Tuesday, November 24, 2015

9 Classic PC Games that may never be topped

Some games never stop being amazing, we have taken to discussing some older games that we think still hold up against today's games.  A... thumbnail 1 summary
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