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The original was posted on /r/steamdeck by /u/Darskul on 2023-08-19 11:52:00+00:00.
Before I start I would like to let ya'll know; the majority of fun coming from these games is combat-related. I get bored kinda quick in games if the combat isn't great, I can't blow stuff up, or I don't have a world to explore.
I also usually prefer melee combat. I also don't like games in a level-by-level structure especially if they're tremendously hard, I prefer the open world approach.
Some of this is copy and pasted from a comment I made on another person's post to shorten time so I don't have to retype everything.
Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, it's just pure fun, story is meh at best and most of the fun comes from just the gameplay, some of the best combat ever made, plus it has an addictive gambling RNG nature to BBI which can seriously pull you in. The pawn system, the combat, the boss fights, the customization, it's just so damn GOOD. It's almost like it's handcrafted for people who like fun games. It does have some frustrating elements like walking a LOT early on but the combat imo is definitely enough alone to pull someone who likes fun gameplay in.
Mount & Blade: Warband is basically a middle-ages simulator, an action-rpg that's very heavy on the rpg side, the single-player alone is phenomenal, very fun game if a bit frustrating early on, sword gameplay is pretty damn fun. You can get married, start an army in which you personally fight in (but don't have to if you don't want to), you can even run around solo and take down armies all by yourself if you're good enough.
Kingdom's of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, story isn't that important and the combat is great, it's basically Skyrim with a slightly worse world to explore but wayyy better combat (it's still loaded up with sidequests too.)
Prototype 1 & 2, over-the-top open-world action games literally built to be just pure fun games, the stories are dogshit but the gameplay is -chef's kiss-. Nothing like becoming one of your enemies, slicing them up and watching the bits fly everywhere, throwing them in the air towards a helicopter and watching it crash, and you still have the option of using guns if you hate the melee combat.
Saints Row IV and Saints Row 2, both are super fun and you can spend hours and hours just screwing around, I enjoyed the stories but they definitely take a backseat to the gameplay. The crazy weapons and enemies, as well as the missions and content, had me enjoying my time with both these games.
I haven't played Dead Island 2 but I really enjoyed Dead Island: Definitive Edition and Dying Light a LOT, phenomenal, fun, content-filled games, slicing and dicing zombies, bashing their heads in is so damn fun. (I would mention the Dead Rising games but I absolutely hated the timer mechanic, plus keeping all the survivors alive was annoyingly difficult for me personally.)
Batman: Arkham Knight or Batman: Arkham City, Batman at his best in gaming, plays like a dream. Super fast, high-octane, over-the-top gameplay, makes sure the fighting never gets old, and there's tons to do in the open world like eavesdrop on enemies, ride in the Batmobile (Arkham Knight only) do side missions, etc. It takes into account both Batman's detective skills and incredible fighting skills, plus the ability to play as other bat-family members and even Catwoman (Arkham City only) can't be overlooked.
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition, yes you do have to play through at least some of the story but once you do it takes a VERY long time for the game to get old. Also the missions are fun as hell, there aren't TOO many stinkers there. The martial arts gameplay is great, ramming cars hard enough to send them flying in the air, shooting out people and tires in slow motion, plus the crazy-ass, awesome DLC, great. You choose how you wanna play, it's just really damn fun.
Sunset Overdrive, just another pure fun game, combines Tony Hawk with the craziness of Saints Row mixed with kool-aid zombies, really enjoyed my time with it. Grinding on rails and power lines, the tons of guns, the awesome missions and characters. It never takes itself seriously and I found it really fun.
DOOM and Doom: Eternal are great choices as well but they are a bit difficult and again the level-by-level structure isn't exactly my thing. But if you like brutal gameplay and ripping demons to shreds, bad-ass music, tons of collectibles, this is your thing. Also a bit of platforming if you're into that. I enjoyed it but the difficulty put me off both games for a bit.
Overgrowth is a really fun one where you play as anthropomorphic animals and fight with paws, feet, and swords. The ragdoll physics and the physics in general make the game so damn FUN to play, and it's fairly short (but a bit tough), I had a lot of fun with it. The shortness of the levels and the phenomenal physics of the entire game made it a blast to play, the combat was super satisfying, the parkour is also great.
Way of the Samurai 4 has super fun combat and is meant to be replayed over and over and over, it has a billion endings that change depending on your actions. You can craft your own sword from scratch (pommel, blade, guard, etc), sword style (moves and combos) from scratch, sidequests are pretty damn good, some being super deep and funny. Very good. Choosing this one because it's the latest and the wackiness helped me enjoy it.
Borderlands 2 is super over-the-top, has a gazillion guns to choose from, tons of bosses and content, customization is ridiculous, it gets insane how much your damage ramps up, you can do 100k+ damage, even 1 million damage IIRC which shows on screen with each shot, plus it's just really fun to play even by yourself. I'm choosing this one as it's the best one of the BL series.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, the combat and nemesis system are really damn good, it's not the most technical combat in the world but it's still very enjoyable, I loved it. Slaying orcs, riding graugs, with the LOTR lore, it's just awesome. (Chose this one as I've never played Shadow of War, but I've heard it's also very good.)
Maneater is a short but fun action-rpg where you play as a shark that evolves as you play the game. You'll start off getting your ass kicked by alligators but as the game goes on you unlock powers and new evolutions/mutations and can end up fighting stuff like Great Whites and more. It's very damn fun.
Halo 2 (as part of the MCC), this is my favorite Halo, this (and my next game) is one of the only ones I'm recommending for the multiplayer alone, it's one of the best multiplayer experiences ever. FPS gameplay at it's finest. I wish I had more to say... It's just Halo 2, one of the best games ever.
Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is hands down one of the best melee combat games ever, this one is more for the multiplayer, lightsaber duels feel like actual duels, there's flipping and jumping, lightsaber clashes, and you usually always win a duel by the skin of your teeth. The game is also extremely easy to mod and worth it, one of the easiest games to create your OWN mods for I've ever seen, I picked it up in only a few hours, very fun game. You can literally turn it into a completely different game through modding alone.
I have tons more and I may expand later on with an edit but I really hope you enjoy this list, I've noticed a lot of people like me who want fun games and instead recommended games that are indeed fun, but for stuff like relaxation, or due to the storyline. This is for people who want to just go out and kill a bunch of shit, then say "Damn this is awesome!"
I'm basing all this off fun factor, hope this list helps, enjoy!
