Author Topic: 30 PC Games to Play Before You Die (Read 35345 times)

lanux128 · « **on:** April 30, 2009, 11:53 AM »

from bit-tech.net, 30 PC Games to Play Before You Die. how many have you played?

• http://www.bit-tech....play-before-you-die/

gexecuter · « **Reply #1 on:** April 30, 2009, 01:17 PM »

I have played like 9 of those, i have a long way to go.

mouser · « **Reply #2 on:** April 30, 2009, 01:29 PM »

i definitely don't agree with that list (only played a couple of them) but it's an interesting read.

Deozaan · « **Reply #3 on:** April 30, 2009, 03:30 PM »

Of all the games in that list I haven't played, there is only one I regret missing: The Grim Fandango.

And I actually don't know much of anything about the game. It's just always looked interesting and fun(ny) to me.

wraith808 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 30, 2009, 03:59 PM »

i definitely don't agree with that list (only played a couple of them) but it's an interesting read.
-mouser (April 30, 2009, 01:29 PM)

I'm with you! I've played more than a couple, but they missed several IMO, and some of the ones they put on there are just plain puzzling.

fenixproductions · « **Reply #5 on:** April 30, 2009, 04:23 PM »

I'd rather die than play some of those

Lashiec · « **Reply #6 on:** April 30, 2009, 05:13 PM »

I'm with you! I've played more than a couple, but they missed several IMO, and some of the ones they put on there are just plain puzzling.
-wraith808 (April 30, 2009, 03:59 PM)

Indeed. Mirror's Edge, Postal 2 (WTH!)... you're not missing anything if you do not play those two.

Bottom line: Top xy lists are great to create controversy and thus drive traffic while everyone discusses their own best lists and name call the author. Perhaps some day they'll stop doing that and accept those kind of lists can never compile all the cool games everyone and their dog should play.

That said, Joe Martin, the article writer, has been discussing at certain length all the games he has, and why he likes them or not. That makes for a more interesting read than a quick mention of a game bullet points IMO.

f0dder · « **Reply #7 on:** April 30, 2009, 05:28 PM »

Postal 2 might not be very innovative or anything, but darn did I have great fun playing it - it's right up there with Doom and Duke Nukem 3D

(probably mostly because it's extremely sick humor

)

ghacks · « **Reply #8 on:** April 30, 2009, 05:38 PM »

No one ever agrees on top lists as it mostly comes down to personal likes and dislikes. I'd probably include a few of the games mentioned in my toplist but there are way to many games that will probably not make it into the toplists of the majority. Then some games are missing that are universally considered to be legendary, i.e. Warcraft 2 (or 3), Starcraft, Day of The Tentacle, Monkey Island, Kotor, Dark Forces II and so on

And I really hate sites that divide their articles into little snippets to increase their pageviews.

f0dder · « **Reply #9 on:** April 30, 2009, 05:50 PM »

ghacks: they did mention that they tried not to include LucasArts games, though, because they felt they'd have to include them all

- so that takes care of DOTT, MI, ZakMcKracken, et cetera. I do agree that it's a thing that's hard to agree on, and it comes down to what you had your great hours with. And yup, tiny little subpages like that suck bigtime.

ghacks · « **Reply #10 on:** April 30, 2009, 06:14 PM »

I only looked at the titles and pictures

lanux128 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 30, 2009, 08:00 PM »

agreed there is no definite list when it comes to a subject like this but i like to go through them anyway just to see if i had missed anything, gaming-wise. as mentioned earlier, some games like Postal cater only to a certain demography and imo shouldn't be in a list like this..

lanux128 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 30, 2009, 08:02 PM »

Of all the games in that list I haven't played, there is only one I regret missing: The Grim Fandango.
-Deozaan (April 30, 2009, 03:30 PM)

you should *really* play Grim Fandango.. this is the game that i try to play almost every other year.. only recently i started again..

app103 · « **Reply #13 on:** April 30, 2009, 09:32 PM »

Would you believe I have never played any of these?

Crush · « **Reply #14 on:** May 01, 2009, 06:02 AM »

I have 90% of these games at home and played about 20% of them.

wraith808 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 01, 2009, 08:18 AM »

Indeed. Mirror's Edge, Postal 2 (WTH!)... you're not missing anything if you do not play those two.
-Lashiec (April 30, 2009, 05:13 PM)

I thought the premise of Mirror's Edge looked cool... why didn't you like it if you don't mind me asking...

And I really hate sites that divide their articles into little snippets to increase their pageviews.
-ghacks (April 30, 2009, 05:38 PM)

Here, here! I really like some of Entertainment Weekly's articles, but they always separate their list into separate pages.

I have 90% of these games at home and played about 20% of them.
-Crush (May 01, 2009, 06:02 AM)

You sound like me- more money than time to play. Especially now that I've gotten into MMOs..

p3lb0x · « **Reply #16 on:** May 01, 2009, 09:26 AM »

I have played 23 of those :O oh god

lanux128 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 02, 2009, 10:08 AM »

I have played 23 of those :O oh god
-p3lb0x (May 01, 2009, 09:26 AM)

OMG, indeed! in fact, i don't know why but i feel a slight pang of envy..

Lashiec · « **Reply #18 on:** May 02, 2009, 02:54 PM »

I thought the premise of Mirror's Edge looked cool... why didn't you like it if you don't mind me asking...
-wraith808 (May 01, 2009, 08:18 AM)

It's a fine game and all that, but frankly it pales in comparison with some of the masterpieces they list on the article, and it's not exactly one of the first games that would come to my mind in a list (book, actually :D) of recommendations (quite the contrary, actually).

Just to clarify, I have played a good chunk of the PS3 version, but not finished it yet

Shades · « **Reply #19 on:** May 02, 2009, 03:37 PM »

From all the games in this list I played only 'Planescape: Torment'.

And I totally, utterly and completely agree with the text in the article. What a breath of fresh air in the genre. Amazing twist and turns in the storyline, graphics stand the test of time and of course Morte. Who wouldn't like a floating skull (with eyes!) as a degenerate, witty, offensive, 'politically incorrect' and scheming sidekick. Life will never be boring and since you cannot die...

That character made the game for me. Played it last year and although it is a really old game, you can play it straight on a P4 with WinXP SP2 without DosBox or tools to slow down your PC. Excellent stuff from BioWare!

bgd77 · « **Reply #20 on:** May 04, 2009, 02:34 AM »

I highly recommend Rome: Total War and it's successor, Medieval: Total War II (and even Empire: Total War, but after the bugfixing is over). These are some great games!

There are 3 reasons I like them:
1) History: the games are inspired by our own history. The game developers tried very hard to respect the historical past and the geographical truth, and in most cases they succeeded. So you play and, at the same time, you learn history and geography. Isn't that great? (my sister got an 10(= an A in USA) just because she played this game and she knew how to answer a question in the class)
2) Strategy: you have to think like a strategist. You must make very good thought decisions in order to expand your territory and manage your towns and cities.
3) Tactics: you command armies on the battlefield. You must know the weaknesses and strengths of each type of unit and use them accordingly.

Who wouldn't like to be a little virtual Cesar (or Alexander Macedon, or Hannibal or...)?

nafs · « **Reply #21 on:** May 06, 2009, 06:47 AM »

The list is very 1st person shooter heavy, a genre I don't care much about. That said, I played through the first half of Far Cry and liked it.

From the 6 games on the list that I actually played my favourite is Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. It is charming and engaging, and just about the right mixture of story, puzzle and action. I have bought Grim Fandango and I think I would have liked it, but the character controls turned me off so much that I couldn't play it.

My all time favourite game is not on the list: The Longest Journey.
Playing it was an experience that still haunts me. If you like adventure games and haven't played it, do yourself a favour and check it out. It can be bought on Steam, I believe.

You might guess that I love stories, so the other games on my personal best of list are probably not too surprising:

Nox (was much better than Diablo 2 IMHO, has immense replay value because the 3 classes play so differently plot- and abilitywise)
Warcraft 3 (I still play this one regularly - it's immense fun and extremely versatile due to tons of user-generated gameplay)
World of Warcraft (thank god I found the strength to give it up - still one of the best games ever but too addictive to play)
Dune II (I loved that game, and found it much better than it's C&C descendants)
Bard's Tale (probably unplayable now because it's so ancient. I invested months into that game as a kid)
Indiana Jones 4, Monkey Island I & II, The Dig and Loom (of the Lucas Arts games I enjoyed these the most)
Gabriel Knight (although definitely not flawless I liked the game's atmosphere and have fond memories of playing it)
Broken Sword (a great adventure game with an engaging story and likeable characters)
Beyond Good & Evil (a game between classical adventure and action, has a great sci fi setting and story)

There are possibly a few games that I forgot and certainly a few I've never tried and would have liked (like Planescape). Nowadays I don't want to invest too much time into gaming, so I haven't played any of the more modern games.

Lashiec · « **Reply #22 on:** May 06, 2009, 05:06 PM »

Now that you mention it, it's very surprising not to see Beyond Good & Evil in the list, considering the author of the article is a HUGE fan of it, and I lost count of how many times he has mentioned it. And it really deserves a place there.

lanux128 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 06, 2009, 07:45 PM »

i haven't played Beyond Good & Evil but i do hear that it's fantastic game. like nafs, time is at a premium for me unfortunately..

phitsc · « **Reply #24 on:** May 07, 2009, 03:12 AM »

I loved Dune II too. Maybe because I also liked the books very much. It's one of the few games I didn't pass on or throw away after I had played them.

And what about Morrowind? I very much liked the 'cultural diversity' of that game. Every race with its own 'architecture' which looked completely different than the others. Much unlike Oblivion, where everything looks more or less the same.

And what about Dungeon Siege? The only game ever that brought me to tears. Sounds weird but it's true

. I've been playing it on a weekend with almost no breaks, almost no sleep. Then there is that scene, where an elevator takes you out of the mines, you step out and snow starts falling on your head, and sentimental music starts to play.

Unlike DS2 the original also didn't have these boring teleporters (whatever they are called). You were what felt like days in the wilderness, not knowing how far from the next town, or settlement, or hut even. The feeling of 'remoteness' was overwhelming.

And what about Far Cry (as already mentioned), where you constantly think you're on holiday somewhere in the Caribbean

And there are many others I could think of which I would prefer to some on that list.

Something which I find interesting is that I can't play a game twice. I've tried with several and only managed one or maybe two. The problem with games that have a (decent) story is that once I know that story, they kind of become unattractive for me to play again. I sometimes wish I could selectively erase my memory to overcome that problem