Reccomend me a recent(ish) good/weird PC game

Penumbra: Black Plague, perhaps?

Definitely get the Orange Box first though. Probably one of the best video game deals available.

Leisure Suit Larry!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_Suit_Larry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonauts

I second the Orange Box recommendation. It's a good deal for a bunch of good games. Half Life 2 is a shooter of course but it's quite contra-military. Portal is a humorous little gem and is worth the money alone, although it's really short.

Anyway, these are things that make me think you may like the game I'm about to recommend:

  On 3/20/2011 at 8:28 PM, Brandi_B said:

I like American McGee's Alice a lot, being one of my favorite all time games. Quake is awesome and weird as well.

 

[...]

 

My issue is most of these FPS games are all military based and the story is related. I don't like this. I know the idea of a FPS is guns weapons killing things, and hey that's military. But American McGee's Alice really destroyed all that and made it something I like.

 

[...]

 

I'm just finishing up Doom 3 (i know, seriously Jazz late to party) and it's been okay but it's a bit of a let down. Too dark, can't see wtf I'm shooting at half the time. Story is too slow and not really deep. Not to mention there's not much change in what you are doing the entire game, and the maps are boring. NOthing like Quake or Zelda levels. Just the same ol same ol military complex boring.

 

Games I like Quick list:

Alice

 

[...]

 

Kings Quest, Quest for Glory, anything related to those I absolutely love and I really miss that style of playing.[/b]

Puzzles (myst, Return to zork )

Monkey Island

 

[...]

 

Edit: Bonus points for something I can download from steam or similar

So you do like a first person perspective (Doom) but you don't like military. You do like dark themed games (Alice) and you seem to feel comfortable with a medieval setting (King's Quest). And you like puzzles (Myst, Monkey Island)

You've probably heard of it already if you've read the "What Video Games ..."-thread over the last couple of months. Anyway, the game I'm talking about is of course ...

Amnesia - The Dark Descent

If you don't know much or nothing at all about it, here's the most important bits:

• it's a first person game, but not a shooter
  
• it's set in a castle some time in the 19th century, but there's enough variety regarding the settings
  
• there is no combat at all - you're equipped only with a lantern
  
• it's creepy as fuck, and I do mean CREEPY as FUCK. probably the scariest game I've played
  
• there's puzzles in it (not as complex as Myst or Monkey Island, but some are quite creative - not just key/door)
  
• if you hang out in the dark for too long, your sanity goes down, you'll start imagining things ...
  
• it's subtle, very atmospheric and has a quite disturbing story (for me anyway)
  
• it was made by Frictional Games (indie game studio, essentially five or six guys from all over the world), released in September on Steam for 15 bucks (might have dropped in price since)
  

the only reason I can see why you may not like it is that it's fucking dark. but that's the point - unlike Doom 3, you're not required to aim and shoot at things. however, there are certain things lurking in that castle, but trust me you wouldn't want to hang around them long enough to see them in the first place. it's a slowly creeping horror experience. graphics aren't the freshest out there but they suit the design of the castle and are everything but bad looking.

If you need more to convince you, run a search for Amnesia in the video games-thread and read how other watmmers were experiencing it (but don't watch the linked videos)

One important warning: Do not ever look at the American box "art" or google image search the title of the game! The studio responsible for the physical US-release are idiots and put a MASSIVE spoiler on the cover. You know how American box art of any game sucks ass, but this is even worse. The developers had nothing to do with it. The cover I posted was a half-official promo cover from before the physical release.

pre-edit: while I was typing, others have also recommended Amnesia. there you go.

DOWNLOAD!

Will check that (amnesia) ^

That should cover scary games, I don't really like SCARY, more dark psychologically like alice. I had to stop Doom 3 for 2 days last week because it was giving me nightmares, and I keep screaming every time something pops out of no where. Granted you start to figure what triggers stuff, they still get you.

I'm in Delta Labs right now in Doom 3, wish there was more plasma ammo everywhere. Admittedly, I started off on the hardest difficulty b/c I just almost always do that (though I couldn't pull it off in Alice, had to play through normal many times before I could beat it in nightmare).

dont get final fantasy. there hasnt been a good final fantasy game in a long time. just disappointment after disappointment.

also what???? wow??

just no.

I'm still waiting for the follow up to Mega Man 64...that game was so awesome. I love those kinds of games. Great story, lots to do, good action, horrible (but awesome) Japanese humor.

So...anime based video games that aren't just a interactive video you click through? I see that none of the Code Geass games were released for PC :(

  On 3/20/2011 at 10:03 PM, Worlds Most Johnsson said:

DOWNLOAD!

Fuck yes, just played that yesterday!

Also, I believe Uru was the sequel to Riven. I haven't played it yet, but maybe it's good.

Of course Grim Fandango

And play Torin's Passage by Sierra. It probably sucks shit, but I remember playing it when I was 5. My first Sierra title.

I wasted a few years of my life playing XCOM: UFO Defense. The sequal Terror From The Deep was pretty good as well, basically more of the same with a few neat new features. The third installment was I think a little overly ambitious and never really sat well with me.

  On 3/20/2011 at 11:08 PM, Murveman said:

Also, I believe Uru was the sequel to Riven. I haven't played it yet, but maybe it's good.

Nah, Uru was the failed attempt at an online version of the Myst series. The regular games went -

Myst

Riven

Exile

(Uru was released between these two)

Revelation

End Of Ages

I'm yet to play the last two but having completed the first three I'd have to say Exile is my favourite so far - the puzzles seemed far more logical to me and I think I only relied on hints once during the whole game.

  On 3/20/2011 at 10:14 PM, Brandi_B said:

I'm still waiting for the follow up to Mega Man 64...that game was so awesome. I love those kinds of games. Great story, lots to do, good action, horrible (but awesome) Japanese humor.

played megaman legends? those games were pretty rad. as well as the tron bonne game. should be able to get a psx emu to run them no sweat.

also ima go ahead and recommend dragon age origins.

  On 3/20/2011 at 11:27 PM, mcbpete said:

  On 3/20/2011 at 11:08 PM, Murveman said:

Also, I believe Uru was the sequel to Riven. I haven't played it yet, but maybe it's good.

Nah, Uru was the failed attempt at an online version of the Myst series. The regular games went -

 

Myst

Riven

Exile

(Uru was released between these two)

Revelation

End Of Ages

 

I'm yet to play the last two but having completed the first three I'd have to say Exile is my favourite so far - the puzzles seemed far more logical to me and I think I only relied on hints once during the whole game.

Myst, Riven, Exile ...awesome....Uru, was pretty fail. Gave up on the series after that, didn't even know those last two existed.

  On 3/20/2011 at 11:50 PM, disparaissant said:

  On 3/20/2011 at 10:14 PM, Brandi_B said:

I'm still waiting for the follow up to Mega Man 64...that game was so awesome. I love those kinds of games. Great story, lots to do, good action, horrible (but awesome) Japanese humor.

played megaman legends? those games were pretty rad. as well as the tron bonne game. should be able to get a psx emu to run them no sweat.

 

also ima go ahead and recommend dragon age origins.

I've seen bits of Dragon Age around the interwebs, what's it like to play? It's an rpg right?

Also, Mega Man legends is Mega Man 64, they just called it different names on PS vs N64. And yes, fantastic freaking game. But WTF I didn't knwo there was a 2 and the Bonne game. Tracking those donw now. w00t!

  On 3/21/2011 at 12:03 AM, Brandi_B said:

  On 3/20/2011 at 11:50 PM, disparaissant said:

  On 3/20/2011 at 10:14 PM, Brandi_B said:

I'm still waiting for the follow up to Mega Man 64...that game was so awesome. I love those kinds of games. Great story, lots to do, good action, horrible (but awesome) Japanese humor.

played megaman legends? those games were pretty rad. as well as the tron bonne game. should be able to get a psx emu to run them no sweat.

 

also ima go ahead and recommend dragon age origins.

I've seen bits of Dragon Age around the interwebs, what's it like to play? It's an rpg right?

 

Also, Mega Man legends is Mega Man 64, they just called it different names on PS vs N64. And yes, fantastic freaking game. But WTF I didn't knwo there was a 2 and the Bonne game. Tracking those donw now. w00t!

yeh western rpg, real time combat with lots of pausing to get strategies right and all. really great storyline incredibly well written characters. quite western though so if you don't like that compared to jrpgs you might not like it? i dunno. i thought it was pretty great.

  On 3/20/2011 at 10:06 PM, Brandi_B said:

Will check that (amnesia) ^

 

That should cover scary games, I don't really like SCARY, more dark psychologically like alice. I had to stop Doom 3 for 2 days last week because it was giving me nightmares, and I keep screaming every time something pops out of no where. Granted you start to figure what triggers stuff, they still get you.

 

I'm in Delta Labs right now in Doom 3, wish there was more plasma ammo everywhere. Admittedly, I started off on the hardest difficulty b/c I just almost always do that (though I couldn't pull it off in Alice, had to play through normal many times before I could beat it in nightmare).

I couldn't play Doom 3, so I got my cousin to play it and I was just watching (that's about three years ago, so it's quite recent) - it stressed me out too much with its constant boom-whuaa-maul-zombie-demon-wooshness. Also I have a bit of a phobia of dark industrial space environments (saw Alien too early). But I think that's not much of an accomplishment for the game. It's just jump-scares and hectic, which is why I'm saying Amnesia is scarier, even though I played through it but gave up on Doom 3.

Amnesia doesn't have a single cheap scare that I could think of, it's actually pretty psychological and well paced. I'm a slow player but I spent hours walking around the castle without encountering or having to run from anything. It's strange, the game and its environment can even be soothing or cosy at times, but you're still dreading to run into something.

Are you familiar with the first two Oddworld games (Abe's Oddysee & Abe's Exoddus)? Their art style is somewhat related to Alice. And the general morbidly humorous world they're set in ... quite old, too, from the 90's. A strange jump 'n run with puzzle elements, can be quite difficult at times. Especially the music is amazing.

dragon age is really good.

  On 3/20/2011 at 8:35 PM, oscillik said:

Prey

this is the first time i've ever seen someone mention this game

Gonna check Prey out too....

Anything interesting coming out in the next few months? THe Mortal Combat looks awesome, but I don't think it's PC.

I'm sure you all know Duke Nukem Forever is finally manifest, early May. If you haven't watched the live demo video, you should. It's ridiculous. Starts at around 2:30:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-97N6jNKb4

i would advise against prey..

are you just pirating all these games or what?

Prey makes me nauseous ... All the perspective gravity change and stuff. I bought it from a shop for 5 euros a while back, but didn't finish it. It has potential and the beginning is pretty cool but it would have needed a little more work to be really cool imo.

  On 3/21/2011 at 1:39 AM, MAXIMUS MISCHIEF said:

i would advise against prey..

are you just pirating all these games or what?

No I gave up on pirating a fair while ago. I may or may not still dip in but if I did it would be for occasional tv shows or hard to find music, but I feel better about buying stuff, supporting developers, having programs that actually work, etc.

  On 3/21/2011 at 1:43 AM, Terpentintollwut said:

Prey makes me nauseous ... All the perspective gravity change and stuff. I bought it from a shop for 5 euros a while back, but didn't finish it. It has potential and the beginning is pretty cool but it would have needed a little more work to be really cool imo.

I still get that chest sinking feeling from Ocarina of Time and Mario 64 when taking very high jumps. Like even the dondongo's village in ooT jumping down to the middle from the top, *dizzy*

Ooh ooh, play "Machinarium" you'll like that one. Short but sweet adventure game, point n' click style.