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When you're in a bad mood, what games always seem to improve it? Whether through cathartic destruction or cuteness overload, what brings you joy? Whole games, segments, minigames, whatever.

The Chao Garden from the Sonic Adventure games, especially the second one. Between the adorable little chao themselves, the tiny animals you collect for them, the impossibly sweet music, and the serene scenery (aside from the evil garden, of course). The entire setup is pure sweet dream fuel, and the fact that it remains paused when you don't play it keeps you from getting stressed out about having to get a schedule like other virtual pets.

When I just want to wreck everything, nothing beats the sheer catharsis factor of Koei's Warriors series games. Load up a map with no real objectives, grab Lu Bu, and sweep thousands aside!

If I'm particularly bloodthirsty, I can never go wrong with Brutal Doom. RIPPAN AND TEARRAN.

Dark Cloud 2 (or Dark Chronicle to you in PAL territories) is great for escapism. There's an absurd amount of content to get lost in. Build a town! Fish! Explore procedural dungeons! Fish in the procedural dungeons! Play golf-disguised-as-fixing-time-distortions! Build and customize a robot! Takes pictures of nice scenery! Race fish you've caught! Dress Monica up like a catgirl! There's lots of good music, to boot. The song in the Rainbow Butterfly Wood is so soothing. Just…don't try getting "scoop" pictures unless you're feeling super-patient.

legend of zelda: ocarina of time.
i don't know really know, i guess its something about the atmosphere of the game; the music is really soothing too.
legend of zelda: wind walker.
the art style, and action elements make for a relaxing break from reality for me.

The Katamari series usually puts me in a good mood, largely thanks to its soundtrack and its overly happy nature.
Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon/Planet Puzzle League also helps me relax. Especially the forest stage/Poochy stage in Tetris Attack/Panel de Pon with it's very relaxing music that could almost drift you to sleep.

When I play the multiplayer modes of Conker's Bad Fur Day or Timesplitters: Future Perfect (and the chaos that happens within them, regardless if they are CPU players), they always cheer me up.

BlazBlue Chronophantasma. God, stomping as Terumi just removes all anger from me.

And I agree with MIMU on the Chao Garden. Any aggressive thoughts I have disappear. Same goes for Pokemon Amie in X/Y. Something about feeding the incarnation of Satan cupcakes is anti-nightmares and anti-anger.

Dead Space
Silent Hill

fenglee

actually that is the only game i play.

I can only assume you're being sarcastic unless you clarify.

As long as it's not a game that has a lot of frustrating moments and as long it's a good game, it's a feel-good game, since it takes your mind away for as long as you're playing.

Guitar Hero, especially the downloadable song "Jimi." That song is so ridiculously fun on Expert Guitar.

This fucking game.

Holy shit. Feels so good to play it after like, 8 years?

Like Ticklechap said, pretty much any game I like can calm me down and make me feel better and less stressed. There aren't really games I play specifically to feel better. The games that make me feel the best are usually my favorites, so I'll just list my top 5: Metroid Prime 2, Zelda: SS, Zelda: TP, Metroid Prime 1, and Terraria. These games are all so good to me that they can give me chills and often do.

Well, now that I think about it, to feel better I usually play easier games I don't have to try too much in, because if I'm stressed, angry, or sad in real life I don't want to play a game that makes me want to hurl a controller through my TV screen. Even when I'm in a normal mood I avoid games that make me feel more pissed or stressed than relaxed. A perfect series for me that is easy and uplifting would definitely be Kirby. Those are perfect for getting me through minor hardships with all the happy music and fun gameplay as well as the fact that they are notoriously easy and I can just breeze through them usually.

Dark souls
Ironic that a game that has made many people rage is my feel-good game. I think it's because of the whole PvP brokenness that I enjoy, and I always have a good chuckle at reading the angry messages I get because of "lag stabs" and other things. To conclude, I do have a great time with the whole experience, and I believe that other people feel the same.

Super Smash Brothers 4.
It's just satisfying to beat people online at a battle of wits and skill. And sometimes, the way I KO other players can be especially satisfying, (spiking with Ike's Aether or Captain Falcon's Knee of Justice comes to mind.) And I don't mind losing; I'll just simply call it a good game after winning or losing.

Being evil feels pretty good.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf, because I've been playing it all this year, and reminds me of my hometown.
Cave Story, because I just love the music.

Oddly enough Touhou games can be quite meditative.

Anything. I mean, anything. Just any game i have in my collection. Nothing in special.

GTA 4. With a shitton of mods or a swing.

Tomodachi LIfe.
It always makes me feel good.

Just Cause 2.
It's really a great stress relief. Just grab a gun and blow stuff up.

Hear, hear. JC2 takes two of gamers' strongest instincts, blowing shit up and collecting shit, and builds a whole game around it. And it's fucking GLORIOUS. Grab some mods to spawn whatever you want, maybe some cheats so you don't have to worry about being ganked by a sudden unwelcome chopper, and you're golden.

Generally everything, though memories of co-oping this with my little bro always puts a smile on my face:

Far Cry 3
TF2
COD:Zombies
Its fun to kill people who don't matter

I have never seen Coolface's posts: the post.

Super Mario 64 is my feel good game.

Best part is the kiss from Peach at the end. That's what really makes me happy other than finally sprinting to the tape first ahead of the "speedy" Koopa in Big Small World.

Mutilate a Doll 1 & 2
Sonic Advance series
Pretty much every popular game in kongregate.

Pretty much any game you can just jump in and start killing things. Usually open world games. Also like to play the batman arkham games since I've been pretty huge on the guy since I was a kid, and they pretty much capture the essence of a batman simulator.

Vib ribbion.

just jew tube it, youll see why its a feel good game to me as soon as you see a video or two.

Postal 2, because chopping up civilians and peeing on them always relieves stress.

I either play through one of the good paths in katawa shoujo, soldier of fortune (realistic gore makes my anxiety attacks calm down, for some reason), Tetris on the nes is pretty good for calming down, and metal gear rising always puts me in a good mood, mostly because i get to listen to awesome music while sword fighting with the antagonist with the biggest shit eating grins ever.

Recently I've been playing Animal Crossing New Leaf, it just makes me feel so good inside. Every character is so happy to see you and the atmosphere is relaxing to me.
But before Animal Crossing, my feel good games were the Sims 1 and Sims Bustin' Out for the Gamecube. They were two games that I'm kind of emotionally attached to. I was always bullied at school so I'd play the Sims and it made me feel better. The Sims Bustin' Out was my favorite because it was like the first Sims game but had a lot more and just felt relaxing. The music was chill and visually the game was colorful so being able to watch the sun set and rise was super pretty.

I delt with some heavy stuff early this year. I had to do a 4 unit class in just 3 weeks. 7 hours of homework each day (not counting studying).

I ended taking breaks to play Ocarina of Time Master Quest. It was really what I needed at the time.

COD 4, MW3, Advanced Warfare campaign on easy. Just wanted some shooty-shooty-bang-bang to make me feel like a hero.

Btw am I the only person who buy COD exclusively for the single player?

Super Mario Galaxy. Makes me smile every time I play it.

Civilization V, there's just something magical about annihilating other civilizations, awesome soundtracks, nuke spamming, and slaughtering barbarians.

Ace Combat 5, this is a big wad of condensed childhood on the PS2, with its unbelievable soundtrack and beautiful storyline.

For me that would probably be Superbrothers:Sword&Sworcery.
I love playing that on a rainy day,especially for the damn great soundtrack.

Edit:

Well it used to be FTL

but now Postal 2 is Dominating my time, It's just the feeling of murdering people that deserve…
i'm waiting for you Hatred.

I actually got Tomodachi Life recently and it is pretty relaxing. Probably the most relaxing game I've played so far. Every time I play it I feel all warm inside. It's just so nice.

For me? Space engineers, and Saints Row 3 and 4.

Nope. We're in the same boat, mate.

Also for me: HL2. Now i know it might not seem calming and nice, but the highway 17 levels were just pure serenity IMO. Aside from when the combine were shooting at you. I mean, the bleak cliffs mixed with the good graphics… it was great.

I usually chillout on Papers, Please
Just go into an endurance mode with no time limiters

Glory to Arstotzka

I remember the chao garden. Fun times. For a while, I tried to get to turn my primary chao into a chaos chao, but I eventually grew tired of it.

Getting back to the topic, TF2. I like to go to a trade server and just run around the map. Fun times.

Also, Metal Gear Rising. It's just so fun to cut everything in your path to absolute shreds. Plus, that amazing soundtrack.

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SSX 2012. Nothing beats a Massive BS 1440 Walking The Dog Backflip X5 in the morning.

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Forza Horizon. Awesome Tracks. Awesome Racing. Awesome Forza. Nuff' Said.

Saints Row 4, The Sims 2

Just Cause 2 is a nice stress reliever. If I'm ever feeling down from too much study or other stressful events, blowing up some army bases usually gets me feeling better.

If I am just feeling sad, then maybe Minecraft, since it just lets me zone out into my own little world.

Euro Truck Simulator 2.

No matter how enraged or stressed I am, That game is inexplicably relaxing. Just driving around a miniature Europe in a Scania.

And, of course, Garry's Mod.

That is a brilliant stress reliever for me. Just tossing ragdolls about, creating a car out of household items and making a ball pit to name a few things you can do.

Any game with tight controls and tries to avoid frustrating you. Skullgirls, Shovel Knight, Osu, FTL, and a quick slaughterhouse in Borderlands 2. Or I just button mash play way better when I'm mad.

Super Mario Adventure and Super Mario Galaxy :D