Ignoring the disgusting amount of performance issues that Respawn knew would affect this sequel, it was solid. A few things in it that I'd change, but I'm happy with much of the experience besides that.
Rune Factory 4, that game holds such a special place in my heart and I absolutely couldn't put it down since it came out. I think I managed to woo most of the bachelor's[aside from one lol] and bachelorettes!
Also Pokemon Sapphire. I don't know what it was about Sapphire, but I had so much fun with it and put so many hours into it-- I was hooked.
I suppose Valheim, though it's technically an unfinished game. Every time they update it, I return to "complete" whatever new realm or boss they've added.
Breathe of the Wild while over at my friend's place. We take a day every so often to hang out & play games. I didn't exactly 100% the game but it was a full play through. He's already making sounds about having me play through to the end of Tears of the Kingdom. Apparently, it's spectacular.
I marathoned Baldur's Gate 3 and managed to beat it in a mere 80 hours after a week of non-stop play. I honestly can't remember the last time I went so hard on a single game. The Witcher 3 is the last that comes to mind, but I only kept that up for three days. This was a full week.
I have a lot of problems with BG3. But I think they're kind of moot. It speaks for itself.
I disagree, The Painful is probably one of the few games I have played in recent years that made me feel conflicted about nearly every decision I had to take as a player. The only thing I can see turning people off aside from the difficulty spikes is the bleak nature of the setting but then again...
Edit : Just as a comparison since you name-dropped 'em, SOTC is a game with 10/10 lore, and 1/10 gameplay. I have never had to actively fight a game's controls as hard as I did with it.
Can't really speak on GTA since I cannot stand most of the games aside from SA & 4.
Is a game with "Painful" in the title meant to be happy? That's pretty telling on its own.
I beat Live A Live and FFXVI! Really liked both, although I wished for the former to be lengthier and the latter more focused on the RPG aspects.