Octopus Overlords

That is, as if you'd never seen it before and were just opening the box for the first time. Assume that changing technology isn't a factor, so games like Pirates and Starflight have the same impact now as they did back in the 1980s.

I'd have to go with Baldur's Gate II. It's a longer game than most and I found it compelling from start to finish. It'd be great to play through it again like it was fresh.

Fallout 2, Baldur's Gate 2, or Planescape: Torment. They've been awesome even as re-plays, but there's nothing quite like that first time through a great game.

Edit: Yes, I know you said "one." Torment, then. I'll go with Torment.

Privateer

or possibly X-Wing.

Civ 2.

Master of Magic

Star Control 2.

Wing Commander

No, wait! Ultima IV!

hentzau wrote:No, wait! Ultima IV!

hentzau wrote:No, wait! Ultima IV!

This sounds like the Bridge scene in "Holy Grail"

I've been having the strange urge to play through "Damage Incorporated". Not sure why that one specifically. I remember having lots of fun commanding my squad around, getting them herded to the right place. It was more of a sheep-herding simulator I think.

Getting them unstuck from fences was the only frustrating part.
And I remember at one point, one of my men turned traitor on us and began opening fire on us all, so I had to kill him. Not sure if that was a scripted event or a bug, but it startled the hell out of me.

Good question. This was a tough one, but I'd go with Doom. That summer, I think '94 was the first time I played it, and it just blew every other game experience away. The mood, fear, and action were the best.

IF, for some reason the powers that be wouldn't let me pick Doom as my "one" game, I'd go with Ultima Underworld for the same reasons listed above.

Might and Magic World of Xeen. God that game was LONG! And they didn't really try to hide the sci-fi part (which I always enjoyed since M&M2)

Probably Fallout. I was just thinking about booting that up, but played the Brothers in Arms demo instead because I knew exactly wthat was going to happen in the beginning of Fallout. Not to say it wouldn't have been fun, but I wanted something new.

Close second is X-Wing. That game was simply badass. I remember being about ten and being completely blown away that I was actually flying a x-wing and taking part in epic Star Wars space battles.

Thief.

It was one of the first games I played and I had no idea how groundbreaking it was. I'd love to be able to go back in time....

Civilization 2

I don't know how many 'one more turns' kept me up until dawn the next day when I first got that game.

DOOM II

Starflight probably. My only complaint was there were parts of the map that remained off-limits the entire game - regions inhabited by hostile races that were too powerful to beat. Everything else was paced well, though - great story that you just sort of fell into while otherwise playing a game of Star Trek-like exploration. I don't know why nobody has been able to duplicate this sort of thing since - even Starflight 2 did a miserable job in comparison.

Tough to say, but I'd probably go with Ultima 7. That opening death scene just was an incredible introduction to the game.

I enjoyed Torment as much the 2nd time as I did the first - perhaps moreso, because I could understand the story better. Civ 2 was just as good on round 2, 3, 4 and many more as it was the first time. So was X-Com. BG was better the first go-around, but it was kinda predictable.

From a story standpoint, Ultima 7 and all the little magical things in the game (the flying carpet, the chase for the murderers, the potential love interest, the wisp house, the Guardian, seeing the difference between the rich and the poor) really made that game for me. Playing it again did not recapture the magic of the first time.

Ultima V would be my pick. I loved the darkness of the storyline and I have fond memories of me and my cousin playing it on his old Commodore 64. I'm anxiously awaiting U5 Lazarus, but nothing compares with that experience of playing it the first time for me.

Syndicate. Loved that game. On the PC it would be Daggerfall, I really thought that was an amazing game.

Civilization.

Civ and Hardball 2 were the very first games I bought for my first computer. I played Hardball for a while because I had the original on my Commodore 128 and already knew how to play, then I opened Civ and played it and was just floored at how great it was. I played that first night until 4 am and then had to get ready and go to work on no sleep.

X-COM Because there was not only the initial surprised gasp when my troopers were zombified or taken over by mental telepathy or fought room to room but also for the repeated times that I could and did play.

X-COM was the game that made me smile on computer gaming and continue trying to find that experience through game disappointment after disappointment.

I've heard that addicts describe trying to recapture the elusive quality of their first drug rush as "chasing the dragon." Well, I'm still chasing the dragon in gaming.

It's a tough choice between Doom, UT, Diablo, and Tie Fighter. I'd have to go with Diablo, though. UT would be useless unless everyone else were also playing for the first time. Tie Fighter was fantastic but it ended too soon. Doom is very close but ultimately falls short in replaying it. Plus, I don't want to go through conncting via 14.4 modem again. I would pick Tie Fighter in a second if it were something that I could play over and over and it would be like the first time every time.

So, Tie Fighter would be my groundhog day game and Diablo my one time new game.

It sounds weird, but if I could play do it all over again and play it like I never played it again, EverQuest.


When EQ came out, I was a gamer, but nearly as much so as I am now. I played just about anything and was happy with just about anything. I'd buy games based on the descriptions on the box and wouldn't read up on them before hand.


When I first played EQ, I was floored. The thought of a huge world out there, full of players, and waiting to be explored just excited the hell out of me. Nothing compared to trying to make a run from Freeport to Qeynos for the first time. Each time I zoned into a new zone, I had no idea what to expect. Every zone had its own feel to it. It was incredible.


I've played games that I enjoyed much more than EQ. But no other game ever gave me that feeling.

warning wrote:Thief.

It was one of the first games I played and I had no idea how groundbreaking it was. I'd love to be able to go back in time....

yep. that was a fantastic gaming experience.

tough call between wing commander, star control 2, and ultima 7. i would have to pick sc2 though, because the sense of exploration there just doesn't hold through a 2nd playthrough.

Thief

Hmmm, while Pirates on C64, Half-Life or Diablo 2 were special (as were others), I would have to pick Descent. First being able to fly through a 3-D environment with that sort of control, then to play against friends. I remember the feeling like I was flying if I drove just after a multiplayer session.

Deus Ex

Vinda-Lou wrote:Good question. This was a tough one, but I'd go with Doom. That summer, I think '94 was the first time I played it, and it just blew every other game experience away. The mood, fear, and action were the best.

Definitely Doom.

Then Civilization.

I'd say Everquest, if the game was brand new and everyone playing it was brand new like me.

Outside of that, Heroes of Might and Magic 3.

Grand Prix Legends

If I was also able to regress to my college schedule, EverQuest.

If we're not talking about four years of highly concentrated gaming time with the occasional class, Privateer.

I'm going to have to pick the Gabriel Knight series. I can't just pick one from the series, it'd have to be the whole thing. I would very much like to erase the whole series from my memory and play it over again.

Valael wrote:When I first played EQ, I was floored. The thought of a huge world out there, full of players, and waiting to be explored just excited the hell out of me. Nothing compared to trying to make a run from Freeport to Qeynos for the first time. Each time I zoned into a new zone, I had no idea what to expect. Every zone had its own feel to it. It was incredible.

I've played games that I enjoyed much more than EQ. But no other game ever gave me that feeling.

I agree with all of that. It was completely awesome when I first played it.

Starflight, no question. The feeling of wonder, discovery, exploration and joy has yet to be matched by any game, IMO.

Their Finest Hour : Battle Of Britain 1940.

Morrowind. playing it fresh with no knowledge of the world, but with the best mods would be fantastic.

Veloxi wrote:Starflight, no question. The feeling of wonder, discovery, exploration and joy has yet to be matched by any game, IMO.

As far as I know, no one's even tried to match it. Like Jeff said, I can't figure why that is; epic space exploration is a natural area for computer gaming.

Ultima Underworld.

Nothing will beat the jaw-dropping paradigm shift of moving to a smooth-scrolling 3d environment. (And it was real 3D, unlike Wolfenstein). Not to mention, it was a great RPG too!