ParadiseRegaind
@paradiseregaind
Father, husband, gamer, reader, Ed.D. PC gamer since 1990. Grew up playing Wing Commander, Doom, Quake, etc. Mostly play CRPGs these days.
I accidentally got re-addicted to JRPGs this past holiday season after my son asked to play the original Final Fantasy VII, after discovering Cloud and Sephiroth in Super Smash Bros. It has been a blast replaying old favorites and discovering new ones. The Octopath Traveler series is a delight!
Wing Commander This was the first game to ever fully pull me in. I played every moment I could. When I couldn’t play, I read the manual and studied the blueprints. I bought each subsequent game in the series as they came out, while begging my family to continually upgrade our PC and joystick.
I love Westwood’s Legend of Kyrandia series; particularly the first and second entries. Yet, this dark cave labyrinth ended many runs for me as a young child because I would get so lost and confused, which led to me getting eaten alive when my fire berries died. Or burned alive. Or trapped.
Post the first game you actually completed! Sierra’s Mixed-Up Mother Goose from Roberta Williams. 1989. I was four years old. My introduction to video games—and the first game I ever beat.
Snow expected in NYC tonight, this close to Christmas? Must be this gem:
What game made me fall in love with video games? Wing Commander, from Origin and Chris Roberts in 1990. I was five years old, and the music, story, characters, and gameplay blew my young mind.
The Lord of the Rings Online: The Mines of Moria Expansion - Collector’s Edition Came in a nice big box with lots of extras—a soundtrack cd, a small art book, a cloth map of Moria, and a replica One Ring. Pretty cool!
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar - Special Edition The beginning of this storied MMO came out in a standard retail release, or this SE which included a soundtrack CD, behind the scenes DVD, a map, and a slightly larger than standard box.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Collector’s Edition, BioWare Gorgeous box. Art book. Soundtrack cd. Authenticator. And of course, the Darth Malgus statue.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Special Edition Came with a soundtrack cd, dice with a bag, a deck of fateweaver cards, and a parchment map (missing), inside a cardboard box that opens up to reveal the game’s world map.
Here’s the other version! This one is only about an inch thick, and much smaller than the other box. No hinge. No text on top. Just a small, thin box.
Torment: Tides of Numenera Kickstarter Collector’s Edition Turns out there are two Kickstarter physical copies out there. The one I originally had is much smaller and lighter, and lacked the art book. This version is larger, thicker, and more akin to what you’d expect of a CE. Very nice.
Picked up some physical copies of Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, which I didn’t realize existed for PC. Apparently they are from the Kickstarter backers editions. WotR even has a full color manual.
Did you know that @larianstudios.com published a graphic novel for Divinity: Original Sin 2 that covers the origins of the six Godwoken??
The Divinity: Original Sin Collector’s Edition. Missing the art book that was exclusive to the Kickstarter Edition, but otherwise a sharp package and Larian’s best physical release at the time.
The Neverwinter Nights 2 Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil editions. Beautiful oversized packages filled with figurines, rings, art books, soundtrack CDs, and maps. Well worth tracking down for fans!
Did you know there was a Dragon Age TTRPG? I got lucky on an eBay listing and picked up this beautiful hardcover for a few bucks.
My wife and I celebrated 13 years of marriage today. Two beautiful kids. A nice house. A wonderful marriage. And bins filled with PC games. I can’t ask for more in life!