Most Immersive Games You've Ever Played

[Jason Tandro]

We're talking the games that you took way... WAY too seriously. That you blended into the environment of, that you treated as pure escapist fantasy, and so forth.

I, for one, try to get deeply immersed in every game I play, because I think that's half the fun. That being said, here are some of the most immersive games I've ever played.


1. Grand Theft Auto IV

Because there was so much to do, this game lends itself well to immersion. I would find myself watching TV, taking people out for dinner, listening to the radio, surfing the net and doing all that other stuff and enjoying it just as much as the parts where I was sending motorcycles flying off the roof of the skyscrapers in Algonquin and gunning down police officers.

2. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

I think the true trick was being able to buy your own house. I think that's what got me so immersed in the game. Because the game was no longer a massive strange world that I could explore; it was a massive kingdom that I felt like a part of. I mean I would literally collect outfits and store them in my closet (my favorite house, despite it's general crappiness, was the shack in Bravil). I would get to the top of each guild and then spend a couple of days at the location of each, returning to my home on the weekends. I made sure to always wear the outfit appropriate to the task I was doing... you get the idea.

3. Jak and Daxter

For pretty much one reason: It was the first game I ever played that had realtime. I would just sit at the beach and watch the sunset and it blew my 16-bit mind away.

There's more than those three, but I think that's a good start.

[arkisdabomb]

Insert and WWII shooter I've ever played here.

Also Insert and First Person game I've ever played here.

[Freedan]

If I thought about it hard enough, I'm sure I could list a few, but the only one off the top of my head would be Final Fantasy 6.

I got drawn in to the story, and couldn't stop playing. I wound up playing for 11 hours straight (though I was sick and off school that day, and there wasn't much else I could do at the time).

[SoulBlazerFan]

Oblivion I agree. I took in about 75 hours in about a months time.

Fallout 3: In three weeks, completed the main story, and all expansions.

FF8: I ran through this game numerous times, and, in some cases, five days back to back (Including all weapons/complete card collections).

Guitar Hero: For awhile it's all I played. I got myself to the point where I was pretty good at hard and could finish most songs on Expert.

[tay120n64]

Super Mario World, Sonic Adventure 2, Kirby (any), Smash Bros (any), Zelda (any)...

...Fuck it, I get immersed in nearly every game I play. Though there have been fewer this generation than previously.

[EverPhoenix]

Final Fantasy 8. fuck yeah.

also, Grandia II.

in fact, most RPGs i play

[Flamez]

World of Warcraft - I didnt leave the house for 2 years....

[inferiare]

Obligatory "Ar tonelico" goes here. I'd list off a lot of reasons, but mainly because: the stories were so damn good; the first was good as it was, and the second game was even better. I think there were at least three parts where I was sobbing because of the damn story.

The music is amazing, the story, and of course the fact that the creator has created a language with at least three different dialects (Risshizentsukiyomu/Ar Ciela, Standard Hymmnos, Pastalie Dialect) and a ton of words and an actual structure to the language.

Lost Odyssey. That game is so damn depressing. I love all of the characters though, and if I can really love the characters in a game, I'll love the experience even more. The Thousand Years of Dreams aspect of the game is what made it for me, and it gave me a lot of insight on even a real-world perspective.

Terranigma, for really obvious reasons that I'm sure everyone else here that has played it knows too.

Lunar 1. I should really pop in my psp remake, but I don't know if I can stomach the new voices.

That's all I can really think of right now.

[SoulBlazerFan]

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2.

Jesus. 110 hours in two weeks. I was freaking obsessed.

[chicken]

vice city kept me quite busy for some time... also, +1 for oblivion, that game was soooo kickass O_ô

[Dark_Gaia]

age of empires 2! i played that like freaks play wow!
also yeah oblivion and morrowind. cept my 250+ hour file on oblivion decided to not let me play the expansion or access my expansion items, quests etc FUCK U XBOX blah i had the biggest house with a serving wench and all my differnt items in chests arranged neatly

[psychokind]

Terranigma, for really obvious reasons that I'm sure everyone else here that has played it knows too.

this.

2. ES3 - Morrowind: too bad I played morrowind, since I couldn't enjoy oblivion then. oh, did I mention I played the game "through" in every known and possible way? every guild/faction/profession/secret/rare artifact?

3. World of Warcraft: it's just amazing, and I still play and like it after 5 years. I took some long breaks, but always returned to it from other shitty mmo's. I share so many memories with my over 3.5 year old char, almost can't imagine to identify myself so much with an artificial character.

[NoZKeY]

Terranigma the very first times i played it...
But sadly it's not the same when i play it now

The Ur-Quan Masters, it's sort of an RPG/strategy/adventure/action game...
Why that game? Well, because... its the freaking GALAXY! There are dozens of stars and each one with its own planets... though you can't do many things in most planets other than collect minerals (collect little spheres), but i spent hours just collecting minerals

Chrono Trigger, FF6, most RPGs...
After playing any RPG during many hours, i end immersed in these games.

Belma
A 2D motorcycle game. I have no words, it's the most immersive game i have ever played.

[Manibrandr System]

Serious Sam HD, there is nothing quite like blowing up alien crap.

Also, Half Life 2 and Portal, the former for its masterful visual design making the props decorate the scenery enough to be believable and the latter just by the world of sick and twisted humour it creates.

[Jason Tandro]

The only reason I played Portal so long was because of those lovely infinite loops you can create.