Tell me the MUST PLAY pc games

[marcus]

Thanks to a shiny new GT6800 graphics card, Doom 3 and Far Cry Ive taken a slight interest in PC gaming again. Really Im after the good 1 player games, and am not too interested in multiplayer online aspects. The following are the games which to my knowlege are the ones I have to play, but can you add any more?

Typically I like good action and well scripted games, and am not so much into long RPG-type things -

Doom 3
Half Life
Kingpin
Far Cry
UT2k4
System Shock 2
Quake 3
AvP
Virtual Strip Poker
Deux Ex

[Brats]

Call of Duty is nice as is UT 2004. Shame you're not going online as the Battlefield games are hilarious fun. UT 2004 is also only a third of the game without going online.

[Tom Salter]

Leisure Suit Larry
Age of Mythology
Command and Conquer Red Alert (one, not two)

And there's that massive game called "The Internet". Wonder if anyone will ever complete that?

[Stuart Smith]

Call of Duty is supposed to be really quite excellent. Have had a quick go, seemed fun, the superior war shooter anyways.

Max Payne 2...not too long, looks gorgeous, jolly good fun, neat story.

Are you a strategy gamer at all? C&C Generals and either Medievel: Total War, or the imminent Rome: Total War would be well worth considering.

Other than that, you've definitely got a lot of the big ones on that list already

[marcus]

Not really into strategy, my levels of concentration arent what they used to be.

I blame MTV.

Max Payne 2 could be interesting, I did enjoy the first one. Ive also tried unsuccessfully now to run AVP2 but despite numerous attemps it just wont run on my PC, it installs without a problem but when I run it nothing happens at all. Most annoying as I enjoyed the first.

[demon9k]

Call of Duty is awesome, just got the add-on pack yesterday but I have not played it yet. You should def get the main game.

[Concept]

There's a mixture of some old, new and forthcoming here, but this is a small list as to some of the respected PC games a few like. The one's I haven't played myself are mainly the war inspired games and the MMORPGs.

Outcast
Grim Fandango
Bladerunner
Stalker
Rome: Total War
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows
EVE: Online
Planescape: Torment
Call of Duty
Championship Manager 3
Civilization 2
The Sims 2
Battlefield 1942

[marcus]

Call of Duty sounds interesting, a straight FPS set in a war environment yeh?

[Concept]

Although I realise many of these won't be to your taste. Most of what you'd call 'typical' action games on the PC are usually console ports.

[Ish]

Call of Duty sounds interesting, a straight FPS set in a war environment yeh?

Yup. Its very atmospheric and a lot of fun. The online play is ace too!

[marcus]

Im surprised that since I last was into PC gaming roundabouts the time Kingpin died out, there hasnt been too many notable games since, particularly in the FPS stakes. I still would probably replay HalfLife rather than most of the others on my list, until I played Far Cry recently Id say that I havent seen that much development in the two years or so since I left PC gaming. Ive loved Doom3, no matter what people say I love the environment, intensity and shock factor, but its not leaps and bounds over the majority of FPS games Ive played before.

Maybe Im just a bit disillusioned, but its nice to be back. One of the reasons I want to stay away with the online scene is that I found it to be peppered with idiots whom annoy more than enchance the game, which is why Im after playing the best one player games available more than multiplayer.

[Concept]

If Counterstrike Source: Beta is anything to go by, the idiots are still there. Like you Marcus, I only bought a new PC and returned to the scene after something like a seven year break.

The great thing is I've been playing the likes of Half-Life for the first time and recognising how superb some of the highlights are.

I know for one that the reason I'm buying Half-Life 2 is for the single-player adventure. I can't stand the irritating behaviour and the near-impossible-to-make-out articulation that seems to go happen in a lot of online games.

[Ish]

The idiots are not just still there - they're there in force unfortunately.

I played a lot of CoD online and that wasn't too bad to begin with but its degenerated into cheating idiots everywhere.

UT2004 I play online occasionally - again I used to play a lot but the idiots ruined it.

[Concept]

Well, to be fair, I think it's who you hook up with too which matters. As someone suggested in another thread a while back, when the major games hit (HL2, Rome: Total War, Stalker etc.), maybe those of who play PC games on NTSC-uk should organise some meet-ups, so we can at least play people who aren't annoying.

It'd be a good thing to do I think with the near upcoming release of Half-Life 2. Apparently there's also some big secret going on with the review in that foreign publication I mentioned...

Maybe Team Fortress 2?

[Roost]

I'm loving Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising.

Completely online, 150 player servers, ginormous maps, not really seen any knobheads at all and whenever you get them typing crap they always make me chuckle. Uses punkbuster to cut out cheating as well.