PC Games

[Mike]

So since my xbox is dead I'm tempted to break out Fallout and Fallout 2. Made me think... is there anything else I "should" play. I haven't really touched PC games past Deus Ex and the blizzard games.

So yeah.... Bauldur's Gate 2, etc etc... other recommendations.

Anybody?

[steve]

Sid Meier's Pirates = Awesomeness!
Sanitarium = trippy, horroresque puzzle game

[Dave]

I'm with Steve on Sid Meier's Pirates!
Most of the games I'd recomend are not your cup of tea.

[Mike]

I really didn't enjoy Pirates! all that much. I tried... but yea.

[iroNy]

Most of these I haven't played, but they're here on good word of mouth. A few may be impossible to find, like Eric The Unready. Mostly a list of what I can currently think of that I'd like to play if I had the time. A few, like Planescape I've actually played and would play again if I had the time and not this giant stack of unopened games in my possession. Arturo might blink at my inclusion of Sam and Max because I keep telling him I won't touch the game, it's just cause I don't have the time and, like the tons of games I already have backlogged, will never get to.

Age of Empires 2
Alone in the Dark
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Eric The Unready
The Monkey Island Series
FreeSpace 2
Freelancer
Freedom Force
Grim Fandango
Icewind Dale
Leisure Suit Larry (not the new ones)
Planescape: Torment
Sam & Max
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

[Karazorel]

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

I loved this game to death. I even have the soundtrack.

[steve]

yeah. bloodlines and planescape are dope

[JohnP]

Half-Life Series anyone?
Half-life
Half-life: Opposing Force
Half-life: Blue Shift
Half-life 2
Half-life 2: Episode 1
Half-life 2: Episode 2
Portal
Halo 2? (j/k)
Gears of War? (not kidding)
Call of Duty 4 (slightly not kidding)
Bioshock (also not kidding)
Starcraft
Diablo
Diablo 2
Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2112

After this list I'm drawing up blanks :-/

[Aranthos]

You absolutely must play Freelancer (thanks for the reminder Ny) if you're into space shooters. Hell, even if you're not you should play it. It roxxorz teh proverbial soxxorz.

I'd also recommend Supreme Commander (preferably of the Forged Alliance variety) to anyone remotely into RTS games. It's a tad slower burning than most RTS games but there's so much variety in the strategies. I can offer a complete, 100% Aranthos-certified guarantee that it'll last a shitload longer than ANY of the CnC games if you can be arsed trying different tactics. I've been playing the CnC3 RA beta (thanks Fileplanet!) and while it's pretty, and it's definitely CnC Red Alert in gameplay style, I wonder why I was ever a fan of the series. It's just so shallow. There are approximately 1 ways to play and win in my experience.

Enough RTS rambling, now onto FPS... The whole Half Life series is awesome. Recommend you pick up the whole pack through Steam. I think it's like 90 bucks, but you get an entire series of games for it so it's a deal and a half.

I think those are the 2 most important genres covered. Also note that I only mentioned space shooter because Freelancer is quite frankly the only game in its genre I have ever liked for more than a day. It's also one of very, very few games I still play so long after having purchased it.

If you want a game that'll provide a quick giggle, look for any of the Porrasturvat games. Truck Dismout is good, though somewhat odd. One game that had me bent double with laughter (or at least as far as someone can be bent double when sitting on a chair...) was SumoTori. Seriously. Just watching those characters struggle to stay upright is ace.

Oooh, just thought of another one. Go download Soldat. I don't care what sort of games you like, just go and download it. It's sort of a big crazy mashup of Quake, Counterstrike and 2D, and I promise you'll like it even if you don't like those three things (I did!). Forget everything you knew about sidescrolling platforming online shooters and just play it.

Sorry I dragged on a bit there, I kept thinking of new games to add to the list as I typed.

Oh, got another one. Trackmania. Aranthos says go get Nations Forever (free ), and if you like it buy United Forever. Custom car skins, a track builder, time of day lighting, replay editors, custom car models, it's a master of all trades. For some idea of what's possible with it, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG5XJY18y-o