Baldur's Gate franchise - which I treat as one game when I play it.
Thief: The Dark Project - hiding in corners listening to conversations
Thief: The Metal Age - Cowering in terror from killer robots
Morrowind - Stranger in a strange land.
I want to put Starcraft2 on the list, as I lived that game for a good few months after it came out, I can't think of another game that can make your heart race with excitement like Starcraft does. On the other hand, as this is something of a Nostalgia board..
Privateer2: The Darkening - You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourselves.. IN SPACE.
Neverwinter Nights (The Gold Box game hosted by AOL in the early 90's). Easily the best community, best RP, and best PVP of any game I've ever played. Everything else has felt disappointing by comparison.
Baldur's Gate 2, SoA. I like BG1 and ToB, but the SoA content is head and shoulders above.
Final Fantasy VI. I also loved VII, and there are things I prefer about each. But the storytelling of VI was incredible, and that makes the difference for me.
Super Mario Bros. 3 (There were times when I would leave the nintendo on for 3 straight days so that I didn't lose my place in a complete playthrough)
Dragon Warrior IV. I personally believe that a lot of mechanics that are now commonplace in RPGs (and JRPGs specifically) were not only done first in IV, but done BEST in IV. I could write a giant wall of text on all the stuff I find mind-blowing in the Dragon Quest series (and perhaps someday I will). I also liked III a whole lot, and LOVED V and VI.
If I could choose 6, Diablo II would be the next one on the list. It took me a long time to get back to it after the initial release, but the LoD expansion, and especially patch 1.10 gave the game incredible depth and replayability. Diablo 3 was an incredible disappointment by comparison.
If I could choose 7, Starcraft would be added as well. It's objectively better than a bunch of the games on my list, but I'm not personally wild about the RT in RTS games, so its best part (multiplayer) is wasted on me. I'm one of the rare individuals who buys the games for the singleplayer campaign.
The only order these are in is the order I think of them in, I like them near enough all the same. I've seen a few threads like this, and if my answers are different in different threads then clearly my mood is different today.
-- Fallout 3: Yes, the writing could use work. Absolutely the glitches are apparent and frustrating. And yes, one if the add-one was just so atrocious sometimes I try to deny its existence (but that would be belligerent and immature of me). However, it is still a phenomenal game that can keep me amused for weeks on end. First game I played in my Xbox, and I certainly hope it's my last. This game is timeless to me, especially with all of its flaws.
--Icewind Dale: I actually prefer Dale 1 to BG. I like that there is no main character, just a party of adventurers. It has loads of combat, and plenty of tricky ones, whereas BG has a lot of inane small enemies and then 4 or 5 boss fights that actually involve a lot of planning (BG2 has more of these, granted). I do love BG, but I get bored of it really quickly sometimes (not as much BG2, but still I can get sick of it). Icewind Dale...I've never been sick of it and replay it once every few months from start to finish. Sometimes I use mod-NPCs for dialogue, sometimes I only use 3 or4 characters, and sometimes I just blare my music loudly while I cut through armies of undead, etc. I never played through Icewind Dale 2 because I felt the 3rd edition didn't mix well with infinity engine (though I think Neverwinter Nights 1/2 work well with their engines and 3rd edition).
--Pokemon series: Say what you will, but I love this series and always will. Ever since I received Pokemon Blue for Christmas when I was 7 years old I have played Pokemon games very frequently. Sometimes I look online for locations and decide the best team to use and plan out this all-star playthrough, other times I nickname my pokemon whatever feels appropriate at the time and wing it--I have fun regardless. Oh, it helps that my girlfriend plays too.
--Heroes of Might and Magic (3 in particular): A very fun series that I've been playing for a long time. Replayability galore, loads of fun winning and getting my donkey handed to me on a silver platter. It isn't the most difficult game, but when I play on the most ridiculous difficulties and still manage to thrash the opponent it feels good. If you haven't heard of this game and enjoy strategy/army building games, check it out for sure.
--Lord of the Rings: War in the North: A more recent game, this is perhaps the best co-op game out there for those who enjoy high fantasy, leveling up, and hacking and slashing everything. If is all plausible in the Tolkien World, and unlike other LoTR games where you follow the fellowship around, this time you distract orcs and other Northern armies so the fellowship can do its stuff. A bit of guerrilla warfare, lots of Orc and goblin smashing, and plenty of cool gear (and it can be played by 2 people! I haven't even considered playing it without a buddy) make it very fun. This and Borderlands can lead to days on end of co-op hack and slash brutality.
1. Baldur's Gate series. Do I even need to say why 2. Dark Souls. One of the most solid and intriguing games I have ever played 3. *insert ANY Atlus game here* seriously those dudes produce only awesome. 4. Bioshock: Infinite. 5. Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker. Because every list needs a Legend of Zelda game, and I like it more than OoT
1. Assassin's Creed (All)- Great story and great graphics. (PC) 2. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition- Another good story flow and again, great graphics. (PC) 3. Sid Meier's Civilization V- Great strategy game and some more good graphics. I especially can't wait for their latest expansion, "One World". (PC) 4. Darksiders II- Great sequel to a game, that I thought of as mediocre. The environment is rich and a much better story. (PC) 5. Dragon Age Orignis- This game I really did end up playing to death. It has a challenging environment that made you use your noggin, more than 10 times, to handle certain situations. The games' story was exquisite. A must play I believe. (PC)
1) Ultima Underworld 1&2 This game was so much awesome with 3D graphics and MIDI music that actually contributed to the atmosphere.
2) X-Wing I grew up as a huge Star Wars fan and have played a lot of their games, but this one let you fly the Rebel Alliance's X-wing, Y-Wing, and A-Wing starfighters in a beautiful full 3D environment. You had full control of your speed, shields, and weapon systems.
3) X-Com 1&2 Aliens invade earth and you are the elite military force to counter that objective. This game made you feel for those under your control.
4) Daggerfall/Morrowind These game s took 3D and made it beautiful and open ended.
5) Baldur's Gate 2 Judging by where this is being posted I don't think I have to say anything...
Honorable Mentions: Wing Commander, Diablo, Ultima Online, Age of Empires 2, Starcraft, Warcraft 2
--------------------------Console Games:
1) Final Fantasy (NES) I loved games like Dragon Warrior, but this made me an RPG fan.
2) Tactics Ogre (PSone) Role Playing with tactical combat, what else do you need?
3) Final Fantasy VII (PSone) OK, at the time this was the most beautiful game I had ever seen. The characters, the story, the music... all epic.
4) Resident Evil (PSone) This is the first game that scared the hell out of me... I loved it despite the bad voice acting. I consider this one a bit better than the sequels due to the limited resources available.
5) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES) I still play this game and am passing it on the the next generation of gamers.
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy Tactics (PSone), Golden Eye (N64), Disgaea (PS2), Castlevania IV (SNES), The Legend of Zelda (NES)
I lump EE with BG I/II and am enjoying it just as well.
Honorable mentions:
MIner 2049er Ninja Gaiden series (for original Nintendo) Lifeforce (Nintendo) St. Dragon (arcade game) Dragonbreed (arcade game) Smash TV (arcade game -- "Big money! Big prizes! I like it!") Diablo II Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2) Spider-Man 2 (PS2)
1) PES - For being a Real Time Tactical struggle. If you led by one goal you knew the tension increased, and had seen the desperation in the adversaries play. You have felt the importance to remain cold-bloodily calm. You knew the grief after the opponent had succeeded to score. Finally you felt the anger while being forced to watch the replay of his ingenious maneuver. It is popular. It is up-to-date. And winning still tastes great.
2) Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX) - I liked the poaching idea, diplomatic class, graphics style, character customization, multi-classing, stealing, party building, potion dropping and defeating the hardest boss I've ever encountered. The only way to defeat him was to [you can see drops of crystal-clear liquid making the ink to dissolve, you are unable to read the end of this sentence]. But the tears I cried before figuring that out - of Kings value.
3) Soul Calibur II (PS2) - Skillful dodges, knowledge, anticipation and medieval weaponry mixed with my friends' frustration. Delicious.
5) Saints Row: The Third. The most recent entry on this list, and the first time I had so much fun with a game in a long time. It's also the first time I cared so much about the NPCs since BG2.
4) Duke Nukem 3D. I have no idea of how many hours I've spent with this game. No other FPS has caught my attention since then. Except maybe for Quake II, but I'm not going back to that one so soon.
3) Starfox 64. I think this was the first time I actually got *good* at a game. As in "could beat it on the hardest difficulty while playing blindfolded. Sometimes I wish I still had a N64 just so I could revisit it.
2) Batman Arkham Asylum/City. I've been a Batman fanboy ever since I was little and with these games, for the first time I actually felt like I was the goddamn Batman. I know, it's a cliché comment, but oh so true. The story is compelling, the gameplay is really entertaining (with the gadgets and the detective mode), and the combat is... man, beating the crap out of thugs in this game is almost therapeutic. I'm gonna paraphrase some article whose author I unfortunately can't remember and say that nowadays, these games are THE Batman experience. Even more than the Nolan movies. This is a great take on the Batman universe, with some of Nolan's grittiness but also very colorful and comic-booky (for the lack of a better term). And the cherry on top is the amazing cast, with Kevin Conroy (THE Batman), Mark Hamill (THE Joker) and Grey DeLisle (who you might know as Viconia) doing an awesome Catwoman. I love these games and I'll be playing them for a long time to come.
1) Can you guess? Of course, the Baldur's Gate series. I started with the original BG in 2000 and I don't think I'll ever stop playing these games. I don't consider myself a gamer, I'm a BG player who occasionally dabbles in other games. Playing BG, reading about it and fiddling with it (testing mods, parties and such) is my favorite thing to do when I want to clear my head and/or relax and I can never get enough of it.
Comments
Baldur's Gate franchise - which I treat as one game when I play it.
Thief: The Dark Project - hiding in corners listening to conversations
Thief: The Metal Age - Cowering in terror from killer robots
Morrowind - Stranger in a strange land.
I want to put Starcraft2 on the list, as I lived that game for a good few months after it came out, I can't think of another game that can make your heart race with excitement like Starcraft does. On the other hand, as this is something of a Nostalgia board..
Privateer2: The Darkening - You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourselves.. IN SPACE.
-Lords of Magic Special Edition
-Nier
-Final Fantasy Series
-Rome/Medieval 2 Total War
There are so many others. Picking 5 is a crime =(
- Secret of Mana (SNES)
- Final Fantasy VII
- Civilization series (starting with II)
- Sim City 2000
All these I played when I was ~10 or younger.
Neverwinter Nights (The Gold Box game hosted by AOL in the early 90's). Easily the best community, best RP, and best PVP of any game I've ever played. Everything else has felt disappointing by comparison.
Baldur's Gate 2, SoA. I like BG1 and ToB, but the SoA content is head and shoulders above.
Final Fantasy VI. I also loved VII, and there are things I prefer about each. But the storytelling of VI was incredible, and that makes the difference for me.
Super Mario Bros. 3 (There were times when I would leave the nintendo on for 3 straight days so that I didn't lose my place in a complete playthrough)
Dragon Warrior IV. I personally believe that a lot of mechanics that are now commonplace in RPGs (and JRPGs specifically) were not only done first in IV, but done BEST in IV. I could write a giant wall of text on all the stuff I find mind-blowing in the Dragon Quest series (and perhaps someday I will). I also liked III a whole lot, and LOVED V and VI.
If I could choose 6, Diablo II would be the next one on the list. It took me a long time to get back to it after the initial release, but the LoD expansion, and especially patch 1.10 gave the game incredible depth and replayability. Diablo 3 was an incredible disappointment by comparison.
If I could choose 7, Starcraft would be added as well. It's objectively better than a bunch of the games on my list, but I'm not personally wild about the RT in RTS games, so its best part (multiplayer) is wasted on me. I'm one of the rare individuals who buys the games for the singleplayer campaign.
-- Fallout 3: Yes, the writing could use work. Absolutely the glitches are apparent and frustrating. And yes, one if the add-one was just so atrocious sometimes I try to deny its existence (but that would be belligerent and immature of me). However, it is still a phenomenal game that can keep me amused for weeks on end. First game I played in my Xbox, and I certainly hope it's my last. This game is timeless to me, especially with all of its flaws.
--Icewind Dale: I actually prefer Dale 1 to BG. I like that there is no main character, just a party of adventurers. It has loads of combat, and plenty of tricky ones, whereas BG has a lot of inane small enemies and then 4 or 5 boss fights that actually involve a lot of planning (BG2 has more of these, granted). I do love BG, but I get bored of it really quickly sometimes (not as much BG2, but still I can get sick of it). Icewind Dale...I've never been sick of it and replay it once every few months from start to finish. Sometimes I use mod-NPCs for dialogue, sometimes I only use 3 or4 characters, and sometimes I just blare my music loudly while I cut through armies of undead, etc. I never played through Icewind Dale 2 because I felt the 3rd edition didn't mix well with infinity engine (though I think Neverwinter Nights 1/2 work well with their engines and 3rd edition).
--Pokemon series: Say what you will, but I love this series and always will. Ever since I received Pokemon Blue for Christmas when I was 7 years old I have played Pokemon games very frequently. Sometimes I look online for locations and decide the best team to use and plan out this all-star playthrough, other times I nickname my pokemon whatever feels appropriate at the time and wing it--I have fun regardless. Oh, it helps that my girlfriend plays too.
--Heroes of Might and Magic (3 in particular): A very fun series that I've been playing for a long time. Replayability galore, loads of fun winning and getting my donkey handed to me on a silver platter. It isn't the most difficult game, but when I play on the most ridiculous difficulties and still manage to thrash the opponent it feels good. If you haven't heard of this game and enjoy strategy/army building games, check it out for sure.
--Lord of the Rings: War in the North: A more recent game, this is perhaps the best co-op game out there for those who enjoy high fantasy, leveling up, and hacking and slashing everything. If is all plausible in the Tolkien World, and unlike other LoTR games where you follow the fellowship around, this time you distract orcs and other Northern armies so the fellowship can do its stuff. A bit of guerrilla warfare, lots of Orc and goblin smashing, and plenty of cool gear (and it can be played by 2 people! I haven't even considered playing it without a buddy) make it very fun. This and Borderlands can lead to days on end of co-op hack and slash brutality.
2. Dark Souls. One of the most solid and intriguing games I have ever played
3. *insert ANY Atlus game here* seriously those dudes produce only awesome.
4. Bioshock: Infinite.
5. Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker. Because every list needs a Legend of Zelda game, and I like it more than OoT
2. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition- Another good story flow and again, great graphics. (PC)
3. Sid Meier's Civilization V- Great strategy game and some more good graphics. I especially can't wait for their latest expansion, "One World". (PC)
4. Darksiders II- Great sequel to a game, that I thought of as mediocre. The environment is rich and a much better story. (PC)
5. Dragon Age Orignis- This game I really did end up playing to death. It has a challenging environment that made you use your noggin, more than 10 times, to handle certain situations. The games' story was exquisite. A must play I believe. (PC)
1) Ultima Underworld 1&2
This game was so much awesome with 3D graphics and MIDI music that actually contributed to the atmosphere.
2) X-Wing
I grew up as a huge Star Wars fan and have played a lot of their games, but this one let you fly the Rebel Alliance's X-wing, Y-Wing, and A-Wing starfighters in a beautiful full 3D environment. You had full control of your speed, shields, and weapon systems.
3) X-Com 1&2
Aliens invade earth and you are the elite military force to counter that objective. This game made you feel for those under your control.
4) Daggerfall/Morrowind
These game s took 3D and made it beautiful and open ended.
5) Baldur's Gate 2
Judging by where this is being posted I don't think I have to say anything...
Honorable Mentions: Wing Commander, Diablo, Ultima Online, Age of Empires 2, Starcraft, Warcraft 2
--------------------------Console Games:
1) Final Fantasy (NES)
I loved games like Dragon Warrior, but this made me an RPG fan.
2) Tactics Ogre (PSone)
Role Playing with tactical combat, what else do you need?
3) Final Fantasy VII (PSone)
OK, at the time this was the most beautiful game I had ever seen. The characters, the story, the music... all epic.
4) Resident Evil (PSone)
This is the first game that scared the hell out of me... I loved it despite the bad voice acting. I consider this one a bit better than the sequels due to the limited resources available.
5) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES)
I still play this game and am passing it on the the next generation of gamers.
Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy Tactics (PSone), Golden Eye (N64), Disgaea (PS2), Castlevania IV (SNES), The Legend of Zelda (NES)
1) Lode Runner
2) BG I/II
3) X-Men: Legends
4) Fallout 3
5) Skyrim
I lump EE with BG I/II and am enjoying it just as well.
Honorable mentions:
MIner 2049er
Ninja Gaiden series (for original Nintendo)
Lifeforce (Nintendo)
St. Dragon (arcade game)
Dragonbreed (arcade game)
Smash TV (arcade game -- "Big money! Big prizes! I like it!")
Diablo II
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2)
Spider-Man 2 (PS2)
2) Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX) - I liked the poaching idea, diplomatic class, graphics style, character customization, multi-classing, stealing, party building, potion dropping and defeating the hardest boss I've ever encountered. The only way to defeat him was to [you can see drops of crystal-clear liquid making the ink to dissolve, you are unable to read the end of this sentence]. But the tears I cried before figuring that out - of Kings value.
3) Soul Calibur II (PS2) - Skillful dodges, knowledge, anticipation and medieval weaponry mixed with my friends' frustration. Delicious.
4) Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
5) Chrono Trigger (PSX)
5) Saints Row: The Third. The most recent entry on this list, and the first time I had so much fun with a game in a long time. It's also the first time I cared so much about the NPCs since BG2.
4) Duke Nukem 3D. I have no idea of how many hours I've spent with this game. No other FPS has caught my attention since then. Except maybe for Quake II, but I'm not going back to that one so soon.
3) Starfox 64. I think this was the first time I actually got *good* at a game. As in "could beat it on the hardest difficulty while playing blindfolded. Sometimes I wish I still had a N64 just so I could revisit it.
2) Batman Arkham Asylum/City. I've been a Batman fanboy ever since I was little and with these games, for the first time I actually felt like I was the goddamn Batman. I know, it's a cliché comment, but oh so true. The story is compelling, the gameplay is really entertaining (with the gadgets and the detective mode), and the combat is... man, beating the crap out of thugs in this game is almost therapeutic. I'm gonna paraphrase some article whose author I unfortunately can't remember and say that nowadays, these games are THE Batman experience. Even more than the Nolan movies. This is a great take on the Batman universe, with some of Nolan's grittiness but also very colorful and comic-booky (for the lack of a better term). And the cherry on top is the amazing cast, with Kevin Conroy (THE Batman), Mark Hamill (THE Joker) and Grey DeLisle (who you might know as Viconia) doing an awesome Catwoman. I love these games and I'll be playing them for a long time to come.
1) Can you guess? Of course, the Baldur's Gate series. I started with the original BG in 2000 and I don't think I'll ever stop playing these games. I don't consider myself a gamer, I'm a BG player who occasionally dabbles in other games. Playing BG, reading about it and fiddling with it (testing mods, parties and such) is my favorite thing to do when I want to clear my head and/or relax and I can never get enough of it.