Got my laptop in the mail today. It's a refurbished Windows 8 machine, but it has a low powered processor and integrated video card, so it's not going to run my newer games. So I went through all my games to find any older ones I have that I could play while I'm at school, and I realized I had a greater supply than I thought:
Every Age of Empires PC game ever made
Age of Mythology
Every Command and Conquer game ever made (not that the new one will run)
All the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale games
Rome: Total War with Barbarian Invasion
Medieval: Total War 2 with Kingdoms
Medal of Honor: Allied Assault with expansions
Starcraft with Brood War
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 with expansions
So, I'm actually fairly well off. However, seeing this makes me desire more. I intend to pick up Planescape: Torment, the Neverwinter Nights games, and the Alexsander expansion pack for Rome, but I would love it if you guys had any ideas for good strategy and rpg games that are more than, say, 7 years old.
Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know I could get Jade Empire for PC. I don't know whether I have Atom or Core, and I have 4gb RAM. This is my machine.
I just tried out my first game on this machine. It was Age of Empires 3: The Asian Dynasties, and it ran completely smoothly on the highest possible graphics settings. So, I'm still confuzzled as to how much power I have with this thing, but I'm guessing my desire for Empire: Total War is not going to happen.
I may grow attached to GOG.
I do not have old games lying around to emulate.
I found a website that analyzes my computer to figure out what will run on it. I've gotten some surprising answers:
Empire: Total War - Most Likely
Napoleon: Total War - Ditto
Dragon Age Origins/Awakening - Possibly
Sims 3 - Yes
And not so surprising answers:
Skyrim - No
Left 4 Dead 1 & 2 - No
I'm pleasantly surprised that Empire may work after all.
Empire Total War is running pretty well, it turns out. Dragon Age will not install, but this is hopefully reparable, and not a problem with the machine's power.
Get Heroes of Might and Magic 3! I still keep going back to that game...
Seconded!
Quest for Glory (exists in different versions. Most notably, get the remakes for I and II.)
Dungeon Master, Chaos Strikes Back and Dungeon Master II
Sacrifice
Giants - Citizen Kabuto
Dungeon Keeper
Final Fantasy VI, VIII and IX
Messiah
Eye of the Hebolder I-III
Psychonauts (if the computer will manage it)
Diablo I and II, including Hellfire and Lord of Destruction, of course
How could I forget... X-Com. 1. There should have been only one.
I like the idea of trying to play FINAL FANTASY VI and IX on PC, since they were never released ;) You can emulate easily on that machine, but it is legally dubious (though if you ever bought them on PS1, it should be fine).
I'd recommend:
RPG:
Anachronox
System Shock 2
Deus Ex
Freedom Force
Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich
Strategy:
Hostile Waters (when I come into my throne, I will insist that all PC gamers must play this, by law; it's easily the most underrated, underplayed game of all time)
Ground Control 1 + Dark Conspiracy Expansion
Ground Control 2
Third Age: Total War (Lord of the Rings mod for Medieval II+Kingdoms)
Homeworld & Homeworld 2 (I'd wait for the new, optimised versions next year)
It might be a bit of a risk, but I'd try out SHOGUN 2. If the PC can run EMPIRE and NAPOLEON, it might be able to handle SHOGUN 2 on low, and SHOGUN 2 is a much better game for AI and the strategic challenge (IMO).
Actually, your PC being able to run EMPIRE is a bit puzzling, as it was one of the most graphically demanding games of all time on release, and not a huge amount has overtaken it. Your machine definitely won't run say ROME II, BIOSHOCK INFINITE or TOMB RAIDER, but it should be able to do SKYRIM at low settings, and probably FALLOUT 3/NEW VEGAS on medium (note that FO3 really doesn't like Windows 7 or 8 for some reason, but NV is fine).
And yes, the original XCOM will work as well. Actually, the new one might as well, and it's a perfectly fine game. Not as freeform as the original but also not as completely barking mad as the original could get as well ;)
These are very good suggestions. I don't think I have a powerful enough processor for Skyrim, but I'll pop the disk in when I get home from school and see what happens.
Older GoG games are usually sold with DosBox configured for Windows XP/Vista/7 - if you will be buying games on GoG tell us how they ran on Win8.
Pretty sure there's plenty of indie games you can find on steam that it'll run.
Definitely. I'd strongly recommend FTL: FASTER THAN LIGHT as well. It's actually a mixture of strategy and roleplaying (sort of).
For a good RPG, SHADOWRUN RETURNS should also work fine. It's new, but it uses a very old-school 2D engine which I don't imagine taxing too many systems, even old ones (plus combat is turn-based, so a bit of slowdown or stuttering won't impair gameplay).
Shadowrun Returns does look like fun.
I tried installing Skyrim, and it runs on low graphics without stuttering.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
This. So much this.
And don't forget Alien Crossfire.
Homeworld, if you can get it to run on Win8.
HOLD! (though it should, with a bit of fiddling)
Gearbox are releasing new, W7/8-compatible versions of HOMEWORLD and HOMEWORLD 2 next year, which will be available as both the vanilla versions and also HD updates. I'd hold on for them, just to minimise compatibility issues.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
Homeworld, if you can get it to run on Win8.
Same for Crimson Skies (great flying air pirate game).
Seconded on all counts!
I ended up buying a collection of the first 3 Tropico games. I'm about to indulge my inner dictator.
