precious immersion

[harvz]

i have just started playing fallout 3 (just out of the vault) and it has already immersed me quite a bit. i feel a sense of danger and 'unknowingness' that few games have ever done and even fewer keep it.

so im going to ask you something, have you felt fully immersed in a game? [no matter how silly, even Wolfenstein 3D (giggles @3D)] and if so how long did it last?

 

[Julianking93]

This may seem silly, but one of the only games to ever immerse me completely was Kingdom Hearts.

I felt for all the characters. Danger when in hectic situations and sadness during those sincere or depressing moments.

Then of course, I'd have to say the MGS series as well but that should go without saying at this point.

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

i have just started playing fallout 3 (just out of the vault) and it has already immersed me quite a bit. i feel a sense of danger and 'unknowingness' that few games have ever done and even fewer keep it.

so im going to ask you something, have you felt fully immersed in a game? [no matter how silly, even Wolfenstein 3D (giggles @3D)] and if so how long did it last?

I feel no danger in Fallout 3.

I look at the rader at the bottom, that give me a 5 mile (Exageration) heads up if enemies are close by. in the beginning it's bloody inpossible to keep in ammo and that just frustrates me when an enemy beats me to a pulp.

EDIT: I've never been fully imersed in a game before. It doens't really happen. nomatter what I'm slightly concious that my thumbsare moving and the little dude is walking...

 

[Fetzenfisch]

Even some games of the UFO series or Jagged Alliance had an Immersive feel, the danger of losing your mates, which kind of evolved unique characters, that gave the game a real plus on athmo.
I liked Dragen Age: Origins very much too. The Fallout and Baldurs Gate Games are kind of the best in these terms.

 

[ottenni]

The STALKER games had me immersed the moment the first cut-scene started. Those games just nail it. And it lasted until my personal artifact stash gave me permanent sprint so i just ran around stabbing everything to death. So i upped the difficulty and i was right back into it again.

 

[Julianking93]

It's my primary goal while playing games to be immersed.

I think the most immersed I've ever been was Call of Cthulhu, that Lovecraft game. The bit where the whole village chases you out of the hotel. I honestly forgot that it wasn't real life.

I remember that. Just watching the video of it on Youtube got me immersed...

 

[Cowabungaa]

The first ones that come to mind are Half Life 2 and World of Warcraft. Both games create such an amazing atmosphere (and in WoW's case, a lot of different atmospheres) that manage to swallow me up completely.

Other good ones were/are:
- Vampire: The Masquerade (I really feel like I'm roleplaying there)
- KotOR 1 and 2
- Mass Effect 1 and 2 (especially 2)
- Metroid Prime 1 and 2
- F.E.A.R
- Condemned 2
- Red Dead Redemption
- All 3D Zelda games
- The Halo series
- Uncharted 1 and 2
- BioShock 1 and 2 (but especially 1)
- STALKER: Call of Pripyat
- Assassin's Creed 2

It's my primary goal while playing games to be immersed.

I think the most immersed I've ever been was Call of Cthulhu, that Lovecraft game. The bit where the whole village chases you out of the hotel. I honestly forgot that it wasn't real life.

Would that be Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth? I saw the trailer on Steam and it made me really curious. I reckon you can recommend it then?

 

[Jasper Jeffs]

FarCry 2 and Crysis had good immersion, mainly because of the graphics and animations.

 

[fjelding]

most immersed I've ever been was while playing Thief: The dark project and Thief 2: The metal age.

Best games ive ever played. Fantastic environemnts, and story. And I loved evesdropping on the guards conversations. I remember tham as being funny as f***.

 

[Imbechile]

KOTOR and Morrowind. I think Fallout 3 is the most unimmersive game I've ever played

 

[Outright Villainy]

I crave immersion, probably more than anything else for a single player game.
I can't really remember the game that immersed me the most, but probably Majora's mask. The persistent world, bajillions of sidequests and the ability to go into every building you see made me really get into that game. It's still one of my favourites.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Definitely. It's sort of a flawed masterpiece. But if you liked Vampire The Masquerade, you'll love this.

I absolutely adore Vampire, so that's good. It'll be in my possession when I get my next paycheck.

 

[nelsonr100]

I get really immersed in RTS's and city building games, Rome Total War comes to mind. I just love governing over and managing the civilisation or city and get really hooked

 

[Hiphophippo]

Would that be Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth? I saw the trailer on Steam and it made me really curious. I reckon you can recommend it then?

I can as well. It's like Furburt said, it's a flawed masterpiece but it's brilliance still manages to shine through. That said, I despised the last level's attempt to turn the game into something of a FPS.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Of course. I tend to get immersed fairly easily in the standard way (attention solely on the game, outside distractions shut off).

There have been a few games where my emotional response went beyond that, typically RPGs (the Tales of Symphonia games especially; hurt Colette and I will end you) and visual novels (I could go on for an hour on how immersing A Drug That Makes You Dream was).

 

[Geekosaurus]

Probably Hitman Bloody Money or Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. When you get to the point where you're physically craning your neck to look around corners in the game, you know you're immersed.

 

[JPH330]

Fallout 3 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat are probably the only games that have (nearly) fully immersed me.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

I was immersed in Far Cry 2, and that is the only game I've fallen into.

... Besides Ultima VII.

 

[Twad]

FEAR (the first, sequels are poor) was the one that had me shivering in a corner quite often.
Thief 2. because its awesome to sneak around.
Stalker was also a good immersive game.

 

[Fusionxl]

'Tis hard to say, I "zone out" relatively easily as long as sudden low texture spikes, dodgy character animation or bugs don't ruin it. The graphics don't have to be very shiny either, everything above, say, Half Life 2 does the trick.

As for getting completely immersed, I'll have to pick the Penumbra series. I loved the way you could interact with so many objects in a unique way in the game ( pulling doors open, turning handles etc ). And of course the atmosphere. It does things to your mind.