That's fine; your definitions, your opinions (there's no international "genre authority").

Oops, I forgot this one, I really liked it, too.

I wouldn't say that, and these are all games I've rated 8/10 or higher.

AoE II basically dropped the attempts at retelling history in 1 for an entertaining reinterpretation of events, so it falls more under fantasy I think. And there was no strict definition in the OP.

Allowing one game per series...

- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- RuneScape
- The Witcher 3
- Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
- Divinity: Original Sin (haven't played D:OS2 yet so I can't make a fair judgement on that one)
- Total Annihilation: Kingdoms
- More recently, I've been enjoying Grim Dawn

Um, I could point to quite a number of fiction authors who'd be quite miffed at being called fantasy authors simply for not sticking to real-life facts and events (so, you know, non-fiction).

Could probably go with these as some definitions (for literature, but the genre is the genre):

"Fantasy is a genre of literature that features magical and supernatural elements that do not exist in the real world. Although some writers juxtapose a real-world setting with fantastical elements, many create entirely imaginary universes with their own physical laws and logic and populations of imaginary races and creatures. Speculative in nature, fantasy is not tied to reality or scientific fact.

[...]

What sets fantasy apart from other genres is its untethering from reality. Stories may speak to the actual human condition, but they do so with fantastical elements such as magic (the existence or absence of which can play a large role in stories); prophecies of a “chosen one” or an impending doom; ancient mythologies from around the globe; reimagined Medievalism; and the creation of entirely new worlds, races, and creatures. While all writing requires imagination, fantasy is a playground for those who want to push the limit of theirs.

[...]

The genre typically has no basis in scientific fact or speculation. It includes implausible supernatural and magical elements. [...]
By contrast, science fiction features technology and natural or technological scenarios that are currently possible or may realistically become possible in the future."

Well it has such elements but it's a borderline case for sure

Gothic - esp. the first, with its dry, matter-of-fact, un-heroic approach. You're not special, you're not the chosen one... well, yeah, you defeat th big bad in the end and then are the most powerful character in the colony, but before that you're just some guy, and one who gets his ass kicked a lot of times.

Planescape: Torment - the story, setting and characters are still among the best ever created for a game.

The Witcher - each game is a bit different, but I just love how much love and care they put in bringing the world of Sapkowski's books (which I love) alive.

Morrowind - a game with truly fascinating lore. It requires a bit of work to get into, but it really gives the very rewarding feeling of coming to a strange land and slowly getting you bearings and in the end making it your home.

Loom - a charming point&click adventure game, controlled by music (magic) and kind of melancholic.

...and probably a lot more I forgot.

I had to think this through but overall, I'd say 'Final Fantasy IX' is my favourite, mostly because I love the art direction of that game and (I believe) that's the reason I find it so imaginative, fantastic, and engrossing even as an adult. On a parallel feeling of similar intensity I find 'Shadow of the Colossus' for it's sense of awe and space.

But approaching the subject more granularly I'd also say:

Sword and sorcery: Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (which is good, but on a more serious note it's The Witcher 3).
Cyberpunk: Shadowrun Dragonfall, Gemini Rue.
Dark fantasy: Fran Bow.
Grimdark: LISA: The painful.
Steampunk: Arcanum.
Magic realism (because wikipedia says it's also fantasy): Kentucky Route Zero.
Science fantasy: Nier: Automata.

I added LISA as grimdark but I struggled to think of other videogames of that sub-genre. Does anyone know of any good ones?

Elder Scrolls games most notably Skyrim and Morrowind.

Skyrim for it's viking or Norse inspired setting.

Morrowind for its alien landscape and the levitation ability.

Mass Effect

I'm consistently amazed by -- not only your breadth of fantasy games played -- but by your ability to discuss them in-depth and critically. Always look forward to hearing from you on this... helps me make lists! ;)

Agree with the feeling about ARPGs. I'm continually attracted to them, but I never have a satisfying experience. Just starting into Warhammer, I keep looking at Chaosbane, but I feel in my bones that it'll be another game I'll leave disappointed.

Wow, you mentioned Dark Quest II... I've been obsessed with video game versions of board game Hero Quest lately (oh, "the M-u-s-c-u-l-a-r-i-t-y" for Bardic Broadcast fans!)! I'm surprised to hear you bring it up. You enjoyed it that much?

With that said, have you played For the King? Sure! I know it's heresy, but I love the 3D Castlevania games -- with Lords of Shadow probably deserving to be on my top fantasy games list.
Found one of the Krondor books the other day with a sealed demo disc still on the inside back cover! Yeah, I never played the Krondor games when they came out... but should now
Wow... I'm going to have to go through this. A lot of titles I've never even heard of. Thanks!

I agree about the 3D Castlevania games. I love the N64 ones, the PS2 ones and the LoS games. Since Castlevania is my favorite game series, i don't think i have ever played a Castlevania game i did not enjoy. I haven't tried out the pachinko machines or anything but i consider all actual Castlevania video games good.

Another "gimped" GOG version. Ugh... I can take a lack of MP on most games, but the inability to mod? I suspect this is just because GOG doesn't want to house user content on servers...? Should have picked up the games when they were $2 for the pack... now at $5? Dunno

Yeah, I've been going through the Amiga Hero Quest... the Warhammer games... etc.

For the King isn't a Hero Quest-style... just another indie fantasy game in the style of D&D. Very limited story and no character interaction beyond combat, but I've enjoyed it as a quick, casual break from life. Yeah, never expected that I'd be playing games with grids. Oh, times have changed.

Not sure, might also be due to how the devs implemented it. But GOG should have put up a warning about it. When I pointed out that the game page on GOG actually advertised "Map Editor: Create new adventures and distribute them through Steamworks", they just deleted that line without replacement, without making clear that the GOG version lacks this feature.