Recommend a game to somebody in a bad mood.

[voiceofneutrality]

So long story short, I've had a bad day - and not the type of bad day where at least you know the shitty things that happened are only shitty today and that things will get better tomorrow, this is the type of bad day where you know things are going to continue being shit for a while yet.

That being said, I have a weekend of nothing, which means I have two days of escapism to look forward to.

So, here's your task: What's a good game for someone who believes that they'll be spending quite a bit of time being pissed off? Pretty much any genre, preferably from either this generation or on the PS2, preferably something at least a year old so I don't have to pay too much for it.

 

[FalloutJack]

I don't have specific recommendations, because I believe any of one particular thing will make you feel better: Violence.

There is - here and there - some lameass bullshit theory about violent video games leading to violence. This is untrue. The truth is that violence leads to violent video games, namely the creation of (as well as in any media). Thus, to blow off steam, I suggest you put in your favorite shoot-to-kill games and just let that gaming goodness wash over you for a while. Eventually, you should feel more at ease, via releasing tensions on pixeled characters.

 

[Overusedname]

If you have a Wii, consider a Kirby game. Either Virtual console or the new 'Return to Dream Land'

Kirby games are well designed, give good feedback, colorful, creative, introduce new gameplay ideas and enemies often, but are still rather easy, without being patronizing. Relaxing stuff.

 

[daveman247]

yeah im gonna agree with jack, sometimes a bit of violent games helps

A burnout game (agressive racer) seems to work quite well.

 

[Waffle_Man]

Hobo Fight 2K8

 

[MajorTomServo]

Katamari, especially endless/zen mode.

I mean come on! Look at this guy!

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I'd say any Super Smash Bros. title or Guitar Hero/Rock Band title.

If neither is their style, I suggest an Assassin's Creed, where he can just senselessly murder unsuspecting guards and kills hordes of armed guards with counter attacks.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Sonic Generations. Good cathartic fun in seconds. You can play it for as long or as short as you like.

 

[nexus]

Dead Rising.. 1 or 2.

The sequel is a bit more enjoyable, in my opinion.. plus it's available on all platforms.

 

[King of Asgaard]

I'd go for either Dark Souls or XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
They're the happiest, most laid back games ever!

Spoiler

But in all seriousness, try Katamari, or Flower, they're pretty relaxing.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

On the PS2

Alright, now we're talking. The PS2 has some awesome games for getting yourself out of bad moods.

Katamari Damacy
Gitaroo Man
Viewtiful Joe/2
Ratchet and Clank/2: Going Commando/3: Up Your Arsenal
Okami
Sly Cooper/2:Band of Thieves/3: Honor Amongst Thieves
Burnout: Revenge/3: Takedown
God of War/2

All these games let off steam in different ways. Some are super violent, some are beautiful pieces of strangeness that you can't help but enjoy. All are good, and all help me release steam, so give them a try.

And I dare you not to crack a smile when playing Katamari, Gitaroo Man or Okami.

 

[Catfood220]

de Blob 2, colourful and fun and dirt cheap now. Filling a world full of colour is a genuinely uplifting experience.

Dishonoured, sneaking up and stabbing people is fun and cathartic.

Flower, nicely chilled out experience, will chill you out as you play as the wind collecting petals. Also Journey because if you don't Daystar Clarion will murder you in your sleep.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown, because, you know, fuck aliens.

 

[Snotnarok]

Painkiller Hell & Damnation 15 bucks
It just came out, it's a shooter that's unlike any other first off:

Secondly, there's no aiming down sights, no assauult rifles.
Shotgun, gun that fires a pointy log that nails people to walls with a grenade alt fire, a gun that shoots shurikens and lightning, a gun that fires saw blades/soul beam/makes enemies fight for you, a rocket launcher with a minigun attachment.

There's also Painkiller Black which may be cheaper and is still really good looking.

 

[Littaly]

I had one of those really pissy days a while back, when I hated the world, was ashamed of myself and saw a pessimistic future ahead of me. I can imagine people would have called me out for being emo and making a fuzz if they saw me (which luckily they didn't), but it felt like some heavy sh*t to me.

Anyways, getting to the point. I couldn't just sit around feeling like crap the entire day, so what I did was that I booted up Limbo for the first time. It had been lying around my computer for months, but I had never gotten around to it. I plowed through it from start to finish, and it had an almost soothing effect on me. There's something about how vague and simplistic, yet unmistakably bleak and gloomy it is that makes it easy to... I don't know, "channel" your anger through it in a way. You can play it and enjoy it, while still feeling that you don't have to be happy or in a good mood to enjoy it.

I can recommend giving it a try if you haven't already. I can say I personally enjoyed it more than I probably would have if I had played it on any other day.

 

[Aleos Vance]

League of Legends Solo Queue. You will learn that it could be worse, and the coming week will appear better by comparison. And it's free.

 

[Tactical Pause]

While I pretty much completely agree with FalloutJack, I feel I should probably warn you against a particular type of game. Do NOT try to play a MoBA. Even when I'm in a good mood the people I play with/against are trying, but when already in a bad mood...

Suffice it to say I make sure I don't keep any deadly weapons near my PC.

 

[Doom972]

Postal 2 was recently added to Steam. It's a great game to let off some steam (no pun intended). It costs 13.50 right now and it can run smoothly even on my 3 year old netbook. In this game, if you haven't heard of it, you play a guy in an American town with some really obnoxious people, but you can solve this problem using a nice arsenal of weapons. The game has daily missions that you have to complete in order to advance to the next day, such as "Get milk", which can and in most cases will go horribly wrong. This game helped me get through some very shitty days.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

Frog Fractions. It's free, and it's one of the most entertaining and memorable games in years.