Build a list: the absolute best computer games of the past 5 years

[Buccaneer]

I'm thinking SMAC gotta be more than 5, maybe like 1997?

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Oh, and on the 5 year thing, it's just an arbitrary boundary. I'm really trying to get a list of game together that I should check out, considering my old CPU was so behind the times and when I try to think of everything I wanted before but either couldn't run or didn't have the money for, my brain explodes!

see you guys can list older than 5 years..its ok too..

[TazFTW]

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - good story and an RPG I actually played all the way through (the last one being Dragon Warrior for the NES)
Mafia - loved the atmosphere
Rome: Total War - loved the series and the new engine pushes this to the top
Max Payne and Max Payne 2 - loved the style
Beyond Good and Evil - great story and gameplay
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - great gameplay
Call of Duty - pure adrenaline rush
No One Lives Forever 1 and 2 - loved the style and atmosphere
The Longest Journey - loved the story and I've always liked adventure games
Escape from Monkey Island - not my favorite of the series (that would be Curse of Monkey Island) but the Monkey Island series has always been a favorite because of the humor.

[TheOhioStateUniversity]

Baldurs Gate 1 and 2
Mafia
FOF
FBCB
FBB
I dont play many graphical computer games due to my constant system limitations.

[CraigSca]

FOF
TCY
CIV2
Everquest

[MylesKnight]

TCY

FOF

FBCB

1, 2 and 3

[Cringer]

FOF (incuding all version into this)
FBCB
TCY
Railroad Tycoon 3
Simcity 3000

[The_herd]

Planescape: Torment (think this is right at 5 years)
FBCB
FOF:2k4
Halo
World of Warcraft


Honorable Mention:

Max Payne I
Call of Duty
Far Cry
TCY

[WussGawd]

(No particular order)

The Sims Sims 2 is better, but this game was so breathtakingly original at the time it has to be included.

Knights of the Old Republic Best.RPG.Ever. The only RPG I've ever played (and finished) more than once.

Championship Manager 03/04 Haven't tried FM yet, but this was the game that CM4 promised to be.

Diablo II w/ LoD Expansion. It's a rare day when one of the four members of the WussGawd household isn't playing a game of this on Battle.net, and it's been out four years.

Grand Theft Auto III Haven't tried San Andreas yet (though I'll probably snag it when it comes out on XBox or PC), but this game was a true original. Vice City added a lot more chrome, but without GTA3, Rockstar would probably have been DOA.

If I could expand the list to 10, I'd add the following:

IL-2 Sturmovik Forgotten Battles (Gold Edition): The first flight simulator I've truly got into in a decade.

The College Years (I could only pick one out of the series, and this is the game I play the most of Jim's lot).

Railroad Tycoon II Platinum Edition (Still on my hard drive after five years).

Tropico (See comments re. RAilroad Tycoon II. A game I still pick up every once in a while).

The Operational Art of War: Century of Warfare (Wonderful open ended design with a ton of third-party scenarios).

EDIT: Oops. That's six & eleven. Can't count. Dropped EU2

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

see you guys can list older than 5 years..its ok too..

I've given you my special seal of approval to list any game you want...

[Bad-example]

The best game no one else besides me bought: Pro Pinball: Fantastic Journey.