Top 5 favorite PC games of all time?

[Nicereddy 109]

1. Team Fortress 2
2. Portal 2
3. Half-Life 2 (if you include the episodes)
4. Hotline Miami
5. Terraria

The Valve fanboyism is strong in this one.

[Miser 7]

1. Garry's Mod
2. Counter-Strike: Source
3. Portal
4. Battlefield 2142
5. Cave Story

    

I tried to choose games that came out on PC originally or were PC exclusive.

[Andytizer 269]

For some reason I've found it very difficult for me to get into the recent generation of 'sandbox' style games like Minecraft, Terraria, Garry's Mod. Philosophically I understand the appeal, but I don't understand why I can't seem to enjoy them.

 

Top 5 games for me:

 

1. Planescape: Torment

Pinnacle of RPG writing and mechanics.

 

2. Hotline Miami

Loved the mesh of story and addictive gameplay.

 

3. Quake 2

Spent much of my youth playing this fairly competitively in leagues - specifically the Rocket Arena 2 mod.

 

4. Team Fortress 2

Probably the game I've played the most of (apart from World of Warcraft), and I still have a lot to learn.

 

5. Fallout 2

An amazing game released in 1998, where every couple of years I will reinstall and complete the entire thing again. Nearly surpassed by New Vegas.

[Leovic 0]

I don't know how to order these from least favorite to the favorite game but my list is:

 

Neverwinter Nights with all expansions, The Longest Journey, Syberia, The Witcher 2, and Dragon Age: Ultimate Edition (a cop out so the expansion and the dlc's are included).

 

 

 

Now, I know this a top five list but I have to give an honorable mention for these games that filled my childhood with so much joy: Splinter Cell, Medieval: Total War (1 & 2), Mirror's Edge, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Fallout 3, Counter-Strike, Command and Conquer, AND Empire Earth.

[Dzsono 5]

In no particular order:

 

- Ultima VII

- Deus Ex

- Wing Commander: Privateer

- Mass Effect

- Fallout 2

 

Yes, I like RPGs :)

[Mendozacheers 4]

1. Half-Life 2

Simply because of it's impossible atmosphere.

 

2. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer this TES over Oblivion and Skyrim. Great immersive world to play in.

 

3. Half-Life

Yeah...

 

4. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

Probably the most played game of all time for me, especially with AOEIIHD out.

 

5. Halo: Combat Evolved

Mostly in the top 5 for how unique and beautiful that game was when it came, maybe not so much anymore.

[Pendragon 6]

Of all time?  Hard to say.  I think I might have listed some of my favorites on my profile.  For the moment, I'd say these:

 

SimCity - This game was a lot of fun, and was pretty much the model for simulation and strategy games to follow ever since, even now. 

 

Starcraft - It was all done before, but this game tied an excellent story with tight gameplay and design.  I still consider it the best RTS I've ever played.

 

Civilization (II, IV) - This game series took the management of SimCity, and made it grander.  Civ games has so much freedom and diversity, the only thing that comes close are the Paradox grand strategy games. 

 

Final Fantasy VII - Despite being a broken port, inferior to the original, this game changed me.  It was really the first PC RPG I took seriously. 

 

Dark Forces - Sure, Doom and Wolfenstein were there first, and were more popular.  And the graphics have aged horribly.  What hasn't is that Dark Forces went above being just another Doom clone, and took the 3D shoot-em-up and made it into puzzles to be solved, large areas to be explored, and it was truly 3D, meaning jumping and height were considered.  There's so many subtle revolutions in this one game that took Doom and its kin toward the modern FPS.  Jedi Knight pushed those further, with 3D acceleration, functional melee, and force powers, but it was all because of Dark Forces.

[-SambaL- 0]

#1 Half-Life series
Didn't want to turn it into a Half-Life top 5 so I thought i'd just combine them all together in first place because that's where i feel they all belong to me.
I bought the original Half-Life back in 1998 when it was released not exactly knowing what to expect apart from having read a raving review in a magazine. I Never was into Doom or Hexen that much, but after an hour into HL i was sold on (story driven) first person shooters, and man did Valve do that right with HL. I don't think any shooters has ever been able to top it story wise.
I did actually like the expansion Opposing Force a bit more because that time round i was able to play as one of the merciless soldiers who were send to put a lid on the whole disaster. This character switch was a very well thought out idea. Even the weaker and shorter Blue Shift didn't disappoint me. I just loved the whole story of HL so much that i welcomed the fact that i could see it from different angles. I simply thought it was brilliant.
When Half-Life 2 came out i was blown away yet again. The story, the graphics, it didn't disappoint. But even though it surpasses the original in many ways the original Half-Life will still come above it for me. Purely because it all began there for me. Plus, i liked the soldiers better than the combine troops. Shepard will be back though, mark my words. ;)
Looking forward to playing Black Mesa by the way. Half-Life source done properly.

 

 

#2 The Curse of Monkey Island
My love for point & click adventures started with this one. The first two i played when they remade them into special editions and they were just as good, if not better. Though the third monkey will always be my first monkey. Great artwork, hilarious dialog (Murray _O_ ) and challenging but very clever puzzles.
Sadly Lucas Arts is no more and apart from their point & click adventures there's not much else out their that can even come close to their quality of humor and puzzles. Luckily their's still Telltale who still have their occasional high notes, and people like Ron Gilbert and Tim Shafer who are still active.

 

 

#3 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

I've spend many hours exploring Tamriel, getting lost in it's wide and magical landscape, starting one quest and ending up in a cave somewhere with three more quest like a knight with ADHD. 
As a traveler i loved it. Any game that rewards you for going of the beaten track to explore does well in my book. Very impressive for a single player game.

 

#4 Call of Duty 1

I've always been fascinated by WWII, especially with the many battles fought. Band of Brothers is still one of my favorite television series today and Infinity Ward really nailed the drama and suspense of this war and what BoB portrait of it right on the head with the first CoD and it's expansion United Offensive. In a sense it was a history lesson as well as a dramatic on rail shooter.
I know Medal of Honor was their first, and even though they did a fine job as well they just didn't capture it as well as for me as Infinity Ward was able to. The online multiplayer back then was already pretty solid.

 

#5 Battlefield 2

The only series i will waste hours of my life on in online multyplayer is Battlefield and that started with BF2. Don't know how i got in to it but i did and i just kept coming back for more. I do like my weaponry and there was enough of that to be found  in BF2. Playing army, being part of a squad, tactically trying to secure a position, it does more for me than just going all out Rambo (though it can be fun at times) and BF did/does this well.
Have been playing BF:BC2 in recent years, which comes close, but is just not quite as hardcore as the original series. I haven't played BF3 yet however, let alone BF4, so i can't say if i will be just as happy with them but it seems to look the part.

[Alvr 0]

• Team Fortress 2.

NFS: Underground 2/Most Wanted.

Killing Floor.

Mark of the Ninja.

Portal 2.

[Suicide machine 54]

Top 5 PC games... k. I can do something about it... no Dark Souls, however... or pretty much any other ported game.

 

#5 - STALKER - Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)

I still think, this game should have been more successful than it was. From all of the STALKER games, Shadow of Chernobyl I remember the best for offering the most immersive world, most interesting quests and the best storyline from all of the Stalker games. I remember waiting years for it to be released (that's how long it was in development) and while it never really delivered on all of the promises and many critics, criticised it for lacking cars and other elements that used to be there previously, I found almost anything that was cut an actual improvement. It was also one of the first games, that I tested after getting my 3rd PC - imagine a migration from Intel Celeron 1,0GHz, 256MB RAM, GF 6200a to a machine actually capable of handling Stalker at playable framerate with full dynamic lighting - I loved watching these dynamic shadows back then... and they still amaze me with the quality, that many modern games like COD, Assassin's Creed and many others have problems matching. And let me remind you - this wasn't just sun casting shadows of simplistic buildings and some trees. At night, Stalkers were using their flash-lights - each one casting its own shadow... which was especially impressive in tunnels. That lighting... great enemy AI, actually capable of surrounding player in group and that heavy atmosphere of area near Chernobyl - it just felt so great. It still does. And the game stands as a great example of what PC games can do. And then came mods - improved shaders, parallax mapping... just wow.

 

#4 - Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven (2002)

There is something of hipster in me. Maybe it's just biology keeping the balance in nature. If something gets incredibily popular or hate - you can almost always see me supporting the hated side... or at least not that popular side. It's now like this with COD and BF, where I tend to lean towards COD side.. and it used to be like this years ago, when Mafia was released and most of people I know used to call it a bad rip of of GTA Vice City (for some reason?). And while Vice City was no doubt bigger - I found Mafia far more technologically impressive. A game with great atmosphere, extremely well directed cutscenes, great storyline, great setting... amazing music. It's kind of sad that story-wise Mafia II didn't really lived up to expectations.

 

#3 - Deus Ex (2000)

This is a weird one, because... for a long time I wasn't able to get over the clunky game mechanics this game has. I had this game since like 2002 and I finished it until 2011, when I decided to bite to grit my teeth and play through the entire game from beginning to end, about a week before the release of Human Revolution. All because, I thought - it wouldn't be respectful for oldschool fans, if I just came out of nowhere saying that Human Revolution is near flawless or that is sucks... turns out - I kind of sunk into Deus Ex. Yeah, it's always going to be a game, which I'm going to criticise for its gameplay mechanics, especially shooting... but the atmosphere and making decisions that affect events of a game based on action, instead of player dialogue choice - this always inspired me... and there is just so much of it in Deus Ex... so much! If there is anyone on the edge - seriously, grit your teeth as well and playthrough Deus Ex - it's so worth it!

 

 

#2 - Thief: The Dark Project (1998) & Thief II: The Metal Age (2000)

These are actually 2 games, but I just don't want to distinct between them, which one is better. It's not even that I'm a hardcore stealth fan - I found Splinter Cell games incredibility frustrating. I literally picked Thief 5 years ago for like 20PLN ($6,40) and after dealing with some compatibility issues and awkward controls, I quickly realized - I kind of sinking into it. As for such an old game, Thief and Thief II give a surprisingly impression of movement... but that alone would be nothing, if the game level design didn't allow to utilize it properly... and with some pretty big levels Thief has, with multiple paths and tools allowing you to reach the target - this one is just so fun to experiment with. Add to this great character of Garrett, which always when it's needed has something to say - but never speaks too much and multiple cool characters in this surprisingly dark world. It's not like I've spent much time playing them - but what I spent playing them was just so memorable. And don't even get me started on NuThief...

 

#1 - System Shock 2 (1999)

Oh man. System Shock 2. Let's just say, when I used to have a small forum with friends one day, I decided to write an article explaining precisely, why I love this game - from most obvious facts, down right to it's very minor mechanics... when I finished, it turned out what I wrote was 12 pages long... 26 if you count images, I added to it. Yup. And really, when you think about it - a game that combines FPS with RPG... and that has horror elements. Ambitious... but it just works so well. This was a game, which made me a fan of Stephen Russell and if you think about it - this is a game, which could only work so well on PC. It has great atmosphere, decent enough gameplay mechanics (it inherits a lot of movement mechanics from Thief after all), cool soundtrack, great level design (well, except some elements at the end). Having played it for the first time in 2006, I was hoping for a long time one day it's going to be brought to Steam, so I don't have to play some copy I found on abadonware site. When I saw it popping up on Steam - I bought it immediately.

 

And... oh crap - I just spent way too much time writing something, I really shouldn't have. But oh well - it's just me. Too bad it's 4:32am and I should be sleeping for an hour and a half already.... crap.

Ps. Sorry, I don't have time to recheck what I wrote.... I guess there's going to be plenty mistakes.

[-SambaL- 0]

#5 - STALKER - Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)

I still think, this game should have been more successful than it was. From all of the STALKER games, Shadow of Chernobyl I remember the best for offering the most immersive world, most interesting quests and the best storyline from all of the Stalker games. I remember waiting years for it to be released (that's how long it was in development) and while it never really delivered on all of the promises and many critics, criticised it for lacking cars and other elements that used to be there previously...

 

A very ambitious shooter indeed by a small unknown developer somewhere in the Ukraine and i too was looking forward to it back then after seeing the first trailers. I found it hard to get into though when i started it. It was very rough around the edges, plagued by many bugs and glitches, and i almost gave up after the first two hours too to tell you the truth because it is also a very unforgiving game, especially in the beginning when you start out with basically nothing while (good) weapons and ammunition are hard to come by. Going to one of the first bandit outposts down the road with a knife and a rusty old handgun and a hand full of bullets just got me a one way ticket to the save and load game screen. Over and over did i try it everytime getting a bit farther into their compound and everytime getting my ass handed to me, either because i ran out of bullets or because they came from all directions armed with sawed off shotguns. I really was about to call it quits after that but i'm glad i gave it one last chance after that because once you do get through that tough beginning you'll start getting better gear and better arms and that's when the real fun begins. Best thing i remember from STALKER were the amazing shootouts to be had. They were challenging yet fun at the same time because as you mentioned, the AI was really good. And the fact that weapons could jam or break at any moment and ammo being scarce just added to the difficulty and realism. And as i remember it, it was the same for the enemy, wasn't it?

STALKER wasn't perfect but it sure gave me a hell of a good time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#1 - System Shock 2 (1999)

Oh man. System Shock 2. Let's just say, when I used to have a small forum with friends one day, I decided to write an article explaining precisely, why I love this game - from most obvious facts, down right to it's very minor mechanics... when I finished, it turned out what I wrote was 12 pages long... 26 if you count images, I added to it. Yup. And really, when you think about it - a game that combines FPS with RPG... and that has horror elements. Ambitious... but it just works so well. This was a game, which made me a fan of Stephen Russell...

 

I downloaded it via Good Old Games not too long ago. Glad i did too because you get an install.exe instead of a Steam integration and that makes modding so much easier, and the game does need a couple of good mods to make it more hospitable. I'm a first time player you see. And i'm not talking any game changing mods or changing the odds or anything, just higher resolution textures, nicer effects, redesigned hud and inventory making it a lot more user friendly, that kind of thing. Worked really well, gave the somewhat dated game a good polish. Excellent modding community behind it i have to say

[Andytizer 269]

#1 - System Shock 2 (1999)

Oh man. System Shock 2. Let's just say, when I used to have a small forum with friends one day, I decided to write an article explaining precisely, why I love this game - from most obvious facts, down right to it's very minor mechanics... when I finished, it turned out what I wrote was 12 pages long... 26 if you count images, I added to it.

 

I want to read this 26 page long thread, is it still around? :)

[Suicide machine 54]

I want to read this 26 page long thread, is it still around? :)

Technically, I should have a backup of PHP Fusion database somewhere on my DVDs. Problem is - it was in Polish and I'm not seeing myself translating it now :P

[Rebecca 0]

Ah top 5 PC Games, that would be really hard to say but right now these are my top 5.They are in no particular order and I have included series because its so hard to mention single games :p Also most of them are my favorites because of the people I played them with :)

 

Commandos Series

I had a blast playing this game when it first came out. The way it blended simple game play and strategy made me fall in love with :) Commanding a group of commandos to infiltrate the Germans which focusing on stealth and tactics mainly be sneaking around brings a smile to my face :)

 

Team Fortress 2

I have been playing this for a long time but cant seem to get enough and I still have so much to learn.

 

Left4Dead 2

Love playing this zombie shooter with lights off with my friends :D

 

Sims Series

Love this simulation game where you can do pretty much everything you in real life but don't have equally as much consequences :)

 

Skyrim

Love this huge rpg game where I am still in the process of creating my hero in the huge open world it offers.

[-SambaL- 0]

Commandos Series

I had a blast playing this game when it first came out. The way it blended simple game play and strategy made me fall in love with :) Commanding a group of commandos to infiltrate the Germans which focusing on stealth and tactics mainly be sneaking around brings a smile to my face :)

Recently got the first 3 for cheap from GoG and they still hold up pretty well even though being more then a decade old. 

I remember being blown away back then by the first one but also finding the gameplay extremely challenging, so much so that i gave up after a while and went back to "simpler" things.

Revisiting them now, so many years later, i find it a lot easier, while still having the feeling of being challenged. You get a real sense of accomplishment when you finish a mission successfully.

I reckon that with age i jgrew more patient and such, as one does with most things.