I need a new game.

I have been reading for weeks about various games and have read various opinions on them. But Im still unsure what to get so heres what I want:

1. Good story
2. Good graphics
3. Long gameplay. I loved Unreal2 and JK2 but the game was over in no time it seemed. A game I played for ever was Return to castle Wolfenstein.
4. Re-playable. Nothing worse that spending money on a game that you dont want to play again.
5.Multiplayer capable. I like playing with other people online. I played Mechwarrior4 online in a clan for years and really want to replace the fun times I had with another game.

I currently play C&C Generals and it fits the bill pretty good, but I need another game I can play so I dont get burned out on Generals.

So far the One of the few games that seem to really meet what I want is UT2k4. Most opinions seem to agree with this as well. Im concidering D3 and HL2 but there seems to be a lot of different opinions on theses 2 that make me wonder if there worth it.

So basically Im confused as crap and need the vast wisdom of the OCForums to clear things up for me.

I would recommend Half-Life 2 for all of those, but if you really want to emphasize on long gameplay in addition to graphics and story i would suggest Far Cry

You know Im almost embarrassed to admit this, but I know absolutely nothing about Far Cry. I have heard of it but didnt even know what kind of game it was until a few days ago. Sad, isnt it. Guess I need to catch up with the rest of the gaming scene.

And the reason Im unsure about Half Life 2 is because everyones opinion of that game seems to be so dang extreme for it or against it. People start talking about that game and you think you in a ATI vs. Nvidia thread. LOL

HL2 has THE BEST story ive ever seen in a game and nits long for a FPS and has amazing graphics plus it has DM and CS:S so it has tons of replay.

and if you dont mind paying a monthly fee... WoW is probably the most replayable game ever. Not much for story though.

A weak story is ALRIGHT as long as you can create your own. I mean, its not like C&C Generals is got much of a story behind it and I play the crap out of it. And as far as a monthly fee goes, I might do it but it would have to be a hell of a game. I have always enjoyed rpg's and thought I would try Ultima Online once years ago. A waste of money IMO cause I was bored as crap. Thats what I dont want to happen with a game with a fee to play online.

Want bang for your multiplayer buck? I would recommend Half-Life 2. This is considering that there are already 2 first party multiplayer modes and there will be many more released from 3rd party's. The single player game however, isn't nearly as replayable as Far Cry.

Far Cry's single player campaign just isn't designed the way the typical first person shooter's campaign is designed. You are given a place to go, or a thing to do but this thing may be on the other side of a rather large island. To get there, the game does not put you between two artificial walls to guide you to your goal, it gives you a radar blip and lets you loose. This simple concept adds a lot more to the gameplay than you might think.

With that said I would still recommend Half-Life 2 to you overall. Mostly because Far Cry would chug on your rig whereas Half-Life 2 will perform quite well.

Pyros said:

And the reason Im unsure about Half Life 2 is because everyones opinion of that game seems to be so dang extreme for it or against it. People start talking about that game and you think you in a ATI vs. Nvidia thread. LOL

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This is because people get high on hype, find a few things they don't like about the game and absolutely blow them out of proportion. In the process then forget that Half-Life 2 is still an excellent game, just not as good as they were expecting or what *all you fanboy lamers are raving about*. This happens with every highly hyped game that turns out to be quite good.

Gnerma said:

With that said I would still recommend Half-Life 2 to you overall. Mostly because Far Cry would chug on your rig whereas Half-Life 2 will perform quite well.

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I will actually be using the Laptop and not my desktop. My lappy blows away my desktop. The desktop is for nothing but video editing and, well doing nothing. Maybe I need to get that sucker folding or doing seti again.

Anyways back to the subject I plan to upgrade to a gig of memory and a M9800(if I feel the need for this) in the future with this lappy.

Pyros said:

Maybe I need to get that sucker folding [...] again.

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Yes you do

Try the Far Cry demos. I've never played them but they might give you an idea of the different feel of the game. The story sucks BTW.

Gnerma said:

Yes you do

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Amazing how some of my word dissappeared in your quote.
The forum server must be having problems again. lol

I am still playing HL2 (I only play a couple of hours per day if at all) and it is awesome. You dont just walk around and kill things, there are objectives. And it also draws you in right from the opening scene. The graphics are amazing and the story keeps you going. Doom3 didnt do that for me, HL2 impresses.

Far Cry is awesome for gameplay and replayability. The AI is amazing. I would suggest. though that you go to a gig of RAM in the laptop to play. Someone said above that FC would chug on your box. He is right. Some folks have had video problems with laptops but were fixed with omega drivers. Your card should be able to handle the graphics which are stunning.
Multiplayer can be fun with the right mix of players and has three modes: free for all (FFA), team deathmatch (TDM) and Assault (capture the flag).
There are mods and new SP and MP levels out there already and the cryengine sandbox editor has recieved a lot of accolades.
The only knock is the single player story which has a weak ending.

Does no one think UT2K4 is a good option? I dont know myself but I figure someone would say it was judging from the comments I have read in the past.

UT2K4 gets its play as a serious mp game. If you are looking for a storyline that game problably is going to be a letdown.

I guess I can agree about the storyline since the original UT was kinda lacking in that dept. as well. But the game was hella fun to play still. But your right multiplayer was much more fun.

ut2k4 is only fun for the online...i played a good minute of storyline then i stopped and played multiplayer again.

hl2 imo has it all .. one bad awsome single player .. 2 multiplayers (deatmatch and cs:s) and imo both really are great but cs:s is perfect for all nighters ... no other game is gonna give u tht not farcry not d3 ... im not flamin d3 really good game btw.. but jus not there with hl2 :0

koss20100 said:

hl2 imo has it all .. one bad awsome single player .. 2 multiplayers (deatmatch and cs:s) and imo both really are great but cs:s is perfect for all nighters ... no other game is gonna give u tht not farcry not d3 ... im not flamin d3 really good game btw.. but jus not there with hl2 :0

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Half-Life 2 is indeed a great game. Other recommendations of mine are the following:
Battlefield 1942(The DC mod makes it even better )
Doom 3
World of Warcraft
Unreal Tournament 2004

I hope this helped!
-James

If you haven't already, you should check out Splinter Cell and it's sequel, Pandora Tomorrow. Both are great games w/ an excellent story.

Oni said:

If you haven't already, you should check out Splinter Cell and it's sequel, Pandora Tomorrow. Both are great games w/ an excellent story.

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True. I just picked up PT again this weekend and played the multiplayer for the first time on the LAN with some friends. It's quite a good game.

I would also recommend HL2 first and foremost, it is the best gaming experience I have had, also check out Rome Total War, it is an endlessly replayable game, IMO.

Robrules18 said:

and if you dont mind paying a monthly fee... WoW is probably the most replayable game ever. Not much for story though.

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personaly eq2 beats wow on most terms , dont get me wrong there both great games

but hl2 is just amazeing