Kolijoco's gaming page

Kolijoco's Gaming Page

I've been playing computer games... well for a long time (started back on the Commodore 16 and 64). As probably the case with many CS experts (especially in the field of graphics, where I "matured"), games are actually what got me hooked on computers and programming in the first place.

On this short page (I'm way too busy to keep blogging) you'll find a list of my favorite games, and why I like(d) them so much. These are Computer Games, I've never owned a console, and I don't plan to buy one until they seriously outperform high-end PCs.

You're bound to notice, that most of these titles are rather old. This is not because I don't play new games (I actually try to get my hands on as many as I can), but mainly because today's titles, pretty and flashy as they are, hold little lasting appeal (or replay value).

Maybe its just me getting older, but I am dissatisfied with computer games and prevailing trends in game design in general. Being a fan of simulations and VR like immersion, I was as enthusiastic as everybody at the dawn of first person shooters on the PC. In the begging, things evolved for the better, but than came stagnation (probably with the CDs and DVDs), too much audio-visual content, waaay too little substance. Games got ridiculously (never could spell that word) short, but that's probably good, because 20 hours is probably the most one can take of repetitive shooting and jumping... Sad, really.

I've loosly categorized my little Hall-of-Fame by "genre", the order of presentation holds no significance, this is not a top-N list...

Space

Elite, Frontier, First Encounters: what open-endedness is all about. The feeling of being alone and and on your own, in the cold dark void. Superb in just about every aspect... And the fact that Elite premiered in the 80s... wow! (glFFE)

X-Wing, Tie Fighter: Excellent gameplay, atmospheric cinematics, great audio, a true must not just for SW fans...

Freespace (I and II): The very best of the basics: graphics, interface, mission variety.

Privateer: Origin's excellent take on the Elite recipie, little more personal, a nice storyline, neat graphics.

Freelancer: Nice enough try to earn its place on my list. Why oh why isn't the universe bigger, the story longer, and why is fighting so ill-balanced (no matter how powerful your equipment gets, badies are scaled, and so battles are all the same, never satisfying).

RPG

Fallout I & II: funny, immersive, challenging... very original!

Eye of the Beholder I & II: dungeon crawl at its best (at the time)... surprisingly few frustrations for its class.

Ultima Underworld I & II: dungeon crawl at its very best! (to this day) (great music in UWI by The Fat Man)... anyone else notice how this game was true 3D (yes there were bridges you could go over and under!) released the same year as DOOM (which was 2.5D only)!

Planescape: Torment: Excellent non-off-the-mill fantasy RPG, great story, memorable characters, who thought D&D could be so good :-)

Ultima 6, and VII: one word: epic...

Action / Action-Advanture

QuakeWorld: incredible pace, frantic action... just got better with the source release. Yes, I know it was revolutionary at it own time, but that's not what's great about it). Unfortunately the learning curve is steep, so very few noobs around, and the hard-core players are aging (and raising families :-)

Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear: To this day probably the best (and only?) tactical shooter. (And NO, Counter Strike is NOT a tactical shooter, play this one, and you'll see why.) The sequels got prettier, but they never got better... too bad action sells better than tactics...

System Shock (1 & 2): engaging, challenging, well executed. (I realize there's generation gap in technology between the original and the sequel, but what's good about them is/was good about both of them.)

Thief (series): stealth in 3D hasn't been done before and hasn't been done better since. Sneaking can be fun!

Deus Ex: top of its class in every aspect. Multiple paths and solutions to problems, great use of technology, excellent setting! (How the sequel got so boring and unengaging is a mystery.)

Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl: the depressing atmosphere... you have to feel it for yourself. I love how the main story-line (though linear) is not pushing you to do things, you can do things your way, at your own pace, explore all you want... Very challenging, very rewarding. Unmatched attention to detail. (Somewhat disappointing sequel... err, prequel.)

Bioshock: The unique atmosphere and superb execution earned this title a place on the list, even though its probably the shortest game in my HoF.

Crysis * 0.5 + Warhead * 0.5: because literally one half of each of the two games is excellent, those halves combined make up a game worth remembering. And yes, the halves are defined as being the parts of said games without the aliens. The sandbox mechanics are very well implemented, though I think the suit superpowers (especially cloaking) makes both titles too easy to beat. (Whose idea were the aliens anyway? Probably the same guy who thought Far Cry needed mutants... oh, CryTek come on!)

Other

I am huge fan of Ragnar Tornquist's Longest Journey and Dreamfall, can't wait for the conclusion :-). I also played and loved the Monkey Island series, the Space Quests series. The reason I'm not listing classic adventure games is because I regard them to be interactive cinema, rather than games. Some are great, non the less!

You'll notice that there is no Strategy or RTS list. The reason is simple: they're just not my type. The only notable exceptions are Homeworld and Warcraft 2, for some reason those games kept me playing them to the end. Strange :-)

I spend some time playing flight sims as well (MS's FS series, IL-2 series, Falcon). For fun, but mostly just because the weather isn't right for real flying (my paraglider, see my homepage). Flight sim visuals are also one of my more professional interests, and I tend to regard hard-core sim development a science rather than an art.

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