[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: Activision
Year Released: 1995
Synopsis: Though the first MechWarrior was released in 1989 and differed in its gameplay structure, it was the more straightforward [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]:
31st Century Combat that really brought the franchise to popular
attention. Fans of the BattleTech table top game were undoubtedly
salivating in anticipation as this game's 1995 release, but the title
garnered more widespread tittering with its visuals which, at the time,
looked fantastic. But the game was much more than that. It was complex,
requiring management of various mechanized subsystems, allowed for tons
of customization, and featured an epic storyline as you smashed through
challenges as a Wolf or Jade Falcon Clan member. MechWarrior 2 gave
players a real sense of power, rewarded digit dexterity across the
keyboard, stood as a towering example of what a PC game could be, and
how a dense game can still be sophisticated enough to appeal to a wide
audience.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2000
Synopsis: There's likely to be a few people that have a problem with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
being on this list. Those people don't consider that The Sims franchise
is the best selling franchise in the history of gaming and appeals to
all ages, sexes, races, species, and sexual orientations. There's a
reason that countless expansions have been released along with a sequel
and several spin-offs onto consoles. The Sims is a crazy phenomenon
built on developer wackiness and player creativity. While there aren't
necessarily many goals to achieve in The Sims, Maxis offered up one of
the most fulfilling sandboxes in the history of gaming and let the
community run with it. It's fun and incredibly important for bringing in
a demographic normally reluctant to boot up a game on their PCs.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: Epic Games/Digital Extremes
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2004
Synopsis: The original Unreal Tournament ushered in a new age of
twitch shooters with an incredible pace and amazing new engine along
with thrilling multiplayer team games. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
only upped the ante and added in a terrific new gameplay mode called
Onslaught that was inspired by the Battlefield-style modes. This opened
up room for players to really take advantage of the awesome kinds of
vehicles first introduced in Unreal Championship. What came out was the
most polished and team-heavy version of Unreal Tournament to date and
remains the most fun in the series. It wasn't perfect, but it's the best
twitch shooter out on the market. Those with preternatural reflexes can
back that fact up by spraying your character's brains on the walls from
1000 feet with a shock rifle.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher:Red Storm Entertainment
Year Released: 1998
Synopsis: The game that launched one of the industry's most celebrated and consistently enjoyable franchises, the original [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
was a revelation. While we tend to take the military-themed,
one-shot-one-kill intensity for granted these days, when the original
Rainbow Six premiered nearly ten years ago, there was simply nothing
like it. Players took charge of a team of crack counter-terrorists as
they traveled around the world rescuing hostages, disarming bombs and,
of course, capping tangos. The ultra-realistic nature of the game made
each mission an exercise in tactical decision-making rather than a test
of the player's reflexes. A full range of cooperative and competitive
online modes also set the standard for what we expect from our shooters
these days. Sure, the series' later incarnations have vastly improved
the AI and the visuals (not to mention the horrid pre-planning) but no
game before or since has managed to capture the wonder and intensity of
that first Rainbow Six game.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2001
Synopsis: We admit that [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
didn't exactly scream "best flight sim of all time" when we originally
reviewed it. But thanks to a couple of excellent expansion packs and a
complete dearth of competitors, the Russian-developed flight sim has
grown larger and larger in our minds, virtually eclipsing all the other
games in its genre. Focusing on the oft-neglected Eastern Front of World
War II, IL-2 Sturmovik managed to distinguish itself with great visuals
and the most realistic and sensitive flight model around. Whether
flying CAP above the brilliant clouds or flying nap of the earth for
some up-close tank busting action, the game really puts players in the
cockpit like no other game before or since. Sturms, Yaks and MiGs may
not have the cachet that Mustangs and Spitfires have, at least in
America or Western Europe, but they're every bit as challenging and
exciting to fly. IL-2 proves it beautifully.
source:pc.ign.com/
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: Activision
Year Released: 1995
Synopsis: Though the first MechWarrior was released in 1989 and differed in its gameplay structure, it was the more straightforward [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]:
31st Century Combat that really brought the franchise to popular
attention. Fans of the BattleTech table top game were undoubtedly
salivating in anticipation as this game's 1995 release, but the title
garnered more widespread tittering with its visuals which, at the time,
looked fantastic. But the game was much more than that. It was complex,
requiring management of various mechanized subsystems, allowed for tons
of customization, and featured an epic storyline as you smashed through
challenges as a Wolf or Jade Falcon Clan member. MechWarrior 2 gave
players a real sense of power, rewarded digit dexterity across the
keyboard, stood as a towering example of what a PC game could be, and
how a dense game can still be sophisticated enough to appeal to a wide
audience.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2000
Synopsis: There's likely to be a few people that have a problem with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
being on this list. Those people don't consider that The Sims franchise
is the best selling franchise in the history of gaming and appeals to
all ages, sexes, races, species, and sexual orientations. There's a
reason that countless expansions have been released along with a sequel
and several spin-offs onto consoles. The Sims is a crazy phenomenon
built on developer wackiness and player creativity. While there aren't
necessarily many goals to achieve in The Sims, Maxis offered up one of
the most fulfilling sandboxes in the history of gaming and let the
community run with it. It's fun and incredibly important for bringing in
a demographic normally reluctant to boot up a game on their PCs.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: Epic Games/Digital Extremes
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2004
Synopsis: The original Unreal Tournament ushered in a new age of
twitch shooters with an incredible pace and amazing new engine along
with thrilling multiplayer team games. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
only upped the ante and added in a terrific new gameplay mode called
Onslaught that was inspired by the Battlefield-style modes. This opened
up room for players to really take advantage of the awesome kinds of
vehicles first introduced in Unreal Championship. What came out was the
most polished and team-heavy version of Unreal Tournament to date and
remains the most fun in the series. It wasn't perfect, but it's the best
twitch shooter out on the market. Those with preternatural reflexes can
back that fact up by spraying your character's brains on the walls from
1000 feet with a shock rifle.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher:Red Storm Entertainment
Year Released: 1998
Synopsis: The game that launched one of the industry's most celebrated and consistently enjoyable franchises, the original [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
was a revelation. While we tend to take the military-themed,
one-shot-one-kill intensity for granted these days, when the original
Rainbow Six premiered nearly ten years ago, there was simply nothing
like it. Players took charge of a team of crack counter-terrorists as
they traveled around the world rescuing hostages, disarming bombs and,
of course, capping tangos. The ultra-realistic nature of the game made
each mission an exercise in tactical decision-making rather than a test
of the player's reflexes. A full range of cooperative and competitive
online modes also set the standard for what we expect from our shooters
these days. Sure, the series' later incarnations have vastly improved
the AI and the visuals (not to mention the horrid pre-planning) but no
game before or since has managed to capture the wonder and intensity of
that first Rainbow Six game.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Developer: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Publisher: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Year Released: 2001
Synopsis: We admit that [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
didn't exactly scream "best flight sim of all time" when we originally
reviewed it. But thanks to a couple of excellent expansion packs and a
complete dearth of competitors, the Russian-developed flight sim has
grown larger and larger in our minds, virtually eclipsing all the other
games in its genre. Focusing on the oft-neglected Eastern Front of World
War II, IL-2 Sturmovik managed to distinguish itself with great visuals
and the most realistic and sensitive flight model around. Whether
flying CAP above the brilliant clouds or flying nap of the earth for
some up-close tank busting action, the game really puts players in the
cockpit like no other game before or since. Sturms, Yaks and MiGs may
not have the cachet that Mustangs and Spitfires have, at least in
America or Western Europe, but they're every bit as challenging and
exciting to fly. IL-2 proves it beautifully.
source:pc.ign.com/
