Quality PC games of the past 9 years?

Alright, this question will probably be eye-rolling for a couple people, but I figure the people here have good taste, so it's worth asking.

To explain myself, first, briefly - for the past couple of years my primary computer has been an underpowered little laptop that did okay with Windows XP, and Ubuntu marginally better. Before that, I had a 300MHz (yes, Mega, not Giga) iMac from about 2001 or so.

So needless to say, my involvement in gaming culture has been... next to nonexistant. I've played Cave Story to death, and a couple flash games, and ROMS for stuff like the NES before my moral compass prevented me from continuing that, but, well...

In the next few days, I'm going to have deliverd to me, finally, a relative beast of a computer. A computer that's not just 'vaguely modern', but very close to bleeding edge - more or less described in this thread. Yeah, it's gonna be a beast - massive video card, 6GB of RAM, etc. First 'modern' computer I've owned in over a decade.

So my question to you fine folks is, since I've been just about entirely out of the scene for about nine years... what have I missed out on? What are the gems, the pinnacles of wonder, the extraordinary experiences that I've missed? What /videogames/ do I need to get, and fully experience, in order to be able to call myself, with all sincerity, a culturally complete modern internet computer age person?

Just from the last year or so, I know, for example, that Bioshock is a game to get, and Mass Effect, as well as Fallout III. And the aforementioned 2d sidescroller Cave Story, which does manage to run on my current laptop, though it pushes the limits of what I'm able to do.

But what else? I'm afraid I don't have either the cash nor time for MMO*'s, such as World of Warcraft and such - but single player games that have a multiplayer component I'll be able to do, as long as there's no recurring monthly monentary and time investment required.

What games of the past couple years do you not just remember, but remember fondly, and regard as worth playing for someone who hasnt' had the opportunity to be able to play decent PC games for ages?

I hunger for them. :beast:
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
Deus Ex, Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, Half Life 2, Portal, Evidence: The Last Ritual, and Warcraft III. These ones are off the top of my head... I know I could think of more if I tried, but these are what stick out to me.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Just the past 9 years? Well, happily I share your dislike of subscription service games. I own a Wii, but I pretty much exclusively do my gaming on PC. And it seems we like similar games, so I hope I'll be of help to you. I've bolded all the titles you should play, and I wrote them in order of my opinion of them.

The first and foremost PC game on your list should be Half Life 2, assuming you played HL1 back in the day when it came out in 1998. It's easily the biggest landmark PC game released during that time frame.

Crysis should definitely be on that list, as it is in my opinion the best FPS to come out in years. Even aside from its graphics, which are the most highly touted feature of the game, the game itself is just incredible. It's the closest thing to a Predator game as I've played.

You've already mentioned Mass Effect, but I'll mention it again. It's a freaking steal at $20 as well. I've played a lot of PC RPGs and even more PC shooters. This game does both genres very well, and has some of the most genuinely cinematic moments in recent gaming history.

Portal is cheap, quick, amazing, and definitely shouldn't be missed.

Though Doom 3 got a lot of bad press, I think it's a solid game for its time, and many modern shooters take a cue from it -- Dead Space first and foremost.

Braid, a critically acclaimed, mind-bending platformer/puzzler, is now on PC through several digital download distribution sites, including Valve's Steam. Speaking of digital download puzzlers, World of Goo is also worth a shot. It won several awards last year, and is also on Steam.

Which brings me to another big PC title -- Left 4 Dead. This should be played online. If you're available between 8-11 pm EST weekdays, I wouldn't mind playing through the campaigns with you.

BioShock
is good. I don't think it's as deserving of its praise as others though, because it really just hashes together established concepts from Deus Ex and System Shock 2.

If you're a fan of the Diablo series, I think Titan Quest is as good as it gets when it comes to a Diablo clone, and it's pretty cheap these days. It's a great way to while away the months between the release of Diablo III, which I don't think is going to come out until summer or winter 2010 at this rate.

Update on 5/12/10: Can't forget Torchlight and Peggle!
 

SaiyajinNoOuji

I'm still better than you
I will have to say Knights of the Old Republic by Bioware. It's a bit dated but its still a great game to play! Also Wizardry 8! Great game as well! :guts:

EDIT: You are in luck! KotOR is now on steam! Go now! Get to da choppa!
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
I've been a pretty big Civilization nut over the years and I think the relatively new one, Civilization 4, is the best of the series. Currently playing it myself. Sid Meier knows his strategy games, and Leonard Nimoy also narrates! If you like strategy games you can't lose!
 
Oblivion. Well, people get pissy about that game (saying it's overrated and whatnot), but judging by the fact that you are a fan of Fallout 3, I can't help but say to you: it's like the spiritual predecessor to Fallout 3 (same studio developer, gameplay systems and concept except with a fantasy setting). Maybe also try out The Witcher (a good Fable style game).

The Max Payne series is a particular favourite of mine (and yes, it fits into your "9 year" criteria).

But yes, Mass Effect may as well be one of the very best games I've played for any console since the beginning of the 00's.

Regardless though, what sort of genres are you interested in? That may help us out a bit more.
 
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl
STALKER: Clear Sky

These two games are pretty challenging and I had a blast playing them. They're first person shooters with some rpg elements (quests, inventory, micromanagement, free roaming). The atmosphere and art direction is amazing as well. They take place in a zone around the chernobyl power plant, which the developers did a great job recreating. The eerie beauty of the environment alone makes me want to reinstall it.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Somewhat related, Civ IV is only $5 on Direct2Drive right now: http://www.direct2drive.com/2/309/product/Buy-Civilization-4-Download
 

Scorpio

Courtesy of Grail's doodling.
Walter said:
Somewhat related, Civ IV is only $5 on Direct2Drive right now: http://www.direct2drive.com/2/309/product/Buy-Civilization-4-Download

Holy shit. Anyone who enjoys strategy titles has no excuse to not buy this game.
 
It's a few years older than 9, but has anyone here played Planescape: Torment? It was the game by Black Isle before Baldur's Gate. I love the BG series with a passion, and am dying to play Planescape but I can't find it for a reasonable price anywhere. I've heard a lot of places that story-wise, it surpasses Baldur's Gate and is considered one of the best RPG's ever.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
aufond said:
It's a few years older than 9, but has anyone here played Planescape: Torment? It was the game by Black Isle before Baldur's Gate. I love the BG series with a passion, and am dying to play Planescape but I can't find it for a reasonable price anywhere. I've heard a lot of places that story-wise, it surpasses Baldur's Gate and is considered one of the best RPG's ever.
I have no doubts that it will eventually be offered as a digital download on gog.com or even Steam. It's really a matter of settling the legal issues with the now-defunct Black Isle. I wonder who inherited their titles and where they'll end up. Here's a post made by one of the operators of Gog:

[...]Or situation where there is more than one IP owner (for example, one company own the world, other the game itself).

Unfortunatelly Planescape: Torment is one of this special cases. Its whole fantasy world was closed by Wizzards, therefore sale of all products from this world should be discontinued. But there is always a hope :-) ..We are not known more widely worldwide, but we're in the games business for, woohooo, 14 years (time passing fast:-) ), and we licensed (for Eastern Europe) I think around 1.000 games so far. And we made many unusual and difficult deals and we know that the most important is keep on trying. What is what we're doing right now to get more content for GOG :-)
Yikes, split ownership. That never ends well for the consumers... :sad:

I played a good bit of Planescape, and I can understand why it's so popular, but honestly I felt that though it was well written, it was TOO wordy for its genre. It has an estimated 800,000 words in it, making it the most dialogue-heavy game -- EVER. It also subjected the player to a lot of tedium. The first hour or so of the game is really pure pain.

All that being said, there's no denying its popularity. It's been a cult hit for years.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
aufond said:
It's a few years older than 9, but has anyone here played Planescape: Torment? It was the game by Black Isle before Baldur's Gate.

No, Planescape: Torment came out after Baldur's Gate. It's a nice game, but like Walter said it's very wordy. So, better story than Baldur's Gate, maybe, but don't expect it to be action-packed.
 
I'd also recommend Warcraft3 + Expansion if you even briefly like RTS. It's Story and the way it is told is just brilliant.

Then two games that received small attention outside of germany: Gothic and Gothic 2. One has to get used to the unconventional controll of theses games, but they where a blast back in the day they came out. If you like 3D-Action-RPG's where fights are more then just clicking things to death and where each NPC has his own, convincing personality, all set within an incredibly believable world almost devoid of any loading-Screens, then you should give these Games a try.

Next one would be Far cry, for without it, there would be no Crysis.

Then, of course, Diablo 2 + Expansion. This game is a must have, period.

I'd also emphasize Doom3, as it's one of my personal all time favorits.
Which brings me to Quake 3 Arena. This is just pure multiplayer awesomeness and the best thing is, you don't have to buy it anymore. Just go to quakelive.com and play it in your Browser.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Gaahl said:
Next one would be Far cry, for without it, there would be no Crysis.
Thought I'd mention that Far Cry is only $5 at Direct2Drive.com right now, along with a slew of other games, many of which already mentioned in this thread:

http://www.direct2drive.com/d2dturns5

Amazingly, I still haven't played it, but since I'm a huge Crysis fan, this is my chance.
 

Ko Ninja

¯\(O_o)/¯ クー
I've always been a huge fan of American McGee's Alice. The soundtrack is amazing and worth a purchase. I even have the game on Mac...anyway!

I heard Planescape was good but I've never really played PC games all that often in the past years. It could have been the traumatic experience of being about 8 years old and playing King's Quest for hours on the family Tandy/Apple Macintosh. That game is just so cruel to a young boy!
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
http://www.direct2drive.com/d2dturns5

Assassin's Creed, Titan's Quest bundle, Neverwinter Nights 2, all for $5 each.
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
If anybody hasn't tried out the Half-Life series yet, Steam has all of the games at 55.8% off because of Gordon Freeman winning the Gamespot Greatest Video Game Hero of All Time contest!
http://store.steampowered.com/news/2959/
To celebrate Gamespot's "All Time Greatest Game Hero" award to Half-Life's Dr. Gordon Freeman we are offering all Half-Life games at 55.8% off!

There are other great game heroes, and we're gonna let you play with them, but Gordon Freeman is THE BEST GAME HERO OF ALL TIME at least according to 55.8% of the gaming public - thank you to all who voted.
 
Anyone tried Blade of Darkness? One of my favorites for PC. Too bad it didn't have a sequel. :sad: I even heard there were some fanmade skin for Barbarian changing him into Guts with DS.
 
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