Games That Make You Feel Clever

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Lazy

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Aug 12, 2012
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Sixcess said:
Aerosteam 1908 said:
Ninja'd by the very first reply, but yeah, Portal made me feel terribly clever.
Portal made me feel kinda smart at first, but it wasn't until I watched a friend trying to play it the next day that I truly felt like a genius.
 

aguspal

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Aug 19, 2012
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The LAST game I played that made me feel clever..

I guess the Orcs Must Die! Series are pretty damn good about this, what with thinking about new, more effective traps each time and level.


Also, Ace Attorney. I dont think I need to say anything on this one.
 

Signa

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Legend of Grimrock is a grandmaster at making you feel smart.

Things like the Checkered Room and the one room where you have a bunch of alcoves with cryptic messages to insert items into allowed me to use my brain like no game has in years.
 

PhunkyPhazon

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NinjaSniperAssassin said:
thebobmaster said:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. A lot of that game (and the series in general) is less handholding, and more relying on every single aspect of clues to find holes in testimonies. Or just calling BS on every sentence until they crack.
Absolutely. Love that series. Although it can sometimes fall victim to the old adventure game trap of only the contradiction the devs thought of being right. Doesn't happen very often, but when I spot a hole in the guy's story only to find out it's not the right hole I feel sad.
Even more annoying is when you're on the right track, but you present the right piece of evidence on the wrong piece of testimony. The last time I did this, there wasn't much difference between that part of the testimony and the correct one, so I ended up pulling my hair out for the next hour thinking my original line of thought was completely wrong. So I finally give up and check Gamefaqs, only to find that I technically was correct the first time. Thankfully these sorts of moments are truly rare. Still, it would be nice if these games could recognize that there can be more then one way to point out a contradiction so I don't waste time barking up the wrong tree.

Anyways, yes,these games make me feel brilliant. I especially love it when I pick up on some mind-blowing revelation before the characters do. Only then I want to yell at them for not figuring it out already.
 

Vegosiux

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May 18, 2011
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Currently, Vessel. The puzzles do get rather nice towards the end.

Portal too, of course. And some jumping puzzles in GW2. And a couple of Riddler's challenges in Arkham Asylum.
 

SillySam

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Mar 15, 2011
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Quantum Conundrum
Maybe less making me feel clever, more 'oh shit, did I just do that?'
 

Spectrum_Prez

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Aug 19, 2009
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Clever? No.

But most Paradox Interactive games leave me feeling more knowledgeable. And hungry for reading material, which is a good thing.
 

Pink Gregory

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Aerosteam 1908 said:
Portal/2.

Not saying that I needed them to know I'm clever...
In comparison, Portal 2 co-op made me say 'FUCK! why didn't I think of that!' perhaps a few too many times...
 

Brendan Stepladder

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May 21, 2012
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Probably battlefield 3.

Outsmarting randoms with smoke grenades makes me outright gleeful. Smokes are much more versatile than people realize.
 

Jandau

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Dec 19, 2008
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Most recently, Mark of the Ninja. The game really lets you play around with the mechanics and rewards good timing and creative use of the environment. Sure, you can just stab two dudes, one at a time, but you could also pounce on one from above, string his body up a tree, then lure his friend to it, at which point he freaks out and runs across a grate, at which point you stab him from below and drag his body down. Don't get me started about the hillarity that is dropping a dead body in the middle of a group of guards and seeing them all freak the fuck out and shoot each other dead.

The game encourages clever play and trying out new things with challenges on each level. These are entirely optional, but reward points that are used to upgrade your moves and gear. Also, fancier methods of taking out enemies reward more points, which in turn also rewards more upgrade points. As a result, you'll be doing your best to do all the convoluted stuff instead of just plain stabbing people. The fact that the kill sequences are wicked cool doesn't hurt.
 

ZehMadScientist

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Shoggoth2588 said:
Several years later, I just got Zack and Wiki. I knew it was a point-n-click adventure game and since I don't generally play those I felt pretty smart after beating some of the few levels I've played through so far. The last level I beat was the third level wherein you have to sneak by Goblins and beating that one made me feel like a true, genius, Pirate.
Yes, this!

Zack and Wiki made me feel like Goddamn Isaac Newton at times. Now that game involved some unorthodox thinking. Cool level design, too. There were a few missions in that game that were balls to the walls hard though. I remember a nine-star mission in some kind of volcano that I got right in one try.With nothing other than brainpower and skill of course. I mean, who needs stuff like 'luck' and 'getting something accidentally right', right? >.>

The final mission is impossible without a guide though, the rest are doable. And the Airship mission is pretty satisfyingly challinging too ;)
 

Padwolf

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Catherine made me feel smart, having to think quickly to solve all those puzzles, and damn those Rapunzel levels! Portal 1 and 2 also made me feel smart.

Rune Factory made me feel smart because I managed to figure out what the devil to do and how the hell the runey system worked.
 

FalloutJack

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Nov 20, 2008
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Any of the games I'm playing. I am cleverly doing that thing, that point of the game, and makin' this shit look good.

*Puts on Will Smith sunglasses*
 

Occams_Razor

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Oct 20, 2012
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Perhaps not the last game I played, but I always go back to my early gaming days playing 2D Adventure games, namely Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle.

Nothing makes you feel more like a god than figuring out that in order to push the nurse out of the security room without her grabbing on to the statues arm that you need to go back in time, find the people making the statue, find the left-handed hammer, switch the hammers, wait for the sculptor to make a mistake, watch the sculptor let his left-handed brother take over so that the statue has its other arm out and can't be grabbed by the nurse on her way out the door. (high five if you remember that puzzle)

Loved those games.
 

KissmahArceus

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Mar 1, 2011
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I was just playing Halo Anniversary recently and cleared one of the rooms on Assault on the Control Room full of sleeping grunts, ninja style. Every single enemy slain silently, I was actually giggling a little when I was smacking down the final few.

But I felt ace as fuck once it was done.
 

Wayneguard

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Hitman definitely. Literally 95% of the fun of hitman games lies in finding inventive ways to kill your targets.
 

Tallim

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La-Mulana..... although at first it makes you feel really really stupid but when you finally piece together several clues and you suddenly see the solution to one of the games many puzzles it makes you feel amazingly clever.