Games That Shaped Me

Games have been my favorite medium for almost as long as I can remember. As a kid, I read a lot of fantasy and fiction, but I also grew up watching huge franchises evolve in real time—The Legend of Zelda, and what I still think of as the golden age of Call of Duty: CoD 2, Modern Warfare (2007), Modern Warfare 2 (2009), and World at War.

I couldn’t get enough of game worlds like those in Fable, Ocarina of Time, and TES IV: Oblivion. Oblivion especially, along with the later Assassin’s Creed series, made me realize that a well-designed game—story, mechanics, visuals, audio, and all the details that make it feel alive—could offer incredible immersion and player agency. With the right design direction, careful craftsmanship, and clean gameplay, playing could feel like diving into your favorite story—or something entirely new—and steering your own exploration through that universe.

My design philosophy and creative direction will probably always be shaped by games like these. Here’s a rough library of games I’ve played over the years:

Nintendo Systems (NES through Switch family handhelds)

Titles below are grouped by platform family.

Action-Adventure / RPG

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Prime
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow / Gold / Silver / Crystal
Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald / FireRed / LeafGreen
Luigi’s Mansion
Animal Crossing
Stardew Valley

Platformers / Party / Racing

Super Mario 64 / Sunshine / Galaxy
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong 64
Kirby’s Nightmare in Dream Land
Kirby Air Ride
Yoshi’s Story
Star Fox 64 / Adventures
Mario Kart 64 / Double Dash
Mario Party
Super Smash Bros. 64 / Melee / Brawl / Ultimate
Rare Replay — Banjo-Kazooie / Banjo-Tooie
Spyro Franchise
Rayman Legends / Revolution
Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Licensed / Kids / Adaptations / Misc

Lego Star Wars / Complete Saga / The Skywalker Saga
Spider-Man 2 (GC/PS2 ports)
Harry Potter Franchise Games
GoldenEye 007
King Kong
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Tony Hawk’s Underground
F-Zero X / GX
1080° Avalanche
Wii Sports

Handheld / Game Boy / DS odds and ends

Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Snap
Super Mario Land / Wario Land
WarioWare
Nintendogs
Brain Age

GameCube / Wii staples

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Resident Evil 4
The Simpsons: Hit & Run

Sony Systems (PlayStation family)

Action-adventure, RPG & spectacle character games

God of War (2005) / II / (2018) / Ragnarök
Shadow of the Colossus
MediEvil: Resurrection
Spider-Man / 2 / 3 / Shattered Dimensions
Marvel’s Spider-Man / Miles Morales / Spider-Man 2 (PS5)
Final Fantasy VII / X / VII Remake / Rebirth
Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1 / PSP)
Kingdom Hearts / II / III
Horizon Zero Dawn / Forbidden West
Ghost of Tsushima / Director’s Cut
Uncharted 1–4 / Lost Legacy / Collection
Sly Cooper trilogy
Metal Gear Solid
Days Gone
Detroit: Become Human

Playstation Shooters

Killzone
Resistance: Fall of Man
SOCOM
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell / Rainbow Six / Ghost Recon

Fighters, rhythm & racers

Tekken 3 / 4
Street Fighter IV
Mortal Kombat X
SoulCalibur IV
Guitar Heros / Rock Band
LittleBigPlanet
Need for Speed

PS2 / PS3 action and licensed staples

Ratchet & Clank series
Jak and Daxter series
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Devil May Cry 1 / 3
Onimusha
Okami
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Bully
Destroy All Humans!
TimeSplitters 2 / Future Perfect
Black

Microsoft Systems (Xbox family)

Xbox / Xbox 360 / Xbox One

Halo: CE / 2 / 3 / ODST / Reach / 4 / 5 / Infinite
Halo Wars
Gears of War 1–5
Fable / II / Anniversary
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Sunset Overdrive
Crackdown
State of Decay / 2
The Outer Worlds
Ori and the Blind Forest
Fable III
Perfect Dark Zero
Lost Odyssey
Viva Piñata
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Crackdown 2
Dead Rising / Dead Rising 2
Army of Two
Lost Planet / Lost Planet 2
Prototype / Prototype 2
Mirror’s Edge
Prey (2006)
BioShock 2 / Infinite
Homefront
Medal of Honor
Spec Ops: The Line
L.A. Noire
Skate / Skate 2 / Skate 3
Burnout Paradise
Midnight Club: Los Angeles

Xbox Live Arcade & Xbox-era digital classics

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
Toy Soldiers

Bethesda & modern id shooters

Fallout 3 / New Vegas / 4 / 76
The Elder Scrolls III / IV / V / Online
Starfield
Wolfenstein (classic and reboot)

Cross-platform (PC · PlayStation · Xbox)

Souls-style / Monster

Dark Souls: Remastered / II / III
Elden Ring / Nightreign
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Nioh / Nioh 2
Monster Hunter: World
ARMORED CORE VI
Black Myth: Wukong
Blasphemous
Lords of the Fallen
No Rest for the Wicked
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

Blockbuster · stealth · remakes

Cyberpunk 2077
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Mass Effect trilogy / Andromeda / Legendary Edition
Quantum Break
Control
Resident Evil 4 / 5 / 7: Biohazard / Village
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Hogwarts Legacy
Devil May Cry anthology
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order / Survivor
Grand Theft Auto III → GTA V, Online
Red Dead Redemption I, II, and Online
Assassin’s Creed anthology (Unity / Odyssey / Valhalla / Mirage / Shadows)
Watch Dogs & Watch Dogs 2
Saints Row 2
Mafia staples (I · II)
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor / War
Far Cry arcs (III · IV · V)
Tomb Raider
Darksiders / Darksiders II
Lollipop Chainsaw
South Park: The Stick of Truth / The Fractured But Whole
Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
Dying Light 2
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
HITMAN World of Assassination
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
Marvel Rivals
Metal Gear & Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
Metal Gear Solid Master Collection
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
NieR:Automata
Shadow Man / Remastered
Sherlock Holmes Chapter One
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom / The Cosmic Shake
Star Wars Battlefront II
Star Wars Jedi Power Battles
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
The Precinct
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine / Space Marine 2

Tactical shooters · arena · extraction

ARC Raiders
Battlefield 1942 to now, including Battlefield 1 / 4 / V / 2042 / 6, Bad Company 1 / 2, Hardline, etc.
The Call of Duty continuum
Destiny / Destiny 2
Titanfall / Titanfall 2
Apex Legends
Valorant
Overwatch / Overwatch 2
Rainbow Six Siege
Paladins
Warframe
The Division / The Division 2
Borderlands
Crysis trilogy
Wolfenstein reboots
Metro continuity, including Metro Exodus
Left 4 Dead / Left 4 Dead 2
Back 4 Blood
Helldivers 2
Outriders
Payday 2 / Payday 3
Escape from Tarkov & EFT Arena
BattleBit Remastered
Bodycam
Caliber
CULTIC
Deadlock
Deadside
Delta Force
DUSK
THE FINALS
FragPunk
GROUND BRANCH
Hired Ops
Operation: Harsh Doorstop
PlanetSide 2
Ring of Elysium
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam
SCP: 5K
SCP: Secret Laboratory
Shatterline
Six Days in Fallujah
Sniper Elite 5
Spectre Divide
Splitgate
STALCRAFT: X
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl / Clear Sky / Call of Pripyat / S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Trepang2
Warface
World War 3

Co-op sandboxes · live service games

Sea of Thieves
Deep Rock Galactic
GTFO
Warhammer: Vermintide / Darktide
Fortnite seasons
Among Us
Fall Guys
Phasmophobia
Lethal Company
Valheim
ARK: Survival Evolved
No Man’s Sky
Sons of the Forest
DayZ
PUBG: Battlegrounds
The Culling
Project Zomboid
Elder Scrolls Online
Lost Ark
New World
Diablo II / IV
Castle Crashers
Overcooked
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Worms
Boomerang Fu
Backrooms: Escape Together
Content Warning
Crab Game
Dark and Darker
Friday the 13th: The Game
Green Hell
It Takes Two
King of Crabs
Liar’s Bar
Palworld
R.E.P.O.
RV There Yet?
Schedule I
SCUM
Totally Accurate Battlegrounds

Racing / sports / vehicle games

Forza Horizon
Rocket League
Skate / Skate 2 / Skate 3 / skate.
FIFA (some)
Madden NFL (some)

MOBAs / platform fighters

League of Legends / Dota 2
Multiversus
Smite

Survival-horror cousins

Dead Space anthology & remake
Amnesia series
Outlast / Outlast II
No More Room in Hell 2
Dead Frontier 2
Detention
Dreadmyst
The Forever Winter
The Long Dark
SIGNALIS
The Sinking City
Transience

PC (Windows & Mac / Linux)

MMOs / Online RPGs

World of Warcraft
RuneScape / Old School RuneScape
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Club Penguin / ToonTown Online
AdventureQuest
The Lord of the Rings Online
TERA
Realm of the Mad God Exalt

Medieval Slashers & Action Combat

Chivalry: Medieval Warfare / Chivalry 2
Mordhau
For Honor
Mount & Blade: Bannerlord
Kingdom Come: Deliverance / II
Hellish Quart
Half-Sword
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Ryse: Son of Rome
Exanima
LIZARDS MUST DIE / 2
We Who Are About To Die
Warhaven

Classic PC platformers / shareware

Jazz Jackrabbit / Jazz Jackrabbit 2
Duke Nukem

Valve & classic PC FPS roots

Half-Life / Half-Life 2
Portal / Portal 2
Counter-Strike: Source / Global Offensive / Counter-Strike 2
Team Fortress 2
Black Mesa
Wolfenstein 3D
HROT
POSTAL 2
Severed Steel
Warhammer 40K: Boltgun

Tactical sims, extraction & PC

Aim Labs
Insurgency / Sandstorm
KovaaK’s
Squad
Hell Let Loose
Over The Top: WWI
Post Scriptum
Ghost Recon
Splinter Cell
The Cycle: Frontier
Marauders
Ready or Not
Killing Floor / Killing Floor 2
Holdfast: Nations At War
War of Rights

CRPGs, immersive sims & western RPGs

Baldur’s Gate III
Divinity: Original Sin
Dragon Age: Origins / II / Inquisition
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Deus Ex: Human Revolution / Mankind Divided
BioShock
Dishonored / II / Death of the Outsider
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Chrono Trigger
Dungeon Siege 2
Endalor
For the King
The Forgotten City
Hell is Us

Browser / Flash / web games

Stick RPG
Fancy Pants Adventures
The Powder Game / Powder Game 2
Line Rider
Bloons / Bloons Tower Defense
Motherload
Age of War
The Last Stand
Madness Interactive
QWOP
Cookie Clicker
Defend Your Castle
Donuts’n’Justice
LIGHT NITE
Stick RPG 2

Clash of Clans
Angry Birds
Plants vs. Zombies
Fruit Ninja
Temple Run
Flappy Bird
Doodle Jump
Cut the Rope
Geometry Dash
Candy Crush Saga
Bejeweled
Words With Friends
Draw Something
2048
Plague Inc. / Evolved
MineSweeper Rush
Prominence Poker
Zombieville USA 3D

Walking sims & vignette games

The Stanley Parable
Outer Wilds
A Short Hike
The Low Road
Mad Experiments: Escape Room
Octodad
Pineapple on Pizza
The Pedestrian

Strategy / 4X / RTS / builders / roguelites

Besiege
Brotato
Age of Empires II–IV / Mythology
StarCraft
Warcraft III
Total War
Cities: Skylines
SimCity 4
Satisfactory
Noita
Risk of Rain
The Binding of Isaac
Dead Cells
Slay the Spire 2
Darkest Dungeon
The Sims / The Sims 2 / The Sims 3
Spore
Diablo
Warcraft II
Empire Earth
FATE
Hotline Miami
Braid
Halls of Torment
Highguard
Knightfall
Knight’s Path: The Tournament
Lost Potato
MannaRites
PowerWash Simulator
Procrastinaut
Ravenswatch
Space Gladiators
Star Birds
Super Motherload
Thronefall
Titan Quest II
UFO 50

Some I only spent a few hours with, others took 50, 500, or even thousands of hours. I also spent some time in amateur / semi-pro FPS competition, in Call of Duty and Apex Legends—minor tournaments, but still a big part my competitive gaming experience.

There are definitely titles missing; this is just the library I could pull together for now. Each game here left enough of an impression to belong—and all of that player experience feeds back into how I think about making games.