Favorite games

[ElectricEel]

After reading the 'top 10 games' thread in the Europa Barbarorum forum, I felt the desire to elaborate on which games made a lasting impression on me, and why.

1. Freespace 2

Different from most other games on this list in that it was not a high-profile release. As such, it deserves a little further elaboration: it is a space combat sim - some of you may be familiar with the Wing Commander series, I'm told that the Freespace series resembles it.

Without question, my favorite game ever. I think I've played through the main campaign six or seven times now. I'm not normally a fan of more action-oriented games, but there was something about this one that just clicked. It was all-around well-executed, with solid gameplay, story, and expectionally good voice acting. Unfortunately, while it got good reviews, it did not achieve any major commercial success, a fact most often attributed to the lack of advertising by the publisher (Interplay).

Kudos to the community, particularly the Source Code Project guys and the creators of the various campaigns and mods, for prolonging the life of the game immensely (the game was released in 1998, and the community is still going strong, with several large projects under construction).

2. Morrowind

The setting was great, the concept of traveling the large game world freely and doing as you wished was a breath of fresh air, and the community created lots of quality mods with the modding tools provided by Bethesda. The gameplay mechanics themselves were not all that great, but I spent a lot of time playing it, nonetheless.

3. Diablo II

Solid gameplay. Unfortunately, the game was designed with multiplayer in mind first and foremost, at the cost of the single player mode (this is visible in the sucky save system, and items being level-limited in single player) - still, I find it fun to play in single player, when I feel I have the time and energy for a long session (which are required by the silly save system, unless you want to fight the same monsters multiple times).

4. Neverwinter Nights

I can't really explain why I like this game, but I spent a lot of hours with it. I'll have to finish the Hordes of the Underdark expansion some time.

5. X-Com - Ufo Defense

Released in 1993; personally, I don't mind the rather primitive (but quite functional) graphics, the interface, while a bit clunky by today's standards, is less of an obstacle than in many other old games, and the core concept is very solid, despite the game having numerous minor flaws.

So what do you people think? Which games did you like most, and why?

[Bijo]

I have played none of the ones you mentioned.


Here is my list, though, randomly, and there probably a lot more that I am forgetting:

* The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
* The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
* Command & Conquer (PC)
* The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
* Quake 1 (PC)
* Quake 2 (PC)
* Wolfenstein 3D (PC)
* Doom 1 & 2 (PC)
* Duke Nukem (PC)
* [some kind of old Atari game where you fly a cheap white plane on the bottom of the screen in which you avoid obstacles and shoot at foes]
* Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
* Metroid (NES)
* Mega Man (NES)


Making a specific top 10 (or so) would be very difficult.

[Justiciar]

In no particular order..

Morrowind
For pretty much the same reasons you yourself listed, ElectricEel. Though I liked Oblivion, it didn't quite have the same feel to it that Morrowind did. The scope of it was fantastic, but like the aforementioned squel it's a shame that the ending couldn't be more open. Still.. mods aplenty provide ample answer to that little quibble.

Neverwinter Nights
Three things: The DM Client. The Toolkit. The Multiplayer. Some of my best online and roleplaying experiences were with this game.

Total Annihilation
The first strategy game I ever played, and I loved every bleedin' minute of it. Methinks this may have been the first game I ever spent more than ten hours of straight, uninterupted play on.

Dungeon Keeper
Far superior to it's sequel. Nothing more satisfying than converting that dastardly Avatar to your cause and conquering the underworld.

Legend of Zelda; Ocarina of Time
I finished the game in a couple of days, but continued playing for months. Why? The scenery.

Stonekeep
The first RPG I ever encountered. I never acctually played it, rather I saw a cousin playing it when I was about six, and found m'self entranced by it. I daren't download it for fear that it'll turn out to be a pile of arse.

Ultima Online
The first MMO I ever played.

[Midnight]

In no particular order:

SMAC - the best TBS I've played, with a wonderfully oppressive and hostile world, as well as well thought out ideologically-based factions and a very cohesive feel to the game.

Ultima VII - the scope of the world was amazing.

Dungeon Keeper - carve out your own dungeon!

Arcanum - creative setting, an interesting plot, and some actual role-playing made it awesome.

Planescape: Torment - amazing atmosphere, fantastic writing and unusual characters.

Vampire: Bloodlines - another one dripping with atmosphere.

Maybe soon to be added to this list - Dwarf Fortress. I'm still getting into this one, but the sheer depth and attention to detail in it is absolutely astounding. Shame the interface is so clunky.

[Bijo]

Dungeon Keeper was good indeed. Ahh, what a pleasure it was to perform the creation of a dungeon with all the narrow paths and corners harboring one's minions that maneuvered themselves to one's will.

The game was more or less repetitive in nature, but for some reason it maintained its fun factor. Especially fun it was when the foe entered your dungeon to commence his offence.

Was there no DK2 and wasn't there a game to be released soon that resembled DK?

[drone]

[b]Was there no DK2 and wasn't there a game to be released soon that resembled DK?

There was a DK2 released waaaay back. A new game, Overlord, was released recently that was in a similar vein.

[Taurus]

Aah this topic brings back some great memories, here's my list in no particular order, I'm also bound to forget some too.

Command & Conquer
I had this on the old playstation and I loved it from day one, from then on I've been hooked on the series although none of the sequels lived up to the original.

Grand Theft Auto
The original top down free roamer was one of the best games I ever played.

Resident Evil
Once again on the old playstation the first RE is an absoloute classic, I must have completed this game over ten times I enjoyed it that much.

Metroid
My mate had an old Nintendo thing back in the day and this was just the dogs ********.

Z-Steel Soldiers
Hardly an amazing game but for some reason I was addicted to this so it must have done something right, I really played this game to death.

Virtua Cop
Had this game on the Sega Saturn and it was out of this world, even better with the gun controller.

Road Rash
Another Sega Saturn classic, what more do I need to say.

Doom & Wolfenstein 3D
The first FPS's I played and how brilliant they were (at the time anyway lol.)

Magic Boy
Quite probably the best game ever made, don't know if anyone remembers it, it was an old DOS game where you were some lad and had to jump on snakes and stuff, you also had to use a Joystick and not the keyboard for some reason and it was amazing.

Theres loads more but I can't remember em...

[ElectricEel]

Morrowind
For pretty much the same reasons you yourself listed, ElectricEel. Though I liked Oblivion, it didn't quite have the same feel to it that Morrowind did. The scope of it was fantastic, but like the aforementioned squel it's a shame that the ending couldn't be more open. Still.. mods aplenty provide ample answer to that little quibble.

I found Oblivion a bit of a disappointment, as I felt Bethesda turned the Elder Scrolls setting into Generic Fantasy World #114, and there were some really bad design decisions (chiefly, level scaling). It *was* an improvement in many areas, though. I've got to try how it feels with extensive modding at some point...

SMAC - the best TBS I've played, with a wonderfully oppressive and hostile world, as well as well thought out ideologically-based factions and a very cohesive feel to the game.

I just bought it recently, and have to concur. I didn't include it on my list, as I haven't played it long enough to feel I can truly evaluate it accurately.

Maybe soon to be added to this list - Dwarf Fortress. I'm still getting into this one, but the sheer depth and attention to detail in it is absolutely astounding. Shame the interface is so clunky.

With further development, that game may well end up on my list, as well. The soon-to-be-released new version will - quite literally - bring new dimensions to the game, and beyond that, there is still much more to come...

[doc_bean]

*Worms
I played this game with friends for over a decade. It was funny, it required skill, it was often unfair, it was the best 'hotseat' multiplayer game ever.

*Doom
Pretty much the reason I got 'back' into gaming as a kid/early teen (I had stopped playing games for a while before i discovered Doom). I still prefer the 'kill lots of enemies' design to that of most modern shooters that focus on putting you against a small number of difficult to kill foes.

*Final Fantasy 7
The game that made me discover the jRPG. Not the greatest Final Fantasy, but the right game at the right time.

*Metal Gear Solid
It's not a game, it's an adventure ! An incredibly daring game for its time with some of the best boss fights ever.

*Warcraft 2
Played this for several years, the most fun RTS game for a long time (perhaps unsurpassed even now in terms of sheer fun factor).

*Vampire Bloodlines
Probably the only game I ever finished twice in a row.

*Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Is it a game or more or less an interactive book ? Who cares ? It was fun and surprisingly refreshing !

[Xiahou]

*Vampire Bloodlines
Probably the only game I ever finished twice in a row.

Ditto for me, with one addition. Bloodlines and Eternal Darkness are the only 2 games I can think of that I happily picked up and started playing again immediately after completing them the 1st time.

NWN, Diablo2, StarCraft, and Tales of Symphonia all come to mind as well. I know there's many others, but it's hard to just sit down and crank out a list when I've played so many games.

Total Annihilation
The first strategy game I ever played, and I loved every bleedin' minute of it. Methinks this may have been the first game I ever spent more than ten hours of straight, uninterupted play on.

I thought this game was just awesome- so innovative. Unfortunately, I didn't get turned on to it until it's popularity was starting to decline. It couldn't have been more than a few months after I bought the Commander's pack that Kingdoms came out and ruined Cavedog.

Have you seen Spring yet? It's basically, a highly-moddable, graphically updated, open-source TA clone. Brings back alot of old memories when I play it.

[Kekvit Irae]

Ultima Online
The first MMO I ever played.

Corp Por
Corp Por
In Vas Mani
Kal Ort Por

Your spell has been disrupted due to lack of concentration.

You are dead.

[naut]

Diablo II
Simply good solid fun. I loved playing this with my brother, and we'd both be Paladins. And this was the only Blizzard game I could really get into, the others just didn't appeal to me.

C&C: Red Alert
Prefered this to C&C because it was more realistic, I never really understood the whole Tiberium thing anyway. And it was the first game I ever got, my Dad used to play with/against me too.

Age of Empires II: Age of Kings and The Conquerors
The only game I've played that I've had a battle go for more than 10 hours straight, (which I won). This game just captivated me entirely. And if you really understood the power that the triggers could give you in the Editor it really added a lot to it also. My only gripe was that the Aztecs/Mayans got normal looking soldiers which IMHO was silly because they didn't have iron/steel.

Call of Duty and Call of Duty 2
These are some of the finest FPS I have ever played, and CoD2 with a realism mod is amazing. I really enjoyed the FG42 in the original, such an amazing gun.

Battlefield 1942
The original and IMHO still the best of the series. It has its flaws and glitches but I always find my self coming back to it when I'm looking for something to do. I loved the game-play and the originality of it, and the great balance of realism and game-play.

FIFA Manager 06
I know most of you don't play sport games, but this is my favourite. I never get bored of this, because it has (pretty much) every team in the world and you don't have to tediously play the matches, you coach. Plus the editor tool means you can change everything, meaning I can update it to the most current season. But maybe I'm just a Football nut.

Shogun: Total War
Nothing really to say other than one of the finest games I have ever played.

Medieval: Total War and Viking Invasion
The best value for money I have ever got. For the combined price of $20 I have had hours of fun with the original and the many mods available. Plus I am able to mod it myself. Definitely my favourite of all time.

[Xiahou]

I only mentioned it in passing, and no one else has mentioned it at all- so I feel the need to single out Eternal Darkness again. I think this was easily one of the best games made for the Gamecube. An M-Rated game made by Silicon Knights, with a great Lovecraftian setting- including the best insanity effects I have ever seen in a game.

If anyone has a GC or even a Wii and hasn't played it, give it a look.

Here's the in-game intro: (careful of the related links on Youtube- spoilers a-plenty)
"You too, shall come to understand fear as I have."

[Martok]

Medieval Total War / Viking Invasion: When it comes to the sheer number of hours I've wasted enjoyed playing any particular game, this is almost certainly #1 on my list. The replay value is immense, and is only further enhanced by the many fine mods available.

Star Trek TNG Birth of the Federation: A close second to MTW/VI in terms of how much time I've spent playing it. As a big fan of both Star Trek and strategy games, I was hooked to this one from the start. The atmosphere feels very "Trek-esque" -- in large part due to the fact that each major race (Cardassians, Federation, Ferengi, Klingons, & Romulans) has their own art and UI, as well as their own music. Unfortunately, the game is far from perfect: There are numerous bugs and imbalances in the game, and the AI is pretty poor. Still, it's good enough that I've spent many a game happily taking over the galaxy.

Shogun Total War: It wasn't the first strategy game to combine a turn-based campaign with real-time battles, but it was certainly the first to do so in such an elegant and pleasing fashion. Setting it in feudal Japan was brilliant as well, giving it a somewhat exotic flavor that captured my imagination in a way that no other game has.

Galactic Civilizations 2: Anyone who likes turn-based space strategy titles should pick this one up pronto. It's a deep game, but still accessible enough for new players to pick up as well. The ship design feature will eat up hours of your life, and the AI is some of the best to be found anywhere. I also love the humor that's prevalent throughout the game, particularly in the technology descriptions and many of the diplomatic exchanges with other races.

Lords of the Realm 2: It was the first turn-based strategy game I ever played, and 10 years later it still has a special place in my heart. In contrast to Medieval and Shogun's epic scale, I love LotR 2 for its more personal take on running a kingdom. Managing your agriculture, population, and basic resources (mainly iron, stone, and wood) is made easy via simple sliders; and the battles are simple yet fun. In addition, the game is chock-full of humor -- my favorite bits are the troop's comments in combat and the diplomatic messages from rival nobles.

Command & Conquer Red Alert (1 & 2): Despite my general preference for turn-based strategy games, every now and then I feel the need to just build up a base and go smash my enemies; and these two RTS titles have never failed to satisfy me when I have such urges. With simple, easy-to-understand gameplay and wonderfully campy cutscenes, the Red Alert games are always make for some good old-fashioned twitch-fest tank mashing.