Gaming Forums => General Gaming => Topic started by: NWR_insanolord on March 07, 2014, 10:20:44 AM
Title: What games should everybody play?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 07, 2014, 10:20:44 AM
I think this is a different question than asking what the best games are. Sometimes something comes along that might not be the best game, but does things that are unique and interesting that everyone should experience.
I think the game Portal fits this description very well. I like it a lot, though I don't think it's among the all-time greats, but it brings a whole new style to first-person gaming that should at least be tried by anyone who likes gaming.
What examples do you think fit these criteria? Do you even agree with the premise I laid out?
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: BranDonk Kong on March 07, 2014, 10:57:06 AM
First, let me just say that despite your severe character flaws and general despicable-ness, you consistently come up with some of the best gaming-related topics. Also, I agree that Portal would be at the top (or near the top) of that list.
I'd put the (original) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series in the list.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Oblivion on March 07, 2014, 11:27:09 AM
I have a few:
Journey, for it's interesting take on Co-Op multiplayer. Even non-gamers tend to love it.
Halo, for being the first "modern" console FPS.
Pokemon Crystal, for being an approachable entry to not only the Pokemon series, but into JRPGs in general. Other Pokemon games either are a bit too bloated for a newcomer or in the case of Red, completely ridiculous.
Super Mario 64, for obvious reasons
GTA5
Portal
And I can't think of any more at the top of my head.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Ceric on March 07, 2014, 01:18:37 PM
Thomas Was Alone Bastion DDR Wonderful 101 Hero Quest: So you want to be a Hero? (aka Quest for Glory 1 for you remake people)
I know there are more I've felt everyone should play at least Once and my memory is letting me down. I sort of want to put Super Mario Sunshine on there.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Ian Sane on March 07, 2014, 02:08:10 PM
If someone wanted to get into videogame I would hand them a SNES with Super Mario World, A Link to the Past and Super Metroid and suggest they play them in that order. All three games are a perfect representation of their genre, all would be accessible enough early on for a newcomer to learn but don't come across as dumbed down for veterans, and all three games kick ass so the person develops good taste. All three are also classic games that don't feel old.
The order is deliberate. Realistically everyone needs to play Super Metroid and I'm thinking of how to build them up to it. Super Mario World familiarizes them with side scrolling platforming and Zelda introduces non-linear exploration so that's all practice for Super Metroid.
Though it is really just an overview of 2D gaming conventions. I think a different group would be needed for 3D. But you probably want to start someone in 2D because it's much easier to grasp.
Realistically if you listed the best game of each videogame genre and sub-genre you would have a good "must play" list for someone to fully experience what gaming has to offer.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Phil on March 07, 2014, 03:25:34 PM
So, you're meaning games that should be considered "required playing" by everyone?
I would first nominate Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Each are heavily influential and laid the groundwork that many would follow.
Tetris seems like an important title, as it is generally the go-to game when most think about the "puzzle genre."
I think BioShock Infinite or The Last of Us should be included, as they both show that thought-provoking stories can be applied by games.
Doom, as it's one of the paramount FPS games.
Super Mario 64, as it defined 3D gaming.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Khushrenada on March 07, 2014, 05:05:39 PM
Diplomacy
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Shaymin on March 07, 2014, 09:35:36 PM
999. Full stop.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: lolmonade on March 08, 2014, 01:03:12 PM
I think this is a different question than asking what the best games are. Sometimes something comes along that might not be the best game, but does things that are unique and interesting that everyone should experience.
I think the game Portal fits this description very well. I like it a lot, though I don't think it's among the all-time greats, but it brings a whole new style to first-person gaming that should at least be tried by anyone who likes gaming.
What examples do you think fit these criteria? Do you even agree with the premise I laid out?
I'd agree with you if the question was "What games should all gamers play?", but can't agree with the original question of games everyone should play. Games with 3D space that require a user to either use mouse+kb or dual analogs to control movement with one and camera with other has a learning curve that gamers take for granted.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Oblivion on March 08, 2014, 01:18:38 PM
Which is why a game like Journey or the Wii Sports games work so well for non-gamers.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: ymeegod on March 08, 2014, 01:21:09 PM
By genre?
FPS-- Half Life 1 and 2 (with the unofficial update textures of course)
RPG-- Witcher 1 and 2
Fighting-- Super Street Fighting 4 Ultra
Party Games: Smash Brothers Just Dance series
Games for nongamers: Bejewel 3 Tetris
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 08, 2014, 03:07:21 PM
I think this is a different question than asking what the best games are. Sometimes something comes along that might not be the best game, but does things that are unique and interesting that everyone should experience.
I think the game Portal fits this description very well. I like it a lot, though I don't think it's among the all-time greats, but it brings a whole new style to first-person gaming that should at least be tried by anyone who likes gaming.
What examples do you think fit these criteria? Do you even agree with the premise I laid out?
I'd agree with you if the question was "What games should all gamers play?", but can't agree with the original question of games everyone should play. Games with 3D space that require a user to either use mouse+kb or dual analogs to control movement with one and camera with other has a learning curve that gamers take for granted.
It really depends on how you narrow it down. I doubt there's any game that I'd argue all 7 billion people on Earth should play, so it becomes a matter of degree. What that specifically means will vary depending on who's answering the question.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Mop it up on March 08, 2014, 03:28:11 PM
I think everyone should play Tetrisphere. Then maybe more people will be clamoring for more 3D puzzle games and more will finally be made.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: lolmonade on March 09, 2014, 09:35:06 PM
I think this is a different question than asking what the best games are. Sometimes something comes along that might not be the best game, but does things that are unique and interesting that everyone should experience.
I think the game Portal fits this description very well. I like it a lot, though I don't think it's among the all-time greats, but it brings a whole new style to first-person gaming that should at least be tried by anyone who likes gaming.
What examples do you think fit these criteria? Do you even agree with the premise I laid out?
I'd agree with you if the question was "What games should all gamers play?", but can't agree with the original question of games everyone should play. Games with 3D space that require a user to either use mouse+kb or dual analogs to control movement with one and camera with other has a learning curve that gamers take for granted.
It really depends on how you narrow it down. I doubt there's any game that I'd argue all 7 billion people on Earth should play, so it becomes a matter of degree. What that specifically means will vary depending on who's answering the question.
Fair enough. If we're staying in the forums for suggestions, these may be obvious, but mine would be:
Shadow of the Colossus Super Mario Bros 3 or Super Mario World The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Civilization (I've spent the most with II or IV, but I think any could provide a similarly satisfying experience). MarioKart 64 or Double-Dash Super Smash Bros. Melee
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: pokepal148 on March 10, 2014, 12:10:50 AM
Any mario party released before 9 with 4 players. Especially 3.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Ian Sane on March 10, 2014, 12:59:44 PM
Which is why a game like Journey or the Wii Sports games work so well for non-gamers.
Wii Sports didn't turn non-gamers into gamers, it just created a different segment of the videogame market. If you introduce someone to gaming through Wii Sports they'll just move on to Wii Fit and Angry Birds.
For a complete newbie a good path might be Mario Bros.-->Super Mario Bros. 3 or World-->Super Mario 3D Land or World-->Super Mario Galaxy. They go from jumping to sidescrolling to handling 3D space with a fixed perspective to playing in full 3D. Something like that would teach them the basics and raise them in games with some real depth but are still accessible and enjoyable for all audiences.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Spak-Spang on March 10, 2014, 11:22:39 PM
I really think all true gamers should go back and play the classics. I think it is important to understand where gaming was/is/ and going. Players that don't understand what makes certain genres work, are missing out on the joys of games.
So to me:
Super Mario Bros. Super Mario 3 (Or World) Pac Man Galaga Chrono Trigger (or your pick of Final Fantasy games) Donkey Kong Pong Break Out The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Super Metroid Mega Man 2-4 Contra 3
I know there are some great games I am missing on my list, but these are just a sample of what I see as important for gamers to experience.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: magicpixie on March 11, 2014, 06:38:14 PM
I think this is a different question than asking what the best games are. Sometimes something comes along that might not be the best game, but does things that are unique and interesting that everyone should experience.
Bolded for emphasis. I think this is the most important, and fundamentally fascinating, part of the question. Not necessarily what everyone should play, but what everyone should experience. And yes, they are two wholly different concepts. When I was in high school, my best friend and I would play FFVIII everyday after school on PC, while my sister would just sit off to the side and watch. At the time, she really had no interest in videogames, but that specific game really caught her attention. Of course, at the time, the cinematics were cutting edge, and that kind of storytelling in games seemed to be fairly unique. I always wondered if the connections she formed with the characters could have been anything similar to the ones we formed with them.
I also watched my friend play through Half-Life on his PC at the time. I always thought it was really cool, but at the time, my only experience with FPSes was Doom and Duke Nukem 3D, which I played entirely with a keyboard, so mouselook really fekked with my mind. When I got my own PC capable of playing it, I borrowed his copy and played through it myself. The experience was entirely different, feeling the tension, the adrenaline.
I dunno what my point is, but to this day, my sister has played through the Uncharted games, the Mass Effect series, pretty much all of the recent Mario and Zelda titles, and has her own 3DS. Even experiencing all the emotions that we get out of gaming second-hand can be enough to entice somebody to expand their gaming horizons. And while some may scoff at the idea of watching other people play videogames, the undeniable popularity of Twitch, and Let's Plays indicates a demand to consume videogames in a non-traditional manner.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 11, 2014, 06:59:03 PM
I'd argue that, at least in some cases, actually playing the game is essential to the experience. I mentioned Portal; watching someone play that game and not having to get your mind around the puzzle design wouldn't be nearly as much of an experience.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Spak-Spang on March 12, 2014, 09:03:03 AM
I think games are ALWAYS meant to be played. Watching a game can be enjoyable, but you are never experiencing the game…only the games story.
For instance, I could easily watch someone play Resident Evil 4. However, I can't play the game…it is too intense for my interest.
As well playing an action game and feeling your body learn to twitch and move with the game is essential to experiencing it.
This is why games should never be movies, and although story is important, it doesn't have to be, and game play is king.
It is also the sole reason I think EVERYONE should play the classics. The classics teach you what the core of gaming is really about. Not these modern games…which most don't have an ounce of the same care put into the development of gameplay mechanics like the classics do.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: marvel_moviefan_2012 on March 12, 2014, 10:05:53 PM
I love these kind of questions, they really make you think. Like asking a movie fan who is just getting into films where to start or what are the essentials, obviously everyone has their own lists but it is fun to speculate which ones each person thinks are essential.
As for me, I think it is sad that most of you are starting with Super NES or NES, shameful you kids must not remember the awesome that was Atari, because AVGN and Youtube have sullied Atari's once great reputation it is almost a crime to admit you actually like them, not liked but still do.
Anyways rant over, here is my list.
Pong, any, all, as many as you can get your hands on these games are just pure fun and really remind people that video games are GAMES at their core.
Pac-Man Cenitpede Asteroids (any but I highly recommend the VCS version as it is easier to play for newbies) Galaga Pole Position Q*Bert Frogger Missile Command Adventure (VCS) Donkey Kong (arcade and NES) Popeye Mario Bros Super Mario Bros 1-3 (leave out the folk lore and let them enjoy SMB 2 for what it is and go back to the pre-internet ignorance that allowed us to just enjoy game instead of analyzing them. Legend of Zelda TMNT (arcade either one but the first one for sure) Double Dragon Castlevania Tetris Sim City (any but the SNES one also) Super Metroid (skip the NES one its been redone better) Zelda Link to the Past Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic 2 and 3 for sure but really any of the classics) Final Fantasy 3(6) FF 7 Super Mario Kart (SNES original and any of the 3D ones should do) Resident Evil 2 Street Fighter 2 (again any addition but work your way up to Super) Mortal Kombat Trilogy (for us old timers sure the first three were great but to a young guy Trilogy is all you need) Tekken (any but 3 is a good place to start) Virtua Fighter 2 Pokemon (GB) Gauntlet (1 + 2, Legends) D&D Tower of Doom Knights of the Round Golden Axe Altered Beast Space Harrier Ghosts N Goblins Contra (NES forget the arcade) Super C and Contra Hard Corps Mega Man X (sure they are all great but to a newbie X is the place to start) Doom/Wolfenstein/Duke Nukem 3D ( in THAT order) Star Wars (Super NES, Arcade, Knights of the Old Republic) Silent Hill Gran Turrismo Kirby Super Star Diablo War Craft 2 Eye of the Beholder 2 Legend of Darkmoon Wizards and Warriors Elder Scrolls 3 Morrowind Smash Bros (or Melee as a good initiation) Metroid Prme Sonic Adventure DX (probably to show them a 3D sonic game can be ok but not to get their hopes too high) Sonic Advance Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance (then get to Armaggedon and then the newer ones) Metal Slug Crash Bandicoot Gex Super Mario 64 OOT Boogerman Superman (n64 YES I AM DEAD SERIOUS) Quake (or Unreal or any of them games) Columns Bust A Move Prince of Persia (on a PC or Sega CD) Donkey Kong Country Super Mario RPG and finish it off with some NBA Jam
that is the essentials ever gamer should play before they die, in that order for someone who has never experienced the classics.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Sarail on March 12, 2014, 10:42:21 PM
Megamania - Atari 2600
It's the very first game I ever fell in love with...at the ripe age of three years old in 1985.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: marvel_moviefan_2012 on March 12, 2014, 10:54:53 PM
Quote
I doubt there's any game that I'd argue all 7 billion people on Earth should play, so it becomes a matter of degree
Sure there is, Tetris, but that's already been done...
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: azeke on March 12, 2014, 11:00:26 PM
Boogerman? Really?
I suspect most of these list are just fueled by "muh nostalgia"...
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: marvel_moviefan_2012 on March 13, 2014, 09:38:33 AM
the topic was to introduce gamers to the widest possible game play experiences, where else is that more evident than Boogerman? Nostalgia has nothing to do with it, I hate the game today its clearly made for kids and immature adults who like Beavis and Butt head. Also it captures the 90's console experience perfectly. If I was basing my list on nostalgia it would be entirely different, games a gamer today would seriously not at all care about. Honestly I used this list because those are the games I initiated my nephews on and they all turned into hard core gamers by the end.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Ceric on March 13, 2014, 09:44:29 AM
But you could sub in Earthworm Jim instead and thats a better game.
Simon would be a game everyone should play because its such an element of so many other games. Also Oregon Trail.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: marvel_moviefan_2012 on March 13, 2014, 10:06:18 AM
yea but Boogerman had ONE game, EJ had a few stinkers to taint his name. But to be fair your probably right in that regards.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Sundoulos on March 14, 2014, 01:03:31 AM
Hero Quest: So you want to be a Hero? (aka Quest for Glory 1 for you remake people)
I loved the Quest For Glory series--a classic Sierra adventure game with RPG elements. I'm not sure, but it might have been the first RPG game I ever played. I played the VGA remake of the first game, and it singularly responsible for teaching me the value of terrible puns. I liked the idea of being able to develop a character's abilities just by taking him out and practicing various skills. I think Quest For Glory II: Trial by Fire was my favorite of the bunch, and AGD Interactive produced a nice fan remake of it a couple of years ago.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: Mop it up on March 16, 2014, 02:51:55 PM
I'm curious, why did you choose these two Mario Kart games instead of something more recent? I think that Mario Kart Wii or 7 would be a better introduction to the series/videogames because the control in them is way, way better than older games in the series. The general mechanics are better as well, and in the case of Mario Kart 64, the graphics are too primitive.
Title: Re: What games should everybody play?
Post by: marvel_moviefan_2012 on March 16, 2014, 03:29:25 PM
I'm curious, why did you choose these two Mario Kart games instead of something more recent? I think that Mario Kart Wii or 7 would be a better introduction to the series/videogames because the control in them is way, way better than older games in the series. The general mechanics are better as well, and in the case of Mario Kart 64, the graphics are too primitive.
Likely for the same reason I chose the games I did, the early games in the series set the precedent no matter how much better the latter games get the originals are where we started and thus think others should start too. I would recommend everyone play Pac-Man even though MS. Pac-Man is generally accepted as the better game, it's because you want to experience gaming in it's entirety not just the current stuff.
Look at it this way, if someone plays MK64 or DD and like those then they are more likely to really like the better newer ones, but if they start with a newer one and go back to one of the older ones they might not like them at all or as much and thus miss out on some great games from the past.
