What Classic Game That All Gamers Should Play At Least Once?

[The_State]

I don't know if the controls have aged that well though. That sniper rifle is an ungodly device to wield now.

But yeah, still in my top 5.

I have, over the years, consciously blocked out how poorly the first-person camera elements worked in that game. The Nikita was tolerable, but the rifle was, indeed, a disaster.

Final Fantasy(PS1) IV/V and VI/Chrono Trigger

Please don't play these editions of these games. There are better options available. The DS ports of all these games are superior to the PSX versions. The PSX ports were technical disasters thanks to SquareEnix's refusal to revamp the menu loading engine in the transition from cart to disc.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

It's already been mentioned like 4 times, but Planescape: Torment. Yes, the combat is pretty bad, but the game gives you plenty of ways to avoid combat altogether, so it's not a huge deal.

But really, I consider Planescape to be the greatest story I've ever experienced in ANY media, not just video games. I think everyone should at least try it, it's one of those games that sticks with you for years after you've completed it.

 

[BarryMcCociner]

Fans of RPG's don't know shit until they've gotten through Morrowind.

A great comparison is that the game HAS aged like Carrie Fisher, but no game has matched the downright alien atmosphere of Morrowind. Nothing compares. The complex political landscape, the spiritual, traditionalist culture you're just thrown into without so much as a "Good luck", the puzzles that you have to damn near meditate on, the ludicrous lore that makes you just pause and mouth "What the fuck?" over and over until things just start clicking and making sense and you don't even question when the 36 Sermon's of Vivec depicts blowjobs as a holy practice.

If you think Skyrim's civil war was interesting, where your choices were simply empire that's been slowly collapsing for five games, or Nords declaring war on other Nords for the right to worship a Breton, then your jaw will hit the floor once you learn the inner workings of the great houses.

If poor graphics are enough to sway you away from one of the most complex and mechanically rewarding games ever made you simply need to sort out your priorities.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

If poor graphics are enough to sway you away from one of the most complex and mechanically rewarding games ever made you simply need to sort out your priorities.

Poor graphics didn't do me in, since the game was brand new and gorgeous, and I actually needed to get a new video card just to run it. The game being a tire fire was what stopped me from fully enjoying it. Almost every charge that has ever been leveled at an Elder Scrolls game (bland environments, cookie cutter NPCs, opaque and poorly designed systems, terrible combat, etc, etc) were alive and well in Morrowind. And it was fucking mud crabs and cliff racers for days.

I accept that the game has merits buried deep under its loathsome husk, but I certainly feel forgiveness for people who had too little patience to dig down to them. I've played all the Elder Scrolls games with the exception of Arena, and I'm genuinely convinced the series has done nothing but get better with each installment. That a few babies went out with the bathwater when we moved from Morrowind to Oblivion/Skyrim is unfortunate, but it was a truly necessary change. Hopefully in time they can get some of that complexity back in without all the shit clinging to it like stubborn fungus.

 

[Drops a Sweet Katana]

If poor graphics are enough to sway you away from one of the most complex and mechanically rewarding games ever made you simply need to sort out your priorities.

While I'm actually sorta getting into Morrowind after my third attempt at doing so, I kinda have to disagree with you on that count. Graphics are the least of Morrowind's problems, due to how good/unique the art direction was (for the most part anyway). Some of the gameplay choices, at least from what I've seen from my short time with the game, are simply baffling though. I'm not sure how anyone thought a die-roll based hit system was in anyway a good idea in a first person game with non-turn based combat. I mean if it had been an isometric RPG or had a turn-based system like KoToR, I could understand since the player isn't directly in control of the character, but Morrowind's combat places the aiming controls directly in the player's hands. It would have made more sense to at least have all hits connect in some tangible way, even if they do no damage. At least there would be some kind of feedback to the player. I don't know how much this will hamper my enjoyment of the game in the long run, but it's not exactly something I see winning me over any time soon.

 

[SJXarg]

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Great first person RPG, multiple ways to approach most situations in the game, ongoing fan support from modders. Visually it's even aged pretty well, it isn't ugly and it handles well.

 

[Tommy1138]

Not sure if anyone mentioned it but Star Wars: Dark Forces would be my choice. It's an excellent FPS where you play a mercenary Rebel out to destroy a Imperial super weapon project based on super-storm trooper battle droids. Yes, it was basically a Doom game in Star Wars and gets overshadowed by it's sequels but it's still awesome. Also if you like JRPGs, you have to try the Phantasy Star series. They originally came out on the Sega Master System/Genesis/Megadrive and were fantastic. The Phantasy Star Online games on the Saturn/GameCube were great too but just skip the third one, it was a card battle game for some reason.

 

[Tommy1138]

If poor graphics are enough to sway you away from one of the most complex and mechanically rewarding games ever made you simply need to sort out your priorities.

Poor graphics wasn't what did me in for Morrowind, it was the engine itself. The journal was a mess with no way to actually mark any progression on a quest or what you had actually finished. The skill progression system was a joke, even taking say daggers as a core skill still meant you were only likely to hit a guy literally standing next to you one in four times. Spells only worked reliably if you had a scroll otherwise it was the same problem as daggers. And don't get me started on the movement in that game. Their sprint was the equivalent of my normal walking speed and the stamina ran out so quickly you were lucky to get ten meters before being winded. Thank god for the regain stamina cheat code. The rest of the game, especially the expansions, were marvellous and I can't wait for the guys working on the SkyWind total conversion mod to finish so I can play it properly.

 

[BarryMcCociner]

If poor graphics are enough to sway you away from one of the most complex and mechanically rewarding games ever made you simply need to sort out your priorities.

Poor graphics wasn't what did me in for Morrowind, it was the engine itself.

This statement raises my eyebrows. The engine Fallout 4 runs on (Creation Engine) is pretty much identical to the one Morrowind utilized (Gamebyro). Fallout 4 is even recognized by The Elder Scrolls Construction Set, the modding tools shipped with Morrowind.

Hell, Bully (AKA: Canis Canem Edit), Catherine and Civilization IV were all running on the same engine as Morrowind. Game engines are incredibly versatile things. You're attributing things to the engine that simply aren't on the engine.

The journal was a mess with no way to actually mark any progression on a quest or what you had actually finished. The skill progression system was a joke, even taking say daggers as a core skill still meant you were only likely to hit a guy literally standing next to you one in four times.

I have never had this problem. Maybe I'm just building characters that have the skill I want to use when I want to use them, but I generally hit far, far more often than I miss.

As for the journal, at least the GOTY edition came with the Tribunal journal system. Meaning you had the quest and topic tags.

And don't get me started on the movement in that game. Their sprint was the equivalent of my normal walking speed and the stamina ran out so quickly you were lucky to get ten meters before being winded.

Which is why you walk everywhere. Moving quickly isn't necessary. The fog makes Vvardenfell seem larger than it actually is. Everything is a short walk from everything else.

Thank god for the regain stamina cheat code. The rest of the game, especially the expansions, were marvellous and I can't wait for the guys working on the SkyWind total conversion mod to finish so I can play it properly.

I'm pumped for Skywind too, sort of. I can't remember where I found it but the VA they found for Dagoth Ur trumps the orignal Dagoth Ur voice actor. It was decent acting, but it wasn't decent acting for a villain.

 

[Saltyk]

You know, I'm not gonna try to avoid games others have mentioned, like I usually do. There's too many people mentioning too many games to do that. So without further ado...

Super Mario 3: Probably the best of the original Mario games on the NES. Probably one of the best Mario games ever. Even one of the best games ever. It's got solid controls. Well designed levels with tons of secrets. Some of the most varied and iconic power-ups of the franchise. It's the total package of a Mario game. A future Video Game museum would be committing a crime if this game was not included.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Sonic and Knuckles: Effectively the same game (especially if you know the history), I consider these the pinnacle of the Sonic franchise. Up to three playable characters who all feel unique. Great and useful power-ups like the fire and lightning shield. A variety of special stages. And some of the best levels and music of the franchise. The definitive Sonic game(s).

Final Fantasy VII: Not gonna lie. This is my all time favorite game. It's revolutionized the JRPG genre. And certainly helped put the genre on the map. I expect even WRPGs owe a thanks to this game. Plus, it has the insanely useful materia system, introduced the Limit system, and has iconic characters, villains, and scenes. Even players who have never played the game know the scene where Aerith dies or Sephiroth walks into the flames.

Final Fantasy Tactics: A must for Strategy RPG fans. I've yet to find a game with such a deep job system. Such solid game-play. Or just such a good story that breaks the mold. Rather than playing the hero that saves the world, you play as the man that history named a heretic. A man framed as a monster, who fought for a world that betrayed him, even if he only wanted to save his sister. The story alone is a reason to play it. Though, I fully understand people getting lost in it.

Uncharted 2: Part of the Uncharted franchise, in my mind this is the best. A perfect example of what cinematic games can truly achieve. This game feels like playing a classic Indiana Jones film. And it's got solid gameplay, characters, and comedy to boot.

Batman: Arkham Series: I recommend playing one of these games, the first or second if nothing else. These games show what a game about a Superhero can be like. It's a perfect adaption of the character, and makes you feel like the Dark Knight. Great atmosphere and well portrayed characters with iconic voice actors, this is a must for Batman fans. And a solid game to boot. Probably the best licensed games ever made.


The Last of Us: Yes, I know plenty of people have praised this game. Is it wrong to say that this game deserves the praise? I can say that the gameplay is pretty average, but the story and how it is presented is where the game shines. It's beautiful, I grew to love the characters, and the ending still leaves me wondering how I feel about it. Truly, few games have made me feel so much.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I want to thank everyone who have posted so far. Let me get to a few responses.

Looking through all the Black Friday ads, I saw one store selling World of Warcraft for 5 USD.

Exactly what version of the game are they selling you for $5? If it doesn't include the latest expansion (Warlords of Draenor) then just try the free trial and play to level 20. See if the base mechanics appeal on any level. Then spend a few bucks.

I wasn't able to get to the store in time to get the Black Friday sale. So, I am not able to tell you exactly what it was. I did end up buying World of Warcraft Battle Chest for $20. The label on the box reads, "Everything you need to begin the adventure". It has 3 games printed on the cover: WoW, Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King. Since, I have a 30 days free subscription. I'll wait until after the holidays to play it. Right now, I am reading the Beginner's Guide that was packaged with the game. There is a learning curve to the terminology that they use. Which is daunting to someone like me who have never played a fantasy RPG game.

Probably a boring answer, like Pac Man or Tetris.

It may be a boring answer. Yet, if you knew somebody who have never played Pac-Man or Tetris. You would march them to the nearest arcade, console, or PC and force them to play it.


I am not too hard and fast about the word "Classic". If there is a game that came out recently that is so good that you think that it will be a classic. Feel free to mention it.

Some of my picks:

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned Mortal Kombat yet. It's definitely one of the most iconic fighting games.

I really liked Doom 3. I thought forcing the player to choose between a flashlight and a gun was brilliant. It not only made for a really good FPS. It also made for a great horror game.

Burnout 3 and/or Burnout Revenge. They are a very accessible and very fun racing games.

There are some games that people should play to see if they live up to the hype. Like The Sims, Grand Theft Auto, Silent Hill, and Metal Gear Solid. I have played these and was non-plus about them.

I am going have to look up Chrono Trigger. I am not too familiar with that game.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I wasn't able to get to the store in time to get the Black Friday sale. So, I am not able to tell you exactly what it was. I did end up buying World of Warcraft Battle Chest for $20. The label on the box reads, "Everything you need to begin the adventure". It has 3 games printed on the cover: WoW, Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King. Since, I have a 30 days free subscription. I'll wait until after the holidays to play it. Right now, I am reading the Beginner's Guide that was packaged with the game. There is a learning curve to the terminology that they use. Which is daunting to someone like me who have never played a fantasy RPG game.

ANY purchase of the game will give you all expansions up to and including Mists of Pandaria. It's only WoD that needs to be purchased separately. So you have a couple more games than are listed on that box.

That Beginner's Guide is going to be hopelessly out of date. If you want any help re: terminology or how to get going, let me know. I'm not playing presently, but I played earlier this year, so I'm reasonably up to date.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I wasn't able to get to the store in time to get the Black Friday sale. So, I am not able to tell you exactly what it was. I did end up buying World of Warcraft Battle Chest for $20. The label on the box reads, "Everything you need to begin the adventure". It has 3 games printed on the cover: WoW, Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King. Since, I have a 30 days free subscription. I'll wait until after the holidays to play it. Right now, I am reading the Beginner's Guide that was packaged with the game. There is a learning curve to the terminology that they use. Which is daunting to someone like me who have never played a fantasy RPG game.

ANY purchase of the game will give you all expansions up to and including Mists of Pandaria. It's only WoD that needs to be purchased separately. So you have a couple more games than are listed on that box.

That Beginner's Guide is going to be hopelessly out of date. If you want any help re: terminology or how to get going, let me know. I'm not playing presently, but I played earlier this year, so I'm reasonably up to date.

Thank you. Right now, I am just trying to get the basic terminology down. Like what's the difference between Class, Race, and Factions. I'll may take you up on the offer next month when I start playing it.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Thank you. Right now, I am just trying to get the basic terminology down. Like what's the difference between Class, Race, and Factions. I'll may take you up on the offer next month when I start playing it.

FACTION. There are two, Alliance and Horde. The former tends to have more traditionally humanoid races, the latter more monstrous, although neither is truly "the good guys". Both have their share of heroes and villains. Your choice of faction will determine your choice of...

RACE. Pretty obvious here. Races are split into the two factions. There is one race (the Pandas) who can be either faction. All the rest are faction locked. Your choice of race will help inform your choice of...

CLASS. Each race can be a selection of classes. Off hand, I don't believe there are any races that don't have at least SOME class restrictions. Your class more than anything else will determine the tempo and nature of your game play, but it's kind of worthless discussing the various options with you if you don't have any MMO experience, as it's all going to be Greek to you anyway. I might recommend a class like Druid (despite their race restrictions) or Paladin as they can be any of the primary roles (Tank, Healer, Damage) depending on spec, so you'll have a bit more fluidity while deciding what feels best to you. Ultimately though, just pick something that looks fun.

 

[vare]

Let's see, trying to not pick stuff that others have said already...
For real time strategy, probably Warcraft 3. You don't need to know a lot going into the game and the campaign explains most things you need to know about both lore and gameplay. Also the missions, if I recall correctly, were pretty awesome.

For turn based strategy, I would probably recommend people to try Advance Wars (esp. the ones for gba if you can get your hands on them). charming graphics and pretty nice characters hiding a quite complex battle system beneath.

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

I'm kinda surprised that adventure games haven't been mentioned at all so far. So to that end, The Longest Journey is a game that anyone even remotely interested in adventure games should check out. Ok, yes the graphics haven't aged well, but if you can over look that, you will find a fantastic story and memorable characters. Once the last book of Dreamfall Chapters has been released, I fully intend to do a top to bottom run through all of the TLJ games back to back.

 

[Abomination]

Retro games haven't aged well.

I wouldn't suggest any of the "golden oldies" to a modern audience.

For example I wouldn't recommend someone play Starcraft when Starcraft 2 is an option.

Planescape: Torment was great but the player can find similar with Pillars Of Eternity without the crippling engine.

Sid Meier's Pirates? No, Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag will do you better.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend Sid Meier's Beyond Earth ahead of Alpha Centauri as the latter had far more... "soul" than the former.

Some standouts for me would be Homeworld: Cataclysm, Crusader Kings II, The Witcher(s), Unreal Tournament(s)... hell, even Hearthstone.

 

[Glongpre]

How can people say the one fps to try is not Doom?!

It is still fun as hell to play.

 

[KissingSunlight]

Thank you. Right now, I am just trying to get the basic terminology down. Like what's the difference between Class, Race, and Factions. I'll may take you up on the offer next month when I start playing it.

FACTION. There are two, Alliance and Horde. The former tends to have more traditionally humanoid races, the latter more monstrous, although neither is truly "the good guys". Both have their share of heroes and villains. Your choice of faction will determine your choice of...

RACE. Pretty obvious here. Races are split into the two factions. There is one race (the Pandas) who can be either faction. All the rest are faction locked. Your choice of race will help inform your choice of...

CLASS. Each race can be a selection of classes. Off hand, I don't believe there are any races that don't have at least SOME class restrictions. Your class more than anything else will determine the tempo and nature of your game play, but it's kind of worthless discussing the various options with you if you don't have any MMO experience, as it's all going to be Greek to you anyway. I might recommend a class like Druid (despite their race restrictions) or Paladin as they can be any of the primary roles (Tank, Healer, Damage) depending on spec, so you'll have a bit more fluidity while deciding what feels best to you. Ultimately though, just pick something that looks fun.

I was using those 3 words as an example of common words that means something else in regards to RPG's. It was where I left off in the Beginner's Guide when I last post. This style of game throws around some interesting combinations of words. For Example: Tanking in Bear form. That definition is on the next page that I haven't read yet. So, right now that phrase sounds like word salad to me.

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

With Monkey Island already mentioned (Love 1-3 and the TellTale episodes) i would wait a bit and get the Day of Tentacle remaster. It seems like it will be done just like the MI remaster - meaning you can always switch between pixelated classic and hd artstyle. This game is great and if they do it right Maniac Mansion will be in it too. If i'm not wrong the release is upcomming march. Next up could be Full Throttle and i still hope Sam&Max hit the road get's the same treatment.
I also recomment Telltales Sam&Max seasons if you like adventures. Those games where released before they went making interactive movies (this isn't a rant i really liked TWD and love WAU but i often wish they would release some new adventures with actual puzzles. They were the only ones left doing it or am i missing something?

Max Payne 1-2 got me hooked back in the day. I reloaded certain areas over and over just because i wasn't happy how i played through them. Progress wasn't allowed until i managed the perfect movielike shootout. The story features a very interesting comic panel artstyle and both games had the developer tools comming with them. I'm not sure if the mods are still around, hope so. There was (is?) some neat stuff and even total convertions around.