These are some of my favorite pick-me-up games for those days when nothing seems to be going right, and everything you do turns out to be a complete disaster. Or occasionally just to unwind after a really, unspeakably long Friday.
10. Kingdom Hearts
I enjoy it largely because the fighting system is fairly mindless, meaning that you can concentrate on the storyline and the sidequests rather that the frustration of being repeatedly defeated in a boss battle. And it’s a very pretty game… it’s bright and happy, and it’s hard to stay tense for long once you sit down and start playing.
Sometimes the best cure for the stress of the day is a good scare. Of the Fatal Frame trilogy, the second game is by far my favorite (they’re all a lot of fun, though). Play it alone in the dark for a few hours, and it really starts to suck you in. I’m especially fond of the scene with Sae laughing maniacally. Creepy, disturbing, and all manner of wrong.
8. Tetris
Stop laughing. To be honest, I suck at Tetris. I panic when it speeds up, and do something stupid. Every time. But it’s still fun anyway, that’s why it’s still around. Plus it has that ultra-catchy theme song that you can’t ever get out of your head no matter how hard you try. And you know exactly which theme song I mean, don’t you?
See? Now it’s stuck in your head, too. You can thank me later. On with the list!
Singing makes me feel better. And the game doesn’t really care that I sound like a cat stuck in the dryer on most songs. Heck it doesn’t even care if I know the words… Bonus: It has a sing-and-dance mode if you have some Konami (or third party) dance mats. The last time I played that mode with friends we ended up laughing so hard the game booed us off the stage.
An oldie, but a goodie, and arguably the best Mario game ever made. Sending a Koopa shell careening into a line of oncoming Goombas is strangely satisfying as is breaking through a wall of bricks with a racoon tail. And it has Giant World! You can’t top Giant World. I never did actually figure out why a leaf turned you into a flying racoon, though. Eh… not important.
5. Wii Bowling
Personally, I think most of the Wii Sports package sucks, but Wii Bowling makes it worth keeping around. It’s also a great party game, so invite your stressed-out friends over to play, too. I like to scare the other players by “accidentally” throwing the ball behind me when it’s my turn. Also amusing is trying to chuck your ball into the wrong lane. I’m not sure this is actually possible, but it’s funny.
4. Okami
The absolutely gorgeous art style is very relaxing, and the story has plenty of comic relief to keep you amused throughout. Besides… how many other games out there have an optional a skill that allows you to cause damage to your enemies by peeing on them? I’m looking forward to the upcoming rerelease of this on Wii.
3. SSX 3
Yay snowboarding! I detest sports-based games… but I willingly make an exception for the SSX series. Between the gameplay, the character options, the customization, and the awesome courses, you’ll have a great time. And when you get frustrated, you can shove the other racers and knock them off their boards. Go on… it’s fun.
For those days when really all you want to do is hit someone. Or strangle them. Or stab them repeatedly with a kitchen knife. Or mow them down with an AK-47. Or kill them in some other creative manner that appears to be an accident, which is always fun. Better to take out your aggression in a game than on the street, right? Of course you could always go the stealthy route, and only take out your targets, but some missions are just too tempting. 
1. Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2
Getting up and moving instead of just collapsing onto the couch is always a good thing, and exercise is a great stress reliever. Extreme 2 isn’t exactly the most recent, but personally I think it has the best playlist. It’s also compatible with the PS2 EyeToy, which is kind of gimicky, but entertaining for a while.
Nikki Blight: is still trying to find that damn princess... when she's not writing fresh code for the217.com.
Comments
Nikki (Nikki) says:
(Posted March 28th, 2008 at 9:23 pm)
Indeed. Especially since you shipped off the pink bag ‘o doom.
Chris Fairfield (Chris Fairfield) says:
(Posted March 28th, 2008 at 10:30 pm)
It was self-defense!
nikki (nikki) says:
(Posted March 29th, 2008 at 10:27 pm)
Pfft… Self defense. Now I’ll have to find something with which to bludgeon you.
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Nikki Blight
is still trying to find that damn princess... when she's not writing fresh code for the217.com.
Chris Fairfield (Chris Fairfield) says:
(Posted March 28th, 2008 at 8:49 pm)
“Or occasionally just to unwind after a really, unspeakably long Friday.”
Time spent near my cubicle must make anyone’s day unspeakably long:)