Hello forum.
I have been an avid DotA, CS 1.6 and LoL player for quite some time now with quite a bit of past experience in competitive FPS (CS1.6, Quake, etc.) and i'm just feeling burned out recently. Doesn't help that i'm going through a bit of a depressed period, but i'm working through that.

The question becomes: what should I buy/play that's different from these? Doesn't have to even necessarily be single player, just different as so there is no competitive feeling to it. Borderlands, Skyrim, Torchlight and racing games are all no-goes for me. I just recently got done playing Kings Bounty: Armored Princess and have messed with Castle Crashers a bit.

TheNozzle

12 years ago*

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TheNozzle needs to re-calibrate with some chill gaming... hmmm, what to suggest...

12 years ago
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Please do not move while the nozzle is engaging.

Please wait while we calibrate the nozzle.

The nozzle is now calibrating.

12 years ago
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I found Bastion to be a pretty good chill game.

12 years ago
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I'm at a point in bastion where i cant get any further really (i'm watching you idols ಠ_ಠ) so nothing i can do there sadly :/

12 years ago
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What point is that?

12 years ago
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I ran into your problem a few times in the past. I am very competitive with my games. Especially LoL.

What I play to relax is Left 4 Dead 2 or Killing Floor. They are pseudo-competitive, I guess? You can keep score with friends and what not and that can be pretty competitive.

Other than that, if you feel fed up with Dota, CS, Lol, etc, you can always go outside or read a book. I find that to relieve stress.

Not sure if this was helpful, but hope you get through your depressed period.

12 years ago
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12 years ago
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I wouldn't say KF is that chill (really depends on the map, difficulty and players), but L4D is not something I would consider relaxing. The community isn't exactly great and can be very competitive and serious about it. You won't easily find a team who just wants to mess around, unless you play with friends only.

12 years ago
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L4D2 is a no-go to me, mainly because i already spent 150h on it, and the stressful moments in the maps such as the car alarms, if someone goes down etc.
KF is also a no-go to me anymore, due to already completed the meta-game that exists and what i have left to do is to 100% the game, because OCD. Oh and the grinding aspect of it is insane, i've played quite a few grind-heavy games but KF takes the god damn price of them all.

12 years ago
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what about shatter? simple but cool mechanics, and fun gameplay.
also you can try eufloria (and die)
or Serious same games? they are AWESOME for stress control...
Beep? nice plataformer.

12 years ago
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Shatter looks like something i might enjoy, thanks for suggesting it!
Serious Sam has the very much so stress-element to it due to highscore and score based on how long you took to complete the maps, Enjoyable at times but not something i'm 100% sure i would try out.
I'll also check out Beep!

12 years ago
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the magic of "stress release" of serious sam comes when you forget about those silly numbers and just KILL. EVERYTHING. THAT. MOVES. :D... but, i get your point.

12 years ago
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wow I never knew anyone paid attention to that o.O

12 years ago
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I see you've played a bit of BoA, it is a bit frustrating, but addictive at the same time.

Have you tried Terraria? FTL? those games may be nice time spenders.

12 years ago
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I guess you're meaning Binding of Isaac? Love the game, but played it well over 300 hours so it doesn't have the same kick to it that it used to have.
Terraria to me is just a sort of sucky clone to minecraft, nothing i really enjoyed at all.
Haven't tested FTL, is the gameplay zen-ish?

12 years ago
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I can't speak from experience, but it seems to be something exciting everywhere you go, though it doesn't seem to have high scores and the like.

Really Big Sky is a great little game, though i'm not sure if the highscores will help your situation.

The game And Yet It Moves is surprisingly zen for me, like the puzzles, though i don't know how much variety does it have later on.

A nice experience i had with a HL2 mod is The Stanley Parabole, it's an experience that resembles American Beauty, and it's very well written.

You may have this one, but Faerie Solitaire is reaaaly relaxing, i enjoyed it a lot.

12 years ago
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Really big sky has an endless mode with infinite lives where you make no score (or you make, but are just number flotting there)

12 years ago
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Go to gog.com and get -

Planscape: Torment,
Fallout,
Anachronox,
Psychonauts,
Outcast,
Beyond Good and Evil,
Tiny and Big,
Sid Meyers Alpha Centauri,
Call to power 2,

Should keep you going a few hours and make you realise the greatness gaming truly is.

12 years ago
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I only know/heard two of those games (psychonauts and fallout), are they really as good as people say they are? zen-esque?

12 years ago
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for Zen feeling, try Alpha Centauri and Call to power 2. They are both similar to Civilisation, but better.

P:T and Fallout are more standard RPG, but some of the best ever made...

Anachronox is also RPG, but think more JRPG in structure, though it is a western game. It is truly great

The others are action-adventure games, but yes - they are as good as people say. If you are a bit burned out from gaming now, give them a spin.

12 years ago
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Honestly try something like Just Cause 2 or Saints Row 3, that or an open world game like Fallout/Elder Scrolls if you have played those find something relaxing, I personally find sandbox/open world games relaxing and fun just to chill out to...

12 years ago
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Clocked ~5000 hours in oblivion/morrowind already, and skyrim kinda didn't live up to the expectations i had so it'll probably be a few years before i play it. Saints Row 3 is only fun until you get OP and/or completed the gameplay, but it's always fun to just go gta-style massacre on everything once in a while :D.
Been on the edge for JC2, not really sure i would like to play it after playing SR3.

12 years ago
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Have you tried point and click games? Runaway, Syberia, Broken Sword...

12 years ago
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Not a huge fan of point & click games because they make my tiny brain try to think :<
That aside, how are the p&c games you mentioned, zen-esque, intense?

12 years ago
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point and clicks are always sort of zen esque in that puzzle solving sort of way, its something you mull over and think about possibly stepping back from it for a while and just letting it sink in, sort of inward contemplation in a sense. at least for me. btw thoes games mentioned are really good point and clicks... also the walking dead/the longest journey are great.

12 years ago
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Costume Quest. Currently on sale, seasonally appropriate, very different from the games you're sick of, and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

12 years ago
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MLB 2K11 is the ultimate relaxing game and it's very different from what you've been playing. You don't really have to do much so it's like being at a real game.

12 years ago
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Try Beat Hazard and some chill music.

12 years ago
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12 years ago
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It really depends on the games and how they utilize the highscore function, Geometry Wars is a good example of what i enjoy playing from time to time, because you are only fighting against yourself on the list.
I'll certainly give your suggestions a whirl though!

12 years ago
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Play indie bundle games. Also FTL.

12 years ago
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12 years ago
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Ok from the zero hours in your list I'd pick Ben There, Braid, Cave story+, Gundemonium collection, Machinarium, Offspring Fling, Psychonauts, Spacechem, VVVVVV, Ys

12 years ago
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Finish Amnesia :p

12 years ago
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That's some scary shit right there :C

12 years ago
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For Zen experience - Creeper World. a different tower defence game. very non stressing

And for the ultimate chill experience: Proteus EP

12 years ago
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I'll check out creeper world, and i instantly bought Proteus after watching the video now to see if it's good!

12 years ago
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cubemen, its on sale :D

12 years ago
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I've found the Fallout's are actually pretty chill. Since you've only played an hour or so of Fallout 3 why don't you install some sweet mods for it? Such as This create your own town one

12 years ago
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Didn't really enjoy Fallout 3's playstyle (because im a hoarder) New Vegas felt a bit better in that aspect to me(which is also why i have more playtime in it). Do you have any other decent mods to recommend?

12 years ago
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Maybe try Osmos? There isn't really very much to it, but it's quite relaxing.

12 years ago
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This. You keep mentioning zen, zen, zen. This game is fairly simple and straightforward, yet very challenging as you progress. It will eat up large swathes of time if you let it. (I'm sure I've spent over an hour or close to two just clearing one of the endgame levels, and that's not counting failed attempts.) The music and ambience are very meditative and relaxing, though those more difficult parts I mentioned can be rage-inducing at times.

12 years ago
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I mention zen quite a lot because that's what i feel is the opposite of competitive other than casual gaming!
I'll also take a look at osmos! (i have so many indie bundle games that's unplayed because they looked rather like B-games to me than the A+ games i usually play)

12 years ago
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I like the Beat Hazard suggestions for you.
And I notice you've got Defense Grid and zero hours on that. I usually play competitive shooters as well, but DG is my second-most-played game on Steam. Tower defense at its finest, imho, and yes, zennish.

12 years ago
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Others on your list I'd recommend:

  • Braid (a bit thinky, and not exactly upbeat, so... maybe... it's definitely chill though)
  • Night Sky (easy mode is super-relaxed and fairly quick to play through... hard mode is... less so)
  • Rock of Ages (might get a little competitive, but good for anti-depressiveness)

Unowned that I'd recommend:

  • Eufloria (so relaxed that you'll wish it went faster... some people have difficulty with it in later levels, but i'm not sure why)
  • Windosill (it's like an Adventure Game Lite... I want to recommend Adventure games like others are doing, since they are so chill, but yeah... if you're not used to them, they'll just end up being frustrating -- this is SUPER SHORT though... my total playtime says 45 minutes, and yes, I played it to the end)

Others on your list that are maybes:

  • Auditorium (relaxed... but... not that deep... and gets frustrating near the end)
  • Limbo (...chill-ish... but occasionally thinky like Braid, and you might get obsessed with finding all the eggs, and then with getting 100% of the achievements)
  • Faerie Solitaire (fairly easy to stay non-competitive with this one)
  • Space Marine (single-player... sometimes, for me, zenning out is being the ultimate badass and shredding puny little enemies to bits with a giant sword and a powerful gun... maybe for you too?)

[edit] Botanicula is pretty good too. Haven't checked if you own it though. [/edit]

12 years ago
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dear ester is a chill game.

12 years ago
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Team Fortress 2

12 years ago
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I am NOT going to touch TF2 again, unless someone wants to do MvM. Because screw pvp in tf2!

12 years ago
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If you've grown tired of competitive play, maybe you should try focusing more on cooperative play. Most of what I would suggest has been mentioned, but a couple of things I didn't see mentioned (of course, I might have overlooked them) were Dungeon Defenders and Sol Survivor. Sol Survivor in particular has a calm, relaxed, meditative feel to it that you seem to be looking for. Another game I would recommend for that, though single player, would be Audiosurf.

12 years ago
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Dungeon Defenders really makes you team-dependant unless you actually spend time to level ALL of the classes to max, been there done that, tried that. But i'd always be up for a game if anyone wants. i'll also check out Sol Survivor aswell! (looked rather shitty to me but if people recommend it i'd atleast try it)

12 years ago
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Trine 2

12 years ago
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Closed 12 years ago by SkumbagNzl.