Gaming Signal: Best PC games of all time

Best PC games of all time

Back around the turn of the century several sites published lists of the 'best ___ of the decade' for various categories like movies, books, music, etc. It's not a special date, but I still think it is worth a look back at the best PC games ever made.

6. Civilization - this game owned me, and many others. You had to play 'just one more turn' late into the night. The sequels delivered better graphics and (finally) multiplayer play, but the basic gameplay has remained the same for years.

5. The Sims - despite the fact that I personally didn't care for this one (why would I want to play a game that was more tedious than my life?) I can't ignore the fact that lots of people loved it. It had more add-on packs than any other game I can think of. Clearly, the gameplay appealed big-time to lots and lots of people. The Sims Online was a terrible idea, but The Sim 2 kept it going and I can only imagine that The Sims 3 will drive it even further.

4. Doom - Sure, there were other multiplayer FPS games before and since, but this is the one that had my friends and I extending lunches to play. I came into the office on weekends to play on the LAN even because it was just such a blast. I've played all the rest (Quake, Counter-Strike, UT, Battlefield, etc.) and enjoyed them a lot - but this is the one that stands out as consuming all of us the most.

3. Half-Life - for best single-player FPS experience ever developed and one that hasn't seriously been challenged (although I enjoyed the heck out of Far Cry, Quake IV, Half-Life 2, etc.) It set the bar that most new games are still measured by, and that says a lot.

2. Starcraft - while there certainly have been interesting and good RTS games before and since, for a lot of folks this game is still popular (especially in Asia) and great. The Blizzard team released a late last year to fix some balance issues - amazing for a game initially published in 1998!

1. Baldur's Gate 2 - this game set the standard for PC RPG games and for all that a PC game could be. The story, the gameplay, the production value all delivered. It contained over 100 hours of content and nearly all of it was highly engaging and interesting.

All of these games are fantastic and if you haven't played them, you won't regret finding them in a bargain bin and firing them up. Sure, the graphics don't necessarily hold up to today's 3D standards, but the gameplay and story elements are so strong it will overcome those limitations.

OK, but these are just my thoughts - have a game I missed? Let me know!