I'm not great at thread titles.
Ya'll have probably heard this before. Someone comes along, new/returning to PC gaming, and they want to know what they should play. Nine times out of ten, they get some pretty boilerplate responses:
Valve stuff, Blizzard stuff, Tripwire's games, League, Binding of Isaac, The Witcher 2, Civ 4 or 5... and that's all well and good, but for the sake of discussion, let's pretend someone's just told you they're new to PC games, and when you make these suggestions, they go "yeah, yeah, yeah, I already know about those, and I'm not interested. What else you got?"
What do you say then? To make it a bit easier, let's go with stuff that's PC exclusive or PC primary--meaning, it might be on consoles, but it might as well not be, since sales/playerbase/whatever is abysmal. So no Dark Souls, in other words, because everyone already knows about that, but Sanctum 2 or Tropico 5 would count.
Basically, what computer games would you recommend beyond the titles everyone recommends?
Me, I'm likely to run with these:
STALKER
I've talked before about how the game saved my life. I owe it a lot. Plus, the series is a great introduction to games we don't normally see on consoles: janky European video games. It's one of the most atmospheric games of all time, one of the smartest gaming experiences in existence, and there's nothing else like it in existence out there.
Orcs Must Die 2
I don't know why I enjoy Orcs Must Die 2. There's just something awesome about its cool action/tower defense hybrid that makes it super duper fun. Plus, traps are way cooler than towers, the humor's solid, solving levels is a blast... crap, I'm talking myself into going back and playing it. Plus, I mean, 2-player co-op. Always awesome.
Tropico 4
I like Tropico 4 because it's one of the most zen gaming experiences I've ever played. When I need to relax, Tropico 4's my go-to game. It's not really a game you can lose most of the time. You just kinda do stuff, listen to super happy music, enjoy the sense of humor, and build the virtual equivalent of an ant farm. Contrary to what most reviewers said back in the day, Tropico 4's radically changed from Tropico 5. While it's got the same basic formula, there's a lot more going on--subtle changes that drastically influence the way you play. Going back to Tropico 3 after playing Tropico 4 reveals just how radical that change is.
Age of Empires II/Age of Mythology
Now that they've got Steam releases, the best RTSes of all time totally deserve attention. They're still great after all these years--absolutely delightful to play, chock-full of content (not to mention the endless permutations in skirmish modes)... heck, Age of Empires 2 actually got an expansion after years of play, which was originally one of the game's best, most ambitious mods. The multiplayer can get a bit stuttery, but, hey, AoE2HD is like $7 on the Humble store. That's well worth the price of admission.
System Shock 2
I think it's the greatest game of all time, despite some janky controls and a rough initial hour. Considering that everyone from Bioshock to Portal to Dead Space to Doom 3 got everything they know from System Shock 2, and it still outshines them all... I think it's one of those games that people should play regardless of their interest. It is one of, if not the most influential video games ever made. I can think of very few games that make it onto "best of all time" lists that are A) better than System Shock 2 and B) more influential than System Shock 2. Whether it's "best horror games" or "best sci-fi games" or whatever, System Shock 2 pretty much tops whatever list it's on. Nothing else comes close.
Shadow Warrior (2013)
It was the best game released in 2013, hiding some brilliant, original storytelling beneath a veneer of enthusiastic immaturity. In a lot of ways, Shadow Warrior is like Bulletstorm, but with more bosses, a dodge system, magic skills, a longer campaign, a ridiculous number of secrets, and a ton of other stuff. It's the best-written game in years, putting stuff like Bioshock Infinite to shaaaaame, and it's got better gameplay on top of that. Ain't nothing sexier than the four-barreled shotgun with a giant red "everything dies" alt fire button, let me tell you.
BONUS SHADOW WARRIOR GIFS FROM MESSOFANEGO
Tons of other stuff out there I'm sure should be recommended. What stuff do you think people should check out if they're new to PC gaming, but have already been given/don't like the generally-recommended stuff?
Ya'll have probably heard this before. Someone comes along, new/returning to PC gaming, and they want to know what they should play. Nine times out of ten, they get some pretty boilerplate responses:
Valve stuff, Blizzard stuff, Tripwire's games, League, Binding of Isaac, The Witcher 2, Civ 4 or 5... and that's all well and good, but for the sake of discussion, let's pretend someone's just told you they're new to PC games, and when you make these suggestions, they go "yeah, yeah, yeah, I already know about those, and I'm not interested. What else you got?"
What do you say then? To make it a bit easier, let's go with stuff that's PC exclusive or PC primary--meaning, it might be on consoles, but it might as well not be, since sales/playerbase/whatever is abysmal. So no Dark Souls, in other words, because everyone already knows about that, but Sanctum 2 or Tropico 5 would count.
Basically, what computer games would you recommend beyond the titles everyone recommends?
Me, I'm likely to run with these:
STALKER
I've talked before about how the game saved my life. I owe it a lot. Plus, the series is a great introduction to games we don't normally see on consoles: janky European video games. It's one of the most atmospheric games of all time, one of the smartest gaming experiences in existence, and there's nothing else like it in existence out there.
Orcs Must Die 2
I don't know why I enjoy Orcs Must Die 2. There's just something awesome about its cool action/tower defense hybrid that makes it super duper fun. Plus, traps are way cooler than towers, the humor's solid, solving levels is a blast... crap, I'm talking myself into going back and playing it. Plus, I mean, 2-player co-op. Always awesome.
Tropico 4
I like Tropico 4 because it's one of the most zen gaming experiences I've ever played. When I need to relax, Tropico 4's my go-to game. It's not really a game you can lose most of the time. You just kinda do stuff, listen to super happy music, enjoy the sense of humor, and build the virtual equivalent of an ant farm. Contrary to what most reviewers said back in the day, Tropico 4's radically changed from Tropico 5. While it's got the same basic formula, there's a lot more going on--subtle changes that drastically influence the way you play. Going back to Tropico 3 after playing Tropico 4 reveals just how radical that change is.
Age of Empires II/Age of Mythology
Now that they've got Steam releases, the best RTSes of all time totally deserve attention. They're still great after all these years--absolutely delightful to play, chock-full of content (not to mention the endless permutations in skirmish modes)... heck, Age of Empires 2 actually got an expansion after years of play, which was originally one of the game's best, most ambitious mods. The multiplayer can get a bit stuttery, but, hey, AoE2HD is like $7 on the Humble store. That's well worth the price of admission.
System Shock 2
I think it's the greatest game of all time, despite some janky controls and a rough initial hour. Considering that everyone from Bioshock to Portal to Dead Space to Doom 3 got everything they know from System Shock 2, and it still outshines them all... I think it's one of those games that people should play regardless of their interest. It is one of, if not the most influential video games ever made. I can think of very few games that make it onto "best of all time" lists that are A) better than System Shock 2 and B) more influential than System Shock 2. Whether it's "best horror games" or "best sci-fi games" or whatever, System Shock 2 pretty much tops whatever list it's on. Nothing else comes close.
Shadow Warrior (2013)
It was the best game released in 2013, hiding some brilliant, original storytelling beneath a veneer of enthusiastic immaturity. In a lot of ways, Shadow Warrior is like Bulletstorm, but with more bosses, a dodge system, magic skills, a longer campaign, a ridiculous number of secrets, and a ton of other stuff. It's the best-written game in years, putting stuff like Bioshock Infinite to shaaaaame, and it's got better gameplay on top of that. Ain't nothing sexier than the four-barreled shotgun with a giant red "everything dies" alt fire button, let me tell you.
BONUS SHADOW WARRIOR GIFS FROM MESSOFANEGO
Tons of other stuff out there I'm sure should be recommended. What stuff do you think people should check out if they're new to PC gaming, but have already been given/don't like the generally-recommended stuff?
Often overlooked, but still worth it today!
