posted
For me Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. I have spent FAR FAR to much time playing that game. My number two would be Sid Meirs Civilization II. That was my first computer game ever. I get nostalgic just thinking about it.
What about you?
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HOURS spent. Zen-like state reached. Time passing with no notice and peace achieved. Addiction so severe, game is removed from computer, never to be played again.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
Although Tetris has a perfect complexity about it and deserves mention as the best puzzle game of all time, the best OVERALL game of all time is:
STARCRAFT. (note the period)
I too can bow to the greatness of Baldur's Gate and the Civ Series, but no game has captured me like Starcraft. I even debate about buying a laptop so that I can play at lunch. I would buy a laptop for no other reason other than to watch DVDs in the car. Sorry off topic, but Starcraft determines many things in my life and I consider it the chess of video games, console or otherwise.
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posted
I'm currently playing through Planescape: Torment. If you were a fan of the BG series, go pick this up in a bargain bin somewhere. It's an amazing game.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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And didn't we agree that it's pretty much impossible to decide, especially when you look back at vintage games?
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posted
Starcraft was so much more than just a game. It was stepping into a story. I'd have to agree with that selection, although I really haven't played a ton of games with which to compare.
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posted
"HOURS spent. Zen-like state reached. Time passing with no notice and peace achieved. Addiction so severe, game is removed from computer, never to be played again."
Katharina, I agree, except my addiction was "Columns," a Mac game(I think) similar to Tetris but simpler. I was totally addicted, and I was gooooood.
I would definitely feel Zennish when I played.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Starcraft. I guess this doesn't need to be said. Enough people have already mentioned this game.
It's just so good. Even to this day. The best thing about it was just the impact of playing a game like that for the first time. Before Starcraft, the only other RTS games I ever played were Command and Conquer: Red Alert, and Warcraft II. Starcraft blew those away so badly.
The only other game I ever got so worked up over was Super Mario 64, except Starcraft had BNet to keep me coming back, even after the single player experience was over with.
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posted
I would have to say that C&C: Red Alert was really good gameplay, although the graphics and story stunk.
StarCraft was good for about 2 weeks. The story was lame, the graphics stunk, and it didn't actually require intellect to win, only speed. The first person to build 20 gateways and zealot rush wins every time.
Since I only like Chess as a intellectual game, those seem really shallow to me, so I would have to say Chessmaster 9000 with another player. Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
Bah to your Starcraft bashing... You're right about C&C though, it was pretty good. It had more of a real world combat thing going for it...well, definately more than Starcraft did anyway.
Posts: 149 | Registered: Aug 2003
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You can never have too much StarCraft bashing. I really hated that game. I liked it for about 2 weeks, then it lost all newness and appeal to it.
I just don't think calling it a "strategy game" is proper, because it isn't strategy, it's speed and luck.
Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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BEST ACTION: Halo [XBox] It's rare to find a game that is so perfectly balanced and consistently fun, regardless of the number of times you've played. Death refuses to get frustrating because replaying again and again never gets boring. I just played my first 16-man match the other night, which solidified Halo at the top. [Favorite line of the night: "Our team has too many Master Chiefs and not enough Indians!"]
BEST RPG: Fallout/Fallout II [PC] While often taking a backseat to Baldur's Gate, these two games defined the future of isometric RPGs. The deep, fully-realized morality system put Ultima to shame, rewarding you in different ways for different moral choices, and allowing you to work for any side in every conflict, many of which had no clear good guy. The skill system was similarly versatile and rewarding, giving you limitless freedom in character design, while still offering special rewards and powers through the Perk system. In the near future, RPGs owe more to Fallout than to any other title, with KOTOR, Greyhawk, Bloodlines, and Lionheart all following closely in its footsteps. [Greyhawk is being designed by the same core team, and Lionheart uses the same character system and style].
BEST STRATEGY: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri [PC] The only large-scale conquest simulator to achieve a meaningful political and diplomatic model. The dynamic world is shaped by your choices, and there is even an involving personal story that you can choose to follow or ignore. Choosing a different faction is more than cosmetic, yet you still have sufficient freedom to do whatever you want. Versatile, engaging, and still fun after several years.
MOST REVOLUTIONARY: Grand Theft Auto III/Vice City [PS2] The recent Grand Theft Auto games threw a wrench in the works by creating moment-to-moment gameplay that was so fun and engaging that they could completely open the world up like a sandbox without creating a moment's tedium. You can play for five minutes or five hours, accomplish something or accomplish nothing, and either way, you are glad you did it.
MOST ANTICIPATED: Fable [XBox] Peter Molyneux is the official eccentric genius of the world of game design [not to be confused with eccentric genius programmer John Carmack or eccentric idiot designer John Romero]. Though not all of his games are smash successes, his exploration into life-like simulations, genre-bending designs, and morally-relevant play choices have had untold influence across the medium. His next project to be published is Fable, the self-proclaimed anti-RPG, a game that pokes fun at the genre, while at the same time fulfilling all of its basic purposes in new and surprising ways. Check it out at www.fablegame.com
BEST OVERALL: Deus Ex [PC] I know it's a no-brainer, but Deus Ex is one of the few games I've seen that does everything right. The game is extremely THICK — there is more going on in every scene than you can pick up on a single pass. But that's okay, because you can play through it from beginning to end five or six times without getting bored. The creators built the game around relevant player choices, allowing your decisions in character design, tactics, and social interaction to affect the storyline in wildly significant ways. There is no wrong way to play. There are only different facets of a fascinating world to experience. The storyline is smart and engaging. There are no fragments of a sacred relic to collect — instead, the storytellers respect you and tell you a grown-up tale of conspiracy and betrayal. The gameplay appeals as an FPS, an RPG, an adventure game, and a stealth shooter. I would recommend this game to every freaking last one of you.
SECOND MOST ANTICIPATED: Deus Ex: Invisible War [PC/XBox]
Posts: 2048 | Registered: Jul 2000
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posted
Hmmm... I'd say Tetris gets the award for Most Addicting Game, but I'm not sure if I'd say it's the best.
StarCraft, Baldur's Gate II and Age of Empires are my favorites. Honorable mentions to Icewind Dale I & II, Final Fantasy VII (was IX ever released for the PC, Mac?) and The Dig (I'm not kidding -- great story line, amazing visuals for a CGA based game and how can you not love the 101 uses for the shovel?).
Posts: 1295 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
I think I'm just too young for Tetris...not that I never played it! I did. Except it was before my time, there were other games I was more interested in.
If anything, the most addictive game I've ever played has to be either Counter-Strike or Battlefield: 1942.
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posted
Just got back from five hours of Starcraft, and I'll throw in my vote for that.
Nick, if you think it's all about speed and luck, email me, and I'll meet you in BattleNet. I'll introduce your zealot rush to my psi storms
twinky, I'm disappointed to see that you've gone to the dark side. While WC3 may have better graphics, it's so unfun to follow, that once the novelty of uprooting Ancient Protectors and bringing them into battle wore off, I stopped playing. Very novel..some good ideas and awesome graphics...but if they do the same thing to SC2, I'll probably end up sticking to Brood War.
And Tetris is the greatest console game ever. I'm still addicted, 15 years later.
Posts: 5264 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
One of my favorite games of all time is Master of Orion II, Battle at Antares.
Absolutely magnificent, andreplayable to the end of time. Although there are better games out there, this one has stood the test of time and blazes forth as a beacon of beneficial brightness lighting the way for new and better games.
Posts: 218 | Registered: Nov 2001
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posted
Although I enjoy a lot of games, I have to say that my favorite is NetHack (whichever version happens to be out at the time.) Not only is it complex, challenging, and different every time; it's also free! It's also open source (I think that's the right term), so there are also a number of really good variations on the game made by fans.
posted
For me, it's all DOS. Either the Hugo saga or (more likely) a completely text game called Kingdom. The game was simple enough. You live 1,000 years - make the best of it. You conquer lands ("squares"), subdue barbarians, make them loyal - they become serfs become lords become knights. You take x number of knights, y number of peasants and, of course, z number of barbarians (mercenary force, no doubt) into battle and see what happens.
I'm not even big on the whole Godgame aspect or kill-em-dead games, but this game was great. Logged too many hours on my old Toshiba conquering squares and whatnot. I was a great "King," for a woman. ^_~
Oh, but yeah: I agree NetHack is probably the best of the "current" games.
quote: BEST STRATEGY: Paradox's Europa Universalis II [PC] The only large-scale conquest simulator to achieve a meaningful political and diplomatic model. The dynamic world is shaped by your choices, and there is even an involving historical events model that you can choose to follow or ignore. Choosing a different nation is more than cosmetic, yet you still have sufficient freedom to do whatever you want. Versatile, engaging, and still fun after several years.
Fixed that for you Geoff. EU II is the beginning and the end of RTS/TBS hybrid play. Plus a huge player mod scene makes the game run anywhere from fantastical to history teaching device.
I mean, what game lets you play as any nation, IN THE WORLD, as of 1419 (Anything from the Mayans, to the Ottomans, to China, to the Iroqois, to the Nubians, and everything in between).
--- You can't do a "Best Game" list without mentioning Grim Fandango and EUII.
And Bionic Commando. 2D NES platforming distilled to its essential parts.
And the Star Wars vector-based arcade game.
And Time-Pilot.
And Seven Cities of Gold for C-64 (or Apple).
And Wing Commander (though I'm not a space simmer).
And so on.
-Bok
EDIT: Oh, lest I forget, there is also the best adventure/shooter/RPG hybrid of all time, Star Control 2.
posted
Man, Bok, I thought I was the only person who remembered Seven Cities of Gold. I had that for my C64 (I miss that system!).
Starcraft gets my vote as the best game of all time, although there are many others that are right behind it...many mentioned on this thread!
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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posted
Has anyone played the EU Crowns of the North game? I am considering picking it up. I love Civ3 and similar games, and I am hoping this one is as good.
Posts: 4548 | Registered: May 2001
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I can't believe I completely forgot about the Marathon games in the FPS category, especially since they have far and away the best story of any FPS -- and quite possibly any non-Planescape: Torment game -- ever devised.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Jacare, don't bother, I believe it's a repackaging of EU2 and and early Paradox product only released in Sweden, Svea Rike 3, localized for English speakers. A lot of people like SR3, but I see the allure.
posted
Because Tom has exquisite taste in games (except for that whole Adventure genre thing - wth is up with that?) my list is pretty much dead-on with his.
But I'm trading Unreal Tournament for Deus Ex and Jedi Knight 2 for Thief: Gold. Oh, and No One Lives Forever becomes No One Lives Forever II.
Dune II becomes Dugeon Keeper, mostly because I haven't played Dune II and in Dungeon Keeper you get to slap your minions into activity.
Everything else is pretty much spot-on, especially the RPGs. (I've never actually played Bard's Tale III as I was about ten when it came out. But I have enough fond memories of sitting on Slash's waterbed while he played it on his Commodore 64. Those beautiful occasions when he'd let me come in his mystery-shrouded bedroom that always had cheetos and grape flavored Bubbleyum based on my strict promise that I would neither "talk or move or indicate my presence in anyway whatsoever.")
posted
Tom, how do you justify putting Star Control in the same category as Privateer, Wing Commander 2 and FreeSpace 2? That's like putting Commander Keen in the same category as Half-Life.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Time Tim--I two and a Masters Of Orion II fan. My wife, a friend, and I would set up the turn play mode and spend a weekend conquering the universe.
There is also "Liesure Suit Larry", "The Leather Goddess of Phobos", "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (text version)", "Space Invaders" and the most popular game of all, addictive and stunning graphics for the time----"Pong"
However, I am an Everquest addict.
What other game can be played for over two years and still be fresh and live today.
Well, the 6 add on packs that have come out to date might help in keeping it fresh and fun.
I just bought a new expansion pack that is being downloaded as we speak, over a telephone line at home.
This 24 hour long download means I get to play that other favorite game--Watch the Progress Bar Move.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Ultimately, at the end of the day, Star Control is a space combat game. And it deserved a mention SOMEWHERE. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
if that's the case, it's definitely a space arcade shooter... But a universally considered mediocre game at that. It really took SC2 to create perfection with that combat system.
posted
Red Storm Rising was great fun. One of the few games I still play from that era via emulation. Although I'd love to try getting M1 Tank Platoon to work.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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