Games we obsess over

[Drowsy Emperor]

All of the regular posters on these forums have been gamers for a very long time, with probably hundreds of games played across various platforms.

 

We all know what constitutes a good game versus a bad game according to our personal tastes, but at the same time can often point out the elements which are likely to get a universally favorable (or negative) response.

 

But a curious thing happens to the games we consider good. Some of them we play through once and never pick up again. Some of them, maybe not even the most perfect ones - we play endlessly over the years because the game never loses the capacity to thrill us. It may not amaze us as before but the intricacies revealed over time and/or the emotions the game inspires ensure the game experience never diminishes to the point that we completely abandon the game and forget about it.

 

The purpose of this thread is to list those games that we have played and replayed for many years, sinking hundreds of hours into them.

This is not a simple "favorites" list, although many of them probably are our favorites. But just how many of those games you consider your favorites you actually play as opposed to just fondly remember?

 

I think that the best games are always the games that have longevity, and that longevity is the proof of good game design more than anything else. 

 

Off the top of my head, these are the games that I have replayed most over the years:

• Baldur's Gate
• Baldur's Gate II
• Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
• Unreal Tournament
• Shadow of the Colossus
• Homeworld
• Dawn of War
• Planescape Torment
• GTA: Vice City

Edited June 1, 2013 by Drowsy Emperor

[melkathi]

Och,

 

Now I'll have to out myself for wierd tastes?

Ok, random order:

 

• Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
• Dune (by Cryo)
• Startopia
• Dungeon Keeper
• Syndicate Wars
• Dawn of War
• Alpha Protocol
• Magic of Endoria
• Eric the Unready
• Mech Commander 2
• Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen
• Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together
• Final Fantasy 7
• Final Fantasy Legend 2
• Gargoyle's Quest
• Age of Wonders
• Age of Wonders 2: The Wizards Throne
• Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic
• Ghost Master
• Evil Genius
• Warlords Battlecry 3
• Majesty
• Realms
• Planescape Torment
• Arcanum of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

[Drowsy Emperor]

I should add Startopia to my list as well, I've installed it at least half a dozen times over the yearz.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Drowsy Emperor

[melkathi]

I should add Startopia to my list as well, I've installed it at least half a dozen times over the yearz.

 

Have it installed right now and its driving me crazy. For some reason I can't get past the Grey mission...

[melkathi]

I forgot Freelancer.

[Rosbjerg]

Obsessive wise I'm actually more of a strategy gamer. RPGs I play through 1-2 times and love 'em, but I hardly ever replay an RPG more than that.

 

• Civ II+III
• Alpha Centauri (I honestly think I might've played it for almost 1000 hours, it's my most replayed game)
• Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (MP)
• Alien Vs Predator 2 (MP)
• Unreal Tournament 1999 (MP)
• Medieval Total War (1 and 2)
• Empire Total War (my second most played game, 497 hours sunk into it - most of which in the mod Imperial Splendour, playing as Denmark haha)
• Europa Universals III and Rome
• Baldurs Gate II
• Freespace Series

 

A game I wish was on the list is X³, I could never obsess about it though..

[Gorgon]

I still play UT2004 with a mate with a prehistoric Mac. Can't run anything more recent, besides it's still an awesome game. I also recentlt played Homeworld and the Total war series again. I think I'm done with BG and PST replays though.

[Bendu]

Games I'm obsessed with are Civ II + IV and Alpha Centauri. If I consider DG games, I played them constantly for several years. Also Fallout: New Vegas which I've played for more than 500 hours on my Xbox and PC.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Bendu

[HoonDing]

Morrowind

[Lexx]

Fallout

Fallout 2

Jagged Alliance 2

Commandos

Alpha Protocol

C&C Red Alert

Half-Life

Gothic

 

 

... That's all I can think of right now. I played the games endlessly.

[Drowsy Emperor]

Obsessive wise I'm actually more of a strategy gamer. RPGs I play through 1-2 times and love 'em, but I hardly ever replay an RPG more than that.

 

• Alien Vs Predator 2 (MP)

 

AvP 2's asymmetric multiplayer was beyond awesome.

 

The only reason I never played much of it is because everyone was playing CS at the time and because there were no bots to practice with.

 

The two or three times I did play it, the experince of dropping in on people as the Alien is phenomenal. 

[LadyCrimson]

Long term obsession? Usually strategy or aRPG's. How long does long have to be in order to qualify? I mean, generally speaking, my all-time favorites list isn't going to be all that different from my long-term-obsession list.

 

Dungeon Keeper 1/Deeper Dungeons is the all time winner for length of time (still play it a bit a few times a year).

I still occasionally play Caesar 3.

I still occasionally play Stronghold 1/Crusader.

I still (very) occasionally play Lords of the Realm 2.

I still (very) occasionally play Diablo-1, altho usually not for very long.

 

Diablo-2 I played for maybe 5 years (or maybe 6, I forget), but once I finally stopped/at this point I don't think I'll ever go back to it.

 

Fallout NV I played so obsessively I lost weight and forgot to sleep for 6 months, but most story-RPG's aren't games I can play again and again for a decade plus. Jumping into a strategy game and creating/replaying a fave map or two (to try new challenging/design aspects) or just bashing monsters looking for phat loot for an hour (mindless relaxation) is more my long term criteria.

[pmp10]

I wouldn't really say that obsessing over game proves it had a good design.

In fact more often than not they are just proof of heavy nostalgia.

 

Games I personally spent most time into tended to be strategy games with separate strategic and tactical layers.

In no particular order:

X-com trilogy

Master of Orion 1&2

Master of Magic

[Felithvian]

Sid Meier's Civ series and Alpha Centauri are nothing compared to Steve Barcia's Master of Orion I/II/III and Master of Magic. For those of you looking for a decent successor of MOO, I would recommend Star Dock's Galactic Civilization II.

 

Oh I forgot to mention the best game on the computer platform, Dark Earth (Those of you who haven't played this hidden gem, should really give it a try). What about Blade : The Edge of Darkness? Spanish Software!

 

Uhmm, what else... Oh yes, the Heroes of Might and Magic series, with the exception of Ubisoft's Heroes V and Black Hole's Heroes VI.

 

Xcom Trilogy & M.A.X Mechanized Assault & Exploration shouldn't be forgotten.

 

 

[Azdeus]

Hmm... In no particular order;

 

Mafia

Giants Citizen Kabuto

Fallout 1 & 2

Jagged Alliance 2

Aliens vs Predator (1999)

Hitman

Thief 2

Freelancer

S.T.A.L.K.E.R

Battlezone

VtM; Bloodlines

Civilization 3

Arcanum

Mechwarrior

Richard Burns Rally

 

It's possible I've missed one, and I did'nt list World of Warcraft since I stopped playing that, and never really replayed it, but I sunk something like 350+ days into a couple of different Warriors, grinded Rank 12 and did plenty of raiding.

[Rosbjerg]

AvP 2's asymmetric multiplayer was beyond awesome.

 

The only reason I never played much of it is because everyone was playing CS at the time and because there were no bots to practice with.

 

The two or three times I did play it, the experince of dropping in on people as the Alien is phenomenal. 

 

 

I was lucky enough to have big group of friends who had similar tastes - we played CS, Duke Nukem and other shooters alot too, but I was obsessed with AVP precisely because of the extremely varied races. We had a system of dividing the players into 60% Marines, 10% Predators and 30% Aliens - that usually made it pretty interesting for all races. I was almost always Predator..

 

I think there are still some clans playing - if you want a Renaissance.

[Tigranes]

At least once a year, I end up playing:

• BG1/2
• IWD1/2
• Arcanum
• A Paradox Game
• Thief Series

At least once every couple of years, I play:

• Torment
• Fallout 1/2
• Alpha Protocol
• A Piranha Bytes Game

Games I loved but don't seem to go back to in the same way:

• Morrowind
• Mask of the Betrayer
• Fallout: New Vegas
• The Witcher Series

[Oner]

Let's see..

Fallout games

Deus Ex

Outcast

StarCraft

League of Legends

Thief games

IE games

BattleTech games

Freelancer

Freespace

Unreal Tournament

DoW Dark Crusade

Devil May Cry 3-4

Disciples 2

etc

 

To be honest there were so many games I loved as a kid and replayed a lot because I had a lot of time and not too many games..

[Hurlshort]

Jagged Alliance 2!!!

 

 

Xcom!!

 

 

Minesweeper!

[Majek]

Replayed the most

Jagged Alliance

Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games

Desert/Jungle Strike

Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive

Demon's Souls

Dark Souls

Red Alert 2

Worms:Armageddon

Fallout 2 and F:Tactics

Deus Ex

 

There's more, but these have eaten the most of my time.

edit:forgot Archimedean Dynasty

Edited June 1, 2013 by Majek

[ShadySands]

Sword of the Samurai

Civ 4 and 5

BG2

Battletech: CHI

LotRO

Freelancer

Fallout 2

Crusader Kings 2

Mount and Blade

[Oerwinde]

Master of Magic

Master of Orion 1-2

Civ 1-4

Europa Universalis 3

Victoria 2

Crusader Kings 2

Baldirs Gate 2

Neverwinter Nights 2

[aluminiumtrioxid]

Supreme Commander, any Heroes game (H5 was perhaps the best, but 6 is pretty awesome, too... 3 was quite nice when it came out, but the later installments offer more tactical depth and the races are better differentiated IMO), Deus Ex, Alpha Protocol, PS:T. The other IE games, for some unfathomable reason, seem to be incompatible with my PC, so they've fallen out of my favor. Aaand I think that's it.

[Tale]

Baldur's Gate II

Neverwinter Nights 2

Dragon Age: Origins

Mass Effect 2

FEAR

Half-Life 2

Team Fortress 2

Tales of Monkey Island

 

I want to add the Ace Attorney games to that list. We'll see.

[Agiel]

Homeworld

Homeworld: Cataclysm

Homeworld 2

Company of Heroes

Dawn of War

Dawn of War 2 (noticed a pattern yet?)

The Void/Turgor

Pathologic

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Jane's F-15

Jane's Longbow 2

Jane's F/A-18

Falcon 4.0

Arcanum

Icewind Dale 2

Vampire - The Masquerade: Bloodlines

Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Silent Hunter 3

Sins of a Solar Empire

Edited June 1, 2013 by Agiel