Cast away desert island games
Last night I ended up watching Cast Away, and it really made me want to play a desert-island game. Being stranded on a desert island is a bit of a "thing" for me -- not a fantasy as such -- but you how some people like to imagine the zombie apocalypse and perpare for it, or nuclear fallout? I like to daydream desert island scenarios (I guess I'm weird.)
So then, does such a game exist -- and if so, any recommendations? I'm imagining some kind of open-ended adventure/RPG game where you collect resources and food, farm, build huts, fish etc.
What immediately sprung to mind was an elaborate Animal Crossing conversion: if you change the setting to desert island, you do all the basics already: farming fruit, fishing, collecting useful stuff that washes up on shore. The animals could easily be figments of your own crazed imagination (even in the normal gane, what's to say they aren't already?).
Cast away style games I am aware of (but haven't played):
Virtual Villagers
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An old fart like myself immediately thought of Johnny Castaway.
I don't know, Phil, but I understand where you're coming from. Its one of those survival/ingenuity tests that I think about from time to time. It probably comes from having read Robinson Crusoe at a young age.
As an aside, I feel like TV (Survivor, et al.) has cheapened the Platonic ideal of the scenario by packaging it in a commercially digestible and non-life-threatening way.
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Surely Spy vs Spy: The Island Caper is a classic.
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Scott Adam's Pirate Adventure sweeps you off to an island beach soon enough.
Now that is old.
Jurassic Park: Trespasser.
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What about that Lost game that came out last year? Does that count as a desert island game?
Granted, that'd be the last game I'd pick to take to a desert island, seeing as how it's only three or four hours long. Anyhow, as a Lost fan, I enjoyed it for what it was.
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Pirates of the Burning Sea! Is that even still alive? I still kind of want to play that game, I had a lot of fun with the beta.
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I recall recently playing some indy game where you are a Robinson Crusoe sort on an island. You have to learn to build a shelter, gather wood, make a fire, hunt or gather food, protect yourself from predators, etc. It was fascinating, but I can't recall the name.
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It's not really about an island, but it certainly still qualifies as one of the best experiences in the genre despite being visually horribly outdated. Also, don't forget to use the banner link.
I think that, technically, the original Far Cry could apply as a desert island game.
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Found it - http://stranded.unrealsoftware.de/s2_infos.php
Stranded 2.
If you want a game to slow down with, this is definitely an interesting.... diversion. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys exploring environments and figuring things out.
And now I see I should have just clicked on the link above.
Doh.
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There's always Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 1 & 2. They are both set on relatively unspoiled islands that will tease you with the idyllic lap of waves clawing playfully up and down their naked beaches, the soft curves of wind caressed sand dunes, the playful cries of seagulls, the hypnotic sway of supple palm trees, the unrevealed secrets that lie hidden within their primal jungles, and nature's own island nectar of coconuts... lots of coconuts.
Dropped off on this inhospitable island refuge, can you survive the physical challenges that lay before you? Can you use diplomacy to build those partnerships needed to win freedom? Can you effectively manage and grow your meager resources? Will your photography skills be up to the task of documenting key milestones of your expedition?
Only time will tell.....
(Ok ok... If you've read this far, its just a joke. I can't recommend these games.
)
To be honest, I had a good time renting DoA Xtreme Beach Voleyball 1. It was one of the first mainstream games out in the US that had a 'relationship' component to it. It made for an interesting weekend, though after messing around with it for a weekend I was done.
On the more serious side, Robinson's Requiem was great when it came out. I'm not sure how well it's aged. I played Lost in Blue. It's probably not everyone's cup of tea, and one of those weird games where it's hardest at the beginning (like Dead Rising,) but I enjoyed it for a while.
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LobsterMobster wrote:
Along the lines of Robinson's Requiem, there's also Notrium, which may be a bit arcade-y, but it's basically about crash-landing on a planet and having to find a way off.
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I played stranded I and II, but those are not that fun.
Notrium wins some prizes, and its a great game, you are not stranded on a desert island, but on an alien planet and you can escape from the planet from very different ways, I recall you can build a radio to call from help, or fix your spaceship.
Nice game
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Funny you bring this up. I've been seeing a lot of bad press about 'Lost in Blue' lately, and it seems to deserve most of it. But every time I see some footage of the game I'm like, that seems like a game I would like to play, if it was good.
I'm definitely gonna check out some of the suggestions in this thread.
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Aah, so glad I didn't have to look up the links myself. Also, it's punishingly difficult, especially Deus, which I believe is fitting for the survival feel you seek.
Robear wrote:
If you can get past the graphics (or lack there of), and have played a rougelike before I definately recommend "UnReal World".......
You may not be on a desert island.....but this iron-age Finnish sim will make you feel quite stranded in the wilderness.
Give it a try...and if you like it, the full version is only $3!
http://www.jmp.fi/~smaarane/urw.html
Stay far, far away from the Lost "game"! It is an abomination that I'm pretty sure is single-handedly the cause of all the world's problems!
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There is the Swiss Family Robinson - text based adventure game for Commodore64...
http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/swiss-family-robinson
I've played Lost in Blue 1 a bit, but never got far. I'm glad to read that it's hardest at the beginning, since so far, by day 3/4, we've always passed out from hunger or poisoning...and once you're hungry, being able to do what is necessary to become "un-hungry" is significantly harder.
I like the idea of the game, but I would really have to seriously soak in the experience to make any progress, I think. Hmmm...Horizons Broadening Project for February?
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its not so much a desert island game, but Unreal World is a neat little indie survival game.
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At time you get stranded in the Monkey Island games.
Fletcher wrote:
My guilty gaming pleasure, Garry's Mod, has a mod for it titled Stranded(probably based on the one linked above). Work alone or together. Start from nothing, to building a fortress. Servers usually keep your stats. Definitely a grind though.
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Which means, every single one of them near the end. There's also So Blonde, which isn't very good. I don't think anyone's mentioned Return to Mysterious Island yet, have they? I loved that one. You make all sorts of clever scientific tools using island debris, and it has some great references for those who've read the Jules Verne novel. I read the novel afterwards because I liked the game so much.
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Isn't Animal Crossing about being stranded on an island?
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No, Animal Crossing is about being stranded in an unending ocean of debt.
I hate you soo much Phil Collins!
Duoae wrote:
Pharacon wrote:
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There's a part of me that thinks a game where you can end up starving and poisoned by day three sounds great. I think I'll pick this one up
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I actually really liked The Sims: Castaway Stories. I rented it for the Wii and the wife and I played it for about a week straight. It's literally a Sim, or a family if you choose, who are on a deserted island. Build a shelter, gather food, befriend monkeys, repeat. It's just one of those hang out and waste time kind of games. However, it is definitely a rental (or a bargain bin pickup) as there's no motivation to get any more time out of it once you've played through once.
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