The Games Everyone Should Play Before They Die

[fishburger67]

I ran across the video posted below today and thought it might be fun to get everyone else's opinion on the matter.  The list below has 13 entries, but yours can have as many or as few as you like.   After a few days, I'll compile a list.  With the dearth of compelling games coming out this year, this topic seems particularly relevant.

 

For me, here is my list:

 

1.  Red Dead Redemption 2

I did not put this first because it is my personal best (although it is close to the top).  I put it first because it is a game I would not have played normally.  I just couldn't see myself playing a cowboy game.  However, a friend talked me into it and and it has become one of my two or three most favorite games ever and one I think everyone should play before they die.  It is a masterpiece of art in many forms.  For those of you who don't like to come out of your normal bubble of fantasy or post-apocalyptic or whatever your favorite genre is, this one might just cause you to expand your horizons as it did me.

 

2.  Mass Effect (the series)

Guess I don't have to say much here, but it too is a masterpiece of story-telling.

 

3.  Cyberpunk 2077

Maybe my favorite games of all time even though it too is not normally my cup of tea.  A great story, great music and great artwork.

 

4.  Skyrim

Could have put Oblivion or Fallout 3/4 or Morrowwind, but RPGs in my experience do not get any better than this.

 

5.  World of Warcraft

I too added this because I have never gotten the feeling of accomplishment from any other game as I have with this getting together with your guild on a weekend and trying again and again to defeat a boss and then finally doing it.

 

6.  Myst

One of the greatest puzzle games of all time in my view.  This game will stick in my head until I die.

 

7.  Thief

Not the greatest game of all, but the sounds and atmosphere that Looking Glass created in this game is unsurpassed.  I will never forget skulking around and being scared by every noise.

 

 

I like many games and have replayed many of them many times, but these in particular stick in my head as masterpieces of game-making.

 

Here is the video that got me thinking about this.

 

 

[Evaloves4]

> Nice suggestions. So far I agree with you about two games: ME and Skyrim. I hated Warcraft. Cinematics were great, but the game wasn't IMO. I don't know many females who loved it too. In the same time, please, accept my apology for negative comment. I respect your your selection.

[steelpanther24]

28 minutes ago, Evaloves4 said:

> Nice suggestions. So far I agree with you about two games: ME and Skyrim. I hated Warcraft. Cinematics were great, but the game wasn't IMO. I don't know many females who loved it too. In the same time, please, accept my apology for negative comment. I respect your your selection.

 

 

Too bad you didn't come over to Evercrack...err I mean Everquest.    Yep  I am one of those.   Or Star Wars Galaxies before the new game enhancements.

 

The OPs list is a pretty good one, and I think for the most part it could be titled "great games".     Absolutely RDR2 is awesome (never finished the epilogue), and judging by the time spent in game, FO4 is clearly my favorite.

 

However, one interesting thing is there is such a diverse range of games that it makes any list seem incomplete.  For example, Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space is a super tough game ....on purpose, as it shows you how hard it was to get to the moon and the extreme chances we took to get there.   For a science type guy like me, it stays on my hard drive, even though it is a 1994 (?) era game.   However, I digress.

 

What surprised me was that a game like "the Witcher" wasn't on there.     That said, here are my games you must play before dying.

 

1. RDR2

2. Civ V or Tropico 4 (or most any before those as these are great planning games)

3. Buzz Aldrins Race into Space

4. The Witcher

5. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (or Black Flag, but the history in Odyssey is to the point that it would have made reading Homer's "The Iliad" much easier in High School)

6. This war of Mine (survive living in a war time environment when you are not a solider)

7. Mass Effect (I never played one, but got the "choose your own adventure" dlc so I can pretend I played ME 1)

[Evaloves4]

49 minutes ago, steelpanther24 said:

 

 

Too bad you didn't come over to Evercrack...err I mean Everquest.    Yep  I am one of those.   Or Star Wars Galaxies before the new game enhancements.

 

The OPs list is a pretty good one, and I think for the most part it could be titled "great games".     Absolutely RDR2 is awesome (never finished the epilogue), and judging by the time spent in game, FO4 is clearly my favorite.

 

However, one interesting thing is there is such a diverse range of games that it makes any list seem incomplete.  For example, Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space is a super tough game ....on purpose, as it shows you how hard it was to get to the moon and the extreme chances we took to get there.   For a science type guy like me, it stays on my hard drive, even though it is a 1994 (?) era game.   However, I digress.

 

What surprised me was that a game like "the Witcher" wasn't on there.     That said, here are my games you must play before dying.

 

1. RDR2

2. Civ V or Tropico 4 (or most any before those as these are great planning games)

3. Buzz Aldrins Race into Space

4. The Witcher

5. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (or Black Flag, but the history in Odyssey is to the point that it would have made reading Homer's "The Iliad" much easier in High School)

6. This war of Mine (survive living in a war time environment when you are not a solider)

7. Mass Effect (I never played one, but got the "choose your own adventure" dlc so I can pretend I played ME 1)

> I am with you about Tropico and the Witcher, but only 2 and 3.

[xboronx]

1. Europa Universalis 4

2. Hearts of Iron 4

3. Skyrim

4. Dominions 5

5. Total War: Warhammer 3 (Mortal Empires Campaign)

6. Mech Warrior Online

7. Battletech (with Roguetech mod)

8. Wargame Red Dragon

 

I know, i am quite a Paradox addict and love grand strategy games in general. Very noteworthy oldies are Panzer General and Master of Orion 2, too bad they never got a good remake since they are from 1994 and 1996.

Still longing for a good WW1 grand strategy game.

[belegost]

Tetris.

[Vinamael]

1.  TMNT 1 for NES

2.  Diablo 1

3.  Diablo 2

4.  Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

5.  Everquest

6.  Skyrim

7.  Ghostbusters(2009)

8.  Battletoads NES

9.  South Park: Stick of Truth

10.  Ori and the Blind Forest

[dagobaking]

I tried to stick to the theme of the video (surprisingly fun, unique at the time).

 

So, left out several entire genres (arcade stand-ups, NES-era cartridge games, BBS games) or the list could easily be 3x larger.

 

Civilization V

Crusader Kings II

Madden NFL 22

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rimworld

Skyrim

Baldur's Gate II

Saints Row III

Stardew Valley

Subnautica

Wasteland 2

Mechforce

Pirates! Gold

Populous

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Mass Effect 2

Counterstrike

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare

Alan Wake

 

[fishburger67]

18 hours ago, steelpanther24 said:

Absolutely RDR2 is awesome (never finished the epilogue), and judging by the time spent in game, FO4 is clearly my favorite.

FO4 is one I replay a lot too.  Lots of people call it crap, but it is fun every few months, especially now with nothing compelling.

[fishburger67]

18 hours ago, Evaloves4 said:

I hated Warcraft

I used to hate grinding for gear in warcraft.  What I LOVED was the time with guild mates conquering some bad ass boss that you worked your ass off on.  No other game gave or gives me that feeling.  Other than that, I agree with you except that maybe a third of our guild mates were female.

[Mr. Otaku]

Oh this is interesting, there are tons of games that i think are must plays but i'll write down a short one off the top of my head.

 

1. NFS: Most Wanted 2005

2. NFS: Pro Street

3. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Absolute masterpiece)

4. Skyrim

5. Spec Ops: The Line

6. Halo 1-3

7. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

8. Call Of Duty: Black Ops 1-2

9. GTA SanAndreas

10. GTA 5/Online

 

They're in no particular order since i love them all. There are more games but i think a list of 10 is sufficient for now.

 

[steelpanther24]

14 hours ago, dagobaking said:

I tried to stick to the theme of the video (surprisingly fun, unique at the time).

 

So, left out several entire genres (arcade stand-ups, NES-era cartridge games, BBS games) or the list could easily be 3x larger.

 

Civilization V

Crusader Kings II

Madden NFL 22

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rimworld

Skyrim

Baldur's Gate II

Saints Row III

Stardew Valley

Subnautica

Wasteland 2

Mechforce

Pirates! Gold

Populous

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Mass Effect 2

Counterstrike

Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare

Alan Wake

 

 

 

LOL, CKII is one of my tops but mainly because of your mods!  It was a pity that you and Locksley couldn't come to an amenable  arrangement.  Still miss of of her stuff (that she modded off of your stuff).   

 

That brings up a good point on this list.   There is a big difference between non modded games and modded games, as Cyberpunk is up there with my list because of some of the awesome immersive mods out there.   Also there are several games I saw mentioned that make think "Of course, how could I have forgotten that great one"  like Pirates, Populous, Tetris and Diablo 2. 

[Evaloves4]

4 hours ago, fishburger67 said:

I used to hate grinding for gear in warcraft.  What I LOVED was the time with guild mates conquering some bad ass boss that you worked your ass off on.  No other game gave or gives me that feeling.  Other than that, I agree with you except that maybe a third of our guild mates were female.

> The graphic and the look of the game characters annoyed me . I tried to play that game because everywhere I go people constantly talked about excellency of Warcraft. Well, it didn't impress me.

[dagobaking]

On 8/30/2022 at 3:43 PM, steelpanther24 said:

LOL, CKII is one of my tops but mainly because of your mods!  It was a pity that you and Locksley couldn't come to an amenable  arrangement.  Still miss of of her stuff (that she modded off of your stuff).

 

I think it's a case of mistaken identity. Because I haven't modded CKII. Fallout 4 is the game I've modded. Which, ironically, did not make my list!

 

On 8/30/2022 at 3:43 PM, steelpanther24 said:

That brings up a good point on this list.   There is a big difference between non modded games and modded games, as Cyberpunk is up there with my list because of some of the awesome immersive mods out there.   Also there are several games I saw mentioned that make think "Of course, how could I have forgotten that great one"  like Pirates, Populous, Tetris and Diablo 2. 

 

Mods definitely make a difference. I think they will play a bigger role in games going into the future as well. It's a winning business model for studios to keep their games in the market for years.

 

I had fun remembering those games. And it was very tempting to add about 50 others. But, I thought that might be a bit self indulgent. :)

[steelpanther24]

20 hours ago, dagobaking said:

 

I think it's a case of mistaken identity. Because I haven't modded CKII. Fallout 4 is the game I've modded. Which, ironically, did not make my list!

 

 

Yes....  I get confused easily.  I was mixing you and @dewguru.     However, I (and almost every other FO4 player who mods) use your mod. 

 

21 hours ago, dagobaking said:

I had fun remembering those games. And it was very tempting to add about 50 others. But, I thought that might be a bit self indulgent.

 

As we get older, our list gets longer.    I even enjoyed Playboy:The Mansion, but can't get it to work on Windows 10 so..... ah well  just memories.

[fishburger67]

8 hours ago, steelpanther24 said:

 

Yes....  I get confused easily.  I was mixing you and @dewguru.     However, I (and almost every other FO4 player who mods) use your mod. 

 

 

As we get older, our list gets longer.    I even enjoyed Playboy:The Mansion, but can't get it to work on Windows 10 so..... ah well  just memories.

Speaking of getting older, I really enjoyed Leisure Suit Larry.

[dagobaking]

On 9/1/2022 at 3:24 PM, steelpanther24 said:

As we get older, our list gets longer.    I even enjoyed Playboy:The Mansion, but can't get it to work on Windows 10 so..... ah well  just memories.

 

Hah! I can't say that I ever played that one.

[RohZima]

I like to escape from reality so I like RPG. I can't play games I dislike the gameplay style for (Witcher 3, Dead Souls).

 

Remember the list is "before you die" and not just some cool games.

 

In no order:

 

Oblivion, Fallout3/NV, Skyrim, Fallout 4

FF 10 and 12 (I can't play older ones cause of graphics).

Nier... Just because...

MGS Snake eater.

SOMA

I haven't played "Forgotten City" the game but if it's as good as the mod then that.

 

Games I am going to try if I ever have time:

 

The last of us 2 and RDR2

 

EDIT: Just to mention I hate assassins creed. The camera rolling makes me sick, the anachronistic writing makes me sick. It is very beautiful but I can't play it because of those things.

Edited September 4, 2022 by RohZima

[steelpanther24]

9 hours ago, RohZima said:

 

Remember the list is "before you die" and not just some cool games.

 

In no order:

 

Oblivion, Fallout3/NV, Skyrim, Fallout 4

 

 

Hmm, I think most normal people will need 4 lifetimes to finish just those four games.  I am an avid FO4 gamer (over 4000 hours) and have never even gotten past 50%.   I have finished FONV though (Mr. House takes over ending).

[b00tyblues]

On 8/29/2022 at 11:29 PM, Vinamael said:

1.  TMNT 1 for NES

2.  Diablo 1

3.  Diablo 2

4.  Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

5.  Everquest

6.  Skyrim

7.  Ghostbusters(2009)

8.  Battletoads NES

9.  South Park: Stick of Truth

10.  Ori and the Blind Forest

 

+1 to Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps. Both have absolutely magical, ghibli-like art direction, compelling yet simple storytelling, and have some of the most polished and rewarding gameplay mechanics. Also Hollow Knight is up there too in terms of good metroidvanias with beautiful art direction. Though HK is much more punishing than Ori (it advertises itself as a souls-like and a metroidvania), so it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

 

But I always recommend games with great art direction, especially 2D platformers/metroidvanias because they sort of encapsulate what people picture when they think of video games. Both Ori and HK I would absolutely recommend for anyone's game library, but especially the two Ori games because they have appropriate difficulty settings for both experienced and casual gamers, and are wonderful experiences that are definitely memorable

[Atrocide]

Non-specific order:

1. Fallout 2 (F1 is great too, especially the story)

2. Going Medieval (Rimworld in medieval times meets Minecraft)

3. Crusader Kings 2, preferably with lewd mods. (and pretty much anything else Paradox puts out is great)

4. Space Empires IV&V (best space 4x sims ever).

5. Barotrauma (simply hilarious in multiplayer and symphony of self-destruction in SP)

6. Rimworld (cannibal-dread-fortress of doom and you will never go hungry again)

7. Project Zomboid (best z-survival builder across the board, now also with pixelated nude-mod).

8. Kerbal Space Program (unique experience of frustration when you spend hundreds of hours building a space-plane only to see it crash every single time).

9. EVE Online (Zeesus Cristos! Who the fck stole my spaceship this time?)

10. Any version of ELITE (Frontier being my favorite)

11. BATTLETECH! With Roguetech.

12. Shadow Empire (one of the best empire-builders ever).

13. Distant Worlds 2 (best modern 4x game with free warping to any systems on range, unlike the other games in the genre)

14. Mount & Blade: Bannerlord preferably with lewd mods. This game is simply a game and has atleast six subgames inside the game (arena plus board games).

15. Original Wolfenstein 3D / DOOM (just to see how crappy 3d games used to be and from where they have come).

16. Dying Light Enhanced Edition (to see where 3D genre has gone and because it has the best and most innovative movement system ever).

17. Silent Hunter 4 (everything in it is still magnificent, except graphics).

18. Hearts of Iron 4 (preferably before railways, best WW2 strategy).

19. Cities Skylines (best city-designing sim to date).

20. Kenshi (this game is simply magnificent and has it all, gore, nudity, RPG and a free builder).

21. Planescape Torment (this game is just too sad not to play and the companions are simply epic).

 

Could mention many, many more and I probably even now forgot something...

[FauxFurry]

[coldheartzero]

Arcanum, of Steamworks and Magic Obscura

 

Original Baldur's Gate 1 & 2

 

Planescape; Torment

 

Fallout 1 & 2

 

Imperium Galactica 2

 

Masters of Orion 2

 

Carnage Heart

 

Final Fantasy 7 and 4 (the one with Kefka as the villian)

 

Cyberpunk 2077 AND THE ORIGINAL PEN AND PAPER Cyberpunk game. Friday Night Fire Fight rules is one of the best rule sets I've ever used for games with guns.

 

Only thing I can think off off the top of my head.

[Master_Marsan]

I've made note of and looked at some of these I've never heard of before so thanks for starting this thread!!!

 

also throwing some of my all time favs in the mix

 

1. Pretty much any thing made by Sierra in order of greatness Hero's Quest, Police Quest, Kings Quest, Space Quest - i think these are to blame for my love of rpgs lol

2. The Sims (The best is Sims 2, Castaway, The Urbz , and Medieval) I love Sims 4 but it ain't great lol (modding is top notch though)

3. Dragon's Dogma is a lovable mess but worth a play

4. Dragon Age (not sure which one i liked best)

5. Pretty much any Dynasty Warriors except 9

6. Darkseed (but mostly cuz of all the H R Giger Art lol)

 

7. Modded FO4 (i could have had a marriage that lasted less than the time i've spent in that game lol)

Are they any single player rpg games like FO4 with a settlement building system that's similar?

 

 

[coldheartzero]

On 9/29/2022 at 6:02 PM, Master_Marsan said:

I've made note of and looked at some of these I've never heard of before so thanks for starting this thread!!!

 

also throwing some of my all time favs in the mix

 

1. Pretty much any thing made by Sierra in order of greatness Hero's Quest, Police Quest, Kings Quest, Space Quest - i think these are to blame for my love of rpgs lol

2. The Sims (The best is Sims 2, Castaway, The Urbz , and Medieval) I love Sims 4 but it ain't great lol (modding is top notch though)

3. Dragon's Dogma is a lovable mess but worth a play

4. Dragon Age (not sure which one i liked best)

5. Pretty much any Dynasty Warriors except 9

6. Darkseed (but mostly cuz of all the H R Giger Art lol)

 

7. Modded FO4 (i could have had a marriage that lasted less than the time i've spent in that game lol)

Are they any single player rpg games like FO4 with a settlement building system that's similar?

 

 

Sims 2 was definitely the best in the series IMHO.