Looking for truly mature PC games.

[BeerTent]

Here's my recommendations. Slightly influenced by current addictions.

X-com series. - I play the newer ones, because, graphics. (Plus the part where the game automatically moves you to attack, is billion times better than the old system. Jesus Christ that was just ANNOYING!) I sort of consider that to be a fairly mature game, although it can be long, and feel arcadey. If you already have it, consider Long War, which is a brutal 3rd party mod. It's thought provoking, and when you spend too long thinking of the consequences of your actions, well. Yeah. Strategy game though. Not too much action.

I'm gonna put another vote for Transistor/Bastion. At least give Bastion a shot. It's not my type of gameplay either, but the rest of the game did far more than just make up for it.

I... I actually had a lot more, but then I realized that they're a bit puzzle heavy... Sorry. :I I was thinking, "Yeah, these games got awesome stories too." But then I realized. "Oh, there's a time limit, and if you don't figure out the puzzle, game over. Uuh... Oop."

Still though, here's the three I was gonna point out.

Gunpoint (Linear, but great story)
Star Control 2 (Can be rough. Has exactly what your looking for, but the diplomacy part is a puzzle, and yes. There's a time limit.)
Hotline Miami (Brutal. Provokes certain feelings. Story's good.)
STALKER Series (Some of them are good. But they're very brutal games.)

 

[default]

I think I understand what you're after, but the games you're looking for are very few and far between. Most of them that did it well in my experience have been small experimental indie games. The term 'truly mature' is a bit of a loaded one too.

Let me go through my list and see what fits your billing. Not much, apparently.


There's a small horror-esque game called Lone Survivor which is very heavy in atmosphere, tone and theme. Definitely worth checking out, might not be your thing though.


Yahtzee's in-progress game The Consuming Shadow is really good. Very heavy and compelling and well written, give it a look.

 

[ninja666]

I've managed to finish both The Wolf Among Us and The Cat Lady. They weren't what I was looking for and I feel like I wasted time playing them. I also feel that It would've been an even bigger waste of time to research the rest of the games recommended without knowing if they'd suit my needs at all. If anybody wants to know why I didn't like the titles mentioned, I can post a detailed explanation on each one of those games.

Do you have any other recommendations? I'll give you a hint to make it easier to find exactly what I'm looking for:

I've recently watched a full playthrough of Silent Hill 2. I was bored, heard many times this game was good, and I wouldn't have played it anyway, since I'm scared of horror games (mainly playing, watching doesn't seem to do anything for me), so I thought it was a good idea to experience the game passively. When the guy playing it finally got to the end, I was completely blown away. The storyline, as well as the game's world (they both complement each other) were a masterpiece. I loved how the story started out innocent and slowly turned into a symbolic journey through the protagonist's psyche, his nightmares, fears, dreams, and his past, as well as a form of purgatory he had to go through to be redeemed of his sins. I also loved how every little piece in the town mattered - every enemy James had to face, every place he had to visit was a manifestation of a part of his mind. Even the side characters he met during his journey were extremely well-tailored - every one of them had a story, a distinct personality, and a reason of his or her own to traverse their purgatory, their Silent Hill. I'm looking for a game that will replicate the feelings I had at the end of that playthrough by telling a deep, mature story, full of personality-rich, multi-dimensional characters and subtle symbolism. Neither The Wolf Among Us nor The Cat Lady had any of it.

Is there anything for me to scratch that particular itch or am I beyond help? Maybe some of the titles that are already posted in the topic are exactly what I'm looking for, and yet I'm discouraged to play them after two disappointments in a row? I'd really like to know.

 

[ninja666]

Anyone still willing to help?

 

[Weaver]

Has anyone played Sine Mora? The story isn't really engaging but it's probably the best story a Shmup has ever had.

That or just give up and watch Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

 

[ninja666]

Has anyone played Sine Mora? The story isn't really engaging but it's probably the best story a Shmup has ever had.

Sorry, not looking for shmup stories.

That or just give up and watch Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

If I wanted to watch something, I wouldn't have asked for games.

 

[snekadid]

Looking at the OP.... you have terrible taste in games. No offense but the games you hated are some of my favorite games of all time, especially bioshock which I consider one of the best games ever made.

After reading the post where you actually define your definition of mature I recommend "Analogue: a Hate Story". Yes, its basically a virtual novel but it fits all your criteria and is damn good.

Ah Indigo Prophecy..... so ridiculously stupid. It turns from a murder mystery into dragon ball z so fast that it broke time and space allowing David Cage to keep making games while everyone was stuck in the vortex of absurdity.

Captcha: heebie jeebies
yes captcha, it was that bad.

 

[ninja666]

Looking at the OP.... you have terrible taste in games. No offense but the games you hated are some of my favorite games of all time, especially bioshock which I consider one of the best games ever made.

"You have terrible taste in games because you don't like what I like". Lol, I absolutely love statements like this. They perfectly uncover one's state of mind.

After reading the post where you actually define your definition of mature I recommend "Analogue: a Hate Story". Yes, its basically a virtual novel but it fits all your criteria and is damn good.

I've just read the general description and a few Steam reviews. Doesn't really sound like something I'd like, to be honest.

 

[The Madman]

Is there anything for me to scratch that particular itch or am I beyond help? Maybe some of the titles that are already posted in the topic are exactly what I'm looking for, and yet I'm discouraged to play them after two disappointments in a row? I'd really like to know.

Sorry but the answer is kinda yes, you might be beyond help. Your taste in games is so specific that it's kind of hard to recommend anything more.

My honest advice is just to either lower your standards for gameplay a little or to just switch to movies and books for your story-telling desires. I can think of tons of games that might satisfy you in terms of story, but none that I expect you'd actually want to play given your previous comments throughout this topic.

I'm sure there's something out there you'll love, there are hundreds of games to choose from after all, but I don't know what it is. Sorry.

 

[ninja666]

I can think of tons of games that might satisfy you in terms of story, but none that I expect you'd actually want to play given your previous comments throughout this topic.

You can try. Who knows, maybe you actually know a game I'd love? There are multiple small and individual factors because of which I didn't like some games mentioned in the thread, so it's never sure if I'll find something appealing or not.

 

[The Madman]

You can try. Who knows, maybe you actually know a game I'd love? There are multiple small and individual factors because of which I didn't like some games mentioned in the thread, so it's never sure if I'll find something appealing or not.

I'll give it a try. No detailed descriptions this time though, these are just games either with solid mature(ish) story or that boast some compelling story element to them that makes them notable. No guarantee you'll like any of them, especially seeing as a couple have already been mentioned previously and dismissed, but worth mentioning. A few are also quite old.

Gabriel Knight 1 and 2
Freespace 2
Thief 1, 2, and 3
The Longest Journey series
Grim Fandango
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
System Shock 2
Beneath a Steel Sky
Transistor
Paper's Please
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
To The Moon
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars
Beyond Good & Evil
Planescape: Torment
Arcanum
Alpha Protocol
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Deus Ex
Sam & Max: Hit the Road
Walking Dead
Kotor 1 and 2
Baldur's Gate 1 and 2
Bastion
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
Portal 2
Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising
Psychonauts
Mark of the Ninja
Avernum series
Mass Effect series
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
STALKER: Call of Pripyat
Mafia
Max Payne 1 and 2
The Banner Saga
Metro series
Syberia
Homeworld
Witcher series

And... umm... that's all that comes to mind right now. There are other games with story I enjoy like Starcraft, Saints Row, or Dishonored to name a few but they don't really stand out as games I consider memorable for story reasons and so don't get to go on my list. Some games like the STALKER series are there because even if the story isn't amazing, the atmosphere and setting the games create is and that's a story telling feat of sorts, others like Mark of the Ninja there because they have some neat memorable story moments or touches.

Maybe one of those games will satisfy you, but I'm honestly not betting on it. I can't think of any in that list that don't have something about them you seem like you'd dislike. In any case good luck on your search.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Well I havent finished it yet but Shadowrun Returns: Dragonfall is really interesting so far, its a cyberpunk fantasy game set in the future that is pretty dark. Really original setting as well

 

[Grottnikk]

"Dishonored" is a good game that fits most of the criteria. Not as dark as some games, but definitely darker than others. You'll have to like stealth gameplay for it to be fun, though.

"I Am Alive" is another fun but short game that might fit your checklist. No multiple endings, but definitely dark.

"Afterfall Insanity" is a bit of a weird game...creepy as hell, I haven't played much of it yet so I can't say too much about it but it looks like it might be right up your alley.

"Shadowrun Returns" & "Sleeping Dogs" might be your type of game as well.

 

[Ambient_Malice]

Cliche-busting story preferably with player choices?

Call of Duty: Black Ops/Black Ops II.

Black Ops has the mindscrew.
Black Ops II has the CHOICES THAT MATTER.

 

[small]

im another who would recomend alpha protocol. fair warning the hacking minigame is a ***** but you only have to do it once during the tutorial. after that stock up on emp grenades and you never have to deal with it again. also the hand gun skill is overpowered as in killing the final boss in 2 shots overpowered so id suggest a different skill.

other than that its the best game ive played where consequences matter and the ending will be totally different depending on choices

 

[Starbird]

As the title says, I currently crave for a truly mature gaming experience. Here are my criteria:

1)A dark, engaging, thought-provoking, non-cliché storyline. Preferably a non-linear one, be it just multiple endings, or an entirely branched story path.

2)(If the story is non-linear) Clear consequences of my decisions. I want to see my actions shape up the storyline, but at the same time I want to be aware of it. Sure, they can be a little unpredictable and surprising, I just don't want bullshit like in Silent Hill, where the conditions for certain endings were so idiotic, most of the time you weren't aware that you did something wrong (in these games even things like bumping into an NPC while running, or entering certain rooms more than once could block you from some endings for good).

3)Little to no puzzles. I don't want my progress to be hindered just because I'm stuck on a puzzle. I'm just not good at them, that's all, but if it's impossible to find a game without them, at least try to find a game with easy ones. I'll again bring out the example of Silent Hill, but I really don't want puzzles as hard as in this game, where you often had to interpret poems in order to be able to figure out the correct sequence of things.

4) Not a horror game. It can have heavy, dark, and creepy atmosphere. I don't want anything that will purposely try to scare me, though.

I've already played and liked:
- GTA IV
- Alan Wake
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
- The Witcher
- The Walking Dead Season One & Two

Played, but didn't like it, or not interested in:
- Max Payne
- Deus Ex
- Spec Ops: The Line
- Planescape Torment
- Bioshock

On the fence about:
- Fahrenheit (heard some mixed opinions about the quality of both the story, and the gameplay, with predominance of the negative ones)
- L.A. Noire

How far back are you willing to go?

That said:
Beneath A Steel Sky.
Amnesia 1 and 2.
Dreamweb
I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.
Spec Ops: The Line (if you think you'll hate the game, you probably are the target audience).
Condemned
Condemned Bloodshot
Fear
System Shock 2

 

[ninja666]

How far back are you willing to go?

As far as necessary, as long as the gameplay meets my criteria and isn't obsolete to the point of unplayability.

Beneath A Steel Sky.
Amnesia 1 and 2.
Dreamweb
I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream.
Spec Ops: The Line (if you think you'll hate the game, you probably are the target audience).
Condemned
Condemned Bloodshot
Fear
System Shock 2

Some of those straight up break my criterion about horror. I won't play a horror game. Period. As for the rest:
1) I've already played FEAR. I liked its story very much. Not sure if that's what I'm looking for right now, though.
2) I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream especially got my attention, but I'm not sure where it stands when it comes to puzzles. I have to remind once more that I'm terrible at solving them and don't really feel like alt-tabbing every 5 minutes to look up the solution in a walkthrough.
3) The same question stands for Beneath A Steel A Sky and DreamWeb
4) Will I like System Shock if I disliked Bioshock for the gameplay? It was extremely hard to kill a single enemy. Guns basically didn't do shit, unless you used them to detonate explosive objects. You had to rely on environmental kills and when you ran out of objects to burn, freeze, or electrocute, you most likely saw a loading screen 5 seconds later and had to do it all over again.
5) I don't feel like giving Spec Ops a second chance. The gameplay and the story felt too disconnected from each other. What this game did was basically forcing you through shooting waves of soldiers and running from cover to cover, while only showing you the story by the scraps during the incredibly short cutscenes. If you wanted to uncover the whole story you had to win it by shooting more and more nameless, generic enemies.