7 games I wish I could play again for the first time

Domagoj Belancic

1/2/2025

Translation: Julia Graham

Some games are so good I wish I could banish them from my memory – and play them again afresh in an unbiased way.

The following seven games either shocked me with cool plot twists, thrilled me with revolutionary gameplay ideas or moved me. If I had the chance, I’d wipe my mind with a neuralyzer in an instant or travel back in time to relive those iconic gaming moments.

Warning: there are some gameplay and story spoilers ahead.

7) Spec Ops: The Line (2012)

At first glance, Spec Ops: The Line looks like a generic cover shooter with a big dollop of US patriotism à la Call of Duty. But if you look closer, you’ll find an exciting and nuanced story behind the mindless military shooter façade.

I take on the role of Martin Walker, an American soldier searching for survivors of a lost US military unit in the ruins of Dubai. As the game progresses, Martin repeatedly finds himself in situations where he’s forced to make morally objectionable decisions.

The story reaches its sad climax when the soldier finds a mortar loaded with white phosphorus and uses it. Instead of killing an enemy troop of soldiers, countless innocent civilians are hit, mostly women and children. This cruel act drives Martin to the brink of madness. He processes his trauma with hallucinations, which cause the game to drift increasingly into the psychological horror genre. Killing enemies is no longer fun. Soldiers aren’t heroes and the US is a morally scrupulous superpower.

The brutal narrative left a lasting impression on me and made me think about the mindless gunning down in other military shooters. This was actually the developer’s aim. Studio Yager intended to attract fans of shooters such as Call of Duty and then shock them with gruesome twists and turns.

It’s just a shame that publisher 2K Games removed the title from all digital stores in 2024 – due to «expiring partnership licences». YouTube channel Game Maker’s Toolkit gives a detailed analysis of why this is a real shame:

6. Red Dead Redemption (2010)

Rockstar’s western epic is full of unique moments I’d like to experience again without knowing what I do now. Two things from the title have branded themselves firmly onto my gamer brain.

Take the wonderful Mexico scene, for instance. After countless hours of playing in the western world of New Austin, Red Dead Redemption gives me access to a completely new game area.

As I gallop across the border on my faithful horse, Far Away by José Gonzalez plays in the background. Gentle guitar sounds and a melancholic melody accompany me as I set off on a new adventure. They create an incredibly special atmosphere I’ve never experienced before in an open-world game. Talk about goosebumps.

The ending also left a lasting impression. Over the course of the game, main character John Marston is forced to kill members of his former gang by the American government. In the end, John builds a new life with his family on a small farm after his work is done.

The idyll quickly shatters, as the US government betrays John and shows up at his home with the military. His wife and child manage to escape, but John is executed in front of his barn. It hurts to see a character I’ve spent so many hours with lying full of bullet holes and bloody on the ground. I’m furious and want revenge. I’ve never felt like this in a game before.

Right after this shock, I’m met with the next surprise. Instead of credits, the game serves me an epilogue where I play his son many years after John’s tragic death. As Jack Marston, I have the opportunity to avenge my father. I seek out the government traitor and shoot him in a duel. Sweet revenge. And the cycle of violence starts all over again. What a poetic and absolutely perfect ending.

5) Uncharted 2 (2009)

The second Uncharted game set the bar incredibly high for the production of AAA games. Before Nathan Drake’s epic adventure, no other game felt so monumental or cinematic.

With a playing time of about ten hours, it’s quite a short experience, but all the more packed with unforgettable «what the hell» moments. One chapter in particular had me sitting in front of the TV open-mouthed, and that was Locomotion, also known as the train level.

Nate jumps out of a moving car onto a train that’s on the move. He has to fight and shoot his way through countless enemies, but aiming is difficult as the train jolts and sways. The twists and turns mean my line of fire is repeatedly interrupted. Sometimes Nate also swings along the outside of the train or runs around on the roof. This involves having to avoid obstacles regularly, such as tunnel lights and electricity pylons.

The level escalates even further. Suddenly, a huge combat helicopter attacks me with its machine guns and missiles. If I don’t jump onto the next carriage in time, I’ll be mercilessly shot away. But that’s not all. Over time, the train leaves the original jungle and, after a long tunnel, travels through an icy snowy landscape. I eventually derail the train with an explosion and send it tumbling down a cliff.

Even by today’s standards, the action sequence is impressive to watch. It looks more like an expensive Hollywood blockbuster than a game. A blockbuster that I can play myself. What I wouldn’t give to be so thrilled by an action set piece in a game again.

4) The Last of Us Part II (2020)

When it comes to fictional stories, I’m a bit of a masochist in that I love to suffer. The more a story destroys me emotionally, the more exciting it is. In the gaming world, no other title has demolished me like The Last of Us Part II.

Warning: another spoiler alert.

Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic drama breaks with many storytelling conventions. Within the first few hours of the game, Joel Miller, the hero of the first game, is killed in the most brutal way. The fact that his quasi-daughter Ellie has to watch this makes the scene all the more traumatic.

The savage nature of Joel’s death isn’t just for show. It’s also the catalyst for the revenge story that follows, where Ellie wants to kill those responsible for Joel’s death. I sneak, strangle and shoot my way through countless levels full of enemies. Revenge feels good. And suddenly, in the second half, the game forces me to play Joel’s murderer Abby instead of Ellie. Seriously?

In the process, I learn about Abby’s motives for the cruel deed. For her, it was also about getting revenge, as Joel had killed her father in the previous game. I get to know her team, see how they live, laugh and suffer. Now I don’t know how to feel. Time and again, this game plays with interactivity in a unique way. I’m forced to do things I don’t want to. The Last of Us Part II is an exhausting, dark and deeply depressing game.

I doubt any other game will shake me up to this extent. Perhaps the new season of the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us which starts this spring will manage. It’s not the same as travelling back in time to relive history, but discovering the story through a new medium is the next best thing.

3) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

It’s 2017. I unpack my brand new Switch and connect it to my TV. I bought some stuff to coincide with the launch, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. After all the trailers and test reports that have been published, I’m incredibly excited. I turn on my Switch, insert the cartridge into the console and start my adventure.

It exceeds my expectations of the game within the first few minutes of play. Link wakes up in a dark cave with no memories. I quickly find the exit and as I run out of the cave, the game’s theme tune plays. I keep running towards a cliff, while the camera flies up to reveal the incredible size of the world that spreads out in front of Link’s feet. Wow.

This iconic moment is representative of the revolutionary open world that Nintendo developed in Breath of the Wild. It’s a huge world that just asks to be explored. Link’s gliding and climbing abilities make it feel much more vertical than the worlds of other games in this genre. Nintendo rightly calls it open air.

The world is so incredibly far removed from the Ubisoft formula used in many games. There aren’t any generic quests or boring to-dos on the map that you just do to tick them off. Instead you’re rewarded with exciting secrets, missions and stories for having curiosity and a drive to explore the world down to the last detail.

Breath of the Wild is one of the few games that made me feel like a little kid again. Tears of the Kingom is also an excellent game, but the unique wow factor from a first playthrough of Breath of the Wild remains unmatched.

2) Super Mario 64 (1996)

There’s no isolated moment in Super Mario 64 that I want to relive because the whole game is a single, monumental moment in my gaming career.

What an indescribable feeling it was back then to run and jump through a 3D world with an analogue stick for the first time. Mario moved to the left and right as well as forwards and backwards. And if I tilt the stick slightly, Mario sneaks past sleeping enemies. Unbelievable.

Nintendo has left a lasting impression on me as well as the entire video game industry with this magical 3D experience. I haven’t experienced such a radical paradigm shift since Mario’s leap from the second to the third dimension. In fact, I’ll probably never have the same indescribable feeling again – nothing can match the moment this game offered me a completely new experience. It’s a real shame.

1) Pokémon Silver (2001)

I started my career as a Pokémon trainer in 1999 with Pokémon Blue. While I was still in the throes of the first Pokémon generation, the next games, Gold & Silver, were already being released in Japan. These only found their way to Europe two years later.

And so, alongside my adventures in Pokémon Blue, I was constantly on the lookout for new information about Gold & Silver.

You can’t compare the late 90s and early noughties with today’s online information landscape. Although the games were already released in Japan, information on the titles was incredibly sparse. For a long time, the games felt like a mystery. In my research, I mainly relied on print magazines such as N-Zone.

In magazines such as N-Zone, I found exclusive playthroughs of the Japanese versions, tiny screenshots and beautiful artwork of the 100 new monsters. I practically inhaled every scrap of information and speculated non-stop with my friends about the upcoming games.

What would the new monsters be called in German? Which of the three starter Pokémon would I choose based on current information? What do you think the new legendary Pokémon are all about?

It was the first time I was really excited about a game. The first time I was really hyped. I’d even say that the anticipation and research for Pokémon Gold & Silver sparked my enthusiasm for this medium and made me the gamer I am today.

After all the anticipation, the moment when I was able to travel to Johto in the silver version myself for the first time was all the more magical. I’ll never experience a comparable feeling of hype quite like it with years of research and speculation. Especially not in an online world where games are leaked and discussed to death before release.

Domagoj Belancic

Senior Editor

Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.ch

My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.

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