What Games must be played?

[370999]

I want to ask you, good netizens of the Escapist what games you think everyone who is interested in gaming as a medium should play. Now I don't mean that these games are the best EVAR but that they are so important to warrant attention.

I will fully admit that I'm very ignorant compared to other chaps.

Tetris/Pong/ Any Mario game. I think that any simple but deep game is really important to have experienced, to understand that part of the core appeal of gaming is not cinematic but the sense of agency and being able to interact with the world, which I feel is often highlighted by basic games.

Bioshock- n One of the first western games to really attempt to not only tell a story but to say something beyond that story. It is IMHO incredibly heavy handed when doing this but I feel that it merit's attention for the fact that it even tried too.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Journey

If you've ever thought of gaming as more than a playful distraction, as something that can inspire real emotions, you need to play Journey.

It's absolute brilliance.

 

[Hazy992]

Street Fighter 2. Without a doubt one of the most important games ever made. It single-handedly popularised the fighting game genre and the same basic formula is still being seen in fighting games to this day.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Street Fighter 2. Without a doubt one of the most important games ever made. It single-handedly popularised the fighting game genre and the same basic formula is still being seen in fighting games to this day.

I remember reading that the whole 'combo' thing was actually a glitch that the devs decided made the game better, and they left it in.

 

[Hazy992]

Street Fighter 2. Without a doubt one of the most important games ever made. It single-handedly popularised the fighting game genre and the same basic formula is still being seen in fighting games to this day.

I remember reading that the whole 'combo' thing was actually a glitch that the devs decided made the game better, and they left it in.

Yeah it's true, I think it was specifically the cancels.

 

[him over there]

Kirby 64. It's simplistic, it's easy, it's heartwarming. A great game that everyone should play, especially those just getting into it.

 

[DoPo]

Journey

If you've ever thought of gaming as more than a playful distraction, as something that can inspire real emotions, you need to play Journey.

It's absolute brilliance.

You are slow. It took you 5 whole minutes after the thread creation to post that. You're getting a warning now. Keep up the sloppy work and you'd be banned from talking about Journey.

OT: A Blizzard game. Of any genre. So, that means War-/Star- Craft or Diablo. They aren't original but sure as hell know how to refine a formula into a game that people like. Again, the game's quality is not really up there for debate, as the games aren't that good, they are, however, liked.

A BioWare game. Doesn't really matter which (maybe not DA2, though. Also not SWTOR, for it is an MMO), as they've made pretty much a single game. They have a formula that's working - evident by the heaps of praise they get for it.

Portal - a game made right. Feel free to disagree, but playing it is only going to help you with the medium.

Since currently I can't think of another non-standard [footnote]level up, receive character advancement points, distribute them, level up...etc. Presumably in a medieval setting among knights in shining armour and such[/footnote] (w)RPG, I'll go with Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. Make more point buy systems, dammit! It's neither a new concept, nor hard to pull off. Why shy away from it? And the Elder Scrolls series...well they have an interesting take on it. Still have levels, though, however it's not the bog standard "kill to learn" thing.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

snip

I'm sorry D:

I'll try harder next time.

 

[DoPo]

snip

I'm sorry D:

I'll try harder next time.

Good. You should be sorry. You're lucky you're on your first warning. Any more and don't think the Lord High Wizard won't be hear about this.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

snip

I'm sorry D:

I'll try harder next time.

Good. You should be sorry. You're lucky you're on your first warning. Any more and don't think the Lord High Wizard won't be hear about this.

No! Not the Lord High Wizard!

[sub]He smells like cabbage and and always has his hands in... unappealing places...[/sub]

 

[DoPo]

snip

I'm sorry D:

I'll try harder next time.

Good. You should be sorry. You're lucky you're on your first warning. Any more and don't think the Lord High Wizard won't be hear about this.

No! Not the Lord High Wizard!

[sub]He smells like cabbage and and always has his hands in... unappealing places...[/sub]

Just keep doing your job properly and he won't be visiting while you sleep. We clear?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

snip

I'm sorry D:

I'll try harder next time.

Good. You should be sorry. You're lucky you're on your first warning. Any more and don't think the Lord High Wizard won't be hear about this.

No! Not the Lord High Wizard!

[sub]He smells like cabbage and and always has his hands in... unappealing places...[/sub]

Just keep doing your job properly and he won't be visiting while you sleep. We clear?

...

...

[sub]Yes sir.[/sub]

[sub][sub][sub]Stupid wizards and their stupid rules that are stupid...[/sub][/sub][/sub]

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

MAX PAYNE3
... can`t tell if you`re interested but I MUST play it. ARGH the wait...


Monkey island 1-2 HD collection.
Pirates, carribian islands, a wonderfull soundtrack, great funny dialogue, puzzles (that`s the main mechanic- solve puzzles with dialogue, interacting with items and your surounding) and you can switch from the new style to retro with one button press. Maniac Mansion was the first but these two games started my love for Lucasarts adventures. I officialy renamed them Jesus1 and 2.
If you found your love for Jesus then you can try Monkey Island3 (it`s more of a Maria or maybe just Joseph but still heart warming).



Since Journey is already mentioned i like to point out Flower. This game is like meditation-Just be the wind (the main mechanic is blowing. You just blow)

 

[Sixcess]

Doom.

Wolfenstein 3D may have invented the FPS as we know it, but Doom defined the genre, and it still plays like a dream.

 

[Anarchemitis]

You Have to Burn The Rope [http://www.kongregate.com/games/Mazapan/you-have-to-burn-the-rope].

 

[Rivaria]

when it comes to turn based games final fantasy and any pokemon series are a must.

 

[Chaosut]

Everyone's tastes are different, so there's only really games that I would recommend rather than ones I'd consider to be 'essential'.
FPS/TPS; No-one Lives Forever 2, FEAR, STALKER (particularly Shadow of Chernobyl), Deus Ex, System Shock 2, Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, Cryoastasis, Half-life 1 Vanquish, Max Payne 2.
RPG's or Action RPG's; KOTOR. KOTOR II, Vampires: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Alpha Protocol, Persona 3, Persona 4, Jade Empire.
Platformers: Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Super Meat Boy, VVVVVV, The Deep Cave, Sonic Adventure 2, Rayman 2, N/N+.
Other; Condemned 1 & 2, Dear Esther, Penumbra Trilogy, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Another World, Killer 7, Spelunky, To The Moon, A Reckless Disregard for Gravity.
I'm forgetting a lot, but my brain is not functioning properly right now.

 

[daveman247]

Well my first thought was bioshock, but ninja's in the first post

I'm gonna say deus ex. Even though its old its STILL a great example of non-linear gameplay. It lets you try different solutions to a problem, and then even better RECOGNISES what you have done. And to top it off it does it without losing focus on the story - which is what often happens in sandbox games. Hell, even most sandbox games only give you a single way to complete an objective (go here, kill this). The only variety is how you get to the next objective.

-This is a personal opinion one-
Timesplitters 2 is THE shooter to play The true sequal to goldeneye 64 STILL puts to shame the multiplayer shooters of today with content (both single AND multi), variety and customisation. It goes so far as to let you choose what background music plays during the match. And all in an easy and accessable way.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Well, Persona 4 is a must play I think. Even if you don't usually like JRPGs, I usually find the turn-based stuff a bit immersion breaking since the characters are usually some sort of badass warriors who suddenly can only do one move every 2 minutes

In Persona 4 your party is a bunch of schoolkids, hardly surprising that they're gonna be hesitant and only attack when their leader tells them too.

Plus y'know baist characters ever, awesomesauce mystery story and all that. The enemy/boss design is abSOlutely fabulous too!


Oh and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney should at least be tried. If you don't like it by the end of the second case you're free to just dump it in your nearest skip XP

Annnnnnd if you have any love for MOBA type games at all then try League of Legends. Riot are so in touch with the community it's freakin' hilarious. Every Champion is cool as hell and only a few of them are super underpowered!

Though everyone seems to throw the phrase "OP!!!" around almost every game like it's flavour of the year, maybe in Cassiopeia's case it's sort of valid since I full on beasted yesterday in my first ever game with her. Why can't that happen with my Riven?! DX

I can sum up how ridiculous it gets by just saying that in one game someone completely seriously complained that my Sona was OP. She's the supporty-est support that ever supported a team. Yes I build her AP instead of full support but come on it's not like I can Pentakill a whole team Katarina style XD