Video Gamers Podcast - Memory Wipe Games - Gaming Podcast [Flashback Friday]

Episode Date: December 5, 2025

Gaming hosts Josh and Ryan are back with another banger of a good time! On this gaming packed episode we're breaking down our Top 5 lists of games you wish you could experience again for the very first time. These are some must play video games that will absolutely leave a mark on you. It’s another awesome video game filled episode from the Video Gamers Podcast!   Thanks to our MYTHIC Supporters: Redletter, Disratory, Ol’ Jake, Gaius, Jigglepuf, Phelps and NorwegianGreaser   Thanks to our Legendary Supporters: HypnoticPyro, PeopleWonder, Bobby S. and Dettmarp   Connect with the show: Support us on Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/videogamerspod⁠ Join our Gaming Community: https://discord.gg/vgp Follow us on Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/videogamerspod/⁠  Follow us on X:⁠ https://twitter.com/VideoGamersPod⁠  Subscribe to us on YouTube:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VideoGamersPod?sub_confirmation=1⁠    Visit us on the web:⁠https://videogamerspod.com/⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canada's Wonderland is bringing the holiday magic this season with Winterfest on select nights now through January 3rd. Step into a winter wonderland filled with millions of dazzling lights, festive shows, rides, and holiday treats. Plus, Coca-Cola is back with Canada's kindest community, celebrating acts of kindness nationwide with a chance at 100,000 donation for the winning community and a 2026 holiday caravan stop. Learn more at canadaswunderland.com. Hello fellow gamers and welcome to the video gamers podcast. There's a rare unicorn in the gaming world and it's finding that game that is so special, so good, so memorable that you never forget the first time playing it. Sometimes we wish we could just wipe our memory and experience it again for the first time. On today's episode, that's exactly what we're going to talk about, games you wish you could experience for the first time all over again.

We'll get into those in just a minute, but first, some introductions are in order. I am your host, Josh, and joining me, he's getting a lot older, so a lot of games he forgets he played. So his list is getting longer and longer. Josh Josh just hold on a second look right here look right here I am your host Josh and joining me he's quite possibly the best host on the planet and the perfect combination of talent and looks it's Ryan absolutely thank you everybody I am here and I'm here to stay ready for another beautiful episode all right ryan we're back baby i'm excited for this episode dude i feel a little weird man no it's it's it's nothing don't worry about it um really yeah it's something in the air i've been a little queasy or nauseous too a little forgetful but but don't worry about it let's just you know we got a show to do we got people wait for us my family's sick man so maybe it's

just a cold or something i don't know man i just got a weird little feeling in my head or something They're so stupid. Oh, man. Ryan, I am pumped for this episode. Like we said, we're going to be covering games that it's just, dude, if only I could experience this game for the first time all over again. Yes. I do want to start off by saying, listen, we are not covering the most epic games out there.

Everybody wishes they could play Witcher 3 again for the first time. Everybody wishes, man, if I could just play Eldon Ring and have that. that sense of discovery just for the first time or you know cyberpunk god of war so red dead all those exactly we are intentionally not talking about like these these just once in a lifetime games we're trying to go a little bit deeper we're trying to kind of give you guys some games that maybe you haven't played yet i think it's very likely that people have heard of these or at least the games on my list but it's crazy to me because we see people in our in our community all the time that's like dude, I've never played that.

And it's like, oh, my gosh. What do you mean? What? You haven't played this game? Like, oh, go now. Go now. Um, but before we get into that, Ryan, dude, we got, we got, we got some people to thank, man. I love it.

I love it. And, uh, and not only that, but we have four new, awesome, amazing supporters of the show to thank. So we want to thank, man, this dude, everybody knows this guy, Kakarot. Yeah. Yes. Wesley Trin, Krusty the Viking, who all signed up for rare status to support the show. Thank you so much for doing that. And then we have a fine, fine supporter who signed up for epic status by the name of Filipino chaos who joined the server.

It's been awesome. Love it. They've been playing games with people. it's really just been fantastic. Dude, if there's one thing I love more than chaos, it's Filipino chaos. Yeah, I mean, that's like the top version, isn't it? I think so. I will say, on the hierarchy of chaos.

High jacking the show real quick. I am a lifelong bowler and I was in a probably one of two or three white guys in all Filipino bowling league. In case you didn't know that little background story. Filipinos are awesome. to all of our Filipino listeners out there. They would have these potlucks and they brought in a whole, a straight up whole pig and they chopped it up and like it was the best food ever in my life. So if you can join a Filipino bowling league, do it or Filipino whatever.

Filipinos are top notch. I can say that a roast pig, I'm from Louisiana and so they would spit a pig and roast it. And that's some of the best meat, dude. It's incredible. So, man, all right. So listen, thank you. Thank you for taking the time and the effort to support this show. We would not be here without the support of people.

If you want to support the show, you can do that over at multiplayer squad.com. And we'll give a little reminder at the end of the show, too. So, Ryan, I am absolutely pumped for this episode. You know, sometimes a game can not only be great, but it's like it just worms its way into your brain. Like, it's one of those games you think about after you've played it. You kind of, you kind of chew on it, you stew over it, you obsess over it maybe. And it's just, it just leaves that feeling that's hard to describe to people.

You know, maybe it's a like a crazy twist. Maybe it's like a culmination of a great story or an absolutely epic final boss fight. Yeah. You know, it's just like there's games that we desperately wish that we could play again for the first time. Like to get that sense of wonder, you know, that reveal on the twist, that sense of discovery. whatever the magic formula is, we're going to break down our list of games. And I think we each have a list of five games that we wish we could play again for the first time.

But we have something special. Before we get into that, we have a new segment that's called The Quick Question. And this is a perk that is available to people that sign up in the Epic Tier. So if you support the show in the epic tier, just like Filipino chaos did, you get to submit a quick question that we will answer on the show at the start of a show as well. So this one comes in from a guy, you know, that we know around our Discord server as the one and only awesome Sith Lord Vader. Yeah. And so actually, like, I'm sorry, this question actually comes in from hell of it. I got mixed up there.

This episode comes to you because Lord Vader asked this question, and he said, hey, what's a game that you guys wish you could play again for the first time? So this episode is actually because of that. So if you ask a quick question, you never know where it's going to lead. We may not like it enough to where we make a whole episode out of it and not just a question. So make sure you get in there and ask those questions if you sign up. Absolutely. So, and so sorry for the confusion, but this question comes in from hell of it. And the question is, let's say you have access to all technology and no limit to what you can use. You have the chance to create the next groundbreaking, earth-shattering gaming device, whether it's a

console, a handheld PC, VR, you have access to artificial intelligence, augmented reality. What would you create to be the next master race gaming invention? That's a hard one. Go ahead, Ryan. You go first on this one. Oh, man. It's hard because part of me instantly knows exactly what I would do and what I would do and what I would want to do.

But then the part of me that's like, you know, get up and go outside and get fresh air is like, no, what are you doing? So I'm still going to go with it because I think of how amazing it would be. I'm just going to basically rip off ready player one like I want the oasis man like give me that that just reality where I can plug in and in and give me the matrix I'm going to disappear and and level up and pop culture and coins and whatever else I want to do I can fly through the air upgrade my my mechanics or machines or cars or all those things it would just be something so unreal and and I think you know i mean you see how easily society falls into just like reels and shorts you know so something

like this would just we the productivity of the world would stop but man would it be cool dude you so this is the very first thing my brain went to yeah like like absolutely is was just like dude just give me give me the oasis man yeah you know but here's the problem you will ruin the world yes absolutely like I know can you imagine if Skyrim was like your temporary reality oh dude you know and it's like so take virtual reality and make it fully immersive I I don't know that I would be willing to risk it dude like you know I mean you know we've all lost ourselves to an MMO you know played a game way too much at some point and if you make it that immersive I I don't know that I would be willing to just put it all in the line. But then there's also that like, I got to see what

this is, man. So it's funny because, you know, with with unlimited funds, technology, all that stuff, what I actually came up with was like contact lenses that somebody could wear that would just be able to give you like the most fully fledged augmented reality. So maybe not take me out of reality completely. And I think I'm living in another world. But to where, you know, you can either put these in turn them on whatever but other people can't see them they're comfortable and then it just turns anything into a game anywhere at any time you don't need handhelds you don't need a fancy PC like all that stuff it just gets being straight into your eyeballs you know you're on the train on the way home and dude i'm just i'm everything around me just looks like some fantasy world you know

that would be pretty cool some first person shooter uh you know or whatever but i you know i i It's funny because I think, like, I think we both agree that virtual reality is, like, the evolution. I think so. It's just, like, how far into you want to go to where, you know, you give up your humanity and, like, unplug from this world and plug into that one? Like, how far are you going to go? Can I bring my wife and kids with me? Because then we're good, man. Yeah.

I'm like, hey, y'all, y'all, you don't want to go into this? It's like, okay. We're going to go. But now I'm just picturing all the people running around in this virtual world with their contacts, but the people who aren't in that world and they're just watching someone like jump and move side to side around stuff. You're like, what are they doing? We might have to partner with some like brain control thing or something, you know, to go with that too. So, uh, yeah. So once again, thank you, hell of it for the quick question. It's awesome to, to kind of talk about these

things and see what people come up with, man. And the goal, you know, the goal is ask us whatever you want. The question is up to you. You know, if you want to know more about us, the show, put us in a weird situation and see how we would respond. Ask us the answer to the trolley question. You know, that's up to you. That's one of the perks for joining the epic tier. Ryan, let's get into these lists, buddy. I'm excited to talk about these games, man.

Why don't you start us off, man? Why don't you go ahead and give us the first game that you wish that you could just wipe your memory completely and just experience again for the first time? Okay. I'm channeling back. all the way back, back, back, back, and the way back when. So now I'm going to give you a quote, and let's see if you can get this vast majority of people should get this pretty dang quick, okay?

I think I know what this is already. What is a man? A miserable pile of secrets. I think this is, is this Bioshock? Bro. Really? What? Castlevania, Symphony of the Night.

Oh, I see, dude. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. No. Now, because you're such a stand for... You are out, bro. No, no, no, no.

You, okay, you were the biggest fan of Castlevania. And while I think Castlevania on the old Nintendo or, you know, was an absolutely awesome game, I'm just not that into Metroidvanias anymore. Yeah. Neither am I. I'm a little bit, but it's still just, it's my favorite, and I think of the best one ever made. But that's a game that just the pure experience. of just the raw nature

of the most classic Metroidvania I've ever played I would love to experience again. There was just something about it that it hit all those marks to where it wasn't too much. It wasn't boring and not enough. And it was challenging enough

to make you want more, but you wouldn't get kind of like dull or anything like that. So it was one of those that just hit all those marks for me, especially way back when, you know, in the 90s. But man, if I could play that again for the first time. Is it the exploration?

Is it the progression? Like what's the hook? Is it just as a whole? Is it time of life? Because sometimes when we play these games, we remember the time of life that we were in? For sure. Part of it, I mean, a lot of,

the vast majority of my original play through was taking turns with other family members. You know, well, we, you know, oh, you died, you know, next person up. And then they got to load their thing, and then they play and stuff. So I think that and then the art style and the kind of dark scenery of it,

and you're in this, you know, Dracula's castle and you're fighting all these monsters and just the way you carry through the world and then you, okay, I got my double jump. Oh, now I can go back to that other spot, you know, because that was the first real experience to Metroidvania for me.

So having that knowledge of, oh, now I can go back here, what's there and getting into that that I've been waiting since the first, like, third of the game, you know, now I get to go back to it. Something about that just was awesome for me. And, you know,

I see it in games now that still hits, But, man, to get that first experience again from that would be something special. I will say I'm not a huge fan of Metroidvania's. I do absolutely love Hollow Night. I like Metroid. You know, there are some that have really resonated with me. I think the key there is that they are constantly rewarding you, you know, throughout the playtime. It's not like everything builds up to this one payoff.

I mean, the ending sometimes does. But it's like, like you said, you get double jump and now you get dash. And now you get the ability to like, you know, climb walls or. break floors and it's like you're kind of just always hit with that like reward system that our brains love yeah for sure um now is this the one that uh where like you play through the whole game and then you realize you can flip the castle you can do the inverted castle yeah there was like that big reveal there as well yep yeah it just it's a weird cinematic two old 90s you know corny corny graphics and stuff but man it was so cool awesome

I'm gonna jump in since since I kind of spoiled this I thought that sounded like Andrew Ryan like giving a speech about like the failure of humanity or something. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. But I am bringing up Bioshock. Because when Bioshock came out, there was not a game like Bioshock. Like Bioshock kind of set a standard for a type of game, um, where it was a mix of really good story, good characters, some mystery, this kind of like dystopian like utopia almost, um, you know, phenomenal setting. Like, no, had made a game where you're playing like under the ocean. The intro for that game was second to none where you actually wind up going out and then like going down to rapture and all that stuff. I remember encountering big daddies for the first time. Oh, yeah. I remember for about a half a second being torn on whether I was going to sacrifice the little sister for the Adam or if I was going to rescue her. Come here. And then I was like, I need these powers, man. You don't understand. I need power. You know, and then you play through this whole game, which is a phenomenal game, and then you get to the ending.

And the ending in Bioshock is one of the biggest twists in gaming of all time. Would you kindly tell me the ending? Yeah. And they're just like, it's one of those things where you look back over the entire game and then you just go, this all makes so much sense. I had no idea this entire time. I don't know that any game has pulled the wool over your eyes like Bioshock did. Yeah. And that, like that feeling of the reveal and the feeling of looking back at everything that took place in that game and realizing that you've kind of been played the entire time.

Yeah. There's nothing like it. And it's funny because you can tell people, I mean, you know, there's spoilers all over the place for Bioshock now. I mean, this game's been out forever. So it's, you know, if you haven't heard what the spoiler is, just go dark and play Bioshock right away. Yes, as quickly as possible. But that payoff, you can't get that again. No.

You know, and I miss that, man, because yeah, I mean, I think other games have tried and there's definitely the end of Red Dead 2, for instance. You know, there's that massive payoff that just, you know, I won't spoil it since it's a more recent game. But there are a few games like that, but there's nothing like that experience of playing Bioshock for the first. first time in. Oh, for sure. I mean, that one definitely, good thing I had more than five. So that one was on my list as well, obviously. It's a phenomenal game. I think what they did so well there was they created this world that was full of so much chaos and so much misdirection and distraction to where you wanted to focus on the story, but you were so caught off guard by the world around you and everything else that that you just couldn't always focus on it your your attention

wasn't on trying to figure out the story the whole time and uh and it was just you know it was something that by the end you're like oh wait you know i'm trying to get out of here what's going on and then the twists and the turns happen and you're just blown away so it uh yeah man to be able to experience that again like i said it was on my list uh and it's that's just one all timer absolutely Yeah. And the point of this episode is if you have not played these games, go. Go now. Go play these games, man. There's a reason. There is a reason we're talking about them. There is a reason that they stick with people. I mean, do yourself a favor and experience these for the first time because I'm jealous. Like legitimately, if somebody's like, I'm playing Bioshock for the first time, like my initial response is like, oh, man, I wish I could do that again. I know. We always have people hop in. Oh, this. is my backlog and they're like witcher three cyberpunk red dead we're like oh that's like that's the best backlog you could ever have like you're you're in for a treat man this year's going to be a good year in gaming for you i know right it's like everything after that's going to be like all the

best games yeah man games really fell off it's like no you just picked all the best games in the last five years and just put them into three months you know have fun awesome right i can't wait to hear your next one but we're going to take a short break and then you're going to hit us with another one buddy All right. We're back, Ryan. Hit me. I want to see if I know this game. I'm really curious if we have a game that like neither of us have played. Because at that point, I might, I might know what I'm doing this weekend. What do you mean neither of us is play? How can we replay it? Like, I'm saying that like, if I name a game that you haven't played. Okay. Gotcha. I'm like, how are you named you got confused there? How are we replaying games? If neither was to play it, what are we doing here? You're like, that intro really messed you up. Josh. Okay. Well, I know you haven't played this one, so I know you won't be able to guess this. But I'm going to give another quote for the listeners out there that will know. Well, you probably know, too, just from the quote here. But why? Why can't I read your mind? Oh, okay. And this is... I know Magneto when I hear Magneto. No, I'm just kidding. Bro. Trying to troll me, man. I can only take so much in the day. I can only take so much. It's a, it's a Middle Gear solid.

original OG 1998, September release Metal Gear Solid 1 one of the best games ever made not my favorite Metal Gear Solid Metal Gear Solid 2 is my favorite for numerous factors but

going up I played the beginning sample demo disc for Metal Gear Solid and I was like this is the greatest game ever made and you play that first little level it's like 10 minutes long

and I played it probably 40 times before I finally convinced my grandma to get me Metal Gear Solid for Christmas and I did nothing for like three days but play that game start to finish and I played it so much I had every unlockable thing you could have um with with the tuxedo snake you know you're running around the tuxedo unlimited ammo with the long bandana like merrill in uh not her normal attire um with certain things you could do so like there there was everything that I unlocked I loved that game so much and to be able to play it for the first time again would be just something surreal and man I would I would love it I've never played this game

yes and Ryan it's pretty old I'm probably not ever gonna play this very old until they do like a remake you know but they're remaking what is it three isn't that the new snake eater deltas technically metal gear solid three yes yeah that'll be that'll be snake eater yeah I'll play that one I'll play that one buddy better do because that's probably arguably probably the best one um the of you know overall but but uh yeah man metal your solid one was just it was it was something so defining for me and i think it was defining in gaming um if if you haven't played it yet uh i would definitely suggest it because it's still it's still a good game it's not going to hold up graphically but the story and the gameplay is still fun uh but if it's not a spoiler if it's over 20

something years old so that's psychomantis you're you're a kid and you're on a playstation and You have to move your controller. Wait, this is the Psycho Manus one? This is Psycho Manish. You have to put your controller into the second port so he can't read your moves so then you could beat him in the boss fight. Like, what game did that? I wish they, I wish more people did that now.

Just weird, unique things like that that nobody would think of. It was so different in like ahead of its time that it was just, it was next level. I mean, he's reading your saved stuff off of your memory card and stuff. and, you know, it was just, it was something totally, totally unique and different that I would, I would love to experience again. Yeah, bring that stuff back, Debs. We like that. As gamers, we like that stuff. Yep. Um, okay, so I'm, I got a game. People that have been listening to this podcast for a while have heard me talk about. This is a game that is, you know, a lot of people will say, hey, man, I really wish I could experience this game for the first time. So there is something there, you know, not just my

opinion on this. Ryan, you have played this game. I don't think it went over quite as much for you because I forced you to play this game. And I think you enjoyed it, but I don't know that you got like engrossed in this game like a lot of people do. But that is subnautica. And the thing was subnautica for me is I did not think that I enjoyed survival crafting type games. I always thought they seem like work. They're repetitive. Like what's the point of these things?

You're just trying to survive and, you know, whatever. And then I played subnautica and I was absolutely enamored of this ocean planet where all you are doing is going under the surface of the ocean on this planet. And you are exploring these fantastic biomes. You are coming across the Leviathan reapers, you know, and the sounds and the like how crazy that was. There's a crash ship off in the distance. And then you realize, like, you know, a little later on in the game, you get the capability to like go explore that ship. And then you're like, dude, I'm inside this spaceship now. Like, this is crazy.

I thought this was just water. You know, and then it's like, there's times when you get to go on land. And then you're like, I thought this was just water. Yeah. And then the thing with Subnotica that really makes it that I wish I could play this again for the first time is this game does such a masterful job. of slowly telling you a story, of giving you little tidbits of information about something else that's going on on this planet. And the way that they feed that to you is so subtle and it's through exploration and discovery. Yeah, it's obnoxious. It's masterful, dude. It is masterful.

Games nowadays just beat you over the head. Dragon Age fail guard, dude. I'm not an idiot. I don't need you to beat me over the head with this story and tell me how I'm supposed to feel, let me feel it. You know, design your game so that I feel it by naturally playing, not smacking me in the face with it being like, you should feel angry right now. And then I'm like, this is stupid. I do feel angry. I feel, I'm angry at the game because it's dumb, you know, but there is something magical about Subnotica. I don't want to spoil the ending on this game because I really, really encourage people to play this game. Because for a large majority of people, Ryan, maybe not you, but it's one of those magical experiences where you can absolutely lose yourself in this.

The survival aspects are great. The exploration aspects are second to none. The progression in subnautica is absolutely top notch. You get all kinds of tech, vehicles. This game goes way, pun intended deeper than you actually expect it to go just when you think you've kind of hit the oh this is really cool i finally made it you ain't you ain't made it man yeah and and that that kind of like kick to your brain over and over again is something that you can't recapture and i have actually being a guy that never plays games more than once i have actually gone back to subnautica and i got about halfway through before i kind of yeah i know what happens i just kind of wanted to try to experience it again and you can't like it's still a good game don't get me wrong but you you lose

that feeling the second time around and i think that's why it kind of ranks up there for a lot of people as one of those games where it's like dude just play this game yeah that was um i definitely well i don't have it you know on the levels that you do i i did appreciate that game and actually when i look back on it i have a lot more fondness towards that game and that experience um I feel like maybe the way I had played it in the time because it was, you know, we had so many games going on and I was forced to. This is the tough part about this podcast that people don't realize. I didn't get to experience the way I probably would have if it was organic and I was just

playing it because I wanted to. Having said that, this was in like kind of my top 10 or 15 list of if I could replay a game because there was just that, okay, I'm, I'm on the ocean. Like, where do I go? I'm like, oh, what's this fish thing? I'm like, oh, oh, this has water. I'm like, okay, no, oh, that is this. And then you just, you got to figure it out and you got to go and like, all right, well,

there's something over there. Let me go see what's over there. Oh, there's something over there. And you just keep progressing that way. And there's something to be said about not guiding people through your world, having them have to explore it. And so there was definitely a lot of really cool twists and turns and bumps and crazy, sporadic things throughout this game that definitely, you know, if I could experience again, I would as well.

Yeah. Yeah. All right. What you got, Ryan? I'd spend the whole episode on Subnotica, so I am intentionally trying to move. I know. I know for sure. So I'm going to go with one that, oh, man, is probably a weakness of mine.

I love kind of action adventure, you know, RPG style, like open world, you know, the same templates of all these kind of stuff. of games. But this one really hits on a lot of levels for me because of, one, the story, the graphics, the cinematics, and the gameplay. And I'm going with Last of Us one, the first Last of Us. Oh, dude. That game, I know that that's up there for so many people. This is one of those games where not only, it's not just the twist. Yeah. You know, but it's like, it's the game itself too but the twist at the end is just unbelievable it's unbelievable and that's you know it's one thing and i i i am a horrible sucker for a post-apocalyptic world something inside me just loves seeing time stood still to where uh i'll explore the world and i'm just wandering around and my wife

will walk by like what are you doing um i'm just in some random house in the game like imagining the people's lives going on well that you know they were in this world and stuff like that. So that always just hits for me. But between that and the gameplay, in the back and forth and even the like the jump scares and the, the scariness of the zombies and everything. And I, you know, I'm a little baby when it comes to zombies. But all of it to me, to be able to experience that again for the first time and just have that game to where that's all you think about that day. Like, when am I going to get home and get back on and continue this story? Like opening back up a book type thing. Like that, that is something that would.

be so cool to get that that feeling again that's just a strong drive to finish this story every day the second you put it down you just want to get back to it yeah yeah there's certain that might be an episode for another day where it's like games you think about while you're at work yeah right you know because there's there's definitely those where i'm like dude i don't want to be here yeah i need to go play this game my brain is my body may be here but my brain is in this game or you know just that's all it wants to do. And it's funny because I mean, I definitely think these would qualify. But I think that's another another kind of category of games. It's like you just get obsessed with too. Yeah. So yeah, famously, I'm going to, I'm going to confess and people are going to be like, what? We hate

you, Josh. I played about six hours of the last, maybe even four hours of the last of us. And then I just put it down. And for some reason, I never picked it back up. And I know that's a crime. Yeah. I'm confessing it publicly right now. I'm sorry, people. I fully am aware that I missed out on something great. I'm a big dummy. So we forgive you. All right, good. Okay. Another game for me that is really at the top of my list. And these are games that it's like I, I will actively push these games on people, like Subnotic is one that I push on people. And this is another one that I push on people because there is no experience in gaming like this game. And that is

a game that is called Outer Wilds. Not to be confused with Outer Worlds, which is the kind of, you know, spiritual successor to to, it's not Fallout, right? Wasn't that the makers of Fallout that kind of split off and made Outer Wilds?

I'm pretty sure it is. So, but anyway, don't confuse it with that. I'm going to say yes. I'm going to say yes. Outer Wilds is its own game. And the premise of Outer Wilds is that you are this alien guy who wakes up on a planet, you see something up in the sky and people tell you, hey, you have to take this ship and go explore. And then as you're exploring and trying to learn how to fly the ship, your star supernovas and it wipes out your galaxy and boom, you're dead. And then you all of a sudden wake up again, just like you did the very

first time you load into this game and you snap awake and it is a time loop. And there is, I'm telling you, man, there's no gaming experience that exists that is quite the same as Outer Wilds. I mean, between the, and yes, it has similarities to other games, like the exploration in this game is second to none, the sense of discovery is second to none, but it somehow puts it together in this perfect package of like mystery, suspense, aha moments, a little bit of like wandering aimlessly because you're really not sure. 100% what the heck is going on until you get like a clue and then you beeline it but there is

always the underlying fear or dread or just some feeling that this game gives you where you finally get this thread and you're pulling this thread and then it's like you know the supernova's coming yeah and you know and you just start going like I'm finally unraveling this mystery no give me two more minutes you know And then it's like, nope. Do you hear the music start that says, hey, the star is exploding? And you just, it just makes you feel something, man. And I can't describe it to people.

People that have played this game all go like, dude, yes. I know exactly what you're talking about. People that haven't go, you just sound like an idiot to me, man. You know, but I'm telling you, there is something absolutely magical and special about Outer Wilds play this game. Now, the one complaint about Outer Wilds is flying that stupid rickety spaceship because it sucks. Now, just like anything else, I promise you will actually get used to it and you will

start to become a lot better of a pilot and it will stop being a headache. So get through that. But, dude, Outer Wilds is one of those games that I, every gamer should experience. Nice. Yeah, I, I know we talked, we've talked about it. I know Paul has mentioned, too, of like, let's get, let's get Ryan on. Let's do it. And we haven't been able to make it happen. But man, yeah, I haven't been able to experience that. So maybe that's, that'll be a first time for me at some point.

Quick. I mean, I will absolutely force you to play this game at some point. You know, when we get back to that. I can tell you that right now. It's, it's very high on my list. They have a DLC that is very, very good. It's not quite the same magic as the original. But if you play the original and you're like, dude, I'm really hungry for some more of this. like this this is just really jiving with my brain the dc like the expansion is really good as well um and so you get that nice little bonus of like another eight hours worth of new content as well oh nice so yeah geez that's awesome all right what's up next for you ryan oh man oh man i know right i just games again man what what could it be what what i wish was there um so i'm going to go

with one that took the world by storm something that was not only just an amazing game but amazing kind of communal type thing and I'm going to go with World Warcraft there's nothing like your

first ML there was there was like and I know yours in what EverQuest meant to you and what it took over your life you know the the hold it had on you so I felt like I was neglecting my other life when I wasn't on that game. Like, that's how much it meant to me.

Like, I need to be doing this or that or whatever else, so much that I may or may not have got a glider and was gliding and got banned at one point when I was very young. So we're not going to talk about that. But being able to just load into that world and you just have a community and a society that you're almost, it's just, it is another world that you get in. we're going to go run Scarlet Monastery or Willing Caverns or any of the higher level raids, you know, it's been so long I don't remember those anymore.

But, like, it's just, there was something about that progression that back then the old G-O-G-wow was, it was so hard to level up. So when you saw a level 60, you're like, respect, bro, like respect. Everybody gets to 20 or 30, and then they peter out and then they, you know, start another character or just quit the game. but if you can get to a max level back then it was it was an accomplishment man and it was a grind so dude there was just something about it um getting your griffins and uh you know or your mounts for the first time and stuff like that it was there was something there was something there was something there

was just a magic that nobody had ever experienced before and and to be able to get that kind of new global gaming phenomenon again would be just awesome it's i wasn't going to to bring it up because it's not in like my top five but and i know people are probably sick of me bringing up ever quest because like you know it's an older game that a lot of people haven't played or really even know anything about but in parentheses i legit put it's really just your first mmo yeah that is the memory you know and i know for world of work graft that was that was it for millions of people and they're the magic when you get into your first mMO and realize the scope and the scale and the number of players and the adventure that is ahead of you cannot be recreated.

And it's funny because, I mean, we've played a lot of other MMOs and we've dove into them and tried them and nothing compares. Like, they might be fun games and they might be, you know, fully fledged and the quests are fun and whatever. But it's like that magic is gone. Yeah. After the first experience with, with an MMO. And it doesn't matter.

I mean, I played some good MMOs afterwards and I'm like, dude, this is a lot of fun. Like I'm getting into this game. But the magic is just not. there, man. It is not the same. I even hopped back in when they came back out with Vanilla Wow. And I remember I had a laptop and I'm sitting out back and it's beautiful out in Phoenix, Arizona. And I'm on the couch and football's on and I'm playing Wow. And it felt like it, but not, it was, if something was off and it's just not having that initial first experience of the beauty of it all and the wonderment, you know, it wasn't there. And so I, you know, again,

after like level 30 I was just like okay you know I've done this before and you know you kind of fall off from it so yeah it's it's that just that first time thing and in that first MMO like you said that that means so much to to whoever has played them yeah yeah I don't know why it can't get captured again I mean I've tried a dozen MMOs and again there's got it there's going to be a new thing like the MMO is the new one eventually there'll be another game type you know like BR took over the world there'll be something else that takes over to where it's like you remember your first that, you know, first game type of that. But, you know, that remains to be seen what it, what it'll be. Hopefully it's soon. It will absolutely happen. And that's kind of

the funest to think like, man, what's it going to be? Yeah. Yeah. So a game for me that is absolutely magical the first time you play it. And I'm going to preface this with saying you need to experience this game with at least one other friend. And it's even better with like multiple friends, in my opinion. It is not the same game if you're playing it solo. Unless you, you are just the kind of person that can really get enamored of a grind, a, you know, a slow progression and because this game has it in spades. But with friends, the experience in this game is vastly different. And I think it really legitimately falls into that kind of magical category where you go, I wish I could do this again for the first time. And that is Valheim.

Now, you never played Valheim. Did you? Did you even dabble in it? You've never, okay, because No. All right. I remember Valheim taking over the world. And I remember with Paul and some other friends saying, hey, there's this game, Valheim come out. We really should play this. Everybody's raving about it. I mean, there's got to be something there. Right. And so we hopped in. And I think we started off with like three of us. It might have been like me, Paul, and I think maybe Todd and maybe somebody else. But Valheim is an experience kind of like no other because it has the scale of like. an MMO, which you don't realize at first. Like you think, hey, cool, I'm in this really beautiful area. It's kind of safe. It's serene. Like, you almost feel like you're on vacation in a way. And then as you start to kind of do your crafting and you're exploring and your discovery, you start to kind of go into like another biome. And I guess the best way to describe it is Valheim is like the perfect game that is like almost like based or formatted like an MMO. without any quests whatsoever, like in scale and the fun with your friends.

But it just, it just shocks you in how much there actually is in this game. Like, I remember for the first time eventually crafting a raft, right? And it was like, dude, we finally figured out how to craft a raft and we put in at some water. And you can't see very far. And I remember Todd Knight legitimately spending like 50 minutes trying to sail this little raft going like what are we going to find and you know we found nothing because it's huge and we're just lost in the ocean in this game and then thankfully we're like dude we're going to lose everything because this is one of those games where if you die all your gear is on your corpse so there's that

little bit of like you know fear in the exploration and stuff too the first time you chop down a tree in Valheim and it hits one of your buddies and kills them you will absolutely lose your mind like this is the stuff where it's like this sense of discovery right yeah yeah yeah we found a new desert biome after sailing across an ocean and we're like oh my goodness what's this this is brand new paul hops out the boat you know he's going to run around and look around and a freaking mosquito a mosquito is just buzzing by and paul runs up and hits the mosquito because you get anything you collect it unlocks recipes which i think is an absolute masterful way to do progression in a game Paul's thinking, oh, I'll kill this mosquito.

We'll get a new recipe or something. This mosquito destroys Paul in like in a half a second. And then we all lose their minds and we're like, run. Oh my gosh. Like we're not supposed to be here. I'm not even supposed to be here today. We don't want to lose all our gear. We spend an hour sailing.

Like you have to corpse run. Like it's just one of those things, man, where the magic of Valheim is hard. to capture. And the scale and the beauty of this game, and it's weird because this game's kind of ugly in one sense, but at the same time, it's one of the most atmospherically beautiful games that I think I have played in a long time. And you kind of have to just experience it to see the weather, the wind, the atmosphere, the things you find, the things you come across, the different biomes, just, you know, there's boss fights in this game that you realize like, whoa, like really? like this is in there too it's like it's depressing at times it's hopeful at times like i don't know man

this game really has it all i and to prove the point on this we went back and we played valheim again like we said there was an expansion or they finally because it was early access for it might even still be early access it maybe it's officially out now but they had this big expansion the mist lands and we're like dude let's do it and we got back in and it just it just it's not It wasn't the same, dude. And we still had multiple people, but it was like, we knew what to do. We knew what recipes. We knew that across the ocean was something. And like, we knew, hey, man, don't mess with them mosquitoes, man. You know? And so those like, those kind of first time experiences just weren't there. And it's funny because we fizzled out, like, very quickly. We progressed very quickly because we knew what the heck we were doing. But at the same time, we just hit this wall where we went, dude, the magic's not there this stuff. time around. Not they're the same, yeah. Kind of makes me sad, but at the same time, it's like, I'm really glad we had that

initial experience. Oh, for sure. Yeah, it kind of reminds me when we played, me, you and Paul played an arc. Like, you know, we first, we first start and I'm like, I just keep pooping. I don't know what to do, you know. Or the swamp sickness that we got. The swamp, yeah, the swamps. Don't come near me.

What do you do? We all get it. I came and gave it to you all had swamp aids or whatever. Yeah. there's something especially because you guys played it together like that that initial experience where you all are just it's like group discovery and having that together there's just you know it's one of those things that's irreplaceable like even if you were to play with a different group like it would be different you know for the first time so it's it's it's so hard to recapture

those moments and those memories and you just have to hope there's another game that kind of replicates that as far as like your feelings when you started up but man yeah those are Those are just so cool, especially in those worlds, you know, that are like that, the survival where you're just like, I don't know what to do. I don't know where I'm going. But, you know, we got to survive. And then, and then things just keep coming at you. The world is coming at you. Yes. And it just makes for just so much, you know, craziness and memorable moments, which is awesome. Yeah. All right. All right. So, you know, obviously, we got to save the best for last. So what game would be, you know, absolutely so amazing that someone would want to replay it again, you know, maybe 25 years later? Oh, goodness. Diablo, too. Oh, gosh. I knew this.

I always, you know, I told myself, I said, if we get through this episode and Ryan doesn't mention Diablo, like something's wrong. Listen, it's 25 years later. There's no way. There is people. It came out in 2000. It came out in 2000. uh let's see july 6th of 2000 there are people listening right now probably quite a bit that are not even as old as this game and i was playing it on release and if i could recapture

the magic of of not only just playing this game playing the campaign in that dark deep i know i always say dark and gritty like that's you know just just just just kind of environment in a world that I love. Having that nature to it to recreate that experience alongside of land parties with Diablo and then playing online on

Battlenet kind of in the origin and the birth of online gaming in the early 2000s late 90s. To be able to recapture that oh man I mean I'm still searching for it. That's why I'm still playing Diablo resurrected

25 years later and it's still just as good as I remember, if not better. Like, with ruin words that they have now and all the stuff you can do, it's just, there's something to be said to create, you know, art, if you will,

like in 25 years later, you have thousands of people that are still enjoying it and, and loving it and it's thriving. If I could recreate that, man, there was, there was, you know,

we talked about like the, the, uh, the grandma's picking up the phone with the dial up and kicking off. I remember playing, on Diablo and I'm online and I'm playing and running and doing fights and battles and I had a like an 88 Amazon with wind force bow and all this crazy stuff and somebody picked up the phone and I got booted and you know it's it's one of those things like all of the stuff I remember I just even the bad I wish

I could have that can experience you lost a wind force oh dude yeah from your grandma picking up the phone we were uh I didn't know I didn't I didn't lose the wind force but I lost I was playing We were dueling. I was on duels. Oh, okay. And she picked up while I was, while I was dueling, and then I got DCed. And then, you know, so I lost my duel and everything. And then they, you know, they loot the gear, you know, with stuff drops.

For people that don't know was like the most epic bow that you could try to get in this game. It was like a machine gun. I remember grinding for wind force, dude. I went force and SOJs and a bunch of roons and charms. Yeah. And it was like a machine gun. You could just and it would just pierce. And, you know, there's a million things you can go into.

But, yeah, to be able to experience that again would be, the top of my list for sure. Diablo 2 was really the pinnacle, in my opinion of Diablo. Like, Diablo, the first one came out and it was great. And then they kind of, it's one of those rare examples where the sequel was just so perfect. It was like they took everything they learned from the first one and they didn't mess up anything on the second one. And it just was like, they've created the perfect game. Like this game is so good. Like there's so hard to find faults with it. I think they've been chasing that ever since and they haven't quite nailed it. But yeah, Diablo 2 is just one of those absolutely legendary games.

I don't know. Like, do you think if somebody had never played Diablo 2 that they could play it today and feel that same experience? Or do you think it's a little too dated to actually kind of capture some of that magic? Personally, with resurrected, they spiced up the graphics and then they have the run words and stuff. And I think it plays just as well as any other game currently. it's phenomenal in my opinion like any listeners if you want to play diablo hit me up like i'll hop on

with you and i'll help you run and i'll help rush you up through your levels but it's it's one of those that everybody should at least check it out because it is that amazing the story is good uh the gameplay throughout is good it's it's just the progression everything about it just just sits well with me yeah no i'm i'm with you dude diablo too is one of those you know games of all-time kind of games. Yeah. So, all right. Well, the last one for me, a lot of people haven't heard of this.

This is a little bit of an older game. When this game came out, there's actually, I'm going to lump this together because there is a first and a second. And I think that the second is better than the first, but to kind of combine together, it's the whole experience. But that is Knights of the Old Republic. Oh, that was on my list too. Yeah.

Cotor, you know, famously just called Cotor. Knights of the Old Republic was a Star Wars, RPG that was so unbelievably good at the time. And I don't think anybody expected it. And then when it came out, it really just blew up the world because somebody finally made a Star Wars RPG that had absolutely memorable characters. It got you so invested in their stories. It had humor. It had the combat that people wanted in a game. It had fantastic moments with, you know, it didn't pull punches and things like that. So some of the interactions between the characters and the choices that you had to make that really mattered was all there. This was like, this was kind of the game

that set the bar for that stuff, in my opinion. And then not only on top of all that, but it has one of the best twists in a video game. Like we talk about Bioshock and it's like, I don't, again, don't want to spoil it. You know if you know. And if you don't know, go find out because it's worth it. but, you know, Cotor 1 and 2 were just the absolute epitome of what people were hoping for when it came to, number one, the franchise, because they captured Star Wars very, very well. And then number two, it was just an absolutely epic role-playing game, man. Yeah. You know, and again, the characters were, you got so invested in those.

You cared about them. It had the humor, you know, and it would catch you off guard with them. that like sometimes and then you would laugh and then you're crying all of a sudden and it's like you're doing all this stuff and you're on this grand epic adventure and then right at the end of the game it hits you with the huge twist and the reveal and you just kind of like it's kind of like bioshock the whole time you're like what what i've been playing this game for 60 hours and you're telling me i didn't know this you know and then it just it just completely scrambles your brain and it just makes you go like oh my goodness dude like that's one of those experiences that

you can't replicate. And you can go back and play it for the gameplay in the story and try to get more detail, but you will never get that same magic from Cotor as you did the first time playing it. And there's very few RPGs like that. Like even even the greats like Baldersgate 3, like if you take a modern current RPG, I mean, Balders Gate 3 is an absolutely incredible video game, but it still didn't give me that same feeling. You know, I can admit, Baldrski 3 is a way better game, but that magic experience that we're talking about, that first time playthrough, it doesn't, like it doesn't have it like Cotor did, you know? And so there was just something there that made that game just hit in a way that very few games can, man. Well, there's a reason 22 years later, people are still craving like a remake or like a reboot or something.

The technically is a remake. I mean, we haven't heard any news in a long time, but please let it be true. Well, and there's something to be said, too, because, like, I mean, episode one came out in, like, 99. So, uh, Cotor came out in 03. So this was like, this was our Star Wars. Yeah. Like, like, uh, this was that time period where, you know, in the late 70s when the other ones came out, like those were a lot older, you know, and I remember seeing them and thinking

very fondly of them, but this was our Star Wars when we were a little bit younger. And, and this game just hit all those. marks that it fed that craving for more Star Wars and it was good. It wasn't just like here's more Star Wars content and just shoveling it down our throat. It's like it was good too and that there was something to be said about that. And so like you said, the twist, the turns, you know, people aren't going to know unless they play it just like Bioshock. But yeah, man, there's there's nothing like it and there's a reason everybody wants more and kind of harkens back to Cotor is like, that's the Star Wars game. Like, that's the pinnacle that we try to strive to emulate.

And hopefully we get some. I really hope so, man. I'm a huge Star Wars fan. It's had its ups and downs recently, you know, but I will eternally be hopeful that Star Wars just is always that magic experience. Palpatine's still alive? What? Stop. Stop, Ryan. Still, he survived again. What? You guys just told him, have any ideas of what else to write? Oh, man. I still have hope, Ryan. It's kind of like I have hope for battlefields still. Yeah. Oh, man. Listen, if you haven't played these games, play them. If you, if you, you know, if you have a game that gave you that magic feeling, this feeling that we're talking about that you're like, tell us. Tell us. We want to know this is the fun of being

gamers. This is the fun of this podcast is we want to know what resonates with. You know, what resonates What did we miss? What glaring error did we not talk about? And you're just like, Josh, Ryan, what the heck, man? How could you not mention this game? Come tell us about it. We would absolutely love to talk to you. And not only us, but about 800 and 800 plus other gamers that all have the same passion that you have and we have are right there just waiting to talk about this stuff. Our community on our Discord server is second to none. The link is in the episode description. We drive this home for a reason. Literally today, a listener joined our Discord and was chatting with people. And he made the comment that he said, man, I've been listening to you guys. Just chill this Discord server for a while. And I finally joined and he went, oh my goodness, dude, this is the best community I have seen in gaming.

I cannot believe I waited this long. You guys are not lying. You're not overselling it. Like, I've not had gamers to talk to like this in forever. You know? And dude, that just makes me feel amazing. I literally said that. I was like, dude, this makes me so happy.

I know. We don't have the VR tech, but we're trying to create the Oasis, man. Yes. That's what we're doing. So click the link in the ups their description. Come join our Discord server. You can lurk. You can just watch and observe.

You don't have to believe us. and dive in feet first. You know, you can test the waters a little bit. But trust me, it will change your life as a gamer, man. So give it a shot and see what happens. That's it for this episode. We will be back on Thursday with another one. But man, this was fun, dude.

I love thinking about games like this. A little bit of memory lane, but a little bit of go play this game. Yeah, exactly. So we hope you had fun. Listen, if you enjoyed this episode, if you enjoy this podcast and you haven't done it already, please click the follow button, the plus button in your podcast app so you get all our episodes the day that they release. And if you want to be like the four awesome people that signed up to support this show and got a shout out, you can do that over at multiplayer squad.com.

We could not do this without the support of the listeners. So take a minute to think about doing that and supporting the show. That's it for this episode. Until next time, happy gaming. Josh is the best Marvel Rivals player I've ever seen, and he's the best host I've ever heard in my whole life. See ya!