The last game that truly gave me the feeling you described is Lies of P. It was my favourite game of 2023 and the 60 or so hours I put into beating it were very well spent.

Like a Dragon : Infinite Wealth

Dayz currently. Before that, Rimworld. Before that, factorio.

A link to the past, I couldn’t put that down once I started it

Games really have to strike a chord with me to stick around in my memory. The last ones that truly left an impression were from when I first got into gaming. I can still vividly remember the impact of Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, GTA 3, and Vice City and San Andreas—they consumed my thoughts entirely. The allure of uncovering hidden secrets, areas left unexplored, that's what really drew me in. Half-life 2 was a mind-blowing breakthrough with its physics and storytelling. But nowadays, that spark just seems to be missing. The closest I've come recently was with Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm. The thrill of snatching a victory against the odds, the sense of connection with total strangers—it was something special. It's the only game that still gets my heart racing these days. However, I've found myself drifting away from HotS more and more; it feels like the game is losing its luster (or maybe it's Blizzard who's letting it fade... or perhaps MOBAs in general are falling out of favor). As for recent gems that really struck a chord with me, I'd have to mention Hollow Knight, Control (seriously underrated in my opinion—easily one of the best metroidvanias out there, if not the best), and Baldur's Gate 3, which was unexpectedly captivating.

Modded Factorio and elden ring.

Crusader Kings 3

Palworld! Couldn't stop playing it with my friends, it was such a blast! I say "was", because we quickly all got to level 50 and now we're waiting for a big update that'll make the game fresh again!

Desperados 3. I've put in close to 100 hours on it and I'm just 4 achievements away from completing all its challenges. I'm so bummed its developer had to close down a few months ago because their games are criminally underrated and are from a very niche genre.

I got back on the Warframe wagon with the Whispers in the Walls update. After a long break, I'm impressed how much better it is, and it's hooks are firmly back in my brain. The new location and the throat chanting type soundtrack from the semi-hidden boss regularly flash into my brain at awkward times.

Right now, Death Stranding.

Edit: I went back to look at the reception of this game from at its release. It did great at the VGAs, but general consensus on Reddit and other forums negative. I also remember how much The Giant Beastcast shat on that game (I stopped listening to them pretty soon after that too, but for unrelated reason).

Currently hooked on Humanity, which I just got. I played until 6am the other day...

Help me.

World of warcraft. With season 4 coming out soon and spending time with guildies doing mount achievements, I'm getting hyped for new stuff to do

The Finals has been my default game — if none of my friends are playing anything else — since it launched

Age of calamity is most recent. Not so much for the gameply but i got hugely into the BOTW lore and seeing everything before it got nuked to shit latched onto my obsessive little heart.

PC gaming, War for the Overworld

RDR2

The Finals, can't get enough of it since launch. Pushing for top 1000 this week.

League of Legends. Please send help.

Far Cry 5

The Binding of Isaac

Zelda Minish cap