Kind of an interesting thread- I too have given these things some thought lately. I tend to agree that it's often not that the game is the cause of the mood so much as it's an extension of what you're already feeling. Sure there are exceptions to this and there's no doubt that things that remind us of the carefree days of youth are sure to induce the warm tinglies but generally speaking, I feel like my fave gaming moments are the ones when life's good in general. When you go in feeling depressed, alone, afraid or whatever, it seems like games can extenuate those feelings. What else is interesting to consider is the effect these emotions may have on determining out favorite genres or what games we decide to sink our cash on. There's a whole lot of psychology at play that you don't often hear much about.
PC by far but then that's not exactly a console by definition.. in which case Playstation 2 takes the cake. "The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling console of all time, having reached over 150 million units sold as of January 31, 2011. This milestone was reached 11 years after the system was released in Japan on March 4, 2000. Further, Sony said at present there are 10,828 game titles available for the system and that 1.52 billion PS2 titles had been sold since launch." That's not a typo- 10,828 games comprise the PS2 library and counting. Even though the system's predecessor was released back in 2006, the PS2 is still being supported by third party developers and Sony itself. Here is the link to these impressive stats: http://asia.gamespot.com/news/150-million-ps2-units-shipped-worldwide-6298857
As you know, 2D is getting ever more few & far between but there are a few solid platformers for the PS2 that I've discovered: Disney's Kim Possible is perhaps the best the lot in terms of fun, challenge and versatility: http://www.amazon.com/Disneys-Kim-Possible-Switch-Playstation-2/dp/B000GG1OTY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1345532061&sr=8-7&keywords=kim+possibl George of the Jungle is similar but a bit more difficult, not quite as good but close: http://www.amazon.com/George-The-Jungle-Playstation-2/dp/B0012RCNV4/ref=pd_sim_vg_26 Despicable Me captures a lot of the magic of the movie but is by far the most puzzle-heavy of this lot: http://www.amazon.com/Despicable-Me-The-Game-Playstation-2/dp/B0033BJSII/ref=pd_sim_vg_5 Finally Astro Boy (from D3 not Sega) is a side scrolling beat-em up/ flying shooter: http://www.amazon.com/Astro-Boy-Video-Game-Playstation-2/dp/B00274SI74/ref=sr_1_1_title_3?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1345533475&sr=1-1&keywords=astro+boy There may be more but these are the 2D games in my PS2 collection and they are all still available (new) through retailers like Amazon- and pretty cheap to boot.
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