It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Community
General discussionHey GOG-folk, let's share our Weekend Playlists! + Bonus "Best Bleak Game" discussion(61 posts)(61 posts)
(61 posts)
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
This is my favourite topic
Posted November 25, 2016
Which games are keeping you company this weekend?



Videogames are great at helping us escape reality but sometimes they choose to throw us inside some even more distressing realities that might be oppressive, sinister, or just incredibly bleak. And we love them for it! What was the best time you ever had with a less-than-cheerful game? Did it make you think? Did its themes hit too close to home? Was its suffocating setting a breath of fresh air in a sea of light-hearted or superficial games? Speak up!


Surely you've got some gaming planned for this weekend, too. Go on, share your Weekend Playlist with us. It can include single-player games, multiplayer games, console exclusives, anything - we are not judging. In fact, we are sharing too!

Looking for some additional inspiration? The GOG.com releases of the week might help:


- <span class="bold">Headlander</span> puts you in control of a floating head, looking to overthrow our mechanical overlords by gaining access to the space station's most secure areas. There's a strong 70s campy sci-fi vibe going on here, similar to <span class="bold">Deadly Tower of Monsters</span>.

- <span class="bold">INSIDE</span> is a strong candidate for Most Bleak & Thought-Provoking Masterpiece of the year. It definitely got people talking, including the folk from CraveOnline who attempted to offer their own -SPOILERY- explanation on <span class="bold">what it all means</span>.

- <span class="bold">LIMBO</span>, the somber, beautiful, but occasionally horrifying puzzle/platformer that put Playdead on everyone's radar, is infamous for its ambiguous ending. A while back, Kotaku gathered some of the most plausible (yet mostly morbid) theories about what actually happened in <span class="bold">this article</span>, that's obviously full of SPOILERS.

- <span class="bold">Cossacks 3</span> is a grand strategy that challenges you with managing both your vast armies and the economy behind building and sustaining them. If the guy from the main art seems vaguely familiar, perhaps it's because he looks a bit like your good pal <span class="bold">Olgierd von Everec</span>.

- <span class="bold">Offworld Trading Company</span> is a great way to test your economy skills in a foreign environment that constantly tries to throw you off-balance. PC Gamer had some <span class="bold">nice words of praise</span> to spare for it.

- <span class="bold">Batman</span> hardly needs introductions. Protector of Gotham by night, unwilling member of the city's aristocracy by day, he is constantly faced with tough choices, as Telltale's adventure game aptly demonstrates.



So, GOGlanders, what are you playing this weekend?
Posted November 25, 2016
Will continue playing Shadwen and Stalker Clear Sky. Also, this week I've been messing around with the character creation in EVE Online, now that it's free, I've never played an MMO but I might fall into temptation (EVE being the only MMO that I find tempting).

About bleakness, it's not something I look for specifically in games, the one I've found most disquieting is Bloodlines.
Posted November 25, 2016
I wrapped up Crysis Warhead and see myself returning to wrap things up in the original. I've also been revisiting the original BioShock (non-Remaster.) Aside of that it'll probably depend on if friends call me into some online games.

On a side note, is Vampire TMB easy to jump into with no background in the source material etc.? The current price is a bit tempting.
Posted November 25, 2016
Bleakness in sames? How about Sanitarium that's on sale now, bleak and disturbing ;)
Posted November 25, 2016
Playing The Saboteur right now and it seems like huge fun so far. I already have 4 hours logged on Galaxy and I'm still in the prologue mission, which is a pretty good indicator of how much fun it is to just dick around in this game. Also, I really appreciate it that you can climb the Eiffel Tower right away, if you feel like it.

As for bleak games, I'll probably have to go with SOMA. I really enjoy it when movies don't shy away from bleak endings, but it's much more difficult to pull off in a game. The player (probably) worked long and hard to see that ending, so having a bleak ending could come across as a huge "Fuck you!" to the player. One such instance would be Outlast, which has a bleak ending, but an utterly unsatisfying one. Another example would be Dead Space, which squanders a "bleak" ending on one final, forgettable jump scare. SOMA is much more satisfying in that regard, since the ending has an actual emotional impact.

Another bleak ending which I kind of liked was Deus Ex Invisible War. In fact, this game offers four bleak endings for the price of one. All the factions you might want to align yourself with are established throughout the game to be despicable scumbags, so in the end it doesn't matter which faction you join, you will regret it by the time the credits roll. And if you should choose to go with the "Screw you guys, I'm going home!"-approach, eliminating all the psychotic, power-hungry leader of each faction, the game throws the bleakest ending of all at you. A lot of people hated IW, I liked it as a nice little conclusion to the first game, an epilogue if you will, rather than an actual sequel. And having to choose between four flavours of "You're screwed!" serves as a nice conclusion to this dystopian series.
Post edited November 25, 2016 by fronzelneekburm
Posted November 25, 2016
avatar
Exceed20XX: On a side note, is Vampire TMB easy to jump into with no background in the source material etc.? The current price is a bit tempting.
Absolutely, and it's a very fun game to boot. I knew *a bit* about the source material so there's stuff I "got" that maybe someone totally blind wouldn't, but the game does a pretty good job of explaining what you need to know.

I say you should have no reservations about grabbing it - and play it right away it's worth it!

As far as bleak games - the one that immediately jumps to mind is Outlast. I've mentioned it here on the forum before that I feel the gameplay is a bit so - so (I vastly preferred Amnesia's take on this) but the atmosphere is just so oppressing and desperate. And the visuals really hammer it home.


As far as what I'm playing - still The Witcher! Still super excited I decided to finish this one up a year or two too late LOL. I think I'm about halfway through the second "big" quest of Chapter 4. Unless the game throws another main quest at me after I finish this one (which could happen for *spoiler reasons*) I'm guessing I'll be heading into the next chapter in another night or so?
Posted November 25, 2016
Weekend playlist...? Humm... Endless Legend - just won* an hour ago, was my first run ever... did do a bit of "Wow, that city was a lot more stronger than I thought, *loads a save and doesn't attack this time*" - sort of thing - but I started my second run right away, with the latest dlc included and with a different culture. This game should be on gog...

Also maybe... after some need-to-do stuff... Space Ace! (another game for gog!)
And... Dark Souls? and/or Risen 2... Mass Effect 1.... Sleeping Dogs... Depending on the time available :)

* a bit disappointing win - through end-of-turns and with highest "score" at that moment - my next run I cranked the turn time all the way up to 600... Also it's possible to turn this 'win' off altogether...
Post edited November 25, 2016 by superstande
Posted November 25, 2016
Plan on playing - Stardew Valley, more Tales of Maj'eyal and lastly some Moon Hunters.

Project Zomboid that's bleak, but does throw you a modicum of "yay i can make it feeling "
Last death came after fumbling the keys, ended up trying to hug it out with a zombie that had snuck into my kitchen for crisps. Got bit, died not long after. ( probably a cheese and onion fan )
"Suffocating" nah, pure survival fun, with splashing of frilly new drapes for you home.
Need to impress the undead, they hate bad decor.
Posted November 25, 2016
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl has my vote as the best bleak game. The atmosphere of this game consumes you and being out there in the Zone feels terrifying, even if you're armed to the teeth. Having read a lot about the real life events that happened in the area back in '86, a topic which always fascinated me but also filled me with fear, lead to a better gameplay experience.

Having just finished Shadowrun: Hong Kong, this weekend I'll play some skirmishes in C&C: Generals (while waiting for the GOG release) before starting Pillars of Eternity, which most possibly will be the last game I'll get to play in 2016.
avatar
am1vf: Also, this week I've been messing around with the character creation in EVE Online, now that it's free, I've never played an MMO but I might fall into temptation (EVE being the only MMO that I find tempting).
Ahh, EVE Online. For years I wanted to play this game but I'm not very multiplayer oriented (unless we're talking about a LAN party with CounterStrike or a Racing/Combat Flight sim) and the fact that a game like this requires too much free time & constistency, I've never tried it.
Posted November 25, 2016
I don't know what (or even if) I'll be playing this weekend at the moment. Maybe I'll start replaying Lennus 2, now that I have discovered some useful things (High Heels reduces target's HP to 1 when used as a weapon, for example).

In terms of bleakness, I could mention a couple exmaples:

Final Fantasy 6: There is a major event that happens a fair ways through the game that drastically changes the world.

Depression Quest, which I have not actually played, is likely rather bleak, though in a completely different way. The game even warns you that playing it might not be a good idea if you actually are depressed. (When I mentioned this game in another thread, one other user mentioned one game that said user thinks does that game's job better. Unfortunately, I don't remember what game it was.)
Posted November 25, 2016
avatar
Exceed20XX: I wrapped up Crysis Warhead and see myself returning to wrap things up in the original. I've also been revisiting the original BioShock (non-Remaster.) Aside of that it'll probably depend on if friends call me into some online games.

On a side note, is Vampire TMB easy to jump into with no background in the source material etc.? The current price is a bit tempting.
Do it! It's its own story and tells you everything you need to know about the world very aptly. I've read a bit of the lore but haven't played the source game (yet) and I had no problems following anything. Just consider playing Bloodlines with mods because the developers couldn't polish it as much as they clearly wanted, even if they still made one of the best games ever it can use some tweaks.
Posted November 25, 2016
Well mostlikly the same as every WE : Jagged Alliance 2.13, FTL, Guild of Dung. an a new Entry Torchlight

Also I will try SHADOW TACTICS: BLADES OF THE SHOGUN DEMO
Posted November 25, 2016
avatar
dtgreene: Depression Quest, which I have not actually played, is likely rather bleak, though in a completely different way.
No, it isn't. It actually ends on a somewhat upbeat, hopeful note. It deals with depression, but it's not relentlessly bleak or anything.
Posted November 25, 2016
avatar
Gleacer: Well mostlikly the same ... Guild of Dung...
That was the shittiest game ever!

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself)
Posted November 25, 2016
avatar
Gleacer: Well mostlikly the same ... Guild of Dung...
avatar
Ixamyakxim: That was the shittiest game ever!

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself)
Well it´s Kind of Casual Game, I play it mostlikly for the 1A Musik.


Jagged Alliance 2 with 2.13 iss a Game ichj relay enoy und play if I have Time with earphones. It the enemie interrupts you, I can feel my Heartbeat. That Game is the best that ever was made, if it comes to atmosphere. I even have to set a Alarm clock or I would play that Game forever.

But Guild of Dungeoneering is something I play, if I do something else und only have some Time between my Housework.

An yes I´m sorry for my bad schoolenglish, I only had 6 Years at Schhool and school wasn´t the place I was that often .
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionHey GOG-folk, let's share our Weekend Playlists! + Bonus "Best Bleak Game" discussion(61 posts)(61 posts)
(61 posts)