A review of your favourite game

[Dark0ne]

Hey folks,

Got a bit of spare-time so thought I'd query everyone on their favourite games of all times. I'd like you to mention the game, then give reasons as to why you think this game is so great, what makes it good et cetera et cetera. Don't just list the games you like!

[Maquissar]

ARCANUM: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

GENRE: RPG

 

Hmmm... my favourite game? I don't think it is actually Arcanum, but I am going to review it anyway because I have found it to be rather underrated in the gaming world. There are probably other games I like better, but still Arcanum is definitely among the games I like most.

 

First of all, I'd like to mention that Arcanum's strength does not lie in its graphics.

Not in the least. After all, it was made, if I remember correctly, in 2001, and even then there were games that were better than Arcanum as concerns graphics. So

if how a game looks is really important to you you might want to look for other

games instead of this... as for me, good graphics don't matter to me as long as

the game is good... I still play Colonization on my pc ;)

 

Arcanum's sound is not bad, although the main theme is somewhat repetitive.

But that's not a problem to me, as I turn the music off when I play. The actor's

voices, however, are excellent. Among the cast, you may notice Barry Dennen,

who is also known for his role of Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar: the movie (1973).

 

Arcanum's strength mostly lies in its engrossing plot and atmosphere, and in the

freedom it gives to its player. A different kind of freedom than Morrowind, but

still highly enjoyable: quests can be completed in a number of different ways,

according to your character's sex, race, alignment and so on.

The nature of your character also influences which quests will be given to you, so

the game has a great replayability. Male elves will get different quests from

female half-orcs, and characters with a high charisma and intelligence will get

more quests.

 

The setting is also intriguing: you play the role of a character in a world where

magic and technology live together; a sort of fantasy version of 19th century

England. I loved it.

 

What may annoy most gamers, though, is the cumbersome interface, the bugs

of the game, and its difficulty. Arcanum could have been easier, yes. But I

haven't found it nearly as difficult as some people said. The point is, you have to

play a role in the game; if you want to be a strong melee fighter, you will succeed.

If you want to be a wizard, you will succeed. If you want to be a technologist, you

will succeed. But if you want to master melee, magic and technology you will

doubtlessly fail, especially because magic and technology are in conflict in

Arcanum.

 

All in all, I suggest you try the game, in spite of its flaws; if you are willing to

overlook them, and if you don't give up at the first difficulties, you will have a

very rewarding gaming experience.

 

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/arcanumofst...amo/review.html

 

Here is a link to another review written by someone more qualified than I, if you

feel an inclination to know more about Arcanum :)

[Dark0ne]

For me, the greatest games of all time have been the X-COM series. X-COM: UFO Enemy Unknown, X-COM: Terror from the Deep and X-COM: Apocalypse. Noteably I'll be reviewing X-COM: Apocalypse because it is the latest (1997) game in the X-COM series.

 

X-COM: Apocalypse sees the player put into a desperate situation on Earth. The year is 2084 and Earth has only one major city left: Mega Primus, population 2,000,000. Due to the past wars waged against the alien threat (from Enemy Unknown and Terror from the Deep) the world has become polluted beyond repair, its population dwindling. Despite this, two alien threats had already been halted and removed, but now there's a new one...

 

Recently strange rips have been appearing randomly in the sky above Mega Primus. To the population's horror, the rips are being used by a new alien threat to transport their UFOs to Earth's dimension and attack the city of Mega Primus. Time for the old heroes to once again take up the call of duty and re-establish X-COM to its former might. But this is a new threat, a biological threat, from another dimension.

 

X-COM is essentially the new army. When the alien's first invaded in Enemy Unknown the army was practically iradicated, unable to cause a dent in UFO or alien armour. A new army was then created, top secret, funded by all the countries of the world - how X-COM performed affected the money which they received from the different countries.

 

In Apocalypse, X-COM is funded by the senate of Mega Primus. But money doesn't just come from the senate. The player can sell and trade alien weaponary, or even conventional weaponary to the different organisations located around Mega Primus in order to make a few extra bucks (this is the core of one's economy later on in the game).

 

The player takes on the role of "commander" of X-COM...you basically get a say in everything that gets done. Its not a fighting game, its not a base-building game, its not a money game..its an everything game.

 

The depth of the game is immense, as commander you choose which men to hire, which to fire, which bases you want your men in. Likewise you control the scientists, physists and engineers you hire - each one has their own skill rating which will decrease the time it takes to research or create new alien artifacts picked up on the battlefield.

 

Likewise, where your bases are located in Mega Primus and the located of each block inside the building is solely yours to choose - and bases will have different functions depending on what blocks you place in them (for instance, you may have one base full of workshops to create new weaponary, to then sell on the market for a quick buck - or another base for research and development, and several bases where your aircraft can attack from).

 

When a UFO is spotted coming through a gate, you must scramble your aircraft to intercept - the effectiveness of your aircraft depends on the class of the UFO and the weaponary it is carrying (once again, you're in control of every aspect of your aircraft, from engines to missiles). But the player must be careful not to let a stray shot fly into another organisations buildings - Mega Primus runs on a tight organisation structure, and annoying the wrong people means you'll make enemies. Although a bribe here and there was never a problem.

 

If you don't down the UFO, it will no doubt move through the city, dropping off aliens in other organisation's buildings. It is your job to send in your X-COM units to clear the buildings of any alien presence..if you don't, the organisation will quickly get taken over by the alien insurgents.

 

If you are lucky to down the UFO, you send in your X-COM units to clear out the area. Once cleared, a myriad of new artifacts and weaponary can be found, which need to be researched by your scientists back at base before they can be used.

 

Combat is quite tactical, and you'll find yourself reloading the game from saves quite often (you become very attached to your units and won't let them die!). The player has the choice of "real-time" combat or "turn-based" combat. Real-time is always the way, much more fun and much less time consuming.

 

You take on a "from above" isometric view of the battlefield, moving your squad across the area, whether it be baron land around a UFO or inside slum buildings on the outside of the city. Nearly all obstacles can be blown away, making it great fun to remove an entire wall from a building and watch as the building crumbles to the ground on aliens below.

 

The amount of missions and kills a unit gets affects the rank of the unit (from rookie to commander) and also effects the units stats. This is a major RPG element of the game and makes it all the more fun and personal, seeing one of your units attain 100% improvements on his stats also brings a tear of pride to one's eyes!

 

X-COM: Apocalypse is one of those "time-warp" games where you will literally lose track of time. The multiple different elements of the game make this game one of the most addictive and down-right exciting games I have played to date.

[Marxist ßastard]

Favourite game of all time? My, I don't have one of those... I guess I'll just state my favorite game of all time and attribute your gross misspelling to your being very... very... tired. I hope that this decision won't require the calling-in of a defense attorney or the uttering of any off-color remarks...

 

...Of all time? That's been decided far too many times already, though not on this forum, and people's opinions on this subject usually fall into the grooves set forth by those discussions *cough* Half-Life, DooM, Barbie Detective *cough* -- almost always, however, three things can be said about someone's opinion regarding what the greatest game of all time is:

• This opinion is immutable.
  
• This opinion must be spread as quickly as possible.
  
• It features a game that is well-known and well-aged and thus has had countless reviews on it; also collorary to this, many people also have their own immutable and contagious opinions on it, even if they don't regard it as the greatest game of all time.
  

For those who have escaped these rules, only one guideline applies to their opinion of the greatest game of all time:

• It changes every week.
  

Because of this, when asked about my opinion on what is the greatest game of all time, I can only give a quiet nod toward Half-Life. A review? Oh, there are one or two floating around...

 

...The greatest game of this instant, however? Unreal Tournament 2004. Since I have not played its predecessors, I cannot comment on the progress of the series, but I have seen some differing standpoints on this. PC Gamer, a magazine which, in this month's offering, has an article about their recent playtest of Half-Life 2 (ahem... Darky... our wager?), simply states that a good amount of content is recycled from UT '03. A tweak guide (which shall remain nameless because this forum is a n00btard hot zone not seen since the likes of Gen[M]ay and the infection must not spread) on UT '04 has a different view -- the author believes that UT '03 sufferend a decline in popularity due to the introduction of many Quake-like aspects to the game. He states that UT '04 is Unreal Tournament going back to basics.

 

Regardless of this game's evolutionary or revolutionary state, it is simply amazing from my standpoint. There are many options avaliable for the type of game that is to be played, and even more options for how the game is to be played. For simple deathmatches, there are many weapons, each one with a clear purpose and combat style -- not just an increase in damage or scarcity of ammunition. There are also a wide variety of tactics to be mastered with each weapon and a good amount of ways to dodge blasts. Onslaught, the other major offering (there are also the traditional CTF, Team Deathmatch, and Last Man Standing modes, along with the less-traditional Double Domination, Bombing Run, Invasion, Mutant, and Assault), has a variety of vehicles that allow the player to attack from both land and air using anything from small and maneuverable aircraft to the Levithan, the mother of all tanks combined with a Katyusha Launcher on steroids.

 

The game also has a wide variety of maps for each gametype, from small one-on-one arenas to vast outdoor areas. The detail put into these areas, and all other content, is simply awe-inspiring -- even if they take up six CDs or two DVDs. An editor is also included, and modifications are being produced at this moment (including a Christian-oriented map- and skin-pack that includes scenarios based on biblical events -- shoot the Jews with your Rocket Launcher before they come to crucify you -- and detailed player skins, including Jesus with Battle Armor, who gives the award "GODLIKE!" a whole new meaning).

 

On top of this, UT '04 can also run on a variety of OSes because of its OpenGL support and is a very good value at the moment.

[Dark0ne]

Favourite game of all time? My, I don't have one of those... I guess I'll just state my favorite game of all time and attribute your gross misspelling to your being very... very... tired

 

Last time I checked, I spoke English, you spoke imitation; so pipe down half-pint :bleh:

 

PC Gamer, a magazine which, in this month's offering, has an article about their recent playtest of Half-Life 2 (ahem... Darky... our wager?)

 

If you want a play test of HL2 and Valve's lies, I believe several sites (especially BitTorrent) have 1.4GB versions of the leaked source. Maybe you'd like to see the lies for yourself? ;)

 

Regardless of this game's evolutionary or revolutionary state, it it shipped with six CDs or two DVDs. Thus, UT '04 >> all other games.

 

Enter The Matrix shipped on 6CDs...how embarrassing. Does that mean Enter The Matrix >> All other games? LoL...not a chance :P

[Marxist ßastard]

Yeah, that was both a joke and a placeholder for a large edit.

 

...And Darky... My, oh my... That's strike one for you!

 

EDIT: Ouch. I just realized this is a Morrowind forum. Let the cries of "Death to the Infidels!" commence...

[Faust870]

Wow, there is no way i can write as much as you guys did about my favourite game, for the simple fact, its all multiplayer (with single player training missions)

 

Game: Tribes 2

Genre: FPS

 

Tribes 2 is my favourite game for several reasons:

• Its a FPS
  
• Its ALL Multiplayer
  
• Its futuristic
  
• Its unlike all other FPS games due to 3 deminsions.. (X,Y,Z)
  

[vandorssen]

Game: Final Fantasy VII

Genre: RPG

 

Call me sentimental, but this game truly has a special place in my gaming heart. This is the game that turned me on to computer/console gaming, and was, at first, the sole reason I got a Playstation. This is the first and only game to touch me on anything close to an emotional level. The final cut scene of Disc 1, where Sephiroth kills Aeris right in front of Cloud drives me to tears every time I see it. :bye:

 

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics were very good at the time; as good or better than most other games at the time. It also had the first instance (that I had seen, although there were others before it) of Computer Generated Full Motion Video (CG/FMV). In battle graphics were very good, but field graphics were a little lacking.

 

Sound: 9/10

The music track was memorable and is the staple of many an RPG fan’s MP3 or CD collection. Nobuo Uematsu’s well written, and more importantly, well timed orchestrations added greatly to the experience of playing the game. Some of the sound effects were overly simplified or monotonous, but generally good.

 

There is my little review for one of the better games made yet.

[dunmer_jediknight]

favourite game?

I would have to say silent hill (all three)

why? because as one reviewer wrote " it plays minor key symponies with your sanity". It has been one of the most desturbing gaming experences I have ever had! I have played all three and althou I have not beaten them ( I dont play games to beat them but to play them, it seems more fun that way) but in the cource of playing them I have noticed one thing that alot of games out there seem to lack. A real plot! SH2 would have made for a naile-bitter of a book, and SH1 most of the time had me useing all of the control buttens at once to stay alert! With SH3 I have just gotten it but I played it one night for two hours and althou I was only on the 2nd board I was truly scared ( maybe it was because i was in a dark room, at midnight, and tired) I was acually shakeing in fear! And loveing it!!!

[ohGr]

Favorite game eh?...hmm...ahh...i would have to go with Planescape : Torment.

 

its a game where your not dead, but not alive either, in a way, you could say undead, but that doesnt work considering theres no real death untill something is done.

You take the role of the nameless one, a man who died and woke up with a floating skull named morte next to him, he does not know how he died, who he is, or why he came back; he wakes up in a place known as the Mortuary, a place where mindless zombie workers and a group of people called "Dustmen" control the place, the game is like a cross with baldurs gate and fallout, its unfortunate that the screen resolution is dodgy (640x480) if you actually play the game, youll never notice that minor flaw.

 

The game lets you determine your beliefs as you begin playing, by talking to someone and offending them can make you a evil person, whereas doing chores here and then can boost it a bit, depending on your actions, the whole game can turn your way or upsidown, like morrowind in a sence, only you dont get 50 guards chasing you in slow motion.

 

to a conclusion, its a game you either like or hate, the decisions and things you can do might make you think of a baldurs gate clone, but remember, theres no crappy storyline, its a mature storyline and if your under the age of 13 you would not understand it at all, this is a game intended for an older audience, this doesnt stop younger people from playing it, and i give it a 9/10, why?...nothings perfect.

 

now if you excuse me, in 3 hours im going to go buy Painkiller :D