Looking for some engrossing single-player experience I may have missed.

[QuantumPion]

Neverwinter Nights 2 + Mask of the Betrayer. if MOTB doesn't suck you in then nothing will and you might as well turn in your gamer card

 

[Mandres]

OP - Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2. Seriously.

 

[Rhezuss]

Neverwinter Nights 2 + Mask of the Betrayer. if MOTB doesn't suck you in then nothing will and you might as well turn in your gamer card

I really need to do this module...heard only good things about it.

 

[MeldarthX]

Neverwinter Nights 2 + Mask of the Betrayer. if MOTB doesn't suck you in then nothing will and you might as well turn in your gamer card

Mast of the Betrayer ranks up with some of the best rpgs out there.

Also just remembered another one Alpha Protocall

Yep was buggy when it came out but most of those were fixed and so awesome of a game with choices......I so want Sega to do another.

 

[shortylickens]

I don't play games much nowadays. It's been awhile since I got 'SUCKED IN' and I couldn't wait to play another hour.

The last decent fun I had fun were Skyrim & Crysis 3. The last time I got HOOKED was Torchlight 1 and Path of Exile.

Nowadays I just play Dota 2 here and there, which I've been playing since 2007 (WC3 original).

I also liked some indie games... FTL, Bindings of Isaac, & Risk of Rain were exellent.

However I do miss getting sucked into the world a game creates... Skyrim & Torchlight were magical. What do you guys recommend? RPG, FPS, anything.

Games I tried and didn't like much:
-Fallout 3 (just couldn't get into it).
-Bioshock Infinity (I was surprised I didn't like it, too passive gameplay, felt like just watching a storytelling).
-Metro2033 (meh)


Games I kind of interested in:
-Resident Evil 1 remastered
-GTA5 PC port
-Singularity

Torchlight 2

One of the other Resident Evil titles on Steam right now.

 

[Rhezuss]

Mast of the Betrayer ranks up with some of the best rpgs out there.

Also just remembered another one Alpha Protocall

Yep was buggy when it came out but most of those were fixed and so awesome of a game with choices......I so want Sega to do another.

Never heard of those games

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Just finished Shadowrun: Dragonfall. Awesome, awesome game. Loved the setting (I've had no experience before with Shadowrun), and the plot was great, highly recommend it.

 

[Zeze]

You got PAID $150 to play just 30mins of Bioshock? That's so wrong... :biggrin: I still enjoy replaying it more than Infinite.

I remember it was cold and was some time before the actual game release, so it must’ve been winter of 2006-2007 (game was released in August).

Somehow I was enrolled in a local focus group agency (I wouldn’t be surprised if it was through AT hotdeals). They’d send me surveys whenever their engagement was coming up- one about smoking habits, cereal preference, so on. Then there was one about how much gaming I did. So I excitedly filled them out and emailed back.

Then few weeks later they told me I was selected as a focus group member for a ’90 min study and $75 compensation’. This was good beer/play money for a kid who was making $45k/yr + car payments + rent (it still is!). So I showed up on the designated day.

It was at a very unassuming office space on third floor, about couple blocks from Boston Common. When everyone finally arrived, we were a group of 12~ people, all similar demographics (25 yo~ younger). The moderator showed up and had us sign a disclosure form- I saw “2K entertainment” or “2K interactive” mentioned couple times. I thought I recognized them and was excited (What game were they known for prior to Bioshock?).

The moderator sat us in a circle like an AA meeting. He asked us questions about our gaming habits, what kind of games we liked, etc. I’m strictly a PC gamer and never owned a console (too broke, too big of a financial commitment). I talked about how much I like PC FPS and the recent trend of story-driven games for FPS, I think Half Life 2 was big around that time.

The moderator finished and told us that we would play this game for two 30-minute sessions with a discussion break in between. Then he led us into another conference sized room.

Wow, my jaw dropped. The room was tightly packed with 12 Samsung HDTVs (30-35&#8221, 12 Xbox 360s, with 12 fancy headsets. Now, this was 2006 when HDTV was in early adoption. I’ve never laid my eyes on a HDTV running a full 1080p console before. It was absolutely gorgeous. I remember being in utter shock at pixel clarity in the era of PC monitors running 1280x1024 for typical users.

It was just like in the movies/TV shows, the room had the infamous ONE-WAY mirror. I saw couple of silhouettes behind the mirror.

They had us play the game… it was absolutely gorgeous. I remember the plane crashing and noticing the amazing water-rendering. It was absolutely groundbreaking in terms of anything I’ve played on PC. I’ve never gamed on an HDTV before (when did Xbox360 come out?). The game was pretty and I was completely absorbed.

A break came and the moderator asked us how we liked the game. I shared my enthusiasm. Then we played another part of the game in the second 30-minute session. I remember being turned off by this seemingly stupid & pace-stopping 2D puzzle. You had to connect the stupid pipes so the water would reach from start to finish. To me, this was dumb, so very dumb- completely broke immersion.

I also shared that in the follow up discussion. The playtesting concluded. It was pretty fun.

The moderator then said that one person in this group of 11-13 will win an additional $75. Lo and behold, I won!

They paid CASH. I walked out smiling with cold cash in my hand. Again, being a strict PC gamer, I had never heard of this game prior and I think I barely remembered the title.

About a year later... what do you know, in a TV commercial, I saw the ad for Bioshock. I felt so cool. I shared this to my roommate and friends. Too bad they didn’t care much, none of them were much console gamers, let alone gaming altogether.

Ironically, I still haven't fully played the game to date.

 

[clok1966]

I really don't want this to be true. You are right. As an adult, 'experienced gamer', I read ahead too well for game plot as well as game mechanic.

I do have other 'RL' hobbies, but nothing beats getting sucked into a game world and spending hours on it.



I mean it was mere 4 years ago when I was sucked into Skyrim. What a beautiful open sandbox game... I truly felt like I was a survivor man in the wild.

its hard as an Ancient gamer who grew up with Ultima (we used to get in trouble for sneaking into my buddies dads computer room and playing it on a IBM XT that cost $6000), goldbox, Wizardry. etc..
I too really thought Skyrim was the "deal", but i have been a HUGE fan of all the Elder Scroll games (well almost all of them, redgaurd and Battlespire where not good). And the Fall out games too ( but I see you don't enjoy those, its discovery for me, and how different areas tie together, or change as you kill or quest in the world that fascinates me). I also grew up with Genie, Q-Link and online MUDS, AD&D online (not the current one, the on that was like the gold box games) Drakkar (think Ultima Online years before it) Meridian 59, etc.. Everquest was one of my first "SUCK ME IN " games, it was also the one that made me evaluate my game playing. I played HARDCORE for 7 years, and when I saw my "played" time (almost 3 years, but I did duel box the last couple years i played) i was shocked, maybe a little sad.. I had great fun, but all those people i knew, sadly I know maybe 2 still to this day.

That suck you in felling is extremely hard to recreate as you have played "them all", I still prefer Online games, but as you age the jackass side far to many of us have (and show far to much in online games) starts to sour you on them and some (not all) of the people who play them.

I like anything that is creative, Prison Architect, Banished, TOWNS (this one is a very Love Hate game). But recently played the New LOTR games (name escapes me) shadow Of Mordor? it was quite fun I thought, Just eh Batman games with orc, but it adds a cool nemesis system so enemies remember you, kinda fun.

Dishonored was fun ( you have it on your list).

 

[Zorander]

Xcom Enemy Unknown/Within (I keep coming back to this despite finishing it a few times on Ironman Classic).
Assassin's Creed series (I really enjoy the storytelling and atmosphere)

 

[rivethead]

Ironically, I still haven't fully played the game to date.

The "water puzzles" are part of the game! They didn't listen to your feedback there.

I tried Bioshock for the first time the past Christmas (my kid gifted me a copy on Steam).

I couldn't get past the first hour. Very disappointed.....I guess I bought into the hype too much.

 

[Omar F1]

- Call of Duty Modern Warfare
- The Evil Within, you may either like it or hate it completely, and it's not easy overall.
- (League of Legends)?

 

[Stringjam]

Also STALKER series...modded i.e SOC Complete
If never played, Planescape Torment Still considered one of best RPG's ever made

I will second the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Still one of my favorite FPS franchises of all time.

This game shares almost nothing in common with Metro, so don't let it scare you off. Completely different approaches.

It's not for everybody, though. People either love the series or hate it.

 

[psychosiz]

Dragon Age Series ( all three games)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Short game but incredible
Shadowrun Returns and Expansion


Like you nothing had my interest recently until dragon age inquisition and Brothers. I played Shadowrun when it first came out and if you like that type of game, its really awesome old school stuff.

 

[Puppies04]

Is this on for PC? A sidenote, I was a focus group for this game and was paid $150 to play the first 30 mins of opening about a year before release.

On PC or Xbox? I suppose it depends which one of your accounts was doing the posting.....

 

[Revolution 11]

OP, looking for "engrossing single-player" is almost the same as saying "I like video games, what should I buy".

If you want structured advice, narrow down your criteria. Or tell us which genres you prefer such as RPGs vs shooters vs platformers, what kind of games you like such as serious business or casual gaming, what tier of games you prefer like indie games or AAA only.

Otherwise you will get the general laundry list of games people like (biased towards AAA games that came out in the last 5 years because graphics) instead of the more comprehensive list of really good RPG games or FPS shooters or RTS games that hold up to the test of time.

 

[elemein]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but the Dark Souls series has done well for me for single player immersive experiences.

And punishing ones.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Been playing Alien: Isolation lately. It's incredibly immersive. Everything in it seems utterly authentic to the design of the movies, even down to the un-prophetic use of 4:3 aspect ratio CRT computer monitors and incandescent lightbulbs in what is supposed to be a far-flung future universe. It's a unique design choice that just plain works. It really is amazing how engrossing it can be to explore the station and just look at things in that game, and that's not even considering the cat-and-mouse relationship you have with the Alien throughout much of the game. Highly recommended.

 

[blastingcap]

Xcom Enemy Unknown/Within (I keep coming back to this despite finishing it a few times on Ironman Classic).
Assassin's Creed series (I really enjoy the storytelling and atmosphere)

I second this though I really hate the luck aspect early on in the game where one bad dice roll can screw you.

 

[datalink7]

If you have a PS3, The Last of Us.

 

[Zorander]

I second this though I really hate the luck aspect early on in the game where one bad dice roll can screw you.

Yup. On my 8th attempt now and on the 2nd month. This one is looking pretty bad already: 3 countries in panic, no available satellites and only Snipers & Supports beyond squaddie class. Exciting times ahead!

 

[shortylickens]

last time I asked for advice on Xcom people told me you have to do everything perfectly in later levels.
I guess lots of saves would help. In the battle sections.
In the planning section I dont think you can hard save.

 

[Sulaco]

If you have a PS3, The Last of Us.

(or PS4)

 

[DarkKnightDude]

I have to second Alien Isolation. Really captures the film perfectly.

Also Wolfenstein: New Order, the Nazi world is crazy.

 

[Omar F1]

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - Short game but incredible

It was emotional experience for me, in fact the only game that made me drop a few tears at the end of it.