As you might expect, I had a difficult time with Kevin’s thought experiment. Limiting myself to only 10 games means I have to pick a decent variety of games, with an emphasis on replayability.
- XCOM (+ all DLC). This is my choice for tactical RPG. In a year or two, I might replace this with XCOM II, but I’ll settle for XCOM for now.
- Prison Architect. I, like Kevin, thoroughly enjoy FTL. However, Prison Architect is my latest craze, having sunk 20+ hours into it. Since Introversion still publishes updates, I would obviously hypothesize that I still get them. It’s surprisingly deep, and yet I can imagine even more. It’s like the Sims, but your Sims don’t want to be there! Also, lots more murders. And stabbings. And escape tunnels.
- Dragon Age: Inquisition (+ all DLC). One of two RPGs on this list, DA: I is an incredible open world game with tons of content, and even having finished it once, I’ve barely scratched the surface. Origins is slightly better, but has the dull grind that is Orzammar.
- Mass Effect Trilogy (+ all DLC). My other RPG. I fully acknowledge I’m cheating by including three games, but they come as one package, so you’ll have to accept it.
- Europa Universalis IV (+ all DLC). My replacement for Kevin’s Civilization II. As with Prison Architect, I am assuming that I continue to receive updates.
- Starcraft II (all three games). I need a traditional RTS, and this fills the bill very nicely.
- OOTP 16. Duh.
- WWE 2k16. Because it’s a desert island, and monkeys will only take being beaten by steel folding chairs so many times before they revolt.
- Saints Row IV. My open world game, Saints Row IV is far sillier than any GTA yet still amazingly entertaining and well put together.
- Fallout IV. My “Fallout style game.” I don’t even own the fourth installment of the series, nor have I played it, yet I’m worried that New Vegas won’t be enough to grab my attention.
Honorable mentions:
Skyrim. I am sorely tempted to play this one again, even though I’ve beaten it three times. I will have that temptation for all time. The only reason it can’t bump off Fallout IV is because I need my guns; DA: I holds it off because Skyrim’s story sucks.
Madden. I love Madden, and I buy it most years, but I find that my interest in playing it waxes and wanes; I’ll play it for a couple of weeks straight, then ignore it for three months. If I got 11 games, Madden would probably be #11.
Other Paradox games. HOI IV might make the list once it’s released, because the dev diaries have been extremely promising. The same could be said for Stellaris. There are plenty of other games made by them too that I’d like to take, but again, I only get one game, and the EU series has consistently been the best for my money.
Deus Ex. My favorite PC game of all time, yet I can only take one of them, and I couldn’t choose. Sadly, there’s no convenient box set so I can weasel them all in.
Assassin’s Creed. See above. It’s even worse here, because there are many more games and I love them all (except the first one and AC III).
The Witcher series. See above. Of the three, only the last one is supposed to be a big one, and I haven’t played it yet.
36 Chambers - The Legendary Journeys: Execution to the max! 