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Let's discuss: games that are lighthearted & pure fun.

The Mario RPGs, preferably:
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Nailed it. Also props to the guy who said Just Cause 2, it's great too!

If you want something pertaining to this gen:
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Don't own a PS3?
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Don't own an HD console?
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Don't own a 3DS?
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This is going to sound like crazy-talk, but VVVVV was like this for me. Sure, I died 167 times, but I had fun doing it and never got frustrated. Maybe it was your character's face... I dunno.

Rayman 1 and Rayman Origins kind hit the same stride with me.
Was replaying Rayman 1 and even though sometimes I was cursing a bit to myself, I was always having a good time and ready to play more when I finally got past a difficult section.

In fact I'd go with pretty much every Ubisoft Montpelier game except King Kong (which skews on the dark end of things)
Rayman 1, 2, Origins,Raving Rabbids 1, Rabbids Go Home, Beyond Good and Evil. All great, fun, games that I can just lose hours playing. Haven't played their TinTin movie game yet but it looks like itd be a decent enough way to kill an afternoon.

Some other non Ubisoft Montpielier games that are pure fun:
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And the sequel to each.
 
Have they ironed out all of the technical issues?

Ah, haven't really been paying attention to any Fez news, can say I haven't ran into any issues in the few hours I've played

As for more suggestions:
de Blob 1+2 Wii
Both games gcan be pretty challenging, but never to the point where your frustration will take you out of these bright, wonderfully colourful levels that are as far from grimdark as you can possibly get. The music is really great too; it builds up as you go about painting the levels, so by the finish you've got this once-grey landscape now covered in colour and this background music going full blast. Pretty much the definition of summer game.

Jet Set Radio Dreamcast
Light-hearted, fun and difficult in a way that never feels frustrating. If you haven't, you need to play this. Sega at their finest. I think it's getting an HD version soon as well?

Rhythm Thief 3DS
If you're interested in Rhythm Heaven, then you should look into this. The gamplay basically Rhythm Heaven, but with story in between the games it. The story never really takes itself seriously and the visuals and music make it fit exactly with your OP.

Aww, beaten on JSR. Ah well.
 
Pretty much any Kirby game. Sure they're a bit on the easy side, but you don't get much more lighthearted and pure fun than that.
 
Also, I can't believe nobody mentioned Minecraft. It seems like a good laid back experience...if I put in the time to figure out where the hell to start. A Minecraft Wiki beginners guide, maybe?

I think with Minecraft it depends on how you play it. If you play purely creatively or just focus on exploring the world, taking in the sometimes awe-insipring landscapes it can be a pretty calming experience.
But at night (and down underground) there are monsters that will kill you pretty efficiently if you're not quick to defend, at which point you're probably
pretty tense so I don't know if it quite fits.
 
Jak and Daxter, just the first one. Light-hearted, extremely colorful, goofy sidekick, orb collecting. Though the swamp rat section still grinds my gears to this day...

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Also Plants vs Zombies PSN. Just mindless colorful fun with tongue in cheek humor

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Oh, Plants vs Zombies and Peggle are pretty great "fun" games, though Plants vs Zombies has some stressful modes and Peggle can make you rage if you barely miss shots.
 
As for more suggestions:
de Blob 1+2 Wii
Both games gcan be pretty challenging, but never to the point where your frustration will take you out of these bright, wonderfully colourful levels that are as far from grimdark as you can possibly get. The music is really great too; it builds up as you go about painting the levels, so by the finish you've got this once-grey landscape now covered in colour and this background music going full blast. Pretty much the definition of summer game.

Played the first one and really enjoyed it but it was so repetitive that I sort of burned out by the end of the game. Is there more variety in the second game?

I assume any version of it is fine since the motion controls in the first game weren't all that necessary.
 
Simpsons Hit&Run in my case. The game is just a series of arcade challenges like time-trials and races, contained in a few open-worlds filled with collectables and references to the TV show. The entire atmosphere of the game, the music, the dialogue, the gameplay, the difficulty curve, was just fun and made me love coming back to it. It's probably the only game that has left that impression with me.
 
Simpsons Hit&Run in my case. The game is just a series of arcade challenges like time-trials and races, contained in a few open-worlds filled with collectables and references to the TV show. The entire atmosphere of the game, the music, the dialogue, the gameplay, the difficulty curve, was just fun and made me love coming back to it. It's probably the only game that has left that impression with me.
Absolutely, I need to play this again tonight.
 
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Tales of Vesperia
Stupidly light hearted characters and story, beautiful graphics, and never too challenging. It's linear but it can suck me in for a few hours before it becomes a grind. At this point (almost 1/2 way through) I'm starting to lose track of the story but don't really mind because it's just an overall pleasant game playing experience. Definitely relaxing.

Grrr I regret selling this game. I have no idea what the balls I was thinking.

Nevermind the fact that its incredibly rare (and expensive) now, I genuinely enjoyed the game but for some reason unbeknownst to me now, I decided to sell it.
 
Thought of another one that I easily sunk more time into than the two I mentioned earlier:

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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (series)

Even the demo had my friends and I hooked back then. The music and gameplay, along with easter eggs and other such things, were a perfect mix of fun. My PS1 always seemed to have 1 or 2 inside.
 
I was about to stop playing games altogether when Saint's Row: The Third came out, and I had such fun with it that it delayed my exodus by a month or two.
 
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The most relaxing game I've ever played. It can be pretty easy, but it's usually just as difficult as you want it to be. There's always something to do.
 
Demons Souls... nah just kidding.

Metal Slug Anthology
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Normaly extremely hard. But you get infinite continue. Just go on and shoot a lot of stuff and enjoy the funny animations.
 
Kororinpa and Marble Saga Kororinpa are the perfect embodiment of this topic... tight, flawlessly designed games that cut out all of the bullshit and deliver a gaming experience that is pure, unadulterated fun.
 
Wait, you want to discuss games and then give a subjective statement about the LEGO games.

Oh okay.
True -- Just Cause 2 might provide more of a world you can get lost in, but I'm a big fan of the LEGO games as "fun", especially if you have someone to play co-op with. Some people don't like them, but I think it's subjective. :)
 

Sure, till it gets all evil and life-altering at the end.

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OH WAIT

You're more likely to ascend to unbelievable heights of rage playing this with friends

FUUUUU-

I played this game this semester. I swear it took 5 teams to finish 1 file because we just kept rage quitting. I spent half the semester trying to convince the guy who bought it that it was the Devil's game and that it was trying to ruin our souls.


This is my vote. Sure, it has some downer moments and stuff, but this was one of the most fun JRPGs I have played in years, and by the time I got to "Another Day" running around town with my friends and beating up mooks with my psychic powers was a blast.

But screw Tin Pin.
 
Grrr I regret selling this game. I have no idea what the balls I was thinking.

Nevermind the fact that its incredibly rare (and expensive) now, I genuinely enjoyed the game but for some reason unbeknownst to me now, I decided to sell it.

Isn't it available as a download on the 360's store?
 
All of the Lego: ___ games. They're dead easy, boring and repetitive after just a few hours.

I have to disagree with that. I'd say they perfectly fit your list. They can be as easy or as challenging as you want, and as the series has gone on they've been anything but repetitive and boring.
 
Parappa is definitely one of my favourite games because it's not terribly difficult and the raps always put a smile on my face.

Skate 2 was also a great game if you set up an online session with a buddy. My friends and I would often just go and do tonnes of "emergent" stuff every time; throw ourselves off buildings and ragdoll, race down the hilly sections, and work together to build spots to skate on for 5 minutes. We never really had competitions with one another, just kept it really light and loose.

Audiosurf can be very lighthearted if you get the right music (low BPM stuff, probably) too!
 
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The Skate series is it for me.

I can free skate for HOURS in any of these games, it's endless fun for me. Always finding new spots/lines to try different things. Getting really good at it is super rewarding, and probably part of the draw.
 
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