For such a futuristic medium, it makes sense that some of the best video games include science fiction elements. This isn’t merely about games featuring concepts like robots and whatnot. Rather, it’s more about how futuristic settings are incorporated into these games.
To this end, games like Dead Space feature futuristic settings that seem dirty and used, contrary to expectations. Alternatively, games like Halo showcase a high-tech, fresh far-future equipped to deal with any adversaries. Video games like these are ripe for sci-fi settings.
Halo Evolved the Sci-Fi Genre
Halo: Combat Evolved sees Master Chief being awakened from stasis to help lead a platoon against the Covenant, an alien theocracy. With the help of Chief’s assistant Cortana, he takes on the Covenant and tries to stop the titular Halo from destroying the universe as it is known.
A launch title for the original Xbox, Halo, more than any other launch title for the console, did a good job of showcasing what the system could do. It truly felt like a futuristic title that showcased the console’s capabilities, not to mention how simple and satisfying the FPS mechanics were.
Stellaris Is Simply Stellar
Stellaris is a Civilization-esque strategy game that, rather than having players conquer territories across the world, has them conquer planets and other systems in the vastness of outer space. The end goal is for the player to maximize their resources from the colonies they set up.
Since its 2016 release, it still feels as fresh as it did back then. With the game continuing to receive expansion packs to this very day, players are hard-pressed to become too bored from playing Stellaris. Realistically, the only thing that could stop the game’s enduring popularity is its discontinuation.
Mass Effect 2 Is Massive
Mass Effect 2 sees the crew of the Normandy SR-2, which is commanded by Commander Shepard, on a suicide mission. The situation is that the Collectors, an alien insect race, are causing humanity to go extinct. Shepard and the crew must work together to stop this chaos before it’s too late.
One of the best western RPGs, Mass Effect 2’s touted Dialogue Wheel opens up a world of opportunities for how the game’s story should go. All the while, players must control Shepard and have them take down any threats to the Normandy, which can be easier said than done in some cases.
Dead Space Is a Surprisingly Lively Sci-Fi Horror Game
Dead Space sees a repair team arrive aboard the USG Ishimura, which experienced a communications outage some time ago. What the crew, among them main protagonist Isaac Clarke, discovers is that much of the Ishimura’s crew have been turned into Necromorphs, which is all thanks to the influence of a mysterious artifact found on a nearby colony.
The game leans further into the ‘used-future’ aesthetic than any other sci-fi game. This makes Dead Space all the more terrifying, with Isaac having to work with makeshift weapons and blast his way through the Necromorphs. Combined with the unnerving soundtrack, Dead Space is not a game to be taken lightly.
Chrono Trigger Is Time Travel Madness
Chrono Trigger starts out in the year 1000, with protagonists Crono, Marle, and Lucca discovering portals that let them travel through time. It is through this time traveling that they make more friends along the way. All of them must do their part in preventing the end of the world.
Beyond just being a SNES-defining title, Chrono Trigger’s time-traveling gimmick makes it stand out among sci-fi games. The fact that each of the playable characters comes from different time periods means there are a variety of weapons at their disposal, which makes it necessary to experiment with them in between battles.
Cyberpunk 2077 Is the Best Cyberpunk Game
Cyberpunk 2077 takes place in Night City, a corporatocracy marked by a massive wealth divide and a poor quality of life. V, the game’s main protagonist, has to navigate Night City’s many gangs and criminal organizations the best they can. Meanwhile, they also have to contend with Johnny Silverhand’s consciousness slowly overtaking V’s consciousness.
Cyberpunk and sci-fi go hand in hand, which helps Cyberpunk 2077 stand out among similar titles. Beyond its aesthetics, the game offers an enjoyable open-world format that lets players delve deep into the dregs of Night City’s society. It is a game that is as enjoyable as it is thrilling.
System Shock 2 Has Shockingly Aged Well
System Shock 2 is set aboard the Von Braun, which is presently infested by reanimated crew members who have joined a hive mind called the Many. SHODAN, a malevolent AI, sees this infestation as the perfect opportunity for universal domination, and she tries to entice the player character with this knowledge.
Released at the tail-end of the ’90s, the game isn’t remembered quite as much as it was back then. However, with its emphasis on survival horror in a sci-fi setting, it served as a blueprint for later games of its type, especially the Dead Space games, which serve as a spiritual successor.
Deus Ex Has Players Expect the Unexpected
Deus Ex is set in the near-futuristic year 2052. It is here that civilization is on the brink of collapse, and shadowy organizations are believed to be behind it. The main protagonist, JC Denton, isn’t entirely sure this is the case, but he knows he’ll have to prevent society from plunging into a new dark age.
The game turns out to be much darker than one may expect out of a sci-fi game, even those as gritty as Cyberpunk 2077 or Dead Space. This makes Deus Ex all the more alluring to play, with players encouraged to dig deep into the in-game world and solve the many mysteries surrounding it.
Portal 2 Is Bigger Than the First Game
Portal 2 takes place more than a thousand years after Chell’s original tests for Aperture Science. Despite the decayed state of the facilities, her tests are not done yet, as she must make use of the sardonic AI GLaDOS’s newly developed gravity-defying technologies. Meanwhile, she must cooperate with another AI, Wheatley, and uncover Aperture Science’s dark secrets.
While the first Portal was more or less a tech demo that took only about an hour to complete, Portal 2 is a full-fledged adventure that takes players through the bowels of Aperture Science. Between the many creative uses of the portal gun, along with the mysterious gels that can catapult Chell, players are in for a long yet fulfilling and energetic journey.
Half-Life 2 Is Both Cyberpunk and Steampunk
Half-Life 2 sees former Black Mesa scientist Dr. Gordon Freeman suddenly finding himself in the alien-ruled City 17. The puppet leader of this totalitarian municipality, Dr. Wallace Breen, was once Freeman’s superior, and is now reaping the benefits of his position. It is now up to Freeman and his allies, including Alyx Vance, to bring Breen and the alien forces down.
The game is a mix of cyberpunk and steampunk: the former, with its use of exotic technologies that heighten the oppressive atmosphere, and the latter, with the appearance of improbable heavy machinery, including a large robotic dog. In any case, this mix makes for a fascinating in-game world, with Half-Life 2 unveiling more surprises the more players get through the game.