Video Game Recommendation Thread
 

Well, I'm pretty sure I've never seen a thread like this, so I thought it would be cool to make it.

Can anyone recommend a good, dark (creepy atmosphere and yadda yadda) point and click game? Something that'll suck me in and that isn't too graphically intense (my computer sucks). Preferably something that is grounded and realistic, but I can deal with something a little quirky.

It's on sale at a discount on Steam as well

exactly what i was about to mention. It's scary as **** too!

I would also highly recommend Amnesia: The Dark Descent however given your computer's hardware limitation's I'm not sure if it will run at a decent enough rate to really get into. Try the demo just to see if it will run on your computer. If not I would recommend the developer's other game Penumbra: Overture which is a 3D puzzle adventure game with a little bit of combat (it sucks and really should be avoided if you can). As for a point-and-click adventure game with a horror theme... if you can find a torrent for the old Clocktower series you'd probably really enjoy them. A more recent game would be Scratches, which is kind of the middle man between traditional adventure games and Amnesia.

Oh and I would also highly recommend checking out if you can grab any of these mods.

Mods for Games - Mod DB

After having played through Amnesia, I'm still of the opinion that it doesn't quite live up to it's hype, but it's a fine game nonetheless. However, I felt more impressed when I played it's predecessor (though not in story) Penumbra : Black Plague.

I was thinking of getting the game Scratches because I read it's a horror first person point 'n click game which is also supposed to be rather good and spooky. A Director's Cut version is available both from steam and gog. So I've yet to play it, but maybe someone else here have played it and could comment?

I think that the reason Amnesia: The Dark Descent has been given so much acclaim is less to do with the actual game, and more to do with the state of the horror genre in video games. Since Resident Evil 4 changed the formula back in 2005, the genre has moved more and more towards action shooter territory in an effort to appease multiple fanbases and actually make a profit. Amnesia was one of the games that really straddled the line between big budget mainstream game, and low budget indie game. It had just enough profile behind it to peak the interests of PC gamers and the mainstream community, but without the sense of compromise with gameplay elements that are forced into every game regardless of genre. As is often the case whenever something indie hits a nerve with the mainstream audience, the reception tends to be a little too generous. A good comparison would be the Arcade Fire album Funeral back in '04 or Paranormal Activity in 2009. All of my examples really helped breathe fresh air back into stagnating mediums or niches and offered a chance for everyone to be involved, not just those who follow the medium on a more dedicated scale.

Is Amnesia a recent adventure game or a retro one?

Anyone know any good Fallout type games (huge environment, lots of exploring)? Preferably platform

You might check out Rage.


Metro 2033 is another one you might be interested in.


Skyrim, too, if you're into the Elder Scrolls stuff. This is probably the more open/exploratory of all these.

What do you mean by platform? Makes me wonder if you were about to list a platform, like f.ex XBOX360, or if you'd like the game to be a platformer, but most of those don't have huge worlds. Terraria might be an exception.

If you mean Fallout as in the first game in the series, then there are a few titles comparable to it. Fallout 2 is a given, Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 (Dunegons & Dragons title, the second game is awesome), Icewind Dale 1 & 2 (also Dungeon's & Dragons) and Arcanum : Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura. Of these (excluding Fallout 2), I believe Baldurs Gate 2 and Icewind Dale to be the best games, but if you play Baldur's Gate f.ex, you might still wanna start with the first game. There's also Planescape : Torment (also D&D) which is a classic, but the world is comparably smaller.

If you mean games like Fallout 3, then the first that comes to mind is Oblivion or, like FB recommends, Skyrim which will be released soon. Rage looks like a large world game, but it really isn't. It's actually very linear and restricted in that respect with little world exploration. It's fun for other reasons than exploration in my opinion.

If you mean third person action games (3D platformers?), then without a doubt it is Assassin's Creed II and it's follow-up Assassin's Creed : Brotherhood you want. Both have large, open worlds and are superbly entertaining games that every gamer should check out.

Champions of Norrath might fit that description - it does have platforms but doesn't require jumping, though

Thanks for the recommendations. I had been playing Rage for a while, it was a nicer looking version of Borderlands, or at least felt like it. Fun game though, but tore's right, the environment looks huge but it's very crammed.

Skyrim is now on my list, I played one of the earlier Elder Scrolls, never got far in them but this world looks immense, and should have plenty of exploring and gameplay.

Metro 2033 looks great as well, thought it would be too confined of a space, until it the preview showed the outside world as well. On my list as well.

Assassins Creed, I regret overlooking this game checking out some of the gameplay. Gotta get these as well.

I did mean the Fallout games, and preferably on Xbox 360. Ever since Fallout 3 and New Vegas I can't get into a game unless it has a lot of exploring and loads of missions.

The two that I bolded are games that I have personal experience playing so I'll give you my two-cents before you make any purchases.

Metro 2033 isn't a sandbox game. It's quite linear and it has some glitches in it that make the immersion drop a little. It's still one of the best games of the this generation in my opinion, as it really emphasizes story and pacing over restricted freedom. It definitely has some of the aspects of the Fallout series, such as weapon upgrading (albeit restricted) and the the post-apocalyptic setting (but what the fuck isn't nowadays), but if there's any game I would have to compare it to it would be the S.T.A.L.K.E.R series, albeit less RPG-y. Still, it's a rare experience and despite some rough patches, it really is one of the best games, buy it for the sake of being one of the people to say "Yeah I played it when it came out" in the next 5-7 years when people start to rediscover it and proclaim it's awesomeness.

Now the Assassin's Creed series is a bit different. The first game is an absolute requirement to get into the story, but don't feel bad if you really don't feel the urge to play through it all that much. It's got some of the most monotonous missions I have ever seen in a video game, pretty much the same 3 or 4, so if you play for 1-hour and commit and assassination on your target, 50 minutes of that hour was spent doing the same thing over and over again. Still it's got a unique story and is driven in such a way that really makes it stand out. Don't go into it expecting it to be Hitman but set in the 12th century. Fortunately the repetition of the first game earned a large amount of scorn and the sequel is really fun and makes up for all the tediousness of the first. Try to plow your way through the first, to get to the 2nd and can start having fun.

As far as Skyrim goes, I've heard that it's a bit more like Fallout 3 in some aspects, but still retains the ability building gameplay of Oblivion. I'm sure it's going to be an amazing experience, I can't wait until Thanksgiving weekend when I get it.

Well... Rockstar games, usually.
I love Red Dead Redemption, I loved GTA IV.
So... Those.
And I thought "The Bastion" was an interesting game.

Has anyone played the Undead Redemption game (Zombie Red Dead), is it any good?

not yet. Still have to finish the first part :)

Skyrim did just come out, and I can safely say that it will blow fallout away in terms of awesomeness. This is definitely the one you want.

I'm not so sure about this, at least not for me. I was a fan of Fallout since the first game and followed that game closely through dev. A lot didn't think Bethesda had what it took to make a great Fallout game, but I believed in them and that feeling I got when I played the epic start (being born in the vault) and even more so a little in when I got out and saw the Wasteland stretch out before me .. that was something!

Skyrim is gonna be something like Oblivion over again with better graphics. In other words, it's not gonna do anything new which is what Fallout 3 did spectacularly well.

Fallout 3 only did something "new" because it was the first fallout game made by bethesda. It was pretty much oblivion with guns. If you like that formula, then I can guarantee you'll like skyrim since it is the most perfect version of this formula to date.

You hit the nail on the head. Really couldn't of said it better. New developer, plus 10 year gap between 2 and 3 is obviously going to change a lot of things.

Oblivion, same developer much smaller time period. I guarantee that Fallout 4 will be just as innovative over 3 as Skyrim is over Oblivion.

First large open world FPS type game I can remember set in a post-apocalyptic future :)

Oblivion with guns and a new setting. Not that innovative.

Skyrim is ****ing amazing, I'd recommend it to anyone who even remotely enjoys RPGs

What does that make Skyrim then? 3 hours into Fallout 3 felt a lot fresher than 3 hours into Skyrim. Despite your comment that Fallout 3 is Oblivion with guns, playing it actually felt like a new gaming experience to me. And yeah, I have played Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion and, today, Skyrim ;)

I never said Skyrim was a brilliant innovation. It's certainly an improvement on Oblivion and I loved Oblivion. Bethesda's not fixing what ain't broken.

Well, my point was that Fallout 3 did something new and Skyrim doesn't, so .. I guess you agree with me then. ;)

I suppose so, but I don't think it's a good comparison. Comparing F3 to Oblivion would be more apt.

the dragons are pretty neat, they certainly escalated random encounters.

But yeah, i perfer fallout too. The narrative is just better, like the terminals and audio logs. I hope they crank a out a fallout sequel with this engine real quick.