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Recommend me a great game.
Melkster
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hi guys.
Long story short: I want a game that's engaging, mentally challenging without being too punishing, with a lots of varied gameplay and charm.
The genre doesn't matter. If it's a non-strategy game, a superb, well-told story is a must. It also needs to be recent, with decent graphics. Feel free to recommend multiplayer games or single player games.
And please don't recommend games that you haven't played or don't care for. I want to hear your perspective, not the standard gaming zeitgeist that I could pick up from metacritic. Don't be afraid to recommend games that reviewed poorly generally.
Long story follows below.
Edit:
I suppose I should say that I have also played the following games:
Long story short: I want a game that's engaging, mentally challenging without being too punishing, with a lots of varied gameplay and charm.
The genre doesn't matter. If it's a non-strategy game, a superb, well-told story is a must. It also needs to be recent, with decent graphics. Feel free to recommend multiplayer games or single player games.
And please don't recommend games that you haven't played or don't care for. I want to hear your perspective, not the standard gaming zeitgeist that I could pick up from metacritic. Don't be afraid to recommend games that reviewed poorly generally.
Long story follows below.
A few months ago I upgraded my computer from it's horribly crappy previous self. I knew that there were some great games published in the 4 years when my computer was out of date, so I decided to just pick a couple highly-recommended well-reviewed First Person Shooters and a Role Playing Game.
I chose Bioshock and Fallout 3. I was sorely disappointed. I guess I'm the kind of guy that really doesn't like lonely and desolate worlds. They both lacked any kind of charm. The gameplay, too, especially for Bioshock felt sorely lacking and was highly repetitive. I found myself bored quickly with both games, but drugded through Bioshock because, supposedly it was a Great Game according to everyone I knew.
A couple weeks ago, however, I played Braid and that helped me remember everything I love about games - beauty and charm, stimulating, varied gameplay that made me think, and a neat little story that at the end made me go "Woah."
So now that I've finished up Bioshock, I want to start playing a game that will remind me why I love games in the first place. Here are a few games I absolutely adored and perhaps you can help figure out what you think I might like:
- Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight. Why? Being able to play as a badass Jedi, and having the gameplay itself change substantially as the game progressed. (Going from weapons to Jedi powers, along with a few unique levels and fun Jedi boss fights.) The story was pretty rad too.
- Age of Empires and Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings. Why? Coming up with new strategies for crushing people in multiplayer kept me addicted to the MSN Gaming Zone for a solid year or so.
- Sim City 2000. Why? Building my own little city made the cogs in my adolescent brain gleefully turn. I loved watching my creation grow.
- Half-Life 2. Why? Amazing cast of characters that I loved being with, plus fun, varied gunplay sparsed with lovely mind-bending physics puzzles.
The only common threads I see in all of these games is:
#1. Challenge. Fun, stimulating challenge that captivates that logical, strategic side of my brain. Puzzles that make me think and give me joy when I figure them out, and story lines that make me go "Woah."
#2. A feeling of "connectedness" - either with other characters in the stories of the First Person Shooters or with my creations in the case of the Strategy games or with other players in Multiplayer games - is absolutely necessary too. No need to recommend lonely, desolate horror games. Charm is paramount.
Okay. That's it. Have at it!
I chose Bioshock and Fallout 3. I was sorely disappointed. I guess I'm the kind of guy that really doesn't like lonely and desolate worlds. They both lacked any kind of charm. The gameplay, too, especially for Bioshock felt sorely lacking and was highly repetitive. I found myself bored quickly with both games, but drugded through Bioshock because, supposedly it was a Great Game according to everyone I knew.
A couple weeks ago, however, I played Braid and that helped me remember everything I love about games - beauty and charm, stimulating, varied gameplay that made me think, and a neat little story that at the end made me go "Woah."
So now that I've finished up Bioshock, I want to start playing a game that will remind me why I love games in the first place. Here are a few games I absolutely adored and perhaps you can help figure out what you think I might like:
- Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight. Why? Being able to play as a badass Jedi, and having the gameplay itself change substantially as the game progressed. (Going from weapons to Jedi powers, along with a few unique levels and fun Jedi boss fights.) The story was pretty rad too.
- Age of Empires and Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings. Why? Coming up with new strategies for crushing people in multiplayer kept me addicted to the MSN Gaming Zone for a solid year or so.
- Sim City 2000. Why? Building my own little city made the cogs in my adolescent brain gleefully turn. I loved watching my creation grow.
- Half-Life 2. Why? Amazing cast of characters that I loved being with, plus fun, varied gunplay sparsed with lovely mind-bending physics puzzles.
The only common threads I see in all of these games is:
#1. Challenge. Fun, stimulating challenge that captivates that logical, strategic side of my brain. Puzzles that make me think and give me joy when I figure them out, and story lines that make me go "Woah."
#2. A feeling of "connectedness" - either with other characters in the stories of the First Person Shooters or with my creations in the case of the Strategy games or with other players in Multiplayer games - is absolutely necessary too. No need to recommend lonely, desolate horror games. Charm is paramount.
Okay. That's it. Have at it!
Edit:
I suppose I should say that I have also played the following games:
Team Fortress 2
Portal
Braid
Half-Life 2 (Plus the additional episodes)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Left 4 Dead
Civilization 4
Portal
Braid
Half-Life 2 (Plus the additional episodes)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Left 4 Dead
Civilization 4
Melkster on
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Posts
Its a bit hard that you want a recent game O_O
The characters interact with each other, as well. When you're walking around the city, you'll notice them remarking on different things in the area, depending on the c haracter. And during the elevator scenes when you're travelling between sections of the city, they'll have short conversations. There's also some romance subplots, if that's your thing.
Team Fortress 2
Portal
Braid
Half-Life 2 (Plus the additional episodes)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Left 4 Dead
Civilization 4
I think that's pretty much it.
And it doesn't neccessarily need to be of the genre "puzzle-game." It just needs to make me use my brain. It just needs to make me think and strategize to get through things, rather just run in guns ablazing.
Men of War - Your best bet is to download the demo or go ahead and watch some gameplay video:s Like this one It's a real time strategy game with very intricate tactics that makes you think about what you do before you rush into anything. The game is different every time because the engine is so detailed that you can come up with crazy strategies and think outside the box to win.
Crysis and/or Crysis:Warhead - There's demos for these too (maybe just for Crysis). Crysis doesn't get old because instead of just running in and killing everyone, you have lots of options: stealth in, strength suit and punch people out, snipe everyone, run in shooting everyone, destroy buildings and explosive barrels, steal a vehicle, circle around, etc. It's a lot more freeform than your average shooter and it keeps things pretty fresh.
Time Gentlemen, Please! - There's a demo for this one too. It's an adventure game so it basically fits your requirements by default.
I would, however, suggest that you have no idea what you want. Dark Forces II is one of the most lonely feeling FPS games I have ever played, the graphics are nowhere near today's graphics (same with AoE II and Sim City, which you also said you liked) and its gameplay was pretty much the same until you got a lightsaber, then the same once you got a lightsaber. So I don't understand why you need the game to be a recent one with decent graphics where you do different things all the time and aren't alone. Heck, Call of Duty 4 doesn't vary its gameplay at all, unless you count a rail shooter sequence, which I don't.
Hehe, those games were all played ages ago when my computer was up-to-date. I'd like to play a newer game with great graphics.
And regarding Jedi Knight, perhaps you're right. I played it years ago when I was a little boy. Haven't had it on my computer in ages.
Edit: in fact, the longer I think about it the more I'd say you're right. I do remember the game being very lonely. Hmm. You might be right on that point. I probably doubt I'd like playing it now, as an adult.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
FPS RPG in the vein of Ultima Underworld, looks pretty good for 7+ years old. It's rather linear and somewhat short, but there is just something about it that brings me back every now and then. You can mix and match your play style, so you don't have to be a "shoot first, ask questions later" melee-type.
I've been meaning to do an LP of it, but I keep putting it off. Someday.
It's not close to on par graphically with current games, but story and gameplay makes up for any graphical downfall.
You can beat the game in less than20 hours without rushing and the story is AWEEESOME!
This is probably my favorite game since Ocarina of Time, with the possible exception of Rock Band (which is all I play nowadays).
Shadow of the Colossus is actually a very simple game. It's basically a stripped down platformer. There is no fighting except for 16 boss fights, and these are mostly platforming. The rest of the game is just wandering around a huge, hauntingly beautiful world on horseback.
It's hard to describe what makes the game so good, but it's something to do with "realism." It's not a realistic game in the sense that it resembles our world—it's high fantasy. But the game's world is so believable, so internally realistic, that it really transcends the videogame medium. The 16 bosses move with palpable weight and heft; your horse is stubborn like a real horse. The hero is not an invincible badass; he stumbles when he jumps, he has trouble climbing and holding on, he swings his sword poorly. Some people complain about this, but I think it triggers something in your brain that allows you to connect with the game on a visceral level. The game's lack of filler bullshit—there are no repetitive enemies littering the paths between boss fights, no annoying villagers and fetch quests—add to this effect as well.
It's probably a little dated now. And the framerate doesn't hold up. The camera controls sometimes need wrestling. But I think it's easily one of the best games ever.
I don't know what your standards are for "decent graphics" but I'm playing through Deus Ex for the first time now and it's fucking great. The graphics certainly aren't terrible, anyway.
Shadow has aged very well, in my opinion. It still has the same flaws it did on release (the framerate, camera stuff, etc.) but Raiders of the Lost Ark has niggling technical faults, too.
EDIT: Actually, I reread the OP and Shadow is absolutely not the game he wants. The setting is the definition of a lonely game.
-Varied gameplay
-Riddles (I do admit that some are fairly simplistic, but still challenging to find)
-Awesome Atmosphere
And it reminded me of Bioshock in alot of ways. So if enjoying Bioshock is what is making you want a new game, then this is probably the game for you.
Also, Dues Ex is also a good one (as others have said). Though it is less than recent.
If you've played any of the more modern Zelda games, or are familiar with their gameplay then that's the basic foundation for BG&E. Plus an amazing cast of characters, some great humor, some good drama, bits that make you think, varied gameplay, awesomest soundtrack, great graphics and art design, and lots of pure fun.
Oh don't get me wrong, the game is fucking amazing. It just seems like he's looking to play games with this gen graphics, and has stated HL2, Portal, L4D, which simply trumps Deus Ex graphically. But if someone can't love Deus Ex because of the graphics, there is something wrong with that person.
The "you" in my first post referred to the OP. I just quoted you because I absolutely agree. Sorry for the confusion.
Hostile waters: Anteus Rising
its a mix of 3rd person shooter and RTS
Cannot be limed enough. I think Arkham Asylum is pretty much exactly what you are looking for.
Steam ID