Games with a 2001 or Moon vibe?

[Peter]

Been itching to play a good sci-fi video game that isn't space opera. Doesn't necessarily have to be hard sci-fi, just feel like it, if you know what I mean. I'd love to play a 2001/Moon/Solaris type thing.

 

[sgc_meltdown]

As much as I would share your approval, near-future setting contemplative space adventures don't appear to have been actually made. They always seem to want to make them zany with shitloads of aliens or very, very soft science.

I think you would have better luck searching IF games.

http://wurb.com/if/

 

[Jaesun]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/6040/

The Dig is fucking awesome, it's an adventure game though.

 

[Regis]

Mission Critical.

 

[Destroid]

Omikron?

 

[Unkillable Cat]

There's a small indie game called Mr.Robot that somewhat fits your description, but it's a Head Over Heels-esque puzzle game with a JRPG combat system.

EDIT: There's also Tecno: The Base (not a typo) that is much closer to your description, but I advise you to steer well away from that one.

Free demos are available for both games for you to try out.

 

[Black Bart Charley]

Moonbase Alpha

http://store.steampowered.com/app/39000/

 

[DraQ]

Been itching to play a good sci-fi video game that isn't space opera. Doesn't necessarily have to be hard sci-fi, just feel like it, if you know what I mean. I'd love to play a 2001/Moon/Solaris type thing.

Depends how much vibe you want, as proper hard SF games are a rare commodity.

Early missions in Nexus: TJI feature very odyssey-esque ships (except it's a tactical game, so the ships are warships, even though they are designed to look like actual spacecraft) and somewewhat "real space" vibe, so you might try it.

Frontier: Elite 2 and Frontier: First Encounters focus on huge, astronomically correct systems and Newtonian spaceflight, so while not quite Odyssey, they feel pretty authentic.

If you want to get really hardcore, there is Orbiter, but it's not an actual game.

Anyway, I'm interested in what else may come up in this thread.

 

[Gragt]

A likely candidate might be the Hollow Moon mod for UT2004. Not finished — probably never will be — but quite nice. Or maybe Homeworld?

Does it have to involve people? Because I got Osmos and SpaceChem in mind but I do not think it is what you're looking for.

Not set in space but with themes similar to 2001 or Solaris — and some equally good mastery of them — you may want to check out Cryostasis and The Void.

I'll probably get some flak for it but there is always Dead Space … It does the "isolated in space" thing pretty good, nicely tense atmosphere, awesome Zero G areas, and it borrows some story elements of Solaris — nothing deep at all, but it's welcome. Fun romp.

 

[Spectacle]

Check out Battlezone from 1998. It features US and Soviet forces fighting across the planets of the solar system in an alternate 1960's. There's some fantastic technology, alien artifacts and such, but it's of the subtle and mysterious kind rather than space opera silliness.

It also happens to be a cracking good game, one of my favorites from the late 90's.

I assume you've already played Alpha Centauri? Probably the best sci-fi setting ever in a game.

 

[Raapys]

For adventure games there are The Dig and Gateway 1&2, probably lots of others as well.

And +1 for Battlezone, pure awesomeness. Easily one of the best games I've ever played. You also have Archimedean Dynasty, an underwater sub-simulation with a definite sci-fi vibe. Another of my favorite games.

 

[genci88]

System Shock 2

 

[Gragt]

Ah, of course.

 

[DraQ]

System Shock 2

System Shock 2, for all its awesomeness can give a hard SF minded person brain aneurysm.

No, not because of Psi, "psychocreative" substances or rather arbitrary hyperdrive mess towards the end.
No, it's because of "subatomic nanites" and grove somehow ending up on Tau Ceti V.


Spacechem, OTOH does have this kind of vibe (based on demo), even though general mechanics might make a chemist wince a bit, so I'm recommending it along with both Frontiers.

And Nexus if it's primarily about pretty hard SF starships.

 

[Nael]

Rama

http://www.mobygames.com/game/rama

 

[Ruprekt]

http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/alien-legacy

http://www.mobygames.com/game/millenniu ... -to-earth-

Depending on your definition of space opera these could be what you're looking for or not.

 

[Mantiis]

Alien Legacy kinda gave me that feeling. Good game that one if a little flawed.

 

[asper]

Elite

 

[DraQ]

Elite

FE2 & (JJ)FFE >>>> Elite.

 

[asper]

Well I meant the series as a whole, difficult to decide which part is best. Frontier rips off Kubricks classical music idea, so OP should play that.

 

[lightbane]

There's Moon, a DS FPS game that's also Scifi without overdone space opera elements.

 

[DraQ]

Well I meant the series as a whole, difficult to decide which part is best. Frontier rips off Kubricks classical music idea, so OP should play that.

I think it's a tribute, it's not that you can play Frontier without ever watching Odyssey.

In any case, Elite is a foundation upon which the entire genre was built, but it's also sort of obsolete since it has been improved upon in about every way imaginable. FE2 and FFE, OTOH, are pretty much unique. And both are stellar (no pun intended) games, although it took many years of concerted user efforts to uplift FFE from its obvious beta alpha status.

 

[Peter]

Not to sound like an ungrateful ass, but I'd prefer action and adventure games to strategy games. I guess the personal stories as opposed to a grand setting is why I really love the movies listed, and I'm looking for a similar experience in a game.

The Dig looks really cool. System Shock is great as well, but not exactly what I meant. Same goes for Alpha Centauri.

I couldn't stand the sluggish controls and the camera of Dead Space. It's more Event Horizon than Space Odyssey anyway, it seems.

The only good thing to come of Moonbase Alpha is this video.

Thanks for the recommendations, though! I'll check some of these out.

 

[Ruprekt]

No problem

How about this?

http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/sentient

 

[Ermm]

Martian Gothic: Unification has an interesting premise, and even though I am one of the rare ones who like this game, still it has some serious faults.

But mood and atmosphere were very good.