Saving this post because it’s right up my alley so now I have many new games to check out. Project Zomboid is still going strong for us, but here are some others that our group has enjoyed:
Heave Ho: super crude 2D graphics, but absolutely hilarious gameplay
The Ascent: beautiful cyberpunk-themed isometric shooter
Broforce: very entertaining pixel-art 2D platformer/shooter - we played this through to the end, which is rare for us
Overcooked: very entertaining 3D game, not sure what I would even call the genre - a “work” game?
Unrailed: similar to uncooked, but a different kind of “work”
Shenmue: Rereleased with a wonderful port on PC/Xbox One/Playstation 4 in 2018, it’s an investigative adventure game that takes place in a small town in Japan in 1986. The thing that sticks out to me about it is how unlike any other game in its class before or since, it feels like an authentic depiction of a regular-ass suburb from that period, from people who lived in similar places growing up.
Freespace 2: Space dogfighting game that gets right to the point, feels intense, and while you’re there you find yourself in the middle of an excellent sci-fi radio drama. Holds up great today when you pair your purchased GOG copy with the fan-maintained Freespace Open Source Project engine. Joystick + Keyboard control recommended, but Mouse + Keyboard is fine!
Skies of Arcadia. Two words: sky pirates. Coupled together with a beautiful overworld filled with hidden discoveries, charming characters, fun ship combat, and excellent music. You can’t go wrong with either the original Dreamcast version (higher quality music, VMU minigames) or the Legends remastering on the Gamecube (an additional story quest, less frequent random encounters - the original is somewhat relentless with these).
I’m pretty sure Animal Crossing: New Horizons never actually tells you that you can run by holding B. You just have figure it out by accident… I think I played for a month or two before I realized it was possible when watching someone play on YouTube.
It’s a survival horror first person rpg with a semi realistic health system. It’s creepy and hard and so goddamn good. I’m am actually surprised that it gets mentioned so rarely because I would not know of any other earlier game with those now so ubiquitous survival mechanics.
Ultima Underworld 1 and 2. These are ancient RPG games going right back to the dawn of PC gaming. The first one was the first PC game with a true 3D world where you could look up and down and there were two slopes rather than just steps. The control scheme takes a little getting used to as it was before WSAD+mouse look had become established. Spells are made by combining runes which you find about the place. It also has things like repairable weapons and armour, the need to sleep and eat as well as the normal RPG stats and levels.
I’ve got such mixed feelings about Fallout 4. Yes, the story isn’t great but tbh I was never expecting it to be very good. This game does come from the same company that in Fallout 3 wouldn’t let you send Fawkes into the water purifier because by doing so you would break the story (sorry for spoilers on a 15 year old game).
Obviously where the game really shines is in the gun play/ combat and the gameplay loop. Those two factors alone make me want to replay FO4 every so often, however whenever I do, I always find myself inexorably drawn to settlement building, each time I do a replay I try to do as little of it as I can but still end up taking ages setting it all up.
I remember when I first completed Fallout 4, feeling underwhelmed by the story, I comforted myself by thinking “They spend ages working on the creation engine for this release, I’m sure that on the next game there will be more focus on the story”. welp, 8 years since the last (single player) Fallout so it looks like that ain’t happening anytime soon.
Dead Space 2. There was an ability to slow/freeze time which I thought was silly and OP so I didn’t put any points into it. Later on there’s a boss that requires the ability to freeze time. The stupid thing is is it wasn’t even a fight, you just had to run away through a locked door but you needed the time ability to open it before it gets you which is impossible to do without frickin freezing time.
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