I thought I'd be nice for some people who maybe have missed out on some classic games of the recent era to find out about them through this thread. I've played just about every game there is and here are some of the 'must play' games that I've had the pleasure to play in recent years. If you like game with a good story, complex gameplay and a overall lasting impression I suggest you pick these up!


1. Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2
2. The Witcher
3. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
4. The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind & Oblivion
5. Mass Effect
6. Uncharted 1 & 2
7. Gears of War 1 & 2
8. Devil May Cry 3 & 4
9. Bioshock
10. F.E.A.R 1

These are the games in recent memory that left a positive feeling after where I said to myself "now that's how a game's supposed to be". Feel free to comment on my games or post your own if you have any similar. Please don't post games like Call of Duty 4, Left for Dead and games like that because those don't really have stories, they're just awesome multi-player games. What games really got to you?

Michael I love your list! You know, I keep hearing so much goodness from Knights of the Old Republic but I still haven't played it! I'll have to search on steam for both games.

The Witcher is awesome! And I'm even reading the books!

Mass Effect is freaking gooood! This is a game that knows how to tell a story and ... well... it's a freaking must buy.

I don't know about Oblivion though, I've seen it but I just don't find it that appealing.
You know... I just realized I have The Suffering Ties that bind for the PC and I've never even played it before. I'm installing it as soon as I get my PC working!

A good story driven game for me is Max Payne 2. Gameplay gets boring (for me) but the story, art, narrative is beautiful. Great game!

Fable is a great game which contains a very well made story imo.

Nice list, although I've only played about 33% of it. All the half life games are a must (including the first), and if you havent played Counter-Strike or L4D (sorry for the multiplayer games, but c'mon) then you are definately missing out.

Some good RTS/RPG games that weren't mentioned: Age of Empires (all of them) & Heroes of Might and Magic (III and V).

Haven't played Bioshock yet, I think it will be the next game I buy.

If we can include older games, you have to throw Command & Conquer: Red Alert & Tiberian Sun in there - both excellent.

Mafia - Superb script and game play.

super mario and rock band... buawhahahahaha

seriously, the entire Halo series. the story was pretty gripping when it reared its head and if you just happen to read the books, they're even better.

everyone will have their own imput on this list, for the most part I agree with you but lets not forget:

the medal of honour games
GTA vice city + san andreas
call of duty + cod 2
Baldurs gate + bg2+tob
Planescape torment was another fav
company of heroes
warcraft 3
lego starwars

FARCRY 2

Max Payne 2
Abe's Oddysee and Exoddus
Stranger's Wrath (Xbox only I think)
Portal
The Minerva: Metastasis single player mod for HL2 was quite interesting to me.

Diablo 2
Starcraft
System Shock 2
Deus Ex 1 and 2
Dooms
Operation Flashpoint
ArmA
Hexen
Heretic
STALKER

there are a few more i can't recall right now

EDIT: added a few more

Glad you liked those games Meats. Knights of the Old Republic could possibly be my favorite games ever, espically the first one. It felt like a huge, awesome, fulfilling movie. Oblivion is a very good game indeed, but Morrowind is where it's really at. Though, after you play Morrowind you will want to play Oblivion for sure Max Payne was really good also, but I had to choose the games I did over it.

Max Payne was my frist true PC game and i loved it.The suffering i havent played the whole game yet but so far i really like it.I found a free add suported version.But its still cool

Soldier of Fortune & RTCW were the very first games played on PC. And of course
ET!!!!! Before that, I was a console freak, so Golden Eye64, Turok, etc.

I'd have to say that my life would have been different if I hadn't played the following games:
1. Ultima
2. Zork
3. MULE
4. Asteroids
5. Any pinball machine
6. Mortal Combat on a Sega Genesis

These games more than anything else actually caused me to go in the direction that I've taken in life. The rest ar like cheese on the pressed sandwich.

You included GoW but nothing from alternative consoles.

2. The Witcher
3. Mass Effect

I want.

But no $$$.

GoW and DMC4 are on consoles. I believe the Suffering is also. It wasn't supposed to be related towards consoles or pc's - just all the best games you can play.

I will throw in Skate 2 for XBOX 360 in this list. It is how a Skate game is meant to be played. Much more realistic and satisfying.

Hmmm, methinks that most of the games I mentioned are actually older than most of the respondants to this thread....In my day they were great....and we walked to school in the snow, uphill, both ways, and we ate dirt, and were happy we had it....ummm, did I mention that I grew up with a B/W TV?

You ate dirt?

He didn't have to, he just wanted to

Well, that's what is called an exaggeration.
I ate "Spanish rice", which is rice with stewed tomatos for the most part.
I also ate a whole lot of cabbage....isn't that close to dirt.
I just look at my weekly grocery bill for 4 people, and its almost double what my family used to spend in 4 months!!!
I feed my family with mostly fresh ingredients, and find myself spending as much, if not more, than it would cost for a fast food equivilent. I did go get some fast food about 2-3 months ago, but have ground my own meat at least 6 times since then (OK I can see where the dirty minds are, I'm there with you, but I am talking about food).
It seems like 90% of the supermarket is processed foods, and 90% of the coupons or price reductions are within this area. I try to spend less than 15% of my food budget on anything that has a mono/diaxilate/red dye# whatever, etc.....).
OK, I do have to put up with the wax on my veggies and fruits, though I hate that.
I'm a red meat eater from the 1960s, and I hate all the crap they put in my food either before or after the slaughter!
BTW, I have slaughtered animals that I've raised, and grown close to. But they're still meat. I've hunted, but my PC wife is against it (she's from Japan, where all meat and fish come pre-grown in styrofoam cartons), so I stopped.
BE GREEN, SHOOT A TREEHUGGER! THEY KEEP THE TREES FROM GROWING TO THIER MAXIMUM POTENTIAL...of course if they did, we'd cut them down to make furnature.....

Thus my falling back on my dad and grands about what they went through....