Top 10 Amazing Games that Sound Boring AF
I know it they don't look like much, but given em a chance! These are the titles that are a hard sell to your friends cuz they SOUND so bland, so basic, so dry you'd be bored to tears, but are much more than meets the eye underneith! Welcome to http://WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Amazing Games That Look Boring on the Surface.
Special thanks to our user “MikeyP” for suggesting this topic using our interactive suggestion tool at http://WatchMojo.comsuggest
#10: “Game Dev Story” (2010)
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A game about being a game developer may sound like the sort of navel-gazing concept that might prove insufferable in lesser hands, but fortunately that’s not the case here. “Game Dev Story” relies on the framework of a management simulation game to illustrate the highs and lows of working in the games industry. Players need to build up a development team and find the most efficient means of publishing games possible, aiming for high review scores and sales numbers. It’s all about trying to stay relevant to an ever-shifting market while also working within the limitations imposed upon oneself, and it’s addictive to boot.
#9: “Paperboy” (1985)
Those familiar with paper delivery can speak to the monotony and tedious repetition of the job. Thus, “Paperboy” opts to subvert audience expectations by being far more tense and dynamic than the premise suggests. Players take on the role of a paper carrier, tossing copies of a newspaper called The Daily Sun to subscribers’ houses while dodging obstacles on their bike path and vandalizing non-subscribers’ homes. What takes things into interesting territory is that said hazards not only include normal occurences such as dogs and people on skateboards, but also rampant tornadoes and visits from the Grim Reaper. With simple-but-enjoyable mechanics and a slightly surreal vibe to it, “Paperboy” has an understated charm that makes it worth your time.
#8: “Spintires” (2014)
Mud and muck can’t stop us from having a good time... probably. Funded via Kickstarter, “Spintires” took a seemingly mundane premise – driving through muddy Russian forests in decades-old vehicles to move cargo – and infused it with a sense of purpose and challenge. Getting from point to point means battling the very environment, which can feel deeply triumphant for each hill crossed and highly amusing whenever a truck ends up in a ditch. Plus, the maps on display are beautifully rendered, particularly where their portrayal of rain-soaked roads and natural lighting are concerned.
#7: “QWOP” (2008)
Run like you’ve never run before. “QWOP” emerged in the age when browser-based Flash games were still emerging as an art form unto themselves, yet it stood out thanks to one hell of a central hook. The game casts you as an athlete trying to run a course... only their legs are warped to the point of needing to be lifted and guided each step of the way. Every meter reached by way of hitting the titular keys in rhythm is a small victory, with players aiming to surpass the 100 meter mark. It’s far from complex, but it works well at keeping players shooting for the gold.
#6: “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” (2013)
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Cute woodland creatures and the sweet bliss of bureaucracy, that’s the life. Or at least, that’s the strangely compelling reality of “New Leaf”, which asks you to serve as the mayor of your own town. Keeping tabs on the various animal locals while contributing to public works and managing the town’s functions never feels tiresome or truly thankless, due in part to eccentric characters and a lighthearted tone. In addition, “New Leaf” offers a lot of opportunities for customization and exploring the world, which helps maintain a feeling of belonging in this setting.
#5: “RollerCoaster Tycoon” (1999)
Ever wanted to run an amusement park? Courtesy of developer Chris Sawyer Productions, we have this delightful gem of a game that fulfilled that wish and then some. Far from being bogged down in spreadsheets and tiresome maintenance, “RollerCoaster Tycoon” instead focuses on building rides, controlling prices and messing with the poor park-goers. Few things are as morbidly amusing as constructing a half-complete rollercoaster and letting people ride to their doom, or inciting mass vomiting across the park. Of course that’s not to say playing through the 20-plus scenarios on offer is any less fun or rewarding.
#4: “Her Story” (2015)
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Police procedurals can be hit or miss in quality, but “Her Story” works well in its use of the form. The game is centered on a police investigation in the 1990s, with the aim seemingly being to use clips of interviews to piece together the nature of the crime. As events unfold, though, the uncertainty of facts and the tension embodied by the interview subject – a woman named Hannah – starts to creep in. Coupled with the use of live actors and full motion video, it fosters an uneasy mood more akin to a thriller than a procedural. “Her Story” goes in directions you’re never quite prepared for, in service of a story you won’t soon forget.
#3: “Surgeon Simulator” (2013)
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Players to the operating room, stat. People might not have been anticipating how completely “Surgeon Simulator” would embrace the dark comedy of its subject matter, but damn if it didn’t work out well for the creators. Patient after patient, operation after operation, the goal is the same: extract a failing organ using the medical implements nearby, and replace it with a healthy alternative. What brings things to hilariously horrifying heights is also the main joke – you control the surgeon’s hands, which are imprecise and in need of constant guiding. From flailing about trying not to stab a sleeping patient in the face to accidentally dropping replacement organs, it’s hard to keep from cracking a smile at the antics on screen.
#2: “The Oregon Trail” (1971)
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Surviving the harsh wilderness of the American Frontier may not seem like a swell time, but stick with us a moment. “The Oregon Trail” was conceived as a means of conveying the realities of 19th century life in America to school children, riding a fine line between education and entertainment. It plays out much like survival games of today – keeping track of a party’s needs, weighing risk and reward, making hard decisions about the usage of resources. That the focus is on guiding a family across harsh and unforgiving terrain adds to a sense of personal attachment, with the goal of reaching Oregon alive being appropriately challenging yet enticing.
#1: “Papers, Please” (2013)
Set in a fictional authoritarian state akin to those in the Eastern Bloc, “Papers, Please” uses the detachment and mundanity of its chosen perspective to comment on some truly harrowing issues. You inhabit the role of a border guard, checking passports and deciding the very futures of many a prospective citizen. Through this character’s eyes, the audience witnesses and contributes to truly grotesque violations of civil liberties and basic human rights, all while trying to keep the guard’s family alive and fed. Quietly and methodically, “Papers, Please” explores what it means to survive in a nation willing to sacrifice individuals for the sake of absolute order, and the tragedy therein.
