You're on a Deserted Island, and are only allowed to bring 3 games to keep you entertained. What do you choose and why?

"How can you play games on a Deserted Island?" just....trust me okay! haha. This is a flawed concept for sure, but bear with me.

For the sake of discussion, yes, You can have multiplayer games because somehow you have an internet connection.

Another Rule: No Mods, you can only take these games for how they were released by the developers.

I'm just curious to see what kind of answers we can get! Please provide reasoning! I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with!

There are a lot of points to consider here. For single player games, even your story-rich narrative games like Witcher and Mass Effect are still going to be effectively finite. It might take you a long time to see literally everything those games have to offer, but you will get there at which point the replayability may taper off.

In this scenario there could be an argument for procedurally generated games that are functionally infinite (Elite Dangerous, No Man's Sky, etc).

And then there's just straight multiplayer games where the gameplay with other players is the point. Many of these are some variations on a shooter like CoD, Titanfall, Apex, Battlefield, etc. The flip side of those would be the games where the interaction and strategy with other players is the entire point, such as Eve Online. Or games that split the different for more of a Phantasy Star-type experience like Monster Hunter and Destiny.

Personally, I'd have to go with Elite Dangerous as one for a couple reasons. It's a strong single player game (solo mode) but it also has elements of Eve where there's a lot of opportunity for emergent play in how the universe reacts to the actions of the player base. I'd also include it because it's very much a "game as a service" and they've been making constant content additions over the years. The game came out over 6 years ago and in that time they've added huge core gameplay aspects like a faction system, planetary landings and ground vehicles, engineers, synthesis, fleet carriers, and massively reworked systems like exploration and mining. In less than a month they are adding the ability to leave your ship and walk around planets and space stations on foot.

Second I might go with something like Hades. I'm not huge of Rogue-likes because my gaming time is limited and I don't want to play a game where an hour or two of my time might result in no actual progress if I didn't play well enough, but Hades is an excellent balance between Rogue-like difficulty and repetition versus an -excellent- set of core gameplay mechanics that are extremely satisfying.

Last I'd go with something narratively heavy and expansive, so probably Witcher 3. Yes, I'd eventually run out of stuff to do in it but it's a compelling world with a lot to explore. Plus most quests have multiple outcomes with no single right or wrong answer so there's a lot of potential replay there.

Honorable mention for No Man's Sky which has seen a similar (albeit more from a redemptive perspective) arc to Elite Dangerous. However, I wouldn't include those two games in a list like this together because they have too many similarities.

Would have to be games that offer a lot to come back to, as well as being an enjoyable experience. For me it would seem handhelds and mobile would have a huge advantage here. Will help to check to get off the island and knowing when is a good time and bad time to be gaming. So long as we have a manner to charge them?

Here is my list-

Monster Hunter 4G 3DS (still supports online so a good cooperative option, thousands of hours worth of replayability/ quests, is the best MH overall for value and quality)

CastleVania: Collection Switch (challenging and for the most part a solid collection of games, I have this collection on three systems and gets replayed quite often)

Splatoon 2 Switch (this is my competitive pick. And while I did consider a Unreal/ Quake/ or TF2. None of them are really benefitting from being handheld. Splatoon 2 has given me a lot of value and is one of the best shooters period)

*I did consider two other games but had to factor that they're on dated hardware no one really uses much anymore (wouldn't benefit the online) or simply not on a handheld at all with no community support- Dragon's Crown and Tekken Tag Tournament 2

• Sleeping Dogs definitive edition
• GTAV although I don't care for the MP because hackers ruined it but I still might play it for the extra content
• Counter Strike Source

• World of Warcraft
• Runescape
• maybe Worms Armageddon?

All to play multiplayer with friends. @Byshop pretty much summed it up

@sahugani: why those 3 games?

Can speak for one of them_

Worms: Armageddon is legit one of the best competitive battle strategy games on the market, Team 17 have never topped that masterpiece and a lot of people still play it today. Also pretty fun to play against bots.

A lot of tactics get involved based on placement of your team, the strength and angle of wind, not to mention weapon/ buff drops. Has a good sense of humor as well so never feels bad (speaking personally) when one gets beaten.

It's also very cheap considering the game is older than most gamers on this forum.

Tetris DS
Brutal Doom
Dark Souls

Really tricky for me to decide. Would be best if I list games that are available on the Switch seeing as it’s portable. Also need to consider titles that I can get a lot out for long periods of time. Variety is a factor too...

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (First thing that came to mind. A game I’ve put plenty of hours into and it would just balance things out.)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (May feel less lonely by talking to the villagers.)

Dragon Quest XI (Not my favourite DQ game but I need a JRPG thrown in. Plus, the scope of this game is bigger than the previous titles to my knowledge? At least it feels that way.)

Animal Crossing is a delightful game of meditation bliss. That's how I always viewed it. Very relaxing and I do enjoy the series considering sometimes these other games can be really intense and demanding.

If I picked a top 5, New Horizons would have probably made my list, and Tetris.

Forza 7

Dark Souls 3

Warzone

DkSIII is amazing, I know a lot of people push it aside due to Souls fatigue at the time. Still easily my favorite entry and played them all for hundreds of hours. So diverse and extremely well designed. DkSIII to me is the most refined of all From Softwares games up to that point.

(1) Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Aside from Zelda being my favorite franchise, Breath of the Wild is a game where even two hundred hours put in there are still surprises in it.

(2) Halo 3/Counterstrike Source

If I needed a multiplayer game, I would probably go with Halo 3. I'm not sure if this island has internet, so I guess there are bot options in this. Otherwise, Counterstrike Source for me.

(3) Mario Kart 8

A game that I could replay. I also considered an early Mario Party as well.

I'm not a big pure RPG player, more an action/adventure gamer and platformers. I'm not a big fan of CoD though the Zombie mode I quite enjoyed in limited plays with friends. Personally, it's Half-Life and Halo for shooters for me. I also considered Grand Theft Auto (which I'm hyper-critical of due to the sluggish movement of the characters and mediocre gun play) but just because the game is so big.

To some of the posters, never played a Dark Souls and not particularly interested in them.

@sonic_spark: Breath of the Wild is a great choice for exactly the reason you mentioned. I had a hard time getting into it at first (the weapon durability was a big turnoff) but once you understand the game and its rules/systems the opportunities for emergent gameplay are amazing. I might have included it in my list were it not for the fact that everyone in my family who games has already played that game to death at this point but we certainly spent a lot of time with it.

That's perfectly fine, play what you wanna play. And while cool with that will state my peace on the sub genre known as Soulsborne.

Know a vocal sum of the fanbase has that toxic level of elitism, which doesn't help get any new player interested in Souls games. Sad really. Those fans probably don't realise how off-putting they make these games seem. Misleading message that the games are hard and only for the "hardcore gamers".

Soulsborne are essentially dungeon crawlers with tight combat that reward patience and understanding, much of its gameplay is very similar/ and even Miyazaki san states to be inspired by the Monster Hunter franchise. Many of the more reassuring fans will also agree Souls games are not difficult and unplayable in the way some think, would even state most have played far tougher games than a DkS game.

Souls games simply respect the player to make choices and decisions, for better or worse. Sometimes it pays off and the player is rewarded, sometimes you are not and that's ok, you'll know it's a death trap when you revisit. Third choice is also just simply not to take the bait, which is commonly wise.

Appreciate the write up. The difficulty has never turned me off from it. To me, the game lacks personality and seems to rely on it's more challenging gameplay as the "hook" to purchase it.

Though I think I need to give one of the games a chance and see for myself. Recommendation?

Funny because I hated the weapon durability at first. Now I can't imagine the game without it. It's more than just traditional Zelda, it's a survival game as well. It's like the whole "wild" aspect of the game can be summed up on the Eventide Shrine where you have absolutely nothing and need to rummage for supplies, weapons, food, etc.

It's a big mental shift but once you're on board it's fine. There are weapons everywhere, so then it just ends up becoming about finding hundreds of Riddler Trophies Korok Seeds to increase your inventory.

I can see how they might look that way on the surface but there's a lot of narrative depth to them. Not much in the way of "story" but quite a lot of world-building and lore. Most of the Souls games don't have a ton of "story" that occurs over the course of the game and the medieval armor mostly looks a tad generic but there's actually a lot there underneath.

As for an initial recommendation, Bloodborne hands down. Especially if you're looking for Dark/Demon's Souls with more personality. The Victorian Gothic setting is one of the reasons people regard it as the best "Souls" game even though it's not technically part of the series.

That is what I think the toxic fans have done to sully the reputation personally.

Think the personality/ identity from experiencing the games is closer to that of a Survival Horror game in my view because From Software have always done a good job of claustrophobic atmosphere with gritty/ decaying ascetics. Dark fantasy is the term_

Difficulty as the hook is something I never truly understood. They are certainly not easy, but again it's all in ones interpretation. Just think the elitism this series has gathered is very off-putting, despite being a big fan of From Software since Armored Core.

As for which one? . . Three options based on taste and platform, my first pick will be the most assessable though.

Dark Souls III I think is a good first game. Runs well on all platforms. And as I noted above, it's really the most refined of the games, cutting out a lot of the fat and just being a legit solid dungeon crawler RPG.

Want less RPG systems and a gun? Bloodborne is the pick. Bloodborne is closer to Resident Evil 4 meets CastleVania from ascetics. With Bloodborne you will need a PlayStation 4/5, not to mention the game doesn't run very well. . Which of the three makes it the most difficult to recommend. It's not broken yet can give one heck of a headache with its slideshow framerate. When it performs bad, it performs terrible.

Last would be the original, kinda. . Demon's Souls: Remake though only if you have a PS5. And that's the games main flaw, one system, and one many struggle to get. Remake refined a lot of outdated features making it the definitive version of DeS, and even borrows a few things from DkSIII. Helps that DeS is easily the shortest of the bunch, my return to DeS on PS5 was roughly 13 hours on first playthough. DeS also has the least gimmicks. DeS is right to the point of what all these games are about.

*Many classic fans would recommend the first Dark Souls. And while I still like DkS it has its problems and is mostly beloved because it was many peoples first game in the series; and many even first From Software game. And not because it was the definitive experience, and that's why I personally wouldn't recommend it for a new soul jumping in. Not right away anyhow.

Hmmm tough question.

Many of my favorite games have endings, so I likely wouldn't want to take any of those.

That leaves my favorite "just one more turn/hour/session" games.

1. World of Warcraft. Not only is it essentially an endless game, but it is pretty fun too. And since I will be alone on this deserted island, I would need a solid, large online community and I would totally get that with WoW.
2. Cities: Skylines. Even without mods, it's a great game. And while you said no mods, the game includes an editor, so I would be able to make my own content--maps, district styles, buildings, and so on--and I'd be able to play it forever.
3. My third option I'm going to leave open for now...