One legendary game. [Archive]

doc_bean

06-14-2006, 08:49

Worms !

I got burnt on it though (played it for several years, with often all afternoon sessions with friends). I never got into Worms 2 or any other game of the series, I just didn't feel right.

Runner up:

Doom

They had a PC with the shareware version in a shop near where I lived, I used to go there as often as I could to play it. I mentioned this to my dad after a while and he told me I could play the shareware version on our PC too ! It was awesome ! The shareware episode was also one of the first 'games' (although it was only a third of a game really) I played through without using any cheats. After years (or at least a long time) playing in god mode, mind you, I pretty much knew the episode by heart by then. It still felt like an incredible accomplishment back then ! Hey, I was like 12 back then !

Geoffrey S

06-14-2006, 09:42

Goldeneye. Really, the hours I put into that with my mates, and the effort I put into getting all the cheats. And it was one of my first games, along with Mario 64.

English assassin

06-14-2006, 09:43

Actually for me it was MTW. The only game I would enjoy more would be a better MTW.

Ab Urbe Condita

06-14-2006, 16:45

Ocarina of Time. There really is no other right answer. It is, after all, #1 on gamerankings.com.

The_Mark

06-14-2006, 18:23

Operation Flashpoint, no competitors. I still play it and fiddle with the editor when I have the time.

Though, there will be a match for it. First ArmA and then the yet-to-be-named Game 2 or Next Generation PC Game.

Big King Sanctaphrax

06-14-2006, 19:10

Ocarina of Time FTW.

FF7 a close second.

Midnight

06-14-2006, 21:20

Strategy: SMAC
Runner up: MTW

RPG: Torment & Ultima 7

Martok

06-15-2006, 00:16

1.) Birth of the Federation
2.) Shogun Total War
3.) Command & Conquer: Red Alert
4.) Medieval Total War

Note that I'm not ranking these titles in order how much I like them (although they're all easily in my list of top 10 games). Rather, I've ranked them based on how much of an impression they left on me, and how much they've shaped my current gaming habits.

hoom

06-15-2006, 00:21

Iwar

Total Annihilation is finally getting a successor in the form of Supreme Commander

Shogun:TW had a revolutionary aspect & unique flavour that can't be regained by the sequels.

econ21

06-15-2006, 01:05

For some reason, I can't get System Shock 2 out of my mind. Not necessarily the best game I've played, but makes the most impression.

Part of it is the strong plot and characterisation. It is just amazing how they can tell such a compelling story through so few words in the audiologs. It makes haiku poetry seem verbose. And the voicework was as good as in any PC game.

Part of it was the in-game use of sound - both to create a general mood and to provide very specific in-game information (e.g. the heavy breathing means the hybrid is right around the corner). And the general horror created by the monsters' vocals ("Little ones need lots of meat to grow big and strong").

And part of it was just the quality of the gameplay - combining stealth and action, RPG levelling mechanics and a tight, but complex "economic" aspect.

Divine Wind

06-15-2006, 02:08

Toss up between Final Fantasy 7 and Shogun for me. As someone mentioned, they have shaped what games i have bought and played ever since.

Zalmoxis

06-15-2006, 04:50

GTA the original! I can't count the hours I've wasted, but I'm a pro at top down view driving.

Sjakihata

06-15-2006, 08:03

Enemy Engaged: Apache Versus Havoc (and its sequel) Comanche Versus Hokum

Dooz

06-15-2006, 10:56

What is your only one game that you think there never will be a game that you can enjoy more?

For me, it has to be:

Operation FlashPoint: Cold War Crises

Just awesome. The only game I like in it's field, too. Really just awesome. You die easily (So you can't jurk around like superman), you must corporate with fellow 'soldiers', dynamic campaign (That plane won't just come from their, sometimes it won't come, sometimes you will win, sometimes you will lose, sometimes you will lose your plane, sometimes you will.. etc..). To cut it short: A must have game.

Holy hell man, thanks for this. I just checked out the demo and I'm hooked. I ordered the GOTY edition with all the expansions and bells and whistles :2thumbsup: . Operation Flashpoint 2 should be coming out sometime this year too! Now there's a game I await with much anticipation.

Marshal Murat

06-16-2006, 04:08

I like Delta Force:Black Hawk Down, because of the hit-kill ability.

Mikeus Caesar

06-16-2006, 16:36

Tribes 2. I mean, come on, what other game is set 1000 years in the future with jetpacks!? I think it was one of the first large online FPS's with vehicles central to combat.

It definitely needs remaking with shinier graphics.

BDC

06-16-2006, 18:17

TIE Fighter.

Aenlic

06-16-2006, 19:54

For me it's a toss-up between Civilization II, Age of Empires II, and M:TW. All three have sucked up significant segments of my waking hours; but the only one I still play, albeit in modded form, is M:TW.

Zalmoxis

06-17-2006, 05:42

TIE Fighter.
Yeah that and X-Wing were good too.

Nikpalj

06-17-2006, 09:03

Thief 1&2 because of it's originallity, ubelievably good design and atmosphere, even more refined in the sequel...
I played Thief 2 on "expert" and there's this one mission where you have to penetrate a huge three-story police station, snatch some thingie out from it, then get out again completely undetected and without contact with any of the patrolling cops/guards, not even stunning them is allowed, nothing. This has to be one of the most challenging and unforgettable missions I've ever played...

And, of course, Garret, the thief character that you play in both games has a strong charm, so freakingly intelligent and sarcastic, the voice-acting really fantastic.
---
Interstate 76 - for it's unfogettable dialogue and characters and great auto-combat
"Skeeter! Groove! Code six-pack... Code six-pack! Trap! Trap! It's a trap..." those were the days... Why didn't they ever make a TRUE sequel?
---
Mechwarrior 2 - for it's unforgettable setting/world design, (Battletech) mech combat and the Mercenaries' game great semi-dynamic campaign and interface design.
"Inner Sphere barbarian: state your name, Clan and unit designation..."
those were the days... Why weren't the sequels not nearly as deep and involving as the old games?
---
Birth of the Federation - being Star Trek just adds in flavour... this particular Cx4 strategy out of all of them struck the ballance betwen being serious and fun that fit perfectly with what I imagine my ideal comp game to be... If only somebody made a mod that would make Research and Diplomacy in it 10 times more complex I'd de-install everything else from my comp (Windows included, he-he)...
---
Falcon 4.0 - for it's great design and sheer glory of it's dynamic campaign experience...
"Fox-three... tracking... tracking... splash! That Fulcrum driver is a smokin' hole in the ground..."

Hey Martok - imagine BotF with a Falcon-like dynamic campaign that would play something like SFC, but with the added vertical plane of motion for the ships? Maybe we'll get something like this someday - to quote Sisko, "As the old saying goes: Luck favoures the bold..." Cheers!

frogbeastegg

06-17-2006, 09:44

Hmmm .... Out of the many, many games I've played there are two which have left the biggest impression. Strangely they aren't the ones I have played the most.

STW. The froggy vet can admit the game wasn't perfect, but will say that no other game in the TW series has ever beaten this one in my opinion. So pure, so focused, so atmospheric, so innovative. I still remember the first time I played the demo, swinging between amazement and enrapturement.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Doubt I need to say more.

Mithrandir

06-17-2006, 12:29

STW,MTW,Warcraft 2.

I think Unreal tournament (1st one) is the most fun I had online, though MTW sure can compete with it.

InsaneApache

06-17-2006, 13:30

One player; STW original, closely followed by Civilization. I played the original Civilization for yonks.

Multi-player; Worms. What a hoot when you let the exploding sheep off the leash. :2thumbsup: Fifa 98, I secretly bought a PS1 and this game so I could practise playing. My eldest son was shocked when he came a visiting and let me play as Brazil against his Man Utd. I beat him 12-0. :embarassed: :laugh4:

Online; STW, hands down. Every battle different.

Banquo's Ghost

06-17-2006, 15:48

Tough call. Huge amounts of time spent with MTW, of course. Civilisation II as well. Can't neglect the sheer joyful impact of STW. And Baldur's Gate was (is) a delight to replay.

For continuous absorbing play, the Myst series takes the single player prize for me.

And for sheer devotion (8 years subscription) and effect on my real life (couple of my good friends met and got married via the game) Ultima Online is my legendary choice. Pity it got ruined by greed. ~:mecry:

The_Mark

06-18-2006, 11:00

Holy hell man, thanks for this. I just checked out the demo and I'm hooked. I ordered the GOTY edition with all the expansions and bells and whistles :2thumbsup: . Operation Flashpoint 2 should be coming out sometime this year too! Now there's a game I await with much anticipation.
And another one sees the light. Watch out for the dark side, though.

Quick summary of OFP sequels:
- Operation Flashpoint 2 - developed by Codemasters' evil henchmen. Codemasters betrayed the Gods of Bohemia Interactive Studios and took the rights to the holy name of OFP. Status of game is unknown to me.

1) Armed Assault - the Flashpoint semi-sequel that has become a fully fledged game on its own. Developed by the true Gods of BIS. Built on the same, though upgraded, engine of Flashpoint. The last word of the Olympians declared that the game be released on 1st half of -06..

2) Game2 or Next Generation PC Game - the true Flashpoint 2 developed by Gods of BIS. It is yet to be properly named because of damned name copyrights. Based on a brand new engine with lots of goodies. This game was originally intended to be released in 2004 IIRC, but now late 2007 is prolly too much to hope for.

x-dANGEr

06-18-2006, 12:14

And another one sees the light. Watch out for the dark side, though.

Quick summary of OFP sequels:
- Operation Flashpoint 2 - developed by Codemasters' evil henchmen. Codemasters betrayed the Gods of Bohemia Interactive Studios and took the rights to the holy name of OFP. Status of game is unknown to me.

1) Armed Assault - the Flashpoint semi-sequel that has become a fully fledged game on its own. Developed by the true Gods of BIS. Built on the same, though upgraded, engine of Flashpoint. The last word of the Olympians declared that the game be released on 1st half of -06..

2) Game2 or Next Generation PC Game - the true Flashpoint 2 developed by Gods of BIS. It is yet to be properly named because of damned name copyrights. Based on a brand new engine with lots of goodies. This game was originally intended to be released in 2004 IIRC, but now late 2007 is prolly too much to hope for.
Yeap. Disregard OFP 2 and get Armed Assault instead. (Armed Assault is like the real OFP 2)

The Wizard

06-18-2006, 21:19

BGII, first hard fight versus the vampire Tanova in your first romp through Bodhi's lair. Damn, very nice (and tough) fight. That's when I started labelling BGII one of the best ever.

MTW. So many memories of tough and glorious battles -- all a testimony to an amazing game that keeps throwing surprises at you.

Big_John

06-18-2006, 21:32

Interstate 76 - for it's unfogettable dialogue and characters and great auto-combat
"Skeeter! Groove! Code six-pack... Code six-pack! Trap! Trap! It's a trap..." those were the days... Why didn't they ever make a TRUE sequel?
---
Mechwarrior 2 - for it's unforgettable setting/world design, (Battletech) mech combat and the Mercenaries' game great semi-dynamic campaign and interface design.
"Inner Sphere barbarian: state your name, Clan and unit designation..."
those were the days... Why weren't the sequels not nearly as deep and involving as the old games?
YES!

I'76.. the single greatest gaming experience ever created anywhere ever. ever.

mechwarrior 2: mercenaries is the game that turned me onto computer games (along with civ2). just so well put together.

i'll add chrono trigger.. the best rpg i ever played, put me onto to gaming in general.

and the original myth, the first tactical strategy game i ever played. one of the best game atmospeheres ever created.

there are many others.. but those are the ones the pop into my head.

The Spartan (Returns)

06-18-2006, 23:04

Multiplayer: MTW, Halo 2, and Brother In Arms: Road To Hill 30. MTW gave me the best multiplayer experience in the TW series. so much fun. and Halo 2 playing with 4 or 3 people is never boring. Brother In Arms just playing it with two players is fun as it brings a harder utilisation of tactics when fighting a real person.
Single-Player: RTW fun battles, graphics and special effects. AOM (Age of Mythology) very fun game in 3-D with a nice story in campaign GREAT game. KH2 (Kingdom Hearts 2)excellent story nice gameplay. but after you do everything then you would get bored.

Games Worthy Of Mention: Stronghold, Stronghold Crusader, Age Of Empires 2 and Expansion,Fifa, NBA Live, Madden, Spartan: Total Warrior, Tekken 5, Soul Calibur 2, Halo, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, GTA3 GTA Vice City, GTA San Andreas, Dynasty Warriors 4 and 5, Star Wars: Jedi Accademy Star Wars (Obi-Wan something)

The Wizard

06-19-2006, 14:23

Ah, I forgot one: Sacrifice. An amazing game both story-wise as in singleplayer as well as multiplayer gameplay. Still a very unique experience, and I take my hat off for Shiny for making such an excellent game.

Rodion Romanovich

06-19-2006, 14:45

OFP and MTW

Dooz

06-19-2006, 16:19

Anybody else love Mafia as much as I did? I still play through it from time to time. As a matter of fact, I just started the game up again today with my fancy shmancy new computer and it's better than ever. With the proper mods, that's still one hell of a game. Really a classic.

The Spartan (Returns)

06-19-2006, 17:43

Navaros

06-20-2006, 03:35

i did. but Godfather was better imo.

You were playing the PC version of Mafia I hope, as the console versions are pale shadows of the PC version's glory.

I agree Mafia is a legendary game, definitely in the top 5 games ever made in my view. Way better than Godfather, I say.

Martok

06-20-2006, 06:40

Birth of the Federation - being Star Trek just adds in flavour... this particular Cx4 strategy out of all of them struck the ballance betwen being serious and fun that fit perfectly with what I imagine my ideal comp game to be... If only somebody made a mod that would make Research and Diplomacy in it 10 times more complex I'd de-install everything else from my comp (Windows included, he-he)...

Hey Martok - imagine BotF with a Falcon-like dynamic campaign that would play something like SFC, but with the added vertical plane of motion for the ships? Maybe we'll get something like this someday - to quote Sisko, "As the old saying goes: Luck favoures the bold..." Cheers!
Well never having played or even seen Falcon (sorry!), I guess I can't really say. I'm definitely all for a sequel to Birth of the Federation, though: Updated AI, diplomacy, graphics, etc.... It would be sweet! :2thumbsup:

IrishArmenian

06-20-2006, 06:42

I cannot choose a favorite. My favoriteS have to be: 2nd Rainbow Six (Good book too.), Battlefield 2, Splinter Cell: Caos Theory and Rome Total War. I choose Rome and Battlefield 2 not just because of the core games (which are great, don't get me wrong, but if I get bored of them, there are so many mods to play!

Dooz

06-20-2006, 07:23

You were playing the PC version of Mafia I hope, as the console versions are pale shadows of the PC version's glory.

I agree Mafia is a legendary game, definitely in the top 5 games ever made in my view. Way better than Godfather, I say.

Here, here Navaros! ~:cheers: Good man, good man. Would you be so kind as to name the rest of your top 5 games sir?

The Spartan (Returns)

06-20-2006, 15:35

Mafia was good (close to Godfather imo) i like the features that it has.
one thing i hate though:(dont click if you havent played yet)he betrays the Mafia

AggonyDuck

06-20-2006, 22:51

Baldur's Gate 2! Great story, lots of comical moments, wonderful NPC's etc. One of the best games I've ever played. :2thumbsup:

Also I have to mention Neverwinter Nights. Almost unlimited replayability due to great custom modules. ~:)

Mouzafphaerre

06-23-2006, 02:30

.
No single one for me like most people here. Sea Dogs comes first, then MTW and Port Royal (the original).
.

Kääpäkorven Konsuli

06-23-2006, 23:27

First Settlers. Or Pirates!. Or maybe Ski or die, I don't know. There is too many legendary games to pick just one.

Zalmoxis

06-24-2006, 01:02

Mafia was good (close to Godfather imo) i like the features that it has.
one thing i hate though:(dont click if you havent played yet)he betrays the Mafia
Well, that's how he rolls. I liked the game, very good story wise, but the $10 pricetag makes it the best GTAish clone ever.

Dooz

06-24-2006, 02:13

Well, that's how he rolls. I liked the game, very good story wise, but the $10 pricetag makes it the best GTAish clone ever.

I wouldn't be too quick to tag it as a GTA clone actually. It's more of a "sim" than the arcade style of the GTA games, which really gives it its own flavor.

x-dANGEr

06-24-2006, 11:11

First Settlers. Or Pirates!. Or maybe Ski or die, I don't know. There is too many legendary games to pick just one.
Settlers hmm.. A rare choice. I only played 4 and hadn't got the time to finsih it.

Kääpäkorven Konsuli

06-24-2006, 18:26

Settlers hmm.. A rare choice. I only played 4 and hadn't got the time to finsih it.

I think many would agreed, if I Said that Settlers and Settlers II are the best city building games ever made. 3 and 4 doesn't have much in common with the first one.

scotchedpommes

06-24-2006, 19:51

There are so many games that have given me equally enjoyable and memorable
experiences. To list a few in some kind of chronological order, I'd have to start
with Wing Commander 2, which was really the first PC game that left an
impression. That was surpassed by X-Wing, and that in turn by the brilliance of
TIE Fighter. There was also Mechwarrior 2, and Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries,
which I don't think have been surpassed.

[In terms of absorbing storylines, I tend to remember Bioforge and
Another World among the earlier experiences, and then Outcast.]

When it comes to wargaming and strategy you can't discount Operation
Flashpoint, although I'd say the game which made the greatest impact on me,
and which I still play, is Close Combat 5. Much of the Close Combat series
was excellent, but infantry warfare was brought to the fore in the fifth game
once again. The standard game maybe isn't the best, but the wealth of mods
that were produced make it unbeatable.

https://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/ssneoperestroika/0b8607bd.jpg
Unfortunately this screenshot fails to show how a great many of my Soviet
troops were cut down by Finnish machineguns in a nearby village seconds later.
The subsequent shelling of the village led to frantic suomi screams to retreat and
much bayonetting in the first houses and trenches as some of my survivors
broke through. Excellent stuff.

edyzmedieval

06-24-2006, 21:22

My standings
1. Rome TW/Guild Wars
2. Medieval TW/Day of Defeat: Source
3. Battlefield 1942/Takeda

Anyhow, I've got many games, and I like them all, but my 4 favourites:

Rome Total War/Medieval TW/Guild Wars/DoD: Source

De' Medici

06-25-2006, 19:08

Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven is the legendary game for me. Very interesting, state of the art (back in 1998 ~D ), set in the HOMM universe, a classic among RPG genre . This game kept me busy for hundreds of hours. Although it's eight years old I wouldn't give up this one in favour of the hi-tec games nowadays.

Navaros

06-25-2006, 21:47

Here, here Navaros! ~:cheers: Good man, good man. Would you be so kind as to name the rest of your top 5 games sir?

Betrayal at Krondor - most fun I ever had with an RPG. By today's graphical standards it doesn't really hold up at all. But the atmosphere was perfect, the writing blows pretty much all other RPGs out of the water (because they actually hired real writers and based the game on the work of a great author) and the interface smooth as silk. I hear everyone talk about how "Baldur's Gate 2" is the best RPG ever, yet when I played Baldur's Gate 2 I found that the hokey writing and terrible, immature jokes ruined the atmosphere. I've yet to see an RPG for the PC that never "jumps the shark" by sacrificing writing quality for the sake of unfunny, juvenile humor, in the way that Betrayal at Krondor did not.

Nocturne - very little known horror game for the PC from 1999. It has in the lead role by far the most stellar voice actor I've ever heard. This game is not for "FPS monkies" who like to shoot 10 000 enemies on every screen, but rather it's more of a slow-brewing terror like a classic black and white horror movie. Many of the things I love about Mafia, I also love in Nocturne. Ie: lead character uses pistols and dresses like a gangster with trench coat and fedora, it has gansters, it has prostitutes - heck it even has undead gangsters and undead prostitutes, it takes place in the 1930's, the atmosphere is oozing with immersiveness and grit. Gameplay is always exciting and fun. Barring a few exceptions, the voice-acting is utterly amazing across the board. It has plenty of dark humor in it but thankfully it never once compromises the intergrity of it's mature theme for the sake of making an immature joke. For it's year, 1999, the graphics were simply beyond belief and still looks great today. The story was exceptionally well-presented. I find it tragic that almost no one has ever bothered to play this amazing game. It's like "the undiscovered System Shock 2". By that I mean, everybody always raves about how awesome System Shock 2 is even though no one played it when it came out. Yet now, it's been discovered and is super popular. Nocturne is in the same boat, except it never achieved that "discovered" stage or became popular. Anyone who reads this and likes horror games or simply games with a great story and atmosphere, I recommend to eBAY Nocturne for a few bucks. You can't go wrong. I say eBAY, because it's off the market. Here is a review in which GameSpy gave Nocturne 94% - every bit of which it deserves. http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/reviews/nocturne_a.shtm

Emperor: Battle for Dune - best multiplayer RTS I ever played and I've never played an RTS to come since that could match it's tactical depth and intuitiveness of the interface. This game is long-since dead since EA abandoned it 6 months after release whilst it was still in dire need of patching to correct fundamental bugs and defeciencies (ie: doesn't work on Windows XP without jumping thru a lot of technical hoops first, no auto-downloading of maps etc.). Then EA took all the official servers down and killed Westwood as company. Could have been in my view "the next StarCraft" had it been properly supported by the devs.

Deus Ex - commonly known, a true classic. Other than a few nitpicks with how the story jumps the shark once you go to France and the horribly bad NPC AI, it pretty much does everything perfectly that one could ever expect from a game. In addition to setting a new standard of interactivity. Shame they had to butcher the brand by making a dumbed-down "part II". Which thankfully almost no one bought. :laugh4:

Max Payne 2 - also a commonly known true classic. I almost don't wanna put this here because I consider it to be "1/3 of a game" rather than an actual game. Like the others on my list Max Payne 2 also weaves a great story into a mature, gritty atmosphere with exciting gameplay to boot. If only they had remembered to put the other 2/3rds of the game onto the disc before boxing it up to be sold in stores. :idea2:

Ianofsmeg16

06-25-2006, 23:02

Splinter Cell, the original left a big impression on me, considering I had just got a ps2 about a month before and the only game i'd been playing was Medal of honour, it was mind blowing the depth of the game, i still play it today, superb game. Didnt even bother buying the sequels so i dunno about them.

The_Mark

06-25-2006, 23:10

Oh yeah, then there's the legendary BattleZone, the PC game, not that other.

Navaros

06-25-2006, 23:37

I wouldn't be too quick to tag it as a GTA clone actually. It's more of a "sim" than the arcade style of the GTA games, which really gives it its own flavor.

I must second this. In my view to call Mafia a GTA clone is a great insult to Mafia.

In GTA, it doesn't matter if you kill a cop because 10 million more will just spawn right behind him forever. In Mafia however, you can lead a cop or two down the secluded dirt road, kill them discreetly, and all of a sudden there are no more cops on your tail.

Also in GTA all the bad guys have unlimited ammo, whereas in Mafia the bad guys have limited ammo just like you do.

Just two quick examples out of many I could cite about how Mafia takes the combo of third person shooter & driving to a level far beyond what GTA is capable of.

To me Mafia makes you feel more like you are playing a real world because when you take a life of an enemy, it actually matters. That guy is dead. 10 million more clones of him are not going to magically spawn in his place to continue to give you grief. Really in GTA I don't generally see the point in shooting anyone because most of the time you'll just have to keep shooting forever.

JimBob

06-26-2006, 01:20

Planetside, never have I played a game that intense and fun. I haven't played in a few years (the first expansion messed alot up) but I still have vivid memories of shooting up columns of infantry in a Reaver and being bombed to hell by Liberators at the vehical pad. And fighting your way out of the spawn room as the enemy took over your base.

Navaros

06-26-2006, 06:31

one thing i hate though:(dont click if you havent played yet)he betrays the Mafia

I hated that at first too though. But then after replaying the game and reflecting on the matter a lot more I realized that:

Tommy only takes the bank job after he realized that Salieri was screwing him over. Like when he tried to keep the diamond heist hidden from Tommy even though Tommy was the one risking his life to get them. Plus the "poison" picture of Salieri and Morello together which made Tommy learn that in the Mafia even your best friend will kill you. The Don betrayed Tommy before Tommy betrayed the Don. Which makes what Tommy did much more acceptable, I think. :balloon2:

Kralizec

06-26-2006, 16:01

MTW.

Honourable mention:
- Settlers II
- Emperor: Battle for Dune
- Sim City 2000
- Earth 2150
- GTA original

The Wizard

06-26-2006, 16:12

Also I have to mention Neverwinter Nights. Almost unlimited replayability due to great custom modules. ~:)

Never could get into that one. I think it was the fighting system. The DnD rules just seemed to devolve into a mindless hack 'n' slash without a proper party to support you.

econ21

06-26-2006, 20:42

Never could get into that one. I think it was the fighting system. The DnD rules just seemed to devolve into a mindless hack 'n' slash without a proper party to support you.

Yes, I agree. DnD without a party is like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark.

But you should not give up on NWN completely without trying the Shadowlords/Dreamcatcher series. It starts slowly, as the modder learns his craft, but ends with outrageously virtuoso stunts (like recreating space invaders using NWN :dizzy2: or commanding a squad of soldiers in a tactical combat game). It also has decent dialogue and atmosphere, becoming quite emotionally involving.

A much shorter, but also excellent module is Crimson Tides of Tethyr - it's basically a fun war story where you join a mercenary expedition, but the denouement has an emotional kick like a mule.

Boohugh

06-26-2006, 21:16

World of Warcraft wins hands down for me. Nothing has come even close to having such an impact on my gaming habits and nothing else has been able to satisfy me for any length of time since. On a grander scale, its also had a huge impact globally, with far more subscribers than previously thought existed in the entire MMO market. It has forced many developers to rethink how they design MMO's and has definitely had a lasting impact on the genre even though its only a year old.

x-dANGEr

06-26-2006, 23:11

I think the word for WoW is addictive 0-i

spmetla

06-28-2006, 09:16

In no particular order my tope 5 games ( I know the title says one).

X-Wing, my first dog fighting game, loved the training missions and then the campaign, X-Wing alliance tried to get close to this but failed. Never got to play TIE fighter would have liked to (I'm an Imperial!)

Panzer General II, Love this game and still play it, first game I modded the stats of, the first real strategy game I played, and the first game I knew of to allow units to gain experience and have leaders with traits and then the ability to upgrade those units and take them with you on campaigns.

Lords of the Realm II, My first strategy game of a sort, it was simple but fun, I was so disappointed with LoTR III though, what a bad way to end a great series

Shogun: Total War, I actually didn't buy this game, my dad wanted to give gaming a go and bought it, he didn't know how to play any PC games so he told to me figure it out for him and then show him how to play, after 2 days I was hooked and had to buy a copy for myself. The ability to have thousands of units in a battle with morale and experience was amazing. The use of seasons and the music (which is on my playlist) all added to the atmosphere. It hooked me to the TW series but although I like MTW and RTW I still think they pale in the face of STW.

Aliens vs Predators, the first FPS that really sucked me in the game. Halflife was cool and all but AVP is the only game that had real atmosphere. Being that lone marine having to fight his way from mishap to mishap with only my motion sensor to warn me. Having to turn the volume up just to hear the face huggers from a distance and then being heartbroken when after 45 minutes of play I get killed and have to start the level over again.

There's a lot of other games I like for console like Goldeneye and Ocarina of Time but they never hooked me like the games I listed.

The Wizard

06-30-2006, 14:20

But you should not give up on NWN completely without trying the Shadowlords/Dreamcatcher series. It starts slowly, as the modder learns his craft, but ends with outrageously virtuoso stunts (like recreating space invaders using NWN :dizzy2: or commanding a squad of soldiers in a tactical combat game). It also has decent dialogue and atmosphere, becoming quite emotionally involving.

A much shorter, but also excellent module is Crimson Tides of Tethyr - it's basically a fun war story where you join a mercenary expedition, but the denouement has an emotional kick like a mule.

That's another element of NWN that never really got me going: the lack of coherency between adventures. Online the game does get better and more enjoyable, but I just don't seem to get on with the fact that your character can play ten different adventures in a single day with no consequences.

How can my character have been fighting Umber Hulks in the forests surrounding Neverwinter, and then been trudging along the Sword Coast fighting pirates, mages, hobgoblins, Saemon Havarians (I'll get you yet, Saemon!), and whatnot else, and then finishing with a bloody romp through the forests of Tethyr -- all in the same day?

I guess it's just my ceaseless love for realism in gaming. Sure, the game does in some ways come quite close to real tabletop roleplaying as I imagine DnD to be (never played it myself ~;p), yet I would think that on the tabletop your character cannot just have jumped from Neverwinter to Amn and back again without proper roleplay to fit.

I suppose that's just the result of the game partially importing the elements of a seamless MMOG that don't stroke with me. Oh well, I guess a single more involved (yet freeform like BG) storyline, or a seamless yet single area from the DnD world are more for me than NWN :sweatdrop:

econ21

06-30-2006, 15:00

How can my character have been fighting Umber Hulks in the forests surrounding Neverwinter, and then been trudging along the Sword Coast fighting pirates, mages, hobgoblins, Saemon Havarians (I'll get you yet, Saemon!), and whatnot else, and then finishing with a bloody romp through the forests of Tethyr -- all in the same day?

I never really re-use a character, so I don't really have that problem[1]. The vast amount of experience you can wrack up from hacking and slashing in a game like NWN just seems to make it impractical (a contrast with BG1, where you had to kill hordes of goblins etc to go up a few early levels). I do tend to work with the same build for most modules, so I guess I am effectively using the same character but with a "reset experience" button but that's just because I am boring.

The two recommendations I made earlier are pretty much standalone. The Shadowlords series really does rival BG in taking you from level 1 to goodness knows what level in a very coherent and satisfying way. I hear the designer was offered a job at Bioware on the strength of it. The other module is more of a standalone but was better than most commercial RPGs I've played.

In some ways I find NWN rather similar to RTW. Out of the box, it is ultimately rather a bland and unsatisfying game, particularly in the light of the high expectations generated its parentage. But mods can go an awfully long way to elevating it to greatness. It is still ultimately constrained by its engine and mechanics - you always know you are playing NWN (or RTW) and not something completely different. But the modders really have worked wonders in terms of adding high quality content.

[1]I only play solo or with my son.

The Wizard

06-30-2006, 15:17

Hmmm, sounds good then. You've convinced me to have another go at the game, with these modules for a change. I may report back later to say what I thought of it, but right now I'm enjoying Icewind Dale so that might take a while. ~;p

econ21

06-30-2006, 15:27

...right now I'm enjoying Icewind Dale so that might take a while. ~;p

Strangely, I just re-installed IWD2 last night. I probably won't get far as the games are too much of a naked dungeon crawl, but I always enjoy creating a party and climbing those early levels.

Teleklos Archelaou

06-30-2006, 15:42

Pretty sure I've spent more time on RTW than all other games maybe combined, and with what we've got accomplished with EB, and with classics being my profession, I don't think I'll ever enjoy any other game more in working on it or playing it. But Civ I and II, as well as Simcity and its various reincarnations come in second and third places.

econ21

06-30-2006, 15:48

Pretty sure I've spent more time on RTW than all other games maybe combined,

It certainly is nudging its way up the top of my most played list, thanks in large part to the mods like EB. :bow:

But Civ I and II, as well as Simcity and its various reincarnations come in second and third places.

Did you try CivIV? I hated CivIII, but found Civ4 brought the gameplay back to what I remembered being so addictive about Civ2. But this time it was fun as well as addictive. An EB type game with the diplomacy and challenge of Civ would be close to my perfect strategy game.

cunctator

07-01-2006, 10:34

Played more than anything else:
-M:TW and perhaps Il 2 series
-Multiplayer: Warcraft 2, played it more over LAN in the last 10 years, than anything else still great today.

My all time classics:

-X-wing, the first game I've bought. Although Tie Fighter is much better I got it too late to consider it classic for myself.
-Wing Commander series, I would love to see something like WC3 or 4 again today, even a relrelease on DVD would be great.
-DID's F-22 Total Air War or EF-2000
-Commanche 3
-SimCity and SC2000

Honourable mention:
-Caesar III, Sim City with romans and some real time fighting
-Battlezone 1 and 2: Great concept and atmosphere
-Schleichfahrt (don't english title or even if it was released outside germany): like X-wing with submarines, great story and atmosphere, nice physics for a mid 90ties action game.

pdoan8

07-06-2006, 08:06

I didn't play a lot of games since I got stuck with 3 games (make it 4 games) for such a long time.

TBS - Romance of the Three Kingdoms 3. (1989)
It's my first PC game back in 1990. Since I know the novel pretty well back then, the game offered a unique experience that no other game could.

RTS - Shogun: Total War. (1999)
While playing RoTK, I was always wishing for a grander strategy game in which I could command a large army, put it into a formation and march across a huge battle field to meet the enemy in real time. Lord of the Realm 2 (1996?) filled that wish a bit, but it wasn't enough.Then in late 1998, I read a preview for STW on PCGamers Magazine and I was hooked. I followed the game development until I finally got to play it about a year later.

FPS - Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis. (2001)
IIRC, there were a few great games released that same year, but I didn't have lots of free time to play game (my senior year and working). I am glad that I chose OFP. Unique open environment. The missions are great (lots of heart-pounding-palm-sweating moments). Great mission editor. Large modding community keeping the game alive until now. I played many FPS after that, but always go back to OFP (CWC and Res).

Dutch_guy

07-07-2006, 11:38

Well since Caesar III got me into gaming on the computer, it deserves an honorable mention.

But if I had to chose the best game I'd ever played, it would be Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Great game, all around.

:balloon2:

Keba

07-07-2006, 12:45

The Thief series. They really are just one big game, in the end. Especially when you consider the intro of the first, and the outro of the last one.

I'd also add the X-Com games, especially Apocalypse.

The Spartan (Returns)

07-07-2006, 14:41

The Spartan (Returns)

07-07-2006, 14:51

im going to add Kessen to the list. although there's not much strategy in it (depends more where you deploy your armies) compared to RTW, it was very fun. lots of cutscenes set in Medieval Japan. (starting with Ieyasu Tokugawa) and it got me into Medieval Japan History. (funny hats and helmets though)

Kekvit Irae

07-08-2006, 01:21

A tie between Operation Flashpoint (and the various expansions), and Thief/Thief2 (Thief: Deadly Shadows rates just "eh" in my opinion).

/lurkmode off

Dutch_guy

07-08-2006, 12:57

Long time no see kekvitirae, good to see you're back. :2thumbsup:

:balloon2:

Mouzafphaerre

07-09-2006, 01:52

.
Welcome back kek! :balloon3: Loved your Mrs.Cat and her kitten! :kiss:
.

ChaosLord

07-10-2006, 01:34

My legendary game is probably one noone here has heard of. It was a MUD(Multi-User Dungeon, text base multiplayer RPG) called the Dawn of Time. The mix of players, enforced RP, and its system just made it so much fun. Overtime i'll probably spend more time on other games like MTW and Civilization but it'll always be the feel I got playing that game that i'll be looking for.

Fragony

07-10-2006, 11:01

A tie between Operation Flashpoint (and the various expansions), and Thief/Thief2 (Thief: Deadly Shadows rates just "eh" in my opinion).

/lurkmode off

Excellent taste. Thief:Deadly Shadows is "eh" indeed. Not a bad game at all, but a HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE step back from The Dark Project and The metal age.

cute cats.

Master_Thief

07-11-2006, 21:35

The Thief Games (obviously!). Thief 1 and 2 are brilliant, but they merely set the stage for Thief Deadly Shadows. The level design is the best I've ever encountered, the plot is excellent, the graphics are smooth and stylish, the light effects pure genius, and the sound is the icing on the cake. I never thought sound could be so fundamental in a game until I played this.

Kekvit Irae

07-12-2006, 01:47

The only levels I like from Deadly Shadows was the museum and Robbing The Cradle. RTC a wonderful level for a good scare, reminds me of House on Haunted Hill.

Fragony

07-12-2006, 09:04

The cradle was awesome, but not quite as frightening as the Cathedral level from the first. I have never been so scared in a game, it was also my first encounter with a haunt. I thought it was a pretty strange place for a hammerite, and back then I clubbed everything in sight (now I try to ghost everything), so I club.....it. It turns around, with that FREAKISH sound and slices me to bits. If anyone wonders what a haunt sounds like, http://208.49.149.120/files/jukebox/thief/%5BLGS%20Fanmix%20-%20Picklocke%5D%20-%20Thief%20-%20Haunted.mp3

brrrr.

What ruined deadly shadows for me was the horrible AI, soooooo easy to outsmart.

Incongruous

07-12-2006, 15:45

Does anyone remember a game called Giants?

That was so cooool, i remember walking into WHS with my vouchers me and my brother had saved up. That was such a cool game...

Aaaaaahhhh the good old days...~:mecry:

professorspatula

07-12-2006, 16:00

Like many of you, it's hard to pick out one particular title.

However, Ultima 7 (and the second part) are legendary and provided hundreds of hours of gaming bliss. A great believable world, loads of characters to talk to, great history and completely immersive atmosphere make it a joy to play and to explore. You could quite happily ignore the main quest threads and go off and find hidden areas, interesting side quests, and oddities that combined to make a truly great experience.

Fallout 2 is a close second: another RPG that featured a great game world, but packed with good humour, some nice fights (clearing out the gangs in New Reno with shotguns and machine guns!) and so many sub-quests and things that you can't experience in one play. In fact, upon completing Fallout2 for the first time, I replayed it again and again just to find all the extra stuff and quests. And you get to play as a truly evil character and plant explosives on thieving kids!

System Shock is probably the best experience I've ever had in one game - that is the first time I played through it. The atmosphere is immense but it loses a bit the next time you play it.

I don't think any game since about 1999 has had such an impact as those games. I've played a hell of a lot since then, but I tend to find they have less and less lasting appeal.

PS: Wasn't Total Annihilation the king of RTS games! C&C had a few tanks blowing each other up, TA had hundreds of machines and gun batteries simultaneously blasting the hell of each other. A year or two of fun that game provided.

Fragony

07-12-2006, 17:19

System Shock is probably the best experience I've ever had in one game - that is the first time I played through it. The atmosphere is immense but it loses a bit the next time you play it.

I don't think any game since about 1999 has had such an impact as those games. I've played a hell of a lot since then, but I tend to find they have less and less lasting appeal.

I played the original WAY after part two, and once you get used to the controls it's every bit as good. Too heavy on action, but Shodan is much more evil, welcome to my death machine brrrrrrrrrrrr :dizzy2: I even got the original cd and box, quite a rare find these days.

I want a remake or ROM for the nintendo DS, now.

Master_Thief

07-12-2006, 20:33

Kekvit Irae

07-13-2006, 04:33

You'll get an even better adrenaline rush from Return to the Cathedral, later on in the game.

screwtype

07-13-2006, 11:25

I'd have a tough time picking my best ever games, because there are so many titles I've played and loved that I've simply forgotten, but here's a few. Note that we are talking retro gaming here folks - these are all Amiga games. In spite of its better graphics and CPU power etc., I've never come across a PC game that matched any of my favourite Amiga titles. In no particular order:

1. Hack. An Amiga public domain game. It was I believe the first version Hack that had graphics instead of symbols. This is the game that got me into computing, I was addicted to it for about twelve months, and I'd love to play it again if I could find a decent version of it for the PC. Later versions of the game were, unfortunately, unbalanced by the addition of the Keystone Kops and other changes, but the earlier versions are diabolically tough to beat.

2. Larn. Another PD game, much like Hack but with larger, prettier graphics and less depth. A lot of fun to play all the same until you learned how to beat all the monsters. Eventually had to admit defeat on difficulty level 6.

3. Wizzy's Quest - another PD game, this one written by a single very talented individual. A simple platformer written in BASIC, this is one of the most addictive games I ever played. You could only save every five levels and man, it was tough to get through a whole five levels without losing all your lives! A brilliant piece of programming.

4. Faery Tale Adventure. Combined really cute graphics with arcade action and a big campaign. Heaps of fun to play through the first time around, not much replayability though.

5. Dungeon Master. One of the few games done with hi-res graphics, DM was both beautiful to look at and fun to play. The levels were all very well thought out and the monsters were varied and interesting. Unlike many RPG's, it didn't overwhelm you with incredibly huge levels.

6. Cannon Fodder I and II. While I'm not normally into arcade games, the Cannon Fodder series grabbed me from the first minute of play. A great combination of strategy and tactics, you needed to fully utilize both to win. Unfortunately CF I always crashed on the really terrific level 12, but I did manage to finish the sequel.

7. Speedball II. Fantastic sports game, I had heaps of fun with this. Wish someone would do a repeat of it on the PC, it's a game made for MP.

8. Elvira II. This one gets in for the great, scary graphics in the studio and the haunted house. The other parts of the game, the giant insect maze and the skeleton maze, were a bit dull by comparison.

9. Lords of the Realm II. LOTR for the PC is often considered a classic but the Amiga version of the game is much better again, with much prettier graphics, better controls, more detailed and better balanced gameplay and more challenge. A few tweaks here and there would possibly make this game the best ever.

Now I know I've missed one or two...but anyhow. An honourable mention goes to the PC games Shogun and Imperialism II. Shogun was wonderfully original, with great atmospherics, but just that little bit lacking in challenge once you got the hang of things. The campaign side wasn't deep enough either (a common failing with all the TW games).

Imperialism II is a game I've played perhaps more than any other, and I still love it even though, again, it is lacking somewhat in balance and challenge once you master its nuances. Indeed that is the problem I've found with PC games in general, they have great presentation but most of them are just too easy to beat. I think this is because modern games cost so much to develop that everything goes into presentation and wow! factor and not enough into balance and challenge. It didn't used to be that way in gaming.

Fragony

07-13-2006, 12:00

I'd agree with you fragony, about the Haunted Cathedral. I still haven't completed thief 1 yet as I've been playing the series backwards (got introduced to the Thief series by Deadly Shadows) so I only recently played that level. It has to be said its the first time I've ever had a real adrenaline rush playing a game. Who would have thought a few low poly meshes with some crude textures stretched over them could be so damn scary. Anyway, the Elder Scrolls series is pretty good as well.

I am so jealous, I wish I could do a fresh replay of the best games ever made. Yes sir, I am a rabid Thief fanboy. Nothing comes even close. You do know that the fun isn't over once you beat the games right? There are sooooooooooooooooooooooo many great fanmissions, some of them are crafted with so much devotion that it tops the quality of the missions from the original games.

3 fanmissions every Thief-fan should play,

1) Calendra's Legacy
2) The inverted Mansion
3) The 7th Chrystal

The maker of #2 was also in the Deadly Shadows team, that is how impressed they were with his work.

must.....stop........rambling..............