What are your "cool down" games

[Cowabungaa]

Probably Assassin's Creed Black Flag at the moment. Just sail the high seas, gather some plunder and stab some dudes.

Civilization 5 and Beyond Earth are cool down classics too, but the problem is that for them I really have to play at my desk, and dumping my ass in bed and using a gamepad is a lot more relaxed than sitting at my desk. Because fuck yeah using your PC as a console.

 

[happyninja42]

Lately it's been XCOM Enemy Within. I've found it pretty relaxing to plot out my squad route on the map. I do it well enough that I rarely lose a guy, and only failed 1 mission (due to freak luck of a thin man spawning next to my escort and shooting him) through the entire run.

Now I'm devising the best genetic build for my covert operative, and planning on running full MEC units with SHIV support. Should be fun.

 

[LaughingAtlas]

Flower.

Sure, I tend to start off all "RRGH, FEAR THE WIND DRAGON, TINY PLANTS, FOR I HAVE COME FOR YOUR PETALS!! Just one each. Can't keep dive-bombing the same flowers all day, got wind dragon shit to do." but in minutes I'm just calmly sweeping along the pleasant landscapes (I don't play level 5 very often, for obvious reasons) and picking up petals, whirling around in the air without a care. When I'm ready to do something else, all the petals become what I imagine to be a super-flower that will later cure cancer. Unless all the humans are already dead, which would explain a few things.

Nuts to them, though, I'm calm at the end.

 

[Godhead]

Probably Morrowind, Proteus, or Kerbal Space Program. Morrowind is always fantastic for exploration, Proteus is incredibly calming, and KSP has spehss.

 

[Bizzaro Stormy]

Any Timesplitters game or a Warriors (Dynasty, Samurai, Orochi, etc) game. Any 90's early 2000's PC FPS will also do.

 

[Chester Rabbit]

Mega Man X, Hitman Blood Money, Skyrim, Saints Row 3, Kirby's Epic Yarn.

 

[Diablo2000]

Dark Souls

Oho, funny! Very funny! We got a joker over here! Relaxing with Dark Souls! HA! Is that before or after you bathe in acidic sludge and trim your toenails with a rusty spoon?

*cough*

For me, I guess the Portal or Half-Life games, or Skyrim, or Minecraft, or Mass Effect. Something I'm already very familiar with and can practically do blindfolded, or and can build myself up to the point where I'm OP and just destroy all challenges easily. Basically any game where all the risks and variables are known, and the only challenge left for me is deciding what to do. Play through the puzzles quickly, or stop and smell the roses and look at the details? Magic or arms, Stormcloaks or Imperials, heavy armor or light? Build a cottage or explore more caverns? Paragon or renegade?

Actually I relax with Dark Souls too, I think I beat it so many times now that I know how to react to everything that game throws at me. So when I die, it's usually my fault.

 

[aozgolo]

Well there's a few that I consider low-stress, easy to get into, no prep time needed games. They are:

Scribblenauts Unlimited: This game is just a nice casual fun playground to relax and fill some time with no real pressure on anything.

Just Cause 2: Sometimes I'm in the mood for action without the weight of hefty challenge or strict linear paths, Just Cause 2 gives me the freedom to go blow up stuff and take on hoards of enemies without throwing my controller in utter frustration due to repeated dying.

Anarchy Arcade: This isn't a game exactly, it's a free modified source engine virtual desktop that lets you create your own virtual arcades in source engine maps. I just enjoy taking my large PC game library and creating arcade cabinets to line up my own arcade and personalize it, it really is kinda cool to walk through your own games in an actual 3D Space.

LocoRoco: A very weird but very satisfying game that is just plain good fun to relax with and mess around in.

 

[Atomic Spy Crab]

Now when I get stressed, which has been happening alot lately, I want to hurt something good. This is why I tend to lean towards very violent games like Wolfenstein the New Order and R* games. To me nothing is more satisfying than driving on a digital sidewalk or blowing the faces off of Nazis, but I am getting Prototype 2 soon so that may change.

 

[sageoftruth]

One Finger Death Punch. Nice simple, extremely cathartic 2-button fun. You still need to be focused, since it punishes button mashing but the satisfaction is so instantaneous that your mistakes never leave you frustrated for long.

 

[sageoftruth]

Dark Souls

Oho, funny! Very funny! We got a joker over here! Relaxing with Dark Souls! HA! Is that before or after you bathe in acidic sludge and trim your toenails with a rusty spoon?

*cough*

For me, I guess the Portal or Half-Life games, or Skyrim, or Minecraft, or Mass Effect. Something I'm already very familiar with and can practically do blindfolded, or and can build myself up to the point where I'm OP and just destroy all challenges easily. Basically any game where all the risks and variables are known, and the only challenge left for me is deciding what to do. Play through the puzzles quickly, or stop and smell the roses and look at the details? Magic or arms, Stormcloaks or Imperials, heavy armor or light? Build a cottage or explore more caverns? Paragon or renegade?

Actually I relax with Dark Souls too, I think I beat it so many times now that I know how to react to everything that game throws at me. So when I die, it's usually my fault.

Do you have a favorite build for relaxing?

 

[joecool5000]

- Half-Life 2 for when I want to be able to run through a game knowing exactly where each enemy and item will be because I've played it so many times.
- Minecraft for when I want to build a house. (after that, I usually get bored and stop)
- Any Assassin's Creed game for when I want to jump on things without a care in the world.
- Just Cause 2 for when I just want to watch the world burn.

Also, while I was playing through Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, I noticed that it had a tendency to put me to sleep, but not in a bad way. It's just that murderizing orcs is the most relaxing yet satisfying activity ever.

 

[Diablo2000]

Dark Souls

Oho, funny! Very funny! We got a joker over here! Relaxing with Dark Souls! HA! Is that before or after you bathe in acidic sludge and trim your toenails with a rusty spoon?

*cough*

For me, I guess the Portal or Half-Life games, or Skyrim, or Minecraft, or Mass Effect. Something I'm already very familiar with and can practically do blindfolded, or and can build myself up to the point where I'm OP and just destroy all challenges easily. Basically any game where all the risks and variables are known, and the only challenge left for me is deciding what to do. Play through the puzzles quickly, or stop and smell the roses and look at the details? Magic or arms, Stormcloaks or Imperials, heavy armor or light? Build a cottage or explore more caverns? Paragon or renegade?

Actually I relax with Dark Souls too, I think I beat it so many times now that I know how to react to everything that game throws at me. So when I die, it's usually my fault.

Do you have a favorite build for relaxing?

I guess I don't, since I like to vary my weapons and equipament. But I guess I usually go for a dex build since I really don't like to give up on fast rolls. I just had a +15 Uchikatana and Ninja Flips run, it was a lot of fun. (Was using the Thief stuff and the Heater Shield since it weights less than most shields with 100% Physical)

 

[mysecondlife]

(A SPORTS GAME SO NO ONE READ)

MLB 13: The Show

..mainly because the sport is slow and somewhat methodical. I'm currently experimenting with with my 4th pitch which is a slurve (slider-curve) and I'm loving it.

 

[Vigormortis]

Depends on my mood, what I need to "cool down" from, and what I have time for. Sometimes it'll be a fast, action-y game with short "rounds". Other times it'll be some long, drawn-out narrative-driven game.

Still, I can list a few main-stays that I default to in a pinch:

Half-Life - Or, any of the games in the series. It's usually dependent on which scene(s) I wish to revisit.

FTL - As odd as it sounds, I do play this game to relax sometimes. Usually I play vanilla, but at other times I use a program like POKE to kind of "cheat" a little in my play-through.

MechCommander 2 - Sometimes I'll sit down to play one of the other MechWarrior/Battletech games, but this one is the one I always go back to when I need to chill out.

Dota 2 - This I "cool down" with by just playing solo against/with Unfair bots.

Torchlight 2 - This one I do if I have a LOT of time to kill.

Sins of a Solar Empire - Same as with Torchlight 2, but only if I'm in the mood for an RTS.

Terraria - One of the only "Minecraft-like" games I ever enjoyed. I'll usually either do a bunch of back-to-back boss fights or I'll attempt to build some ridiculous structure or contraption.

Sven Co-op - This is the one I've returned to for years. It's my go-to when I want an FPS but don't feel like loading up any of the Half-Life, Doom, or Quake games.

There are others, and they do change over the years, but these are my most common nowadays.

Video games have always been an escape mechanism for me. I've always found comfort in allowing myself to get "lost" in the worlds the game designers envision; far more with some games than with others. This is why, besides music or long walks, playing them has always been a powerful tool in letting off some steam.

 

[sageoftruth]

Dark Souls

Oho, funny! Very funny! We got a joker over here! Relaxing with Dark Souls! HA! Is that before or after you bathe in acidic sludge and trim your toenails with a rusty spoon?

*cough*

For me, I guess the Portal or Half-Life games, or Skyrim, or Minecraft, or Mass Effect. Something I'm already very familiar with and can practically do blindfolded, or and can build myself up to the point where I'm OP and just destroy all challenges easily. Basically any game where all the risks and variables are known, and the only challenge left for me is deciding what to do. Play through the puzzles quickly, or stop and smell the roses and look at the details? Magic or arms, Stormcloaks or Imperials, heavy armor or light? Build a cottage or explore more caverns? Paragon or renegade?

Actually I relax with Dark Souls too, I think I beat it so many times now that I know how to react to everything that game throws at me. So when I die, it's usually my fault.

Do you have a favorite build for relaxing?

I guess I don't, since I like to vary my weapons and equipament. But I guess I usually go for a dex build since I really don't like to give up on fast rolls. I just had a +15 Uchikatana and Ninja Flips run, it was a lot of fun. (Was using the Thief stuff and the Heater Shield since it weights less than most shields with 100% Physical)

That DOES sound like fun. I should try that out. I'll need to get used to the Dark Souls parry system again. Dark Souls 2 really messed up my timing.

 

[Diablo2000]

Dark Souls

Oho, funny! Very funny! We got a joker over here! Relaxing with Dark Souls! HA! Is that before or after you bathe in acidic sludge and trim your toenails with a rusty spoon?

*cough*

For me, I guess the Portal or Half-Life games, or Skyrim, or Minecraft, or Mass Effect. Something I'm already very familiar with and can practically do blindfolded, or and can build myself up to the point where I'm OP and just destroy all challenges easily. Basically any game where all the risks and variables are known, and the only challenge left for me is deciding what to do. Play through the puzzles quickly, or stop and smell the roses and look at the details? Magic or arms, Stormcloaks or Imperials, heavy armor or light? Build a cottage or explore more caverns? Paragon or renegade?

Actually I relax with Dark Souls too, I think I beat it so many times now that I know how to react to everything that game throws at me. So when I die, it's usually my fault.

Do you have a favorite build for relaxing?

I guess I don't, since I like to vary my weapons and equipament. But I guess I usually go for a dex build since I really don't like to give up on fast rolls. I just had a +15 Uchikatana and Ninja Flips run, it was a lot of fun. (Was using the Thief stuff and the Heater Shield since it weights less than most shields with 100% Physical)

That DOES sound like fun. I should try that out. I'll need to get used to the Dark Souls parry system again. Dark Souls 2 really messed up my timing.

I use the guys up the stairs in Firelink to pratice my parrying, even if you screw up and they hit you, they won't do that much and I like just to go there and parry them over and over just to fuck with them.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Minecraft as well here. I also put on Mystcraft for it and it just makes the game... like 100x bigger and better.

Unreal Tournament 2004.

Not really sure I'd call it low stress, but it's my go-to game for when I want to enjoy something quick for a few minutes or don't particularly feel like playing or doing anything more serious.

Oooooo... Do you play it with any mods?

 

[FPLOON]

Let me think for a second because I do have more than one...
Sonic Generations
Hyper Princess Pitch
Warriors Orochi 3
Corruption of Champions
The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction
Child of Eden
Burnout Dominator
LEGO Star Wars
Tales of [Symphonia]Depending on what I was doing at the time determines which game gets top billing for the day night...

Different thread... Same answer... (Thanks, me...)

Other than that, there's the minigames in the Kingdom Hearts games, especially the ones in Birth By Sleep...

 

[Zendariel]

One more "vote" for dark souls x). Once you know your way around and most of the attack patterns it can be surprisingly good for taking your mind of things as it still makes you focus, but you can play pretty safely (provided you play as a hollow or offline). And it has a pretty good variety of weapons to spice up the gameplay when needed.

Otherwise I usually try some indie games from my backlog.