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[Bree]

Controversial/quirky/shit games list time. These aren't all the greatest games in the world, but they have interesting gameplay concepts that are just begging to be stolen.

Metal Saga- open-ended post-apoc JRPG with multiple endings and a very quirky sense of humor. Money is a huge factor in this game, as you use it to upgrade your vehicles, hire bodyguards, cash in bounties, etc. One ending of the game can be reached within the first five minutes, I recommend it for a laugh.

Romancing/Unlimited SaGa- Really the whole series, but especially these two. Romancing SaGa shows off the typical SaGa formula of crazy stat-leveling mechanics, seven different story paths that somehow interconnect, and more open-ended gameplay style. You have a secret Story Event meter that opens up and locks off content as you advance whichever plot you're on. Unlimited tried to make a videogame that acted more like a board game- whether it worked or no is up to you, but it's certainly not your typical JRPG.

Chulip- adventure game where you have to seduce everyone in town to get your 'Love Level' high enough to win the girl of your dreams. Weird doesn't begin to describe it, but think of it like a much harder version of Majora's sidequests with even nuttier residents.

Lifeline- a survival horror game controlled using a microphone. Worked better for me than other people, it seems, since I didn't have nearly as many issues getting Rio to recognize my commands. Might just be lucky. In any case, Rio does have some surprising responses to certain phrases. Try telling her to kill herself, and then feel bad when she talks back to you.

Alpha Protocol- Spy RPG that has as much emphasis on conversations as gunplay, possibly even more. Glitchy without patches, super-serious tone, but it can still be quite fun.

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee- sidescrolling platformer with unique aesthetic, environmental message and some tough-as-nails puzzles. You will panic and die a lot.

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath- same universe, more Western theme, had some clever ideas mixing third-person action and first-person combat. The live ammo system allowed you to be more creative with approaching different scenarios, laying traps for enemies and luring them in different ways.

Dokapon Kingdom- One of the most in-depth multiplayer games I've ever seen. The bastard love child of Final Fantasy and Monopoly, this game may look adorable, but it secretly hates you. It hates you, and your friends, and will do everything it can to drive a wedge between you and them. And you will love every second of it. Be warned; the story mode can be completed with four people, but even though we all lived in the same space and played regularly, it took us over four months to beat it. It's that huge of a game.

Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator- One of the most brilliant multiplayer games I've seen since, well, Dokapon Kingdom. Each player's monitor is a control panel for a virtual spaceship (Weapons, Engineering, Steering, etc.) that is led by the Commander who gets a nice 3D view of your ship being blown up. You take on different missions, with other ships even (you can have up to 6 ships with 6 people on each), and panic and scream and try to follow orders and give them. Great chaotic gameplay, but it must be played in person, otherwise it misses the whole point.

There are some others, but I'm hungry, so it'll have to wait.

[s0]

Alpha Protocol- Spy RPG that has as much emphasis on conversations as gunplay, possibly even more. Glitchy without patches, super-serious tone, but it can still be quite fun.

Is this really a "must play?" I mean it's an OK game and all but why not just play Deus Ex which does the same things a hundred times better (and is more significant to the history of vidyagamez)


ANYWAY back on topic,

Brogue and Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup for an overview of what the roguelike genre is about.

Deadly Premonition
A game with a ton of flaws (chiefly the combat), but personality in spades. A well-designed open world, interesting and quirky characters and fun sidequests and secrets if you're into that. A true labor of love and a "dream game" for its creator who uncompromisingly realized his crazy vision in spite of all odds.

La-Mulana
The benchmark for exploration platformers. Lots of tension, an incredible sense of mystery and discovery and some incredibly thick atmsophere. Also a good model of how to approach "retro" games.

Half-Life 1
Blueprint for modern singleplayer shooters. Virtually every major FPS released in the last couple years directly copies HL's format.

[.]

Mother 3 is the best. I prefer it over Earthbound, but that's just my opinion. My favorite game ever.

Same here, yo. Definitely a must play.

[kamac]

As Rivon said, Mafia I, but I'd say Mafia II is yet very nice too.

[1982]

Terminator Future Shock

-It has nice graphics compared to modern games
-Perfect atmosphere
-You can enter Skynet

[ANtY]

PLANESCAPE: TORMENT 

[Manuel Magalhães]

I have got a lot of must plays but I'll try to say them all:

Deus Ex - A challenging and complex FPS game.
Burnout 3 - Racing game where you can (and need) to attack you adversaries. The OST is pretty awesome and there's some events where you have to hit the more vehicle as possible which is mega sweet.
N+ - A platformer which makes you a (game) ninja.
Gimmick! - Hard game where you use a bouncing star to attack. It has one of the best scores and graphics in Famicom's story.
Ratchet & Clank 2/3 (spec. 3) - One of the finest 3D platformers I've played. A game where you use a buttload of awesome weapons and level design.
Just Cause 2 - My favorite sandbox game. You are a guy in Panau and you can blow lots of shit up. A clear exemple what the (now) next-gen home consoles can offer that the last gen couldn't.
Wario Land 3 - Search for treasure with Wario in this beautiful Game Boy Color game.
Hotel Dusk/Last Window (spec. the later) - I love this two game so much that my next big game (on my sig /shamelessplug) is based on them. The games are point N' click first person games with a lot of mystery, puzzles and interrogation. Awesome OST on both.
Ketsui - A magnificent STG by Cave. Truly one of the defining arcade games of the last arcade.
R-Type Leo - Gorgeous graphics and sound and a cool new mechanic make this my favorite R-Type.
Jet Set Radio Future - A game where you have to graffiti walls and fight against the police. Lovely art style and music.
Worms World Party - With new terrain on each play and individual missions WWP rocks my socks.
Mega Man Zero Series - The hardest and the best of the Mega Man series. Level and character design well made with a really nice soundtrack to accompany.

I think it's all, although I might be forgetting one or two!

[Armageddon]

Batman Arkham Asylum

Max Payne

Indigo Prophecy

Mafia 2

BioShock

SystemShock 2

Fallout 3

Deus Ex

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory

[Ego_Shiner]

viewtiful joe, megaman x, megaman zero collection, wind waker, and cave story would be my top must plays if i had to narrow it down.

[Tanner]

a variety of knytt stories

the jumper games and super meat boy if you're into level design

[Core Xii]

Core War - Not for the feint of heart; a programming game, extremely difficult to learn.

Dragon Age: Origins (see also Awakening) - Western RPG, quite epic at that.

Dungeon Keeper 2 - Unique RTS. Build and manage an underground dungeon; fight.

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 - Unique turn-based strategy. Difficult to describe.

Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games - A very old but good turn-based tactics game. Hire then manage a squad of mercenaries on missions.

Katawa Shoujo - Interactive audiovisual novel. Possibly the most emotional game you'll play in your entire life.

Moonbase Commander - Unique turn-based strategy. All base-building; you fight directly with your base.

Gunman Chronicles - Lesser-known cousin of Half-Life. Same engine, came out the same time. Almost as good.

Master of Orion 2 - 4X game unlike any other. Manage a space empire and design ships in unprecedented detail. (do not play Master of Orion 3)

Saints Row 2 - Grand Theft Auto but fun. Massive performance issues on the PC port... and even then, it's still a must-play.

Wario Land 2 - Old Game Boy platformer, but very interesting in its design. You can't die, so the consequence for failure is novel.

Dominion - Unique card game. Build your deck as you play. Every game is different. (play online, free)

Advance Wars (series) - Turn-based tactics. Best part is in the atmosphere, but gameplay is solid as well.

Donkey Kong Country (series, see also 2 and 3) - One of the best platformers ever made, the whole series.

[rivon]

X-Com Apocalypse - great real-time or turn-based (which you like more) tactics game

Jagged Alliance 2 - the same as above, also has great music and vibe

Mirror's Edge - awesome gameplay, great visuals, nice story and music

Icewind Dale - a classic RPG strategy game situated in Forgotten Realms (similar to Baldur's Gate)

[galjic]

I have got a lot of must plays but I'll try to say them all:

Deus Ex - A challenging and complex FPS game.
Burnout 3 - Racing game where you can (and need) to attack you adversaries. The OST is pretty awesome and there's some events where you have to hit the more vehicle as possible which is mega sweet.
N+ - A platformer which makes you a (game) ninja.
Gimmick! - Hard game where you use a bouncing star to attack. It has one of the best scores and graphics in Famicom's story.
Ratchet & Clank 2/3 (spec. 3) - One of the finest 3D platformers I've played. A game where you use a buttload of awesome weapons and level design.
Just Cause 2 - My favorite sandbox game. You are a guy in Panau and you can blow lots of shit up. A clear exemple what the (now) next-gen home consoles can offer that the last gen couldn't.
Wario Land 3 - Search for treasure with Wario in this beautiful Game Boy Color game.
Hotel Dusk/Last Window (spec. the later) - I love this two game so much that my next big game (on my sig /shamelessplug) is based on them. The games are point N' click first person games with a lot of mystery, puzzles and interrogation. Awesome OST on both.
Ketsui - A magnificent STG by Cave. Truly one of the defining arcade games of the last arcade.
R-Type Leo - Gorgeous graphics and sound and a cool new mechanic make this my favorite R-Type.
Jet Set Radio Future - A game where you have to graffiti walls and fight against the police. Lovely art style and music.
Worms World Party - With new terrain on each play and individual missions WWP rocks my socks.
Mega Man Zero Series - The hardest and the best of the Mega Man series. Level and character design well made with a really nice soundtrack to accompany.

I think it's all, although I might be forgetting one or two!

Jet Grind Radio was so much fun. the music and art made the game
never got to play Future but check this out


[/url]
it's a remaster for XBLA and SEN
and yes i say grind because i'm from North American

[Manuel Magalhães]

I knew about that announcement, but thanks!

[galjic]

I knew about that announcement, but thanks!

alright then

[emacs]

I'm gonna add Burnout Paradise.  If you're going for an open world concept, look at Burnout.  There's a huge map to play on, and missions are always close by - there's no need to drive around for 10 minutes to get to a mission, you can just look at your map and be there in a few seconds.

[Glyph]

Majora's Mask. I just beat it. Mm so awesome.

[jwaap]

some games with tight design are: nikujin, jetpack joyride, flywrench

[My Escape]

First time poster, so “hello to you all”

I believe Pac Man has all the key ingredients for a solo game.  It has risk and reward, massive replay value and very simple mechanics.  So as a designer I think it’s a must play.
 
Bomberman is another fantastic source of inspiration mostly for competitive and cooperative play.
 
Other games of note are Monkey Island, Street Fighter 2, Tetris, Outrun and Gauntlet.
 
Granted these are old but they give great insight into why certain things just work. 

[Birdorf]

Has anyone mentioned Robotron?
I will.... Robotron.
So simple, so addictive, great sound effects.