365 Games To Play Before You Die

Previous 5 Games

• #81: Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• #82: Freedom Fighters

• #83: The Orange Box

• #84: Team Fortress 2

• #85: Portal

Full List

#86: Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360 and PS3
Release: 2007
Developer(s): Valve
Best Quote: 'Prepare for unforeseen consequences.'
GB Wiki Page

If anyone thought that Episode One was lacklustre then Episode Two should really have woken them up. It's got few lull moments in which you can take a break from the action and follow the story but most of the time it's pure Action-FPS. The game is the best paced out of the series and you always feel like your doing something important.

Episode 2 starts immediately after the previous game finishes and the story continues as Alyx and Gordon make their way to White Forest, a base of operations for the resistance. Along the way they'll encounter the terrifying Hunters (who for me are one of the best enemies in a game for a long time) and get to drive a revamped buggy. The story is just as great as ever and we find out even more about the last desperate attempts of the Combine to keep control.

The game ends with a cliffhanger that will shock fans of the series and it sets up Episode Three  perfectly. Speaking of Episode 3, Valve it's been 2 years now so hurry up and give us some more info on the game. I can only assume that with the establishment of a link to the Portal universe (they're both actually in the same universe) we might see some portal gun action in Ep3 and that's giving the designers some headaches.

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365 Games To Play Before You Die

Previous 5 Games

 

• #80: Sins of a Solar Empire
• #81: Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• #82: Freedom Fighters

• #83: The Orange Box

• #84: Team Fortress 2

Full List

 

#85: Portal

Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360 and PS3
Release: 2007
Developer(s): Valve
Best Quote: 'Remember, the Aperture Science 'Bring Your Daughter to Work Day' is the perfect time to get her tested.'
GB Wiki Page

Portal was game that people had the lowest expectations for going into The Orange Box as it was a new IP and little was known about it. That turned out to be a good thing as people were blown away by what a great game it was.

The concept is ingenious. You have a gun which is able to shoot to portals: blue and orange. The portals are linked to each other so as you go through one you come out of the other, keeping all the momentum you had at the time of entry. Your only real objective is to get to the end of the level in anyway you can think of. It's sound simple but the puzzles can end up getting pretty complex and engaging.

Guiding you ( Chell) through the Aperture Science Enrichment Center is GLaDOS, a passive aggressive AI who at first seems quite harmless but becomes more sinister as the game progresses. GLaDOS is easily the best part of Portal and her lines are some of the funniest dialogue I've heard in a game. In a strange way she drives you to keep going forward (even though she actually wants you dead) because her voice is the only one you hear and I became slightly attached to it.

Portal encapsulates what people want from games, a great story and and enjoyable gameplay. It doesn't sacrifice one for the other and instead uses them together in a way that few other games do. It's been two years now so Valve hurry up and release Portal 2.

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365 Game To Play Before You Die

Previous 5 Games

• #79: Wii Sports

• #80: Sins of a Solar Empire
• #81: Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• #82: Freedom Fighters

• #83: The Orange Box

Full List

 

#84: Team Fortress 2

Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360 and PS3
Release: 2007
Developer(s): Valve
Best Quote: 'Spy sappin' ma sentry!'
GB Wiki Page

Where do I start with this game? It's been two years since its release yet it still feels just as fresh and exciting as when it first came out. Valve have really supported the community with TF2 and kept updating the game with lots of new content. The game initially had 6 maps and 3 games modes but now it has 24 maps with 7 game modes, all of which are unique in their own way. It's crazy to think that Valve has added all these new features for free (on PC at least) when they could make so much money by charging for it, but then that's how they run and they know that they've created a loyal fanbase.

Team Fortress 2 was the first real multiplayer game that I got properly into and spent over 100 hours on. It's just a very accessible game, whether it be the charming art style or the class variety, there's something for everyone. Going with the Pixaresque look was probably the best move the art team could have made as it differentiated the game from typical military shooters and it also meant it could run on lower end PCs.

The most amazing part of TF2 is that two years on and numerous updates later the game is just as well balanced. No class is really overpowered and if you learn to play your class well then you have a good a chance of success regardless of what they are. My favourite is the Demoman because I love setting traps around corners and watching my unsuspecting victims as they get blown into pieces.

Everybody should also check out the awesome TF2 wiki page on GiantBomb. I may have the most points on the page but that's only because I did most of the updates section, which is continually expanding. The rest of the stuff is the cool part as the page really goes into detail about the development and evolution of the game.

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365 Games To Play Before You Die

Today is October 10th 2009 and that it means it's been two years since the release of one of the best deals in gaming history: The Orange Box.

Previous 5 Games

 

• #78: Battlefield 1942
• #79: Wii Sports

• #80: Sins of a Solar Empire
• #81: Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• #82: Freedom Fighters

Full List

 

#83: The Orange Box

Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360 and PS3
Release: 2007
Developer(s): Valve and EA (PS3 version only)
Best Quote: N/A
GB Wiki Page

Valve really outdid themselves with this one. I mean what other company has released 5 amazing games for the same price as a single retail game? With The Orange Box you get 3 brand new games and 2 old gems: Half-Life 2, HL2: Ep1, HL2: Ep2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. Now that is value for money.

While Orange Box itself isn't actually a game and really just a compilation (although on 360 and PS3 it's the only way you can play some of the games) I had to include it on this list for what it represents. It shows that you can give fans (and gamers in general) a good deal and if you do it they'll buy your game. In a time where the likes of Activision feel the need to extort consumers with every passing release it's nice to know that some companies know who's loyal to them and want to keep them happy.

Ironically Orange Box ended up being a double-edged sword for Valve because when Left 4 Dead came out people now had unreasonable expectations of it coming with other games or being at a low price. I personally felt that TF2 or even Episode 2 could have been full price games if you compared them to other titles which cost that amount, but Valve chose to keep them at low costs and that's why I love them.

Also all the games in The Orange Box are going to appear on my list so tomorrow I'll do TF2, then the next I'll do Portal and then after that I'll do Episode 2. Half-Life 2 will have to wait until the anniversary of it's release (which I think is in November) before it gets a blog of it's own.
 
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365 Games To Play Before You Die

I was meant to have this out yesterday but I got caught up in something else. Anyway that just means you'll end up with two blogs today because the other one was specific to this date.

Previous 5 Games

• #75: Donkey Kong Country
• #76: Crash Bandicoot
• #77: Mario Kart 64
• #78: Battlefield 1942
• #79: Wii Sports

Full List

 

#80: Sins of a Solar Empire

Platform(s): PC
Release: 2008
Developer(s): Ironclad
Best Quote: 'Planet lock-down complete.'
GB Wiki Page

I only picked up Sins a couple of weeks ago but I've already played it more then games I picked up years ago. I purposely chose the largest map available so that I could play a relatively slow paced game over several sessions because I wanted to take my time and not rush things. The game catered to my needs perfectly and before I new it I'd already soaked up tens of hours into the game in less then a week.

Sins gives you a lot of the depth and the three factions are quite distinct (I've only played as two of them so far) which gives variety missing from other RTS/ 4X games. Also I should add that I was playing with the Entrenchment microexpansion which came as part of the package so I don't what the original is like on it's own, though I can't imagine there's much difference. 

#81: Rayman 2: The Great Escape

Platform(s): N64, PC, PS1, PS2, Dreamcast and PSN
Release: 1999
Developer(s): Ubisoft
Best Quote: None but great soundtrack
GB Wiki Page

Rayman 2 is an example of one of the few games which made a seamless transition from 2D to 3D. While it didn't have as much as of a brand appeal like Mario or Sonic it had an original setting which differentiated itself from more popular titles. The fantastical Glade of Dreams in which the game is set is full of vibrant and colourful landscapes and characters making it exploration even more fun.

While setting is important, gameplay is key to good game and Rayman 2 plays how all 3D platformers should. You never feel like your struggling to control Rayman or the camera and that makes a game so much more enjoyable. Another strength that Rayman 2 has over other similar games is that it actually puts emphasis on its story. Rayman is great protagonist and Razorbeard is a great antagonist and the plot just fits the setting perfectly. Also I can't talk about Rayman 2 without mentioning its brilliant soundtrack which helps put you into the world. 

#82: Freedom Fighters

Platform(s): PC, PS2, GameCube and Xbox
Release: 2003
Developer(s): IO Interactive
Best Quote: Can't remember
GB Wiki Page

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if WWII was ended by the Soviet Union dropping a nuke on Berlin and then turning all of Europe in to one big communist state? No, me neither but that's the premise of Freedom Fighters as you play a member of the resistance who trying to stop the Soviet occupation of the USA. The premise may sound absurd but it works and you want your character ( Chris) to win this struggle against the invaders.

Freedom Fighters is a third-person shooter but the cool part of the game is building up a squad and using them effectively. You increase your squad by getting more charisma and to get more charisma completing objectives. The reason the squad system works is because the A.I. of your team is smart and they don't do things that end up getting them killed

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