I need new games to try...

[conorvansmack]

Max Payne 2 is a lot of fun. It helps to have played the first one to understand the story, but it's not really necessary.

I'll 2nd the votes for the Prince of Persia games. They are a ton of fun.

Republic Commando is also a good game. I stopped playing it about 2/3 of the way through because I moved, but this might motivate me to take another run at it.

I liked Jedi Outcast a little more than Jedi Academy just because it had a better story. They are both great, but I was more into Outcast.

 

[Qutlass]

Psychonauts. I've been revisiting games from the past that i never played and Psychonauts ranks up there. Just finished Deus Ex and if you've never played that one, you're missing a lot. Gonna try the NOLF series next. Enjoy!

 

[Piuc2020]

Well I have a few recommendations...

Civilization IV: This is a pretty great game, recently I've been playing and playing and it's just so damn much fun, the gameplay is engrossing (heck this game is the only game that can really drive me to pull an all-nighter), the presentation is unique and the level of strategy and diversity is amazing, there are just so many things to the game that you discover something new every match. I think it's highly likely you will like this game, even if you haven't played a 4X game before... CivIV is pretty easy to get into and much more accesible (the presentation is actually quite charming, the interface is streamlined and it seems to be a little more elegant than other 4X games). Get the expansions for added value if you get to like the core game.

Dungeon Siege II: If you like Action RPGs you should look into this gem, it's a pretty great Diablo clone but it also offers quite enough stuff to feel fresh, if features multiple members in your party (they can be mercenaries or pets) which can be issued orders or just let to mirror your actions or act rampant. The graphics are pretty nice (though you'll want to turn the eyecandy on, especially AF) and fit the mood well and the controls and interface just work, even if they might seem a little overwhelming at first. If you can get people to play with, it becomes even better. The expansion adds a new act (an Act is pretty darn long) and some new classes.

Command & Conquer 3: This is just good old school Command & Conquer, no more of that Generals nonsense, the side bar is back, the Tiberium Dawn style is back, Kane is back, this is an amazing game that evokes the gameplay of the old games with the refinements and advances one would expect of the genre today.

I guess you could also check out Sins of a Solar Empire which is a 4X/RTS hybrid but I haven't got the chance to try it out yet... it's not very expensive and it's gotten pretty good reviews (9s).

You could always buy a DS Lite and get the complete Phoenix Wright Trilogy + Apollo Justice to tide you over for a few months, these are incredible games and everyone who enjoys a good story with excellent characters and excellent writing should get not to mention the extremely intriguing and entertaining lawyer simulation which features great fun and great puzzles that really make Phoenix Wright stand out from being a visual novel and becoming a full fledged game.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Zenoth
Now with all that said, I'm also considering the following titles from your suggestions guys:

Star Wars: Jedi Knight -Jedi Academy- (is it better than Jedi Outcast?)

Star Wars: Republic Commando (is it only squad-based like... say... S.W.A.T?)

The Settlers: Rise of an Empire (ah yes, another "Empire" game, is it similar to AoE or RoN? Or maybe Civilizations?)

Age of Mythology (yet another RTS I completely missed, it seems very similar to Age of Empires, and perhaps done by the same developer?)

Civilizations 4: Beyond the Sword (Ok, the last Civilization game I've played was so long ago that I don't remember which one in the series it was, so I would like to ask, is Civ 4 turned-based like the Total War series and then you go and fight in a 3D environment? Or is it more like Sim City with more military mechanics and such?)

Thanks again guys.

I'm glad you liked thrones and patriots! It is a kickass game. Have you tried the cold war mode yet (defcon 1 FTW)? It was my favorite (next to the French revolution)

I'm not sure what to do about your Homeworld 2 problems... that is very abnormal. Now, as for the games you haven't tried yet...

Jedia Academy is the "sequel" to Jedi Outcast. You don't play Kyle Katarn anymore, you play some new Jedi. However, I did enjoy the gameplay more. It felt pretty similar to Jedi Outcast but the lightsaber combat was improved and expanded.

Republic Command is squad-based, but I never played SWAT, so I can't give you a comparison. The characters are personable, the combat is fantastic, the storyline is great, and overall it is a great squad-based shooter and one of the best Star Wars based games. Each character is supposed to have a specialty (demolitions, hacking, etc.) but I don't think these designations matter - for example, I don't think the demolitions expert necessarily applies demo charges more quickly or more effectively than any other squad member...
Not making a sequel to Republic Commando is a crime against humanity. It is really good and deserves development time much more than some of Lucasart's other projects.

The Settlers - I haven't played it

Age of Mythology - It is very similar to Age of Empires. According to wikipedia, it was a spinoff game from the Age of Empires franchise, in fact. There are tons of similarities. Of course, Age of Empires didn't have heroes with mystical powers or mythological creatures. I enjoyed building hydras - as they killed enemies, they would grow more heads and become more powerful If I remember correctly, there are 3 major "sides" being the Norse, the Egyptians, and the Greeks. Apparently there was a highly-rated expansion that I hadn't heard of... hmm

Civ 4 Beyond the sword - It is completely turn-based. There is no fighting in a 3D environment like in Total War. You build civilizations, you wage war, but you never play it like an RTS. It's a great time if you enjoy these games. It's not as good as Alpha Centauri, but that bar is set so high that we may as well not use that game as a comparison. I swear, if Sid Meier would only release a slightly updated version of Alpha Centauri (graphical improvements + maybe a few gameplay improvements, but not many), we'd see a seriously fantastic game on our hands. Beyond the Sword is nice because it includes a lot of 3rd party content, extra races, etc. I always find myself getting bored near the modern era, since the game has essentially come down to a war game (rather than expanding + empire building). Piuc2020 pretty much sums up how I feel about Civ 4 (and the soundtrack is neato)


Piuc2020 also recommended C&C3, a game that I think is missing on my list. It was great, too. I liked it much better than Generals. It's cheesy at times, but I thought the storyline was good. And there's going to be an expansion with a global conquest mode!

 

[looper]

Older games which IMO are great...

Links 2003 golf simulation... still the best... bettter than EA Tiger Woods

Total Annihilation... incredible...way ahead of it's time....