By Far, The Best Game I Have Ever Played
I play a lot of games. I've played a lot of triple A titles, and I like them. But nothing I have ever played comes even a tiny bit close to the majesty that is this game. A lot of people say that its bad because of the graphics, because of the terrible UI, but they're wrong. Dwarf Fortress feels like it comes from another planet; the UI isn't bad, its just so far removed from the conventions of any regular UI that it seems bad. It actually is internally consistent, and on its own, feels makes perfect sense. All of its mechanics are so unique and so separate from anything else that they seem off-putting, but together, in and of themselves, they form a beautiful system. And the graphics aren't bad, they're necessary. If anything other than sprites was used to represent the elements in this game, it simply could not run; it already brings most modern computers to their knees. After a few hours playing, it doesn't feel like looking at ASCII characters, it feels like reading a particularly interesting, totally original, and interactive book. On every playthrough. My fortress's inevitable death is always unique, and always interesting. For example, my last for was killed by a plague of lycanthropy; all my were becoming weretortoises. Everytime I thought it had been cleared up, it turned out that someone had been hiding a bite for fear of the inevitable execution that would follow and more died, flooding the halls with more blood.
If you are only ever going to play one game, play Dwarf Fortress. Push past the first hour or two of insane difficulty and you will find a masterpiece better than any other game that you'll ever play.
