Alright you hard core gamers, I need PC game/s suggestions... (1 Viewer)

[AllenD]

I have two machines: main PC has Athlon 1GHz, 256MB DDR, and GeForce2GTS; and an HTPC which has PIII 800MHz, 256MB PC133, and a Radeon LE 32MB DDR connected to a WS-65807. Any games that support 16x9 resolution would be a plus.
I've been mainly a console gamer but now would like to try some PC games on both systems. My most favorite console game would have to be the Tomb Raider series. Anything similar to that would be a great suggestion. If you know of any kid friendly games also, I'd like to hear about them as well.
I'd also like suggestions on game controllers that would best suit your game suggestion. My typing skills are average (20-30 wpm) but I like the control of a game pad.
Let it begin...

 

[Dan B]

Well I'm out of the PC loop right now, but I can recommend Drakan, Soul Reaver 2, & Giants as PC action/adventure games I've played that I would recommend. Drakan & Giants are a bit older though...
For a gamepad, I highly recommend the Thrustmaster Firestorm Dual Power gamepad Link Removed. It rocks...the only thing I would improve would be to make the triggers analogue.
-Dan

 

[Romier S]

Allen,
If your looking into some good PC adventure titles I'll throw in some recommendations:
American Mcgee's Alice: A bit shallow but has NICE graphics and really great atmosphere. Youll have a good time playing it if you like Tomb Raider.
The Longest Journey: More of a traditional point and click PC adventure game but the story is UTTERLY enjoyable and will keep you enthralled the whole way through. Only recommended for the patient gamer.
Clive Barkers Undying: Ok its not an adventure game but this was one of the best FPS's to come out in a LONG time. The story is good, the atmosphere will make you shake with fear and its just one of the best horror games around.
Rune: This one is a half and half ordeal. Some loved it and some hated it. I was dead in the middle. Its a fun little adventure hack and slash thats a tad mindless but still enjoyable. If you like this you may want to give Blades of Darkness at try as its a similiar but a IMO better game. and with that...(the only reason I didn't recommend it is there is no joypad support)
Soul Reaver 2 and Blood Omen 2: These speak for themselves. Both good games.
The recently released Jedi Knight is good and can be played from a third person perspective. There are a good bit more games you can take a look at. Hope you find one of these appealing.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Controllers: Many First Person Shooters use the WSAD keys for movement so you use the mouse to aim and the keys to move. But a standard keyboard is not comfortable. There is a product called the Nostromo N50 that is a $30 controller with programmable keys that makes a big difference.
Games: PC games can be simple shooters, or more complex adventurers. Here are some highly recommended titles:
Deus Ex - Great FPS available for under $20. You get to shoot, use upgrades, hack into computers, etc.
No one lives forever - Another FPS with a 70's Matt-Helm graphics and style. There is a Game of the Year eddition out for about $20.
Unreal Tournament - One of the better/best deathmatch shooters that is a lot of fun in single player mode. I played every level, then discovered how to give team-mates orders, change gravity, etc. Tons of fun.
Tie Fighter - Older space combat game in the Star Wars universe that is just addictive & fun.
Total Annihilation - A collect-resources/build factories/build tanks & fight game. Highly addictive. You will start to think about different play styles and look forward to coming home and trying them out.
Command & Conquer - This is a whole series of resource collection/build/fight games. The latest game, "Renegade" puts you in first-person perspective. Start with the early titles to see if you like them.
Diablo Top down perspective dungeon-crawl. Different character types have different abilities/weapons. Great replay value.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I don't know of any PC games that support 16:9, as there are no consumer monitors that are 16:9 (no, not even Apple's widescreen display)

 

[Graeme Clark]

Well..... don't get into this expecting games all that similar to to console games. There are crossover titles, and some simularities, but the staples on PC (Shooters, Strategy, RPG) and quite a bit different than those on the console. you can actually, in a lot of cases, be better off without a gamepad. I have 2 and I really only use them for sports games and emulators. The rest really have to be keyboard and mouse controled.

For games though, I'll reccomend some classics (which you can usually pick up for a good price) and some of the latest and greatest. Many of them may have demos that you can download to see if you'd like them at all.

Shooters:

Half-Life (the top game of it's kind for years, tons of great mods from the community)

Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight

Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast (can get Dark Forces and Jedi Knight in the collecters tin)

Max Payne (3rd person shooter with a great Bullet Time effect)

Turn Based Strategy:

Civilization 2 or 3

Heroes of Might and Magic Series

Worms Armageddon or Worms World Party (also good for the kids perhaps)

Real Time Strategy:

Warcraft 2 Battle Net Edition (old, but still fun and a good starting point for this genre as newer games are quite a bit more complex)

Red Alert 2 (an offshoot of the popular Command&Conquer series and one of the best RTS games IMO)

Starcraft

Age of Empires or Age of Kings

Adventure

Curse of Monkey Island

Escape from Monkey Island

Grim Fandango (yes, I love Lucas Arts adventure games)

The Longest Journey

RPG (my weakest catagory)

Diablo 1 or 2 (really a hack and slash with RPG elements, but quite fun)

Dungeon Siege (and amazing new game very similar to Diablo)

Baldurs Gate 1 and 2

Sims

Rollercoaster Tycoon

The Sims (the best selling PC game ever! Now with 4 expansions)

Sim Golf

That's an ok start.

 

[Nathan A]

the only PC game i play is Tribes 2. kinda like Doom, but with jet packs and vehicles. takes a while to learn, but it's tons of fun. if you like games that require teamwork (and you have a high speed connection), you should try it. plus it's pretty cheap- i think most stores sell it for $20 now.

 

[AllenD]

Thanks everyone! All these suggestions should keep me buisy for a while. I'll check out the Thrustmaster and the Nostromo when I go out for some titles. I also need the gamepad for when the kids play Lego Racers on the big screen so they don't use up all my batteries on the Wireless Airboard.
Thanks again!

 

[Chris Rock]

I can't believe no one's mentioned WORMS!

Worms 2, Worms Armageddon, or Worms World Party are AWESOME games.

 

[Graeme Clark]

I can't believe no one's mentioned WORMS!

I did.

 

[Chris Rock]

I did.

Oops. Sorry!

 

[Mark Evans]

For RPGs I would suggest Freedom Force or Planescape: Torment.
Freedom Force I have not played beyond the demo, but I'm picking it up one of these days . But every review I've read praises it as the super hero RPG that finally gets everything right... Keeping in mind the subjective nature of reviews, naturally.
Planescape: Torment can be found for under $20, and it's an amazing steal at that price. It's a fantastic game based on AD&D that has the single best storyline I've ever seen of any RPG, console or otherwise. Amazing ending, and your character stats play a HUGE role in the game, which is something that barely registers in most RPGs these days. My two bits.
Oh, Longest Journey and all LucasArts adventure games are great too. Yeah, gotta love being enamoured of the most dead genre in computer gaming

 

[Larry Seno Jr.]

Baldurs Gate 2 is incredible.

Ghost Recon

Rogue Spear

Fifa 2002

Monopoly Tycoon

 

[Dwayne]

For first-person-shooters I reccomend Quake 3 and Return To Castle Wolfenstein. RTCW is based on Quake3 engine technology, which I have found to play better over the internet when compared to Unreal Tournament. The net code is just more efficient. Also, there are some great mods for Quake3, one of which is Urban Terror and it's free.

 

[Feng]

Strange, no one mentions any flight sims.
You really need a good joystick for flight sims though.
WW2 flight sims:
Try European Air War. Be sure to get the latest patch. Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 is also good. I haven't played Jane's Attack Squadron. But I heard it is decent.
non-hardcore modern air combat sims:
Try USAF. It's the best survey sim out there. The flight models and avionics are not very accurate. But it is fun. It is out of print right now and may be hard to get.
Hardcore modern air combat sims:
Falcon 4.0, bar none. The 600 page manual written by a real F-16 training pilot should tell you something. If you want to fly Russian's Su-27, you can try Flanker 2.0. But I'd suggest you wait for the upcoming Lock-on Modern Air Combat (www.lo-mac.com). It is developed by the same company and no only can you fly Su-27, you can also fly A-10, F-15c, Mig-29, Su-33 (carrier variation) in it.
Also try Operation Flashpoint. It is the best War SIMULATOR out there. You can play infantry, drive a tank or fly a helicopter in it. Be aware that it is more a simulator than a game. It is too realistic and you may get frustrated if you are not patient.

 

[John Berggren]

I'm not a hardcore PC Gamer, but the ones I've loved lately are:

1) Diablo II (plus expansion)

2) Black and White

3) The Sims

I'm about to start playing "The Longest Journey" if I can get off the cliff.

I always loved the Kings Quest games (though not really #8, and less so #7. I wish such games were still common.

 

[Jeff Reis]

Another vote for Freedom Force, it's an AMAZING game. I've been playing games since the C64 days and this is probably the most immediately engaging game I've played in the past 10 years.

 

[Don Smith]

I just recently got into PC gaming after getting my new computer.

Last week I picked up an amazing game...Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. It is a first person shooter taking place during World War II. The levels are excellent (my favourite being the D-Day invasion) and so is the online play. I would highly recommend this game.

If you do a search on the web you should be able to find a downloadable demo for the single player version and the multiplayer version. The game is made by Electronic Arts if that will help your search.

 

[TheoGB]

Before they went under Looking Glass were responsible for some great games. Check out:
Thief and System Shock 2
I think HALF-LIFE cannot be recommended enough times. It is awesome. Buy it now. NOW!!!

 

[AllenD]

WOW! I just saw a commercial for MAX PAYNE! I'd like to try it someday.
BTW: thanks for all of the suggestions!