I need PC game recommendations!

For my entire life, I've had a sub par computer, but in 3 weeks or so I'm getting a top of the line one! It should be able to run everything that comes out for a while, which is great, as I've never even had a computer with a 3d accelerator :p


So, I want PC game recommendations, from, say, Quake 2 onwards. I want to catch up on lost time as well as play the latest releases.

EDIT: I'm not to sure on the specs as my brother is the one buying it, but I think it's as follows:

P4 2.6 ghz
512mb ram
256mb radeon 9800 pro
80gb hard drive
a CD burner of some sort
17" monitor

Ultima Underworld!

Syndicate!

Dark Sun!

Warcraft 3 and its soon to be released expansion pack.

More to come.

Hmm, Here a few:

Clive Barker's Undying - Unique take on FPS genre with blending it with horror elements. Very cool game.

Unreal 2 - Just to test the power of you new setup :p

Max Payne - For the TON of mods

Freelancer - Pretty cool space fighter/trade game, another good game to test the power of your system.

Ah, I remember Clive Barkers Undying! that game was really cool.

keepem' coming folks! I appreciate it!

Quake 3 is always good for an in-your-face fragfest,

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast is great star wars first/third person action force goodness,

Any of the unreal games are alright, tho you may be more inclined to go with a newer one (UT2k3, Unreal 2),

And Enter The Matrix for the square wheel action. :chick:

planescape: torment. seriously. old game, but it's vital if you have any interest in rpgs at all. the same goes for grim fandango and adventure games. neither of these games will push the hardware in any way, but they're at the top of their respective genres (and they came out after quake 2.)

Deus Ex
System Shock 2
Baldurs Gate
Freedom Force
Serious Sam

Here's an old one if you can find it, I think it came out around '99. Dungeon Keeper 2. Weird, fun little game. Your like a demon master and you make other demons build a keep (like a prison) and you have to design it with booby traps to catch the bad guys that try to break in. I think it was by Seirra.

Consider staying away from Unreal 2. Looks pretty, but the everyone says the story and gameplay are crap. Unreal Tourney 2003 is good, though the original Unreal Tourney is generally considered better and the semi-expansion to UT2k3, UT2k4 will be out soon (11/18 says gamestop; it's stand-alone, UT2k3 isn't needed to play). UT2k4 reportedly will have gameplay modes to make it play more like the original UT.

Homeworld is a good space combat/resource utilization sim. Simcity 4 is supposed to be good, but nothing new if you've played anything after the original -- just more complexity.

You may be tempted to buy into Star Wars Galaxies... but be warned that it's by Sony/Verant, the Evercrack people, and word has it that they're cancelling certain features in order to make it out the door -- so it's being hacked down to Evercrack: Star Wars edition. Wait for Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic.

Speaking of Bioware, Neverwinter Nights is good if you like AD&D. I never could get into it, plus it was a bit glitchy to start off. YMMV.

Ubisoft's XIII looks like a cool FPS. Celshaded. Yeah, it'll be on the consoles, but it will probably look better on a new PC video card.

Must-buys are No One Lives Forever 1 and 2, System Shock 2, that Half-Life pack that brings the game and all its mods (each single one of these FPS's will have you saying "Halo who?"), Planescape: Torment (which was already mentioned, sue me), StarCraft and Fallout. Not Fallout 2 or Fallout Tactics, but the original Fallout. Hard to decide between it and P:T as the best PC RPG I've ever played.

There's lots of old stuff to catch up on, too... I'll try to keep to stuff that's easy to install:

X-Wing Alliance
Freespace 1 and 2

Ah, screw it. I don't know how these run on XP. Get the Monkey Island series (if you can find that free Monkey Madness CD that was a mail-in, you can play them 1 and 2 on Windows easy, 3 and 4 are no problem), the Star Wars flight "sims" (X-wing CD Collector's Edition, Tie Fighter CD Collector's Edition)

Um, tons of other shit. The Blade Runner adventure game by Westwood, C&C 2: Red Alert (classic), and tons more.

Oh, with that killer setup you should definately get Morrowind. See what kind of FPS you can get with that bad boy.

I'd also recommend Freelancer for a good Sci-Fi action/adventure/trading game.

For good teambased games, for the love of god don't get Counter-Strike. It plays like shit, and looks like it too. It needs to finally run its course and be replaced by newer and better games. America's Army (it's free, damnit!) and Battlefield 1942 are MUCH more worth your time/money.

OH BTW, that's one HFIL-uva killer system you have (or will have) there.

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Originally posted by Rumpy
Here's an old one if you can find it, I think it came out around '99. Dungeon Keeper 2. Weird, fun little game. Your like a demon master and you make other demons build a keep (like a prison) and you have to design it with booby traps to catch the bad guys that try to break in. I think it was by Seirra.

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No, it was may by Bullfrog. It was the last game they ever made before *sniff* EA destroyed them. :(

PS - Only a 17 inch monitor? That's like a postage stamp. Get a 20 at least.

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Originally posted by Ammadeau
No, it was may by Bullfrog. It was the last game they ever made before *sniff* EA destroyed them. :(

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at least we still have lionhead studios (even though their output has been somewhat questionable.)

17" is a quality monitor. 15 is the postage stamp (seriously).

Diablo I and II (you can get a set for 40 i think ith Diablo Diablo II and the expansion set for Diablo II)

Ill second the vote for Half Life

If you liked the first Rogue Squadron Game on the N64 you should be able to get the PC version cheap now (i liked the PC version more)

I also highly reccomend Downloading Kawaks and Mame ;)

ohhhhh dont forget Duke Nukem Manhattan Project i think its dirt cheap now but its a fun side scrolling Duke game

Half-Life
Deus Ex
Unreal Tournament
System Shock 2
No One Lives Forever
Grim Fandango
Morrowind
Max Payne
Shogo
Quake 3
Requiem
Planescape Torment
Heavy Metal FAKK2

Here are few more reccomendations:

Definately Diablo 2 and Expansion if you never played this before. I'm friggin addicted to this once again, and with upcoming patch playing on Bnet should be more fun.

No One Lives Forever 1&2 great fps with alot of cool action and good stories.

Serious Sam 1&2 for old fashioned fun fps killing.

I'm no good for current games, 'cause my PC sucks. But I'm going to go ahead and mention Planescape Torment for a fourth time. Probably my favorite game of all time. The Baldur's Gate games are pretty good, too, but Torment destroys them story-wise. Fallout rocks as well.

Alice
Unreal
Grim Fandango
System Shock (1/2)
Freedom Force
Diablo (1/2)
Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault
Warcraft III
Max Payne
Half-Life
Quake III Arena
Battlefield 1942
No One Lives Forever (1/2)
X-Wing Alliance
Deus Ex
Anachronox
Clive Barker's Undying

i want your fucking video card!

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Originally posted by Mr_Furious

Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault

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Finally someone with taste. The MoHAA / Spearhead (expansion) combo just got released for 50 bucks.

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Originally posted by Lhadatt
You may be tempted to buy into Star Wars Galaxies... but be warned that it's by Sony/Verant, the Evercrack people, and word has it that they're cancelling certain features in order to make it out the door -- so it's being hacked down to Evercrack: Star Wars edition. Wait for Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic.

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I'm gonna have to go ahead here, and prove you wrong. Yes, stuff was removed from Star Wars Galaxies. But the stuff they DID remove, such as vehicles, Dark Jedi, and the ability to own your own city, will be put back in on a later update. This was right off a press release, if I remember carefully, and they said most players wouldn't even get to the point of owning a vehicle for quite some time.

By the time they tweak it so works, and patch it back in, people will be experienced enough and have enough cash to buy a vehicle. The only reason they are doing this is demand has gotten too great, and this way the game gets out the door and we get the features later.

That's one way to look at it. The other way is that they're hopelessly behind schedule and are slashing shit left and right so they can ship.

I would suggest picking up the Unreal combo pack. I saw it at EB games a few weekends ago and it includes Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament: Game Of The Year Edition for only $15.

And like some other people have said, avoid UT2003 because in a few months UT2004 is going to make UT2003 obsolete.

Get Sacrifice. Really cool RTS elements from a third-person view, and one of Shiny's best games.

Battlefield 1942 One of the best games in a long time

Then get some cheap $10 games like Shogo, UT, NOLF 1/2, and Planescape Torment (all mentioned earlier)

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Alice

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I'd stay away from this one. Really dull.

Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield
Rise of Nations
Freedom Force, EA has a bundle pack with it in it, $20
PlanetSide

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Originally posted by Tain
I'd stay away from this one. Really dull.

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The same could be said for many of the first and third-person games people have listed. (No offense! :))

I mean, Shogo? Requiem? Unreal 1/2? FAKK 2? Undying? These games all seem average to me. Certainly not first-tier recommendation material like the System Shocks and Baldur's Gates.

I got my PC in January, and this is what I have acquired thus far:

Alice
Aliens vs Predator Gold
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate II
Battlefield 1942
Clive Barker's Undying
Command & Conquer Generals
CSI
Deus Ex: GotY
Divine Divinity
Freedom Force
Grand Theft Auto III
Grim Fandango
Half-Life Platinim Collection
Hundred Swords
Icewind Dale
Konami Collector's Series: Castlevania & Contra
Lemmings Revolution
Mafia
Master of Orion 3*
Neverwinter Nights
Nocturne
Purge
Race Driver
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Rollercoaster Tycoon Gold
Sim City 4
Splinter Cell
StarCraft Battle Chest
Star Wars Starfighter
System Shock 2
Thief
Thief II

*I would recommend any of them except MoO3. It's just not very good.

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Originally posted by BenT
The same could be said for many of the first and third-person games people have listed. (No offense! :))

I mean, Shogo? Requiem? Unreal 1/2? FAKK 2? Undying? These games all seem average to me. Certainly not first-tier recommendation material like the System Shocks and Baldur's Gates.

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I wouldnt call Undying an average game. It had great sense of style, unique presentation and story, and did try to do something different with FPS( a horror fps). Plus for old game it still look quite well.

Requiviem was also a good game. I rather play Undying and Requiem than Quake 3 anyday.

I think Requiem and FAKK2 are above average action games. That's why listed them. I agree that they aren't in the same league as System Shock or anything but this thread wasn't about recommending only masterpieces.

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Originally posted by The Ampersand
for the love of god don't get Counter-Strike. It plays like shit, and looks like it too. It needs to finally run its course and be replaced by newer and better games.

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Just... just die. Seriously. The world does not need you.

I cannot disagree with this man more. Counter strike is probably the biggest must own for your computer. I doesnt matter if the graphics aren't GODLIKE. Dont let this klutz ruin the game for you. I have a system much like the topic maker's with all the current games (ut2003, bf1942, warcraft 3) and counter strike is still my all time favorite.

If you don't have Deus Ex already get it. DE2 will be coming out eventually as well.

NOLF (No One Lives Forever) is nice too. Don't miss - but these are old so chances are you've played them. Despair is right: Undying is a great game if you're into horror (like Despair). Neverwinter Nights, Morrowind and Diablo 2 are great fun. I like Morrowind the best out of them all but NWN is online, very open-ended and has a GREAT cool story to boot. Diablo 2 has the presentation though it's really just another hack & slash... but I enjoy just watching the cinemas in order. As basic as I think the game is, it still feels special to me (I hate the third level though).

Other than those, play Shadowbane! If you ever choose to play an MMORPG play this one or I swear I'm going to Battle Rage on you! :)

Empire Earth I like as far as the RTS goes but the Total War series owns them all. I still like EE for being simple, but BIG. Rise of Nations is reportedly pretty good too.

ºTracer

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Originally posted by Yoshi
I got my PC in January, and this is what I have acquired thus far:

Alice
Aliens vs Predator Gold
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate II
Battlefield 1942
Clive Barker's Undying
Command & Conquer Generals
CSI
Deus Ex: GotY
Divine Divinity
Freedom Force
Grand Theft Auto III
Grim Fandango
Half-Life Platinim Collection
Hundred Swords
Icewind Dale
Konami Collector's Series: Castlevania & Contra
Lemmings Revolution
Mafia
Master of Orion 3*
Neverwinter Nights
Nocturne
Purge
Race Driver
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Rollercoaster Tycoon Gold
Sim City 4
Splinter Cell
StarCraft Battle Chest
Star Wars Starfighter
System Shock 2
Thief
Thief II

*I would recommend any of them except MoO3. It's just not very good.

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For all of my pro-PC stance here on TNL Yoshi, who only recnetly started playing PC games, bought more games since getting his computer (not long ago) than I have ever bought in my whole life. Gratz I guess.

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Originally posted by Cookie Monster
Get Sacrifice. Really cool RTS elements from a third-person view, and one of Shiny's best games.

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Really? How do you figure? I got this game with an old video card I got (came with my geforce 4) and I played it for like 10 minutes. I thought this game TOTALLY sucked hardcore ass. If you could tell me anything I don't know I'd love to get into it

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Originally posted by Tracer
Rise of Nations is reportedly pretty good too.

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Yea, I hear there's a guy on the board who really likes it... but he is very frustrated that everybody here is too wussy to give it a try. I cant remember who it is, though.

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Originally posted by NApOLm321
Just... just die. Seriously. The world does not need you.

I cannot disagree with this man more. Counter strike is probably the biggest must own for your computer. I doesnt matter if the graphics aren't GODLIKE. Dont let this klutz ruin the game for you. I have a system much like the topic maker's with all the current games (ut2003, bf1942, warcraft 3) and counter strike is still my all time favorite.

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Counter Strike blows dont listen to him, just get Half Life.

The only way Counter Strike blows is if you suck at it.

If you can look past the ease of getting headshots, the lack of decent weapon balance, competent opponents, cheating, and shitty programming, then yeah, Counter-Strike is good.

The only thing going for Counter-Strike is that it runs on almost any computer, therefore just about anyone can play it. But seriously, yeah, even with better graphics I wouldn't play Counter-Strike.

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Originally posted by Despair
I wouldnt call Undying an average game. It had great sense of style, unique presentation and story, and did try to do something different with FPS( a horror fps). Plus for old game it still look quite well.

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Same old gameplay, though. Eh.

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Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
I think Requiem and FAKK2 are above average action games. That's why listed them. I agree that they aren't in the same league as System Shock or anything but this thread wasn't about recommending only masterpieces.

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True. Still, I guess I hold recommendations to pretty high standards, and Requiem and Shogo definitely ain't there.

I'll give you FAKK2, by a hair. ;)

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Originally posted by The Ampersand
If you can look past the ease of getting headshots, the lack of decent weapon balance, competent opponents, cheating, and shitty programming, then yeah, Counter-Strike is good.

The only thing going for Counter-Strike is that it runs on almost any computer, therefore just about anyone can play it. But seriously, yeah, even with better graphics I wouldn't play Counter-Strike.

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thats pretty much how i feel

just get Half Life even by its self the multiplayer in HL rocks the house

plus team fortress classic owns much better IMHO than CS

Vapire Slayer = Most entertaining HL mod IMO. It's damn fun.

I was able to snag Fallout 1/2 for 10 bucks at Target. Look for it.

Get Half-Life, System Shock 2, Freedom Force, and Battlefield 1942.

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Originally posted by Lobo
The only way Counter Strike blows is if you suck at it.

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Not when there is better games out there. Pick up Raven Shield. I used to play Counter Strike alot. Now I can't stand it. Too much calling anyone that is good a haxor, and yes the ease of headshots do suck. The only things Counter Strike have going for it is the cheapness and the number of people that play it.

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Originally posted by Spanky McGee
Pick up Raven Shield.

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Oh, yes! How could I have forgotten. I've really wanted to play this with a few other people as the team AI is less than good. There are some great things in this game, though. I love the in-game commands menu.

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Originally posted by Roufuss
I'm gonna have to go ahead here, and prove you wrong. Yes, stuff was removed from Star Wars Galaxies. But the stuff they DID remove, such as vehicles, Dark Jedi, and the ability to own your own city, will be put back in on a later update. This was right off a press release, if I remember carefully, and they said most players wouldn't even get to the point of owning a vehicle for quite some time.

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Feh. A product by a company such as Verant (meaning: one that has ample resources at its disposal) should not ship until it is complete. Besides, their treatment of the Evercrack community is less than stellar, so I'm not sure what makes people think this game is going to be any good in the long run -- even if they do manage to patch it.

Not to mention many beta testers are saying that the stuff they left in is complete ass...

I'm not really a SW fan, but I was still looking forward to Galaxies. Now I only look at it as a train wreck that I can't help but stare at as I pass by.

I have the Star Wars Beta. All i can say is stay away from it until they impliment everything that was supposed to in from the start.

MEDAL OF HONOR: ALLIED ASSUALT. I loved every damn second of this game. Its great online but I havent played Battlefield 1942 which I think is the same online but has vehicles. So if you're playing single player get MOH, if not get 1942.

As for Counter Strike I'd say you should pass. I bought it last year for my new PC and I though it sucked balls. Finding a game online was a total pain in the ass because every server you connect to you have to download some shit. (yes I do have broadband). The whole buying your weapons aspect sucks too. The game is also NOT noobie friendly. I got raped, raped a lot online. I played the shit out of MOH and RtCW online and I did the raping, but in CS....ouch, my ass.

Funny thing is I'll probably be playing CS on XBox. Doesnt really make sense does it?

Thanks alot for your recommendation, dudes.

Good call on the cheap PC games.

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Originally posted by Tracer
For all of my pro-PC stance here on TNL Yoshi, who only recnetly started playing PC games, bought more games since getting his computer (not long ago) than I have ever bought in my whole life. Gratz I guess.

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That just means you did a damn good job selling the PC as a viable platform, Tracer. ;)

Anyone here download Wolfeinstein: Enemy Territory? It's a free multiplayer download with 3 maps. It's a lot of fun, but I'm looking for others to play with to learn how to play. It's fucking hard, damn nazi's

Warcraft 3
Warcraft 3: The frozen Throne
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls 3: Tribunal
Jedi Knight 2: Jedi outcast
Aliens Vs Predator 2
Aliens Vs Predator 2: Primal Hunt
Unreal Tournament 2003
Half-Life

Warcraft 3 + expo (when released)

Been having fun with Star wars: Galactic battlegrounds lately. Nothing more fun than commanding a bunch of wookies :D.

Don't know if this was mentioned, but a bunch of decent to good pc games are bundled at walmart as 2 games in one 10$ pack (which is just 2 jewel cases covered with cardboard). Saw dungeon keeper 1 and 2 as one of those packs, and a few other good ones. Worth checking out