# Your favourite PC games of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104 "2001-05-02T16:45:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zanshin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e274bd/32.png) [@Zanshin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zanshin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/41 "2001-05-03T16:25:34Z")
Another TA fan signing in… what a fantastic game! Gotta love the Rapiers and the Cans… not to mention the sheer giggling joy of launching nukes at your foe and hearing him scream in sheer desperation as all his carefully-planned defenses crumble to ashes. \ Too bad they had to follow it up with TA Kingdoms - what a waste of coding time. Yeck. Other faves: X-Wing and Tie Fighter, and associated add-on packs Doom X-Com (WOW!) Duke Nukem Half-Life Counterstrike Team Fortress Classic (when the hell is TF2 finally gonna show up? HUH?) Warcraft 2 Carmageddon and from the old Commodore 64 days… Beachhead and Beachhead 2 Jumpman Wizard Impossible Mission ---
**Author:** ![Kvallulf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@Kvallulf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kvallulf)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2001, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/42 "2001-05-03T23:13:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by robgruver \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > \*Originally posted by Kvallulf \* > > > **Total Annihilation (Starwhat? haha, don’t make me laugh)** > > > > _weeps openly_ I am not the only one! I am not the only one! > > > > This game takes every other RTS game out there and kicks it in the groin and then gives it a knee to the face. Awesome units, terrain, story, everything. The only RTS that even gets close is Warcraft 2, but that is a distant second to Total Annihilation. > > > > BTW: **Kvallulf** Care to lose in a internet game of TA? \*\* > > Team up with him and take on Mrs. RickJay and I in a team TA game. Verily, we shall smite your hapless armies under waves of Mavericks and Brawlers. Prepare to be vanquished. > > Total Annihilation is not just the best RTS game out there, it’s the best multiplayer game I’ve EVER played. The depth of the combined arms bloodbaths that game creates is just stunning. I’ve never layed a game before where you have 70-80 types of units and you have to use almost ALL of them to win. I’ve played TA wars that lasted ten hours and I never got sick of them. > > It’s a terrible shame that Cavedog seems to be giving up the ghost, because that is some fantastic game. \*\* Brawlers?? Pahh, I guess I will just have to Flash rush you with about 25-30 in the first five minutes of the game. Let me finish moving in, and find my Old partner Mike, and we will crush the lot of you. I played online everynight for about a year straight after the game first came out. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/43 "2001-05-04T00:26:32Z")
Civ II would have to top my list. It used to be Civ I, but then II came out. I even tried doing my own mod, but I got bored after a while. My favorite feat was in a Prince level game. I was Japan, at war with France. We were the two superpowers, but France was about 3 times as big. I sent a large invasion force by sea, but lost a lot of it from land based cruise missile attacks. So I sent several transports full of Spies, way around the ass end of France to keep them out of range of the cruise missiles. Luckily there were no subs, and the peninsula I selected had no port cities. I expended many spies trying to sneak in and set off nukes, but I succeeded in hitting 3 cities, rebuilding the airports, and airlifting in masses of ground troops. From there I annexed about a third of France, but I never finished the game because each turn was taking 3 hours since we each had 200-300 units trying to kill each other. Total Annihilation is a close second. I was very upset to discover that Cavedog was more or less defunct. I made Lieutenant ranking on the Galactic Wars lists. I challenge you Flash rush weenies to penetrate my LLTs ringed with Dragon’s Teeth. (OK, so maybe I lost games because I couldn’t build them fast enough. But it worked enough to make it worthwhile. Damn Flash tanks.) And if by some miracle I manage to build a Krogoth in time, look out! Not that I depended on that strategy of course. Other games in no particular order: SimCity and SimCity 2000. I never liked 3000 as much, but if you ask me why I’d have a hard time explaining. One thing is that it doesn’t include a terrain editor. I think my issue was that it very similar to 2000, but different enough to trip me up. Fallout and Fallout 2. These games have come the closest I have seen to a true pen-and-paper RPG. (I play the White Wolf games, Mage mostly, but that’s another thread.) The atmosphere is just fantastic, and the rules are nice and clean. I’m going to buy Arcanum as soon as I can, largely because some of the Fallout guys are behind it. Diablo I and II. I don’t know why people get these confused with RPGs, but I still like them. Sure, you can mess with your character’s ablilties a little, but most of the game is about delivering damage to demons. Simple but fun. The Longest Journey. I was never into adventure games, but this one got Editor’s Choice at PC Games, a magazine that I feel knows it stuff. I played it with my fiancee, and we both loved it. Check it out. Bad Mojo. Often annoying, but you played a cockroach. How cool is that? Homeworld and HW: Cataclysm. I thought a 3D space warfare game would have been difficult to do well (I suppose it was, actually), but these games do it. The interface is extremely good, and doesn’t get in the way of the action. Very impressive. All the X-Wing games. I think a good way to play these is to get a friend to act as your R2 and handle your shield recharge and stuff. My friend and I decided that in Tie Fighter, there should have been more levels to the Emperor’s secret order, whatever it was called. Emperor’s Genitalia, perhaps? Star Control 1. When I was in high school we played this game against each other instead of writing our Pascal programs. My favorite was the Klingonish ship that could cloak. On the Commodore 64: There was a game called Demolition Derby I think, where you chose a car and raced around various goofy tracks while knocking your opponents around. There was a lunar track where jumps would send you sailing waaaaay up in the air, er, vacuum. You could edit the different cars and make your own tracks too. I had a subscription to Compute! magazine (required reading for any Commodore 64 owner) and liked a lot of their games. One of my favorites was one called Spheroids, for 2 players. You moved your thingy (just a circle) around the arena, which consisted of various hills and pits, picking up balls and launching them at your opponent. Everything was deflected by the obstacles, which made for some interesting games. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/44 "2001-05-04T01:02:37Z")
Apple II Choplifter Karateka Zork Bard’s Tale Wizardry Lode Runner Ultima I-III Mac Dark Castle I & II PC Ultima Underworld I & II Doom I Quake Populous Wing Commander Dark Forces I Diablo I & II ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/45 "2001-05-04T01:16:05Z")
I never got into Total Annhilation. The graphics suck, the game interface is too difficult and detracts from any sort of gaming experience possible, and I thought the ‘storyline’ was a piece of crap. Starcraft had a far better game interface and a much better story, but the units were too limited. Now, Earth 2150 is really cool. It’s game interface was somewhat complex, but it wasn’t as complex as would be thought with such an extensive game. The game play was good, the story was good…the whole game was good (I loved being able to mixmatch the individual chassis with different weapons systems to make your own units). And, I cannot believe I forgot to mention **Homeworld** and **Cataclysm** , but fortunately others have. These games are awesome, and if you like RTS games, check these out. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/46 "2001-05-04T05:12:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Brawlers?? Pahh, I guess I will just have to Flash rush you with about 25-30 in the first five minutes of the game. Let me finish moving in, and find my Old partner Mike, and we will crush the lot of you. I played online everynight for about a year straight after the game first came out. \*\* A FLASH rush? Good Lord. Do people still use that hopelessly outdated strategy? Take us on, young one, and verily, you will take instruction from the master. Anyone else play **Empire**? Boy, now THERE was a masterpeice. I played for days on end. ---
**Author:** ![robgruver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@robgruver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robgruver)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/47 "2001-05-04T05:59:25Z")
[QUOTE] A FLASH rush? Good Lord. Do people still use that hopelessly outdated strategy? Take us on, young one, and verily, you will take instruction from the master. [QUOTE] Ha! I think we need a LAN party at Rob’s house. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kvallulf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@Kvallulf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kvallulf)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/48 "2001-05-04T06:59:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monster104 \* > \*\*I never got into Total Annhilation. The graphics suck, the game interface is too difficult and detracts from any sort of gaming experience possible, and I thought the ‘storyline’ was a piece of crap. > . \*\* Go wash your mouth out with soap!!! Or your hands, what ever. The interface is so simple a monkey could learn to use it. I know an 11 year old who kicked players ass’s nightly. AS far as the graphics, what did you do play at 640x480? true 3-D terrain that actually had an impact on the game, You could actually burn down forests, if the wind was right. The units may have looked boxy, but they were true 3-D, not some starcrappy sprite. It was the Best 3-D RTS on the market, and still beats ANY RTS I have played since for depth. It has units that can counter any opposing unit,(execpt for that damn stealth sub when your opponent picks blue color and ARM on a water map) the defenses aren’t complete crap, You can come back from almost a total loss of every unit including your commander( if you chose that option) and still win. You have nukes that actually do damage to your oppenent. In fact, we eneded up getting so good at setting up our bases we would lob nukes at each other during the game just to see if our allies had built an antinuke. You have true artillery that can reach all the way across some maps. The maps are still unrivaled, it has some of the best user made maps around. Mike’s kid made up a map for me that is one of the better metal maps around. It got great ratings from a TA maps site (whose name I don’t remember.) Another great thing was the ability to limit the number of units availible, say you wanted a ground war, you just shut off any air units, or you could set it so you could only build 5 brawlers or hawks at a time. You could also set starting resources, which added a new level of strategy to the game. All this from a guy that wanted to make a game just to blow stuff up. Maybe the singleplayer storyline was weak, but Multiplayer this game still beats any RTS on the market, including Earth 2150, which I do own and have beaten. Earth 2150 is a few years younger, and can’t hold a candle to TA, any day of the week. Anybody else get BSR’s addon pack? It added some needed units, like the Hedgehog shore based depth charge launcher, dragon eyes (stealth cameras) , Dragons claws (LLT that pop out of a dragons tooth), and a bunch of others as well. He also made the AI attack like a quality player. ---
**Author:** ![amico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@amico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amico)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/49 "2001-05-04T08:21:05Z")
_Heretic_ by Raven Software (yes, the first one.) ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/50 "2001-05-04T10:26:42Z")
Kvalluf… Sorry, but _Total Annihilation_ was a sack of fermented donkey diarrhea. Anyway… My favorite games are always either the big, deeply-involved games like _Daggerfall_, _Half-Life_, or _Diablo II_… or the simple, jump-in-and-start-playing games like _Quake_ (and it’s sequels), _StarCraft_, and _Counterstrike_. Other games, like _Unreal Tournament_ or _The Sims_, are fun and all, but they have the complicated nature at the beginning of the game, but then fall off from that peak as it progresses… and stagnates, IMOSHO. ---
**Author:** ![Tisme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@Tisme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tisme)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/51 "2001-05-04T10:35:25Z")
I’m one for racing games and I think you can’t get much better than the **Need for Speed** series. I have four of them. ---
**Author:** ![Evnglion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f04885/32.png) [@Evnglion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evnglion)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/52 "2001-05-04T11:52:53Z")
[ul] [li]Quake II[/li][li]Quake III[/li][li]Sim City (they all rock)[/li][li]The Sims[/li][li]Warcraft II[/li][li]Black & White[/li][li]Thief[/li][li]Everquest[/li][/ul] I believe that is about all… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/53 "2001-05-04T12:49:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kvallulf \* > \*\*Total Annihilation (Starwhat? haha, don’t make me laugh) > \*\* AMEN! Unfortunately, I play on a Mac, so finding someone to play against online is an exercise in futility… Anyway, my faves… 1. Total Annihilation 2. Railroad Tycoon 2 3. ANY of the You Don’t Know Jack 4. Diablo 2 5. Diablo ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/54 "2001-05-04T13:20:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kvallulf \* > \*\* > Anybody else get BSR’s addon pack? It added some needed units, like the Hedgehog shore based depth charge launcher, dragon eyes (stealth cameras) , Dragons claws (LLT that pop out of a dragons tooth), and a bunch of others as well. He also made the AI attack like a quality player. \*\* Where can I find this wonderful addon? ---
**Author:** ![DZ42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@DZ42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZ42)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/55 "2001-05-04T13:28:41Z")
Well - can’t believe no-one has mentioned **Privateer** yet (The first one, of course). Truly one of the finest games of all time. Some others… - Warcraft 2 - Civilization - Doom II / Duke Nukem 3D - Daggerfall & the one that came before it (Arena?) ( I dreamed of an online Daggerfall - thought it was impossible until along came…) - Everquest - Planescape: Torment - anything Infocom, especially Hitchhiker’s, Planetfall, Zorks, Enchanter, Starcross, mroe I can’t think of… Good times, good times… ---
**Author:** ![Gambit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gambit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gambit)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/56 "2001-05-05T03:45:41Z")
Caesar Three. I’ve been playing it a lot since the semester has slowed down. (In fact, anyone who’s familiar with the game and has tips on the Miletus stage is welcome to contact me…) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/57 "2001-05-05T08:56:53Z")
Why **Total Annihilation** was a hack of crap: Story sucked. Why **StarCraft** will always reign supreme: Story rocked. 'Zat simple, ladies and Germans. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/58 "2001-05-05T11:34:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Kvallulf \* > > \*\* > > Anybody else get BSR’s addon pack? It added some needed units, like the Hedgehog shore based depth charge launcher, dragon eyes (stealth cameras) , Dragons claws (LLT that pop out of a dragons tooth), and a bunch of others as well. He also made the AI attack like a quality player. \*\* > > Where can I find this wonderful addon? \*\* Try [http://www.planetannihilation.com/taec/](http://www.planetannihilation.com/taec/). I haven’t actually played TA in a long time, but after looking at the new stuff they have there since I last looked, I may have to reinstall it. For all you doubters out there, I can’t say anything about Starcraft because I didn’t play it very much, but TA really is a great game. Sure, story is important, but for me the story in an RTS takes a back seat to the gameplay. The interface is somewhat more complex than Warcraft II or Command and Conquer, but it’s not that hard and it adds a lot of depth to the game. There are two standing orders you can give to any unit, each with three options. For movement when enemies are sighted, there is stand ground/chase a short distance/chase anywhere, and for fire control there is hold fire/return fire/fire at will. You can set waypoints for either linear or circular patrol routes. You can issue a contruction unit multiple build, repair, and reclaim commands and leave it alone afterwards. I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff, but I found the interface straightforward while providing a lot of functionality. One of the only things I didn’t like about TA was that the transport ships took way too long to load and unload units, making it difficult to do a D-Day type invasion. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/59 "2001-05-05T12:04:27Z")
I forgot a few games: Age of Wonders. This is a turn based strategy set in a fantasy world. You have a leader unit, and you can acquire other hero units, which you can build up with special abilities as in an RPG (spells, attack abilities, etc.). There are some flaws in the AI and the combat system, but it’s still a cool game. Wizardry 7 (I think, they weren’t actually numbered): Crusaders of the Dark Savant. This is the most awesome feat of programming I have ever encountered. The game itself was pretty good for a 1992 RPG, but the amazing thing was that it ran on my old XT while looking as good as a 486 game! It even produced decent, recognizable sounds out of the stupid built-in speaker! You know, the one that normally is only capable of “beep boop beep”. Incredible. Might and Magic VII. The skill system in this series is very unusual and interesting. In VII, the story branches differently depending on whether you are good or evil, which is pretty cool. Minesweeper. OK, not really, but it’s oddly addictive. ---
**Author:** ![Turbo\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Turbo\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turbo_Dog)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104/60 "2001-05-05T12:42:53Z")
Tiger Woods Golf Rainbow Six Redneck Rampage And the ultimate in addiction… Warbirds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-pc-games-of-all-time/64104.md?page=4)