I have had and used a PC for quite a while now and I am quite knowledgeable from a technical perspective and yet I have never had the least interest in games.
Now I have a guest who enjoys computer action games but the only one I have is one that comes with Windows called hover which is pretty (how can I put this…) boring after a while. You move around but you can’t even shoot at anything. (And she’s way better than me).
I tried briefly a game called Red Baron at a friend’s home (running on windows 3.1!!) and it seemed like fun (but quite difficult). You fly a plane and try to shoot down the enemy but they ususally shoot you down first.
This type of flight game seems more attractive to me. I asked him if I could borrow it but when I tried to install it on my computer something happened and half my hard disk was wiped out and it took me many hours to recover all the files. So I am not trying that one again.
He also has some car racing games but I think flying seems more fun (especially if you can shoot at others).
I saw MS has a flight simulator which sells for something like $70 which is way beyond what I am willing to spend to give games a try (even though it does sound interesting).
So, my question to people who use games is this: what game can you recommend that I might enjoy and which costs little to nothing and which will not wreck my computer?
I’d like an action game which is easy to get started, not a game where I have to spend days just learning the ropes.
Tell me your preference, your experience and your recommendation.
Not big on flight sims myself and to be honest my gamer friends are serious (ie they like Red Baron BECAUSE it’s hard).
I prefer strategy games myself (Age of Empires II etc.). Not a huge fan of shoo 'em ups but the one I actually don’t mind is Rogue Spear which is quite realistic (damage depends on where you get shot - one shot CAN kill you and unlike Doom etc. you stay dead until the end of the scenario).
That said, you can probably pick up a copy of Doom II for under $12.00 these days. If you’re just a casual player, you’ve got weeks of action right there with about 20 seconds of control learning time. I’m not saying it should be the sole game in your collection and I’m sure 200 people can come up with 200 better games, but for the price vs. playing time ratio, it’d be hard to argue against getting.
I would recommend the original Diablo. It is a cross between action/rpg. I have owned it for about two years and I still find my self getting drawn into it. It is extremely simple to learn and it really doesn’t get old due to the fact that all the maps that you play on are randomly generated, so every time you start a new game it is essentially a completely different game. It is also very easy on the system resources. It is one of the five games I own (the others being quake, quake II, and close combat II & III.) I recommend the others, but they can take a bit more getting used to.
If you like flight sims, there are several options available for you. You could go for modern-style flight sims like F-22 and the Longbow series. You could go for the futuristic-style flight sims like Descent III and Freespace II. I would recommend all of these games.
For first person shooters, I would recommend Half-Life, Counterstrike, and Team Fortress Classic, as well as Quake III (Especially if you have a GeForce II :D).
Strategy games I would recommend Starcraft and AOE II, or for some classic fun, Civ II (I didn’t really like Civ III).
Rpgs, I would recommend Diablo II and Fallout II, although Fallout II doesn’t have multiplayer.
For plain fun and addictive games, I would get Worms Armaggeddon (sp?)
Ya, Diablo and Diablo II are very fun, and very easy to control, although the sequel will demand a bit more from your machine than the first (Diablo you can run on a $200 computer with no problems).
The entire Worms series (it’s “Armageddon”, you weenie :D) is lots of fun to play (it’ll take you five minutes to get used to the controls), and they’re VERY funny (imagine twenty itty-bitty cartoony worms, running across a landscape, throwing grenades and bazooka blasts at each other…).
Rollercoaster Tycoon is VERY fun. You build your own amusement park, and you have to keep your guests happy. Challenging gameplay without challenging controls.
And, finally, I have to plug my boy Quake here (or Quake II, or Quake III). Quake has very straightforward gameplay… you just run and shoot. Very entertaining, especially when you get 100 kills and your opponent only has a couple Quake III, though, will insist that you have a Godlike computer to run it.
The first ‘first person sneaker’ - a thinking man’s game; simple to learn, hard to master, and you can probably pick it up for $20 these days. Not, however, for the impatient & bloodthirsty Doom-gamer.
Probably one of the best-designed PC games ever, hands-down.
Hi. Former salesman from Egghead Software here.
Okay, so you’re looking for a game, and looking for something to entertain a friend.
Check out your local software stores to see if you can find a copy of Descent (it’s a trilogy so far; any of the games should be good).
It’s an action game more than anything else, but it has flight-sim qualities, so I think you’d like it as well.
As a question- how detailed do you want do get on your flight simulation? Many of the games listed above- JANES, F-22, etc.- are pretty complex in what you can do and what you have to do to keep your plane in the air. If that sounds like fun, go for those games instead. If you’d prefer something a little easier to jump in to, try Descent.
Anything put out by Maxis with the word “Sim” in front of it. I’m addicted to SimCity 3000 Unlimited at the moment. I especially like the Building Architect feature.
Hellbender is a Microsoft game that is space ship simulator and you can blow stuff up. It is easy to start and gets harder as you go. Plus it has been out for a few years so you can probably find it on the bargain table.
Anything from LucasArts is usually good gameplay, although I always expect better graphics from them than what they actually deliver.
Ok, I’ll give you SimEarth and SimAnt. But I rather enjoyed SimCopter. The graphics are a little crude, but I enjoyed flying through cities I had designed. When I first got SC2000, I would take a good look at my city and imagine what it would look like in 3D. Simcopter gave me that. I liked a lot better than Streets of SimCity.
Oh, speaking of flying and crude 3D graphics - there is this game that I truly love. It’s an old DOS game called Stunt Island. The premise is that there is this island which is the hub for stunt flying and filming. You can play the stunt game or set up your own stunts. And it’s all very free, that is, you pick your set or make a set, place props, make them move or interact with other props. Then you place your 8 cameras, film the stunt and then edit it into a movie. It’s hard to explain, very clunky, but shitloads of fun if you’re patient.
Here is one of many Web Pages dedicated to this game.
I’m surprised nobody posted these (or that I missed them if they have), but anything by Sid Meier is a great investment. Civilization II is his best, IMHO - I’ve dedicated dozens of hours of my life to it…
If you like strategy games, Myth II (not to be confused with Myst!) is a very well thought out game, and there are supposed to be a few really well thought out, well balanced, WWII total conversions for it. This isn’t so much for the casual gamer as Civ II is, but both games are a lot of fun. (As are all the other games mentioned, esp. Worms!!)
If you want to try out some games for free and get an idea what you’d like to buy, try www.download.com. Many of the games recommended have free demo versions that let you play the first few levels and see whether you want to plunk down your hard-earned cash. In addition, there are many very reasonably priced shareware games that you may enjoy.
Hey Monster, way to go mentioning Half-Life. One of my all-time favorites. My problem? Trying to follow that game up with something comparable. I tried Aliens and whatnot, they all stank. What do you recommend? I’m not into over-the-net games, so those are out.
Quake III, though, will insist that you have a Godlike computer to run it.
