PC Games That Have Ignited a New Interest in You

Started by Gusington, June 12, 2019, 01:28:59 PM

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Gusington

AKA the 'Loin Moistening' thread. I'll start. I have fallen head over heels in love with Assassin's Creed Odyssey...so much so that it has awakened an interest in classical ancient history that I have never explored before. Odyssey has led me to dive deeply in to Greek history, specifically that of Athens, Sparta, Corinth...even Syracuse and of course Darius, Xerxes and Alexander the Great. It has also re-ignited interest for me in Macedon, the Diadochi, Seleucids, Bactria and on and on, up to and including the Byzantines.

So, regardless of how much Odyssey is history or myth or a combo of both, it has really stoked me to read about all things Hellenic and heroic.

What games have stirred your previously snoozing historical loins and led you to study topics that you have not previously? Keep it clean - but all examples of nerdgasm are welcome 😎


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Sir Slash

Probably the last game that made me want to go grab a history book and read about it was, 'Shogun 2 TW' because I knew nothing about that period of Japanese history. In the category of an old game stirring a new interest in ITSELF, the Enhanced Edition of BG2 has really lit a fire in my desire to play this grand old game again. The changes are subtle but add a lot, new NPC's, new items, and some new quests. I forgot how much fun this game was.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

Gusington

Are you telling me there's content in the enhanced BG2 that was not in the original?


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

Sir Slash

Yes, not a lot but it makes a difference. Three new NPC's each with their own quests as well as a new, Gladiators of Thay area which mostly centers around fighting in an arena-- jury's still out on this on though.
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

Con

Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards - inspired me to do research on Leisure suits, lounges and lizards

Rayfer

Quote from: Sir Slash on June 12, 2019, 02:54:15 PM
Yes, not a lot but it makes a difference. Three new NPC's each with their own quests as well as a new, Gladiators of Thay area which mostly centers around fighting in an arena-- jury's still out on this on though.

If I remember correctly you can also create your entire party from the get-go, not just your own.  This was good for me as I had played the original when it was first released, so being able to craft my own full party to start with was an added layer of gaming enjoyment.

Jarhead0331

Quote from: Con on June 12, 2019, 02:59:54 PM
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards - inspired me to do research on Leisure suits, lounges and lizards

Can you believe I was going to post the same thing, with the exception that it inspired me to do research on picking up scantily clad women.
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


glen55

Quote from: Gusington on June 12, 2019, 01:28:59 PM
AKA the 'Loin Moistening' thread. I'll start. I have fallen head over heels in love with Assassin's Creed Odyssey...so much so that it has awakened an interest in classical ancient history that I have never explored before. Odyssey has led me to dive deeply in to Greek history, specifically that of Athens, Sparta, Corinth...even Syracuse and of course Darius, Xerxes and Alexander the Great. It has also re-ignited interest for me in Macedon, the Diadochi, Seleucids, Bactria and on and on, up to and including the Byzantines.

So, regardless of how much Odyssey is history or myth or a combo of both, it has really stoked me to read about all things Hellenic and heroic.

What games have stirred your previously snoozing historical loins and led you to study topics that you have not previously? Keep it clean - but all examples of nerdgasm are welcome 😎

For starters, Odyssey has done the exact same thing for me. I barely knew Troy from Sparta before, and in fact DID NOT KNOW that Athens and Sparta fought a series of wars (or a long war) against each other, but I have read probably 8-10 books on the era since I started playing that game, and I'm not throw.

I think the best example, though, is the original Civilization. I was gogfozzled that pottery was such a key early technology, which led to some research showing that is really true, and I have since been fascinated by the era bridging the neolithic era to early civilization, something I had previously completely neglected. I hoped for years that Civilization would come out with a sequel narrowing its focus to the BCE era, and I still jones for a good 4X game that will allow me to steer my band of hardy nomads on up to monument-building and iron weapons.

**
Speaking of which, and leading myself off-topic (y'all don't follow!) I currently have my eye on city-builder RTS Dawn of Man in early development in Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/858810/Dawn_of_Man/)

Kudos to the clan members' for their snappy AI, but as of now things become monotonous in the late game. I'm monitoring it regularly, but I'm a little worried by the pace of development: steady, but somewhat lethargic. It's a great start, if that more that it really needs actually gets added, but as of now I can't really recommend it.
Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.
  - Dwight D. Eisenhower

glen55

Quote from: Sir Slash on June 12, 2019, 01:47:03 PM
Probably the last game that made me want to go grab a history book and read about it was, 'Shogun 2 TW' because I knew nothing about that period of Japanese history. In the category of an old game stirring a new interest in ITSELF, the Enhanced Edition of BG2 has really lit a fire in my desire to play this grand old game again. The changes are subtle but add a lot, new NPC's, new items, and some new quests. I forgot how much fun this game was.

I hope you've read Shogun. Great book, and while it's a work of fiction it is very deeply grounded in history. Every 5-10 years I go back and read it again and thoroughly enjoy it every time. It gave me a working concept of the Japanese "national spirit" that has never been proven wrong in the 44 years since I first read it.
Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.
  - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gusington

Shogun is one of my favorite books ever!

Marry me, glen55.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

glen55

Quote from: Gusington on June 12, 2019, 04:52:56 PM
Shogun is one of my favorite books ever!

Marry me, glen55.

You haven't even bought me a steak dinner!   :tickedoff:
Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.
  - Dwight D. Eisenhower

glen55

And by the way, you can stream that fantastic 1980 Shogun mini-series with Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune for free:

https://archive.org/details/Shogun_Miniseries

Me and the Mrs. (sorry  :-*  :coolsmiley:) watched it just a few months back.
Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.
  - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Gusington

I have never seen the Shogun miniseries!

We truly are spirit animals.


слава Україна!

We can't live under the threat of a c*nt because he's threatening nuclear Armageddon.

-JudgeDredd

glen55

Quote from: Gusington on June 12, 2019, 05:14:02 PM
I have never seen the Shogun miniseries!

We truly are spirit animals.

You're in for a treat if you have a respectable streaming gadget. It is very faithful to the novel, and you never doubt for a second that Toshiro Mifune is an actual 16th-century Japanese daimyo.
Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.
  - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Sir Slash

Yeah, but it's got no Godzilla in it so....  ::)  I should've thought about any of the Combat Mission battles causing me to go look up the actual fight if I could find it and see the, 'who, how, why' of it.  :bd:
"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.