# PC Game Recommendations, please **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 1, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954 "2018-02-01T15:30:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/1 "2018-02-01T15:30:13Z")
I just finished South Park’s The Fractured But Whole and it was fun, but basically a retread of The Stick of Truth. I’m not a huge fan of that kind of game anyway – turn based battle? It kind of reminds me of Wizardry on the Apple ][ (fight, fight, fight, parry, parry, parry). I haven’t finished Mass Effect Andromeda, and I probably won’t. It just hasn’t captured my interest. Same with Witcher 3 (blasphemy, I know). Both are too open world for me and I don’t love crafting. I always feel like I’m making the wrong thing or I should save the ingredients until I’m a higher level, so I never end up crafting anything (or researching, in the case of ME), and that puts me at a big disadvantage. So, what games do I have to play? Rocksmith 2014, I guess, but that’s really just playing guitar (or bass, in my case). Finished Wolfenstein TNO with my son. OK, what do I like? I guess I like semi-open world shooter games with little or no crafting. I have a good video card (NVIDIA GTX 970), but an older processor (Core i7-920). Games I liked/loved: Mass Effect 1-3 Portal 1 & 2 Half Life series Doom series, even Doom 3, although it was a little too jumpy GTA 5 Wolfenstein TNO (although it’s almost too linear) Any suggestions for a linear or semi-open world game with little or no crafting that will play on my older rig? Also, I hate playing with a controller, so the controls should work well with keyboard and mouse. Jeez, I’m so picky. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/2 "2018-02-01T15:58:22Z")
**Borderlands** series - there is a crafting system, but you can ignore it. Loot drops are plenty good enough to get through the game. **Just Cause** series - HUGE open worlds. There’s a story but I couldn’t tell you what it is. Basically just run around and blow up everything you see. **Mad Max** - repetitive gameplay, but it’s extremely fun gameplay so it doesn’t feel as grind-y as it is. Post-apocalyptic automobile mayhem! It’s gorgeous too. Well, as gorgeous as a post-apocalyptic wasteland can be. **Prototype 2** - I never played the first game, but I really enjoyed this one. Run around a near-future New York with freaky superpowers! Note: _extremely_ bloody. **Sleeping Dogs** - think **GTA V** crossed with the **Batman: Arkham** games, but before either of those games existed. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/3 "2018-02-01T16:07:05Z")
Thanks! I should have put Borderlands 2 in with the games I really liked. Some day, I’ll find friends who are at a high enough level that we can beat Terramorphous. Come to think of it, we have that Prequel one that’s on the moon – I could probably start playing that. I’ll definitely check out the other ones. I’m happy to hear about other suggestions, too. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/4 "2018-02-01T16:07:48Z")
_Watch Dogs 2_ is very fun but its requiring of Uplay is a turnoff for some. Crafting is required but only three items and can be ignored when those are done. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/5 "2018-02-01T16:16:39Z")
Come to think of it, WD2 doesn’t have crafting per se. It’s effectively just buying things from a 3D printer. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/6 "2018-02-01T16:24:19Z")
Perhaps you didn’t mention it for being too obvious but in case not: Fallout 4. There is as much or little crafting as you want it to have. The Stalker series if you find that Fallout is too easy and not apocalypse-y enough. Bioshock 1, 2, Infinite Deus Ex: Mankind divided Hitman (2016) Dishonored 1, 2, Death of the Outsider are perhaps the best option for stealthy semi-open world games. They’re the modern incarnation of Thief games. Superhot. Not open world but worth checking out for its original gameplay. You can also download Brutal Doom and Brutal Doom 64 for free. They’re versions of 90s Doom turned up to 11. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/7 "2018-02-01T16:24:23Z")
**Sniper Elite** series - one of my all-time favorites. Skip the first game, start with **V2**. [del]Run[/del] Sneak around WW2 battlefields, picking off enemies from long distance. **V2** is almost completely linear, while **3** and **4** are much more open. **Ghost Recon: Wildlands** - there’s weapon customization, but it’s not really crafting. Run around a fictional Bolivia taking down drug lords. **Saint’s Row** series - GTA clone with emphasis on humor and over-the-top everything. **Call of Juarez: Gunslinger** - FPS about an Old West bounty hunter. Unreliable narrator so strange things occur as the story changes. Also includes a unique “quick-draw duel” mode. I’ve played one of the previous games in the series, **Bound in Blood** that was also pretty good, but not as fun as this one. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/8 "2018-02-01T17:10:51Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Perhaps you didn’t mention it for being too obvious but in case not: Fallout 4. There is as much or little crafting as you want it to have. Might be too large, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/9 "2018-02-01T18:50:24Z")
Thanks, everyone! I did not like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. Too open world, I guess. Also, I got killed by the nuclear weapon going off and couldn’t get inspired to find a way to survive that. My kid and I played one of the Deus Ex games for a while – I don’t know why we stopped. I could maybe try that one again. Maybe too much creeping around – I’m much more of a sniper than a stalker/stab in the back person. That did bother me about Wolf TNO. I let my kid do most of that. I’ll go through the list above with the boy and he can ask his friends, too. Then, maybe I’ll try one of the ones that’s on sale. Thanks again for all of your help! ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/10 "2018-02-01T19:44:59Z")
If you like sniping in open grounds, there’s Arma 3 although that may be a bit involved. Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative zombie survival game where you can also play as the zombies. Slime Rancher could be relaxing. I presume you intend to buy the games on Steam? If so, don’t forget you can wishlist them and get a notification if they go on sale in the future. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2018, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/11 "2018-02-02T01:14:21Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > Perhaps you didn’t mention it for being too obvious but in case not: Fallout 4. There is as much or little crafting as you want it to have. If you haven’t tried it already, now’s a good time. Free weekend on Steam and the GOTY edition is 40% off (50% off for just the base game). ---
**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:** [February 2, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/12 "2018-02-02T02:48:23Z")
I tried one of the Saints Row games. I couldn’t make it more than 30 minutes into the game before the sheer stupidity of it made me stop. It was trying to be funny, but damn did I hate it. Just Cause is probably just as stupid, and tries just as hard to be funny, but goddamn did I ever enjoy it. The sheer mayhem in the game was tremendous fun–and for weeks after playing it I’d be driving down the interstate, see a cell phone tower, and contemplate what sort of vehicle would blow it up real good. ---
**Author:** ![BlueInfinity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BlueInfinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueInfinity)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/13 "2018-02-02T03:06:42Z")
Would you mind if I made my own request here, or should I start a separate thread? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/14 "2018-02-02T13:48:48Z")
> [@BlueInfinity](#): > > Would you mind if I made my own request here, or should I start a separate thread? Hey, go for it. I feel like I have enough options already, and you already have a bunch of gamers subscribed to this thread. RS ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/15 "2018-02-02T20:38:49Z")
The Batman games are great (far better than you might guess). At least the first few Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. ---
**Author:** ![BlueInfinity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BlueInfinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueInfinity)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/16 "2018-02-02T21:48:19Z")
Criteria: 1. Free and single-player. 2. My Windows 10 computer is fairly up to date, but I don’t want or need anything too resources-intensive. 3. Preferably compatible with a simple USB controller, but at minimum primarily controlled by mouse with keyboard only for healing item hotkeys. 4. Simple plot, simple language. I’m here to play a game, not watch Lord of the Rings. And as Yahtzee put it, I shouldn’t have to learn a second language to play a game. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/17 "2018-02-02T21:49:55Z")
Free? Oof. Can you mention games you like? Path of Exile fits, I think: although there’s multiplayer capability, it’s not required, and IIRC keyboard use is minimal. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/18 "2018-02-02T22:19:44Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Free? Oof. Can you mention games you like? > > Path of Exile fits, I think: although there’s multiplayer capability, it’s not required, and IIRC keyboard use is minimal. Free? Do games that have microtransactions or pay-to-win schemes count as free? Like World of Tanks as an example? Is WASD movement too much keyboard use? ---
**Author:** ![BlueInfinity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BlueInfinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueInfinity)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/19 "2018-02-02T22:30:57Z")
Oh, right. My background in RPGs. Pokemon is basically it. Please keep unskippable cutscenes to a minimum. _Free._ Not one cent at any point. I’m not asking for a full-blown Final Fantasy game, I’m still a newbie at this. There has to be some fan-made flash game somewhere that will let me get my feet wet and let me discover whether this genre is for me or not. When I asked on another forum I got basic stat-juggling Flash “RPG” games. I want a little more than that. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954/20 "2018-02-02T22:42:46Z")
Would you like a saddle to go with that unicorn? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-game-recommendations-please/807954.md?page=2)