Support NeoGAF

[Mozzarella]

In this thread i want you to recall every Immersive Sim game you ever played and try to rank the games either by making a numbered list or a tier list with multiple games if you want in each tier.

Disclaimer: I know that "Immersive-Sim" is a controversial sub-genre for some people with confusing and blurred definitions, but lets not talk about that in this topic and keep it just for ranking and discussing the games within it. (Discussing if a game is or isn't immersive sim is fine by me, just not the discussion about if the genre is a thing or not please!)
Also, If there is any game that you think qualifies feel free to add it into your ranking.


Alright, so with that aside, lets give a list of well known immersive sim games, whether a purist type or some hybrid.
Generally must be; First Person + Emergent Gameplay

List of Immersive Sim games:

Ultima Underworld, Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
System Shock, System Shock 2
Thief, Thief 2: The Metal Age, Thief 3, Thief Reboot
Deus Ex, Deus Ex Invisible War, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Arx Fatalis
Dishonored, Dishonored 2
Prey
Cruelty Squad
---------- End of Purist list (unless i forgot something)
E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy
Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines
Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Bioshock Infinite
Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl
Deathloop
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
-----------------------------


Rank them from best to worst and OR use tier listing.
Even better if you write why do you like/dislike them.

 

[nkarafo]

System Shock 2 - 10/10

PREY - 9/10

STALKER - 8/10

Bioshock - 8/10

Bioshock 2 - 7/10

 

[R6Rider]

Prey might be my overall favorite one. The Deus Ex games are also awesome with HR and MD being really good for replays.

Haven't played a whole lot, and some I don't consider immersive sims. I'm patiently waiting for the System Shock remake.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Life-Changing: Bioshock 1

9/10:
Deus Ex
Dishonored 1 & 2
Prey
Deus Ex:HR
Bioshock Infinite
Deus Ex:MD

8/10:
Bioshock 2
Hitman 1/2/3

7/10:
Deathloop

Tbh, Bioshock 1 doesn't hold up like some of the rest on this list, but playing it the first time in 2007 was like magic.

 

[Laptop1991]

Dishonored 1 and 2, 1st

Bioshock, Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite, 2nd,

Prey 3rd,

6 great games, i enjoyed them all.

 

[anthraticus]

Favs are Ultima Underworld, Thief 1 and og Deus Ex with this...

Version RSD Beta 2.1 (Future Official Update) addon - GMDX mod for Deus Ex

Experimental fork of GMDX v9, candidate for a future official update. Includes radial augmentation menu, HDTP toggle menu, inventory item rotation, new playthrough modifiers (randomizers, addiction system), 17 new and reworked perks, rebalanced skills/augs/weapons...

www.moddb.com

 

[Mozzarella]

System Shock 2 - 10/10

PREY - 9/10

STALKER - 8/10

Bioshock - 8/10

Bioshock 2 - 7/10

I'm replaying System Shock 2 now, close to the end, really good game, what makes it the best to you?
I like the depth in skills and tools you get to choose from and how its scary and difficult, but one thing that i noticed on my replay is that the level design is not as deep as Arkane or Thief or Deus Ex levels. However the game concept itself is genius.

Life-Changing: Bioshock 1

9/10:
Deus Ex
Dishonored 1 & 2
Prey
Deus Ex:HR
Bioshock Infinite
Deus Ex:MD

8/10:
Bioshock 2
Hitman 1/2/3

7/10:
Deathloop

Tbh, Bioshock 1 doesn't hold up like some of the rest on this list, but playing it the first time in 2007 was like magic.

Interesting that so many games fall under the same tier, would you say those are all around the same level of quality?
You should try System Shock 2, you will notice that a lot of things in the games you like originally started there.

 

[Interfectum]

Hitman series is S-tier

 

[AV]

1. Bioshock
2. Dishonored
3. Prey
4. Deus Ex
5. Deathloop
6. Bioshock 2
7. Bioshock Infinite

Are the ones I've finished, played a few of the others. I was young when I played Deus Ex. I'd love for them to faithfully remake that game one day so I can go back through, it's just a wee bit janky by 2023 standards.

 

[T4keD0wN]

1. Prey - 10/10
2. Bioshock - 10/10
3. Dishonored 2 - 10/10
4. Cyberpunk 2077 with 70+ "immersive" gameplay mods (~140 total) - 10/10
5. Bioshock Infinite 10/10
6. System Shock 2 - 10/10
7. Deathloop - 10/10
8. Bioshock Infinite Burial at sea pt1+pt2 - 9/10
9. Dishonored Death of the outsider - 9/10
10. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat Anomaly - 9/10
11. Bioshock 2 - 8/10
12. Bioshock 2 - Minervas Den - 8/10 I though base game was better (bizarre, i know)
13. Deus Ex Manking Divided - 8/10 Id give it a 6 if this was an objective list. I only like it out of personal reasons.
14. Kingdom Come Deliverance - 8/10
15. Thief 2014 - 5/10
16. Weird West - 4/10

Extras
Metro Exodus EE?? - 8/10
SOMA?? - 7/10

I need to check out dark messiah of might and magic, it has been in my backlog for like 16 years.

 

[geary]

Old Splinter Cell games should be up there as well.

 

[Patrick S.]

GTA Online. Not joking.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Interesting that so many games fall under the same tier, would you say those are all around the same level of quality?
You should try System Shock 2, you will notice that a lot of things in the games you like originally started there.

I put them in order of preference, but I would say so, yes. I've enjoyed each of those more each time I replay them. They're deeper and have more to offer than I can absorb in a single playthrough, which I why I enjoy and appreciate immersive sims so much.

I still don't think the perfect immersive sim's been made yet. The genre has potential that hasn't been reached due to poor sales leading to lack of new offerings, and it makes sense and me sad at the same time.

Edit: I've tried System Shock 2 out a few times but bounced off it. Couldn't immerse myself in that one due to datedness, even though I was able to get into Deus Ex OG for the first time back in 2018 or so. I'm hoping there's a remake of SS2 someday.

 

[nkarafo]

I'm replaying System Shock 2 now, close to the end, really good game, what makes it the best to you?

My rating also takes into consideration the time of release. There was nothing close to this then.

Personally i played it pretty late, after the Bioshock games. But i still liked it more, despite it's age.

I also loved the atmosphere a lot. It reminds me a bit of another game called Bioforge. I love the space tech mixed with body horror elements. I thought the later was missing from PREY.

 

[Rush2112]

Alien Isolation
ELITE Dangerous
Star Citizen (alpha build)

 

[Mownoc]

I have never heard the term "immersive sim" and have no idea how it can apply to Bioshock.

I was expecting stuff like Euro Truck Simulator or maybe RDR2. But not bioshock.

 

[theStartupSound]

I’m too tired and lazy to make a list, but I wanted to say, that I like your username, Mozzarella

 

[Guilty_AI]

On the topic, i hear really good things about this game

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[rofif]

Prey comes to mind

 

[Stinkbug]

Prey, Dishonored 2, Dishonored Death of the Outsider, + Bioshock 2 are my favorites in that order. I've only played a few others.

 

[jshackles]

I've played tons of them so

 

[Perrott]

As immersive sim games:

1. Prey
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
3. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
4. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
5. BioShock
6. Dishonored
7. BioShock Infinite

As games that I like:

1. BioShock Infinite
2. BioShock
3. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
4. Dishonored
5. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
6. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
7. Prey

Ultima Underworld I & II, System Shock 2, Thief II, Deus Ex, Arx Fatalis, VTM Bloodlines, Dark Messiah and BioShock 2 are all on my backlog. I need to catch up with the genre.

 

[ReBurn]

I don't know which of the games I've played are immersive sims.

 

[GigaBowser]

Bioshock Infinite DLC Burial at Sea is so good is makes it tough to go back to Rapture in Bioshock 2 because the new version of Rapture in the Infinite DLC it is so much purdier and more atmospheric, plus you get to go to Columbia and the story in the DLC is the best of the series. This is the best Cinematic Immersive sim and the best looking one my friends.

Dishonoured is the best in gameplay, but the atmosphere, graphics and story is a little crud compared to Bioshock.

Also Prey and Deus Ex if that counts.

 

[captain_cabbage]

Thief 2: The Metal Age - 9/10
Thief 3 - unpopular opinion but I liked it, 7/10
Thief Reboot - shouldn't even be in this list at all
Deus Ex - 10/10, one of a kind experience
Deus Ex Human Revolution - 7/10
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - 6/10
Dishonored, Dishonored 2 - 10/10, both phenomenal games
Prey - 9/10 only because of the ending, otherwise solid 10/10
Bioshock - 7/10, I played it a long time ago and don't quite remember what was good about it, maybe I was too young to truly appreciate it
Bioshock Infinite - 7/10 I liked the game but apart from the city in the sky there was nothing special about it
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - 8/10
Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl - 6/10, not my cup of tea

 

[HL3.exe]

Also Prey and Deus Ex if that counts.

Deus Ex (especially 1) and Prey 2017 are seen as the pinnacle of Immersive Sim design, so they sure count.

On the controversial definition thing. It's not really that hard to quantify them: They're all narrative focused games that focus on experiencing their story or world through highly reactive and physicalized systems-driven situations (so no abstract menu's, but as much through actual ingame mechanics, physics and dynamic AI), incentivising realtime creative problem solving and dealing with the consequences.