Ten games every designer should play

TechnoGoth · 2012-04-26T12:35:29

Partly because of some the comments on a thread about innovation in games, and partly because I think it would be helpful to people. I thought I would start this topic. What in your opinion are ten games every game designer should play? and why? Here's my list in no particular order: 1) Civilization 1 and 3 - PC - By far the best 4x earth based games ever made. Containing just the right amount of micromanagement to allow you develop in the manner you see best but not enough that you are bogged down in details. Well balanced play and a definite sense of progress allow you to easily measure your performance against your opponents. 2) Masters of Orion 2 – PC - The finest example of a 4x game ever released, while it has a different focus then civilization it is defiantly superior in many ways. A tech tree and the freedom to design ships as you see fit allows you to create numerous successful battle strategies. By further allowing the player to customize their race, and expand at their own pace and still achieve one of the various victory conditions make it must play by anyone’s standards. 3) Spellcross – PC- An excellent blend of tactical combat and strategy that falls into the strategy category somewhere between X-Com and Masters of Orion 2. What makes this game particularly interesting is the each game level or area is divided into different territories each representing a separate mission. Each territory once captured produces a set number of resources for a set number of turns, the player then controls how to divide the total resources they receive between cash and research points. Cash is used to by new units, equip units with improvements, and repairing damaged units. This strategy aspect makes from interesting play as it adds a logistical aspect which is lacking most strategy games. 4) Darklands – PC – A great game set in Europe. While it would technically be considered an RPG its nothing like your typical rpg. You create characters by choosing a family background and then deciding which occupation they will pursue over a 5 year interval which determines how many skill points you get, how many points you can place in each skill, and points to certain stats and skills. Certain occupations also provide other bonuses such alchemic formulas. You can have up to character in your party at a time and if one dies you can make another at any town. Equipment has a quality rating which determines how good it is and quality can be reduced when a character is inquired. Add to this complete freedom to explore the game world, random events that allow for different player responses based on what equipment and skills the characters, and no real objective then to gain us much fame as you can. Make it a truly enjoyable experience. 5) Persona 2 eternal punishment – PS1 – An excellent rpg that bares the unique status of one of the few rpgs set in the present day. One of truly interesting aspects of this game is the ability to converse with enemies and convince them to provide you with some kind of aid rather then just killing makes for an excellent change of pace. Has an interesting story as well surrounding rumors become true, which the player can use to create various in game changes. 6) Quest for glory 1-4 – PC - These enjoyable games are an excellent blend of adventure, rpg, and humor. With 3 different character types each possessing there own path through the game and methods for overcoming obstacles, make a lot more then you standard adventure game or rpg. Add to this the fact that you can bring your character along from one game into the next and you have one of the most enjoyable game series ever made. 7) Final Fantasy IX - PS1 – This particular installment of final fantasy franchise had a number of interesting and noteworthy features. First was the pure the nostalgia factor the moment you first see the cute little Black mage it brings you back to long past days you spent playing the original final fantasy game, with several other reference to the original game throughout it makes for a really nice touch for any long time fan. Numerous story related mini games it makes for good break for the normal repetition of things when the game enters one of the many little mini games, this was a nice feature that was sorely underused within the game, it could have benefited greatly from a larger number of these non repetitive mini games. Another feature that should be common place in rpgs was an attention bubble that appear over the characters head when they where near object they could interact with, whether it was a chest to open, a hidden switch, or secret item. That is defiantly one feature I would like to see used more often I don’t like the idea of missing things in a game because I didn’t spend the time pressing the interact button in front of everything. 8) Tekken 3, 4 and tag – PS1 and PS2 -The Tekken series is an excellent series of games that does it job very well. It has easy to use controls, intuitive moves, plus a larger variety of different characters, and moves to learn and use. All and all it is well balanced game, with no obvious flaws and is good place to look if you want to see what a well polished game should look like. 9) Counter strike – PC - What makes counter strike such a successful is fps even after all these years has to be it faced paced player vs player game play coupled with the frustration of waiting for the next round to start before you can start playing again. It keeps people playing again and again hour after hour, despite the various other similar games that technically superior people continue to play counter strike. 10) Fallout 2 – PC – An excellent rpg in every sense of term. That combines an interesting story and setting to explore, with an excellent set of game mechanics to explore it with. A character system that allows the player design a character to fit any role they choose and a game design that accommodates the place style of nearly any kind of character the player chooses to make, show just how you should go about designing a nonlinear rpg.

Trapper Zoid

1,370

August 19, 2005 03:10 AM

Quote:
Original post by litewarri
I think I was a little too impulsive with my list due to nostalgia, regarding King's Quest 5. You're quite right about both KQ6 and QFG.

My choice to replace KQ5, though, is Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. As both a graphic adventure and a game design marvel, I think it trumps all of the aforementioned adventures.

Agreed. [smile]

And I also agree that Fallout should be on the list of RPGs to play.

sanch3x

483

August 19, 2005 07:16 AM

Dungeon Keeper - Disapointed DK3 was cancelled. Someone should pick up the project ;-)

Final Fantasy 4, 6 - I own the original on the NES but those two games were and still are my favourite in the series. I think the newer ones are crap and lost touch of what was really important in the FF series. Espers were just damn cool!

Warcraft (series?) - I first saw this at my cousins and was impressed at his line of archers that kept any orc from getting close. AI wasn't good but the fact that you could build an army was so wicked... I discovered RTS.

Hugo and House of Horror, Hugo in the Jungle - Old DOS games where you had to type in your actions. Never figured out how to get pass the guard in the first game, but finished the 3rd. I think it's comparable to King's Quest...

Gazillionaire - Indie game, simple space trading sim. It had a nice comedic feel and introduced me to the trading games, because of Gaz I'll make a space sim one day :)

River City Ransom - Come on, first street brawler, or first really cool street brawler. I still play it! Just a really wicked game. No Final Fight game was ever able to surpass RCR!

Super Smash Bros - I think it redefines the fighting genre. Just really different and really wicked.

Zelda (Link to the Past, Link's Awakening) - IMHO the best two titles. OoT was just felt like a remake of LttP. Windwaker is worth mentioning because it was completly different then the rest, so it does deserver a spot!

Can't think of anything else right now :P

My dev blog, I guess...

Leo_E_49

228

August 26, 2005 03:10 AM

Just in regard to this topic.

I feel that there are a number of important games missing.

Tabletop is missing Dungeons and Dragons and Risk, both of which I believe show advancements in their respective play-styles.

RTS is missing Total Annihilation, who could forget the one new bot every week for download, not to mention the great content and deep gameplay.

RPG is missing Fallout 2, my personal favourite RPG. When it comes to originality of storyline and taking RPGs out of the stereotypical dungeon, Fallout 2 is the original.

There are two games which I feel are missing but don't fit in to an individual category, MGS and Deus Ex Machina. Both are excellent games in terms of gameplay and content.

jbadams

26,386

August 26, 2005 03:25 AM

Update to the other thread coming soon.

- Jason Astle-Adams

coding insanity

142

August 26, 2005 01:35 PM

(in no particular order)
1)Marathon (personally, I liked M2: Durandal the best)
One of the best storylines I've ever seen in a game, a meticulously crafted universe.
2)Age of Empires II / Starcraft (both apply here)
just and RTS, but one whose controls seemed intuitave and a multi-civilization system that presented different styles of play
3)GTA (pick one, they're all good for this)
Sandbox gameplay. The "do anything you like" atmosphere is just a different kind of fun.
4)Halo, (yes, another FPS) - storyline, immersive. Good soundtrack, atmosphere.
an AI that does more than hide behind crates and shoot.
5)Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
One of the few Nintendo game I liked, OoT is a great story, with just the right amount of fun thrown in.
6) Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory.
The game is one of the more innovative of the genre. The atmosphere is amazing and co-op and its unique adverserial multiplayer, and its brilliant (not the best word for it sometimes...) AI.
7)The Kingdom of Loathing
http://www.kingdomofloathing.com
An example of brilliance through comedy. One of the best examples that gameplay counts over graphics. Try it, its free.
8)Commander Keen series.
Just... ...fun! A great platform game.
9)Knights of the Old Republic
Immersive RPG! Well thought out.
10)Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
An FPS with an intresting dynamic (force powers)

Staffan E

536

August 26, 2005 02:14 PM

Reading this thread one thinks that a designer will never have time to design anything for there are so many games he should play...

Hack my projects! Oh Yeah! Use an SVN client to check them out.BlockStacker

Thunder_Hawk

314

August 26, 2005 04:14 PM

Quote:
Original post by staaf
Reading this thread one thinks that a designer will never have time to design anything for there are so many games he should play...

LOL [lol]

This isn't a list of my top fav's, but simply some that I didn't notice whatsoever when reading this list and really deserve mentioning.

Myst & Riven- immersive worlds (so atmospheric that it could make you frightened in a practically static situation), unique concept, puzzles, puzzles, puzzles, oh yeah and a very cool storyline
Golden Sun 1 & 2- There's so much in this game (it's really just one big game told in multiple parts) to love...It's got lots of cool and sometimes difficult puzzles, an incredibly complex and interesting fighting system-between the collectable creatures that simultaneously control certain magical spells, the ability to summon, and your characters' classes (and thus their stats and the regular magic they have available to them) and the ability to swap characters in and out of your attacking party mid-battle, there's bucket-loads of strategy to toy with-, a great story, and immersive characters...what's not to like?
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga- It takes a special sort of game to make you quit playing for a moment so you can literally laugh your ass off...The dual-plumber (back-and-forth and sometimes simultaneous) puzzles are genius too.
Viewtiful Joe- style to the max-This game gives a fresh breath of life to the all but dead 2D scrolling brawler genre. The innovative use of time altering gameplay sometimes makes you feel like the mastermind behind a roadrunner cartoon and will more frequently make you feel (and look) like the ungodly star of a good action movie

______________________________________________________________________________________The Phoenix shall arise from the ashes... ThunderHawk -- ¦þ"So. Any n00bs need some pointers? I have a std::vector<n00b*> right here..." - ZahlmanMySite | Forum FAQ | File Formats______________________________________________________________________________________

Inspectre

122

August 26, 2005 11:23 PM

if there are games i couldn't forget over these years

Baldur's Gate
just massive, i couldn't never finish it

Total Annihilation
i tried the campaign, it was really hard so i tried skirmish and it was awesome

Pokemon Blue, red and gold
I was very addicted to them.....

God of War
i usually don't play ps2, cause i don't have it and just too challenging,
but i gave this one go... i like how the game is based on Greek mythology

Unreal Tournament
i used to hate shooting games until i played this one. the assault mode is fantastic!!!

GarlandIX

212

August 28, 2005 08:02 PM

1. WarioWare, inc.
2. WarioWare, inc.
3. WarioWare, inc.
4. WarioWare, inc.
5. WarioWare, inc.
6. WarioWare, inc.
7. WarioWare, inc.
8. WarioWare, inc.
9. WarioWare, inc.
10. WarioWare, inc.

------------------------------BASIC programmers don't die, they just GOSUB and don't return.

Thunder_Hawk

314

August 30, 2005 12:07 PM

Quote:
Original post by GarlandIX
1. WarioWare, inc.
2. WarioWare, inc.
3. WarioWare, inc.
4. WarioWare, inc.
5. WarioWare, inc.
6. WarioWare, inc.
7. WarioWare, inc.
8. WarioWare, inc.
9. WarioWare, inc.
10. WarioWare, inc.

Which microgame is which? [wink]

______________________________________________________________________________________The Phoenix shall arise from the ashes... ThunderHawk -- ¦þ"So. Any n00bs need some pointers? I have a std::vector<n00b*> right here..." - ZahlmanMySite | Forum FAQ | File Formats______________________________________________________________________________________

Ten games every designer should play

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