Some projects are forgotten after a couple of months, while others remain in the limelight for decades. You can relate to them in different ways, but it is necessary to play at least once in order to understand why they are so loved.
Here are ten games, old and not so good, that everyone should play.
Stalker
Stalker, aka “zhdalker”, is a game about which you can know everything, including the crown phrases of the local “lads” without even ever establishing it, it is so well known. Especially now, when there is nothing left until the release of such a long-awaited sequel. This may be a reason to stop listening to stories about “Stalker” and finally play at least one of the three games.
Fortunately, the days when bugs were one of the synonyms for the series are over. Even the lowest rated part is “Clear sky”, passes without global problems, thanks to official and unofficial patches and custom modifications. So, nothing prevents you from plunging into the atmosphere of the alternative exclusion zone on the eve of the release of Stalker 2.
Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has become iconic and best-selling on Steam for a reason. Heiress to all the acquaintances Morrowind and Oblivion, and to a lesser extent known to modern gamers Arena and Daggerfall, the game brought a lot of new things to the world of scrolls.
The pumping system has been improved. The world has become less tied to the development of the hero, and the increase in the level no longer depends solely on basic skills. Gone is the concept of classes, which gave freedom in the development of the character and adjusting it to their desires.
Add to this a living world and a bunch of details, like weddings, your own home, adoption of children, and so on, and you get a game that is worth trying at least once. The main thing is not to deviate from the main plot and not get stuck for a couple of weeks exploring every cave that comes across on the way.
The Witcher 3
The second season of the series from Netflix, anime, upcoming DLC and remaster – “The Witcher” is back on horseback.
The third part of Geralt’s adventures and two of its additions became the icing on the cake of a game story spanning nine years. They praised the game’s plot, world, design, closer connection with the original source. They scolded the project only for some aspects of the combat system.
Wild Hunt has been called the best RPG of the decade more than once, and deservedly so. Addictive side effects, fascinating dialogues, a variety of endings – this will remain in the hearts of fans of the series forever, along with beloved, recognizable characters and the famous Roach.
It remains to wait for the release of the DLC at the end of the year and dive headlong into the universe of Geralt of Rivia.
Mass effect
Players unfamiliar with the masterpiece BioWare, got a great excuse to finally fill the gap. Launching the Legendary Edition in 2021 is a good reason to get to know Compander Shepard and his team. Players “under one cover” are waiting for:
- Mass Effect, plus Bring Down the Sky story expansion.
- Mass Effect 2, plus 8 story add-ons, bonus items, armor and weapons.
- Mass Effect 3, plus 6 story add-ons and tons of bonuses.
The capabilities of the character editor have been expanded, animations and textures have been improved. The new edition of the first part is a full-fledged remaster. The catchy plot and charismatic characters remained unchanged – what the series made the players fall in love with back in 2007.
Heroes of Might and Magic III
Generously flavored with RPG elements, this turn-based strategy game has retained its place in the hearts of players for more than 20 years. Two add-ons, countless mods and custom maps. Tournaments on “Heroes 3” still gather both the participants and the audience without any problems.
At the start of the strategy, humane system requirements helped. Those who bought the game were waiting for pleasant graphics and a splendid soundtrack. But this was not the main thing. Heroes have excellent replayability. Campaigns, stories, multiplayer mode, map editor – you can enjoy the “Heroes” indefinitely.
So for those who have not played creation New World Computing the gap needs to be filled. And if the graphics of the late 90s are still frightening, the game has 4 more numbered parts. The last one, Heroes of Might and Magic VII, was released in 2015.
Half-life
Someone calls the first part of the series from Valve a story-driven techie. It is difficult to agree with this, since it was in the first part of the shooter with a well-thought-out plot that everything for which the series was loved appeared.
First, there is history. The player observes with his own eyes the path of the silent Gordon Freeman from a theoretical physicist and, in general, a simple guy, to the hope of all mankind. But not Gordon alone – the whole world is impressive. It looks quite real, the events are rich and quickly drag you into the epicenter of what is happening. The process is not interrupted for watching videos and reading notes.
Secondly, the game had a fun and dynamic multiplayer that remained popular for more than one year.
And thirdly, the sound. Graphically, the game is outdated, but how good it sounds is unlikely to be disputed by anyone. The sounds that monsters make, shots, footsteps, talks on the radio … All this plays into the hands of an alarming atmosphere.
Only an allergy to the graphics of the late 90s can prevent you from having a pleasant time in Half-Life. However, in 2020, there was a way out for such players. Studio Crowbar Collective released Black mesa – an improved version of the game on the Source engine.
The owners of VR helmets were given a gift by Valve itself, which released a new, albeit not numbered, part – Alyx. True, the protagonist this time is not Freeman, but Alix Vence.
Resident evil village
The youngest in the ranking, but already deserving the love of players, Resident Evil Village will appeal not only to fans of the series of games from Capcom… For beginners, it can easily become the entry point into the RE world.
Although the seventh and eighth parts of the franchise are closely related, the developers have done everything to avoid playing Resident evil vii it was comfortable in the open spaces of the “Village”. So, if someone has long wanted to get acquainted with the famous Japanese series, this is a suitable occasion.
The player is waiting for the amazing beauty of the location, powdered with snow and evoking memories of something very familiar. The plot does not pretend to be an Oscar, but it is interesting to follow it, collecting a mosaic of notes and dialogues. In addition, the Capcom project has an official Russian voice acting and it is not at all as terrible as many feared.
Well, the bosses, of course. Everything has been said about Lady Dimitrescu hundreds of times, but it is worth mentioning that at least Heisenberg is not inferior to her in spelling and charisma.
Minecraft
Hard to believe, but with the official release of the Swedish Cubic Sandbox from Mojang Studios 10 years have passed and more than 200 million copies sold. And many are still puzzling over the question: “Why do they love these cubes so much?”
First of all – for freedom of action and scope for creativity. It is not for nothing that this is the name of one of the game modes – “creation”… What was not built by the players: the Eiffel Tower and the Brest Fortress, city models, giant statues of game characters. Not only architects can entertain themselves here. Thanks to one of the resources, redstone, you can create simple logic diagrams that bring buildings to life.
In addition to “creativity” in the game there are also modes “Survival” and “hardcore”… The first is tailored for the exploration of the world, the second complicates the game, limiting the character to one life. Well, of course, for those who like to play in a company, there are several multiplayer options.
There is no endgame in the game – this, and the abundance of fan mods, make the project as replayable as possible.
If the very idea of a pixel farm interested the player, but somehow repels Minecraft, then you should try something similar to it. Terraria and Stardew Valley. There is less room for self-expression, but the nice graphics and the concept of mixing RPG and sandbox with high replayability will interest many.
Genshin impact
Two nominations for TGA-2020, a $ 1 billion profit in just over six months since its release, the largest international release of a Chinese game. These are already enough reasons to get acquainted with the game-phenomenon of 2020 – Genshin Impact.
Flying under the clouds, climbing mountain peaks, engaging battles. The developers have made a very beautiful world to explore. An interesting mechanic of battles consists not only in the selection of heroes with different elements, but also in the correct combination (e.g. ice + water = freeze).
You can even interact with surrounding objects, for example, with a Cryo character, you can freeze a river and walk along it.
A distinctive feature of the project is cross-platform (pc, phones, consoles). The popularity of the game is growing every day, and the developers regularly release updates and hold interesting events with valuable rewards on CD.
If the game intrigues, then read our guide for beginners.
World of tanks
Best tank simulator modernity – World of Tanks. Four-time award winner Golden Joystick Awards (including Best Game Still Played). Also, among other IMO projects, she set (and then broke) the maximum record for online, for which she entered Guinness Book of Records…
The heat of the battle on armored vehicles covering the period of the 1st and 2nd World Wars, as well as post-war developments. The game also features technique from classified archives, data about which remained only in the drawings. Hundreds of military vehicles allows you to choose one suitable vehicle class for yourself and become a tank ass.
By the way, newbies are now given good registration bonuses.