The Disorientation

Games I Wish I Could Play Again For the First Time

I like video games.

Always have.

It's a hobby of mine. Playing them, I mean. I love them because they're interactive worlds to explore. Similar to books, they're chock full of interesting characters and believable worlds. You get to do things you would never in a million years do in real life (like rob banks in GTA V or slay dragons and interact with various fantasy species in Skyrim).

So I thought it'd be fun to make a list of games I wish I could play again for the first time. If my memory was wiped, I'd choose these games:

It's in no real particular order. I love these games for different reasons.

San Andreas is on the list because it was the first game I ever played on a computer. The first game where I realized entire worlds of characters and landmarks existed. I loved racing along the highway going from Los Santos to San Fierro to Las Venturas. Loved listening to the different radio stations, as the orange haze of near sunset gave way to the dark blue of night. I remember I replayed it years back and got hit with a train full of nostalgia at the opening music.

Skyrim because it was like a second home to me. It's one of those games I'll be playing forever. Heck, I literally started another playthough just last week. I love walking around in that game listening to the running water, the sounds of the forests, the ambience of a city, as the music gently hums in the background.

Red Red Redemption I and II because they're the only games I've ever cried to. Made me realize that digital characters can feel so real.

Persona 4 because it was my first foray in Japanese RPGs. It kind of sealed my interest in Japan and the Japanese language.

Minecraft because there's really nothing like it. That first playthrough, where you don't really know what's going on. Don't know the enemies that crawl out at night. Don't know any of the crafting recipes. And the music can feel so calming, but go dead as night when you dig deeper down and you hear the groans and moans of unseen creatures lurking around you.

Borderlands 2 because it really activated the completionist in me. All those hours spent farming Savage Lee to get the DPUH, one of the best pistols in the game. Or the fact that I must've played that game over a dozen times from start to end, playing through different characters and play-styles.

Dishonored and Prey really showed me the beauty of level design and art-style. Dishonored with its gaslamp or whalepunk aesthetics. Prey with its alternate history space setting. The feeling of exploring levels however you want, discovering nooks and crannies.

These are all games I truly love. I don't think I can give them justice with just my words, but there's one single constant: I'd love to play them all again for the first time.