Has a game ever made you feel calm and at peace?

[MiracleOfSound]

Games are full of moments that raise the pulse, get the adrenalin flowing and excite, frustrate and stimulate the gamer.

But have you ever been playing and had a moment of pure calm, peace and relaxed contentment?

I can think of two examples:

1. Sometimes while exploring the internal DC Ruins in Fallout 3, the lonely, solitary atmosphere mixed with the aching beauty of the ruined architecture and sense of lost civilisation really gets right inside me. Falls Church and Georgetown are two such areas.

It may sound pretentious but it's so calming and immersive that it is almost a spritual experience at times, something I thought the medium could never achieve.

2. The other was a moment in Fable 2, when you go to meet Hammer for the first time.

Wandering through the woods with the sun rays gleaming through the trees, all the while hearing Hammer singing a gorgeous folk song made me feel all warm inside.

Have any of you had moments like this?

 

[Lukeje]

Soul Bubbles. Just the entire game; it's very relaxing.

 

[Shock and Awe]

Sailing in Windwaker.

 

[Pimppeter2]

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Nothings as calming as runninga through the feilds, collecting ingredients.

Or just heading to town, trading goods, making money

 

[Chribbdizzle]

Sailing in Windwaker.

Yes, at least at the second play-through, during the first it was more frustrating.

Zelda games overall are pretty relaxing. Just walking over Hyrule field in TP made me calm.

the first times I played Braid were also pretty relaxing. Not when you tried to get all pieces though, that is not relaxing at all.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Mass Effect, just sat there listening to the music on the start screen. it always calms me down

 

[VaioStreams]

there is one game out there that is nothing but peace, calming and what not. that game is
Flower. when ever I'm having a stressful I go play some Flower. if you have a PS3. it's truly worth the 10 bucks

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Sailing in Windwaker.

And the ocean goes on and on, letting the surge break against your hull, and like a good lover, it'll be there whenever you need to sail across the world...

Oh, and the guy with the cut-out character panels as he informs you of how to play his minigames is the funniest unexpected scene in a Zelda game ever.

 

[LiquidGrape]

Spyro the Dragon 2: Gateway to Glimmer.
The homeworld of Summer Forest is just absurdly relaxing.
Also, slowing down to appreciate the skyline of Mirror's Edge is a soothing experience.
The authorities may be fascist homogenists, but their public property management is excellent!

 

[Loppy]

When i'm spraying ammo around as the Heavy in Team Fortress 2.. I love the sound of the minigun....

 

[Cowabungaa]

Oblivion. Just riding through the woods, lovely.

WoW. Sometimes I'd just cruise through Elwynn Forest instead of taking the flightpath, simply because it's so incredibly soothing to be there. Same with Grizzly Hills.

Sailing in Wind Waker.

The Settlers Rise of an Empire. When all the work is done, and my city is smoothly operating and everyone is happy, I get all Zen.

Team Fortress 2. Sometimes I almost transcend into another plane of existance because of an amazing sniping spree, resulting in an even bétter sniping spree. Like about...15 minutes ago. That was brilliant. Topped it off with getting the "My Brilliant Career" achievement after about...20 hours of sniper play.

Mass Effect. Cruising around with the Mako was relaxing every now and then, or just wandering through the Citadel.

 

[Antiparticle]

For me, Braid, and perhaps oddly enough, Geometry Wars.
Braid has just a very tranquil atmosphere, with the beautiful music, soothing visuals, and non-forcing gameplay (where you can rewind any mistake you make and just walk by puzzle pieces if they're too difficult).
As for Geometry Wars, it might be a fast-paced shooting game, but when you get in 'the zone' it can actually be a very relaxing experience to constantly clean the screen of enemies and keep grabbing those geoms.

 

[wildpeaks]

Playing with the hovercraft over the waters of Hyllis among the fishes in Beyond Good & Evil

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Sniping in Team Fortress 2. I'll just sit back and snipe people from a distance and honestly it really is just a relaxing time for me. I'll just sit back and pick off some people one by one, die, and come back to the same exact spot and do it all over again. It is very relaxing.

 

[Hazardlife]

Freelancer, flying through epicly pretty star systems, in the most powerful ship in the game, knowing that even if I get attacked, the enemy doesn't have a chance.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

Braid. Playing that game felt like getting a full body massage from Beethoven (happy ending included.)

 

[Gerazzi]

Sailing in Windwaker.

yep, I liked that, don't see why people hated it so much, I mean, it's not like that was the entire game or anything.

 

[Jirlond]

I liked shenmue 1 & 2 for relaxation, I listen to their soundtracks all the time. Also running around the final fantasy 9 world map - theme song rocks and when you call up the moogle.

 

[Generic_Dave]

Shadow of the Colossus, the long horse rides between Colossai were so tranquil.

Oh and Galactic Civ, I could listen to that music all day...and have.