I find a lot of value in a consistent opinion.
I suppose I could just emulate the GC version of Killer7 instead, but aside from the AI upsampling that they walked back, I hadn’t heard the Steam port was bad.
Play it! You have a great list of games there to enjoy, but for the Deck it’s wonderful, docked or handheld and while short it’s worth your time. The kind of game that’s a really good fit for a SteamDeck.
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My advice is that you take a rest and do something else. Abundance of options is a bitch.
As for the things I played:
- FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch is a nice metroidvania. It has some plain things, but it’s a fun game to be entertained for a while and it’s not a difficult one.
- GOD HAND, certainly.
- Humanity is pretty dope. You’d feel is kind of trying to control currents into a destination. You can play it in little spurts, also.
- Immortality can be really nice if you want kind of a similar experience akin to filming. It is a game about tying pieces like you were as an editor, so I think it’s kind of a short, but fun and suggestive experience.
- Paranormasight is kind of an unique bird of a visual novel in which you also fiddle with the environment (that’s why it worked on mobile phones, because you could play by interacting with the screen). Kind of very meta, and at the same time a fun “horror” story.
- Pentiment is also another unique beast, but more on the history side of things. You have to go fully letting yourself go because it has some limitations (you’ll see once you play), but those limitations are what make the game more engaging. If you want a short experience that is kind of complex in its experience, this is my recommendation. It’s not my favorite on the list, but it’s good. You won’t regret it.
- I wouldn’t recommend Spec Ops: The Line unless you want to see how it is. It’s a game I genuinely dislike and it’s not because it hasn’t good things going for it, but I don’t like how the game develops.
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Like what? Learn to crochet? Eat one of those jawbreakers the size of a softball? NOT PLAY VIDEO GAMES?!?
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The very presence of Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien makes me want to vote for that, but it doesn’t do anything that Bit.Trip Runner 1 does (aside from a slick Charles Martinet voiceover).
Mirror’s Edge is a funny one. It earned its spot in the gaming canon when it first came out but I don’t know of anyone who has played it in the last 10 years, so it’s impossible to know if it still stands the test of time for someone totally new. It’s still a very pretty looking source engine game. Its sequel had problems absent from the original one (because Catalyst added combat that totally breaks the rhythm of the parkour and an open world with tons of backtracking), but I’m pretty sure the original is a compact and straightforward experience.
Vagrant Story is the best game on this list, but it’s not a game to be grouped in with 20+ other candidates. Otherwise a few hours in you could be eying Outer Wilds and drop it. It’s important not to force such a special game, it will come to you when the time is right.
I vote GOD HAND
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Not play videogames for a while and do something else is what I tend to do at those points in overwhelm.
Now I am not being able to watch films because I’m too restless and imagine what I’m doing… I’m a heretic who is hard on VIDEOGAMES.
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If I follow your advice, I’ll never play Vagrant Story.
Every game I play is one of a hundred I could be playing. I do tend to give a game my full attention once started and (mostly) finish them. I don’t really walk away from a game unless I know I’m done with it.
Oh, also I haven’t played the first BIT.TRIP Runner. I decided to start with 2.
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Got it – Vagrant Story is just particularly fickle and demanding. Personally I treat those games like I would treat a kitten. If you walk over and start petting it, there’s a high chance it will bristle. But if you slowly stick your hand out and let it come to you there’s a higher chance it will work out.
But to each their own! I know you just recently beat 9 Sols which would also definitely fall into that category for me, so maybe go for it!
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Tell you what. I’ll play Cloudpunk if you’ll fix this for next time:
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Well we won’t need 47 games next time as you’ll have already played one of them. 
Let’s reach an agreement - 30 max? This way you have to trim the list down a bit or play more until you reach out again for help on what to play next. This way everybody wins!
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If I wanted to trim the list, I could have trimmed it to 20!
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Good point, well made.
Okay next poll I’ll increase the limit just for that one, as if we started to increase it for everyone’s backlog of games I’d just have to increase the limit to ∞. And beyond!
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You should play Outer Wilds although I have to say I enjoyed N
Fallout New Vegas more.
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Lots of great games on this - I do worry about the Steam Deck experience for some of them. Half Life 2 runs great on the deck but I much prefer that game with a keyboard and mouse - if you don’t have that hangup it’s hard to go wrong though. It’s a classic for a reason.
I played the Outer Wilds expansion on my deck, so I can easily recommend that one. At first I wasn’t feeling it, but then I put on some headphones and everything clicked - proper audio is essential for immersion in a ton of games. Outer Wilds is a fave of mine and a good fit for the deck.
Arkham Knight is another one I liked a lot (my favourite Arkham game, though that is a divisive opinion!), I am hearing that it plays well on the deck so worth a shot. It’s big, though - especially if you engage with a lot of the side content.
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Deus Ex: Human Revolution of you’re feeling immersive sim-y (other immersive sim choices are very good btw but DE feels like it was made just for me)
Friends of Ringo Ishikawa if you’re looking for a chill, short, hang out-y vibe.
Usually if I’m deciding between a bunch of games that’s usually the vibe I end up going with so I’m giving my vote to it.
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Tis the season for Raw Danger!
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So far you have held true.
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Lots of good picks. I highly recommend doing Star Control II in two runs: one where you learn from the game and get a feel for the exploration. (Randomly running into other civilizations and figuring out leads is a part of the charm.) Then, if you want to beat it while also having time for other games next year, do a second run with a guide.
I’m sure one of the people here who really likes SCII could give you tips for getting started, if you’re into that.
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That Deus Ex is real good, but I think for my immersive sim vote I’m going Dishonored. Those two and Prey are all awesome though
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I replay Mirror’s Edge almost every year. The campaign is short and overall pretty good, and while I wish it were just a full-throated 3D platformer I think there is fun to be had with the combat (at least when the game doesn’t force you to pick up a heavy ass rifle).
My real recommendation though is that after the campaign people play the time trials. They’ve always been the best part of the game, and I think in 2024, when “speedrun games” are a genre unto themselves (games like Neon White, I Am Your Beast), people are readier to see that.
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