What are some good online PC games?

I've been an avid console gamer since the N64 but ever since I bought my first laptop, which happens to be able to play most games, I've become more and more interested in PC games.

I prefer shooters (a big Halo/Gears of War fan) but RPGs or MMORPGS are fine as well. I currently play World of Warcraft but it is starting to get old and boring. I really like games that have a great online experience and a good size community, I don't mind if a game has a sub par single player as long as the online mode really shines.

Any ideas? I'd really like a list of games and if you could tell me the pros and cons of each game that would be awesome.

Thanks!

 

Here are some I like

Battlefield 2 & 2142 --Awesome online first person shooter with great squad play. (Large communities)
Crysis --Obviously great graphics and pretty fun online mode if your pc can handle it.
Mass Effect --Best RPG I have played since Oblivion.
Guild wars? -- Fun and no monthly fee....
Call of duty 4 -- My favorite FPS, however it lacks in teamwork in my opinion.
Orange Box --Several valve games....What's not too like? Portal owns....
Strategy? Try Medieval Total War 2, Command and Conquer 3, Supreme Commander, Company of Heroes, or World in Conflict.
I haven't tried Sins of a Solar Empire or Age of Conan but I hear they are good too.

 

Some newer games that I have for the PC that I enjoy are Guild Wars, WoW, Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142, The Orange Box, Unreal Tournament lll and Call of Duty 4. I think those are good mmorpgs and first person shooters that everyone can enjoy especially online.

 

Battle For Wesnoth is fun. It's a nice turn-based strategy game which borrows some RPG elements. Best part is, it's open source.

 

lonemedic, we have some similarities .

 

My laptop can handle Crysis, I played BF2 and BF2142 demos and I preferred BF2 but it got annoying when I tried to shoot someone and they would just jump and then lye on the ground, and repeat... I would shoot em and they would turn around and just blow me a away. BF2 had a lot more teamwork than BF2142 and had a bunch more games on the list, so I'm guessing it has a bigger community.

 

2142 is newer, and well, a better community than Battlefield 2 in my opinion. Not to say the cheap stuff like the bunny moves aren't there, but they are less apparent. Also keep in mind any FPS you jump into you are probably going to get it handed to you as people like me have played them since release Mouse + FPS = PC domination!

 

Team Fortress 2 is pretty big right now, and there's an update coming soon. Buy now!

 

Ah ha, so it's called the bunny moves. It really got on my nerves. BF:2142 had pretty much the exact same graphics as BF:2 and BF:2 always had over 15 games on the list while BF:2142 only had 3-9...

 

But if you like BF2, there are some wicked mods out there that turn the game upside down Project Reality is a great one, I don't know if they are still going strong though.

 

Bunny hopping is annoying, but if you play on a well monitored server, some admins will kick them.

I just grabbed the Orange Box from Circuit City for $25 over the weekend which has TF2. Can't wait to install it tomorrow and give it a try.

 

That's a great deal. Don't forgot about HL2 and Portal!

 

My friend let me just say welcome to the wonderful world of PC gaming - prepared to have your life sucked away by endless hours of fun. If you enjoy shooters on Xbox 360 (especially online), then wait til you experience them on a PC. The one problem with PC gaming is that cheating is more prevalent than in Xbox (since it is easier to hack a pc than a xbox). But generally I find the community more mature, and the games have a greater depth.

Firstly, let me say this: get a corded (or cordless I suppose) mouse. The touchpad isn't going to cut it for many things.

My first suggestion is definitely Team Fortress 2 as others have mentioned. It is incredibly fun and a completely different shooter experience. Of course if you get the Orange Box you get some of the best games in one package. I'm not sure if Orange Box has Counter-Strike: Source, but it is also a good game (although if youve never played a PC before you might get your *** handed to you by some of these guys that have been playing CS every day for 8 years)

For an offline shooter, STALKER is also very good, but kind of buggy (at least when I played it - it may have gotten better).

Crysis, of course, is Crysis. I think it is like a really hot chick with a bad personality. You will want to do her, but you aren't going to marry her.

COD4 might be good as well, but honestly Infinity Ward did such a good job on the Xbox 360 matchmaking that it might be the better alternative in order to avoid hacks.

If you like RPGs, then on PC you will find a different experience than what you have may been used to. Sadly, there aren't as many RPGs specifically made of PC as of late, so your best games may be the older ones. The Baldur's Gate and Fallout series as well as Planescape: Torment are what I consider a MUST play for any serious PC gamer, and although sprite based I think they translate very well despite being technologically behind the times. The Neverwinter Nights series isn't quite as good, but it should be a nice sample of a PC RPG if sprites scare you.

I will let others recommend MMOs as I am trying to keep myself away from them as much as possible (although I may play Warhammer Online)

And may I suggest a genre: Real-Time Strategy. They just can't get it done on a console, and so if you've never tried one on a PC I definitely suggest it for a different gaming experience. My two favorite RTS developers are Relic who makes Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, and Homeworld, and Creative Assembly who makes the Total War series. All of them are excellent, and can be fun online.

 

You could try Entropia Universe ; Entropia Universe

I have played EU for a bit more than three years myself and really think its future potentials are greater than any other mmo currently on the market...

One exiting aspect is that they are soon to be the first mmo implement the crygen 2 engine..

Check it out dude

 

I'll suggest two single player titles: assassin's creed and mass effect. Both games has good stories, and unique gameplay. Ive played both and love them!

 

Wow thanks for all the responses, but you guys gotta remember I have been playing the Xbox 360 a lot so Assassin's Creed I already beat and I already play Call of Duty 4 on XBL.

I tried Mass Effect on the Xbox 360 but it feels much more like a PC game IMO.

 

lol then play it on the pc where it belongs

 

Try City of Heroes. 14 day free trial on there website.

More of a team game than solo, but you get to customize your character from beginning to end, lots of maps/areas, etc.

It's what I play, and I love it.

P.S: Members is $15 a month.

 

Team fortress 2 is one of the most amazing games ever! Free updates every month or so...wow.

And WoW. If you want an MMO, go with it, trust me. I've been playing for almost 3 years. I also played guild wars for a few months. It just cant compare to WoW.

 

for mmo's there is guild wars which i loved. the always popular warcraft3. then you have shooters like unreal 2004 and unreal 3 which both rock. actually one of my favorite online games was PSO but the servers are down now i believe. there may be servers for PSU up but that game was slightly worse.

 

Hmm, are you sure you have no filters on and you've got the latest patch? In BF2142 I usually find about 250 servers and I'm sure there must be more than 15 for BF2 too. Maybe it's because you played the demo version?

 

Warhammer online all the way! The NDA hopefully is dropping today. Yes, I am in Beta...

 

step 1 Go to best buy
step 2 buy orange box
step 3 install
step 4 profit

Orange box games are loads of fun, can run on a wide array of setups, and only cost $39. Best bang for our buck IMHO.

 

team fortress 2. If you dont want orange box (i didnt because i dont want to play the HL series and ive played portal) then you can purchase TF2 itself for $19.99. I purchased TF2 + garrys mod for $24.99. Both a lot of fun.

www.steampowered.com for details

 

This week Circuit City has the Orange Box on sale for only $25, so I'd push him in that direction

 

You can find servers that ban people who bunny hop. I hate it too, but now i have no problem with it since i don't play wiht any hoppers. My favorite server is BS Battlefield. They ban anyone who bunny hops.