Desert Island Discs - Gamer's Edition

[danstan21]

Since the iconic Radio 4 program just hasn't been the same since Kirsty Young left, let's have a go at making our own.

Here's the scenario: you're about to be stranded on a desert island alone with nothing but a Universal Emulator. This will play back any game in existence flawlessly, as if playing on original hardware - it even comes equipped with a shapeshifting gamepad, accurately simulating any controller or peripheral. However, you can only install seven games. Will you go for cinematic masterpieces, or deep technical experiences? Laid-back life sims, or adrenaline-pumping bullet-hells? Post your picks below.

Rules:
-There is no WiFi on the island, so no online play
-DLC is allowed
-Compilations are allowed, but denote a single most important game in the collection to keep things interesting
-Explain your choices!

I'll start in the next post...

[danstan21]

Animal Crossing (GC)
This feels like a no-brainer for a desert-island situation. With gameplay changing in real-time and having a year's worth of content, this'd be a nice laid-back experience in the sunshine. Plus, the animal villagers can stave off the crippling island solitude. While the Switch version is the superior game in most ways, the GC's villager personalities remain unmatched for me - and as the first game in the series I played, it has nostalgia value that later games can't recapture.

Crypt of the Necrodancer (PC)
This currently sits around 5th on my 'most played' games on Switch, well above full retail titles like Hyrule Warriors and Mario Odyssey. As a roguelike, it's new on every playthrough, and it'd nicely scratch my itch for a rhythm game. It's also got a ludicrous skill ceiling - I still haven't beaten the game with the final story character. This would keep me busy till I kick the bucket, and even then I'd still never come close to beating the game with Coda.
Although I've only played the game on Switch and it has an exclusive character, the PC version has a level editor, which feels like it'd extend the replay value - so I picked that version.

DoDonPachi (Saturn)
I wanted another technically difficult game to keep me occupied, and a classic shmup seemed like a good fit. Which shmup was significantly harder, and I could easily have chosen Rayforce or Soukyugurentai instead and probably been equally happy. I actually played DoDonPachi for the first time three months ago, so it's not nostalgia swinging this decision - it's the sheer manic spectacle and extremely satisfying difficulty curve. The ace OST doesn't hurt either.

F-Zero X Expansion Kit (N64/DD)
This one is kind of cheating since the N64 cartridge + DD disc are technically two separate games, but since the disc doesn't function without the cart I'm going to file it under 'DLC'. Anyhow, the base game has been a favourite since I was a teenager - the tracks are memorable, the OST is killer, and with the track editor and X Cup there's potentially limitless new content. I also prefer the vehicle balance in this game, where there's at least four or five viable machines for optimal play, unlike GX where Fat Shark and Hyper Speeder dominate everything.

Gotcha Force (GC)
It's hard to explain quite why this seemingly-average pocket-size 3D mech fighter is so much fun, but it really is. Even though the campaign is relatively short at about 5-8 hours, the game has rewards and unlockables for subsequent playthroughs, and the literal hundreds of robots with significantly different playstyles keeps the gameplay fresh. Maybe the god-awful voice acting would grate after the eleventh campaign run though.

Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)
I feel this hardly needs introduction. Three excellent games with tons of exploration, fantastic boss fights and oozes of optional lore, along with plenty of achievements added in this compilation for incentivising further playthroughs. Although it's probably not much of a surprise, I'd rank the first Metroid Prime as my personal favourite.

Pokemon Platinum (DS)
Pokemon is basically the franchise that introduced me to video games, so I knew there'd have to be one on the list. Gen 4 is for me where the series peaked; the mechanics were at the most refined and balanced, the mons were well-designed (dodgy Gen 1 evos aside) and the postgame is among the longest in the series, second only to maybe Black 2. And even without access to any multiplayer, the potential for challenge playthroughs would keep it fresh and interesting for years.

Overall
Looking back at my list, I think I have prioritised replay value over personal significance - games like Super Mario 64, Pikmin, any of numerous RPGs like Baten Kaitos and Skies of Arcadia are all favourites, but I couldn't quite justify them due to their 'one-and-done' nature. That said, if I did this again tomorrow I'd probably pick a totally different seven...

[MartyG]

Disgaea 5 - As much as I like the first game (and it's well worth the £3 you can pick it up for these days), there are so many quality of life upgrades in Disgaea 5, it has to be this title on the Island. The tactical battles never seem to get old.

Factorio - If you haven't played this game you haven't lived. I have ploughed nearly 150 hours into it. The idea should suit a desert island well, you're a lost survivor on planet you've crashed on, and starting just with your Leatherman (probably), you end up creating manufacturing chains in a game that's the equivalent of crack cocaine.

Dyson Sphere Project - No, it's nothing to do with cleaning carpets. It's like Factorio above, but this time on a planetary and intergalactic scale. I think there are aspects to it that are better than Factorio, but I think Factorio is the more approachable title (DSP get's complicated faster and the automation chains are not as well thought out). Still very much a time sink, easily something you can played for hours at a time and never notice.

Skyrim - it's Skyrim. Everyone should have Skyrim on their list.

Beat Saber - There will always be a requirement to try and beat your Beat Saber scores and it will keep you fit.

Crusader Kings III - Welcome to the world of the incest simulator - and if your subjects displease you, simply plot to have them murdered.

----

Those would certainly keep me going until a passing ship found me.

[nonny]

Tetris (Gameboy)

Done.

[Brad]

Super mario kart

Dwarf fortress

Wipeout VR

Ultima VII

Minecraft

Lemmings

Digital Combat Simulator

[Neon Ignition]

I'd pick GTAV as one of them but with that choice I'm not sure what being on a desert island is really changing from how things are already...

[DeathAdder]

Civ 2. More addictive than any game I've ever played. Would cure boredom for ever.

Wii Sports. May as well keep tabs on how my body is aging.

Wave Race 64. Got to have one beach / sea based game.

Rollercoaster Tycoon 2. Another fantastic time sink.

Katamari Damashi. It's not long, but it's fun, and at least I'd have some great music on my desert island.

Advance Wars 2. Tons of content and never gets old.

Soul Calibur. Without women, I'd want a game with Ivy.



I've stayed away from games like Skyrim, Fable 2 and Ass Creed Odyssey, much as I love them, as I think they'd just exacerbate the feeling of loneliness.

[danstan21]

Tetris (Gameboy)

Done.

I feel like this is equivalent to the Bible + full works of Shakespeare from the original program

[nonny]

I feel like this is equivalent to the Bible + full works of Shakespeare from the original program

Obviously I'll need a shipping container full of AA batteries to wash up on the beach but I think I'll be good...

[gunrock]

A few 8-bit goodies:

Classic Text Adventure Masterpieces of Infocom - ok, it's not a single game but a near-complete collection by some of the best to ever do it on a CD-ROM (with probably 699mb free ). Lots of fun to be had, as there's a fair few of these I haven't played and the bonus is they can can be run on almost any platform. Essential pick: A Mind Forever Voyaging.

Ultima IV - a really great game that still works today. Has more depth (or imagined depth) than many later titles. Good replay value, due to it's size and pseudo randomness encounters. Also runs nearly anywhere.

Boulderdash C64 version obvs. Still playable and I've never finished it. Even if I get bored of it, it will keep me warm at night bathing in the heavy musk of it's nostalgia!

System 15000 C64, a super-immersive mystery game where you have to login to simulated BBSes and hack simulated company dial-up services and put together clues to solve the mystery, which involves retrieving stolen funds.
Might help with the desert island loneliness, by pretending I'm connected to the world by primitive 80s communication tech. Either that or send me mad, like Will Smith in 'I am Legend'. .

Frontier:Elite II Sacrilege, but I prefer it to Elite. Great open-ended world and narrative enough to dip in and out of.

Modern games:

Breath Of The Wild Nothing more to say, it's an utter masterpiece.

Dev tools:
Is this allowed? Infinite fun to be had with a 6502 cross assembler, a good text editor and the Vice C64 emulator. Oh and a dump of C64 Programmer's Reference Guide.