Recommendations once again

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I hardly have the time to be on current terms with games. And yet I'd rather play something new than beat the same games to death, especially now that I've bought a new computer recently and I'd rather not let it age without experiencing its potential on current games.

What I have under my case is a C2D E7200 (2.53 MHz but will safely go far up if needed), 4 GB RAM (DDR2/800, but somewhat receptive to overclocking), Radeon 4850. Obviously, I should be able to play current games with good settings and a little older or less taxing games at sort of max... This is why I'd like to try something with current graphics.

Now what I like in games is most of all a nice story, an immersive feel, an agreeable interface, an acceptable difficulty level (have to think, can do without walkthrough, don't need monkey fingers - especially if it's not an arcade game). I like realism in the more "social" games, but I don't like e.g. car racers that make it awfully hard on you because of all the switches and disobedient controls. I don't like gratuitous sex or some really excessive violence. In short, I want to have fun and I'm a bit picky when it comes to aesthetics. Any genre.

What could I play?

So far I'm playing Medieval II (I'm on sick leave these couple of days), Warcraft III (old habits die hard), just rarely Neverwinter Nights 2 (but when I do find a nice module, I play until finished), and I've recently finished Mass Effect, if this gives you any clues.

Of unreleased games, I've preordered Fallout 3. I want to play Storm of Zehir (NWN2 expansion) and Mysteries of Westgate (NWN2 adventure pack). I'll need to skip Oblivion because it's already outdated and I can't afford such a time investment (and if I could, I'd rather use it on a newer game). These will fill my free time nicely, so I basically need just one or two games.

I've been thinking about King's Bounty and the new Warhammer, and wondering about the Lord of the Rings MMO...

 

So.... you are looking for a fantasy game, preferably RPG, but maybe RTS, to while away your time?

Sacred 2 is getting good remarks in testing - it should be out later this month. Maybe wait for reviews.

You could look at Space Siege.... but I hear its a substandard game at best. Have you played BioShock? It is a first person shooter - but also has RPG elements in it, and a very good story. In fact, if you could remotely get into any FPS, I would heartily recommend BioShock. It is nothing short of amazing. I suppose it is a little on the violent and gory side, but I dont really see it as gratuitous. No sex.

For racing games, you might enjoy Race Driver: Grid. Its not as pure simulation as Gran Turismo, but still pretty nice. Very nice graphics, lots of cool cars, can be very hard though.

 

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword.

 

The new King's Bounty seems good. There is a demo available at the official site. The reviews have also praised it. I am currently considering if I should pre-order it.

 

I second that. It's a truly excellent game but very time consuming and addictive. There are many huge maps that need a high end PC to run smoothly with 18 civilizations and high settings on earth maps so you could take advantage of your rig. If you play "marathon" you can experience the slow development of your civilization but different speeds are available. Beyond the Sword brings a lot of new options to the game. I've been practicing quite a bit but I'm not really good at it yet but I do enjoy it a lot nevertheless (I can't make it beyond noble yet). It's a great game, great atmosphere, great gameplay, very intuitive interface and it's one of the few games around here that allow you to conquer the world.

If you haven't tried it you should consider Heroes of Might and Magic V Tribes of the East (it adds the new Stronghold faction bringing the number to 8 factions: Haven, Academy, Sylvan, Inferno, Necropolis, Dungeon, Fortress and Stronghold) a new patch has been released. All the campaigns can be downloaded to play with the modifications introduced by the expansion (different upgrades and new skill wheels) so you don't need to buy the original game or the first expansion Hammers of Fate (Tribes of the East is a stand alone expansion). I would skip the campaign. The new map generator from the latest patch allows for extra customization and custom templates are available and can be made quite easily. I extensively modded my game to unlock some features and balance others, it's not that hard to mod. There are some very interesting fan made mods and an active community. Some people give HoMM V a bad name but I'm a big fan of the series since II (didn't relish IV and I thought III was the best) but IMHO V is just awesome provided you take advantage of the modding possibilities it offers and don't spend to much time on the campaigns which are certainly not as fun as the rest of the game (I mostly play large maps with the 8 factions which are separated by a larger neutral zone filled with large stacks of neutral creatures, it's a lot of fun).

 

Why not the german Drakensang? It is out in german, but not in English. There is a demo.

 

I've heard remarkably good things about The Witcher.

EDIT: Realized you were already looking into it. What about MotB? I found it to be an excellent RPG on the grade of PS:T.

 

I've played MotB but haven't finished it. I decided it was too disturbing. There's no way to justify doing actions required by the plot, from the Lawful Good point of view, or even any lawful or any good, probably not even neutral. Simply put, evil things were required. I cheated my way around that, but decided I didn't want to play anyway. There was a lot of promise, but ultimately it turned out disappointing. I'm willing to give Mysteries of Westgate and Storm of Zehir a chance, however.

 

I second HoMM V.
Really great game if you just play non campaign.
Download the skill-wheel on fansites though, so you can somehow plan your skills ahead.

 

Another vote for Civ 3: BTS. Outstanding.
I recently finished The Witcher. One of the best games I've ever played.

 

Bioshock, The Witcher, STALKER, Mass Effect.. there all pretty good games that I've played recently. If I had to recommend just 1, it would be Bioshock.