Mass Effect is one of my favourite game franchises of all time (the trilogy - I never really got into Andromeda) and can definitely be played on a casual basis.
this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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Playing through the Legendary Edition remasters on Xbox right now - I second this recommendation, they’re a lot of fun.
Half-Life 1, 2 and 3. You may have to wait a bit for that last one.
People have mentioned Mass Effect so a big +1 to those games as well.
Yeah I love the story of the first games
Elder Scrolls: first complete Daggerfall, then Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim.
"Complete" TES games? There are people who don't get so distracted by side-quests that they never finish the main quest in those?
Wait. You mean there's a main quest?
Batman Arkham trilogy! I only played the first one but it blew me away.
If you're into jrpgs and manage to set up a switch emulator also the Xenoblade trilogy is unbelievably good
How's the combat system in Xenoblade?
It's very satisfying and gets more fun and deep the more you progress. Also it's quite a bit different in all the three games. I'll refer to Xeno1's combat for the sake of simiplicity.
Tldr: this is a good general explaination, also shows some general combat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_DsUSxDm3M
This is just some random gameplay:
The basic gameplay flow consists in: Engage the enemy > draw aggro to the party's tank > use debuff skills > use damage skills. Throw in the mix a chain attack when possible, and repeat until the enemy is dead.
The party consists in two characters played by the cpu and one character controlled by the player. Everyone autoattacks automatically, and everyone is free to move around the enemy while doing so. The fun part consists in using the right skills at the right moment (if the enemy has a debuff) and in the right position (some skills hit harder or trigger additional effects if you hit the enemy from the sides or from behind). You have to be mindful of your skills because they (obviously) go on cooldown once used and because if you do too much damage the enemy will target your character (which is something you don't want, unless you're playing as Reyn)
Wow, thanks for the detailed answer! The combat looks more thorough and fun than I thought :D
As others have said I would 100% recommended the Mass Effect trilogy.
I Also really enjoyed the crysis trilogy, it's like playing through a Michael Bay alien movie. The 2nd and 3rd games especially.
I'd also recommend the Arkham and Witcher trilogies. For the Witcher trilogy I'd wait till the remake of the first game comes out if you plan on playing them in order, as the first game hasn't aged particularly well.
crysis is a lot like the matrix of video games. the first one was groundbreaking and set technical standard all releases were compared to - for years! - then 2 and 3 were very meh and forgettable.
I actually really liked Crysis 2, it felt like a polished Crysis and I enjoyed the city setting. The plot was quite basic but so was the first game.
I am sad there was no Zero-G moments though.
By the time the Witcher 1 remake comes out we will also have a Witcher 4, so it won't be a trilogy anymore. That being said, I'm hoping both entries turn out to be good, especially the W1 remake. It's a fantastic game that's really hard to recommend for newcomers to the series.
I played them in alternating order of release
I don’t mean this in a rude way, but what are you?
As for your question, here are a few options (not all trilogies): Mass Effect Dragon Age Stalker Deus Ex Amnesia Dead Space (skip 3) Dishonored Far Cry 3-6 Metro Saints Row Wolfenstein
Why skip far cry 1&2? 1 is a little dated yes but iconic in itself. The setting of far cry 2 is one of the most unique in gaming history and it brought some very interesting mechanics into gaming which were revolutionary for that time.
There might be a lot of nostalgia speaking here though. I had so much fun with both games!
I still maintain the opinion that the original Far Cry is the best. Followed by 3 and 4. I couldn't get into Far Cry 2 for some reason though some of the tech in it is rad.
Surely it should be far cry 2, 3 and that weird one ive never played but people love. Everything past that is a reskin of 3
Haha no offence taken, but why do you not agree with my play tactic? I find the gradual progression of both technology and storyline very satisfying!
You are very much right where you should be.
I suppose I get it if you’re really interested in watching technological progression in particular, but to me it’s like taking a bite of dessert and then of dinner and then of breakfast: even if you have very similar styles (3rd person mission oriented/linear shooter, for example) there’s still some degree of continuity between parts of a trilogy/franchise that’s greater than between franchises, not to mention world and characters and story and themes.
I’ve done deep dives into franchises by going straight up through the years (my favorite is Geneforge/Avernum/Avadon) but bouncing between them would really throw me off.
Yeah I get what you're saying, but I figured that I didn't want to get bored of the same (albeit improved) game mechanics by playing a franchise straight through. I really enjoyed switching between FPS and third person perspectives for example, and also that warm, familiar feeling of returning to a game story was increased by taking a complete break from the whole world for a few months or so (as I said I'm a very casual gamer!)
If you're a fan of the Elder Scrolls franchise, there's a trilogy made by an indie dev crew called SureAI (just game devs, nothing to do with AI, lol) that are built from the assets of the Elder Scrolls games.
Enderal is built from Skyrim, Nehrim from Oblivion, and... idr the Morrowind one.
These games are there own lore-universe, and have nothing at all to do with Elder Scrolls. Different characters, races, terrain, voice actors, music, etc.
Enderal is fucking incredible. The other two are decent.
Free on steam, provided you have the corresponding Bethesda game in your library for the SureAI ones to cannibalize.
Dark Souls 1-3 is a perfect casual experience
They’re my favourite relaxing games to unwind with after work
I was going to recommend you the Uncharted trilogy, but then I noticed you said on Steam Deck, then I proceed to be sad because I don't have one lol.
Is emulating an option? That opens up more stuff!
For games that you can download and play right away on the Steam Deck
-Mass Effect Legendary Edition Remastered
-Dead Space
-Yakuza series
-Uncharted Trilogy
-Shadows of Mordor and Shadows of War
I would also recommend Max Payne 1-3, but that I know of the first one, at least, does need a bit finagling.
Also the Borderlands series, not sure if it can be played on Deck as is. 2 is a masterpiece though
I also would also not recommend anything Ubisoft right now with the whole deleting people's profiles and game libraries right now, even though Black Flag is one of my favorites. With all the other games and series everyone else is recommending, anything Ubisoft made can take a backseat for now imo.
Please do try the Mass Effect trilogy if you haven't yet. I put it off for the longest time and then just started playing. I finished all three games within a combined 100h over the course of like two months and could not play anything else. It was that good.
Ace Attorney Trilogy. I was immediately hooked even though I am not a fan of visual novel or detective games.
Or, if you're fine with a duology, the Great Ace Attorney. They have more convenience features than the original trilogy (though I also still highly recommend the original trilogy)
OBJECTION!! But seriously, they're excellent.
Prince of Persia trilogy could work. It's more linear than assassin's creed so it could offer a change of pace.
Doom 1,2, 3!
Borderlands 1,2,3?
Without a doubt, Max Payne 1, 2 and 3
Late to the party, but Mass Effect, Dead Space, and the Arkham trilogy are all extremely solid choices haha.
Dead Space. It's like the brutal lovechild of Bioshock and Resident Evil. Cannot recommend the trilogy enough if you like the horror shooter genre. Especially Dead Space 1 and 2, truly ahead of its time.
I recommend playing the Original Trilogy first, then play the recently released Dead Space Remake if you'd like (OR be a real patient gamer and wait ten years before playing the Remake). The original trilogy should be pretty affordable everywhere but they are also all on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate if you have that.
Edit: I played the entire trilogy on my Steam Deck. Chef's Kiss 👌
How has nobody mentioned the Bioshock trilogy?
1 and 2 are fantastic and Infinite is great, though a huge departure from the first two.
It's just about my favorite trilogy of all time.
GTA 3D universe games: GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas
You can go as deep as you like from just doing the main missions to 100 percenting them. I think they hold up well enough on most fronts, even graphically, but seeing some of the games in your list that shouldn't matter.
The EA skate trilogy
Heya, i may be a bit late to the party (as I am with my games, lol) but I can highly recommend the Gears of War Franchise. If you’re into action games with interesting characters and we’ll balanced gameplay, this is perfect for you. Awesome pacing between action and story. I’ve binged through 1-4 in a few weeks. Now I’m a bit stuck on 5 because of that one Boss fight, but so far the series is amazing imo
Thank you, will check it out!
Streets of Rage! Although 3 isn't very good, but 4 more than makes up for it.
Incidentally, I've made <10 comments on this account and the majority have been recommending these games and/or their soundtracks, which should tell you all you need to know.
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