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I have to question the usefulness of such a broad question. Even talking about 90s games is very broad. In my youth, I played on an iMac G3 and played tons of shareware titles that probably most 90s gamers have never heard of.
These days, my addictive personality becomes apparent even with modern games. Escape From Tarkov, Dark Souls Remastered, Caves of Qud, and Katana Zero all made me noticeably tank my own health in my lust to play them as much as possible. Just yesterday, I was reminiscing that I really liked Max Payne 3. These are all games that aren't exactly new, but they do fall outside of the late 90s to late 2000s parameters. I think there's tons of good stuff out there, it just needs to be found and played to death.
I made various comments about the comparisons for AAA games then vs now. I will say that peak game enjoyment was somewhere between late 2000s and early 2010s, but peak advances were made in late 90s to early 2000s.
Games are better, but by miniscule amounts, the gameplay jumps that you had do not exist and the slight improvements are not as fun for me. Gaming was much better when it was smaller, studios spending the same time and money on a game, the way marvel does on movies, gives you marvel movie like games.
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I'd kill for Max Payne 4. I wish someone did another AA or AAA bullet-time shooter with the serial numbers filed off. Quantum Break was actually great as a shooter, but not quite the same.
It convinced me to pay $150 for a video game, and to put in >1500 hours into it, so I feel you. Can't be arsed to play in recent wipes, especially since they released a new ultra luxury edition and gave the middle finger to EOD owners.
El paso Elsewhere is alright if you want third person bullet time, and trepang2 is a pretty cool fps variant (but it feels more like the FEAR games) but the game you really should check out is Echo Point Nova. It's got bullet time, it's got tribes style skiing and a whole bunch of other cool mechanics, all in a non linear open world map.
Thanks for the suggestions. I like the looks of Echo Point Nova, but it looks very slide-y with non human enemies and cartoony graphics. Part of the appeal of Max Payne 3 was going to a shithole Latin American country drenched in sun and humidity as a fatass sweaty drunk who quips extremely pessimistic lines every 30 seconds whose heft you can feel when doing the classic Max Payne diving technique. Shooting people never felt better than it does in a Rockstar game, too.
Related: I liked the stories of the originals, but I think Max Payne 3's story isn't bad enough to be worth bashing. It's written a lot less flowery, but there are a lot more lines in it that I feel tempted to quote.
Yeah I loved the shit out of Max Payne 3. I loved the first two too, but I was entering middle age when 3 came out and the whole "this is what happens to that sardonic alcoholic when he loses the vigor of youth" hit home hard. And mechanically I felt their reach exceeded their grasp (the graphics quality was too high and while that does give it a long shelf life, those resources would have been better spent on more game imo), but it was still great fun.
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I have EPN on my wishlist already, I plan to get it as soon as I've moved into my new place and got a PC set up! Everything I've seen about it makes me think it's an amazing game.
It's awesome, and it's that mix of exploration and action that makes you look up from the game and wonder how so many hours could have passed. If you want to save some money though snap it up now if you can, as it's currently part of the spring sale - and it was also last week's midweek special, so it's probably not going to go on sale again for a while.
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To tell the truth, I didn't get that carried away with it. This wipe, I played to level 15 and then lost all motivation to launch the game, mysteriously. That's usually how it goes. I get a desperate urge to play, then I do, then it's over. Next time, I think I will do the single player mod version so that I at least get to keep my progress (and also so that Delivery from the Past isn't impossible), but it does lose something to be fighting bots instead of players. You die a lot more often in live as well, which keeps you on your toes and can make something like a pistol run pretty thrilling. I didn't actually take any EMS kits anywhere this wipe. Got my legs shot out by scavs and crawled veeerrrryyyy slowly to extract a couple times. I think they let EoD players have the same privileges as Unheard, but it's a very time consuming game and you're a busy guy now.
Of course, I liked Max Payne 1 and 2 as well, but 3 really scratched an itch I didn't know I had. There was some free multiplayer game with slomo shooting, but it didn't feel nearly as good.
I could never get into SPT. Maybe if I had friends who would be willing to download the 'unofficial' patch that adds co-op or PVP.
The PVP is the main draw for me in Tarkov. I particularly enjoyed teaming up, there are people all over the globe who still stay in touch because I adopted them and taught them the ropes and helped them through quests, and half of them are now better players than I'll ever be. The team work gave me a rush, the closest I came to that would be modded Arma 3 or Squad, but there's nothing like making SOPs with your buddies and randos and then wrecking house. Raids in Tarkov can be nail biting experiences, and having someone to watch your six is amazing.
(Having friends who can insurance fraud your stuff always helps too).
Eventually, Tarkov just moved away from what I wanted. I had been looking forward to the patch that added realistic armor hitboxes, and played that patch after waiting several out. Then BSG nerfed it to make streamers happy.
Can't have shit in Tarkov.
Oh, yeah, you really need the co-op mod for SPT. I think it's called Project FIKA. That's actually how I learned the maps initially, some other Tarkov junkie leading us. Yes, the PVP is really the selling point, tense stuff. I just think that Tarkov takes the gear progression way too seriously. You should be able to have a decent chance of killing anyone in the game, rather than the game saying "too bad, you brought in level 3 bullets but you needed level 6, also you've got level 5 gear and he's level 60". SPT fixes that a bit.
The maps of Tarkov are one of the biggest selling points for me. So huge, so very detailed, so war-torn. It made me realize one of the reasons I love Left 4 Dead and Duke Nukem 3D were for the maps portraying real places.
If you want something similar, but with a focus on the pvp then I'd recommend Hunt Showdown. Has the same big maps, good gunplay, great sound design.
My issue with it is that instead of being able to go to different locations to loot, and then extract, you basically always focus on getting to the location with the boss, killing it, and then extracting. So it leads to more focused, but also somewhat repetitive encounters.
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In case you missed the one wipe where they had the realistic hitboxes, this was the case. Sadly it isn't any more.
If you aimed at places like the armpit or got lucky and had shots land in the gaps between plates, you could easily pierce soft armor with non-AP rounds and kill someone decked out in Class 6.
Seconded. BSG does environmental design like no one else. Streets is a masterpiece, but runs like an asthmatic donkey. Now, it's still not enough to keep me keen after like 8 or 9 wipes of play, but there's no wonder new players get totally lost even with online maps handy.
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I would love suggestions. My current to-play list includes
My malaise also stems from the fact that the IPs that I liked from the 2010s are either dead or should be dead. Assassin's Creed stopped being fun post Brotherhood, Far Cry got worse. The popular AAA summer blockbuster sorta games feel quite familiar, I wish we could experience breakthroughs in how the games felt.
The jumps from Wolfenstein to Doom, from Doom to Quake and from Quake to Quake 3 were pretty large. You could polish Arkham Asylum graphically, and a guy who has never played it would not find it old or clunky like you would have found Half Life after having played Vanquish.
Maybe I'll never recreate the rush of pizza, coke and old vide games with my cousin from 18 years ago. Welp
Edit - forgot to add immersive sims and some others I forgot
How familiar are you with consoles? Imo N64/PS1+2/Gameboy/N(3)DS all have a fuckton of amazing games that can be played, easily and for free, on most mediocre modern PCs. Wii & Switch are also great because of their unique controls, but unfortunately need to be played properly.
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If you have Metal Gear Rising & DmC on your list, I'm guessing you've already played the actual Devil May Cry games? If not, 3, 4, 1, and 5 are all much better than DmC IMHO. DmC isn't nearly as bad as its reputation and has a pretty solid combat system, but it definitely wasn't as good as those actual DMC games, with a severe lack of boss fights and has atrocious art design and writing. I'd also recommend Bayonetta if you haven't played that one. Ninja Gaiden Sigma from the Master Collection is worth checking out as well, though the style of combat is quite a bit different from DMC. I wish I could recommend Sigma 2 or the recently released Black 2, but both are severely gimped versions of the game that took away the craziness that was so fun about the OG Ninja Gaiden 2.
I have not, I fear that the non-reboot stuff is better, so playing the worse game first would at least let me enjoy that, though a good chance I never get through this list either given that I just don't care about games as much now given my turbulent life is currently. I fired up Quake Live yesterday and an hour went by in a flash. I had fun despite like a 1/25 kd.
Devil May Cry series seemed to be much more fun than the God of War games, will check out others you mentioned too. Bayonetta is highly rated.
If there's a good chance you'll never get to all of them, I'd recommend just skipping DmC altogether. Again, not a terrible game, but it's such a huge step down compared to the actual DMC games that it's not even in the same class. And the gameplay is so different that it'll just feel like going to a whole different game rather than an upgrade.
Otoh, DMC1 and 3 have very similar combat systems, but 3 is clearly superior to 1's, so you might want to play 1 before 3, to feel the improvement. 4 and 5 are also upgrades in gameplay compared to 3, but not by nearly as much as from 1 to 3.
And yes, DMC games are far more fun than God of War games. I will forever have bitterness towards David Jaffe for creating GOW that not only overahadowed DMC and Ninja Gaiden, but also helped to popularize quick-time-events in mainstream AAA games. Having flashing icons of the button you need to press above the enemy's head in order to pull off special moves doesn't make it more fun or immersive, it just reminds me that I'm playing a video game, not beating up minotaurs! DMC4 and Ninja Gaiden 2 both implemented similar systems far better without having to have flashing icons, but rather by integrating them seamlessly into the core gameplay controls.
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If you haven't played God of War, you definitely should play them. The original games, I can't speak for the new ones as they don't interest me. The God of War trilogy is a masterclass in keeping things fun the whole way through. Penny Arcade observed (back when GoW 2 came out) that the stuff it gives you in the first level is the sort of fun that most games don't give you until the last level. Just really great games, and everyone should play them.
My favorite was gow2, I just did not like it as much story wise since greek gods are still gods, so I never recomemnd that game lol. I would say that I really liked the combat there which is why devil may cry and Metal gear rising tempt me.
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Have you tried indie games? They really feel a lot more like 90s games than the latest AAA entry in a well-known IP. Some recommendations:
The last 3 are on sale right now for $5.28; unless you hate point-and-click horror, it's a steal.
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Did you try the assassin's creed rpgs? Origins and Odyssey? They are my favourite games in the series, like if the Witcher 3 was historical fantasy.
Also based on your list there I'd suggest checking out Arkane's games if you haven't already. Dishonored and Prey are phenomenal and a good balance of strategy and pacing.
Dishonored and Prey are great immersive sims, unfortunately the studios behind them have been shut down. Immersive Sims always have their studios shut down. I am not that fond of the other Assasins Creed games. The advancements you saw in those with Ezio as the protagonist in a pre microtransaction, leftier than thou world was quite good. The sequels may be good but they are not that much better, and frankly, they are not even proper RPGs the way actual RPGs are. They are less RPG like than new Fallout games, which are terrible shooters LARPing as RPGs, except for New Vegas, which is awesome.
Yeah it's tough being an imsim fan. There are some good ones coming out in the indie scene though, if you don't mind a bit of jank and ugliness - Shadows of Doubt is great for a wip (and not only is it 40% off in the Steam spring sale, but at fanatical you can get it and total war warhammer (or Cryptmaster if you like puns - if you like puns you'll love Cryptmaster) for $10 usd) and the Intravenous series is outstanding if you like the top down view style imsims. Other good ones include Gloomwood, ctrl alt ego, and Teardown.
Also man what does rpg even mean anymore? Since mass effect 2 it has basically meant 'whatever, as long as there are dialogue options'. Not even loot is a prerequisite these days! I do take your point though, it's silly to compare them to actual rpgs like Pillars of Eternity or Rogue Trader . But I will not allow you to compare Assassin's Creed Odyssey to the Bethesda Fallouts, them's fightin words son! I know the primary appeal of the game is that it's like the arcade version of living in ancient Greece, but it has the thing I want most out of any game - a reactive story that changes based on your actions. Way more reactive than Bethesda fallouts.
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Oh, I forgot about Prey. Highly recommended if you liked Half-Life, I think.
Prey is n the list, they fucking mangled arkane. The world cannot have studios that make immense sims.
Eidos, Arkane and Looking glass. It's ludicrous lol
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Like you, I liked Unreal Tournament 1999. Arena shooters aren't very common nowadays. I also liked Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, and Marathon a lot, and on that front, there are a lot of boomer shooter options. New Blood Interactive released a lot of games like that, and I also liked Ion Fury somewhat. But these days, if I want something adrenaline pumping, I actually don't play those games, I play something more concentrated like Hotline Miami 2 or Katana Zero. Those really got an addicting formula of "try something, kill people really fast, die, instantly restart and keep killing people". Alternatively, for something different and not very commonly recommended, Streets of Rogue was pretty arcadey and intense at times due to the roguelite nature of it. Lots of options to play that game, like Deus Ex.
I really liked Gothic 1, but I failed to get very far in Gothic 2. The story wasn't as compelling to me, and the setting was more boring from the outset. "You're stuck in this insane penal colony trapped with other homicidal prisoners and also pockets of orcs and goblins and random deadly wilderness creatures and the sorcerers want you to take this letter to the fire mages" was a much better hook than "Omg, dragons! Off to starter town with you!"
I think there aren't really any games like Half-Life. It was pretty unique, even for the 90s. It had a lot of things going for it: environmental storytelling, sparing amounts of NPC dialogue, no dialogue from you, a general survival horror vibe from everyone, and a fun chaotic romp through a sprawling facility. Despite all that, the scope was not that large. I'd say the indie scene is the most likely to produce something like that, but no one wants to do it, because that's not something new or innovative. Maybe something like Selaco is close?
If I had a single recommendation from the last year, it would probably be Dark Souls. I really didn't picture it as being a game I would like, but it was seriously compelling. The setting, the interconnectedness, the weird NPCs, stats that actually mean things, and finally, combat that is really fluid and feels great. If the difficulty is turning you off, don't let it. There are ways around the difficulty.
Dark Souls is worth checking out, but I have been told it is super hard and frustrating. I have heard that they are making half life 3, I really wish valve never stopped, Half Life 2 was one of my favorite campaigns ever.
I don't want to be mean, but there are far, far harder games than the DS series. DS is normie-hard; It's the maximum amount of hardness that you can afford while keeping most of the casual audience, and as oats says, it has multiple design decisions that allow you to get past content you consider to difficult (online co-op, single-use items, simple rushing, cheese/OP gear, or in the worst case, plain ol' grinding). Especially in co-op it's arguably quite easy.
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