GB HOMEPAGE
Depressing games
Posted By: Jenny100
Depressing games - 01/30/04 12:46 AM
Which games did you find to be depressing.
I don't mean games that are so bad they made you depressed. And I don't mean games that made you depressed when you finished them because they were so good that you were sad they were over. I'm talking about games where there was something about the story or the way the story ended or the whole game environment that you found depressing.
For example,
Black Dahlia
Legend of Lotus Spring
Comer
I don't want to put in spoilers, but if you've played these, you can probably guess what I thought was depressing about them.
Anyone have any others?
Posted By: friedmonky
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 12:54 AM
Definitely, Blackstone Chronicles!
Rusty
Posted By: Jenny100
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 12:58 AM
Oh yes. That one was grim.
Black Mirror too, come to think of it.
What is it with these "Black" games?
Black Dahlia, Black Mirror, Blackstone Chronicles...
Posted By: syd
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 01:02 AM
Very definitely Blackstone Chronicles. Sanitarium depressed me too.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 01:03 AM
Hitchcock was kind of depressing.Dark gloomy weather.And murder. But I really liked the game
Posted By: Gamer
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 01:04 AM
Definately Black Dahlia, and Blackstone Chronicles, cant think of any others off hand, have never played Comer or Black Mirror YET.
Posted By: fildil
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 01:34 AM
Blackstone Chronicles, definitely. It was days before I could get it out of my mind.
Posted By: Llewton
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 02:47 AM
There isn't a single game I found drepressing. I love dark horror and mystery games. The ones mentioned Blackstone Chronicles,Black Dahlia, Sanitarium are all in my top 10. Even though Mystery of the Druids and Hitchcock aren't in my top tem they're definitely in my top 15.
Posted By: Jenny100
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 03:16 AM
How about Lighthouse?
Anyone else find Lyril's plight to be depressing?
And what about the war bride in Amber? How long was she in limbo like that?
Posted By: LadyKestrel
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 03:34 AM
I found the sewers in
Traitor's Gate depressing.
I have yet to play any really dark games, although I have a few on my shelves. There were parts of the following that made me somewhat sad or thoughtful, mostly because of lost lives or lost souls:
The Legend of Lotus Spring
Titanic: Adventure Out of Time
Morpheus
The Forgotten
Golden Gate
MystLady K.
Posted By: DanF
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 03:47 AM
Both endings of Harvester were kind of depressing. Fun game, though.
Posted By: Jenny100
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 04:28 AM
I just thought of another one -
the doomed artists' colony in Celtica.
Posted By: Tristy
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 05:57 AM
Yes, Blackstone Chronicles definitely. And I suppose Sanitarium was pretty depressing too, though I think I mostly just found it creepy. Oh, and yes, Amber too. I forgot just how depressing that whole game was.
I also found Faust pretty depressing at times, but I still loved it.
Posted By: girlgeek
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 06:01 AM
I think a lot of games are a bit depressing, actually. The "Black" games ARE a few of them! Let's see...here's MY list of depressing (but usually GOOD) games:
1. Black Mirror
2. Black Dahlia
3. Clive Barker's Undying
4. GK III (in the way of subject matter)
5. Deus Ex
6. Phantasmagoria I AND especially II
7. System Shock II
8. Sanitarium
9. Point of View
Those would probably be my picks...off the top of my head, anyway.
Posted By: Glynn
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 06:36 AM
Dark Seed 2 is at the top of my list!
Necronomicon is right there too..funny...Dark Seed 1 was "Glitchy" but Dark Seed 2 was a really "UGLY" game! Glynn
Posted By: Josie
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 07:17 AM
There isn't a single game I found drepressing. I love dark horror and mystery games. The ones mentioned Blackstone Chronicles,Black Dahlia, Sanitarium are all in my top 10.
I also agree with you Lleuton I havent found any except just plain bad ones.
Josie
Posted By: Cynch
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 07:25 AM
Yeh, Blackstone Chronicles...I've never even had a desire to replay it, although I did like the game. There's one that no one has mentioned yet...SHIVERS II. I found that whole town and all the people in it depressing. Funny thing was--I enjoyed the game. I doubt I will ever play it again, though.
There was one episode in AMBER that really bothered me...the one with the gardener hanging in that greenhouse. I recently replayed this game and was really tempted to skip that segment.
Cynch
Posted By: fov
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 07:39 AM
Phantasmagoria. I couldn't believe there wasn't an alternate ending. It just seemed SO dark... if it was going to end that way, what was the point of the rest of the game?
-emily
Posted By: Sassafras
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 12:47 PM
I have to definitely agree with The Blackstone Chronicles - especially towards the end. Brrrrr- it was horribly creepy and sad and I LOVED it.
Posted By: lkgregorio
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 01:42 PM
I agree. " Blackstone Chronicles ", was the most gloomy, depressing, and downright unsettling, of any games that I have played. Even when you have moved on to something else, you can't seem to shake that theme from your mind. It reminds me of that old movie, " The Snake Pit " LOU
Posted By: Becky
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 03:25 PM
I don't really remember feeling depressed by the ending of a game. There were tragic elements, though, that moved me in:
The Last Express
The Legend of Lotus Spring
Ring II
Morpheus
Faust
Black Mirror
Shadow of Destiny
Dark Fall
Syberia.
Now that I think about it, it's surprising that the evocation of this kind of emotional reaction is such an effective part of a mere "game." I guess games are really more than just games.
Posted By: Ladybug
Re: Depressing games - 01/30/04 08:53 PM
The most depressing game I have ever played was Mourir En Mer. It's a free game I downloaded recently about a deformed boy locked in an attic by his father. The boys only wish is to get to the sea and die. It doesn't get more depressing than this. <img border="0" alt="
" title="" src="graemlins/cry.gif" />
Posted By: Ditlihi
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 03:19 AM
I remember one back in the "early days" that was depressing and haunting for me was Conquest of Camelot by Sierra.In the end king Artur wins but seems to lose everything too
Posted By: Tristy
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 03:55 AM
Originally posted by Llewton:
There isn't a single game I found drepressing. I love dark horror and mystery games. The ones mentioned Blackstone Chronicles,Black Dahlia, Sanitarium are all in my top 10. Even though Mystery of the Druids and Hitchcock aren't in my top tem they're definitely in my top 15.
Oh no, Llewton, personally I don't think that if a game is depressing that it's a bad game or one I didn't like. On the contrary, I find it pretty amazing when a game, movie, or book can have such a strong emotional effect on me. That's why, although I found Faust depressing, it's one of my top ten. And it's the same with Amber and Blackstone Chronicles.
Posted By: nickie
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 09:38 AM
For me it was Blade Runner. I don't think I have ever done as much soul searching over a game, and it left me in a real mood for several days. Had to go back and get a different ending.
Posted By: SuMac
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 01:57 PM
The part of Amber that depressed me the most was the underwater maze, with the children singing in the background. When I couldn't find my way out, I actually started the game over to get back on solid ground.
And I really enjoyed Santitarium, even though it had a sad background story. There was enough quirky hyumor throughout the game to keep me amused.
Posted By: Leeana
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 02:29 PM
Just finished, "Black Mirror" now there is a wow Game Hated the slider but other than that when bates entered the confessional and told the priest who, "The" person with many faces was That really scared me the music was intense! Great game Iam now playing Journey to the center of the earth rying to untence myself!
Posted By: gatorlaw
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 05:31 PM
I thought Blackstone's Chronicles was extremely sad. I haven't replayed it because of that.
I Have No Mouth is a dark set of stories in book form and the game is no different. Make sure you are in a very good mood before you play this game.
Most games that I find to be dark or have sad moments - I liked the games very much and considered that emotional connection one of their strong points.
The ending of the Legend of the Prophet series always makes me weepy, but I love the game story.
I always felt sad for the little boy under the bridge in Return to Zork.
In Journeyman Project 3, while in the Andes village. Knowing what the future could or would hold, colored things for me while I was there interacting with the peaceful, lovely people of that place.
Posted By: Salar of Myst
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 05:52 PM
Yes, the RTZ waif was sad. I wanted to help him. Since everything was better for everyone else, I presumed his life got back on track at the end. It would have been nice to have seen it though.
Zork:Nemesis had some very grim/dark bits but it didnt depress so much as enrage against evil. The main sad thing proved undoable after all. The overall feel of the game (aside from that one area) wasnt too dark. And thats my only candidate. Not sure it counts.
The Myst games had some sadness to them but it never overwhelmed.
Same thing with Amerzone. If you dwelt on its past too much, it could depress you. Still, I enjoyed exploring and knowing I was fulfilling the last wish of the elderly explorer.
I didnt find Syberia sad. I found it hopeful. Seemed to me like Kate's arrival was making life better for those she encountered. Made up for the rust as far as I was concerned.
I havent played many of the ones people are mentioning (yet). Thats probably why I dont have a proper nominee.
Susan
Posted By: InlandAZ
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 06:04 PM
I have no Mouth and I Must Scream definitely had its depressing moments.
Posted By: Incognitas
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 06:06 PM
As soon as I finished Black Dahlia I swore I would NEVER play it again.In fact I swapped it for another game.I like a game and books to be uplifting and to give some hope.
Posted By: lasanidine
Re: Depressing games - 01/31/04 06:23 PM
I am not a great fan of horror especially explicit horror. I would rather be entertained by a different story line.
Still I liked
Dark Fall
Amber
Morpheus
Parts of those games made me sad.
I found the Drowned God depressing and thought about it quite a bit without resolving my ambiguous feelings.
Posted By: Llewton
Re: Depressing games - 02/01/04 10:01 PM
Tristy I didn't mean things in the aspect of the games being good or bad, I simply meant that there isn't any game I played that I felt was depressing and just stated that alot of the games mentioned were in my favorites, would play again and I didn't find them to be depressing at all.