I recently built my first decent PC, what should I play?

Ahnis_T

Internet Refugee
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Awards
5
Hi all,

I've been out of the PC world for at least 10 years, so needless to say it's essentially an entirely new experience for me right now. I've had various consoles over the years, so I'm mainly interested in PC exclusives, or games that are really only worth playing on PC, especially as someone who last gamed on a laptop with 2gb RAM lol. I play all types of games so I'm not looking for anything specific, genre wise.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

2bitDeparture

cnNzIGx1cmtlcgo=
Joined
Oct 27, 2021
Messages
18
Reaction score
39
Awards
11
One of the best things about PC imo isn't just the graphics but the level of contol/responsiveness using a mouse with high monitor refresh rate.
I cant imagine trying to play games that require accuracy with a controller anymore(loads of respect to people who can, I've totally lost that ability). Being able to use half your desk to aim vs having to maintain that accuracy within the movement of your thumb is a huge game changer. Along those lines, ULTRAKILL is probably the most satisfying feeling game to play with a keyboard and mouse to me right now, partially because I tried it with a controller just a little while ago and I sucked..

I'll try to leave out the ones I know are on console, but its been a while since I've played on one so some of these probably aren't PC exclusive
General recommendations:
------------------------------------
Space Beast Terror Fright
Warrhammer 40K: Space Marine (with mods)
Space Engineers
Spec Ops: The Line
The Beginner's Guide
Mudrunner (with mods)
Vecter
Audiosurf
slab


Games that look really pretty(and are fun):
---------------------------------------
Space Hulk: Deathwing
Metro Series(with hud off) <-- I've only played the first two, cant say anything about exodus
Wolfenstein series
Doom
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

PizzaW0lf

In search of something greater.
Joined
Jul 16, 2022
Messages
426
Reaction score
1,079
Awards
121
When it comes to PC games, I've found the Far cry games to be kinda awesome on PC. It's a great series to play if you want to really push your hardware and play something with great visuals. However, Far cry 6 is kinda..... embarrassing so I would avoid that one. 5 has issues and some people don't like it but I actually recommend it because it's surprisingly great for me. I love the comfy Montana setting and the music is surprisingly top-tier. And the visuals don't disappoint. The graphics really made me feel like I was in the game. It felt real in a way that no other game did. Far cry 3 is the best one though hands down. And the graphics are still awesome for that game. However, also, Ubisoft is pretty awful nowadays so I really only recommend far cry if you can pirate it or get it at a very low discount.

GOG is a good platform if you want a DRM-free service for PC games. Please consider this option as I feel like the future of ownership is at stake. Also, I found that it does a great job of running old games on new hardware and OS. Best way to play Bethesda's RPGs IMO.

Lastly, unironically the best times I've had with PC gaming is actually just emulating Nintendo games and some PS1 games LOOOL. It's shocking how great Nintendo games adapt to PC, especially DS games. It feels like the games transcend their original platform and were made for PC. But uhhhh..... please keep this one on the down low and as secret as possible... :pepeSus::pepeSus::pepeSus:
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

MisterSeen

Cup and Ball Hog
Joined
Sep 29, 2022
Messages
20
Reaction score
73
Awards
10
Are you specifically looking for games that would require a computer of that power to run? There are a lot of PC exclusives I've enjoyed over the years that I can recommend to you, but they're all mostly retro or indie games that you could probably run on a shoddy laptop anyways.
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

RisingThumb

Imaginary manifestation of fun
Joined
Sep 9, 2021
Messages
713
Reaction score
1,745
Awards
173
Website
risingthumb.xyz
One of the best things about PC imo isn't just the graphics but the level of contol/responsiveness using a mouse with high monitor refresh rate.
I cant imagine trying to play games that require accuracy with a controller anymore(loads of respect to people who can, I've totally lost that ability). Being able to use half your desk to aim vs having to maintain that accuracy within the movement of your thumb is a huge game changer. Along those lines, ULTRAKILL is probably the most satisfying feeling game to play with a keyboard and mouse to me right now, partially because I tried it with a controller just a little while ago and I sucked..

I'll try to leave out the ones I know are on console, but its been a while since I've played on one so some of these probably aren't PC exclusive
General recommendations:
------------------------------------
Space Beast Terror Fright
Warrhammer 40K: Space Marine (with mods)
Space Engineers
Spec Ops: The Line
The Beginner's Guide
Mudrunner (with mods)
Vecter
Audiosurf
slab


Games that look really pretty(and are fun):
---------------------------------------
Space Hulk: Deathwing
Metro Series(with hud off) <-- I've only played the first two, cant say anything about exodus
Wolfenstein series
Doom
PATRICIAN TASTE!
Space Beast Terror Fright is one of the best games I have ever placed, and I didn't think I'd see someone on an Indian Basketweaving Forum talking about it.

Best played with friends though for that authentic Aliens experience :^)
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

JihyoParkXX

Scum Fuck Flower Boy
Joined
Mar 20, 2022
Messages
250
Reaction score
1,069
Awards
100
Fallout New Vegas has a really good faction alliance system and you can enhance it with mods.
Metal Gear Rising and Metal Gear Solid 5 are stupidly fun games you can easily run on any system.
Cyberpunk 2077 has a story that gets weaker towards the end with all the Alt stuff but the world itself is gorgeous and the story sidequests are better than the main plot I believe.
All the Yakuza games and both Judgement games are on PC, go play Yakuza 0; the combat is over-the-top, the sidequests are hilarious, and it has one of the best stories ever written in fiction in my honest opinion.

Here's my hard disk, although I've never played half of them:
Screenshot 2022-10-13 18.48.01.png
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

Ahnis_T

Internet Refugee
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Awards
5
One of the best things about PC imo isn't just the graphics but the level of contol/responsiveness using a mouse with high monitor refresh rate.
I cant imagine trying to play games that require accuracy with a controller anymore(loads of respect to people who can, I've totally lost that ability). Being able to use half your desk to aim vs having to maintain that accuracy within the movement of your thumb is a huge game changer. Along those lines, ULTRAKILL is probably the most satisfying feeling game to play with a keyboard and mouse to me right now, partially because I tried it with a controller just a little while ago and I sucked..

I'll try to leave out the ones I know are on console, but its been a while since I've played on one so some of these probably aren't PC exclusive
General recommendations:
------------------------------------
Space Beast Terror Fright
Warrhammer 40K: Space Marine (with mods)
Space Engineers
Spec Ops: The Line
The Beginner's Guide
Mudrunner (with mods)
Vecter
Audiosurf
slab


Games that look really pretty(and are fun):
---------------------------------------
Space Hulk: Deathwing
Metro Series(with hud off) <-- I've only played the first two, cant say anything about exodus
Wolfenstein series
Doom
These are amazing recommendations, thank you so much! Doom was actually the first video game I ever played back in the shareware days, and boomer shooters have an eternal (no pun intended) special place in my heart. I've heard of Ultrakill before - definitely on the list! I haven't heard of a lot of these though, time to dig in!

When it comes to PC games, I've found the Far cry games to be kinda awesome on PC. It's a great series to play if you want to really push your hardware and play something with great visuals. However, Far cry 6 is kinda..... embarrassing so I would avoid that one. 5 has issues and some people don't like it but I actually recommend it because it's surprisingly great for me. I love the comfy Montana setting and the music is surprisingly top-tier. And the visuals don't disappoint. The graphics really made me feel like I was in the game. It felt real in a way that no other game did. Far cry 3 is the best one though hands down. And the graphics are still awesome for that game. However, also, Ubisoft is pretty awful nowadays so I really only recommend far cry if you can pirate it or get it at a very low discount.

GOG is a good platform if you want a DRM-free service for PC games. Please consider this option as I feel like the future of ownership is at stake. Also, I found that it does a great job of running old games on new hardware and OS. Best way to play Bethesda's RPGs IMO.

Lastly, unironically the best times I've had with PC gaming is actually just emulating Nintendo games and some PS1 games LOOOL. It's shocking how great Nintendo games adapt to PC, especially DS games. It feels like the games transcend their original platform and were made for PC. But uhhhh..... please keep this one on the down low and as secret as possible... :pepeSus::pepeSus::pepeSus:
Thanks for the GOG recommendation. Back when I last played, DRM was still a mostly new thing. I'm definitely inclined to take advantage of anything non DRM. And I hear you on emulators, one of the first things I did firing this bad boy up was grab Dolphin and snex9x :D Any specific recommendations for other good emus?
Are you specifically looking for games that would require a computer of that power to run? There are a lot of PC exclusives I've enjoyed over the years that I can recommend to you, but they're all mostly retro or indie games that you could probably run on a shoddy laptop anyways.
Honestly this computer isn't exactly high powered right now, so I'm moreso likely interested in retro/indies than things that will require a 3070 or something. I'm bottlenecked on a 970 right now because it was given to me, first thing I'll be upgrading. 32gb ddr4, ryzen 7
PATRICIAN TASTE!
Space Beast Terror Fright is one of the best games I have ever placed, and I didn't think I'd see someone on an Indian Basketweaving Forum talking about it.

Best played with friends though for that authentic Aliens experience :^)
Never heard of it, but I'll surely be looking now - thank you!
Factorio!
I've seen this mentioned before enough to check it out now! Thanks!
Fallout New Vegas has a really good faction alliance system and you can enhance it with mods.
Metal Gear Rising and Metal Gear Solid 5 are stupidly fun games you can easily run on any system.
Cyberpunk 2077 has a story that gets weaker towards the end with all the Alt stuff but the world itself is gorgeous and the story sidequests are better than the main plot I believe.
All the Yakuza games and both Judgement games are on PC, go play Yakuza 0; the combat is over-the-top, the sidequests are hilarious, and it has one of the best stories ever written in fiction in my honest opinion.

Here's my hard disk, although I've never played half of them:
View attachment 40179
It's funny you mentioned MG Rising - literally the only game I've bought on steam since getting this computer because it was on sale for a few bucks. I love fallout games, but haven't ever played one on PC so I'm definitely interested in playing with mods. I actually just finished cyberpunk on PS5 - incredible game imo, so glad it's been updated consistently. Thanks for the library snip - adding them all to the list to check out!
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

Pacing Tape

Idealistic Pillock
Bronze
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
68
Reaction score
149
Awards
35
Website
pacing-tape.itch.io
Cyberpunk 2077 has a story that gets weaker towards the end with all the Alt stuff but the world itself is gorgeous and the story sidequests are better than the main plot I believe.
I second the recommendation on Cyberpunk, the game is amazing the first time through and has by far some of the most interesting sidequests I've ever experienced. Highly recommended. (I love the setting so I'm biased.)
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

Ahnis_T

Internet Refugee
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Awards
5
I second the recommendation on Cyberpunk, the game is amazing the first time through and has by far some of the most interesting sidequests I've ever experienced. Highly recommended. (I love the setting so I'm biased.)
Thank you for responding! Cyberpunk is one of the few I've seen here that I actually have played (edit: on PS5 though), and I fully agree with both of you. It's an amazing game, rich with quality throughout. Nowadays I avoid most open open world games because I feel they've largely becomes focused on quantity over quality. There was seemingly competition for years to see who could make the biggest game, and it's become all too common to find giant worlds filled with nothing of meaningful substance.

Cyberpunk thankfully didn't go down this path - I've never played a game where I felt compelled to do every side mission I could find. So excited to see how the expansion and eventual sequel do!
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

MisterSeen

Cup and Ball Hog
Joined
Sep 29, 2022
Messages
20
Reaction score
73
Awards
10
Alright, OP, here's even more stuff to put on the pile:

F.E.A.R. is a horror FPS that is not technically a console exclusive, but the ports are kinda doodoo, so it might as well be. I honestly thought the horror elements were a bit weak, and I'm generally averse to games with such slow movement as this one. However, the level design definitely accommodates your movement speed, and it has really top notch gunplay with one of the best feeling shotguns I've ever used in a shooter. The bullet time mechanic is also really well done and makes the combat feel really meaty.

Speaking of bullet time, this is also not an exclusive, but I would feel bad if I neglected to mention Max Payne. It was one of the first games to implement the mechanic, and in my opinion it still feels better than a lot of games that have done it since. Dodging bullet fire while gunning down baddies with two SMGs in slow motion never gets old.

Blood is another horror-themed shooter, but it has no actual horror moments like F.E.A.R., rather just a general spooky atmosphere. Since you mentioned you like boomer shooters, this one's a an essential entry of the genre. It also has one of the best shotguns ever. Check out the other games in the Build holy trinity (Duke 3D and Shadow Warrior) as well if you haven't.

Carmageddon is a game where you run over cows and grandmothers while listening to Fear Factory, which is really all you need to know about why I recommend it.

Papers, Please has you working at a border checkpoint and analyzing people's paperwork. It sounds really boring on paper, no pun intended, but it actually has really excellent and immersive storytelling throughout that makes you invested in the world.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a classic you probably already know of, but it's absolutely worth playing if you haven't already, even more so if you've got friends to do it with. And while I'm on Valve, Half-Life, Portal, and their respective sequels are also no brainers.

Streets of Fury is a quirky beat 'em up with a lot of influence taken from fighting games. The tone is very silly, but the gameplay is surprisingly deep, with some very cool combos you can pull off. You can also play as the Nostalgia Critic, which is pretty funny. Very unique and very underrated.

There are many others I could list, but people have already given a lot of good ones, so these are just some of my personal favourites.
Any specific recommendations for other good emus?
This site is a pretty great database of information on various emulators.
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

Pacing Tape

Idealistic Pillock
Bronze
Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
68
Reaction score
149
Awards
35
Website
pacing-tape.itch.io
Hi all,

I've been out of the PC world for at least 10 years, so needless to say it's essentially an entirely new experience for me right now. I've had various consoles over the years, so I'm mainly interested in PC exclusives, or games that are really only worth playing on PC, especially as someone who last gamed on a laptop with 2gb RAM lol. I play all types of games so I'm not looking for anything specific, genre wise.

Any recommendations would be appreciated!
To add in my own specific recommendations as well, I'd like to throw in:

Synthetik: Legion Rising is an amazing game, that, while not exclusive to PC, is a far better experience on it. It's a top down roguelike with an incredible set of mechanics that can seem a little bit confusing and daunting at first, but once you begin to work on the game's level and flow, you begin to really fuck shit up. All in all, fun experience and one of the best shooters out there. Goes on sale every so often for about $10 by my memory.

My #2 is Darkest Dungeon. I've not played the second one but after spending most of my time when I had covid playing this game, I can give the first one a hearty recommendation. Know going into it that the game is absolutely unfair and will fuck you over. It is very easy to get frustrated at the game it's expected. But similarly to Synthetik, (albeit with a steeper learning curve) the game is incredibly smooth and enjoyable once you start to pick up what it's putting down.

The rest of these are just going to be some rapid fire recommendations:
  • Outer Wilds: haven't finished it yet but one of the most interesting game worlds I've ever explored. Also great at making you afraid of running out of time.
  • RimWorld: Similar to Factorio, but is instead a colony management and survival game. Very difficult at first but really, really enjoyable and can just be really goofy at times.
  • Payday 2: Bit hefty on the price tag/barrier for entry because of all the DLCs, (much like Arma 3) but still a really good game with a solid sense of progression thanks to Infamy.
  • Get to the Orange Door (or GTTOD for short) is a really amazing vaporwave themed Titanfall 2 inspired movement shooter created by one guy who has been working hard on it for a good few years now. The game is still a bit lacking in terms of content, but it's very cheap and is really good fun to pop in on every now and then.
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

manpaint

̴̘̈́ ̵̲̾ ̸̯̎ ̴͓̀ ̸̳͝ ̸͈͑ ̴̡̋ ̸̞̂ ̴̰̚ ̵̨̔ ̸̭̎
Gold
Joined
Aug 11, 2022
Messages
807
Reaction score
1,435
Awards
182
Website
manpaint.neocities.org
I think you should play some 3D Pinball Cadet. It is a very demanding game, so it should make the most out of whatever shiny new graphic card you got inside your new PC.
 

Ahnis_T

Internet Refugee
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Awards
5
To add in my own specific recommendations as well, I'd like to throw in:

Synthetik: Legion Rising is an amazing game, that, while not exclusive to PC, is a far better experience on it. It's a top down roguelike with an incredible set of mechanics that can seem a little bit confusing and daunting at first, but once you begin to work on the game's level and flow, you begin to really fuck shit up. All in all, fun experience and one of the best shooters out there. Goes on sale every so often for about $10 by my memory.

My #2 is Darkest Dungeon. I've not played the second one but after spending most of my time when I had covid playing this game, I can give the first one a hearty recommendation. Know going into it that the game is absolutely unfair and will fuck you over. It is very easy to get frustrated at the game it's expected. But similarly to Synthetik, (albeit with a steeper learning curve) the game is incredibly smooth and enjoyable once you start to pick up what it's putting down.

The rest of these are just going to be some rapid fire recommendations:
  • Outer Wilds: haven't finished it yet but one of the most interesting game worlds I've ever explored. Also great at making you afraid of running out of time.
  • RimWorld: Similar to Factorio, but is instead a colony management and survival game. Very difficult at first but really, really enjoyable and can just be really goofy at times.
  • Payday 2: Bit hefty on the price tag/barrier for entry because of all the DLCs, (much like Arma 3) but still a really good game with a solid sense of progression thanks to Infamy.
  • Get to the Orange Door (or GTTOD for short) is a really amazing vaporwave themed Titanfall 2 inspired movement shooter created by one guy who has been working hard on it for a good few years now. The game is still a bit lacking in terms of content, but it's very cheap and is really good fun to pop in on every now and then.
Thanks for the recommendations! I instantly bought Synthetik, looks right up my alley. I'm going to check out the rest of these asap!
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

Ahnis_T

Internet Refugee
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Awards
5
Alright, OP, here's even more stuff to put on the pile:

F.E.A.R. is a horror FPS that is not technically a console exclusive, but the ports are kinda doodoo, so it might as well be. I honestly thought the horror elements were a bit weak, and I'm generally averse to games with such slow movement as this one. However, the level design definitely accommodates your movement speed, and it has really top notch gunplay with one of the best feeling shotguns I've ever used in a shooter. The bullet time mechanic is also really well done and makes the combat feel really meaty.

Speaking of bullet time, this is also not an exclusive, but I would feel bad if I neglected to mention Max Payne. It was one of the first games to implement the mechanic, and in my opinion it still feels better than a lot of games that have done it since. Dodging bullet fire while gunning down baddies with two SMGs in slow motion never gets old.

Blood is another horror-themed shooter, but it has no actual horror moments like F.E.A.R., rather just a general spooky atmosphere. Since you mentioned you like boomer shooters, this one's a an essential entry of the genre. It also has one of the best shotguns ever. Check out the other games in the Build holy trinity (Duke 3D and Shadow Warrior) as well if you haven't.

Carmageddon is a game where you run over cows and grandmothers while listening to Fear Factory, which is really all you need to know about why I recommend it.

Papers, Please has you working at a border checkpoint and analyzing people's paperwork. It sounds really boring on paper, no pun intended, but it actually has really excellent and immersive storytelling throughout that makes you invested in the world.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a classic you probably already know of, but it's absolutely worth playing if you haven't already, even more so if you've got friends to do it with. And while I'm on Valve, Half-Life, Portal, and their respective sequels are also no brainers.

Streets of Fury is a quirky beat 'em up with a lot of influence taken from fighting games. The tone is very silly, but the gameplay is surprisingly deep, with some very cool combos you can pull off. You can also play as the Nostalgia Critic, which is pretty funny. Very unique and very underrated.

There are many others I could list, but people have already given a lot of good ones, so these are just some of my personal favourites.

This site is a pretty great database of information on various emulators.
Ah I missed replying to you, sorry. This is a great list, I'd been meaning to add FEAR to my wish list. I just snagged Blood for $1.50, really excited to try that right now!
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

Ahnis_T

Internet Refugee
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Awards
5
I think you should play some 3D Pinball Cadet. It is a very demanding game, so it should make the most out of whatever shiny new graphic card you got inside your new PC.
unfortunately my rig isn't ready for this hog :(

Thank you for the reminder of many great times on the ol "I'm bored in class" days
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

2kwatts

Internet Refugee
Joined
Jun 7, 2022
Messages
4
Reaction score
16
Awards
5
When it comes to PC games, I've found the Far cry games to be kinda awesome on PC. It's a great series to play if you want to really push your hardware and play something with great visuals. However, Far cry 6 is kinda..... embarrassing so I would avoid that one. 5 has issues and some people don't like it but I actually recommend it because it's surprisingly great for me. I love the comfy Montana setting and the music is surprisingly top-tier. And the visuals don't disappoint. The graphics really made me feel like I was in the game. It felt real in a way that no other game did. Far cry 3 is the best one though hands down. And the graphics are still awesome for that game. However, also, Ubisoft is pretty awful nowadays so I really only recommend far cry if you can pirate it or get it at a very low discount.

GOG is a good platform if you want a DRM-free service for PC games. Please consider this option as I feel like the future of ownership is at stake. Also, I found that it does a great job of running old games on new hardware and OS. Best way to play Bethesda's RPGs IMO.

Lastly, unironically the best times I've had with PC gaming is actually just emulating Nintendo games and some PS1 games LOOOL. It's shocking how great Nintendo games adapt to PC, especially DS games. It feels like the games transcend their original platform and were made for PC. But uhhhh..... please keep this one on the down low and as secret as possible... :pepeSus::pepeSus::pepeSus:
Far Cry 4 is probably my favorite out of all of them.
 

Jessica3cho雪血⊜青意

ばかばかしい外人
Gold
Joined
Aug 11, 2021
Messages
1,331
Reaction score
3,242
Awards
236
Website
recanimepodcast.com
I love myself some Gunfire Reborn. Its technically also a mobile game now, but that's trash anyways who cares. Play it on PC and have a blast by yourself or with some friends/randos.
Its a FPS rogue-like randomly generated dungeon crawler based around Chinese lore. It fills your screen with lots of enemies, bloom effects, particles, and yadda yadda so having a good PC is very helpful in maximizing the experience.
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

Ahnis_T

Internet Refugee
Joined
Oct 9, 2022
Messages
15
Reaction score
33
Awards
5
I love myself some Gunfire Reborn. Its technically also a mobile game now, but that's trash anyways who cares. Play it on PC and have a blast by yourself or with some friends/randos.
Its a FPS rogue-like randomly generated dungeon crawler based around Chinese lore. It fills your screen with lots of enemies, bloom effects, particles, and yadda yadda so having a good PC is very helpful in maximizing the experience.
Thank you! Added it to my wish list, it looks really fun!

For anyone else still following this thread, thank you for all of the awesome recommendations. Between sales and recommendations here, this is what I currently have:

1667369299258.png
 
Virtual Cafe Awards

mydadiscar

Webcomics! Banzai!
Joined
Jan 20, 2022
Messages
1,558
Reaction score
5,700
Awards
266
Thank you! Added it to my wish list, it looks really fun!

For anyone else still following this thread, thank you for all of the awesome recommendations. Between sales and recommendations here, this is what I currently have:

View attachment 42019
Get Disillusion, it is made by one of us. Officially endorsed by Agora.
 
Virtual Cafe Awards