Your favorite PC game ever. [Archive]

lonewolf371

08-10-2004, 05:00

Simple: post what you consider your favorite PC game ever and list your reasons. If you have a hard time thinking something up, a good way to judge is how often did you play the game? Were you good at it? Did it challenge you? Did it have a satisfactory ending in its story line? Did you like the online community? Did it have good replay value?

For me personally, I'd probably have to go with Empire Earth. The game is dated now, but out of all the games I've ever played it probably kept me occupied the longest amount of time, I played almost nothing but EE and its expansion for an entire year. In fact, I DIDN'T play anything but EE and its expansion for an entire year. In this game I feel I can honestly say I had a large amount of skill, in the last single player campaign the online community was hard-pressed to discover an easy way to beat it (especially the last level) and after playing multiplayer for a bit I beat the entire thing with relative ease. I won at the very least a 2:1 ratio online against a fairly small community, and I played it constantly. I have not yet had any such experience with any other game and I doubt I ever will again.

Sjakihata

08-10-2004, 11:35

What I was best at and played the most was:

Heroes of Might and Magic 3
Grand Theft Auto (the first one)
Quake
Shogun: Total War (+MI)
America's Army
Enemy Engaged Comanche Vs Hokum
Alien Vs Predator (I&II)
Operation Flashpoint
Morrowind (+expansions)

All these games shared the factor that it didn't get old or boring. It always develops, whether it is in SP or MP. Obviously quake didnt change much in SP but in MP it was what I played most on LAN parties back in the day.

The Tuffen

08-10-2004, 12:15

DOOM

It was the first game i ever played and remember playing it for months when i first got it. It was even more fun when the PS version came out and I could play a link up game with a friend.

Can't wait till my copy of DOOM3 comes out :evilgrin:

lancelot

08-10-2004, 13:12

I played star wars supremacy for ever when it came out. I think it really got me into strategy games. I was so dissapointed they never followed it up.

And then Shogun came out....and the rest they say is history...

King Edward

08-10-2004, 14:09

UFO Enemy Unknown (X-com) is my fave game ever! Good story, good guns, good aliens, good music, good FUN!!!

does anyone know how to get it to run on XP?? is it even possible??

R'as al Ghul

08-10-2004, 14:45

Sid Meier's Pirates!

I played it forever on my Amiga 500 and then occasionally
on other machines using emulators.
Can't wait till it comes again for PC at the end of the year.
The story/ gameplay is fantastic. You could sail the Caribbian for hours and days. Naval combat, fencing, governors daughters, the Silver Train, evil Spaniards hunting you. All the stuff from great pirate movies.

R'as

Ser Clegane

08-10-2004, 14:47

BG2 - definitely one of the best RPGs I ever played - epic story, memorable NPCs, polished D&D game system

HOMM 3 - the epitome of the "one-more-turn" syndrome IMO - easy to learn game mechanics but still challenging with lots of replay value to do the variety of factions and lots of downloadable maps; great combination of strategic map and tactical battl ... too bad that HOMM 4 did not live up to it (I keep my fingers crossed for HOMM 5)

Tie Fighter - excellent space combat game with great mission design, good variety of spacecrafts, very good Star Wars feeling ... I still play it from time to time (nothing beats flying Ties for the Empire)

KOTOR - great RPG, fantastic use of the Star Wars license (better than the new movies)

M:TW/S:TW - no praise necessary here - I just like to point out that this is the only game for which I actually joined a gaming forum (!)

Some older games that I do not play anymore due to their age but which I played until my eyes turned red when they were up-to-date:
- Bard's Tale
- Dungeonmaster
- Star Wars: Rebellion (although some potential had been wasted there)
- Star Wars: Dark Forces
- Doom
- Eye of the Beholder
- Fantasy General

And of course I am sure I missed a couple of my favourites ~;)

Edited to add some more details.

econ21

08-11-2004, 00:22

UFO Enemy Unknown (X-com) is my fave game ever! Good story, good guns, good aliens, good music, good FUN!!!

does anyone know how to get it to run on XP?? is it even possible??

Yeah, I got it to work. But you need a recent version, not the original - I downloaded one from the Gamer's Lounge; there's probably been a recent commercial release (eg in a compilation). IIRc, there were some other twists - a google search should throw them up; re-post if you oursue this & get stuck.

lonewolf371

08-11-2004, 04:05

Nice titles! Unfortunately I was too young to be around with the very first classics hit the stores (Doom, Pirates!, heck even the first Zelda).

Fragony

08-11-2004, 06:32

There can only be one, and obviously it is Thief:the Dark Project.

Aymar de Bois Mauri

08-11-2004, 17:32

M:TW/S:TW - no praise necessary here - I just like to point out that this is the only game for which I actually joined a gaming forum (!)
My thoughts exactly.

Some older games that I do not play anymore due to their age but which I played until my eyes turned red when they were up-to-date:
These are maybe not the best or even all of those I liked a lot, but I sure played them a lot:
-Grand Prix I
-Wolfenstein
-Hexen I and II
-European Air War
-WW II Fighters
-Superbikes and SBK 2001
-Colin McRae II
-Diablo and Diablo II LoD
-X-Wing Alliance
-Jedi Knight I and II
-Quake I, II and III
-Half Life
-Deus EX
-Thief I: The Dark Project
-Thief II: The Metal Age
-Homeworld
-RTCW
-MOHAA

And of course I am sure I missed a couple of my favourites ~;)
I also probably did that too.

Despot of the English

08-11-2004, 17:34

Diablo 2. Just keep on playing it with a mate of mine and we still can't find all those item sets and uber powerful items! ~:angry:

Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Played and completed it three times on various difficulty settings. Now that's a lot for me because I usually only play FPS games once. It was also the best FPS I have ever played.

AvP. Played it a lot of times and enjoyed being the Predator. The original was slightly better than the sequel in my opinion.

Al Shama'ar

08-12-2004, 17:23

U people r forgetting all the time wasted trying to get to the end of the Monkey Island business.

Wonderful games (1 & 2). Twisted humour. The 1st time a game made me fall off the chair laughing. ROFLMAO literally.

I also played a lot of

Wolfenstein
Age of Empires, Kings
Grand Prix
Shogun
MTW
Half-Life

and Doom, off course (all my exames went down the drain...)

Presently I'm playing a lot of Sudden Strike 2 which I discovered a couple of months ago.

Al

LeeJackson

08-14-2004, 00:47

TRIBES!

Still the most online fun I have ever had!

gaelic cowboy

08-14-2004, 01:01

My favourite game ever is Burning Rubber on the amstrad to be honest it was totally pants simple arcade style car racing game but it was my first computer and my first game so it will always have a favoured place in my memory.

Forward Observer

08-15-2004, 04:55

I have four favorites, but they are all different categories.

Flight Sim

European Air War---I probably logged more hours flying this classic WW II sim than all of my other flght sims put together, and that includes Red Baron 3D and IL-2. Until recently it was always the first thing I loaded after a re-format or if I got a new system.

Even though the graphics aren't state of the art any more, the game still has the look of a fine aviation painting, and when the skies are filled with B-17's, their P-51 Escorts, and swarming Fw-190, there is still an absolute epic quality to it.

Unfortunately, my new Radeon card doesn't like the game, but when I get my next system, I intend to put a N-vidia card back in my present rig as a legacy system. EAW will reside there once again.

Land Sim

Panzer Commander---This old SSI WW II tank game has whiskers now, but I played it off and on for years. There is still a site on the net that has scores of downloadable missions, and I may just have played them all at least 3 or 4 times. To the best of my knowledge this is one of only three WW II tanks sims ever made for the PC, and it was my favorite. Gee, I wish someone would make an up to date verson, but it'll probably never happen.

Action/Adventure

SeaDogs---I never got to play Sid Meier's Pirates, but many have compared this game favorably. Although probably not as good as Sid's game, it still really satified my need to plunder, pillage, solve quests, hunt for treasure, attack island fort, ramsack towns, and fight "edge of your seat" ship to ship battles on the high seas. I can hardly wait for Sid's new Pirates 2.

Strategy

Shogun Total War----I must have played every faction at least 2 or 3 times on every difficulty level. If I had been paid just $5 for every hour I logged playing STW, I could probably retire right now.

Cheers

eadeater

08-20-2004, 12:17

Although at least a dozen titles spring to mind, only one manages to outshine them all, and that is the legend of our time that is Deus-Ex. There are simply so many reasons why it's the best game of all time. I've finished it about 10 times now and played chunks of it over countless times. The storyline os one of the most engaging I've had the pleasure of experiencing. The combat is varied, and the interface is easy to use. I could sit for days playing Deus-Ex, despite the fact that I would know exactly what to expect around every corner. I haven't even ever playing it in multiplayer, and it still took up more of my time than any other game (that MIGHT be a lie - Medieval Total War and the Heroes of Might and Magic series come pretty close, as does Counter Strike). The game is in fact so unique that you can complete it by only ever killing one enemy - or all of them. What other action-packed game offers this? (I'm starting to sound like the guy who writes the adverts on the back of the game boxes, so I'll stop ~D )

Beirut

08-21-2004, 20:20

Most of my best are/were flight sims.

CFS1 (uncounted hundreds of hours)
Janes WWII Fighters
IL2 Sturmovik series
Falcon 3
Falcon 4

Tom Clancy shooters; Rainbow Six, Rogue Spear, Ghost Recon, Raven Shield

And M:TW of course. :knight:

TheSilverKnight

08-23-2004, 23:53

I have two favourites which are the only games on my HDD.

MTW/VI (including NTW, which I also have installed)
Can't get enough of it, I keep coming back to it (since I can't play the RTW demo).

American Conquest: Fight Back
Love it. In my opinion is a very well done and replayable RTS. I love playing island maps as colonial wars, and making my own Historical Battles, especially those in Europe during the Baroque Era (late 16th Century-French Revolution) ~D

MadKow

08-26-2004, 11:07

in cronological order (as far as i can recall)

On the Spectrum ZX80:

Elite - The Original and Only Great Space trading/fighting Game
Arnheim/Desert Rats/Vulcan - great simple to get into, historical accurate, wargames
Tetris- huh... do i need a reason...?

On the PC:

Civ 1/2 - ... World Domination!!!!!
Privateer - The closest thing to Elite on the PC
Master of Magic - Civ Like strategy with nice tactical turn based combat (an ancient prelude to total war?)
Master of Orion 1/2 sames as "MOM" but in space.
Diablo 1/2 "Trinkets!!! I need Trinckets!!"

(i'm sure i'll miss quite a few, so here follows my current favorites, as in "Still on my HD and I'll buy any sequel that comes out" )

Jagged Alliance 2
Those that played Rebelstar/Laser Squad/X-Com will imediately recognize and love the gameplay with an additional great quality: Character. Each of your mercenaries has a distinct personality. And boy do they have things to say...

Operation Flaspoint
No other game llike this. None. If you havent played it you cant even begin to imagine. A very realistic battlefield simulation, endless terrain. Play it like a FPS and you're dead. A strong community keeps i very much alive since 2001 providing high quality add-ons and mods.

Shogun Total War
Medieval Total War
Need i tell you why?

I also found great relief for my brain and stress for eyes in playing Need For Speed Underground, but thats another story.

PaolinoPaperino

08-31-2004, 19:19

Nah, one game would never be enough, but a bunch of addictive games!
..here my list:
-Doom(played it even this summer, and I was still getting scared sometimes);
-Panzer General(It's like a drug. Once I saw it in a shop after 4 years I lost my cd, and .. it's not necessary to say what I played the following months..and now waiting for Rome);
-Shogun, with or without mongols my partner since it has been released. I think to have played at least 20 times that campaigns.
-Monkey Island2...sorry guys, but who cannot start to laugh thinking of that split challenge?
:bow:

Teutonic Knight

09-01-2004, 18:32

- Star Wars: Rebellion (although some potential had been wasted there)

You too!? I thought I was the only one who loved that game. It got awful reviews but I loved it, it was really what warmed me up for MTW.

My fave pc game of all time though would have to be Moh:AA

Ser Clegane

09-01-2004, 18:46

You too!? I thought I was the only one who loved that game. It got awful reviews but I loved it, it was really what warmed me up for MTW.

~:cheers:
After I bought that one I did not play any other game for at least a month. I did not agree with the reviews that ctiticized the steep learning curve and the complicated interface.
If the tactical battle would have had a bit more depth and if the AI had been a bit more challenging, I would probably still play it from time to time. ~:)

Hurin_Rules

09-01-2004, 18:55

REALLY showing my age here, but anyone remember Wizard's Crown for the old Commodore 64? Man, that was good.

Others I really went nuts for:

Civilization
Everquest
Warcraft II
Medieval: Total War
Diablo

frogbeastegg

09-01-2004, 18:58

You too!? I thought I was the only one who loved that game. It got awful reviews but I loved it, it was really what warmed me up for MTW.
All those years I spent hiding my love of Supremacy, it's like coming home ~:mecry:

I loved playing as the Empire; I conquered the galaxy many times over. I used to capture rebels, stuff them all on a crappy ship, and send them hopping from one side of the galaxy to the other so they could never be rescued. Does that make me mean?

Accounting Troll

09-01-2004, 19:24

Medieval Total War for it's excellent replay value (when you get get bored with leading the English in battle, you can try the Turks instead or mod the game).

UFO:Aftermath. It's a spiritual sucessor to X-COM and it is set in the near future after an alien attack wipes out most of the human race. The story-line is well thought out and far more original than what you normally get with alien invasion type games. Also, unlike the X-COM games you never get to the point where you just can't lose a battle because the aliens keep inventing new weapons, some of which are alien applications of human technology. There's some pretty good mods and a friendly on-line community.

Colonization - a spinoff of Civilization I. I love building up by colonial empire by launching pirate attacks on rival shipping, and then fighting a war of independance.

Sasaki Kojiro

09-02-2004, 03:05

shogun
gettysburg
thief
eu2
sea dogs
patrician 2

Teutonic Knight

09-02-2004, 03:23

All those years I spent hiding my love of Supremacy, it's like coming home ~:mecry:

I loved playing as the Empire; I conquered the galaxy many times over. I used to capture rebels, stuff them all on a crappy ship, and send them hopping from one side of the galaxy to the other so they could never be rescued. Does that make me mean?

Oh yeah I forgot they called it 'Supremacy" across the pond. I almost never played as the stupid rebels, so if you're mean then I am too ~D

Don't you love how the emporer blames you when his mission fails ~:joker:

"You have failed to support me adaquately on this mission, hisssssss" ~:joker:

econ21

09-02-2004, 21:00

Favourite PC game ever would have to be Panzer General. The first computer game I ever got - swallowed several years of my gaming time. I loved the detail of the units - having the PzJager I, Czech tanks and early war allied planes etc as well as the more common standbys. The mechanics of how to play was so easy (click to select, click to move or attack) and yet fun (combined arms, unit match ups, supply etc all important). The "hook" through the campaigns of earning prestige, buying a core, watching it gain experience and upgrading its kit was amazingly addictive (TW could improve on this). The scenarios were inspired - epics like Norway 1940, the Balkans 1941 and Kiev captured the heart of the key WW2 operations without getting the player bogged down.

Now it does not have too much replay value - the difficulty plummets in a campaign after a few campaigns. Subsequent games in the series were better balanced in this respect and so hold up better now, but can't match the epic qualities of the original.

Lonewarrior

09-03-2004, 02:39

I don't have one yet. That's my reason.

Lehesu

09-03-2004, 03:25

I really liked the idea of Rebellion, but the system is really convoluted. I wish I knew how to play well! I always sputter out of resources midway through. Being able to build Super Star Destroyers though...that was cool. Is anyone here good at Rebellion that could help me?

Hurin_Rules

09-03-2004, 04:57

discovery1

09-03-2004, 05:52

I too love Star Wars:Rebellion, although I always won battles thru superior forces, not tactics. Not very good at that in 3d space. Any tips would be appreciated. Defenately in my top 10. I also love the TWs(all for now), Deus Ex, and HoI. What difficulty did you play(for rebellion)? I never had resources problems, though that was on easy. I tended to use an agressive program of exploration and colonization in the outter rim. And base ur probes off starships that u move from sector to sector, but be sure to scout the planet you plan to orbit ur ship around b4 moving. Wouldn't want to have ur lone starship wander into the jaws of a powerful enemy force, would you?

Edit:I once found a moder for it called RebEd. I used it to give the imps acess to the bulk freighter which really speeded up the colonization process. Another good tactic to do is to rush sabotage all the constrction yards yu have no plans for controlling.

frogbeastegg

09-03-2004, 08:57

Don't you love how the emporer blames you when his mission fails ~:joker:

"You have failed to support me adaquately on this mission, hisssssss" ~:joker:
Yes, I remember that. I could always imagine him sat in the corner of a cheap bar trying to recruit people. Vader was always better at that, probably because he is cooler than a rotting corpse-a-like emperor.

I always loved getting death stars; I used them as aircraft carriers. The superlaser was a nice way to take out the rebel's flagship, but the real appeal was the masses of TIE defenders you could cram inside the hanger bays.

EDIT: I don't remember what difficulty I played on...easy and normal, I think, with maybe one game on hard. I think I found it boring on hard. I also won through might rather than tactics, I was never convinced tactics really worked, aside from basics like taking down the most dangerous ships first.

econ21

09-03-2004, 10:16

Yeah, I loved that game too. I though Allied General and PG II were pretty good too though. Why they made PG III I'll never know.

They did: called it something like PG3: Allied Assault and then PG3: Scorched Earth. I bought the former but never got into it. They made it 3D, so it played very slowly. They also reduced the number of units, made the gameplay very frustrating (units not in contact with the enemy automatically came back to full strength) and switched the emphasis from units gaining experience to leaders gaining experience. Pg3:SE is supposed to be better, but it seems Pg2 is the iteration that has the greatest longevity (lots of mods still being made).

PaolinoPaperino

09-04-2004, 00:22

Me as well had the same problem with pzIII. I could not play it for more than few days.
While to be able to play Panzer General I've created a partition on it's own, installing win 98.
Is it madness, or what?

Lonewarrior

09-04-2004, 01:51

Ya found it. Its the first ever Prince of Persia. It was back in the 1980's, I think I was 5 years old when I started playing it. But 2 years later, some bastards ~:mad: stole the computers where I used to play it. Never seen it ever since. ~:mecry:

Teutonic Knight

09-07-2004, 18:30

Wow, and all this time I jad no idea I was hanging around such like-minded people!! ~D

My favorite tactic on rebellion was also to find a planet in the outer rim with 9 or 10 energy blocks and to make that entirely advanced shipyards, that way I could churn out so many star destroyers and fighters I became unstoppable. I once had 5 death stars patrolling the galaxy! ~D