With gaming often bringing me into a really depressive headspace sometimes with how the markets are developing, whats a game you can always go to and just be lost in, or just be happy with?

Personally i would go for advance wars 1 and 2 on the gba (there is no remake and never will be)

the artstyle, the music, the game-play is just simple, yet effective, a sublime experience of very fun times.

Whats yours?

  • argv_minus_one@beehaw.org
    3·
    2 years ago

    Try not to have an overly rosy retrospection about this. There were plenty of crappy, cash-grabby games in decades past. We just don’t remember them because they were crappy, cash-grabby, and not worth remembering. They hadn’t invented microtransactions yet, but that’s just one more flavor of crappiness.

  • UnderlyingLogic@beehaw.org
    2·
    2 years ago

    Stardew Valley is amazing for this. Minecraft was it for years and years, but Stardew is just like a nice hug. I adore it.

    Hogwarts Legacy has also fallen into this category for me now.

  • styxbane@beehaw.org
    2·
    2 years ago

    I have a few, Skyrim is my biggest one. I basically maladaptive daydream Skyrim. If I’m feeling bad I play through it in my head. Some others are No Mans Sky, Vampire Survivors, and generally pixel games are always really comforting to me. I also like to go back and play dragon fable sometimes when I need some nostalgia.

  • _finger_@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 years ago

    Star Wars: Racer - I know every track by heart at this point, have it on my Switch and still play quite a bit. Amazing flow state game.

    Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 - absolute classic and the nostalgia I get from playing is unmatched

    Age of Empires 2 - the music is just muah

    KotoR - Best Star Wars game ever made next to Dark Forces 2 and Jedi Outcast

  • Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
    2·
    2 years ago

    Euro Truck Simulator/American Truck Simulator

    It quickly just becomes a virtual road trip simulator, and as someone who generally enjoys driving and road trips its very chill

  • Murdoc@sh.itjust.works
    2·
    2 years ago

    Deus Ex, Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, and Cyberpunk 2077. Like you said, they are games I like to get lost in, just walk/drive around in, soak in the ambience. I like to pretend I’m there; it’s a great escape, like you said, comforting.

  • borlax@lemmy.borlax.com
    2·
    2 years ago

    Oddly enough I go through phases where I just level up a character on WoW. It’s mindless for me and I can just zone out and watch TV while playing.

  • fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com
    2·
    1 year ago

    Unraveled (Unraveled 2 is great for 2 players, too), and Hue. Then there’s always Slayaway Camp. All good on Steam Deck as well.

    But those are for the times when I’m not addicted to RL.

  • Buck Fucket@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 years ago

    Anyone of my simulation/management games. Whether it’s running a hospital, creating an auto manufacturing assembly line or helping some brave adventurers find oxygen I’m always more at peace with a single player goal driven experience.

  • Varlus@lemmy.ml
    2·
    1 year ago

    TES Oblivion and Sonic Adventure 2. SA2 was a childhood favorite I got very good at, and the extra mission, game modes, and pet sim aspects makes it fairly re-playable without having to start a new game file. Oblivion is just whacky and fun, and if you know how to exploit mechanics you can get up to some pretty crazy stuff in a matter a minutes after starting the game. While grinding skills could be seen as… Well a grind, it’s a grind I personally enjoy. Both games let me dive straight into what I’m feeling like doing, and reward mastery (even if one of them is cheese mastery).