The "must have" PC games (Since 2001)

Printable View

27 Aug 2005, 10:47 AM
Yoshi

The "must have" PC games (Since 2001)

I'm not sure why the best gaming platform was left out of the fun, but here are the must have PC exclusives during this console generation:

Age of Mythology
Age of Wonders
Aliens vs. Predator 2
Baldur's Gate II
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 2
Black & White
Clive Barker's Undying
Command & Conquer Generals
Dark Age of Camelot
Far Cry (until Xbox butchering is released)
Freedom Force 1-2
Guild Wars
Half-Life 2
Neverwinter Nights
No One Lives Forever 2
Painkiller
Rise of Nations
Rome: Total War
Serious Sam: 2nd Encounter
Wizardry 8
WarCraft III
World of Warcraft

That's 24, second to the PS2 over that span.
27 Aug 2005, 10:51 AM
Andy

The PlayStation 2 came out in 2000.
27 Aug 2005, 10:54 AM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy

The PlayStation 2 came out in 2000.

Jesus Christ. It's been that long? Oh well, this PC list is understated then.
27 Aug 2005, 01:01 PM
Diff-chan

Black & White? Lord no. And NOLF2? Also, no. And same with Generals, god that game is shit.

But I giveth and I taketh away, here are a few more:
SimCity 4
The Sims 2
Sacrifice (came out in 2000)
Morrowind

Honestly for all the talk of the PC being the best game platform, it seems kinda lame when you itemize...
27 Aug 2005, 01:04 PM
dave is ok

Painkiller and Farcry were both overrated. And where is Snood?
27 Aug 2005, 01:22 PM
Yoshi

I used GameSpot for reference, so if I didn't see it in their list, I never would have come up with all of these off the top of my head.
27 Aug 2005, 01:24 PM
Zerohero

Alien Vs Predator 2
Return to Castle Wolfenstien
RTCW Enemy Territory

Had to add these.

Glad to see AVP2 on there.
27 Aug 2005, 01:25 PM
Yoshi

You guys are fucking blind. NOLF2 and AvP2 are already on the list. A lot of the other stuff (RtCW, Morrwind) was omitted because it is not exclusive. Having the best version still doesn't make it exclusive.
27 Aug 2005, 01:28 PM
Zerohero

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoshi

You guys are fucking blind. NOLF2 and AvP2 are already on the list. A lot of the other stuff (RtCW, Morrwind) was omitted because it is not exclusive. Having the best version still doesn't make it exclusive.

Thats why I added at the "glad to see it on the list".
27 Aug 2005, 01:39 PM
Diff-chan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoshi

You guys are fucking blind. NOLF2 and AvP2 are already on the list. A lot of the other stuff (RtCW, Morrwind) was omitted because it is not exclusive. Having the best version still doesn't make it exclusive.

Oh yea, I forgot about the exclusive part - but anyway, you must be blind because I said NOLF2 does *NOT* belong on any list of "must have" games. While the first one is one of the best games ever, the second struggles with mediocrity.
27 Aug 2005, 02:05 PM
dave is ok

Snood is exclusive
27 Aug 2005, 02:08 PM
NeoZeedeater

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave is ok

Snood is exclusive

Nah, it's on GBA too I think. ;)
27 Aug 2005, 02:09 PM
Changeling

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave is ok

Painkiller and Farcry were both overrated. And where is Snood?

This statement is very true. Painkiller did haver some memorable boss battles , though.

Anyway. my list:

Unreal Tournament
UT2K4
UT2XMP(wonderful multiplayer)
SHOGO
Call of Duty+expansion
Soldier of Fortune 2(random generated CTF owned)
Joint Operations Typhoon Rising

Oh, lets not understate the emulation scene as well. It is a big reason to own a PC. If you're not a cocksucker about it, which means buying Midway and Capcom comps and such. This can be said for the XBOX as well.
27 Aug 2005, 02:48 PM
Rumpy

Sacrifice had some really cool ideas in it. I wonder if I still have it laying around. And Snood doesn't count for shit because it's just a rip off of countless other bubble pop rip offs.
27 Aug 2005, 02:54 PM
Rhydant

Homeworld 2
Diablo II: LoD (The expansion was released in 2001. That counts!)
27 Aug 2005, 04:05 PM
Diff-chan

Quote:

SHOGO

Shogo came out in 1998.
27 Aug 2005, 04:31 PM
raystorm

I would add Mafia to that list. I also would replace NOLF 2 with the first one which is an awesome game.

Some more:

Giants: Citizen Kabuto ..well.. I dig it anyways.
Chronicles of Riddick (makes the xbox version look like shit)
Planescape: Torment
Thief series.. yes.. even Deadly Shadows which I enjoyed.
Deus Ex ..the sequel is not as good but with the latest patch and hi-res textures pack its still a fine game.
27 Aug 2005, 04:56 PM
flux=rad

Add that Warhammer game. Dawn of War I think. That thing fuckin rules.

And seriously, what's up with C&C Generals? Is that a joke?
27 Aug 2005, 05:00 PM
Rumpy

Generals had some cool explosion effects.
27 Aug 2005, 05:27 PM
sethsez

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

Honestly for all the talk of the PC being the best game platform, it seems kinda lame when you itemize...

Pretty much. Every single PC developer seems to take lessons from Capcom... if something is successful, bleed it drier than the Sahara. Which is sad, because it has more potential than any other platform.

Sacrifice was awesome, though.
27 Aug 2005, 06:04 PM
Master

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoshi

I'm not sure why the best gaming platform was left out of the fun, but here are the must have PC exclusives during this console generation:

Age of Mythology
Age of Wonders
Aliens vs. Predator 2
Baldur's Gate II
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 2
Black & White
Clive Barker's Undying
Command & Conquer Generals
Dark Age of Camelot
Far Cry (until Xbox butchering is released)
Freedom Force 1-2
Guild Wars
Half-Life 2
Neverwinter Nights
No One Lives Forever 2
Painkiller
Rise of Nations
Rome: Total War
Serious Sam: 2nd Encounter
Wizardry 8
WarCraft III
World of Warcraft

That's 24, second to the PS2 over that span.

Here are the ones in that list that I take issue with (I'm not sure they are "must haves")

Black & White
Clive Barker's Undying
Freedom Force 1-2
No One Lives Forever 2
Painkiller
27 Aug 2005, 06:15 PM
Drewbacca

Far Cry is worth it. Great AI and fun level design.
27 Aug 2005, 06:23 PM
frostwolf ex

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master

Here are the ones in that list that I take issue with (I'm not sure they are "must haves")

Black & White
Clive Barker's Undying
Freedom Force 1-2
No One Lives Forever 2
Painkiller

freedom force is an arsterisk. its a great game once you get into it, but it does take a while to get momentum. ff2 picked up much faster because you started out with a full force this time, as opposed to running the minuteman around solo.

i would add sacred and sacred underworld though, probably the best diablo follow up out there. and with quite a few ideas to add on to the diablo experience.
27 Aug 2005, 06:24 PM
Diff-chan

What planet do you live on that fucking Sacred is a must-have game? I played it when it came out, 7/10 at best.
27 Aug 2005, 06:26 PM
frostwolf ex

then we disagree, but i stand by it. i thought it was an excellent game.
27 Aug 2005, 06:31 PM
Sl1p

The Sims 2
Unreal Tournament 2004
Far Cry
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory

Since I refuse to list MMO's in this list, that's all I got.
27 Aug 2005, 08:02 PM
FuryFox

Sacred is supposedly greatly improved now with numerous patch upgrades and expansions. People tell me it's must-have now, where it was only mediocre when released, but I haven't played it. WoW is enough of a Diablo clone as it is, so I haven't played it.
27 Aug 2005, 08:02 PM
JMET

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sl1p

The Sims 2
Unreal Tournament 2004
Far Cry
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory

Since I refuse to list MMO's in this list, that's all I got.

Yes please skip mmo's which would leave out one of the greatest games ever.
27 Aug 2005, 09:28 PM
Compass

Torment was '99 but yes, indubitably excellent.

NOLF was cool at first then got tired *real* fast. I give it a 5/10.

If anything Far Cry is underrated.

And... Divine Divinity is the best Diablo clone. That's all for now.
27 Aug 2005, 10:53 PM
arjue

Farcry is fantastic multiplayer.

I don't play much PC stuff so my list would be pretty small. I'm surprised at how similar my taste in games is to yoshi's, considering how differing our opinions are on pretty much everything else (including which consoles we like).
27 Aug 2005, 11:14 PM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally Posted by arjue

I'm surprised at how similar my taste in games is to yoshi's, considering how differing our opinions are on pretty much everything else (including which consoles we like).

I was trying to be objective instead of picking stuff that I personally like. For instance, I love Mario Kart on GC, but it didn't make my list. I also abhore Gran Turismo, but it made my list.
28 Aug 2005, 12:38 AM
Changeling

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

Shogo came out in 1998.

good point. I like it though :)
28 Aug 2005, 12:51 AM
Compass

Yeah, Shogo was rad... for the time. Not sure if it would hold up well in this day and age. I remember how incredible I thought the graphics were. lol.
28 Aug 2005, 01:00 AM
Diff-chan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Compass

Yeah, Shogo was rad... for the time. Not sure if it would hold up well in this day and age. I remember how incredible I thought the graphics were. lol.

Yea, good point...

http://batman.jypoly.fi/~saku/lehti/.../shogo_iso.jpg

Sacrifice looks okay, though, mainly because of very cool art design.

I wish sequels to both came out, but the developers are too busy on stupid Matrix-related projects.
28 Aug 2005, 01:43 AM
Changeling

I think its time to play some SHOGO : )
28 Aug 2005, 03:34 PM
Compass

I doubt we'll ever see a sequel to Shogo. I remember hearing they were working on an expansion but scrapped it when the game didn't sell particularly well. I know I wouldn't have touched it (ho-hum box art and lame title) if I hadn't played and loved the demo. Now, not too many people even remember it.
28 Aug 2005, 03:59 PM
Sl1p

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMET

Yes please skip mmo's which would leave out one of the greatest games ever.

Star Wars Galaxies is not one of the greatest games ever, sorry. Neither is the Matrix Online.

Oh, and I forgot the Max Payne series. Doh!
28 Aug 2005, 06:09 PM
Changeling

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master

Here are the ones in that list that I take issue with (I'm not sure they are "must haves")

Clive Barker's Undying

Have you even played Undying? It is a top 10 on the PC side of things for me.
28 Aug 2005, 06:24 PM
JMET

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sl1p

Star Wars Galaxies is not one of the greatest games ever, sorry. Neither is the Matrix Online.

Oh, and I forgot the Max Payne series. Doh!

World Of Warcraft, in case you werent being a smart ass and intentionally skipping it.
28 Aug 2005, 06:29 PM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMET

World Of Warcraft, in case you werent being a smart ass and intentionally skipping it.

There are offline games that have more content than WoW. That's the problem with putting that in the list, though I did acknowledge it in order to appease those that don't realize that there are better MMOs out there.
28 Aug 2005, 06:47 PM
Diff-chan

Quote:

though I did acknowledge it in order to appease those that don't realize that there are better MMOs out there.

Like Star Wars Galaxies? LOL!

Let me guess, you've joined in on the meth craze that's taking over the South.
28 Aug 2005, 07:08 PM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

Like Star Wars Galaxies? LOL!

Considering you never hit 60 in WoW, and you certainly didn't play SWG long enough to see 10% of what as there, I'm not too concerned with your overall opinion of the genre. There is far more depth and content in SWG. The fact that it is less easily accessible is a good thing, because it keeps the casuals and kiddies out.
28 Aug 2005, 07:12 PM
Diff-chan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoshi

Considering you never hit 60 in WoW, and you certainly didn't play SWG long enough to see 10% of what as there, I'm not too concerned with your overall opinion of the genre. There is far more depth and content in SWG. The fact that it is less easily accessible is a good thing, because it keeps the casuals and kiddies out.

I stopped playing SWG because it was a ridiculous, unbelievable grind that was absolutely no fun whatsoever. I stopped playing WoW because it was so much fun that it was consuming my life and I needed to stop. Nevertheless, if I had to make a list of the games I spent the most time with, WoW would be in my top 5.

Hmm, I wonder which is better...
28 Aug 2005, 07:14 PM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

I stopped playing SWG because it was a ridiculous, unbelievable grind that was absolutely no fun whatsoever. I stopped playing WoW because it was so much fun that it was consuming my life and I needed to stop. Nevertheless, if I had to make a list of the games I spent the most time with, WoW would be in my top 5.

Hmm, I wonder which is better...

You played how many of the 39 elite professions in SWG? Did you master any of them? Did you even try the crafting half of the game? How about melee combat? Have you played it since the combat revamp? Ignorance is bliss. The difference between the two games is that SWG just begins when the grinding ends. WoW ends when the leveling stops.

Back when you played, BTW, it was possible to master just about any combat profession in SWG in a weekend, so your "unbelievable grind" is just ignorant horse shit.
28 Aug 2005, 07:17 PM
g0zen

Arcanum
Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
Tropico
Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
Cossacks: European Wars
28 Aug 2005, 07:18 PM
Yoshi

edit: I should mention that I have said before that WoW is more fun for a short time. I took a break from SWG to hit 60 in WoW in just under three months. My frustration with the game came once I was 60, so you would not have experienced that piece.
28 Aug 2005, 07:31 PM
Diff-chan

I became a Master Marksman and was working on Pistoleer, and I got to Novice Bounty Hunter. The amount of XP required was huge, and the novice BH missions were incredibly boring and stupid (find some obscure location and drive out to the middle of nowhere to knock off some random NPC). Most of my time was being spent (A) lining up for buffs and then going to another planet and getting into a solo group, doing stupid missions by myself. The downtime between fights was long, especially if you happen to die. Every character in the game looked exactly the same in combat because the only viable armor was Composite, and the characters who played dancers and the like were the worst sort of MMO roleplayers (calling you "hun" and shit).

And yea, I tried crafting, it was boring, the interface was clumsy and required way too many clicks, and hunting for materials was slow and arduous.

I'm glad you liked the game, I really am, but after a certain point it was just way too much work and not enough fun. I really couldnt find any way to call it a great game or one of the must haves, even if I did like it a lot. Even the Star Wars theme was poorly done overall, what with the Jedi running around in starports and shit and the emptiness of most cities in the game.
28 Aug 2005, 07:34 PM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

I became a Master Marksman and was working on Pistoleer, and I got to Novice Bounty Hunter. The amount of XP required was huge, and the novice BH missions were incredibly boring and stupid (find some obscure location and drive out to the middle of nowhere to knock off some random NPC). Most of my time was being spent (A) lining up for buffs and then going to another planet and getting into a solo group, doing stupid missions by myself. The downtime between fights was long, especially if you happen to die. Every character in the game looked exactly the same in combat because the only viable armor was Composite, and the characters who played dancers and the like were the worst sort of MMO roleplayers (calling you "hun" and shit).

And yea, I tried crafting, it was boring, the interface was clumsy and required way too many clicks, and hunting for materials was slow and arduous.

I'm glad you liked the game, I really am, but after a certain point it was just way too much work and not enough fun. I really couldnt find any way to call it a great game or one of the must haves, even if I did like it a lot.

A lot of those points were valid at one time. It's a shame you picked BH in your first template, because that Investigation tree is a bitch. Most of the rest of the stuff you mentioned, buffs, solo groups, and composite domination have all been fixed. The entertainers being useless will never change, unfortunately.
28 Aug 2005, 07:44 PM
JMET

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoshi

There are offline games that have more content than WoW. That's the problem with putting that in the list, though I did acknowledge it in order to appease those that don't realize that there are better MMOs out there.

For me it is one of the best games ever as well as best MMO, disagreeing is fine as that is what opinions are all about but having played EQ2, Matrix Online, Ragnarok (lollers), etc. it is my favorite.

Regarding SWG, I hate everything Star Wars (minus the originals and even there I am no fanatic) so nothing about that game is attractive to me.
28 Aug 2005, 07:51 PM
Yoshi

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMET

For me it is one of the best games ever as well as best MMO, disagreeing is fine as that is what opinions are all about but having played EQ2, Matrix Online, Ragnarok (lollers), etc. it is my favorite.

Regarding SWG, I hate everything Star Wars (minus the originals and even there I am no fanatic) so nothing about that game is attractive to me.

Without question, the best MMO is between WoW and SWG, so if you don't like the Star Wars universe, that makes it pretty obvious. ;)
28 Aug 2005, 08:43 PM
toxic

Did KOTOR come out on PC first?

Anyways, the lack of straight up RPG's on that list is depressing. Especially considering the great history RPGS (that were PC exclusives) had.

I don't think most PC fanboys will argue that there is a quantitative decline in quality. The upside is that alot of those games have the potential for 1000's of hours of gameplay (due to mods, online play, etc etc). So in a way it balances out. You would be hard pressed to find a game on the PS2 that could offer the replayability of a BF2, Rome: Total War or WOW. That's where the value is for a PC gamer .. you could play 1 game for an entire year. On a console, you are lucky to play one game for a month.
29 Aug 2005, 01:59 AM
g0zen

Quote:

Originally Posted by toxic

Did KOTOR come out on PC first?

Nope.
29 Aug 2005, 06:32 AM
arjue

I just can't get into MMORPG's. even WOW was too much of a grind session for me, though the universe is really sweet and exploring it was fantastic fun (trying to swim away from level 50 turtles at level 7 = awesome).

Quote:

Originally Posted by toxic

Anyways, the lack of straight up RPG's on that list is depressing. Especially considering the great history RPGS (that were PC exclusives) had.

Yeah, I miss black isle :(
29 Aug 2005, 09:35 AM
g0zen

Quote:

Originally Posted by arjue

Yeah, I miss black isle :(

All of those were out before 2001 or else I'd have straight-up name dropped all the Fallouts. The only game from that series that came out in '01 was Fallout Tactics..Eh..Yeah.
30 Aug 2005, 12:06 AM
arjue

Yeah, I thought that was the point of toxic's post.
30 Aug 2005, 02:08 AM
frostwolf ex

Quote:

Originally Posted by diffusionx

I stopped playing SWG because it was a ridiculous, unbelievable grind that was absolutely no fun whatsoever. I stopped playing WoW because it was so much fun that it was consuming my life and I needed to stop. Nevertheless, if I had to make a list of the games I spent the most time with, WoW would be in my top 5.

Hmm, I wonder which is better...

strangly why i quit wow. look, we are glad you like wow, you certainly have told us enough about it every single time we have talked about mmo's, pretty much like clockwork, but the game was fucking boring rehash of everquests ideas to alot of us here, so unless you want to argue the same points with the same poeple over and over again, its kind of redundant already. we get the point , you like generic races and half assed rehashed combat mechanics, proud of you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by toxic

I don't think most PC fanboys will argue that there is a quantitative decline in quality. The upside is that alot of those games have the potential for 1000's of hours of gameplay (due to mods, online play, etc etc). So in a way it balances out. You would be hard pressed to find a game on the PS2 that could offer the replayability of a BF2, Rome: Total War or WOW. That's where the value is for a PC gamer .. you could play 1 game for an entire year. On a console, you are lucky to play one game for a month.

quantitative yes, unfortunatly the lure of the money of mmo's has drawn a lot of studios from making enjoyable single player content and its a shame. bethesda has pretty much become the standard bearer for single player rpg's anymore, they seem pretty solid that they will never make an mmo, and i admire them for it, sometimes its fun not to have to continue paying for each game you buy individually.

unfortunatly the success of wow will only make it worse, since most devs will overlook the fact that they dont have blizzard's following and will think they can get numbers like wow, and they will fail.
30 Aug 2005, 02:33 AM
kedawa

American McGee's Alice

This game doesn't have much replay value, but it's fun and has good music.
The level design is interesting, if not terribly complex, and gameplay is solid enough.
It's also one of the few console-style games that was exclusive to PC, AFAIK.

I usually see it packaged with Undying for really cheap.
30 Aug 2005, 08:34 AM
Changeling

Quote:

Originally Posted by kedawa

American McGee's Alice

This game doesn't have much replay value, but it's fun and has good music.
The level design is interesting, if not terribly complex, and gameplay is solid enough.
It's also one of the few console-style games that was exclusive to PC, AFAIK.

I usually see it packaged with Undying for really cheap.

Pretty fun game, but kinda bad to control. I wonder if American McGee is an egomaniac like Cliffy B. Maybe they're lovers or something.

Anyway, you're right about the bundle with Undying. I've seen that bundle at Walmart for 10 bucks. Sometimes you can get good deals on PC stuff at Walmart.
30 Aug 2005, 08:42 AM
g0zen

Quote:

Originally Posted by arjue

Yeah, I thought that was the point of toxic's post.

He edited all that shit in after I'd answered his question.

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:32 AM.