• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

"I'm new to PC games, what should I get..."

My unique go-to would be SiN Gold.

The game's from 1998, one of the last first-person shooters to really iterate on 3D Realms' unique level design philosophy. For example: the first mp lets you use an ATM to, just for kicks, transfer funds from the account of the antagonist to your own bank account! On top of that, the same map has numerous combat situations meant to introduce basic shooting mechanics and essentials of moving, two important aspects the game revolves around. Because you're able to nab headshots and specifically disable enemies' appendages, there's an emphasis on taking out groups of bullet sponges relatively quickly, which seems like a bad idea but works because of the excellent arsenal and difficult but fair combat set-ups.

It's a romp that truly belongs to a time bygone, an era where shooters were becoming both more cinematic and more principled in their construction. The developers behind it themselves came from 3D Realms and the Quake community (the dev lead, Tom Mustaine, even worked on Doom content included in Final Doom, just as Levelord did much of Duke Nukem 3D). This was one of the first games to really benefit from graphics hardware acceleration, and its multiplayer functions were top-notch at the time. For anyone out there asking for a really solid FPS that didn't get its due back in the day, SiN has it all. Even the audiovisuals looked great at the time, though the soundtrack's most impressive for changing with the situation (and for its vague cyberpunk sound).
 
Some great recommendations. Shadow Warrior was absolutely the biggest pleasant surprise for me last year. Knew nothing about it going in and loved the hell out of the 26 hours I spent.

More people should give the Zeno Clash games a go. Special stuff. Some of the best surreality in games, especially the sequel which goes bonkers in variety.

I've never tried Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines and always mean to, when I get sufficient free time. Painkiller is another one. And it's about high time I tried more strategy games.

Can anyone recommend some games for my new girlfriend?

If she's into characters and storytelling, she should try the Broken Sword or the Longest Journey games. Probably my two favourite adventure game series with some of the best writing. Broken Sword 5 just came out which is a good start.

ibhfs1O6AWaW5r.jpg


Longest Journey:
jb2eLTrmgXz4PU.jpg


Dreamfall: The Longest Journey:
jbkC17GQiynWQ7.jpg


And here's the new one that was successfully kickstarted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_SAYD82LMw
 

etrain911

Member
Anyone know any Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon/Rune Factory-like games where the goal is to just hang out and there's very little pressure to achieve anything?
 

Opiate

Member
Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone. I'm going to be making a thread specifically for her in the next couple of days when I have time.
 

Wanace

Member
Mount & Blade: Warband with mods is one of my top PC games ever. I'd recommend it highly.

I also recently enjoyed Gunpoint and Long Live the Queen.

Of course there's the huge backlog of amazing games like Elder Scrolls, Fallouts, Arcanum, Planescape, Half Life, etc.
 

petran79

Banned
Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code

Best pc 2d fighter exclusive

Timeshock! Pinball

4 tables of the best simulated pinball action

Virtual Pool 4

Most realistic pool game ever
 
Killing Floor is a great coop shooter and could also be a good introductory game on it's easier difficulties to someone new to shooters and mouse aiming.
 

Messiah

Member
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines

One of the best action-rpgs of all time with the latest community patch. Really love the setting and atmosphere.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
No Torchlight love? Played the first on 360 and enjoyed it. Seeing that our laptop can run Torchlight 2 I want to grab it.
 

Dolor

Member
Sins of a Solar Empire + Rebellion
Total War Series - Rome 2 is the new champion
Mount & Blade: Warband
Planetside 2
Torchlight 2
 
jazz jackrabbit
commander keen 1
doom 2
transport tycoon deluxe
rollercoaster tycoon 2 & 3 (2's like a better 1, 3 is different - some love, some hate. i love it - get the one with all the expansions)

Wow I totally forgot about Jazz Jackrabbit! That is a classic!

What about Sins of a Solar Empire or Homeworld?
 

Alasfree

Member
Space Rangers 2.
It's like "Pirates!" in space, but with the EVE Online spaceship fitting on top, with some text based adventures as side quests, plus occasional RTS sections. Except with more story and RPG in it.
And the universe is alive and goes on by itself regardless of the player input.
In short, it's one of the most deep, ambitious and rewarding games ever made... And one of the most criminally overlooked too, considering how virtually no one seem to acknowledge its existence even on core gaming forums.
Never enough recommendations for Space Rangers 2, that game is just awesome.

I'll add a reccomendations for Introversion Software games: Uplink, Darwinia, Defcon, Prison Architect.
All peculiar and innovative games that should be played.

And after those Ice Pick Lodge games: Pathologic, The Void. They might be very weird and impenetrable at times (pathologic especially because of the English translation) but they reward keep playing with some of the best world-player interaction there is.
 

Sothpaw

Member
If you want experiences that can't be done on consoles try:
Baldur's Gate II
DOTA 2
Starcraft 2
Sins of a Solar Empire

Get SUPER HYPED for:
Pillars of Eternity
Wasteland 2
Torment
Star Citizen
Grim Dawn

As a super PC only exclusive bonus try:
Any cross platform game made 1000% better by mods
 

aeolist

Banned
broken age is already worth a purchase, can't wait for part 2
the valve complete pack goes on sale pretty regularly and has a ton of good stuff

most of the stuff i really like has already been mentioned a bunch, but i can't forget capsized. i never see that game get enough love.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone. I'm going to be making a thread specifically for her in the next couple of days when I have time.

-->

No Torchlight love? Played the first on 360 and enjoyed it. Seeing that our laptop can run Torchlight 2 I want to grab it.


This! You should play with her Opiate. Torchlight 2 is a great game to get into ARPG and you'll be bond together with it.

Then you can evolve to Titan Quest (modded) or Diablo for example.
 

Opiate

Member
Well, I have played (and enjoyed) Torhclight 2, but as stated, she has expressly mentioned her dislike for random loot games. It isn't that I don't want to play with her, but I'm always very hesitant to buy people games/music/whatever that they've said they don't like but I'm convinced they just haven't listened to/watched/played the right way and if they did they'd understand how awesome it was.

Maybe one day we can experiment with those sorts of games, but for the moment I'm trying to get games that I'm confident fit her pre-existing preferences.
 

Nikodemos

Member
I wouldn't recommend Jagged Alliance 2 to a newbie. It's a seriously hardcore game, possibly one of the most hardcore PC games ever. The amount of stuff you have to keep track of simultaneously during the campaign is immense. I mean, heck, I'd say Incubation is easier, and that's not an easy game.

If you want to introduce somebody to squad-based tactical games, I'd say better games would be the first Ground Control, or Microprose's Starship Troopers, or the little-known S.W.I.N.E. (it's free; IIRC Ground Control was free at some point as well, you could check a Fileplanet mirror if there are any still online).
 

Kyolux

Member
My personal favorite is probably La Mulana. I'd recommend in the similar genre, Bunny Must Die and Cave Story.

That's just off the top of my head.

Oh and for those that love the Adventure genre, the Deponia trilogy is really great.
 

DocSeuss

Member
Does Smite count by the OP's standards? I really find it to be a blast especially if you're new to MOBAs.

In my ideal world, MOBAs don't even exist.

I wouldn't want to recommend one of those "lets completely eat up all of your time" games to someone new to PC gaming. I'd want them to get a wide variety of stuff the platform has to offer.

Imagine a friend of yours getting, say, a PS3. And someone gets them Call of Duty. And as a result, they ignore things like Journey and Shadow of the Colossus. Wouldn't that suck? Same basic idea at play here.

A lot of the boilerplate games everyone recommends are huge timesinks--the kind of games that eat a lot of time and ultimately discourage people from trying other games.
 
In my ideal world, MOBAs don't even exist.

I wouldn't want to recommend one of those "lets completely eat up all of your time" games to someone new to PC gaming. I'd want them to get a wide variety of stuff the platform has to offer.

Imagine a friend of yours getting, say, a PS3. And someone gets them Call of Duty. And as a result, they ignore things like Journey and Shadow of the Colossus. Wouldn't that suck? Same basic idea at play here.

A lot of the boilerplate games everyone recommends are huge timesinks--the kind of games that eat a lot of time and ultimately discourage people from trying other games.
That's nice, but I see hours upon hours of fun spent playing with a good friend. That is 100x better than watching them play a bunch of other games.

I see what you're saying but I think that's a bad analogy.
 

Orayn

Member
In my ideal world, MOBAs don't even exist.

I wouldn't want to recommend one of those "lets completely eat up all of your time" games to someone new to PC gaming. I'd want them to get a wide variety of stuff the platform has to offer.

Imagine a friend of yours getting, say, a PS3. And someone gets them Call of Duty. And as a result, they ignore things like Journey and Shadow of the Colossus. Wouldn't that suck? Same basic idea at play here.

A lot of the boilerplate games everyone recommends are huge timesinks--the kind of games that eat a lot of time and ultimately discourage people from trying other games.

Seuss, this is where my opinion really, really diverges from yours. You should read a bit about the different psychographic profiles of Magic: The Gathering and consider that something similar could very well apply to video games. People can have wildly different priorities and enjoy games just as much as you for completely different reasons. Acting like an entire medium has one truly valid role is a huge misstep.
 

DocSeuss

Member
That's nice, but I see hours upon hours of fun spent playing with a good friend. That is 100x better than watching them play a bunch of other games.

I see what you're saying but I think that's a bad analogy.

I want people to broaden their horizons. That's the goal of this entire thread.

Seuss, this is where my opinion really, really diverges from yours. You should read a bit about the different psychographic profiles of Magic: The Gathering and consider that something similar could very well apply to video games. People can have wildly different priorities and enjoy games just as much as you for completely different reasons. Acting like an entire medium has one truly valid role is a huge misstep.

Already read that ages ago, actually, but thanks for the link.

Here's my thinking: if people are only ever really exposed to the exact same titles over and over again, they may mistakenly assume the other stuff isn't that interesting. I wanted to provide a space for people to recommend stuff beyond those games. I'm not saying "don't play those games," I'm saying we have five hundred threads with the exact same responses.

My goal here is to go "hey, you've heard all those recommendations in all the other threads. Now check out the other games people might not have mentioned there, but you should still check out." I personally believe that the healthiest gamers are the people who try a lot of different games and perspectives to see what's out there. I'm trying to encourage other people to experience that same diversity, by providing one thread as a counterpoint to all the threads/comment sections that only ever recommend a very narrow selection of games to people. I want others to know there's more out there that's worth playing.
 

Miguel81

Member
Machinarium is the most charming game I have ever played. If you like pnc adventure games, then give it a try.

Planescape: Torment

Yes. So unique, with lots of humor, and great setting/characters.

Edit: Aquaria went under the radar. However, it's one of the "Metroidvanias" that actually lives up to that title. The artwork, music, and gameplay are all ace.
 

aeolist

Banned
every MOBA player i've come across plays all different kinds of games too. just because you devote a few hundred hours a year to a really deep and entertaining multiplayer game doesn't mean you can't set aside a few days here and there for other stuff, especially when most single-player games are so short.
 
The thing is. You're completely writing off an entire library of games simply because they have time consuming multiplayer component of which many people would likely enjoy. Your thread didn't specify that you only wanted single player, story driven titles.

Secondly there are lesser known, not quite as popular games within these multiplayer genres (MMOs, MOBAs, FPS) that are worth playing for someone looking to play games with friends. Wouldn't you want to broaden their horizons here as well?

Perhaps I should've just prefaced my original post with, "If they are looking for a game to play with friends.." or "If they want to get into MOBAs, maybe they would miss this".

In any case, when you place those kinds of restrictions it's hard for me to come up with much as I typically play these types games of games. Perhaps that emphasizes your point, but I actually enjoy those games. :)

Anyway. Mechanarium was fun.
 

Not Spaceghost

Spaceghost
If you love classic story driven, maze like level layout with a very anime vibe FPS's then look no further than Shogo: Mobile Armor Division. By extension don't forget to check out another set of classic from Monolith Productions, F.E.A.R. and No one lives forever. As for FEAR the original will suffice, no need to play perseus mandate or extraction point. No one lives forever has a great sequel which I would definitely recommend.

While some are not PC exclusives I have to 100% recommend everyone new to PC games to play ANY of the Star Wars Jedi Knight games. Personally I think Jedi Knight Academy is the easiest one to get into so that's where I would have to suggest you start at. JKA still has an active online if you've got the mod JKA+ installed and the game also has a variety of mods to choose from.

Also I'd have to suggest Anno 1404 with its Venice expansion, which is slightly more difficult but not impossible to find now, since it's gone from steam. It also goes by the name of Dawn of Discovery. The game is a bit too polished for some but I love it, you can easily lose hours upon hours of your day in there.
 

DocSeuss

Member
Perhaps I should've just prefaced my original post with, "If they are looking for a game to play with friends.." or "If they want to get into MOBAs, maybe they would miss this".

I didn't say no MOBAs in the OP, so while my personal preference and goal would be to encourage few "timesink" games, my main motivation WAS to avoid the commonly-mentioned games, and Smite does fit in with that. I came across as harsher than I meant to sound earlier. Sorry!

That preface might have been good, but I was being annoyed at a bunch of people who clearly didn't read the OP, like DeadManWalking below, and I responded more harshly to you than I should have.

I still despise the genre and would be happy if it ceased existing.

Dota 2 and forget everything else.

I'm like 80% certain not reading the OP is bannable.
 
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.

images
 

Rembrandt

Banned
DocSeuss, I'm finally going to play Stalker because of you. Should I grab the first or second one and which mods should I get?
 

SparkTR

Member
DocSeuss, I'm finally going to play Stalker because of you. Should I grab the first or second one and which mods should I get?

Get first one, and if you want vanilla gameplay go with the Zone Reclamation Project mod. It basically fixes bugs without messing with the balance of the vanilla game. Also if you like the Stalker games check out Boiling Point Road to Hell and it's sequel, they're similarish FPS/RPG games that were made in the same region.
 
Top Bottom