The Classics
I spent last weekend at a LAN party. Some of my friends regularly arrange small LAN parties with 10-15 people, and this one was a good one with maybe 12 people who stayed there most of the weekend. Over the years, we’ve accumulated a bunch of games we always play, to the point where we play mostly the same (old) games every time. It’s a bit weird, really, and I’ve given it some thought.
I think one of the reasons is that there simply aren’t as many great LAN games being made any more. Most multi-player games tend to be aligned for Internet play, and as a result don’t work all that well locally. We played some Left 4 Dead
Another of the reasons I think causes this is, strangely, we buy more games. This seems counter-intuitive, as buying more games should mean having more games to play, but seeing as most games don’t play well together with pirated versions that means we can’t play games not everyone has. The result is that in general only one game will be a smash hit enough to have coverage at one of our LAN parties (The Orange Box
Some older games came with functionality that countered this — Total Annihilation could be installed as a Multi-player Spawn version, and when you started a game only a certain number of people needed to play the “full version” (with the CD in the drive) — one CD for every 3 players I believe. Really, more games should do this for LAN play.
There’s also a number of classic games that are just outdated but still best in their genre — even some games that are hardly known, and some forgotten with time. The first game that caused this was Carmageddon II. We played that game through countless nights of hysterical laughter for a huge number of LAN parties, until at one point the game’s outdated code simply wouldn’t work with newer computers and operating systems (not a huge surprise, as it was IPX-based for multi-player). We’ve mourned the game since, to the point of trying to set up a dedicated network with dedicated computers only to play that game (which failed).
Another game that stuck around was Rune, which chances are you’ve never heard about. When I first played it at a LAN party it was already an aging game, and then later I managed to dig up a single online store that still sold it and the multiplayer version, Halls of Valhalla. We bought a stack of copies of both games, and we’re still playing it every party. No other melee fighting game has come close to the same kind of frenetic fighting feeling.
Operation Flashpoint has also stayed with us, regardless of the “sequel” Armed Assault which didn’t really add much to the game, but had significantly higher requirements. Flashpoint is the one and only game we play as a sort of large-scale co-op experience. The game engine is slow and looks sort of bad but the game play is unmatched anywhere else. The built-in map editor (despite all its quirks) has kept the game going. Far-out mods like LEGO models also help provide endless amounts of wicked fun.
One more game is actually the indie game Soldat. It’s a highly addictive, frenetic 2D side scrolling infantry combat game controlled simply with the mouse and WASD to move around.
I could go on for a long time. Total Annihilation held for so long I thought we’d never stop playing it, but eventually we did. Some of the Age of Empires games really rocked (we actually played AoE II this time as well). Flatout and then Flatout 2 are some of the nicest aggressive driving games out there (pale, in comparison to Carmageddon II, but still). We played the Trackmania games for a long long long time, though now I seem to be the only one who still loves it. We played Battlefield 1942, Desert combat, Galactic Conquest, BF: Vietnam, Battlefield 2
The new stuff this time around came mainly from mods. I found this wonderfully wicked steam mod called D.I.P.R.I.P. Warm Up which is another version of the whole “Car with guns” theme, extremely well implemented with the wonderfully entertaining Uranium Run and Destruction (bombing) game modes. It seems to lack a following currently — it was a blast to play, but the most I ever saw was two servers up.
Of course, Battlefield Heroes is coming along nicely, but without the ability to easily play with friends it isn’t ready for a LAN party… yet. Still, it’s a great game for all those little periods of time where there was nothing in specific going on, and I think some of the guys got seriously hooked.
I wish some of those games were still available for people to try them out. Regardless of the lack of fancy graphics, some games are still the best games around. Also, suggestions for more games and mods to try appreciated!
Tags: Games
Games | slicedlime | 
Saturday, April 4, 2009 21:33
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By Johan Svensson, Saturday, April 4, 2009 @ 21:53
Exactly the kind of entry I’ve had in the back of my mind for the entire week.
OpFlash is indeed very awesome. I always have a strong preference for cooperative play, and it’s very easy to slap down some units and waypoints and get a decent mission to grind through in OpFlash.
I loved Carmageddon back in the days. Flatout 2 doesn’t quite tickle me in the same spots since I’m not really a fan of racing, but the opportunities to knock people the hell off the track are fun, and the derby levels are pure giggle-inducing bliss.
One mod I was going to recommend but we never really got to play is Dystopia. I played it online a fair bit a year ago, and it’s good stuff.
By AlexB, Saturday, April 4, 2009 @ 23:52
Warcraft 3 Dota seems to me something that could be hella fun to play LAN, especially with that many people, could fill both teams!
By Lethania, Saturday, April 11, 2009 @ 7:37
Oh! We really really need to try Dota at the next LAN!