Jump to content
IGNORED

Retro Games That Help With Anxiety


Nintendo64

Recommended Posts

Just wanted to add another game to the list. I think Ghosts' N Goblins for the NES is a really good game to help relieve some anxiety. Although it is a very difficult game, it is a game that I can become submerged in, and one that I can never get tired of playing. I think the better you become at difficult games like Ghosts' N Goblins, the more relaxing and anxiety relieving they become to play.

Edited by Nintendo64
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/20/2021 at 7:07 PM, Nintendo64 said:

Just wanted to add another game to the list. I think Ghosts' N Goblins for the NES is a really good game to help relieve some anxiety. Although it is a very difficult game, it is a game that I can become submerged in, and one that I can never get tired of playing. I think the better you become at difficult games like Ghosts' N Goblins, the more relaxing and anxiety relieving they become to play.

I think any game that provides a distraction to the anxiety would be on the list. Ghosts N Goblins is too difficult for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

for me personally, any games that make you start from the beginning of a level after dying just cause agitation.  I've found that the best anxiety reducing games are included in those classic arcade type compilations where you basically have unlimited continues and you can just float through the game without worry.  but really it's mostly driving games that help me with anxiety, which is funny cuz im 44 and I never bothered to get my actual license L:0

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After taking a look at Ghost & Goblins for the NES for the first time in Youtube, all I can say is that it may help with anxiety... compared to the Amstrad CPC port. Seriously, try the Amstrad CPC port. It's brutally difficult due to the sudden scrolling (a mixture of scrolling and flip screen, where the screen scrolls when you're close to the border) and the music is like a techno version of the main theme (which is cool)!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/22/2021 at 10:28 AM, VectorGamer said:

I think any game that provides a distraction to the anxiety would be on the list. Ghosts N Goblins is too difficult for me.

I also believe if your able to get lost in a game, it can really help with relieving a little anxiety. Also to try to make Ghosts N Goblins a little easier, I like to use save states to help past certain difficult parts of the game.

  

15 hours ago, NeonSpaceBeagle said:

ghosts and goblins might be the most anxiety producing series of games i've ever played

for me personally, any games that make you start from the beginning of a level after dying just cause agitation.

I definitely understand how Ghost's N Goblins can be a difficult game. I think if you practice the game enough and use save states, it really helps with anxiety because you don't have to think too much about the game because you've memorized the patterns. Also if you are able to get to the mid-point of a level and then die, you start at the halfway point of that level with unlimited continues.

 

15 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

After taking a look at Ghost & Goblins for the NES for the first time in Youtube, all I can say is that it may help with anxiety... compared to the Amstrad CPC port. Seriously, try the Amstrad CPC port. It's brutally difficult due to the sudden scrolling (a mixture of scrolling and flip screen, where the screen scrolls when you're close to the border) and the music is like a techno version of the main theme (which is cool)!

I have never looked at the Amstrad CPC version of the game until now. I can definitely see what your saying about the screens side scrolling, and how that could be irritating. I also think the music in that game is pretty cool as well, thank you for letting me know about that version of the game.

Edited by Nintendo64
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just want to add another game to the list. I think that Yars Revenge for the Atari 2600 is a good game that might help relieve some anxiety. It is a strategy involved shooter that is  fun to play, and is very different from any other game that I've played on the system. I think it is a good game to be able to get lost into while playing and hopefully it can help relieve some anxiety, even if it's just a little bit.

Edited by Nintendo64
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This might be a bit of a strange suggestion, but have you tried Xeno Crisis? I know, I never shut up about this game, but it's really good and it's on a bunch of different systems. Surprising absolutely nobody, I recommend the Genesis/MD and/or Dreamcast versions, but there is also a Neo Geo version being developed that I will definitely not miss. This game is really difficult, but there is an easy option. Also great for multiplayer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/2/2021 at 8:07 AM, Steven Pendleton said:

This might be a bit of a strange suggestion, but have you tried Xeno Crisis? I know, I never shut up about this game, but it's really good and it's on a bunch of different systems. Surprising absolutely nobody, I recommend the Genesis/MD and/or Dreamcast versions, but there is also a Neo Geo version being developed that I will definitely not miss. This game is really difficult, but there is an easy option. Also great for multiplayer.

I don't think it is a strange suggestion, I actually think it is a really good one. There are different types of games that can possibly help relieve some anxiety for everybody, and I think the type of game varies depending on the person playing it. I have never played this game before but it looks like a really good one.  I will try to play this game to see if it helps relieve some anxiety, even if its just a little bit. Thank you for your suggestion, it looks like a really fun game to play.

Edited by Nintendo64
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Nintendo64 said:

I don't think it is a strange suggestion, I actually think it is a really good one. There are different types of games that can possibly help relieve some anxiety for everybody, and I think the type of game varies depending on the person playing it. I have never played this game before but it looks like a really good one.  I will try to play this game to see if it helps relieve some anxiety, even if its just a little bit. Thank you for your suggestion, it looks like a really fun game to play.

You might find out why I think it's an odd suggestion if you play it... it's pretty well known for being difficult. You have to no-miss the entire game to even see the final boss. I've never beaten it and I never seem to get better at it no matter how much I play it. Still, if you want to try it, it's on the Genesis/MD, Dreamcast, Steam, Switch, probably the PS4, I think a few other systems, and the Neo Geo version is in development right now. If you buy a real cart or disc, they email you the ROM so you can play it on an emulator or on a ROM cart while you wait for the game to come in the mail.

 

Oh, I forgot something that you mentioned before: the stroke timer in Neo Turf Masters. That's only there in the MVS version. If you play the AES version, there's no stroke timer.

Edited by Steven Pendleton
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/4/2021 at 6:18 AM, Steven Pendleton said:

You might find out why I think it's an odd suggestion if you play it... it's pretty well known for being difficult. You have to no-miss the entire game to even see the final boss. I've never beaten it and I never seem to get better at it no matter how much I play it. Still, if you want to try it, it's on the Genesis/MD, Dreamcast, Steam, Switch, probably the PS4, I think a few other systems, and the Neo Geo version is in development right now. If you buy a real cart or disc, they email you the ROM so you can play it on an emulator or on a ROM cart while you wait for the game to come in the mail.

 

Oh, I forgot something that you mentioned before: the stroke timer in Neo Turf Masters. That's only there in the MVS version. If you play the AES version, there's no stroke timer.

I am going to try out a little of this game this weekend, and let you know how it goes. I don't mind games being difficult, because I like to use save states to help relieve some anxiety while playing games. I think save states are great in helping with anxiety because it allows you the ability to not have to redo the same parts over and over again, which might cause stress. It also lets you to play the game at your own pace and start from any point in a game at any given time.

 

That is great to hear about the Neo Turf Masters as well on the AES, but as for the Neo Geo I only have games that are a collection disk for the PS2. Maybe I can find on it on a virtual console somewhere, I can play it then. Thank you for all of your information and your help, and I will let you know when I play Xeno Crisis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Nintendo64 said:

I am going to try out a little of this game this weekend, and let you know how it goes. I don't mind games being difficult, because I like to use save states to help relieve some anxiety while playing games. I think save states are great in helping with anxiety because it allows you the ability to not have to redo the same parts over and over again, which might cause stress. It also lets you to play the game at your own pace and start from any point in a game at any given time.

 

That is great to hear about the Neo Turf Masters as well on the AES, but as for the Neo Geo I only have games that are a collection disk for the PS2. Maybe I can find on it on a virtual console somewhere, I can play it then. Thank you for all of your information and your help, and I will let you know when I play Xeno Crisis.

I don't know how the Steam/other modern system versions of Xeno Crisis works, but if you buy the Genesis/MD/Dreamcast version, you can run the file in an emulator of your choice. Get a second person if you can; multiplayer Xeno Crisis is really fun.

 

Neo Geo games on official emulation sources use the MVS mode and not the AES mode from what I have seen. You'd have to use some other emulator and set it to AES mode or actually go buy an AES and either a ROM cart (NeoSD, etc.) or the actual game... which costs $25,000 or so because it's one of the most rare AES games, so you probably won't find a copy anyway, unfortunately. MVS version is cheap and easy to find and will run perfectly in AES mode on a real AES if you get a cartridge converter, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

I don't know how the Steam/other modern system versions of Xeno Crisis works, but if you buy the Genesis/MD/Dreamcast version, you can run the file in an emulator of your choice. Get a second person if you can; multiplayer Xeno Crisis is really fun.

 

Neo Geo games on official emulation sources use the MVS mode and not the AES mode from what I have seen. You'd have to use some other emulator and set it to AES mode or actually go buy an AES and either a ROM cart (NeoSD, etc.) or the actual game... which costs $25,000 or so because it's one of the most rare AES games, so you probably won't find a copy anyway, unfortunately. MVS version is cheap and easy to find and will run perfectly in AES mode on a real AES if you get a cartridge converter, though.

I actually made a mistake. It wasn't until after I read your comments that I realized that Xeno Crises was a homebrew game. I guess I just assumed that I had the game because I have a decent amount of games that begin with the word Xeno, so I guess I won't be able to play it just yet. I think I would like to try the PS4 version when I get a chance, and I will let you know when I do so.

 

I think its safe to say that a $25,000 game is way out of my price range :) Its funny because I'll always remember that the Neo Geo and its games  were very expensive when the console was released in the USA, and I only knew of one kid in the neighborhood that owned the console.

 

Thank you again for all of your suggestions in this thread, I really do appreciate it.

Edited by Nintendo64
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Nintendo64 said:

I actually made a mistake. It wasn't until after I read your comments that I realized that Xeno Crises was a homebrew game. I guess I just assumed that I had the game because I have a decent amount of games that begin with the word Xeno, so I guess I won't be able to play it just yet. I think I would like to try the PS4 version when I get a chance, and I will let you know when I do so.

 

I think its safe to say that a $25,000 game is way out of my price range :) Its funny because I'll always remember that the Neo Geo and its games  were very expensive when the console was released in the USA, and I only knew of one kid in the neighborhood that owned the console.

 

Thank you again for all of your suggestions in this thread, I really do appreciate it.

No problem.

 

You'll generally find that Neo Geo MVS games are much cheaper than AES games; I actually bought Neo Turf Masters today for the MVS (well, it's the Japanese version, so it has the Japanese title, Big Tournament Golf, but it's literally exactly the same game) for 12000 yen. Now I need to get an MVS so I can actually play it, but I've been planning on buying the new Open MVS, which looks really excellent and is really tiny, which actually kind of helps since the AES is massive and I have to rearrange my entire desk every time I want to play it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was thinking about this topic today, as I'm fond of a sub-genre of FPS games that might be called "robots moving slowly through lots of corridors". I'm thinking of games like Kileak (PS1), Robotica (Saturn), and Iron Angel of the Apocalypse (3DO). They tend to be slow and methodical, to the point that they'd probably bore most FPS fans to tears, but for exactly that reason I find them relaxing and even a bit hypnotic. (It also helps that, being slow, they don't tend to make me feel sick.)

 

Another genre that can be kind of narcotic is the Star Raiders clone. Now, that's double-edged because some of them, like Star Voyager on NES and Starmaster on the Atari 2600, are highly stressful affairs with a tight time limit. But then there are really slow-paced ones like WarpSpeed on the Genesis and SNES, which has an almost sedative effect on me (especially the SNES port). You're just cruising around the galaxy, finding enemy squadrons one at a time and picking them off, without much time pressure unless you want to pick up the random events (and you should).

 

Of course WarpSpeed more or less requires you to make maps to succeed in some of the more complicated missions. I find mapmaking to be a relaxing activity -- well, mostly: it's aggravating to realize you messed everything up by one spot! -- so games that necessitate it, like some grid-based dungeon crawlers, can be pleasant.

 

And speaking of RPGs, roguelikes can be great because you're never too invested in any one run, and they don't take too long. Let me recommend Cave Noire for Game Boy -- a totally addictive "pocket-size roguelike" that's easy to end up playing for hours on end, yet can be dropped at a moment's notice.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/13/2021 at 11:00 AM, thegoldenband said:

I was thinking about this topic today, as I'm fond of a sub-genre of FPS games that might be called "robots moving slowly through lots of corridors". I'm thinking of games like Kileak (PS1), Robotica (Saturn), and Iron Angel of the Apocalypse (3DO). They tend to be slow and methodical, to the point that they'd probably bore most FPS fans to tears, but for exactly that reason I find them relaxing and even a bit hypnotic. (It also helps that, being slow, they don't tend to make me feel sick.)

 

Another genre that can be kind of narcotic is the Star Raiders clone. Now, that's double-edged because some of them, like Star Voyager on NES and Starmaster on the Atari 2600, are highly stressful affairs with a tight time limit. But then there are really slow-paced ones like WarpSpeed on the Genesis and SNES, which has an almost sedative effect on me (especially the SNES port). You're just cruising around the galaxy, finding enemy squadrons one at a time and picking them off, without much time pressure unless you want to pick up the random events (and you should).

 

Of course WarpSpeed more or less requires you to make maps to succeed in some of the more complicated missions. I find mapmaking to be a relaxing activity -- well, mostly: it's aggravating to realize you messed everything up by one spot! -- so games that necessitate it, like some grid-based dungeon crawlers, can be pleasant.

 

And speaking of RPGs, roguelikes can be great because you're never too invested in any one run, and they don't take too long. Let me recommend Cave Noire for Game Boy -- a totally addictive "pocket-size roguelike" that's easy to end up playing for hours on end, yet can be dropped at a moment's notice.

I was actually going to recommend a game today, and I just saw your post. These all sound like great suggestions. I am going to try out Warpspeed on the SNES because I have that game.

 

It's also interesting that you stated that mapmaking is a relaxing activity, because I feel the same way to a certain extent. This past week I was really focused on learning how to modify/hack old NES game sprites for the first time and I found it relaxing. Locating and creating new sprites in games is similar to mapmaking because you need to search for certain sprites within the game, and then draw out how you want them to appear in the different parts of the game.

 

The game I was going to recommend is called Final Soldier which is a shooter for the TurboGrafx 16. I feel that this game helps relieve some anxiety because there is so much to do on the screen that it helps keep my mind focused on the many enemies to defeat. It does help that the weapons used in the game allow you to eliminate many enemies at once, and the soundtrack is also great which lets you get lost in the game.

 

Thank you for your suggestions for retro games that might help relieve some anxiety, I really do appreciate it.

Edited by Nintendo64
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
On 6/17/2020 at 1:28 AM, CaptainBreakout said:

I donno... but he has like five different forms.  It's some iteration of spiritual musical evolution. Levels of. Or something like.

 

Anyways, you want to keep not dying, so the vibrator continues to function.  That's kind of the rule of the game, because when you DO die, the vibrator ceases to function, and then generally your female friend holding the vibrator throws her arms around you and it's your turn to interface directly. Boss battle city.

 

This why it's best not to be TOO good at this game if you're playing "two player"... since your vibration co-pilot will usually find a way to complete her quest before your mission is done if it drags on too long.  In that case, she'll just hang out and be bored waiting for you to finish.

 

So, as per rules of engagement- Die strategically! (says the Captain)

 

I know that the one virus guy from Toonami appeared in their review of the game. I wasn't watching the block round this time (I was more interested in G4), but I recently found out and I watched the review. Seems like they were going for a David Warner type with his voice. Still think the Rez/Jango Fett combo from the online game was funnier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Power Blade on the NES.

Once you learn how to farm the power ups, its like an easy going mega man.

 

Glade you came across the LOLO games.

 

Dr. Mario is a game I can dump a couple hours in and forget about everything.

I hated when I was a kid.

 

I found playing a game over again can be pretty relaxing too.

I play batman arkham city or asylum about every 6 months to a year.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, NeonSpaceBeagle said:

Slipstream (a really fun racer like outrun )  worked for me recently.

 

Slipstream really looks like my kind of relaxation.  It's got the zone-out music,  framerate seems hypno-smooth, and it's a dodge-the-cars game that has wide roads and fewer cars (to prevent the controller-throwing, that Top Gear/Horizon Chase games tend to generate).

 

My first thought seeing that name was Slipstream 5000, but that can be a fairly frustrating game. ?

Edited by Reaperman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...