Yeah, good point. Under a Killing Moon or anything nostalgic is good for when I am sad. If I am super pissed and angry then probably anything fast paced is good.

Arcanum or Loom in case of game industry suckage, HoMM2 in case of life suckage, the final level of Immortal Defense as a weapon of last resort against both.

(Although now that I don't have access to a PC at home it's more like Solitaire after hours).

It amazes me how many people say they play strategy or hardcore RPG's when they're emotional.

I devolve into "KILL THINGZ GET LOOTZ" mode.

This, this is what I came in to say.

Also, Elite and Dungeon Master. I cannot forsee a day when I will ever stop playing those two.

Yeah, I understand you...But I don't usually get in an angry mode, just a down one..and so I like "Clinging" to the games that brought me the most happiness and peace of mind, and those aren't oftentimes the frantic ones...Though Mount and Blade: Warband is pretty sweet no matter what my mood is. :) I'm just one of those people that get angry like lightning and have it dissapate just as quickly...I don't think I ever played a game mad...I am a freak of nature. ;P

Similar yet different from a: *see attach ;D

Well I play Postal 2 or Black and White 2 or left4dead....Since 2 of these titles involve zero or very little strategic thinking and offer an immediate cathartic release. There's also a good number of beat em ups on my console that offer instant gratification.

I wouldn't touch a strategy game if I were down or depressed. I might consider playing something like 'painkiller' though.It's not that I am angry or something just that at the end of the day with the troubles I am having I wouldn't want to be caught up in the intricacies of the next conquestthat would help establish my grand fictional empire which I think is just pretentious. A cerebral challenge or something that involves resource management is not what I am looking for in such moments....

LOL! It's different for me b/c I actually like the RP & story aspects of games as much as I like the combat. Also I play the games I mentioned no matter what mood I'm in.

Alpha Centauri, for me, is like digital chicken soup.
It's a game that I bought at Wal-Mart for 4.99.. I had never tried Civ or any other 4X game, and so I didn't even know what I was buying. I just knew the game was cheap and it would run on my pathetic (at the time) rig.
30 minutes in, and the game changed everything for me. It single-handedly made me a strategy gamer, and it's still my favorite game of all time.

Team Fortress 2. FEAR used to be something I'd include, but I think it's hard for me to play the first while realizing what happened to the rest of the series.

Tales of Monkey Island might qualify. When I want a good adventure.

I occasionally hit up Neverwinter Nights 2, just because I think it has the best character options. Good selection of races and classes. Only the Throne of Bhaal Wild Mage has ever been as enjoyable as a Warlock. But BG2 is harder for me to just pick up and play.

And I'm even now getting tempted to load up Soulstorm or Dark Crusade and just march some Necrons across a map.

Monkey Island

Not really. The closest a game ever came to achieving this was Master of Orion 2.

At one point, I got into a bad spat with my ma as a teen and afterward, I found the universe music soothing and reassuring.

The downside is that each time I hear the music, I remember the spat :P.

when the gaming industry is pissing me off i have lots of games that helpme out there, deus ex, metal gear solid, uncharted, games like those do the trick

for when my personal life makes me sad, i still have to find a game that does the trick, i recently bought the tex murphy games (when they where not for sale), maybe they help at one point

Call of Duty 2. Shooting Nazis doesn't get any better, even if my computer struggles at times. The United Offensive expansion pack for the original s also quite good.

the first thing that I could think of was Diablo I.

you can just install it anytime, no matter if it's now or 2173... maybe it's the wonderful music, maybe it's memories, maybe it's the fact you get to beat the crap out of a ton of demons, not sure :)