Post Apocalyptic Games?

[InsanityManifest]

A lot of games are made with the whole, "It's time to save the world!" shtick. It's been a staple of video games since they were first thought up.

But what about when the heroes blow it, and society is forced to deal with the mess?

I'm talking post apocalypitic stuff...Biblical Wrath of God aftermath type games. I have yet to play any but I'll admit my gaming collection is limited at the moment, so if anyone knows of any, feel free to post.

If you don't, then by all means, drop your ideas about your vision of a good PA game. Who knows, maybe a developer might catch an original idea?

My Vision:
A world struck by nuclear winter, the world frozen by harsh snow in some areas and desert in others. Towns are empty and survivors hole up in what few cities remain. Mutants roam the land, a cross between zombies and psychotics. You play as a wanderer who fights only for himself in a world where survival is about as good as it gets. Maybe a FPS or FPS/RPG like system shock. Or better yet, let's bring back the gun! Those plastic honkers you pointed at the screen to make legions of terrorists go dead. Bring back the zapper!

 

[soladrin]

easy, Fallout 1 and 2 world war 3 happened, everything is a wasteland, most being have been mutated, good luck its rpg, not fps though, but one of the best RPG's in hystory, and it has pretty mature stuff, sex, drugs, gore, (shooting kids ) and most of your vision is in there

 

[p1ne]

Never played it, but from what I hear S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fits that motif pretty well, and has an appropriately pessimistic plot/ending.

There was this unbelievably old game from Bethesda based on the Terminator license... I don't remember what it was called and it was buggy as hell but it captured the post-apocalyptic theme quite well imho.

 

[KurtNiisan]

A Terminator game made by Bethesda? Was it a FPS? If so, then I believe you're talking about The Terminator: Future Shock. And now looking at it, it's over 10 years old.

 

[raankh]

As a sort of antonym to your version;

The horrible but wonderful Midwinter for the Amiga is excellent; a comet strike has all kinds of nasty effects and people end up on an ice-covered island and under the rule of a dictator. You play all members of the rebellion. The difficulty can be insane, but it's just so cool and original, in my opinion.

You can hang-glide, ski, drive some vehicles, blow up factories, recruit members and you play time-segments as every character while synchronizing at specific intervals.

I'd really like to see a nexgen game building on the game-play concept ....

 

[p1ne]

A Terminator game made by Bethesda? Was it a FPS? If so, then I believe you're talking about The Terminator: Future Shock. And now looking at it, it's over 10 years old.

Yeah, Future Shock was it, thanks.

 

[rawlight]

I'm not really sure I'm understanding the OP here...

Are you telling me you have never played Wasteland, Fallout or Fallout 2? Wasteland may be a bit too old for some people to be able to stomach but you definitely need to play the Fallout 1 and 2. Steal them if you have to.

I'll wait here.

 

[dreamsower [deprecated]]

I'm talking post apocalypitic stuff...Biblical Wrath of God aftermath type games.

SMT III: Nocturne, a cult causes the "conception" which causes the end of the world in the first couple minutes of the game. The world your protagonist is a "void world" where demons and spirits roam and they struggle over which ideology will rule a new world in their view. There are multiple endings based on which ideology/reason your character's decisions tend to follow.

It is a PS2 JRPG, amazing art/character/monster design (Kaneko Kazuma), although it is very hard to find. Also it is a very long and difficult game as well so unless you wanna really dig your teeth into it you may wanna pass. My favorite game ever...

 

[Lance Icarus]

Actually, what you said sounds an awful like the Fallout series. Hell, it sounds like the Carmageddon series. Just, you know, with a car as a weapon.

However, I'd love to see more RPGs actually give you chances for complete failure as a way to complete the game. Even make it somehow harder to fail, adding to an achievement-like mentality to screwing up. Now that would be entertaining.

 

[soladrin]

fallout 1 had an epic fail ending... if you wanted to

 

[Copter400]

There are a handful of games with a post-apocalyptic theme on the market, but most of them do tend to stick to a nuclear-winter-type-thing. While I do agree with the idea of more PA scenarios, coming up with one set in the ruins of a city after an atomic war is about as original as coming up with the idea of the wheel. And then you've got Bioshock, that delightful dystopia under the sea during the Swing Sixties. That was original. That was a great idea.

So, yeah, yay PA, but ease up on the post-nukes.

 

[Kaisharga]

The AD&D Dark Sun setting had a couple scenarios ported to PC, and they were my introduction into the RPG genre, both paper/dice and digital. Strife is up there too, as neat post-apoc games go, if you're into techno-fantasy-SF-stealth-action-FPSes. Which, it seems, I am.

I second the vote for SMT3: Nocturne. Which should be obvious, to those who have played.

It feels odd to even mention this series in this thread, but Jak 3 was a damn fine post-apoc game with a lot of very cool things to it. Jak 2 gets a lesser mention, mostly because it's less post-apoc and more dystopian.

 

[Enigmatic_Apple]

FAAAAAAAALLOUT!!!!!!!

 

[blackfly01]

Oooh, I love post-apocalypse themes! Metal Black's gotta be my favorite (hence the hero's sapce jet as my avatar) with In the Hunt being second best and Varth being third. All of them are fun and demonstrate the idea of a struggling post apocalyptic theme with great detail and in the first two art direction.

In retrospect though I have to admit I'm not as keen on most post apocalypse games as I'd like to be; the previous two I mentioned are my hands down favorites, but there are plenty others I can sort of stand at the end of and shake my head in regards to how they represent the post-apocalypse (ie: Ray Force, Bullet Witch, HellGate London) while others were fun and in some way memorable, but not too great (Rogue Trip, House of the Dead 3).

 

[InsanityManifest]

...Everyone keeps referring to Fallout...which I hvae neverp layed. I knew that the gaming industry had to have something apocalyptic SOMEWHERE. I'll definitely score fallout 1 and 2 and play them both...Now I have something to do over christmas break!

 

[kirbyss]

Pretty much any Shin Megami Tensei game bar the Persona and Devil Summoner subseries.

This means:

Shin Megami Tensei (SNES)
Shin Megami Tensei II(SNES)
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne/Lucifer's Call (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (PS2)

Also, Fallout 1 & 2, STALKER, etc.

 

[Cynopt]

Stalker is your best bet right now; it's got most of your list except the snow, and it does the FPS/ArrPeeGee thing better than Bioshock (I am a Yahtzee whore, but it really is better).

Mostly you get a lot of huge maps of pretty but desolate russian forests and wastelands; survivalist types; bad accents; hubris; and some fun sci/fi-horror business on top of a very solid shooter with quests and inventory management added in ways that heavily affect gameplay.

That or Fallout, of course, but Stalker is already pretty cheap, and widely available just now.

 

[PurpleRain]

I heart Fallout. Fallout 1 doesn't work on most computers which is a ***** because it was my favourite of the series. Also don't bother playng tactics if you want the Fallout experience. Fallout 2 was great. Working for the mob, melting children with flame throwers, become a porn star, become a Super Mutants gimp... you know, the usual post apocalyptic stuff.