Author Topic: Top 25 Video Games Lists! v. CableX's "Worse Than My Top25 VG Music" (pg. 62)  (Read 231696 times)

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Offline ThatOneGuy2112

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #665 on: October 11, 2014, 12:46:14 PM »
Brawl was a bit of a disappointment. Melee is still my favorite of the series, at least as far as console versions go (we'll see if the Wii U one tops it). Sure, Melee didn't have R.O.B. yet, but Fox and Mr. Game and Watch were awesome.

Offline Crow

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #666 on: October 11, 2014, 04:44:07 PM »
I've always personally preferred Guitar Hero to Rock Band mostly on the basis of the looser game engine but both are great fun indeed, though I didn't tend to know people I could play the game with.
I don't see why Melee is so far superior to Brawl in everyone's eyes; both are fantastic games and Smash 4 for 3DS has been as well so far.

Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #667 on: October 11, 2014, 06:40:14 PM »
23. Doom (PC: 1993)
Compared to today's more modern and 'sophisticated' FPS games, Doom is fairly bare-bones. There are no quick-time events and no stats to level up. No weapons to improve and no XP to gain. The only real choices you must make are will you gib this imp with a shotgun or a rocket launcher? You make your way through dozens of various implausibly laid out laboratory installations full of toxic waste and exploding barrels, you kill demons, collect weapons, find color-coded keys to open corresponding color-coded doors, patch yourself up with the mountains of medical kits that are just lying around, rinse and repeat. It's simple and it might sound repetitive, but it's not somehow. As you make your way down the hallways of the Phobos labs, you can hear demons grunting, groaning, oozing and roaring in the distance. Lights flicker inconsistently and outside, the blood-red skies of Phobos and Mars loom over all, a hint of the red slaughter to come.

And when the fighting finally comes, Doom shines. Despite being limited to a single axis of movement, the gunplay is smooth and frantic. Demons swarm you with rockets, bullets, teeth, and nails. Doors will open behind you, allowing demons to slip along your flank as you desperately try to fend off the monstrosities ahead. Your armament also helps to keep the simplistic gameplay from becoming dull. You have at your beck and call a pistol, shotgun, chainsaw, chaingun, rocket launcher, plasma rifle, and the impressively destructive BFG 9000 which can clear a room with a single shot. Each gun has its own strengths and weaknesses and the abundance or lack thereof of certain ammunition types can keep you from relying too much on the more powerful weapons. With energy cells being so rare, you tend to save those two shots of the BFG for when you really need it.

The level design is geared more towards what would be more fun to gun through than what would realistically make sense, with many labs containing huge pits full of radioactive waste surrounded by narrow walkways and an absolutely insane number of hidden doors triggered by equally hidden switches. But that's really the beauty of Doom. It doesn't give a shit. You're a marine. You're killing demons. On Mars. With a chainsaw.  Getting cracking soldier!

Having Doom on this list isn't just a nostalgia pick either. I can remember playing this with a friend of mine back when it came out, but I recently played through it again only a year or two ago and, I have to say, it really does hold up. It's still frantic, it's still frightening, and it's still a lot of fun. So ignore the lack of polygons or poorly acted cut scenes and dive into the toxic sludge-filled demonscape of Doom and get shooting. It's a classic that holds up incredibly well.

Doom is recommended for fans of pixelated blood-stains, exploding barrel aficionados, and folks who think that a bloody pentagram will really help to improve the feng shui of their Mars-based laboratory installations.

Note, for those of you who might be put off by the aged graphics, UI, and controls, Brutal Doom is a more than adequate substitute. Brutal Doom is what happens when you take a beloved and out-of-date game and mix it with bored nerds, the final result being a game with much improved graphics (actual 3D environments), sound, and controls (with mouse-look!) along with a bunch of other small modifications. In the end, despite these changes, Brutal Doom still carries that essential Doom feel. Is it Classic Doom? No, but it's a more than worthy update for anyone wanting to give this classic a shot or even for Doom veterans looking for something just a bit different.

If the thought of tackling a classic but aged shooter from 1993 fills you with anything but joy, then give Brutal Doom a try instead. I'm playing it now and it is excellent.


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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #668 on: October 12, 2014, 09:06:13 AM »
As I said in the previous mention of Doom, this was the invention of fps.  Incredible game.  Many a night was wasted in Uni when I should've been studying or writing a paper.  Ah, the days when all-nighter's were as common as doing laundry.
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #669 on: October 12, 2014, 06:07:54 PM »
Not sure I'd go that far, but I'd certainly place it as one of the most important FPS's of all times, if not THE most important.

Anyways, since Doom generated an absolute of conversation, might as well just move on. :)

22. Bioshock (PC/X-Box: 2007)
This may likely be a bit of a controversial pick on this list. For as many fans that Bioshock has, it seems to have an equal number of detractors. Some find the gunplay to be a bit... clunky or that the story wanes near the end. I won't argue or even disagree with some of those complaints. In fact, they're largely right. Bioshock 2 and Bioshock: Infinite feature far better combat and maybe a better progression in their stories, but still I don't think that either match the greatness of the first Bioshock and that's for two reasons: Rapture and Andrew Ryan.

For those not in the know, Bioshock is a first person shooter where you take control of a survivor of a devastating plane crash who finds himself drawn into a war being fought in the underwater city of Rapture, a city designed by the mad and charismatic Andrew Ryan. The city, once a thriving abyssal metropolis, is now overrun with mad, gene-spliced killers who have permanently mutated themselves with drugs called ADAM (a substance used to grant superhuman powers). Little Sisters, mutated little girls, roam the dilapidated environs, searching for corpses to leech of ADAM and rumbling behind are their 'Big Daddy' protectors; silent, hulking monstrosities decked out in bulky diving suits and wielding massive weaponry.

First off, let's get this out of the way, Andrew Ryan is one of the reasons to play this game. Impeccably voiced by Armin Shimerman (Quark from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for those of you who aren't complete nerds), Ryan's objectivist propaganda sermonizes, demonizes, and cajoles as you slink down the ruined hallways of his failed society. He exists always out of touch, on the edge of your existence, a God or maybe only a shadow, but still a force to be reckoned with even if he is little more than a voice on your radio.  When you finally do confront him, be prepared for one of the greatest scenes in videogame history. I won't reveal anything about it for any of the noobs that might be reading, but it is really well done.

Rapture is the other true star of the game. Like Doom, it oozes ambiance. Water seeps in through the cracked and decaying infrastructure, lights flicker intermittently, and the maniacal laughter of its surviving insane denizens echoes throughout its steel and glass chambers. You make your way from one part of Rapture to the next, driven only by a desire to escape and by the cryptic help of a mysterious benefactor named Atlas. Along the way, you'll collect weapons and gene-altering plasmids that will allow you to freeze enemies, telekinetically grab objects, set fires, and shoot streams of electricity, amongst other things. You can also hack vending machines, turn turrets against your enemies, modify your weapons, and engage in other rpg-lite activities.

In fact, Bioshock purports to be an RPG but it's really just an FPS with some additional frills (many of which are largely commonplace on FPS games nowadays). That's not really a bad thing, just a statement about what it really is. Bioshock makes a big deal about the choices you can make, but the choices are very incidental. The real way to enjoy Bioshock is to just immerse yourself in the atmosphere and history of Rapture and to enjoy the story.

So, divisive as it may be, Bioshock is a great game. Even a couple of years after finishing it, I still find myself thinking about certain sections of the game. The leaking abattoirs of Rapture still call out to me and will remain one of my favorite videogame settings. I would gladly play a Bioshock 3 even if it was just more Rapture to explore.

So, Bioshock gets a hearty and omega 3 fatty acid filled recommendation for anyone who thinks that the crushing depths of the ocean is the perfect place to open up a gun and ammo shop, for folks who find the phrase 'leaking like sieve' to be an aesthetically pleasing characteristic, and for those who've always wanted to read an Ayn Rand novel but have held off because it's written by Ayn Rand... and also 8,000 pages long.


Offline Genowyn

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #670 on: October 12, 2014, 06:56:42 PM »
I thought that Bioshock was the rare FPS I could get into what with the addition of RPG elements.

I was wrong.

To add something to the Doom discussion: I loved Doom as a kid (yes, I was allowed to play Doom as a kid). What I loved even more than the basic game were these mods my dad had to convert it to Simpsons or Star Trek. I remember the invisible monsters were Barney in the Simpsons one and you would know they were around by the belching.

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Offline Dr. DTVT

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #671 on: October 12, 2014, 08:11:47 PM »
What I loved even more than the basic game were these mods my dad had to convert it to Simpsons or Star Trek. I remember the invisible monsters were Barney in the Simpsons one and you would know they were around by the belching.

I had Simpsons, Tick, and Army of Darkness versions of Doom.  I still remember when you killed Barney you got the sond of him saying,"It fell in the toilet".
     

Offline Sacul

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #672 on: October 12, 2014, 08:41:03 PM »
I don't think Bioshock is a controversial choice at all, since I've seen it receive praise everywhere and it's feature on many all-time top 100s, mostly on the 20-tier. But yeah, I absolutely love the trilogy. There's not a single bad game on it. Probably the sophomore is my favourite 'cause of it's emotional plot and ending, but the first one is still one of my fav games ever :metal . The aesthetics; the complex, deep story; plasmids! Seriously, I can't find a reason for not to love this game.

Offline Outcrier

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #673 on: October 12, 2014, 08:50:14 PM »
22. Bioshock (PC/X-Box: 2007)
This may likely be a bit of a controversial pick on this list.

As far is i know, it's the most loved game of the trilogy  :huh:
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Offline LieLowTheWantedMan

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #674 on: October 12, 2014, 10:13:54 PM »
Doom :heart :heart :heart

Offline Randaran

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For those who have not yet done so, would you kindly play Bioshock? sorry for this terrible pun

Seriously, it is one of the best FPSs I have ever played. I love the combat; plasmids, ammo types, and other features allow for a large variety of strategies. The underwater city is breathtaking, and I love how the story is revealed through those diaries. It really feels like a (formerly) living city. Nice pick.  :tup
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Offline Obfuscation

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Two thumbs up for Bioshock.
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Re: The Top 25 Video Games Thread! v. Retro Time! (pg. 12)
« Reply #677 on: October 13, 2014, 09:17:01 PM »
I thought that Bioshock was the rare FPS I could get into what with the addition of RPG elements.

I was wrong.
Yeah, it's pretty much a straight up FPS. Have you tried System Shock 2, Deus Ex, Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas? Those are much more 'RPG first, FPS second' type games.

22. Bioshock (PC/X-Box: 2007)
This may likely be a bit of a controversial pick on this list.

As far is i know, it's the most loved game of the trilogy  :huh:
I dunno, but it sure seemed like there was a bit of a backlash after the game came out. Maybe it was just a really vocal minority complaining about the hype, but eh whatever. Bioshock is great. Yay ice cream!

21. The Legend of Zelda (NES: 1986)
Now we come to the game that birthed a near thirty year old franchise. The game that started it all. It's not my favorite in the series, but it is a very important entry and one that I must admit (albeit maybe a bit grudgingly) is still incredibly fun to this day. There is something about the simple and straightforward approach of Zelda 1 (I ain't typing out the full name over and over again so get used to seeing this abbreviation) that is missing from the more complex subsequent games. Zelda 1 boils down to: explore dungeons, burn bushes, bomb walls, find secrets, kill enemies, find the triforce pieces, get stronger, kill Ganon, and finally save the princess. It's a threadbare plot related to you only in the game's manual but it does its job and then it gets out of the way. Sometimes you'll encounter mad old hermits who speak only in cryptic, poorly translated clues, greedy merchants who think that their merchandise is still worth selling even in the monster-infested wilderness of Hyrule, but most of the interactions you'll have with the denizens of this game will involve the pointy end of your sword meeting the fleshy parts of their pixelated hides.

The world of Zelda is split between the sprawling, wilderness overworld and the dank, monster-infested dungeons. In each dungeon, you'll be tasked with cutting your way through rooms full of monsters, finding the treasure, and facing down with the inevitable boss at the end before you can finally collect the piece of the triforce and then move on. The treasures range from being useful in combat (the bow, boomerang, wand) to ones that will merely help you in getting along (the raft, ladder) and even a few that fill both purposes (candle, whistle).

Most of the enemies you will encounter can be dispatched with your trusty sword, but some are more susceptible to other weapons and a few are only vulnerable to a specific one. Some, like the armored darknuts, can only be attacked from the sides and rear due to their imposing shields. Others, like the spellcasting wizzrobes, appear and disappear around the screen, while shooting waves of magical energy. The meat of the game comes down to how you learn and deal with each type of enemy. Sometimes you'll be given the opportunity to slowly and surely assault a room of gathered enemies from a point of defensive strength. Other times, the door will shut behind and you'll be stuck in a room full of creatures until you defeat each and every last one. Finally, at the end of each dungeon, you'll face down a larger, meaner boss monster. Each boss usually has a trick to defeating them, but sometimes just stabbing it a bunch of times will do the trick. Honestly, most of the bosses are fairly mundane. It's usually the getting there that's more memorable.

Zelda 1 may not be my favorite in the series, but I'd be daft if I left it off my list. It's still very playable today, even with the simplistic graphics. The action is a lot faster and more furious than any of the sequels (sans maybe Adventure of Link) and the exploration aspect is maybe a bit stronger. It's still a lot of fun and, unlike a lot of other games, you can finish it in one dedicated afternoon. So you can get your Zelda fix out of the way before moving on to something else.

The Legend of Zelda comes with a pointed recommendation for any itinerant tomb robbers, wannabe world saviors, and those with a fetish for triangle-shaped objects (angles be sexy, yo).


Offline Bolsters

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The old days when games didn't hold you hand at every turn and the internet didn't exist yet. :lol I used to just run around almost randomly in this one trying to discover everything there was to find - something I don't have the patience for these days. Far from being my favourite Zelda game aswell, but I have a soft nostalgic spot for it all the same.

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Offline ThatOneGuy2112

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Nowhere near to being my favorite Zelda, and I didn't get to play it until much later, but I still love it. It's where it all started, and it's still loads of fun to play.

Offline cramx3

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Bioshock was great, another thing about it too was that it was an early Xbox360 game and I remember playing the demo for it and being blown away by the visuals and the creepiness of the game.  It wasnt until a few years later that I actually bought it and played through.  I really liked it a lot. 

Offline Phoenix87x

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Love the original Zelda.

Up to that point I had only played a lot of shitty NES games. Like the ones which were just blatantly awful. I was young so I didn't know the difference, but Zelda was the first game to really blow my mind, get my respect and to show me what the NES was actually capable of.

Offline OpenYourEyes311

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Still play Zelda 1 very often. About once every week or two. Cut it down to about an hour and a half of playtime to get through it. Absolute masterpiece.
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Still play Zelda 1 very often. About once every week or two. Cut it down to about an hour and a half of playtime to get through it. Absolute masterpiece.
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20. Unreal Tournament (PC: 1999)
Back in 1999, there was a bit of a war going on. Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 were released within days of each other. Quake 2 was generally considered to be the multiplayer FPS champion at the time and Quake 3 was looking to capitalize on that success by ditching the single-player campaign and focusing on the competitive online arena. Unreal Tournament was attempting to do the same thing. The two games had stylistic differences. Quake 3 focused on fast and frenetic gameplay, usually deathmatch, while UT was a bit slower paced but with a deeper well of options. There were more guns, more maps, more gametypes, and despite the plethora of options available, everything worked well. Really well. It is my (not so) expert opinion that UT handily won that round.

Even if you ignore the online, multiplayer capabilities (which I did, seeing as I only had dial-up at the time), UT comes with some fairly impressive bots to play against. You can even customize the bots to create a roster of opponents to face off against, each one with a unique skillset to vex and frag you with. Honestly, I very rarely ventured online with UT. Why would I need to, when I had enough challenge with the bots (and no latency)?

But even with great bots, a multiplayer FPS's success comes down to its gameplay and the maps. UT excels at both. There are multiple different gametypes that come standard with UT; deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag, domination, last man standing, and assault. Many of these have become standard inclusions with multiplayer FPS games these days but they were new and exciting when UT came storming out of the gate.

As with Doom, UT doesn't sit on this list just because of nostalgic memories, it still plays really well today. I fired it up while compiling this list just to see if my memories would hold up against reality and I ended up wasting a few hours killing bots on Morpheus (one of the best deathmatch arenas ever). Yep, still good and very worthy of inclusion.

I give my UT my recommendation to anyone with a finicky frag-finger, flak fanatics, and any angry Quake fanboys still holding a grudge.


Offline Bolsters

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This is one of the few FPS games I have played, enjoyed (I'm not a fan of them in general), and was actually half-decent at, at least against bots and friends (never went online with it - no doubt I would have gotten my shit ruined there :lol). Loved that flak cannon.

It probably would have been playable on dial-up, too. I used to play the first Tribes game online on dial-up and it worked out well even with up to 40 people on the map. Games back then were designed with dial-up bandwidth in mind.

Offline The King in Crimson

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Oh I played online with my sweet ass 28.8k modem occasionally but usually I'd get dumped mid-game or experience some severe latency issues. Much more headache than fun.

Not having access to high speed back then sucked. There were so many great online games that I couldn't really play all that much because of my crap connection: Dark Age of Camelot, Tribes 2, UT, Wheel of Time. Nowadays, I have high(er) speed internet but much less desire to play any competitive games online. I think CoD:MW was the last game I played an FPS online.

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The only Unreal i've ever played was the first one. Good memories.
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Offline Bolsters

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Oh I played online with my sweet ass 28.8k modem occasionally but usually I'd get dumped mid-game or experience some severe latency issues. Much more headache than fun.

Not having access to high speed back then sucked. There were so many great online games that I couldn't really play all that much because of my crap connection: Dark Age of Camelot, Tribes 2, UT, Wheel of Time. Nowadays, I have high(er) speed internet but much less desire to play any competitive games online. I think CoD:MW was the last game I played an FPS online.
Ah, 28.8k. I had 56k. Big difference back then. :lol

I'm the same with online play now aswell, used to do a lot years ago but now I pretty much only care about the single player experience and don't bother with online multiplayer.

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Why was it 56k instead of 57.6k since that would actually/obviously be double 28.8k?
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Offline Bolsters

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Why was it 56k instead of 57.6k since that would actually/obviously be double 28.8k?
Why was it 28.8k in the first place? No idea. :lol Though 56 kilobits was probably just the most they could get out of that technology, because it never went any higher than that.

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I never owned Unreal Tournament, but used to play it as a teenager at LAN parties. It was a lot of fun. :lol

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Offline The King in Crimson

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19. Thief: The Dark Project (PC: 1998)
Thief: The Dark Project is an FPS game from 1999. FPS, in this instance, stands for First Person Stealth game. In Thief, your goal is not to run around and kill everything in sight, it's to be as stealthy as possible, to accomplish your goals with a minimum of casualties.

You play as a thief (duh) named Garrett, who is a bit of an independent operator in the steampunkish environment of the City. The City is a typical corrupt metropolis, run by sleazy nobles, cutthroat guildmasters, religious fanatics, and mysterious pagans. You will steal from all them. The City is a bit of a mix between an industrial Dickensian nightmare and renaissance Italy. Clattering machines provide power to some sectors of the City while others rely on the old tried-and-true flame and tallow. For the breaking-and-entering, Garrett has at his disposal a wide variety of tools including a blackjack (for knocking out the unawares), a sword (for when things go wrong), lockpicks, gas mines, explosive mines, arrows, rope arrows, noise-maker arrows, gas arrows, and explosive arrows.

You'd think a game where you break into people's houses and steal their belongings would get old, but Thief manages to keep things interesting. Each mission, gives you several objectives to complete, like not killing anyone, steal a certain amount of loot, that sort of thing. On the easiest settings, the objectives are relatively simple. As you increase the difficulty, the objectives get more elaborate. You might have to steal more loot and you might have to escape after you've accomplished your objectives. This gives the game a lot of replay value.

Additionally, Thief boasts some incredibly expansive levels with no loading screens to interrupt the gameplay except for at the beginning of each level. The 3D architecture and textures are pretty damn impressive for a game made in 1998 and the use of light and shadows as a mechanic was revolutionary. It still compares favorably today. The only aspect of the game that looks dated are the character models. They're incredibly blocky, with muddy textures and they didn't look all that good back then, so they look even worse now.

The sound design is pretty stellar too. There's very little music, just ambient noise, but that's an important part of the game. Listening to the conversations of drunken guards or tracing the path of a servant by their footsteps is incredibly important and music would only interfere with that. Different surfaces make different sounds, so running across a tile floor will make more noise than running across a carpet. This has become rather standard issue with stealth games these days, but when Thief did it, it was new.

Thief also boasts a variety of different mission types to keep things interesting. While most do boil down to 'sneak into this place and steal this item,' the places you sneak into are all different. In one, you might be tasked with breaking into an undead-filled tomb to snatch some priceless trinket, in another you have to shadow two would-be assassins back to their employer so that you can find out who they work for, and in another you must break into an eccentric noble's mansion to steal his sword and the mansion boasts some brain-defying architectural choices. All throughout it, the character of Garrett keeps a decidedly cynical edge to his voice as he narrates on his goals and the targets of his larceny.

Thief may be a bit rough around the edges for modern gamers, but for anyone with a liking for stealth games, here's where most of it started. The setting of Thief is unique enough to keep things from becoming dull, but it's in the variety of missions and exemplary way in which they're all laid out that makes the game a classic.

I recommend Thief: The Dark Project for any first-story men that wishes to upgrade to the second-story, folks for whom the term 'blackjack' is not one to be uttered only at a casino, and drunken taffers.

Note, for those of you interested in this game, try and track down Thief Gold. It includes two extra missions that expands upon the original's story. The extra missions are pretty damn fun too and well worth it.


Offline Lynxo

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Awesome game, I used to play the heck out of the demo back in the day. I remember thinking that the stealth aspect in Thief was so much better than in more commercial titles like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell.
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Awesome game, I used to play the heck out of the demo back in the day. I remember thinking that the stealth aspect in Thief was so much better than in more commercial titles like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell.
I haven't played Splinter Cell, but I'd agree that the stealth in Thief is much, much better than that in MGS. But then again, MGS never felt like a straight up stealth game to me, but more as an action game with some stealth elements.

One thing I don't think I quite got across in my write up is how much I love the lore of Thief. Whether it's conveyed via notes, overheard conversations or by the short snippets of text before each mission, you really get a feel for the world, for the various organizations and individuals inhabiting it

18. Counterstrike (PC: 1999)
Originally, Counterstrike was released as a fan-made mod for Half-Life. It proved so successful and so popular that, since its release, it has seen multiple iterations of the same game. In fact, the Counterstrike: Source release is probably my favorite version of the game but, aside from the improved graphics, it's incredibly similar to the original. So, the original gets the spot on the list because of how much time I've spent with it. Unfair? Maybe. Shut up. This is my list and I can put Counterstrike: Source in the corner if I so please.

Anyways, Counterstrike is a multiplayer first-person shooter where players take the role of either a terrorist or counter-terrorist.... dude.  Guy.  Whatever. Each team has different objectives depending upon the map. Sometimes the terrorists must successfully plant a bomb while the counter-terrorist forces attempt to either stop them or defuse the bomb before it explodes. On other maps, the terrorist team must protect a group of hostages while the counter-terrorist forces attempt to save and extract them.

Unlike other FPS games, in Counterstrike your avatar is the equivalent of an old balloon, filled with blood and stretched to the breaking point. A single bullet can and will kill you. 
Once you eventually die, you have to wait until the current round ends and a new one begins so that usually means players take a slower, more cautious approach. Unless you're me, then you just run around and throw your body at the first bullets you see.  Yes, I am that awesome. At the beginning of each round, the players get an allotment of money, the amount depending upon their performances in the previous rounds, with which they can buy guns, grenades, and other gear. It's very simple, very easy to get started, but difficult to master.

For me, Counterstrike was a LAN party staple for many, many years. Actually, it still is. On the very rare occasion when someone hosts a LAN party, Counterstrike invariably rears its balaclava-clad head sometime during the evening. Dissenting naysayers usually suggest something newer, something more modern, but Counterstrike is not so easily dissuaded and, in the end, files are installed, settings are fiddled with, and old faithful is booted up. The games continue until the players get fed up and suggest a new game to play, which is usually at about 3 in the morning when the pizza is cold, the Mountain Dew is warm and the only snack foods left are stale pretzels and dorito crumbs.

Counterstrike was (is!) a great game and a testament to how a game doesn't need to be complex or even fast paced to be super fun. Don't go to Counterstrike if you're looking for a great single-player experience. While newer versions of the game include bots, it's just not the same. Personally, I can't even enjoy playing it online as so much of the fun I've had with this game was about just hanging out with friends and being crammed into a basement full of computers and nerds, shouting out obscenities into the wee hours of the morning.

So, go enjoy a round of Counterstrike with your best friends. While the original is my 'favorite' version, those new to the game would be best off with one of the more recent releases of which I am aware that there many. Whatever your choice, Counterstrike gets a hearty recommendation for those who enjoy dorito-stains on their W, A, S, D keys, amateur bomb defusers, and people who love to hear the words 'Hostage down!' over and over and over again.


Offline ariich

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Oh man, another game I never owned but played at LAN parties.

Reliving much of my teenage years through this list!

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Offline sneakyblueberry

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I remember when I was like 13, 14 years old, my buddies and I used to muster up all the change we could to get down to the internet cafe and play Counterstrike online.  It was like $4 a half hour or something :lol 

ahhhhhh, nostalgia ultra.

Offline cramx3

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CS was really my first PC online shooter game.  That was before xbox live and whatnot so it was so much fun to be able to play a game like that with other people.  That and TF, but while I think TF is more fun now, back then, it was all CS for me.

Offline Lynxo

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Aw yeah, liking your list so far! Half-Life and just about all its mods are just gold! I'm proud to say I played multiplayer shooters before they became cool. :lol
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Offline The King in Crimson

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Glad to see my list is evoking some nostalgic feelings. My job is done. :)

Now, here's some nostalgia...

17. Super Mario World (SNES: 1990)
So, let's take a step away from the rather long string of FPS games that have so far polluted this list and head off to another genre. It's a genre that, I'm sorry to say, is not well represented in my list, but what representation it has is simply marvelous. That's right, the genre in question is the age old, tried and true platformer and Super Mario World is, in my opinion, in a class by itself.

I love all of the Mario games up to SMW by varying degrees, but SMW takes all that came before it and refined it to pure excellence. It might not be the hardest Mario game, in fact, if you're just playing straight through it's relatively easy, but the game world is packed with secret levels some that are ridiculously hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for.

Like the preceding game in the series (Super Mario Brothers 3 for the noobs out there) in Super Mario World progression in the game is not especially linear. You have an overworld map with which you can tackle missions in different orders or even skip some altogether if you wish. The overworld is divided up into different lands, each with their own theme and all brimming with cutesy humor (Donut Plains, Butter Bridge, Chocolate Island, etc.). Super Mario World does not take itself very seriously it is all the better for it.

Like the previous Mario games, each level usually has it's own trick, whether it's an underwater level or one where the screen slowly pans to the right giving you less time to formulate your actions and forcing you to act quicker than you might want. Within each level you will get access to a variety of different powers and abilities. The mushroom, star, and fire flower are back, but you can also get the cape which grants you the ability to fly and perform a deadly spin attack. Also, in the game you gain the friendship of the ever-hungry dinosaur Yoshi, a character who would become a part of the Mario franchise forever after.

This is a pretty great game and, unlike other platformers, it's not ridiculously, annoyingly hard. You can finish it in a couple of dedicated hours, unless you want to go for that 100% completion trophy (I've only ever gotten to 96%...) then you're looking at some truly, brutally difficult levels. The various SPECIAL and Star Road levels will make you beat your face against the wall. So there's a little bit of something for everyone here.

I still occasionally pull this game out to play every so often and the shiny, cartoony graphics hold up remarkably well even in this age of anti-aliasing, bump mapping, and direct x 10 enhanced graphics. The enemies are varied, the powers are fun, the difficulty is just right, and there's always something more to do, even when you finally beat the game.

Super Mario World gets a block-breaking recommendation for any addled mushroom addicts, anyone looking for a game where Yoshi isn't annoying, and people who have always dreamed of plains of donuts and bridges of butter.