Games with lots of Depth

If you like shooters, try Uncharted : Drake's Fortune on Crushing, and Dead Space on Impossible.

Both go from being basic run and gun, to requiring great strategy, tight resource management (ammo), and well thought out decisions; as well as a good reflexes and marksmanship.

Silent Hunter III or Bioshock are about as deep as you can get.

Silent Hunter III or Bioshock are about as deep as you can get.

spinoff

Lately I've been playing more simplistic games from First-person-shooters, to RTS games, to RPGs, but none of them really have a high level of depth. I'm looking for games that have high levels of management and decision making, not just train this unit, build this building, attack, win. I'm looking for a game that lets me build and create something powerful. A game with a nice challenge is what I'm looking for. Can I get some suggestions? hawk_767

Ignore the posts saying Bioshock, or Dead Space, if you truly want a deep game, play System Shock 2. Bioshock is a simplified remake of it, System Shock is incredibly deep, infact, it's just about the deepest shooter ever made, not even debatable. It's an excellent game that lets you create your own unique play style to go through the game with, replay value is very high. Also, space sims like X3 are so deep and complex, it probably removes some of the fun factor, but give it a shot anyway.

Perhaps Mass Effect. It's quite deep in the lore and technology, different classes, powers, weapons, gameplay. Esspecially if your playing adept.

Metal Gear Solid 4 aswell on harder difficulties. Stealth, weapons, camo, unlinear gamplay, story and boss fights.

Add Hitman: Bloodmoney too. Calculated hits and escapes, weapon upgrades, complicated environments and enimies.

You can lose yourself in Mass Effect for a long time.

• Civilization IV (with Beyond the Sword)
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Disciples II: Dark Prophecy (with Rise of the Elves)
• Dragon Age
• Elven Legacy
• Homeworld 2
• Heroes of Might and Magic III and V
• King's Bounty: The Legend and Armored Princess
• Neverwinter Nights 2
• Gladius
• Etherlords II

DEPTH = BIOWARE

i sound like a fanboy :S

• Civilization IV (with Beyond the Sword)
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Disciples II: Dark Prophecy (with Rise of the Elves)
• Dragon Age
• Elven Legacy
• Homeworld 2
• Heroes of Might and Magic III and V
• King's Bounty: The Legend and Armored Princess
• Neverwinter Nights 2
• Gladius
• Etherlords II

UpInFlames

You want depth?

unREAL World

ATF: Armored Task Force

Nethack

Dominions 3

Fallout3, no one mentioned Fallout3?...YoungSinatra25

• Civilization IV (with Beyond the Sword)
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Disciples II: Dark Prophecy (with Rise of the Elves)
• Dragon Age
• Elven Legacy
• Homeworld 2
• Heroes of Might and Magic III and V
• King's Bounty: The Legend and Armored Princess
• Neverwinter Nights 2
• Gladius
• Etherlords II

UpInFlames

X³: Reunion & Terran Conflict.

Dwarf Fortress.

[QUOTE="hawk_767"]Lately I've been playing more simplistic games from First-person-shooters, to RTS games, to RPGs, but none of them really have a high level of depth. I'm looking for games that have high levels of management and decision making, not just train this unit, build this building, attack, win. I'm looking for a game that lets me build and create something powerful. A game with a nice challenge is what I'm looking for. Can I get some suggestions? TheGrayEye

Ignore the posts saying Bioshock, or Dead Space, if you truly want a deep game, play System Shock 2. Bioshock is a simplified remake of it, System Shock is incredibly deep, infact, it's just about the deepest shooter ever made, not even debatable. It's an excellent game that lets you create your own unique play style to go through the game with, replay value is very high. Also, space sims like X3 are so deep and complex, it probably removes some of the fun factor, but give it a shot anyway.

I'm going to second that System Shock 2 recommendation. Yeah, I like Bioshock, but it's really simplified. Going back a decade and some, you'll find some pretty deep stuff. System Shock is a bit tough to figure out if you're used to "simplified" deep games like Fallout 3 and Bioshock.

And if you haven't played through Deus Ex, do yourself a favor.

Final Fantasy Tactics is easily one of the most deep games I've ever played. It's akin to chess with 3 dimensional boards, an almost infinite number of pieces with an almost infinite number of powers/abilities. I will recommend that as being the deepest game I've ever played. It has the potential for utter abuse of the opposition if you play enough and level up enough (although I did that once, the game occaisonally sends a wave of like 13 behemoths at you and that's just trouble).

Again, that is probably the deepest game out there in terms of strategy and character building by far.

• Civilization IV (with Beyond the Sword)
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Disciples II: Dark Prophecy (with Rise of the Elves)
• Dragon Age
• Elven Legacy
• Homeworld 2
• Heroes of Might and Magic III and V
• King's Bounty: The Legend and Armored Princess
• Neverwinter Nights 2
• Gladius
• Etherlords II

UpInFlames

StarcraftCloud860

Starcraft or Sins of Solar Empire are the deepest game's I've played in terms of strategy. Starcraft is basically computergame chess, and Sin's of a Solar Empire is basically one long war spread out over a galaxy. It rocked my sox. Then again, try chess, its cheeper, and I heard people have been playing it almost as long as stracraft...

This system shock sounds good... Can you get it for Mac? I had to play Sins on my hideous old PC

Sounds like you could use a little Dwarf Fortress in your life, my man.

Give it a go. It's free, and it's spectacular.

I'm going to have to agree with Civ 4. The game can be played ENDLESSLY and there so many strategies for winning (and with multiple ways of winning on top of that), it's ridiculous. And plus with the TONS of options you can set for each game (difficulty levels, small/large map, fast/slow game speed, different leaders and traits, random map parameters like how much land/water, island structure, resource density, ... and it goes on and on), each type of game requires very different strategies and goals. Also, different players personally like to focus on different aspects of the game -- military, diplomacy, religion, economy, etc. so there's also a lot of variation on how you personally want to approach the game. Quite simply, you can play it ENDLESSLY.

And as also mentioned, it does this without being overwhelming for a new player. You can always set game parameters to start really easy (where you can pretty much be an idiot and still win) and then keep increasing difficulty or changing different parameters (AI difficulty, obviously, but also game speed, map size, resouce density, etc.) to make the game harder and/or different.

[QUOTE="Cloud860"]StarcraftSemiMaster

There's no correlation between popularity and depth. Starcraft's main traits are balance and polish, certainly not depth. There are loads of strategy games far deeper than Starcraft. Honestly, Starcraft is actually rather straightforward.

[QUOTE="SemiMaster"][QUOTE="Cloud860"]StarcraftUpInFlames

There's no correlation between popularity and depth. Starcraft's main traits are balance and polish, certainly not depth. There are loads of strategy games far deeper than Starcraft. Honestly, Starcraft is actually rather straightforward.

I'll agree, Starcraft is a wonderful game, it's popular and decently balanced but there is almost no depth to it. Go in, grab an objective and wipe out anything that gets in your way. Thats about as straightforward as it is and over time you'll find yourself ending up with the same units at the end ofmost missions.

As someone already said, play Dominions 3. Easily one of the most in-depth games out there.

DCS: Black Shark

Falcon 4.0: Allied Force

Dangerous Waters

War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition

Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun

Crown of Glory: Emperor's Edition

Empires in Arms

American Civil War: The Blue and the Grey

Birth of America II

Forge of Freedom

[QUOTE="spinoff"]

Silent Hunter III or Bioshock are about as deep as you can get.

KHAndAnime

Bioshock isn't too deep but its great.....any game influenced by Metroid Prime, Deus Ex, and System Shock 2 (3 of the best games EVER) is gonna get a thumbs up from me.

But depth, not quite. Well designed though.

Far Cry 3 has lots of depth.

Fallout: New Vegas

Call of Duty.

It's the most complex game of our generation.

[spoiler] Also: lol, Necro. [/spoiler]

[QUOTE="UpInFlames"]

• Civilization IV (with Beyond the Sword)
• Defense Grid: The Awakening
• Disciples II: Dark Prophecy (with Rise of the Elves)
• Dragon Age
• Elven Legacy
• Homeworld 2
• Heroes of Might and Magic III and V
• King's Bounty: The Legend and Armored Princess
• Neverwinter Nights 2
• Gladius
• Etherlords II

Kevin-V

The suggestions in this thread are excellent (well, except for the ones that miss the spirit of the thread, like Fallout 3, Bioshock and the likes...). 

I'd like to put a little extra emphasis on King's Bounty, Galactic Civilisations 2 and Homeworld 2. Not enough people played these games, despite the fact that they're actually fairly accessible. They are truly fantastic games that can be enjoyed by any habitual gamer and that offer enough depth to satisfy anyone who wants a little cerebral challenge. Moreover, your grandma's PC can run them flawlessly.  If you haven't played them yet, you must look into it now; there is no excuse.