The age of wonders and Heroes of might and magic series are something you shouldn't miss. AoC3 is the best among them.
The Baldurs gate 1 & 2 were excellent games but they havn't aged with dignity. BG HD looks about like BG2, very dated. But I think they were the best PC RPGs made.
As for tactical FPS I always enjoyed the Rainbow 6 games. Vegas 2 is old but still fun and the new Siege is good but a bit DLC heavy.
This is not a thread requesting game recommendations, it's meant to be more broad in scope.
I'd like to know what games, MMO or single-player it doesn't matter, you believe gamers should try at least once in their life, whether the game is good or bad, and why you chose that game? What's so special about that game that gamers should try it?
I ask this question because I'm currently creating a list of games on this subject to write blogs about. To me, the games that I've picked so far are games that I believe bring something different and possibly interesting to the genre. That's how I personally evaluate whether I think gamers should try a game or not, but I'm curious to know how other people decide and judge what constitutes a "Game you should try at least once in your life" and why.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
Baldur's Gate 1&2 - The game that made me a gamer. If you love it, then don't miss Icewind Dale series.
Planescape: Torment - Much like Baldur's Gate, but much unlike it at the same time. Very good story.
EVE Online - Not for everyone, but I think that everyone should give it a good month. It's that different.
Bioshock 1 - The best in the series and truly a different kind of game. Very memorable.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag - Another best in the series game and quite different from anything else.
Mass Effect 2 - You can skip 1 and 3. Two is the best one and tells a good story, even if it's a bit linear experience.
Batman Arkham City - Some of the best fun you'll ever have being the Dark Knight. Don't miss this one.
Shadow of Mordor - Easily one of the best games I've ever played, and I keep it on my hard drive just for the jet-fueled combat that makes me feel like a goddamn tyrannosaur.
Fallout New Vegas - Don't miss this one. The best setting, the best companions, the best story. Fallout 4 misses the mark by a nautical mile compared to New Vegas.
Far Cry 3 - One of the most memorable bad guys you'll ever experience and a great open world game to boot. Another best of the series.
X-Com 2 - An intense tactical combat game with some very unique features that you won't find in any other game.
Borderlands 1 or 2 - Doesn't matter which one really as they're both excellent entries, although the playable characters in 2 are far better. ... and introducing Zero: As a Number. Too fun... too fun.
Metro 2033 - A benchmark game for a decade. One of the best Russian productions out there.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Blacklist - I would say don't miss either one. Chaos theory has a fantastic story, but dated graphics. Blacklist has a compelling story and modern controls.
Witcher 3 - The first two are skippable, but 3 is a masterpiece of storytelling, graphics and pure... ambiance.
Homeworld - Still considered one of the best, if not the best, space based combat game. I played it to death when it came out and it has been recently remastered.
Dawn of War - Especially if you're a fan of the 40k setting. Buy every expansion, they're all worth the cheap price. Dawn of War II goes in a completely different direction and is skippable in my opinion.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines: Just don't miss this one. Just don't. Few games stick out in my mind so well for years after I've played them like this one does.
Dragon Age: Origins - Don't even bother with the rest. Pretend this series starts and ends here, but this one is seriously worth it.
Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2 - Try to look past the graphics. Everyone should experience these at least once.
i'm in the EQ1 club myself. Best raids where on the drop of a hat you had to show up and beat the boss before someone else did. Namely the euro guilds and having to wait to server reset to lock it down on our play time.
Final Fantasy Tactics for psx. I just love this game, in every aspect, even the rage unducing features, the amount of burden of knowledge you need to beat this game is absurd, your first walkthrough could take you months, while your 10th time could take you 5 hours, i just love it.
Warcraft III. Not much to be said about this one, i mean, gameplay, lore, amazing single player campaing, good graphics for it's time, strategy, mods, an amazing rts.
Dishonored. I don't know why, but i love Stealth games and this one gave me one of the best experiences i have ever had with this kind of gameplay, if you're into this kind of game, you should try it, the story is amazing too.
Saints Row the Third. This game is like the goofy not serious at all brother of GTA, if you want to just slaughter stuff and get a good laugh, this game is worth it.
I'd throw in Half Life as well. If you want better graphics there's also Back Mesa or Half Life Source which are just Half Life on a new engine.
Still the best single player FPS ever made, in my opinion. Add to that the rediculous number of mods for Multiplayer, from TFC to CS to Vampire Hunter, it has to be one of the greatest games of all time.
I actually came across Extra Credits' videos today as I was doing a bit of research to build my list. It killed my buzz thinking I was being original . I didn't like their video format though (a bunch of indie games mentioned for 15-20 seconds each) it was a bit uninteresting and unhelpful.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
"One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive selves." - Carl Jung
Seeing as our resident Trion agen...FAN seems to be on vacay, I'll go ahead and mention these games. When I was looking for a way to consolidate my game experiences (because I was just playing too many damn games) these are the two I narrowed it down to. Both allow short duration play times and I can log off off easily if I need to get up and do other things without anything really requiring me to keep playing.
Trove - get my entire MMO, ARPG and Voxel fix from this game. The first game I've ever played that was able to do this. Atlas Reactor - get my entire PVP fix from this. The first pvp game I've played that can fully satisfy my pvp hunger. I previously had to play multiple games from multiple genres.
pac-man / ms. pac-man super mario bros half-life 1 minecraft world of warcraft team fortress (preferably classic) anarchy online counterstrike planetside (1 was best, but it's shut down) eve unreal tournament dungeons and dragons tabletop
Anyone remember Descent?
I would say EQ1, but it really is nothing like it used to be.
I agree on Darkfall. Love it or hate it Darkfall pushes your player skills to the limit of what you are capable of. Before Darkfall I played with a standard mouse, I didn't pay much attention to keybindings, and I had never even though about messing with auto-hotkey or macros. Since Darkfall the first thing I do in any new MMO is configure my keybinds to my gaming hardware and I can write a macro for pretty much any useful purpose that won't get you banned if needed.
Night and day difference in my player skill coming out the other end of a game like that. I found the GUI poorly conceived and cumbersome but learning to manage dozens of abilities and multiple weapon setups in fast paced full manual-aim combat with a GUI set up to do no such thing made me a better player. In makes managing a dozen or two abilities in a tab-target setting child's play.
Games interesting enough to be worth blogging about... Tokyo Jungle Plant Tycoon Ranch Rush Cake Mania (one of Mainstreet, Lights Camera Action, or CM3) At least one Harvest Moon game, such as Magical Melody, Save the Homeland, or Back To Nature Plants Vs. Zombies GOTY (make sure you play Vasebreaker Endless! It's like a better substitute for Solitaire) Disgaea 1 Adventure games... I'm hesitant to recommend stuff you wouldn't be able to run on a modern computer. But Sanitarium apparently has a Steam version now, so let's go with that one. Card Hunter (if you are in the mood for some D&D nostalgia/humor plus tactical combat)
I want to help design and develop a PvE-focused, solo-friendly, sandpark MMO which combines crafting, monster hunting, and story. So PM me if you are starting one.
I will argue until my last breath that the below should be included in any greatest games lists:
Shadow of the Colossus Okami Diablo 3 Jak and Daxter - The Precursor Legacy Super Mario Galaxy Mario Kart 8 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword/Windwaker/Twilight Princess Mario Bros (any of them) Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town World of Warcraft: Vanilla/Wrath of the Lich King Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland Overwatch Mass Effect 2 Dragon Age Origins Animal Crossing (Gamecube) Star Fox: Lylat Wars Destiny Bloodborne Journey God of War Darksiders Batman: Arkham City Dishonored
Seeing as our resident Trion agen...FAN seems to be on vacay, I'll go ahead and mention these games. When I was looking for a way to consolidate my game experiences (because I was just playing too many damn games) these are the two I narrowed it down to. Both allow short duration play times and I can log off off easily if I need to get up and do other things without anything really requiring me to keep playing.
Trove - get my entire MMO, ARPG and Voxel fix from this game. The first game I've ever played that was able to do this. Atlas Reactor - get my entire PVP fix from this. The first pvp game I've played that can fully satisfy my pvp hunger. I previously had to play multiple games from multiple genres.
In many ways Trove does what Minecraft didn't do. Encourages exploration of the world. Minecraft, outside of needing to find a few specific biomes, and then the stronghold for the end portal, there really wasn't much of a reason to explore. There isn't anything terribly new to find in the world, aside from some really neat vistas that are randomly generated. Even with the mansion in the newest snapshot, there doesn't really seem to be much to it. Minecraft will always be a builder game first and explorer game second in my mind.
Trove really encourages exploration. There are varied mobs to fight depending on biome, and of course resources to gather for the crafting system. Trove, is far more akin to an ARPG than a true open world game, such as Minecraft, but in many ways Trove is able to generate more fun in a natural way. You basically need mods in order to make Minecraft remotely fun after so many hours in vanilla. All my opinion of course.
Dragon Quest Builders is definitely a tremendous blend of Trove and Minecraft. It's a shame that DQB doesn't have a huge world or multiplayer. The overall success of the game might entice SquEnix to make a sequel that is far large and encourages more building or even building over vast areas.
I will argue until my last breath that the below should be included in any greatest games lists:
Okami
Oh Okami, there's a lovely one I had forgotten about.
I want to help design and develop a PvE-focused, solo-friendly, sandpark MMO which combines crafting, monster hunting, and story. So PM me if you are starting one.
I will argue until my last breath that the below should be included in any greatest games lists:
...Tons of Games... Overwatch ...Tons of Games...
I realize it's a bit shallow but I saw a gorilla in glasses in all the Overwatch promo material and that is the main reason I never tried the game. Just seemed targeted directly at kids to me. Mind you there are things just as ridiculous in games that I play and love but they weren't the first impression I ever got of the game.
the last of us is probably the first game i'd recommend to anyone looking for a solo game. sad it's only on consoles though. i had to borrow my brother's ps4 to play it and man was it amazing. it is, to me, the best solo game of the last decade and easily one of the top 10 solo game of all time.
as for multiplayer, dota 1 and 2 provided me with more hours of entertainment (and rage and frustration) than anything else (except maybe lineage 2). i've since moved on to other multiplayer games (to preserve my sanity) but i still watch and love competitive dota 2.
Comments
The Baldurs gate 1 & 2 were excellent games but they havn't aged with dignity. BG HD looks about like BG2, very dated. But I think they were the best PC RPGs made.
As for tactical FPS I always enjoyed the Rainbow 6 games. Vegas 2 is old but still fun and the new Siege is good but a bit DLC heavy.
Do you watch extra credits on youtube?
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Planescape: Torment - Much like Baldur's Gate, but much unlike it at the same time. Very good story.
EVE Online - Not for everyone, but I think that everyone should give it a good month. It's that different.
Bioshock 1 - The best in the series and truly a different kind of game. Very memorable.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag - Another best in the series game and quite different from anything else.
Mass Effect 2 - You can skip 1 and 3. Two is the best one and tells a good story, even if it's a bit linear experience.
Batman Arkham City - Some of the best fun you'll ever have being the Dark Knight. Don't miss this one.
Shadow of Mordor - Easily one of the best games I've ever played, and I keep it on my hard drive just for the jet-fueled combat that makes me feel like a goddamn tyrannosaur.
Fallout New Vegas - Don't miss this one. The best setting, the best companions, the best story. Fallout 4 misses the mark by a nautical mile compared to New Vegas.
Far Cry 3 - One of the most memorable bad guys you'll ever experience and a great open world game to boot. Another best of the series.
X-Com 2 - An intense tactical combat game with some very unique features that you won't find in any other game.
Borderlands 1 or 2 - Doesn't matter which one really as they're both excellent entries, although the playable characters in 2 are far better. ... and introducing Zero: As a Number. Too fun... too fun.
Metro 2033 - A benchmark game for a decade. One of the best Russian productions out there.
Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Blacklist - I would say don't miss either one. Chaos theory has a fantastic story, but dated graphics. Blacklist has a compelling story and modern controls.
Witcher 3 - The first two are skippable, but 3 is a masterpiece of storytelling, graphics and pure... ambiance.
Homeworld - Still considered one of the best, if not the best, space based combat game. I played it to death when it came out and it has been recently remastered.
Dawn of War - Especially if you're a fan of the 40k setting. Buy every expansion, they're all worth the cheap price. Dawn of War II goes in a completely different direction and is skippable in my opinion.
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines: Just don't miss this one. Just don't. Few games stick out in my mind so well for years after I've played them like this one does.
Dragon Age: Origins - Don't even bother with the rest. Pretend this series starts and ends here, but this one is seriously worth it.
Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2 - Try to look past the graphics. Everyone should experience these at least once.
2) Warcraft 3 - very clean and slick RTS
3) Rainbow Six - A true tactical FPS
4) Ghost Recon 1 and/or 2- See Rainbow Six
5) Planetside - When we invent the time machine it behooves anyone to go back in time and play when the game was still live and during it's prime.
6) Just about any Total War game. Maybe skip Empire though I love it with DarthMod.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
And M.U.L.E., enjoyed playing that with friends.
Warcraft III. Not much to be said about this one, i mean, gameplay, lore, amazing single player campaing, good graphics for it's time, strategy, mods, an amazing rts.
Dishonored. I don't know why, but i love Stealth games and this one gave me one of the best experiences i have ever had with this kind of gameplay, if you're into this kind of game, you should try it, the story is amazing too.
Saints Row the Third. This game is like the goofy not serious at all brother of GTA, if you want to just slaughter stuff and get a good laugh, this game is worth it.
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
Still the best single player FPS ever made, in my opinion. Add to that the rediculous number of mods for Multiplayer, from TFC to CS to Vampire Hunter, it has to be one of the greatest games of all time.
Digdug
Gallaga
Hello Kitty Online
Zombies ate my Grandma
Zork series
telengard
Wizardry 1 - 5
shoot em up games: Spacewar!, Space Invaders, Galaxian, Galaga, Phoenix, and Pleiad
enchanter trilogy
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Bioshock
Myst
Unreal Tournament
Just a few that came to mind.
Trove - get my entire MMO, ARPG and Voxel fix from this game. The first game I've ever played that was able to do this.
Atlas Reactor - get my entire PVP fix from this. The first pvp game I've played that can fully satisfy my pvp hunger. I previously had to play multiple games from multiple genres.
pac-man / ms. pac-man
super mario bros
half-life 1
minecraft
world of warcraft
team fortress (preferably classic)
anarchy online
counterstrike
planetside (1 was best, but it's shut down)
eve
unreal tournament
dungeons and dragons tabletop
Anyone remember Descent?
I would say EQ1, but it really is nothing like it used to be.
Edit: I guess pong too since that started it all
Night and day difference in my player skill coming out the other end of a game like that. I found the GUI poorly conceived and cumbersome but learning to manage dozens of abilities and multiple weapon setups in fast paced full manual-aim combat with a GUI set up to do no such thing made me a better player. In makes managing a dozen or two abilities in a tab-target setting child's play.
Tokyo Jungle
Plant Tycoon
Ranch Rush
Cake Mania (one of Mainstreet, Lights Camera Action, or CM3)
At least one Harvest Moon game, such as Magical Melody, Save the Homeland, or Back To Nature
Plants Vs. Zombies GOTY (make sure you play Vasebreaker Endless! It's like a better substitute for Solitaire)
Disgaea 1
Adventure games... I'm hesitant to recommend stuff you wouldn't be able to run on a modern computer. But Sanitarium apparently has a Steam version now, so let's go with that one.
Card Hunter (if you are in the mood for some D&D nostalgia/humor plus tactical combat)
Shadow of the Colossus
Okami
Diablo 3
Jak and Daxter - The Precursor Legacy
Super Mario Galaxy
Mario Kart 8
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword/Windwaker/Twilight Princess
Mario Bros (any of them)
Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town
World of Warcraft: Vanilla/Wrath of the Lich King
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
Overwatch
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age Origins
Animal Crossing (Gamecube)
Star Fox: Lylat Wars
Destiny
Bloodborne
Journey
God of War
Darksiders
Batman: Arkham City
Dishonored
In many ways Trove does what Minecraft didn't do. Encourages exploration of the world. Minecraft, outside of needing to find a few specific biomes, and then the stronghold for the end portal, there really wasn't much of a reason to explore. There isn't anything terribly new to find in the world, aside from some really neat vistas that are randomly generated. Even with the mansion in the newest snapshot, there doesn't really seem to be much to it. Minecraft will always be a builder game first and explorer game second in my mind.
Trove really encourages exploration. There are varied mobs to fight depending on biome, and of course resources to gather for the crafting system. Trove, is far more akin to an ARPG than a true open world game, such as Minecraft, but in many ways Trove is able to generate more fun in a natural way. You basically need mods in order to make Minecraft remotely fun after so many hours in vanilla. All my opinion of course.
Dragon Quest Builders is definitely a tremendous blend of Trove and Minecraft. It's a shame that DQB doesn't have a huge world or multiplayer. The overall success of the game might entice SquEnix to make a sequel that is far large and encourages more building or even building over vast areas.
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
Masters of Orion II
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
sad it's only on consoles though. i had to borrow my brother's ps4 to play it and man was it amazing.
it is, to me, the best solo game of the last decade and easily one of the top 10 solo game of all time.
as for multiplayer, dota 1 and 2 provided me with more hours of entertainment (and rage and frustration) than anything else (except maybe lineage 2). i've since moved on to other multiplayer games (to preserve my sanity) but i still watch and love competitive dota 2.