"Sometimes it feels like games are just too long. Gone are the days where most of us can spend the entire summer exploring fantasy world's, interacting with every NPC and completing every side quest.
The reality is that gaming is hard to fit into a normal working person's schedule. How are you supposed to play dozens of hours of The Witcher 3 when there are people to see, things to do, music to hear, films to watch and books to read."
RPGs are often huge, sprawling endeavours. With limited playtime, we have to choose wisely, so here's the best western RPGs available today.
"I started playing games yesterday" the List... Meh!
How about a few RPGs that deserve some love instead?
1 - Alpha Protocol - Now on GOG
2 - else Heart.Break()
3 - Shadowrun Trilogy
4 - Wasteland 2
5 - UnderRail
6 - Tyranny
7 - Torment: Tides of Numenera
And for a bonus game that flew under the radar:
8 - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Not only glorious jank, but the idea that the story can completely change depending on what you do, or say, or side with, makes it one of the most forward thinking games ever. The amount of story permutation is the equivalent of a Hitman level but in Story Form. And it wasn't just that the story changed, no, it was that you met completely new characters, or missed them, depending on your choices. Made Mass Effect feel static in comparison.
Alpha Protocol was absolutely glorious, indeed. And it was, and still is, more Next Gen than most anything out there these days. In this regard at least.
Pity.
Given the medium's wild diversity, this primer of the essential video games everyone should try is a good place to start.
I can't fk with this list. They missed on alot of games probably before the writers times. Also I know people loved some portal but I was never a fan.
Tomb Raider 1
Driver 1
Abe’s Odyssey
FF6
King of Fighters 94
Mortal Kombat OG
LINK 2 the past
Street Fighter 2
Resident Evil 1
Infinite but not the first two games? Witcher 3 but not the first two games?? GTA V but not literally any of the games before it??? Portal 2 but not the first? Also if you're going to play Shadow of The Colossus play the remaster and not the remake. Can't say I disagree with the list but my man it's all over the place.
I mean some sequels are objectively better and you don’t need to play the whole series.
But most of these games have a story to follow, sure you can catch up with a YouTube vid but where's the fun in that?
A list like this isn't telling you not to play the previous games if you want to. It's just giving you legendary games to play.
But tbh, you don't always have to force yourself to play every entry in a franchise to get to the better ones.
- The vast majority of Witcher 3 players never played the first 2 and had a great time. The first 2 games aren't in the same league.
- The GTA games are self-contained with the odd fun reference. You can easily jump into any of them.
- The Shadow Of The Colossus remake looks and controls better than the original (plus it has a 60fps option while the remaster is just 30fps). New players will enjoy it more.
- Portal 2 is a lot better than Portal 1 and takes the concept much further gameplay-wise. Storywise, Portal 1 is fairly light too. Not that you shouldn't play it but realistically ... you'd love Portal 2 whether you play it or not (at lot of Portal 2 players have never played 1).
Bioshock 1 is the only one I agree with you on simply because it's one the best games of all time and arguably better than Infinite. No other setting like Rapture.
Looking at the list, I'd recommend playing Uncharted 1 before 2 but no doubt, 2 is the legendary one you have to play.
I get it, but that's just my opinion on his opinion. I just think that before you play a sequel you should still play what came before it. Maybe it's just me but i find it fascinating playing through the first game in a series and seeing how it has evolved through its sequels. Like I said I don't disagree with the list, other than SoTC which I strongly believe the remaster of the original should be played above the remake.
Awesome list! Hot take on Fear (and it's hard af expansion Persaus Mandate!) Bioshock Infinite is stellar, so is the Witcher 3 and you nailed it by having Ocarina of Time. So many fantastic games! Gotta play 'em all! Next one on my list is Prey after I beat Dead Space 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction.
Wealth of Geeks explores some of the best gaming romances that have stolen our hearts over the years.
This is why I hate the current trend of everything being open world. I used to hate it because it's so hard to have a nice, structured narrative with an interesting plot and deep characters in open world games, but now I hate it because of all that and how much time I have to put into gaming. It's not as easy as it used to be to take 5 days and just play through the newest game. Which sucks, but honestly I'm not even sure I have it in me to invest so much of myself in a game right now. That's why I really like walking simulators. I get my narrative and they're usually pretty short.
Clearly playing games isn't the only thing he doesn't have much time for.. A vague spell / grammar check over the article wouldn't have gone astray before publishing it!
I think part of being an adult is enjoying the experience. When I started Witcher 3 last May, my goal wasn't to finish the game by June.
I'm still playing it, and I'm enjoying it very much. I have 40 hours in the game since launch and I continue to play a lil' on a weekly basis.
Being an adult doesn't mean binge on 8 hour games that are quick to finish. It's pacing yourself and setting your own goals. You know your schedule better than anyone, why are you trying to compete with a high schooler in terms of how quickly you can beat the game since launch date.
It shouldn't and it doesn't matter. Play the game how you want, and when you want. Being a 10 hour game vs a 100 hour game doesn't matter when you don't enjoy the game. Be an adult, pick a game you like, not a game that is liked by everyone else. Play at your pace, and don't worry about checking off boxes. I think I beat 5 games last year, and I'm OK with that.
The average gamer is over 30 years old. You can find plenty of time to play depending on your life style.
Part of becoming an adult is learning how to manage and prioritize your time. Even with a full time job and family you can find time for games. It just falls down to how much time you can devote to it at a time without taking away from more important things.
Letting go of the "I must finish this game in 2 days" mentality resolves a lot things. Play a game at your own pace and enjoy it when you have some time on your hands.