Emotionally Drained

[Felixthegamer]

I looked around and didn't see this as a topic yet. If it has been brought up before, send me in the right direction and please lock this.

What are games that drain you emotionally when you are done playing them? I am talking about games you are so into and so focused, when you are done you feel emotionally drained.

For me, I only have one, Galaga. It is not so much the case in the arcade. However at home, I have headphones on and completely focus. I throw myself completely into and when I am done, I am drained. What are yours?

[Dahne]

Lately, whenever I really enjoy a game, I get very depressed when I beat it. Happened with Kingdom Hearts, Vice City, Final Fantasy X, Draqgon Warrior VII....Hell, even Xenogears, and I was going through it for the umpteenth time in order to finally finish it before starting Xenosaga. The ending made me cry. But then again, so does the ending of everything.

[ManekiNeko]

A lot of FCI/Pony Canyon games leave me disturbed. I don't know why... it's either the horrible design of the games themselves or the creepy character artwork that takes the least threatening characters and makes them frightening. I remember an old VG+CE review (possibly Chris Bieniek's) that put it best... he claimed that the referee in Mike Ditka Football for the NES came straight out of the film The Exorcist.

JR

[IntvGene]

The first one that comes to mind is: REZ, for obvious reasons.

Also, another immersive game that drains me is Steel Battalion.

As for the pure emotional aspect, I haven't played a good game that affected me emotionally since Final Fantasy IV.

[kainemaxwell]

After beating an rpg I usually feel drained knowing it's finally over and whatnot...

[omnedon]

Grim Fandango

[maxlords]

Rez...and Doom. When I play Doom I play for so long I stop blinking. Completely. My eyes dry out and I keep playing. For HOURS! It's insane, but I do it with the good FPS games on PC. When I get done, keeping that paranoid level of awareness just wipes me out.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Attack Of The Timelord. Holy crap, if you can reach level 7 on that game without going into an over-adrenalized state of hyper-stimulation that results in a post-game "crash," you're evidently not playing Attack Of The Timelord.

[Captain Wrong]

Robotron or Tempest. When I get "in the zone" and really give a work out on those, I need a shower afterwards.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

Monkey island 2

[Eternal Champion]

METROID. After all these years, nothing has come close to finally getting to Tourian, and getting to the Mother Brain's room. Incredible design--the drama, tension, suspense had built to such a height by the time you enter that room...last summer my cousin, who loved Metroid way back in the day, played Metroid 3 for the first time...(heh...I love playing tour guide :) ), and we both agreed that the last few minutes of Metroid, as you approach the core of Tourian, are the most intense moments in gaming history. That set the standard for me.

Another hands-shaking-and-sweating game for me was the arcade 3-player Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder. Not only is it one my favorite games of all time, but getting to the Death Adder was to exhausting, the battle so heart pounding, it was a thrill to beat it, but sad, too. My dream is to have an arcade console of that game.

[Rolland]

why let it drain you?

[lionforce]

One of the more recent games that got to me was Akuji The Heartless for the PS1, hmmm, the game wasnt the greatest but its dark atmosphere and story really put the hook in me, I felt Akuji's pain in that game :grumble:

[kainemaxwell]

Lufia 2 lef tme drained. Sure if you've played Lufia 1 you know what happens at the end but it was a good ending but just...depressing.

[TheRedEye]

mm...I'll sort of second the vote for Grim Fandango. However, I wouldn't call it emotionally DRAINING as much as it is emotionally invoking. That end scene where Manny tosses down the gun is just like...wow.

I thought the very last cinema scene seemed terribly rushed, which was disappointing. But god, what a beautiful ending to an absolutely godly game.

Anyway, back to the point. Beating Grim Fandango didn't drain me, it inspired me. But it did have an effect!

Glad to see I'm not alone on this board. You're my new best friend. That is quite simply the greatest video gaming experience of my life.