A favorite game doesn’t have to mean “THE BEST GAME YOU’VE EVER PLAYED.” There are many outside circumstances that may come into play when thinking of your favorite game (or favorite gaming experience). It’s not all about tight controls and buttery smooth gameplay.

I know plenty of gamers (including myself) who have logged a shameful amount of hours in some of their “not-so-favorite” games — at least, that’s what they tell themselves. A great story may come in the form of a janky game. Amazing gameplay may be accompanied by a terrible story. Some games have their moment thanks to building a community and live online gaming experiences.

One thing that sticks out to me is anytime a particular game infiltrates my day-to-day life. You know those games that you think about constantly, even when you’re not playing them. You can’t wait to return home to play some more. You dream about the game. Back when I was playing Hollow Knight, I was so obsessed with the world, characters, and the art style that I sat at work doodling the characters.

My list of TOP/FAVORITE GAMES runs deep and can change daily, depending on how I’m feeling at the moment. This same philosophy applies to my TOP songs, movies, shows, and pretty much any form of consumable content.

The Last of Us (Part I & II) is a series that I think about quite often. I don’t think these are perfect games — there is no such thing as a perfect game. Both of these games just happened to come into my life at the perfect moment in time.

THE LAST OF US

I never owned a PlayStation 3, so I missed out on the initial release of The Last of Us and the Uncharted series (both by Naughty Dog). I first played The Last of Us Remastered for PlayStation 4 in 2015 — I picked up Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection some time after that.

I was living on my own in Orlando, working as a copywriter by day and catching up on games at night. This was the time when I first began exploring new game franchises and genres which hadn’t been on my radar previously.

It wasn’t the gameplay or mechanics that made The Last of Us such a memorable experience (and one of my favorite gaming memories). It was the story and how it related to me at that moment in time. The world was empty, post-apocalyptic, scary, and very lonely. Joel and Ellie were traveling together, but were strangers to each other.

At this time, I enjoyed my job and had made some new friends, but many of them had their own established lives. They were mostly work friends. I’d return home after work, prepare dinner, and continue my journey in whatever digital world I was currently invested in. I would go on weekend adventures, but most of my free time was spent on my own.

The Last of Us came into my life at the perfect time. I became truly invested in this world. I would play late into the night, and even wake up early some mornings to get some time in before work — that’s when you know a game’s really got you. When you have to play before you start your day.

It was during this time where I was living alone in a new city that video games really kept me entertained. The Last of Us just happens to be the one that stuck with me the most.

THE LAST OF US: PART II

The Last of Us: Part II was released in June of 2020. Five years after I had played the original. Everyone remembers where they were during June of 2020 — stuck at home (during a global pandemic). The tone for the sequel is quite different from where we left off in the original game. Ellie is now grown up, and her and Joel are not on the best terms.

The Last of Us: Part II came out at the perfect time for me — though I can see how it was a hard time for others. The in-game, post-apocalyptic world mirrored a future in which the real world could very well be headed. It felt like I was escaping the current lockdown for a dark “What If?” scenario.

The first game had its own twists and emotional moments, but the sequel definitely took it even further. The Last of Us: Part II is a story of love and revenge. [SPOILER ALERT!] At the midpoint of the game, it feels as if the story is winding down. You now take control of Abby, a character you probably hate by now. What a brilliant move. Now, go through the same story from a different point of view.

In The Last of Us: Part II the player learns to empathize with the “villain” character (Abby) by playing through her story. It even goes so far as to turn our “hero” (Ellie) into the “villain”, who just can’t let go of the past. In the end, I was conflicted on who I wanted to win that final battle — Ellie or Abby.

This game came out during a critical period in our country. We judge people as either this or that. Good or bad. Wrong or right. When in fact, everyone is both wrong and right about certain things — of course, some people are more wrong than others.

The Last of Us: Part II’s greatest achievement, and why it still sticks with me all these years later is how they got me to change my opinion on Abby. In the beginning I thought, HELL NO! I don’t want to play as Abby. By the end of the game I was more on Abby’s side.

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The Last of Us series is top tier to me, but it’s not about the game having perfectly smooth controls and gameplay. I ran into problems in both games, as with any game. I wouldn’t even classify these games as “fun.” Sure, I had a great time and felt a lot of the feels. Overall, these games are very emotional.

The Last of Us was the first game I played that really made me feel the emotional weight of the story like that of a movie or TV series. I actually had to take breaks after big moments — like when episodes in a series end with big moments (Game of Thrones “The Red Wedding”).

Since then, I have felt this with many games. The Last of Us sticks out because it was the first big one. Another big factor to why these games are so important to me is how they came along at the perfect time. I needed to play both of these games when I played them.

Do you have a favorite game due to life circumstances or some outside reasons? Share your story below…