Steampunk computer and video games

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

Ah, but will they withstand the face-melting speed metal?

[elShoggotho]

That question is up since fifteen years. The game was first brought out in 1992, only recently saw a Gameboy Advance revival.

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

Ah, I feared it would be so. Oh well. There is no such thing as original thought

[Skyshaper]

I'm a huge gamer, and from all that I have played, the biggest Steampunk games I know of are Rise of Legends and Bioshock.

I HEAVILY recommend Bioshock to anyone who likes Steampunk.  It is a shooter with a fantastic story set in an underwater Steampunk city.  You won't find anything else out there like it.

[M.W.X.K.]

Ditto to Bioshock! It's the most well-developed and most recent take on the genre (albeit in a decidedly Art Deco kinda way) and it tells a fantastic story in it's own right. It's an extremely beautiful game... Creepy as hell at times, but definitely beautiful.

If you don't mind playing an old fashioned top-down RPG, look no further then Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. Not only is it 100% Steampunk from beginning to end, but it's also an excellent game in it's own right and highly original. There is literally nothing else like it. Anyone interested in the genre even a little bit should at least give it a shot... The dichotomy of Magic and Technology is well done and it doesn't detract at all from the setting.

[MadmanMachine]

I have always hated Arcanum with a blind, unending passion. The game was always impossible to me and I could never find a way to get very far into it and every time I had to start over was another 3 hours wasted.

The Myst series, on the other hand, have always been beautiful in my opinion. Although I have not seen Myst V and from what I've gathered, I should not want to either. oh.. and Saavedro... oh what he did in Exile... He is most definitely one of my favorite video game villains of all time. Brilliantly played by Brad Dourif.

[WookieeGunner]

The rts (real time strategy) Rise of Legends has some steamy characteristics.  One of the races you can play as is basically a people using Davincian technologies. Despite that, its really not a great game and i wouldn't suggest buying it.

I don't know.  I'm playing it now, and I would agree it is not a tactical challenge, but a nice way to spend an evening venting stress.  Of course Giacomo's coat is on now on my list of items to have before I die, but that is beside the point.

[Jarret]

This is based on the Mad Hatter from American McGee's Alice. Not from the game itself, but inspired by it. A CGI short. Appropriately steamy, creepy, and atmospheric.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckBdOt37FCU

McGee is also doing an adaptation of some of Grimm's fairy tales. I wonder if he'll add in some steampunkish elements there too.

[Mrowr]

I have always hated Arcanum with a blind, unending passion. The game was always impossible to me and I could never find a way to get very far into it and every time I had to start over was another 3 hours wasted.

I solved that quite handily... by cheating!  There is no problem in that game a zillion more stat points than you could possibly get normally can't solve.  Also allows you to get the skills to build mechanical men and still have points left over to do other things.

Tried silverfall on the weekend.  Diablo action-rpg style gameplay.  Steampunk elements, weapons, armour, buildings.  Armour particularly interesting, with uniforms that are very steampunk and armour pieces that can make one look like a frankenstienian horror and such.  Not much of a story though...

[Churchwarden]

I've always been a huge fan of games crafted by The Adventure Company, and as far as atmospheric steampunk, I have to say that even though it is very linear, there was not a single moment of Syberia I did not enjoy.

[Mrowr]

Found this MMO called 'Sword of the New World.'  Not very punk, lacking insane machinery and clockwork horrors, but very period, very renaissance fantasy.  Cast magics in ballroom gowns and formal wear, or grab one of the many interesting musketeer uniforms and be endlessly stylish with twin pistols.  Worth a look.

[Unkillable cat]

Based on this thread I decided to try and track down Skies of Arcadia, only place at the moment for me is eBay since I need the PAL GC version, and if I win the one Ive been in a bidding war for, it will be the first time I have paid over £30 for a game cube game even when it was a current gen system.

[Calluna Vulgaris]

I'm rather surprised that no one has made any mention of the Shadow Hearts series, or even their prequel, Koudelka. This is fine alternate history, ranging from 1899 to 1929 and chock full of mysticism, Lovecraftian-style unpronouncables, and historical cameos.

And I hate to say this, because I loved the way it looks, and the mysteries in it intrigue me, but the gameplay in Rule Of Rose is crap. I gave it the old college try but after the first two parts I decided I had better things to do, like scaring the heck out myself playing Fatal Frame instead.

[elShoggotho]

I hereby add Damnation to the lot. Technically it's not a complete game, being a total conversion mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, but it features clockwork driven multi-drum autorevolvers, a steam pressure arrow gun and a steam-powered fog launcher/close combat scalding device. Your enemies are similarly strange, going from drug-crazed confed soldiers to steam-powered automatons with large guns.

[Vekk]

I will add another vote to Bioshock.

But to throw some kindling to the fire. I'm very surprised Final Fantasy IX hasn't been mentioned yet. I would love to hear some thoughts and opinions about it. Seeing as how most of the game revolves around steam power. Otherwise called the "Mist". Most airships and higher powered engines blatantly run on steam.

Also the Victorian, almost harlequin art styling and dress of the period it is set in. 

A few pictures to add integrity to the claim. (some are a bit large so I used the spoiler tag)

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Spoiler: ShowHide

Also the series usually contains a summon-able "God" "Guardian" "Aeon" Alexander who is always depicted as a holy steam powered entity.
http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/espmon/alexander.shtml

[Atterton]

The excellent game God Of War has a steampunk feel to it. It has mechanical machinery for traps and doors. Also some living statues which at times seem more mechanical than magic. It is a very violent game, but very well done. I never got into Tomb Raider, but this is what it should have been like.

[Lopt]

I'm rather surprised that no one has made any mention of the Shadow Hearts series, or even their prequel, Koudelka. This is fine alternate history, ranging from 1899 to 1929 and chock full of mysticism, Lovecraftian-style unpronouncables, and historical cameos.

You confused 'alternative' with 'real and un-censored'.

[Calluna Vulgaris]

You confused 'alternative' with 'real and un-censored'.

Considering Roger Bacon is supposed to be alive and kicking past the 13th century, magic is being used, and there's a giant nekomata with Hollywood dreams in the last game, I'd hardly consider it to be realistic. However, I did find it a fun series and thought there might be like minded people interested in it. My apologies.

[Lopt]

REAL and UN-CENSORED

It's the best game series on the PS2, everyone should feel constant shame until they've played them all.

[Mercury Wells]

Space 1889 Available here

[SalieriAAX]

I will add another vote to Bioshock.

But to throw some kindling to the fire. I'm very surprised Final Fantasy IX hasn't been mentioned yet. I would love to hear some thoughts and opinions about it. Seeing as how most of the game revolves around steam power. Otherwise called the "Mist". Most airships and higher powered engines blatantly run on steam.

Also the Victorian, almost harlequin art styling and dress of the period it is set in. 

[pics]

Also the series usually contains a summon-able "God" "Guardian" "Aeon" Alexander who is always depicted as a holy steam powered entity.
http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/espmon/alexander.shtml

Final Fantasy IX was a spectacular game, and there were inteed lots of steamy bits - especially the greater focus on the airships than most of the other games in the series and Cid's struggle to acheive non-mist-assisted flight.  Also, yes, the costumes were excellent, although personally I saw more Regency influences than Victorian.  Let's not forget the Mustadio side story in Final Fantasy Tactics, I always thought that was cool.

Dark Chronicle (Dark Cloud 2 form the list, it was branded Dark Chronicle in Europe) was really steampunk.  The principal character could take photographs of things in the environment to collect ideas, then combine those ideas to come up with inventions and then collect the necessary building materials to make them.  There was also a beautiful steampunky train that acted as a base (that gets replaced by a ridiculous future time-travelling train), and the hero's weapon (a Wrench/Hammer and a Gun) can be upgraded throughout the game to make some truly ace weaponry (Rayguns!).  The art style may be a bit light for some, though, if they prefer the sort of atmosphere of games like Arcanum and the like.

[Josh of Vernian Process]

Would you guys believe that the editors at wikipedia removed Bioshock from the List of Steampunk Works section!!??

I tried to convince them otherwise, but unless they have some reference to its Steampunk content they refuse to place it back in the list. And no, telling them to go play it doesn't work.

[SalieriAAX]

Would an appropriate screenshot convince them?

Also, I think the zeropunctuation Bioshock review mentions uses the magic word 'steampunk', might that be useful?  I'll look for a link.

[JingleJoe]

MUST BUY THAT GAME!
I love old 2D games and this one looks mighty fun

[Mercury Wells]

MUST BUY THAT GAME!
I love old 2D games and this one looks mighty fun

Which one?