Patient Gamers

Damn… I gotta try and be diverse… as much as my narrow taste allows anyway:

1. The Wonderful 101: my choice for a PlatinumGames ambassador.
2. God Hand: beat'em representation.
3. Ninja Gaiden 2: nonstop action and my favorite Team Ninja game.
4. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R: my favorite fighting game.
5. Hellsinker: infinitely replayable shmup.

1. Bioshock - It's essentially perfect, the only downside is I can never play it for the first time again.

2. Inscryption - It's an odd choice, since it's pretty meta, but it's a game that I think about too much to live without.

3. Doom - Purely for historical relevance, which cannot be overstated in this case

4. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - I spent an embarrassingly long amount of time going back and forth between this and LTTP, but Ocarina also represents maybe the best year in game development history so it gets the edge.

5. Slay the Spire - Basically the same argument as Doom - this game is a fork point in all development trends for at least 5, maybe 10 years after its release.

Bad Rats five times.

Half-Life 2

Halo CE (MCC version I guess)

F.E.A.R. + Extraction Point DLC (Perseus Mandate and F.E.A.R 2/3 were dogshit)

Metro 2033 (Redux I guess since that's the only way I can get good HDR)

SOMA

I'm assuming there'd be no online multiplayer or modding, as they'd be outside the realm of the game - it's content made by other people (and it's more interesting if you exclude them anyway), and I'm assuming there'd be no more updates (so only current or previous patches)

So we'd be looking for replayable single player games

1. Minecraft. If that's not on your list then you're joking
2. Terraria. Sandbox like minecraft, but the more legacy-focused scope of the game would be a nice change
3. Factorio. This game is called cracktorio for a reason
4. Monster Hunter world. Very replayable when you want to hit big monsters with big swords
5. Maimai. Bet you didn't expect a rhythm game to be here, bitch! With all other video games gone, maimai would explode in popularity, and I'd finally be able to play maimai locally instead of only in the city on the occasional day off. Yes, this list is just a place holder for the real number 1

• Sonic 2
• Oddworld
• Patrick's Parabox
• Crash Bandicoot 2
• Dead Space

If I could choose, then I'd choose for humanity, games that most reasonable people would go "yeah, fair enough".

(Note, if it were just for me, I wouldn't pick any of these lol)

• Portal + 2
• Stardew Valley
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Elden Ring
• Final Fantasy VII (or X)

For the good of humanity but also to try give the widest variety:
Super mario world - platformer
Final fantasy (which one i am not sure, not my expertise) - storyline rpg
Starcraft 2 - RTS
Need for speed - racing
Minecraft - creative

For me? The legend of zelda ALTTP
Donkey kong country 2
Pokemon Leaf Green
Super mariokart 64
Borderlands 2 (inc DLC)

Disco Elysium, Persona 5 Royal, Portal 2, Minecraft, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time :)

1. Immortal gates of pyre: my favorite game of all time is starcraft II and this is a spiritual successor that i desperately want to have all the current funding for RTS to go to

2. Portal 2, it's a given

3. Rushdown revolt, similar situation to immortal, smash but better designed but not nearly enough resources

4. Mass effect legendary edition, nothing needs to be said

5. deltarune

I chose mostly based on future potential and design decisions because if these became the only 5 everyone would flock to them and they'd suddenly have all the resources they need to succeed

Mass Effect 2 because it's one of my favourite games. The only issue is I don't know how enjoyable it'll be without the first and third game.

Red Dead Redemption 2 because it's one of the finest pieces of media, period.

What Remains of Edith Finch because it's a shining example of how creative and immersive "walking sims" can be.

Bioshock because the first time you experience the moment is indelibly inked into my brain.

Civilization 4 because it's timeless and the moment you boot it up to hear Baba Yetu, it feels magical and special.

• Garry's Mod
• Starcraft
• Team Fortress 2
• Minecraft
• Skyrim

that's already five - which one of these shouldn't be saved?

maybe Age of Empires 2, Stellaris, or Civ V instead of Starcraft?

maybe Oblivion, Morrowind, or Fallout 3 instead of Skyrim?

maybe Terraria, Stardew Valley, or Factorio instead of Minecraft?

maybe Counter-Strike, Half-Life 2, or Insurgency instead of Team Fortress 2?

This is an awful choice, a committee would have to decide this ...

we're really going to let all these games die?

not to mention games like:

• noita
• Rimworld
• Stanley's Parable
• Soma
• Alien: Isolation
• BioShock
• Silent Hill
• Amnesia
• Disco Elysium
• Grim Fandango
• Thief
• Beginner's Guide
• Cuphead
• Hotline Miami
• Celeste
• Command & Conquer
• tetris
• Super Mario Brothers
• Mario Kart
• The Legend of Zelda
• Pokemon
• Animal Crossing
• The Sims
• Halo
• Battlefield games
• Call of Duty games
• Grand Theft Auto
• World of Warcraft
• Doom
• Quake
• Mortal Kombat
• Street Fighter
• Dark Souls

You can find more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_considered_the_best

this question is evil, and I hate everyone's answers.

Pong, Tetris, Pac-Man, Minecraft, and petcii robots.

Since all of humanity will only get the 5 games

To encourage local play with your friends we will keep the n64 versions of Mario kart, super smash brothers, and Mario party 2. These are universally enjoyable to all ages and the top 3 local experiences imo.

For people inevitably desiring a strategy game I will choose StarCraft 1. And the RPG shall be Baldurs gate 3 because it allows full custom campaign mods and people can thus create any rpg in it.

Mario kart 64

Super Smash Brothers (64)

Mario Party 2

StarCraft 1

Baldurs Gate 3

Minecraft, Terraria, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Portal 2

Chrono Trigger

GTA V

Dragon Quest XI

Tetris (NES)

Capcom Vs SNK 2 Mark of the Millenium 2001

Not sure about 5,

but grim fandango should be one of them.

Dark Souls series, then will pretend all the games were that hard and every gamer was total badass.

Logically, these must be hell of a repayable ones.

Do we get to save mods, too?

That's a huge factor. It'd put Rimworld and Minecraft squarely on the list for me, and I'd have to think about the others. There are some ridiculous mod communities out there though.

First place has to be Kerbal space program. I can't think of another game as profoundly educational as this. If you can land a craft on the Mün, then you have a better understanding of orbital mechanics than the average NASA engineer.

Second place goes to Nier: Automata. It's a selfish pick, but I struggle to think of a more flawless game.

I want at least one multiplayer PVE game and one PVP game, so third and fourth places go to Minecraft (version 1.18) and Team Fortress 2.

Lastly, for fear that it will count as a video game and otherwise be deleted, I save Lichess.org from annihilation

Homeworld

Binding of Isaac

Ballistic.NG

Elite Dangerous

Silksong

I feel like this list encapsulates the best of their respective genres.

Homeworld’s mechanics are excellent, as is the art direction, sound design, and story.

There are roguelikes I enjoy playing more than Isaac, but I think it’s breadth, theme, and messaging make it the best pick.

Ballistic.NG is the only racing game that always gives you room to grow without becoming played out, to me.

Elite literally has the whole galaxy to explore, and like Ballistic.NG it has a very rewarding skill curve.

Silksong is a work of art; a Metroidvania so sprawling in its ambition, flawless in its execution, and so punishing in its difficulty that a game-starved society would surely come to view it as a scripture of sorts.

Roblox, Fifa 19, Chinese malware mobile game, Fifa 23, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600.

Elder scrolls Skyrim all expansions dlc

Age of empires 2 with expansions

Halo master chief collection

If it counts World of Warcraft classic as a private server

Baldurs Gate 3

It's impossible to pick out just five of the most important games ever, but I'd try to pick games that have important historical significance, have some degree of genre diversity, all while still being fun and thought-provoking games you'll always want to pick back up.

1. Ultima IV.

   spoiler

   The first RPG that wasn't a giant dungeon-crawling grindfest where you slay a wizard at the end. It has a big open world, fun NPC interactions, and fun tactical RPG gameplay for the time. Has a really good philosophical storyline that is integrated with the game mechanics, and it shows how creativity can form under constraints. Another good option would have skipped to the SNES era with Final Fantasy VI, which is slightly less retro but is more approachable and has an equally compelling story with stronger replay value and tons of mods/romhacks.

2. Resident Evil 2.

   spoiler

   One of the problems with choosing only five of the most important games is that the horror genre and the point-and-click adventure genre both are important in the history of gaming, but there isn't room for both. Resident Evil 2 blends both genres exquisitely in a really compelling, but also endearing B-movie story with lovable characters. The Walking Dead would have been another option, but it doesn't really have gameplay and it strays far enough away from the adventure genre that it doesn't serve as a good example.

3. Flower.

   spoiler

   The Indie Revolution was an important era of gaming history, and motion controls were really big back then. Beautiful, subtle story about overcoming depression. Roger Ebert was wrong and video games could be art. Any indie game during the Indie Revolution golden era (August 2008-September 2015) would fit here, but I picked Flower because, at the time, it challenged what people's expectations of what a video game was supposed to be. Games don't have to be challenging or about fighting to be legitimate. Doesn't have a ton of replay value, but it's the sort of game you'll always come back to during hard times. Barely beat out Stardew Valley, which is longer and has more replay value but isn't an "art game," which was very much the zeitgeist of the era, and Celeste which, in addition to having a beautiful ludonarrative story like Flower, would have also been a good mascot for speedrunning communities, but was created post-indiepocalypse and therefore isn't a good example of the era.

4. Nier Automata.

   spoiler

   A really engaging action-focused game with a good story and tons of replay value. Bloodborne and Bayonetta would have also been good choices, but I ultimately went this one because you'll spend more time on it, and there's a co-op mod. It does make this list RPG-heavy, but it's hard to find a pure action game with as much replay value and attention to the plot. It's still a skills-based game and none of the RPG mechanics will save you on the hardest difficulty.

5. Baldur's Gate III.

   spoiler

   I would put an open-world, choice-based game here. Even though BG3 is not a true open-world game, it has many the sandbox features open-world players like short of a fun physics system. It's the third entry in the series, but the game doesn't expect you to have played the first two games. Great mod support. I didn't choose other popular open-world/open-zone games because many have paper-thin quests that lack player agency (Daggerfall, half of Oblivion, Skyrim, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Breath of the Wild), don't work as a standalone experience (any of the Mass Effect Trilogy, the Witcher 3), are amazing but too small in scale to be good representatives (KOTOR, Dragon Age: Origins, Deus Ex), are too controversial (Grand Theft Auto, which railroads you into being a bad guy) or have a strong open world and player choices but terrible gameplay (Morrowind). I gave BG3 the edge over Cyberpunk and Fallout: New Vegas due to built-in co-op and endless replay value that would last a lifetime.

If this were a top 10 list, I would add Fallout: New Vegas (for a purer open-world sandbox experience), Super Mario Galaxy (a 3D platformer in a well-known franchise with a strong story), Celeste(the pinnacle of 2D platformers and speedrunners love it), Minecraft(an important social game with constructive cooperative mechanics), and Stardew Valley (best cozy game representative).

• Minecraft (It's a sandbox)
• Garry's Mod (It's a sandbox)
• Roblox (It's a sandbox)
• Skyrim (It's a heavily mod-able medieval RPG)
• Portal 2 (It's literally anything at this point: a web server, a game engine, a fucking computer, a lot is possible when the right people crack it open)

Factorio. Not sure I'd need anything else

Superman for the N64, E.T. for Atari, Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, Desert Bus and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing

The Kingdom of Loathing it's funny, it's free by you get great stuff when you donate, the writing is great and it's balanced as hell.

Thief the Dark Project, because I like it even though it's old.

Bioshock, because it's the best "game as art" example out there

Gary's Mod for shitposting

And even though I'm not that into Minecraft, I'll pick that one because you can make video games on it with Redstone so pretty sure that's a loophole to make Doom or whatever

• Stardew Valley
• Sims 4
• Skyrim
• Sim City 4
• The Arcana (app)

Can't say Mass Effect cause I would need the trilogy :(

All games for replayability!

Stardew I can play with friends.

Sims 4 and Sim City 4 are about building a life/world, so it's hard to get bored.

Skyrim is Skyrim- as much as i've played it I havent finished all storylines.

The Arcana has so many dating options with 2 different routes for each. The art is amazing.