Even though these sci-fi games are rated 17+ by the ESRB because they have adult themes and violence, they still tell interesting stories.
Sci-fi has always had the most promise because it’s only limited by what people can think of. Basically, these games can take place in any future version of Earth or on any other planet or star in any known or unknown galaxy. Sci-fi games have always been around, but to be fair, sci-fi was often thought of as a book and movie theme. This is no longer true, and thanks to changes in technology over the last few decades, these games have taken the gaming world by storm.
Even though most sci-fi games aren’t good for kids, they are generally rated for ages 14 to 16. This is a tradition that has been slowly changing, especially as science fiction games have started to focus on more than just exploring. Some of the best science fiction games have an ESRB rating of Mature (M) 17+, and they use the full range of this rating to make a great game.
Dead Space
Dead Space is the best example of horror, and it’s easy to say that the fast growth of this sub-genre is a direct result of how good Dead Space was and how much it has influenced other games. In this third-person game, players take control of Isaac Clarke, an engineer on a broken spaceship that is trapped and looking for his girlfriend. Most of Isaac’s crew died when his ship was attacked, and now he has to deal with scary necromorphs, galactic politics, and his own mind as most of the survivors start to have hallucinations and become paranoid.
Dead Space did a great job of creating a scary atmosphere and slowly building up the tension. The best part, though, was that there was never a chance for players to take a break and catch their breath, whether it was during the intense and painful game play or in the story itself, where the supporting cast slowly goes crazy.
Prey
The movie Prey from 2017 was a nice treat. It was mostly a first-person shooter with some stealth, role-playing game, and open-world features. It takes place in an alternate world where the US and the USSR captured and held Typhon aliens on a space station, but they have now escaped. Spacebar Clicker game takes place fully on a space station. To get through it, players have to fight, explore, and solve puzzles, as well as go back through parts of the station and make decisions about the story.
Players will be a little confused by Prey’s strange story, especially after the opening images, but they do set the right tone. The player’s decisions are very important, and it’s clear that the space station is a living nightmare. Everything that Prey wants to do is done pretty well, and fans of the genre should try it out.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
The Deus Ex series is one of the best cyberpunk games out there, so it’s too bad that Square Enix has put it on hold. One of the best games of the early 2010s was Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It shows how Adam Jensen deals with living in a world where cybernetic implants are popular. This game is known for having a great story and giving the player a lot of freedom over how the story goes.
Human Revolution is about how people can make their own decisions, how mega-corporations control and manipulate the growth of society, and how fast “development” affects social class. All of these are serious topics that the game handles very well to tell a great story. Along with this, the game has tried-and-true gameplay systems that switch between all-out fights and sneaking around.
Mass Effect 2
Most people think that the Mass Effect series is the best sci-fi game out there, and Mass Effect 2 is by far the best in the series. This game has gotten more praise than any other game in history, and it earns every bit of it. Players will once again follow Commander Shepherd on his trip. Shepherd has a lot of freedom in how he interacts with other characters and even in his romantic adventures.
Not only do players get to choose what happens to Shepherd and his team, but they also get to shape who Shepherd is. All of the different paths and choices have been made with a lot of thought and care. This M-rated game makes good use of its rating by focusing on marriage and relationships and also having a lot of third-person shooter violence.
Bioshock
Bioshock is a great example of how to tell a story and build a plot. This game has one of the best stories out there, and it’s all wrapped up in an amazing package full of information, character interactions, and background lore. Bioshock deals with deep moral ideas and makes great use of literary devices like the unreliable narrator. Each game in the series deals with different social and political ideas, but the original Bioshock is the only game in the series that focuses on objectivism and selfishness.
In addition to the great story, this game has a great music. It does a great job of building up its environments and mood, and even though the gameplay isn’t the main focus, it’s still pretty great. The RPG parts are done well, and players have a lot of freedom in how they fight, whether they want to fight, be sneaky, or use plasmids to control their enemies. Bioshock is still remembered fondly many years after it came out, and anyone who wants to start playing sci-fi games, especially adult ones, should start with this one.
