Also not going to make an image, sorry, but:

Final Fantasy 7 (original),

Metal Gear Solid,

Rome: Total War,

GTA: Vice City,

Team Fortress Classic,

Day of Defeat

• Metroid Prime 2 or Fusion, can't decide
• FFX
• Guild Wars 1
• Kotor 2
• Subnautica
• Tiberian Sun
• Warcraft 3
• Civilization 4
• Roller Coaster Tycoon

Still haven't played Disco Elysium, pretty sure I bought it day one just haven't played it for whatever reason.

• Tetris
• Mario 3
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
• Devil May Cry 5
• Guilty Gear: Strive
• Super Mario Odyssey

Nostalgia picks

• Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate
• League of Legends
• Pokemon White

Lost Technology, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X

Hell Let Loose, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Ogre Battle 64

Gundam Battle Operation 2, Fear and Hunger, Total War series0

It's just Banished nine times

a few of these are core and unchanging (tekken 3, ctr, uncharted 2, bloodborne), some are recency bias (bayonetta, celeste). There are a lot I would include that didnt make the cut but that I love no less eg wind waker, super mario sunshine, super mario galaxy, shadow of the colossus, return of the obra dinn, vtmb. DS2 i think is controversial, but it was the first soulsborne I played and it holds a special place, warts and all

Old

My top 9 games that I think are most influential on me, in no particular order:

• Dishonored
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Portal 2
• Disco Elysium
• Metal Gear Solid 3
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Minecraft
• Mirror's Edge
• Persona 5

Some additional games that I wanted to include but didn't make the cut:

• Stardew Valley
• Katamari Damacy
• Divinity Original Sin
• Yakuza 0
• Prey (2017)

• Undertale
• Outer Wilds
• Warframe
• Mother 3
• Teamfight Tactics
• Pokemon Diamond
• Hearthstone
• League of Legends
• Bioshock

Can't put Disco Elysium up there because as much as I think it's one of the best written games of all time, the game itself is such a drag to play through that I could never finish an entire playthrough myself. I genuinely think it would be better as a full-on Visual Novel instead of a 2.5D Point 'n Click adventure. The running is slow, the pathing is super finnicky, the skill checks just make me groan and roll my eyes.

I think Hexbear doesn't accept media hosted on other instances (?)

Muh favorites in order:

• Omori

• Final Fantasy VII

• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

• Hollow Knight

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

• NieR Automata

• Silent Hill

• Dragon Age 2

• Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials

Favourites:

• Fallout: New Vegas

• Hollow Knight

• Dark Souls 2

• Wasteland 2

• Prey (2017)

• Resident Evil: Revelations 2

• Homeworld: Cataclysm/Emergence

• System Shock 2

• Binding of Isaac (Repentance)

Least favourites:

• Halo 4

• Homefront

• Door kickers

• How to Survive

• Dead Island: Riptide

• Warhammer: Vermintide 2

• Dead Space 3

• Salt and Sanctuary

• Middle Earth: Shadow of War

Honourable mentions (games that aren't quite my top 9):

• Disco Elysium

• Half-life 2: Episode 2

• Rimworld

• Kenshi

• Divinity: Original sin 2

• Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines

• Barotrauma

• Dead Cells

• NieR: Automata

• Dragon's Dogma

In text:

Starcraft,         Metal Gear Solid 2,  Super Mario World  
Castlevania SotN,  Diablo II,           Dota II  
Prince of Persia,  Unreal Tournament,   Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (+ Knuckles)

I don't know if this list is true to my soul (considering it doesn't even have Dark Souls in it), but I'm tired and wanted to contribute a grid anyway. There is an underrepresentation of modern games because MGS 5:TPP killed gaming for me. Also modern games tend to suck. If I want a forced walking section through a terrible story, I will play a game made from 2016 on. If I want a good story I will read a book, not play a game.

9 honorable mentions:

• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
• Grim Fandango
• Kenshi
• Dark Souls
• VTM: Bloodlines
• Heroes of Might and Magic III
• Arcanum
• Geneforge
• Satisfactory

Real sloppy editing and now that I stand back and look at this, there is a real sharp contrast between all of these but fuck it, this is the final product:

OTHER NOTABLE PICKS:

1. Project Zomboid
2. Tropico (any, really)
3. Cook Serve Delicious 2
4. Rebuild 3
5. Egypt: Old Kingdom
6. Night in the Woods
7. Battle Brothers
8. 7 days to die
9. Fallout: New Vegas
10. Sid Meier's Pirates

Mega Man Battle Network 3, Dungeons of Dreadmore, Monday Night Combat

Pokken, pokemon battle revolution, Streetfighter 6

Mario Sunshine, Nidhog, Nuclear Throne.

I'll make a cute jpeg of everything later.