Giving PC gaming a chance.

[HellHammer]

With a dad that had Atari and Colecovision in the house before I was even born, I grew up being a strictly console kid, from the NES to the PS3. Video games, in my mind, were something you could only truly enjoy with a box hooked up to the TV and a controller in your hand.

Recently, however, I'm realizing that I missed out on an absolutely massive platform for video games; the PC.
Now don't get me wrong. I've had friends who've been big computer game fans, but I never really gave PC games a second thought until just recently.

Over the last year or so I've been on a rampage to play older PC titles that I think I might enjoy. And so far, I've played through:
WarCraft II
StarCraft
System Shock 2
Deus Ex
Blade Runner (97)
The Neverhood
(And I know there are a few I'm forgetting about...)

I enjoyed each of these titles immensely and many of them even cater to my unhealthy obsession with anything even remotely cyberpunk. Now I'm looking into some games I vaguely remember from their release, like The Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango, but I'm curious what anyone here would recommend to someone who, short of the few titles I listed above, hasn't had any real exposure to the world of PC games?
I'm largely looking for 'essential classics' or hidden gem/quirky cult hit games.

Thanks!

[Hatta]

You're off to a great start. May I recommend Civilization 2, and if you like that Alpha Centauri. Also X-Com Apocalypse. (or any of the Xcom games really). Freespace 2 is another gem. If you like adventure games, Quest for Glory is my favorite series of all time.

That's just off of my head. There's lots more. You've played Doom right?

[J T]

For a cyberpunk, you're doing pretty well so far. There are a few other classics you are missing from the list though:

1. Get the Orange Box. Even if you have it on console, the modding community will make it worth your investment. It regularly goes on sale at Steam. Dystopia and NeoTokyo are some mods you will want to try out as a cyberpunk fan.

2. The Fallout series. The best place to get them is http://www.gog.com.

3. While you're at gog, you might as well get Beneath A Steel Sky. It's free there, and it's a cyberpunk point & click adventure.

4. Syndicate. I remember drooling over the store displays when I was a kid. Maybe it's a little dated, but it was a classic cyberpunk game.

5. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. It's worth it for the title alone, but it's also a classic in the cyberpunk genre.


There's some cyberpunk pc to get you going. I could go on with a list a mile long of all the general PC games you could buy though.

[Hobie-wan]

Harbinger is a fun Diablo clone... in space. Its not an amazing game, but even though the stories are similiar for each character and the maps stay the same, I still enjoyed playing through it as each of the 3 characters.

I suggest Knights of the Old Republic if you haven't already played it on console.

Stalker with the Stalker 2009 complete mod.

[deathclaw]

Over the last year or so I've been on a rampage to play older PC titles that I think I might enjoy. And so far, I've played through:
WarCraft II
StarCraft
System Shock 2
Deus Ex
Blade Runner (97)
The Neverhood
(And I know there are a few I'm forgetting about...)

Is the second Warcraft better/worth playing over the third one? I have not played either, but I am going to play W3.

Thanks!

You're welcome

[swiftzx]

If you like sci-fi fps then I'd suggest Crysis for Pc.

[Erik_Twice]

Is the second Warcraft better/worth playing over the third one? I have not played either, but I am going to play W3.

Nah, the factions are pretty much the same. Each faction has an equivalent unit of the other side faction. It's still fine but could be better.

I also say, pick the Orange Box ASAP. 20 euro for Half Life 2, Portal and TF2 is a steal. In fact, it's a steal for any of those alone.

Half Life 2 is an amazing FPS with puzzle elements and a cool storyline. Portal is probably the most artistic, fun and immersive game I have played and TF2 is, in my opinion, the best multiplayer game I have ever played. Even people who don't like FPS like it because you have classes like the Spy or the Engineer. Best 20 euro I ever spent.

After that I recommend X-Com. You can start with X-com Apocalypse but since you are going to love it start with the first so you don't need to go backwards in time. It's an Strategy RPG that tops the lists of best games ever a good deal of the time.

At first I was skeptic, but after trying it, wow, it's amazing. The combat system uses "time units" to move and shoot and if you save enough points your units will shoot enemies on their turn so you can ambush enemies instead of seeing the game as a complex puzzle as happens with the Fire Emblem series (Don't get me wrong, I like those).

It has an amazing atmosphere. Your troops are weak and die easily so you are permanently scared of their death. Enemies lurk around every corner and you feel like your mission is really important. You care about your agents. You care about the mission. Totally recommended. It's not cyberpunk but I think you will like it's theme.

Now since you are going to play on PC let's give you the best of the best. I recommend Civilization IV instead of Civilization II. I think it's way betterand has more content. Also you can run it on your modern computer instead of using Dosbox to emulate a 486. This game can suck your life.

You may also try a good simultor like Simcity 4 or Railroad Tycoon 3. However my favourite sim of all time is OpenTTD. It let's you build incredibly big networks and keeps you hooked because, in the end, it allows more than every other game out there. Look for screenshots and you will see. It has an amazing multiplayer too.

On the Adventure games, those are good. Grim Fandango looks ugly and moves weirdly so perhaps start with Monkey Island first and if you like the style go on with GF.

You may also check the following games, for some variety.

OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast: It's avalible on consoles but it's the best port. Probably funniest racing game around, the music alone is worth the price.
Stepmania: DDR with all the songs you ever wanted. Fun on keyboard too.

Get MAME too if you don't have it already.

[Gamerforlife]

I generally sound like an anti-PC guy around here, but I have played a few good PC games. You mentioned Day of the Tentacle, which I must say is EXCELLENT and I've spent some time playing other SCUMM engine titles and they are all worth playing. Full Throttle is great too. I also loved Tie Fighter. I played a game called Giants:Citizen Kabuto on the PS2 that was fun, but I could clearly tell it was a dumbed down port and I imagine the original PC version must be excellent

I also enjoyed American McGee's Alice and of course Starcraft

[s1mplehumar]

^ What Hatta said.

[Pulsar_t]

Lucasarts' adventure gamers are essentially mandatory for PC newcomers. Start with Grim Fandango you'll absolutely love it!



Freespace 2 is the ultimate space sim and is something you wouldn't normally find on consoles. Thanks to the Source Code Project you can play an updated version of the game that does justice to today's hardware.



S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is an interesting showcase of what an open-world fps should be like. Nothing quite like it is available on consoles.



Command & Conquer The First Decade is a completist's compilation of the series that defined RTS gaming in the 90s and beyond. Those cheesy cinematics are definitely a plus!



Rome: Total War is a landmark entry in the acclaimed Total War series and is definitely something you wouldn't come across on consoles any time soon. It's basically Civilization with fascinating RTS elements.



Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines is one of those ambitious games doomed to fail thanks to the intricacies of the vicious development cycle. But many patches later Bloodlines is easily considered one of the finest WRPGFPS (:lol:) games ever.



The Longest Journey is yet another brilliant AG that is a joy to behold and play through.



Total Annihilation and its spiritual successor, Supreme Commander, are among the best RTS games you'll ever come across. However SupComm is a bit demanding when it comes to hardware (and manpower )



Tex Murphy: The Pandora Directive was the pinnacle of FMV adventuring. Even if you don't like interactive movies PD with its noir charm and Chris Jones' slapstick humour will surely win you over.



Planescape: Torment, from IGN - "It's got enough depth to keep you entertained for a VERY long time..., and perhaps most importantly, it's a hell of a lot different than anything else that's ever been released."



Black & White is a demonstration of Molyneux's love to experiment with gaming concepts.



Silent Hunter III is quite possibly the most immersive submarine game ever, and one experience that cannot be replicated faithfully on consoles!



Silent Storm is one of those gems that came and went silently and without incident. Which is a true shame because it's an excellent WWII TBS game.



To micromanage is to win in Company of Heroes, the best WWII RTS made to date.



Still Life, to quote Pelaaja - "Still Life is a deep game. It’s a splendid adventure with stylish visuals and a shockingly realistic take on detective thrillers."