Are there any games out there like these?

September 27, 2009 10:57 AM

I'm looking for PC/Mac (have both) games similar to Indigo Prophecy and Shadow of Destiny. I loved the games because of the way your previous choices influence later ones, as well as the surreal and psychological aspects present. Both of the games have a similar 'feel' that I'm looking for. Any suggestion is great as long as it's not a point and click adventure game.
posted by biochemist to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

I haven't played either of those games, but I've heard Indigo Prophecy (at least up until the end) highly recommended to Deus Ex fans; perhaps that goes the other way around too? Deus Ex is slightly nonlinear at the highest level (you can save or fail to save a couple lives and see consequences later, you can "pick" one of three endings, you can find or fail to find a secret level, you can develop your character's attributes in wildly different ways) and it's very nonlinear tactically. There's also a cool "just past tomorrow" story/atmosphere. The graphics (and to a much lesser extent, the story) are getting pretty dated by now, though.
posted by roystgnr at 11:28 AM on September 27 [1 favorite]

A significant number of PC RPGs have some kind of branching function wherein character and plot development splits based on decisions of the player. Bioware's games usually have some of this although it can be on a somewhat limited "Good/Evil" rail. An example of that would be Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Another game that gets mentioned a lot is Planescape: Torment, which has an amnesiac protagonist and a variety of impactful choices in-game. It's also just a great game in general, which helps.
posted by selfnoise at 11:51 AM on September 27

I was going to mention Deus Ex - conspiracy, some future action consequences (although not a huge aspect of the game).
The other games mentioned are also good.

It's a shame point and click are out - the Longest Journey was a good game, and the sequel isn't bad, I hear.

I don't know many modern games that have the same feel, but of the current crop that I'm aware of, Fallout 3 might not be a bad choice. There are some consequences from your actions (but they seldom lead to different later choices), there are some surreal moments as well, but overall there aren't too many games like Indigo Prophecy.

One thing that's in the pipeline that might be what you're looking for is 'Heavy Rain' - see here:
http://www.gametrailers.com/game/heavy-rain/2717
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_rain

But it won't be out until early next year, it seems
posted by YAMWAK at 12:28 PM on September 27

I'd strongly recommend Silent Hill 2. Get the PS2 or Xbox version if you can, though, as they are technically superior to the PC version.
posted by fearthehat at 12:39 PM on September 27

Nthing Deus Ex. You'll want the PC version, as the Mac version was written for the PowerPC Macs, which you likely aren't using. I believe there is a version modified to be OSX Intel compatible on the torrents, but considering that it's still selling for $10 on Steam, it's too soon to write it off as abandon-ware. I'm also nthing Knights of the Old Republic, but just because it's an awesome RPG. It does have choice, although it is fairly simple, and it's no darker than the original Star Wars trilogy (Remember, some people say they're kids' movies).

If you do go with Deus Ex but want better graphics, here's a texture pack. It still won't be Halo 3, but it's not a tough mod to install.

Fallout 3 is a great game, but the choices aren't really linked. You're an unknown wanderer, so whenever you start a quest, your past actions don't change what will happen. The story isn't so much unlinear as it is disjointed and episodic. Most of the quests are side-quests that don't feed into the main plot, and the main plot is pretty thin.

Unfortunately, it seems like only really ambitious games try for nonlinear stories, and I think that's because it means that there's so much more content to design, program, and test, and you end up needing to do the amount of work that would normally go into two or more games.
posted by mccarty.tim at 6:18 PM on September 27

Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines. Get it on Steam, and use the fan patch . Amazing piece of work.
posted by Sebmojo at 8:24 PM on September 27

Ah, also the Witcher (Extended Edition) though that's more of a standard RPG.
posted by Sebmojo at 8:25 PM on September 27

Having played Deus Ex (Fantastic! the sequel, not so much), Vampire (great, under-rated game), and Witcher (there're two versions, I think, one that's more R-rated)...

Mass Effect has a similar "your actions alters how people and the storyline interact with you".

If you're willing to try a (rather) older PC game, Planescape: Torment may just be up your alley. You wake up in a morgue, dead, amnesiac, and a wisecracking floating skull claims to be your best friend. You've done things, lots of things, in your past life - other people you run into know you and what you did, but you have no idea. Who are you? You get to choose how you act and the world reacts to that. Amazing game, great story. I'm generally against game remakes but a remake of Torment (by competent developers) would have me pre-order in an instant.
posted by porpoise at 10:51 PM on September 27