Highbrow games?

[baronjohn]

Help me Codex - suggest to me some highbrow games. I can't remember many... The Last Express, Pathologic, possibly Arcanum and perhaps the Ultima games. Surely there's more? I want games with a touch of class. You know what I mean? You know what I mean!

I definitely don't mean Fallout (too punk), or PST (too fantasy).

Bonus points if the setting is historical and extra bonus points if the setting is either Victorian or the classical world. Fantastical elements are ok too, as long as it's classy.

 

[Lesifoere]

The Void, of course? Same devs as Pathologic, only better translated this time.

Would you consider Nikopol classy? If so, Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals. Also throw in, I dunno, The Path or something.

 

[Hobo Elf]

The Void and possibly Winter Voices if you can stomach the terrible combat. Have a look at my unfinished LP to get a taste of what the game is like.

 

[chzr]

jagged alliance 2

 

[SCO]

Sword of the samurai (perfectly executed minimalist style, faithful to the aesthetics and customs of the era). Still fun.

 

[SCO]

Floor 13 (well, it is politically aware: you are the head of a British black ops group, reacting to all the scandals).

 

[SCO]

Hidden agenda (rule a fictional south american country in the height of the cold war and try not to be deposed)

 

[SCO]

Uplink (too cyberpunk?)

Thief 1 (and the dark mod)

Celtic tales - balor of the evil eye

Darklands

Fool's Errand

King of Chicago (?)

Azrael's Tear

Conquest of the Longbow

Gabriel Knight 1 (well, maybe not "class")

Cosmology of Kyoto

Dreamweb

KGB

Laura Bow 1

Rome AD92 (?)

syndicate (?)

Heimdall 2 (?)

Moonstone - A hard Days Knight (troll, but it did have a distinctive atmosfere)

Prince of Persia 1 (?)

I think i'm done, the last ones weren't of the general feel you want.

 

[Crooked Bee]

How are Celtic Tales in any way highbrow? I mean, it's probably one of my top 5 favourite games ever but there's nothing highbrow about it, not that I can think of. Or am I missing something?

 

[SCO]

How are Celtic Tales in any way highbrow? I mean, it's probably one of my top 5 favourite games ever but there's nothing highbrow about it, not that I can think of. Or am I missing something?

It's highbrow because it immerses you into the (brutal, warrior like, unusually unsexist) culture of the age (or a least a "idea" of the culture of the age), kind of like sword of the samurai.

I mean, i don't expect philosophy/history tracts in my games, so i kinda have to go with the setting when i want "highbrow".

Unusual, well depicted settings get creed with me (why Heimdall or Rome92AD, syndicate or even Prince of Persia - that has the innovative speedrun like gameplay going for it - is even mentioned).

 

[Crooked Bee]

Ah I see, I just assumed "highbrow" = deliberately "elitist", which Celtic Tales isn't while, say, The Last Express, Pathologic, and possibly Arcanum are.

 

[SCO]

The last express didn't seem pretentious to me. Why did you feel this? Was it that the characters are stereotypes?

Haven't played pathologic or the void.

 

[Crooked Bee]

The last express didn't seem pretentious to me. Why did you feel this? Was it that the characters are stereotypes?

To me it was the overall "feel" I guess. The game just screamed, "I'm not for your average gamer! I aspire to something higher!" "Pretentious" isn't really the right word though, that's why I edited my above post and now it reads "deliberately elitist". The Celtic Tales was, well, just a game -- a great game, but it didn't feel like it was trying (too) hard to be "something different".

EDIT. Meh. I guess I just dislike the whole video-games-as-art approach.

 

[SCO]

Just watching the introduction again....

And Hollllly shit what a irritating noise when he opens his evil eye.

Definitely highbrow. Suffer for the art.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Just watching the introduction again....

And Hollllly shit what a irritating noise when he opens his evil eye.

Definitely highbrow. Suffer for the art.

 

[CrimsonAngel]

i vote Void.

 

[baronjohn]

Thanks guys, I've created a list and I'll be checking the games out. The political games seem especially interesting.

I don't think cyberpunk can be highbrow though. The whole genre is de facto juvenile fantasy.

 

[Mangoose]

IM HIGH BRO BUT WHAT IS HIGH BROW

 

[SCO]

Take special attention of Cosmology of Kyoto too, here is a review:
http://thegamingliberty.com/index.php/2 ... -of-kyoto/

 

[7hm]

Floor 13 (well, it is politically aware: you are the head of a British black ops group, reacting to all the scandals).

I love this game.

Another great game like this (kind of) is Hidden Agenda.

http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/138/H ... genda.html

The game that immediately came to mind when you said "highbrow" was Braid. Though to be fair that one may fall under "pretentious".

 

[SCO]

Floor 13 (well, it is politically aware: you are the head of a British black ops group, reacting to all the scandals).

I love this game.

 

[Jaqen]

Moving away from PC Games - did any consoles (even retro) manage to pull off any decent 'highbrow' stuff?

 

[Klaz]

I don't think cyberpunk can be highbrow though. The whole genre is de facto juvenile fantasy.

 

[SCO]

Moving away from PC Games - did any consoles (even retro) manage to pull off any decent 'highbrow' stuff?

Only one i'm aware is Shadow of the Colossus, and it wasn't highbrow (just unusual for eschewing the usual feedback mechanism of the genre and only allowing you to do those "evil" hunts to progress). I saw the same thing in ultima 8 and countless others (not that it encourages reflection, it never does). It is kind of similar to Dreamweb there above, but Dreamweb has another layer if you read the manual.

You might consider games like Silent Hill highbrow (obscured story), depending on your requirements.

So, no, i don't think so.

 

[SCO]

What's missing in this thread is Serious_Business calling us faggots setting us all straight.