looking for a game that will help me forget my troubles.

[Erttheking]

If you don't mind the simple stuff, try the impossible game.

 

[AnotherAvatar]

Have you played The Witcher 2? One of the best games to come out in recent years, both if you ask players and critics. You could always revisit old favorites. KOTOR, Baldur's Gate 1/2, Neverwinter Nights 1/2, Final Fantasy 7/8/9 (the ones I think are good, of the ones I've tried or seen). Metro 2033 is amazing, just finished that. Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is a game I played like crazy when I was younger. How about those?

First off, FF8 sucks, in the worst way. Any RPG world that levels with me gives me an excuse to not play it.

Second, have you not played 6?! Good god man, that game is a masterpiece!

Unfortunately, when I was a kid and my father asked what console I wanted, I said Nintendo 64. Not Playstation. So no, I haven't played FF6 (On the other hand, I did get to play Mario, Zelda, Goldeneye, etc.)
And FF8 is one of those I've only "seen", as in, seen others play for a few hours or heard/read about/combination of these.

I saw my brother play 9 and I very much enjoyed 7. 10 was mjeh.

Ah, I see! Fair enough.

I like 10, but it's hard to deal with the American voice acting. I actually burned a moded copy with the Japanese dub and it became ten times better.

9 and 7 are epic. 8 just plays like crap (enemies level up with you, totally demotivating), but it does look good so I can understand the confusion. You should check out 6 now, it's actually a SNES game, so you could emulate it on pretty much anything, they also put it on PSN recently.

 

[xXGeckoXx]

You could always try Bastion, if you haven't already. I thought it was a great game to lose myself in. At least for 6-7 hours.

This. I also suggest portal for original.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Katawa Shoujo? It's more of a picture book with music and multiple paths though. And I'm not sure how much you like Visual Novels. Worth checking out if you don't hate them.

I agree with this, It will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside, provided you get the best endings. Sure its more of a book than a game but its still very interesting, its heartwarming, its hilarious, and it manages to show true love at times, and what it feels like.

 

[Bostur]

If you are still looking maybe Magicka. Cutesy humorous spell casting game with focus on the action side. Plays a little like Diablo style games, but with a very novel approach to spell casting.

Perfect for getting cheered up, and with new ideas.

 

[Blunderboy]

hit Gog.com and browse their catalogue of badass old PC games. Baldur's Gate?

Very much this suggestion. GOG is a great site and BG games are especially worth a punt.
I also find myself just devouring days at a time with the Civilization games and any Total War game you care to name.
It's also worth checking out Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines if you can handle a few bugs (most of which are fixed with a fan made patch).