I challenge you to a game

Hello,

One of the reasons that led me to quit gaming for good (with a small caveat) was this thought-provoking exercise:

I went through my video game library (I use HLTB) and looked at the highest-rated games (5/5). To my surprise, when I tried to recall the names of characters, villains, or even the basic plot, I drew a blank for many of them. As an RPG fan, some of these games had taken over 100 hours to complete, not to mention online games where it's even worse.

It was disheartening to realize that for a game I'd spent 200 hours on (according to Steam), I could barely remember anything. It felt like 200 hours of my life had been stolen - time I could have used to develop real-world skills.

A small caveat: I'm still interested in the top 1% of games each year. If a groundbreaking RPG like Baldur's Gate 3 comes out, I might play it. But I won't play the 20 RPGs rated 9/10 that are released. I place great importance on story, narration, character development, and music. If I won't remember anything after finishing a game, even if it's rated 10/10, I won't play it. For instance, if a new Super Mario game comes out with extraordinary gameplay, but after 20 hours all I'll remember is jumping on turtles and fighting a mustachioed man, I'll feel like I've wasted my time again.

So, here's my challenge to you:

Think about your Top 10 video games. Then, one by one, try to recall the names of the characters, the villains, their motivations, the story, and the ending. Comment below if you could remember all these details or if they've been lost to time.

As a special mention, I've realized that music is quite important. When I play a game that made me feel good, like Final Fantasy X, even after so many years, I can listen to the music and it transports me back to those childhood days of playing. That's why I consider music to hold significant value.

Are you up for the challenge? Let's see how much we truly remember from our gaming experiences.