Game recommendation?

[algae]

Hi all,
Which other games are similiar to Return to Castle Wolfenstein in that they are a good 1st person shooter with a storyline?
Also is the original Castle Wolfenstein still available?
Tia for any info.
Gary

 

[Ryukumu]

Deus Ex is another FPS with a good storyline. The shooting sequences are a bit slow-paced compared to other FPS, but there are other ways to get through the game besides running in guns-blazing the entire time. The problem is, Deus Ex is kind of buggy...

 

[Palek]

If you want a really great game, go for Deus Ex. It is a lot more than an FPS, your character gets skill points as you move forward in the storyline and complete missions, and you can choose which skill to develop (there are lots). Your level of certain skills decides the accuracy and efficiency of your weapons and tools, so based on what skills you have been developing you will have many different ways of solving a mission. The storyline is pretty much linear (there are three choices at one point toward the very end that change the ending slightly, but nothing significant), but because you choose whether you train your character to be a Rambo or an invisible, superfast spy, the game plays differently for everyone. The graphics are a little outdated (Unreal engine), but the game still looks good.

I loved it. Played through it twice. Planning to do it again sometime. One thing's for sure, you will not finish it in a weekend. Deus Ex will keep you busy for a long while.

Oh, and the story is great!!! None of that "aliens take over your planet, go and kick their butt" stuff, you can tell that a lot of effort went into creating a story that will keep you in front of the screen, wanting to find out what will happen next. You have to do some talking too.

Deus Ex 2 is already in the making too. That is another game to keep your eyes on.

Have fun!

 

[TheWart]

if you don't mind going "back in time" try Halflife and Jedi Knight, the two best games ever made.

 

[Byte]

metal of honor is pretty close to castle. The demo sucks though, so i wouldn't base judgement off that. Wait for the real game.

 

[Zim Hosein]

I'll second TheWart, Half-Life is a great game, good story and makes you think. Hope this helps Gary.

 

[LoneWolf1]

<< I'll second TheWart, Half-Life is a great game, good story and makes you think. Hope this helps Gary. >>

No One Lives Forever and Red Faction are also a couple of enjoyable shooters.

 

[NEVERwinter]

before RTCW i played Undying, pretty nice story and gameplay

or if youre lookin for older games try Half-Life and Jedi Knight, reaaaaly rocks!

I dunno about the original Wolf3D though since its a veeery old game

 

[Killer Ape]

My favorite First Person games of all time (in order of preference by type):

Shooters:

Half-Life
No One Lives Forever
Undying
Kingpin
Soldier of Fortune

Shooter-RPG Hybrids:

System Shock 2
Thief 2
Thief
Deus Ex

(Thief/Thief 2 aren't really RPGs, and they certainly aren't shooters, but they have aspects of both.)

If you want great storylines arrange them in this order:

Half-Life
Thief/Thief 2
System Shock 2
Undying
No One Lives Forever
Deus Ex
Kingpin
Soldier of Fortune

I was underwhelmed by Deus Ex's plot, but really liked the gameplay. They tried a little too hard in the story department and lost focus, in my opinion.

As for Wolfenstein 3D, I think the shareware version is still out there to be had. It appeared on a "Classic Games Collection" disc in the July 2000 PC Gamer. Check their site.

 

[algae]

Thx for all the replies...now where do I start?

 

[aswedc]

Try the new Medal of Honor:AA single player demo, its great.

 

[Killer Ape]

I'd start cheap, but I'm notoriously cheap and never pay more than $19.99 for a game unless I REALLY want it, then I'll go to $29.99 .

Almost every game I listed except H-L, NOLF and maybe SoF is in the bargain bin. System Shock 2 is now a "classic" for about $10 at EB World. I see Deus Ex at Best Buy's bargain racks for $10 as well.

Do not be put off by the graphics in some of these older games as the gameplay and story will quickly make you not care whether there is environment bump mapping and per-pixel shading going on. The beauty of these Last Gen game engines is that they all still look good (especially the Unreal engine used in Deus Ex and Undying); some are capable of rendering HUGE environments without a lot of loading (Dark Engine used in SS2, Thief 1 & 2, and Lithtech used in NOLF); and they run very fast on current hardware. The only engine that's still a little cranky is the Quake 2 engine (H-L, SoF, Kingpin), which never handled large levels gracefully. Kingpin however does have some of the most beautiful level design and textures of any shooter, in my opinion (Some reviewers have compared Return to Wolfenstein to it in that respect).

 

[Shudder]

System Shock 2
Deus Ex
Thief (both)

Excellent games with excellent stories, especially Deus.

They're cheap and easily some of the best games ever made.

 

[stockjock]

My vote is for No One Lives Forever.....this game is great bargain now! it has to be one of the largest games I've ever played...and it was just plain fun too!

 

[InFecTed]

System Shock 2 was great

 

[skinsfan44]

Max Payne.

 

[Killer Ape]

Shudder, you have excellent taste .

For those who don't know, Thief, Thief 2, System Shock, and System Shock 2 (with Irrational Games) were all developed by the late Looking Glass studios. Looking Glass was one of those developers who went to great lengths to do everything right, and above all ensure that a game was deeply involving. They were kind of the unsung heroes of PC gaming. They had the same commitment to quality gameplay and story (above flash) as Blizzard, for example, but somehow never made wildly popular games (VERY unlike Blizzard). Warren Spector was the lead designer of Thief and System Shock. He then went on to Ion Storm to develop Deus Ex. Deus Ex is therefore considered "part of the family" by Looking Glass afficianados.

Looking Glass games still have a small but fanatical fan base (particularly the Thief series). Check-out www.TTLG.com.

 

[algae]

What do you guys think of Medal of Honor? I am trying out the single player demo now.

G.