The games that we
play (Part 2)
Call of Duty Black Ops
Price:
$49.99
An installment in one of the most successful modern-day
franchises, Call of Duty: Black Ops is an exceptionally realistic and intense
first-person shooter. The player goes on Cold War missions in Russia, Cuba,
Laos and Vietnam as a covert operative. Judging from the stunning graphics,
visceral action and varied gameplay, it’s easy to see why Call Of Duty is so
popular. And once you’re bored of the single-player mode, you can go up against
others in the multiplayer mode.
Crysis 2
Price:
$19.43
Boasting jaw dropping visuals, Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter
set in a ruined New York, which is under martial law following an alien attack.
The player takes a central role in reclaiming the Big Apple, working with a
team of commandos whose nanosuits imbue them with superhuman powers. Offering a
story as striking as the graphics, Crysis 2 is a showcase of PC action gaming.
Fallout: New Vegas
Price:
$24
In 2008, publisher Bethesda Softworks revived the nuclear
wastelands of the Fallout series with the release of Fallout 3. Featuring a
huge environment filled with characters and places to explore, the follow-up,
Fallout:
New Vegas, is thoroughly engrossing. Although it’s a role-playing
game, it also has first-person action combat sequences. This works well,
delivering satisfying results.
Mass Effect 2
Price:
$19.20
Is it a shoot-’em-up or a role-playing game? Mass Effect 2 is
both. It not only vastly expands the first game’s cast of characters and the
scope of the sci-fi story, but also adds prettier graphics, tighter combat and
frequently presents you with moral decisions. Although veterans of the original
will be more familiar with the story’s background, new players will quickly get
up to speed.
Minecraft
Price:
$20
Minecraft, the ultimate sandbox game, gives the player an
infinitely deep box of virtual Lego bricks for building pretty much anything.
Whether that’s castles and statues, electronic calculators, replicas of the
Starship Enterprise or just a simple safe house in which to survive a night of
zombie attacks, Minecraft makes the hours fly by.
Red Faction: Guerrilla
Price:
$15.29
Although this third-person shooter has a clear objective - your
task is to topple a totalitarian regime on Mars - the open environment of Red
Faction: Guerrilla lets you stomp off and do your own thing. The formula
effectively allows you to get to grips with the weapons and environments. Great
graphics, destructible environments and a high degree of ‘Wow, I can’t believe
I can do that!’ make this game a winner.
Rift
Price:
$15
Rift, a massively multiplayer online game, has quickly garnered a
fervent following. Featuring four customisable classes, the game offers a heady
mix of questing and dungeon crawling in a vast and beautiful environment. A
game that will easily consume weeks and months of play time as you level up
your character and earn ever-more powerful gear. Rift provides a constantly
changing experience.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
Price:
$44.99
The original StarCraft, a military game in a sci-fi setting, is
the most successful ever real-time strategy title. In Wings of Liberty, fans
get most of the things they loved about StarCraft, and plenty of new features.
Players command armies of specialised units and use them to wage war with other
players or a computer opponent across a wide variety of landscapes. StarCraft
II is tactical, strategic and creative - a war game unlike any other.
Torchlight
Price:
$14.49
Torchlight marries the whacking of loot-filled monsters with
terrific dungeon-crawling action. Players roam in randomly generated dungeons,
killing enemies and fulfilling quests. Torchlight stands out not only for its
sense of humour, but also for including a pet that fights alongside you and
that can instantly return to town to sell off items – a handy feature. It’s
compulsive.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
Price:
$29.99
Set in the futuristic Warhammer 40,000 universe, where human Space
Marines battle Orks, the elf-like Eldar and the bioengineered Tyrannid. Dawn of
War II alters the real-time strategy formula by eliminating resource gathering
and unit building. Instead, the player starts with a set number of customisable
units, supplemented by friendly units on the battlefield. Gameplay is intuitive
and fun, and it quickly teaches you to become a sophisticated tactician.
World of Tanks
Price:
$17.26
Developed in Belarus, this is the best tank warfare game we’ve
tried. Players jump into an American, German or Russian World War II tank and
enter battles where two teams of 15 fights for survival. Success yields credits
that let you upgrade your tank or buy a more powerful one. The game requires
you to use the tactical thought and strategy of a tank commander. With its
fantastic graphics, superb battlefields and impressive selection of
historically accurate tanks, World of Tanks is highly recommended.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Free
World of Warcraft is the most successful massively multiplayer
role-playing game in existence. Recently overhauled with the Cataclysm
expansion, it features a huge world, customisable characters and a bewildering
amount of things to do. Whether you want to explore, collect virtual items,
fight other players or just hang out, the game has something for everyone. And
now with its free-to-play option, you have no excuse not to try World of
Warcraft.
