eFilmCritic

[Lurk]

OK so I just bought this kick ass new computer and I've decided, heaven help me, to finally cave in and get some video games. Unfortunately (and don't laugh... well ok you can laugh) the last thing I played was Mario kicking koopahs.

Naturally I thought of you folks.

So to start I was thinking I'd like to get two different types of games. One with lots of blood and copious amounts of gore, the more the better. I want exploding heads, spraying limbs, and the characters with cannibilistic tendencies. Something where I can annoy my neighbours with my constant screaming of "eat shit and die motherfucker", but it still has to be good of course.

Second something that requires intelligence, like puzzle solving, building something, riddles, historical background, etc. I guess not killing things.

Does this make sense? I don't know if I'm expressing myself well or not. I like fantasy and sci-fi genres, but I'm open to any suggestions.

Thanks guys

[Kand El]

For the gore spatter from a thinking man's perspective, you can't go wrong with Half Life- born for the PC, setting a new standard for first person shooters, this game is pretty much the ultimate in immersive gameplay for folks who want to be put into a hostile environment and kill every living thing in sight. Its also clever in that to advance to certain areas, you really have to intuitively pick your way through obstacles that require puzzle solving capability- but not enough to divert from the meat of the game. It also features very few cutscenes- to find out the plot you actually have to walk up to other characters and listen to them- no cutscenes- very clever and active, helluva lot of fun- I'm playing HL2 on the X-box now and desperately want to try out the first. Halo is on the PC now too- also fun, more cutscenes, less realistic, but equally engaging.

Another fun thing to try is real time strategy- be an armchair general and send legions of troops into battle to die or conquer at your whim. Lots of folks will push Warcraft which is the medieval version of this, me, I'm a Starcraft man- you can command three different races and the storyline and gameplay borrows very liberally from Aliens, Starship Troopers, and of course general carnage- but you have to use strategy as well. Sometimes well placed encampments and use of terrain as well as what strengths your army plays to can turn the tide of an overwhelming battle- and the fun thing is the game never plays the same way twice. Warcraft plays exactly the same way, but like I said, trade in pulse rifles and acid spittle for swords and raining hellfire. Just a matter of taste.


Those are my two picks for you to try- neither will break your bank either- hell you can get the entire Starcraft battle chest for 20 bucks. Warcraft is slightly more expensive because its new- Warcraft III that is- plus either can be played online against internet opponents, which adds another style of gameplay.

Hope you found this helpful.
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I am L. Pete Morton.

[y2mckay]

I hardly do any gaming on the PC anymore. I'm trying to think of some really gory shooters with lots of gibbing, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment. As far as shooters in general go, Halo is always a good standby, and the new Call of Duty 2 game kicks ass - probably the most intense and immersive shooter I've played to date. I played it on the 360, but I'm sure the PC version looks fantastic if you've got halfway decent hardware.

The one game I do still play on the computer is Command and Conquer Generals. If you look around you can find a bundled copy of that game and its "Zero Hour" expansion pack for 20-30 bucks. It's a fun building/resource gathering/realtime military strategy game that's hours of time wasting and life-sucking fun, and doesn't get bogged down with too much micro-management like the "Sims" or "Tycoon" style games.
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I shouldn't get high to come up with ideas. I should come up with ideas, and THEN get high, to reward myself!

[Oz]

Wait a second... you BUY frickin' PC games?

I haven't paid for a game on the PC since 2001, as part of my ongoing protest at the ridiculous cost involved, and the absurdly high number of bug-riddled stinkers on the market.

Not saying I wouldn't buy one if the price was decent and the game was grand, just it happens so rarely that I inevitably don't.

Additionally, if you go to an abandonware site like http://www.the-underdogs.org/, you can pick through the best games released up to about 2003, and download them for nada, since the majority of them are no longer being sold.
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[level80]

[level80]

[the Grinch]

Check out some of the LucasArts classics like LOOM, GRIM FANDANGO, Indiana Jones, and MONKEY ISLAND series. Those are just plain old great games.

Also recommend American McGee's 'ALICE', Bladerunner, Tron 2.0, Half Life, Diablo....been awhile, but good games are just good games, they're timeless.