Top 10 Favorite PC Games of All-time, by category

I thought i'd do everything, including the overall one again.
you'll notice that i've included some in overall that where beaten by others in their groups. i have reasons for this, it is not a mistake.
ROLE-PLAYING:
1. Oblivion
2. Morrowind
3. Diablo2
4. NWN
5. WoW (good while i played it - i believe it is a waste of time/money now)
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

STRATEGY:
1. M2 Total War
2. AoE2
3. EE
4. CoH
5. Medieval Total War
6. patrician 3
7. Warcraft 3
8. Warcraft 2
9. Sim City 4
10. Pharoah

SHOOTERS:
1. MOHAA
2. CoD1
3. BF1942
4. BF2
5. Tactical Operations
6. CSS
7. Return to Castle Wolfenstien
8.
9.
10.

OVERALL:
1. M2 Total War
2. Oblivion
3. AoE2
4. EE
5. CoH
6. MOHAA
7. Patrician 3
8. CoD
9. BF2
10. Warcraft 3

 

1. Freespace 2
2. Half-Life
3. Battlefield Vietnam
4. Half-Life 2
5. Battlefield 2 and Mods
6. Starcraft
7. Doom
8. Halo
9. America's Army
10. Descent 1 and 2

 

Thanks again everyone for posting! I can't quite respond to everything since I was last on here (but I love all the responses!) and I won't quote entire posts since this message would be longer than my original, but here are my responses since I was last here:

That's too bad about Legacy... is it any better with the patches or after the Kobayashi mod?

The problem is, the list is only a top 10 and I have played A TON of RPGs, including almost everything on your list. I definitely considered Arcanum and it is a very good game, but I'm not quite as big a fan of turn-based combat (also why I didn't rate Fallout even higher). And I won't argue with you about why you *only* have BG2 10th. I love your 'old school'-style list, I'm a fan of a lot of those games!

Yay I'm not the only one who feels out of touch! I like your list - I came close to including AvP2 and Tiger Woods (I have the 2004, great game!). TW 2003 and 2004 had much better courses on it than any subsequent version, IMO.

Great list! I also had some problems remembering some of the retro games - classic stuff, Space Quest, Star Control 2 (how could I forget?!?), Wing Commander... like I've said, my bias towards relatively newer games because of memory and recency is shafting the older stuff on my lists, which is too bad.

Oh yeah, another classic I forgot about!! Didn't you love when you'd shoot the moutain out from under them and they'd drop all the way to the bottom, lol?! I love the Blizzard/Black Isle bent of your list, btw!

Great lists! You were the first that filled out top 10 lists in all 3 categories... but where's your overall faves?! I could've put another C&C game in my top 10, probably RA, they're all good. It's just tough with SO MANY games out there. But at least I got RA2 pretty high in mine.

HL2 certainly is awesome, but my own vote for best "pound-for-pound" game is definitely Baldur's Gate 2 - so much to do in there, and the expansion pack is one of the best in any game ever, probably. I mean, if you did every one of the quests, start to finish, we're talking about 200-250 hours of playing time, there's that much (quality) content... I've played it all the way through (meaning, doing every quest) four times (!). Excellent story as well, to go along with perfect game mechanics. The only problem is the graphics, compared to today's standards, and lack of multiplayer - neither of which I care about.

Loved the 1st but never played IW b/c it got panned by game site reviews. So it's pretty good?

Yet another one that ALMOST made my top 10 strategy - I just have too heavy a bias towards RTS though.

I haven't played any of those games - I haven't played much online, I'm afraid I'd get too addicted. I also stated later in this thread (and in another thread, like lordgoof mentioned) that I haven't played CoH but am interested b/c of the incredible reviews, s'ok don't expect you to catch everything.

Have not played it not quite my style but it looks interesting, thanks for the link.

lordgoof, congrats on being the first responder in this thread to post all 4 lists! Repped just for going through that ordeal!! I hope it was fun. Very nice lists, although the fact that you don't have Baldur's Gate 2 in your top 10 RPGs when you only have 5 in there leads me to believe that you have not played it... lol, how biased am I eh?

Whew, all for now!

 

OVerall:
1. SWBF2
2. Empire Earth
3. M2TW
4. Rome Total War
5. Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
6. AoE3
7. AoE2
8. BF2142
9. BF2 ( not online)
10. NWN including expansions.

 

eh...
i like starcraft still even i played for 9 years.... lol
i overall like shooting games more

 

Overall
1. Half-Life
2. Half-Life 2
3. Action Quake 2
4. Starcraft
5. Halo
6. Company of Heroes
7. Medieval 2: Total war
8. Age of Empires II: Age of Kings
9. IL2
10. Operation Flashpoint

 

More posts to reply to and discuss, yes!!

Wow, I didn't realize that you could play BF2 single-player? Are there missions or is it just skirmishes, or...? If it's pretty good single-player as well, then I might just get it. I've heard great things about BF2 overall, just hesitant about diving in online and never seeing the light of day again, lol.

Yes!! Great to hear. IT... WILL... NOT... DIE, lol. It's probably got more longevity than perhaps any other PC game in history (big statement I know!!).

Wow, I haven't seen many people rank the original over HL2. I love how defining 'favorite' can be so different for people, so let me ask you: Do you like HL1 more because of its innovation and how you felt at the time you played it? Or do you rank it this way because you think the 1st is a 'better' game than the 2nd? Or you just enjoy it more overall? Or something else?

 

HL1 IS the better game if you look at the impact each respective addition had on the market at the time. I still remember the haunted feeling that I had while creeping through the wreckage of Black Mesa shortly after the resonance cascade...I have NEVER felt that way since in a video game (altho HL2 came close at points). The very idea of head crabs and their zombies simply intrigued me. The only reason HL1 isnt my first choice game is because I couldnt stop playing Freespace 2 for a six year period.

Anyways HL1 began the in depth story revolution...I clearly remember the dull linear feelings that other contemporary shooters of the time had (quake 2, hem hem) and while HL1 was no less linear the story element and the atmosphere made the game so hauntingly immersive and all that linearness went out the window. HL1's story has been the standard for FPS single players games since.

 

Yeah, it has a campaign, which is fun.

 

nup never played baldurs gate

in general i prefer rts. i would say my most played games in gaming hours, are all rts/tbs except for oblivion and morrowind.

 

No, its not a campaign, BF2's single player is simply scaled down versions of the multiplayer maps filled with semi-intelligent bots. While it is fun for a while I dunno if its worth the price if you aren't gonna play BF2 online...in single player you cant access any of the large maps that define the series...no aircraft or anything (one map might have a plane on the 16 player version actually).

But you are right in saying you won't see the light of day...many a summer day has been wasted by yours truly while surrounded by piles of red bull cans in my basement,accompanied only by Mr. Widescreen and Battlefield 2.

 

I really enjoyed BF2 single player. its not as good as joing up with a good casual clan and playing some good team fps though. but still good nevertheless.

 

I certainly agree with that and everything else you said about how revolutionary it was. I was just asking if that was the reason he had it as a fave over HL2, because I've noticed that some folks (including myself) do not equate "better" with more favored. We can all have our quirky lil' reasons.

Oh lord, you know what's coming next eh... if you can spare 200+ hours (or 100-125 if you don't do most sidequests) and want a good RPG (better and more in-depth than anything out now, IMO, except possibly for Oblivion) then you can pick it up with expansion for an average price of $10 (used) or $20 (new).

LOL, Red Bull cans strewn about is classic! I get that way sometimes when I play poker in the casinos! Hmm, tough decision. Yes, I'd try to restrict it just to single-player, so I dunno. I can get the original for $15 used right now. Or should I spring for the whole collection? (do the expansions add much to the single-player experience?) Or of course not get it at all...

 

i reckon the expansions are worth it. for $20 more its worth it anyway.

 

Actually, in my very personal opinion, it is NOT worth it to get the expansions. Regular Battlefield 2 is great and much better then Special Forces or the "Booster Packs", as there is barely anybody playing them.

BF2, however, has a VERY active modding community and has several top notch mods that make for a very different experience...a much more enjoyable one than that which is provided by the expansion packs. These mods are completely free and expand the battlefield to places such as Eastern Europe in a fictional confrontation between Germany and the Ukraine (the mod Point of Existence) or the Vietnam War (Eve of Destruction) or modern combat (Project Reality).

In conclusion I'd stick with just BF2 and then go for the mods which are excellent and have very active, very enjoyable communities surrounding them.

 

Thanks for the BF2 feedback lord and insomniac... even though you two have opposite opinions on the Xpacks! That leaves me in BFE, so to speak, lol. Well, since the extra money may not get me that much extra play, purely speaking single-player-wise, AND there are great mods, then I think I may lean towards just getting the original used. I usually get all expansion packs for any game I ever play that is good, but this may be an exception just because I'll only be using it to part of its potential, not going online and all.

 

Strategy:

1. Medieval Total War II
2. Medieval Total War
3. Civilization IV
4. Rome Total War
5. Warhammer 40000
6. Europa Universalis III
7. Civilization III
8. Warcraft
9. Civilization
10. Great Battles of Alexander

 

i thought you were going to go online oops. you just said that you didn't know it had a single player and that if it did you might get it.

my bad. missinterpretation.

if you aren't going online just get the origonal and then if you want some more you can always get special forces.

 

Online is where it's at. The single player bots are very stupid at times, and sometimes downright amazing. As in, sometimes, they'll miss you point blank firing an assault rifle, but will somehow find a way to headshot you with a shotgun halfway across the map.

At any rate, if you ever decide to go online for BF2, I would highly reccomend getting the expansions/boosters. SF is simply awesome, although I have been severely restricted due to bad hardware. Night Maps are pretty fun to play on. Although a few of the mods are very well done.

Overall list:
1. StarCraft (Provided me countless hours of fun. Eagerly awaiting the sequel)
2. BF2 (The only other game so far other than StarCraft to consume much of my time)
3. Guild Wars (Only recently gotten into it, and it's quite fun)
4. Age of Empires II (Great game, even with other bots)
5. Counter Strike (A little too quick paced for me to play a lot, but still very fun)
6. Wolfenstein:Enemy Territory (One of the greatest FREE fps games ever)
7. Battlefield 1942 (Excellent game - Land, Air, AND Sea battles)
8. Ragnarok Online (The game got kind of repetitive, but had some memorable times with some friends)
9. WarCraft III (I was never that good at the actual game itself, but it had some custom maps that just rocked)
10. Command & Conquer:Tiberian Sun (My first ever CnC game, it was pretty fun)

 

Hmm, a lotta ppl gettin' medieval on that a**... I haven't played them, but they seem impressive. I imagine there's a lot of intricacies and not just throwing 1,000s of units at each other like it looks in screenshots, right? No disrespect meant, I'm just saying that it seems like too many units for my tastes.

Yes, I meant that I would get it for single player but I don't want to get sucked into the online aspect because it'd be a lot of hours of my life gone (mind you, I'm sure it would be a blast). I could've clarified more; part of this goes back to my 1st post where I said I've never played MMORPGs, same deal. Basically, I don't trust myself to have enough self-discipline here so I don't even get the games.

So to clarify, for single player, the BF2 Xpacks don't add missions, just some maps and new units/equipment right?

Must... resist... online BF2... heh. Thanks for the info, and nice list - can't go wrong with Starcraft #1!

 

Favorite

1. Jedi Knight Series
2. Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2
3. Fable
3. Quake Series
4. Doom Series
5. Heretic/Hexen Series
6. Elder Scrolls 3 & 4

 

Best turn based game Lords of the Realm 2, hands down

 

For those of you who put Medieval II up there (I saw someone put first even?!)... Imo its a really crappy (well not really crappy, but disappointing) game, the AI is one of the worst RTS AI's I've ever seen, going to the Americas is useless, it comes way too late in the game, none of the AI factions go for it, taking on the Aztecs is not worth the resources etc. , the Americas was just a marketing ploy in the hope that some north American sails to Florida and gets an orgasm over "Miccosukee" (or summat like that)... Medieval II isn't even challenging on very hard, mabe if you play as Milan or Turkey which has really bad starting units, or Portugal/Spain if you don't have the smarts to take the other one out from turn 1... And the graphics upgrade from Rome just doesn't make it worth it, still a fun game in quick battles though, at least the AI doesn't do idiotic things there... (I had Milan declare war on me while I had two full army stacks of French Lancers, Scots Guard Longbowmen, French nobles etc - no mercy) Even after wiping out half of the scottish empire as moors (The Scots obliterated England and then France lol) they still wouldn't sign a ceasefire... all I wanted was trade rights...

Forgot about Red Faction though... what a fun game... although I kept getting trapped in the rocket launcher craters

The Kobayashi Mod isn't for Legacy its for Bridge Commander from comparing bcfiles.com to legacyfiles.com none of the major or even minor) BC modders has even touched Legacy lol it just seems that ST fen aren't satisfied with Legacy enough to make the switch from Armada I/II or Bridge Commander, someone is even working on a new game engine for BC, and with the Kobayashi Maru mod I don't think any of the original files has been left untouched...

 

I've heard about this game, what makes it so good? Also, nice that you included Hexen, great stuff!

My fave and also my pick for the best is Civ IV.

My bad on that one, thanks for the info.

 

1. Ultima Online
2. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004
3. Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield
4. Battlefield 1942
5. City of Heroes
6. Battlefield Vietnam
7. Need for Speed Underground 2
8. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
9. World of Warcraft
10. Command and Conquer: Red Alert

 

the patches fix most of the ai bugs. on hard, play as the sicilians, thats a fair challange.

also, the battles is what the game is designed around i think. its people who just auto battle that find the game boring. its lots of fun having a weaker force and then using strategy and positioning to own the enemy.

anyway, the patches fixed practically all the problems i think.

 

Mine:

1. Half Life 2
2. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
3. GTA: San Andreas
4. Call Of Duty 2
5. Roller Coaster Tycoon 2
6. Max Payne 1 & 2
7. GTA: Vice City
8. MOHAA
9. Half Life
10. Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

 

Well to each their own. It is a personal favorites list rather than a best game list so everyone has their own little things that make the game special to them. For me I just remember all the LAN battles I had over the original Med. and then the later Med. I think the Total War games are generally fantastic and always worth a look at.

 

They're worth a look at but I'd pick Civ 4 over them anyday, although whenever I played Civ (since Civ 2) I always wondered if we'd ever be able to fight those battles... I just don't see Medieval 2 as a huge improvement over Rome, which was totally awesome Although Kingdoms looks promising 4 new campaigns! And hopefully some more AI fixes...

 

Dude, where are the racing games? Theres a ton of great ones out there.

 

GT4, but it aint on PC. NFSMW series, not as real as GT4 but cuts it becoz of the mods... we aint got so much money for real mods, so its fun to play.

 

I don't see MTW II as an improvement over Rome TW, either ... just a different time period with more diverse political dynamics.

I do think that the battle model for Rome & MTW II are much more realistic and workable than most. Yes, you have "thousands" (actually, hundreds) of figures on the screen at times, but that's what battle WAS. How realistic is using 6 figures to represent 600??? It just doesn't work, especially when maneuvering and trying to utilize terrain to advantage. That's the difference between a general and a sargeant. If you want to command a squad, play a squad level warfare game. It is much more difficult to command several units spread across a relatively vast landscape during the course of a single battle, and I think that frustrates a lot of gamers without sufficient (period) military knowledge to handle it.

 

i don't get it?

are you supporting the game or not.

 

STRATEGY: Close Combat III and V

 

Not really, not at least great enough to make a lasting impression, the only one that did it for me was GT3/4 for the PS2

 

Absolutely, I can't emphasize this point enough!

Let's hear 'em! I'm not into racing games. I only played one of the recent NASCAR sims, which was rated as one of the best, but I wasn't into it.

 

Role-Playing: Diablo II (for gameplay), Fable (for storyline)
Strategy: Rome Total War (no mods, no expansions)
Shooter: GTA San Andreas (not a 100% shooter, but close enough)
Overall: Rome Total War

 

If you meant me, yes.

 

I'll give you a back in the day favorite game. M.U.L.E. on a Commodre 64. And for those of you who don't know, That's KB, not MB or GB. Boy, am I showing my age.:rolleyes2:

My list is in no particular order except Oblivion is defintely my #1 favotite:

Oblivion: blew me away when I first played it. Looks great and there's so much to do

Warcraft (pretty much all of them): Just Great fun to play.

Fear: Creepy, scary fun

Company of Heroes: Just flat out great. Need to use combined arms, just like I was taught.

Far Cry: Another gorgeous game, fun shooter

Civ 3 & 4: Days and days of fun

MOHAA: D-Day landing, as close as I ever want to be to an amphibious assault

Chains2: Match 3 or more timewaster that I always come back to.

Doom: Played it to death and beyond

M.U.L.E.: Just one more game before I go to bed...at 3am. Simple planet exploration, resource exploitation. Had to be simple, Commodore64, remember

 

^^^ I remember seeing others play MULE, but I didn't have the means... neat game! Very nice list.

 

Read the full content of this Article: http://www.dev.notebookreview.com/news/john-carmack-likes-the-ps4/

 

^^^ And I hope that you do so! You said it nicely, this thread is here to give good ideas, and also generate discussion, and as well as help all of us reminisce.

 

1.Deux Ex
2. Half-Life
3.Kotor
4. Vampire the Masquerade
5. Call of Duty 2
6. Farcry
7. Guild Wars
8. Morrowind
9.Oblivion
10. Tiberian sun (i love it lol)

Vampire the Masquerade: Most intense, complex storyline ever

 

Deus Ex, Balder's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Bards Tale II, Mechwarrior II, Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, Elite, Wizards Crown II: The Eternal Dagger, Tie Fighter, Wasteland

Mostly RPG's with some simulation games thrown in.

 

I played through about 1/3 of it and am ashamed to say did not make it through the rest. I had upgraded my computer but did not install it on my new machine. :/ I do remember it being a good story. I heard the 3rd one was a disappointment..?

Now here is someone who is even more old school than me!! I've played almost all of those games, which are good ones, but can't put most of them in my faves just because of my history/bias thing I've written about. Classics though!

 

hmm i havent met a person who played it and didnt like it. The controls are quite weird, and the glitches are pretty bad (not as bad when you download the fan-made patches), but i loved the game. Skipped work once just so i could play it. I was in my boxers the entire day... pretty sad lol

I cant think of many games that lets YOU be the vampire/monster.
That is unique in its own right.

 

ooo dont forget about the horror genre: Silent Hill 2, quite possibly the scariest game i have ever played

 

I've never been a huge PC gamer and haven't played a vast amount of PC games (mostly due to hardware limitations and console gaming) so I'll just do a top 5 overall.

1. CS: Condition Zero
2. CS: Source
3. Half-Life 2
4. Starcraft
5. Warcraft 2

 

ROLE-PLAYING
1. Morrowind
2. ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery)
3. Ultima Underworld
4. Baldur's Gate
5. ToME (Tales of Middle Earth)

STRATEGY
1. Civilization
2. Dune 2
3. Master of Magic
4. X-COM - Terror from the deep
5. Company of Heroes

SHOOTERS
1. F.E.A.R.
2. Alien vs. Predator
3. Unreal Tournament
4. Soldat
5. Tapan Kaikki

 

I still don't get why we all love D2 when its really just about clicking on something and it dieing.