Gaming 30 PC Games to Play Before You Die

FF7 is the best game i ever played, but it still shouldn't be on this list, since it sucks on PC.

I will use this list as a reference for my upcoming gaming weeks/months. Very good article guys. the only game that seems to slip completely under the radar, and would make a great addition to this list is KOTOR.

 

Games I would add to the list:

Syndicate - there still isn't really anything like it
Total Annihilation - I love the C&C games, but TA's gameplay is on another level, especially with all the downloadable units
Max Payne 2 - mainly because he's bound to hunt you down for not putting him on your list
SW: KOTOR - "Do you think they can stop Revan?" "No, you fool! But they might just slow him down." - for the greatest feeling of power and ability to inspire fear in my enemy

 

i completly forgot about syndicate

 

I don't know what joe martins been smoking but I sure wouldn't waste the last 30 days of life playing his recomendations there might be 5
games on that list I would consider!!

 

Geez!!! how could I forget those??

Syndicate and Syndicate wars was two of the besta games i ever played too.
Max Payne is a classic. A well told story, and the first game to use bullet time. A really great idea.

Although i am sure Joe won't agree, "Jericho" was a great game too. Really nice design, and its "ghost bullet" was one of the greates ideas since "bullet time". The really BIG problem with that game is its linear stages. But i can't wait to see a sequel...

 

First off, this is a PC list - and many of those games you mention are ideally played on a console, tbh. When it comes to stealth games too, Thief and Hitman are worth far more than Splinter Cell and Metal Gear IMHO. As for The Immortal - I've played it and...m'eh.

Don't even get me started on Out of This World. It's by no means a bad game, but if you only had 30 games then that would be no where near the list. Flashback is OK, but fiddly and Fade to Black was just awful.

That said, there were a lot of games that we wanted to add to the list that we didn't have room to - Syndicate was one, but so were all the Bullfrog games. DUNGEON KEEPER! There was the Gabriel Knight games too, and we wanted Realms of the Haunting or Phantasmorgia to show off the lunacy of FMV games too. In the end though, this isn't Pokemon. You can't catch them all. We wanted a balance of truly quality games and games which show off a particular idea or mechanic very well too, which is why Dwarf Fortress and Postal 2 went in, as well as being a major factor for Mirror's Edge. It's also why Monkey Island got culled - it was good, but it wasn't revolutionary because it was one of a large number of 2D point and clicks at the time. Grim Fandango was just as good, but one of the first 3D adventures (among other reasons). Thus, it went in. We also wanted to add Baldur's Gate 2, Fallout, etc.

Also, Max Payne wasn't the first game to use bullet time. That honour goes out to Requiem: Avenging Angel, IIRC.

 

all good games, first one on the list is good one

my best game was BF2 was an good game the squad based spawn system was good, the death of the game for the most part was the dreaded EA 1.3 patch Noobed the servers (server would only stay up for 1-2 hrs so user base of 40000 players when to 5000 or less in 1 patch) thay never fixed it even when the beta for 2142 was out as it had the same problem (still does crash intermitantly) (why ea allways F up when 1.3 patch comes i do not know why) thay made 1.4 patch 6-8 months later but was hard to find any SF servers then (the server crashing issues should of been fixed Right away even in QA it should of been picked up)

 

I would have put Descent on the list. I recently played through the first one again and it is quite seriously one of the best FPS games ever. No other game in recent times has made me jump and cry out quite as much. In fact its the only game I can think of where I have yelled in terror while playing. There is just something about flying around a corner to come face to face with some of the more dangerous foes.

 

ahhhh no UT

It's okay though, I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea

 

Good selection!!

Fantastic to see Dwarf Fortress on the list. From the guys that made WWI Medic if I remember rightly.

 

Freespace 2 = WIN! where's Freespace 3?

Eve Online = win!


u forgot: MDK, FF8, and Splinter Cell series.

 

for freespace 2, one of the best things you can do is go take a look here:Freespace 2 source code project


you'll need an original copy of FS2 for it to be legitimate, but it makes a huge number of excellant changes to the engine that improve the graphics, etc.

I still play it, absolutely amazing game (though eve has become my game of choice when looking to blow things up in space)


@ redbeaver fs3 = EvE imho

 

Why, oh why didn't you include UFO: Enemy Unknown?

 

While I do like Gray's mod, I wouldn't really class it as a game, more like a toolbox. I can think of other games I would have put there such as Fallout and Morrowind.

Played under half of those games (completed even less of them), I have work to do

Freespace 2, System Shock 2, Thief and Grim Fandango are the ones that interest me the most.

Although SS2/Thief don't like my graphics card at all for some reason

Isn't Freespace 2 officially abandonware now? I vaguely remember someone made a thread about an awesome mod for it where you could download the game for free.

 

So whatever happened to HL1. The game that started the epic series?

I can agree with some games on there but others i don't

 

Yes. Freespace2 is pure genious. I love it and still play it. Too bad squad war have shut down. Anybody up for a swarm of hornets up their thrusters?

 

Good list, but complete fail for not having

X-Com: UFO Defence (1995)

Simply the very definition of a great PC game.

Also the Jedi Knight series for FPS (where this means First Person Saber)
Then of course, Falcon 4.0, that requires you to play for three weeks just to learn the game.
And the Starfleet Command series, especially 1 and 2 (where I became infamous for playing the Romulans)
I think it is very difficult to make a list of 30 games on the PC, 100 might do it.
Interesting article though.

Yours in X-Com Plasma,
Star*Dagger

P.S. going back further, Elite

 

Although they could be played through emulators, you do know Joe wrote a list of 30 PC games to play before you kick the bucket?

I think Mirrors Edge could be dropped for Monkey Island 2. They are very different, but the experience from MI2 is just far better. There are no other 2d adventure point n clickers that are as good. Some come near, but MI2 remains the best.

I would've put Quake rather than Quake 2, too. And I'm surprised Bioshock isn't in there

Also, Psychonauts!

 

Good call with Grand Prix Legends.... thundering round the old Nurburgring or Spa in that Ferrari, the exhaust note is simply brutal!

Shame Battlezone didn't make it in there.... I thought the mixture of FPS & RTS was pretty well executed.

 

While RA2 was good, there is no way in hell I would put RA2 on that list over StarCraft. Also, Alpha Centauri is the best of the Civ series. Forget Civ3 and 4.