Top ten of games

[Drisos]

1: Shogun: Total War



(a long, long distance between STW and the rest! )



2: Halo I (for the Xbox)
3: Age Of Empires II
4: Anno 1602
5: c&c (that version with tesla coiles and flame towers )
6: Worms Armageddon
7: Cossacks: The Art of War
8: Gangsters 2
9: Settlers IV
10: Fate of the Dragon

[econ21]

It's hard to answer this because there's a tendency to judge games on their replayablility when perhaps the relevant criterion is how good they were before you had burnt out on playing them. I'm also going to cheat by combining sequels with originals. However, here's my list:

1. Fallout 2 - something about the freedom, scale and atmosphere in that game just bowls me over.
2. Baldurs Gate 1/2: like Fallout 2, with swords and sorcery but a smidgeon less bite.
3. Panzer General 1/2: the first game combines epic historical operations with very accessible gameplay; the second is smaller scale but has a better balanced campaign.
4. Medieval Total War: provides the best mix of challenge and variety of the three TW games.
5. Vampire: Bloodlines: jaw-dropping graphics/characters and incredible immersion.
6. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 1/2: better than any Star Wars movie (even Empire Strikes Back).
7. Jagged Alliance 2: perfect turn-based tactical combat with engaging strategic layer and character.
8. System Shock 2: more like a book or a film, I can't get the story of this one out of my head - provides the most vivid experience of all the games on this list.
9. X-Com 1: very good tactical combat, oozes atmosphere and decent strategic layer.
10. Imperialism 2: minimises micromanagement, makes challenging economic game and decent AI.

[dessa14]

that list is dead wrong.

Starcraft
Half-life (includes mods)
Age of empires
Cossacks back to war
Shogun total war
Medieval Total War
Victoria
Europa Universalis two
Baldurs Gate 2
Simcity 4
Again this list is chosen on replayability
only baldurs gate is playable only once
Thanks
dizzy

[Drisos]

that list is dead wrong.

do you mean mine??

[King Edward]

1. MTW VI
2. Xcom 1
3. Warcraft 3 FT
4. FM 2005
5.Neverwinter Nights
6.Hearts of Iron 2
7. KOTOR 1
8. RTW
9. WH40k Dawn of War
10. Darwinia

Thats just a list form the games i own and i imagine if i hade to make another in a month or so it would change depending on what mood i was in at the time.

[Boohugh]

1. MTW VI
2. Championship Manager 01/02
3. Trackmania
4. Red Alert
5. Operation Flashpoint
6. Caesar 2
7. Hearts of Iron 2
8. Civilisation 2 and 3
9. KOTOR 1
10. Black Hawk Down

This is an approximate order. I included Hearts of Iron 2 because I've been playing it a lot and it has the potential to be one of my favourite games.

[Al Khalifah]

1. Command & Conquer - the original and best. I liked Dune II but C&C was just brilliant. I can still remember every mission for both sides in full detail and could probably tell you every crate location too (I played this game a lot). The first time you faced an obelisk of light you knew true fear, even now that charging up sound sends shivers down my spine. The FMVs and digital music were just the icing on the cake. The first game I ever played multi-player on a PC with a null modem and every single battle was like a game of chess. My favorite game ever.
2. Half-Life - scary and awesome, like a film even though there were no characters. The ending sucked but who cares. If you played it, then you'll remember the first time you faced the grunts, the first time a headcrab bit your face in a vent shaft, the first time you got chopped into bits by falling into a fan... I must've spent/wasted hours playing Team Fortress online and I liked Counter-Strike too until the cheaters took over.
3. Deus Ex - one of the finest stories ever in a game, a real adult thriller. The roll-playing elements made it excellent and the way that most missions had at least three possible ways of winning was really fresh. Also 3 different possible endings depending on your political leanings (not including the secret dance level). I really liked the way that you could fail certain objectives too, without the game just stopping for no reason, although the grief you got on returning to base made you desperate not to fail. The characters really come to life in this one and I don't think I've ever played it through without finding something new.
4. The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind - if anyone has completed every mission in this game I want to shake their hand. This game was HUGE and yo could complete it by only doing about 5% of the missions. Fantastic story, excellent character development and I loved the way that you would feel like you were there and it was real even though it had a big fantasy setting. Completely non-linear too, the best bits (if you had a good enough graphics card) were when you left the track and found yourself looking over a gorgeous valley in spring (yes it had seasons) or a seething caldera.
5. Shogun: Total War - I wouldn't be posting here if it wasn't for this game. Changed the world of strategy games forever and spawned Medieval and Rome. A faltless epic.
6. Caesar II - would it be a little cheeky to suggest this game pre-empted Shogun's concept by quite a few years? I loved the fantastic mix between Sim City style city building and real-time battles.
7. Mafia - guest director Martin Scorsese? The best story in any game ever, this is a film in so many ways - the characters developed brilliantly throughout the story and even the city itself advanced and grew as the game went on. Perhaps the gameplay wasn't the best ever but the story made me just want to keep playing on. As for the ending... perfection.
8. Civilisation II - need I say more?
9. Age of Empires - once the Rise of Rome expansion was realeased this game just exploded into the greatest build 'em up and smash 'em down strategy game ever. The historical aspect of the game made R:TW look like an Encyclopedia but no one cared. Still hugely popular on the zone today.
10. Championship Manager 98 - this game stole several months of my life that I want back. I don't know why its good and I can't explain why I kept playing it, but it must be something special to keep my attention as long as this game did.

[doc_bean]

1. CastleVania: SOTN (too bad my ps broke...)
2. MTW
3. Snake
4. Warcraft 2
5. Doom
6. Final fantasy 7
7. Quake
8. Warcraft 3
9. Metal Gear Solid
10. Civ 3

[frogbeastegg]

Wow! More people who played Star Wars: Supremacy (as it was called in the UK). I thought I was all but alone in liking it. I preferred playing as the Empire too; I did finish a few Rebel campaigns but never found them to be as much fun.

I couldn't do a top 10 list of my favourite games; there are too many of them, and all positions except number 1 are tied. Zelda: Ocarina of Time is my favourite game. It was simply stunning in every possible way. A revelation. A thing of beauty. A masterpiece.

Other games right up at the top of the scale include STW, TIE fighter (the CD edition which had speech and both add-ons included), X-wing (again the CD edition with both add-ons included), X-wing alliance, thief 1 and 2, system shock 2, KOTOR 1, the Monkey Island trilogy, Sam and Max hit the road, day of the tentacle, Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis, Pharaoh, Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2, Planescape Torment (even though I never did get to finish it because the game always dropped to sub 1FPS when I reached undersigil), Alpha Centauri, Kingdom Hearts, no one lives forever 1 and 2 ... mostly PC or PC+console titles. I have played and loved many games console games, but somehow for the most part they have not quite burned their way into my memory quite so well.

[Kekvit Irae]

Wow! More people who played Star Wars: Supremacy (as it was called in the UK). I thought I was all but alone in liking it. I preferred playing as the Empire too; I did finish a few Rebel campaigns but never found them to be as much fun.

I love that game. This thread made me reinstall it and play it again. Ahh the memories of blitzkrieging with five SSDs and a Death Star...

thief 1 and 2

Somehow, I knew you would name these. I think it was the username that first tipped me off

[Monk]

1.Half-life 1+2(pc)
2.Shogun: Total war(pc)
3.Rise of Nations(pc)
4.Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time(n64) - one word: wow
5.Final fantasy 7(ps) - best out of those i played which are 7-10
6.Call of duty(pc)
7.KOTOR 1(pc) - 2 was way too buggy for my taste. any game that i have to roll back my video card driver just to play does not score very high imho
8.Homeworld series(pc)
9.Unreal Tournament(pc) - the original. its because of that game that i have my .org name
10. Diablo 2(pc) - makes the list because it was the first pc game i ever got and actually enjoyed.

honorable mentions:

-Operation Flashpoint(pc)
-Medieval:Total War(VI)(pc)
-Metal Gear Solid(ps)
-Warhammer 40k: dawn of war(pc) - what can i say? i'm a wh40k fan

[Mouzafphaerre]

-
1 or 2: Sea Dogs
2 or 1: MTW with VI + patch
3 to 10: Others


-

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I only play one game. MTW VI. Nothing eslse is worth my time

Yes Ive tried many of the games on those lists but I still only play MTW VI. The rest sit in a box.

And I might add it had the finest gaming community Ive ever seen. My hats are off to all of you who made it such a hilight of my gaming experiences. I will never forget the heyday of VI and of the clans and warriors who made up this world. It is a very sad thing for me to wittness such a stillf fine and outstanding game dying a slow and agonizing death. Im sure many of you older players felt the same about the demise of STW. But at least there was much more in common between STW and MTW than there is between MTW and RTW.

To all those I have met on the field of battle


Come to VI while you can and join me in our final battles.

[Beirut]

What? No flightsim heads around here?

IL2-Sturmovik-Forgotten Battles+Pacific Fighters series
MS Combat Flight Sim 1
Janes WWII Fighters
Falcon 3 & 4
MS Flight Simulator series
Rainbow 6, Ghost Recon series, Splinter Cell series
M:TW

[Navaros]

1. Betrayal at Krondor - best RPG ever IMO

2. Nocturne - best horror game ever IMO

3. Mafia - best story presentation ever in a game, all-around best acting ever in a game, and best genre-mixing game ever IMO

4. Deus Ex - best hybrid FPS game ever IMO

5. Emperor: Battle for Dune (for the multiplayer aspect; before it died) - best RTS game ever IMO

6. Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption - best Vampire game ever IMO

7. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father - best adventure game ever IMO

8. the 7th Guest - best puzzle game ever IMO

9. Drakan: Order of the Flame - best dragon game ever IMO

10. Under a Killing Moon - best FMV game ever IMO

[Quietus]

1) Shogun: Total War - (vanilla; never played Mongol Invasion). I've played it death; it's the most fun game ever! (CA are you listening? )

Medieval: Total War - Meh. Didn't live up to STW's prestige at all (I've never been as extremely disappointed).

Rome: Total War - Has a lot of potential. But it is still very fun to play especially with the spanking new graphics. (They really need to make the battles longer and open the battlemap just a bit by loosening the red-line).

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay - Had a blast with this game. Starbreeze needs to make a new one. NOW!!

10. Under a Killing Moon - best FMV game ever IMO

Great game

[hrvojej]

In no specific order:

- Heroes of Might & Magic 2 (and 3)
- MTW (and VI)
- Privateer 2: the Darkening
- Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn & Throne of Bhaal
- Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
- Neverwinter Nights (Platinum)
- Might and Magic VI: For Blood and Honor
- Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
- Jagged Alliance 2
- Europa Universalis 2

Honorary mentions:
Space Empires IV Gold, Planescape: Torment, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers, Avernum 3, Deus Ex, Sea Dogs, Pharaoh, and a few others.

[GoreBag]

1. Betrayal at Krondor - best RPG ever IMO

I thought I was the only person in the world who'd ever bought this game! Oh man...I need to dig this out and play again. It was just too hard for me when I first got it, back in the day.

Also, every one of you is completely insane. How could you not put up the great and mighty BATTLETOADS!?

1) Baldur's Gate 2
2) Battletoads (also, Battletoads vs. Double Dragon)
3) Mortal Kombats 2 and 4
4) Shogun: Total War
5) Dungeon Keeper
6) Diablo (the original)
7) Contra (all of them)
8) Doom 2
9) Both Fallouts (I actually shed a tear when Black Isle closed down)
10) Warcraft 2

There are honourable mentions abound, but I'll only list a few: Final Fantasy 7, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series for the Nintendo consoles (2-4), Street Fighter 2, Die Hard Arcade, Manhunt, Day of Defeat mod for Half-life, WWF No Mercy (admit it) and that crazy X-Men game for the arcade that allowed six player to play simultaneously.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

MTW VI (With NTW)
GTA3
MAFIA
HoI2
CS
HL2
KotOR
MTW VI (alone)
HALO2

[pdoan8]

PC games:

1. STW: number one overall and still unbeaten.

2. Operation Flashpoint: I like the open environment, moddability and easy to use mission editor (which keep the game alive).

3. MTW: good game despite of a few things that I didn't like.

4. Romance of the Three Kindoms (3): my first PC game and I like that time period (from the novel).

5. Patrician 2 and 3: very addictive game. More like a building/trading sims than RTS.

Edit: 6. C&C: I like the first one and the expack. Fun game play. Good music and even the installation program. Missed this one on the original list.

7. Kohan-Immortal Sovereigns: the only RTS survived TW invasion. I like the effects and customizable squad (especially, after modding a little).

8. XCOM-Apocalypse: not the best in the series, but I like the squad-base tactical in real time.

9. Call of Duty, Halo, Vietcong, Delta Force series: fun action/shooter games, but not much replay value for SP.

10. Half love half hated category:

- SWAT series, GR, Rainbow Six series: Spec Op thrill. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at Spec Op type of missions (too much restriction). I have most of them but haven't finished any yet.

- Civ 1-3: so much fun but annoying at time.

Console games:

Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4: the only console games that I own and play.

[Kekvit Irae]

Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4: the only console games that I own and play.

But not 5?

[Togakure]

What? No flightsim heads around here?

Well, it doesn't really qualify for a flight sim, but I thoroughly enjoyed Ace Combat on my PS2. Loved the slow, low-altitude, funny-looking yet butt-kicking tank killers ... um, I'm terrible with remembering plane names ... um, ... help me out here experts ... .

***

So I'm getting a sense that Fallout 2 and Zelda, Ocarina are two really superb games. I've not played or even seen anything about either of them. What kind of PC would be needed to play them (mine is very old), and are they still obtainable? I'm not going to be able to update my PC anytime soon, and I'm starved for new gaming experiences. Any opinions would be quite welcome, thanks.

[Kekvit Irae]

Well, it doesn't really qualify for a flight sim, but I thoroughly enjoyed Ace Combat on my PS2. Loved the slow, low-altitude, funny-looking yet butt-kicking tank killers ... um, I'm terrible with remembering plane names ... um, ... help me out here experts ... .

A-10 Thunderbolt, otherwise known as the Warthog because it's big, it's bad, and it's ugly.
http://www.basecamp-1.com/owensplace/images/a10.jpg

I'm assuming that's the one you are talking about

[frogbeastegg]

So I'm getting a sense that Fallout 2 and Zelda, Ocarina are two really superb games. I've not played or even seen anything about either of them. What kind of PC would be needed to play them (mine is very old), and are they still obtainable?

Fallout 2 (also 1) I have never played for various reasons, but it is a very old PC game. It is still available in its various budget incarnations, including one edition where it is packaged with number 1, but a little hard to find. In theory it should work on any modern PC, but I remember hearing about a few problems people had encountered.

Zelda: TOOT is a console game. Originally released on the N64, but later ported to the GameCube. The GC edition was a special pre-order bonus feature with the latest in the series, WindWaker, but I think they later released the port for normal sale. The original N64 version is my favourite - I just cannot adjust to having tiny loading times in the game; I spent hundreds of hours playing the original version, so all the menu accessing etc in the game is now at an instinctive level for me, and adding a half second delay to that messes my timing up. However the port does feature slightly better graphics and has a second, special quest called 'the master quest'. Basically that is a harder version of the game with a few changes here and there.

[Fragony]

1 Thief: the Dark Project
2 System shock
3 System shock 2
4 Deus ex
5 Thief 2
6 Sacrifice

dunno how to fill in the rest, but these are the first that come to mind.

[KukriKhan]

I don't have ten either. Fantasy and role-playing just don't turn my crank much (I've tried); teamwork and planning seems to keep me happily occupied.

5. Call of Duty
4. c&c, Tiberian Sun
3. S.W.A.T.3
2. Medieval: TotalWar
1. Shogun: TotalWar

[ichi]

STW (includes WE)
MTW (includes VI)
GTA III (PS2)
Gran Turismo III (PS2)
Deus Ex
IL-2 Sturmovik (Aces & PF)
CIV CTP I
Galaxian (Arcade)
Duke Nukem (the whole series)
Call of Duty (whole series)


ichi

ps Notice the relative absence of Rome on the lists?

[Kraellin]

kek,

you played air warrior? cool :) is it still up on the web? how bout aw III; is it still up also? i loved that game and got quite good at it. bombers were fun to fly. that lumbering b-17 flying at 20,000 was incredible. in our heyday, we'd load that thing up with people at the gun and pilot and bomber positions and have a ball. that game was way ahead of its time.

i once visited the kesmai offices and got to know john and kelton. good guys and great programmers.

K.

[Productivity]

Dune II - It started the whole RTS genre. Yes it was difficult to use, one dimensional (tank rush (although just about every RTS fell prey to that one)), but it was revolutionary compared to it's contemporaries, and provided hours of fun.

Deus Ex - Brilliant combination of RPG elements with a first person shooter, many threads to get to one place, well balanced.

Daggerfall - Just epic. Morrowind is small in most ways compared to Daggerfall. Again, hours of fun. Dungeons that were actually dungeons (it would take weeks to get out of some of them).

Quake III - Pure fun FPS, and the point at which graphics became good looking, rather than degrees of ugliness. Still fun to play today, with plenty of mods.

Total Annihilation – If Dune II started RTS games, this hit the peak of them. Picture this, you are trying to assault a enemy held beach with one pass up into the hills behind it. Amphibious tanks crawl out of the water, gunships go over the top to suppress light defences, battleships are hanging slightly back pounding the enemy plasma batteries, and the cruisers move in to try and sweep the beach of enemy units. As the tanks come out of the water the defences automatically pop up from their bunker and start shooting, a stray shell from a battleship or cruiser sails over the beach and onto a solar panel, causing it to close up to protect itself from damage. As the tanks crawl out of the water they are destroyed, creating shelter from fire behind their wreckage. Meanwhile the enemy starts to airlift in reinforcements onto the beach, watch as the VTOL transports flare their engines to come to a stop over the beach, then watch as they struggle to get altitude and speed while moving out of there.

I could go on, but it was just a really well thought out game, which was beautiful, and in terms of 3D RTS games still has the best implementation of terrain I’ve seen.

Mafia – Atmosphere, a bit’s already been said about it, so I won’t go to much further.

Rainbow Six: Raven Shield – This may be the wrong choice, because I haven’t played any of the RS games, but it goes in anyway. One of the few games that ever made me care about the lives of the characters who I was playing. It seemed to get the error distribution right, sometimes the opposition would make a dumb move, but at other times they would do something brilliant. Great fun, and always a challenge.

System Shock 2 – Combine Mafia and Deus Ex and you get this. Brilliant.

Civilization – Set the benchmark for empire building, a mark that has only been bettered by Sid himself. Nobody else has managed to do as well in a decade.

Heavy Gear 2 – Squad based mech game. Pretty weak in single player, it really shined at LANs with multiplayer, where you could customise your squad to an incredible degree, and were forced to work together.

Honourable mentions go to

MTW
Starsiege: Tribes
Heroes of Might and Magic 2
Championship Manger (probably 01/02, took the CM3 series to it’s peak)
Alpha Centauri (would have gone in but for Civ)
TIE Fighter
Fallout
Ghost Recon

[Kekvit Irae]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Mechwarrior II