A call for help

[Guest]

I don't have internet, except on my mac, and its a 56k connection. This is because I moved ~a month ago, and will be without broadband for another 3-4 months.

I have been playing GTA: Vice City, but now that I've beaten it, I find myself quite bored. GTA 3 doesn't seem to hook me like Vice City did.

Could anybody direct me towards some good single player games or single player mods? I've exhausted Diablo 2 to death, so nobody please suggest it. Any genre is welcome.

My gaming computer that is available ATM:

1.6 Ghz CPU (1600+ Athlon XP)
Geforce fx 5200 (128 mb)
Plenty of surplus hard drive space.

Please help!

Edit: Anybody know any good Vice City mods?

[Count Duckula]

Well, what sort of things do you enjoy playing?

If you like RPGs, I wholeheartedly suggest the Baldur's Gate series. It's a little hard to find, but you can get BG1 for ~$10. The double pack with the sequel, Shadows of Amn, and its expansion pack, Throne of Bhaal, is ~$20. The BG series balances roleplay with combat. If you're looking for an RPG based more on combat than roleplay, the Icewind Dale series is a good tactics challenge. The sequel, IWD2, is even better. If you go for roleplay over combat, Planescape: Torment is a great game. It's also hard-to-find. All these games were made by the now-defunct Interplay.

Interplay also created the modern d20 series Fallout. Set about eighty years or so after the nuclear holocaust, Fallout isn't as much of a tactical challenge as it is with roleplay. If you liked the FF series (particularly FF7), you'll like Fallout. The sequel is broken out of the box, but mods have made it playable.

Have you also tried looking into Blizzard's other products? Starcraft and Brood War are fun ways to while away the afternoon. Not sure if your system can run Warcraft III, but you can always give it a shot. ^_^

[Guest]

I've tried all of the RPG's listed, except for planescape torment and fallout. I'll read some reviews then maybe hunt them down. I don't like any of the infinity engine games. They just aren't that fun for me :huh: That kind of sucks because everybody I know is all nuts over BG2.

I've played Starcraft and Warcraft 3, but the campaigns just aren't as fun as b.net play. Btw, my system far surpasses warcraft 3's requirements. WC3 requires ~500 mhz and a 8 mb video card I think (I have 1600 mhz and a 128 mb video card).

[Mephista]

What about the Jedi Knight/Jedi Outcast games? There are a lot of them, they have decent single player plot, and are FPS-type with force powers and a lightsaber. They've also got some fun multiplayer, for when you do have internet... jedi dueling!

Since Myst was my first modern computer game, I recommend that, and its sequels, if you're into the surreal puzzle type of games.

For low graphics multiplayer games, I highly recommend Bretspielwelt ("Board Game World") (a free german board game online portal which has a large user base and allows you to play games like Settlers of Catan and Puerto Rico with other people from all over.)

[Minionman]

Try a civilization type game. Those to me are always fun.

Lords of magic is something I used to play a lot, there's a ton of different things you could try with that, so maybe a similar type of game could work.

[Guest]

Is Civilization 3 any good? I've never played it but read good reviews for it.

[[wcip]Angel]

Civ 3 is great fun. Along with "Mafia", Civilization 3 is one of the games I always seem to come back to after a certain period of time. The replayability is immensive.

[Chief Fruity]

I didn't notice it mentioned here, but I would suggest KOTOR. I loved that game, but I really like all RPGs and such. I would also suggest Septerra Core, but I don't know if you'll be able to find that one anywhere. I had a blast plaing that one. Interesting style of RPG.

[Taeme]

The SP games I've enjoyed the most over the years are XCom, Heroes of Might and Magic Three (and to a lesser degree, four), Rollercoaster Tycoon (1 and 2 are interchangeable), Morrowind, the Microprose Magic game, Doom, Simcity 2000 and Master of Orion, 1 or 2.

[Archon_Wing]

nt

[Roland]

And another:
Galactic Civilizations. Great SP game, intelligent AI, and just all-around FUN. Very addictive, too.

Also, Homeworld and Homeworld 2. Genre-defining 3D (true) space-based RTS. INCREDIBLE storyline that sucks you in and does NOT let you go. Once you're in, you are IN. HW is hard to find (used at EBX is your bext bet), but HW2 is a cakewalk to find, and cheap.

Arcanum would also be a good pick, but it's tougher to find. Still cheap though ($20).

Lastly, I'd suggest Black and White. You can get the Deluxe version for $20, and I hear the patch (for the original, anyway; Deluxe might be patched out of the box) fixed all the major glaring bugs. Very addictive, fun, and innovative game. Highly recommend trying it out.

[Archon_Wing]

Sim City can be fun in moderate doses. :) The later versions are a bit more of a challenge. You can't just make 3 huge zones and call it a city. :P Sim City 4 is frustating at times, being a bit too complicated.

I like varied terrain. Big cliffs, deep valleys, random meteor craters, the plateau just for my house, and the obligatory river just because I want bridges. Unforunately, that there means I have much less space for the actual city. Tourism! Where are my simtourists? :)

My cities usually feature a large middle class population, plenty of public transportation but still frustrating traffic because of stupidly designed highways, and underfunded schools. (Hey it's not my fault!) And about no building micromangement, due to a overpaid but inefficient bueraucracy. I promised myself I would adjust the spending, but it usually takes me years to get around to it. As well as critical facilities. But I guess tax cuts are a solution to everything, no?

[pakman]

I would suggest Knights of the Old Republic. It's an amazing RPG with a great plot. You can choose your path as either Dark or Light or neither. There are many powers and opportunities to use your skills. I am currently playing through it again as what I term a "Jedi ninja." I am a scoundrel/sentinel with a high persuade skill and I can pick almost any lock. I sneak up and attack you without warning. I can dominate your mind to make you do anything. Last time around I was a Scout/Guardian. It's a very fun game, I highly recommend it.

[Guest]

Arcanum would also be a good pick, but it's tougher to find. Still cheap though ($20).

A store at the local mall has a copy of Arcanum for 10 dollars thats been on the shelf for more than a year. Should I pick it up?

[Lady Vashj]

Civilization II is my standby when only the crappy computer is available. Also try Age of Empires and its associated sequels and expansions.

[Zippyy]

Arcanum is definately worth it. I never finished it, but it's a great game. If you like it, you should also try Divine Divinity, which is sort of a mix between Diablo II and Arcanum. Stupid name, good game.

[jahcs]

I second the vote for a Civilization game. I prefer Civilization II to Civ III. Either way, if you pick one of them up make sure to download the patch for it. (even using a 56k connection it will be worth it.)

Also the replayability of the Baldurs Gate series is high. I just started it up again after a 2 year break.

The Morrowind series (get the game of the year edition with all the expansions) is an excellent game, especially if you are a modder/mapper. Don't fall into the trap of cheating through the game though, the manufacturers made it easy to get stuck in that rut.

[Chief Fruity]

I really enjoy playing the Hitman series. I really like the stealth type games. But I would also like to second Black and White. It's a pretty good game, if you like it. I know a lot of people that don't though, so it's not for everyone.

[Bob]

I've had Total Annihilation for many years now (it came out in 1997, I've had it since '98 or '99) and I've yet to get so bored of single player that I've had to venture online. Infact, I just finished playing a game now, 290 kills to 8 losses, if you're interested.

Basically, TotalA is a mad RTS which scales up with your computer. It was designed for 1997 era computers but can handle a whole lot more if you throw a modern computer at it (1500 from 250 unit limit, for instance, oh, and 1280x960 resolution). The graphics are 3D, although you can't change the camera angle.
Oh, and it's pretty much balanced. Although you may have difficult getting hold of it.

To enhance your gameplay, visit Planet Annihilation, visit some of their hosted sites, download some new units (very few units venture above 100KB), the 3.1c patch & TA conflict crusher (vital for using extra units). Just remember, total unique units is 512, total unique weapons is 256. You might like to follow the link to the TAUCP (make sure to read the installation stuff, it's not "the usual yada yada"), which is a good place to get started with extra units, but doesn't leave space for you to add more of your own (although you'll probably be fine with the ones that come with TA for a few months).

Of course, if you don't like RTS, TA probably isn't for you, unless you like blowing stuff up in general (well, you play GTA, so maybe you do)

-Bob

[Treesh]

The Morrowind series (get the game of the year edition with all the expansions) is an excellent game, especially if you are a modder/mapper.  Don't fall into the trap of cheating through the game though, the manufacturers made it easy to get stuck in that rut.

Morrowind is good and if you're willing to wait a bit, Bethesda has announced TES 4: Oblivion, but there's not a lot of info out about that yet since they've got an exclusive contract with Game Informer about it and that issue hasn't quite hit the shelves yet.

Edit: To be fair, you'll have to wait quite a bit for Oblivion rather than just "a bit". ;)