this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2024
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Games

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...OR I will refer to records as "vinyl CDs" like I did last time.

You have been warned.

Don't test me; I will do it!

Current games I have on my sights are:

The original Deus Ex

Ib

Infinity Nikki

Remnant II

Silent Hill II (through emulation)

Dragon's Dogma II

Slay the Princess

ELEX and ELEX 2

Dread Delusion

Daggerfall

Morrowind

Hylics 1 and 2

RuneScape 3 (not RuneScape Classic... I know, I know, don't hurt me!)

Currently playing:

Elden Ring (finishing it)

OMORI (slowly taking my time in finishing it)

Fallout 76 (much better than what it was at launch; if anyone wants to play with me, they may ask me)

Recently finished:

Disco Elysium

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (y'all should play both Pathfinder CRPG games)

Love:

CRPGs

MMORPGs (yes, even now)

Open-world games (...yes, even with the over-saturation)

Decision-making

Stealth games

Pacifist runs

Minor horror elements? Eh, idk, nothing, like, over-bearing, ig

Macabre horror (basically, horror that isn't horror; just has the aesthetic)

3D platformers (like Super fucking Mario; you know, the Italian-American voiced by Chris Pratt)

Mods, mods, mods

Not too fucking long; let me finish a game when I want to easily (so, basically, not, like, Persona 5-levels of long, idk)

Anything like Majora's Mask

"Nautical games" (Wind Waker, Dredge, etc.)

"Classic games" (basically, games through emulation)

VR games, oddly enough

"Cozy games"

"girl games" shovel-ware (basically, the precursor to "cozy games"; the type of shit you found on the Nintendo Wii)

Interactivity outside of the actual game (I don't know much about Pokemon Go... but what I do know is Pokemon Go to the polls)

Dungeon crawlers (think: King's Field)

Music with lyrics, idk (I don't know much about Quavo... but what I do know is Quavo go to the polls)

Good music. Banger music, even.

No loading screens; seriously, let me start up a game and just play. I feel like starting up a game nowadays is sometimes a whole process.

Non-Western games (...Eh, tbh, I don't really have a bias, I'm just sort-of interested in how they're developing and what they have to bring... SO think: Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Indian, African, Latin American, etc.)

Nintendo games...

...or anything LIKE a Nintendo game (with wacky gameplay, idk)

Autistic games... Okay, so far, I think OMORI is, like, the only "Autistic game" out there, but surprise me.

LGBTQIA+ games

BIPOC character games

... okay, that's all, you don't even have to follow these requirements at all; hell, be a little creative and use your own insight.

Okay... now...

...SHOOT!

(No, wait, put the gun away!)

top 42 comments
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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I mean, that's a pretty big playlist you got there.

If you haven't played the original Thief games (Thief 1 and 2) I highly recommend them. If you like them, Thief 3 is subpar as a game, but completes the story, so also recommended. I'm feeling like you'll love them. They are definitely my favourite games of all time.

Definitely try out System Shock too.

Amnesia: The Bunker has been very fun horror

Outward might suit your quest for short open-world RPGs/Dungeon Crawlers. Very unique game as far as I'm concerned.

High Fleet and Crying Suns were both very decent decision-making games with really cool stories.

If you are into deck-building games, I suggest Slay The Spire and Hellcard. They scratch that dungeon-crawling itch.

I don't know if you'll like them, but since you want non-Western games: Dyson Sphere Program is a Chinese base-building resource-gathering management game (think Factorio, but actually pleasant). Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic is a Slovakian city-building game, where you design and built a communist city-state nestled between the borders of the Soviet block and the Western block. It's actually the best city-builder I've ever played (and it's one of my favourite genres). Unfortunately, it has a very steep learning curve, and you'll probably need to dedicate time on some let's plays on youtube to get your bearings.

I've recently finished Felvidek, which is a Slovak JRPG with minor eldritch horror elements, kick-ass music and pretty good writing. I think you'll like it. I certainly loved it.

If you haven't played Chronotrigger before, then prioritize it.

Currently I'm playing Cryptmaster. It's amazing. Highly recommended.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Oho! I've heard great things about some of these games, tbh...

Chrono Trigger, I might skip. I know people swear by it, but I'm no good when it comes to JRPGs; I always get bored by them, no matter how acclaimed.

Outward sounds like my jam though; I've had my sights on it here and there; oh yeah, and the System Shock remake and new Amnesia game look pretty nice, no doubt.

As for my hefty play-list, I've had these games on my sights for a while and I've been playing more and more games lately and finishing them more and more... but, of course, I probably won't finish the current play-list and will LIKELY change it here and there as I go through it, taking a lot of them out and playing other games instead.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Fair enough on Chrono Trigger. It's an amazing game, but it might be about 30-40 hours of 100% complete gameplay. On that note though, my other JRPG recommendation (Felvidek) is much shorter. I finished it in about 8-10 hours.

Anyway, hope you have fun.

And by the way, you CAN NOT threaten me with vinyl CDs, I already call them that :D

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

"And by the way, you CAN NOT threaten me with vinyl CDs, I already call them that :D"

Raises hands like Walter White.

Hhm. You got me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If you only play one JRPG in your life, make it Chrono Trigger.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Hmmm...

What would Karl do?

...Very well: I'll move it up my list, at the very least.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

there's this underrated game that I don't think many people have heard of called mine craft I think?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

"mine craft"

Gee, never heard of it, sounds obscure

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Diablo and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Oooo, I should at least try out the second one.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Your tastes are a little different than mine. It's rare for me to play a CRPG. But on your current game list, Silent Hill 2 stood out to me. There's a reason that the game is universally loved. I'm kind of waiting for the remake to do another playthrough, but it's honestly a pretty short game. I might also suggest giving the PC version a go. Silent Hill Enhanced Edition is reportedly extremely good, although I haven't played it myself.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Is the first Silent Hill any good?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It was decent when it was released. It had some great ideas that were only really realised in the second game. I think playing through it these days would be a bit of a slog and I'm not sure I would recommend it for a modern audience. I might suggest starting with 2, and if you need to play more, then play the first and third games (in that order). Everything after can be safely skipped.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Ah, maybe I should skip it, but then again, it might be nice to examine it from my 2024 vantage point.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If you do, don't judge the franchise based on the first game. Silent Hill 2 is a very different game.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah, so i"ve heard

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I will recommend

"Sable" a cozy and chill exploration game

"Tyranny" the most interesting crpg i have played and a strong contender for my favorite tho i think pathfinder WOTR has that pretty well locked down

and "Wrought flesh" a frantic and downright disgusting fps trying to emulate the feel of early fpss its short and pretty great

also u should totally play slay the princess its amazing and one of the best and most interesting games i have played in years.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I already played Tyranny.

Didn't like it though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

You're not alone. I didn't like Tyranny either and i am normally a pretty big fan of CRPGs. For some reason that game really missed the mark for me, but i can't explain why.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I'll be honest: the "you're the bad guy, oh, but don't worry, you're actually good or necessary or whatever" type-of story that I see here and there always seems to overly rely on its own gimmick and its gimmick is pretty much boring and if they truly carried it to its logical conclusion people would hate it.

So we basically have the "fake bad guy" as a protagonist, say they're the "bad guys" and then call it a day.

The only thing that changes is the aesthetics.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Mad Max game is an underated game, the last few upgrades are almost unreasonable to get since the fact that some functions were lost when the servers closed(a whole bunch of nonesense) but the game is quite good up to that if you like the setting and driving

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, I heard great things about that game; I honestly can't believe that the person behind the actual Mad Max films (i forgor his name) hates it (or something like that) or wants Kojima to take a crack at a Mad Max video game next time...

Kojima can't write female characters to save his life!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

I can see why the guy does not like it, the plot is messy and not that good, but the game plays well and feels nice, the vibe of the game is spot on

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Dungeon crawlers

Have you heard of Vaporum? It's a neat little dungeon crawler in the vein of Legend of Grimrock but steampunk.

Darkest Dungeon probably doesn't count since it's more of a rogue-like than a crawler, plus pretty much everyone's played it or heard of it.

CRPGs

I suppose since you've played Pathfinder you must have played Pillars of Eternity too. If not, I highly recommend it, it's one of the best modern CRPGs imo, very much in the vein of the classics like Baldur's Gate 2.

Divinity: Original Sin was good as well. And of course there's Dragon Age: Origins which is great, but sadly the rest of that series is fairly mediocre. I'm not a big Bioware fan.

Macabre horror

Have you played Little Nightmares? There's also a couple of creepy Point and Click adventures that i really liked such as Fran Bow and Little Misfortune.

"Nautical games"

This isn't a genre i'm very familiar with but I've heard Sunless Sea is quite good if you're into that sort of game, and it's got a bit of a Lovecraft-y aesthetic/lore. Haven't played it myself though.

Open-world games

This is a long shot since these games are so old by now that probably most people interested in open world RPGs have played them (or haven't given them a try because the graphics/controls are too outdated) but Gothic 1 and 2 are some of my favorite open world games of all time.


That's about it for what I can recommend in the genres you mentioned. I'm more into strategy games myself (mainly turn-based but also some RTS and city builders), i can recommend a bunch of those if you want but my experience with other genres is a bit more limited.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah, definitely heard of Vaporum and I may play it myself.

Also, RIP Piranha Bytes...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I can recommend 2 games.

The first is Dying Light, a first-person open-world parkour game with weapons based combat set in a quarantined city where a virus has transformed most inhabitants in zombies. What sets it apart, for me at least, is the parkour. It is one of the few games i have played where most of the time i refuse to fast travel because it is more fun to parkour my way to the objective through the zombie infested areas.

The second recommendation is The Messenger, an 8-bit platformer. The gameplay is good, the areas are well crafted and story is enjoying. The higlights here are the music and the relation dynamic between the main character and the shopkeeper. The person behind the sountrack is a genius when it comes to retro music. Most of the ost is straight bangers one after another. The game is oozing with passion and it pains me that so few people know about its existence.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Dying Light 1 and 2 are hefty games, though I may consider them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

So from your list I can vouch for several: Remnant 2 great shooting, fairly short if you don't do multiple runs for loot grinding. Really enjoyed my time with it. Picked the dog class and mostly played solo.

Slay the princess is absolutely fantastic, it's also due a huge update in the near future so keep an eye out for that. It's not a long game either. Go in blind and enjoy the voice acting.

I spent a long time with Morrowind when I was younger, definitely not a short game but I think you can push the main quest and cut some time off. Very modable

Couple of VR recommendations for you: Hot dogs horseshoes and hand grenades is the best VR shooting. It's in early access but the take and hold mode is worth it on its own.

Into the Radius is STALKER in VR. It's dripping in atmosphere and has some really intricate mechanics.

May be a bit off for your taste but Nier: Automata has a great story and possibly the best soundtrack in a game. Solid action game combat too.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I'll check these out! Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Batman Arkham Aslume might fit some of these.

World at War definitely for shooter and satisfying experience.

Assassin's Creed Black Flag for nautical and Syndicate for peak atmosphere/vibe.

Definitely go for Silent Hill for horror and classical, 2 is peak. As for the rest of the genre, can't go wrong with Amnesia and Resident Evil.

FnaF for Virtual Reality(only VR game I played so don't have many recommendations).

I would recommend Danganronpa but if time is an issue then skip it, it's the whole package for music, vibe, comedy and relax.

San Andreas for BIPOC characters.

Portal 2 and Kirby for platformers.

And you know, the obvious ones like GTA V, ARK Survival Evolved, Minecraft etc etc.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Starring this comment.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Chinese games: RPGs - Gujian (1 and 2 are really cheap when on sale, 3 is really good for a relatively lower budget game) Others - Sands of Salzaar, My time at Portia

Vietnam made a free FPS called 7554 in 2011, you fight back against the french

Cuba also made an FPS in 2013 called Gesta Final, which looks a bit like CoD 1 gameplay wise

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Okay, checking these out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Have you tried Noita? It doesn't directly hit most of your points but comes kinda adjacent.

It's a 2d pixel art roguelike where you play a witch searching for the ultimate secret of alchemy - turning base elements into gold. It uses a falling sands style physics engine and coding-like spell creation that allows you to create spells of truly obscene power (you can somewhat judge the power of a spell by how many fps you lose when casting) along your journey, though reaching the bottom of the dungeon and beating the final boss is generally considered the tutorial. The real secrets of the game are found in discussion boards where people have worked together to discover hidden things and unlock their uses, and start with going any direction but down and eventually reaches skipping across parallel universes to get more copies of what you've already taken from the original world.

You can do big multi hour runs that take forever but generally I find I get killed within 30-40 minutes of starting a run.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I downloaded Noita, but haven't tried it... yet. And yeah, these are good points that do seem to scratch an itch for me. I'll try it out.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I've been neck deep into fallout London since it was released. If you want to play you'll do yourself a huge favor if you get fallout 4 goty from gog, no downgrade process and way easier to setup. But I've been a really big fallout fan since 3.

I also play fallout 76 on PC. I've completed the season so I'm only hopping on to do biv's dailies since they work again, but once the season turns I'm sure I'll be on a lot more again. Message me if you want my steam name

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Honestly, I do like Fallout 76 so far, but I should probably try Fallout London soon enough.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Certainly some glitches once you get it running but as I understand the first patch is coming. It's a whole new game in the universe, really blown away by how much they did. If you come into it expecting Bethesda jank you won't be disappointed, but holy cow is it such a different game than 4

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

True, true...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Lately (or for a long while now) I've been mainly playing gachas, so there's hesitance to reccomend them no matter how great they are (if you're still curious though; Reverse 1999 and Honkai: Star Rail are the ones I'd probs recommend most). And others have mostly mentioned titles I liked, and then there are the well-known names that feel a bit too obvious to recommend... (Hollow Knight, Hades, and Monster Hunter: World as some choice ones if you're asking though)

If you want a neat little game with platforming and where you control spiders, though, Webbed is a fun one. Peglin is also a neat pachinko-roguelike game. Astral Ascent is also great (roguelike platformer). And Ooblets (farming-Pokemonlike nonviolent cozy game) is also amazing.

Also, since it came to mind recently when thinking on

spoilergrief-
if kinetic VNs (ie. no choices involved) are your thing, Seabed is great.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Ooblets sounds pretty much up my alley so I'll put it on my list.

Seabed will also be on my list.