Can’t say I’m constantly going back to it, but after having not played it since 2010, I fired up Just Cause 2 again. I forgot how fun that game is, not to mention a giant time sink.
Fired this up for the first time in years just last week. Try The Authentic Colonization (TAC) mod, too! Makes it about as good as the original, IMHO.
After reading about Chris Avellone playing Arcanum for the Project Eternity Kickstarter, I fired up my GOG fully modded version, haven’t played for a long time and never with some of these mods, but always loved the game so just the excuse I needed.
I’ve tried starting this a few times, but never get far. I think its just a little bit too slow for me for some reason, but man…that music is some of the best I ever heard in a game.
Personally, I go back to Mount & Blade Warband all the time. I must have sunk in over 400 hours in the singleplayer part. Not bad for paying 7 dollars for the beta many years ago. With mods such as Prophecy of Pendor and Brytenwalda, there is a LOT of fun in these games. Especially if you don’t cheat!
Another favorite that is always installed is Master of Orion 2, and Master of Magic. Sadly, Moo2 has some sound issues on my system, but MoM is something I play often.
While building/management sims remain my favorite genre, I can’t think of any one title I would constantly go back to. As you say, the scenarios are mostly puzzles, and when you’ve solved the puzzle, there is little reason to replay them.
Do you know Imperium Civitas / Glory of the Roman Empire and its sequel Imperium Romanum? I think Haemimont nailed the feeling you describe, rewarding precision and forward thinking at a leisurely pace.
Not a lot for me, but one of them would be Doom.
I have played the Haemimont games but somehow for me they fail to scratch the same itch as Caesar III. What’s the consensus on Caesar IV, has anyone tried it? I don’t see it being talked about much.
Just read my post above from a couple of years back without realising I’d posted it… just checked my new laptop and yep have Rome TW, MOO2 & AOW SM installed so I remain true to my word. :)
Ahem, I didn’t see you in my Cacowards thread. But I didn’t play much Doom this year.
Wait, we have a Cacowards thread?
I spent most of yesterday evening playing Alpha Centauri, since GoG was so kind as to bundle in the Alien Crossfire expansion for free. AC is probably the game I’ve put the most hours into.
Svensgaard is so ridiculously OP.
EVE Online is the game I always gravitate back to. I’ve played on and off since beta.
As a sidenote, and this may be deserving of a thread by itself, but EVE is also the only game that appears in my dreams. Yes, I sometimes have dreams of traveling through space in the universe of EVE. I can’t figure out why this, and not other games. There was a stretch of about five years, for example, where WoW was practically the only game I played, yet I’ve never dreamed of strutting around Azeroth.
It may have something to do with the immersiveness of EVE. I like the feel of the game, and flying around in space is almost a meditative experience.
But back to this thread, the other games I fire up now and then every year or two would be Civilization IV, Baldur’s Gate I and II, Mount & Blade and X-Com UFO Defense.
I have a feeling Skyrim will be added to this list as the years go on.
A couple years ago it was Worms Reloaded. Now it’s Tribes: Ascend. I love feeding the addiction and getting really skilled at these games, but I hate how it keeps me from playing other games as much I’d like. Every time I go to start a new Tribes match, some tiny part of me just loathes myself for it. That’s how you know it’s an addiction!
Alpha Centauri by a wide margin. Every time I boot up a new iteration of Civ, after the newness wears off (look, sparkly stuff!) I end up backsliding towards this gem. Forget Sid, this game is all about Brian Reynolds and his amazing design. Sure, the voxel graphics look a bit wierd on modern systems, but the gameplay and the way the factions create their own stories each time I play, keep me coming back several times a year for the last 14 (!) years.
Addicted? Not sure that applies to any of my gaming, though.
I’ve just created this from all the CD-era game boxes I’m disposing of now… Addiction? Well, maybe. I think I’d go with major hobby myself. I think.
I play brain age 1 & 2 almost every single morning; do they count?
Master of Orion 2- Yes another one that i can’t stop playing. With the custom fleet and races, and despite its age it holds up suprisingly well, plenty to pull me back in with.
Empire of the Fading Suns- i hate I dont get the custom endings now, but this is the pinnacle of deep diplomacy, ground and space combat in one game! And the sound track!
Master of Magic- Still play this one. Still waiting for a remake to take this off my playlist.
Alpha Protocol- yes I can’t quit loading this one up. Why isnt there more modern day or SCi-fi RPG. I can’t think of another one except Mass Effect and Binary Domain? WTF???
JA2- bought and played all the iterations, including the crossfire expansion. The remake doesn’t warm my heart as much, but still play Ja and JA2 and the expansions for that.
Freedom Force- play this one again and again over time. including most of the mods.
Pirates- loved all versions of this from the original. Don’t like the dancing in the new one, but love the rest.
Honorable mention:
Played the original X-Com a zillion times, and while the new one doesnt have the lasting power. I’ve still played it 4 times already. So, no slouch…
How about Deus Ex: Human Revolution?
Nice! I looked over that and realized I owned 26 of those at one point in time. So many good games there!
Cd Era is best era!