Dear [Game], Sorry I Missed You

[Rii]

In a perfect world we'd get to play all games that interest us, but this world isn't that one. There are many reasons why we might miss a game that we might otherwise have fallen in love with, and even ostensibly temporary issues (such as being too busy at the time the game is released or one's PC not being up to scratch) can become permanent on account of the historically rapid development of the form discouraging us from or otherwise rendering it difficult to engage with older games and experience them as one would've at time of release, coupled with the general zeitgeist effect to which games are subject, particularly multiplayer titles. Of course in some cases it may indeed be plausible to 'catch up'. And then there're those games we'd have been sorry to have missed had we heard of them at all - Rumsfeld's 'unknown unknowns'.

In any case, some games I'm sorry to have missed:

System Shock (1994 PC)
Descent (1995 PC/PSX)
Planetside (2003 PC)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004 GCN)
Shadow of the Colossus (2005 PS2)
Okami (2006 PS2/Wii)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007 DS)
Far Cry 2 (2008 PC/X360/PS3)
Journey (2011 PSN)

Your turn. And if you say you've managed to play every game that's ever caught your eye I'll smack you.

[Cable]

For me it's pretty much everything to be honest, i only really started buying and playing games like 2 years ago, so i've got an awful lot of ground to make up.

I played games when i was younger but that was pretty much just endless deathmatches in age of empires 1 and 2 thanks to my dad buying them. But now i have some money and access to computers with actual processing power i play some games but generally i'm at least 6 months behind the curve due to waiting for cheapness on steam etc

[Anthile]

The now mostly forgotten CyberMage. Sorry 'bout that.

[NecroKnight]

Giants: Citizen Kabuto
Postal 2
Far Cry
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War + all the expansions

[Jockie]

I missed Giants: Citizen Kabuko, but noticed it's available on gog for peanuts, worth a look still?
Hitman: blood money
Homeworld II
Anachronox
Tie Fighter
Dungeon Keeper

[Spacewalk]

Sorry Cybermage but we just weren't into the same bands. I had my scene and you had yours. It's like mixing hardcore and prog, it would never have worked.

Sorry Entomorph, I liked your demo but I just didn't see you on the shelves. Did you go home with another man perhaps.

Sorry Wrath Of Earth but you never did give me and my PC the time of day. Bitch.

Sorry Shadowcaster but I was busy getting into you younger sister Heretic's pants to pay you any attention. You have to admit that she was a real looker though.

Sorry I didn't hook up with you earlier System Shock and waited until you were cheap and desperate.

Descent, I heard that you were a wild one but I could never make heads or tails of you. And I was always too drunk I kept vomiting on your shoes. Way to go, me

Sorry Planescape but I just wasn't into the brainy chicks. I heard that you found a nice guy and became a successful novelist so I'm happy for you.

[Jams O'Donnell]

There were a clutch of games around 2002-ish that my computer just couldn't run, and by the time I'd gotten a better machine none of my clanmates were playing any longer. Chief among them Planetside and BF 1942.

I also missed out on the Diablo games because the screenshots on the boxes didn't make them look very interesting and I didn't know other PC gamers, who probably would have raved at me to get them.

I think I've otherwise fared pretty well. I suppose I wouldn't have minded playing System Shock, but nothing else springs to mind.

[8-bit]

when it came time for dawn of war 2 to be released I found myself in a position where I had to choose between not buying the game or installing GFWL. So, sorry DoW2, I know that you fixed the problem for the expansion packs but by then it was too late for me to forgive and forget.

many Atlus games due to low numbers usually being available and them not having regular releases in Europe.

the X series, I actually own X3 but it has a worse tutorial than the witcher 2 so I never did manage to figure it out. I feel I missed out on something good there, I just don't know what it was.

Homeworld 1, I played the expansion to death and had a demo of this too but I never saw it in the shops at the time.

people who missed system shock know about system shock portable right?

[Jams O'Donnell]

people who missed system shock know about system shock portable right?

Aye, but it's such a headcluck trying to get a modern FPS head around shonky old FPS controls.

[outoffeelinsobad]

I missed Psychonauts, but I'm kinda glad because otherwise I'd probably be one of those raving lunatics who get out their sandwich-boards every time someone says the word "unique" or "innovative" or "Tim." I already have an impressive sandwich-board collection, and I don't need another.

I missed most of Beyond Good & Evil because the first hour or so just didn't grab me. Shame -- I really enjoy taking pictures in games.

I missed the Ultima and Wizardry games because my father didn't want to re-install a 5" floppy into our desktop once we upgraded to the Pentium 133. He always told me they were really great though.

[Spacewalk]

Oh Magic Carpet I just remembered you. We probably passed right by each other at one stage and didn't even nod. But I always did forget you.

I saw all your pictures in the magazines Interstate '76 and we did some mad flirting at the in-store kiosk but that's all we'll ever have. It's a shame as you were such a poet.

Same goes to you Forsaken.

I remember spending some time with you at my friend's place Syndicate but we promised never to talk about it again. Granted, I did give it some serious thought once your butt got big with that Wars suffix but it was not meant to be.


Man, how many more am I going to remember, this could get tiring quickly.

[sinomatic]

Half Life.

I'll get my coat. My coat made of the purest shame.

[8-bit]

Aye, but it's such a headcluck trying to get a modern FPS head around shonky old FPS controls.

true, I struggled with the old doom games last year so I would know. you can play system shock with a mouse but I guess still has more complicated controls than any other old fps, I really had to struggle before I got to grips with it.

[Olero]

Regrets, alas, I do have 'em:

• Operation Flashpoint: I really wanted to like you, but my system wouldn't allowed at the time. And now when I tried to install you the other day, I can't find the manual with the serial number anymore... But there'll be a day!
• X-com: If only I knew I liked turn based games at that time. Or did I already? I don't know, my turn based history starts with Jagged Alliance 1. I think I did try X-com; Apocalypse once, but it scared me away.
• Grim Fandango: How did I miss this? I don't know. Will I correct the mistake? Probably.
• Planescape Torment: Only heard about this one ages after it came into existense. And this one I'll definetely try to get and play some day. When I have a lot of time. Which is in a far away future. Sigh.
• [insert name] Total war: Games like this still scare me. I don't know why. Maybe we should meet in a safe place first, with a demo perhaps.
• Half life; Episode 1 & 2: Must have been under a rock to have missed both, but then again, I'm not much of a FPS gamer. Won't see this fixed soon.
• Left 4 deads: The console-feeling keeps me away, as well as not having friends to co-op with.
• Resident Evils: Same sonsole-phobia :(
• Metal Gear Solids: And again :'(
• GTA 3+'s: And even more of it :'S
• Mass Effects: Have played a bit of the first, but I just can't get myself to starting it up again. Why? No clue.
• Hit Man's: Missed 'em, but got them ready to install on a rainy eh month without work or something.
• System shocks: Wasn't interested in that time. I am now, but as mentioned earlier, not looking forward to the controls
• Bioshocks: The more I hear and read about it, the less I want to play them. So I'm giving these a miss.

[Edawan]

Most games I regret not playing are console games I didn't have the console for.
Just a few : Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, the God of War series...

There's a few important PC games I missed, but not a lot that I regret missing.

[Liqourish]

God this thread is depressing.

[Lukasz]

i missed lots and lots of games over 2 decades of gaming. cause of gog and steam sales i managed to correct few things.

from top of my head and from reading everyone else's posts

anarchronox
prototype
hitman
system shock (i did pirate ss2 like 3 years ago. didn't have time to play it after 2 hours. when i did get time i decided it would be better to wait for it to be released again)
last express
anno games
icewind dale
dark earth (played demo and loved it)
magic carpet
monkey island. got all of them but fourth. but only completed third on
DK1 but i did have dk2... and not really eager to play the first one now.

and so on. will add more if i remember.