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chainchompz posted:Subnautica was like that for me. Underwater sci fi game where you're crash landed on a planet and trying to get back off world. Perfect for just straight up chilling. Even the hazards are not all that scary once you learn how to work around them. I was going to suggest this. Thematically it's got a neat (if unobtrusive) story to tell about loneliness, being as it is basically a "desert island" simulator.
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Nov 7, 2021 18:45
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External Organs posted:Not dinosaurs but what about like, Pokemon snap? It's got the non-violence although if I remember it rightly you're on rails so don't really get to explore at your own pace. Definitely going to keep it in mind for future games the kiddo might enjoy though, thanks!
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Nov 7, 2021 18:54
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Heartfelt and earnest games to make you feel feelings:
Tuxedo Catfish posted:I was going to suggest this. Thematically it's got a neat (if unobtrusive) story to tell about loneliness, being as it is basically a "desert island" simulator. I'd actually caution that the depths of the ocean can end up seeming pretty scary, but that really depends on your own personal disposition towards the dark or the unknown.
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Nov 7, 2021 20:20
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Games that always give me a pick-me-up: -Breath of the Wild. It's a great game, yes, but there is something about how it weaves its fairy tale/myth/hero's journey into long stretches where you just wander through nature and explore. You can fill days with just riding somewhere and going where it peaks your interest, and whenever you do decide to do a quest or story event it is filled with likeable characters. -Wind Waker. Classic. See the points above, but whatever it loses in open world it makes up for in character. - Saint's Row 2, 3 and 4. Might sound strange, but Volition did something incredibly right in writing these games. The violence is so comically over the top that it never disturbs and the escalation sets it apart from every other GTA-like title. As the games go on, your gang (the titular Saints) grow ever more powerful and their adventures become more and more absurd. The charm is how, at its core, it's a game about a group of friends and misfits living in what might as well be a cartoon. The writing nails the way that a close knit group interacts, chats and plays of each other. This is then amplified by them being the main characters in a crimegame, so everything encourages you and the characters to just cut loose and do whatever the gently caress you want. In real life, I've never fought of a gang of luchadores, sunk a Helicarrier or fought aliens in the matrix as the president of the United States, but I've definitely had nights on the town where you and your friends feel like they are as invincible, rolling along with poo poo and having a blast like the main characters here. Make sure to stick around for the Xmas DLC, too. -Felix the Reaper. Charming puzzle game, narrated by Patrick Stewart. Like a warm cup of tea before bed, really. -Jenny LeClue. Adventure/puzzle game about an author who suffers from writers block when writing the latest installment of his Nancy Drew-like books, intermixed with the events of said book. Not too hard, frequently goes on sale and way better than it had any right to be. -Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. An American tourist and French reporter get sucked into a massive conspiracy involving Templars, treasure and a killer that dresses up in bizarre costumes. Revolution Software made a superior and way funnier version of The Da Vinci Code half a decade before Dan Brown got around to it. Available in remastered form. -Grim Fandango. Sometimes, things just go wrong and you don't know where you'll end up. But at the same time, you can always pick up the pieces and get to the bottom of things. Absolute classic that doesn't need an introduction. -Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I have no faith in Ubisoft's anounced remake, but the original is a fantastic platformer with one hell of a story. -Any of the Fire Emblem games. The combinations of TBS with permanent characters and RPG mechanics is like catnip to me and the melodramatic story can suck you right in. -Metal Gear Solid V. This is a weird one, but a few years ago I was playing through the entire series. Something happened and the day before my birthday turned into one of the worst days of my life. I was numbing myself with a bunch of beer and games, trying to fully lose myself in MGS. I lost track of time and didn't see the clock pass midnight. The game tells me something has gone wrong and I need to return to base ASAP. In true Kojima fashion, tha game used my date of birth to determine my birthday and had a special citscene where all the characters trow you a surprise party. It seems silly, but I remember it as a really fun surprise on a day that I truly needed it.
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Nov 8, 2021 03:05
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Sobatchja Morda posted:- Saint's Row 2, 3 and 4. Might sound strange, but Volition did something incredibly right in writing these games. The violence is so comically over the top that it never disturbs and the escalation sets it apart from every other GTA-like title. As the games go on, your gang (the titular Saints) grow ever more powerful and their adventures become more and more absurd. The charm is how, at its core, it's a game about a group of friends and misfits living in what might as well be a cartoon. The writing nails the way that a close knit group interacts, chats and plays of each other. This is then amplified by them being the main characters in a crimegame, so everything encourages you and the characters to just cut loose and do whatever the gently caress you want. In real life, I've never fought of a gang of luchadores, sunk a Helicarrier or fought aliens in the matrix as the president of the United States, but I've definitely had nights on the town where you and your friends feel like they are as invincible, rolling along with poo poo and having a blast like the main characters here. Make sure to stick around for the Xmas DLC, too. Small word of caution from me: Saint's Row 2 is definitely a good game but there are parts of it that are still very much close to the GTA roots that I found a bit disturbing, like leaning closer to "Mexican cartel violence" than over-the-top cartoon violence. Saint's Row 3 is pretty much all ridiculous and toilet humour and there's no way to take it seriously, and Saint's Row 4 is very much a pastiche of everything that was popular in video games in the 2010's, so I found 3 and 4 to be a lot more lighthearted compared to 2.
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Nov 8, 2021 10:29
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Deltasquid posted:Small word of caution from me: Saint's Row 2 is definitely a good game but there are parts of it that are still very much close to the GTA roots that I found a bit disturbing, like leaning closer to "Mexican cartel violence" than over-the-top cartoon violence. Saint's Row 3 is pretty much all ridiculous and toilet humour and there's no way to take it seriously, and Saint's Row 4 is very much a pastiche of everything that was popular in video games in the 2010's, so I found 3 and 4 to be a lot more lighthearted compared to 2. (mild spoilers for Saints Row 2) Yeah there are multiple murders of significant others and a mercy killing, just to my memory.
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Nov 8, 2021 11:06
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Magnetic North posted:(mild spoilers for Saints Row 2) The one's I'm thinking about are (slightly more spoilerish) you put one guy's girlfriend in a car trunk so he crushes her in a monster truck rally event, and burying one guy alive and having Gat quip "think he's still screaming?" later in the game
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Nov 8, 2021 13:37
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I'd also give Metal Gear V a big ol' content warning, because while it's a fantastic game and probably the best of its kind, it sure does get rapey at bits. Also horror, tragedy, and history.
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Nov 8, 2021 18:41
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Any recs for competitive LAN party games that let you set handicaps on the players? Either to strengthen the weak or weaken the strong. Bonus points if it's a game that can run on a toaster, and also bonus points if the handicap feels non-frustrating*. * I love StarCraft 2 but the handicap of just straight up reducing HP across your whole army is dumb and feels bad. Whereas something like your pieces moving faster in Tetris still makes it harder for you, but doesn't feel as frustrating because it feels like you can overcome it with skill. edit: auto-handicaps are fine too, recently got Boomerang Fu on the Switch and it automatically gives a shield to a player that's doing badly enough. I think Towerfall might've done something similar.
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Nov 14, 2021 10:55
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The Worms series? Let you individually tweak HP, damage etc done by your units per team as I recall.
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Nov 14, 2021 15:15
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Cicero posted:Any recs for competitive LAN party games that let you set handicaps on the players? Either to strengthen the weak or weaken the strong. Bonus points if it's a game that can run on a toaster, and also bonus points if the handicap feels non-frustrating*. well, look at what the latest AoE2 patch just added! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZhkB-4HGno
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Nov 14, 2021 22:58
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what am i looking at these days in terms of "tactical" co-op shooters? for a group of 2-4 people. we've already played various rainbow six games, as well as ghost recon and swat. more recently tried out this indie one called "zero hour", which is cool but it also kind of sucks. are we missing anything good?
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Nov 14, 2021 23:03
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Kevin Bacon posted:what am i looking at these days in terms of "tactical" co-op shooters? for a group of 2-4 people. we've already played various rainbow six games, as well as ghost recon and swat. more recently tried out this indie one called "zero hour", which is cool but it also kind of sucks. are we missing anything good? Deep Rock Galactic
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Nov 14, 2021 23:20
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Hwurmp posted:Deep Rock Galactic It may not appear "tactical" at first glance, but this is truly a co-op game where a good team is more than the sum of its parts.
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Nov 15, 2021 02:24
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Kevin Bacon posted:what am i looking at these days in terms of "tactical" co-op shooters? for a group of 2-4 people. we've already played various rainbow six games, as well as ghost recon and swat. more recently tried out this indie one called "zero hour", which is cool but it also kind of sucks. are we missing anything good? Due Process is very similar to these, but it’s PvP so only coop in that you could be on a team together. Door kickers is very similar but it’s a top down shooter.
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Nov 15, 2021 02:34
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Fruits of the sea posted:It may not appear "tactical" at first glance, but this is truly a co-op game where a good team is more than the sum of its parts. you sure as poo poo gotta think fast when the game drops a bulk detonator on you in a treacherous cave shaft
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Nov 15, 2021 02:39
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SetSliRol posted:Might be a bit E/N but any Goons got reccs for games that helped them out of a rough time? Year's been pretty poo poo so far and I'd like to at least end it on a good note by trying something new. Anything that's not a game you're encouraged to play a lot (ie Animal Crossing) and you could go at your own pace with is a plus. Elite: Dangerous did this for me It's by no means a perfect game but something it really nails is immersion. It felt like I was actually hopping in a spaceship and taking off. I spent hours deep-core mining, which is prowling through asteroid fields scanning for valuable ones, then shooting seismic charges into precise spots to crack the hull open, and hoovering up all of the resources. When I got bored of that I decided to say "gently caress humanity" and flung myself into the far-off reaches of the galaxy hopping from star to star scanning never-before-discovered planets and occasionally landing on them to drive around in a moon buggy and collect rare resources, maybe if you're lucky stumbling across an alien probe that will spy on you as you moonbuggy around.
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Nov 15, 2021 04:04
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Deltasquid posted:and burying one guy alive and having Gat quip "think he's still screaming?" later in the game to be fair that guy sucks so much it's legit funny and not horrifying
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Nov 15, 2021 07:18
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Kevin Bacon posted:what am i looking at these days in terms of "tactical" co-op shooters? for a group of 2-4 people. we've already played various rainbow six games, as well as ghost recon and swat. more recently tried out this indie one called "zero hour", which is cool but it also kind of sucks. are we missing anything good? Ground Branch. Like Zero Hour, but good.
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Nov 15, 2021 20:46
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I just finished Blasphemous and now I'm looking for a new metroidvania with an emphasis on open exploration and world building to fill the void. I've already played Hollow Knight, which was a perfect example of what I'm looking for. Ori didn't quite hit the mark I'm the same way. Is there anything out there that I may have missed?
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Nov 17, 2021 22:39
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How about Metroid Dread? An actual Metroid game, hold the -vania. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was pretty fun too despite some odd bugs here and there.
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Nov 17, 2021 22:57
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McCracAttack posted:How about Metroid Dread? An actual Metroid game, hold the -vania. I played both of those too! Not really what I'm looking for though - they were very fun to play, but also were very video-gamey and light/non-existent on the world building. Like if you asked me what the setting was for Bloodstained I'm pretty sure I couldn't say anything specific about it
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Nov 17, 2021 23:08
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The setting for Bloodstained is Castlevania
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Nov 18, 2021 00:04
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Speaking of which, have you played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? If so, how long ago?
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Nov 18, 2021 00:06
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Steamworld Dig 2 I think is probably the game that will be best for you, it's got a very neat world. Wuppo is pretty distinct and cute, even if it's not very gameplay-intensive. Maybe La-Mulana will feel organic to you since the mystery purposefully left behind by the ancients gives a flavor to the gamey puzzle-solving. If you're willing to try 3D non-platformer games that have some Metroidvania spirit, there's things like Dark Souls, Arkham Asylum, Jedi: Fallen Order, and Subnautica, that vary a lot on how structured the exploration gets. how tight or challenging the combat is, and what type of world you're exploring. I think a lot of older or meant-to-feel-retro Metroidvania games have a lot less worldbuilding spelled out for you and there's a lot you're supposed to intuit or imagine from blurrier contexts, so it might help to try developing your own critical thought or imagination for what the world and environment could be conveying. Which I know that might sound weird as a recommendation, but if you like the experience of delving into something bigger or imagining what kind of a world those big caverns could've once been, you might get more enjoyment if you try putting some of your own thought into things even if the game itself might not be very forthcoming. I dunno how exactly you cultivate your own sense of critical thinking though, but if you consciously put in the effort to do some thinking, you might find something you didn't expect. Youtube lore videos and thinkpieces might give you an idea of what kind of environmental story might lurk in a low-detail environment. This video about Metroid 2 really inspired me, even if I don't really have it in me to play the original Metroid 2 for real. AM2R sounds pretty neat though.
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Nov 18, 2021 00:09
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McCracAttack posted:Speaking of which, have you played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? If so, how long ago? To be honest, almost yearly since 2001. Super Metroid nearly as much I kind of have my eye on Salt and Sanctuary and Momodora, they seem atmospheric enough. Any opinions? edit: ^^^ I forgot about La Mulana, and I own Steamworld Dig 2 but never started it, I'll give those a try
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Nov 18, 2021 00:12
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Deadcells has an interesting take on the genre in that it is a roguelike meteoidvania. You go on permadeath runs through a somewhat linear game path, unlocking new abilities and gear through metaprogression. Some of the most beautiful pixel artwork and animations ever, and great gameplay.
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Nov 18, 2021 00:27
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Axiom Verge 1/2 are pretty good metroidvanias although don't have quite as good combat or as interesting scenery as Blasphemous. Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. FIST Forged in Shadow Torch. Salt and Sanctuary if you enjoy the soulslike element. I'm probably forgetting my favorite ones but those are what jumped to mind. And speaking of unique puzzle games, I played a bit of Moncage last night and it is really interesting but kind of difficult. Legit a totally new type of puzzle game, at least I've never played anything quite like it.
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Nov 18, 2021 00:58
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Manager Hoyden posted:I just finished Blasphemous and now I'm looking for a new metroidvania with an emphasis on open exploration and world building to fill the void. I haven't played it but Ender Lillies seems to be going for this kind of vibe
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Nov 18, 2021 01:13
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Manager Hoyden posted:I kind of have my eye on Salt and Sanctuary and Momodora, they seem atmospheric enough. Any opinions? First off, I second the recommendation for Steamworld Dig 2. I've played several of the Momodora games. They're pretty good games on the whole, and IMO if you like how they look you should play them. But, while they have some worldbuilding, IMO it doesn't really come across much in-game. You have a bunch of atmospheric environments to explore, and there's lore about how the place you're in fits into some geopolitical struggle and the ramifications for the game's main conflict...but the environments don't really tie into that conflict much. For example, maybe you're trying to get into a castle to save the monarch from an invasion...the lore will talk about why there's an invasion, and how everyone feels about it, but they won't get into why there's a big ol' torture dungeon in the basement.
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Nov 18, 2021 03:58
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Tuxedo Catfish posted:i feel that. i'd kill for a game where combat was deep and involved and rare. like give me a wandering samurai simulator or something What I'd like is an isometric RPG where this is the case. I was playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and before that I was playing Pillars of Eternity, the Infinity Engine Games, et cetera, and what frustrates me about these games is how often you're fighting against near identical combat encounters. If already killed one group of spiders, it is not a challenge for me if I face another group of spiders just afterwards. It's just tedium and padding. What I want is a CRPG where each combat encounter is offering a distinct challenge. Sort of like a bloody puzzle. The closest things I can think of that come to this are Soulsborne games, but even they run into cut-and-paste territory. I just get tired of games wasting my time as I get older. I'm working my way through grad school and I do not want to spend an hour of my limited free time doing the same thing ten times.
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Nov 18, 2021 04:14
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Xanderkish posted:What I'd like is an isometric RPG where this is the case. I was playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and before that I was playing Pillars of Eternity, the Infinity Engine Games, et cetera, and what frustrates me about these games is how often you're fighting against near identical combat encounters. Look into Age of Decadence. It’s a post-apocalyptic Roman style old school RPG. Depending on your build, combat can be lethal. If you’re playing a merchant/politician type, you probably should be avoiding any combat. On the other hand if you’re a combat trained praetorian, you’ll wipe the floor with common bandits.
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Nov 18, 2021 04:21
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Manager Hoyden posted:I just finished Blasphemous and now I'm looking for a new metroidvania with an emphasis on open exploration and world building to fill the void. Environmental Station Alpha?
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Nov 18, 2021 04:42
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Aquaria definitely scratches that exploration itch. It's older and a bit basic, though.
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Nov 18, 2021 13:47
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Xanderkish posted:What I'd like is an isometric RPG where this is the case. I was playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and before that I was playing Pillars of Eternity, the Infinity Engine Games, et cetera, and what frustrates me about these games is how often you're fighting against near identical combat encounters. This is kind of a difficult request. Baldur’s Gate 2 puts a lot of effort into encounter variety but as you’ve probably noticed, the power curve means that it ultimately doesn’t make much of a difference. Invisible Inc leans heavily on puzzle solving- the different character abilities, time limits and map layouts add a lot of variety. It’s also a relatively short (10-20 hour?) game so it doesn’t outstay its welcome. It isn’t a crpg though.
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Nov 18, 2021 13:48
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Cantorsdust posted:Look into Age of Decadence. It’s a post-apocalyptic Roman style old school RPG. Depending on your build, combat can be lethal. If you’re playing a merchant/politician type, you probably should be avoiding any combat. On the other hand if you’re a combat trained praetorian, you’ll wipe the floor with common bandits. Seconding this, it's very love it or hate it but it's certainly what you're describing. There are also your more combat mission based CRPGs like Blackguards and Druidstone which are solely focused on a series of handcrafted encounters, though they're arguably a slightly different genre since there's nothing really to them other than the combat itself. Pillars of Eternity 2 had less filler combat as a design goal though I don't think it fully succeeded on that front. Tyranny - although I wasn't a huge fan overall - does, however, combat is fairly rare and when it happens it's generally meaningful.
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Nov 18, 2021 13:59
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Xanderkish posted:What I'd like is an isometric RPG where this is the case. I was playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and before that I was playing Pillars of Eternity, the Infinity Engine Games, et cetera, and what frustrates me about these games is how often you're fighting against near identical combat encounters. Divinity OS 1/2 are exactly what you describe, pretty much every battle is a setpiece encounter with some kind of theme. POE 2 Deadfire has some trash mobs, but way fewer than the norm. Wasteland 3 also tries to have meaningful encounters, for the most part.
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Nov 18, 2021 14:06
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Xanderkish posted:What I'd like is an isometric RPG where this is the case. I was playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and before that I was playing Pillars of Eternity, the Infinity Engine Games, et cetera, and what frustrates me about these games is how often you're fighting against near identical combat encounters. Divinity: Original Sin 2 has basically zero trash encounters. Every fight is unique, non-repeatable, and challenging.
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Nov 18, 2021 14:39
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To be fair, the Divinity games are also very long and time consuming. So be aware of that.
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Nov 18, 2021 15:01
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Xanderkish posted:What I'd like is an isometric RPG where this is the case. I was playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and before that I was playing Pillars of Eternity, the Infinity Engine Games, et cetera, and what frustrates me about these games is how often you're fighting against near identical combat encounters. Druidstone might hit this for you. It’s a hair to puzzle-y for me but it promises exactly that.
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Nov 18, 2021 15:16
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