Looking for truly mature PC games.

As the title says, I currently crave for a truly mature gaming experience. Here's my definition of "truly mature", since it's a really subjective matter:

- deep and thought-provoking,

- serious,

- not afraid to break taboos, or take up themes people don't often talk about,

- morally gray; not showing people as one-dimensional and either fully good or fully evil, but rather as a mix of personality traits they truly are

Here are my criteria for the game itself:

1) A deep, dark, engaging, thought-provoking, non-cliché storyline. Preferably a non-linear one, be it just multiple endings, or an entirely branched story path.

2) (If the story is non-linear) Clear consequences of my decisions. I want to see my actions shape up the storyline, but at the same time I want to be aware of it. Sure, they can be a little unpredictable and surprising, I just don't want bullshit like in Silent Hill, where the conditions for certain endings were so idiotic, most of the time you weren't aware that you did something wrong (in these games even things like bumping into an NPC while running, or entering certain rooms more than once could lock you out from some endings for good).

3) Little to no puzzles. I don't want my progress to be hindered just because I'm stuck on a puzzle. I'm just not good at them, that's all, but if it's impossible to find a game without them, at least try to find a game with easy ones. I'll again bring out the example of Silent Hill, but I really don't want riddles as hard as in this game, where you often had to do stuff like interpreting poems in order to be able to figure out the correct sequence of events.

4) Not a horror game. It can have heavy, dark, and creepy atmosphere. I don't want anything that will purposely try to scare me, though. I don't mind single segments of the game being horror-esque, as long as the whole game doesn't revolve around it.

I've already played and liked:

- GTA IV

- Alan Wake

- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

- The Witcher

- The Walking Dead Season One & Two

Played, but didn't like it, or not interested in:

- Max Payne

- Deus Ex

- Spec Ops: The Line

- Planescape Torment

- Bioshock

- Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines

On the fence about:

- Fahrenheit (heard some mixed opinions about the quality of both the story, and the gameplay, with predominance of the negative ones)

- L.A. Noire

Omikron is amazing. And fix perfect.

Looks really interesting. I'll pick it up for sure.

@xxninja666xx: The Wolf Among Us. It's better than The Walking Dead S1 and S2 in every way possible and made by the same team with the same type of gameplay. You should also check out the new Game of Thrones game, also made by the same team with the same kind of gameplay.

The Wolf Among Us http://store.steampowered.com/app/250320/

Game of Thrones http://store.steampowered.com/app/330840/

Some others "mature" games off the top of my head but not quite what you're looking for...

The Darkness 2

Metal Gear Rising

South Park: The Stick of Truth

To The Moon (deep, powerful, and gut wrenching story)

If you have a PS3/4 - The Last of Us is exactly what you're looking for. Deep and very thought proving? Check. Morally gray characters and decisions? Check. Not afraid to break taboos? Check. Serious? Check. Soul shattering story that blows away any and all zombie shit of the past 10 years? Check. Untouchable production values that's years ahead of nearly any other game? Check.

Pray for an eventual PC port if ya don't.

Oh, right! I completely forgot about this game! Thanks for reminding me. I'll pick it up as soon as I can.

From the description it sounds intriguing, to say the least. I think I'll play it, too.

I know it's exactly what I'm looking for, but I don't (and most likely won't) have a PS3 or PS4. Consoles are too expensive where I live.

Yea, like it's gonna ever happen...

I think I'm set for now. Thanks for the help, @zarathustrax7 and @saintsatan.

If you have some other ideas, though, feel free to throw them in.

@xxninja666xx: To The Moon looks meh so I will tell you this - don't judge a book by it's cover. Instead read some of the user reviews. It has 97% positive reviews. Absolutely stellar and original story that is far better than most high budget Hollywood summer blockbusters. The story is about two doctors that can fulfill any dying persons last wish, but only in their head and it will be the last thing they remember. Give it a chance and you will not be disappointed. I've recommended this game multiple times and every single person has loved it and praised it. A+ mystery/thriller that will rip your heart out.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/206440/

@xxninja666xx No problem, man! Hope you like the game as much as I do.

Bioshock Infinite
Max Payne 2
Metro 2033 Redux
Metro Last Light Redux
Far Cry 3
Far Cry 4
Crysis
Crysis 3
Wolfenstein The New Order
Saints Row 2
Saints Row The Third
Watch Dogs
Sleeping Dogs
Tomb Raider

Maybe you can try out Manhunt 1 and 2

While some of these fit my criteria (coincidentally both have "dogs" in their titles; the others that fit are part of the "I'm not interested" list), I don't know if they're worth any of my time and money. Especially Watch Dogs...

I played Manhunt a long time ago, so I don't remember it that much, but I can tell you it's not a story-focused game, and therefore isn't what I'm looking for. It has a great atmosphere and overall sense of dread, but the plot is paper-thin and serves more as an excuse for the whole plastic bag and glass shard murder galore occuring in there.

This War of Mine might be worth a look for you. I just started it and can't really say much about it, but I like what I've played so far. Most reviews are very positive.

Have you played The Witcher 2?

I watched some gameplays of it. It looks really great, but I think I'll wait till the price drops a little before I get it.

I haven't. At least not for long, since my savefiles from TW1 are long gone, and without them playing TW2 is a little pointless, considering all the choices from the first game will be randomized if you don't have one. I don't feel like replaying TW1 now just for the savefile tbh.

Morrowind isn't bad. It's not extremely story oriented but it easily has the best and least laughable story of the franchise. It's also the darkest and has the best lore. The game is incredibly morally gray - and there's no moral system. This game requires the player to be mature (capable of reading long passages, doesn't need their hand held). Good reading comprehension goes a long way. Also, best music in the franchise and a world that is absolutely massive in scope. There are thought-provoking aspects within the story, though I'll admit I don't think I've ever found any videogame very thought provoking or deep in plot. I like it because as an RPG it puts you into an a dense, immersive world with little limits on what you can do (sans complex social interactions). The quests and subplots are actually interesting because they're presented as solveable mysteries and there's rarely a ton of scripting involved. Fetch quests aren't so easy anymore when you don't even know exactly what you're looking for or where you'll find it - which encourages meandering. What really works about this game is that it really did a good job at having an identity all in its own. It's not "generic fantasy land" like the majority of RPGs floating about. It has a real culture worth exploring. It's unfortunate this really got nerfed in the sequels. Oblivion went back to generic RPG-land and Skyrim is generic Viking-land.

the cat lady is about as mature as games get

@xxninja666xx: Well then try Borderlands Pre-Sequel, CoD Advanced Warfare, Dead Rising 3 if that sounds interesting to you.

Dead Space series, Mass Effect series, Metro Series, Tomb Raider, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Far Cry 3.

Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Divinity Original Sin, Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age Inquisition.

Thanks! This is exactly what I'm looking for!

While this isn't.

I'm glad at least some of you got what I meant.

@xxninja666xx: Dead Space 3, Skyrim, Half Life 2, Resident Evil 4 HD, Company Of Heroes 2.

@xxninja666xx: parts of that game genuinely shocked me, although it does get a little puzzley at times and cryptic. I had to use a walk through for two parts of the game I couldn't be bothered spending any longer trying to figure out.

Actually you can download saved games that match what you did in the 1st game. Only certain choices get added to the 2nd game and even then you have to go with specific paths with the game to see your choices from the 1st. All in all you can play the 2nd game without needing the 1st one's results. Because the choices from the 1st only add minor changes in the 2nd at best.

Unless there exists some kind of repository where you can download a savefile with every combination of outcomes imaginable, it's gonna be too tedious to find one that matches all of my decisions.

No, 2nd game only looks at a couple of important choices made from the 1st the rest does not matter.

You cant use the forums to advertise, sure I'm not first whos said it but the game looks like shite

LA Noire and Game of Thrones Telltale Series...

Heck Telltale kind of hits all that you are saying with Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, and Game of Thrones.

@thehig1: Really? Well tell us what don't you like about the game?

Your not getting feedback on your game either

Dota 2. Let me explain

- deep and thought-provoking,

Do you pick a Riki or a sniper. Questions abound.

- serious,

Shit gets real when you get 5 x carry in your team.

- not afraid to break taboos, or take up themes people don't often talk about,

Makes you question other countries cultures. Especially makes you deeply racist toways pinoys, russians and mexicans.

- morally gray; not showing people as one-dimensional and either fully good or fully evil, but rather as a mix of personality traits they truly are

reveals ppl for the c*nts they really are.

This War of Mine. Dark, gritty and definitely morally grey.

Does it have a story, though? I'm looking for a game with a strong emphasis on the story.

I'm 81 years old. Is this mature enough?

You're not a PC game though :(

but i do have a pc (2500k/580) and use it way more often than my ps4. ps4 talk is just for SW cuz its SW.

If u liked GTA 4... i suggest Saints Row 3 and 4... although they are far from serious, the complete opposite. But fun as hell.

Saints Row is coming out with a musical also called Gat out of hell, ya wtf lol?

@Old_Gooseberry: Sorry to say it, but that doesn't help at all.

On topic:

I've managed to finish both The Wolf Among Us and The Cat Lady. They weren't what I was looking for and I feel like I wasted time playing them. If anybody wants to know why I didn't like them, I can post a detailed explanation on each one of those games.

Do you have any other recommendations? I'll give you a hint to make it easier for you:

I've recently watched a full playthrough of Silent Hill 2. I was bored, heard many times this game was good, and I wouldn't have played it anyway, since I'm scared of horror games (mainly playing, watching doesn't seem to do anything for me), so I thought it was a good idea to experience the game passively. When the guy playing it finally got to the end, I was completely blown away. The storyline, as well as the game's world (they both complement each other) were a masterpiece. I loved how the story started out innocent and slowly turned into a symbolic journey through the protagonist's psyche, his nightmares, fears, dreams, and his past, as well as a form of purgatory he had to go through to be redeemed of his sins. I also loved how every little piece in the town mattered - every enemy James had to face, every place he had to visit was a manifestation of a part of his mind. Even the side characters he met during his journey were extremely well-tailored - every one of them had a story, a distinct personality, and a reason of his or her own to traverse their purgatory, their Silent Hill. I'm looking for a game that will replicate the feelings I had at the end of that playthrough by telling a deep, mature story, full of personality-rich, multi-dimensional characters and subtle symbolism. Neither The Wolf Among Us nor The Cat Lady had any of it.

Is there anything for me to scratch that particular itch or am I beyond help?

Not really. You basically make your own story as you go along. Kind of like "The Sims" if it was set in a war zone.

Kind of, although a lot of the story you create yourself, you cant help but feel involved in the world, check it out. This video on the game helps me explain what I mean by its type of story telling.

It has a story in its own way.

I'm surprised noone mentioned Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. They may not fit all your criteria, but I think they can be considered mature. You can make your character eather good or bad, resulting in different development of the story and, of course, the ending. And there are tons of mods that can improve the game, especially on the technical aspect, where it's a litte weak.

edit: I guess they did get mentioned by a few posters :).

what was wrong with the "The Cat Lady"

General warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Cat Lady was supposed to be a grimdark story about a suicidal woman and her struggle with depression. It was more than all right in the beginning despite the slow start. Everything seemed to be in perfect harmony, even the "afterlife" horror section. Although from the very moment Mitzi appeared in Susan's life, everything started to slowly fall apart. The depression plot got thrown out the window and the game's basically become something that couldn't decide if it wanted to be Silent Hill or Monkey Island (or any other Lucas Arts title for that matter), shifting back and forth from the horror sections in the limbo to things like interrogating residents of the building in search for a criminal mastermind, or making a ghost costume to scare the living shit out of an asshole neighbor. The characters didn't feel really believable either. Susan, from a post-suicide, helpless, depressed person, suddenly turned into a smartass, sarcastic Daria Morgendorffer clone that absolutely had to make a remark about every possible situation and insult every person she met at least once. Mitzi wasn't really convincing either. Her motives and behavior were far too extreme, even if the reason was justified. It has reached its climax in the final scene - confrontation with Eye of Adam. She suddenly got a gun out of nowhere and wanted to pack a bullet into the guy's head, with no concern about a possibility of blowing the whole building up. As for the rest of the cast, they just kinda were there because they had no personality whatsoever and served the role of a background to Susan's shenanigans. Joe's plot promised something interesting, with the demon-posessed wife being kept in the basement and all, but apart from a cutscene showing it, there was no mention of it at all after the scary-as-**** mirror puzzle. All this stuff in general felt inconsistent in general and unfitting for a horror game imo, especially since later in the game, the horror elements were thrown in just for the sake of it. The ending was horrible, too. With the way the game portrayed depression in the beginning, it felt like a slap to the face with a chair - suddenly, out of nowhere, Susan found a joy in life because she just simply stopped talking about depression at all. Didn't the exact same behavior caused her suicide at the very beginning of the story? That doesn't make sense at all. A different kettle of fish is the soundtrack. Emo rock tracks felt extremely out of place, considering the creators wanted to tell a serious story. Every time the music started playing in this game, it made it feel more like an edgy teenager movie rather than an atmosphere-heavy story about depression. Seriously, they would've been better off if they made a darkly humorous Lucas Arts-styled point n' click game (cause, surprisingly, this part was done very well and more than once I had a hearty chuckle), rather than forcing themselves to create a serious, mature story, which they clearly can't do right.

Well, it doesn't fit all of your criteria, but i found "The vanishing of Ethan Carter" to be very deep and thought-provoking.

@xxninja666xx: Gone home

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jk it's a walking simulator

What criteria specifically it meets and which of them it doesn't?

Play The Witcher 2 . Download saves from first game. It only reads important choices and some choices doesn't even matter (Geralt wakes up with Triss even if you choose Shani) . Also play Freelancer . Great Games.

Are you 100% positive about that? I'm extremely sensitive about immersion-breaking (I gave up on Dragon Age just because I didn't like Morrigan) and don't really want to meet a character halfway through, that hates my guts for something I know I didn't do because there were some minor decisions in the downloaded savefile that were different than mine.

Yeah , I played Witcher 2 , like 20 times (Each and Every way) . I know almost everything about the game.

Well the biggest think you may not like is that it is non linear in the since that it is open world, but yet it is linear in how the story has to progress. (If that makes sense?!) It's a very short game, just a few hours. It doesn't really have puzzles, but you are solving murders, so you have to put clues together.

It's a very unique game and hard to explain. Believe it or not, i found the gamespot review to be pretty accurate. Link

Sure, it makes sense. There's even a term for it - an open-world game. Unbelievable, ain't it?

While I'd much prefer something longer, I can't really complain since my options are kind of limited.

I've recently made a post describing pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. I'll even quote it for you, so you don't have to look for it:

Will Vanishing of Ethan Carter provide me with the same kind of experience story-wise?