Widescreen Gaming Forum

About two weeks ago, an idea occurred to me. The idea is it's a list of 50 games I think every serious gamer should play. There are a number of criteria - all the games are very solid titles, and are important in the history of gaming. Accessibility is valued as well, as this is more of a crash course to the history of games that matter than an in depth look at the formative years.

So for the past couple of days, I've been busy getting carried away. The Ultima series is incredibly important to the history of gaming, and I knew one of the games from it had to be included. Ultima VII is arguably the best in the series and the most accessible, so that would be it. It occurred to me that since the series began in 1980, making it the oldest series I would probably represent, it would make sense to start the list with Ultima VII. And then I thought, instead of being content with just a list, why not do a write-up of each game? And since Ultima VII's predecessors are important too, why not do a writeup on all of them?

Don't get me wrong - the point of the writeups isn't to say "you need to play all of the Ultimas in order" (but feel free to try if you're daring). Rather, it's "you need to play Ultima VII, and I'd like you to be aware that its predecessors exist."

So, here's my first entry so far. I hope someone who isn't already an Ultima fan will read it and not be frightened by the length. Positive and/or constructive feedback will increase the chances that I continue this project.
http://thecrankyhermit.wikispaces.com/GA101+-+Ultima+VII

Do GTA next. :D

And realize if you complete Ultima VII you will be required to play Serpent Isle.

Half Life 2, Deus Ex, Fallout 2, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, American McGee's Alice, The Witcher, System Shock 2, Planescape: Torment, KoToR, X-Com: UFO Defense, Thief: Deadly Shadows, STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl, Max Payne, Baldur's Gate 2, Portal, Tribes 2, Mechwarrior 2, Age of Empires 2, Counterstrike, Gothic 2, Starcraft, Quake 2, Team Fortress 2, Beyond Good & Evil, Mass Effect 1, Arcanum, Indigo Prophecy

Maybe too modern for you...

Would you include a game like Battlefield 1942? It was a landmark game for massive online battles and set the scene for many more games of its type, but without the online community that it used to have, the game is just missing that little bit 'extra' that made it huge in its day.

You could look at it two ways: first to stay away from games that featured best in the online community as those communities shift and change as the games age and get replaced, or two, that such games were defining to that genre of game.

I look forward to the list, I am sure there'll be some I haven't played before.

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I haven't really played BF1942 that much in the day. Even if I had, it's a little bit late to make it a homework assignment for gamers. It's just not a game you can appreciate to any real potential any more.

I've made an intro page too, and also fleshed out the Ultima page.
http://thecrankyhermit.wikispaces.com/Gaming+Appreciation+101

The only games that really "last" in terms of "can go back to years and years later" are single player games. For multiplayer, when something new comes out, usually the old games drop off the radar. Obviously there are exceptions in Counterstrike, CS:S... but they are by far the exceptions.

Yeah I would agree with that.

I guess to some effect you could argue the same thing for games that were known for their breakthroughs in graphics, like perhaps Crysis or Far Cry, whereas if you were to play them today, it wouldn't stand out like they did back then.

A good project!

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Don't forget King's Quest!

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Professional... well I'll figure that out.



"I sense something, a presence I've not felt since......."

As much as I respect King's Quest and what it did for gaming, it's not really a series I can claim everyone should play. Most gamers today wouldn't know what to do with it unless they had a walkthrough in a window next to it. Even the TVTropes entry describes it as "downright unplayable." This sentiment makes me want to punch a baby, but I probably won't be able to convince people who don't already appreciate classic games to give it a chance if they wouldn't normally.

If I ever do a Gaming Appreciation 201, then King's Quest would be there for sure.