Which single player PC game would you recommend?

[Sea Dragon]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a single player game; I've been casting a beady eye at Splinter Cell, but I'm open to ideas. Here's a few games that I've enjoyed recently (and not so recently).

System Shock 2 (One of my favorite games ever.)
No One Lives Forever 2
Undying
Fallout 2 (My favorite game ever.... I love the true turn based combat !)
Master of Magic
Golden Sun (Gameboy Advance)


I'm a real sucker for a horror / sci-fi FPS, but I get sick of the cigar-chomping tough-guy marines-soldier-type-characters; would rather play a weak/unpredictable protaganist than an I'm-such-a-badass character. (Thus a bit of reticence for splinter cell.)

I also love true-turn based combat - fallout 1 and 2, etc.

I didn't care for Morrowind (despised the combat system) or Warcraft III very much, if that helps for suggesting titles. Games with compelling stories and interesting character development are always welcome.

Oh, and has anyone here played Age of Wonders 2 ? I tried to play the first one, but couldn't stand the itsy-bitsy monster graphics - even on my 19 inch monitor, at 640x480, my earth elementals looked like 6 pixel high dog turds (I'm more of a fan of septerra core / Heroes of Might and Magic 2 size beasts - I'd much rather fight monsters than health bars!) Are the beasts bigger?

Thanks for your input!

[Troy S Goodfellow]

Well, you didn't metion Grand Strategy RTS, but I'll throw my two cents in.

Europa Universalis II

If you've mastered the hardest difficulty before, try the latest patch. It's a killer on single player. Army maintenance costs are much higher. It's a bit of a cheat, but worth the trouble.

Troy

[wumpus]

Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Dragon!

For the Apple //, of course. Ah, the early days of voice sampling.

[Alan Au]

Have you played Deus Ex yet? How about the Thief games? Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but you might also try The Longest Journey or something more adventure-y.

As for AoW2, it's much better than the first. both visually and in terms of gameplay. The single-player campaign can be a bit tricky though, as you often start missions with nothing and tackle AI opponents with pre-built empires.

- Alan

[Jim Preston]

Have you had a chance to play Mafia or Freedom Force?

[DrCrypt]

An answer to your question: monsters can be suitably big, especially if you zoom in closer than default, and the animations in the game are wonderful. Also, like Optimus Prime, Age of Wonders 2 is one of the only games out there that can transform itself into a totally different kind of game! That little sultry shimmy the nymphs make seconds before they irrevocably steal your level 24 hero by flashing their vagina at him is just one of many great moments in AoW2, especially when you use the zoom feature in conjunction with the pause key to transform Age of Wonders 2 from a turn-based fantasy strategy game to a gynecology simulator. Its something like the Fantastic Voyage meets The Varginha Incident 3. Thumbs up!

[Ben Sones]

Have you ever played Jagged Alliance 2? The Gold edition sells for $19.99, and if you liked the sort of combat (and non-linear game structure) that Fallout has, you'll probably like JA2 as well.

[Desslock]

Have you ever played Jagged Alliance 2? The Gold edition sells for $19.99, and if you liked the sort of combat (and non-linear game structure) that Fallout has, you'll probably like JA2 as well.

Another vote for JA2. If Fallout 2 is your favourite game, you should definitely get JA2.

[Rodvik]

Have you ever played Jagged Alliance 2? The Gold edition sells for $19.99, and if you liked the sort of combat (and non-linear game structure) that Fallout has, you'll probably like JA2 as well.

Another vote for JA2. If Fallout 2 is your favourite game, you should definitely get JA2.

Another vote for JA2

[Kool Moe Dee]

Have you ever played Jagged Alliance 2? The Gold edition sells for $19.99, and if you liked the sort of combat (and non-linear game structure) that Fallout has, you'll probably like JA2 as well.

Another vote for JA2. If Fallout 2 is your favourite game, you should definitely get JA2.

Another vote for JA2

Ditto, great suggestion. You can probably get the Gold version for even cheaper than that, nowadays. (assuming you can find it)

[Andrew Mayer]

With the list that you presented here Freedom Force is a no-brainer...

Stop Time combat, great storyline, by the creators of Shock 2, cool RPG elements, etc. etc. etc.

[Aki]

You can't go wrong with JA2 if you like turn-based combat. Having not played Fallout Tactics, I can't say first hand, but most people I know say JA2 is far superior to FT... this coming from Fallout fans.

Another game I haven't seen recommended yet is Medieval Total War. The 3d tactical combat is among the best I've seen. The strategy part of the game is a lot like Risk or Axis and Allies.

[Veloxi]

Splinter Cell is an excellent game, as are the Thief games. I can also vouch for JA2, another fantastic game. Other excellent SP games include Morrowind, Wizardry 8, Freedom Force, Warlords Battlecry II, Tropico, Rails Accross America, Disciples II, Age of Wonders II, and so many more. Good luck!

[DaveC]

I enjoyed NOLF 2, some people complained it was too short but that's not always a downside. It felt just about right to me.

[Captain Cookiepants]

I'm actually waiting for 'Harbinger' to come out, looks pretty good.

[Supertanker]

No One Lives Forever 2
Undying
* * *
I'm a real sucker for a horror / sci-fi FPS, but I get sick of the cigar-chomping tough-guy marines-soldier-type-characters; would rather play a weak/unpredictable protaganist than an I'm-such-a-badass character.

Have you played the original NOLF? Might be worth a try, and should be cheap these days. How about Medal of Honor: Allied Assault?

[mudpuppy]

Have you played the original NOLF? Might be worth a try, and should be cheap these days.

Might be? Might be? Blasphemy! 'tanker, I have half a mind to drive over there right now and whack you with a wet noodle :)

Or is it just, 'tanker, I have half a mind? :)

(EDIT: formatting)

[Supertanker]

Might be? Might be? Blasphemy! 'tanker, I have half a mind to drive over there right now and whack you with a wet noodle :)

Or is it just, 'tanker, I have half a mind? :)

I think both are correct. :D

I should have put a more complete thought down, as what I meant was "Go play the original NOLF if you haven't already." Some of the game mechanics (like the neverending alarms) might seem odd if the player had already played NOLF2.

[rhett]

Deus Ex, definately.

[Andrew Mayer]

So, after all the Deus Ex cheering I finally installed that copy my friend lent me.
So much for this evening.

There's something nice about playing a game after it has fallen behind the technology curve, isn't there? Plays smooth like silk...


http://www.levelupdesign.com/gamelog

[Supertanker]

If you must play Deus Ex, you'll need these:

OMM's walkthrough of the demo (http://web.archive.org/web/20000711041254/www.oldmanmurray.com/features/deusex_walkthru/page1.shtml).

Tom Chick's famous negative review (http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/zones/reviews/pc/jun00/deusex.html). I just noticed that it has a "Second Opinion" link near the top.

[Kool Moe Dee]

If you must play Deus Ex, you'll need these:

OMM's walkthrough of the demo (http://web.archive.org/web/20000711041254/www.oldmanmurray.com/features/deusex_walkthru/page1.shtml).

Tom Chick's famous negative review (http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/zones/reviews/pc/jun00/deusex.html). I just noticed that it has a "Second Opinion" link near the top.

And once you've beaten the game, read this (http://www.it-he.org/deus.htm).

[Anonymous]

Holy crap! These past couple years I've been hearing nothing but gushing praise from a few friends of mine about how wonderful and brilliant Deus Ex was. I've felt really guilty for never taking their advice and jumping aboard to play it despite all their constant cooing.

After reading that scathing review Tom posted though...well I'm almost glad I never caved in. Or maybe he's just nuts, or my friends are nuts. I think we're all a bit nuts.

So seriously, with problems that he raises, it almost seems illogical so many would fall in love with a game such as this. Or maybe everyone went a bit loco over the ability to get from Point A to Point B in three different ways of approach all the while being forcefed a plotline that asks more questions than it answers, and all the wonderful stat raising in between.

Actually that concept sounds pretty cool, but considering my interest in ever actually playing Deus Ex was hovering by a loose thread surviving only by good word of mouth, Tom's review was like a pair of scissors that chopped several large incissions to insure I not only come close to installing the game, but be extremely cautious of anything brazing the Deus Ex insignia in the future!

Any games you DO like Tom? We all know MoO3 certainly didn't make your list.

[Jim Preston]

Holy crap! These past couple years I've been hearing nothing but gushing praise from a few friends of mine about how wonderful and brilliant Deus Ex was. I've felt really guilty for never taking their advice and jumping aboard to play it despite all their constant cooing...Tom's review was like a pair of scissors that chopped several large incissions to insure I not only come close to installing the game, but be extremely cautious of anything brazing the Deus Ex insignia in the future!

Instead of letting your friends do your thinking for your or Tom do your thinking for you, why don't you just install the game, play it, and decide for yourself? (And then you can come back here and join the rest of us in disagreeing with Tom. :wink: )

[Guido Jones]

I can see Tom's points about Deus Ex - the game could have been a lot more than it was, and the stealth aspects of the game were quite inadequate when compared to a game like Thief 2. His article is more or less correct - the AI sucked, you had to forage for gear even at the beginning of the game as a government agent, and you could take weapons and or items from people without them bating an eye lash. Oh and the dreaded crate hunt.

I think he's a bit harsh on the game overall though - Deux Ex can be fun, but it's hardly the second coming of FPS's that some people seem to give it credit for.

Oh and Splinter Cell rocks - seems to be a lot like Thief from what I can tell so far.

[Slothrop]

If you're a sucker for horror/sci-fi and love turn-based combat--you haven't missed out on X-Com have you?

[Anonymous]

And once you've beaten the game, read this (http://www.it-he.org/deus.htm).


LOL! Thanks, hadn't seen that one.