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[Tschumi]

Hey again homies.

... The tale so far....

Voted best Assassin's Creed title: Assassin's Creed 2
Voted best Supergiant Games title: Hades*
Voted best Blizzard title: Diablo 2 + Expansion/Remaster
Voted best Rockstar title: Red Dead Redemption 2
Voted best Naughty Dog title: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Voted best Valve title: --
Voted best FromSoftware title: --
Voted best Arkane Studios title: --
Voted best Bethesda Softworks title: --
Voted best Bioware title: --
Voted best Konami title: --
Voted best Id Software title: --

They're coming thick and fast now, because why not? We've got plenty of developers to get through! As a rule I think I'll chuck another one up as soon as the previous one(s) start falling off the second page of the board.

How 'bout that logo ey

I like Valve, they seem to be committed to playing by their own rules and making games that bust open the industry as a whole. Their platform of Steam entirely changed my life and my relationship to gaming, and pretty much decided back in the mid-00s that I was gonna be a digital ownership gamer for life. I'd never conceived of being able to buy a game like Morrowind for $4.99... Or even $2.99 sometimes, if memory serves...

Anyway, besides Steam they've also just happened to chuck out some of the seminal achievements of computer gaming. And we're here today to band together and determine which of these were the best.

Notes on the poll:

This is a big one, phew. I've done this because it seems like even their tools/mod spinoffs have been so important that they impacted gaming in some way, themselves. I've tried to condense things down, and I skipped Ricochet and a bunch of late-10s games that I've never heard of (Artifact?) but I'll add them to the poll if requested. There can't be many slots left on this bish.

I've basically posted every CS variation up to Global Offensive (aside from Condition Zero which was a bit of a flop and came out the same year as Source) because I'm aware that they pretty much all had long run times. I personally did most of my CSing with CS: Source.

coming soon... FromSoftware...

 

[Bulletbrain]

OG Half life is still the greatest. Immaculate and timeless.

 

[Tschumi]

OG Half life is still the greatest. Immaculate and timeless.

what's ur thought on the Black Mesa fan remake?

 

[AV]

Possibly the hardest one yet but I had to pick HL2. TF2 was a close runner-up but for my money, the more they added to that game the more they took away from it. HL2 will always be what it is and it's completely timeless, I could start a run right now and not stop all day quite happily.

... I skipped Ricochet and a bunch of late-10s games that I've never heard of (Artifact?) but I'll add them to the poll if requested.

It's funny that Artefact was such a colossal flop that even people who know Ricochet never heard of it. It was their card game that failed so spectacularly it went full free-to-play and they completely removed sales of all cards from the game.

Do you have a plan on how many of these you're gonna do? Might be good to get a little graphic going of the winners.

 

[Bulletbrain]

what's ur thought on the Black Mesa fan remake?

It's very very good. The team did a hell of a job. To repeat a cliche: it's how I remember HL in my head. Granted I got to Xen and got distracted by other games. Must pick it up soon.

 

[Tschumi]

Possibly the hardest one yet but I had to pick HL2. TF2 was a close runner-up but for my money, the more they added to that game the more they took away from it. HL2 will always be what it is and it's completely timeless, I could start a run right now and not stop all day quite happily.



It's funny that Artefact was such a colossal flop that even people who know Ricochet never heard of it. It was their card game that failed so spectacularly it went full free-to-play and they completely removed sales of all cards from the game.

Do you have a plan on how many of these you're gonna do? Might be good to get a little graphic going of the winners.

in the OP i've got a list of titles 'to come' in the "the tale so far" portion... I'm willing to add to them... A graphic, yeah that might be fun, I was thinking of just doing a two-column table but yeah a graphic..

-- totally with u on HL2

 

[carlosrox]

Half-Life is way better than 2 but we all know which will win in the polls...

 

[ZehDon]

Half-Life Alyx is their best effort to date, in my opinion. It’s engaging, immersive, well told, and an incredible audio visual experience.

 

[Tschumi]

Half-Life is way better than 2 but we all know which will win in the polls...

current poll results says noooo

Half-Life Alyx is their best effort to date, in my opinion. It’s engaging, immersive, well told, and an incredible audio visual experience.

i like this. My favourite online game video essayist Noah caldwell-Gervais did a whole new take of his hours-long half life video just to add in a segment on alyx, he was hella effusive in his praise, said it was a guarantee of a half life 3 and a revolution etc etc...

i don't have the rig to play it

 

[Radical Dreamer]

CS: Source will always have a special place for me. Countless hours spent as a kid in internet coffees playing vs strangers lmao.

 

[Saber]

Theres no wrong with L4D 2. Followed of course by L4D.

 

[ZehDon]

i like this. My favourite online game video essayist Noah caldwell-Gervais did a whole new take of his hours-long half life video just to add in a segment on alyx, he was hella effusive in his praise, said it was a guarantee of a half life 3 and a revolution etc etc...

i don't have the rig to play it

Yeah, I like Noah, his stuff is fantastic.
I’m very fortunate to have the rig and hardware to handle it at max settings in an ideal setting. Under those circumstances, at its best, Half-Life Alyx is nearly untouchable in terms of drawing you into its world and gameplay. It’s really something special, that didn’t quite land as it should have because of the steep requirements to actually access it.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I voted Alyx even though it won't win since far fewer have VR.

 

[TrueLegend]

You may not like it. I may not like it but CS: Global Offensive trumps HL2 and Portal. Thats their best. Half Life and Portal may have made Steam but CS and DOTA keep it alive.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Portal 2. But only upon very hearty and honest introspection.

 

[Dream-Knife]

I had to go with CS: Source due to the creativity and fun.

For whatever reason, CS sweats skipped the game. I can't get into CSGO for whatever reason, and unfortunately no one plays Source anymore.

My favorite online FPS, Insurgency, started as a source mod.

 

[Bloobs]

Half-life.

I never found 2 as special. Yet to play Alyx

 

[Plantoid]

Portal 2

I'm not into half life, and portal was screaming FRESH!!

 

[VN1X]

I've got over 2500 hours in CS:GO but HL² all the way baabbyyyyyy!

 

[Fbh]

Portal 2 was amazing, it took everything enjoyable about portal 1 and improved upon it. Awesomely designed and fun to solve puzzles (and awesome Coop mode too), the same fun (and expanded) aesthetic of the original and IMO one of the very few games I found to be legitimately funny.

 

[VN1X]

I'm not into half life

disgusting degenerate bastard

 

[DeepEnigma]

Half Life 3 confirmed!

 

[Midn1ght]

Portal 2 for me. Such an amazing game and fantastic voice acting by the one and only "Lanky google-eyed freak".

 

[Missingnomer]

I truly believe Portal 2 can be enjoyed even by future generations without any loss in quality because of graphical innovations. It feels great to solve the puzzles now than it was when it first came out. Best game from Valve, imo. Half Life 1 and 2 are tough to convince a new audience in playing. It was amazing for its time, but it is just not as engaging as Titanfall 2 or one of the better COD campaigns. Don't @ and rage at me, I am sensitive.

 

[Tschumi]

I truly believe Portal 2 can be enjoyed even by future generations without any loss in quality because of graphical innovations. It feels great to solve the puzzles now than it was when it first came out. Best game from Valve, imo. Half Life 1 and 2 are tough to convince a new audience in playing. It was amazing for its time, but it is just not as engaging as Titanfall 2 or one of the better COD campaigns. Don't @ and rage at me, I am sensitive.

That's a valid take. I think HL2 is perhaps more accessible than HL1 to this day, but I take ur point. How old are you? Roughly? Not trying to flame, it just seems likely that games you played a certain ages might have different pulls on you, I'm in my early 30s so HL2 came right at my sweetspot, which is probably why I love it so much lol, HL was a tad early for me. I keep hearing good things about Titanfall 2, I should really get it one day, straight up I think I've not played it because it's so cheap, lol, what a BS reason, Tschumi...

 

[Missingnomer]

That's a valid take. I think HL2 is perhaps more accessible than HL1 to this day, but I take ur point. How old are you? Roughly? Not trying to flame, it just seems likely that games you played a certain ages might have different pulls on you, I'm in my early 30s so HL2 came right at my sweetspot, which is probably why I love it so much lol, HL was a tad early for me. I keep hearing good things about Titanfall 2, I should really get it one day, straight up I think I've not played it because it's so cheap, lol, what a BS reason, Tschumi...

I am in my mid twenties. I was late to the PC party and didn't start till I was in my later teen years. So when I was catching up on the PC classics, Half-Life 1 and 2 were kinda hard to get through compared to Portal. Just my personal opinion, though. I am sure there are many people that can play Half Life for the first time and have a great time with it.

 

[Vagswarm]

The original Half Life still holds up incredibly well and is a phenomenal game, but I still like Half Life 2 better. Replayed both + all expansions earlier in the year.

 

[Schmick]

I voted Half Life 2. A lot of great memories with that game. Of course Half Life 1 comes a close 2nd.

Can we have a Best Sega Title poll in the future?

 

[tommib]

Poll's missing Valve's best game: Steam.

 

[Mess]

That's a very hard one, lot of great games which are great for different reasons. Also CS and DoD were mod and not exactly Valve games.

I voted for TFC, it was by far the most fun I've had in MP during its heyday. Fond memories

 

[SoggyBiscuit]

My personal favourite is Portal 2. I think it's their best work as it's a culmination of Valve's writing, gameplay and design aesthetics all working in tandem to create a unique, hilarious and excellent gaming experience.

Puzzle variety, co-op, character dialogue all very much some of their best.

A real standout from a developer who seemingly only delivers hits (Artifact being the rare exception)

 

[Tschumi]

That's a very hard one, lot of great games which are great for different reasons. Also CS and DoD were mod and not exactly Valve games.

I voted for TFC, it was by far the most fun I've had in MP during its heyday. Fond memories

ur right of course, i guess i put 'em up there to let their makers get some props let's check to see if they've got any votes... ah sadly nothing for DoD

 

[Lognor]

So many bangers. It's a shame Valve doesn't make games anymore.

 

[Topher]

Life
---- X 2
2

 

[Tschumi]

Looks like half Life 2 is gonna win it, I'll give this one more chance to get votes then move on to FromSoftware!

 

[STARSBarry]

A real sucker for TFC loved that game played it for almost 10 years. Shame TF2 went the more casual route but I can see why they did in the end.

I just miss those days of Dustbowl, Mooncheese and Avanti, or the modded servers with an cooperative adventure mode that made you feel like a group of globe trotting explorers, or the Neo TF mod for some extra flare and mechanics.

In alot of ways the game was simpler but also far more complex in others and I will never experience anouther time period quite like it again, God bless Team Fortress Classic.

 

[Kilau]

Portal 2 is my game of the forever.

 

[Phase]

Where's the love for CS? Only 2 huh?

Haggard I see you.

 

[Tschumi]

Where's the love for CS? Only 2 huh?

Haggard I see you.

 

[Vagswarm]

Also CS and DoD were mod and not exactly Valve games.

Was going to mention the same thing, but figured it wasn't a big deal. Team Fortress Classic was also a mod I believe. They didn't come on board until Team Fortress 2, unless I'm mistaken.

But Opposing Force and Blue Shift weren't developed by Valve either -- it was Gearbox.

Either way the suspected monster's ended up winning over them all.

 

[Tschumi]

Either way the suspected monster's ended up winning over them all.

Come on HL2 is an all time great game. Just because it improved in almost every aspect on another all time great game doesn't diminish either of them. Coming second to HL2 is hardly spit in the eye.. let's not let OGness and nostalgia muddy up the relationship between these two epic Games

... Good points on OpFor and Blue Shift

 

[Vagswarm]

Come on HL2 is an all time great game. Just because it improved in almost every aspect on another all time great game doesn't diminish either of them. Coming second to HL2 is hardly spit in the eye.. let's not let OGness and nostalgia muddy up the relationship between these two epic Games

... Good points on OpFor and Blue Shift

Not sure where that's coming from. I voted for Half Life 2 and included that in the "suspected monsters" quote. The point was, none of the mods or expansions had a chance against Half Life 1, 2, and Portal 2, so it didn't matter if they were developed by Valve or not.

 

[Tschumi]

Not sure where that's coming from. I voted for Half Life 2 and included that in the "suspected monsters" quote. The point was, none of the mods or expansions had a chance against Half Life 1, 2, and Portal 2.

....I think i was talking at a big imaginary crowd standing behind you, my bad

 

[Mess]

Was going to mention the same thing, but figured it wasn't a big deal. Team Fortress Classic was also a mod I believe. They didn't come on board until Team Fortress 2, unless I'm mistaken.

Team Fortress was a mod for quake 1, TFC is Valve's port to the hl engine (itself a fork of the Q1 engine with some Q2 improvements iirc). But ye you're right in that TF started as a mod and most of the game/core map design is not really Valve's doing

 

[Vagswarm]

Team Fortress was a mod for quake 1, TFC is Valve's port to the hl engine (itself a fork of the Q1 engine with some Q2 improvements iirc). But ye you're right in that TF started as a mod and most of the game/core map design is not really Valve's doing

Aye, I was aware of Team Fortress being a mod for Quake 1 (still my favorite mod to this day), but didn't know that Valve was responsible for Team Fortress Classic. Did they already hire the original Team Fortress team by then?

I do remember that Team Fortress 2 was in development for a very long time and a lot of people were calling BS on it. Still never played it.

 

[Mess]

Aye, I was aware of Team Fortress being a mod for Quake 1 (still my favorite mod to this day), but didn't know that Valve was responsible for Team Fortress Classic. Did they already hire the original Team Fortress team by then?

It seems they hired the TF team : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Fortress_Classic#Development

I do remember that Team Fortress 2 was in development for a very long time and a lot of people were calling BS on it. Still never played it.

I remember the first screenshots of TF2, they looked so moody and hinted at a more "realistic" gameplay. Seems they totally scrapped it and started from scratch... TF2 is a way more accessible game than TFC but somehow kept its spirit at least for ctf maps, still pretty alive and definitly worth a try =)

 

[MadchesterManc]

I put an insane amount of hours into Team Fortress 2 when The Orange Box dropped on Xbox 360