The "PC Games" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Return to castle Wolfenstein:
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is set in Nazi Germany and follows a rather surreal story line involving the raising of the dead. It's single player is very lifelike and itense with great atmosphere and different settings ranging from Crypts to brilliant urban settings with a lively and atmospheric soundtrack. Wolfenstein is the classic blast'em up and follows a linear but very playable level layout however overall the one player mode is disappointingly short and not overly challenging on any of the difficulties to the experienced gamer. In terms of multiplayer gaming there is little support for network gamers but there is a large amount of online support and a large online gaming community to play against on many different levels.
Overall:Disappointingly short but worth buying especially if you are into online gaming.
Half-Life
Half life is the Daddy of the modern FPS. It has a long singleplayer which follows a gripping story line backed up by powerful and futuristic firepower. The gameplay is good although the blasting of aliens is arguably less enjoyable than bashing your way through legions of human foes. The multiplayer lacks the huge range of choices available to more recent games but this is more than made up for buy the constant updates and add ons made available to it due to its massive following online. Good on a large network but the absence of multiplayer bots can make network halflife less interesting.
Overall:The most popular online game by far ,vastly enjoyable definitely worth buying.
Unreal Tounament:
Unreal Tournament is a high speed action packed multiplayer fest. A rather poor offering of a singleplayer this is the best of the multiplayer aimed games. Plenty of options and choice of levels. Very playable with fast fluid action and Bots which can be set to a very wide and challenging range of abilities. Large on line following but excellent in practicemode or on a network this is the best of the multiplayer games by a long way. Also very good value as it has now been released In classic form and should only cost about a tenner or so.
Overall:Into multiplayer games:This is for you
Quake 3:
Quake 3 has the classic pc shootem up feel following in the footsteps of quake and doom. Personally i feel that this is a poor relation to unreal tounament. As it feels less real and requires less tactical movement. Atmospheric and likeable it maybe for you if you are into the old style shooters.
Overall:Not as good multiplayer as unreal but solid overall.
Medal Of Honour Allied Assault:
Medal of Honour is set during the Second World War. And moves over many different landscapes as you aid the allied cause. Traditional WW2 weaponary and interesting mission objectives make for intesive and exciting gaming. The sheer intesity of the single player is second to none. From the Beach landings on D-Day or The stealth attacks with the French resistance this game shows depth and quality. It is the best length of the modern shootersand there is no shortage of things to do. The Multiplayer is pretty good and the online community is expanding rapidly this is by far the best of the modern shooters.
Overall:This has a brilliant action packed single player and is definetly worth buying. Great value for Money
Project IGI:
Although not the first game people think of when talking about First peson shooters it should be considered as it is amongst the best single player games out there. The story line may not be enthralling but the action takes place over beautifully created and meticulously planned levels. Although there are some flaws in the game such as limited AI and regening guards this is easily compensated for by the smooth flowing gameplay and the long levels. This is not a game for those with short attention spans as there is no save feature with in each level but it is done on a "save at the end of a level" type save.
Overall: Cheap and addictive single player action
What Should I buy:
Overall best Multiplayer Game: Unreal tournament
Overall Best Singleplayer Game: Medal of Honour
Online Gaming: Half-Life
Best overall Combo: Medal of Honor/Unreal
Return to castle Wolfenstein:
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is set in Nazi Germany and follows a rather surreal story line involving the raising of the dead. It's single player is very lifelike and itense with great atmosphere and different settings ranging from Crypts to brilliant urban settings with a lively and atmospheric soundtrack. Wolfenstein is the classic blast'em up and follows a linear but very playable level layout however overall the one player mode is disappointingly short and not overly challenging on any of the difficulties to the experienced gamer. In terms of multiplayer gaming there is little support for network gamers but there is a large amount of online support and a large online gaming community to play against on many different levels.
Overall:Disappointingly short but worth buying especially if you are into online gaming.
Half-Life
Half life is the Daddy of the modern FPS. It has a long singleplayer which follows a gripping story line backed up by powerful and futuristic firepower. The gameplay is good although the blasting of aliens is arguably less enjoyable than bashing your way through legions of human foes. The multiplayer lacks the huge range of choices available to more recent games but this is more than made up for buy the constant updates and add ons made available to it due to its massive following online. Good on a large network but the absence of multiplayer bots can make network halflife less interesting.
Overall:The most popular online game by far ,vastly enjoyable definitely worth buying.
Unreal Tounament:
Unreal Tournament is a high speed action packed multiplayer fest. A rather poor offering of a singleplayer this is the best of the multiplayer aimed games. Plenty of options and choice of levels. Very playable with fast fluid action and Bots which can be set to a very wide and challenging range of abilities. Large on line following but excellent in practicemode or on a network this is the best of the multiplayer games by a long way. Also very good value as it has now been released In classic form and should only cost about a tenner or so.
Overall:Into multiplayer games:This is for you
Quake 3:
Quake 3 has the classic pc shootem up feel following in the footsteps of quake and doom. Personally i feel that this is a poor relation to unreal tounament. As it feels less real and requires less tactical movement. Atmospheric and likeable it maybe for you if you are into the old style shooters.
Overall:Not as good multiplayer as unreal but solid overall.
Medal Of Honour Allied Assault:
Medal of Honour is set during the Second World War. And moves over many different landscapes as you aid the allied cause. Traditional WW2 weaponary and interesting mission objectives make for intesive and exciting gaming. The sheer intesity of the single player is second to none. From the Beach landings on D-Day or The stealth attacks with the French resistance this game shows depth and quality. It is the best length of the modern shootersand there is no shortage of things to do. The Multiplayer is pretty good and the online community is expanding rapidly this is by far the best of the modern shooters.
Overall:This has a brilliant action packed single player and is definetly worth buying. Great value for Money
Project IGI:
Although not the first game people think of when talking about First peson shooters it should be considered as it is amongst the best single player games out there. The story line may not be enthralling but the action takes place over beautifully created and meticulously planned levels. Although there are some flaws in the game such as limited AI and regening guards this is easily compensated for by the smooth flowing gameplay and the long levels. This is not a game for those with short attention spans as there is no save feature with in each level but it is done on a "save at the end of a level" type save.
Overall: Cheap and addictive single player action
What Should I buy:
Overall best Multiplayer Game: Unreal tournament
Overall Best Singleplayer Game: Medal of Honour
Online Gaming: Half-Life
Best overall Combo: Medal of Honor/Unreal
I'm still trying to geta copy of MOHAA looks really good.
Thing is, i've only juststarted geting into PC games, I never really thought they were any good, the reason being: my pc was crap, now it's upgraded things look so much better.
I'm currently playing:
-Max Payne! 3rd person, very, very good game, I would recommend you get it.
-Unreal Tournament, classy online games, it's an old game so with a new PC this game works really well, loads of peope are always playing online so your never short of a challenge, also Tactical-Ops (UT mod) is great, a real-life (as real as games get I guess) mod, seems a bit like Half-Life.
-Operation Flashpoint, i'm pretty sure this games the same thing as MOHAA just set in a different war, graphics...etc look the same, anyway, another great game, lading troops into battle, flying helicopters and driving tanks, great fun. Also played online, not quite as much as UT though :(
RTCW seems like the game to have at the moment, burning zombies will never be the same again, online gaming seems cool from the screenshots i've seen...
have fun.
I've also heard Unreal Tournament is quite good too, but not quite 'Half-Life'.
And I definitley reccomend Medal of Honour: Allied Assault!
No, I haven't played that game either! But it's got brilliant feedback and reactions from people who have it.
And maybe look out for 'Mafia: City of Lost Heaven' next month. If only I had a better PC i'd get these games!
I downloaded Max Payne, only to find out that it won't let me go onto Chapter 5 : level 1! *cries* I love this game, but the glitch has made me fall in love with 'The Sims' building your own house from scratch and getting jobs might seem like a lame idea, but it works.
Also, onto killing: I need to gt a copy of half-Life seems more people play it than UT so it must be good, it's only £10 (any game that price is worth having) and because it's that price it will no doubt work well on my PC *dances*
Thing is about UT and half-Life, i'm not sure they have any good solo mission, I know UT hasn't it's just the same as online gaming, but with simulants.
Whereas: MOHAA, Operation Flashpoint (get this game) are mainly solo mission games, so get both.
Then...play Max Payne again.
This takes the simple FPS structure and moves it way beyond the simple "run around and shoot things" structure which remains central to most games in this genre - Return to Castle Wolfenstein, for example. Deus Ex is a strongly narrative-driven game resting upon character interaction as much as completion of missions.
It also boasts a breadth of non-linearity matched by no other game. Certain missions can be completely overlooked, and your relative success (defined in more sophisticated terms than whether you live or not) affects your progress later in the game. Your negligence can cost the lives of your allies, for example.
Indeed Deus Ex takes a structuce essentially the form of one long narrative - even when you've completed your main onjective your still have to return to base (in the early missions) for debriefing and carry out the sort of tasks that in inferior games might only be glimpsed in a brief FMV cut-scene - like stocking up on munitions from the quartermaster.
But the element that unifies the game is its exquisitely-crafted plot, bringing you in contact with a range of characters and leaving it at the players' discretion who he fights alongside. Deus Ex asks question of your moral sense and intelligence, challenging you to find an alternative means of completing the mission without just charging in, guns blazing.
All this takes for granted the detailed and moody graphics, and the clever use of spot sound effects and dramatic music when the enemy spots you.
Deus Ex belongs at the top of any list of great single-player FPS games. It's already available on PC CD-ROM and will soon be out on PS2. I would be surprised if an XBox conversion wasn't around the corner. The sequel is due early next year.
i meant to post in this on deus ex and forgot it is complete quality. the best story line of any shooter by a million miles. some people don't like the feel of it but the atmosphere in it is amazing. this needs to be bought and its only a tenner