Non-SW game recommendations
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By Committee
Member # 4233
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written Friday, September 24 2004 06:59
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My roommate is going to be heading off to Afghanistan for four months, and won't have much to do there, so he's looking for good PC game recs. He's not really into RPGs, probably could be into RTSs, and will have his laptop, so Doom3 is out. What do y'all in PC Land recommend? Thanks! EDIT: Having just given it some thought, I reckon Fallout/Fallout 2 would make great joke/real gifts for someone heading to Afghanistan. :) EDIT 2: Also, cheap = good. [ Friday, September 24, 2004 09:20: Message edited by: Andrew Miller ] Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00 |
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This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
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written Friday, September 24 2004 07:38
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Anything by Paradox Entertainment. That means Europa Universalis, Europa Universalis 2, Hearts of Iron, Victoria (I haven't played it, but Alec recommends it) and Crusader Kings (which I haven't played but seems to be Medieval: TW without real time combat and with a brain.) -------------------- Voice of Reasonable Morality Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 3521
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written Friday, September 24 2004 09:13
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Fallout or Fallout 2 would be the best choice, I should think. [ Friday, September 24, 2004 09:14: Message edited by: Wholly Halfhearted ] -------------------- Stughalf "Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls down when reasoning is destroyed."- The Bhagavad Gita. Posts: 1798 | Registered: Sunday, October 5 2003 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 4987
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written Friday, September 24 2004 09:27
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StarCraft, but only with internet capabilities. Old school Doom. Half Life is nice. Ambrosia SW at AmbrosiaSW.com has some pretty good space combat like Escape Velocity, Escape Velocity Override, and Escape Velocity Nova (nova is the best). Also Dope Wars has quite a bit of entertainment, you can download it for free, just search for dope wars. Warcraft 1, 2, and 3. And a million others provide endless amounts of entertainment hours. Edit: Oh also any Spiderweb Software (just to be an a**) [ Friday, September 24, 2004 09:28: Message edited by: Squirrel ] Posts: 60 | Registered: Sunday, September 19 2004 07:00 |
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BANNED
Member # 4623
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written Friday, September 24 2004 11:06
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NHL 2004. ^^ -------------------- The Great Mister kommari@gmail.com[/url] Posts: 417 | Registered: Sunday, June 27 2004 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Friday, September 24 2004 11:18
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Rise of Nations, Elder Scrolls3: Morrowind, Diablo2, Half-Life, any EA Sports game. All of those should be rather cheap. -------------------- The critics agree! Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly! "I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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Master
Member # 4614
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written Friday, September 24 2004 14:18
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Age of Empires [II]. Awesome games. EA Sports. That has already been mentioned, though. Internet Flash Games. Huh, always ready for ya'. -------------------- -ben4808 For those who love to spam: CSM Forums RIFQ Posts: 3360 | Registered: Friday, June 25 2004 07:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Friday, September 24 2004 14:22
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BtI's recommendation, with the caveat: they all have steep learning curves. Takes about 6 mo. to get the first one fully, and all of the others have similar elements but different fundamentals. If he's going there for military reasons, they're far too engrossing. Fallout 1 and 2, but run them by him first. If he dislikes RPGs in a well-informed way, that's well and good, but sometimes people just form stereotypes about an entire genre of games just because of the incomprehensible, unmanful crap that the Japanese spew out of every orifice. In Final Fantasy 7, you get a big weepy scene about the main character's crush dying at the end through a plot device. In Fallout 1 and 2, if you like, you can mow down entire cities with a gatling gun. Between the two, I certainly know which I prefer. Sid Meier's titles come highly recommended: Civ II Multiplayer Gold Edition, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, Civ III (get the Complete edition, not Play the World under any circumstances -- and Conquests is only an expansion set). Pirates, if it's out by then and doesn't eat as much space as DooM. Imperialism would, were it only made by Paradox, be Paradox's answer to a beer-and-pretzels game. It has a very involved economic, military, and diplomatic model that takes a good, solid week to get familiarized with, but it's not nearly as bad in that regard as EU2, Vicky, HoI, et al. A sort of cross between Civ-esque historical mindlessness and Paradox-esque juggling of 300 things at once. It's also free at the Underdogs, albeit a big download. RTSes: Starcraft/Brood War is recommended, Warcraft I and II/Tides of Darkness also (for retro value), Warcraft III no (it would run like garbage on a laptop), AoE and AoE2 (both with expansion sets if possible), not AoM because it slows a bit even on my home machine. Can't say much about Red Alert, except that I pirated Red Alert II (not the expansion set) and it's good, mindless fun. Ask someone who knows the series what to get and what not to bother with. Master of Orion II. I hear I is okay, and III sucks. Check on that, I've never played either, but MOO2 is grand. If you're getting into old-school shooters, Heretic comes highly recommended along with Doom. The sequels, incl. Hexen, are variably too puzzle-heavy and just rubbish, so don't bother there. The expansion set is neat, but a rare find. Never played Quake (I'm the only one below the age of 25 who can honestly say that and is not in, say, Mali). City-builders are nice; I hear you can get Caesar III, Pharaoh/Cleopatra, Zeus/Poseidon, and Emperor in a bundle nowadays, all by Impressions. If anyone besides Impressions has done a truly worthwhile city-builder, I do not know about it. Conquest of the New World: Free on the Underdogs, and sorta transcends genre. Sorta city-building, sorta resource-managing, sorta empire-building, a little bit of everything and all of it pretty nifty. Call to Power: another empire-builder. This one is sorta hit and miss; some people loved it, some people hated it. I'm among the former camp. Don't bother with the sequel. Patch it and it's golden, I swear. These are all recommended with minimal Internet contact in mind; only one or two I've played online, if any such capability exists. Since he will be in Afghanistan, I rather doubt he'll be able to get a good connection. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. There's a LOT of neat stuff at The Underdogs, so start there. Hope this all helps! PS. Crusader Kings: No. Don't get it until it's only available through backchannels. It suffers from First Year Paradox Game Syndrome; before the company and the community collaborate a bit on fixing it, it's a more-or-less worthless mess. By 2007, it'll be an excellent and entertaining title of the quality we associate with EU2 and HoI, but right now it's as messy and unwholesome as the former two were when they were first released. [ Friday, September 24, 2004 14:27: Message edited by: Fear Uncertainty and Custer ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Friday, September 24 2004 15:03
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I've been wanting to play Fallout for a while. There is a Collectors Edition in German which has Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics. I don't see an english version of this only a jewel case bundle of Fallout 1 and 2. Is there a Collectors Edition in english. I would prefer to buy the three in one. I think it would be cheaper. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Friday, September 24 2004 15:31
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Probably not -- I bought a collector's edition which was FO1 + FO2. They might have a newer one, but I don't know of it. Don't buy a European version, they remove the graphics for all children and thereby make the game buggy. Some kind of legal thing, but I'm told it sucks real bad. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 4973
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written Friday, September 24 2004 17:05
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I would recommend Silent Storm. Its a real time/turn based WW2 stratagy game. Although on a laptop, he may have to turn the graphics down a bit. Its cheap too.(I got my copy for about $25.00.) -------------------- There are three kinds of people in the world: those who think, those who think they think, and those who would rather die than think. Posts: 104 | Registered: Thursday, September 16 2004 07:00 |
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One Thousand Slimy Things
Member # 66
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written Friday, September 24 2004 23:14
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The European version has been stripped of children, because violence + children is bad in Europe. Yet, there is a hack to go around this. It doesn't make the game buggy, it removes some annoyances though. Of older games I recommend the Fallout 3-pack, Deus Ex and Medieval: Total War [ Friday, September 24, 2004 23:41: Message edited by: Wolfiewoobles ] -------------------- Bending, but not in the way you might imagine. Posts: 995 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 04:56
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Oh yea, Deus Ex! How could I forget? (make sure it's Deus Ex 1, not 2:IW. IW just plain sucks) Also look for No One Lives Forever (1 or 2, both are great). Or possibly the Grand Theft Auto series. It's not for me, but apparently that's not true for the rest of the world. -------------------- The critics agree! Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly! "I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 618
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 05:16
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Ah, I can only really recommend GTA and GTA 3, in the series. Vice City always seemed pants to me and 2 was just too convoluted. As for the C&C series, the original is not for him unless he likes his games really old skool, Red Alert was always abit cumbersome, but can be picked up for practically nothing. Tiberian Sun had versatility, but the forces were underpowered and generally specialist, again it can be picked up for practically nothing. I can definately recommend Red Alert 2 to people, though I found it too easy. A good starter for anyone unfamiliar with the series. Generals is probably over-specced for a laptop. Though if you can, pick up the expansion packs for them at the same time. I suppose I can recommend Seven Kingdoms. A little basic, but it is addictive and has great replay value. Or if he likes that sort of thing, I recommend Transport Tycoon. No-one can complete a game of that in less than a couple of hundred hours. -------------------- Aut Tace Aut Loquere Meliora Silencio Posts: 1487 | Registered: Sunday, February 10 2002 08:00 |
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This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 06:02
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There is a Fallout Collection in English with all 3 games. I've seen it retailing at £20.00 new, which seems expensive to me given FO1 + FO2 came to £10.00 about 18 months ago. Of course, if you want really old-school gaming, you go for Ascendancy. You need the patch to make the AI even close to challenging and even then the 4 Logic bombs exploit is still pretty much unbeatable, but I'm still nostalgic about it. -------------------- Voice of Reasonable Morality Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00 |
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Babelicious
Member # 3149
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 06:03
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quote:Mind you this man is an idiot. Vice City is excellent. Er, the only video games I ever play at home anymore are SNES ROMs and XEvil. Both providing hours of entertainment. Free Lunch Design makes free Windows games that are extremely addictive; they were the scourge of my high school in 2003. Icy Tower is an instant classic. Er, other than that, I don't know. Quake 2, I suppose. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 07:02
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Quake2 is great, just pick up the expansion packs for longer fun if you don't have access to internet. And Vice City was definitly the best of the bunch, for me at least. Most personality, and who doesn't enjoy listening to their favorite 80's hits all over again? -------------------- The critics agree! Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly! "I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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BANNED
Member # 4623
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 07:09
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Vice City is yay. I can hardly wait for San Andreas to come out.. ^^ -------------------- The Great Mister kommari@gmail.com[/url] Posts: 417 | Registered: Sunday, June 27 2004 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 08:02
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I'll probably get suckered into buying San Andreas, though I really have little interest in it. Comes in Octobor, no? -------------------- The critics agree! Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly! "I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 618
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 08:28
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That was the only thing I really liked about Vice City. The music was pretty damn cool. The rest seemed either too cliched or a hang-over from 3 -------------------- Aut Tace Aut Loquere Meliora Silencio Posts: 1487 | Registered: Sunday, February 10 2002 08:00 |
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Babelicious
Member # 3149
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 08:49
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If I recall, you can't shoot on bikes in GTA3. In Vice City, not only can you drive-by from bikes, but you can also shoot forward. This has been really, really useful to me in the past (it's a lot easier to blow up cars like that) and is also incredibly fun (On a PCJ, trail another one until you come up on a bridge. Start firing so you hit it in the back. About half the time, the biker won't notice you've set his bike on fire; he'll drive on and then explode. If you're really lucky, he'll realize he's on fire and start getting off just when the bike explodes -- then he'll go flying backwards.) -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 618
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 09:30
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Actually, to my recollection, there are no bikes whatsoever in 3. And while they enable some cool tricks and stunts, in high traffic and for the purposes of most missions, it is far too easy to knock yourself off. -------------------- Aut Tace Aut Loquere Meliora Silencio Posts: 1487 | Registered: Sunday, February 10 2002 08:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 09:36
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The bikes and the new weapons were the biggest actual gameplay attractions for me in Vice City. 3 had no bikes and no pilotable helicopters. Also the range of firearms was kinda limited. I also enjoyed the fact that you could actually go into [some] buildings. -------------------- The critics agree! Demonslayer is "a five star hit!" raves TIMES Weekly! "I've never heard such thoughtful comments. This man is a genious!" says two-time Nobel Prize winning physicist Erwin Rasputin! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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Babelicious
Member # 3149
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 09:43
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On the PCJ, maybe. But the Freeway and the Angel are both really nice in terms of stability, and they're still fast. -------------------- I've got a pyg in a poke. Posts: 999 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 154
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written Saturday, September 25 2004 10:34
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If there's going to be an internet connection I'd check out Furcadia. Totally free and can be quite addictive, takes a bit of adjusting to though. -------------------- Inconsistently backward. SWOH. IM, PATF, ND. Posts: 612 | Registered: Saturday, October 13 2001 07:00 |