Relaxing Type Games!!!

leveskikesko

leveskikesko

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I love actionpacked games as much as the next, I DO! But I feel it gets old after awhile, and sometimes I need a game that just y'know...calms you down after that long day at work/school/w/e.

What games do you guys play to. just. get relaxed?

My favorites gotta be:

Rez - Pretty colors....nuff said

Endless Ocean - So peaceful just wandering around in a realistic environment.

Animal Crossing - Basically do w/e you want for w/e reason.

Lost Winds - Amazing game. Relaxing music and atmosphere, and puzzles that actually don't piss you off.
 
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Hexic HD is the only relaxing game I can think of that I play

I think Pixel Junk Eden will be an appropriate answer as well but I've only done the demo so far
 
Most puzzle games are pretty relaxing. Planet Puzzle League, Suduko on the brain age games etc.

An RPG can be pretty relaxing (some hard battles aside) since you spend so much time exploring and what not.

Never been into games like The Sims, Animal Crossing etc. or non-games like Endless Ocean though. I'd rather do something non-gaming to relax to that extent--read a book, watch a movie, listen to some music, have a good beer etc.
 
I've enjoyed playing my own music while screwing around in open world games, particularly GTA: San Andreas and Crackdown. I loved just flying the Harrier under bridges and stuff listening to my mp3s. I haven't gotten the same sort of enjoyment from GTAIV.

Hexic HD to custom soundtrack is nice, too.

Then there's playing guitar on Rock Band, Viva Pinata, and any Sim City.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Most puzzle games are pretty relaxing. Planet Puzzle League, Suduko on the brain age games etc.

An RPG can be pretty relaxing (some hard battles aside) since you spend so much time exploring and what not.

Never been into games like The Sims, Animal Crossing etc. or non-games like Endless Ocean though. I'd rather do something non-gaming to relax to that extent--read a book, watch a movie, listen to some music, have a good beer etc.[/quote]

Yeah puzzle games can be pretty relaxing, but oddly enough they're also really intense especially towards the end of a session. Seriously, some of the most intense gaming sessions I've had were with Tetris DS Online. So I'd say they're a nice mix.

I can see The Sims and Animal Crossing argument to an extent, but chances are you probably don't live by the ocean or at least you can't afford to go into it much as you'd like to the extent that you can in EO...so Endless Ocean is nice to have.
 
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[quote name='leveskikesko']
I can see The Sims and Animal Crossing argument to an extent, but chances are you probably don't live by the ocean or at least you can't afford to go into it much as you'd like...so Endless Ocean is nice to have.[/QUOTE]

Don't care about the ocean at all really. :D I just can't get into non-games, dicking around in open world games etc. I have to actively be working towards goals (i.e. beating the game) to keep any interest in a game.

I see the appeal of such games, they're just not for me. I find I can relax by blowing off steam in an FPS most of the time.

And if I'm too fried to do that, like I said I'd rather just do something else to relax. But as I've said many times, gaming is far from my #1 interest, so I can see how more serious gamers would turn to games to relax.
 
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[quote name='dmaul1114']Don't care about the ocean at all really. :D I just can't get into non gamers, dicking around in open world games etc. I have to actively be working towards goals (i.e. beating the game) to keep any interest in a game.

I see the appeal of such games, they're just not for me. I find I can relax by blowing off steam in an FPS most of the time.

And if I'm too fried to do that, like I said I'd rather just do something else to relax. But as I've said many times, gaming is far from my #1 interest, so I can see how more serious gamers would turn to games to relax.[/quote]

You people and your non-virtual fancies! Sickens me to the core!
 
Deadliest Catch is the most relaxing game there is. It's fishing for christ sake! Puts me to sleep every time I play it.
 
Most of the relaxing games I love have already been said such as Animal Crossing and Endless Ocean. Some other ones that I really like are:

Williams Pinball Collection (Wii)
Bejeweled 2 (XBLA)
FFCC:MLaK (WiiWare)
Any Monster Rancher
 
[quote name='lilboo']Animal Crossing YES![/quote]Until you stop playing for a while, then come back to a zergling rush of fucking weeds!

The Sims 2 is pretty relaxing. Also watching To Kill A Mockingbird while playing The Darkness.
 
Mine are flow and Crosswords DS. Those are super low impact. I also enjoy firing up Burnout paradise and just going crazy around the city.
 
I find Castlevania: Symphony of the Night relaxing, mainly because I've played through it so many time I know it backwards & forwards.

I'd also say Culdcept Saga is a relaxing game for me.
 
Electroplankton - It's a surprisingly soothing non-game that's grown on me more and more.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - I know this game like the back of my hand, so it's fun to just go through the routine.

Grand Theft Auto series - Sometimes I just grab a car and go joyriding. Then I'll watch the sun come up. It's moments like that that make me sad GTA is full of all that other nonsense.

Suikoden series - I'll pop it in every now and then and just go walking around my castle. There are some mini-games to play, too.

Wii Sports - You know that bowling training game that sets up hundreds of pins? I love that. The home run game is fun, too, kind of like a cheaper alternative to a batting cage.
 
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I play shooters so often they soothe my savage beast. However, more accessible relaxing games would be Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, and probably the impending Harvest Moon Online; maybe Dolphin Olympics 2 on Kongregate, but not Hexic, as I find Hexic to be a great host of anxiety.
 
Puzzle Quest.
World of Warcraft (I play it casually when not grouped, basically pretend it's Diablo and not give a shit for being efficient)
JRPGs in general. Especially DungeonHacks ala Etrian Odyssey.
Oh, and Animal Crossing Wild World. Such a better game than the original.
 
[quote name='Magentis']I find nostalgia to be very relaxing. Firing up an 8-bit classic always helps me unwind.[/quote]

Really?

You must have a completely different library because some of the 8 bit games I play from time to time are nightmares(both in a good and bad way) compared to what's out now.
 
These might not be relaxing for everyone, but here are some games that do the trick for me ..

Rez
Shadow of the Colossus
Ecco the Dolphin CD
Steambot Chronicles
Ridge Racer series
Endless Ocean
Pixel Junk Eden
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Jet Set Radio series
Shenmue
Katamari Damacy
Elder Scrolls
 
[quote name='leveskikesko']Really?

You must have a completely different library because some of the 8 bit games I play from time to time are nightmares(both in a good and bad way) compared to what's out now.[/QUOTE]

You're right, some of them were just so cheap and frustrating they couldn't be relaxing. I tried to qualify it with classic. :)
 
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Maybe I'm just sick in the head, but I find playing Mortal Kombat is relaxing. It requires no thinking, just beating the crap out of everyone in sight. Good for relieving stress, don't you think?
 
Most free-roaming games are pretty relaxing by my standards, namely Grand Theft Auto and Dead Rising.
 
  • Crackdown with gangs off
  • Perfect Dark against easy bots
  • Calling up the naked hooker or the chicken guy in Saints Row and going on a rampage
  • Killing zombies in Dead Rising
  • Pokemon Snap
  • Diablo
  • Pretty much all puzzle/board XBLA games (hexic, carcassone, uno, texas hold em, etc.)
  • Oblivion with the difficulty slider way down
  • MUA/Xmen Legends/Dark Alliance
 
really wouldn't expect it, but Skate. gets me so relaxed always. I just ride around the city doing lines and setting stuff up and I just enjoy myself easily. I usually play it after a long day.

others include:

REZ
Every Extend Extra Extreme
Solitare
Graffiti Kingdom
Shadow of the Colossus (if you just ride around and don't kill colossi)
 
After playing Flower, I just had to give this a bump

It's really amazing that it manages to be so relaxing and fun simultaneously. It's probably my new favorite game to play when I'm feeling stressed to the core. And yes, it's as refreshing as it looks.


 
Honestly? House of the Dead: Overkill + fully upgraded auto-shotgun and assault rifle on any level but the last with extra zombies turned on.
 
I will definitely second Flower. In the midst of breaking up on probably the worst day I fired Flower up and drifted away. Eden is fun too for relaxing, though I'm sure it's going to be the game that gets my apartment neighbors knocking on my door if I have it too loud and the woofer if bumping.
 
Pilotwings 64 when it first came out. My gf and I would play that for hours.

That Every Extend Extra game for Live. I ripped some of my favorite music to use with it, and can play it for hours at a time.
 
[quote name='lilboo']Animal Crossing YES!

Even Harvest Moon is nice to play in a relaxing kind of way. :bouncy:[/quote]
I hear Endless Ocean is good too. You know. Like fun. And stuff.

:nottalking:
 
My choice... Audiosurf on the PC. Load up a good song, and let a slight form of synesthesia take over...

Echochrome on the PSP has a soothing effect too, especially on the easier puzzles.
 
[quote name='QiG']I will definitely second Flower. In the midst of breaking up on probably the worst day I fired Flower up and drifted away. Eden is fun too for relaxing, though I'm sure it's going to be the game that gets my apartment neighbors knocking on my door if I have it too loud and the woofer if bumping.[/quote]

I third flower :)

Saw the title of the thread...had to come and recommend flower.
 
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