It's a round based strategy/RPG hybrid from 1999. The evil dictator Deidranna has taken over the banana republic of Arulco, ruling with an iron hand. The exiled former president contacts you, the player, to recruit a team of mercenaries and overthrow Deidranna. A few dozen mercenaries are available for recruitment, each with their own set of abilities, character traits and funny voice acting. Character attributes include, among others, marksmanship, wisdom, dexterity, explosives, mechanics, agility and leadership, and each character has two special abilities like night ops, sneaking or teaching. Attributes increase over time if used a lot in combat, or by time-consuming training. The player can also create one own mercenary by answering a humorous psychoanalysis questionnaire, followed by selecting the character's appearance and stats.
Arulco is divided into sectors. Some are uninhabited, others house towns, secret military complexes, SAM sites etc. The team is dropped off in the far north of Arulco, the goal is to kill off Deidranna, who is sitting in her heavily guarded palace in the very southwest. The first few sectors offer only a small challenge, but it's enough to learn the basics of fighting. As soon as an enemy is spotted, the game switches from real-time to a round-based battle system. Your mercenaries can perform actions like running, shooting, throwing grenades, ducking or opening doors by spending action points each round. When you don't want to take further action or all action points are spent, it's the enemy's turn. It's important to position your team smartly and in good cover and make good use of special items, because you are far outnumbered most of the time. The game becomes very challenging later on.
Lots of items can be found lying around in containers and from dead enemies. Not only does the game offer an assload of realistic pistols, rifles, SMGs, knives, grenades, rocket launchers, helms, night vision goggles, kevlar vests, rifle scopes, sound suppressors etc. There are also some seemingly useless items like marbles and coke cans, which can be combined to new makeshift items.
Whenever you free a town of enemies, you gain access to the winnings from its ore mine. After each town, you get a funny in-game cutscene of Deidranna getting the news, freaking out and having her assistant send out elite troops after you. It is necessary to train a militia in your towns, or else Deidranna's troops take back the towns and valuable mines from you. The money from the mines is needed to pay your mercenaries and buy equipment for them.
On your way, you meet lots of NPCs who might offer side quests. For example, there is a helicopter pilot to be found hidden in the swamps who offers to ferry your team around in his chopper, but only after you have taken out the SAM sites guarding the area. Some NPCs can even be recruited to join your squad. Dialogue and voice acting are diverse and humorous, a rare quality for computer games.
It's the likeable characters, large collection of items and tactical depth which draw me to Jagged Alliance 2. I've played the game many times during the last 11 years. Of course the graphics aren't up to date, but neither are Broodwar's, right? Try it, it really is a great game!
*just actually read your op and you said only PC games.. well, too late now x_x;; my favorite pc rpg would be PST, that's not a childhood memory but more of a deliberate pick later on because i heard so many good things about the story*
don't really need / want a beta key.
but this is still fun!
think my most memorable one would be FFVII. It was my first Final Fantasy and as these titles go, when you're a little emo kid 12 years old you can't help but be totally immersed by the story. The death of Aerith.. man I felt bad in rl for a week or so. Those were the days. Before that I had Secret of Mana on the SNES which was my favorite game until FFVII popped up. The story was not as epic as FFVII but it was still a fun time playing it with my neighbor (I guess we were like 8 at that time). And I loved the soundtrack. I also never managed to get the last orb for the Mana-Sword - I virtually tried EVERYTHING there was in this game, I scanned every last pixel-----until I found out (way later) you can only get it in the US version and only with a hack or something.
I also played my fair share of Yoshi's Island (I had perfect score in all levels). That was my favorite platformer. I just loved the level design and the overall style of the game. So many cute ideas...
And I was always amazed by Zelda: A Link to the Past. I never possessed it which made it only the more mystical. I only got to play it here and there and there were so many cool secrets to discover. There was this invisibility mantle you could get on the graveyard which we stumbled over by chance, and that only invigorated my awe for the game even more.
When I got my first computer I played a lot of Diablo I which scared the fuck out of me at that time. I was a totally underpowered rogue and as soon as I entered hell I experienced hell. Those knights were able to two-hit me and thus I could only run away from them, turn and shoot and hope they wouldn't come too close. That was really scary.
Duke Nukem 3D was a game I played at my neighbor's before I even got a computer. I was way too young to play it and level 2 was extra interesting at that time (hi strip bar). But I also played Doom I + II before so I already was prepared for the ultra violence.
One PSX game that wasn't really the milestone but which I greatly enjoyed was Alundra. It was kind of a Zelda clone with jumping and fuck hard riddles at times. Apart from being 'similar' to Zelda it had its very own story so it wasn't really just a rip-off. Was a cool game, gonna play it again some time soon I think.
Lol, and I also had G-Police, almost forgot. Not that it belongs to my dearest memories but hey, I played it a lot too.
The last game that would be worth mentioning as I played and enjoyed it a lot was Donkey Kong Country for SNES - had a really nice style and cool levels. I loved the groovy sounds of that game.
Medieval: Total War because the campaign is so epicly long, and there's 10 million things to do. You can play for hours, and hours, and hours during the summer and not get bored. It's like actually having a kingdom of your own. (I think the first one and it's expansion are the best).
The main campaign of Medieval: Total War involves the player choosing one of the fourteen playable factions and eventually leading them in conquest on the strategy map. Each of the factions controls a number of historical provinces, which on the map contain a castle and, if located by the sea, a port as well. In the campaign, the player controls construction, unit recruitment and the movement of armies, fleets and agents in the each of these provinces, using these means to acquire and defend the provinces. Diplomacy and economics are two other aspects the player can use to advance their aims, as well as having access to more clandestine means such as espionage and assassination. Religion is very important in the game, with the player able to convert provinces to their own religions to cement the people's loyalty. Another campaign mode is available, called "Glorious Achievements", in which each faction has several historically-based goals to achieve, which score points; the faction with the most achievement points wins the game. The campaign mode is turn-based, with each turn representing one year, allowing the player to attend to all needs of the faction before allowing the artificial intelligence to carry out the other factions' moves and decisions.
The game is set mainly in Europe, but also features the Middle East and North Africa. Production can occur in every province, with the player building from one of the hundreds of connected buildings and units in the game's technology tree. Income to develop provinces and armies comes from taxation of the provinces and trade with neighboring provinces. There is no specific technology research, but several advances, such as gunpowder, do become available over time. Castles provide the basis for more developed construction in the game, with players having to upgrade to the next castle level to be able to build more advanced buildings; upgrades such as a curtain wall and guard towers can be added to individual castles. Many buildings have economic functions, such as trading posts that generate money, while others are military buildings and allow the training of more advanced unit types. Whilst there are many common unit types, several unique units are available. These units are either restricted to a single faction or are dependent on the control of a particular province. Each unit possesses different strengths and weaknesses. Each faction has a variety of different generals, some related to the royal family and in line to the throne, and the rest members of the nobility, who command units in the field and can assume offices of the state. Each of these characters has a base ranking for several attributes, such as command ability and piety, which affects how they carry out duties on the battlefield and governing the provinces. These attributes, and other factors such as health, are influenced by “Vices and Virtues”, defining the character's personality and actions. These traits can be acquired seemingly randomly, or may be given to the character through actions in the game. Non-military units, collectively referred to as "agents", may be trained. The types of agent a faction is able to produce depends on its religion, but all factions have emissaries, spies and assassins available to them. Emissaries conduct diplomatic tasks such as start alliances between two factions, or bribe foreign armies; spies allow detailed information to be collected from foreign provinces or characters, while assassins can attempt to kill both foreign and domestic units. Factions also have access to various religious agents to spread their religion, and Christian factions can marry their princesses to domestic generals or other factions for political reasons. Occasionally in the game, a character will be trained bearing the name of a famous historical figure, with larger than normal starting abilities. A general such as Richard the Lionheart or Saladin will be a capable military commander, while a bishop such as Thomas Becket will have higher piety than normal. Rebellions can occur if the loyalty of a particular province falls too low, with a rebel army appearing in the province to attempt to assume control from the owners. Civil wars may also take place if several generals commanding large armies have sufficiently low loyalty. In the event of a civil war, the player is given the choice to back either the current rulers or the rebels. It had been planned to allow other factions who had established a prior claim to the throne by marriage to princesses to join in a civil war to claim the throne for themselves; however, this was never implemented. Naval warfare is carried out upon the campaign map, where ships can be built and organised into fleets. These fleets can be used to control the game's sea regions and form sea lanes, allowing trade and troop movement between provinces that have constructed a port. Fleets can engage in sea battles with foreign fleets, although unlike land battles these are resolved by the computer. Religion plays an important aspect in Medieval: Total War, with religious differences between the Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim factions affecting diplomacy and population loyalty. Catholic factions must also respond to the wishes of the Papal States; factions gain favor by refraining from hostilities with other Catholic nations and responding to Crusades, else they run the risk of excommunication. The option to launch a holy war in the form of a Crusade or Jihad is open to both Catholic and Muslim factions.
I love games with a really dense athmosphere and good story. That beeing said Warcraft and Starcraft did have really nice storylines and also good athmosphere but just not as good as that of some others. Max Payne had some really great athmosphere and nice story to but iam afraid even that is not enough to be my favourite. The same goes for Bioshock even though its the inofficial succesor to my game of choice. That beeing said it is of course the good old System Shock 2 a game with story with a lot of nice twists in it and the most amazing athmosphere i have ever exerienced in a game ... oh and certainly the most amazing ending word a protagonist has ever spoken
edit: damn i just noticed that already the first poster mentioned this ... well it is sytems shock 2 after all ... i guess it just deserves it
some of the most amazing games have made it in this thread ... makes me want to play all those classics all over again
On May 10 2010 13:11 BG1 wrote: Pretty simple, list your favorite single player game, write why you like it, your most memorable moments/experiences, how much time you spent playing it etc... I'll choose the winner based on who has similar taste to mine and a good write-up.
1 entry per person, PC games only. Game doesn't have to be exclusively single player, you can for example pick SC but based on the single player campaign experience. Contest ends in 24 hours.
I don't want a key but my favourite SP game is your username =)
Fighting wolves and having to escape because you are too weak at level 1, following the roads to avoid rogues and ogres, cleaning the Nashkel's mines, going to the Durlag tower and being mauled by battle horrors, going to Baldur instead, coming back to Candlekeep and fighting the dopplegangers after being betrayed by Koveras... then coming back to Baldur to kick some asses and avenging Gorion. Ahhhh memories.
Torment, BG2 and Dx are close too.
BG2 while having a weaker storyline is sooo good all round. Torment well this is the kind of game that you can't forget, this is just a gem and a big "fuck you" to all the RPG clichés. Oh and Dx ... i have never felt more involved while playing video games than during the Lebedev scene and when the Unatco guys come to Paul apartement. If you are a Dx lover you MUST play the Nameless Mod btw.
The best single player game of all time (some of you may be too young to remember old the school wasteland but...) Fallout! A post-apocolyptic RPG.
I won't lie a lot RPGs are pieces of crap in my eyes. However there are some exceptions "Chrono Trigger" and "Final Fantasy 7," (etc). Yet there are a few RPGs that can really draw me in, most of them from the 90s.
It was incredible. It was everything "Wasteland" was and more. The game was a tough cookie, but it was more than worth the difficulty, because the combat was extremely rewarding and finally seeing your foe break in half and spill his guts onto the floor after a fierce battle was ever so satisfying. Plus the game remembered what made Wasteland so engrossing: The atmosphere and need to survive. Once again, Fallout improved that BIG time. I really got attached to my character, a buffout addicted merc named Apostle with a cunning tongue and sticky fingers. He was weak to poison and radiation poisoning, which meant I had to continue maintaining a high first aid skill. He wasn't very good with guns, but he made up by being able to gut someone with a simple knife and a big bar of Action Points. Despite his fierce, addicted nature as well as a habit of stealing peoples caps and drugs, he was a good guy who would take the side of the good folk even if the bad guys were paying more. I felt immersed in the role, and despite the topdown perspective, my mind could see through his eyes and everything was vivid and real in my eyes.
Years later, the game still fascinates me. From the tactical turn based combat to the knee slapping dark humour, I love every inch of this game. It also introduced me to my favourite character of all time: Harold. HAROLD DAAA GHOUL!!! (Okay, to be fair, hes an FEV mutant, not a ghoul, but when I first played I thought he was a ghoul.) Harold is funny as hell, and just plain awesome. The story is great, with great twists, interesting characters, and lots of nasty monsters. I still play this game.
Amazing incorporation of army compositions and different ethnic races and their army units. This game required alot of "AC" army control whether it be archers/catapults,towers,elephants,phalanx etc... There were alot of competitive play associated with this game including team archers and team reg (anything allowed). This game taught me the importance of micro and macro and also caused me to improve both micro/macro and what to spend resource on beneficially. Other than that, the graphics were not top notch, neither were they really bad. It was a good game. =]
X-Com is one classic that well-deserves a mention. In fact I'm surprised no one brought this up before.
One of the best strategical turn-based games ever, and I love how the mercilessness factor of this game- just like real warfare your squad will drop off and be utterly decimated by one well-aimed gunshot and grenade. You literally have to contemplate several minutes organizing your soldier's movements as any wrong mistake could result in very fatal, fatal consequences. The game tended to get much easier when you acquired alien technologies, and once I got over the learning curve I could fend off the alien hordes fairly well, but I would always try to incorporate 1-base challenge of Earth-weaponry only challenge to spice up the experience more. Because at least to me, the frailty of your forces was the greatest reason I enjoyed this game. There is distinctive pleasure brilliantly commandeering your platoon into victory instead of simply being one generic hero who would march directly into mass of aliens and kick ass somehow. I think I gave my uttermost attention to this game for about two months until the university matters caught up. One of the favourite thing I always liked to do is name all soldiers after my favourite book/game/anime characters, strongest starting soldier naturally being me of course- you kinda regret making those choices because, unless you are really really lucky, someone always died no matter how cautious you were. Simply superb experience.
One of the single player games I remember most fondly is a turn based strategy game called Age of Wonders. Set in a quintessential high fantasy world, the game's main selling point is the perfect atmosphere it creates. Please listen to this music while you read the rest of my terribly biased review.
The music sets the mood of the game, ranging from melancholic to unapologetically heroic. By modern standards it might lack nuance, but it fits the high fantasy setting perfectly, and obviously there are similarities with the music in other fantasy games (such as Overlord).
The game starts with the emergence of humanity in the old world, and their overthrow of the Elven court in the Valley of Wonders. The campaign makes you choose right at the start between the goody-two-shoes Keeper faction who wish to rebuild in peace and coexist with the young humans, and the hell-bent-on-revenge Cult of Storms. Interestingly, during the course of the campaign it is possible to abandon your initial faction and join a neutral party, or even make a complete face-heel turn and join forces with the pure Evil undead, (or the almost-saintly Highman.) Most of the time, your actions and choices have obvious and far-reaching consequences on the world. As in the very first Cult mission where your objective is to assassinate the ruling Elf queen, Elwyn. + Show Spoiler +
The playable races consist of the good-natured and surprisingly brawly halflings, the sturdy dwarves, and the kind elves on the Keeper side. The Dark Side consists of the dirtly goblins, the decidedly-not-noble orcs (pre-Warcraft 3 style) and the embittered Dark Elves. The Lizardmen, the survivalist Frostlings and desert-dwelling Azracs fill out the race selection along with the humans, undead and highmen.
Another point of attention is the art style. Many things in the game, from campaign journals to unit portraits and parts of the interface, are hand drawn and have a distinctive pastel look which I still find very pleasing: + Show Spoiler +
Gameplay focuses on a combination of empire and city management, turn based tactical combat, and magic, complete with mana, spellbooks and wizard towers selling powerful new spells.
Back in the day I was very fond of skilling my heroes to be as overpowered as possible and send them around the map claiming cities along the way, with only some air support as backup. Regular footsloggers moved too slow, and were better suited to garrison cities in my opinion. Still, some of the higher tiers of units were very powerful in their own right, and posed significant threats to my heroes, or to those who would stand before me. Behold! The might of the Orc Warlord, the majesty of the Frost Queen! The speedy Karagh and the Dark Elf executioner! Although I must admit, some units captivated me in different ways. + Show Spoiler +
Because I enjoy a good story, I finished the game many times, finding out what possible fates can befall the world and your character, and let me tell you, there are some serious downer endings among them. But the gameplay never grew old, as many races have unique strengths and weaknesses to keep things fresh, and you can make the game as challenging as you want.
The game's successors, AoWII and AoW:Shadow Magic, improved upon some of the flaws of the original, making the management of large empires far easier, and better balancing the different aspects of the game, but they didn't have the same feel as the original. They didn't have that sense of wonder which captivated me as a child.
Easily Secret of Mana, my favorite Super Nintendo game. Man, all those memories fighting against Alpha/Beta/Gamma, riding with the dragon, etc. That was truly awesome times (:
I remember getting this game when it came out in 2003 (there was a PC version). It was the the most fun I had playing a game since I first started playing Starcraft (which was 1998 when I was 10 years old). Of course, you later find out that the game copied elements from the Grand Theft Auto series, but I didn't care back then. I was happy to ride my Simpsons car around smashing into stuff and get an adrenaline rush from avoiding the cops, who bust you for 50 COINS!!!
I loved how they incorporated Simpsons memorabilia with real voice actors to give the game an authentic feel, yet make a fun yet demanding game. I spent hours trying to get all the cars, tried the most challenging races and missions over and over again until I succeeded, and felt the ultimate achievement when I saw the secret Itchy and Scratchy cartoon. Recently, I've been trying to get a hold of the game again because I remember the good times. The phrases and jokes characters say when I drive or when I run over people never get old (such as homer saying "CHEST PAINS!! I'M HAVING CHEST PAINS!!!). To anyone who hasn't played this game, I recommend getting whatever version of the game, be it PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, or PC off ebay, and play it. You'll enjoy it as much as I did.
probably Interstate '76. (1997) this did have multiplayer, which I loved, but it was later overloaded with hacksssssss
SP was simply awesome, you are Groove Champion, a vigilante from the 70's with a sweet ass 'Cuda and go on missions with your sidekick Taurus, and your sister Jade. I don't have too much to explain for this but it was just simply funky awesome. Like being on some seriously kick ass drugs, expect you're not on any.
I think it is still my favorite game of all time. Anyone ever played this??
EPT
Try it, it really is a great game!
so fun
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