Any Thought Provoking Games

What games have you guys played that got you too just critically think about how life is or change some other aspect of how you view things which just made you go hmm I didn't even think of it that way .

Quite a few games. Heavy Rain, The Witcher 2, Mass Effect 2, and a few others. Games that blur the line between human and non-human, good and bad, black and white, etc, automatically have lots of promise in my book.

@ShadowsDemon: Got anymore that I should checkout. I feel I haven't played enough of these types of games this gen been playing mainly shooters and I want a better gaming experience.

Agree with above examples.. also look into Primordia or Sanitarium. Both are for the PC and they are point and click adventures. they are really philosophical in how they approach the story.. If puzzles arent your thing then give Swapper a try.. And this might be a game you played already, but it you havent I cant recommend Planetscape torment enough

@voljin1987: Alright I check those titles out

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@renegadesteve:

Fallout, The Last Of Us, and Bioshock.

Swapper: makes you question what mind is.

Braid: makes you think whether or not you'r doing the right thing

Fallout: Asks the question that would the morality of man exist even in time of apocalypse.

The last of us: that ending will make you think whether or not you should sacrifice the life of a few in order to save the lives of many.

Dark souls: Generally a "provoking game". It's a game about endurance, patience, suffer and whether or not it is worth it.

Super brothers: Makes you think about heroes and martyrdom.

Arkham city: makes you think whether or not batman is evil (I mean that ending)

Oh yeah, definately try Fallout ! It will make you ask questions like. "How the hell did this broken piece of piece crap get good reviews and accolades ?" Or "Am I the only one whos not insane ?" or "Was it a slow year ?"

haha, :D . But on a serious note now, Bethesda makes horrible, ambitious games.

Antichamber. It's full of oneliners that can be applied to life.

Haha, you racist. ;-)

@renegadesteve:

The Last of Us, Spec Ops: The Line, the Bioshocks, Deus Ex: HR.....there's a lot out there :)

@loafofgame: lol I meant good and bad. I'll correct that for the inevitable people who will take offense :P

Shadow of the Colossus poses some interesting questions about determination and similar ideas. Is it really right to destroy such beautiful things (in this case, living creatures) for just one person's desires?

The Last Of Us touches on loss and how it can effect our emotional development through traumatic events and touches on themes of salvation.

Bioshock Infinite's storyline looks into the very nature of the universe. Can't really say any more without spoiling it.

Deus Ex: HR: Asks the question "what is it to be human"? and how far should we take technology while still maintaining our humanity. How much are we willing to sacrifice in the name of evolution.

All 3 made me think very seriously about the important matters in life. Helps that all three are fantastic games to play as well.

Infinite is most certainly not a Fantastic game to play. Its got good graphics and a good narrative, thats just about it

Spec Ops: The Line is the only game this gen that's had any kind of actual effect on me.

It takes the traditional Kill-everything-and-win shooter format and turns it all on it's head. I actually contemplated the ending of that game and the decisions I made through the course of the campaign for days- to the point where my dad actually asked me what I'd been so quiet for over the last few days.

Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3. Don't let the anime/water colour art style fool you, it's one of the best WW2 games that has ever been made, and being a heavily narrative driven game it brings up a lot of questions about the nature of xenophobia during war time and the extreme racism that goes along with it. I'd write more about it but honestly I wouldn't want to spoil anything about it, it's one of very few games from this console generation that I'd consider a must play.

It also helps that it's one of the most original games to be released for the consoles this generation. I even kind of admire SEGA just for having the stones to make it. Even without the deep, heavy narrative it's still a turn based strategy game exclusive to consoles (PS3) complete with its own custom engine.

Hmm, no game so far.

Most games i have played or is out there is not that deep and if they try its mostly in a superficial shallow statement like in Bioshock where its posters or a gay couple standing in your path.

Metal Gear Solid 2, The Last of Us, Persona 4, Final Fantasy Tactics, Valkyria Chronicles and Shadow of The Colossus. They're not the only ones, but they're the ones I like most in regards to thought provoking material.

Mass Effect trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Journey and Flower

Well I certainly enjoyed it (insert embarrassed smiley face). Although I'm a sucker for a story driven game. Game play comes second for me.

That can't ever be true. This summer I thought I give Planescape torment a try ( I mostly play games for their stories too) But the D&D formula was horrible for a newcomer like me. I gave it up really soon.

Planescape: Torment, you can get it off GOG.com, and you'll need a few mods, here's a tutorial.

Planescape: Torment and NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer are waiting for your love.

I'm not saying game play isn't important. In fact it is vital but not at the expense of a good story. If a game has a gripping story, great narrative and interesting lore I can forgive some game play inadequacies.

Prime example being Deadly Premonition that does everything wrong on the game play front but is held together by the fantastic characters and story.

Far Cry 3: A lot of Alice in Wonderland references and the human moral compass is thrown for a loop.

Final Fantasy VII: Story had me wrapped around it's finger, thinking about it gives me chills to this day.

Assassins Creed: the Assassin/Templar war is very in-depth and the animus idea is pretty insane.

Minecraft: No explanation needed.

Good shout.

Something really funny: I played Fallout 3 five times and each time I played the hell out of it completing all the quests (And ones that would not appear in your pipboy or your map) and I encountered very few bugs while my friends were in rage because of all the bugs. xD (How can it be? Maybe I was saving too often!?)

@ withe1982

Read a book, Watch a Movie ! :D

I'm sure there a Bioshock Infinite fan fiction novel that could give you what you want sans the gameplay. ;)

Actually, I would like some explanation.

Its not just the Bugs. Even after fixing all that its still a flawed game. Just like the bug free Bioshock Infinite is also still broken.

When someone mentions Fallout, why would you assume they mean Bethesda's shitty version and not the real Fallout games ?

As a fan of fallout franchise I have never thought of it as a flawed game. Could you give some examples? (Well besides the capped leveling system that was everyone's issue).

@ bussinrounds

Are we starting with "the real" crap again ? Sure, I got some free time, tell me tell which is "the real fallout" game and point I'l still point out how its no better than the fake ones. :p ready when you are !

I would say the better RPG. (cue Lulu_Lulue rant). The better one you need to think about how you want your character to grow within the game play. Even going OP is something you should think about.

I would not say Spec Ops: the Line it less though provoking and more emotional manipulative. Other than that the game play is not that good at forcing the player to thinking which is on of the worse things you can do in a game.

The Last of US also fall under the same problem with less thinking in game play. I played CoD games that were more though provoking.

Fallout series has 2 really good games (1&2) and 2 decent spin-offs (Tactics & New Vegas)

It's needs to die now

@ alim298

Its entire progression system and conflict resolution is faulty, as is often the case with RPGs, I mean its one thing to use stats to dictate the outcome of combat, I could live with that, but to still use it in conversations is where I draw the line.

Charisma, Intelligence and Perception being used as an attribute is just lazy/ambitious not to mention the dialog will "readjust" itself if certain attributes are not met.

@ bussinrounds

I'm sorry I took so long, after googling Fallout I began to have doubts as to where I could explain the games flaws properly without confusion so I did some research on NPC Interactions in general which lead me to Dialog System, which lead me to Dialolg System which lead me to this neat little gem explaining in accurate detail the flaws of conflict resolutions in Dialog Systems used in RPGs. This will shatter every illusion in just about every RPG from Mass Effect, all the Way back to Fallout or Plaenscape so so if you don't want your mind fucked, don't read it.

forums.obsidian.net/topic/63307-a-dialogue-mechanic-worth-investigating/

Sorry about the link, can't format post in the new gamespot

9 hours 9 persons 9 doors is the most thought provoking game I've ever played. It's a very story driven game with lots of text, but it is very interesting. If you have a DS and want to play a thought provoking game, look no further. The game is filled with philosophical ideas and scientific theories, it's really amazing.

The game Nier is also pretty thought provoking, but more on an emotional level. It's the most depressing game I've played yet.

@ wiouds

I can't work with that. What exactly are you saying ? Give me somthing to use against you. ;)

No mention of Flower and Journey?

Noob

@ alim298

LOL, I always visit gamespot with my phone and I format by coding, since it doesn't work anymore Then I can't format.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Not much of a game, but a very memorable experience.

I have played Arkham City and The Last of Us. The ending of Arkham City got me thinking Batman felt torn about letting the Joker die but I think the Joker would have lived if he hadn't killed Talia because Batman still had feeling for her.

As for the Last of Us I'm still trying to wrap my head around the conclusion all I could think about was the line from the movie Wanted, where the character Sloan says "kill one, save a thousand"

The Walking Dead: Makes you question whether you are making the right choices, and if it was worth it.

Journey: A highly spiritual game that touches on the subject of reincarnation and dying throughout your journey.

Shadow of the colossus: You kill dozens of protectors for your own selfish need, only to find out you have been cursed. Love really is powerful, but to what extent.

Specs ops the line: Will make you wish you didn't have to witness war.

So many more, but I can't think straight right now. I'll update this topic.

I will list a few.

Final Fantasy VII: This was my first experience of getting to know someone and then losing them whether they be real or imaginary. It was also my first moment of vengeance.

Final Fantasy VIII: This game inspired me to think about my memories and what it means to lead.

Final Fantasy Tactics: This game influenced me to question what I have been taught which eventually lead to the strengthening of my personal beliefs.

Metal Gear Solid 2: This game taught me a little about the difference between virtual and real experience.

Fallout 2: Can altruism persist in times of strife? Will justice continue when anarchy challenges a damaged civilization?

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner: Will humanity become technologically capable o making Orbital Frames?

Halo: Combat Evolved: Are there other civilizations in the universe and do they have religious beliefs? Is Master Chief possible?

Psi-Ops: The Mind gate Conspiracy: What is a human truly capable of? Even if we cannot use telepathic abilities, the question remains what can human beings accomplish with our intellects?

I've seen several mentions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and I second / third / nth those nominations. However,don't forget about the classic Deus Ex, especially if you're a fan of governmental conspiracy theories. The events depicted in-game tend to parallel our world as well (shady business practices, government manipulation behind said practices, etc.). If you're ever in the mood to dislike government, give the original Deus Ex a shot.

I have not played the original Deus Ex I heard many great things about it. Wasn't it on the PS2 back in the day been thinking about playing it on PC.

Yes, it was available for the PS2 under the name Deus Ex: The Conspiracy, but I personally don't know how it plays compared to the PC version. Assuming you use Steam, you can find the Deus Ex Game of the Year edition on Steam for a few dollars / quid; it's even cheaper during a big sale.

As a side note, if you get it on PC, there's a good selection of mods to download and play around with once you're done with the base game.

After re-reading the topic, I have to throw another one of my nominations behind Planescape: Torment as well. It's very story-driven, and I've also seen people put off by the sheer amount of dialogue the game contains. But, if you like to read and can successfully immerse yourself into the atmosphere of the game, its story and its many many secrets, it really is a spectacular game.