There’s no worse feeling than realizing a game that could’ve changed your life sat in your backlog for years. And I don’t mean that lightly. These aren’t just good games — they’re great games. The kind you think about at night and wonder, “How did I not play this sooner?”
Whether it was skepticism, bad timing, or just plain ignorance, each of these fantastic single-player titles slipped through the cracks — until they didn’t. And once I finally hit ‘play’, it was game over — pun intended.
5
Dark Souls (Trilogy)
The Lands Between took me to Lordran
From the outside looking in, the Souls games always seemed like gray, convoluted messes — half the world didn’t understand the story, and the other half just cried about the difficulty. Then Elden Ring happened, and I sank nearly 200 hours into the base game alone. While waiting for Shadow of the Erdtree — which easily became one of the greatest DLCs ever made — I craved more of that Soulsborne magic and finally picked up the Dark Souls trilogy, in 2023, of all years.
Coming off Elden Ring, I knew I had to piece together the lore myself, reading every item description like sacred scripture, and it surprisingly clicked. The gameplay felt like a raw, more intimate version of what FromSoft had been perfecting over the years. And even though I wasn’t there when the community first discovered its secrets together, I still wish I’d played it back then, when every mystery was new, and every player was stumbling through the darkness side by side.
Dark Souls III
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4
The Evil Within 2
A semi-open world horror game that surprised me
I played The Evil Within right when it launched back in 2014, and for my sixteen-year-old self, its horror elements hit the mark. However, when the sequel was released in 2017, Tango seemed to be leaning more towards action-horror than survival-horror, which turned me off. Fast-forward to December 2023 — after finishing the fantastic Resident Evil 4 remake and loving every second of its slick, action-driven horror, I realized I had no right to keep putting off The Evil Within 2 with the same excuse.
It helped that the game was already sitting in my library thanks to Epic Games’ freebie drop. I jumped in, and to my surprise, the semi-open-world structure really worked. I didn’t love or hate it — it just felt bold and experimental for its time, and I truly might have derived more joy out of it back in 2017, before Resident Evil Village perfected the semi-open-world hub-arena horror formula. The gameplay in The Evil Within 2 was fluid, the hub-based design kept things interesting, and even if the story didn’t leave a lasting mark, I still wish I’d experienced it back in 2017, when it could’ve hit just a little harder.
The Evil Within 2
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3
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
It’s more than just a Tolkien tie-in
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is hailed as one of the best single-player games ever made — and it pretty much lives up to the hype. That’s why it stung a little that I only got around to playing it in 2021, holed up at home while clearing out my backlog. Even seven years after release, Shadow of Mordor was an absolute blast. The combat makes you feel like a sword-and-bow-wielding god, but you’re still fragile enough to keep the pressure on.
The Nemesis system, with its hierarchy of orc captains and personal vendettas, gives the game an open-world feel without the usual bloat. It’s one of the most creative boss systems I’ve seen, and the fact that it was trademarked is downright tragic. The idea of creating my own villains as they hunt me down even while I’m in the heat of battle is so enthralling — and frustrating, too, coming from someone who ate an insane amount of poison arrows while playing the game. I still remember getting wrecked by poison arrows mid-battle while my own arch-nemesis mocked me. But that’s what makes it special. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor lives and breathes through its villains, and I really wish I’d played it sooner, when its experimental nature would’ve hit even harder, because its reputation didn’t precede it.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
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2
Castlevania: Symphony of the night
A Metroidvania masterclass that aged like wine
It still blows my mind that I didn’t play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night until 2018. I’d dabbled in a few Castlevania titles on bootleg NES consoles as a kid, but never experienced a true mainline entry. That all changed after bingeing the Castlevania Netflix series and picking up the Requiem collection. Within minutes, I knew I’d been missing out on something truly special for two whole decades.
Even on its original PlayStation release, the game is timeless. It laid the groundwork for everything we now know as Metroidvania, and it still plays like a dream. From its haunting gothic art direction to its tight controls and immaculate design, Symphony of the Night is the definition of a classic. And just when you think you’re nearing the end, the game flips — literally — by turning Dracula’s castle upside down, delivering one of the most iconic moments in gaming history. It’s unforgettable, it’s influential, and it absolutely should’ve been in my life much sooner.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
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1
Mass Effect (Trilogy)
My favorite intergalactic regret
Mass Effect was one of those RPGs I kept dancing around until 2020. I had my reasons — sci-fi never really hooked me unless the story had serious weight, and I wasn’t much of an RPG guy until Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring kicked that door open. But when a friend struck a deal — he’d only start watching Attack on Titan if I played the entire Mass Effect trilogy — I gave in.
And man, am I glad I did.
What I found was so much more than just a good sci-fi RPG. It was a sprawling, emotionally charged, character-driven space opera that had me completely hooked. The choices you make feel personal, the relationships you build are surprisingly deep, and the fate of the galaxy rests on decisions you agonize over. The gameplay evolves beautifully across the trilogy, culminating in battles that feel truly cinematic. But what really got me was the emotional payoff — the way the story sticks with you long after the credits roll. The finale that was Mass Effect 3 might have needed some more time to iron out its kinks, but as a trilogy, it’s easily one of the greatest RPG experiences I’ve ever had, and one I deeply regret putting off for so long.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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The beauty of second chances in gaming
There’s something special about discovering a brilliant game late — it hits differently. But that joy always comes with a twinge of regret. Had I played them when they launched, maybe they’d have meant even more. Still, better late than never. These games have earned a permanent place in my heart — and on my list of all-time favorites.
