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Favorite Computer Games of all-time - 2018 Edition (or do we have a mental disorder?)
Thinking through my gaming history, here's my list
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/27/health...who/index.html I suspect some of you are like me. I don't think I fit the description but I definitely have many of the symptoms and have gone on binges. So on a scale of 1-10, where 10 is having the problem (and not the extreme, extreme cases which is like a 15), I think I would classify myself as a 8. There is no doubt that I've let my family life "suffer" because of gaming but some of my fondest memories are playing computer games with my son (or him/me watching over my/his shoulders or him asking me to get him thru a tough part in a game etc.). My questions to you are -
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My favorite/best ever
X-Com 2 (including WOTC) - Closing in on 600 hours and still enjoying it. Easily my favorite turn-based strategy game ever. Baldurs Gate II - The BG series revolutionized RPGs and I have the new enhanced edition queued up to play. Great, immersive world. Title Bout 2.5 - Easily my most played sports game, still play regularly, if only it had career mode - Game over. Fallout 1 and 2 - Especially 2, such a cool gritty game Next best Fallout 4 - Definitely a great game, just not quite as fun in first person as the original top down releases. Divinity OS 2 - This has a pretty good chance to displace the first Fall Outs at the next level, I just haven't played enough to become fully immersed in the world Football Manager Series - The deepest sports sims out there, but I haven't played a lot since the 2016 release. Remembering fondly, in my ancient history Darklands 1992 - One of the more unique and refreshing RPG's I played, if one game BEGS for a remake this is it! Lance Hafner Full Count Baseball 1984 - The first sports text sim I played and it is still one of my favs. No career but it was fun making custom leagues of the greatest teams of all time, pretty accurate results. The Bards Tale Series 1980's - Deep and challenging RPG's that really made you think, no hand holding. I still remember my elation and defeating the 2nd version. I must have re-fought that final battle 15 times before I defeated the last boss. Questions 1.On a scale of 1-10, do you have an issue with spending too much time on games? - 5 (It really varies as I go in spurts) 2.Has your family shared in your gaming adventures? - The kids yes, my wife not so much LOL 3.Ideas to help make sure it doesn't take over your life and adversely affect your family/social life? - I just have a very balanced life, very physically active, make sure to do date nights and set aside family/spouse time so I don't really have an issue outside of staying on too late when I have me time. To combat that I just set a bed time and stick to it. |
TCY
Just thinking about recruiting makes me want to play another season. Players are given values. Wouldn't it be easier if you met someone and knew their value in a category. I may have an addiction to numbers and find more joy in them than others. |
Great idea for a thread. I often think about this and dividing it into ancient and non-ancient history solves my dilemma of how to rank the "greatest games I had ever played but would not ever play them now".
Ancient Games: 1. Pirates! Gold (1993, this was the much enhanced Mac version after the original) 2. Impressions City-Building Series (Pharaoh/Cleopatra, Zeus/Poseidon) 3. Conquest of the New World (1996, best 4X game of all time imo) 4. Imperialism II 5. SimCity (1988, this was what got me hooked on Mac and eventually PC gaming) Honorable Mentions: Outlaw (LucasArts), Railroad Tycoon I and II, Total War Series (Shogun and Medieval) Not-so-Ancient Games: 1. Modded Skyrim including Enderal (greatest action RPG) 2. Assassin's Creed: Black Flag (most fun game I had ever played) 3. Civ Series (II, IV and V - I retired from playing Civ after V, nothing could top that imo) 4. Mafia I and II (not III) Text Sims: 1. OOTP 5 (that was the best version for Lahman-based Historical Leagues) 2. FBCB v.1 I used to spend too much time on games but now just dedicate about 2-3 months out of the year to play (usually any character in modded Skyrim or Enderal). |
Console Games - I play far and few between, but the replay value was always there.
Assasin's Creed: Black Flag - The best game in the franchise. It was mentioned before and it's been awhile, but I think I'll load it up tonight and play Red Dead Redemption - I love this open world, it was so beautiful to play and you don't even need to follow the storyline at all, there is plenty to do. I am eagerly waiting for the next game which should be coming out in Q2. Computer Games FOF2 - I would love to get ahold of a copy of it, but sadly, I don't think there are any out there TCY - Still holds up pretty well. FM Series - Each game always feels like they improved just enough Tropico Series - Something about it just makes me smile. Colonization - I like Civ 2 a lot, but Colonization was just enough of what I liked in an empire builder. I think the exploration aspect does it for me. |
Awesome idea for a thread
Best/most time sucking of all time Championship Manager/Football Manager series - it is a bit sobering to think what I could have done with my life if I hadn't played these games since 1993 Deus Ex (but definitely not the sequel or any of the games since) - played through this one too many times to count. For a game released back then, the fact that I still find things to do differently each time is incredible Baldurs Gate II - probably the only other story based game I've played through more than 3 times EUIV/CK2 - cheating a bit by lumping these two together, but nearly 1000 hours put into both so I'm pretty sure that counts. Thanks Paradox. Close to the best Civ series - mostly Civ 2, dread to think how many hours I put into that one back in the day but have played every single one pretty religiously for a good period since then as well. XCOM - starting with Apocalypse which I was completely obsessed with back in high school and had never played a game like it, and the newer ones are great too. How to resurrect an old franchise properly. NHLPA Hockey/NHL93 - my MegaDrive (Genesis) console fix. Would go over a buddies house when he got his console and just play for days. Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim - lumping together again, people seem to hate Morrowind but I played it and thought it was revolutionary (and used it as an excuse to have my parents allow me to buy a new PC) and the ones since have just been getting better Honorable Mention Unreal Tournament - for whatever reason was our multiplayer game of choice in high school, but also used to love just playing against the AI. Way too many late nights with Winamp blasting into my headphones playing this one and then skipping class the next morning. Assassin's Creed - probably my favorite series of newer console games. Think the London version is the only game I've actively tried to get 100% completion in (and eventually given up on, but still) Sim City 2k - played this for years back in the day. Somehow my dad got a copy from work, which is strange looking back. Absolutely great game for the time period, never really got into any of the sequels but got some enjoyment out of them. As for the last questions, I'd imagine I probably average around an 6 or a 7 over the last 20 years or so. In the past I'd definitely let school or even on occasion temporary work suffer because of video games but now I have a "real" job I can't think of one time I've let video gaming interfere. I definitely have a problem with filling too much free time with gaming and not spending it with family and friends if they are over, which is something I'm working on. Had actually done pretty well the last few months spending entire evenings without even sitting in front of a computer once and doing stuff around the house, working out or reading for work instead, but with time off around thanksgiving/christmas have found myself slipping into old habits and spending too much time gaming again. Definitely something I'm going to try to get back to in the New Year. |
Gah, how could I forget CK2! Probably second in hours spent after FM series! Half the time was playing with the Game of Thrones mod
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All-Time
Final Fantasy Tactics - My #1 favorite game of all time. Only ever played through to completion once, but I've had numerous restarts since then and always enjoy it. The perfect blend of story, art, and class system. Crusader Kings series - Although my playtime is way down from what it was, this was the pair of games that took my dynasties to another level, and The Beautiful Girl and the History Class was a real turning point in my writing development. Typical of my cursed luck, it was written during the Golden Age of CK dynasties, so it only achieved the equivalent of the Bronze Medal in year-end voting. Any other year, it'd have taken first. FM series - Never had a love/hate relationship quite so much as with this series, as my numerous dynasties attest to. It's time I *should* be spending writing my own stuff, but it's an addiction I just can't break. Draft Day Sports: Pro Basketball series - Dynasties galore, and I developed a lot of friendships through MP leagues. Probably the single most life-changing series for me personally, with more to potentially come, which I can't comment on right now. Narrowly Misses Elder Scrolls: Skyrim - I enjoyed Morrowind and Oblivion, but Skyrim took it to another level. Put myself in a bad spot on the final island during my first deep runthrough, so never beat it, but this is another game that I'm always restarting. Dragon Age series - Overall, my favorite of the action RPG series. Although Origins is still my favorite, II and Inquisition are both still phenomenal. Fable series - The only time Molyneux ever came close to his hype factor. I forget which one has the doomsday scenario choices, but I've used it as a freewrite question in my classes, and it's generated out of class discussions with its philosophical dilemma. Heavy Rain/Beyond: Two Souls - I've only done one playthrough of each, but atmospheric as hell games that just suck you in. Love that developer for what they've been able to do. Telltale Series - If I ever had a creative job working for a major software developer, I would kill to work for these guys. Branching narratives are some of my favorite games, and their work with licensed properties is simply terrific. Game of Thrones is my favorite licensed property (please release Season 2, damn it) and overall, but The Wolf Among Us is a very, very close second. Ancient Games Shining Force - My dad and I spent an entire summer playing this game before finally beating it. Truth be told, it's not far off from FFT in my favorite games of the genre. Warsong - Another tactical strategy game my dad and I both played. The only game he actually loved more than I did, and we'd spend hours talking about our playthroughs. If the story was just a little deeper and longer, it'd be higher up. Nostalgia value is high not only because of the dad connection, but because I'd searched for this game for years after the video rental store near my house closed. Finally found it in Gurnee Mills mall in Illinois at Electronics Boutique... for $15. Still the best gaming value of my life. Revolution 76 - IIGS grand strategy game of the American Revolution that was exceptional for its time, and I still like it more than the much deeper and complex Liberty or Death of KOEI fame - even though the latter game allowed you to play the British. Genghis Khan - My first grand strategy game. I sunk more hours into this game than any other in my childhood. I rented it so much from the corner video store that finally the owner just let me buy it because I could never find it anywhere. My favorite KOEI game ever except for maybe... Uncharted Waters: New Horizons - Superior to the original in every way, and I loved the stories, art style, and different routes to take. Really wish KOEI would make another one in this series. I liked it even more than Sid Meier's Pirates. Destiny of An Emperor - RPG of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms told from the Shu point of view. The art style hooked me in and is still one of my favorites, and the story was engrossing, with a wide and deep roster of generals to recruit (even though the end game team is always the Five Tigers with Kongming as strategist). I wish the other games in the series had been released into English. Questions 1. Probably a 10 in terms of eating up time I could be using for writing. In terms of my social life, though, it doesn't affect it at all. Getting out of the apartment always comes first. 2. Used to be my dad would - Warsong, Shining Force, Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy 2/4, and Battle Chess. The last one he got so good at, he'd play the computer at the level where it'd take an hour to make a move, so he'd make his move, then go do dishes or some other chore, then come back to play. Dad, Mom, and I all played Taipan constantly. In fact, it should probably go on the Ancient Games list. Simple, yet addicting trading/shipping game. 3. Don't have a family life, but I always choose social life first when the opportunity comes up, even if it's just going and playing Magic at a friend's house. It's not the social/family thing that gaming interferes with - it's my writing. |
Great call on Heavy Rain. Also only played it once through and can’t iamgine going back now I know the story, but absolutely the most impactful game I think I’ve ever played.
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Interesting (but I guess not surprising) there is greater difference of opinion than same.
Some common threads so far are Civ, XCom, CK2, Elder Scrolls & Fallout. Only one I haven't spent significant amount of time on is CK2 (vs Stellaris). One more I thought of for ancient history is
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I loved both of those, too! The MULE theme song is my jam. |
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10 easily. No family life though to suffer, but yeah, there have been times. Nope. I love gaming, not necessarily video gaming, although that's one of my favs methods. Board game nights each week? Hosting a poker game (not for real money)? RPGs like D&D? Wargaming where you have already invested in everything and now you just play? Like Warhammer or Battletech? Play a mean game of canasta? The list of games I found the most addictive at the time aren't necessarily the best of their genre or the best designed. Tetris was a perfect design, but I'm never staying up late or missing lunch because I am playing Tetris. On the other hand, I just stayed up until 4:00 am last night playing Tropico 5, and that's the worst in the series by far. I'd never call it a well designed game. For me, the most addictive games have been, in order for most to least in this list: 1). Hard Roguelikes - Angband, Moria, Zangband, etc 2). Civ and Civ clones like Master of Magic and Colonization 3). EU and CK and similar games 4). Ultima Online and Guild Wars 5). FM but not other text sims. OOTP and FOF aren't really time annihilators like FM is, 6). Zelda Series 7). Squad-based tactical games like JA2 and XCom. 8). RPGs not mentioned above like BG, Wasteland, Fallout, Morrowind, etc 9). Pokemon 10). Tycoon games like RCT, Zoo Tycoon and RRT. |
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I was gonna mention some of these. For me it'd probably be a tossup between T.O.M.E., A.D.O.M. and/or good ol' NetHack. |
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I never realized you were a writer! What sort of writing do you do? |
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Half a novel, part of another novel, and raw material for a short story collection fictionwise (aka what I really should be working on). Businesswise, I have a writing services business I formally launched this past fall. Press releases, blog posts, articles, GoFundMe descriptions, even a radio script. Main clientele areas are travel/tourism, entertainment (comedians and musicians mostly), and computer gaming based. |
My list, starting with the big two
Not quite there but good shot at it
Remembering fondly
About those questions:
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Funny this thread came up because I'd been wanting to play the original Colonization for the longest time and only had the crappy the micro DOS box version which is hard to see/play on today's computers. And then a couple of days ago I googled for information and found that gog.com has the original version on DOS box but scaled to the bigger screen size, so I bought it for $6 and have been enjoying a blast from the past without killing my eyesight.
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The Ancients
Wizardry - Apple IIe - The first massive RPG I ever played and first one I so looked forward to arriving. It did not disappoint. Probably logged 200 hours on this. (Trebor sux!) I think it set the standard for RPGs moreso than the Ultima series. Castle WOlfenstein - Apple IIe - Trapped in a castle (???) by the third reich and armed with one pistol and 6 bullets, you must find THE PLANS and escape. The most tense game I've ever played and then some. Action adventure with questing. Perhaps a great great grandfather of both Doom and Diablo. I also learned German swear words. Wishbringer, Bureaucracy, Enchanter, Suspended, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Zork II, Scott Adams, Colassal Cave - Lumping these all together. There was a company called Infocom that put out brilliant and extensive text adventures. I think they really set standards for box production as each game box was filled with little storybooks and objects and pamphlets "from the game world". Each had a specific theme and point of view. In Enchanter you were an apprentice wizard at a wizard school and one day everyone disappears. You must explore the world and use your actual spells to solve the mystery. (FROZZ!) Wishbringer, you were a really bad mailman on an island that has been taken over my a malevolent force. In Suspended you are stuck inside a cryogenics tube on a drifting spaceship the ENTIRE GAME. You can only command your 5 robots around the ship to do everything for you (and some couldn't even see). In Hitchhiker's Guide, you are basically PLAYING the book. It was actually written by Douglas Adams. Anyone that has tried to get the babelfish may remember just how hard these puzzles can be. Bureaucracy was another Douglas Adams game where your entire goal is to change your address. There were about 15 of these brilliant games and some were just flat out unfair. But I loved every one of them. And who could forget the Zork series, the original fantasy adventures. You find a cave into a magical world and go. This was actually inspired by the original text adventure, Colassal Cave which floated around on many systems. Had similar areas to Zork. There was a guy that was inspired by all of those named Scott Adams (not the Dilbert one) and he made a similar series that I got a bootleg copy of. Don't really remember where. It was so amazingly easy to copy apple software. The main one I remember was Castle of Voodoo. |
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That's so awesome; good luck!!! |
Just a few I'd like to add to the 'Ancient' category:
The Ancient Art of War: probably the first war strategy game I played. Balance of Power: really loved this, a very sophisticated portrayal of the Cold War. XOR Football and Basketball: very good sports sims with X and O graphics. Imperialism I and II: both were very challenging games built on a simple structure. Colonization: for my money, one of the best and most interesting 4x games ever. Presidential Election: the first, and one of the better, election simulations. |
Honestly way too many games register to me as my favorites - I'm bad at picking.
Civ Series - As a history lover and a guy that loves to learn how things work, I have spent so much time in the Civolopedia Deus Ex - Replayed so many times. So much fun discovering different paths and I absolutely loved the conspiracy stuff. OOTP - More hours in than anything else over 13 versions. Chronotrigger - Love the music, the story, everything. Bioshock - the first one's setting and story absolutely floored me. Fantastic storytelling. I really liked Infinite as well. LA Noire - I LOVED this game overall, so underrated in my opinion. GTA Series - Loved the open world. GTA Vice City is my favorite. Neverwinter Nights 2 - I liked all of these NN games but this was my favorite. Dragons Age - Especially the first one was a heck of a lot of fun. Oblivion - While I spent a lot of time with Skyrim, Oblivion still is my favorite of the two. Fallout series - I like them all in one way or another. Fallout Las Vegas is probably the most fun I have had despite the immense amount of bugginess at release. Tecmo Super Bowl - the game I can always go back to and play. Simcity series NBA2k series - So good - have really enjoyed it over the years. Early Madden series - I may have played these even more than OOTP. Other games I've enjoyed immensely - Half Life, The Walking Dead - Telltale, Wolf Among Us, Vampire:Masquerade, X-Com, Life is Strange, Just Cause series, MLB: The Show, Roller Coaster Tycoon, FOF |
Edward, you and I would get along well as 3 of your top 4 would be in my list as well (never played Space Rangers)
If I could only play one game: Civ Series My other top 9 games of all time: Skyrim Pirates Banished Railroad Tycoon Football Manager KOTOR Fallout Series Europa Universalis/Crusader Kings Series TIE Fighter The Next 10: NCAA/Madden Super Mario Series Mario Kart Series SimCity Series Fable (I & II only) FOF Total War Series (Rome & Medieval especially) Age of Rifles Operational Art of War RollerCoaster Tycoon Questions: 1. Most of the year I am a 2 or 3, but when I have an extended break I occasionally become a 8 or 9. I did spend 3 days of break absolutely diving into Civ4 and playing it relentlessly and another day of Banished. However, that was my first video game binge in quite some time. I play board games more often. 2. My son got the Zelda game for the Switch for Christmas. He beat it yesterday. He's like me and gets absorbed in the storylines and wants to finish it. My wife will have mini binges on Mario. My twin sons enjoy games that allow them to just build and explore. 3. I have other hobbies. I play board games and review them. I like to write. I have things that keep me busy. I know I can get sucked into games, but I limit it. Though I don't feel bad about losing a few days of breaks gaming. It was fun. |
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