June 15, 2006
GameFaqs’ Top 10 Cyberpunk Games List
In the Livejournal Cyberpunk Collective, automaton88 posted a link to GameFaqs’ Top 10 Cyberpunk Games. I don’t know that I’d call all of these “cyberpunk” but they are at least cyberpunk influenced. Incidentally, three different people have reviewed games at cyberpunkreview, but we’ve had a lag in getting any new ones up. More game reviews, please!
Also, what’s your favorite cyberpunk game? I’m going with either System Shock or Deus Ex.
This post has been filed under Cyberpunk Games by SFAM.
Comments
June 15, 2006
Sicki said:
i never notice the game Messiah on any of the cyberpunk lists. Not many people played it because it was released with so many bugs, i finished it about 10 times, it’s a great game and in a very cool cyberpunksetting
Sinnyo said:
Syndicate Wars truly is a classic, though I haven’t played it in ages and even then it was the Playstation version. Admittedly most definitions of games as ‘cyberpunk’ is pretty lapsed these days, but overall the list seems a little more knowledgeable than most. If I were to name my personal fave, though… gah, I draw a blank. Let’s call it Syndicate Wars then.
Mr. Roboto said:
I gotta go with an indie fave called Uplink. Ever since it came out in 2K there have been numerous attempts to duplicate this hacking sim’s success. Uplink MUST be any cyberpunk games list or that list is crap.
Mike said:
I’m definitely with you on System Shock for all time Cyberpunk game. Great cyberpunk elements, great music, great plot, great gameplay, “true” 3D before it’s time, and the closest recreation of how I imagined Gibson’s Matrix looked in a game… 5:) Not a step wrong…
radioman970 said:
That’s not a bad list at all.
At the time, System Shock 2 became my favorite game. That one plot developement had me depressed. You know which one if you played it to this certain point. I was genuinely sad, and it’s just a computer game. Heh!
I have both Fallouts but have be unable to get a handle on the gameplay. I should give those another shot someday.
I never could get into Deus Ex.
I bought Beneath a Steel Sky for my Amiga CD-32 (yes, I actually bought one of those too ). Great game!
Bioforge was absolutely amazing at the time. I think it was one of the first games to really impress me outside of Doom.
I had Syndicate Wars but it ran too slow. Upgrades made it run too fast. Bullfrog was great but they didn’t do too well with making games easy to upgrade with. Lionshead does much better in that area. At any rate, even slow that game was a “blast”.
radioman970 said:
I have Messiah (got it for $5). It’s not bad, but there are just too many others that I could be playing instead, so it gathers dust.
June 16, 2006
SFAM said:
There’s a bunch of these I gotta play. I haven’t even heard of Messiah.
Illusive Mind said:
I played Bioforge for hours on end, though not strictly Cyberpunk because of alien influences it is still a fave. However I’m sad to see that my number one cyberpunk game didn’t even make it onto the list: Blade Runner! The PC adventure game.
June 24, 2006
radioman970 said:
SFAM: Messiah’s best feature was the ability to “climb into” (or possess) other characters. That was kind of neat.
July 3, 2006
SAI said:
Syndicate wars 1&2 were one of the best & funniest games I´ve ever played! I think it deserves a better position in that list. Good list anyway. I´ll try to get most of the games… they must be abandonware by now.
July 19, 2006
Khristian said:
Deus Ex is the best of all the games that fall under Cyberpunk and my favourite of alltime, just ahead of Final Fantasy 7.
I’d also add Dreamweb, Bloodnet, Blade Runner, Liberation : Captive II, Syndicate, System Shock 2, Uplink, there all good games and Dreamweb broke me into Cyberpunk
July 21, 2006
neuro said:
I don’t know how one could forget the most memorable cyberpunk title like… BLOODNET! Absolute classic based on CP2020 and true RPG. If you haven’t played Bloodnet yet - you haven’t played cyberpunk game ;]
And a couple of other great CP titles: Dreamweb & Perihelion…
July 22, 2006
SFAM said:
Yeah, this definitely isn’t a complete list. And not suprisingly, there’s signficant disagreement over Gamefaq’s top 10.
February 7, 2007
cybergeneration said:
look Shadowrun on Nintendo…. Great !
cybergeneration said:
Look too, Shadowrun on xbox 360 for summer 2007.
April 21, 2007
digitalrootsystem said:
Burn Cycle for CD-i
May 3, 2007
Birdie said:
Shadowrun on SNES and Bladerunner for PC, still haven em both : )
May 4, 2007
Cyanyde said:
My favorite Cyberpunk themed game?
Dystopia.. it’s a hl2 total-conversion mod.
It’s got offense vs. defense style play, with hacking included to affect real-world stuff like turrets and doors.
http://dystopia-game.com
May 27, 2007
kinetika said:
Nothing comes close to bladerunner (amazing game)
Also try Omikron: the nomad sould, B-Hunter (cd-rom version), Flashback (also amazing), fade to black & another world is worth a mention.
I’m still waiting for an cd-i emulator so I can try burn cycle.
MrAdventure said:
System Shock 2 was amazing, single player and cooperative. Two totally different experiences. The interface was like playing wiping with a hook, but the game is so good I keep going back.
Dues Ex is probably one of the best games of all time. I have an uncle who plays games a bit, he told me he has finished it 3 times. This blew my mind. For a casual gamer to complete something as long and in depth as Dues Ex that many times says something about the quality of narrative and gameplay that it delivers.
July 14, 2007
Sieger M.G. said:
Well, for me the best cyberpunkgames early released on Sega 16 Bit and Snes were: Another World (a.k.a. Out of this world in the US and Outer worlds in Japan) and from the same studio Flashback (Not the sequel! of AW)
Both games are platform puzzles - action/adventure
Check Wikipedia or
for Another World:
http://takegame.com/action/htm/anotherworld.htm
Check the 15th anniversary site: http://www.anotherworld.fr/anotherworld_uk/
There is a sequel called Heart of the Alien, on Sega CD.
and Flashback: The quest for Identity - http://www.bestoldgames.net/eng/old-games/flashback.php
And if you already know these games check also ONESCAPEE, made by fans and released on the Amiga CD, free for download! Don’t miss it!
SL link: http://onescapee.invictus.hu/
Enjoy!
September 28, 2007
Rick said:
Snatcher, Burn: Cycle, Blade Runner, Deus Ex and Metal Gear Solid are my favourites.
November 8, 2007
johnny said:
System shock 1, Bloodnet, Perihelion, Bladerunner, Ripper (killer), dreamweb, Syndicate, SS2 and Dex.
The absolute masterpieces though are clearly System shock 1 and liberation: captive 2. Too bad the second only came out on cd32 and amigas with the cd32 version being a monumental game.
November 30, 2007
GhostKru said:
i love deus ex. my only complaint is that it takes too long for the plot to get rolling. you have to play about 3 hours before you complete the first part in new york, and that really discourages me from playing again or trying a new character build.
additionally, the exp system discourages players from trying different things because while there are many ways to accomplish things, there is always a best way that gets the most exp.
i’d really like to play DX2. i think the shorter game length, different factions and abolishment of exp make is a more immersive, enjoyable experience. unfortunately, i can’t find it anywhere.
January 10, 2008
TGN-Rogue said:
I ahve to say that Burn:Cycle is one of my faves of all time followed by System Shock, Messiah and i dont know it it technicaly counts but I reeealy enjoyed the demo I played of NeoCron years ago.
March 3, 2008
Henry said:
I agree with System Shock II at number 1. But where is the original System Shock in this top ten?!? It should be sitting at number 2. It sure is a hell is a lot better than ‘Syndicate wars’ at number 10.
It’s like leaving the Sex Pistols off a list of top ten punk bands.
March 13, 2008
Styxer said:
Theres also many other good cyberpunk based games, that arent in this list.. these are some of my favourites: Tron 2.0, Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death, Gore Ultimate Soldiers, Dystopia, (HL2 Also..), Shogo and games like that..
April 28, 2008
ttao said:
hello, thank you for surfing into this website at 320am on monday before work. love cyberpunk. its me. no one has mentioned MDK (mdk 2 is not as good as 1 but ok)
snatcher (msx, mega/sega cd, pc engine)
sub-culture (pc)
blade runner (pc)
headhunter (dreamcast)
burn cycle (cdi)
another world / out of this world? (snes,amiga etc)
system shock2 (pc)
dreamweb (pc)
flashback? (cdi, amiga, snes etc)
shadowrun (snes etc)
fade to black? (pc, psx)
you may like, its not dark enough for cyberpunk but its got “vibe” cosmic smash.. (dreamcast)
and rez (dreamcast)
and intelligent qube (psx) remix (ps2) iq mania (psp)
seen “strange days” the film.. you may like it
“aeon flux” animation
plus ghost in the shell, tetsuo1&2, pi, ivanxtc, oldboy, bladerunner, the cube, a scanner darkly and others. bye
October 23, 2008
Ben said:
I think one could consider the Half life series to be somewhat cyberpunk, if so, that would take my cake and eat it in the same sentence. Best game ever made.
November 30, 2008
Templar Mason said:
There’s a great BRAND NEW Cyberpunk Mod coming out for Half-Life 2. It’s called “Neotokyo.”
www.grailcode.net
December 7, 2008
Katalyst said:
Ohh, new HL2 mod. I’m looking forward to it. With a reply to Ben’s comment i’m still undecided as to whether HL2 is cyberpunk. HL is definitely not. But DeX and SS2 are definitely amazing cyberpunk games. Two pioneers in thier expanding genre.
December 9, 2008
Viewtiful-Chris said:
I can’t believe all of you have completely forgotten Neuromancer.
That has to be the ultimate cyberpunk game in every sense of the word.
kabukiman said:
Neuromancer was a great game with everything: datalinks, good story, lot’s of dialogs, chips, an excelent matrix (a true game inside the game), you could even sell your organs to buy better programmes! They should make a new edition.Like Deus ex it had a linear plot, but in DE you can use several aproaches. So my vote is for DE. About System shock I think I loved it by the horror element. Very few game were as good (silent hill and alone in the dark). Funny, nobody has included AI wars.
January 6, 2009
Archer said:
What about Anachronox? Fantastic game! Nowadays i just play it to wander around the streets!
Also yes, Beneath a Steel Sky is a must-see..!
August 23, 2009
VermithraxDagon said:
I’ve got a rare oldie, one that probably no-one’s familiar with: Immercenary for the 3DO. Very kewl videogame steeped in cyber-punk-esque setting & gameplay. One of my favs for the now-ancient console, I had a blast playing it back in the day. I’d highly recommend seeking it out and trying it.
Here’s also a link to a quick review on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu1-2B7Z-Yw&feature=PlayList&p=1160245CE1198080&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=54
-VermithraxDagon
October 21, 2009
Beatdevil said:
…and no-one says Circuit’s Edge?? Or Neuromancer??
seriously?
Maybe that’s going a bit too far back, but I mean, c’mon Gibson and Effinger helped define and popularize the genre…
play ‘em! they rock!
October 22, 2009
Stormtrooper Of Death said:
the BladeRunner CD-rom game is also very good. It has 2 versions, a german spoken version, and an english spoken version. You better buy/download the english version, as it contains some voices of some original BladeRunner actors (Hell yeah!). While the german dubbing voices are done by uh… germans,.. yeah.
October 28, 2009
FireSBurnsmuP said:
Actually, I haven’t played most of these games… looks like I really need to get up on my game with cyberpunk culture…
Anyways, My favorite cyberpunk-themed games are definitely “Galerians” (PSX) or “Syndicate” (PC, 1993).
I heard the description of “Sydicate Wars” and thought > “Syndicate Wars” was the sequel to “syndicate”, and I really enjoyed that game - I’ll need to pick up wars to see how good it is.
And “Galerians”, come on… It’s a game about a kid with no memory and intense psychic power who is trying to overthrow the influence of an all powerful AI in a dystopian future. Hard, and resident evil-esque, but very cool. It has a sequel for PS2, but it’s incredibly rare, and I haven’t had a chance to play it.
February 26, 2010
vagy said:
lol,.. eve online?
March 28, 2010
Gyndo said:
I cannot express how excited I am with Replika! http://www.replikagame.com/
January 1, 2011
unklesam said:
i have been re-playing through all the games your posters have listed. found a few i never got my hands on at release. i can’t wait for the new Deus Ex - it looks effin’ amazing.
i know the whole cyberpunk genre never got overly mainstreamed (at least not in any circles other than gamegeek i’ve ever seen) but so many of the gibson/stephenson-ian concepts are so thoroughly relevant to our time, it just doesnt make sense there havent been more games - especially ones that update and evolve the genre those writers defined.
here’s to hoping it changes! keep up the good work, cyberpunkreview and friends!
unklesam said:
oh, and earlier i noticed someone posted that they couldnt find burn cycle and a cd-i emulator, but there IS a pc version of burncycle. try torrentz.com (only to see that it exists, of course…) or any other tracker.
February 1, 2011
nanolathe said:
system shock 1+2 = awesome.
beneath a steel sky props to that! i had a demo of it for dos around ‘94 on a PC gamer or PC zone disc and always dreamed of owning the actual game. ( i was young) finally d/led it a few years back…brilliant. has a really good curious and deep atmosphere. dos cyberpunk adventure games ftw. i miss those old demo discs.
anyone remember this little gem? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhuc_tLnPRk
February 10, 2011
Severen Caine said:
I like to see someone take a game not too difficult to mod, like Max Payne 2 for example and give it a whole new RPG storyline and a really nice dark cyperpunk look, drenched in atmosphere.
Like a cross between Deus Ex/Syndicate & Blade Runner.
Eventually turning out something like Grand Theft Auto but with an abundance of neon tube lights, trench coats and hover cars.
Actually, I love it, someone please do this.
Warmest regards, Severen Caine.
April 15, 2011
tempestmichael said:
The list wasn’t bad,
but I really wouldn’t consider fallout a cyberpunk game.
It’s a post-apocalyptic game.
Yes, many cyberpunk themes include a post-apocalyptic theme, but that’s not all it takes to be cyberpunk.
It’s a specific style that I miss a whole lot.
neuromancer was definitely the most cyberpunk out of that whole list to me.
May 31, 2011
Zoidstar said:
Hi, I wrote that list some five years ago and only just got round to updating it. The new version can be found below along with a top ten steampunk list. I know I’ve missed out some classics and (now older and wiser) agree that Fallout 2 is not strictly cyberpunk :p
http://cultsoftware.blogspot.com/2011/05/top-10-cyberpunk-games-feature.html
http://cultsoftware.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-10-steampunk-games-feature.html
July 30, 2011
Vitti said:
Theres another obscure title for pc in the 90’s called ‘Angel Devoid’, it’s a cyberpunk drama where you play a detective who wakes up in a hospital with the face of the neo-terrorist crime lord you’ve been hunting, forcing you into the underground, dealing with shady types, avoiding the police, while you try to unravel the mystery behind the face change.
I’ll have to say Shadowrun for Genesis was the all time best cyberpunk game for me, though. Why they haven’t taken that openended take on a cyberpunk game since then is beyond me! All I want is an updated version, not the fraqing 1st person drivel that doesn’t even come close to the table top version, wtf was Shadowrun 360 all about!?
Vitti said:
A great cyberpunk/spacer rpg is ‘Hard Nova’. Several cp elements with a gritty openended space fairing mercenary party. Man Hunter series was my first exposure to gritty sci fi, and I can’t remember the name of the game, it’s abandonware, you play out the game in the “Budayeen” section of the Megacity, like adnd first person dungeon crawl, with tons of cyberpunk elements, skills, cyborg modifications, awesome rpg, look it up on abadonia or something like that.