Jump to content

Your 'Zone-Out' Game


 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm always feeling somewhat ill, but presumably everyone feels sick from time to time and has that go-to game they play. That game that is just pure abnegation for them, no real storyline, (or maybe one you know so well it doesn't matter), no real difficulty, just the chance to zone out. I have three...

 

Dynasty Warriors, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Burnout.

 

The first, well it can be almost any of them from Dynasty Warriors 3 onwards, but the newest one DW8 is perfect. I had it for PS3 but gave it away when I got the Xtreme Legends Complete version for my Vita as it's the perfect Vita game I say. Mindless combat at it's best, there's still enough challenge for it to be worth it, but it's so cathartic to hack though masses of nameless goons. Add in dozens of colourful characters and plenty of unlockable weapons and hidden levels and you've got the perfect game for when you sick.

 

Tony Hawk games are an odd choice. Obviously I only mean the first 4, beyond that they went open world and completely lost their charm. This could also apply to SSX snowboarding games though, which where also very good. It's the short burst gameplay I think works, that and the soundtrack. The 90s Rock music always makes me feel better. The main reason I pick this is it was the game I played when I had quite a bad gastric infection in about 2003, ever since then these games remind me of being ill and how they made me feel better.

 

Lastly, Burnout; mainly Burnout 3: Takedown which was by far the best one. The soundtrack, much like with Tony Hawk games is fantastic 90s and early 2000s Rock and Metal. The gameplay though, it's fast paced short burst gameplay where I'm encouraged to crash into and kill my opponents... pefect. Very cathartic like Dynasty Warriors and energizing like Tony Hawk.

 

So those are my three games I play when I'm ill... do you guys have anything similar?

Edited by TornadoCreator
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine is any GTA game. I won't play story, just drive around cause mayhem, use cheat codes, fly airplanes, drive boats, and simply just pretend to drive from A to B. Its oddly relaxing to just be part of the world, I never feel pressured to actually participate in anything in that game which I like.

 

Other zone-out games I play is Battlefield. I will play that if I just dont know what to do. I used to enjoy Fifa but the more I progressed in the game the more I was getting involved and the less I could just zone out and do nothing in it.

 

I like games that I can pretend to be part of the world because it just makes me feel better about investing so much time in something that I'm not actually progressing in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I'm not feeling myself, or life has got me down (happen's all to often now unfortunately), I don't find that I retreat into games. I've tried, but I find myself getting frustrated more easily, which in turn leads to to question why I'm even playing in the first place. I guess Super Hexagon is capable of filling the void, but even then I only play a few times before I've lost interest and decide to try and do something 'more' productive.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to use RPGs, because they usually have a really rich world that I can sink myself into and block out the real one.  That or something like a racing game or Mirror's Edge, where it's all about perfectly timed interaction with a course, and kind of repetitive, which really helps me to get into flow.  But I don't have any one specific game I use.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 7/6/2014 at 5:21 PM, TornadoCreator said:
Lastly, Burnout; mainly Burnout 3: Takedown which was by far the best one.

 

DEAN! Ban him. BAN HIM!

 

Oh, wait, we only ban for Burnout Paradise. But you should know, as per the forum rules, that everyone here believes Burnout 2 is the best.

 

Though Burnout 3 was pretty good too (and it does feature Jimmy Eat World).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were games I bought specifically for the purpose of "I'll play this game when I just want to have fun".

 

They were Burnout Paradise, Super Star Dust, Resogun, Divekick.

 

What happened was, I played them like how I would play games normally, and got tired of them. I just don't feel like I'm spending my time wisely playing games I've already beaten "just for the fun of it" if I could have fun playing other new games. Divekick is still working, maybe because it loads fast and is super simple. I don't know when I'll get tired of it.

 

But really, when I want to just zone out, I watch TV. Lots of good TV to watch these days.

Edited by eleven
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 7/8/2014 at 9:59 PM, Hot Heart said:

Seriously, though, my zone-out games would be Carmageddon (the original sandbox driving game?), Prototype or Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. Drive, smash or swing your way about the place.

 

Wait Carmageddon is sandbox? I guess I've only really been playing the Android version, might be a bit different. I do still have the HIB link you fired over mind, not sure I'll be making use of it mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  On 7/9/2014 at 5:29 PM, Deanb said:

 

Wait Carmageddon is sandbox? I guess I've only really been playing the Android version, might be a bit different. I do still have the HIB link you fired over mind, not sure I'll be making use of it mind.

 

 

Not sandbox in that there is one big world, but that there are 5-6 different 'big' areas and then the game plots different race courses through them... or you're free to go off, explore and do your own thing. Sort of like lots of mini-sized Test Drive Unlimiteds/Burnout Paradises areas.

 

So, it was kinda 'cost-cutting' in that they only needed to make a few maps and then just stick checkpoints in different places.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Animal Crossing New Leaf, definitely.

 

I can understand that you may not like it, but if you do I can't imagine a game that is more relaxing - you can do what you want, you can't fail, there's no time limit, no one is attacking you. You can look away from the screen for as long as you want, for a conversation, an interesting bit in a show etc. and it will be exactly the same when you look back down. When a villager sees me and hurries over to say they like me so much they want to give me the grand piano they had in their pocket, I can't help but smile.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...
  On 10/13/2014 at 6:30 PM, sbb said:

Nobody's mentioned Diablo 3 yet?? That game is perfect for occupying your mind during a podcast.

Exactly. I've sunk like a couple of hundreds of hours into this game and aside from the first playthrough, most of this was accompanied by podcasts.

 

Any game that doesn't require any thought whatsoever (or at the very least - paying attention to a story) is great for this - Minecraft, X3, any given diablo clone, Just Cause 2, Civilization 5, racing games.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...