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Games with Style

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Games with Style

What just sticks with you?

from Elemental Forums

Over the years, some games just stick out from the crowd. Not because of a great story or innovative gameplay, but just because they have this certain style that nothing else does.  My question is this: Which games would you pick?

My choices:

The Legend of Zelda series: Dueling Skeletons, traveling underwater temples, or fighting from horseback, these games never cease to feel like an epic journey.

Okami: Unique art, gameplay, music and more, this game is one of the very few I was sad to finish simply because I wanted to keep going.

The first two Command and Conquer games: Oh, come on. These games have more style in their installation than most games in their entirety. From the FMV and CG cutscenes, to the in-game art, voices, and varied units, to the awesome soundtrack, everything just fits in these games. To a lesser extant, the next three also had great style.

 

:fox:

290,500 views 81 replies
Reply #51 from Elemental Forums Top

Some games I forgot in my original post:

Shadow of the Colossus. How could I forget this?

The old Tribes games. Played it long enough ago that I don't even remember which one I played.

World in Conflict. Ehh... but the fact that it's the only RTS/RTT I've seen that rewards tactics beyond 'move blob here' makes me pretty fond of it. Plus it does have the best explosions yet.

Honorable Mention:

MechWarrior series. Barely played it an hour, but I've been trying to find it ever since. Any good similar, newer games?

Mirror's Edge. Say what you want, but comboing several moves at that speed is cool.

Homeworld 2. Yeah yeah, but playing it only recently, it just doesn't have the same impact on me.

 

:fox:

Reply #52 from Demigod Forums Top

MechWarrior series. Barely played it an hour, but I've been trying to find it ever since. Any good similar, newer games?
End of quote

Not really :( There was a mech combat game for the Xbox (Mech Assault AFAIK) which is a Battletech game but it's a bit more arcade-ish, not really a simulation.

There have been other Mech-like games: Chromehounds got sorta meh reviews, and there's also the Armored Core series, also for the 360. But really I haven't found a single mech game that had the same charm as the MW series.

Mirror's Edge. Say what you want, but comboing several moves at that speed is cool.

End of quote

Yeah, that's why I only liked the first half of it. Hopping around on rooftops and such was crazy fun. If they kept it like that for the second half of the game, it would've been amazing. But the game wasn't built for ease of gunplay, and to throw you repeatedly into close quarters with guys and their M60s.. re-loading 20 times starts getting on your nerves. :P

Also, there's a Mirror's Edge 2 in development. Let's hope they learn!

SoundPackager - Customize the Windows sound scheme
Reply #54 from Sins Forums Top

Ultima IV
Starflight
Pirates
Elite
Wing Commander
X-Wing
Civilization
Master of Orion
Star Control 2
Doom
Master of Magic
Warcraft 2
Master of Orion 2
Quake
Starcraft
Total Annihilation
Everquest
Shogun Total War
Medieval Total War
World of Warcraft
EVE Online
Sins of a Solar Empire

I probably forgot something .....

Reply #55 from Stardock Forums Top

Lemmings

SMAC

Portal

 

Reply #56 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

This is almost an "how old are you?" thread.

Betrayal at Krondor - - - The first really immersive pc game I ever encountered was Betrayal at Krondor.  Its quality partly derived from the fact that the author of the Rift War series (Feist) helped a lot in game development, making the game play like a new novelette in his story-verse, even to using the cities, cultures, characters, etc. correctly right out of his books.  Many games have come along later that use some of the same stuff, even WoW, but i think the one that pioneered it was Betrayal at Krondor.

Wing Commander --- One of the things that the initial Star Wars (1977) movie did was to make all the settings looked lived in.  If one looks back at earlier sci-fi flicks, everything is new and polished.  Well, after all, they had just made the sets so they WOULD be new.  That trick also has been used again and again since then.  Consider Blade Runner (1982) and even the more recent Fifth Element (1997) and how they benefited from the same approach.  Non-sci-fi flicks had frequently been gritty, but they often used real world settings, etc.  The Wing Commander games brought that same lived-in look to sci-fi games.  MechWarrior 2 - Mercenaries used this well, as one scrimped and plotted to upgrade and survive.  Note that WC3 may have been one of the first games both to use full motion video (FMV) sequences and also to have multiple endings that depended on earlier player choices, like the superlative Deus Ex would do so well so many years later (1994 versus 2000, IIRC)

Privateer --- One of the early open-ended universe games that worked to the point of being so immersive that one was tempted to jump off the plot line and simply go play and explore. 

Reply #57 from Elemental Forums Top

I agree with a lot of people before me, so I'm just going to list the games that I feel have been missed.

 

Riven - The most atmospheric game I've ever played. The environments in the game are made with so much love and attention to detail that you feel like you could live on the islands. Everything machine and location had a purpose and a design that was so well fitted int the world that you might mistake it for reality. Riven also features a magnificient story, told almost exclusively by the world and what you find in it (a lot of journals).

 

The Longest Journey - This adventure game is relatively unknown, but it has such an awesome story and a beatifully crafted world that it deserves more attention than it gets. The gameplay might leave a bit to be desired, but the pure style of the game more than makes up for it. An honorablr mention also goes out to the sequel, Dreamfall, that also was quite good, but lacked some of the style of the first game.

 

Then I have to mention Ōkami again, simply because of its awesomeness.

Reply #58 from Sins Forums Top

Hmm...so many games i can think of.

 

Some of my earlier experiences include Wasteland, Bard's Tale 3, Mars Saga, Mail Order Monsters, Impossible Mission, Summer Games, Red Storm Rising, Gunship, and Legacy of the Ancients. Ironically, these were the days that Electronic Arts (NOT EA) actually had a soul and made good games. It was also an era that required games to be fun and play well cause that's all you really had to go on...graphics were pretty bad.

Once I got into consoles some of the more memerable ones include FF3 (US) 6 (Jpn), Zelda, Metriod, Kid Icarus (even though it was an ungodly hard game) and especially Ninja Gaiden.

 

Reply #59 from Sins Forums Top

metroid prime series
zelda series
 and goldeneye for N64- the multiplayer was awesome ^_^  

Reply #60 from Demigod Forums Top

Turrican

Turrican II - Final Fight

Populous II

Wing Commander

Star Wars - Rebel Assault

Deus Ex

...

 

Just a few i can recall.

Reply #61 from Sins Forums Top

Super Mario; the one that had the 10 Koopas (Bowser+9 brothers), and Yoshis all over the place.

Dune 2000- my 1st foray into the world of RTS, I love this game.

Battlefield 1942-Vietnam, 2142- I haven't played BF2; if it weren't for Battlefield Vietnam, I would never have become a gamer. Thank you DICE.

Sins/Entrenchment- personally, I think this one's a no-brainer. I LOVE this game, and it's much easier to mod than the BF-series.

Vega Strike- an awesome free-form open-source space sim.

Quake II- I found this game ludicrously easy, but AWESOMELY FUN. Spamming a Super Shotgun at cybernetic aliens was the bomb.

Tiberium Sun- I haven't actually played this game, but I did play the demo. Now I want the game.

Tiberium Wars- once again, only played the demo. I liked the Skirmish mode, the Campaign was a bit too easy (even on hard); just build a bunch of Mammoth tanks and role through an enemy base.

Reply #62 from Elemental Forums Top

Nobody mentioned Jet Grind/Set Radio?

Space Channel 5?

Nobody mentioned Toejam and Earl either.....

 

I think I must just have an unusual understanding about games that were good solely based on a stylistic feel...

Reply #63 from Demigod Forums Top

Is it me or has this thread become just a vulgar "name your favorite old game" thread. Here are two games with style.

 

XIII - not just cell shaded but you feel like you are in a cartoon

 

Shogo: Mobile Armor Division - Not the first mech game but moving through those narrow streets made you feel really huge

Reply #64 from Sins Forums Top

Total Annihilation.  How can a RTS from the mid 90's have style?  With ridiculous explosions, unique units, and massive artillery pieces that shoot all the way across the map.  Way better than Supreme Commander.

Reply #65 from Demigod Forums Top

Devil May Cry, when it came out, nothing like it had ever been done before.

Killer7. Possibly the most stylish game. Ever.

Reply #66 from Sins Forums Top

well, I have to post a second time here.

Warzone 2100- a ground based RTS, has pretty poor graphics, but has an IN-GAME UNIT DESIGNER. You can choose from different hull, propulsion, and weapon/support turret options. A MASSIVE amount of research, where you can think your done and then you get a whole load of stuff thrown at you. Best part- OPEN-SOURCE (FREE!!!!), and only ~50 MB ATM. It has a Skirmish and Campaign mode for SP, and has MP modes as well.

Reply #67 from Demigod Forums Top

Quote:

Deus Ex: Probably the best game I've ever played? I replay it once every couple of years. (Also TNM kicks ass!)

 

Agreed and one of my all time faves of all time,

I can't wait for DXIII, i keep reading that it isn't going to suck like the previous one they tried to pawn off as Deus Ex II.  

 

My list includes:

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (That would be the intellivision version which is an old school console for you noobs to life)

Wofenstein 3d, Spear of Destiny

Doom has to be mentioned.

Rise of the Triad

Shadow of the Beast (amiga)

Dungeon Master (amiga)

Eye of the Beholder (and others in the series)

Goldeneye

Tekken / SF II

Final Fantasy 7

Homeworld

XIII (definitely have to agree with that one)

No One Lives Forever

Bioshock

Elder Scrolls

Mass Effect

COD4

Edited to remove those without "style"

Reply #68 from Demigod Forums Top

I doubt many of those games have real style. They might be revolutionary in some way, but no where near half of those have any style at all.

Reply #69 from JoeUser Forums Top

I think the most stylish game I have played (because I haven't played any Legend of Zelda games) was Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii.  The graphics and music were all just fantastic and original.  Most of the level design was very clever, and some of it was insanely creative.

So yeah, it definitely is a game with true style.

Reply #70 from Elemental Forums Top

Some great games said so far, so I'll add one that I like a lot:

- Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow over Mystara

Probably the best arcade beat-'em-up ever made.

Reply #71 from JoeUser Forums Top

"Great" and "best weren't the point of this thread.

"Style" is, or at least, was.

Reply #72 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting IQofSpam, reply 71
"Great" and "best weren't the point of this thread.

"Style" is, or at least, was.
End of IQofSpam's quote

I would say that most of the great/best games have definitively style.

Reply #73 from Elemental Forums Top

StrongHold Crusader maybe not the greates game ever but the fort building on that was something......different

Reply #74 from Demigod Forums Top

Aiight, some of my games in the list didn't have style, I can understand that.  I'll revise it.

But here is one that does that hasn't been mentioned:

Tron 2.0

j

Reply #75 from Demigod Forums Top

 

 

Space Harrier was good stuff...