The Seeker Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 So, I was reading over at the genius site Ctrl+Alt+Del and saw that good old Tim Buckley, for self created gamer holiday of Wintereen-Mas is paying tribute to the games that had a good influence on his life. Sort of got me thinking about the ones that not only got me into gaming, but revolutionized it for me. #1: Super Mario Bros. 3 for NES. This was probably the first game that I played on what was my first console. Certainly though, it was my first real addicting game that got me sitting in front of my TV far beyond the point where my thumbs were aching. I played and replayed, found it's secrets and played some more. Truly one of the great games of our time, and still has that addictive quality on the GBA. #2: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2. I doubt that I have to say anything about this game here, but I will anyway. This was my first PC game, and the revival of my fascination with computers and gaming after a few years without either. Huge in deapth levels. This is one of those games that begs a replay, begs that you find all the secret areas so you can become the most powerful Jedi possible. Great baddies, engrossing, if not cheesy live action cutscenes, brilliant gameplay, and most importantly, it had that ever elusive True Star Wars Feel. That feeling had been approached before and after, but with Jedi Knight, it was just plain spot on. #3 Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix. This was one of those games that I bought on a lark, just to see if it was any good. What I found was that it was absolutely amazing. Fast paced battles, amazing weapon selection and integration. Decent puzzles, and a fairly long and challenging campaign, make this one FPS that really stands out. #4: Knights of the Old Republic. My first RPG, and one that leaves any followers hard pressed to match it's intensity and scale. What I commonly refer to as the best Star Wars Movie ever, KotOR set a new bar for Star Wars games that hadn't been touched since JK. With excellent character developement, entertaining quests, a very good battle system, and one helluva twist toward the end, KotOR is one that every gamer should experience. #5: Half Life 2: This is by far the best FPS if not game in general that I have played in recent memory. With mind blowing graphics (seriously, sometimes you just stop and stare at water because it looks so cool) and solid gameplay HL2 is just an amazing experience. With the perfect blend of exploration, action, and just plain creepyness (I still shudder at the memory of my first time through Ravenholm,) this game blazed new territory for gaming in general. While I'm positive, that there will be plenty of copycats, the gravity gun is probably one of the most well integrated, and just plain fun things that I have ever done with a game. Out of ammo? Just hurl this cinderblock at the nearest baddie's head. Car in your way? Punt it over the cliff and into the lake below. Like JK, Half Life 2 begs a replay, and once you start, you can't put it down. There's my list of the most influetial games in my life. What's yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TiE23 Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 #1: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2. This is the game of my life, this is the game that made me like and start playing video games at the ripe age of 7. I wasn't any good and usually had cheats on, but it still was packed full of memories. Running through Barens Head (or something like that) and finding Sam and Max, having a hell of a time in the Fuel Station, using force speed to extend the bridges into the Imperial center, and then getting stuck for weeks on not knowing how to open the door into the place. It was awesome #1: Dark Forces. (Yes, #1) My first real game, didn't get me hooked as much as Jedi Knight, but it was awesome, tons of memories and tons of fun... even if I used cheats religiously.... laiamlame.... lapostal.... you get it... Running ****less in the sewer level, seeing all the dead in the second level, getting in the transport that smuggles me onto the Arc Hammer, blowing up all of those cans in the fuel station, using the motar gun to blow stuff up. #2: The Elder Scrolls ]|[: Morrowind. No other game has scared me mentally as much as this game has, the first 20 minutes I played on it will be burned into my memory forever. What was cool was that I didn't know that the Silt Striders were the taxi's of the game, so I went on foot through the swamps, saw a guy fall to his death infront of me, travel through killing rats and lighting the way with a glass lantern in the pouring rain. Getting mugged by a guy on a bridge, the ending up in the hills above Balmora to jump down, landing on a building. It was foggy, so I only got to see a small part of the town, I had no idea how big it was. Totally awesome. #3: Unreal. Another game I played in my "youth," this let me know fear and intensity after experiencing Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2. It totally blew my mind, and it scared the crap out of me, those giant rock throwing guys? That scared me for life... lol. "Uh oh, that guy in that chair looks hurt, does he need help.... AHHHH!!!"...."Hmm, the lights went off in the hall I'm in, maybe I should go back..... AHHH!!! SKAARJ!" #4: Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I've never even owned the game or the console, but playing it for hours at my friend's house was enough to have this game make a real difference in my life. "Run Link! Run! Oh noes! Falling rocks! Ow! Why can't I block them! This wooden shield sucks! Oh noes! What? What do you mean that guy at the bottom said I should have gotten a shield? What shield? Ow! I'm dead, crud!" #5: Burnout 2. I have a bunch of other games I want to cover as my 5th (JO, Halo, Half Life 2, RTCW, KotOR, etc...) But I found nothing more fun than flying around traffic, I played that game for atleast 100 hours. I like it better than the new ones, cause now it's all about crashing stuff, but Burnout 2 required skills and would actually make you excited, the crashes were totally bitching, too. The crashes were handed way better in BO2 than in BO3 or BO:R, becuase it was more physical and realistic, and more fun to watch each crash. Plus, the music change as you hit the "Nos" as we called it, was awesome. I also had the pleasure to get a 30 burnout chain with a Roadster (my favorite car) even though it was a low-tier car, it was my favorite because of the way it could take turns and stuff. I later got Xbox live and got to upload my record onto the score boards, my burnout chain of 30 was like the 50th in the world, and I was the only guy who got that high using a crappy car like the Roadster, while everyone had a super car. Honorable mention (#6):Mech Warrior 4. This was the game that intoduced me to multiplayer, it was a ton of fun being one of the best as a 10 yearold (I literally owned everyone with my custom Daishi, and even joined a clan.) That's my list, took me like half an hour to type it out, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Seeker Posted January 28, 2006 Author Share Posted January 28, 2006 That's my list, took me like half an hour to type it out, too. That's what makes it special Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IG-64 Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 I got alot of them, so i'll keep it brief. They're not in any particular order. Super Mario World: The game that started it all for me. I was maybe 5 or 6 years old when I went to my cousin's house and had my very first experience with video games. What he was playing was Super Mario World. It's what got me to ask for a SNES for Christmas, my first console. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: The sequel didn't dissapoint, this game pulled off relaxing and difficult at the same time. One thing that stood out with this game, as with all the Mario games was the music. The art and level design of this game was brilliantly done. Super Mario RPG: A truly great adventure. The characters really showed personality. Was also a challenging game. It was really able to suck you into the story and adventure. Super Smash Bros. Melee: Really, does it need explination? I remember drooling over pictures of this game for the months before it came out. Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast & Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy: I put these 2 games in the same category because they gave me similar great gaming experiences. The SP with JK2 never got old and JA was pretty good too. And though I wasn't too good of a fighter I could still try with MP. The MP also lured me in with clan buisness and custom content. I had never heard of the JK franchise before JK2 came out so I pretty much missed out on JK1. Though I did play Dark Forces a long time ago. Half-Life 2: Great graphics and physics aside, this made for some nice gameplay and cinematic experience. Linear adventure is just how I like it. Not to mention the hours of fun with Garry's mod. Kirby's Adventure: Speaking of linear adventure, this game is one of my favorites for gameplay. It was just right for my skill level, and the diffrent powers kept things intresting. Tie-Fighter: An introduction to PC games for me. This game was ahead of it's time. The heaps of dialouge in the form of briefings and radio chatter, plus the cut scenes, really kept you in the moment. And it's many levels were fun and challenging. Tresspasser: A very overlooked game. Though the graphics aren't too great now days, they were pretty good for it's time. It even had passable physics system. Based off Jurrasic Park, this was a very long and intense adventure. I'll never forget the heeby jeebies it gave me with the old abandoned towns and creeping velociraptors, paired up with the music from the movie. An unforgettable game. Donkey Kong Country: It's pre-rendered graphics were revolutionary for it's time and even stand up today. That with the great music, gameplay, and pure atmosphere, this game was the full package. I've played alot of great games but these were the ones that really stood out to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90SK Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 The Secret of Monkey Island + Monkey Island Series I don't want to be redundant, so I'll just say series rather than list them all. I'm sure you're all familiar with these games. My older sister was addicted to MI1, which we had on a CD for windows. For most of my early life, she played it, and eventually I took the reigns. From what I can remember, in addition to being fun and humorous, it got me interested in playing Lucasarts games. Even so, I didn't know about the other three some tiem later, and at that point I promptly negotiated their purchase and played them all. Personal favorite is MI2. I also nabbed Grim Fandango which was superb. Goldeneye My first realistic violent video game experience on a console. I don’t think I ever played a game that included a multi person ffa mode before then. Indeed, the concept of playing with (and killing) your friends in a crazy gun-slinging environment intrigued me. I swiftly became addicted to multiplayer. I didn't actually own the game for quite a while, and when I finally got it, I didn't have it for long before I sold my N64 in preparation to buy a GCN. As is, I can’t wait to buy it for Revolution. JK3 It was either this or JO for the PC. While it isn't the best game, it basically introduced the concept of online communities to me, for good or ill. It also brought me into modding, and inspired me to buy KotOR. Plus, it was my first online multiplayer game that worked. To date, I still prefer JA online to most others, just because of its simplicity. Killer 7 One of, if not the, best and most intellectually stimulating games I’ve ever played. It is so unbelievably refreshing to have a game rated M for reasons other than (but not excluding) violence. The satire and metaphors; the overall complexity of the plot does not cease to amaze me. Tie-ins with politics and world history in relation to the crisis that unfolds throughout a story that contains not one but four different levels of consciousness: it kept my unbroken attention throughout. In addition to that, the gameplay was enjoyable and the characters intriguing. All that aside, it secured me as a permanent fan of everything Capcom makes, which is good, because I seem to be running out of sources for good games. F-Zero GX The intense futuristic racing game! Taught me about obsessive gaming to the point where your heart rate skyrockets when you manage to complete a mission. Also taught me that it is possible to play a game too much, concordantly getting too good at it, and thus destroying prospect for multiplayer since your friends just can’t compare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Sir Knight Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Halflife: DOD 1.3 JO BF42 Delta Force 2 Starwars Rebellion Command & Conquer Everquest Everything Mortal Kombat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Windu Posted January 28, 2006 Share Posted January 28, 2006 Super Smash Bros. 64: Best Multiplayer for the N64. Goldeneye: 2nd best multiplayer for the N64. This game was so fun it was ridiculous. I remember playing till I got motion sickness from it. The story mode part was fun, but the most fun part was cheating and blowing up the gas canisters in the Facility and fighting in the green gas fog. Super Smash Bros. Melee: First time I ever got into pro tournaments and faced really good people. This game is so incredibly balanced and versatile it's ridiculous. Unfortunately no one in this neighborhood stacks up against me anymore so I get no practice and then go to the tournaments with the pros and get my **** handed to me. This game is so so fun. Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast Introduced me to full online multiplayer, and you loons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Grim Fandango Tie Fighter Freespace 2 (also 1) Jedi Outcast Asteroids X-Wing Alliance Tempest Pong Atari's Adventure Yar's Revenge Dragon's Lair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MachineCult Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Deus Ex Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight Goldeneye 64 Perfect Dark Need for Speed II & III The GTA series Star Wars: Battlefront (II) Star Wars: Jedi Academy Zelda and the Ocarina of Time and of course, Knights of the old Republic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt-Man Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 No order: Halo Knight of the Old Republic World of Warcraft Fable Battle Front Battle Front 2 Mortal Kombat Deception Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance Warcraft 2 Warcraft 3 Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne X-men Legends Prince of Persia: Sand of Time(for Xbox) Starcraft Red Faction Dino Crisis Splinter Cell 1&2 (haven't played 3 yet) NFS: Underground 2 Probably more, but those are my favourites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narfblat Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Jedi knight series: FPS augmented with force powers and the ability to chop someone to pieces with a lightsaber. Elder Scrolls III Morrowind: Immersing and addicting game, with great graphics for its time. It had some game-stopping bugs and a less-than-ideal journal system, but the patch/expansions fixed those. Heroes of Might and Magic III: a turn-based strategy game with many types of fantasy creatures. Star Trek Armada(I and II): a real-time strategy game in space. Movement was basically just 2d, which seems to be a plus(my brother didn't like Homeworld's 3d space) Kings of the Beach: A beach volleyball game in the days of the original nintendo. Back then volleyball video games were about competition, not chicks in skimpy outfits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arreat Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Goldeneye Perfect Dark Diablo Diablo II: LOD JO Twisted Metal II Mortal Kombat III Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edlib Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 I forgot Halo... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dravis Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Space sims: Freespace 2 - game is incredible. In big battles, the capital ships throw out antifighter beam weapons, flak is everywhere, and the missile lock warning beeps continuously - it's crazy RPGs: Planescape: Torment KotOR - best RPG because it's SW and it's got a really great story (even if it was basically a rewrite of NWNs, hehe). FPS: Jedi Outcast (I still play SP - great saber fights. JA doesn't feel the same for some reason.. ) Mysteries of the Sith - I love the atmosphere of this one. Descent (2, 3) - Great games. Much harder multiplay than any groundpounder FPS I've ever tried, and incredibly fast gameplay. Aventure: The Longest Journey - the story is great, voice acting is superb too. I can't wait for Dreamfall to come out... Strategy: CivNet - I still play this one too... >.> Medieval and Rome Total War - strategy and tactics! Can't go wrong. EDIT: didn't realize it was for 'impact' games, heh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue15 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 TIE Fighter Xwing Alliance Rogue Squadron Shadows of the Empire Jedi Knight Mysteries of the Sith Jedi Outcast Halo Halo 2 Fable Command & Conquer original Descent Delta Force The Turok series (all of em) Morrowind Knights of the Old Republic Final Fantasy VII the original Day of Defeat Unreal Tournament GOTY Force Commander Galactic Battlegrounds Rebellion i've invested well over 20 hours on each of those games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightNinja Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Super Mario Bros 3 Super Mario World Goldeneye 64 Perfect Dark Need for Speed II & III GTA series Battlefield 1942 Star Wars: Jedi Outcast&Academy Ocarina of Time Super Smash Bros 64 and GC one Pokemon(not now, but i spent whole days playing when it was released) Baldurs Gate I&II Rogue Squadron Mario Kart Age of Empires I&II Black&White Heroes III Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Wilson Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Influnace: Doom: When me and my brothers had accompany my dad to his work at weekends we had an entire IT floor to our selves, all networked and all with doom. Those were great days, filled with fragging, swivl chair races and a free drink machine. Doom, the game that problay started all PC gaming for me. Red faction: Place called Computer Exchange in the city where I live had a upper floor with 20 or so PC that had a load of games installed on them, again networked up. Me and my frieneds would go down there most saturdays and play red faction for hours on end. Tiburun sun: The first game i realy played online. And by that i mean The first game i ever played online. Monkey Island 1-2: 2 was mainly my thing but me and my brother would sit for hours trying to figure out puzzles. Sonic 1-3 +(S+K): What do i have to say expect God Bless sega! These were the shinnzle y'all. Super mario world 1 (and Up to and inculding the first wario one to a lesser extent): I would play these at my grandmas on the orignal game boy, when that was the hight of technolgy Rainbow Island: Ah the amiga. Old days for me. The last boss was unkillable! Recently picked it up and finaly completed it removing some (But not much of the magic) Almost any 64 game: nuff said, opened me up to so many differnet genres Bomerman on the Snes: We used to go round to our neighbores and realy play that game Extras that havent changed my life but i love Dawn of war (And WA) Total war series Half life and its comerical mods (Mainly CS) Red alert series Golden Eye (The funnist game ever) Perfect dark (The most perfect FPS ever and wont be topped in my book for a long time i reacon) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Windu Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Oh oh, I forgot Kingdom Hearts! Best. RPG. EVAR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TiE23 Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Oh oh, I forgot Kingdom Hearts! Best. RPG. EVAR! I still don't get what is so cool about the whole Disney liscense. But you like Winnie the Pooh anyway, so thats all cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Windu Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Pooh's a pimp dude. What makes Kingdom Hearts great is that the Disney thing isn't a pure gimmick. It's got an excellent story, and ridiculously awesome gameplay. The whole Disney factor doesn't make it a worse game, it helps it a lot. And well, Disney movies are awesome. (excluding sequels) There is a reason why adults visit Disneyworld. It's not just to take their kids there; Disney's magic, man. But I suppose Disney's not cool unless its movies involve shooting monster zombies and showcasing gratuitious nudity. Forgive me if I'm not mature enough to see that Disney isn't "cool." I'll stick to my Lion Kings, Nemos, Pirates, Miracles, Glory Roads, Titans, Toys. Darn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalloutMan Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 best games ever were, and still are, Fallout 1 & 2. These games really grabbed the whole "everythign has a consequence" and has numerous endings. Creating a character provides the chance to have numerous replays without the boringness; but thats if you can beat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toms Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Are we doing best games ever, or most influential games? Cos i'm not sure they are the same. Still lets try influential games: Golden Axe: Its a pretty poor, repetetive platform beat-en up... but its about the first game i ever played. Both in the arcades, and on my first PC (8ghz 286 if i remeber rightly). It was also probably the only multiplayer game i played for years.. as i remember playing through the entire thing 2 player with this cute french exchange student. Prince of Persia: This was probably the first really GOOD game i played. Also on my first PC. It was the first one with great graphics, animation and gameplay. I remember getting well hooked on trying to beat the 60 minute time limit. Wolfenstien 3d: This was probaby the forst game that got big at our school.. the first proper 3d FPS and everyone was amazed by its graphics. I couldn't get it to play at a decent speed on my old 286.. but i could play it at school. Suddenly everyone needed 6 floppies to get a copy. Doom 2: I missed doom as my pc wouldn't run it. I think Doom 2 may have been the first game I ever actually bought. (back then everyone just swapped thefloppies at school). Spending £40 on a proper game in a box seemed really cool. Plus the graphics and gameplay blew me away. I still think its one of the best FPS ever. (also: Descent/Heretic - first year of university was basically spent playing deathmatches of these 3 games on the uni network. With hindsight maybe i should have done some more work..) Tie Fighter: First SVGA game.. First game with a decent plot and probably first CD game (so first game with decent music and real VOICES!!!). Plus an absolutely awesome game to boot. Missed X-wing, but went back to it later. Played the whole series from then on and still want another! Goldeneye: Never had a n64... but my mates did, and many a hungover sunday was spent playing deathmatch 4 player split-screen goldeneye with occasional cries from the girls of "which one am i?" and "how does this controller work?" and "this is boring, we are missing dawson's creek!". Ocarina of time: Game that finally convinced me to get a console (after just having a pc for years. Finally finished it on the GCN version. Currently playing Majora's mask. Just such a great game on so many levels that it blows me away. Jedi Knight: Possibly love this game even more than Tie fighter or Ocarina... It was the first game that really let you be a jedi and a part of the star wars universe... and fulfl all your childhood fantasies.. plus it was better than JO or JA. Not many game i've played recently have had much of an effect on me.. they are all so great and polished these days.. but you are much less likely to run into something amazingly new or unexpected. Or maybe i'm just jaded. Best games of all time: (in no order) Doom 2 Ocarina of Time Chrono Trigger Half Life Goldeneye Sands of Time Jedi Knight Tie Fighter Deus Ex GTA 3 Quake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Seeker Posted January 29, 2006 Author Share Posted January 29, 2006 Are we doing best games ever, or most influential games? Cos i'm not sure they are the same. Yeah, just the games that had a good impact on your life in one way or another. For me, some of the best games have been the most influential, though there have been a few that were fantastic, but not really influential list worthy. The call of Duty series, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy to name a few. All of those are just plain terrific, but they lacked that special feeling that I look for in any game I play. I can't really describe it, but I think most of you know what I'm talking about. Play Half Life 2, and you will anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Wilson Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Golden Axe: Its a pretty poor, repetetive platform beat-en up... What?!?! Golden axe and its squels were amazing games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabretooth Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 No order, as usual: Deus Ex Unreal Tournament (all) Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy (Multiplayer) Golden Sun Golden Sun: The Lost Age Fire Emblem Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings Age of Empires II: The Conquerors Call of Duty First Games: My very first games were mostly demos from magazine CDs. But my first full-version was Road Rash, a craze in my city at the time. I also fell in love with the Need for Speed series, especially Hot Pursuit. I remember quite a few great demos, whose full versions I never got to play. Here are a few. (If you own these, send me a free copy ASAP). Tzar: The Burden of the Crown Moonbase Commander (very, very innovative) Anno 1602 (AOE III's daddeh) MechWarrior 4 Medal of Honour: Allied Assault (recent, I know) Warcraft 3 Half-Life Unreal Tournament (the original) There are many more nostalgic memories, I'll post them as I remember... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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