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Ice-Pick Lodge forums • Suggestions on other titles to play?
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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2010, 02:21 
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Hi everyone. Could do with a little inspiration and some suggestions on titles to pick up and try out. Been getting a lot of milage and enjoyment lately out of things like; Stalker, The Witcher, Battle Isle Incubation & Andosia War, Thief 2 Fan Missions, Penumbra Trilogy, System Shock 1+2, Darwinia, Uplink, Fahrenheit, Machinarium, Abes Oddysee. (Pathologic and The Void without needing to say)

Are there any other titles anyone can recomend, looking for something with some soul to it as fed up to the back teeth with the same mind numbing run round and shoot things in the face that has multiplied like a virus and watered down third person shooters with limp rpg elements tacked on.

Thanks in advance :)


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2010, 02:49 
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I recommend Psychonauts. You don't have to play anything else, really, if you haven't played this game.
Buy it and beat it.

Then come back, and maybe we will recommend some more games :).


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2010, 03:06 
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For some reason I didn't like Psychonauts :(


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2010, 15:26 
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Wait! Somone else in the world enjoys Battle Isles Andosia War? :shock: :shock: :shock:

Finaly, I'm not alone! \o/


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2010, 22:05 
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Incubation was awesome! :D

Let's see... If you haven't already played them, I recommend:

* Silent Hill 1 + 2 (I haven't played the others yet)
* The Path
* Omikron: The Nomad Soul

Hmm... Kinda obvious suggestions, I'm afraid :wink:


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PostPosted: 21 Feb 2010, 22:59 
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deus ex as it wasn't mentioned, both vampire the masquerade titles (redemption and bloodlines)
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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2010, 02:53 
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Incubation was awesome! :D

Let's see... If you haven't already played them, I recommend:

* Silent Hill 1 + 2 (I haven't played the others yet)
* The Path
* Omikron: The Nomad Soul

Hmm... Kinda obvious suggestions, I'm afraid :wink:
I've been wanting to play Omikron for ages, as well as Outcast and The Wheel of Time. Waiting for it to hit gog.com :D

Oh, and of course, Deus Ex, System Shock 2 and Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines go without saying, the holy trinity of FPS/RPG games :mrgreen:


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2010, 12:28 
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:lol: You buggers! I've got all of them aside from Omikron, Psychonauts (had a bash at the demo but never got round to picking up the full game) and Masquerade Redemption. Bloodlines was fantastic, give the ENB series shaders a try with it and it becomes even more eerie.

It's like some great hive mind here where we're all pretty much going for the same things. Talk about a warm fuzzy feeling :)

Been meaning to have another crack through Deus Ex again but I'm shall we say a bit distracted by The Nameless Mod :wink:

@Throdax I love Andosia War! Pulsar artilery all the way! :) Took ages to get it to work under Vista but finally got it to cooperate. I looked for a strat guide for it once on amazon and the cheapest was £112. I got the game (with that lovely big embossed box) for a fiver.

@hydra9 The Path was brilliant, did you get one of the USB editions? I'm hoping that Tale of Tales manage to get the funding to complete "8" one day. Once again, cheers for the Void bonus disc. Offer remains open on the Stalker disc :D The third Silent Hill is defo worth a look if you can find a copy of it. Not as good as the second but still a solid title with some great locations.

@Zigs I had a quick look on ebay for Wheel of Time (remember playing the demo ages ago) it's on there but the prices can be pretty steep.


Back to ArmA 2 for the time being :)


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2010, 12:52 
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You can't relly call yourself a gamer until you finish Planescape Torment at least 3 times...

*side glances at Hydra9*

:D :D


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2010, 18:05 
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Been meaning to have another crack through Deus Ex again but I'm shall we say a bit distracted by The Nameless Mod :wink:
The Nameless Mod is amazing, any self-called PC gamer and Deus Ex fan MUST play it!

*side glances at Hydra9*

:twisted:


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2010, 18:57 
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@ZIGS, Throdax:
Leave me alone, people! I can't play everything at once. I'm busy at the moment with um, with... Well, this :)


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PostPosted: 22 Feb 2010, 20:44 
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Machinarium is well worth the time put into it. The art's beautiful, the story adorable and the puzzles are challenging :>
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PostPosted: 11 Mar 2010, 08:53 
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Arx Fatalis. Labour of love and a spiritual sequel to the Ultima Underworld games. It has a soul, basically. It ruined Morrowind for me. :mrgreen:

EDIT: I was trying to think of more games that tick, and the only two others that spring to mind are quite obscure.

Mother 3 for the Gameboy Advance. It wasn't released outside of Japan, but it's so well written and heavily engrossing.

Panzer Dragoon Saga for the Sega Saturn. I went back to it recently and it was so much better than how I remembered from playing it at 14 years old. It really is something else. The art direction is incredible, and it feels like being whisked into a cinematic dream.


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PostPosted: 11 Mar 2010, 23:16 
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Yakjazz, totally agree with you on Arx Fatalis! :D Despite being buggy and all it's certainly worth putting your time into it and it sure has a soul. I heard it was a commercial fail. It can't be true. Though we got our copy as a bonus for buying a videocard, and that speaks...


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PostPosted: 14 Mar 2010, 13:51 
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For some reason I didn't like Psychonauts :(
Does....not....compute.....


Ahem, Plants vs Zombies is a good one - reminds me a little of a very old game called Gearheads. Also tried a demo for a game called Eufloria - very....artistic game....but also a little sparse. Braid is a very complex time manipulation/platforming thing that *will* have you eating your keyboard in frustration (and believe me, with a 6kg laptop, that takes some doing!) but has very enjoyable.

On the other side of the coin, I recently played Dante's Inferno on the PS3. A thinly veiled God of War, the only real thing the game has going for it is the terrific artwork. Personally I'd just stick with reading the poem - at least you don't have to mash the O button every time you want to turn a page >: (.


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PostPosted: 15 Mar 2010, 02:04 
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For some reason Arx Fatalis is quite easy to find, at least in the North East of England. May need to pick that one up. I've just gone back down memory lane playing the first Age of Empires. It's still brilliant :D


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PostPosted: 27 Mar 2010, 22:58 
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Perhaps H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu myth is of interest for you. First, I read the story "The Shadow over Innsmouth" and then I played the game "Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth". I found the game a little bit tricky to play but very good because of its atmosphere and story.


Last edited by Laurentia on 31 Mar 2010, 00:36, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: 28 Mar 2010, 05:47 
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@Laurentia I like your thinking. I played Dark Corners of the Earth right up to its final section where a bug preventing me from using a lever stopped me from finishing the game, I tried reloading a few times then playing through from earlier levels all to the same problem and eventually gave up. The healing mechanic and the great work they did with the Quake III engine were fantastic though. Atmosphere was dripping out of it.

Not sure how many of you have had a try at this but it's worth a look if you've ever made good friends through the internet: "Digital A Love Story" http://www.scoutshonour.com/digital/


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PostPosted: 30 Mar 2010, 23:13 
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@ Hicks: What a great Amiga feeling! I just started the 'Digital Love Story' and thought of all the good old games like Police Quest, Larry, Monkey Island, Mortville Manor, It came from the desert, and, and, and ...
Yes, I read about the bug at the end of CoC-DCotE. That was too bad. But you can comfort yourself with the thought that you nearly did it and haven't missed too much.

By the way: Lately, I really enjoyed playing Jonathan Boakes "THE LOST CROWN - a ghost-hunting adventure". (The perfect game for the second half of the month of April ...) Perhaps this game also could be of interest for you because of its very special atmosphere. If you know the games of Jonathan Boakes (i.e. "Dark Fall") you know what I mean.

Happy Easter to all of you!


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PostPosted: 31 Mar 2010, 00:43 
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@Laurentia as soon as I saw the boxart for Lost Crown I remembered that I'd been looking at this a month or two back. Couldn't remember the title though, just seeing if there's a demo about for it. I miss demos. There was always something a little bit special about that first tentative sneek at a new title as opposed to a barage of trailers.

For the time being it looks like it'll be Fallout 2 with the Restoration Patch on it though. Must... Resist... Urge to make 1 Intelligence 10 Strength character called "Retard Strong" :D

How are you finding Digital? It was strange for me as I got to know some now close friends via AIM back in the day in the states so the whole waiting for messages from people you barely wanting to know, messaging cutting out without warning atmosphere was strange to have those memories revisited.

Enjoy the Easter break also :)


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PostPosted: 28 May 2010, 00:55 
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Location: depends on time...Slovakia and Czech Republic

I was looking for this..We're still alive : )..those who enjoy meaningful games, hidden in that usual mess


Well, mentioning Omikron(anyway its working without any problem on win 7 not like before on xp, isnt it strange? So no waiting, go get it!) reminds me how much I adore this gem...from music(and I mean especially Xavier Despas), to
design and gameplay..along with Planescape Torment, Silent Hill, Fahrenheit and others


But what about Sublustrum (Outcry) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRmPDd3i ... re=related
another Russian gem..in fact, deep, sad and hard. I consider Phantomery as very similar to Ice pick lodge in a way of building story and overal mood, along with music and aesthetics..Im waiting for their Phobos: 1953, as I was waiting for The Void, but I doubt it will ever be translated...those are the only times when I tend to regret that I wasnt born back when learning russian language was mandatory here
And I love Dreamfall, many fans of Longest Journey were disappointed, but I dont get it, for me it was more mature (Im not talking about matureness of theme, but rather about character development, story an reasonable emotions behind everything)..Well, it is not hard, nor challenging, Dreamfall is more like interactive film...but emotive and rich from start to end. Another interesting game - Experience 112, also Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason give me the chills, but its more matter of atmosphere and story, purely fps gameply isnt exactly my piece of cake.

Other games I am thinking about are in fact way older...but dateless..like I have no mouth and I must scream, Dark seed/Dark seed II, Noir: A Shadowy Thriller..and Im still searching for obscurities like Harvester, Phantasmagoria and Realms of the Haunting


Its shame I still havent played Machinarium, but I surely will..Finally something originated in our country and worth playing, even earlier and rather free (mini)games from Amanita design are interesting - like Samorost


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PostPosted: 28 May 2010, 15:56 
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@Shebah

Realms of the Haunting... !! I've still got a big box edition of that by the side of the desk. It's a bit ill tempered through dos box but it manages to grunt it's way through. Ebay might be worth a shot, that's where I managed to find it. :)

I totally understand what you mean about Dreamfall, there was a double set with Longest Journey released a while back and I'm not sure if it's due to the change from static to a more adventure feeling but Dreamfall did feel at least for me to be the more playable of the two.

It had in some ways a similar feeling to Fahrenheit, I pestered in the shops for weeks to get that.

Back to Uplink for the time being. I'm still to find something that manages to make me as tense as that does.


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PostPosted: 12 Aug 2010, 19:47 
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Like others before me, I highly recommend Silent Hill 2. No game has touched me quite so deeply, and it's only like 6-8 hours long. Getting the game shouldn't be a problem, because it's on PS2, Xbox (also runs on 360), and PC. The first Silent Hill, and the new one on the Wii (Shattered Memories) are also worth playing. If you enjoyed those, I also recommend Silent Hill 3, but the rest in the series are skippable.

For great horror atmosphere, you should check out the Penumbra series. I haven't finished it myself, but I believe the games are relatively cheap on Steam right now.

Shadow of the Colossus is a game you should play no matter what you like.

Although it's not as similar to Ice-Pick games, you should also check out the Fallout series. It has excellent atmosphere, and is really very immersive. If you have any interest in Post-Apocalyptic stories, then you can't pass these games up.

If you're into RPGs or even just dialogue trees, then you have to play every game Bioware has ever made. To name a few: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect 1/2, and Dragon Age: Origins.

And if you're a fan of shooters, then the obvious recommendation is Half-Life 2. Hell, even if you hate shooters you should give it a try.

That's all that I can name off the top of my head. Happy gaming.


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PostPosted: 23 Aug 2010, 19:45 
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Thanks for the response Meoang, I've got Silent Hill 1-4 running on pc, the first through an emulator, I know exactly what you mean about the second one getting to you also. The atmosphere was brilliant, I loved the little sub scenario "Born from a Wish".

Penumbra, still got a chunk of Black Plague to go through and Requiem is knocking about somewhere. Looking forward to Asylum Dark Descent though :)

Fallout 1-3 got them all, 3 was a disapointment though Point Lookout was some scant hope. Have a look at the Fallout 2 Restoration Project if you haven't already. Really worth it to expand the original title.

Just finished Mass Effect 2 last weekend, Dragon Age Origins is done, gotta love Alister!

Half-Life is a major thorn for me, I still see no appeal to it from when it first came out to now it still feels mundane and pedestrian. F.E.A.R however, I drooled at its kinetic feel and the weight that movement and action had in it.

You're a star for so many suggestions here's a couple that may be worth a look.

Risen, explorative RPG with nifty if a little difficult combat, charming atmosphere though to it.
The Thing, managed to give a pretty good impression of Paranoia and isolation. Worth a look at a cheap price.
Armed Assault 2, I love this so much. What the mod community can do with it is almost frightening, ultimate toolbox. Just get Charon's Undead Mod and you will experience hopelessness stuck on a roof surrounded by hundreds of howling zombies.
Defcon, an oddity, think Wargames but interactive and increasingly haunting
Uplink, Most tense game I've ever played as you take on the role of a hacker. Simple and brilliant.
Forsaken, Old 360 degree movement shooter, fast, furious and still a favourite for me

:D


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PostPosted: 03 Sep 2010, 08:56 
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You guys have terrific taste !

I'm not sure if you have time for RTS (I know I usually don't), but there are three gems of originality that deserve at least a look : Homeworld 2, Perimeter and Sacrifice.

I haven't finished any of them (going through HW2 right now), but they are among the most striking gameworlds I've had the chance to explore. HW2's space opera is completely out of the ordinary : almost no exposition, near-unpronounceable names for everything in the story, soundtrack composed of cold, minimal soundscapes, and yet the maps and the gameplay are rich and deep ; when you get your bearing, the execution of a given strategy takes an almost meditative quality. Strangely, it reminds me more of Dune (the novels) than traditional space opera, even though the Dune series had almost no space battles to speak of.

Perimeter is, I think, a Russian game, and another completely out-there RTS. Like HW2, there's no straightforward exposition, only jargon-rich interactions with faraway voices who leave you to make your own idea about things. On a gameplay level, you basically transform terrain in order to expand your base and your network, sending various types of robots in the outside world to explore, fight, etc.

More traditional in its narrative structure, yet still chock full of originality, is Sacrifice, a third-person RTS of sorts in an unrecognizable fantasy world where you play one deity against another while collecting souls, with fully deformable terrain.

These 3 games put to shame the supposed originality in almost any recent game, Ice-pick Lodge being among the exceptions, of course. And the graphics haven't aged that much, I found.
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