myself as overly critical of games, but I have the largest list yet. And no, it's not a list of games I really like, these did provoke a feeling of awe at some point.

 

[joshuaayt]

Majora's Mask. When I first played it, I was but a wee lad, filled from crown to toe top-full of cheery Ocarina of Time memories.
I played Majora's Mask...and cried, I think. That game was, is, really creepy.
But then I played it again a while later, and THEN the thing with the bricks happened.

 

[Yeager942]

Funny, I was clicking on this thread all set up to list PS:T. Glad to hear you've played it.

Lessee... Arcanum: Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura. Consider that a recommendation too, by the way, just patch the thing first.

Spoiler

When you meet Nasrudin, most of all.

Terranigma, especially towards the end. Portal. A certain scene in Bioshock (you know the one), multiple parts of Iji. The first two Penumbra games, especially the ending for each, but the games in general. Iji's even freeware.

By the way, all of these are PC games, except Terranigma, which is for the SNES. Have fun with that.

Dude, I finally got my hands on Planescape: Torment after hundreds of recommendations on this very site. I'm simply....blown away. I can't imagine how good this rpg is. I now know why some people claim rpg's have dumbed down. Jesus 'effin Christ.

 

[Dreyfuss]

In no particular order and I probably won't remember all of them:

Portal. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~! Speedy thing goes in, speed thing comes out! Also, GlaDOS <3

Shadow of the Colossus. You mean I get to fight giant monsters and ACTUALLY FIGHT THEM, not just hack at their feet and watch them flash in some arcade-y mockery of combat? SQUEEEEEEE~

Starfox. This picture perfectly reflects how I felt playing this game as a kid:

Spoiler

TMNT 4: Turtles in time. Don't tell me this music doesn't get ANYONE that's played this game pumped up.

Spoiler

Super Mario 64. First truly 3D game for a ton of NES generation gamers like me, and it was brilliant.

Devil May Cry 3. Those cutscenes, those moves, those boots o_o. It helps that the gameplay was amazing too.

Final Fantasy 12. SQUARE MADE A DECENT RPG IN THEIR MAIN SERIES AFTER 6? Shame they let me down with 13 again.

Monster Hunter Freedom. So much awesome packed into a portable game. The first time Rathalos lands in your innocent little egg-hunting quest is a true brick-shitter.

Zone of the Enders. Holy crap, it's a giant robot game done RIGHT. Story blew, but the gameplay was what I'm sure a lot of mecha fans had been waiting for. Now if only the multiplayer were a little more fleshed out and we could get a ZoE3 at some point.

Katamari Damacy. Na naaaaaaaa, na na na na na na naaaa, na KATAMARI DAMACYYYYY!

Cave Story. Best one-man game ever. Best free game ever. One of the best games ever period. Holy crap this game is awesome.

Half-life 2. GRAVITY GUN! Ravenholm! D:

GTA4. OMG EUPHORIA ENGINE! Euphoria engine is easily the most aptly named game engine ever. I was in a euphoric state running down crowds as they very realistically rolled over my hood, under my tired, and out of the way. The only GTA where driving into people slowly might be even more fun than doing it at top speed. SO much better than ragdolls.

Initial D. If you have ANY interest in drifting, even if you wouldn't call it an "interest" but you just think it's something fun to do in driving games, you owe it to yourself to find an arcade near you that has this game (version 3 is best).

Left 4 Dead. Best zombie apocalypse game ever.

Call of Duty 4. The roller coaster of FPSs. Nothing fancy or innovative, just non-stop adrenaline for about 6 to 8 hours.

Homeworld. Kharak is burning ;_;

Bangai-O Spirits. It's a Macross Missile Massacre in the palm of your hand.

Spoiler

Contra. That game kicked my ass and I loved every minute of it.

Mega Man 9. I LOVE YOU CAPCOM, why does everyone else forget the "retro" in their retro revivals?

Elite Beat Agents. This game actually makes me want to get up and dance. That's scary.


Anyway, please note this isn't my whole list of favorite games, I skipped a lot of games that are even better than what I listed, but didn't really "hit me like a ton of bricks."

Final fantasy IX, there have never been a better RPG.

Really? Have you played them all? Have you played all the Final Fantasies even? I've played FFs that haven't even come out yet, FFs that aren't actually FFs, and FFs that will never legitimately exist, and I can assure you FF9 is squarely (hehehe) middle-of-the-road just by FF standards.

 

[captaincabbage]

For me, nothing will ever beat the very first time you set your eyes upon a colossus, or any colossus hereafter in Shadow of the Colossus

 

[Blizzarded Soul]

Okami
Metro 2033
Ratchet & Clank 2
Max Payne
Dragon Age: Origins
Mass Effect

 

[Misterian]

Portal, on a crappy laptop, in the dark, with bad earphones and a sticky mousepad. Absolutely incredibly good game.

Also, Fallout 3. Walking out into the Capital Wasteland after 18 years underground in a Vault. Ebert, and anyone who agrees with him, has clearly never experienced that moment.

I agree with you on Fallout 3, it's even today still the best game I've ever played.

Also, Gears of War 2, I tried this game convinced I might genuinely find it generic, but it proved me wrong, it was fun, well varied, creative, and huge.

 

[Jennacide]

You've become a PC-elitist? Then do this:
1) Go buy STALKER: SoC.
2) Download STALKER Complete 2009
3) Install game and Complete update
4) Enjoy the awesome!

If you like the first game, get Call of Pripyat too. Clear Sky wasn't all that great, but it's version of Complete makes it much better. Still inferior to Complete SoC, which is downright amazingly good. A warning though, STALKER games are awesome, but have one redundant flaw (other than high PC reqs); thier final areas are universally bad. The last parts of all 3 STALKER games are the worst parts of the games, but getting to them and the actual story is worth it.

Only other game I insist people play is Torment, which you started thread saying you did. Cheers.

 

[Dreyfuss]

Also, Fallout 3. Walking out into the Capital Wasteland after 18 years underground in a Vault. Ebert, and anyone who agrees with him, has clearly never experienced that moment.

I agree with you on Fallout 3, it's even today still the best game I've ever played.

...something tells me you're both still in high school, tops.

Yes, I've played it. Fallout 3 isn't even worth acknowledging as something that exists. I don't hate FPS or wRPG or whatever you want to think I'm just ragging on, the game simply isn't interesting in ANY way to anyone that has experienced wRPGs before. FO3's only strength is its novelty to a generation that has never played a real PC game. The fact Bethesda is still in business is a clear sign the 90s generation is no longer in control of the gaming market.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Yes, I've played it. Fallout 3 isn't even worth acknowledging as something that exists. I don't hate FPS or wRPG or whatever you want to think I'm just ragging on, the game simply isn't interesting in ANY way to anyone that has experienced wRPGs before. FO3's only strength is its novelty to a generation that has never played a real PC game. The fact Bethesda is still in business is a clear sign the 90s generation is no longer in control of the gaming market.

Quite an assumption you're making here. As someone who did experience wRPG's before FO3 I did enjoy that game. True, it isn't as deep and well-written as most wRPG's, but I just loved exploring that world. The thought of a deep RPG like Planescape or Arcanum with modern-day 3D graphics makes me nerdgasm already... My gods...

 

[Dreyfuss]

Quite an assumption you're making here. As someone who did experience wRPG's before FO3 I did enjoy that game. True, it isn't as deep and well-written as most wRPG's, but I just loved exploring that world.

Exploration seems like the only thing that could be fun in a game like that, but what's fun about exploring a mostly flat, barren wasteland? I really don't get Oblivion and FO3. Maybe I just never found the interesting areas because they both bored me away so quickly.

 

[elvor0]

Quite an assumption you're making here. As someone who did experience wRPG's before FO3 I did enjoy that game. True, it isn't as deep and well-written as most wRPG's, but I just loved exploring that world.

Exploration seems like the only thing that could be fun in a game like that, but what's fun about exploring a mostly flat, barren wasteland? I really don't get Oblivion and FO3. Maybe I just never found the interesting areas because they both bored me away so quickly.

I found it was more exciting by the POTENTIAL what with all the mods, to me it was fun without the mods, and yes I played Fallout 1 and 2, waaaay before f3, before f3 was even announced, I grew up on planetscape and buldars gate and the like, so it wasn't like i was new to the whole wrpg thing, I just like exploring and stuff.

Besides with the classic fo weapons mod, the survival mods and the like it becomes a whole new experience, made hellish by having to survive so much more.

 

[tehweave]

Fallout 3.
Why? Because i had NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS UNTIL I PLAYED IT!

Same, pretty much. My roommates were passing around a copy of the game and were totally hooked on it. I watched some of the gameplay, then got my own copy, then started playing, then was addicted. FUN AS HELL.

 

[RowdyRodimus]

Batman: Arkham Asylum

It wasn't the deepest game, it wasn't profound in anyway, it was easy as hell but it gave me the kind of Batman game I've wanted forever. It brought back the "Detective" in Dark Knight Detective, well the best a game can other than just being a hidden picture game, and made you feel like Batman.

It was one of the few games in my 30+ years of gaming that made me go "Whoa", even if the ending was horrid.

 

[Audio]

Sonic Unleashed
The fast paced running levels reminded me of the fun i had on the dreamcast. What hit me like a ton of bricks was OMFG why did i buy this game?! It's shit! xD
And it was returned to the shop.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Sands of Time.

Went in expecting a crappy platformer.

I was wrong...

 

[CrashBang]

Zelda: Wind Waker
Resident Evil 4 (5 was stupidly awful, just saying)
Final Fantasy IX
God Of War
Fallout 3

Come to think of it, that's the list I give people when asked what my favourite games are
Still, they all blew me out of the water like a nuke hitting a dolphin

 

[Zac Smith]

52 Brick Pickup. For hard games I would say Ninja Gaiden, the demo beat the hell out of me