Monday, August 24, 2009

Double-Take 09

Lets face it, games are expensive these days. Keeping up with new releases can cost a fortune. $60 for one game? That's just crazy, but fear not (cheap) comrades. For I have compiled a list of pushed aside titles that are ripe for the takin'.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3
*1-24 Players, WW2 First Person Shooter*

Unfortunately Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway was overlooked when it first came out, but with solid reviews and fast-paced strategic gameplay, BIA continues to improve upon it's original style that paved the way for a truly unique and yet familiar FPS experience. You control your squad via easy point and click commands, issuing orders like 'take cover' and 'suppress the enemy' take only seconds to learn. Yes it's another World War 2 game, but its great story and fresh take on the shooter genre make this ride well worth it. Unlike most FPS's or even action games in general, BIA's deep character building and phenomenal voice work make you actually care for the men under your command and their plight. There are no nameless soldiers that constantly plague the average war game. BIA is a lengthy experience and at only $20 it's well worth it.


Final Fantasy XII
Platform(s): Playstation 2
*1 Player, Japanese Role Playing*

This Final Fantasy is unlike others in the series in a good way, it was done by Yasumi Matsuno. The man responsible for the spectacular FF: Tactics and Vagrant Story. You play as Va'an, a street kid who dreams of becoming a sky pirate. You end up getting intermingled with some powerful people and off you go into another great FF storyline. What's different is there are no random encounters, you choose who you want to fight and when. If you want to level up your character, you can do that. If you want to get somewhere quickly, there are no annoying battles in your way anymore. This is a natural evolutionary step for role playing games and it's just in time. One of my biggest gripes with older FF titles was being forced to waste time, fighting laughably weak enemies I didn't want to fight in the first place. Not anymore though, oh no sir, this game addressed numerous problems that have kept past RPGs back, and at only $12, it's a must-have.


Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection
Platform(s): Playstation 2
*1 Player, Third Person Stealth Shooter*

Metal Gear and the Metal Gear Solid series has been going strong for over 20 years now, why not catch up with the best MGS collectors package to date? At only $30 for three of the biggest games of the PS2 era, this collection is a great deal.
One of the coolest features here, is the included Metal Gear Solid 2 which is actually the revamped MGS 2 substance, and Metal Gear 3 is the updated MGS 3 Subsistence. Sadly, MGS 3's multiplayer is not included and you must have an original PS1 memory card to save MGS 1, even though the disc is PS2 formatted. Which is just plain regrettable on Konami's part.


Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
Platform(s): Xbox 360, Playstation 3
*1-16 Players, Third Person Action Adventure*

One of the first, and best, Xbox 360 games is now only $10. Lost Planet is an amazingly cool single-player adventure with 16 player multiplayer to boot. I haven't seen snow so realistically rendered, whether you're trudging through it on foot or in one of the many battle mechs, its fluffiness will entice Floridian and Canadian gamers alike. Featuring 11 single player missions and countless online opponents to face, you'll rarely put Lost Planet back into it's case once you start playing.


Other Mentions with Listings...

$10-Far Cry
$10-Resident Evil 4
$10-Dragon Quest VIII
$15-Mass Effect
$15-Dark Cloud 2
$15-Blue Dragon
$15-Devil May Cry 4
$15-Kingdom Hearts 2
$18-Skate
$20-Chrono Trigger
$20-Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
$20-Army Of Two
$20-Assassin's Creed
$20-The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Game of the Year Edition)
$20-Ninja Gaiden 2
$20-Burnout: Paradise
$20-Battlefield: Bad Company

It's not a budget title, it's not even technically a game, but Valve's complete pack is a one time fee of $100 which gives you every game they've ever made. This includes an insane amount of titles like Half-Life 1, 2, all the expansion packs, Left for Dead, Day of Defeat, Day of Defeat Source, Counter Strike, Counter Strike Source, Portal, Team Fortress, Team Fortress 2, and more. If you're a PC gamer, there really is no excuse to pass this up.

$100-Valve Complete Pack

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