I'm pretty sure it was Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. I don't actually remember buying it and might have played Warcraft 2 beforehand, but I spent many ... Many happy hours on DF2. One of those two was my introduction to multiplayer gaming, but for sure I spent a lot more time on DF2.

As for whether it was worth it, it arguably shaped a lot of my life to date. Also I met at least one friend whom I still talk to (though rarely) to this day. I would say yes.

I think it was either Soleil or Dune 2 for the Mega Drive/Genesis. I was 10 or 11 at the time.

Baldur's Gate 2. The manual was so good, and the map. You'd pay $200 for some kind of special edition for that quality these days. Totally worth it.

Final Fantasy IV, completely worth it and I still have it. My parents were mad that it was $40 used.

I didn't sell many games back, but for some reason, I sold that same game store Mega Man V for Game Boy complete-in-box, probably for a pittance.

Croc

It might have been a used copy of Guild Wars 1.

Starcraft

Illusion of Gaia at an Alco for Christmas. A great SNES game. Graphics have aged very well and gameplay is still solid. It's an ARPG like Zelda kind of. Lots of puzzles. Swap out your character for other heroes occasionally to tackle different puzzles/dungeons.

I was pretty young, around 11. It was in the clearance bin, like 30 bucks. I was initially kind of disappointed because most of the games there we had or they sucked. But that one stuck out. Was definitely worth it.

A couple Christmas(I was 13) later I got FF7 for PC. I had previously beaten 1 and 3(6). FF6 was great. I'd play that game start to finish in about 8 hrs. Which really isn't that bad for 100% run.

Then I got really into StarCraft (bnet) UMS games. Cat v mouse varieties were especially fun.

First game I got or first one I bought for my own money? The first game I ever got and played was Super Mario Land for the GameBoy. I remember when the hype around Pokémon Red/Blue coming to Europe was building I was trying to calculate how many weeks of allowance I would need to save up to afford it, so that might have been the first one I actually purchased, I can't remember for sure if I bought it myself or got it as a gift. Diablo 2 launched a year later and I know I bought that one as I vividly remember the car ride back from the store, so otherwise that might be it.

All of these were of course incredibly worth it. I would never have gotten into video games without that GameBoy and Super Mario Land I think, and Pokémon was a formative experience for me as I got to participate in the whole Pokémania phenomenon. And Diablo 2 is one of the games I have the most hours in over my childhood, it kept resurfacing over my school years as me and the other gamers in my school would randomly get the urge to start playing Diablo 2 again randomly almost yearly over the course of like 8 years after its release.

One of those handheld football games with little red dots for players.

If you mean console or computer games, asteroids for Atari 2600.

The football game was too hard for a 5 year old.

I still like playing an occasional game of asteroids to this day.

Colecovision pong in the early 80s for console. Commander Keen would be my first for PC.

The Orange Box, absolutely worth it lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_(video_game) Worth it, played the hell out of it. Though I'm not sure if I ever beat it.

StarCraft. I tried to make friendly AI by messing around with the editor, to make the AI do what I want at certain times, mimicking an ally.

First game I specifically asked for from my parents: Stunt Driver. Must have been in the first half of 1990.

First game I saved up for and bought myself: Super Mario Bros 3. Much of the money I saved came in the summer of 1990, so that would have been in late summer of that year.

When I was ~7, I got a Super NES bundle that included both Super Mario World and Super Mario Kart, as well as a second controller. Absolutely worth it.

Back when I was 12 or 13, I saved up money for a PSP bundle. It came with a leather case and... Ridge Racer . Unfortunately, I didn't think of a proprietary Sony memory card so I had to play it from scratch every time I turned the PSP back on. Once I got the memory card, I also got myself Ghost Rider which was surprisingly good for a licensed Marvel game. Basically, it alternated between hack & slash/beat 'em up levels and racing segments with obstacles to avoid and enemies to beat up with your chain. It also had unlockable comics for collecting certain skulls in levels/during challenges, so I spent hours with it either playing or reading comics on a tiny LCD screen.

I think it was the GameCube version of Sims 2. I remember going with a friend to get it to play before another friend came over for a sleepover. We loved Sims Bustin Out when I rented it from Blockbuster, but figured Sims 2 was even better cause....I mean it has a number in the title so it was probably the sequel to Bustin Out. I also remember being extremely nervous cause it was rated T and I was like 11 or something.

Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers.

The 3.5" floppy version for PC.

In a box, off the shelf at Kmart.

It probably would've been something on the Sega Genesis but hell if I know now

It was either Lost World: Jurassic Park, or Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits for the Game.com. I think I was the only kid in the world who had a game.com lol

I really think it was that set of three games, Half Life, Portal, and whatever the other one was. The orange box was it?

Where did I get that first xbox 360? I think it was given to me or traded... I dont remember, but I think I went out and got Portal as my first ever game purchase.

we had games and consoles before that, but I didnt buy them.

I think my buddy back then, got the ring of death, and he got it fixed through the mail. They sent him two xboxes on accident, so he gave me the extra one. I think thats how I got it.

I def remmeber going to game stop to make the game purchas though, I was giddy with excitement

I think either gobliiins or starush for the Amiga

I don't remember, but it was one of those yellow cartridges the size of your palm. I think they were knockoffs. Can't say for sure.

It was a side-scrolling fighting game with tiny martial arts dudes. It could be played co-op. I think the bald character was overpowered, or I just felt like he was.
It was either a tournament style, attacking a rival dojo or both. Or something else.

I liked the cool art on the cartridge.

Well, bought FOR me... Atari 2600 Combat (came with the system). I think I was 8 or 9? Totally worth it!

Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Still one of my favorites so definitely worth it.

Majora's Mask. I preordered it and saved up allowance for months. It came to like $100 CAD with tax. Played the shit out of it and finished it in 2 weeks. The game was good, but I was quite disappointed because LttP and Ocarina both took me at least a month each. MM only has like 4 dungeons. Ended up trading it to a friend for Smash Bros.

X-wing.

For my own allowance, it might have been a space shooter, Bosconian, on the C64. I must have been 12. The game was pretty bad unfortunately.

https://www.lemon64.com/game/skate-crazy

All was pirated, because nobody actually sold games. Some shops specialized in electronics slowly started having random C64 titles. This was one of the first ones I ever saw.

Never had actual original covers on any of my pirated casettes.

Game was shit.

the first I remember buying with my own money probably The secret of monkey island

Stonekeep with my birthday money! It was fantastic.

Tales of Symphonia, GameCube.

Xenon 2 Megablast for the Atari ST, with my saved-up pre-teen pocket money. Was it worth it? Fuck yes.

Pretty sure it was Quake

Halo. Worked a paper rout to buy an OG Xbox and Halo all by myself.

Had games before on the ZX Spectrum but probably Prince of Persia (original) on our first PC. But it was a pirated version as that was all you could get in the country I lived in. First boxed game I bought was Sim City.

I was about 8 or 9ish. And yes, to both.

I remember my mom bringing me to Best Buy in spring 2004 right after I had gotten my Gamecube the previous Christmas. I bought Smash Melee and Mario Sunshine. I was 7 years old.

I had gotten games before then but those were the first two I was taken to the store to buy myself.

I still remember holding them as I walked down the aisle toward the registers. Aaaand that was the cheapest those two games ever got lol