Yes folks, it's that easy, post you all-time top 5 of all PC games ever released...

Rules:
1) Post 5 and only 5 in the order of preference, if you can't be bothered doing that, don't post. There can only be one game in each spot (expansions count as 1 with the main game though).
2) Put your list first and then explain your choices, this isn't a sum-it-up-then-leave thread ;)
3) Keep it on topic please, discussion is welcome but only about games mentioned in this thread and not into too much detail, that's what other threads are for ;)

My list:

1) Knights of the Old Republic
2) Neverwinter Knights (and expansions)
3) Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast
4) Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
5) Freelancer

KotOR is a game I bought after Jedi Outcast, and I thought it would be in the same style, boy was I wrong...Never having played an RPG of that caliber ever before I was pleasantly surprised to find it came quite naturally to me to find the right Class, Feats, Skills, etc... to feed my gaming needs, and the storyline was truly amazing.

Same goes for Jedi Outcast, which had an amazing storyline and a very intuitive gameplay that could keep you busy for ages, the mods for this game are numerous and some of them are real gems that add even more hours of gameplay to this already great game.

Neverwinter Nights, I picked up after played KotOR, wanting to see what other good games Bioware had released, and I was again, pleasantly surprised...I wasn't familiar with the D&D rules before that (but I sure am now), but again I adapted quite quickly and finished the main storyline (longest game I ever played though)

KotOR II is a given really, but with all its flaws it's still a hard game to love. Once you look past the flaws though, it's a gem that could have overshadowed KotOR, which is good in a way, bad in another cause it leaves you wanting for more (which we don't get until TSLRP or KotOR 3 is out)

Freelancer is kind of a dark horse, but a very enjoyable space shooter with an intriguing storyline, good graphics and enough mods (plenty of Star Wars ones too) to keep you going for a while.

There ya go *phew*
Discuss!

Edit: Could a mod put "Please read first post" in the thread title somehow cause it won't let me do it, and maybe keep an eye on this thread...Cause either people aren't reading this or maybe I'm not speaking English, I don't know...Thanks

1: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (including Tribunal and Bloodmoon)
2: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (including Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles)
3: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
4: Jade Empire
5: Guild Wars (including Prophecies, Factions, and Nightfall)

1: Morrowind, because of its atmosphere, the Main Quest(s), the various underlying themes, and its moddability.
2: Oblivion, because of it's amazing graphics, the Main Quest(s), and its moddability.
3: Lord of the Rings Online, because it's Lord of the Rings, the music system, its atmosphere.
4: Jade Empire, because of how it took the route less travelled RPG-wise, its atmosphere, and its unique combat system.
5: Guild Wars, because of the storyline, the amazing graphics, the emphasis on skill, even though things seem to be falling apart in the community these days.

And yes, I know, I didn't mention Kotor at all there.

To be honest, I haven't played many PC games and from the ones I've completed and enjoyed thoroughly. So, without further ado, here is my list.

5) Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II
4) Star Wars: Empire at War
3) Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth
2) Star Wars: Republic Commando
1) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

5) Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II - Not as fun as the first BFME. New character and areas were implemented as well as different structures you could make. It was nifty idea, but I eventually got bored after completing the campaign for both the evil and good sides. Though, I might consider getting the game for the Xbox 360.

4) Star Wars: Empire at War - Well, it's a Star Wars RTS. :p But, I thought it was a fairly decent game. The campaigns were enjoyable to play and the "galactic conquest" type of mode was fun to, since you could play a bunch of levels and try to conquer them or you can choose to play it smaller and only have a few.

3) Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth - The first one was really enjoyable. I loved playing the campaigns. Since you really followed the story of the movie. Such levels as Edoras and North Ithilien forest. Those were great fun. As well as playing the major battles of Minas Tirith and Helm's Deep. Playing this felt so nostalgic. I kinda which I still had it. :p

2) Star Wars: Republic Commando - I was able to try this game out since I bought the Star Wars:Best of PC set. At first, I was like meh, did seem too much to me. But, I revisited the game after completing Knights of the Republic (multiple times). Really, it's the only FPS I've played on the PC that I've actually completed. And it was worth it. Kashyyyk was great fun. Playing along side 3 other Commandos was fun with their commentary and actions. I'd definitely play a sequel if it was made.

1) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Last, but definitely not least, Knights of the Old Republic. :) When, I first started playing this game, I didn't really understand why this game was so fun. But after adpating to the controls and understanding what I was suppose to do, I realized the awesomeness from the game. I managed to play it multiple times before I actually completed it. First time, I made it all the way the end

I was against Darth Malak

but foolishly overwrote that game. So, I started another game again, and it happened again. So, it seemed to be the bane of me. :p But, I suppose, the third times the charm. :) Very fun game.

I have yet to play Knights of the Old Republic II, so that's why you won't see rated upon my list. ;)

Hmm, this is pretty hard to pick since I have more than 5 all-time favourites that are very closely tied, and I'm not entirely sure about the "best" ranking among them since they are fairly different and fun in their own way. But if I had to pick 5 it'd be something like:

Planescape: Torment
Baldur's Gate II:Shadows of Amn (+ Throne of Bhaal expansion)
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Deus Ex
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (+ Alien Crossfire expansion)


1. Planescape: Torment
Story heavy role playing game in the very weird Planescape D&D setting, with an equally weird protagonist. While a bit hard to get into initially once the game gets going it'll be loads of fun. Different storyline than what most games tend to have, a quite weird protagonist whose choices thoughout the game does matter. Interesting set of followers as well to pick up along the way who differs from what you usually find in RPGs: a tiefling, a floating skull, a githzerai, a walking suit of armor, a fallen succubus, a modron and a burning insane wizard. :) Very emotional at times, even though much of the story comes in text form. A real classic whose perfection is only marred by the anticlimactic ending, IMO.

2. Baldur's Gate II:Shadows of Amn + Throne of Bhaal
THE computer role playing game for PC, this huge game took me on average 250 hours to play through when doing all the quest. Set on the Sword Coast/Faerun/Forgotten Realms it's an AD&D game with Bioware's traditional realtime turnbased play style. Continues and concludes the story started in Baldur's Gate I the games provide the longest continuing storyline I've seen in any games. Interesting followers and antagonists, interesting places to visit, loads of quests, side quests and plots. The only disadvantage is that it's such a time sink to play since it's so long. :)

3. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
In RPG's you are usually some heroic character killing nasty undead monsters, so it's a fun variation to play "the other side" in this game, being put in the role of a character who's killed in the game's intro and turned into a vampire. Despite this you are given some freedom in how to act and interact in the world, allowing you to play a quite "good" and sympathetic vampire or a true monster, as you like. The game's "Earth, 2004" setting is also some nice variation from the traditional history/future settings RPGs tend to play out in. Lots of dialog, various interesting side quest and more emphasis on story and less on looting and killing for XP. Varied gameplay depending on what clan you pick for your character. Playing as a Malkavian girl is hilarious.

4. Deus Ex
Classic RPG/FPS hybrid which is strongly story driven but at the same time encourages exploration with its open areas with various optional side quests/missions/tasks sprinkled throughout them whose completion can have consequences later in the game depending on your choices. Amazing attention to detail in the game world where even the seemingly most irrelevant backalley bum has unique dialog and may offer you useful info if you are persistent enough. Near-future Sci-Fi setting.

5. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Turn based strategy game from the team behind Civilization, the original genre-defining time sink game. :) Science fiction setting where mankind escapes a failing Earth to survive and colonize Chiron, a planet in the Alpha Centauri system. The mission fractures early and the colonists split into various factions based on ideology, where each faction has its strengths and weaknesses, and the leader its distinct personality. Fairly dark mood to the game, since humanity's future can be fairly bleak depending on what faction you chose to play. AC was pretty advanced for its time with 3d terrain where elevation mattered, unit design workshop where you assemble your own units from the tech you have, etc, and a fairly interesting and vast research tree of imagined technological advances. Like Civilization it's a tremendous time sink and I don't dare count how many hours I've wasted on this game. :)

X-Com: UFO Defense aka UFO Enemy Unknown
Star Wars: TIE Fighter
Ground Control
Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
?


X-Com UFO Defense
I was introduced to this by a friend, and was instantly hooked. After playing it over at his place (and at my place, when he brought it over), I finally found it, along with Terror from the Deep and an encyclopedia-sized strategy guide for each game (this was back in the day when PRIMA actually made strategy guides, not just expanded instruction manuals:eek: ). I was addicted.

The game is splendid for many reasons. First of all, the way you build your bases, buy and micromanage weapons, armour, ammunition and so on, and research technology proposed by Earthlings, not to mention everything you bring in from the battlefield. Research, interrogation and autopsies drive the game plot, in that they tell you about the aliens, why they are on Earth, and what needs to be done to defeat them. Not to mention that they give you a chance on the battlefield. In the early game, your troops are more often than not cannon fodder that gets mowed down by superior alien weaponry. As the game progresses, however, and you gain access to better armour and learn to use the aliens' weapons, you'll actually find yourself surviving battles and fielding a force of experienced soldiers.

The tactical system is superb, and allows for some spooky battles where your nerves will be on edge the whole time. Mostly because of 'Reaction fire', which allows you and the aliens to fire their weapons while it's not their turn. Nothing beats advancing an unsuspecting trooper across a field only to have him get gunned down by an alien sniper. Playing UFO Defense without saving every fifth second is truly nerve-rattling. Add to this that there are several levels, from ground to four floors up, which allows for flying, fighting in buildings, and so on, and that everything on the map can have huge holes blown into it, including the ground, and you've got a system I've never seen beaten by any other game.

TIE Fighter
TIE Fighter is the best Star Wars game there is. You play as Marek Steele, an Imperial fighter pilot, and you're given a variety of craft to complete missions of escort, space superiority, recon, interception, and more mundane tasks such as minesweeping and border patrol. Unlike in Rogue Squadron, every single mission in each campaign follows nicely the one preceding it, and there actually is a storyline that can be easily followed. Not to mention that the plot itself, as well as the voice lines, briefings and debriefings, are simply great. But perhaps the best thing is that you're not a stereotypical Imperial bad guy, as you'd be in most other SW games. You're not massacring civilians, taking over innocent planets, and enforcing dictatorship. At least it does not feel that way. You're fighting pirates, patrolling borders for illegal narcotics, ending a civil war - you're out to save the world.

Ground Control
Incredible tactical game that gets so many things right despite its flaws. See the 'World in Conflict' thread for my elaborate worshiping.

Empires: Dawn of the Modern World
Empires never got the fame or patches it so rightly deserved. Its single-player campaign was incredible - people who'd never, ever bothered to play SP before did so now and were amazed by what they experienced. The Yi campaign featured puzzles, the Lionheart campaign was build-and-destroy, and Patton took you on a Fixed Force campaign. And the content of the campaigns - the open-endedness, the creativity, the voice acting, the mapping, everything was so great. The editor - I won't even get into the editor. I've never touched a better editor my whole life. The graphics were great, too, very, very, very unique.

Empires really could have grown to become something great, with a few more patches. Pity it never got them.

in no particular order....

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
this game just rocks. it came out before Doom 3 and Half Life 2, but it has graphics that are more than on par with both of those titles. however, its the gameplay that takes the cake. the gameplay is all from a first-person perspective, but its more of a combination of stealth-action and FPS. in fact, there are several portions of the game where you're armed with nothing but a knife and even just your bare hands. either way, as Riddick, you're still extremely deadly as long as you remain hidden. the gameplay is top notch and quite varied, and it comes with a well done storyline. definitely one of the best.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
yeah, you knew it was coming. what can i say?? the exploration and the varied gameplay is what puts this one over the top. it also helps that you have a number of very good storylines to help move along the gameplay whether it be saving Tamriel from Mehrunes Dagon or discovering who the traitor is in the Dark Brotherhood. beautifully done graphics, excellent sound design, and even the ease of modding all contribute to make this game as good as it is.

Rome: Total War
the Total War series was always great for combining turn-based strategy and real-time strategy, and Rome really set the bar for how to do it. the turn-based element was fairly easy to get into, and its downright addictive. the real-time based was great for the level of detail. want to send the enemy running?? hit their phalanx in the flanks with a cavalry charge. want to get them to charge prematurely?? hit them with your archers. combat varies as well depending on if you're defending or attacking, attacking a settlement or defending it, and it even varies with the type of terrain and weather conditions. there's some micromanagement involved in both elements, but its nothing very serious. again, this is just one of those games that you really have to play.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and The Sith Lords (tie)
ok, so this is really two games, but they both deserve to be mentioned at the same time. the first game had the better story, but the second one had better gameplay with quite a bit of improvements over the first one. saying anything else would be rather redundant in this forum, so i'll just leave it at that. ;)

4: Jade Empire, because of how it took the route less travelled RPG-wise, its atmosphere, and its unique combat system.
What do you mean by the route less traveled? Do you mean the Open Palm Vs Closed Fist system or something else?

^^^^
i think he means that they chose Chinese mythology for the basis rather than medieval european like most RPG's. ;)

Ultima IV: Quest Of The Avatar

The original Doom.

Anything with ZORK in the title, although Beyond Zork was probably the best of the lot. Actually, pretty much anything from Infocom.

KotOR 2. Probably the game I've replayed the most, overall,

Here are mine in no particular order

UFO: Enemy Unknown
The first game I ever bought so it should be the first game on my list. A turn based strategy that put you in command of the planet earths defence against the various alien species. The ability to build a base, customise your troops and research new techs made it plenty of fun and extremely repayable. It Rocked!!!

Gears of War
Great Graphics and Gameplay gave you the feeling that you were in the heat of battle on the alien world. Superb multiplayer that I’ve been playing since the game first came out to now and I’ll probably keep doing so for the months to come. Also you can chainsaw your enemy and get there blood splash on the screen!!! (I’m a bit sadistic I know)

Freelancer
This game kept me from sleeping for weeks, a good single player mood with a decent story but it really shined when playing with lots of over people on multiplayer. Like an MMO but it was free and gave a better gameplay and easier control than others.

Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
Free roaming with more storylines than a Soap opera (but obviously better ones) this game can keep even the most fickle of people interested for months. A highly enjoyable RPG with an excellent combat and character creation system. Great graphics that just make you say wow when walking around Tamriel and see the capital from a distance.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The obvious one of the list if only because of the forum this thread happens to be in. Great story with a twist that rivals ‘No, I am your father’ and with the ability to make it so you can play it a hundred times without ever having the exact same experience. The greatest Star Wars game to date with a sequel that didn’t quite match up to its predecessor but was still good and kept true to the original.

^^^^
i think he means that they chose Chinese mythology for the basis rather than medieval european like most RPG's. ;)
I dunno, you could say that of KotOR as well, it's not that unusual is it?

I dunno, you could say that of KotOR as well, it's not that unusual is it?
Actually, there have been Space RPGs before Kotor, and Kotor also uses the D20 system, so it's not that unusual. Jade Empire, on the other hand, uses only three stats: Body, Mind, and Spirit, there are several combat styles to choose from, as well as there not really being a traditional inventory system either.

Ahem, this will be a little tough. I'm doing it in reverse order.

5. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors

AoE is an addiction. It is a phenomenon. Age of Empires II maintains a mechanical, evened-out game that only falls short of a sport. It requires luck, skill, brain and reflexes. It is the strange sort of game that no matter how many times you play, you just stay inside the game. AoE2 is the greatest strategy game I have ever played.

4. Knights of the Old Republic

I liked KotOR because it had the fun of a Neverwinter Nights with the adventure of LucasArt's classic adventure games, plus Star Wars. It did a great job of creating a lifelike world set in the Star Wars universe and yet so uniquely different. KotOR was fun, original and a dream come true for any SW fan.

3. Half-Life

I mention Half-Life because it is the First-Person Shooter. It had a gripping story, a never-ending sense of adventure, neckbreaking fun and the difficulty level was perfect. I haven't seen that sort of a difficulty level in any other game. Half-Life will definitely be one of the most memorable games I've ever played.

2. Deus Ex

Deus Ex is one of the most immersive games I have ever played. It is extensive, features a unique world and a brilliantly crafted story. It is the sort of game that makes you think. Deus Ex was fun, very replayable and a perfect fusion between FPS and RPG. I wish more games had been made using Deus Ex's original gameplay formula as a base.

1. Unreal Tournament 2004

Okay, no contest. UT is my love of life and I will be probably be playing it till I die, if the series lasts that long. UT is hectic, satisfying, 1337, fun - there are countless adjectives. UT is one of the most modified games around, it is fun every time you connect to a server, it's crazy. Buying a copy of UT is like buying a dozen first-person shooters - a massive bargain.

1. Fallout2: The game that made me start play RPG, and there so much you can do, don't know how many times i finished it, and with very diffrent characther. One time i finished it with a diplomatic characther, i only killed one enemy in that game, and that was a Roadscorpion when they surronded me, another time i finished it with a Jinxed Mele figther.

2.Planscape: Torment: After i have reinstalled the game i most say that this game rules, the charachthers, the story evrything is great. I get teared eyes by Dak'Kon story of his ensalvement, and Mortes sarcastic humour crack me up. If it wasnt for Fallout made me start play RPG, this would be the nr1 on my list

3. Kotor: What to say about Kotor, just a great game, good story and its Star Wars

4. Starcraft: IMO the most balances RTS that exist, and funniest to, i play pretty much RTS, but when i get bored on the new ones, i always start to play Starcraft again.

5. Battlefield2: Great FPS, BFf1942 is good, but BF2 is better, when you get a good squad, that have a good teamwork, this game really rocks.

EDIT:Think i most edit this, and move Planscape up to second place instead of fifth. Just reinstalled the game, and now i remeber how good the game is, i get shivers running throgh my body at some points, and the characther really are good. The story of Dak'Kon beats evry Kotor characther

1: Star Wars Dark Forces 2

The only game i ever played that had me hooked. I mean literally hooked. Even today, there is something about it that gets me playing it for hours. Plus it really got me heavily into star wars so that kinda why i love it.

2: No One Lives Forever

The most underrated game ever. It had layers and i mean LAYERS of depth to it and so much detail that you forgot you were actually in a game and more like a campy 60's spy film. Fantastic unique game. I honestly recommend it even now.

3: Kotor 2 (Yes 2 first!)

If it wasnt for the music, this game wouldnt have been rated so high. Although vastly buggy and unfinished, Kotor 2 had this depressive yet hopeful theme that was carried throguh from one planet to the next that made me fall in love with it. The fact i got this game at a particular high point in my life makes it remind me of the good times every time i play it.

4: Kotor 1

I bought this game on a whim and it changed my life. It introduced me to RPG's and even though i still don't have a fricken clue on how they work, this is a fantastic game. I don't really need to explain here but again it had all the qualities of something cinematic and something huge. Also what fascinated me was the scale of the game and the ENDLESS replayability. It was a shock to my system.

5: Starfleet Command 2 Orion Pirates.

I always wanted to play a Trek game set in the early movies and this was it. The fact that the majority of the missions and they're contents are random means no two missions are hardly identical and the fact its so easily tweakable. It was also the cause of a few bizarre dreams involving me on the bridge of the Enterprise and a giant flying cage monster which when destroyed, we all drank cocktails sat in a corridor. Feckin bizarre but great timmes for me.

Admin note: Guys, Negative Sun requested that you not just list what your Top 5 PC games are, but to explain your choices as well. When replying, please read the first post, as a disturbing number of you have just gone with the laundry list approach. I'll give you until the end of the week to fix them up, after that, if they're still just listings, they will be summarily deleted.



5. Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Many thanks to stoffe for introducing me (and several others) to this sinfully delightful game. Being a bloodsucking creature of the night has never been so much fun before. I loved the many different options the game gave you with respect to character classes and storyline progression. It was also pretty awesome that they had a character named after me in the game as well. :D The soundtrack is kicking rad, with stuff from Lacuna Coil, Chiasm and the Genitorturers, as well as some ambient and throbbing original tunes from composer Rik Schaffer. Definitely one of the better games I've had the pleasure of playing recently.

4. Star Wars: Battlefront
This game is on here for sentimental reasons, as I had a crapload of fun playing Battlefront online with friends. Sure, the gameplay was a little funky and quite buggy at times, but there was nothing like rocketing your buddy over the tall treehouses on Kashyyyk, gunning them down with tanks on Geonosis or vaping them in the cockpit of a starfighter. I was actually quite thankful that playable Jedi were not included in this game, since that would have made the land battles pretty sucky and unbalanced.

3. Sid Meier's Civilization II
I cannot count how many hours I devoted to this game over the course of my gaming lifetime. Very deep and infinitely addictive, this damn game had me spending entire days on it. I think I must've gone through each different civilization at least twice and each scenario once, not even counting all the various custom scenarios downloaded from the Internet. It was either this or its descendant Alpha Centauri going on my list, but CivII's nostalgic value won out. Definitely an old school game I love revisiting again and again.

2. Guild Wars [Prophecies + Factions + Nightfall]
I haven't been playing much GW lately (damn job :/) but I've still logged more than my fair share of hours into this deceptively complex CORPG. This was my first massively multiplayer online game and I'm quite glad I chose it. The biggest initial selling factor was the free online play, since I don't believe in paying for a game more than once. As I got more and more into it, the skill-based aspect of the gameplay really made me warm up to it. Instead of relying on grinding for XP to become uber-1337 high level, GW forces you to become proficient at using the skills at your disposal by enforcing a level 20 cap. It was daunting at first, especially with most of the baddies being higher level than me, but I was able to find a wonderful guild that helped me through even the roughest of places. And I don't have to sell my soul and life to play it either, since there are no monthly fees and I can pick it up and drop it as my real life dictates.

1. Star Wars: TIE Fighter
My top spot really was no contest, as I practically grew up on TIE Fighter. My first ever space sim, I spent many hours in my youth vaping Rebel starfighters for the glory of the Empire. I loved that it wasn't just about shooting everything dead, but also protecting mission-critical craft and accomplishing certain objectives. And there really is nothing like flying by the seat of your pants in what basically amounts to a fighter made of cardboard and tinfoil. It's still my favorite space sim to this day.

1.Halo
I got this very recently and I must say, I'm amazed, astounded, stupefied. This is one hell of a game and I'm hooked. Great graphics, awesome weapons and lovely vehicles. I still haven't finished it, but I will soon. The only thing I felt wasn't totally realistic was the vehicle damage factor. The warthogs never showed a sign of damage even after I bumped it around everywhere possible. I loved the blood and gore though, very very cool stuff.

2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
This was actually my first ever RPG and I fell in love with it the moment I started out. The leveling up, the awesome combat and force power effects were all totally great. It had a really nice storyline, lots of choices, lots of quests, etc. I think this will remain my favourite SW game for a while.

3. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
To hell with all of the new flight sims with flashy aircraft and sexy graphics. Nothing beats this old classic. I still enjoy playing this a lot. This was my very first Star Wars game and I'm never going to get bored of it.

4. Star Wars: Battlefront II
Plain fun to play. Very easy to get stuck to. The storyline wasn't very great, but it was pretty good, good enough. I really liked the award scheme of the game, and the rewards were really appealing too. Only thing that I really disliked was the fact that Jedi were supposed to go around killing like maniacs to sustain themselves. I'd have preferred a normal health bar and the usual ability to heal with the medic droids rather than the "kill-to-heal" system.

5. Star Wars: Republic Commando
Really fun to play FPS. I liked the variety of weapons and grenades and such, but there isn't a lot of replay value since there's only 3 main battlefields. And losing Sev was really unpleasant to me the first time I played it. Overall though, I like it a lot.

5. Medieval 2: Total War

While some might think it not as good as previous entries or is simply Rome: Total War 1.5, M2TW still is an amazing game. Medieval warfare has never been this much fun. The gameplay is deep, engaging and challenges your mind much more then your clicking ability. One of the few games that make great use of the environment.

4. Warhammer 40 000: Dawn of War, Winter Assault and Dark Crusade

Gameplay wise, it isn't anything groundbreaking. However, the execution is perfect. The game is graphically superb, with details going as far as tiny blood marks on your soldiers' armor. The action is fast and intense. The world is dark and violent, fanatical and deadly. The developers at Relic managed to translate everything that made the incredible Warhammer 40 000 universe from Games Workshop to video game form. Great use of an existing franchise.

Note that it has one of the best intro videos ever made.

3. Unreal Tournament 2004 or the mod mania

Unreal Tournament was already a great game so it was natural that UT2k4, who follows the same basic gameplay, would be just as great. In fact, it surpasses its predecessor, allowing you new toys including vehicles for a bloody carnage. The game is superb in every thinkable way. The action is incredibly fast and incredibly fun! Nothing better after a bad day then loading UT2k4 and decapitating people with futuristic weaponry. A real blast (pun intended).

Furthermore, it boasts an incredible amount of mods, due mainly to a mod friendly approach taken by the developers at Epic. Buying UT2k4 doesn't give you only one game, it gives you access to an entire library of use made content, many of them, of excellent quality.

2. World of WarCraft

Please no MMO debate...not the time and place.

When I learned of WoW's existence, it was only a few days before the start of the open beta. I liked WarCraft 3, but wasn't that much into it or its lore. So I decided to sign up for the beta, which was one of the few that didn't require a credit card (something that I didn't have back then), downloaded the client and entered the World of WarCraft. And then it hit me, like when Rocky Balboa received that big punch from evil Soviet cyborg Ivan Drago. The game is superb and still is. It was a refreshing change for me, coming from StarCraft, Diablo 2 and BF1942, I needed a change of pace in my multiplayer gaming and WoW did it. Although there are gameplay annoyances, the game has superb art design and a rich and beautiful world to explore with friends. As someone who enjoys exploration, WoW really was fulfilling.


1. Tie between Tie Fighter and StarCraft

These are the two games I spent my teenage years playing. First things first, Tie Fighter.

Tie Fighter is the oldest game in my list, but arguably one of the best if not the best. It contained incredible dialogue, gameplay that surpassed X-Wing and an incredible cast of characters, including the famous Admiral Thrawn, that I've come to love due to his presence in Tie Fighter. This game put you in the seat of an Imperial craft to make you see the other side of the conflict. The developers truly made the Star Wars world an ambiguous affair, long before KotOR 2 did. In fact, they did it a hell of a lot better then KotOR 2. After the end of the game, you almost think that the Empire is the force of good. The game doesn't spend its time moralizing you, telling you that what you are doing is evil or bad for the galaxy. It tells you that you're an Imperial Ace, doing your job for the Empire, no more, no less. And it works. The magic works. Everything about this game is amazing. I cannot find a flaw in it.



StarCraft. Well, I'm Asian, is that enough :D ? Seriously though, this is the most popular RTS ever made and there's a reason for that. Gameplay was fast and exciting. The battles were exhilarating. Although the game focused on multiplayer, that doesn't mean Blizzard didn't put any effort into providing a great single player experience (unlike some developers *cough*Ensemble Studios*cough*). This is one of the few RTS games which made you care about the character. I felt bad when Kerrigan was left to die on Tarsonis. I enjoyed Jim Raynor's witty attitude. I loved Praetor Fenix, even though he had so little to do, he had this very aggressive and strong voice that made him likeable. I cried when Tassadar sacrificed himself to destroy the Zerg Overmind and save the Protoss people. Furthermore, the game has among the best cinematics ever made. From the Terran destruction team getting attacked by Zergs on a Science Vessel to Tassadar's sacrifice, everything was beautiful. Brood War added to that with its amazing intro video. You could feel the desperation and anger in the eyes of the Marine when he sees the Battlecruiser abandoning him as the Zerg are about to kill the remaining Terran forces. Amazing. Simply amazing.

In my humblest of opinions:

(1). Jedi Knight/Mysteries of Sith.
The successors to the amazing Dark Forces, i believe that this was the first "True" Star Wars game that delivered very addictive gameplay, excellent multiplayer (still being played even today) and was the first SW game to employ a proper 3D lightsaber combating system. When i'm bored, i still play my good old JK CDs and the game, like DF can still keep me hooked for hours (especially online).

(2). Final Fantasy VII
What can i say? One of the greatest SP RPGs of all time. This is my definate fav. out of the FF series. The first 3D FF game the game had an epic story of good vs. evil, had a beautiful battle design and had arguebly the most iconic villain in gaming history (that's right, the good 'old Sephiroth). The storyline within the game is kinda relevant nowadays, what with all the pollution and Global Warming talks! In short, Mr. Hironobu Sakaguchi should be proud for such a classic masterpiece!

(3). Medal of Honor: Allied Assault.
The first MoH to hit the PC, i believe it is arguably the best in the entire franchise. Combined with the equally as epic and well designed "Spearhead" and "Breakthorugh" the game consists of over 50 missions to trawl through which provided i believe to be the best WW2 gaming experience to date. The multiplayer online is insane as i'm sure people who've played it are aware. I'd recommend this over the CoD series as MoH seems to get less repetitive and can keep you hooked for hours upon hours.

(4). Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
The sequel to the amazing Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn this game is definately my favourite RTS game, and is the RTS game that got me into the genre. Both mission discs, the Global Defence Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod provide two very different story perspectives and with the very well scripted cutscenes the game immerses you into the warring world and story. With plenty of gaming options, playable characters and vehicles to choose at your disposal the game still provides a level of complexity that a lot of modern RTS games fail to realise. The expansion pack "Firestorm" adds to this complexity even further with more missions and even more player options and more advanced an realistic AI to make it in my opinion one of the most complex RTS games to date. I vote it as the best C&C game and to people who haven't played it, all i can say is GET THE GAME NOW!!

(5). Half Life
To put it simply, one of the best - if not the best FPS' to date, it's also the best selling with approx. 8,000,000 copies sold worldwide. A very immersive storyline creates a realistic environment, and the gaming physics (at the time) were complex and amazing considering there were level interactions such as puzzles etc. and so the game was not just your average shooter. The expansions "Opposing Force" and "Blue Shift" just add to the greatness of this classic and add to boot the vast TCs that are out there (such as the very entertaining They Hunger and THE best mod ever made for a game, Counter Strike) the game now has a vast amount of options to keep you hooked for life - seriously the game is like a drug!!

Well, that's my fav. 5 PC games in a nutshell!

After the end of the game, you almost think that the Empire is the force of good. The game doesn't spend its time moralizing you, telling you that what you are doing is evil or bad for the galaxy. It tells you that you're an Imperial Ace, doing your job for the Empire, no more, no less. And it works. The magic works. Everything about this game is amazing. I cannot find a flaw in it.Exactly. But another big part, I think, is that you're actually doing good in the game. You force two warring people to make peace and you stop piracy. You don't go about blowing up refugee camps or terraforming planets into desert rocks like in Force Commander. This departure from the Evil Empire Archetype is one of the greatest things about the game.