Ye Olde Games: The Recommending

Masonite

With Christmas now less than a month away, and a couple weeks off from school, I'm looking for some ideas for PC games that might be perfect for passing the time. Unfortunately for me, I tend to have conflicting tastes in games when it comes to my friends and family, so I'm turning to you all for help. Below is a list of all (or most) the games I own, each of which is categorized as follows:

Games I enjoyed
Favorites
Games I haven't started
Games I haven't beaten (though enjoyed)
Games I don't really care for

Arx Fatalis
Baldur's Gate
BG: TotSC
BG2: SoA
BG2: ToB
Betrayal in Antara
Black & White
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
C&C: Red Alert: Counterstrike
C&C: Red Alert: The Aftermath
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
Day of the Tentacle
Diablo
Diablo II
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
Doom II
Dreamfall
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
TES III: Tribunal
TES III: Bloodmoon
F.E.A.R.
Fallout
Fallout 2
Full Throttle
Giants: Citizen Kabuto
Grim Fandango
Half-Life
Half-Life 2
Heretic
HeXen
Icewind Dale
IWD Heart of Winter
IWD Trials of the Luremaster
Icewind Dale II
King's Quest I
King's Quest II
King's Quest III
King's Quest IV
King's Quest V
King's Quest VI
King's Quest VII
The Longest Journey
MechWarrior 2
Myst
Myst III
Myst IV
Myst V
Myth II: Soulblighter
Neverwinter Nights
NWN: Shadows of Undrentide
NWN: Hordes of the Underdark
NWN: Kingmaker
Planescape: Torment
Quake II
Quake III Arena
Rayman 2
Revenant
Riven
Shivers
Shivers 2
Soul Reaver
Soul Reaver 2
Space Quest
Space Quest II
Space Quest III
Space Quest IV
Space Quest V
Space Quest 6
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
StarCraft
StarCraft: Brood War
Stonekeep
Thief
Thief II
Tomb Raider
Ultimate Doom
Unreal
Wizards & Warriors
Worms Armageddon

I can go into detail about any of the above games, if need be.

Here's what I've come up with so far:

• MDK :: I've actually played this, and beaten it even, so I know it's something I'll like. The only problem is that it's a pretty short game (IIRC, ~6 hours).

• Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines :: I was reading through the Let's Play thread, and I've had people recommend it to me before, so it may be something to consider.

• Messiah :: I'm not sure about his one; I remember being interested in it back when it was still in development, but I never had the chance to try it out. It's by Shiny, the same folks who made MDK, so I'm hoping it's of the same quality.

• Deus Ex :: This is a possibility, I just haven't spent enough time forming an opinion on it.

• Loom :: I'm more or less set on getting this. I'm a fan of pretty much any LucasArts adventure.

• The Ultima, Might and Magic, or Quest for Glory series, Betrayal at Krondor, Heavy Gear. Thoughts? Opinions?

Additionally, each game should:

• Be of the non-RTS or MMO variety
• Have been around for at least a couple years (I'd prefer this, but I'm open to any new or upcoming games)

To flesh the thread out a little, feel free to discuss, debate, rant, etc. By no means do I intend for this to be for my benefit alone.

Dr Snofeld

Deus Ex. End of discussion.

Oh alright, and look in Thief: Deadly Shadows, since you enjoyed the first two. Hardcore Thief fans don't seem to like it much, though I can't imagine why, I have all three and it feels pretty faithful.

zeeny

Enjoying Commandos and Fallout and not having played Jagged Alliance II is criminal offense in some countries.

FireWeasel

Quest for Glory! QUEST FOR GLOOOORY!

But make sure you have all the patches for 4 ahead of time. The best of the series, but buggy as hell. QFG 5, not so good...the whole Quicktime panorama tech looked like ass even upon release, and it's really only fun as a way of seeing how all the characters from 1-4 ended up.

Also, Loom? Not so good. And I loved Lucasarts stuff, too.

Betrayal at Krondor was awesome back in the day...and the soundtrack is fantastic. Not sure how it's held up, but ah well.

DEUS GODDAMN EX. PLAY IT.

Vampire is also really, really excellent if you give it a chance. Bloodlines, I mean. Redemption was ass.

Messiah...well, it was mildly entertaining at the time. Running around as a cherub and possessing people was pretty fun in spurts, but I'd hold off, I think.

Also, Ultima 7 and U7: The Black Gate. The apex of RPG gaming until the Elder Scrolls series came along, if you ask me.

AlejandroDaJ

No One Lives Forever and NOLF 2

Kotenk

Chrono Trigger can be a good PC game.

Masonite

Kotenk wrote: »

Chrono Trigger can be a good PC game.

I've played it before, just on the SNES. Generally speaking, I don't really go for JRPG's, but Chrono Trigger was an exception to that rule.

Lord Yod

zeeny wrote: »

Enjoying Commandos and Fallout and not having played Jagged Alliance II is criminal offense in some countries.

This. Also, Deus fucking Ex.

Also, Morrowind or Oblivion. Morrowind is getting a bit dated, graphics-wise, but there's a bit more variety and depth to the selection of mods available. Either one is good though. (It isn't necessary to play one before the other)

Betrayal at Krondor is an excellent game.

I'll second Ultima 7, it's awesome.

You really have no excuse for not having played DX yet.

Xagarath

Sacrifice.
Brilliant RPGTS no-one played.

Also, Clive Barker's Undying

I approve of your liking of Giants, by the way.

Sueve

Deus Ex is the best and stands up to any modern game. I hate ugly graphics, and couldnt stand playing BG2 again, but Deus Ex lives on.

Kotenk wrote: »

Chrono Trigger can be a good PC game.

Couldn't put myself to get past the start. (borinnng)

Rotting Meat

If you enjoy LucasArts, you must play Indiana Jones: Fate of Atlantis, as well as THE DIG. Both have speech packs which are surprisingly good as well.

lowlylowlycook

So did I miss the exlpanation for games in just plain white? Does it mean "meh"?

I'd say Deus Ex or No One Lives Forever and NOLF 2 if you wan't something with some action.

If you have a LOT of time to kill and feel like some old school rpging the M&M platinum edition might be in order.

In all possible cases get Jagged Alliance II.

Lord Yod

I also saw that you do not have X-Com: UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep on your list. Shame on you.

Palmer Eldritch

Master of Magic!! It's like Civilization but with orcs and wizards and shit. It rules.

Or if that doesn't float your boat, Deus Ex is pretty much the best game ever.

Lord Yod

Palmer Eldritch wrote: »

Master of Magic!! It's like Civilization but with orcs and wizards and shit. It rules.

Or you could just get the Mystara mod for Civ 3, I had a lot of fun with that.

LewieP

Have you played Alpha Centauri?

If not, it should be the first thing you install after beating Deus Ex.

Masonite

lowlylowlycook wrote: »

So did I miss the exlpanation for games in just plain white? Does it mean "meh"?

No, not really. I just couldn't lump them into any of the other categories. For some, it's been too long since I last played them, e.g. Heretic, MechWarrior 2, Quake II. For others, it was hit and miss, e.g. Dreamfall, Half-Life, Soul Reaver 2. Probably the only game I'm indifferent about is Myst III (I enjoy story-driven puzzle games, but damn was this short).

Marty81

Palmer Eldritch wrote: »

Master of Magic!! It's like Civilization but with orcs and wizards and shit. It rules.

I, too, endorse Master of Magic.

Obviously.

Tzen

Thief: Deadly Shadows

Frem

Portal? Portal. Seriously. Short but amazing. Totally worth it. Since you liked HL2, just get the whole Orange Box while you're at it.

Also, I note you liked Thief. You might like Beyond Good and Evil. It's sort of like a Zelda-style stealth game, with random action sequences thrown in.

VeritasVR

Lord Yod wrote: »

I also saw that you do not have X-Com: UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep on your list. Shame on you.

Also: Master of Orion 2.

Evangir

Freespace 2. Seriously, look it up. Best space-sim ever made. One of the best games ever made. Wiki it!

Video evidence of awesome!

Lavender Gooms

Seems like you're already considering Dark Messiah so i'll put in a recommendation for that. The plot and characters are nothing to get excited over, but it has perhaps the best first-person melee combat i've ever seen.

It's also rather pretty, and never really got dull for me since I kept trying new things. Someone described it as "Sir Kicksalot in the Land of Spiked Walls," and while that may be true, it only is if you spam kick over and over while neglecting everything else.

Meiz

Bloodlines is like 10 bucks on Steam. That's like, a meal. A very delicious meal.

Zombiemambo

Sueve wrote: »

Deus Ex is the best and stands up to any modern game. I hate ugly graphics, and couldnt stand playing BG2 again, but Deus Ex lives on.

Kotenk wrote: »

Chrono Trigger can be a good PC game.

Couldn't put myself to get past the start. (borinnng)

You're missing out on what could possibly be the best JRPG ever made.

Lord Yod

God this thread is like a list of things I need to go and play again.

AresProphet

Evangir wrote: »

Freespace 2. Seriously, look it up. Best space-sim ever made. One of the best games ever made. Wiki it!

Video evidence of awesome!

Yes, oh god yes.

The SCP comes with a "port" of FS1 to the FS2 engine that supposedly works well (never tried it myself) and you should totally play that too. If the intro movie doesn't make you want to play this game then you have no soul.

Shadowfire

With all of the talk on here of these games, you really should be on GameTap already. A lot of the games mentioned are available on it, like MDK, Alpha Centauri, Deus Ex, Quest for Glory 1-3, Thief 3, Betrayal at Krondor, and some other good stuff like Typing of the Dead, Interstate '76, Wing Commander 1, 2, and 4... too much awesome for one post.

Really, browse the library and proceed to fap.

GameFap?

MechMantis

If you have a computer capable of emulating it, or an old enough rig, find an old copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.


I am currently enjoying it much more than Oblivion.

On that note: X-Com: UFO Defence, but be prepared for rapage.

You never said how old, and I see HeXen there.

itylus

Loom is great.

FireWeasel

MechMantis wrote: »

If you have a computer capable of emulating it, or an old enough rig, find an old copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.


I am currently enjoying it much more than Oblivion.

On that note: X-Com: UFO Defence, but be prepared for rapage.

You never said how old, and I see HeXen there.

I've long held that Daggerfall is (conceptually) probably the best RPG ever made. Unfortunately, it is a) buggy as living hell and b) Not Pretty or Playable on modern machines.

Current Elder Scrolls games are regressing in ambition and progressing in graphics. I kinda wish it was the other way around.

MechMantis

FireWeasel wrote: »

MechMantis wrote: »

If you have a computer capable of emulating it, or an old enough rig, find an old copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.


I am currently enjoying it much more than Oblivion.

On that note: X-Com: UFO Defence, but be prepared for rapage.

You never said how old, and I see HeXen there.

I've long held that Daggerfall is (conceptually) probably the best RPG ever made. Unfortunately, it is a) buggy as living hell and b) Not Pretty or Playable on modern machines.

Current Elder Scrolls games are regressing in ambition and progressing in graphics. I kinda wish it was the other way around.

My answer: Patch it to 2.13, and pick up Andyfall. That seems to get rid of most of them.

But not Error 2. I still need to make an Error 2 loading screen for Oblivion when you go to Weynon Priory.

Lord Yod

FireWeasel wrote: »

MechMantis wrote: »

If you have a computer capable of emulating it, or an old enough rig, find an old copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.


I am currently enjoying it much more than Oblivion.

On that note: X-Com: UFO Defence, but be prepared for rapage.

You never said how old, and I see HeXen there.

I've long held that Daggerfall is (conceptually) probably the best RPG ever made. Unfortunately, it is a) buggy as living hell and b) Not Pretty or Playable on modern machines.

Current Elder Scrolls games are regressing in ambition and progressing in graphics. I kinda wish it was the other way around.

I completely agree with everything in both of these posts.

lowlylowlycook

Lord Yod wrote: »

God this thread is like a list of things I need to go and play again.

Indeed. Op need to change title to Ye Olde Games: ITT all your free time dies or something.

Edit: the only way this could get worse is if we started adding roguelikes.

Edit again: Hmmm, it could also be worse if someone mentioned Sid Meyers Colonization.

Masonite

Shadowfire wrote: »

With all of the talk on here of these games, you really should be on GameTap already. A lot of the games mentioned are available on it, like MDK, Alpha Centauri, Deus Ex, Quest for Glory 1-3, Thief 3, Betrayal at Krondor, and some other good stuff like Typing of the Dead, Interstate '76, Wing Commander 1, 2, and 4... too much awesome for one post.

Really, browse the library and proceed to fap.

GameFap?

My gaming habits may be a little too inconsistent to warrant having a GameTap account. There have been months in the past where the only thing I've played is a few hours of some random DS game.

MechMantis wrote: »

If you have a computer capable of emulating it, or an old enough rig, find an old copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.


I am currently enjoying it much more than Oblivion.

I was introduced to the Elder Scrolls series with Morrowind, but I've sort of always wanted to try Daggerfall. On the other hand, I really have no intent of picking up Oblivion any time soon.

lowlylowlycook wrote: »

the only way this could get worse is if we started adding roguelikes.

By all means, suggest away. The only roguelike I've ever played is the Doom one, and even then, that was for about 20 minutes. I don't have anything against them, I just didn't think to mention it.


Also, wouldn't some of these games be classified as RTS? Alpha Centauri? X-Com? I don't dislike the genre, I just suck at anything that involves resource management (and thus why Myth II is one of my favorites). Just to give an example, it took me close to two weeks to beat StarCraft, sans Brood War. Two weeks. That was in the summer, when there wasn't very much for me to do.

Lord Yod

Masonite wrote: »

MechMantis wrote: »

If you have a computer capable of emulating it, or an old enough rig, find an old copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.

I was introduced to the Elder Scrolls series with Morrowind, but I've sort of always wanted to try Daggerfall. On the other hand, I really have no intent of picking up Oblivion any time soon.

Daggerfall had by far the best system and open-ended feel of the last three. The only thing Oblivion has going for it is the fact that it's gorgeous. Good luck getting Daggerfall to run, though.

Also, wouldn't some of these games be classified as RTS? Alpha Centauri? X-Com? I don't dislike the genre, I just suck at anything that involves resource management (and thus why Myth II is one of my favorites). Just to give an example, it took me close to two weeks to beat StarCraft, sans Brood War. Two weeks. That was in the summer, when there wasn't very much for me to do.

X-Com has a serious resource management side. It's really like two games in one - you manage the alien defense force, meaning you're in charge of both base building and combat. Both features are incredibly deep, and I think this may have been the game that got me into the genre. (Okay I guess I should say, X-Com != Starcraft. You have to manage funding, not harvest resources.)

As long as we're talking about games that are so old they probably won't run on anything we have... have you played Wing Commander: Privateer?

Kotenk

Freelancer is also pretty good... And pretty easy to obtain. Great game, and was worth every penny.

RavynBlackheart

I've been enjoying Syberia and Syberia II, if you haven't played them on Xbox yet.

Khavall

Here is the schedule you must keep: Deus Ex, X-COM UFO Defense, MoO2:BaA, X-COM TFTD, Deus Ex again, MoM, Alpha Centuari, DX a third time, X-COM UFO Defense again.

Dr_Keenbean

Lord Yod wrote: »

I also saw that you do not have X-Com: UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep on your list. Shame on you.

lowlylowlycook

Masonite wrote: »

Shadowfire wrote: »

With all of the talk on here of these games, you really should be on GameTap already. A lot of the games mentioned are available on it, like MDK, Alpha Centauri, Deus Ex, Quest for Glory 1-3, Thief 3, Betrayal at Krondor, and some other good stuff like Typing of the Dead, Interstate '76, Wing Commander 1, 2, and 4... too much awesome for one post.

Really, browse the library and proceed to fap.

GameFap?

My gaming habits may be a little too inconsistent to warrant having a GameTap account. There have been months in the past where the only thing I've played is a few hours of some random DS game.

MechMantis wrote: »

If you have a computer capable of emulating it, or an old enough rig, find an old copy of Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.


I am currently enjoying it much more than Oblivion.

I was introduced to the Elder Scrolls series with Morrowind, but I've sort of always wanted to try Daggerfall. On the other hand, I really have no intent of picking up Oblivion any time soon.

lowlylowlycook wrote: »

the only way this could get worse is if we started adding roguelikes.

By all means, suggest away. The only roguelike I've ever played is the Doom one, and even then, that was for about 20 minutes. I don't have anything against them, I just didn't think to mention it.


Also, wouldn't some of these games be classified as RTS? Alpha Centauri? X-Com? I don't dislike the genre, I just suck at anything that involves resource management (and thus why Myth II is one of my favorites). Just to give an example, it took me close to two weeks to beat StarCraft, sans Brood War. Two weeks. That was in the summer, when there wasn't very much for me to do.

Alpha Centauri and X-com are turn based strategy games. Well X-Com's overview is in real time but the combat is turn based. AC is close to Civ in style.