Some games never stop being amazing, we have taken to discussing some
older games that we think still hold up against today's games. After a
decent amount discussion and bartering we shortened the list to what we
decided on as great, iconic games, following one of the amazon links
and looking around for a bit, you can find most of these for less than
coffee too, which is mind blowing given how amazing most of them are.
1. Planescape: Torment
"I
figured I would get Planescape out of the way, it is the 900 pound
gorilla of classic gaming. I know many people, my self included that
count it as one of the most satisfying games I have ever played. Whole
teams of dungeon masters collaborated and poured more than 100 years of
dming experience to try and make the best dnd campaign ever. So far
they have succeeded, the characters are awesome, the dialog is awesome,
the enemies, the quests, the factions, everything is awesome. It is a
beast that will never be topped, we can only hope that games will equal
it." - Red
You can buy Planescape here
2. Half life 2
"Half
life 2 is a bit dated by fps standards, but in game play, atmosphere,
and story telling it is still leaps and bounds ahead of most modern
first person shooters. The game play design here was developed
reactively by observing people playing the game itself and then
tweaking, that is why it can effectively get in your head and give you
immersion few other fps's could dream of. The variety of game play is
also of note as being far ahead of its time. Half life 2 redefined
shooters, and in some ways, shooters are still trying to catch up to
it." - Orange
Get Half Life 2 for pc
3. Bioshock
"Bioshock
was a revelation for me personally, I had always hated fps's and played
more adventure and action games. I am a big horror fan, and this game
legitimately scared/fooled/shocked me on a few different occasions. I
was not prepared for the experience I got and that made the game
extremely fun to play. It is as creepy as it is fun, and it is as smart
as it is devious. Often imitated these days, but no one has quite
pulled it off yet. Bioshock brings the goods you didn't even know you
wanted." - Yellow
Get Bioshock from here
4. Mass effect 2
"When
mass effect came out, I loved it, blending stories with fps was
something I hadn't seen since dues ex to any kind of success, I remember
thinking, no one is ever going to top this. Then I played mass effect
2, This game took control of my life for 2 weeks solid, I knew every one
of my crew on a deep personal level, the universe was vast, people had
problems and I WANTED to solve them. I upgraded everything, I heard the
stories, I even just sat in awe at times interacting with the world and
planning my strategies. This game is one of those perfect games, It
makes you feel, It sucks you in,you start caring about the game
characters despite yourself and wondering what it is all going to mean.
Saying I love this game is like saying a tsunami is wet, this game
single handed redefined what an fps could be, all the area that half
life didn't cover, it did in a different way." - green
Get Mass effect 2
5. Thief
"
The original stealth game that started the idea of sneaking. The
atmosphere and story alone would have made it a contender, but the
rigidness of thief is what makes it so great. You experience what it
would be like to be surrounded by people you HAVE to hide from, and use
your wits to circumvent. There is no fire ball option, there is only
stealth. Few things are as satisfying as pulling off a heist that you
genuinely had to earn, the original system was so fun and innovative
that most rpg's since have stolen it and referenced it. The gold
edition has updated graphics to help it age a little better, but it is
still one of the coolest worlds and best game play experiences around." -
Blue
Get all 3 thief games here
6. Baldurs gate 2
"If
Planescape was a god of CRPG's, then Baldurs gate 2 would be a titan. A
little less flair, maybe a little less strong, but barely, and never
ever to be taken lightly. Baldurs gate 2 has its own set of story
telling tricks, and great quests and interesting characters, boo! It
has as much heart and is made with the same passion as planescape, the
only way it is the junior of the pair is that the execution is simply
amazing instead of perfect. Hours of game play can be had, with many
people playing it more than once. It is as epic as any game, if only
2d, but it feels vast and it is told well." - purple
Get baldurs gate and the expansion pack here
7. Grim fandago
"Grim
fandango has a style and charm to its game world that is only seen in
lucas arts games. It is endearing from start to finish, It drips with
style and feel good fun. I can't tell you how happy I was that it got a
revival from being remastered, because between the jokes, the art work,
and even the entire premise, I fell in love with the game. It is one
of those games that when you do finish it, all you feel is sadness for a
day or two that more of the game doesn't exist. They had a way of
telling stories in those old adventure games that few people even try to
replicate." - Purple
There are some listed on amazon,
but I couldn't manufacture a link, if you follow another one and search
though, there are copies floating around.
8. Vampire the masquerade: Bloodlines
"I
have known about the raw storytelling power of white wolf for a long
time, we used to play vampire table top and the level of complexity and
focus on story was great even then. As you can guess this results in a
game with plots so twisted and intertwined, you may well have to play
through 5 different times with 5 different clans just to know the full
story of what is going on. Everything about this game creates
atmosphere and stays with you, deepening the immersion of every
interaction. Few games I view as actual art, but the artistry of the
story telling in bloodlines is undeniable, if you want tales of
intrigue, scary environments, and (dear god please play a malkavian once
through) super powered high jinx in some situations. This dark sexy
and secretive title is most certainly for you." - Yellow
Get Bloodlines here
9. Psychonauts
"Psychonauts
is a platformer that is more creative than any work really has a right
to be. The concept of jumping into minds and running around in the
manifestations of their personality is intriguing enough. The game play
and the sheer amount of fun and style they make you do it with is
almost over kill. It has all the comforts of going back to home base at
the camp in between and unlocking things,before diving back into
someone else's reality, but it truly feels like you changed dimensions.
The quirkiness of this title and they way they pulled it off, if I had
millions of dollars to try to out do this game, I couldn't, because I
wouldn't even know where to start, it hit the target that no one could
even see. I feel like the game itself is actually art." - Blue
Get Psychonauts here
I
think that wraps up this section, A lot of these games go pretty cheap,
There is affiliate links to try and help fund the site, but most of
these can be found for a few dollars, and I would suggest that before
getting the next 130 dollar collectors edition of the new hotness game
of the hour, you spend like 50 bucks and get 9 of the greatest games
ever made and give them a try. I hope this was helpful, thank you for
reading, if you enjoy the articles and the site, please remember to
follow/like/share all the good social media stuff. - blue