Immersive Sims, Ranked
Also known as box stacking simulators. No fancy pants attempts at objectivity or anything, just ranked according to how much I enjoyed my time with them.
Stuff probably worth noting:
1) This isn't a comprehensive list, since I haven't completed Ultima Underworld 2, Underworld Ascendant or a bunch of other indie games I've read supposedly fit in this basket.
2) Ranks are a bit relative in places - I think there's a much bigger gap in quality between the two Dishonoreds than between System Shock 1 (the original) and 2, even though each pair is a similar distance apart. Likewise, I think quite a bit more highly of Thief: Deadly Shadows than Dishonored 2 even though they're right next to each other.
3) I haven't included the first two Bioshocks here mostly because I know there's debate about whether or not they fit this category (even some developers have touched on this before), not necessarily because I don't think they belong myself. My view on them in this respect is basically that if they aren't immersive sims, they're closer to it than every other game which also isn't.
Stuff probably worth noting:
1) This isn't a comprehensive list, since I haven't completed Ultima Underworld 2, Underworld Ascendant or a bunch of other indie games I've read supposedly fit in this basket.
2) Ranks are a bit relative in places - I think there's a much bigger gap in quality between the two Dishonoreds than between System Shock 1 (the original) and 2, even though each pair is a similar distance apart. Likewise, I think quite a bit more highly of Thief: Deadly Shadows than Dishonored 2 even though they're right next to each other.
3) I haven't included the first two Bioshocks here mostly because I know there's debate about whether or not they fit this category (even some developers have touched on this before), not necessarily because I don't think they belong myself. My view on them in this respect is basically that if they aren't immersive sims, they're closer to it than every other game which also isn't.
19 Games
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This would be the best game of all time if Square Enix had allowed them to actually finish it.
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9 Comments
Thanks @FallenGrace. I never got round to playing Death of the Outsider, yeah. I try not to go out of my way to play stuff that I think I won't like, and Dishonored 2 left a sour enough taste in my mouth that I wasn't really interested in seeing what they did with it next. I might do a full write up of 2 at some stage just to have my thoughts on it all in one place, I never liked it as much as 1 from the get go but it took me a little while before I started to realise why it felt so off.
Death of the Outsider feels more like an expansion epilogue to 2 so if you're not keen on 2, I doubt you'd like it either XD
I've never played the original Deus Ex but loved HR and MD both. HR still has probably the coolest game trailer i've ever seen.
I've never played the original Deus Ex but loved HR and MD both. HR still has probably the coolest game trailer i've ever seen.
The original Deus Ex is brilliant, but like the rest of Ion Storm's stuff it has issues working on modern technical difficulties machines. I've not tried this guide myself yet, but if you ever wanna play it apparently this works for both the Steam and GOG versions:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=144316078
One of my favourite parts about HR and MD is their visual style. Like, from a standpoint of art direction + sheer graphical quality I'd be tempted to call Mankind Divided in particular the nicest looking game ever.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=144316078
One of my favourite parts about HR and MD is their visual style. Like, from a standpoint of art direction + sheer graphical quality I'd be tempted to call Mankind Divided in particular the nicest looking game ever.
great list man but holy fuck you're dissing the second best arkane game that's wilddddd
@JadeCactus Thanks. fwiw I still recommend Dishonored 2 to people in case they end up enjoying it more than I did and since there aren't many of these games to choose from. I’m glad I played it since I used to be a “only gameplay matters & everything else can go in the bin” kind of guy but found everything about it other than how it plays so disappointing that it pretty much singlehandedly changed my mind. Though right enough, I didn't like a bunch of stuff I’ve often read touted as gameplay improvements either (e.g. I thought the new nonlethal options made lethal and nonlethal feel a lot more samey).
I get you but imo all of these improvements for the gameplay and how amazing Emily's kit can work out in your favor just made me, who likes to do non lethal runs have more options to do so and not stick for a simple one minded way that revolves around save scamming if anything bad happens
dishonored 1 is really limited in comparison imo but it's still fucking amazing
dishonored 1 is really limited in comparison imo but it's still fucking amazing
@JadeCactus Ye that makes sense. I picked Corvo first which I imagine probably contributed to my bad impression of it a bit. There's a developer interview from 2017 where they mention that it was intially Emily's game and making him playable was a later decision and I remember thinking that felt pretty apparent in retrospect.
bro her kit is like 5 times more fun than her dad's
FallenGrace
2 years ago