# Can you recommend some games for me? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 5, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042 "2016-03-05T21:01:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/1 "2016-03-05T21:01:52Z")
I have a Windows PC and I’ve never really gotten very involved with gaming. But, I would like to try a few games now. At one time I bought a game called Mafia and I liked it very much. I don’t know exactly how that game would be classified. It was an adventure game and it involved a little shooting - but not very much. Recently, I was reading a thread in Cafe Society were someone recommended a game called Grim Fandango. I got a copy from a friend who was tired of it. It is about 20 years old and I guess he had played it a great deal and just got tired of it. I really enjoyed it. I only played with it for half an hour or so. But, IMHO, it was extremely entertaining and very well crafted. Can anyone here please tell me a few titles that I might enjoy? There is no need for you to explain just what the game is about. I can always Google it to find out. I prefer to use a keyboard and mouse instead of a joystick or a game controller. But, if it would make a big difference, I can always buy a joystick or game controller. Any help or advice you can give me would be very much appreciated. Thank you. I’m not really looking to buy an XBox or Sony Playstation. But if a game is truly superb and only exists on one particular game platform, I would like to hear about it. ---
**Author:** ![TexCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/texcat/32/9041_2.png) [@TexCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexCat)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/2 "2016-03-05T21:29:48Z")
My all time favorite is still Portal. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/3 "2016-03-05T21:34:53Z")
> [@TexCat](#): > > My all time favorite is still Portal. The following is an extract from Wikipedia. It sure does look real intersting. Thank you. > **[Portal (video game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_%28video_game%29)** > > Portal is a 2007 puzzle-platform game developed and published by Valve. It was released in a bundle, The Orange Box, for Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and has been since ported to other systems, including Mac OS X, Linux, Android (via Nvidia Shield), and Nintendo Switch. > Portal consists primarily of a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player's character and simple objects using "the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device", also referred to as the "portal gun", ... Portal is a 2007 first-person puzzle-platform video game developed by Valve Corporation. The game was released in a bundle package called The Orange Box for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on October 9, 2007, and for the PlayStation 3 on December 11, 2007.[6][7][8] The Windows version of the game is available for download separately through Valve’s content delivery system Steam and was released as a standalone retail product on April 9, 2008.[2][3] A standalone version called Portal: Still Alive was released on the Xbox Live Arcade service on October 22, 2008; this version includes an additional 14 puzzles. An OS X version was released as part of the Mac-compatible Steam platform on May 12, 2010.[9] A Linux version was released on Steam as a beta on May 2, 2013,[10] and came out of beta on June 24, 2013.[11] An Android port for the Nvidia Shield was released on May 12, 2014. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/4 "2016-03-05T21:36:24Z")
I didn’t play Mafia, but if you enjoyed it then I think you might like L.A. Noire. I believe they’re similar. It’s a detective game with driving elements, really good narration/voice acting, and a bit of shooting. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/5 "2016-03-05T22:01:36Z")
If you enjoyed the first half hour of Grim Fandango, I’ve got a recommendation I mean in all seriousness: consider playing the second half hour of Grim Fandango. [Here’s a guide to the game if you get stuck](http://www.grimfandango.net/game-info/walkthrough). I love the game, I’ve played it twice, and the second time I still needed to go to the guide in a few places. My advice: try the puzzles until you get truly stuck and are considering giving up the game because you can’t figure out what’s next. Then read just enough of the guide that you can figure out what to do next. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/6 "2016-03-05T22:24:18Z")
Incidentally, there’s a “remastered” version of Grim Fandango that just came out a few months ago you might consider grabbing before you get too far. Playing the game off an old disc on a modern computer is very hit-or-miss. ISTR when I played it a few years ago on a then-modern computer, it was mostly playable but had some pretty bad graphics glitches especially later in the game and there’s one puzzle in particular that I think you have to cheat to solve. The remastered one will run perfectly, looks better and, best of all, overhauls the controls. It’s normally $15 on Steam, but it goes on sale every so often. I think I got it for $5. (Also, if you do end up liking it, a lot of the 2D Lucasarts adventure games run great on modern computers via a program called [ScummVM](http://scummvm.org/) although how to get the games themselves is, ahem, left as an exercise to the reader. Grim Fandango is the best of the best IMO, but the Monkey Island games, Full Throttle, Sam and Max, Day of the Tentacle, and the Indiana Jones Atlantis game are all great too.) There’s also a Mafia II, that I think is more shoot-y than the original but is a really gorgeous open-ish world thing. (Both Mafia II and LA Noire were criticized for their clunky driving models, by people who have obviously never driven a car from the 40’s or 50’s!) ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/7 "2016-03-05T23:04:11Z")
I’ll second finishing up Grim Fandango but see if you can pick up the remaster off Steam for cheap. Since you’re new to PC gaming, there’s also that: go to [store.steampowered.com](http://store.steampowered.com) and download Steam. There’s also a Mafia II, which was pretty good, and Mafia III has been announced too. It seems like adventure games are up your alley, I would give Tell Tale’s the walking dead Season 1 a shot too. all of these games are available on Steam. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/8 "2016-03-05T23:53:33Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I didn’t play Mafia, but if you enjoyed it then I think you might like L.A. Noire. I believe they’re similar. It’s a detective game with driving elements, really good narration/voice acting, and a bit of shooting. Oh thank you. Mafia had a great deal of driving elements. AAMOF, it was primarily about driving and you got to try all kinds of vehicles from the 1920s and 1930s. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/9 "2016-03-05T23:55:59Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > If you enjoyed the first half hour of Grim Fandango, I’ve got a recommendation I mean in all seriousness: consider playing the second half hour of Grim Fandango. > > [Here’s a guide to the game if you get stuck](http://www.grimfandango.net/game-info/walkthrough). I love the game, I’ve played it twice, and the second time I still needed to go to the guide in a few places. > > My advice: try the puzzles until you get truly stuck and are considering giving up the game because you can’t figure out what’s next. Then read just enough of the guide that you can figure out what to do next. Nice post. Very much appreciated. I was definitely intending on playing more of Grim Fandango. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/10 "2016-03-05T23:57:13Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Incidentally, there’s a “remastered” version of Grim Fandango that just came out a few months ago you might consider grabbing before you get too far. Playing the game off an old disc on a modern computer is very hit-or-miss. ISTR when I played it a few years ago on a then-modern computer, it was mostly playable but had some pretty bad graphics glitches especially later in the game and there’s one puzzle in particular that I think you have to cheat to solve. The remastered one will run perfectly, looks better and, best of all, overhauls the controls. It’s normally $15 on Steam, but it goes on sale every so often. I think I got it for $5. > > (Also, if you do end up liking it, a lot of the 2D Lucasarts adventure games run great on modern computers via a program called [ScummVM](http://scummvm.org/) although how to get the games themselves is, ahem, left as an exercise to the reader. Grim Fandango is the best of the best IMO, but the Monkey Island games, Full Throttle, Sam and Max, Day of the Tentacle, and the Indiana Jones Atlantis game are all great too.) > > There’s also a Mafia II, that I think is more shoot-y than the original but is a really gorgeous open-ish world thing. (Both Mafia II and LA Noire were criticized for their clunky driving models, by people who have obviously never driven a car from the 40’s or 50’s!) $5? Wow! That is great to know. Thanks very much for the rest of that info as well. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/11 "2016-03-06T00:04:32Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > I’ll second finishing up Grim Fandango but see if you can pick up the remaster off Steam for cheap. > > Since you’re new to PC gaming, there’s also that: go to [store.steampowered.com](http://store.steampowered.com) and download Steam. > > There’s also a Mafia II, which was pretty good, and Mafia III has been announced too. It seems like adventure games are up your alley, I would give Tell Tale’s the walking dead Season 1 a shot too. all of these games are available on Steam. OK. I’m trying to understand just what Steam is. It looks like it may be some kind of online store where I can buy games for my PC? I just now got PayPal working so it would be nice to be able to purchase goods online. I’ve always been reluctant to do any kind of shopping onlline. I’ve always been afraid to give out my credit card info over the Net. Thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/12 "2016-03-06T00:32:48Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > At one time I bought a game called Mafia and I liked it very much. I don’t know exactly how that game would be classified. It was an adventure game and it involved a little shooting - but not very much. Never played Mafia but I have Mafia II. One of the few games with a definite ending that I’ve bothered to complete. Mafia III is coming at some point this year. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/13 "2016-03-06T00:48:58Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > OK. I’m trying to understand just what Steam is. It looks like it may be some kind of online store where I can buy games for my PC? It is a store, but it’s also a program that you use to download and launch your games. It acts as a form of copy protection because you can only launch your games when you’re logged in, but you can download and install your games as often as you want on as many computers as you want. Importantly though, they have several enormous sales a year with really deep discounts, as well as sporadic smaller sales throughout the year. Especially if you’re new to PC gaming and looking to pick up older ones, it can be seriously cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/14 "2016-03-06T00:54:49Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > It is a store, but it’s also a program that you use to download and launch your games. It acts as a form of copy protection because you can only launch your games when you’re logged in, but you can download and install your games as often as you want on as many computers as you want. Importantly though, they have several enormous sales a year with really deep discounts, as well as sporadic smaller sales throughout the year. Especially if you’re new to PC gaming and looking to pick up older ones, it can be seriously cheap. Oh my. That sounds like a very valuable tip. I hope I can keep in touch with you in future. Thank you very much. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/15 "2016-03-06T01:08:49Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > OK. I’m trying to understand just what Steam is. It looks like it may be some kind of online store where I can buy games for my PC? > > I just now got PayPal working so it would be nice to be able to purchase goods online. I’ve always been reluctant to do any kind of shopping onlline. I’ve always been afraid to give out my credit card info over the Net. > > Thank you. > > 🙂 Yep, it’s the biggest PC game store and it includes all sorts of neat time saving features. Stuff like auto updating and patching of your games, storing your saves on the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about keeping them somewhere when you uninstall games, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/16 "2016-03-06T01:28:48Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Yep, it’s the biggest PC game store and it includes all sorts of neat time saving features. Stuff like auto updating and patching of your games, storing your saves on the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about keeping them somewhere when you uninstall games, etc. Really good to know. I’ve never heard of it before and I appreciate learning new things. Thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/17 "2016-03-06T06:25:32Z")
I’ll second the reccomendation to get Steam. It’s vital for any modern PC gamer. As for games you might like, there have been some excellent suggestions here - I particularly agree with _Portal_ and _Portal 2_. I’d also suggest _Bioshock: Infinite_ and if you’ve got a _lot_ of time to spare, you might enjoy _Fallout: New Vegas_ or _Fallout 4_ (they’re both brilliant). ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/18 "2016-03-06T08:27:47Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ll second the reccomendation to get Steam. It’s vital for any modern PC gamer. > > As for games you might like, there have been some excellent suggestions here - I particularly agree with _Portal_ and _Portal 2_. > > I’d also suggest _Bioshock: Infinite_ and if you’ve got a _lot_ of time to spare, you might enjoy _Fallout: New Vegas_ or _Fallout 4_ (they’re both brilliant). Thanks very much Martini. I have never heard of Bioshock, Infinite or Fallout. They sound most intriguing. I’m very excited! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/19 "2016-03-06T09:09:46Z")
You really should get GTA V as well, the level of detail in it and the size of the map and the amount of freedom you have is just amazing. Story line and plot is mostly good, and an amazing amount of side missions. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2016, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042/20 "2016-03-06T09:36:18Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > Thanks very much Martini. I have never heard of Bioshock, Infinite or Fallout. They sound most intriguing. > > I’m very excited! > > 🙂 I should clarify that _Bioshock: Infinite_ is one of the games in the _Bioshock_ series (the third). They’re all excellent and rightly considered high water marks in PC gaming. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-some-games-for-me/748042.md?page=2)