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What is the best computer game ever?

Started by Tyler, 2004-09-27T10:10:49-05:00 (Monday)

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Tyler

This would include games on computer, Atari, Gameboy, N64, PS2, etc.  I find that games today are good, and graphically amazing, but don't compare much to the addictiveness of a classic like Tetris.  

So what is the best computer game ever?
Retired CAOS Officer/Overachiever
SIUE Alumni Class of 2005

CSWizard

I disagree. I have never been addicted to the older games. Not enough going on to keep me entertained, or maybe I just wasn't interested. Who knows? All I know is that I have been playing Counter Strike since 1998. I can't put it down. I 've tried the other first person shooters--CAD, MOH, nothing is better. That is my opinion anyway.  ;-)

Guest

best computer game ever : betrayal at krondor
     -rpg written with the help of raymond e. feist (fantasy writer)
best console game ever  : bionic commando (NES)

i agree with the original poster that there seems to be something special about older games that just isnt seen in today's releases.

for me the answer lies in the advances of technology. 2 main problems:

1) lack of effort on the designer: it seems that games just do not have the substance that they once used to. quite a few of them seem to think 'who needs a plot, we can just put a cool explosion there'

2) lack of investment from the player: when the graphics & sound & everything else was as primative as they were when these 'legendary' games came out it required you to care alot more. the whole suspension of disbelief thing.

there are still alot of great games out there (gta, far cry, etc) but there are alot of crappy ones that sell too well.

Michael Kennedy

I agree witht he parent that the older games are usually better. Today's games are more flash and not as much substance. All my favorite games are PC. I've not owned a console more powerful than the origional NES. Consoles blow.

My list in no particular order:
Wolf3D
Doom (1 and 2- not 3)
TIE Fighter
Monkey Island 1 and 2
Return to Zork
Half-Life
Civilization 2 and 3 along with Alpha Centauri
Freecell

Hopefull I'll be adding Half-Life 2 and Duke Nukem Forever to this list.
"If it ain't busted, don't fix it" is a very sound principal and remains so despite the fact that I have slavishly ignored it all my life. --Douglas Adams, "Salmon of Doubt"

Michael Kennedy

"If it ain't busted, don't fix it" is a very sound principal and remains so despite the fact that I have slavishly ignored it all my life. --Douglas Adams, "Salmon of Doubt"

Brad Nunnally

Best PC: Might and Magic 4 and 5, could play those over and over again.
         Warcraft 1 and 2 and starcraft, some of the best RTS games ever produced.

Beat console: Up for grabs as Final Fantasy 1-7 and Legend of Dragoon.

These games are the ones that stick in my head still to this day.



Brad :pint:
"Wisdom Begins With Wonder" Socrates.
Brad Ty Nunnally
Business & Usabilty Consultant at Perficent
Former CAOS Hooligan

Tyler

I find it interesting too that the developers of yesteryear had so much less to work with.  I personally have never written a game, but it's not exactly a leap of faith to think that it took more to make an amazing game 15 years ago than it does now.

Grayscale screens, nominal processing power, (around) midi quality audio.   Anybody can make a game with thousands of polygons per second, 3Ghz machines, and cd audio.

just my 2 (well maybe 3) cents.
Retired CAOS Officer/Overachiever
SIUE Alumni Class of 2005

Jonathan Birch

I would argue in the other direction. Games are more difficult to make than they used to be, not less so.

Its not at all difficult to program a sprite-based game. Or at least it hasn't been since there have been standard graphics interfaces (thank you VESA). Those modern games involving thousands of polygons per second generally have much more complicated engine code than anything that was produced in the late 80's and early 90's.

Many of the classic games were actually written by two or three person teams, or in many cases individuals working by themselves over the course of a few weeks or months. Modern games are often produced by much larger, sectioned-off teams and may require years of development time.

Additionally, the standards for what is considered an 'amazing game' have risen considerably. It is still possible to come up with a good idea and make a fun and successful game with a small team of people, but because of the competition you have to do something pretty exceptional in order to stand out.
...

Tyler

Retired CAOS Officer/Overachiever
SIUE Alumni Class of 2005

Guest

PC Games
1. Bard's Tale
2. Fallout
3. Ultima III
4. Ultima IV

Arcade
1. Pac Man
2. Ikari Warriors

Console
1. Metal Gear
2. Resident Evil

As far as older games being better the newer, maybe it's not that the games are that much different, but that we have been exposed to far far more. In other words the older you get the more jaded you become.

Guest

Computer: The Wing Commander series
NES: Bionic Commando

Tyler

I remember Excitebike on NES.  That game was frickin awesome.  You could design your own tracks, that was pretty unique at the time.  

Double dribble on NES was also sweet.  I remember I got on of those special controllers with the rapid fire auto buttons.  When I used it I could pass faster than I could see.  

Oh, the simple days, when my only worry was how to get to the eighth level of Mario Brothers.
Retired CAOS Officer/Overachiever
SIUE Alumni Class of 2005

Jarod Neuner

Jarod......

William Grim

William Grim
IT Associate, Morgan Stanley

Jon

Doom.  The original, no OpenGL ports, nothing fancy.  Just Doom.
.........