In search of a unique video game

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And Katamari is just "adding extra layers of complication" to Pong's "existing game model". You CAN'T use a spherical object in a video game, it's not original.

It's hard to refer games without knowing someone's owned platforms... but here's a few I think are classic although it would seem you're looking for original and unique... these come close.

Arx Fatalis: It's an original xbox game and also was released for the pc and I believe mac. It's from 2003 and it was a story driven Morrowind type FP-RPG. It was kinda a short game that took maybe 10-20 hours to play. It had a fair challenge for an rpg. It was based on a fantasy alternate earth where the planet froze over and the earth's population moved below the surface. It kind of has a dark gritty feel but there's also an odd fantasy humor element to the world. It's hard to explain but the atmosphere felt interesting. The game also had quests that challenged your mind whether you feel it's because they left out information that should be there or not is up to you... I thought it was neat to have to piece things together with my mind while under fire. For example having to piece together a puzzle with a machine while there's a scary demon that can gore you in a single hit chasing you is kinda thrilling even if it would have been much easier for the developer to just tell me what needed to be done with glowing icons and whatnot. There were also investigation type puzzles which made you have to find out where an artifact was... without having any leads. The only cons were really that the game had some generic-ness to it. It wasn't a generic experience but it did have bland medieval weapons named things like ax, dagger, and bow. It also had some generic enemy types like goblins although the spin on it was kind of funny. They actually thought they were of superior intellect while they spoke and acted like morons. Another con was that it was so short... so even with an open world it felt closed.

Jade Empire: It's an original xbox game, can be purchased on and played on xbox 360, and is a pc game. I believe it's from 2005 and to me was Bioware's last epic game. It's an RPG Hybrid. It's a mix between an rpg, an action game, and a fighter... although it has simple controls, so that makes it less complex than a fighting game or action game. Most of the strategy is between switching art styles during a fight. The world is open ended on most chapters of the game (A few chapters lock you into the main quest) and walking into an enemy encounter sets up an arena type battle. The game is based on a mythical China and blends fantasy, magic, weaponry, and martial arts. It's the last Bioware game to give me challenge as well with the difficulty set to Grandmaster... so if you want a challenge just boost the difficulty as it isn't a broken game and if you want something more relaxed just play it on easy. It also has one of the best stories I've seen in a game. I'd say there aren't really any cons to the game unless you don't like Asian stuff. Very immersive game... It's probably my top favorite game of all time and I can still play it today even after like 5 full playthroughs (All side quests included).

Fable 1: It's also an original xbox game, It can also be played on 360, and is a pc game as well. I think it was from around 2004... It's fable before it became a third person shooter on 360's Fable II. Fable 1 is tough to summarize. It's that weird brand of screwed up Disney that Peter M. makes, but it's oddly fun and much less childish than F2. It's kinda a childish grownup sort of game based in medieval times. It's a very basic Hero vs. Villain story, but is pretty fun to play. It's a mix between a open world rpg and an action game... although a simple action game. I guess the art style makes it fun too... the only problem I have with replaying it is the game is very leisure. I don't see much challenge in playing it knowing everything I do about it and games in general.

Psychonauts

Pshychonauts I have played and was rather entertaining while it lasted. The combat elements played a relatively minor role, and there was much on exploring different mind states. I quite enjoyed psychonauts. Now what else is there?

Well, it may be an RPG, but I feel it was VERY unique for its time, especially considering the extreme complexity of its storyline. The game in question being Xenogears. (yeah, I count it, you might not, but I feel its still worth mentioning, especially if you have an interest in jungian concepts or psychology in general.)

Now out of the newer games, let me think. I know there is this shadow based platformer coming out for the wii, whi is a unique twist on platformers. but really, most ideas have already been done already, cultural entropy at work...

Not just the gamers to balme. Games of current generation consoles cost a lot of money to develelop, so developers prefer to play it safe. Notice also how JRPGs are now going out on the DS; less costly to make that way.


For a unique video game in the making; the four dimensions puzzle game Miegakure

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhBoY6s-Fhw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

This is one of the big reasons I do support the indie game developers. They oftentimes earn very little because of how the business works.

Might say Viva Pinata, might have thought it was a bit lame makeing a garden and then useing it to attract, own and breed pinatas, but it is surprisingly fun. You only really have to worry about something eating a worm or a flower, and hitting it with a shovel fixes that , and if your garden gets really good little basterds who break things.

As for hand helds, maybe the Phoenix Wright series for the DS, fun detective lawyer games which are littered with humour that have you chuckling, plus good story.

Dwarf Fortress, of course. Nothing approaches it for complexity and possibilities (though you might also try the simpler Minecraft.) It's also heavily Alpha, is very difficult to learn, and requires a fairly powerful PC to run properly.

I love seeing diversity in the gaming community, ah it's candy to my mind. However what I DON'T enjoy is all this pretentiousness going around. A games worth isn't judged by how different it is. The same way food isn't judged by how different it is. It's all a matter of taste. Sure one who plays many of the same craves something different, even if it isn't as high of a quality. Because no matter high the polish and quality more of the same looses it's edge after awhile.

Now some are content with the same all the time. Weather there always looking for those minor improvements that rise it to perfection, or they wish to stay safe and are afraid to try new things. Theirs nothing wrong with these points of view. Just as theirs nothing wrong with wanting something different. I feel very disappointed in you all when I see these comments and arguing over a fact that prevails in us all that we will all always have different tastes.

It's not to difficult really, to relate the type of games Alias refers to to us. As we are rare, quirky, and have usually a few things not quite right about us. But we can be our own gems, shining over our weakness with shear uniqueness or one large strength. It would be wrong to shun mainstream articles though, if they are notion your tastes so be it, but the people working on them have took something from long ago and polish it, improve it and form it iteration after iteration. There are some piles of crap respectively on the mainstream and unique games to be sure. Just as theirs some pieces of crap... Well everything. But to judge something just on the merits of what it is is just plain wrong. We've gone through that and as humans we are susceptible to be prejudice. I do not ask you guys to like everything, as we all have our tastes, I'm simply asking you to not hate them.

Now to answer Alias' question I believe that calls for a question of my own. What genera do you prefer? Or do you want something so different it's unclassifiable in a genera?

Last edited by James0Zero on 12 Oct 2010, 7:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Shadow of Destiny
5 dollars at gamestop, play it.

Planescape : Torment (PC).
Unique atmosphere, dark humor, you don't play a man destined to save the world but an amnesiac searching his identity.

Mass Effect 1 & 2 are pretty unique, the combat is the least unique part about it but both games are really interesting.

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Try X3: Reunion. It's a fantastic, free-form sandbox game with a VAST, VAST, world to explore.

It's a sci-fi/space simulator but you can play it in any style you like--as a pirate, mercenary, explorer, merchant/trader, capitalist-industrialist....

It has a really steep learning curve (and a horrible plot which can be completely ignored)and it's so free that many new players feel lost and overwhelmed at the beginning. However, if you stick to it, the game is really rewarding.

My first real game of X3 started in a single scout ship. When I finished, 18 months and 100's of play hours later, I was a billionaire with 100's of factories and trade ships and a fleet of Capital ships to protect my galaxy-spanning empire...

I think the last game I really had a lot of fun exploring was Jurassic Park: Trespasser...though it's mostly linear, so there's only so much exploring you can actually do. But there's some really neat stuff to discover, especially in the beta version (which is a little less combat driven, and a bit more survival driven, which is how the game was originally supposed to be).

The first two Thief games are really fun to explore...there's a whole lot of really great secrets that bring me back to the days of DOOM, Legend of Zelda, and Metroid, and the mantling and rope/vine arrow mechanics really add a lot to the experience. There are some combat elements (especially the first game), but for the most part you're encouraged to sneak around and avoid confrontation as much as possible. The other Looking Glass games had a lot of exploration too, but they're all far more combat oriented.

I can't think of too many exploration games that aren't stereotypical RPGs or GTA...at least not ones where they intend for you to explore Sometimes I'm satisfied enough with a good LEGO game, just trying to figure out how the heck to get a certain minikit.



Actually it's a spiritual sequel to Ultima Underworld, which was the biggest inspiration and the underlying engine for the first Elder Scrolls game