Help me choose a PC game for my Dad

[Venkman]

My Dad has a small, not very powerful laptop. I don't have the specs handy, but the last game I got him, Portal, ran on medium settings and it was quite playable. I had to turn down some of the effects and texture settings to get it running at about 45 fps.

He loves shooters, especially WW2 or war themed shooters with some basis in reality. His favorite is probably Return to Castle Wolfenstein. He doesn't mind playing older games if the gameplay is there, as evidenced by his love of the original Unreal (which he played for the first time about 6 months ago).

He loved Call of Duty (the original) and Medal of Honor, but I want to get him something really, really fun. So many of those games can drag or are boring.

Would Call of Duty 4 run well on a machine that does portal on medium, not full resolution?

Any PC feedback would be great, I'm more of a console guy but he counts on me every Christmas to get him a game.

[Whimbrel]

If he has not already played it, I recommend Deus Ex. It runs pretty well on almost anything these days and I think it holds up really well. Sure, it does not look anything like a modern game, but I think that is part of the charm. Also, there were very many, super cool 2-d hand drawn games that were really fun. I liked the Robin Hood one, but the original Commandos was awesome.

[Venkman]

ooo, that's a good one. now to find the darn game. ;)

[ldi222]

Im not sure how well Deus Ex holds up over time. The game is definitely a classic but the AI is incredibly stupid by todays standards and it took me out of the game when I gave it a run recently. The graphics dont hold up as well as you might think either, 3D tech has come a long way since then but as you mentioned maybe that's not a concern since he enjoyed Unreal).

Since Portal ran so well on the system, has he played Half Life 2?

[Whimbrel]

I can kind of agree with you. I am replaying Deus Ex and I am loving it, but I honestly don't know if I would feel the same way if I were playing it for the first time today. Maybe I would think the graphics and gameplay were just too lame, or maybe I would see the same things I loved the first time and that I am having fun with now. I'll admit that I kind of treat it as a sandbox game in which I really run around and explore all of the levels and try to set up elaborate traps or pull off outrageous shots and split second timing ways to clear a room using only tranq darts or something. I can spend hours just trying different things on the same room of enemies just for the hell of it. That is just how I play it, so I am probably not a typical gamer in that regard. If I were playing through just for the story or special effects or action I really don't know how it would seem these days. Since Commandos is all about problem solving anyway, maybe it holds up better.

[AversionFX]

I'd pitch a vote for Deus Ex. I played through it (again) earlier this year, and it's still just as fun as it ever was.

[Venkman]

Im not sure how well Deus Ex holds up over time. The game is definitely a classic but the AI is incredibly stupid by todays standards and it took me out of the game when I gave it a run recently. The graphics dont hold up as well as you might think either, 3D tech has come a long way since then but as you mentioned maybe that's not a concern since he enjoyed Unreal).

Since Portal ran so well on the system, has he played Half Life 2?

He has played and loved the entire half life series. That ran decently on his system.

I really wonder if COD4 will hold up. The shooting mechanics are simple and fun, he doesn't care so much about shaders and 60 fps. He likes realistic guns a lot, but the crazy stuff in Wolfenstein and Half Life really made him grin.

[donkeydrop]

Deus Ex and it's sequels are on Gametap, as well as Far Cry, the Hitman games, Kane and Lynch (it really wasnt that bad), Operation Flashpoint, Ghost Recon and too many others to name. You can currently get a year subscription for $60.

edit: and you can have 7 sub-accounts with up to 2 users online at once, so you get to play too!

[jsera]

I second the Hitman series suggestion. It's not your average shooter, but still a lot of fun.

[Fazer]

Did he try Half-Life 2 series? It's not WW2, but it's one of the best games ever. And it has low system requirements.

[Venkman]

Yeah, I got him the big collection from Valve with Half-Life 1, blue shift, half life 2 and eventually all the episodes and portal. he loved em!

[XxSATANxX]

Black Hawk down by Novalogic. Fun Run and gun!