this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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Patient Gamers

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Edit: Thanks so much for all your awesome recommendations and feedback. Based on sheer popularity it looks like my next 3 franchises will be Mass Effect (5 votes), Dead Space (3 votes) and Batman Arkham (3 votes). I love Lemmy!


So since picking up my steam deck last year I've been slowly but surely working through some old trilogies that I never got round to playing. I'm a very casual gamer who plays when opportunity strikes, so it's taken me a year to play all 3 bioshock, mafia and tomb raider games. I played them in alternating order of release (bioshock 1, mafia 1, tomb raider, bioshock 2, mafia 2, tomb raider 2 etc) and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of watching each story unfold and graphics improve.

So as I approach the end of Mafia 3, I'm looking to repeat this exercise. The Assassin's creed collection just went on sale on steam, so I'm thinking I may start there, so am looking for recommendations for another 2 franchises to compliment (or change up) my playing experience over the next year.

Any help much appreciated!

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

Half-Life 1, 2 and 3. You may have to wait a bit for that last one.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Mass Effect is one of my favourite game franchises of all time (the trilogy - I never really got into Andromeda) and can definitely be played on a casual basis.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Playing through the Legendary Edition remasters on Xbox right now - I second this recommendation, they’re a lot of fun.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

More efficient than an alt. I approve.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sorry, I read your comment wrong. Thought you were both recommending the game and seconding your recommendation in the same reply.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ha! No, genuine individual recommendation.

[Was tempted to reply here recommending Mass Effect again - not sure the joke would’ve landed thought :-)]

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I second that recommendation!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Batman Arkham trilogy! I only played the first one but it blew me away.

If you're into jrpgs and manage to set up a switch emulator also the Xenoblade trilogy is unbelievably good

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How's the combat system in Xenoblade?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's very satisfying and gets more fun and deep the more you progress. Also it's quite a bit different in all the three games. I'll refer to Xeno1's combat for the sake of simiplicity.

Tldr: this is a good general explaination, also shows some general combat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_DsUSxDm3M

This is just some random gameplay:

The basic gameplay flow consists in: Engage the enemy > draw aggro to the party's tank > use debuff skills > use damage skills. Throw in the mix a chain attack when possible, and repeat until the enemy is dead.

The party consists in two characters played by the cpu and one character controlled by the player. Everyone autoattacks automatically, and everyone is free to move around the enemy while doing so. The fun part consists in using the right skills at the right moment (if the enemy has a debuff) and in the right position (some skills hit harder or trigger additional effects if you hit the enemy from the sides or from behind). You have to be mindful of your skills because they (obviously) go on cooldown once used and because if you do too much damage the enemy will target your character (which is something you don't want, unless you're playing as Reyn)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wow, thanks for the detailed answer! The combat looks more thorough and fun than I thought :D

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It is! The story is crazy good too and the more games you play, the better it gets. Strongly recommend to give Xenoblade a try and to join me and other folks at [email protected]

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I haven't played enough of 2 to give any info on it, but once you get invested in 1, it's all fantastic ride through the end of it. I wholely recommend it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

People have mentioned Mass Effect so a big +1 to those games as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah I love the story of the first games

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Elder Scrolls: first complete Daggerfall, then Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"Complete" TES games? There are people who don't get so distracted by side-quests that they never finish the main quest in those?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Wait. You mean there's a main quest?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

As others have said I would 100% recommended the Mass Effect trilogy.

I Also really enjoyed the crysis trilogy, it's like playing through a Michael Bay alien movie. The 2nd and 3rd games especially.

I'd also recommend the Arkham and Witcher trilogies. For the Witcher trilogy I'd wait till the remake of the first game comes out if you plan on playing them in order, as the first game hasn't aged particularly well.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

crysis is a lot like the matrix of video games. the first one was groundbreaking and set technical standard all releases were compared to - for years! - then 2 and 3 were very meh and forgettable.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I actually really liked Crysis 2, it felt like a polished Crysis and I enjoyed the city setting. The plot was quite basic but so was the first game.

I am sad there was no Zero-G moments though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

By the time the Witcher 1 remake comes out we will also have a Witcher 4, so it won't be a trilogy anymore. That being said, I'm hoping both entries turn out to be good, especially the W1 remake. It's a fantastic game that's really hard to recommend for newcomers to the series.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I played them in alternating order of release

I don’t mean this in a rude way, but what are you?

As for your question, here are a few options (not all trilogies): Mass Effect Dragon Age Stalker Deus Ex Amnesia Dead Space (skip 3) Dishonored Far Cry 3-6 Metro Saints Row Wolfenstein

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why skip far cry 1&2? 1 is a little dated yes but iconic in itself. The setting of far cry 2 is one of the most unique in gaming history and it brought some very interesting mechanics into gaming which were revolutionary for that time.

There might be a lot of nostalgia speaking here though. I had so much fun with both games!

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Surely it should be far cry 2, 3 and that weird one ive never played but people love. Everything past that is a reskin of 3

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Haha no offence taken, but why do you not agree with my play tactic? I find the gradual progression of both technology and storyline very satisfying!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I suppose I get it if you’re really interested in watching technological progression in particular, but to me it’s like taking a bite of dessert and then of dinner and then of breakfast: even if you have very similar styles (3rd person mission oriented/linear shooter, for example) there’s still some degree of continuity between parts of a trilogy/franchise that’s greater than between franchises, not to mention world and characters and story and themes.

I’ve done deep dives into franchises by going straight up through the years (my favorite is Geneforge/Avernum/Avadon) but bouncing between them would really throw me off.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah I get what you're saying, but I figured that I didn't want to get bored of the same (albeit improved) game mechanics by playing a franchise straight through. I really enjoyed switching between FPS and third person perspectives for example, and also that warm, familiar feeling of returning to a game story was increased by taking a complete break from the whole world for a few months or so (as I said I'm a very casual gamer!)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

You are very much right where you should be.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

If you're a fan of the Elder Scrolls franchise, there's a trilogy made by an indie dev crew called SureAI (just game devs, nothing to do with AI, lol) that are built from the assets of the Elder Scrolls games.

Enderal is built from Skyrim, Nehrim from Oblivion, and... idr the Morrowind one.

These games are there own lore-universe, and have nothing at all to do with Elder Scrolls. Different characters, races, terrain, voice actors, music, etc.

Enderal is fucking incredible. The other two are decent.

Free on steam, provided you have the corresponding Bethesda game in your library for the SureAI ones to cannibalize.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I was going to recommend you the Uncharted trilogy, but then I noticed you said on Steam Deck, then I proceed to be sad because I don't have one lol.

Is emulating an option? That opens up more stuff!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dark Souls 1-3 is a perfect casual experience

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

They’re my favourite relaxing games to unwind with after work

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Doom 1,2, 3!

Borderlands 1,2,3?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ace Attorney Trilogy. I was immediately hooked even though I am not a fan of visual novel or detective games.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Or, if you're fine with a duology, the Great Ace Attorney. They have more convenience features than the original trilogy (though I also still highly recommend the original trilogy)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

OBJECTION!! But seriously, they're excellent.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Prince of Persia trilogy could work. It's more linear than assassin's creed so it could offer a change of pace.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

For games that you can download and play right away on the Steam Deck

-Mass Effect Legendary Edition Remastered

-Dead Space

-Yakuza series

-Uncharted Trilogy

-Shadows of Mordor and Shadows of War

I would also recommend Max Payne 1-3, but that I know of the first one, at least, does need a bit finagling.

Also the Borderlands series, not sure if it can be played on Deck as is. 2 is a masterpiece though

I also would also not recommend anything Ubisoft right now with the whole deleting people's profiles and game libraries right now, even though Black Flag is one of my favorites. With all the other games and series everyone else is recommending, anything Ubisoft made can take a backseat for now imo.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Please do try the Mass Effect trilogy if you haven't yet. I put it off for the longest time and then just started playing. I finished all three games within a combined 100h over the course of like two months and could not play anything else. It was that good.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Without a doubt, Max Payne 1, 2 and 3

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Late to the party, but Mass Effect, Dead Space, and the Arkham trilogy are all extremely solid choices haha.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Dead Space. It's like the brutal lovechild of Bioshock and Resident Evil. Cannot recommend the trilogy enough if you like the horror shooter genre. Especially Dead Space 1 and 2, truly ahead of its time.

I recommend playing the Original Trilogy first, then play the recently released Dead Space Remake if you'd like (OR be a real patient gamer and wait ten years before playing the Remake). The original trilogy should be pretty affordable everywhere but they are also all on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate if you have that.

Edit: I played the entire trilogy on my Steam Deck. Chef's Kiss 👌

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

How has nobody mentioned the Bioshock trilogy?

1 and 2 are fantastic and Infinite is great, though a huge departure from the first two.

It's just about my favorite trilogy of all time.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

More than a trilogy, but I've been enjoying Yakuza quite a bit.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

The EA skate trilogy

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

From another thread: The possible trinity https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/1374718

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Heya, i may be a bit late to the party (as I am with my games, lol) but I can highly recommend the Gears of War Franchise. If you’re into action games with interesting characters and we’ll balanced gameplay, this is perfect for you. Awesome pacing between action and story. I’ve binged through 1-4 in a few weeks. Now I’m a bit stuck on 5 because of that one Boss fight, but so far the series is amazing imo

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Thank you, will check it out!

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