'I become 10 again anytime I hear any theme from Pokemon': 40+ Gamers share the games that hold a special place in their hearts

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 10, 2023 9:00 AM EDT

There are times in your life when a story or a work of art will speak to you in volumes that exceed the bounds of the original creation. Whatever the reason, the place, or the time, that thing stuck with you—maybe it filled a void in your life, or maybe the story, music, or something more abstract resonated with you at that particular moment, or maybe it was a means to connect with people in a way that might not have otherwise been possible.

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  • When it comes to games, there are quite a few that are particularly close to my heart in their own way. The Xbox Live era games of Halo: Combat Evolved and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare through to Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 2 on the Xbox 360 brought some unforgettable multiplayer memories in a way that doesn't exist in the microtransaction-riddled landscape of gaming today. Somewhere in the midst of that lay Super Smash Bros: Mele bouts that started in middle school and carried on into higher stakes matches in dorm rooms at University—and which could never be equaled by any online gaming experience. A little further back, fierce games of Mario Kart 64 against grandparents and cousins established hierarchy and bragging rights amidst adventures with Link, Mario, Banjo, and Kazooie. 

    Still, the games that remain dearest to me in my heart are the ones that were played curled up cozy in a corner somewhere with my Gameboys (Pocket, Color, Advance, and then DS—in that order) pixelated sprites leading me on wild adventures through boundless worlds, aided by endless free time and imagination. In a time before you could find the answer to everything online, there were endless mysteries to explore without a constant bombardment of social media telling you everything you missed or did wrong and how you should be playing the game.  

    This collection comes from several different online communities, posing the same question to community members: “What's a video game that will forever be in your heart no matter what age you reach?” See their answers below, and feel free to let us know yours in the comments.

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    Organism - What's a video game that will forever be in your heart no matter what age you reach?
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    Font - binary-cryptic World of Warcraft, it consumed so many hours of my 20's. I've got memories of so many raids and our late night conversations. There was drama and romance: two of my guild mates got married, one of them faked his own death then pretended to be his own son then got caught and admitted to it all, some of them actually grew up in our guild. The game itself was great, but the social aspect made it an amazing time. 535 Reply Share
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    Rectangle - www. LAS VIGT James H Final fantasy 7 Like Reply Hide cccccc 1w 33 James H was a goodgame Like Reply Hide Send message 6d bro no cap I miss my psp that
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    Font - Opin88 The very first video game I ever played was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I was 4 years old when I first played it and I'll always love it! ↑ 1.4k ↓ Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Jayare Hi Megaman X M M
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    Font - TheKnife142 Roller coaster tycoon Edit: Love to see all the RCT fans!! How about the fact this game used to come in boxes of cereal!? Anyone remember those glory days!? Reply Share 5.1k
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    Rectangle - Top fan Nicholas Al Mega Man, 007 GoldenEye, Tetris Like Reply Hide 1w Edited 6
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    Font - JayVeeBee Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 4.3k Reply Share don_cali that soundtrack was top 5 video game soundtracks of all frickin time. 793 ↓ Reply Share
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    Rectangle - © Top fan Emily Go Tetris & Dr. Mario
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    Font - SheSawaShiisaa The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Knights of the Old Republic, StarCraft, and Jet Set Radio Future. 660 Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Jessica BL Legend of Zelda Like Reply Hide Send message 6d 5
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    Font - Yahkoi Star Wars Battlefront 2 2005 Classic. I have fond memories of playing it with my dad around 10 or 11 years ago. It strikes joy in my heart each time I boot it up and play! Me and him used to boot it up on our PlayStation 2, and would sit down and play it for hours. We'd do Galactic Conquest, Instant Action, and the Campaign. All we had so much fun with! Edit: BTW for more info, I am 17 years old. Me and my dad played this when I was around 6 or 7 at the time. 3.7k ↓ Reply Share ●●●
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    Rectangle - Ponchie Bu NBA Live 95 Like Reply Hide Send message 5d
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    Font - AdAutomatic2433 Diablo 2 588 Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Jan Hi ha Kingdom Hearts ALWAYS
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    Font - Confident Law9563 I become 10 again when I hear any route or town theme from pokemon red blue and yellow. ↑ 3.7k ↓ Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Francisco Ri Final Fantasy XI.
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    Facial expression - Leanne S The Sims
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    Font - Herald_of_dooom Skyrim. And knight of the old republic Reply Share 2.0k
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    Rectangle - Top fan Dave H World of Warcraft
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    Font - Carguy_1992 Gta Vice City and San Andreas. 2.4k Reply Share Kerberos42 For me, it's just GTA in general. I've played every version since I think GTA 2.I bought a PS3 just to play GTA IV, and bought a PS4 just to play GTA V. I'm turning 50 this year and can't wait for GTA VI, and will buy whatever PS is available then. 520 Reply Share
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    Dress - Jeremy G Age of Empires
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    Font - don_valley Crash Bandicoot ↑ 713 ↓ ConfidentDragon Reply Share ●●● Sony Computer Entertainment Europe presents... ♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪ A Universal interactive studios production... p*** *This game... Created and developed BY NAUGHTY DOG... Праздаввалда 225 CB 3 has the most memorable intro to any game, at least for me. Reply Share
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    Rectangle - PD De Gears of War
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    Font - ryabrams 007 Goldeneye 3.1k Reply Share Key_Swordfish_4662 656 ●●● 3rd year university, Friday nights, 2 large Pizza Hut pizzas (stuffed crust meat lovers), 4 of us, and an N64 with 4 controllers we rented from the Blockbuster downstairs. Grenade launchers in the Temple. Forever etched in my brain. Edit: I love how everyone who's played this game has their fave multi-player config, and there's so many iterations! Reply Share
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    Font - Robin Se Morrowind
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    Font - Purpledragon84 Chronotrigger 1.1k ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Mike R Super Metroid, hands-down.
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    Font - HedHuntr2 Halo: Combat Evolved. ↑ 938 ↓ Reply Share ●●● Good_Fires This 100 %. Old enough to have the OG console and play on the Duke controllers. Remember endless nights 190 playing against friend via LAN/system link. Pizza, soda, and all the insults you could rattle off. Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Tiylar B Pokemon, Zelda, Paper Mario series
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    Rectangle - Esther H Final Fantasy 1, the hours playing with my little brother watching over my shoulder will always bring warm fuzzy feelings.
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    Font - lights_Owt Donkey Kong Country. Such a beautiful game 2.8k Reply Share PuzzleMule Soundtrack is top notch. 494 ↓ ●●● Reply Share
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    Font - Kaye w Yoshi's Island
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    Font - TIM13013 Portal and Portal 2 for sure 1.2k 1.2k AStorms13 Reply Share SPAAAAAAACE!!!!!! 125 Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Sam St Earthbound, it's such an underrated classic
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    Font - No_Finish_2144 Duck Hunt ↑ 901 ↓ OH Gbone85 Reply Share ●●● I remember getting this Xmas day! Best day ever, also getting super frustrated with game and putting the gun right up against the TV screen ↑ 128 ↓ Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Michael W Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past Like Reply Hide 1w D14
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    Font - HapaxLego608 Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 2.7k ↓ Reply Share ●●●
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    Rectangle - Felipe Ge International Super Star Soccer Deluxe D♥ by 7 Like Reply Hide 1w
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    Rectangle - Casey D Final Fantasy VII PS1 Like Reply Hide 1w DO 18
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    Font - НАНАНАННАНАНАНАНАНЕН Super Mario world ↑ 1.0k ↓ Reply Share orange_square A lot of people say SMB3 is the best 2D Mario game, but I've always loved Super Mario World. Yoshi is so freaking cute and fun to ride, the ghost houses are awesome, and the artwork, music, and gameplay are all just so great. One of my all-time favorites. 169 Reply Share
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    Rectangle - Top fan Sherri D Mrs Pacman
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    Rectangle - Keven c Castlevania Symphony of the Night
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    Font - Zingerela Oregon Trail, the OG video game ↑ ↓ 1.1k Reply Share
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    Font - junostik Half-life ↑ 929 ↓ Reply Share ↑121 121 ●●● Psychedelic Lizard I've had every scientist line memorized since I was 9. Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - A_Dehydrated_Walrus Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 731 Reply Share
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world of warcraft Pokémon the legend of zelda gaming online gaming halo super mario gaming memes pc gaming xbox video games zelda mario ask reddit
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