Must Play Games

[EkimRis]

I've been reading these forums for quite a while now and always like to read about people's favorite experiences in games. Several threads have been started about things like favorite weapons, favorite scary moments, favorite stories, etc etc but I don't recall seeing one about games that you think everybody should play at least once, especially if they are lesser known games.

I've found myself playing a lot of games that I had never heard of before reading about them here and now they are among my favorites.

So, to start:

Max Payne, it had an incredible narrative, style, and great action sequences that still rank it as one of my favorite games that I think everyone should try out.

 

[laikenf]

I said it before and I will say it again: anyone who missed out on LoZ: Majora's Mask (N64) should do themselves a favor and go ahead and play it.

 

[gunkata]

Definitly Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Although the game isn't very accsesible to casual gamers, if you can get passed the small nitpicks in the game, you have one of the best stories in gaming (forgive me if I seem a bit fanboyish).

It's one of the few games that almost made me cry, ALMOST.

If you don't have the time to play the full game, well make some. It's slow to start, but once it gets rolling, it'll bowl you over.

Close second: Bioshock. Great story but The Zero Punctuation clears up why it isn't in the top spot.

 

[raankh]

Kirby's Adventure

If you missed that late NES classic and have an online Wii, download it for the Virtual Console. In my opinion one of the best platformers ever. I'd like to call it a cross between Megaman, Super Mario 2 and Super Mario 3.

 

[Cibbuano]

Someone lent me a copy of Grim Fandango, years after it had come out, and though everything was dated (the graphics, the gameplay), it was still one of the most engrossing games that I've ever played. The environments were created with creativity and care, the voice acting was superb and the storyline was so damn good that it hurt to stop playing.

I liked it so much that, when I lent it to my roommate to play, I sat down and watched him play it all over again. That's rough...

Also, there's a free indie game called Dwarf Fortress which I'm hooked on at the moment. If you like complexity and detail, at the sacrifice of graphics, this is it. You should play it based on this experience that I had: In my fortress of dwarves, I had a hunter go out with his hunting dogs and try to take down an elephant. Unfortunately, the elephant herd got pissed off and stampeded the hunter and the dogs - one of the dogs had a puppy, which trailed after the party, and the elephants got that, too.

That puppy was loved by one of my tailor dwarves, who got so depressed that he locked himself in his room and refused to eat. Meanwhile, the elephant herd, enraged, stampeded to my fortress and engaged my dwarves in a bloody battle in my main entrance hallway.

I had no choice. I turned on the irrigation to one of the farming chambers, left the door open intentionally, and flooded the entire fortress, killing the dwarves, the elephants, the children.

The only one left alive was that morose tailor, sitting there in his water-surrounded tomb, with no chance of escape...

 

[REDPill357]

Psychonauts
Another vote for both Max Paynes
Deus Ex
Orange Box
Doom
Call of Duty (1)
Big Rigs

 

[GenHellspawn]

Big rigs is a compelling game, I would recomend it to everyone.

Seriously, if you haven't played Fallout, you should. Right Now.

 

[qbert4ever]

Well, I'm gonna have to go with:

Goldeneye (N64)
Halo series (X-Box 360)
Bioshock (X-Box 360)
Gears of War (X-Box 360)
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (X-Box
DOA4 (X-Box 360)
Tekken 5 (PS3 or X-Box 360)
Super Smash Bros. Anything (N64, Gamecube, and Wii very soon)
and Devil May Cry 1 and 3 for PS2. Make sure with 3 you get the special edition.

Also, Superman 64 is one of those games that MUST be played to be believed "evil smile".

 

[SpiderLotus]

laikenf I gotta agree. First example of Zelda direct sequelage (thx Yahtzee) with the trippiest storyline of any of them. Never finished it unfortunatly. N64 broke down.

I personally gotta recommend Oddworld:Strangers Wrath. Probably the most unique FPS experience I've ever had. I completely fell in love with the character, running on all fours in third person and jumping through windows is now the stuff of my dreams. ANNNND it has an environmental message (wAHHH games are art! *tear*)

 

[Renegade_Of_Funk]

As far as I'm concerned Goldeneye: 007 is the best game ever made. Besides that, Grim Fandango and the original Katamari Damacy (sp?) are very close.

 

[The Madman]

Baldur's Gate 2

System Shock 2

Freespace 2

Thief 2

more 2

2

..
.
What? There are alot of great sequels out there!

Oh, and Planescape: Torment and The Longest Journey. There!

 

[stevesan]

Shadow of the Colossus

Snake Eater (play on Euro Extreme Mode!)

 

[ReepNeep]

I've never understood the attraction of goldeneye. Is it just that allot of console kids never played Doom? Or Quake? Or Duke3d? Or Jedi Knight?

Anywho, I have to add one to the Madman's list of sequels: Starcontrol 2. Best adventure/asteroids game ever made.

 

[sammyfreak]

I second Grim Fandango, i have never seen a game that even remotely compares to it when it comes to quality writing.

 

[Dr Faust]

For the sake of avoiding hype bias, I think any discussion about "Must Play" games should exclude anything made in the last year. Also, there are a few games that you really don't need to recommend. Goldeneye 64, Fallout, Deus Ex... I think we all know about those.

So, does anyone have any recommendations for great games that not everyone has heard of? Personally, I'm fond of Gunstar Heroes for the Sega Genesis. How about Wonder Boy? Anyone ever played any of those masterpieces?

laikenf I gotta agree. First example of Zelda direct sequelage (thx Yahtzee) with the trippiest storyline of any of them. Never finished it unfortunatly. N64 broke down.

I'm afraid that honor goes to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
Also... Zelda's adventure was a direct sequel of Wand of Gamelon (If you'll permit me to blaspheme)

 

[end_boss]

Tetrisphere. I love it more than actual Tetris. And I loves me my Tetris.

 

[Lightbulb]

I've never understood the attraction of goldeneye. Is it just that allot of console kids never played Doom? Or Quake? Or Duke3d? Or Jedi Knight?

You know how every game these days seems to have sniper rifles?

You know how every game these days seems to have realistic weapons

You know how every game these days seems to have realistic levels

You know how every game these days seems to have multiple objectives beyond: Get the red key

You know how every game these days seems to have drivable vehicles

You know how every game these days seems to have great multiplayer

You know how every game these days seems to have mods for the multiplayer to keep it interesting?

---

Well Goldeneye probably wasn't the first to do some of those things but it DID do them. At the time it was a very fun single player game, a fun game to play with 2 to 4 friends. Maybe it was because it was my first taste of multiplayer FPS action but it was good looking back on it. Set everyone to -10 health and you have a proto-counter-strike.

While i would suggest that I enjoyed Half-Life more, and CS more in multiplayer, Goldeneye will always have a fond place in my memory.

For the record if you name a decent FPS in the last 10 years i've probably played it, or theres a good reason why i haven't, and i think i would still enjoy going back to play it.

Also the games you named Doom is probably the best (shareware yay!), never played Duke it was before my time... Might see if i can... track down a copy...

Quake and Dark Forces 2? Meh. Lightsabres were cool though!

 

[Cooper42]

Some games you just 'had to be there' - I think Goldeneye is like that. Goldeneye was beyond fantastic for its time, and was as trendsetting as DooM in many respects - but anyone who hasn't played it, will probably get very little out of it.


As for games you should play - but on one's heard of - (as opposed to yet another list of games everyone's heard recommended already) - I'd suggest The Dig (LucasArts) and 'Starship Titanic' (not just because of Douglas Adams - it's actually a good game...)

 

[LisaB1138]

Ico
Beyond Good and Evil
Silent Hill 2

 

[nomad86]

-Shadow of colossus
-Super bomberman 2 (snes- on multiplayer mode) have'nt played it in ages but remember all those gud ole days of frustration and anger towards your best mate.
-Goldeneye
-Half Life 2
-Zelda ocarina of time