So, what are some good recent games?

[WarLocke]

I'll be visiting the local mall tomorrow (or I guess "today", now...) and since I recently came into a bit of a windfall, I feel I can afford to make one purchase.

Problem is, though, that I haven't been keeping up with new PC releases, so I'll get there and have no idea what's gold and what's goop. So, any suggestions or plain opinions would be welcome.

I'll probably be looking for RPGs, space sims, tactical combat games, etc. Stuff like racing games, sports titles, and most FPSes aren't really up my alley.

Some titles I'm considering:

Divine Divinity (whole lotta buzz on release, but not much since)
Hitman 2 (got the demo, cool game; stealth gameplay is fun...)
Arx Fatalis (haven't played many Ultima Underworldish types, and it seems interesting)
Grand Theft Auto 3 / Vice City (if everyone likes it, it can't be too bad)
Freelancer (would be nice to get some Privateerish action)
Deus Ex (don't really know much about the game, but it seems well-liked)
Morrowind (see Deus Ex)

What's the Civ-like game where you're a medeival king and you have to manage heros, and actually cajole them into doing stuff instead of just ordering them around? That seemed interesting.

Help me out here, I'm sure I'm missing tons of titles... :blink:

- WL

[Sickywicky]

Although it's not an RPG, C&C Generals is a lovely recent game it looks cool and it's also very addictive. You actually see the feedback when tanks shoot and a little earthquake to go along with it. :)

[Roland]

Try the demos. ;)

I highly recommend Battlefield: 1942, but if FPS ain't your thing, you're not gonna find much in it. ;) It's a solid game, with excellent multiplayer. A step in the right direction away from the classic "Deathmatch" of UT / Q3, it boasts some VERY interesting gameplay. I picked it up, and I have hardly been able to put it down since.

What's the Civ-like game where you're a medeival king and you have to manage heros, and actually cajole them into doing stuff instead of just ordering them around?  That seemed interesting.

I think you're referring to Majesty. A slightly older game, for certain (not as old as Diablo, I don't think, but close), but not a bad one. Worth the $10 or $15 it would cost ya. ;) As for Divine Divinity, I tried the Demo, but loathed it. I don't know. I'd truly recommend getting the demo before trying that one, as it is more or less just another Diablo clone. Without multiplayer. :P

What else can I recommend? I honestly don't know. My advice? Walk into your local Gamestop and/or Electronics Boutique and ask the clerks. Very often you can get some good advice.

And of course, pre-order The Frozen Throne! ;) It'll be well worth your money. ;)

[MonTy]

Hail Warblade,

Not yet sick of RPGs from BG and Torment? ;) I've played every game on your list, and all are decent games that you generally can't go wrong with if you like that type of game. But in my eyes, some are better then others.

Divine Divinity: Graphical interface is very basic, which is good and bad. (So used to the new souped up interfaces in recent games) but I don't think the basic interface detracts from the game. The storyline isin't going to keep you on your toes, but it's not dull either. Very comic and serious at the same time. The gameplay feels like Diablo, and the dungeons only make it feel more so. The NPC interaction is great, you can respond different like BG. A big plus to me is the music. I love game music; especially if it is good, which DDs music is. So all in all, if you like Diablo and BG, you must buy this game. I loved BG and Diablo, and I certainly loved Divine Divinity. (Price might be down now too)

Hitman 2: E-mail me, I'll send you the retail CD by mail. It's definitely a great game. It's just collecting too much dust with me. I have no intention to play it again.

Arx Fatalis: I really suggest you try out the demo on this game.. I've heard so many mixed comments on this.. I liked it for a few hours, but other games are to blame for not playing more.

Grand Theft Auto 3 / Vice City: Tough tough call.. You see, the dozen or so hours I played this game I really had a blast with it. I mean it is probably the coolest game for a short period of time. Hitting insane jumps, driving around insanely fast, and getting with a hooker then beating her up and taking the cash if you feel like it. Though the game is only worth renting to me; the game's missions get VERY repetitive. You stated you weren't into racing or FPS, so the fun factor may only last a few hours for you. Definitely not worth buying then.

Morrowind: IMO this game is a MUST play, just don't play it yet, wait for the expansion comming out in the summer. Then a lot of the complaints people give it should be dealt with. (Will be the 2nd expansion).

Deus Ex: It was mind-blowing for its time. Still a great game though, worth buying at the bargain bin.

I'm currently playing SWG beta and Asheron's Call 2. I can't really recommend AC2, because I recommended it to a few friends and they hate me for it. For some reason I really like the game though.

Sorry, I wish I could write more but eyes are closing on me. Just got done working overnight shift. Be sure to tell us what you pick!

*edit* It's torment not tormnet :/

[Baajikiil]

MOO3. Although I hear its not quite as good as expected, I'll probably still buy it based on my love for the series.

Has anyone here played it? The last time I looked at it was when it went gold, so I'm not sure what its reception among the public is.

[keenduck]

Yeah, it bombed. Many people bought the game as soon as it came out and got burned. I have the game myself and it's in desparate need of a patch. I'll advise waiting until the patch comes out and seeing how people like it before buying it.

[Korror]

I'm in the middle of playing freelancer and it's a great game. It is a huge, beautiful, universe that really feels alive. Listening to ships chatter on the com, following the police/ pirates around, discovering new things, it really absorbs you. I'm a player that loves to explore and freelancer has certainly enough space to explore. I've spent 30 hours so far mostly exploring and there are still entire systems I haven't even visited before I had to leave and continue on with the storyline. The story line isn't that bad, it's not planescape torment but it's acceptable and interesting.

I will mention the downsides of Freelancer too. The voice acting for the non-story characters is horrible. Worse then horrible, I never listen to them anymore and esc through their dialog. The non-story missions are repetitive, all 6 or so kinds involving combat. The game isn't truly open ended, the area have a system of progression set up. The first area has the weakest ships, the next has slightly stronger ones and so on.

I never played Privateer but I've heard some people complain that Freelancer isn't as open-ended as Privateer. I would still recommend Freelancer if you're the kind of person who loves to explore the hidden corners of the universe.

Korror

[Vash]

Battlefield 1942 is indeed a cool game...despite its horrible AI (it's only fun when playing with other people)...its horrible programming (let it run for a few hours then check out how much virtual memory you have left :P )...and its horrible interface.

But it is really a fun game.

GTA3 is a really great game IF you really really really like exploring. It took me a while to become completely familiar with the first island in the game. Right...then I got to the second one....and there is one more island after that.

Each island is huge and though you have a mini map to keep track of most of the quest locations, there are many secret locations and general shortcuts that you must memorize.

[BlackLightning]

Hey,

As to what games you should buy, there are quite a few recent computer games, but it looks as if some very good ones shall be released in the future. Word has it that the people at Gearbox are designing a Half-Life 2, and Counterstrike:Condition Zero is already in the making, along with Team Fortress Classic 2.

I guess some good games are: Command and Conquer Generals, Hitman 2, Battlefield 1942 (but the AI is very lame, and don't expect too many weapons), and Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (not sure if it's released yet).

Also, don't forget Red Faction 2, World of Warcraft and the Warcraft 3 expansion, which are all arriving very soon as well.

That's it....

[Kevin]

Well the data patch is out, and it helps some, but it still needs more help.

Find someone else who has it before buying MOO3, it is not MOO or MOO2 at all. And while I thought the goal was macromanagement with micro if you want to, it wasn't. It was we are going to force macro on you and give you illusary control on a lot of things, and yet we are still going to make you micro spies and ships and some other things. On top of that, they throw a lot of numbers at you, but still manage to not really give you much feedback or useful information in order make good decisions. I'm still hoping the code patch will fix a lot of the minor annoyances (the developers are posting on the official board as to what the patch has currently fixed). But I just don't know. The first 100 turns are somewhat fun, then it gets dumb, partly because the computer AI still sucks.

[WarLocke]

I've been playing Freelancer for the last three hours or so. It is one hell of a gorgeous game. It even runs in 1024x768x32 with most of the eyecandy on with virtually no chugging on my 1ghz AMD w/GeForce2 MX.

The only real issue I have with the game is the voice acting. Some of it is horrible. But everything else is just... wonderful. It's almost like "Wing Commander meets Star Wars" -- the graphics, ship designs, and general atmosphere are very WCish, but dogfights have that distinct Star Wars WWII-era feel. The rapid-fire laser cannons help, too. My little Patriot with quad Justice III mounts is hell on wheels...

I also virtually stole a copy of Morrowind for $19.95, but have been too busy with Freelancer to install it yet. B)

- WL

[[wcip]Angel]

For Online Multiplayer-action, I suppose nothing beats Counterstrike or Battlefield 1942. (Perhaps Raven Shield, but I haven't tested that yet.)

I would -not- pay money for Hitman2 or C&C:Generals, and I certainly wouldn't take my chances on IGi2 before testing it.

I played C&C, and it was just dull. There still hasn't been a C&C clone that could match Red Alert(1).
Hitman2 was fun, but too short and lacked replayability.

Right now I'm playing good ol' Starcraft/Broodwar offline, single player, and I'm having a blast. Sometimes new games isn't the way to go, you probably have tons of classics in a cupboard somewhere that you've never considered reinstalling because the graphics are horribly outdated.. But if you have a Starcraft, Interstate76, Eye of the beholder2, Quest for glory3 or a Final fantasy VII, you should try one of them. There's no place like memory lane.

As for "newer" games, I'd reccomend Morrowind+Tribunal (expansion pack). I've finished both and am eagerly awaiting the second expansion. I could give you an URL to a review I wrote, but sadly, I didn't think ahead, and wrote it in Norwegian, so I doubt it'll be of any good to you.. but I can say that both MW is a great game and Tribunal is a fantastic expansion pack which adds a whole new chapter to the storyline(s).

MGS2: substance. I only have regular MGS2 on my PS2, so naturally I would want you to enjoy this game as much as I did.

If there is one game, I really think you ought to fall in love with, it's Silent Hill II. The Director's Cut-version is out, and there's no excuse for not picking up a copy. I only have the regular PS2-version, but the game is one of the best for the platform. (coming from a person who loves Final fantasy, resident evil and gran turismo)
I know there's a PC-port, and you can run the damn thing on a 1600*1200 resolution.. which is pretty neat compared to the graphics on the PS2 (which is now getting a tad dated. What can you do? It's a 3 year old machine)

[Baajikiil]

Find someone else who has it before buying MOO3, it is not MOO or MOO2 at all.

Thanks for the feedback people, I guess maybe I'll pass on MOO3 until either a patch brings a great improvement, or I see it in a bargain bin.

Alright, I'll probably wait for a bargain bin either way :lol:

And while I thought the goal was macromanagement with micro if you want to, it wasn't. It was we are going to force macro on you and give you illusary control on a lot of things, and yet we are still going to make you micro spies and ships and some other things.

Ouch, I thought that was the goal as well, from the reading I did on the site(before it was released). That's quite unfortunate, it looked very promising. As I see it, they fell into the same trap that Blizzard sometimes does (not that I think Blizzard failed to produce good games): they tried to add too many great things, ran out of time/resources, cut some things completely, and toned down others to mediocrity. Oh well.

[gekko]

...tactical combat games, etc...

You haven't played a tactical combat game until you play myth: the fallen lords and myth II: soulblighter. Pick it up for 10 bucks, head over to playmyth.net to download the latest patches and get a multiplayer account (try single player first, trust me :)) and it'll be the best 10 bucks you ever spent. The game is incredibly difficult but incredibly fun, and the people who still play it (it's a 1998 game) are an amazing bunch (for the most part).

A final note: myth III: the wolf age also exists, and can also be played at pm.net. But I don't like it nearly as much, and many people agree.

gekko

[Jeunemaitre]

AAAAARGH!!!!!!!11 (yeah, I'm 1337, NOT)

I had a huge plug email written out for "Black & White" and hit the wrong series of keys and deleted the whole thing.
Here it is in redux:
Pros:
Choose to micromanage or not (train your creature to do it for you)
Play an alignment (choose your path, good or bad, effects your population potential, strength of belief, appearance of your temple and creature)
Fun to shake the ____ out of your believers to make them forget their previous assignment, or for fun grab them and sacrifice them for power, of just throw them around (one of the boards has an immortal dude, he's fun to throw around...)

Cons:
Sometimes has the propensity to induce "No, wait, stop that, go the other way" type responses (although many of these are intentional)
Hugely detailed worlds (zoom in to see only one person at a time, or out to see the whole island), nearly killed an earlier video card.
has a tendency to crash (Although this was probably related to the prior video card, haven't tried on my new system)
voice acting/coach characters (could be viewed as pro) commentary is usually amusing, but the avatars can get in the way.

An expansion has been released, but I've no idea if it's any good. Not sure about pricing, but it may be making it's way into the bargain bin soon. Don't know about anyone else, but I liked it...

edit: god I'm long winded, tried to shorten it
edit2: not only am I longwinded, I'm dumb too

[Roland]

Hugely detailed worlds (zoom in to see only one person at a time, or out to see the whole island)

Since when is this a BAD thing? Do you have any idea how wonderful it is to sit in Black & White and just watch the sun set and rise? It's GORGEOUS! Granted, it's no replacement for the real thing, but they captured it so WELL it's a very close second.

has a tendency to crash (Although this was probably related to the prior video card, haven't tried on my new system)

Don't think I've EVER had the game crash on me. Then again, it's been a LONG time since I played it. I'm gonna have to rebuy it (damn friend borrowed it, and I haven't gotten it back yet).

[/QUOTE]voice acting/coach characters (could be viewed as pro) commentary is usually amusing, but the avatars can get in the way.[QUOTE]

Never seen 'em get in the way, for me. But, yes, they are amusing alot of the time. :) Hell, that whole game is full of good, (relatively) clean humor. Gotta love the sailors! :D

For $20, I'd pick it up in a heartbeat. It used to (may still) have ALOT of problems that absolutely killed alot its replayability, but even so, I've found it to be QUITE an enjoyable game (once you get the hang of it), even with all the frustration thrown in. It was worth the $40 I originally spent, and worth another $20 for another copy. I'd definitely recommend picking it up. :) It's simply the most unique game I've played to date. :D

I can't wait for Black & White 2. :D

Edit:
Weird...

[Roland]

Get GalCiv before you get MoO3. It's everything MoO3 isn't. ;)

Seriously though, someone over at RB has been keeping us up-to-date on it, and he's got almost the whole crew interested in it. Not enough for them to quit MoO3 yet, but close. ;) It's on my list of games to get within the next month. If I do get it sometime soon, I'll be sure to post about it.

[Walkiry]

Since noone has mentioned it, I'd recommend Praetorians to you. It's an RTS where you recreate the campaigns of Julius Caesar. It's made by Pyro Studios, the guys from Commandos, and I'm really liking it. Granted, I suck at RTS games, but this game is all about the micro and not about bulding orders/tech tree climbing/all the stuff I hate in the other RTSGs. I've sent my armies to meet their doom in more than one occasion, but as I said, it's because I'm not too good :D

[NiteFox]

My advice is this: If you have $35, it is infinately better to buy seven $5 budget games than 1 $35 game. You'll probably be surprised with the type of games you're getting.

But, if you must go for one on the list... I'd say Deus Ex is worth ten copies of each of the other games there.

[Walkiry]

My advice is this: If you have $35, it is infinately better to buy seven $5 budget games than 1 $35 game. You'll probably be surprised with the type of games you're getting.

If you go for the bargain bin, pick up Blade: The Edge of Darkness. What a great game.