Top 5 games
Let's talk about good games.
- What are your top five favourite games and why?
- What are your top 5 most inspiring games?
- What are your top 5 'good example not to do it' games?
- Final Fantasy VIII
- Deus Ex
- Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic
- Stalker : Shadow of Chernobyl
- Fable
Basically, what gets me is plot, character development and the ability to chose your own path through the game.
These are the games I can keep returning to.
- Deus Ex
- Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic
- Stalker : Shadow of Chernobyl
- Fable
Basically, what gets me is plot, character development and the ability to chose your own path through the game.
These are the games I can keep returning to.
Master of Magic
Master of Orion 2
Sword of Aragon
Age of Wonders 2: Shadow Magic
Company of Heroes
I've played those games for ages, specially Master of Magic.
Master of Orion 2
Sword of Aragon
Age of Wonders 2: Shadow Magic
Company of Heroes
I've played those games for ages, specially Master of Magic.
Quote: Original post by eco_2
- What are your top five favourite games and why?
- What are your top 5 most inspiring games?
There's necessarily a bit of overlap here. So I'll just give 4 of each.
My all time favourites, if my memory serves me well and I'm not completely overlooking something, are these:
Ultima VII - deep and well-connected plot, massive world, believable characters, immense detail. Still unsurpassed over a decade on.
Realms of the Haunting - very underrated horror/adventure/FPS with a great premise and setting. Shame the execution was poor.
Thief: The Dark Project - almost flawless stealth gameplay, often imitated, seemingly unbeaten. The sinister and supernatural setting seemed to bother a few people, but they're the ones who just don't really get what this game was trying to achieve.
Myth: The Fallen Lords - Simple RTS, but the lack of resource gathering meant that more emphasis was placed on your combat strategy. Very unforgiving though, as a result. Great pseudo-Celtic setting, also.
As you may have gathered, my favourite games all had great settings. As much as I will insist upon good gameplay in a game, the difference between good and great comes from the aesthetics, and by that I mean how it makes me feel, not how well rendered the graphics are.
As for inspirational games, I'd say all of the previous ones, plus these:
Elite 2: Frontier - the prequel was probably the better achievement in terms of technology for its time, but this one took it a step further. Space really felt vast, and few games give you as much freedom - or illusory freedom - as this one did.
The Bard's Tale - home computer roleplaying games didn't get much better than this in the 80s. Somehow they managed to cram a lot of atmosphere and gameplay into 64K and an almost entirely text-based interface.
Oblivion - the more I play this, the more flaws become apparent. The gameplay is somewhat lacking, the questing too arbitrary, the challenges too repetitive. But it did some things better than any other game has so far: the first time I stepped into the light from the prison and saw the sprawling world before me; the first time I encountered a troll thundering towards me in attack; seeing a city devastated by demonic hordes; being able to explore the wilderness and navigate by the landmarks in the distance and the type of vegetation I have around me. Capturing moments like these should be something any epic RPG should aspire to.
Championship Manager 2/3 - probably not likely to feature on many 'inspirational' lists. But games like Championship Manager somehow oozed playability despite being not only text-based, but largely number-based. It also shows that the graphical camera-based paradigm of displaying game events as you or a nearby cameraman would witness them is not necessary for a game to be immersive. It also shows that you don't need to fear numbers in a game, that they don't break immersion any more than the words in a novel do. As in The Matrix, "I don't even see the code. All I see is blonde, brunette, red-head."
5 Favorite:
Earthbound - A great example how graphics do not make the game. This game has quirky, amazing writing and goofy scenarios that somehow work flawlessly (Happy Happy Cultists? Zombie Flypaper?) A great game that most people unfortunately never played. Its "enemies are on the screen" battle system is great too, not to mention there is no wasted time fighting enemies that you know you can kill, the screen just flashes and you gain the experience :D
Chrono Trigger: - An amazing written story, unique (for its time) battle system, great characters and great scenarios is why I love this game. It also has a great musical score. VERY important for RPGs I dont care who you are or what you think you know. Music is important.
Final Fantasy 6 (3 in the US) - Yet another amazingly written and flawlessly scored game. This RPG through its mix of music and story did a great job at invoking emotion in its users. The battles are a tad boring but are really fast paced so its not so bad. The twist in the middle of the game was priceless.
Super Mario Bros - The game that started it all for me. I didn't even know what a Nintendo was but I was naturally attracted to it and wanted one. I played this game until my parents made me put it away :'(
Flashback: Quest for Identity - Wow, this games story, gameplay, soundtrack (as simple as it was) was just phenominal. I used to play this for hours and hours on sega channel (remember that?)
I want to put Shadow of the Colossus and Ecco 2: Tides of Time on here too but you said only 5 :'(
Top 5 What NOT to do games:
Final Fantasy 11: Not only is the starting of this game horribly boring and confusing to newcomers, (level 10 rule anyone?) but the game is severely unbalanced. (Fanboys flame all you want your wrong and I mean that.) For example, I played till level 55 and could get killed easily by level 3 (yes three) creatures just because I was a mage? Get real! Not to mention some poorly thought out gimmicks such as needing to do a quest ever 5 levels after level 50 in order to level up? Who thought that wonderful idea up?
The gameplay is poorly planned out because if you want to solo, you pretty much have to be one type of character, every other character is only balanced for party play.
The equipment system is terrible. All the stats are the same and everyone can see what you are wearing, so if your not rich and don't have the latest threads, then you can kiss your chances of getting in a party goodbye.
Crafting - Theres not enough space on the internet to write about this. If you have played the game you know.
There are many more problems with the game but its seriously, seriously flawed.
Dragon Quarter:
I don't care how hardcore you want your game to be, making your player die over and over and over to get to the end is a rediculous, cheap, and non effective gameplay mechanic. If I read that a game uses it, I dont buy the game.
Anything made by Valve:
Let me say this: Valve makes amazing games, but there is a serious flaw and it is called Steam and it is why I do not buy Valve games anymore. Never force your player to download crapware that not only greatly lengthens the install time of a game but sometimes doesn't install itself correctly! The whole IT dept where I work (with the exception of the computer I was using) had steam installations freeze or not install correctly. Bad bad move. As much as I love Portal I will not buy Orange Box because I see the Steam logo on it.
Star Wars Galaxies:
I am not a star wars fan but I do enjoy following the saga on the boards of how it seems like the developers hate their fans and instead of balancing the game they just take away everything that everyone likes. Its so bad infact that there is a site trying to remake the game before this "big nerf" everyone talks about. If your an MMO developer, listen to your fans?
Mario Sunshine:
All I have to say is: Who thought mario was easy to control? Who was able to make mario do what they wanted him to do without doing it 4534534 times in a row? Mario Galaxy controls great, what happened to sunshine? (Yes I know sunshine was first)
Earthbound - A great example how graphics do not make the game. This game has quirky, amazing writing and goofy scenarios that somehow work flawlessly (Happy Happy Cultists? Zombie Flypaper?) A great game that most people unfortunately never played. Its "enemies are on the screen" battle system is great too, not to mention there is no wasted time fighting enemies that you know you can kill, the screen just flashes and you gain the experience :D
Chrono Trigger: - An amazing written story, unique (for its time) battle system, great characters and great scenarios is why I love this game. It also has a great musical score. VERY important for RPGs I dont care who you are or what you think you know. Music is important.
Final Fantasy 6 (3 in the US) - Yet another amazingly written and flawlessly scored game. This RPG through its mix of music and story did a great job at invoking emotion in its users. The battles are a tad boring but are really fast paced so its not so bad. The twist in the middle of the game was priceless.
Super Mario Bros - The game that started it all for me. I didn't even know what a Nintendo was but I was naturally attracted to it and wanted one. I played this game until my parents made me put it away :'(
Flashback: Quest for Identity - Wow, this games story, gameplay, soundtrack (as simple as it was) was just phenominal. I used to play this for hours and hours on sega channel (remember that?)
I want to put Shadow of the Colossus and Ecco 2: Tides of Time on here too but you said only 5 :'(
Top 5 What NOT to do games:
Final Fantasy 11: Not only is the starting of this game horribly boring and confusing to newcomers, (level 10 rule anyone?) but the game is severely unbalanced. (Fanboys flame all you want your wrong and I mean that.) For example, I played till level 55 and could get killed easily by level 3 (yes three) creatures just because I was a mage? Get real! Not to mention some poorly thought out gimmicks such as needing to do a quest ever 5 levels after level 50 in order to level up? Who thought that wonderful idea up?
The gameplay is poorly planned out because if you want to solo, you pretty much have to be one type of character, every other character is only balanced for party play.
The equipment system is terrible. All the stats are the same and everyone can see what you are wearing, so if your not rich and don't have the latest threads, then you can kiss your chances of getting in a party goodbye.
Crafting - Theres not enough space on the internet to write about this. If you have played the game you know.
There are many more problems with the game but its seriously, seriously flawed.
Dragon Quarter:
I don't care how hardcore you want your game to be, making your player die over and over and over to get to the end is a rediculous, cheap, and non effective gameplay mechanic. If I read that a game uses it, I dont buy the game.
Anything made by Valve:
Let me say this: Valve makes amazing games, but there is a serious flaw and it is called Steam and it is why I do not buy Valve games anymore. Never force your player to download crapware that not only greatly lengthens the install time of a game but sometimes doesn't install itself correctly! The whole IT dept where I work (with the exception of the computer I was using) had steam installations freeze or not install correctly. Bad bad move. As much as I love Portal I will not buy Orange Box because I see the Steam logo on it.
Star Wars Galaxies:
I am not a star wars fan but I do enjoy following the saga on the boards of how it seems like the developers hate their fans and instead of balancing the game they just take away everything that everyone likes. Its so bad infact that there is a site trying to remake the game before this "big nerf" everyone talks about. If your an MMO developer, listen to your fans?
Mario Sunshine:
All I have to say is: Who thought mario was easy to control? Who was able to make mario do what they wanted him to do without doing it 4534534 times in a row? Mario Galaxy controls great, what happened to sunshine? (Yes I know sunshine was first)
In no particular order, based on hours spent enjoying each title:
- Mass Effect
- Team Fortress II
- Command and Conquer I
- Quake I
- Fallout I and II
- Baldurs Gate II
- Civilization II
- Diablo
Can't really limit it to 5.
[Edited by - oitshi on April 25, 2008 10:35:05 AM]
- Mass Effect
- Team Fortress II
- Command and Conquer I
- Quake I
- Fallout I and II
- Baldurs Gate II
- Civilization II
- Diablo
Can't really limit it to 5.
[Edited by - oitshi on April 25, 2008 10:35:05 AM]
I wrote my top ten down a while ago, they even have pictures http://godpatterns.com/?p=51! I haven't changed it in a few years now. Possibly the new Fallout or Final Fantasy may be able to sneak their way in there.
I'm writing a book about How To Make An RPG, check it out! | Blog
Top
GTA San Andreas
I like modern and urban weapons. Dual wielding. Driving, realistic car damage and the thrill of a chase. GTA has annoying linear storyline for a free roaming game.
Crysis
I like the jungle, the open ended assault choices, the concept of total freedom including vehicles (not pulled off well, vehicles lack a bit in crysis.) The setting - an island in the pacific. Frozen areas are cool. Weird things out of place like the ship in the jungle. Sniping - but there was never enough sniper bullets.
Half-life (1, blueshift, opposing force, 2, episodes)
Realistic characters and facial animation. Polished gameplay. Science fiction storyline, distopian oppression, 1984, government coverups, secret facillities, scientists, g-man. Story.
Jurassic Park - Trespasser
Captures the feel of Jurassic Park - scared, alone, surviving. No hud, physical gun and hands that 'touch' the world... great physical interaction.
Assassins Creed
Adaptive climbing animation. Automatic awesome moves - just hold the roam button - jump, climb, dive. Assassin style, grace. Crowd dynamics. Free roaming. City exploration. Intuative controls (xbox 360 at least.)
Honourable mentions
Max Payne - weapons, bullet time, noir story
Halo Series - story, sci-fi, AI
Half-life 2 Deathmatch - fast, gravity gun is great
Call of Duty 2 - for multiplayer, great balance
Bomberman Live - for multiplayer, ruthless
Quake 2 - for multiplayer, tactical, learned
Bully - school style, fun, great accomplishments
Inspiring
Rez
In time to the music, tronish hacker style. Trance. Building the music up.
Katamari Damancy
Cartoony style. Background story. Great music. Fun.
Shadow of the Colossus
Great style. Gameplay - exploration, discovery, puzzle solving, agility. Fantastic colossus. Art.
ICO
Always holding the princess's hand. She's helpless without you. Puzzle solving, exploration.
Examples of bad
Jericho
Too rigid, no alternate path. Never widens up. Invincible enemy unless shot in certain place. Cliche story.
The Darkness
Weird mixing of story components - gangster, nazi zombies, supernatural parasite, summoning. Rigid story but 'open style' gameplay requiring loading and train rides to different parts of the city. 100 not very funny numbers to collect - shouldn't be an rpg, just a fps. Hard to control 'creeping' mode. The list goes on. I want to like it.
Stranglehold
New game with worse 'bullet time' than Max Payne. All canned animations, no physics or blended ragdolling. Could have been awesome with the right direction. Arcade style (powerups) where a serious approach would be better.
GTA San Andreas
I like modern and urban weapons. Dual wielding. Driving, realistic car damage and the thrill of a chase. GTA has annoying linear storyline for a free roaming game.
Crysis
I like the jungle, the open ended assault choices, the concept of total freedom including vehicles (not pulled off well, vehicles lack a bit in crysis.) The setting - an island in the pacific. Frozen areas are cool. Weird things out of place like the ship in the jungle. Sniping - but there was never enough sniper bullets.
Half-life (1, blueshift, opposing force, 2, episodes)
Realistic characters and facial animation. Polished gameplay. Science fiction storyline, distopian oppression, 1984, government coverups, secret facillities, scientists, g-man. Story.
Jurassic Park - Trespasser
Captures the feel of Jurassic Park - scared, alone, surviving. No hud, physical gun and hands that 'touch' the world... great physical interaction.
Assassins Creed
Adaptive climbing animation. Automatic awesome moves - just hold the roam button - jump, climb, dive. Assassin style, grace. Crowd dynamics. Free roaming. City exploration. Intuative controls (xbox 360 at least.)
Honourable mentions
Max Payne - weapons, bullet time, noir story
Halo Series - story, sci-fi, AI
Half-life 2 Deathmatch - fast, gravity gun is great
Call of Duty 2 - for multiplayer, great balance
Bomberman Live - for multiplayer, ruthless
Quake 2 - for multiplayer, tactical, learned
Bully - school style, fun, great accomplishments
Inspiring
Rez
In time to the music, tronish hacker style. Trance. Building the music up.
Katamari Damancy
Cartoony style. Background story. Great music. Fun.
Shadow of the Colossus
Great style. Gameplay - exploration, discovery, puzzle solving, agility. Fantastic colossus. Art.
ICO
Always holding the princess's hand. She's helpless without you. Puzzle solving, exploration.
Examples of bad
Jericho
Too rigid, no alternate path. Never widens up. Invincible enemy unless shot in certain place. Cliche story.
The Darkness
Weird mixing of story components - gangster, nazi zombies, supernatural parasite, summoning. Rigid story but 'open style' gameplay requiring loading and train rides to different parts of the city. 100 not very funny numbers to collect - shouldn't be an rpg, just a fps. Hard to control 'creeping' mode. The list goes on. I want to like it.
Stranglehold
New game with worse 'bullet time' than Max Payne. All canned animations, no physics or blended ragdolling. Could have been awesome with the right direction. Arcade style (powerups) where a serious approach would be better.
Quote: Original post by eco_2
- What are your top five favourite games and why?
Team Fortress - Just the right balance between strategy and action in an FPS. Classes add to replayability, depth, and ability for balancing. It also makes more people 'good' at the game because someone is bound to be good at one of the classes.
MarioKart Series - A few games are better party games than MarioKart (some bomberman implementations, some of the wii games, some guitar hero style games) but MarioKart has the longevity (people can play it forever without tiring of it), the balance, and the appeal to all people.
RollerCoaster Tycoon - Just plain fun.
Twilight Zone (Pinball) - The apex of the craft. A machine with exceptional angles, transitions, and really... 6 ball multiballs? Aww yeah.
Moria - The most accessable roguelike. These are always fun to go back and play a bit of.
Quote:
- What are your top 5 most inspiring games?
Puzzle Pirates - An excellent game design, but the community is what makes that game special. A MMO where asshats are quickly snuffed out by the community (and the game design allows/promotes that).
Dwarf Fort - The game quickly got old/easy for me, but super innovative.
Starscape - Asteroids with research and a plot? Sweet!
Go - The most elegant game ever. Few rules, tons of gameplay.
Master of Magic - It's the primary basis for my hobby game, and itself wasn't quite a good game. The concept is right on target, but the balance and AI was way off.
Quote:
- What are your top 5 'good example not to do it' games?
Pool of Radiance (2001)
Counterstrike (seriously)
moo3 (though that was implementation mostly)
Magna Carta
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