Source
r/gaming•
phpdad

I'm just getting back into PC gaming after almost 10 years on consoles. What are some good games on Steam that I need to play?

Full-time linux user since 2001, so I've been a PS2/PS3/360 gamer. The last PC games I played were Counterstrike and Enemy-Territory (ran on linux). Give me some can't miss titles.

What I've already purchased: Mirror's Edge, C & C Red Alert 3 and Rome: Total War.

Edit: Downloading Orange Box now, seems like the consensus #1 must-have game on Steam.

Edit2: Why the hell does Steam require administrator access every time I launch a game?

Posted Jun 19, 2010, 4:17 AM UTC · edited

17112
[deleted]•

Buy the orange box, you won't regret it one bit, other than that I would only buy things that are on sale, they happen a lot.

44
RockinHawkin•

This. Also, Civ IV.

12
[deleted]•

I am giddily awaiting CIV V

6
faemir•

If by giddily awaiting you mean 'playing Civ IV'

2
[deleted]•

i'm definitely going to get civ IV this xmas if it goes on a really good sale (it is 20 bucks right now but the expansions are also 10-20 bucks a piece, if i could get the whole package for under 20 i'll pull that trigger).

i also have civ III which I haven't really played yet. i plan on getting to that once mass effect 2, fallout 3, and oblivion are all completed by me (main quests at least).

1
arkanus•

other than that I would only buy things that are on sale

I agree with this. Steam puts quality games on sale faster than you can consume quality content. If you start with the Orange Box and pick up sales as they come along you will be drowning in games before you know it. Don't forget all of the mods that are available once you get the Orange Box. Remember to check GamersGate, Impulse and Direct2Drive as well. They all have great sales from time to time too.

1
terplox•

Welcome back. We've missed you.

10
cpt_bongwater•

Beyond Good & Evil

Psychonauts

The Longest Journey

Half Life 2 & Ep 1 & 2

WoW

Knytt

Morrowing + GFX updates & Mods

Neverwinter Nights 1 or 2 literally thousands of usermade modules.

Company of Heroes of WH40k Dawn of war

10
ozarkaozarka•

uhh, not WoW

22
iritegood•

Seriously. You do not want to play WoW, if you value any semblance of a social life.

4
Shmag•

Believe it or not, there's a way to have both.

It's called self control

8
iritegood•

Yes, but WoW is engineered specifically to be as addicting as possible. I don't have as much self control as I would like, hence why I avoid drugs like the plague, but I've seen normal people get absolutely hooked on WoW. It's hours and hours of boring bullshit for those small moments of absolute epic awesomeness. You spend months of ingame time working for those small moments, and it's hard to feel satisfied playing only a little a day. Sure, you could have self control and play it very little, but you won't have much fun.

If you're the type of person that gets hooked easily: don't play WoW. You'll hate yourself for wasting so much time every day playing, but you'll just keep playing the next day.

8
madtorahtut•

"Company of Heroes of WH40k Dawn of war" sounds intense.

10
TuctDape•

I'd say CoH over DoW, Company of heroes is one of, if not THE greatest squad based RTS I've ever played. It's graphics and gameplay are still miles ahead of anything else I've seen even today. Can't comment on the expansions really, but definitely get the original and play the campaign.

4
grelphy•

DoW, OTOH, is a shit RTS. It's fun if you're already a 40K fan, or if you like hearing enemy leaders scream at each other in the most over-the-top manner possible, but the gameplay is severely constrained and strictly uninteresting.

1
nihilion_Zero•

Umm... forgetting something? PORTAL

3
duvel•

KOTOR, man.

2
cpt_bongwater•

Yeah...good game...but I was trying to put down some games that weren't exclusive to a console for a year b4 being released on PC

1
duvel•

Er, the Xbox version was pretty crap compared to the awesome of the PC version. There's a better interface and mod capability, and oh man there are a ton of mods.

2
cpt_bongwater•

really? I didn't know about the mods...Yeah it's a great game for sure.

1
beedee•

I know a lot of people like buying everything from Steam (for reasons beyond me) but Beyond Good & Evil, Psychonauts and The Longest Journey are all available on gog.com as cheap, completely DRM free downloads.

1
dos4gw•

Definitely play the first Half Life game before the second one.

1
cpt_bongwater•

very true...but OP said last 10 years...HL1 came out in 97

1
ArmandoPenblade•

Everyone and their mother agrees that Halflife 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal are three of the greatest games to have ever been released. . . so why not go ahead and grab the Orange Box to get all 3? (I've never played any of them, but I do own the Orange Box for when I have time). HL2 is one of the best-plotted shooters ever, TF2 is the ultimate team-based, role-based multiplayer shooter, and Portal offers some of the best and mind-bendingest puzzle play out there.

Mass Effect 1 and 2 are some of the best-told scifi epics I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. They are action-heavy RPGs with third person shooting and spellcasting, wide and entertaining casts, and exciting stories. I love these games more than life itself.

Dragon Age: Origins is a fantastic hyper violent traditional fantasy roleplaying game from the makers of Baldur's Gate. It's beautiful, well-scored, and decently acted, with a lot of side quests and goings-on, and some not-actually-horrible romance ;)

Warcraft 3 is still the best RTS out there, presumably until SC2 hits. The UMS (use map settings) maps are still the primary source of joy for me, but the ladders are very intense, competitive, and advanced. A really meaty strategy game to dig into.

Stardock's Galactic Civilizations 2 and Ironclad's Sins of a Solar Empire are two astoundingly awesome space strategy games. GC2 is a turn-based strategy game with, in my opinion, the finest and most creative, hilarious, and difficult AI out today. It's a galaxy-spanning game of conquest, research, and diplomacy with the most in-depth ship editor I've ever had the pleasure of playing with. Sins sacrifices some of that depth for an immediacy that only an RTS can provide, but it's still challenging, thought-provoking, and well-supported.

I hear tell that Crysis is still a good way to show off your gaming rig in terms of processing power ;)

8
phpdadOP•

I own DA:O on PS3, so that won't work.

Space strategy is a genre I've not explored before, I'll have to check those out.

Crysis... I only have a 3.00 ghz quad-core, 8gigs of RAM and an Nvidia GTS 260. Crysis won't run on that, from what I hear.

3
hobbes987•

I have a 2.8 GHz dual core, 2 gigs RAM and an nVidia GT 9600, and I run Crysis on medium-high settings (at 1440x900)

4
smew•

I think he was joking, but I'm not sure.

1
MyNameIsDan_•

DA:O on PC is a completely new game with the MUCH MUCH better control.

And do not worry, Crysis will run on your computer, just not max settings.

I ran Crysis Warhead on "Gamer" setting (1 notch below max) with Q9300 (OC'd to 3.00 Ghz), 4gb RAM and 4870 1gb with average high 30 to low 40 fps. It seemed a lot smoother with motion blur on... despite the annoyance. So Crysis on your machine should run similarly (Warhead is more optimized than original Crysis), and that game tends to favour Nvidia cards so give it a try.

3
phpdadOP•

I've heard that about dragon age. If I hadn't blown $40 to download the expansion on PS3, I'd probably buy it again. Is Crysis decent, or is it just hyped up due to the way it abuses computer hardware?

1
MyNameIsDan_•

It's a decent game, maybe hyped up a little too much but definitely not a bad game. It's non stop action packed with various style of play depending on your preference and situation. Definite buy.

I also urge you to check out Indigo Prophecy, its developed by the same guys that brought you Heavy Rain, and is worth the play through.

2
hosndosn•

Crysis really suffered from the high-end graphics marketing aimed at pretty much nobody. It's a very good shooter. It really would have deserved being advertised for gameplay rather than tech alone. If you like sandbox gameplay, Crysis is about as fun as it gets. The physics are amazing, the "nanosuit" allows all kinds of different tactics from run & gun gameplay to stealth.

Maybe check out the demo first. I'd be surprised if your card couldn't run it at acceptable frame rates at mid-to-high settings.

2
SGG•

DA:O is on sale Sunday as part of the EA sale week, so you might want to look at it then, just depends on to sale %, I have played on my PC and a friends PS3.. and wow. The PC version was so much more fun.

EDIT: Crysis/warhead is a fun game, try to avoid using the same play style through the whole game tho.

1
Bitterfish•

Crysis is an almost 3 year old game at this point, it will run fine. Maybe not high framerate on max settings, but it will run. Crysis Warhead is a cheaper and more fun spin-off with better graphical scaling, so I'd go for that.

1
Aksen•

If you consider space strategy, Sins of a Solar Empire is a hell of a lot of fun. They've got a great HUD and managing hundreds or thousands of units is actually pretty easy. Watch some videos of it!

1
trillex•

Crysis will run amazing on your computer. I could run it on "Very High" with my Q6600 (2.4 Quad Core), 4 gigabyte RAM and a GTX 280.

1
Killraine•

SC2 hits July 27th, so its probably worth waiting for that. I played the beta up until they closed it and it is an incredible game, especially if you like RTS.

1
bah_•

i would highly recommend plants vs zombies, it's a 10 dollar 'tower defense' (kinda) game that i just started replaying again and having just as much fun as the first time i've played it. definitely get the orange box, and for a pretty decent free game you should try out league of legends (you'll probably love it or hate it).

6
cos7a•

Quake live is free FREE FREE

5
[deleted]•

Stalker CoP

Planescape Torment

Civilization IV

Deus Ex

KOTOR

5
revdroog•

Nearly everyone will say The Orange Box. There's a reason. Buy it. Is there a specific genre you really like? Civilization IV is awesome and addictive, Killing Floor is fun with a good group, likewise Left 4 Dead 1 and 2. Torchlight is fun, if you like a good dungeon crawler clickfest. Titan Quest is another good one in that genre. Both Mount & Blade games are excellent, though Warband has multiplayer so it's probably the better buy. Plants vs Zombies, World of Goo, Freedom Force. Lots to choose from.

3
phpdadOP•

CIV IV is $30. Worth it, or should I wait until CIV V so I can get my hex on?

2
revdroog•

Technically, probably worth it, but eventually there will be a sale and you'll probably be able to get the entire Civ IV collection for under 30 bucks.

3
Captain_Midnight•

Yep. When Civ V was announced, Steam had a sale for Civ IV including both expansion packs for a whopping ten bucks. I expect similar results when Civ V is released Septemberish.

1
EsIeX3•

Wait until a sale. I'm guessing it'll go $10 again sometime soon.

2
DeedTheInky•

Mount And Blade! Seriously it is awesome.

http://pc.ign.com/objects/782/782487.html

3
[deleted]•

S T A L K E R

3
REInvestor•

Clear Sky was very underwhelming, though.

1
[deleted]•

should I skip? I almost done with playing SOC with the complete mod and I cant believe how much more I enjoyed this than fallout 3 and I loved fallout 3

1
REInvestor•

Well, others may disagree, but I was very angry with it about half way through, and the end sucks, and I was definitely not left satisfied and smiling.

2
rabdsquirlz•

I actually started with CoP because I heard good things about it, tried CS but I wasn't impressed, I just started SoC and I'm enjoying it. So yes, I would say skip. Plus, CoP has a lot more polish than the others.

2
[deleted]•

i installed stalker complete 2009 and I had to restart the whole game I cant reccomend it enough. and thanks for the advice I will skip clear sky

complete 2009 is a mod for shadow of chernobyl. fixes AI (adds stealth and tweeks Ai) improves graphics a lot, and balnace issues

1
elpoppo•

Mass effect - if you are into sci-fi roleplaying/shooter. Fallout 3 - as before. Bad company 2 - latest in the battlefield series on pc. Portal - frickin amazing. Halflife 2 - as before. Bioshock - perhaps the greatest game ever IMO, great storyline, challenging and artistically beautiful.

2
phpdadOP•

Played Mass Effect on the 360 right before it shit itself. I'm hoping Mass Effect 2 shows up on sale this weekend.

Beat Fallout3 on the PS3. LOVE that game.

1
[deleted]•

Mass Effect 2 is going to be on sale actually, I can't remember if it's Saturday or Sunday. There was a post here that had the entire week of sales revealed.

2
Ducttape2021•

Vanilla or Game of the Year Edition? :)

1
phpdadOP•

I had Fallout 3 the day it came out, so just vanilla. I added Broken Steel and Point Lookout, though. Did 3+ playthroughs.

1
[deleted]•

Fallout 3 is better on the PC. Why? Mods. Most RPGs will have mods on the pc so keep that in mind for future purchases. (like fallout: new vegas which is coming soon)

1
Mikey129•

Half-life 2.

2
Bitterfish•

Left 4 Dead! Well, Left 4 Dead 2, I guess, it's superior to the original in pretty much every way.

2
WhileTrue•

I agree that technically L4D2 is better, but... I dunno. I'm just not fond of a lot of the additions. I don't think L4D2 is worse, just that it's not really better.

That said, both are great. Both seem to have a really nice player community, too.

2
bearCatBird•

Try Realism. It will knock your socks off.

1
MyNameIsDan_•

Here we go:

Torchlight, Trine, Orange box, Crysis (and Crysis Warhead), Metro2033, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (original as well as the latest edition: Call of Pripyat, some argue clear sky is not worth buying), L4D1/2, PREORDER STARCRAFT 2, Warcraft 3 (and the expansion: The Frozen Throne, be sure to check out DotA), Heroes of Newerth, Counter-Strike 1.6 (and Source if you want).

EDIT: Almost forgot to add Call of Cthulu and Penumbra series if you like your little horror games.

2
Diarrg•

Can't recommend STALKER enough. It's a true diamond in the rough. I picked up 4 copies of it when they had it on sale for $2, and now wish I had bought more for gifts. It's honestly the scariest, most gripping games I've ever played.

3
[deleted]•

You may want to hold off on buying SC2, actually, depending on your stance on the whole Battle.net 2.0 fiasco. See how that plays out first. If you need an RTS try out Company of Heroes, which is supposed to be excellent.

1
smew•

PREORDER STARCRAFT 2

There's no reason now that the beta is over and you can't get a key anymore. And its not like the Blizzard online store is going to run out of bits.

1
MyNameIsDan_•

I like to be safe at all occasions.

Such as just in case a huge influx of Koreans come to CAnada.

(I don't have credit card for online purchases :( )

1
[deleted]•

Can't go wrong with the orange box, counter strike, Oblivion/Fallout 3 (both with mods).

2
i_orangered_it•

You can change your windows settings to always run programs as an admin. Right now you have lower access which prevents games from running properly.

Also as you mentioned Steam has new sales every week and I've bought my last six steam games after seeing a sale mention in Reddits Gamers sub. Pick one game for now and jump on sales based on these great suggestions.

2
enkideridu•

Reddits Gamers sub

r/gaming or is something else?

2
i_orangered_it•

Yep the gaming sub, sorry. It's half the reason I Reddit.

2
enkideridu•

ah, i was thinking maybe there was a game discount sub that i wasn't aware of
there should be a game discount sub

2
Sigma7•

You can change your windows settings to always run programs as an admin. Right now you have lower access which prevents games from running properly.

If games don't run properly on a limited user account, then there's something wrong with either the disk permissions or the system. It could also be a faulty install script within Steam (e.g. Steam always wants to reinstall SlimDX whenever I play AI War: Fleet command).

2
i_orangered_it•

It's likely related to temp files not being created because if the limited permission level. I've noticed my older games also need admin access for that reason. Also the main exe might be calling on other exe's and failing.

1
rabdsquirlz•

I'm not sure how much control Steam has over the installers for the games it sells, my experience has been that Steam just runs the provided installer for a game and points it to the steamapps directory. On the bigger ticket items and their games they include checks to make sure you run it through steam and have purchased and account but a lot of games in the common folder can be run straight from the common folder without steam even running.

1
Kuiper•

It sounds like you enjoyed Dragon Age, so be sure to pick up Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for $10. It's from the same company (BioWare) and its mechanics are very similar to Dragon Age. I consider it to be one of the best games of the last decade and the quintessential role-playing game in many regards.

2
donwilson•

Fallout 3, Portal 2, TF2, Half-Life 2, GTA:4

2
vraylle•

Be sure to check the sidebar on the game's page before buying...there are a few games that have 3rd party DRM, some of it pretty nasty. (I'm looking at you, Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena.)

2
[deleted]•

Forgot to mention: Savage 2 (free) http://www.s2games.com/savage/

I haven't had the time to try this one. From what I know from the first game: it had a high learning curve and requires total teamwork. Each team has a commander who basically has a RTS interface. He'll throw orders to grunts (you). The community was pretty competitive and there were videos outlining strategies somewhere on youtube.

2