Quite frequently on this forum, I see threads asking for game recommendations for slower computers, whether it be a laptop with onboard graphics, a gamer using a backup system for a short while or simply someone who hasn't upgraded for a while. The purpose of this thread is to compile a list of suitable titles which should run fairly well (at least playable) on 'older' systems, together with a brief outline of the game. The focus is primarily on the singleplayer aspect. Originally I started writing this at work around Xmas 2006, but never got round to finishing it!
OF course, the first thing to do is establish a rough baseline system. Therefore I am going to assume that that the user has a system at least roughly equivalent to a 1.2ghz cpu, 384meg PC133 RAM and a GF3ti200 GPU. This would also include the GF4-MX460 and possibly the FX5200ultra as well. I feel this is a reasonable level to look at as it is around the speed of an average system 6 years ago. Some of the games mentioned here will likely work on slower systems, especially those released prior to 2001. In cases where I have possible doubts as to whether a game would be playable on this kind of hardware, I have marked them with an asterik and would value input from people who have experience of that kind of setup. I am forced to speculate a little as I jumped straight from a 910mhz/256meg/GF2MX system to a 2.6ghz/512meg/ti4200 rig.
Now, obviously my own personal preferences and gaming experience will come into things, so I will be primarily focussing on titles which I have played and rate highly. Feel free to add your own suggestions; although I would ask that you at provide at least a brief outline of the game and why you rate it so highly so that people can see if it is their cup of tea. At the end I've listed a couple of games which I know to be very highly regarded, but I can't comment on because I haven't played them myself.
FPS
Unreal
Don't be fooled by the age of this game, from a technology POV it was way ahead of it's time. Patch it up and apply the latest .dlls and you should avoid most of the bugs/performance issues that plagued non-3dfx owners on its release. In fact thanks to the Glide support, people with even older hardware like voodoo2/3 should be able to enjoy this gem. The beginning of the game is fantastic, utilising an 'interactive-introduction' a good 6 months before Halflife stole all the plaudits for basically doing the same thing. There's some great scripted sequences, awe-inspiring level design and decent combat AI. Heck, it's even got a very good botmatch facility. The single player experience is a real adventure, lasting for ages and is punctuated by the diaries and logs you come across during your journey, offering clues both as to events that have taken place, but also as to in-game secrets. The only downside I would say is that the lack of any kind of guidance radar means that at times it's hard to know exactly where you need to go in some of the vast, open levels. The scale of this game is truly impressive.
Halflife Generations
Not much to say here, everything there is to say about this game has already been written a hundred times elsewhere. It couples a fantastic, and quite long singleplayer game with a host of well received multiplayer features (Counterstrike is still the most played online FPS afaik), although performance may suffer slightly in the latter due to the many updates the game has received. The AI is hideously overrated (inferior to Unreal, in my book) but it doesn't stop this being one of the best games of its type and an absolute 'must play' title.
Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
While a relatively recent game (2003), this runs on the Quake3 engine and hence should still be reasonably playable on older rigs. It refines on its predecessor, Jedi Outcast, by creating a more streamlined experience, with fewer boring sections/puzzles and gives a bit more freedom to the player in terms of mission/equipment/force power selection. The storyline is not as strong, perhaps, but I found it less tedious to play especially in the early part of the games. Leaping into fights, lightsabre swinging is pretty damn cool, and there's a few boss fights in there too.
Deus Ex
Regarded by many as one of the greatest games ever made, it is still yet to be bettered in the FPS/RPG hybrid genre despite being around 7.5 years old. I played this in Spring 2004, I think, and it was still an awesome experience. Based on the UT engine, again it is important to download the latest updates and renderers to ensure it runs optimally on your hardware. As for the game itself, the combat is pretty basic but it doesn't even matter due to the emphasis on storytelling, open-endedness and variety. IT is possible to approach most situations in a variety of ways.... do you wade in with your modified pistol? Use your multitool to disable defences and go in the back door? Try and sneak past using your augmentations? Depending on what skills/augs you choose to upgrade, and what items you keep in your inventory, it is possible to mould the game to suit your playing style - very few FPS allow you to do this. Some of the scenarios play out differently, too, depending on decisions you take throughout the game (even across different levels). Speaking of which, the Hong Kong level is one of the best I've seen in any game. Great atmosphere, full of life (including a nightclub!) and quite a sprawling environment. There's a fantastic range of characters you meet, and indeed, influence on your travels, which really helps to involve the player in the story.
In fact, it's such a good game that everyone should play it, regardless of whether they have an old system or not.
*No-One Lives Forever 2
If you are looking for a FPS game which is a little different, something a bit off the wall, then NOLF2 could be for you. It blends action, stealth and humour in equal measure, to create a game which always keeps you on your toes. It doesn't go too far to one extreme or the other - the sneaking sections aren't as unforgiving as say Splinter Cell (although the Calcutta mission comes close), and the combat never gets too overwhelming (the boss fights can be a challenge though, as one would expect). The sense of humour comes into play with some of the characters and cutscenes you encounter, but also embeds itself in the actual gameplay, by letting you make use of items such as banana skins or perfume-based corpse removers. The whole thing has a 60s James Bond feel and stylisation, which again is something fairly unique in the genre. If you are tired of the same old WW2, Modern day or alien-bashing shooters, then check this one out.
*Call of Duty
Call of Duty is unique to me, in that IIRC it is the only big commercial game I have completed within 24hrs of installing it. Some might say that hints at a game which is too short, but the reality is that it was just too good to put down. It is an intense rollercoaster ride from start to finish, pushing the player constantly forwards and with very little filler. It only took me around 7-8hrs to complete, but what a fantastic 8hrs it was. Infinity Ward did a great job of capturing the atmosphere of WWII, giving you a taste of the battle from British, American and Russian perspectives. The Stalingrad level in particular is awe-inspiring. The atmosphere is helped immensely by very tight scripting, and decent teammate AI, something rarely seen in FPS games. You are playing as part of a squad for most of the game and this really helps to drive home the wartime feel.
Action
Max Payne
A very slick 3rd person action game, MP couples some stylish, atmospheric visuals with a great film noir plot and fantastic attention to detail. There's some great set-piece shootouts, and also the introduction of Bullet Time, the slo-mo mode which has been copied by several other games such as FEAR and Chaser. Haunting voiceovers and surreal cartoons help to plunge the player into a moody, harsh world which is just close enough to reality to suck the player in. The wierd, annoying dream sequences do spoil things somewhat, but at least the developers were trying something different.
Freespace 2
Superb campaign mode, which really bolts the missions together giving a genuine sense of progress and making this an excellent SP space sim. The controls are reasonably complex, yet somehow intuitive and easy to manage - I had a ball playing this with mouse and keyboard. What's more, it's extremely well supported by the mod community and there are a plethora of updates and enhancements available (google SCP for starters). Some of the more high-end visual mods will be out of reach of slower systems (I managed to breach 1gig memory usage with everything maxed!), but there's a good range available catering for different hardware. I think this would be a great introduction to spacesims for someone who doesn't want anything overly difficult to manage, yet equally doesn't want to be stuck playing something ancient like TieFighter.
*Freelancer
While the story isn't quite as strong as FS2, and the combat not quite as much fun, Freelancer is still a very solid space sim. It is fairly open-ended, like Elite, and allows players to upgrade / exchange their ship, trade between planets, or choose to undertake different missions. The game is not without it's flaws, for example the non-story missions soon get repetitive, and trading doesn't seem viable in terms of the cost/benefit. But it is probably the best 'open-ended' space game I've played, has a good story and like FS2, allows you to use mouse control.
Driving
Need for Speed: Porsche 2000
The NFS series has a reputation amongst some gamers as being a no-brains, pure arcade racing affair with little emphasis on realism or skill. In general, this may be true, but NFS5 is an exception. Great driving model, authentic history of Porsche complete with varied handling, and a damage model that is persistent between races to reward careful driving (contrast with most NFS titles where the best driving tactic for some corners is often to keep it floored and bounce off the walls....). It's not a sim, of course, and doesn't try to be, but is a good balance between the two styles. The fantastic Evolution mode takes you through a wide variety of tracks, with great visuals and intriguing design and also forward in time through the history of Porsche, upgrading your cars as you go. When fully souped up, the 3.6l 1978 911 Turbo is probably the most fun-to-drive car I've come across in any game. This is supplemented by the factory driver mode which gives you a series of challenges, ranging from simple spins, to slalom courses to quick deliveries. Bottom line: EA have released 6 more in the NFS series since this was released, and it's still the best of the lot.
Carmageddon 1/2
The original Carmageddon complete with 'Splat Pack' expansion is my favourite (due to the lack of annoying missions), but it is almost impossible to find now and also only supports 3d acceleration via DOS glide. If you have a copy, you might like to check out GLIDOS, an app which lets you run such titles from within windows with some added features to boot. These games are fantastic fun, with hilarious powerups, huge, open courses and a variety of ways to win. Nothing quite like the joy of grabbing the Hot Rod and Solid Granite Car powerups, leaping through a shopping complex window, powersliding through a pack of unsuspecting shoppers and then slamming a rival car into a strut, splitting him in half before tearing off into a minefield, catapaulting you high in the air and racking up a host of cunning stunt bonuses.
Strategy
Civilisation 3 Complete
Make no mistake about it - Sid Meier is a genius in the world of gaming. He perhaps doesn't have quite the same vivid imagination or grandiose concepts as, say, a Peter Molyneux, but he always delivers. Consider the fact that he has been able to get away with selling what is essentially the same game 4 times over, whilst still nailing 90%+ reviews and selling truckloads of units. Somehow he is able to tweak, refine and add to a brilliant concept, and Civ3 is no different. At first play I wasn't convinced it was better than Civ2, perhaps due to military conquest being much harder. But it's just such a well balanced game - there are several viable ways of playing the game, and the addition of culture helps make some of the 'dead end/waste/red herring' city improvements/techs more appealing. It's also got a lot of sensible(!)/configurable automation options for players who find it all a bit overwhelming. The game has a huge amount of depth, so brace yourself for weeks of addictive gameplay with a huge replayability factor. Don't let the fact that it's turn based put you off either.
Command and Conquer: The First Decade
A must-buy for fans of the RTS genre, this also includes a fun FPS, Renegade which has a lovely array of weaponry and level design. But the core of the pack is those classic little men and tanks scurrying around blowing each other up. *Generals/Zero hour will likely perform very poorly on our baseline system, but the rest of the titles make this pack worthwhile. I love Red Alert 2 and the co-op campaigns are good fun - in fact it's my favourite RTS that would run on this system. Anyway, you are getting a lot of game for your money here although the older titles (pre Tib Sun) do look really dated now.
RPG:
Diablo 2 Battlechest
A great option for people who fancy the character development and item gathering of a traditional RPG, coupled with a somewhat shallower hack-and-slash approach to combat and exploration. The only die you'll see in this game is what happens to your enemies as you blast through the levels from an isometric viewpoint. Performance does lag in the odd place, but it's not the sort of game that needs an excessively high framerate, and the support for the Glide API will help 3dfx users. A good starter game for people who want to break into the RPG genre, but are somewhat put off by the 'beardiness' or depth of some of the heavier titles.
*Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic
I was somewhat sceptical about this game and didn't buy it on release - not much of an RPG fan, nor a Star Wars junkie, I wasn't sure how well I would get caught up in the game. I needn't have worried. The storyline and characterisation is absolutely top notch, it gives you a genuine reason for wanting to keep playing, to talk to your newfound friends, and to learn more about the SW universe long before Solo and the Skywalkers entered the picture. It's a shame you are limited to using 3 chars at once, and this inevitably means that some of your characters get underused (one of the few areas KOTOR2 is superior to the original is the way it forces you to split your party and fight on two fronts at once). But overall I would say this is the best RPG I've played in the last 10 years, and deserves to be played by everyone, not just hardcore RPG or SW fans.
Games I haven't played but come highly recommended elsewhere:
Starcraft & Broodwar
Baldurs Gate Compilation
No-One Lives Forever
*The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition
Fallout 1 & 2
Transport Tycoon Deluxe
Theme Hospital
OF course, the first thing to do is establish a rough baseline system. Therefore I am going to assume that that the user has a system at least roughly equivalent to a 1.2ghz cpu, 384meg PC133 RAM and a GF3ti200 GPU. This would also include the GF4-MX460 and possibly the FX5200ultra as well. I feel this is a reasonable level to look at as it is around the speed of an average system 6 years ago. Some of the games mentioned here will likely work on slower systems, especially those released prior to 2001. In cases where I have possible doubts as to whether a game would be playable on this kind of hardware, I have marked them with an asterik and would value input from people who have experience of that kind of setup. I am forced to speculate a little as I jumped straight from a 910mhz/256meg/GF2MX system to a 2.6ghz/512meg/ti4200 rig.
Now, obviously my own personal preferences and gaming experience will come into things, so I will be primarily focussing on titles which I have played and rate highly. Feel free to add your own suggestions; although I would ask that you at provide at least a brief outline of the game and why you rate it so highly so that people can see if it is their cup of tea. At the end I've listed a couple of games which I know to be very highly regarded, but I can't comment on because I haven't played them myself.
FPS
Unreal
Don't be fooled by the age of this game, from a technology POV it was way ahead of it's time. Patch it up and apply the latest .dlls and you should avoid most of the bugs/performance issues that plagued non-3dfx owners on its release. In fact thanks to the Glide support, people with even older hardware like voodoo2/3 should be able to enjoy this gem. The beginning of the game is fantastic, utilising an 'interactive-introduction' a good 6 months before Halflife stole all the plaudits for basically doing the same thing. There's some great scripted sequences, awe-inspiring level design and decent combat AI. Heck, it's even got a very good botmatch facility. The single player experience is a real adventure, lasting for ages and is punctuated by the diaries and logs you come across during your journey, offering clues both as to events that have taken place, but also as to in-game secrets. The only downside I would say is that the lack of any kind of guidance radar means that at times it's hard to know exactly where you need to go in some of the vast, open levels. The scale of this game is truly impressive.
Halflife Generations
Not much to say here, everything there is to say about this game has already been written a hundred times elsewhere. It couples a fantastic, and quite long singleplayer game with a host of well received multiplayer features (Counterstrike is still the most played online FPS afaik), although performance may suffer slightly in the latter due to the many updates the game has received. The AI is hideously overrated (inferior to Unreal, in my book) but it doesn't stop this being one of the best games of its type and an absolute 'must play' title.
Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy
While a relatively recent game (2003), this runs on the Quake3 engine and hence should still be reasonably playable on older rigs. It refines on its predecessor, Jedi Outcast, by creating a more streamlined experience, with fewer boring sections/puzzles and gives a bit more freedom to the player in terms of mission/equipment/force power selection. The storyline is not as strong, perhaps, but I found it less tedious to play especially in the early part of the games. Leaping into fights, lightsabre swinging is pretty damn cool, and there's a few boss fights in there too.
Deus Ex
Regarded by many as one of the greatest games ever made, it is still yet to be bettered in the FPS/RPG hybrid genre despite being around 7.5 years old. I played this in Spring 2004, I think, and it was still an awesome experience. Based on the UT engine, again it is important to download the latest updates and renderers to ensure it runs optimally on your hardware. As for the game itself, the combat is pretty basic but it doesn't even matter due to the emphasis on storytelling, open-endedness and variety. IT is possible to approach most situations in a variety of ways.... do you wade in with your modified pistol? Use your multitool to disable defences and go in the back door? Try and sneak past using your augmentations? Depending on what skills/augs you choose to upgrade, and what items you keep in your inventory, it is possible to mould the game to suit your playing style - very few FPS allow you to do this. Some of the scenarios play out differently, too, depending on decisions you take throughout the game (even across different levels). Speaking of which, the Hong Kong level is one of the best I've seen in any game. Great atmosphere, full of life (including a nightclub!) and quite a sprawling environment. There's a fantastic range of characters you meet, and indeed, influence on your travels, which really helps to involve the player in the story.
In fact, it's such a good game that everyone should play it, regardless of whether they have an old system or not.
*No-One Lives Forever 2
If you are looking for a FPS game which is a little different, something a bit off the wall, then NOLF2 could be for you. It blends action, stealth and humour in equal measure, to create a game which always keeps you on your toes. It doesn't go too far to one extreme or the other - the sneaking sections aren't as unforgiving as say Splinter Cell (although the Calcutta mission comes close), and the combat never gets too overwhelming (the boss fights can be a challenge though, as one would expect). The sense of humour comes into play with some of the characters and cutscenes you encounter, but also embeds itself in the actual gameplay, by letting you make use of items such as banana skins or perfume-based corpse removers. The whole thing has a 60s James Bond feel and stylisation, which again is something fairly unique in the genre. If you are tired of the same old WW2, Modern day or alien-bashing shooters, then check this one out.
*Call of Duty
Call of Duty is unique to me, in that IIRC it is the only big commercial game I have completed within 24hrs of installing it. Some might say that hints at a game which is too short, but the reality is that it was just too good to put down. It is an intense rollercoaster ride from start to finish, pushing the player constantly forwards and with very little filler. It only took me around 7-8hrs to complete, but what a fantastic 8hrs it was. Infinity Ward did a great job of capturing the atmosphere of WWII, giving you a taste of the battle from British, American and Russian perspectives. The Stalingrad level in particular is awe-inspiring. The atmosphere is helped immensely by very tight scripting, and decent teammate AI, something rarely seen in FPS games. You are playing as part of a squad for most of the game and this really helps to drive home the wartime feel.
Action
Max Payne
A very slick 3rd person action game, MP couples some stylish, atmospheric visuals with a great film noir plot and fantastic attention to detail. There's some great set-piece shootouts, and also the introduction of Bullet Time, the slo-mo mode which has been copied by several other games such as FEAR and Chaser. Haunting voiceovers and surreal cartoons help to plunge the player into a moody, harsh world which is just close enough to reality to suck the player in. The wierd, annoying dream sequences do spoil things somewhat, but at least the developers were trying something different.
Freespace 2
Superb campaign mode, which really bolts the missions together giving a genuine sense of progress and making this an excellent SP space sim. The controls are reasonably complex, yet somehow intuitive and easy to manage - I had a ball playing this with mouse and keyboard. What's more, it's extremely well supported by the mod community and there are a plethora of updates and enhancements available (google SCP for starters). Some of the more high-end visual mods will be out of reach of slower systems (I managed to breach 1gig memory usage with everything maxed!), but there's a good range available catering for different hardware. I think this would be a great introduction to spacesims for someone who doesn't want anything overly difficult to manage, yet equally doesn't want to be stuck playing something ancient like TieFighter.
*Freelancer
While the story isn't quite as strong as FS2, and the combat not quite as much fun, Freelancer is still a very solid space sim. It is fairly open-ended, like Elite, and allows players to upgrade / exchange their ship, trade between planets, or choose to undertake different missions. The game is not without it's flaws, for example the non-story missions soon get repetitive, and trading doesn't seem viable in terms of the cost/benefit. But it is probably the best 'open-ended' space game I've played, has a good story and like FS2, allows you to use mouse control.
Driving
Need for Speed: Porsche 2000
The NFS series has a reputation amongst some gamers as being a no-brains, pure arcade racing affair with little emphasis on realism or skill. In general, this may be true, but NFS5 is an exception. Great driving model, authentic history of Porsche complete with varied handling, and a damage model that is persistent between races to reward careful driving (contrast with most NFS titles where the best driving tactic for some corners is often to keep it floored and bounce off the walls....). It's not a sim, of course, and doesn't try to be, but is a good balance between the two styles. The fantastic Evolution mode takes you through a wide variety of tracks, with great visuals and intriguing design and also forward in time through the history of Porsche, upgrading your cars as you go. When fully souped up, the 3.6l 1978 911 Turbo is probably the most fun-to-drive car I've come across in any game. This is supplemented by the factory driver mode which gives you a series of challenges, ranging from simple spins, to slalom courses to quick deliveries. Bottom line: EA have released 6 more in the NFS series since this was released, and it's still the best of the lot.
Carmageddon 1/2
The original Carmageddon complete with 'Splat Pack' expansion is my favourite (due to the lack of annoying missions), but it is almost impossible to find now and also only supports 3d acceleration via DOS glide. If you have a copy, you might like to check out GLIDOS, an app which lets you run such titles from within windows with some added features to boot. These games are fantastic fun, with hilarious powerups, huge, open courses and a variety of ways to win. Nothing quite like the joy of grabbing the Hot Rod and Solid Granite Car powerups, leaping through a shopping complex window, powersliding through a pack of unsuspecting shoppers and then slamming a rival car into a strut, splitting him in half before tearing off into a minefield, catapaulting you high in the air and racking up a host of cunning stunt bonuses.
Strategy
Civilisation 3 Complete
Make no mistake about it - Sid Meier is a genius in the world of gaming. He perhaps doesn't have quite the same vivid imagination or grandiose concepts as, say, a Peter Molyneux, but he always delivers. Consider the fact that he has been able to get away with selling what is essentially the same game 4 times over, whilst still nailing 90%+ reviews and selling truckloads of units. Somehow he is able to tweak, refine and add to a brilliant concept, and Civ3 is no different. At first play I wasn't convinced it was better than Civ2, perhaps due to military conquest being much harder. But it's just such a well balanced game - there are several viable ways of playing the game, and the addition of culture helps make some of the 'dead end/waste/red herring' city improvements/techs more appealing. It's also got a lot of sensible(!)/configurable automation options for players who find it all a bit overwhelming. The game has a huge amount of depth, so brace yourself for weeks of addictive gameplay with a huge replayability factor. Don't let the fact that it's turn based put you off either.
Command and Conquer: The First Decade
A must-buy for fans of the RTS genre, this also includes a fun FPS, Renegade which has a lovely array of weaponry and level design. But the core of the pack is those classic little men and tanks scurrying around blowing each other up. *Generals/Zero hour will likely perform very poorly on our baseline system, but the rest of the titles make this pack worthwhile. I love Red Alert 2 and the co-op campaigns are good fun - in fact it's my favourite RTS that would run on this system. Anyway, you are getting a lot of game for your money here although the older titles (pre Tib Sun) do look really dated now.
RPG:
Diablo 2 Battlechest
A great option for people who fancy the character development and item gathering of a traditional RPG, coupled with a somewhat shallower hack-and-slash approach to combat and exploration. The only die you'll see in this game is what happens to your enemies as you blast through the levels from an isometric viewpoint. Performance does lag in the odd place, but it's not the sort of game that needs an excessively high framerate, and the support for the Glide API will help 3dfx users. A good starter game for people who want to break into the RPG genre, but are somewhat put off by the 'beardiness' or depth of some of the heavier titles.
*Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic
I was somewhat sceptical about this game and didn't buy it on release - not much of an RPG fan, nor a Star Wars junkie, I wasn't sure how well I would get caught up in the game. I needn't have worried. The storyline and characterisation is absolutely top notch, it gives you a genuine reason for wanting to keep playing, to talk to your newfound friends, and to learn more about the SW universe long before Solo and the Skywalkers entered the picture. It's a shame you are limited to using 3 chars at once, and this inevitably means that some of your characters get underused (one of the few areas KOTOR2 is superior to the original is the way it forces you to split your party and fight on two fronts at once). But overall I would say this is the best RPG I've played in the last 10 years, and deserves to be played by everyone, not just hardcore RPG or SW fans.
Games I haven't played but come highly recommended elsewhere:
Starcraft & Broodwar
Baldurs Gate Compilation
No-One Lives Forever
*The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition
Fallout 1 & 2
Transport Tycoon Deluxe
Theme Hospital
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