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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