Out of the loop for a LONG time, need game recommendations

C

Chowder Head

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Messages
244
Yeah that's right, I've been out of the loop a long time. Let's just say people were talking about Half Life and Half Life 2 and I didn't know what it was or how good it is.

So I guess that shows it. Anyway, all my life, I've been a console player. We didn't have a good computer when I was growing up and I was weened on Nintendo, SN95, N64, PS1, Xbox, in that order I believe.

Hell, people have been constantly spouting out that playing a FPS on a mouse/keyboard is much, much better than a pad which I thought was complete bull shit. I rocked in Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Halo, because I essentially masterd the pad.

But now, I built my rig to finally get into this and I believe it can handle most games. Frankly, the only thing I've been playing on the regular these days is Warcraft III and the expansion, The Frozen Throne because you primarly use the mouse and not the keyboard, which I have virtually no experience on.

But I downloaded the Prey demo and had to use *gasp!* my keyboard and it actually wasn't as bad as I suspected. So right now, I'm looking to jump into the scene and start playing some really good games. I don't mind if the games just came out, or have been out for years. If they're good, I want to know about them so I can check them out.

If I had to narrow it down, I'm looking for FPS, and stragey games right now. Not really sure what else is out there genre wise besides MMORPG's. And by FPS, I would like something a little more complex and requires thinking than the run and gun types. A smart shooter, I guess is the right word. And by RTS, I'm up for anything because in my PC career, that's really all I've played. C&C Red Alert, Yuri's Revege, C&C Generals, Black & White, etc. But for recent RTS, again, I have no idea. I keep hearing about Age of Empires which I have no idea of.

So any recommendations guys? The only game I don't want to check out right now is World of Warcraft because you have to pay each month I believe which is gay.

Thanks.
 
Company of Heroes is a pretty good recent RTS. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is a slightly older one which operates on many of the same concepts, but has a slightly more traditional feel to it. I'd give Medieval II: Total War a shot too - pretty different from your typical RTS (15000-man battles, for one ;) ), but one of the best I've ever seen.

"Smart" shooters are a bit hard to come by nowadays. Half-Life / 2 don't have as much depth as some, but they're still fantastic games, and a must for any FPS fan. F.E.A.R. is another one you should check out - the AI makes the combat a lot less straightforward than most.

If you want a shooter with some real depth, and don't mind playing older games, go get Deus Ex. It's a stretch to even label it a shooter, since it offers so much more than most. The engine's showing its age, but the game's as good as it ever was. Trust me. You won't regret it ;).
 
Far Cry
Deus Ex
UT2003/2004
Raven Shield


that'll keep you occupied for a while

the battlefield games are fun too
 
Half life 2 is an awesome game. Cool story. Not like your typical story fps. FEAR is the creepiest game I have every played and is alot of fun. Also the serious sam series is alot of fun.
 
if you have never played the age of empires series, you might want to try them out.
 
I'd check out Oblivion if you want a reasonably decent rpg with open ended gameplay and good graphics.
 
if you like FPS games, try these:

Far Cry
F.E.A.R.
Half-Life 2


for strategy?

Company of Heroes
Rome: Total War
Warcraft 3
 
These are free to download:

Trackmania ESWC (arcade racer w/ online multi)
F.E.A.R. Combat (fps)
Wolfenstien Enemy Territory (fps)
 
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter is pretty fun.

RTS:

Rise of Nations
Rise of Legends
Earth 2150
Act of War: High Treason (expansion for AoW: Direct Action)
Galactic Battlegrounds AND/OR Empire at War (both are SW RTS games, GB is essentially AoE II: AoK with SW graphics but I loved it)



And I know you didn't say anything about RPGs... but check out Morrowind. The mods for the PC version are unbelievable. You'll thank me. :) Good site for an intro to modding Morrowind.
 
Whoa, thanks for all the replies.

Yeah, I played Morrowind on the Xbox and wasted nearly months of my life on it, lol. I may pick up Oblivion for PC when I get some funds together.

And you know what, I don't want to limit myself to just smart shooters. I'm also looking for something that is a blast to play online. I'm guessing Unreal Tournment 2004 fits that nicely? Is 2004 the latest version?

Now regarding Half Life 2, should I play the first one to experience what everyone was praising, then move up to Half Life 2?

And thanks for the free games, I can't believe FEAR's multiplayer is free. I'm definately checking that out after I backup my files and re-install the OS. I doubt it, but I won't spoil anything if I play the multiplayer before the solo right?

And I have played Chronicles of Riddick on the xbox which I simply loved. Worst part is that it ended so soon.

Now what do you guys think about Civilization IV? It's gotten really good views, so I'm guessing it's pretty good?

And on that note, what is a reputable place to look at rated and reviewed PC games? Right now I have gamespot and 1up bookmarked but if there's something better, by all means let me know.

Thanks again guys. I guess the hard part will be what game to buy first, lol.
 
Yea I wasted many months of morrowind playing as well... Oblivion is something you would enjoy as well but it won't be as good as the first time you ever played Morrowind. Graphics are amazing (get the LOD replacement mod though; it's a must)

FEAR is definitely an interesting game... especially the AI. Multiplayer wont ruin the single player but the single player is definitely a great experience the first time through

Rome: Total War is a great turn-based RTS and I believe it's only like $19.99 now. Medieval 2: Total War is the new one and is fun as well but it's at $49.99 now and has very similar gameplay.

I dont really have much else to say, maybe some others can help more :)
 
Chowder Head said:
Yeah, I played Morrowind on the Xbox and wasted nearly months of my life on it, lol. I may pick up Oblivion for PC when I get some funds together.

And you know what, I don't want to limit myself to just smart shooters. I'm also looking for something that is a blast to play online. I'm guessing Unreal Tournment 2004 fits that nicely? Is 2004 the latest version?
Click to expand...

1) Morrowind w/ mods != Morrowind on Xbox ;) :D

2) You should play Half-Life before you play Half-Life 2, just so you know the story. It will make more sense and be more interesting.

3) UT2004 is the latest Unreal game, yeah. If you pick it up, make sure you get the ECE (Editor's Choice Edition), it's on DVD and it comes with a ton of mods.
 
LuminaryJanitor said:
Company of Heroes is a pretty good recent RTS. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is a slightly older one which operates on many of the same concepts, but has a slightly more traditional feel to it. I'd give Medieval II: Total War a shot too - pretty different from your typical RTS (15000-man battles, for one ;) ), but one of the best I've ever seen.

"Smart" shooters are a bit hard to come by nowadays. Half-Life / 2 don't have as much depth as some, but they're still fantastic games, and a must for any FPS fan. F.E.A.R. is another one you should check out - the AI makes the combat a lot less straightforward than most.

If you want a shooter with some real depth, and don't mind playing older games, go get Deus Ex. It's a stretch to even label it a shooter, since it offers so much more than most. The engine's showing its age, but the game's as good as it ever was. Trust me. You won't regret it ;).
Click to expand...

Another vote for CoH Awesome Game :D
 
jester1176 said:
if you like FPS games, try these:

Far Cry
F.E.A.R.
Half-Life 2


for strategy?

Company of Heroes
Rome: Total War
Warcraft 3
Click to expand...

Strategy, Dont forgot Rise of Nations :)
 
He said he's been using it for 3 months now and everything is fine. Don't you think that if something bad was going to happen it would have happened by now?

Internet fud spreads like wildfire.
 
If you are looking for those head and shoulders FPS games, I would suggest BF2 or BF2142, it can be mayhem, or controlled chaos depending on your gamestyle. If you are looking for mindless blast around fun, serious sam 2 fits that.
 
Half Life is definitely a must. Even though the graphics are dated, it's still a great game, and it'll help you understand Half Life 2. You won't understand EVERYTHING (no one does) but it'll definitely help. After that get Half Life 2: Episode One.

I'll also throw in my votes for FEAR and Far Cry. Far Cry requires you to think more than your average shooter. You can do the run and gun thing, but it's harder. Stealth works well. Most of the time a combination of both does the trick. You can approach many battles in multiple ways, or skip them altogether if you want. The game feels like it lasts forever because you tend to go slowly. Plus, the fact that you can't easily save at any point and have to rely on checkpoints makes you a little more cautious.
 
FPS I would recommend:
FEAR
Battlefield 2
Halo

RTS I would recommend
Company of Heroes
Medieval 2: Total War
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Crusade
 
Chowder Head said:
The only game I don't want to check out right now is World of Warcraft because you have to pay each month I believe which is gay.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Hah, perfectly summed-up :D

Far Cry has already been mentioned, though if I were you i'd look at FEAR Combat first to see if you like the play-style (I found the singleplayer a bit mediocre, so even though I own it i've only Combat installed) - nothing will be spoilt.

As for "smart" shooters, that's really down to aptitude; I never found H-L2's puzzles to be all that tricky, personally, it always seemed to be a bit simplistic. Perhaps Deus-Ex/2?

Also, though this might sound strange depending on what you've heard, but BF2/2142 are superb in terms of "smart" shooters, as long as you're not the sort of guy who's going to keep respawning at the same point and charging down the same track to be repeatedly face-raped. Lots of opportunities to outflank and use your brain, and it's far more rewarding because it's against real people, not AI :p

EDIT: oh, I don't think you need to get Half-Life to fully apprecciate Half-Life 2, but it might be a good idea to get it anyway as it's supposed to be excellent in its own right.
And get all of the Call of Duty games, if you can afford it!
 
True enough, but you can probably quite easily get one of those bumper packages for a discount anyway, with the bonus of shiny manuals and boxes and things :D
 
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