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NeoGAF's PC Gaming Hall of Fame List
- Thread starter kswiston
- Start date
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
1. Heroes of Might & Magic III
2. X-Com: UFO Defense (aka UFO: Enemy Unknown)
3. Deus Ex
4. Company of Heroes
5. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
6. Half Life 2
7. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
8. Europa Universalis III
9. Galactic Civilization II
10. Crysis
2. X-Com: UFO Defense (aka UFO: Enemy Unknown)
3. Deus Ex
4. Company of Heroes
5. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
6. Half Life 2
7. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
8. Europa Universalis III
9. Galactic Civilization II
10. Crysis
Dibbs
Member
Half-Life - My first real PC game back in '98 that made me shit my pants.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn - Bought the CE on chance, never did I know that 10 years later it would be my favorite game of all time.
Starcraft: Brood War - Great, well-balanced, incredibly fun multiplayer game.
Hearts of Iron II - The behemoth of grand strategy game. Made me ditch school.
Planescape Torment - The story and dialogue!
Age of Empires II - A cozy, historic and fun experience.
Unreal Tournament - Fragfest! Facing Worlds...
Command & Conquer: Red Alert - The first RTS I ever played and loved.
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne - The customization here is just phenomenal
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast - One of the first games where I actually sat down and played through the whole game in one sitting. Underrated.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn - Bought the CE on chance, never did I know that 10 years later it would be my favorite game of all time.
Starcraft: Brood War - Great, well-balanced, incredibly fun multiplayer game.
Hearts of Iron II - The behemoth of grand strategy game. Made me ditch school.
Planescape Torment - The story and dialogue!
Age of Empires II - A cozy, historic and fun experience.
Unreal Tournament - Fragfest! Facing Worlds...
Command & Conquer: Red Alert - The first RTS I ever played and loved.
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne - The customization here is just phenomenal
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast - One of the first games where I actually sat down and played through the whole game in one sitting. Underrated.
Noisepurge
Member
TOP 10 Games i can still enjoy to this day:
Deus Ex
// Great mix of different genres in a complex package with an amazing soundtrack
System Shock 2
// Right up there with deus as the other amazing and complex genremixer
Fallout 2
// The most epic adventure ever to be seen from an isometric view! Classic.
Counter-Strike
// Hundreds of hours spent throughout the development since the very first beta releases up until Source.
F.E.A.R.
// So much fun with the intense firefights, feels like an action movie
Hitman: Codename 47
// The original needs a lot of love, a great innovator
Diablo II
// Played from start to finish so many times, still enjoyable in LAN-weekends
Battlefield 2
// The best maps with the best game mechanics, bring back the Commander role!
Unreal Tournament
// I still play it, best of the reflex games
Doom
// The grandmaster
//////ranked just out of the top 10///////
Tie Fighter
Mechwarrior 2
X-COM Enemy Unknown
Mafia
Blood
Max Payne 2
Deus Ex
// Great mix of different genres in a complex package with an amazing soundtrack
System Shock 2
// Right up there with deus as the other amazing and complex genremixer
Fallout 2
// The most epic adventure ever to be seen from an isometric view! Classic.
Counter-Strike
// Hundreds of hours spent throughout the development since the very first beta releases up until Source.
F.E.A.R.
// So much fun with the intense firefights, feels like an action movie
Hitman: Codename 47
// The original needs a lot of love, a great innovator
Diablo II
// Played from start to finish so many times, still enjoyable in LAN-weekends
Battlefield 2
// The best maps with the best game mechanics, bring back the Commander role!
Unreal Tournament
// I still play it, best of the reflex games
Doom
// The grandmaster
//////ranked just out of the top 10///////
Tie Fighter
Mechwarrior 2
X-COM Enemy Unknown
Mafia
Blood
Max Payne 2
Vigilant Walrus
Member
Guild Wars
Mount and Blade Warband
Jedi Outcast
KOTOR
Battlefield 2
Medieval II: Total War
Mass Effect 2
Commander Keen
Redneck Rampage
Star Wars Galaxies (pre-CU/NGE)
Mount and Blade Warband
Jedi Outcast
KOTOR
Battlefield 2
Medieval II: Total War
Mass Effect 2
Commander Keen
Redneck Rampage
Star Wars Galaxies (pre-CU/NGE)
Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis - The best PnC adventure I have ever played and still holds up superbly today.
Diablo 2 - Despite what many may say it is the most polished game I have played. Beautifully written and designed and still unsurpassed in the genre.
Command and Conquer: Red Alert - Between the game and its toolkit it allowed almost endless gaming and some of the best (worst) acting seen in cutscenes at the time.
Civilisation 2 - As a series it is amazing and has consumed countless hours of my life since I started playing the series 15 years ago or so. Civ 2 has the fondest memories for me so being only able to choose one of the series it has to be that one.
Quake 2 - My favourite FPS ever and only made better with new mods, bots and levels from the community.
Total Annihilation - The scale of the game was unprecedented at the time and showed what could be done with a strategy game
World Of Warcraft - I have finally stopped playing this recently but the sheer amount of high end content in the game is incredible. It is a very polarising game (for both MMO players and gamers alike) but it is easily in my top 10.
Elder Scrolls III Morrowind - Such a varied world to explore and vastly superior to its sequel
Transport Tycoon Deluxe - Building a business empire has never been this fun
Doom 2 - Excellent game and so important to gaming in general (and so good with the Simpsons mod)
Honourable mentions: Knights of the Old Republic, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, Age of Empires II, Crysis and Half Life 2 - as ten games is so hard to cut down to.
I have played each of the older games listed in the last year and each hold up today perfectly.
Diablo 2 - Despite what many may say it is the most polished game I have played. Beautifully written and designed and still unsurpassed in the genre.
Command and Conquer: Red Alert - Between the game and its toolkit it allowed almost endless gaming and some of the best (worst) acting seen in cutscenes at the time.
Civilisation 2 - As a series it is amazing and has consumed countless hours of my life since I started playing the series 15 years ago or so. Civ 2 has the fondest memories for me so being only able to choose one of the series it has to be that one.
Quake 2 - My favourite FPS ever and only made better with new mods, bots and levels from the community.
Total Annihilation - The scale of the game was unprecedented at the time and showed what could be done with a strategy game
World Of Warcraft - I have finally stopped playing this recently but the sheer amount of high end content in the game is incredible. It is a very polarising game (for both MMO players and gamers alike) but it is easily in my top 10.
Elder Scrolls III Morrowind - Such a varied world to explore and vastly superior to its sequel
Transport Tycoon Deluxe - Building a business empire has never been this fun
Doom 2 - Excellent game and so important to gaming in general (and so good with the Simpsons mod)
Honourable mentions: Knights of the Old Republic, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, Age of Empires II, Crysis and Half Life 2 - as ten games is so hard to cut down to.
I have played each of the older games listed in the last year and each hold up today perfectly.
Imp the Dimp
Member
Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Gothic
Half-Life 2
Crysis
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Diablo II
Planescape: Torment
VVVVVV
Deus Ex
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
Gothic
Half-Life 2
Crysis
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Diablo II
Planescape: Torment
VVVVVV
Deus Ex
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Happy to see Heroes 3 get the love it deserves.
- Max Payne 2
- Left 4 Dead
- Total Annihilation
- Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
- Half Life: Episode 2
- Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines
- Chips Challenge - highlighted because of pure nostalgia. I remember spending rainy lunchtimes at primary school huddled around the computer with friends trying to solve all the levels. Good times.
- Deus Ex
- F.E.A.R.
- Alien vs. Predator 2
Doncamatic
Member
In no particular order.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - There's a reason why PC gamers were disappointed with Oblivion. That reason was the existence of Morrowind. A large world with variety of architectural styles. The hand-built nature of the game really made it shine. Another factor that was missing in the next iteration, the ability to 'break' the game through levitating above the ground and marking a and recalling to a location.
Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings - I love it. Still do. Whenever a couple of mates are nearby and they have their laptops we'll meet up and play some Age of Kings.
Sacrifice - Came with one of my dad's graphics cards. Fantastically colourful; delightfully weird; and really fucking chaotic in multi-player. Multiple branching paths which influenced the story, your abilities, and the units you could field. The best part of all (for a modern producer), it could have been fairly controller friendly, without sacrificing (no pun intended) complexity. To say that this game could do well currently is an understatement.
Mount & Blade: Warband - Imagine rolling around with a hundred or so other players equipped in a variety of armour, riding horses or running along side them, and wielding a mixture of pikes, swords, axes, bows, and javelins. Now imagine your motley crew colliding with another hundred players. The best part of all? All of an opponents attacks can be blocked through skill and you can, as an attacker, cancel swings mid animation to fake out the blocker. Did I mention that you can do all this while storming castles or towns, as well as in valleys. But don't forget that's only the multiplayer component.
Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast - One of the first games that my friends and I got in to hardcore. For months, everyday after school we would hurry home and jump online. Nothing like having a strong-style saber swung at you, dodging it, and stabbing the guy in fast style.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin - It was the first hitman game that I played, and boy did I play it. Playing and replaying the levels seeing which way I could go about getting the hit off. The day I realised that you could get the snipers in the Japan levels to sometimes drop their silenced W2000 rifle out of the window, if you killed them with a shot to the upper torso, was a happy day indeed.
Minecraft - I, like many others, have pumped a tonne of time into Minecraft. It really is Lego without the price-tag that makes you balk. It's finally dethroned crash bandicoot as the game that enters my non-gaming time the most. Seeing something outside, or online, and thinking "that would look awesome next to my tower in Minecraft" is great.
Team Fortress 2 - A truckload of free updates for a fun class-based shooter. Valve certainly knows how to generate goodwill.
Max Payne 2 - An improvement in every way over the original all in the same noir package.
Battlefield 1942 - Everyone who owns a PC and considers themselves a gamer should own this game. It's another game where bigger (player count wise) means better. Riding along with a handful of soldiers in a friendly bomber before parachuting out, awesome. Filling a jeep with dynamite before running it into an enemy tank, awesome. And then there is the more zany stuff. Standing on the wings of friendly planes as a form of quick transport. Diving into prone position whenever you engaged an enemy to decrease your profile and improve accuracy. Secret Weapons of WWII only makes it better.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - There's a reason why PC gamers were disappointed with Oblivion. That reason was the existence of Morrowind. A large world with variety of architectural styles. The hand-built nature of the game really made it shine. Another factor that was missing in the next iteration, the ability to 'break' the game through levitating above the ground and marking a and recalling to a location.
Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings - I love it. Still do. Whenever a couple of mates are nearby and they have their laptops we'll meet up and play some Age of Kings.
Sacrifice - Came with one of my dad's graphics cards. Fantastically colourful; delightfully weird; and really fucking chaotic in multi-player. Multiple branching paths which influenced the story, your abilities, and the units you could field. The best part of all (for a modern producer), it could have been fairly controller friendly, without sacrificing (no pun intended) complexity. To say that this game could do well currently is an understatement.
Mount & Blade: Warband - Imagine rolling around with a hundred or so other players equipped in a variety of armour, riding horses or running along side them, and wielding a mixture of pikes, swords, axes, bows, and javelins. Now imagine your motley crew colliding with another hundred players. The best part of all? All of an opponents attacks can be blocked through skill and you can, as an attacker, cancel swings mid animation to fake out the blocker. Did I mention that you can do all this while storming castles or towns, as well as in valleys. But don't forget that's only the multiplayer component.
Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast - One of the first games that my friends and I got in to hardcore. For months, everyday after school we would hurry home and jump online. Nothing like having a strong-style saber swung at you, dodging it, and stabbing the guy in fast style.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin - It was the first hitman game that I played, and boy did I play it. Playing and replaying the levels seeing which way I could go about getting the hit off. The day I realised that you could get the snipers in the Japan levels to sometimes drop their silenced W2000 rifle out of the window, if you killed them with a shot to the upper torso, was a happy day indeed.
Minecraft - I, like many others, have pumped a tonne of time into Minecraft. It really is Lego without the price-tag that makes you balk. It's finally dethroned crash bandicoot as the game that enters my non-gaming time the most. Seeing something outside, or online, and thinking "that would look awesome next to my tower in Minecraft" is great.
Team Fortress 2 - A truckload of free updates for a fun class-based shooter. Valve certainly knows how to generate goodwill.
Max Payne 2 - An improvement in every way over the original all in the same noir package.
Battlefield 1942 - Everyone who owns a PC and considers themselves a gamer should own this game. It's another game where bigger (player count wise) means better. Riding along with a handful of soldiers in a friendly bomber before parachuting out, awesome. Filling a jeep with dynamite before running it into an enemy tank, awesome. And then there is the more zany stuff. Standing on the wings of friendly planes as a form of quick transport. Diving into prone position whenever you engaged an enemy to decrease your profile and improve accuracy. Secret Weapons of WWII only makes it better.
Allan Holdsworth
Member
Theme Hospital
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 - best football game I have played
Command & Conquer Red Alert 2
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Do you like Horny Bunnies?
Sim City 2000
The Sims - haven't played 2/3
Age of Empires II
Pink Panther's Passport to Peril - my favorite adventure game
Football Manager 2009
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 - best football game I have played
Command & Conquer Red Alert 2
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Do you like Horny Bunnies?
Sim City 2000
The Sims - haven't played 2/3
Age of Empires II
Pink Panther's Passport to Peril - my favorite adventure game
Football Manager 2009
Noisepurge
Member
should've just waited out until everyone reminds me of other great games 
Aliens VS Predator, how could i forget...
Aliens VS Predator, how could i forget...TyrantGuardian
Member
1. Deus Ex - No question about it, just a completely revolutionary game that should have changed the face of the gaming industry, but instead ended up being a cult hit. Oh well, at least we're getting a proper sequel in the end!
2. Planescape: Torment - Better story/writing than most books I have read while still giving you lots of "choose your own adventure". The story resonates very strongly with me and it's simply one of the most thought-provoking titles out there.
3. QuakeLive - I would have picked Quake 1 based on the design and atmosphere but in the end, eSports leave a stronger mark. This game just have perfect movement physics, perfect weapon balance, amazing maps and the ease-of-use and community features of the Live version just make this the perfect pick up and play game for anyone getting into accessible yet hardcore PC gaming.
4. Painkiller - Pretty much Quake 1 with a more bells and whistles. Again, great movement physics and weapon design seal the deal here. Also, the enemy variety; each stage has pretty much at least 3 completely unique enemy designs, requires a mention.
5. Psychonauts - While the gameplay may not be the greatest of all 3D platformers, the story, setting and writing are up there with the best games of other genres. If this game doesn't leave an emotional impact on your, you're feelings are probably that of a fish. And I don't mean like the fishies in this game.
6. StarCraft: Brood War - While I mostly play StarCraft 2 nowadays, if it wasn't for the hard to get past interface, I would be playing this instead. I picked this game on the merits of it's eSports intricacies which as of yet surpass that of StarCraft 2, as well as the single player writing/story being orders of magnitude better than what we have gotten thus far into the sequel. We'll have to wait and see what the expansions bring to the table, but as of now, the original is still the best.
7. Civilization IV - Too many hours spent playing this game, and I could spend as many hours talking about it. But I won't. I'll just say that resources require roads in order to be acquired and leave it at that.
8. The Witcher 2 - While I prefer the plot of the original Witcher, the gameplay in TW2 just improves everything several times over. The Demon's Souls-esque combat was a perfect fit for a game like this, really forcing you to utilize all of the skills that come with being a Witcher. Great blend of lore and game design as one, just like the original but better. Also dem graphics. Even on low settings on my Mobility 4850 it still looked far better than most games on max settings.
9. Strife - Spiritual predecessor to Deus Ex and again fantastic writing, coupled with great Doom-style gameplay with dodge-able projectiles and quick movement speeds. It's almost an fps Metroidvania at times while having branching paths through the game depending on your decisions.
10. Iji - Little-known indie platformer/adventure game. It's free as well, yet manages to end up as polished as way more expensive games. It even has a great multi-layered story beneath the fantastic action gameplay. The graphics look basic at first but grow into a minimalistic work of art throughout the game.
2. Planescape: Torment - Better story/writing than most books I have read while still giving you lots of "choose your own adventure". The story resonates very strongly with me and it's simply one of the most thought-provoking titles out there.
3. QuakeLive - I would have picked Quake 1 based on the design and atmosphere but in the end, eSports leave a stronger mark. This game just have perfect movement physics, perfect weapon balance, amazing maps and the ease-of-use and community features of the Live version just make this the perfect pick up and play game for anyone getting into accessible yet hardcore PC gaming.
4. Painkiller - Pretty much Quake 1 with a more bells and whistles. Again, great movement physics and weapon design seal the deal here. Also, the enemy variety; each stage has pretty much at least 3 completely unique enemy designs, requires a mention.
5. Psychonauts - While the gameplay may not be the greatest of all 3D platformers, the story, setting and writing are up there with the best games of other genres. If this game doesn't leave an emotional impact on your, you're feelings are probably that of a fish. And I don't mean like the fishies in this game.
6. StarCraft: Brood War - While I mostly play StarCraft 2 nowadays, if it wasn't for the hard to get past interface, I would be playing this instead. I picked this game on the merits of it's eSports intricacies which as of yet surpass that of StarCraft 2, as well as the single player writing/story being orders of magnitude better than what we have gotten thus far into the sequel. We'll have to wait and see what the expansions bring to the table, but as of now, the original is still the best.
7. Civilization IV - Too many hours spent playing this game, and I could spend as many hours talking about it. But I won't. I'll just say that resources require roads in order to be acquired and leave it at that.
8. The Witcher 2 - While I prefer the plot of the original Witcher, the gameplay in TW2 just improves everything several times over. The Demon's Souls-esque combat was a perfect fit for a game like this, really forcing you to utilize all of the skills that come with being a Witcher. Great blend of lore and game design as one, just like the original but better. Also dem graphics. Even on low settings on my Mobility 4850 it still looked far better than most games on max settings.
9. Strife - Spiritual predecessor to Deus Ex and again fantastic writing, coupled with great Doom-style gameplay with dodge-able projectiles and quick movement speeds. It's almost an fps Metroidvania at times while having branching paths through the game depending on your decisions.
10. Iji - Little-known indie platformer/adventure game. It's free as well, yet manages to end up as polished as way more expensive games. It even has a great multi-layered story beneath the fantastic action gameplay. The graphics look basic at first but grow into a minimalistic work of art throughout the game.
jim-jam bongs
Member
Fuck. I can't do this. I really want to but there's too many games.
Hiro_Kunimi_80
Member
1) Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
2) Doom
3) Baldur's Gate 2
4) Tie Fighter
5) Monkey Island 2
6) Quake 2
7) Dune II
8) Commandos 2
9) Diablo
10) Red Alert 2
2) Doom
3) Baldur's Gate 2
4) Tie Fighter
5) Monkey Island 2
6) Quake 2
7) Dune II
8) Commandos 2
9) Diablo
10) Red Alert 2
scytheavatar
Member
Civilization IV
Planescape Torment
Star Control 2 (IMHO the best game ever made)
Half Life 2
System Shock 2
MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
Deux Ex
X-COM
Monkey Island 1
Master of Magic (quite surprised that no one has mentioned this game. After playing it you might end up thinking that the Civilization games are crude).
Planescape Torment
Star Control 2 (IMHO the best game ever made)
Half Life 2
System Shock 2
MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat
Deux Ex
X-COM
Monkey Island 1
Master of Magic (quite surprised that no one has mentioned this game. After playing it you might end up thinking that the Civilization games are crude).
Okay, let's give this a shot (In no particular order - numbered so it is somewhat easier to disgest. OCD what up!)
1. Max Payne 2 - Perfectly refined gameplay with a great story that compliments the themes of the first game wonderfully.
2. Unreal Tournament '99 (ie, the first one)- One of the best MP shooters of all time.
3. STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl - Greatest atmosphere ever. The tension is palpable. Very hard to pick between this and CoP but SoC did it first, so there you go.
4. Half-Life 1 - Basically the greatest game ever. (Almost) Flawless.
5. Deus-Ex - Player choice is cool, yo. An almost dizzying amount of options and different ways to approach situations.
6. Crysis 1 - Maybe the best modern shooter to grace PC or console.
7. Team Fortress 2 - THE BEST multiplayer game ever. Nine different classes each with their own polished gameplay.
8. F.E.A.R. 1 - Straight up, satisfying combat. Top tier sound design and atmosphere. Infinitely re-playable.
9. Quake 1 - Gotta give credit where it's due. The first, best FPS. Has been superseded by others but the gameplay is timeless.
10. Mirror's Edge (2 points)- A refreshing take on what FPS games can be, with a sublime aesthetic. 2 points for being the most original game on my list and most people won't list it since it was on consoles first.
1. Max Payne 2 - Perfectly refined gameplay with a great story that compliments the themes of the first game wonderfully.
2. Unreal Tournament '99 (ie, the first one)- One of the best MP shooters of all time.
3. STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl - Greatest atmosphere ever. The tension is palpable. Very hard to pick between this and CoP but SoC did it first, so there you go.
4. Half-Life 1 - Basically the greatest game ever. (Almost) Flawless.
5. Deus-Ex - Player choice is cool, yo. An almost dizzying amount of options and different ways to approach situations.
6. Crysis 1 - Maybe the best modern shooter to grace PC or console.
7. Team Fortress 2 - THE BEST multiplayer game ever. Nine different classes each with their own polished gameplay.
8. F.E.A.R. 1 - Straight up, satisfying combat. Top tier sound design and atmosphere. Infinitely re-playable.
9. Quake 1 - Gotta give credit where it's due. The first, best FPS. Has been superseded by others but the gameplay is timeless.
10. Mirror's Edge (2 points)- A refreshing take on what FPS games can be, with a sublime aesthetic. 2 points for being the most original game on my list and most people won't list it since it was on consoles first.
Dawn of War II Best RTS ever made. It's not the most balanced RTS, but Relic does an amazing job at making war come to life. Artillery shells blast units sky high, giant dreadnoughts tear units apart and gods, demons and heroes battle to the death. Everything is accompanied with excellent voice acting and most units have unit specific lines not just a few generic ones. All this really brings the battles to life in a way no other RTS does.
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
Let's see: Vampires? Check. Sex? Check. Humor? Check. Amazing Characters? Check. Excellent Voice Acting? Check. Engrossing Plot? Check. What more can you want? Well okay, combat could have been better, but Vampire is still one of the best RPGs ever made.
The Longest Journey
Great adventure game with a good story and many likeable characters. Thanks to the handdrawn backgrounds, the graphics hold up very well even today.
Darksiders
Yeah, it's multiplatform, but it's really good. I love exploration games with platforming.
Neverwinter Nights 2 Mask of the Betrayer
Interesting characters, excellent voice acting and a twisted plot.
Alpha Protocol
I love conspiracy theories and secret agents. Alpha Protocol has both and plenty of them.
Baldur's Gate II
Although the engine is dated, very few games out there can match the epic scope of Baldur's Gate II. You are constantly discovering new places meeting new characters and fighting new monsters. An excellent villain and great party banter make Baldur's Gate II a lot of fun to play.
Myth II Soulblighter
Allows you to place satchel charges on the ground and then blow pig-monsters into gory bits when they walk over them. Good storyline too.
Total War Series
Mass Effect 2
Storyline is obtuse and makes no sense. But combat feels great, graphics are pretty and renegade Shepard is a riot.
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines
Let's see: Vampires? Check. Sex? Check. Humor? Check. Amazing Characters? Check. Excellent Voice Acting? Check. Engrossing Plot? Check. What more can you want? Well okay, combat could have been better, but Vampire is still one of the best RPGs ever made.
The Longest Journey
Great adventure game with a good story and many likeable characters. Thanks to the handdrawn backgrounds, the graphics hold up very well even today.
Darksiders
Yeah, it's multiplatform, but it's really good. I love exploration games with platforming.
Neverwinter Nights 2 Mask of the Betrayer
Interesting characters, excellent voice acting and a twisted plot.
Alpha Protocol
I love conspiracy theories and secret agents. Alpha Protocol has both and plenty of them.
Baldur's Gate II
Although the engine is dated, very few games out there can match the epic scope of Baldur's Gate II. You are constantly discovering new places meeting new characters and fighting new monsters. An excellent villain and great party banter make Baldur's Gate II a lot of fun to play.
Myth II Soulblighter
Allows you to place satchel charges on the ground and then blow pig-monsters into gory bits when they walk over them. Good storyline too.
Total War Series
Mass Effect 2
Storyline is obtuse and makes no sense. But combat feels great, graphics are pretty and renegade Shepard is a riot.
Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi - My first PC game ever played. I still love going back and reliving the WC world. I even made Lego models of several ships.
World of Warcraft - Not much has to be said about this amazingly well polished game. This was my second game ever played across the internet, the first being Warcraft III, and it was totally engrossing.
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos - Wc3 is a steal of a deal in the gaming market. The campaign and online ladder were amazingly fun, and custom maps were icing on the cake.
Starcraft - Some of the most intense gaming moments were brought to you by SC. A great game that hasn't shown its age.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Great story, star wars universe, good gameplay. What more could you ask for?
Mass Effect 2 - Improved upon its predecessor in every aspect that I was dissatisfied with.
Age of Empires II: Age of Kings - As a history nut this game was a huge nerdgasm. I spent a ton of time reading over all the history bits and playing custom games.
Final Fantasy XI - I enjoyed FFXI more than WoW. Its slow pace allowed for very neat gameplay and everything I earned or achieved felt like it meant something. A very challenging game and not for the faint of heart!
Prince of Persia (1989) - My first PC game I had ever witnessed. My father played PoP a lot, always trying to improve his best time, and I remember being very scared of the jaw traps and their clanging sound. The game terrifies me to this day, but it is so much fun!
Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero - I spent countless hours playing this game with my older brother. Many funny phrases we use were derived from this game.
World of Warcraft - Not much has to be said about this amazingly well polished game. This was my second game ever played across the internet, the first being Warcraft III, and it was totally engrossing.
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos - Wc3 is a steal of a deal in the gaming market. The campaign and online ladder were amazingly fun, and custom maps were icing on the cake.
Starcraft - Some of the most intense gaming moments were brought to you by SC. A great game that hasn't shown its age.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Great story, star wars universe, good gameplay. What more could you ask for?
Mass Effect 2 - Improved upon its predecessor in every aspect that I was dissatisfied with.
Age of Empires II: Age of Kings - As a history nut this game was a huge nerdgasm. I spent a ton of time reading over all the history bits and playing custom games.
Final Fantasy XI - I enjoyed FFXI more than WoW. Its slow pace allowed for very neat gameplay and everything I earned or achieved felt like it meant something. A very challenging game and not for the faint of heart!
Prince of Persia (1989) - My first PC game I had ever witnessed. My father played PoP a lot, always trying to improve his best time, and I remember being very scared of the jaw traps and their clanging sound. The game terrifies me to this day, but it is so much fun!
Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero - I spent countless hours playing this game with my older brother. Many funny phrases we use were derived from this game.
holy crap cant believe i forgot one of my all time favorites have to edit and add it(Black and White, sorry stalker but black and white was just so much more fun)
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
Medieval total war
Guild wars
Morrowind
age of empires
red alert 2
Mount and blade
Black and White
Gothic
and my two points must goto Ascendancy an amazing 4x game starting you off on one planet and having you take over a whole galaxy through force, diplomacy or a sneaky mix of both, spent 100's of hours of my life on this and enjoyed every moment of it
just saw it below and had to edit and add it as Honorable mention
Wizardry 8
and also might and magic 6-8
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
Medieval total war
Guild wars
Morrowind
age of empires
red alert 2
Mount and blade
Black and White
Gothic
and my two points must goto Ascendancy an amazing 4x game starting you off on one planet and having you take over a whole galaxy through force, diplomacy or a sneaky mix of both, spent 100's of hours of my life on this and enjoyed every moment of it
just saw it below and had to edit and add it as Honorable mention
Wizardry 8
and also might and magic 6-8
While you aren't going to account for orders, I am going to list them in order anyway. I'll also say up front that my list is going to be relatively recent because my lists are always based on what I think would be the best to play now. Games that were great for their time but aren't really all that great now, I won't list.
1. Sid Meier's Civilization II
I go back and forth on whether I prefer Civilization II or Alpha Centauri, but I think Civ II wins for now. Even though SMAC's mechanics are clearly superior, I do love the traditional Civ setting far more, and Civ II has more atmosphere than anything else in the series. The great intro, the great music, the absolutely brilliant wonder movies (2, 3), the hilarious high council etc. all contribute to creating an atmosphere that is still superior to that of even the modern Civilization games, even if its mechanics are somewhat inferior to Civ IV, lacking things like clear national borders.
2. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Yes, it's sort of cheating, but it technically is a separate franchise. SMAC combines a brilliant sci-fi setting with what are in my opinion still the best mechanics of any of Sid Meier's games. While its graphics haven't aged very well, everything else has certainly stood the test of time and the game is still incredibly fun to play. I'm not sure you could ever be bored with the variety Alpha Centauri offers, and it's still hard to see how Firaxis could have gone from this game to the rather disappointing Civilization III.
3. Europa Universalis III
I'll first say that I'm basing this not on the release version but on the version where it is at now, after four add-ons and many patches. There are many things I love about Europa Universalis III, but I would say that the main one is that it really gives you the feeling of shaping history. Not using history as just a backdrop like the aforementioned Civilization series, the game really just puts you in the world of 1399 and allows you to lead a country to glory, whatever that may entail for you as a player. There are no specific victory conditions, so the game truly lets you forge your own path. Few things are more fun though than starting out very small, and becoming a juggernaut by the end of the game. There really is nothing quite like taking the tiny city state of Ulm to greatness, uniting Germany. As an added bonus of sorts, the game also happens to be one of the best multi-player games I've ever played.
4. Transport Tycoon
While almost certainly the best in the current version of OpenTTD, I already loved Transport Tycoon before there was even a deluxe version of it. Transport Tycoon provided endless fun, building up a company, trying to make things as efficient as possible, creating a huge network etc. Few things in gaming feel as good as sitting back after a few hours of Transport Tycoon and looking over all that you've built, running like a well-oiled machine.
5. Ascendancy
Perhaps an odd choice for a 4x game to put in a top 10, as most will probably prefer Master of Orion II (MoO2). I however loved Ascendancy far more than I ever did MoO2, the addictive gameplay, the huge variety of races, the general atmosphere, the whole 3D nature of it. It almost makes me want to buy an iPad, just so I can play the ported version of the game.
6. Startopia
I love that this game has already been mentioned. Startopia was an absolutely brilliant game that really perfected the Bullfrog style of godgames. While it is an equal to the best Bullfrog ever made when it comes to things like humour, Theme Hospital, where it truly stands out is variety. No other Bullfrog style game offers even close to as much variety as Startopia does, the campaign, short though it is, has you running anything from a prison to an agricultural station. But even when you play the free play mode, there is still much diversity; each of the three decks on your space station is pretty different, especially the biodeck, and as such you're not doing basically the same thing throughout the game. I'm still incredibly bitter over the fact that the game sold terribly, especially initially. According to a forum post back then, I was one of only around 14,000 people who bought Startopia in its first month. Thankfully at least, Startopia has aged very well, and I'm actually reinstalling it as I type this.
7. Theme Hospital
I mentioned Theme Hospital in the previous description, and though it's not quite as good as Startopia, it still is a fantastic game. I replayed it a week or two ago, and it really has lost none of its charm. I love how the campaign not only has a near-perfect learning curve, but also slowly introduces you to ever crazier diseases. The basic gameplay is also brilliant and never really grows dull, just chaotic when you've cocked it up and people are vomiting and dying all over the place. The best part of Theme Hospital though has to be its humour, it is one of very few games that actually makes me laugh from time to time, even though most games that attempt to be funny rarely even manage to bring a smile. Theme Hospital is funny everywhere, ranging from the animation of the bloaty head machine to the appearance of those suffering from King Syndrome to the description of diseases like gut rot. I really truly wish we could have games of this sort again that are as good as Startopia and Theme Hospital.
8. Anno 1404
I love all the games in this series, and Anno 1404 is in my eyes the best of the lot. Where Anno 1701 was pretty conventional and basically maintained the, pretty damn addictive, gameplay of both previous games, Anno 1404 did a little more to mix things up. The newly added West-East mechanic works very well in my eyes and really does change the way you play the game. Add to that the fact that it is one of the most beautiful videogames ever made and has a brilliant soundtrack, and you've got an irresistible package.
9. SimCity 4
By now, it should be obvious for any reader who got this far that I love games where you build something, whether they be colonies in the Orient, hospitals or empires. SimCity 4 of course lets you build cities, and while all its predecessors ranged from good to great, none come close to SimCity 4. This fourth, and sadly final good, instalment in the series really goes so much deeper than any previous game did. From SimCity 4 is a really good example of what you end up with when a developer keeps improving on a series. It's a shame all we've gotten in terms of modern day city builders since have been CitiesXL, which isn't nearly as good, and SimCity Societies, which was absolutely awful.
10. Airline Tycoon
While I've never played Aerobiz, I'm assured Airline Tycoon is relatively close in terms of gameplay. I'm not sure how many people have played it here, due to the fact that it's a relatively low budget German game. But its fun gameplay, charming, timeless, 2D graphics, its humour*, its overall atmosphere and the fact that it is just good fun make this game still worth playing. It's been expanded several times with add-ons, adding things like a security office against sabotage (which is considerably more common in Airline Tycoon than in real life, luckily), cargo routes and an airplane manufacturer where you can customize your own planes from parts. I went back to this game recently, and it's still just as good as I remembered.
Honourable mentions, in no specific order:
The Settlers II or VII: Really, the main reason this missed out on the top 10 is because I absolutely couldn't decide between the two. The Settlers II is brilliant both in its original incarnation and the 10th anniversary remake, but so is The Settlers VII. But I am still sort of apprehensive, because some of my satisfaction with VII might well have come from the fact that the series had come off the terrible Settlers V and disappointing Settlers VI.
The Moment of Silence: I really wanted to list this game, but looking at things objectively, the game isn't as good as the ones I did choose to list. It's just that my love for modern point & click adventures always tends to taint my opinion somewhat. I still love it, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone, this game has some issues, even if some other parts of it are brilliant.
Hitman: Blood Money: Without a doubt one of my favourite games of the past few years, Blood Money brings the gameplay and level design that made previous Hitman installments so great to a whole new level. It's also considerably less janky. It was sort of a toss up between this and Airline Tycoon for #10, but I ended up going with Airline Tycoon because I'll probably be the only one to mention it here.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: I love Grand Theft Auto, and for me, San Andreas is still the best in the series. Not only did it give you a massive world to explore, but the characters were great, the missions were varied and original, the story was sufficiently crazy and the soundtrack was fantastic. That said, I didn't include it because the game does have a bit of jank about it when it comes to the controls and such things. Though people who criticize the RC plane mission or the airstrip trials are still weaksauce :+.
Alpha Protocol: An RPG with an awesome setting where your choices actually matter? What the hell? This game rules. However, the game has some problems when it comes to its gameplay, and it could definitely have done with a couple of months of extra polish.
Death Rally: I didn't list it because the game is fairly limited, but I did have a ton of fun with this game, and I love playing a few races every now and then.
Hearts of Iron III: I think the game still has a few too many flaws to be in the top 10, though I think it has already exceeded Hearts of Iron II. Should note though that I haven't yet played it with the 'For the Motherland' add-on, and I'd be interested in anyone's opinion on the quality of that add-on and the state of the game after it. Particularly if the naval AI is now proper, or if you still have to do everything manually when playing as the US.
Rollercoaster Tycoon: I loved RCT, and I still do. Building up a theme park from scratch was fantastic, especially trying to chase that perfect design for a Rollercoaster. It came very close to the top 10 indeed, but I figured with a Chris Sawyer game already there, an honourable mention would do.
Mass Effect: Brilliant sci-fi setting, memorable characters, fun well-paced story, some beautiful settings, great that they let you
. I also love the random planets you could explore, it was poorly implemented, but it did offer you the feeling of exploration that Mass Effect 2 lacked. Bioware should have improved upon it rather than cutting it out altogether.
Now, just a general commentary:
Yes, I am very aware of how my list lacks quite a good deal of diversity. There are no adventures, RPGs, racing games, FPSs, puzzle games etc. in my top 10, even though I have been playing games in all those genres for many years. Rest assured though that it's really just the top 10 where it's that lacking in diversity, after that, my list gets somewhat more diverse (as I hope you can see from the honourable mentions).
I might edit in more honourable mentions later, if I think of any.
1. Sid Meier's Civilization II
I go back and forth on whether I prefer Civilization II or Alpha Centauri, but I think Civ II wins for now. Even though SMAC's mechanics are clearly superior, I do love the traditional Civ setting far more, and Civ II has more atmosphere than anything else in the series. The great intro, the great music, the absolutely brilliant wonder movies (2, 3), the hilarious high council etc. all contribute to creating an atmosphere that is still superior to that of even the modern Civilization games, even if its mechanics are somewhat inferior to Civ IV, lacking things like clear national borders.
2. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Yes, it's sort of cheating, but it technically is a separate franchise. SMAC combines a brilliant sci-fi setting with what are in my opinion still the best mechanics of any of Sid Meier's games. While its graphics haven't aged very well, everything else has certainly stood the test of time and the game is still incredibly fun to play. I'm not sure you could ever be bored with the variety Alpha Centauri offers, and it's still hard to see how Firaxis could have gone from this game to the rather disappointing Civilization III.
3. Europa Universalis III
I'll first say that I'm basing this not on the release version but on the version where it is at now, after four add-ons and many patches. There are many things I love about Europa Universalis III, but I would say that the main one is that it really gives you the feeling of shaping history. Not using history as just a backdrop like the aforementioned Civilization series, the game really just puts you in the world of 1399 and allows you to lead a country to glory, whatever that may entail for you as a player. There are no specific victory conditions, so the game truly lets you forge your own path. Few things are more fun though than starting out very small, and becoming a juggernaut by the end of the game. There really is nothing quite like taking the tiny city state of Ulm to greatness, uniting Germany. As an added bonus of sorts, the game also happens to be one of the best multi-player games I've ever played.
4. Transport Tycoon
While almost certainly the best in the current version of OpenTTD, I already loved Transport Tycoon before there was even a deluxe version of it. Transport Tycoon provided endless fun, building up a company, trying to make things as efficient as possible, creating a huge network etc. Few things in gaming feel as good as sitting back after a few hours of Transport Tycoon and looking over all that you've built, running like a well-oiled machine.
5. Ascendancy
Perhaps an odd choice for a 4x game to put in a top 10, as most will probably prefer Master of Orion II (MoO2). I however loved Ascendancy far more than I ever did MoO2, the addictive gameplay, the huge variety of races, the general atmosphere, the whole 3D nature of it. It almost makes me want to buy an iPad, just so I can play the ported version of the game.
6. Startopia
I love that this game has already been mentioned. Startopia was an absolutely brilliant game that really perfected the Bullfrog style of godgames. While it is an equal to the best Bullfrog ever made when it comes to things like humour, Theme Hospital, where it truly stands out is variety. No other Bullfrog style game offers even close to as much variety as Startopia does, the campaign, short though it is, has you running anything from a prison to an agricultural station. But even when you play the free play mode, there is still much diversity; each of the three decks on your space station is pretty different, especially the biodeck, and as such you're not doing basically the same thing throughout the game. I'm still incredibly bitter over the fact that the game sold terribly, especially initially. According to a forum post back then, I was one of only around 14,000 people who bought Startopia in its first month. Thankfully at least, Startopia has aged very well, and I'm actually reinstalling it as I type this
.7. Theme Hospital
I mentioned Theme Hospital in the previous description, and though it's not quite as good as Startopia, it still is a fantastic game. I replayed it a week or two ago, and it really has lost none of its charm. I love how the campaign not only has a near-perfect learning curve, but also slowly introduces you to ever crazier diseases. The basic gameplay is also brilliant and never really grows dull, just chaotic when you've cocked it up and people are vomiting and dying all over the place. The best part of Theme Hospital though has to be its humour, it is one of very few games that actually makes me laugh from time to time, even though most games that attempt to be funny rarely even manage to bring a smile. Theme Hospital is funny everywhere, ranging from the animation of the bloaty head machine to the appearance of those suffering from King Syndrome to the description of diseases like gut rot. I really truly wish we could have games of this sort again that are as good as Startopia and Theme Hospital.
8. Anno 1404
I love all the games in this series, and Anno 1404 is in my eyes the best of the lot. Where Anno 1701 was pretty conventional and basically maintained the, pretty damn addictive, gameplay of both previous games, Anno 1404 did a little more to mix things up. The newly added West-East mechanic works very well in my eyes and really does change the way you play the game. Add to that the fact that it is one of the most beautiful videogames ever made and has a brilliant soundtrack, and you've got an irresistible package.
9. SimCity 4
By now, it should be obvious for any reader who got this far that I love games where you build something, whether they be colonies in the Orient, hospitals or empires. SimCity 4 of course lets you build cities, and while all its predecessors ranged from good to great, none come close to SimCity 4. This fourth, and sadly final good, instalment in the series really goes so much deeper than any previous game did. From SimCity 4 is a really good example of what you end up with when a developer keeps improving on a series. It's a shame all we've gotten in terms of modern day city builders since have been CitiesXL, which isn't nearly as good, and SimCity Societies, which was absolutely awful.
10. Airline Tycoon
While I've never played Aerobiz, I'm assured Airline Tycoon is relatively close in terms of gameplay. I'm not sure how many people have played it here, due to the fact that it's a relatively low budget German game. But its fun gameplay, charming, timeless, 2D graphics, its humour*, its overall atmosphere and the fact that it is just good fun make this game still worth playing. It's been expanded several times with add-ons, adding things like a security office against sabotage (which is considerably more common in Airline Tycoon than in real life, luckily
), cargo routes and an airplane manufacturer where you can customize your own planes from parts. I went back to this game recently, and it's still just as good as I remembered.Honourable mentions, in no specific order:
The Settlers II or VII: Really, the main reason this missed out on the top 10 is because I absolutely couldn't decide between the two. The Settlers II is brilliant both in its original incarnation and the 10th anniversary remake, but so is The Settlers VII. But I am still sort of apprehensive, because some of my satisfaction with VII might well have come from the fact that the series had come off the terrible Settlers V and disappointing Settlers VI.
The Moment of Silence: I really wanted to list this game, but looking at things objectively, the game isn't as good as the ones I did choose to list. It's just that my love for modern point & click adventures always tends to taint my opinion somewhat. I still love it, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone, this game has some issues, even if some other parts of it are brilliant.
Hitman: Blood Money: Without a doubt one of my favourite games of the past few years, Blood Money brings the gameplay and level design that made previous Hitman installments so great to a whole new level. It's also considerably less janky. It was sort of a toss up between this and Airline Tycoon for #10, but I ended up going with Airline Tycoon because I'll probably be the only one to mention it here.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: I love Grand Theft Auto, and for me, San Andreas is still the best in the series. Not only did it give you a massive world to explore, but the characters were great, the missions were varied and original, the story was sufficiently crazy and the soundtrack was fantastic. That said, I didn't include it because the game does have a bit of jank about it when it comes to the controls and such things. Though people who criticize the RC plane mission or the airstrip trials are still weaksauce :+.
Alpha Protocol: An RPG with an awesome setting where your choices actually matter? What the hell? This game rules. However, the game has some problems when it comes to its gameplay, and it could definitely have done with a couple of months of extra polish.
Death Rally: I didn't list it because the game is fairly limited, but I did have a ton of fun with this game, and I love playing a few races every now and then.
Hearts of Iron III: I think the game still has a few too many flaws to be in the top 10, though I think it has already exceeded Hearts of Iron II. Should note though that I haven't yet played it with the 'For the Motherland' add-on, and I'd be interested in anyone's opinion on the quality of that add-on and the state of the game after it. Particularly if the naval AI is now proper, or if you still have to do everything manually when playing as the US.
Rollercoaster Tycoon: I loved RCT, and I still do. Building up a theme park from scratch was fantastic, especially trying to chase that perfect design for a Rollercoaster. It came very close to the top 10 indeed, but I figured with a Chris Sawyer game already there, an honourable mention would do.
Mass Effect: Brilliant sci-fi setting, memorable characters, fun well-paced story, some beautiful settings, great that they let you
send Carth 2 to his death
Now, just a general commentary:
Yes, I am very aware of how my list lacks quite a good deal of diversity. There are no adventures, RPGs, racing games, FPSs, puzzle games etc. in my top 10, even though I have been playing games in all those genres for many years. Rest assured though that it's really just the top 10 where it's that lacking in diversity, after that, my list gets somewhat more diverse (as I hope you can see from the honourable mentions).
I might edit in more honourable mentions later, if I think of any.
More Fun To Compute
Member
I wanted to include a lot of more modern games since that was the "inspiration" for this.
Mount & Blade (2) - This is what PC gaming is all about. A huge time destroying game with a world to get lost in. Can trace it's gameplay DNA back to Elite and old computer RPG games.
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup - Slick modern rouguelike. Is not simple or easy in any way but does not try to go out of it's way to be incomprehensible.
Guild Wars - MMO done better, disagree and you are wrong.
Sid Meier's Civilization 4 - It's Civ.
The Void - A great example of a nose pressed against a monitor, want to be inside it as much as possible game. Stupidly unbalanced and hard to complete and generally baffling. Only on PC.
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines - A natural evolution of a lot of what was best about the computer RPG genre.
Total War: Shogun 2 - I've put a lot of hours into this now and it's just a very lush, challenging game. The flaws add up after a while but unlike the curate's egg it's flaws don't ruin the whole.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - Still better than any other 4x.
UFO: Enemy Unknown - X-COM is a miracle game, something where everything just came together and worked in a way that hasn't been recreated.
Grim Fandango - Innovative vehicle gameplay sections and hybrid 3d technology.
Mount & Blade (2) - This is what PC gaming is all about. A huge time destroying game with a world to get lost in. Can trace it's gameplay DNA back to Elite and old computer RPG games.
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup - Slick modern rouguelike. Is not simple or easy in any way but does not try to go out of it's way to be incomprehensible.
Guild Wars - MMO done better, disagree and you are wrong.
Sid Meier's Civilization 4 - It's Civ.
The Void - A great example of a nose pressed against a monitor, want to be inside it as much as possible game. Stupidly unbalanced and hard to complete and generally baffling. Only on PC.
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines - A natural evolution of a lot of what was best about the computer RPG genre.
Total War: Shogun 2 - I've put a lot of hours into this now and it's just a very lush, challenging game. The flaws add up after a while but unlike the curate's egg it's flaws don't ruin the whole.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - Still better than any other 4x.
UFO: Enemy Unknown - X-COM is a miracle game, something where everything just came together and worked in a way that hasn't been recreated.
Grim Fandango - Innovative vehicle gameplay sections and hybrid 3d technology.
I dont have many outside choices - I really do just love the classics:
I think all of these really do state their own cases.
Honorable mentions;
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
- MoHaa was the original. But Cod 1/2 just improved on the formula in every single way.
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2
- Good GOOD times.
I think all of these really do state their own cases.
- Baldur's Gate II
- Half Life 2
- Battlefield 2
- Deus Ex
- System Shock 2
- World of Warcraft
- Counter Strike
- Planescape Torment
- Team Fortress 2
- Call of Duty (1/2; pre-Modern Warfare)
Honorable mentions;
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
- MoHaa was the original. But Cod 1/2 just improved on the formula in every single way.
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2
- Good GOOD times.
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
RTS:
Starcraft II (x2 points)
MMORPG:
World of Warcraft
Final Fantasy XI
Legend of Mir II
RPG:
Diablo II
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
FPS:
Half Life
Doom 2
Unreal Tournament
Chronicles of Riddick
Starcraft II (x2 points)
MMORPG:
World of Warcraft
Final Fantasy XI
Legend of Mir II
RPG:
Diablo II
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
FPS:
Half Life
Doom 2
Unreal Tournament
Chronicles of Riddick
revolverjgw
Member
Thief 2- The Metal Age
Deus Ex
Clive Barker's Undying
Severance- Blade of Darkness
Baldur's Gate 2
Freespace 2
No One Lives Forever
System Shock 2
Aliens vs Predator 2
Fallout 2
That's a lot of 2's
Deus Ex
Clive Barker's Undying
Severance- Blade of Darkness
Baldur's Gate 2
Freespace 2
No One Lives Forever
System Shock 2
Aliens vs Predator 2
Fallout 2
That's a lot of 2's
Enosh
Member
Asassin's Creed II - one of the best open world games I have ever played, loved the setting with beautifull cities, the characters and the interactions betwen them were awesome
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - crazy campaign, a great list of weapons to use and a multiplayer that I spend hundreds of hours with
Medieval II: Total War - my favorite game on the list, was a hard choice betwen this and rome, but I went with this one due to the setting
Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising - a strategy game with one of the best SP I have seen in a strategy game and a great MP that I spend many hours in
Mass Effect 2 - played trough it 3 times, going on number 4, I think this says it all
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - a great MP shooter, rather weak SP but it has that Battlefield feel and is imo so far the best in the series (folowed very very closly by BF2142, which i had writen down first)
Dragon Age: Origin - all the same love that went into ME2 is also seen here, just in a fantasy setting, played through it twice so far ^^
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines - I was into the setting before it became popular /hipster mode off, full of bugs, but still such a great game, kinda starts to stumble on the last few bits through where all tose points that were so usefull in charm and conversation become useless since it's all about fighting at the end, the rushed state is quite obvious
The Witcher 2 - well it's witcher, I think everything has been said aout this one given that preaty much every mentioned it ^^
Crysis 2 - in contrast to MW2 an a lot more paced campaign, but compared to crysis 1 which i found o.k. at best (
) a lot more focused and thus atleast for me a lot more immersive
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - crazy campaign, a great list of weapons to use and a multiplayer that I spend hundreds of hours with
Medieval II: Total War - my favorite game on the list, was a hard choice betwen this and rome, but I went with this one due to the setting
Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising - a strategy game with one of the best SP I have seen in a strategy game and a great MP that I spend many hours in
Mass Effect 2 - played trough it 3 times, going on number 4, I think this says it all
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - a great MP shooter, rather weak SP but it has that Battlefield feel and is imo so far the best in the series (folowed very very closly by BF2142, which i had writen down first)
Dragon Age: Origin - all the same love that went into ME2 is also seen here, just in a fantasy setting, played through it twice so far ^^
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines - I was into the setting before it became popular /hipster mode off
, full of bugs, but still such a great game, kinda starts to stumble on the last few bits through where all tose points that were so usefull in charm and conversation become useless since it's all about fighting at the end, the rushed state is quite obviousThe Witcher 2 - well it's witcher, I think everything has been said aout this one given that preaty much every mentioned it ^^
Crysis 2 - in contrast to MW2 an a lot more paced campaign, but compared to crysis 1 which i found o.k. at best (
and a tech demo at worst
lowrider007
Licorice-flavoured booze?
- Doom
- Doom II
- System Shock 2
- Descent
- Star Wars: Dark Forces
- Quake
- Unreal Tournament
- Half-Life 2
- TIE Fighter
- Far Cry
snoopeasystreet
Member
The list is subject to change but here it is at the moment.
- Quake 3
- Half Life 2
- Doom
- Diablo 2
- Fallout
- The Last Express
- Full Throttle
- STALKER: Shadows of Chernobyl
- Hitman: Blood Money
- StarCraft 2
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
I'm bored, so I'll expand my answers.
Deus Ex (2 pts): Terrible voice acting, badly dated graphics even by the standards of the day, and a cheesy (if fun) conspiracy-filled plot. So why is it my all-time favourite game? Freedom of choice, pure and simple. One of the only games that does not punish you for trying some wacky, or trying to push the limits of what's possible. Chances are, the game will reward your creativity. And this does not happen once during a heavily scripted scene, but more or less throughout the entire game. Still untopped, and it's why I'm so excited about DXHR's positive buzz.
Homeworld: Fantastic visuals (they hold up to some degree even now), one of the best game soundtracks of all time, and most importantly, beautiful 3D space combat, which is more or less unseen in modern RTS games.
Company of Heroes: A RTS where the micromanagement relates not to spamming the right units and buildings, but to positioning and cleverly using the forces you have at hand. You know, tactical stuff. Plus, explosions and shells everwhere.
Age of Empires 2: Another RTS, this one holds a special place in my heart as a game that I spent many enjoyable hours as a pre-teen. And it taught me a shitload about history, even if some of it wasn't accurate.
Half-Life 2: I was a bit too young when HL1 first hit, but this one set the bar for FPS combat, production values, physics, pacing etc etc. Even today, many games can't match HL2's facial animations, which goes to show how mind blowing some of the tech was in 2004.
Civilisation 2: Another nostalgia-related pick, I've got many fond memories of switching to Fundamentalism late in the game, and proceeding to fanatic-spam.
Baldur's Gate 2: Deep, dark, engaging, and deep. Did I mention deep? I've never actually finished this game, I'll admit, despite the many hours I put into it, and it's a game I respect more than I love. But damn, I respect it.
Hitman: Blood Money: The earlier games had there moments, but BM perfected the formula. Many tools, many ways to get the job done, and it's all down to the player. Shame about the route the series is going at this point.
Counter Strike: The quintessential multiplayer FPS. To this day, nothing is more awe-inspiring (and infuriating if you're on the other team) than a really good CS player.
Morrowind: An expansive, unique world, with little to no hand-holding present, all there for the player to discover. Plus, Dat Theme Song.
Deus Ex (2 pts): Terrible voice acting, badly dated graphics even by the standards of the day, and a cheesy (if fun) conspiracy-filled plot. So why is it my all-time favourite game? Freedom of choice, pure and simple. One of the only games that does not punish you for trying some wacky, or trying to push the limits of what's possible. Chances are, the game will reward your creativity. And this does not happen once during a heavily scripted scene, but more or less throughout the entire game. Still untopped, and it's why I'm so excited about DXHR's positive buzz.
Homeworld: Fantastic visuals (they hold up to some degree even now), one of the best game soundtracks of all time, and most importantly, beautiful 3D space combat, which is more or less unseen in modern RTS games.
Company of Heroes: A RTS where the micromanagement relates not to spamming the right units and buildings, but to positioning and cleverly using the forces you have at hand. You know, tactical stuff. Plus, explosions and shells everwhere.
Age of Empires 2: Another RTS, this one holds a special place in my heart as a game that I spent many enjoyable hours as a pre-teen. And it taught me a shitload about history, even if some of it wasn't accurate.
Half-Life 2: I was a bit too young when HL1 first hit, but this one set the bar for FPS combat, production values, physics, pacing etc etc. Even today, many games can't match HL2's facial animations, which goes to show how mind blowing some of the tech was in 2004.
Civilisation 2: Another nostalgia-related pick, I've got many fond memories of switching to Fundamentalism late in the game, and proceeding to fanatic-spam.
Baldur's Gate 2: Deep, dark, engaging, and deep. Did I mention deep? I've never actually finished this game, I'll admit, despite the many hours I put into it, and it's a game I respect more than I love. But damn, I respect it.
Hitman: Blood Money: The earlier games had there moments, but BM perfected the formula. Many tools, many ways to get the job done, and it's all down to the player. Shame about the route the series is going at this point.
Counter Strike: The quintessential multiplayer FPS. To this day, nothing is more awe-inspiring (and infuriating if you're on the other team) than a really good CS player.
Morrowind: An expansive, unique world, with little to no hand-holding present, all there for the player to discover. Plus, Dat Theme Song.
Quake 3: Arena
The pinnacle of competitive FPS. After some community modifications, it has never been bettered and probably never will be. As much as I'd love a proper sequel, I don't see what changes they could make for any improvement beyond visuals. Movement, gunplay, weapons, game modes, maps, strategy are all some of the best in class.
Counter-Strike
Starcraft 2
Half-Life 2
Battlefield 2
STALKER: Call of Pripyat
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Crysis
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Call of Duty
The pinnacle of competitive FPS. After some community modifications, it has never been bettered and probably never will be. As much as I'd love a proper sequel, I don't see what changes they could make for any improvement beyond visuals. Movement, gunplay, weapons, game modes, maps, strategy are all some of the best in class.
Counter-Strike
Starcraft 2
Half-Life 2
Battlefield 2
STALKER: Call of Pripyat
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
Crysis
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Call of Duty
- Quake 2 my first fps love
- Unreal Tournament yup, I love my fps'es
- Team Fortress 2 probably the fps I've logged the most hours on
- Half-Life 1 felt way ahead of its time at the time
- Call of Duty 4 playing the first few missions for the first time is one of the most intense/immersive experiences
- Max Payne 2 playable metaphors and perspective switches
- Portal 2 portal 1 with more depth
- World of Warcraft great game but the community I played with really made it for me
- Warcraft 2 my first rts love
- Sim City 2000 quite a few games have tried to surpass it since, but I don't think any have succeeded yet
Space Quest - Started my PC gaming career in 1989 with the Sierra "Quest" series. Out of all their quest lines, I thought Space Quest was the best. I was always attracted to the science fiction element and Roger Wilco was that bumbling anti-hero of a lead character that you could relate to in a lot of situations. Not to mention that the humor and quests were insanely awesome.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge - Probably the best graphic adventure ever created. Had it all: story, characters, a great pirate theme, and just a ton of laughs and fun. The quests were also brutally hard when you played the game on expert mode.
Ultima VII (2 points) - What else is there to say about this game? Two decades ahead of its time; it was "open world" 20 years before anyone had heard of Grand Theft Auto 3. The game world was your oyster, and the random stuff that occurred was just consistent and insane. I can still remember being cornered by all the town guards when I tried to rob a jewelry store, or walking through a forest and getting jumped by a mad mage.
Syndicate - Great "blade runner" atmosphere; this was an early attempt at a squad based shooter, wrapped in a real time strategy shell. This game was great, nothing else to say about it. Upgrading my technology to mini guns and sending my guys out in a limo to gun down rival gang members never got old.
Baldur's Gate - The pinnacle of D&D RPGs to me. While I always loved playing the old gold box series, this is the game that really had it all. For the time, it had great graphics, great sound, and a great interface. I remember spending two weeks during Christmas of 1998 beating the game. Fond memories.
X-Com: UFO Defense - The pinnacle of turn based strategy on the PC. This was the complete package: great tactical battles, an overarching strategy, and some fun arcade-like moments. This game made my skin crawl when I was first being deployed to a site.
Star Control 2 - When it comes to space simulation games, this one ranks at the top for me. While it was more limited in scope than the usual 4x/sim game, it still had a ton of depth. The adventure mode was insanely fulfilling and the hyper melee combat versus mode kept my friends and me playing each other for years.
Civilization 3 - To me, the best implementation of CIv to date. Had improved graphics over Civ 2, and had great balance and gameplay. Unlike Civ 4 and Civ 5, the game didnt bog down over time as the map grew bigger. Put thousands of hours into this game.
Ultima Online - Played this day and night (almost straight), for 2 years of my life. No MMO prior, or since, has matched the scale and world of this game. A completely free world to do anything you wanted. While all the MMOs since were focused on regulating what players do, and controlling their every moves, UO just let you be you. If I wanted to sit outside of town and kill people as they came to and fro, I could do it.
Half-Life 2 - I mean, of course right? Most people would agree, it has one of the most satisfying and fulfilling single player first person shooter campaigns ever. I felt totally immersed as the "little man vs big brother". Even if the game were released today, it would still be met with the same praise; to me, this truly shows how good a timeless game can be.
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge - Probably the best graphic adventure ever created. Had it all: story, characters, a great pirate theme, and just a ton of laughs and fun. The quests were also brutally hard when you played the game on expert mode.
Ultima VII (2 points) - What else is there to say about this game? Two decades ahead of its time; it was "open world" 20 years before anyone had heard of Grand Theft Auto 3. The game world was your oyster, and the random stuff that occurred was just consistent and insane. I can still remember being cornered by all the town guards when I tried to rob a jewelry store, or walking through a forest and getting jumped by a mad mage.
Syndicate - Great "blade runner" atmosphere; this was an early attempt at a squad based shooter, wrapped in a real time strategy shell. This game was great, nothing else to say about it. Upgrading my technology to mini guns and sending my guys out in a limo to gun down rival gang members never got old.
Baldur's Gate - The pinnacle of D&D RPGs to me. While I always loved playing the old gold box series, this is the game that really had it all. For the time, it had great graphics, great sound, and a great interface. I remember spending two weeks during Christmas of 1998 beating the game. Fond memories.
X-Com: UFO Defense - The pinnacle of turn based strategy on the PC. This was the complete package: great tactical battles, an overarching strategy, and some fun arcade-like moments. This game made my skin crawl when I was first being deployed to a site.
Star Control 2 - When it comes to space simulation games, this one ranks at the top for me. While it was more limited in scope than the usual 4x/sim game, it still had a ton of depth. The adventure mode was insanely fulfilling and the hyper melee combat versus mode kept my friends and me playing each other for years.
Civilization 3 - To me, the best implementation of CIv to date. Had improved graphics over Civ 2, and had great balance and gameplay. Unlike Civ 4 and Civ 5, the game didnt bog down over time as the map grew bigger. Put thousands of hours into this game.
Ultima Online - Played this day and night (almost straight), for 2 years of my life. No MMO prior, or since, has matched the scale and world of this game. A completely free world to do anything you wanted. While all the MMOs since were focused on regulating what players do, and controlling their every moves, UO just let you be you. If I wanted to sit outside of town and kill people as they came to and fro, I could do it.
Half-Life 2 - I mean, of course right? Most people would agree, it has one of the most satisfying and fulfilling single player first person shooter campaigns ever. I felt totally immersed as the "little man vs big brother". Even if the game were released today, it would still be met with the same praise; to me, this truly shows how good a timeless game can be.
blackMamba1187
Member
1. Half-Life 2
2. Crysis
3. Max Payne 2
4. Left 4 Dead
5. Portal
6. Starcraft
7. Warcraft 2
8. F.E.A.R.
9. Sim City 2000
10. Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
2. Crysis
3. Max Payne 2
4. Left 4 Dead
5. Portal
6. Starcraft
7. Warcraft 2
8. F.E.A.R.
9. Sim City 2000
10. Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
X-Com: UFO Defense: Unmatched to this day in depth and emergent narrative design. Scary, ball-busting, and complex; if you can only play one game for the rest of your life this should be the choice.
System Shock 2 : Even with slightly dated graphics SS2 is atmospheric and genuinely terrifying. Excellent use of sound and silence allows this game to get across isolated dread better than any other.
Planescape: Torment : Gaming's best traditional narrative with dialogue and themes far beyond anything else. Shallow gameplay was propped up by the raw perfection that is Sigil.
Ultima Underworld : Only Arx Fatalis has managed to replicate this experience properly; just polished immersive first person dungeon crawling.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri : Best of the civilization style games with comprehensive details about the fictional factions. Another game that has endless potential for emergent narrative while giving you a complex strategy game.
Fallout 2 : Charming, brilliant, a bit silly and just such a memorable pastiche of locations and characters that the meandering narrative isn't annoying at all. Tactical isometric turn-based combat pushes it over the top.
Mechwarrior 2 : A true classic that wowed so many people into what PC gaming could be. For when it came out just a beautiful game with amazing customization and perfect sound effects; core gameplay holds up even now.
Dawn of War 2 : The best RTS I've ever played. Escapes the Dune formula, deemphasizes base positioning and puts the focus on tactical combat. Some of the concepts taken from CoH but DoW2 puts them together in a tighter package with more polish and greater emphasis on micro tactical decisions.
Europa Universalis 3 : Strategic simulation with infinite possibilities. Extraordinarily complex but finally with all the information you need to play the game fluidly. Near infinite number of difficulty levels and so many ways to play. Emergent narrative on a grand scale.
Rise of Nations : Brilliant hybrid of turn based and real-time strategy is another game that has yet to be replicated. Creative multiplayer modes, decent unit balance, and an absolutely polished experience. A shame they never made a true sequel (RoL is fun but highly flawed)
System Shock 2 : Even with slightly dated graphics SS2 is atmospheric and genuinely terrifying. Excellent use of sound and silence allows this game to get across isolated dread better than any other.
Planescape: Torment : Gaming's best traditional narrative with dialogue and themes far beyond anything else. Shallow gameplay was propped up by the raw perfection that is Sigil.
Ultima Underworld : Only Arx Fatalis has managed to replicate this experience properly; just polished immersive first person dungeon crawling.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri : Best of the civilization style games with comprehensive details about the fictional factions. Another game that has endless potential for emergent narrative while giving you a complex strategy game.
Fallout 2 : Charming, brilliant, a bit silly and just such a memorable pastiche of locations and characters that the meandering narrative isn't annoying at all. Tactical isometric turn-based combat pushes it over the top.
Mechwarrior 2 : A true classic that wowed so many people into what PC gaming could be. For when it came out just a beautiful game with amazing customization and perfect sound effects; core gameplay holds up even now.
Dawn of War 2 : The best RTS I've ever played. Escapes the Dune formula, deemphasizes base positioning and puts the focus on tactical combat. Some of the concepts taken from CoH but DoW2 puts them together in a tighter package with more polish and greater emphasis on micro tactical decisions.
Europa Universalis 3 : Strategic simulation with infinite possibilities. Extraordinarily complex but finally with all the information you need to play the game fluidly. Near infinite number of difficulty levels and so many ways to play. Emergent narrative on a grand scale.
Rise of Nations : Brilliant hybrid of turn based and real-time strategy is another game that has yet to be replicated. Creative multiplayer modes, decent unit balance, and an absolutely polished experience. A shame they never made a true sequel (RoL is fun but highly flawed)
Foliorum Viridum
Banned
Deus Ex
Crysis
STALKER: Call of Pripyat
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Counter-Strike
The Secret of Monkey Island
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Left 4 Dead 2
Portal
Blade Runner
More of a modern PC gamer, I guess.
Crysis
STALKER: Call of Pripyat
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
Counter-Strike
The Secret of Monkey Island
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Left 4 Dead 2
Portal
Blade Runner
More of a modern PC gamer, I guess.
SpacePirate Ridley
Member
-Roller Coaster Tycoon 3: The game I have most hours lost in a PC, im a theme park fan, and this is the most perfect simulator of a building park ever made. With the 2 expansions and all the custom scenery done by the community, you can build the park of your dreams. RCT 1 was also awesome, and it started all, and apart of having the best campaign in the series, iI really like much more the liberty RCT3 gives me.
-Half-Life 2: best FPS ever.
-Mafia: I remember when a friend lend the game telling it was awesome, nobody more knew about the game, so I was sceptical. It was incredible. The story, the city, the characters...
-SimCity 3000 World Edition: Oh, what beautiful cities I build with that game.
-Age of Empires Gold Edition: With the roman expansion, this game was one of my first in the first computer I had, a Pentium 166. So many memories.
-Portal 2: So fun and big, I had a blast with this game
-Mass Effect: Im not a hater, I LOVE also Mass Effect 2, but the experience of playing years later ME, after the craze when it was launched, and not knowing really anything about it. Being 4 hours in the Citadel saying that the game was awesome, and then BOOM! I have all the fucking Galaxy to visit?! I even remember my first time that I discovered rather late that you can talk to your team in the 3rd floor of the Normandy :lol
-The Sims 3: Ive always liked the Sims, but Sims 3 is the best of the series. Is not only fun to build your house like the others, now its fun also to play the game of life in the neighborhood.
-The Witcher: Most intrincate fun Ive had with an RPG ever. Never has been so difficult making choices in a game.
-Desperados - Wanted Dead or Alive: Yeah, commandos was awesome (and done in Spain yay!) but Desperados was so much better and charming (and WESTERN!).... The first one is GODLY. One of my favourite games ever. The characters where just awesome. You had Cooper, the main classic cowboy. Doc, the doctor with crazy venoms and a fucking sniper. Sam, a man that uses explosives and has fun making shit explode, also a snake in a bag. Kate, the western beauty, master of tricks in card games, and putting the leg for the bad guys to come. Sanchez, a crazy mexican dude that could carry two bodies and a fucking machinegun at the same time. And a little girl with an adorable monkey and sleeping darts.
The spanish dub was AMAZING, my friends and me still remember the character catchphrases and what the enimes said (the mexican shitting in the american were hylarious), because it was so fun. Ah yeah, it was a western strategy game, where you started as Cooper, a bounty hunter that went to get a bad guy called El Diablo. Missions passed and you needed to get your friends in missions, and those were always in problems. Every three missions, you got a very cool CG that explained the inbetween story, so you always were waiting to see what was going to happen next. The missions at the middle to the end could last you hours. It even had a final boss (yeah, in a strategy game).
EDIT:
I changed my list, Minecraft to The Witcher. And Minecraft goes to nonorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions:
-Minecraft: I love builders, and this is one of the best out there. Neraly complete liberty to do what you want. Thats awesome.
Things like Deus EX and Vampire are sitting yet in my backlog.
-Half-Life 2: best FPS ever.
-Mafia: I remember when a friend lend the game telling it was awesome, nobody more knew about the game, so I was sceptical. It was incredible. The story, the city, the characters...
-SimCity 3000 World Edition: Oh, what beautiful cities I build with that game.
-Age of Empires Gold Edition: With the roman expansion, this game was one of my first in the first computer I had, a Pentium 166. So many memories.
-Portal 2: So fun and big, I had a blast with this game
-Mass Effect: Im not a hater, I LOVE also Mass Effect 2, but the experience of playing years later ME, after the craze when it was launched, and not knowing really anything about it. Being 4 hours in the Citadel saying that the game was awesome, and then BOOM! I have all the fucking Galaxy to visit?! I even remember my first time that I discovered rather late that you can talk to your team in the 3rd floor of the Normandy :lol
-The Sims 3: Ive always liked the Sims, but Sims 3 is the best of the series. Is not only fun to build your house like the others, now its fun also to play the game of life in the neighborhood.
-The Witcher: Most intrincate fun Ive had with an RPG ever. Never has been so difficult making choices in a game.
-Desperados - Wanted Dead or Alive: Yeah, commandos was awesome (and done in Spain yay!) but Desperados was so much better and charming (and WESTERN!).... The first one is GODLY. One of my favourite games ever. The characters where just awesome. You had Cooper, the main classic cowboy. Doc, the doctor with crazy venoms and a fucking sniper. Sam, a man that uses explosives and has fun making shit explode, also a snake in a bag. Kate, the western beauty, master of tricks in card games, and putting the leg for the bad guys to come. Sanchez, a crazy mexican dude that could carry two bodies and a fucking machinegun at the same time. And a little girl with an adorable monkey and sleeping darts.
The spanish dub was AMAZING, my friends and me still remember the character catchphrases and what the enimes said (the mexican shitting in the american were hylarious), because it was so fun. Ah yeah, it was a western strategy game, where you started as Cooper, a bounty hunter that went to get a bad guy called El Diablo. Missions passed and you needed to get your friends in missions, and those were always in problems. Every three missions, you got a very cool CG that explained the inbetween story, so you always were waiting to see what was going to happen next. The missions at the middle to the end could last you hours. It even had a final boss (yeah, in a strategy game).
EDIT:
I changed my list, Minecraft to The Witcher. And Minecraft goes to nonorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions:
-Minecraft: I love builders, and this is one of the best out there. Neraly complete liberty to do what you want. Thats awesome.
Things like Deus EX and Vampire are sitting yet in my backlog.
MASS FUCKING EFFECT 2
edit: I forgot many good games .. by reading the thread I remembered there were many great games
so my rest of the list would be
- Doom 1 & 2 + official packs
- Baldurs Gate 1 (much better than 2 imho)
- Eye of Beholder 2
- Giants Kabuto
- Majesty 2
- Witcher 2
- Simcity 2000
- Prototype
edit: I forgot many good games .. by reading the thread I remembered there were many great games
so my rest of the list would be
- Doom 1 & 2 + official packs
- Baldurs Gate 1 (much better than 2 imho)
- Eye of Beholder 2
- Giants Kabuto
- Majesty 2
- Witcher 2
- Simcity 2000
- Prototype
Civ 4
Team Fortress 2
Master of Magic
World of Warcraft
Doom
Half-Life 2
Starcraft
Minecraft
Nethack
Baldur's Gate 2
I'm trying to look for influential games, not necessarily my favorites- though if a series was influential, I pick the best game of the series.
HL2 gets the 2-pointer because of it's influence both as a game, and as the trojan horse for DD.
Team Fortress 2
Master of Magic
World of Warcraft
Doom
Half-Life 2
Starcraft
Minecraft
Nethack
Baldur's Gate 2
I'm trying to look for influential games, not necessarily my favorites- though if a series was influential, I pick the best game of the series.
HL2 gets the 2-pointer because of it's influence both as a game, and as the trojan horse for DD.