A couple weeks a ago Extra Credits posted their fifth edition of "Games You Might Not Have Tried". So I wanted to ask my fellow escapist's for their own choices or list of games that you would recommend that others may have not tried yet.
Ecapist's own - Games You Might Not Have Tried.
- Thread starter Trololo Punk
- Start date
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"The Warriors" for the PS2 is still one of my all time fave games. It had an amazing atmosphere and gang culture mixed in with a brutal fighting system. Pinning a guy down while five of your buddies kick and stab him is beyond fun... Wait, that might have come out wrong..
Either way. People need to play this. I hardly hear about it.
Either way. People need to play this. I hardly hear about it.
Amazing game, finished it on co-op some weeks ago. Combat mechanics are awesome. Also saw the movie just for kicks, not half bad.Jay Parrish said:
OP: I haven't played any of those games. I'm... not sure how to come up with a list like that, I can't see a pattern to it. Some are pretty well known (Amnesia, Final Fantasy Tactics, Minecraft of course). And King's Field is from 2001! So I'm making this a PS2 interesting list:
Grim Grimoire (2007) - Hand-drawn 2D RTS best summarized as Groundhog Day meets Harry Potter. Looks gorgeous, like every other Vanillaware game (let's not get into it), and pretty challenging in a fun way.
Kuon (2005) - Classy survival horror game (no tank controls though) about a couple of exorcists exploring a haunted mansion in Heian-era Japan. Creepy atmosphere, lots of blood, monsters can be pretty terrifying and the story is eerie as hell.
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (2005) - I never get tired of recommending this game. It's GTA in wartorn North Korea, basically. You take contracts from the Allies, the South Koreans, the Chinese and the Russian Mafia, play them one against the other, radio in supplies and airstrikes, capture optional bounties dead or alive (alive is more fun)... it's one of the best sandboxes on the PS2 and probably in any console. And I never hear of it anywhere! Shame.
Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason, a derelict Soviet icebreaker in the Artic sound good to you? Then you will like this one, be cautious it is a system punisher with very high enhanced PhysX.
Necrovision and Necrovision: Lost Company, takes place in World War 1, takes a turn for the bizarre when you start out in trench warfare turns into a quest to destroy a horde of Vampires. Want to fight a dragon in a bi-plane? Use a WWI style mech to red mist undead Huns? This is probably for you. Game play style similar to Serious Sam, but with what I find to be a better story.
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/7342/
The Void, bizarre engaging story and a very unique environment, not for everyone though.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/37000/
Patholgic, terrible translation, but didn't stop me from really enjoying this interesting game.
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/pathologic
You Are Empty, horrible graphics for the time it came out, but I couldn't stop playing it. The story was interesting, if not a little strange.
Necrovision and Necrovision: Lost Company, takes place in World War 1, takes a turn for the bizarre when you start out in trench warfare turns into a quest to destroy a horde of Vampires. Want to fight a dragon in a bi-plane? Use a WWI style mech to red mist undead Huns? This is probably for you. Game play style similar to Serious Sam, but with what I find to be a better story.
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/7342/
The Void, bizarre engaging story and a very unique environment, not for everyone though.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/37000/
Patholgic, terrible translation, but didn't stop me from really enjoying this interesting game.
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/pathologic
You Are Empty, horrible graphics for the time it came out, but I couldn't stop playing it. The story was interesting, if not a little strange.
Steambot Chronicles. One of my favorite PS2 games (or just games even) of all time, though I haven't finished it. It's set in a fictional world where after the invention of cars, giant robot cars where invented. You get your own robot car to customize, and travel and fight in. With all of that established, the story is actually about you playing in and touring the country with a soft rock band.
It has a good following and a great modding community, but I feel like it's small enough to be worth a mention, Mount & Blade, my personal favorite is Warband and you'll want to load it up full of Mods, but they are great games.
Also, not enough people have played Brothers in Arms: A tactical, squad based WW2 shooter with an engaging story and likable characters, Gearbox at their best.
Zeno Clash: A first person brawler in a weird setting with a beautiful art direction.
Also, not enough people have played Brothers in Arms: A tactical, squad based WW2 shooter with an engaging story and likable characters, Gearbox at their best.
Zeno Clash: A first person brawler in a weird setting with a beautiful art direction.
I know that game.Jay Parrish said:
And you are correct, there is nothing like pinning another man down with your buddies and giving him a good, hard pounding.
Uhm.
I mean...
It's glorious to pound a guy in a toilet.
Damn, that came out wrong as well.
There are lots of long, hard objects you can use to do bad things to your fellow...
Ok, I'll stop now.
On topic:
Infected for PSP. It's not the best game ever, but it's probably the zombie game I enjoyed most, if only because you shoot santa-claus zombies with your own blood and the game is probably the funniest game I ever played.
Mister Mosquito on the PS2. You play as a mosquito that lives in a house with a family of humans. The goal is to survive. You have to suck blood from the humans while not getting squished. Sounds stupid, but is actually quite fun.
Lock's Quest on the DS. It's an Action RPG Tower Defense game. It can become a bit of a clusterfuck at times, and the controls are a bit awkward, but it's quite fun.
Lock's Quest on the DS. It's an Action RPG Tower Defense game. It can become a bit of a clusterfuck at times, and the controls are a bit awkward, but it's quite fun.
Obligatory Dwarf Fortress mention.
Get the Lazy Newb Pack [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59026.0]
Use the Dwarf Fortress wiki [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Main_Page] and it'sQuickstart Guide [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2012:Quickstart_guide] to help you out.
Knights of the Chalice
Complex but still very fast paced turn-based tactical fantasy RPG with DnD combat. Most interesting for powergamers and min-maxers, since the feat and crafting system allows you to create some magnificently powerful parties. The story is nothing worth mentioning and just serves to give you interesting encounters to fight.
(A tip for beginners: you can only rest at campfires. There is one on the second floor in the north east corner of the keep you start in. I missed that one the first two times I played it, which made the beginning much harder than it had to be)
Paradox Grand Strategy
I'd suggest(ordered by complexity from least to most):
Crusader Kings 2 Gold, or vanilla with all DLC that actually adds gameplay, though vanilla is still very much playable. (a new DLC is already in the making, so you might want to wait for a new bundle).
Europa Universalis 3 Chronicles (contains all expansions. Don't buy complete, it only has the first two).
Victoria 2 with all expansions.
Hearts of Iron III with all expansions (Collection + Finest Hour or wait for a new bundle).
Don't use any of the official tutorials, they're shit. Watch/read Let's plays that interest you or fanmade tutorials on youtube instead. Although the best way to learn these games in my experience is to just jump into the cold water. Pick a nation suggested to you[footnote]Usually an Irish Duke in CK2, France/England/Castille in EU3 and Belgium in Vicky2. Dunno about HoI3[/footnote], read the tooltips and start pressing buttons to see what they do without a care for how much you fail.
In fact, it's best to get into your first game(s) expecting to screw up royally at some point to stave off frustration or even enjoy watching your realm unravel and collapse on itself. Think FUN, like Dorf Fortress.
Get the Lazy Newb Pack [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59026.0]
Use the Dwarf Fortress wiki [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Main_Page] and it'sQuickstart Guide [http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/DF2012:Quickstart_guide] to help you out.
Knights of the Chalice
Complex but still very fast paced turn-based tactical fantasy RPG with DnD combat. Most interesting for powergamers and min-maxers, since the feat and crafting system allows you to create some magnificently powerful parties. The story is nothing worth mentioning and just serves to give you interesting encounters to fight.
(A tip for beginners: you can only rest at campfires. There is one on the second floor in the north east corner of the keep you start in. I missed that one the first two times I played it, which made the beginning much harder than it had to be)
Paradox Grand Strategy
I'd suggest(ordered by complexity from least to most):
Crusader Kings 2 Gold, or vanilla with all DLC that actually adds gameplay, though vanilla is still very much playable. (a new DLC is already in the making, so you might want to wait for a new bundle).
Europa Universalis 3 Chronicles (contains all expansions. Don't buy complete, it only has the first two).
Victoria 2 with all expansions.
Hearts of Iron III with all expansions (Collection + Finest Hour or wait for a new bundle).
Don't use any of the official tutorials, they're shit. Watch/read Let's plays that interest you or fanmade tutorials on youtube instead. Although the best way to learn these games in my experience is to just jump into the cold water. Pick a nation suggested to you[footnote]Usually an Irish Duke in CK2, France/England/Castille in EU3 and Belgium in Vicky2. Dunno about HoI3[/footnote], read the tooltips and start pressing buttons to see what they do without a care for how much you fail.
In fact, it's best to get into your first game(s) expecting to screw up royally at some point to stave off frustration or even enjoy watching your realm unravel and collapse on itself. Think FUN, like Dorf Fortress.
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is one of the most fun strategy games I've ever played, and I've played a lot of strategy games. It's just got this great rpg meet turn-bases grand strategy vibe to it which combined with a massive library of units, factions, spells and heroes just makes it a fantastic experience. If you like games like Heroes of Might & Magic or Civilization it's definitely worth checking out. Shadow Magic has also aged extremely well and is just as much fun to play today as it was the day it came out.
Meanwhile while it's not nearly as niche a product and pretty well known, Neverwinter Nights 2 is brilliant fun. I've been playing some fan made modules for this game over the past few days and they're in many regards better than some full games I've played with excellent use of game mechanics to drive compelling stories complete with well written and designed companion characters.
As far as PC rpg experience go I really can't think of a single other series with the same level and quality of fan content as the NWN games have. You're missing out if you've never tried any of the fan modules for either of these games.
Meanwhile while it's not nearly as niche a product and pretty well known, Neverwinter Nights 2 is brilliant fun. I've been playing some fan made modules for this game over the past few days and they're in many regards better than some full games I've played with excellent use of game mechanics to drive compelling stories complete with well written and designed companion characters.
As far as PC rpg experience go I really can't think of a single other series with the same level and quality of fan content as the NWN games have. You're missing out if you've never tried any of the fan modules for either of these games.
--Wolfenstein [small](the 2009 "reboot" that was actually a sequel to Return to Castle Wolfenstein more than anything)[/small]
For some reason, this game wasn't received as well as it should have back when it was released. Maybe because it was a WW2 shooter when everybody had moved on to the Modern Warfare craze, but just calling it a "WW2 Shooter" would be severely misrepresenting what truly was a very fun game. It had very well polished gameplay, a enjoyable plot involving silly Nazi/Occult magic and sci-fi shit (who can't get behind that?), fun weapons that were upgradeable, and overall just is a great and very fun game. Easily one of the most underrated FPS's of the previous generation, I would say.
--SkyDrift
It's Mario Kart/WipEout... but with airplanes. What more do I need to freakin' say?
--Rise of the Triad: the Dark War
Like old school first person shooters but are looking for something that totally doesn't take itself seriously and is even more over the top than a lot of old school FPS's already were? Then Rise of the Triad is something I can't stop recommending. It may not be the best in the level design department (it was running on a modified Wolfenstein 3D engine, thus it was rather limited even for its day), but what other game has a powerup that temporarily turns you into an invincible dog with a powerful melee attack that can cause enemies to explode by charging up a supersonic bark? That's right, no other game has that.
[small]Well, okay, the remake will have that too, but excluding that there's nothing else like RoTT at all.[/small]
For some reason, this game wasn't received as well as it should have back when it was released. Maybe because it was a WW2 shooter when everybody had moved on to the Modern Warfare craze, but just calling it a "WW2 Shooter" would be severely misrepresenting what truly was a very fun game. It had very well polished gameplay, a enjoyable plot involving silly Nazi/Occult magic and sci-fi shit (who can't get behind that?), fun weapons that were upgradeable, and overall just is a great and very fun game. Easily one of the most underrated FPS's of the previous generation, I would say.
--SkyDrift
It's Mario Kart/WipEout... but with airplanes. What more do I need to freakin' say?
--Rise of the Triad: the Dark War
Like old school first person shooters but are looking for something that totally doesn't take itself seriously and is even more over the top than a lot of old school FPS's already were? Then Rise of the Triad is something I can't stop recommending. It may not be the best in the level design department (it was running on a modified Wolfenstein 3D engine, thus it was rather limited even for its day), but what other game has a powerup that temporarily turns you into an invincible dog with a powerful melee attack that can cause enemies to explode by charging up a supersonic bark? That's right, no other game has that.
[small]Well, okay, the remake will have that too, but excluding that there's nothing else like RoTT at all.[/small]
Anti-chamber is definitely a very fun game no one has really heard about. I really can't explain it other than if MC Escher was a game designer. It's a puzzle game that feels like portal, but definitely doesn't play like portal. It gives you a quote before and after you complete a puzzle about how life works.
Hmph. **goes through her steam list** Cthulu saves the world is an interesting game so far. It plays like a JRPG with the turn based combat things, but with meta humour. Pretty near, just started.
Sanctum is a really good game. When I first got it I played it as much as I can. It's a first person maze-style tower defence. You have build modes and wave modes, you build in build mode, making towards, trying to make them to take the longest route, while at the same time placing offensive turrets on them. You then proceed to buy weapon upgrades and shoot down other aliens. Oh and did I mention it can be coop?
From Dust might've flown under some radars. It's a neat game. There's plenty of tech demos for it. I say just look for those, they'll do better explanation then I can.
Post Script:
Oh and there's another game I forgot to mention. It's Stardrive. It's where the last part of Spore, Starcraft, and Civilization had a threesome and this is the offspring. You choose an empire, then choose historic traits of those aliens, physical, then philosophical. You begin to start building your empire by making ships, which you also custom build by going into the ship building, where it matters how you build. You control it in real time, but the colonies and diplomacy handles much like civilization.
Post post script
Not worth 30 dollars though sadly, catch it on steam for a sale if you can.
Hmph. **goes through her steam list** Cthulu saves the world is an interesting game so far. It plays like a JRPG with the turn based combat things, but with meta humour. Pretty near, just started.
Sanctum is a really good game. When I first got it I played it as much as I can. It's a first person maze-style tower defence. You have build modes and wave modes, you build in build mode, making towards, trying to make them to take the longest route, while at the same time placing offensive turrets on them. You then proceed to buy weapon upgrades and shoot down other aliens. Oh and did I mention it can be coop?
From Dust might've flown under some radars. It's a neat game. There's plenty of tech demos for it. I say just look for those, they'll do better explanation then I can.
Post Script:
Oh and there's another game I forgot to mention. It's Stardrive. It's where the last part of Spore, Starcraft, and Civilization had a threesome and this is the offspring. You choose an empire, then choose historic traits of those aliens, physical, then philosophical. You begin to start building your empire by making ships, which you also custom build by going into the ship building, where it matters how you build. You control it in real time, but the colonies and diplomacy handles much like civilization.
Post post script
Not worth 30 dollars though sadly, catch it on steam for a sale if you can.
I recommend Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. It's an action adventure built mainly around puzzles and puzzle platforming, wherein you have to coordinate with a partner AI - you know, the rare kind of AI that actually works. The game is set in a land of fantasy, and you play as a young thief who has the ability to converse with animals; a plague of malevolent shadow creatures is running rampant, and when you find a strange golem-like creature called the Majin in an underground dungeon you free it and help it gain back its former strength so it can heal the land.
As far as I know the game has flown completely under the radar, which is a shame because it's original, colourful, brimming with charm and just overall fun.
As far as I know the game has flown completely under the radar, which is a shame because it's original, colourful, brimming with charm and just overall fun.
Battlezone, for its seamless gamefeel. Of 1998, for the PC.
You can get it free online, legally I believe.
You can get it free online, legally I believe.
For the PC:
Space Pirates and Zombies: Excellent Rogue like space shooter. If you like customizing your own fleet of ships, Mining for minerals, and killing Zombies all the while in space. You will love this. (Though the Zombies don't really come into play till the stories halfway point)
Lone Survivor: Think Silent Hill 2D.
Legend of Grimrock: fantastic Dungeon Crawler that calls back to the old days of PC gaming. A bit hard to get into with a difficult Learning curve but it is very rewarding.
Awesomenauts: It is a 2D Action Platforming MOBA with an awesome cast of colorful and charming characters you can control. Really this one I recommend more then the most of the other games I am recommending.
AI War: Fleet Command: Do you love RTS's but crave battles on much larger scales? Or how about working hard from almost nothing to make an army to surmount an imposing enemy army that can be extremely deadly if faced wrong? Then this game is for you. However I must warn that the average match takes over 10 hours and is best tackled with some other people helping. However the matches can be saved at anytime, so you do not have to do it in one 10 hour session.
Cthulhu Saves The World: Do you love the old fashioned JRPGs from the SNES era? Want some humor mixed in? Well you are in for a treat! This game is a very funny parody of those old classics, and is a delight to play.
Cave Story: Just fucking play it. Action Platformer. Awesome Sountrack. Great story. An absolute delight to play.
Now for the PS2:
The Ace Combat games. All of them for the PS2. Play them. Especially Ace Combat Zero: The Belkin War. Great games with amazing stories, engaging gameplay, and Great soundtracks.
The .Hack games. They are Offline MMO games. Seriously. It is an entire MMO but every player in it are AIs. And it is really really great. The story is long, deep, and rich in narrative. The characters are engaging and fun, and the combat is pretty good as well. The G.U. games are kinda good but I recommend the originals more.
Space Pirates and Zombies: Excellent Rogue like space shooter. If you like customizing your own fleet of ships, Mining for minerals, and killing Zombies all the while in space. You will love this. (Though the Zombies don't really come into play till the stories halfway point)
Lone Survivor: Think Silent Hill 2D.
Legend of Grimrock: fantastic Dungeon Crawler that calls back to the old days of PC gaming. A bit hard to get into with a difficult Learning curve but it is very rewarding.
Awesomenauts: It is a 2D Action Platforming MOBA with an awesome cast of colorful and charming characters you can control. Really this one I recommend more then the most of the other games I am recommending.
AI War: Fleet Command: Do you love RTS's but crave battles on much larger scales? Or how about working hard from almost nothing to make an army to surmount an imposing enemy army that can be extremely deadly if faced wrong? Then this game is for you. However I must warn that the average match takes over 10 hours and is best tackled with some other people helping. However the matches can be saved at anytime, so you do not have to do it in one 10 hour session.
Cthulhu Saves The World: Do you love the old fashioned JRPGs from the SNES era? Want some humor mixed in? Well you are in for a treat! This game is a very funny parody of those old classics, and is a delight to play.
Cave Story: Just fucking play it. Action Platformer. Awesome Sountrack. Great story. An absolute delight to play.
Now for the PS2:
The Ace Combat games. All of them for the PS2. Play them. Especially Ace Combat Zero: The Belkin War. Great games with amazing stories, engaging gameplay, and Great soundtracks.
The .Hack games. They are Offline MMO games. Seriously. It is an entire MMO but every player in it are AIs. And it is really really great. The story is long, deep, and rich in narrative. The characters are engaging and fun, and the combat is pretty good as well. The G.U. games are kinda good but I recommend the originals more.
For my pick, I say The Saboteur. Pandemic Studio's swan song, it's an open world GTA meets Assassins Creed, set in Occupied France. It has a really corny but enjoyable plot, lots of destroyable structures and side quests, and some slick shooting and driving. It's far from being without flaws- from a ridiculously hard turret section to some fairly dumb AI- but it's among my favourite games of this generation.
I'd also like to recommend Spelunky. The original is free on PC, and there is a paid remake on XBLA for 1200 Microsoft points. It's a rougelike-like platformer. If that sounds at all interesting, you need to try this game out. Really solid controls, and you really learn how best to traverse the enviornment through play. One word of warning, it's really hard, but really addicting.
I'd also like to recommend Spelunky. The original is free on PC, and there is a paid remake on XBLA for 1200 Microsoft points. It's a rougelike-like platformer. If that sounds at all interesting, you need to try this game out. Really solid controls, and you really learn how best to traverse the enviornment through play. One word of warning, it's really hard, but really addicting.
7.62 High Calibre. People who complain there aren't enough old school games just aren't looking hard enough. 7.62 is a spiritual sequel to Jagged Alliance (the first in the 7.62 series was called "New Jagged Union"), but in full 3D with no movement grid and amazing complexity. It crashes all the time, and the translation makes the first STALKER game look like poetry, but that's a charmingly oldschool touch.
Also, my personal favorite: G-Nome. An average mech-sim (how average? no customization... ouch), but with a great story told very well with superb voice acting and sound design. Makes up for average and simple gameplay with an epic soundtrack that has more big band brassiness compared to MechWarrior 2's tribal new age sound. There was a pseudo sequel to G-Nome called Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3, best known as "that crappy RTS Ion Storm made to fund Daikatana."
One last one: Half Life: Decay. Even though it's Half Life I haven't talked to many people who've played it, because it was an exclusive co-op chapter on the PS2 version. Worth playing because first of all, it's Half Life co-op (!!!!), and second because the graphical enhancements on the PS2 version of Half Life are gorgeous.
Also, my personal favorite: G-Nome. An average mech-sim (how average? no customization... ouch), but with a great story told very well with superb voice acting and sound design. Makes up for average and simple gameplay with an epic soundtrack that has more big band brassiness compared to MechWarrior 2's tribal new age sound. There was a pseudo sequel to G-Nome called Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3, best known as "that crappy RTS Ion Storm made to fund Daikatana."
One last one: Half Life: Decay. Even though it's Half Life I haven't talked to many people who've played it, because it was an exclusive co-op chapter on the PS2 version. Worth playing because first of all, it's Half Life co-op (!!!!), and second because the graphical enhancements on the PS2 version of Half Life are gorgeous.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
I was really surprised by this one. It's a fantastic, well realised vampire RPG with a interesting cast of characters (those Malkavians!) and some fun (if lacking in polish) game play. However, it was rushed and it's quite obvious (especially when it comes to cut-scenes) and can be quite frustrating to get working (though once it is, it's a pretty stable game). Honestly, if you're in to RPG's you owe it to yourself to give this one a look.
It'll run on low-end PCs, so don't worry if you're not really into PC gaming. You will want (in practice, need) the unofficial patch which you can get here [http://www.patches-scrolls.com/vampire_bloodlines.php]. You can grab the game itself from Steam! [http://store.steampowered.com/app/2600/]
I was really surprised by this one. It's a fantastic, well realised vampire RPG with a interesting cast of characters (those Malkavians!) and some fun (if lacking in polish) game play. However, it was rushed and it's quite obvious (especially when it comes to cut-scenes) and can be quite frustrating to get working (though once it is, it's a pretty stable game). Honestly, if you're in to RPG's you owe it to yourself to give this one a look.
It'll run on low-end PCs, so don't worry if you're not really into PC gaming. You will want (in practice, need) the unofficial patch which you can get here [http://www.patches-scrolls.com/vampire_bloodlines.php]. You can grab the game itself from Steam! [http://store.steampowered.com/app/2600/]
The Stanley Parable: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIppRUoe70E
Free, only takes an hour or two to get all the endings, funny as hell and very intelligently made. It's a game that explores ideas of choice and narrative in video-games, and if that sounds a little dry, I dare say it is funnier and more deliciously twisted than Portal to boot.
Free, only takes an hour or two to get all the endings, funny as hell and very intelligently made. It's a game that explores ideas of choice and narrative in video-games, and if that sounds a little dry, I dare say it is funnier and more deliciously twisted than Portal to boot.