Social Anxiety Support

Acme · 09-05-2009, 07:26 AM

I don't play video games much anymore, but back in the day I really enjoyed one-player adventure/horror games such as Silent Hill, and before that games like Wolfenstein when I was a kid. Thought I'd talk about a different game, though, that has really been on my mind recently.

Don't know if any guys here have played the PC game "Crescendo". It's a visual novel that came out back in 2003. Although this game is considered a "hentai" game and does contain a few adult scenes, it is nowhere near being in the same league as other hentai games. The few adult scenes in this game are done in an honest and genuine way (if it can be described this way) that advance and add to the emotional impact of the story lines, and are not superficial or hollow as in other hentai games. The main focus for me were the great story paths and the bonds/communication between the characters.

I don't like Japanese anime really and am not into hentai games, but this game really got to me on a deep level and it was stuck in my head for weeks. Been 2 months since I finished it and still think about it. I guess this visual novel really hit me as I know a relationship with a girl (something more than just being with a girl for a night or the weekend) will never be for me, in which the root cause is probably due at least somewhat to my SA (in addition to other factors). I guess Crescendo showed me / reminded me of what could've been had I been dealt different cards in this existence, which caused me to feel really heavy and melancholy. Then again, I do really enjoy being a loner and find it difficult to imagine being any other way, so I guess there's two sides to the coin.

Anyway, Crescendo has a great story (multiple paths) that are subtitled really well in English, a nostalgic ragtime soundtrack (I always like the warmth that a piano can give), and is just all around beautiful. It is highly recommended and is considered one of the best visual novels. I guess another reason I liked Crescendo so much is that I was able to easily identify with the main character (Ryo) through which the different story paths are presented - he was basically a loner like myself. Also, two of the female characters had SA. A quick review (without spoilers) can be read here:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/dos...w/R134965.html

This game / visual novel is available on Amazon.com through independent sellers for only $20 or can be downloaded online (like most other stuff) - just search for it on Google. Crescendo is one of my all-time favorites and is well worth the experience. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

There is another visual novel for the PC that I hear is extremely good and would like to check out at some point in the future: "Ever 17: Out of Infinity". Maybe one day down the line.

Infexxion · 09-08-2009, 09:50 PM

Some of my all time favorites I played as a kid are: Mario, Super Smash Bros. 64, 007, Mario Party, WWF No Mercy, and other PlayStation/N64 Games.

Now, I like more adult/darker games. I also love FPS and TPS as well. Most of the games I own are violent and dark like Call Of Duty, Bioshock, and more recently Batman Arkham Asylum. I do plan on getting a Wii soon, so I can re-visit Mario. It'll be interesting to see if I love it as much as I did 10 years ago because I haven't played a mario game since Mario 64.

SilentLoner · 09-09-2009, 03:39 PM

The Fire Emblem series are some of the best RPG's ever made. My favorite would be Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. If you like strategy/rpg games go for this series.

One favorite I keep replaying is The Godfather: Blackhand Edition. Just so darn fun, escpecially on the Wii.

Legend of Zelda series too, of course.

And just for nostalgia's sake my all time favorite game on my old gameboy advance was Golden Sun. Never got old.

inna sense · 09-09-2009, 03:46 PM

i dont play any games now cuz my pc is too old...but i used to like...command and conquer, quake 2, unreal, doom, aliens vs predator

Toad Licker · 09-09-2009, 03:50 PM

Unreal
Unreal Tournament
The Elder Scroll Series mainly Morrowind and Oblivion
Diablo 2

Jurexic5 · 09-09-2009, 10:08 PM

PC games I've gotten very addicted to:
Starcraft
Diablo 2
World of Warcraft

Console games that have a hold on me:
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy 6, 7, 8
Xenogears
Suikoden 1, 2, 5
Star Ocean 2, 3

Dempsey · 09-10-2009, 04:35 AM

Rock'n'roll racing
Sonic

Soul Reaver
Driver 2

Splinter cell
Morrowind

Counter-strike
Defence of the Ancients (inside the game Warcraft 3)
Tiberium sun
Starcraft

djr86 · 09-10-2009, 09:19 AM

Wii sports

Judi · 09-10-2009, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilentLoner

And just for nostalgia's sake my all time favorite game on my old gameboy advance was Golden Sun. Never got old.

You know they're making a golden sun ds? XD

Golden sun was one of my favourites too, I also like the disgaea series, final fantasy series... kingdom hearts? if that counts. I'm sure there's more but I can't think of them right now...

The only visual novel I ever played I guess are the phoenix wright series (but I haven't finished one yet) and this other ds one called 'time hollow', the later is really underated but pretty good though I think.

MrWorry · 09-10-2009, 11:46 PM

Castlevania! Most all of them going back to the original Nintendo (N64 version stunk). The music scores that go along with them are like no other game.

fluch · 09-11-2009, 03:12 PM

I have a thing for old-school adventure games & story-led RPG games...Really I like things that let you walk around & do things rather than action or fighting. I loved FF8 (though I've still never finished it...I tend to get stuck when the story starts to take a darker turn & there's less freedom to wander, maybe I'll pick it up again), Zelda, Grim Fandango, Broken Sword etc, also something more open-ended like Morrowind (Oblivion less so...), but that got boring due to lack of emphasis on the story.
I really hate shooting games. I actually find it pretty disconcerting to play games where people will just randomly shoot at you & there's no way to reason with them, even if it isn't real. Ugh.

I'm really not a big gamer at all any more though. I might play some old point/click stuff, though recently I've only played socially/with others for fun...

Acme · 09-19-2009, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrWorry

Castlevania! Most all of them going back to the original Nintendo (N64 version stunk). The music scores that go along with them are like no other game.

Castlevania was awesome - I enjoyed those games for many years. Very good memories.

EagerMinnow84 · 09-19-2009, 07:38 PM

I loved the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt game for Nintendo.

Ahhhh those were the days...

christ~in~me · 09-19-2009, 07:45 PM

Anything on my super nintendo

Logan X · 09-19-2009, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dempsey

Rock'n'roll racing

haha, good times. That game is great.
I always picked Tarquinn as my fav racer.

arcarsenal · 09-20-2009, 12:09 AM

super metroid = greatest game ever

Daxter · 09-20-2009, 04:47 PM

Must say, the OP has balls for mentioning a hentai game, even if it's not hardcore hentai by any means. Personally I say there's nothing wrong with it, not even the hardcore ones, although I'm not into the genre at all.

But I might play that game if it really has a good story. I'm interested in storydriven games. Got my hopes up for Heavy Rain.

I mostly play action games. It's hard for me to say which games are my true favourites, I'm not good at measuring my pleasure level when playing them, yknow.

I think my favourite games are (in no particular order)...

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Hard Life series
Metal Gear Solid 2
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Uncharted
Spider-Man (PSX)
Battlefield 2
The Punisher (2004)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Samoyed · 09-20-2009, 08:28 PM

Silent Hill 2 and 3. I wish I could still enjoy them, because, aesthetically, I think they're some of the most incredible things I've ever seen. Before I played those two, I really doubted that anybody in the industry had that kind of vision(yeah, I'm pretentious, I'm aware). And then also, of course, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. For the nostalgia. They were such magical experience at the time. I have to be careful not to reminisce about them in public.

Fishing Fool · 09-22-2009, 07:38 PM

I love Kill Zone and Fight Night Round 3...and anything on the Wii

coldmorning · 09-22-2009, 08:24 PM

Mount&Blade:

The guy who made this video should have kept it in 3rd person so you could actually see what he was doing. I think he also lowered the AI quality because his enemy were sort of ignoring him. Normally, it's very difficult to run down a line like that without them spearing you.

09-05-2009, 07:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
Acme Status: ??? Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: the moon Gender: Male Age: 25 Posts: 5	Favorite Video Games I don't play video games much anymore, but back in the day I really enjoyed one-player adventure/horror games such as Silent Hill, and before that games like Wolfenstein when I was a kid. Thought I'd talk about a different game, though, that has really been on my mind recently. Don't know if any guys here have played the PC game "Crescendo". It's a visual novel that came out back in 2003. Although this game is considered a "hentai" game and does contain a few adult scenes, it is nowhere near being in the same league as other hentai games. The few adult scenes in this game are done in an honest and genuine way (if it can be described this way) that advance and add to the emotional impact of the story lines, and are not superficial or hollow as in other hentai games. The main focus for me were the great story paths and the bonds/communication between the characters. I don't like Japanese anime really and am not into hentai games, but this game really got to me on a deep level and it was stuck in my head for weeks. Been 2 months since I finished it and still think about it. I guess this visual novel really hit me as I know a relationship with a girl (something more than just being with a girl for a night or the weekend) will never be for me, in which the root cause is probably due at least somewhat to my SA (in addition to other factors). I guess Crescendo showed me / reminded me of what could've been had I been dealt different cards in this existence, which caused me to feel really heavy and melancholy. Then again, I do really enjoy being a loner and find it difficult to imagine being any other way, so I guess there's two sides to the coin. Anyway, Crescendo has a great story (multiple paths) that are subtitled really well in English, a nostalgic ragtime soundtrack (I always like the warmth that a piano can give), and is just all around beautiful. It is highly recommended and is considered one of the best visual novels. I guess another reason I liked Crescendo so much is that I was able to easily identify with the main character (Ryo) through which the different story paths are presented - he was basically a loner like myself. Also, two of the female characters had SA. A quick review (without spoilers) can be read here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/dos...w/R134965.html This game / visual novel is available on Amazon.com through independent sellers for only $20 or can be downloaded online (like most other stuff) - just search for it on Google. Crescendo is one of my all-time favorites and is well worth the experience. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. There is another visual novel for the PC that I hear is extremely good and would like to check out at some point in the future: "Ever 17: Out of Infinity". Maybe one day down the line.

09-09-2009, 03:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
SilentLoner Status: Otaku Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Lost in thought, though occasionally I may be located at an anime convention. Gender: Female Age: 22 Posts: 2,452	The Fire Emblem series are some of the best RPG's ever made. My favorite would be Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. If you like strategy/rpg games go for this series. One favorite I keep replaying is The Godfather: Blackhand Edition. Just so darn fun, escpecially on the Wii. Legend of Zelda series too, of course. And just for nostalgia's sake my all time favorite game on my old gameboy advance was Golden Sun. Never got old. __________________ "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.” -Plato "When a cold wind blows it chills you - chills you to the bone. But there's nothing in nature that freezes your heart like years of being alone." OTAKU UNITE! “We honor Dr. Tiller’s legacy of service to women.” Dr. George Tiller 1941 -2009 Memorial Web Page http://www.iamdrtiller.com/ http://www.remembertiller.com/

09-09-2009, 03:46 PM	#4 (permalink)
inna sense Status: SAS Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3,158	i dont play any games now cuz my pc is too old...but i used to like...command and conquer, quake 2, unreal, doom, aliens vs predator __________________ duality in oness << new song click here for some songs i did with others

09-09-2009, 03:50 PM	#5 (permalink)
Toad Licker Status: Broken Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: A Fruitloop Daydream Gender: Male Age: 44 Posts: 29,638	Unreal Unreal Tournament The Elder Scroll Series mainly Morrowind and Oblivion Diablo 2 __________________ All will wither, go to sleep The ones you love you may not keep All you touch will fall apart The dreams you kill will break your heart There's no mercy, there's no rest The void will scream within your chest No one knows and no one will So leave this place that makes you Ill - Madder Mortem

09-09-2009, 10:08 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jurexic5 Status: Cloud Envy Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: California Gender: Male Posts: 335	PC games I've gotten very addicted to: Starcraft Diablo 2 World of Warcraft Console games that have a hold on me: Final Fantasy Tactics Final Fantasy 6, 7, 8 Xenogears Suikoden 1, 2, 5 Star Ocean 2, 3 __________________ "People don't realize this, but loneliness is underrated." Blog - Last.fm

09-08-2009, 09:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
Infexxion Status: Not Sure Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Kansas Gender: Male Age: 16 Posts: 157	Some of my all time favorites I played as a kid are: Mario, Super Smash Bros. 64, 007, Mario Party, WWF No Mercy, and other PlayStation/N64 Games. Now, I like more adult/darker games. I also love FPS and TPS as well. Most of the games I own are violent and dark like Call Of Duty, Bioshock, and more recently Batman Arkham Asylum. I do plan on getting a Wii soon, so I can re-visit Mario. It'll be interesting to see if I love it as much as I did 10 years ago because I haven't played a mario game since Mario 64.

09-10-2009, 04:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
Dempsey Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Sydney Australia Gender: Male Age: 21 Posts: 637	Rock'n'roll racing Sonic Soul Reaver Driver 2 Splinter cell Morrowind Counter-strike Defence of the Ancients (inside the game Warcraft 3) Tiberium sun Starcraft

09-10-2009, 09:19 AM	#8 (permalink)
djr86 Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Southern Maryland Gender: Male Posts: 89	Wii sports __________________ When all is said and done, there's usually more said than done. Learn to like your self, because you're one person you can't get away from.

09-10-2009, 11:46 PM	#10 (permalink)
MrWorry Status: SAS Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: SD Posts: 85	Castlevania! Most all of them going back to the original Nintendo (N64 version stunk). The music scores that go along with them are like no other game.

09-11-2009, 03:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
fluch Status: in another moment... Join Date: Aug 2009 Gender: Male Age: 23 Posts: 101	I have a thing for old-school adventure games & story-led RPG games...Really I like things that let you walk around & do things rather than action or fighting. I loved FF8 (though I've still never finished it...I tend to get stuck when the story starts to take a darker turn & there's less freedom to wander, maybe I'll pick it up again), Zelda, Grim Fandango, Broken Sword etc, also something more open-ended like Morrowind (Oblivion less so...), but that got boring due to lack of emphasis on the story. I really hate shooting games. I actually find it pretty disconcerting to play games where people will just randomly shoot at you & there's no way to reason with them, even if it isn't real. Ugh. I'm really not a big gamer at all any more though. I might play some old point/click stuff, though recently I've only played socially/with others for fun...

09-19-2009, 07:38 PM	#13 (permalink)
EagerMinnow84 Status: Living in Technicolor Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Dancing with Gene Kelly Gender: Female Posts: 1,189	I loved the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt game for Nintendo. Ahhhh those were the days... __________________ I don't know, I kind of like him. He's the exact opposite of everything I really hate. In a way, he's such a clueless dork, he's almost kind of cool

09-19-2009, 07:45 PM	#14 (permalink)
christ~in~me Status: SAS Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: florida Gender: Female Age: 24 Posts: 408	Anything on my super nintendo

09-20-2009, 12:09 AM	#16 (permalink)
arcarsenal Status: SAS Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 29	super metroid = greatest game ever

09-20-2009, 04:47 PM	#17 (permalink)
Daxter Status: Free Speech Advocate Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Getting closer to an SA-less life Gender: Male Posts: 211	Must say, the OP has balls for mentioning a hentai game, even if it's not hardcore hentai by any means. Personally I say there's nothing wrong with it, not even the hardcore ones, although I'm not into the genre at all. But I might play that game if it really has a good story. I'm interested in storydriven games. Got my hopes up for Heavy Rain. I mostly play action games. It's hard for me to say which games are my true favourites, I'm not good at measuring my pleasure level when playing them, yknow. I think my favourite games are (in no particular order)... Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Hard Life series Metal Gear Solid 2 Batman: Arkham Asylum Uncharted Spider-Man (PSX) Battlefield 2 The Punisher (2004) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City __________________ ...without love, without anger, without sorrow, breath is just a clock... ticking.

09-20-2009, 08:28 PM	#18 (permalink)
Samoyed Status: SAS Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Oregon Gender: Male Age: 19 Posts: 19	Silent Hill 2 and 3. I wish I could still enjoy them, because, aesthetically, I think they're some of the most incredible things I've ever seen. Before I played those two, I really doubted that anybody in the industry had that kind of vision(yeah, I'm pretentious, I'm aware). And then also, of course, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. For the nostalgia. They were such magical experience at the time. I have to be careful not to reminisce about them in public.

09-22-2009, 07:38 PM	#19 (permalink)
Fishing Fool Status: SAS Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Midwest Gender: Male Posts: 9	I love Kill Zone and Fight Night Round 3...and anything on the Wii __________________ Indiana...where the introverts stare at their shoes and the extroverts stare at your shoes...

09-22-2009, 08:24 PM	#20 (permalink)
coldmorning Status: Add water and shake Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northern California Gender: Male Posts: 2,125	Mount&Blade: The guy who made this video should have kept it in 3rd person so you could actually see what he was doing. I think he also lowered the AI quality because his enemy were sort of ignoring him. Normally, it's very difficult to run down a line like that without them spearing you.