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Games

A growing collection of games I have played, replayed, admired, and occasionally obsessed over. Some for storytelling, some for mechanics, some purely because they were ridiculously fun.

Nothing here is ranked too seriously. This is simply a snapshot of worlds I have explored, franchises I keep returning to, and games that left something behind long after the credits rolled.

Wall of Games

Red Dead Redemption 2

Systems realism · Moral friction · Environmental storytelling · Exploration

I usually never say one game or one movie is a particular favourite, but this one is an exception. RDR2 is easily a game I'd recommend every gamer to play. Hell, I'd even recommend people to get into gaming just to experience this masterpiece.

The game rewards patience over optimization. It demands immersion. You are not rushing toward completion. You are inhabiting a world.

Mechanic worth stealing: Don't rush and explore in the first hour. Let the game introduce you slowly. Take your absolute sweet time to explore everything later on before finishing the game.

Assassin’s Creed Series

Historical reconstruction · Parkour systems · Iterative design · Amazing trailers

Used to be an amazing series with great gameplay and amazing storylines. They really took the whole "Free-will vs. Order" concept and rocked it. And then they messed it up. In my opinion, Valhalla was the last good AC game and everything is shit after that. Hopefully they will pick up and improve.

Mechanic worth stealing: Use environment as curriculum. Let architecture teach the player.

Titles I’ve Played (Almost everything)

  • Assassin’s Creed
  • AC II
  • AC Brotherhood
  • AC Revelations
  • AC III
  • AC Liberation
  • AC IV: Black Flag
  • AC Freedom Cry
  • AC Rogue
  • AC Unity
  • AC Syndicate
  • AC Origins
  • AC Odyssey
  • AC Valhalla
  • AC Mirage
  • AC Shadows

Far Cry Series

Open-world systems · Emergent chaos · Villain-driven narratives

A sandbox built on instability. Fire spreads, animals interfere, enemies patrol dynamically. The world is less scripted drama and more volatile interaction.

At its strongest, the series turns simple mechanics into emergent outcomes. A stealth plan can collapse into chaos. A single action can cascade into unpredictable consequences.

Mechanic worth stealing: Go boom! Also enjoy the reload mechanics and healing mechanics. One of the best in the game world.

Grand Theft Auto Series

Open-world design · Satire · Narrative depth · Rockstar polish

The GTA series needs no introduction. Rockstar built a franchise that essentially defined what open-world gaming means. Each entry drops you into a meticulously crafted city and just lets you loose.

GTA V is one of the highest selling games on the planet and still boasts a constant influx of players, both returning and newcomers. The graphics and gameplay were so far ahead of their time that the game aged like fine wine. Rockstar takes their time with every release and it always shows. The attention to detail, the writing, the world design. Nothing feels rushed because it never is.

Which brings us to GTA VI. At this point, its delayed release has become a running joke of the 2020s. Every year, another meme. Another "it's coming soon" that leads nowhere. The day it actually drops will feel so surreal it will almost feel like a dream.

Mechanic worth stealing: Build a world so dense and reactive that the player creates their own stories just by existing in it. The mission structure is almost secondary to just wandering around.

Titles I've Played

  • GTA Vice City
  • GTA San Andreas
  • GTA IV
  • GTA V

God of War Series

Narrative depth · Father-son dynamic · Cinematic direction · Norse mythology

These 2 games (God of War (2018) and God of War: Ragnarök (2022)) are a gamer's guide to parenting. Kratos from the earlier God of War series is giving a shot at fatherhood (once again), this time in the fictional Norse world.

God of War 2018 was a reinvention nobody asked for but everyone needed. It shifts from hack-and-slash chaos to a slower, heavier, and far more personal story. Kratos as a father is somehow more terrifying than Kratos as a god-killer.

Ragnarök picks up right where it left off and arguably does the harder job better. It resolves a story that had no clean ending while making Atreus just as compelling as his father. The father-son dynamic carries the whole duology in a way most games never even attempt.

The over-the-shoulder single-shot camera is one of the most ambitious directorial decisions in gaming. No cuts, no loading screens, just one continuous take from start to finish. You feel every single transition.

Mechanic worth stealing: Let the relationship between characters do the world-building. The lore is not dumped on you. It gets argued over, questioned, and slowly discovered through Kratos and Atreus just talking as they walk.

Titles I've Played

  • God of War (2018)
  • God of War: Ragnarök (2022)

Ghost of Tsushima / Ghost of Yōtei

Visual direction · Weapon-centric gameplay system · Cinematic experience

Ghost of Tsushima revolves around the whole concept of "honour". Set in the historical Mongol invasion of Japan, it follows the story of a lone Samurai warrior who has to abandon the very code he is supposed to follow, to defeat the ruthless enemy that wants to claim his country.

This period is when the word kamikaze was coined that we use even today. Kamikaze translates to "divine wind" and refers to the typhoons that destroyed Mongol fleets in the 13th century, protecting Japan. The term later evolved in meaning, but its origin is rooted in this moment.

10/10 graphics, 10/10 music, 10/10 gameplay. It was like playing a samurai movie, especially when you unlock the Ghost stance and start cutting everyone down, you feel like the main character.

The fan-pleasing sequel, Ghost of Yōtei, is equally good. Maybe they could've done better with getting in touch with people's emotions like GOT but still, an amazing game.

Mechanic worth stealing: Replace UI with environmental guidance and cinematic framing.