In case you're not aware, there's a project called VCMI which rewrites the Heroes 3 engine to add lots of modern improvements, fixes and easier access to mods. Thought it might be of interest since you like the game.
As for other games, how about XCOM? These games are turn based so you should be fine with touchpad + there's plenty of time to think. Don't know what specs we're talking about but in case of modern revival, XCOM: Enemy Unknown should work without issues. XCOM 2 is slightly heavier but might also work.
You could also go for 4X titles like Star Ruler or Total War series.
Finally, there are turn-based RPGs like Knights of Pen and Paper - it's light and pretty fun (as far as I remember anyway). A bit simple but might be enough to spend some time on.
Yeah, Metal Wolf is a cheesy action movie filtered through Japanese lens. It's crazy, stupid and unintentionally hilarious.
As for Gothics, I think they hold up really well as long as you can overcome a few things:
get used to the controls - they really aren't bad but they were created when standards weren't as established as they are now.
treat them as worlds you are a part of rather than games - it helps figure out alternative solutions to quests and avoid some unpleasant surprises (in universe, not bugs).
game world does not revolve around you - early on even basic wildlife will be a challenge, treat enemies with respect.
there's no level scaling - some areas will be unavailable to you until you're strong (or crafty) enough.
don't play Gothic II with Night of the Raven expansion installed from the start - it adds a bunch of difficult enemies available from the get go and will make the game way harder if you don't know how to avoid them.
I think some of those points might sound more serious than they really are but should make for a good primer anyway. There's a lot to like about those games (even compared to another titan of that time, Morrowind) so I hope you have fun!
Couple of disclaimers to start with: I'm primarily a PC player, even most of the console games I played happened via emulation so I'll drop stuff from both. I'm also really fond of games willing to try something different, even if they end up mediocre or bad - these ain't GOTY material.
With that out of the way, here's a short list of titles I really enjoyed:
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PC, PSX, Sega Saturn) - 3D platformer with relatively slow and clunky gameplay (kind of similar to classic Tomb Raider games). Colorful, cute and simple.
Kao the Kangaroo (Dreamcast, PC) - series very similar to Croc though might feel a bit less polished at times. Don't really care about the sequel even though it's not a bad game.
Parasite Eve (PSX) - JRPG set in 1990's New York. Interesting combat system focused on guns and positioning, great art and fun story.
Gothic I & II (PC) - German RPGs with a unique atmosphere and world. Surprisingly open-ended with some of its quests. Has an unusual keyboard-centric control scheme.
Sheep (Mac OS, PC) - game about herding sheep through various wacky levels. Lots of humor.
Metal Wolf Chaos (Xbox) - crazy story about an American president fighting FOR DEMOCRACY in a mech suit, created by From Soft. Has modern ports for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Oni (Mac OS, PC, PS2) - the best Ghost in the Shell game without actually being one*. Third person action with a great melee combat, big empty levels and rough difficulty spikes. Has a community made "Anniversary Edition" with fixes and access to mods.
* I haven't played all of the GitS games to back that up.
The ability to play all that old stuff is a thing of beauty and seems to be getting stronger, both in practice and as a general concept within the industry, with each passing year. It's great!
Probably fifth and sixth gens (PSX-PS2 era), for three reasons:
graphics - there's something about art styles used at the time that aged surprisingly well and is just pleasant to look at, even compared to later games.
variety - both gens were filled with mid budget titles trying out new, often weird ideas that didn't always work but can be really interesting even to this day (as long as you can overcome jank usually present there).
(least important point) there's a lower chance I'll find games from this era to be too old-school for me. I have a high tolerance to old game design but I'm not immune to it. Sometimes there is such thing as "too old" and that's alright.
Because that's what it is. I think some of it might have to do with the limited content of the petition itself (a pretty short description about "customers being robbed" without any broader ideas suggested by the campaign) and some with the fact they get plenty of petitions so the first reaction is to stick with what's already there. That's my guess at least.
I hope that if this petition reached 100k signatures and went to a parliamentary hearing there could be a chance for a more nuanced presentation of the topic but who knows, maybe I'm just being naive.
You're absolutely right about the dialog and I'm not sure why I forgot to include it in my post - that's a pretty stupid decision on dev's part, especially since there's enough downtime that could be used for that purpose instead.
While mission design is pretty linear I never really found it to be a huge issue. It might be because I never expected any openness to begin with so anytime there was an option to avoid full-on combat seemed like a nice surprise. It doesn't help that there isn't much room for experimentation since enemies can be really deadly at times.
It's definitely not a game for everyone and I can understand why you bounced off of it. I've been molded by jank so my tolerance to many of game's issues is rather high. Or maybe I just have a soft spot for mediocre titles - I seem to drift towards them more than to polished, high-budget games.
On the other hand they do have a history of protecting customers (weren't they the main reason behind Steams refund policy?) and that's what this is about.