And then there’s the writing. Portal 2 has some of the most sublimely funny writing ever to grace a video game. From the ambitiously maniacal founder of this strange science facility to the sophisticated A.I.’s that vie for your loyalty to the demented talking machinery you must wrangle, there are perhaps more quotable lines in Portal 2 than in any other game. These characters aren’t just comic relief either; they are sympathetic and nuanced and genuinely intriguing. (Yes, even the spherical one that just yells about space most of the time.) You’ll laugh, you’ll cheer, you’ll have a fantastic time, and you’ll never volunteer for a scientific study ever again.
A.I.’S SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS
Okay, fine. Let’s all act like humans. ‘Look at me. Boy, do I love sweating. Let’s convert beef and leaves into energy and excrete them later and go shopping.’
Mass Effect 2
First Released Jan 26, 2010
Okay, this is a weird one. The Mass Effect trilogy is a tremendous achievement, a sweeping space opera that takes place in a universe so richly imagined that it rivals titans like Star Wars and Star Trek for sheer narrative potential. So why select Mass Effect 2? Why not just start with Mass Effect and carry your character through the whole trilogy? Well, hopefully that’s what you’ll do, because it’s a grand, awe-inspiring journey. This book is a bucket list, however, and if there’s one game from this series you simply can’t miss, it’s the crown jewel, Mass Effect 2.
You play as Commander Shepard (gender, hairstyle, and facial features chosen by you), a heroic human space captain in a future in which humanity has recently emerged on a galactic stage populated by fascinating alien races. Faced with an overwhelming threat from deep space, you must recruit a multicultural crew that is ready to lay down their lives for the fate of all organic life. The combat is exciting, thanks to your powerful mix of guns and space magic (that’s not a technical term), but it’s the relationships that make Mass Effect 2 so special.
Relationships are fueled by choices, large and small. As you choose responses in the game’s frequent conversations, you mold your own version of Shepard. Though you take ownership of her decisions and actions, you’re more of a guide than a ventriloquist. Shepard has her own personality as well, and this makes playing the role of the Commander much more engaging. And then there’s your crew, a diverse cast of some of the most memorable characters in all of video games. Conversing with them is a reward unto itself, and the bonds you form with them won’t soon be forgotten. Mass Effect 2 is a marvel of grand-scale drama made personal, the emotional high water mark in a captivating series.
A SCI-FI MAJOR GENERAL
Just because it’s a space opera, doesn’t mean there is singing. But there is singing in Mass Effect 3, and it’s a fantastic Gilbert & Sullivan cameo.
Gone Home
PC, MAC
First Released Aug 15, 2013
A girl comes home from college. Her parents are out for the evening, and her sister has left a note, asking her not to investigate where she has gone. The girl explores the house, looking for clues to her sister’s whereabouts. That’s it.
That’s... it? Well, yes, in a way. There are no alternate places to visit, enemies to fight, puzzles to solve, or conversations to navigate. Many of the elements you’d commonly associate with video games are absent from Gone Home, and this is part of what makes it special. Video games are a constantly evolving art form, and decades after the first ones gained mainstream popularity, we are still seeing new games that push the boundaries in exciting and intriguing ways.
Gone Home is such a game, but it didn’t earn a spot in this book on the strength of novelty alone. As you explore the house, you learn a little bit about who you are: a college student named Kaitlin, come home after a year abroad to the house her family moved into while she was away. You, like Kaitlin, don’t really know what mom, dad, and lil’ sis have been up to, but as you find letters, diaries, books, photos, and notes of all kinds, you begin to weave together the tapestry of your family’s life.
You read about your father’s work struggles, your mother’s loneliness, and most poignantly of all, your sister’s growing friendship with a new girl at school. The rooms in which you find these scraps are rich with details, and the subtlety and humanity of the writing is astonishing. By the end, you don’t just feel like you know these people, you feel like you understand them in a meaningful way. This is called empathy, and that a video game can so powerfully channel this deep human feeling is remarkable indeed.
Journey
PS3, PS4
First Released Mar 13, 2012
The artistic diversity of video games is staggering, as befits any medium with countless passionate creators. The artistry of Journey, however, is particularly wonderful. You play as a cloaked figure wandering in the desert, through the ruins and remnants of a long lost civilization, with your eyes on a distant mountaintop. The warm earth tones of your robe both contrast and blend with the pale sparkling sands of the desert. Hues and shades change as you press onward, but it seems that you could pause the game at any moment and be looking a beautiful image.
Journey’s artistry is not merely visual. As you trudge up sand dunes and glide down them, there is beauty in your movement. Your flowing robe and fluttering scarf trace a graceful silhouette, so don’t be surprised to find yourself frolicking about just because it feels so good. It’s a rare game that can make merely moving around a joyful experience, but Journey is just such a game.
There is beauty, too, in Journey’s solitude and companionship. For much of the game, you travel alone, a solitary figure amidst ageless mysteries. But suddenly, you are not alone. An anonymous player has joined you, and though you can only communicate through chimes, you are drawn together by your shared endeavor. How your adventure together takes shape is yet another mystery, one you can only solve by playing through to the end. Journey is a resonant and resplendent adventure, not to be missed.
Red Dead Redemption
X360, PS3
First Released May 18, 2010
Red Dead Redemption is the greatest Western that the video game industry has ever produced. That alone should get it on your bucket list, but if you need a little more convincing or just want to know what you have to look forward to, read on.
You play as John Marston, an outlaw-gone-clean forced to get dirty again when government agents kidnap his family and demand that he hunt down his former partners-in-crime.