If fighting the bad guys isn’t enough for you, explore these imagined worlds with governments that dictate every aspect of your life.

1. Deus Ex (2000)

Set in an alternate world history where the poor struggle in a world devastated by a pandemic, the government has created a cure for the disease but only gives it out to people who are deemed worthy of it. Terrorists have taken advantage of the opportunity to rise up against the elites by fueling the rage of the masses.

2. Half-Life (1998)

While the setting of the game is focused primarily on a research facility, it is overseen by a corporation that decided to eliminate the survivors of an experiment gone wrong. This coverup is stalled by the scientists and officers who managed to teleport a man into the dimensional rip to stop an even greater threat.

3. Beneath a Steel Sky (2009)

A world destroyed by nuclear fallout is divided into several states each one trying to dominate the other. The game is set primarily in wasteland following a child adopted by the locals living in the wilderness.

4. Dystopia (2018)

Inspired by cyberpunk literature, the game is set in a futuristic world where two faction vie for control. Their conflict, however, affects not just the physical world but also the virtual world.

5. Year Zero (2007)

Set in alternate future of America in 2022, the country tries to take control of the populace through exercising military control after several terrorist attacks. However, this motivation to protect its people is also clouded by its expansionist ideals and paranoia.

6. BioShock (2007)

In an alternate history of 1960, an underwater city called Rapture is created to make the perfect city. Whereas other ideas failed to make people happy, Rapture’s visionary claims that a society can only flourish without morality and government. Because of this openness to new ideas, scientific research boomed, but it wasn’t long before the city was plagued by the same problems humans face everywhere.

7. We Happy Few (2018)

Set in an alternate history of World War II, the Allies lost to the German Nazis at the Battle of Britain, forcing back what is left of the resistance. In one town, Wellington Wells, however, managed to shake off the Nazis, that resulted in their isolation. Strangely, the townspeople felt guilty of the event and invented a hallucinogenic drug that makes them forget unhappy things.

8. Homefront (2011)

Set in 2027 when a united Korea under Kim Jong-un dominates the world, the rest of humanity is plagued by an epidemic and a collapse of civilization. With the US as the last nation standing against the dictator, an invasion was launched, and a puppet state created in Western US.

9. Freedom Wars (2014)

10,000 years into the future, humans can no longer sustain life on the surface and so they were forced to live in underground cities. These tightly-controlled cities oblige residents to make a contribution to the society in exchange for security.

10. Mirror’s Edge (2008)

The city might seem perfect and peaceful, but it is held together by a government that keeps a close eye on everything from communications to the use of alcohol.

Platformers are games that allow the player to control a character while navigating in an environment full of traps and puzzles. If you haven’t tried the genre yet, you need to play some of the best platformers in history.

Super Mario Bros. (1985)
No list is complete without at least one Mario game. The 1985 installment features the brothers Mario and Luigi in a quest to save Princess Toadstool from King Bowser after the Koopa Army attacked the Mushroom Kingdom.

Strider (1989)
The game is set in a futuristic dystopian world where Hiryu, a ninja from the Striders, was assigned to assassinate the Grandmaster, the overlord and dictator of the Empire. The combos performed by Hiryu using his sword Cypher are based on the movements of the buttons and joystick.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
The iconic Sonic is out to destroy the scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik after the latter imprisoned animals in the South Island and stole the 6 Chaos Emeralds.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (1995)
A direct sequel to Donkey Kong Country, the game features Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong who attempt to save Donkey Kong after he was taken by King K. Rool to Crocodile Island.

Banjo-Kazooie (1998)
The first installment of the renowned series, it introduces Banjo the bear and Kazooie the bird who are trying to overcome the evil plans of Gruntilda the witch.

Shovel Knight (2014)
The Shovel Knight is controlled by the player as he tries to collect different treasures and fights the Order of No Quarter. Shovel Knight might be able to rescue Shield Knight if he could overcome the Enchantress in the Tower of Fate.

Super Meat Boy (2010)
The player will help box-shaped Meat Boy get through more than 300 levels to rescue Bandage Girl after the latter was taken by the scientist Dr. Fetus.

LittleBigPlanet 2 (2011)
Unlike its prequel, LittleBigPlanet 2 features a main storyline involving Sackboy and the members of The Alliance as they overcome the vacuum cleaner Negativitron who is trying to destroy Craftworld.

Mega Man X (1993)
Set a hundred years after the previous game, the world is inhabited by Reploids and humans who are at odds because the Reploids are becoming destructive. Mega Man X is tasked to hunt down the mavericks and stop the plans of their leader Sigma.

Ratchet & Clank (2002)
The robot Clank has to convince his friend Ratchet to help him find Captain Qwark and to stop Chairman Drek from creating a new species that might destroy other planets.

Spyro the Dragon (1998)
Spyro and his friend Sparx the dragonfly are travelling to rescue other dragons, find treasures, and to fight the half-orc half-human Gnasty Gnorc.

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (2002)
The thief Sly Cooper enlists his gang, composed of Murray and Bentley, to retrieve his family’s book called Thievius Raccoonus, which lists all of his ancestors’ tricks for stealing.