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Best Casual Games

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There was a request in the last Casual Friday thread for a “Best of” type of list.

This is my best of list, but it is only my opinion. As I said, these lists often result in being argumentative. I am sure that other casual players will have different opinions.

Many of these games were played in a Casual Community Playthrough. Almost all were discussed in an AGSotD review. For background on any of the games, that would be a good place to start.

Drawn Trilogy - I recommend playing these games in sequence. The ending of the third game will stun you.

Emerald City Confidential - There is debate as to whether this is adventure-lite or casual. I think of it as casual, as did the creator. Who am I to argue.

Enigmatis Trilogy - I suggest these be played in sequence, if only to enjoy the development of the game’s complexity. You really need to buy the CE version of Enigmatis 3.

Phantasmat has many HO scenes, but it is an incredibly creepy game. It was produced by a Polish group named Codeminion. It was the only game they ever produced. Others, including ERS Games have apparently bought the rights to the franchise. But nothing they have done have matched the greatness of the original. The value of the CE bonus material is questionable.

Angelica Weaver - Catch Me When You Can - Great plot. Lots of controversy during the playthrough. Opening scene is one of the best cut scenes I’ve ever seen, regardless of genre.

Echoes of Sorrow - An early game with many HO scenes. But a game that tackles subjects that no other game tackled before, or since. Rape, Stalking, Murder, Wrongful execution… Not the normal stuff you would expect to find in a casual game.

Final Cut: Death on the Silver Screen - A wonderfully long game. If you think of casual games as being a quick fix, this is not that game. It’s a good 8-12 hours of game play, and you need to buy the CE version to finish the game. Which adds an additional two hours.

Fright - A psychological thriller. Interesting in concept in that you play the game thinking one of the characters is the villain. But, when you play the CE, recommended, you view things from a totally different perspective.

Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove - A supernatural thriller. Very atmospheric tale set in a North woods-style town. Part of the story is held together by a series of hand-held video tapes similar in style to those used in some relatively recent horror movies. The puzzle are quite difficult.

And I’m going to save Myths of the World: Of Fiends and Fairies for the final, 11th, position simply because it is one of my favorites. I won’t say this is a great game. But its main claim to fame is that it has, without doubt, the best voice acting of any game I have ever played, regardless of genre.

     

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Thanks Tim!

I’ll try Angelica Weaver - Catch Me When You Can, it sounds interesting.

I’ve played Drawn before but I don’t remember much. I do remember I liked it and played the second game but I know I didn’t finish.

Emerald City Confidential is one of my favorite game from Dave Gilbert mostly because of the story and the quirkiness of that Wizard of Oz interpretation.

 

     

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I like your list, Tim. It is pretty much the same as mine except I would not put Myths of the World: Of Fiends and Fairies on it and might add a few more puzzle heavy games. Unfortunately, the puzzle-heavy games I can think of do not have the pacing, atmosphere or technical detail that would put them on a “best of” list.

     
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giom - 26 April 2017 09:41 AM

Emerald City Confidential is one of my favorite game from Dave Gilbert mostly because of the story and the quirkiness of that Wizard of Oz interpretation.

Dave Gilbert participated in the game’s playthrough. He was a hired gun on the game. It was originally conceived by him as a straight adventure, but it was dumbed down at the request of his bosses. So it turned into an adventure lite, but that still wasn’t good enough, so he added casual elements such as collecting the jewels and other things. That’s why I think of it as casual, despite there being no HO scenes.

     

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Yes, I remember our discussion on the subject Smile

I’m not against casual games I think, I mostly don’t really have experience with them.

I did play a few games with HO scenes and really hated that aspect of those games (I would give up) but it’s worth trying casual games that don’t have HO scenes.

     
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My experience with casuals is mostly limited to the CPTs but I have to agree with Emerald City Confidential, the Enigmatis trilogy and the Drawn trilogy being top notch games.

ECC and the last two Enigmatis games in particular are absolutely superb.

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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furgotten - 26 April 2017 11:53 AM

I like your list, Tim. It is pretty much the same as mine except I would not put Myths of the World: Of Fiends and Fairies on it and might add a few more puzzle heavy games. Unfortunately, the puzzle-heavy games I can think of do not have the pacing, atmosphere or technical detail that would put them on a “best of” list.

I won’t disagree with your opinion on Myths. It might not make my list of Top 20 games as far as overall “greatness.” But then there is the voice acting. It’s kind of like when an otherwise so-so movie wins an Oscar for best cinematography.

     

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I should amend this to say that Myths was one of my all-time favorite casual games because of the voice acting. So it deserves a spot on my “Best of” list. I think that was all that was asked of me on the other thread. These are my top games, not the top games. It wasn’t an easy task. I’ve probably played close to 300 of them. The top three may get universal agreement. The next four get a “Yeah, I’m OK with that.” type of agreement. The last four will be agreed upon by players with the same tastes in games that I do. And that is, obviously, not universal.

The list is what it is.

I think others should submit their own personal “Best of” lists.

     

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I also agree with the Drawn series, Emerald City Confidential, and the Enigmatis series. I enjoyed the seven additional games you’ve mentioned, but I’d put other games slightly higher.

Furgotten—I’m intrigued by what you said about puzzle-heavy games and pacing. Is it harder for a game with difficult, tricky puzzles to have the right pacing? And do you then aid the pacing by making the story less intricate?

     
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Thanks for doing the list.

I’ll commit to playing Drawn and Emerald City Confidential.

     
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So I purchased the first chapter of Drawn.

It better be good rtrooney, or else…

     
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Well, since you can buy it from BigFishGames, usually at a discount, e.g., Buy One Get One, I hope you will think that its US$3.99 well spent. It’s not as if you just shelled out US$35.00 for Syberia3 and find out that you hate it.  Meh

     

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Becky - 29 April 2017 05:23 PM

Furgotten—I’m intrigued by what you said about puzzle-heavy games and pacing. Is it harder for a game with difficult, tricky puzzles to have the right pacing? And do you then aid the pacing by making the story less intricate?

Good question, Becky, and I don’t have a clue what the answer is.  On reflection I guess that the games I am thinking of just throw one mini game after another at you without integrating the puzzle mechanics into the story. The Drawn series is probably an example of it done right and that could possibly be considered an adventure game.

     
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Becky - 29 April 2017 05:23 PM

...but I’d put other games slightly higher.

Please re-order, or insert your own Best Of. I invited other opinions. I would rather you submit your own list than say mine could have been better.

Let me restate: This is MY list of the top ten or so games I most enjoyed. I don’t care whether anyone agrees with it. It was done as a response to a request made on another thread.

I stated at the beginning that I hate these lists because they become argumentative rather than informative.

If anyone has their own Best Of list, just post it.

     

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Been playing Drawn 1. Great game so far.

     
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Whew!

     

For whom the games toll,
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