Broke and Bored? Felix has the answer

Ahead of you, dear reader, be you fresher or a returning student, is a substantial (or perhaps not so substantial) amount of work. To provide some relief from the never ending coursework and lab reports, this article will try to introduce you to some games that will serve you well this year, without breaking the bank. These games, while not the newest you will ever see, have a lot of replay value and are easily worth their money. In fact, comparing them to some of the new stuff out there, I would take these any day. I try to split these beauties into their different genres, so that you get a quick overview of the games on hand.

Minecraft

If you haven’t heard of Minecraft, then you should get out from under that rock you have been living under. It has been the sensation of the indie gaming world, propelling its creator Magnus (Notch) Persson to game-creator stardom. In fact it has been so successful that several characters and features of the game have entered popular culture.

The idea behind this game, is that you are a blockheaded character, who is stranded in a cube world and must survive in any way. Simple, right? And that is the greatest feature of this game, it is easy to play and you can play anyway you want. If you want to be a rugged explorer, a creative artist or an ingenious redstone (electricity equivalent) engineer this game allows you to do exactly that. This freedom and lack of pressure is liberating, and is a great way to wind down after an exam (or even before if you feel foolhardy).

A great thing about this game is the fact that you get free updates pretty much from the point you bought it, which means every so often something new will come in that will change your game experience. Furthermore the modding society is very active as well, meaning if you do ever get bored there are tons of things to look for!

This game is for all those casual gamers looking for a game that won’t break the bank and that is relatively easy in terms of learning curve, yet very engrossing. Even for all you hardcore battlefield and COD players - try it, you may actually like it!

Price: €20 on the website (for PC/Mac version)

Platform: PC, Mac, Xbox 360, iOS and Android

CounterStrike Source/Global Offensive

It is hard to believe that this game started out as a mod of half life. It was so successful as a mod, that it made it into its own game. This is pretty much the big daddy of all modern FPSs and really should not be missed out if you are a fan of that genre. With Valve’s Source engine, these two versions are really top notch games that can perform at comfortable levels for most PCs.

There is no story or anything of the sort. The only thing you do is sign on to various servers (community or official) that have different types of game modes. It varies from the casual gun game, to the very competitive official hostage/defuse missions. Then you play rounds based on those modes.

This way of playing is very effective and entertaining, as you don’t really need to invest a lot of time for a lot of fun. At the start you may have to learn the ways of the game, but after that its all very well balanced. The fact that you can drop in and out of servers, as well as the fact that each round on average lasts about 5 minutes max, means that this game can be used perfectly for that short study break that you afford yourself.

One of the reasons that this game will rack up the hours is the input of the community, which is very vibrant in both GO (Global Offensive) and Source, and has lead to multiple modifications of the standard Counter-terrorist versus terrorist default modes. You can go from the most casual sniper deathmatches, to very intense zombie maps very easily.

Getting one of these games is the easy choice, the hard part is deciding which one. Source has a bigger community, as well as having bigger variations on the defaults modes, and seems less buggy. Global Offensive (cheaper one) is newer, has better graphics, and handy official servers as well as the community ones. Also the learning curve is a bit gentler for the initiate. However in the end it doesn’t really matter which one you get, you will pour a ton of time into it.

Price: £13.99/£11.99 on steam

Platform: PC and Mac

Mount and Blade: Warband

Of all the games I have talked about, this one here is my favourite and possibly the one that most people won’t know, which is quite a shame. Made by the turkish studio TaleWorlds, this indie game perfectly captures that adventure feeling. Basically you are an adventurer dumped in the medieval lands of Calradia, and you can do what you like. Want to go and marry one of the local beauties? Go ahead. Want to become a slaver? Do that! Want to become a king and rule the entire continent? You can! This flexibility means that you can pour hours upon hours within this game. Furthermore the modding community is extremely vibrant in this game, allowing for just general updates to the gameplay, to complete Star Wars rewrites, and the best thing about all these mods are for free. Therefore for the price of one game, you can get all the wonders the internet has done to this game.

The gameplay itself is great, managing to make the hack and slash/bow and arrow mechanics of the medieval times intuitive and easy to use, so moving down countless enemies is extremely satisfying. The graphics, while not the best, are nonetheless very detailed and beautiful. The creators of this game have created a very well fleshed out game which is immersive and fun to play. Every option is pretty much left up to you and makes each game that you play different.

If you are looking for a mix between Total War and Skyrim with a little bit of Crusader Kings mixed in, then look no further than this great game. Its a great way to cool off in stressed filled times as there is not a lot of thought involved, just a lot of fun. Get it, for this price you will not regret it.

Price: £13.99/£11.99 on steam

Platform: PC and Mac

Game: Portal 2

About two years ago, this game was the thing. Everyone who called themselves a gamer had this game. It was the sequel to the highly acclaimed Portal, which was so original it was a breath of fresh air in the game industry, and did not fail to live up to its predecessors hype, becoming immensely successful. Even though now this game is slightly older, it has lost none of its magic touch.

The premise of this game is that you are a test subject of the mysterious Aperture Science company. It seems some mishap has happened and the facilities are abandoned, so you must find your way out of the testing facilities using your own, very amazing, portal gun

The story itself is a direct follow on from the previous iteration, and just like before it is extremely well crafted and combines well with the colourful characters. The dialogue itself is so well written, that at some points I couldn’t help laughing out loud. Due to a combination of all these things the game is completely immersive, and it is really easy to forget you are playing a game. For example you have the tutorial, which in normal games is the part that most players skip, as it just is quite boring in tedious. However in Portal 2, I didn’t even feel like I was playing a tutorial, it was just that good. Trust me, you will laugh.

Furthermore, there is a great co-op mode, which is really fun to play, and just adds to the whole experience. If you have your eyes on someone in your dorm, this could be your tool to break the ice! The graphics while not at todays standards are still very good, the scenery of the puzzles and attention to detail in each level is outstanding. Furthermore since this game is a bit older, you should be able to run it beautifully on your machine at the highest settings.

All in all this game is a real must have. If you haven’t gotten it already, then get it because for the price you will rarely get something that good. And if you are feeling the pressure, listening to weird robots and shooting portals with your own portal gun will always relieve the stress.

Price: £14.99 on steam

Platform: PC and Mac

In Conclusion:

There are tons more games that I didn’t mention, and probably some that you wish I had mentioned. Torchlight 2, Medieval 2 Total War, Super Meat Boy etc. The games you did read about had a average rating of 86.5 on IGN, so somehow they must have been ok. Considering what is coming your way, please for your own sanity, get these games (any games), as they will really help you relax in times of stress!