Posted by Jinxed on 2009-12-21 15:08:39

If you like tactical games;

-Close Combat Series (esp. 'The Russian Front" or III)
-Total War Series

Either them or simply fumbbl (IMO)

Posted by PeteW on 2009-12-21 15:19:02

Go play with your kid! :P

Posted by Wotfudboy on 2009-12-21 15:36:05

@PeteW... I do I do... but she does have to go to bed at sometime!... and TV is dull, with the mrs watching soppy dramas/films etc :)

Posted by Gromrilram on 2009-12-21 15:36:16

most of my favourite games are based on atmosphere mostly.
if you need high graphics: move along, these are older games.

adventure:
grim fandango. great game, hard riddles, comparable to monkey island, lacks the crazyness but wins imho in athmosphere.

shooter:
max payne. nice story. fun to play. nice dificulty, it constantly gets harder, with nice peeks in between. what i like is the tactical element, like you really have to think when to jump where and shoot whom, count the rounds in your magazine and play one scene over and over again until you solved it.

rpg:
baldurs gate I + II
my all time favourite games. i like the point and click type of game, with the party as a strong element. especially I lacks nowadays graphics, so i would recommend II. but beware: baldurs gate I has an overall gaming time of a couple of hundred hours (i am not exaggerating...) so if you get hook it consumes A LOT of time.

diablo I + II, both all time great, but nowadays it really just became leveling. and is the mmorpg thing...

aditionally i like a lot of the "building games" sim city, old civilisation, age of empires... these games never grow old for me.


so: most of the games i like feature great athmosphere, require more brain than skill, and often allow me to press pause and command my party to do XYZ or to build building XYZ.
additionally i am not a big fan of online gaming, i prefer to take my speed.

Posted by Fela on 2009-12-21 15:36:19

Does it have to be a newish game?

If not i'd recommend looking at Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines (dark RPG), Haegemonia + Solon Heritage (X4) or Age of Wonders 2 - Shadow Magic (TBS - no need to buy the base game, Shadow Magic is stand alone) - IF you can get your hands on a cheap copy (less than 10€). And check out fan patches/mods for those games.

Posted by Gromrilram on 2009-12-21 15:38:38

oh yeah:
vampire the masquerade
star wars knights of the old republic. (one of the little rpgs that provide a solid story for th dark side, i played it a couple of times, because light and dark sie not only differs in story, but also in the way you play it - lightning vs heal for example.)

Posted by Shraaaag on 2009-12-21 15:53:53

You could get a steam account (steampowered.com) and try out some of the demos. Also watch out for some good deals/specials.

Atm, I'm more in a 'getting entertained' rather than 'beating a challenge' type of games, if you're like that, I'd recommend Sam&Max and Tales of Monkey Island from telltalegames.com.
If you're looking for some online multiplayer experience, I hope you got some buddies, or better luck than me. I usually end up with people half my age or socially handicapped opponents/team-members. Kinda like PuG in MMORPGs. This has kinda ruined alot of good online games for me.

Posted by JockMcRowdy on 2009-12-21 16:04:13

If you have a ninja pc you want crysis, dragon age origins, battleforge (its free now), Football manager 2010, fallout 3, mass effect, empire total war, batman arkham asylum, gta 4, bioshock.

less ninja. far cry, fallout 1+2, knights of the old republic, football manager 2010 (run less leagues) rome total war, civilization 4 + add ons, deus ex

i can provide more titles if necessary. all i do is play games, even whilst playing fumbbl.

Posted by Nemeton on 2009-12-21 16:22:55

Europa Universalis III or Civilization IV - both are GREAT games with unending hours of fun - if you like strategy :-D

Posted by Wotfudboy on 2009-12-21 16:24:48

Ooo nice comments peeps! - Handy stuff!

I don't care if the game is new or old... I will of course check out if I can play the game on a great site called www.canirunit.com which is very useful!

I don't mind the genre of game at all... or standalone/online... main criteria is "do you like it so much to recommend it?"... or if you could only play 3 games on a desert island what would they be... that kind of answer.

Keep 'em coming!

Posted by ultwe on 2009-12-21 16:29:17

how recent does the game have to be?

You can get Day of the Tentacle, to run in DOSbox, off the Interweb.
just purchased UFO Enemy unknown (aka ufo defense, in some places) of steam. £2.99 the graphiocs are, mmm...., let say that they are outdated.. :-) but it is still the same good ol' game

for FPS, nothing beats half life (1&2), as far as I am concerned

(Yes, I am old and old-fashioned. I make no apology for it ;-D )

Posted by Woodstock on 2009-12-21 16:50:42

Try Dwarf Fortress... It will keep you occupied for a few months if you like it.
In short:
7 dwarfs get dropped in a world like that of LotR. Survive!

Long story:
You need to start farming, dig out rooms, cut trees, make beds, doors, etc etc... immigrants will arrive every year, so do goblins trying to steal stuff, or other races trying to kill you. You need to dig out ore and melt it, forge it into weapons and armour to protect yourself. You can create insane traps and structures.

It is free, still in alpha, but the best game I ever played. Standard graphics are ASCII, there are other tile sets available if you want more advanced graphics.

Downside of this wonderful game:
- It eats your CPU
- Very hard to learn

Contact me on IRC if you need some help ;)

Posted by Lobossumi on 2009-12-21 16:53:11

One of the best RPGs ever made hands down: Witcher (But get Enhanced Edition not the original, lot less bugs), Batman Arkham Asylum, Bioshock (now that they finally removed that stupid installation limit), Fallout 1,2 and 3 (oldies goldies and great new one), Knights of the Old Republic 1 (dont even bother with 2) and of course if you have joystick then try the best space flight sims ever TIE Fighter or Freespace 2.

Posted by PainState on 2009-12-21 17:02:12

Civ4
Diablo 2

Dwarf Fortress: If you dont mind taking 2 months to figure out what the hell is actually going on. Once you figure it out it is a great game. AND FREE over the internet.

Posted by veron on 2009-12-21 17:36:31

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series (1 & 2)

Posted by Russo on 2009-12-21 17:47:34

Civ 3 is waaaay better than Civ 4

Champ Manager before it split was cool too, after the split then Football Manager was the better of the two versions

Posted by Nemeton on 2009-12-21 17:54:50

You cant be serious.

Civ2 was the best of them, but Civ3 was definitely the worst of them. Corruption in Civ3 was so stupid it ruined the whole idea of the game: to expand and build an empire. Civ2 and Civ4 (but you need Beyond the Sword on Civ4 to make it good) are the Civ games to buy and play, but since Civ2 is ~13 years old by now Civ4 is probably the game to get if you want to enjoy Civ strategy.

Posted by Gromrilram on 2009-12-21 18:17:32

3 games if i had to choose for that "lonely island":
civ II
baldurs gate II
star wars knights of the old republic I

Posted by Hogshine on 2009-12-21 18:25:50

My 3 games for that island:
Civ 2 or 4 (one or the other, I don't mind which. And Civ 3 did suck...)
Diablo 2
Thief or Modern Warfare 2 (again, I don't mind which)

Posted by DonTomaso on 2009-12-21 18:39:21

If you haven't played them, I recommend Fallout 1, Fallout 2 and most definetly Fallout 3.

Not online in any way... just another great way of playing with yourself.

Posted by PineappleSKitter on 2009-12-21 18:42:34

Another advocate of Dwarf fortress!

Oh, and play cave story if you haven't already.

Posted by Zombie69 on 2009-12-21 19:18:30

My company just released Final Fantasy XIII, and apparently it's pretty good! ;-p

But personally, i like Civ 4.

Posted by Mr_Foulscumm on 2009-12-21 19:36:52

Cyanide have made this game called "Blood Bowl" and it is amazing. You should try it :P

Posted by GIBraag on 2009-12-21 19:53:13

Dragon Age Origins
Mass Effect (and soon Mass Effect 2)
Grand Theft Auto 4
Fallout 3

All three blend the line between movies and games (as does the brilliant Uncharted series, but thats PS3 only), provide dozens and dozens of hours of gameplay and have an immersive setting, gripping action, memorable characters and a plot full of twists and turns. You will need quite a powerful computer to play them at high graphical settings though.

Posted by BroadAsImLong on 2009-12-21 20:06:19

Escape Velocity
DA:O
DoW II (II is much better imho, tho not 'that' different just more squad orientated ie no bases to build).
Red Alert I,II,II+expasions. cant beat a bit of soviet bashing.

Posted by James_Probert on 2009-12-21 20:06:59

I'm suprised no one's mentioned portal yet, AWESOME game from valve, and it comes in the 'orange box' with half-life 2 and team fortress 2, another couple of cracking games

Posted by Lobossumi on 2009-12-21 20:24:51

Dragon Age is good as game but the plot leaves much to hope for, not a single original idea in the whole game. Every plot"twist" you see a mile away and everything else has allready been done before.
As for Mass Effect and Grand Theft Auto 4, good games but filled with totally stupid and insane DRM stuff. Support them if you don't mind that crap. If you do, avoid like plague.

Posted by adambomb on 2009-12-21 21:06:02

For newer games, Fallout 3 and Bioshock are 2 games that I have enjoyed immensely in the past year. Both are super immersive, super fun and well-worth investigating. I've recently delved into Dragon Age: Origins but don't yet find it as compelling as the other 2 I've mentioned.

Some oldies but goodies:

Deus Ex, Neverwinter Nights series, System Shock II (ancestor to Bioshock)

I would also recommend visiting http://www.metacritic.com/games/pc/ for oodles of games, ratings and info

Posted by Timlagor on 2009-12-21 21:31:14

I'm going to put in another recommendation for VTM:Bloodlines ..of course it helped that I loved the real RPG (in non-emo form).

Wizardry 8 (RPG) -never played the earlier ones.
Glactic Civilizations 2 (turn-based 4X)

Never managed to get Fallout 1,2 or tactics working and FAllout3 on the xbox360 was only so-so. (Prototype was awesome but i don't know if that's available on pc)
Europa Universalis 2 I liked a lot (no point getting 1) but unfortunately lent it to someone and never got it back.

Posted by Prez on 2009-12-21 21:57:42

Its already been mentioned but one of the best ever games is UFO

For tactical side you have the wargame/hunt the alien element and on teh strategical side you have the management of the war effort against the alien invasion, all in all an 'extremely' GOOD game, and if you get hooked then there's the follow up Terror from the Deep which is just as good if not harder to beat!

Just my two cents worth.
Prez

Posted by Prez on 2009-12-21 22:00:09

btw UFO tactical side is turn based, pretty much just like BB...so your half understand the game already...being a BB nut :)

Posted by Wotfudboy on 2009-12-21 22:20:11

This is great stuff guys!... keep them coming!

Since I've been home I've been rummaging through my cupboards and found Baldur's Gate II - Shadows of Amn limited edition boxed set (!!!) I'm not sure I ever played it!... and a non-fumbbl mate of mine tells me that he loves Dragon Age: Origins... but it wasn't so well received below by all. That's the RPG taken care of.

Mrs is desperate to play SIMS but I think that's just a female thing right guys? :P

I might have to buy Call of Duty - Modern Warfare II... is that the best shootemup game, or are there better old ones?... and do they all involve wearing headsets and being forced to speak to 12 year old american kiddies?

Posted by Chewie on 2009-12-21 22:20:24

Dude, there is only 1 game. It's name is Football Manager 2010.

Posted by Manp on 2009-12-21 22:23:13

Final Fantasy 7 is by far one of the best games i have ever played. Played it through more than once.

Fallout 3 is nice however mostly if you have played 1 and 2 as well..crappy graphics but cool story and good humor.

Posted by Zombie69 on 2009-12-22 00:39:14

"Some oldies but goodies:

Deus Ex, Neverwinter Nights series, System Shock II (ancestor to Bioshock)"

Gotta agree with Deus Ex. Also, i'm working on Deus Ex 3 (release date not announced yet) and it's going to kick ass!

Posted by Jester_Spirit on 2009-12-22 02:13:29

nethack

Posted by Lobossumi on 2009-12-22 04:50:07

Damn Jester_Spirit! I forgot Nethack all together. Nethack rules.