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What Are Your Top Five 'Comfort' Games?
Via GameSetWatch, an article at The New Gamer talking about comfort games. These reliable, fun titles are the old favorites you consistently look to for amusement and solace after a bad gaming session, a bad day, a bad week. From the article, with the author's comfort games: "Mega Man 2 - This Capcom classic has been with me since I was a kid, and I know it like the back of my hand. I'm sure that, if blindfolded, I'd somehow intuitively be able to maneuver through the levels, but I'd much rather be able to view it in all of its 8-bit goodness and remind myself of the good times." My current top five would have to be Super Mario World, Half-Life 2, World of Warcraft, God of War, and Civilization IV. What are yours?
M.U.L.E.
My 2nd home is on IRATA.
After that:
Alternate Reality
Ultima IV
Jumpman
and tied for 5th are a number of old infocom games (Zork, H2G2, Infidel)
It is the best comfort game after a really bad day.
You sit down, play and lose. You get up and you are full with that warm fuzzy feeling inside which wispers into your ears that the world is not so perversely against you, because the game has proven that things can be much, much worse.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
I didn't realize how relaxing this game was until I played Adventure again on a friend's "retro 2600 game consoles built into a joystick" machines. I knew exactly where to grab the sword, defeat even the red dragon, and find the micro-dot/easter egg without having played it (or even thinking about it) in years. I suspect other games like the Superman game, or Yar's Revengewould trigger the same response, but it's very strange (and perhaps a little scary) how comforting it is for those built in motor memories to kick in again.
:-/
Maybe I can see now why my mom is nostalgic over some mundane useless activity like shucking vegetables. Or my dad recalls how great it was to kill wasps. Weird activities from when we were young and not concerned about politics, relationships, or investment portfolios. Maybe I should have learned something else besides how to beat Adventure though.
Mine are:
I like games where you actually develop a motor skill by virtue of playing it. Those are the most satisfying. In each of those 5 games, I remember starting the game as an inept clod, then gradually having my fingers learn what to do, and finally becoming good at it.
I suppose that's what a lot of gamers mean when they say they play games for 'gameplay', as opposed to some of the other commonly cited reasons, like graphics or story.
1) Sam and Max hit the road
2) Day of the Tentacle
3) Secret of Monkey Island 1
4) Secret of Monkey Island 2
5) Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father
They're classics!
1. CS:S (vs. bots)
2. Alice
3. Civ III
4. Thief
5. Any of the numberous Mahjong games floating around.
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
Can't believe I didn't see this one listed for anyone! Was always one of my favorites, every 6 or 8 months I end up digging up a copy of StarCraft (and some of the addons) and get stuck playing for hours.
In my opinion it must be one of the most balanced games ever made. I always found it much more playable than Warcraft or Ages of Empires... Perhaps becuase of the simple graphics or lack of 'hero' characters, which always seem to just make battles harder to orchestrate.
Big ones, small ones, some as big as yer 'ead!
Give 'em a twist, a flick o' the wrist...
8 Hour PvP shift? Slacker. You'll never get to High Warlord/Gran Marshall like that, you need 16 Hours a day PvP'ing! And remember, when the expansion comes out you'll get to upgrade that HWL gear you *worked* for ^^
Georgia Tech, the leader in Chia(tm) technology.
Couldnt help but going a little bit overboard.
Of the Classic Era:
1. Mike Tysons Punch-out
2. Super Mario Bros 1 / SMB 3
3. Skate Or Die 2
4. Contra
5. Commander Keen/Monster Bash
6. Legend of Zelda
7. Double Dragon 2
8. Leisure Suit Larry
9. Death Rally
Of The "Silver" Age
1. Starcraft
2. Warcraft
3. Street Fighter 2
4. Mortal Kombat
5. Grand Theft Auto
6. Interstate 76
7. TMNT 2: The Arcade Game
8. Out Of This World
Of The "New" Age:
1. Legend of Zelda Windwaker
2. Jedi Outcast/Jedi Academy
3. Rogue Spear
4. Xmen Legends
5. Need For Speed Underground/Hot Pursuit
6. Star Trek Armada
7. GUN
Bitch you KNOW the side.. WORLD MAFUCKIN WIDE..
1. Spaceward Ho!
2. Exile series
3. Maelstrom
4. Escape Velocity series
5. and the "new" one, Alpha Centauri.
I've been getting into Neverwinter Nights lately, but that required "bitching out" my ancient Mac with slightly less ancient hardware. 3D games just don't feel so snuggly to me, so this is not a comfort game.
"one of the top ranked pyros"
Dude, that's like saying you're one of the richest homeless people..