Need some help deciding...

[JTuck]

I really did not want to make one of these threads (again), but after much research on biased websites and a lot of lackluster user-reviews from said biased websites, I just decided to come to you guys yet again. You helped me last time decide what game to buy, and I respect your opinion so much more than the other people's reviews I read, so without further ado...

I recently got a 16 GB USB drive, but I unfortunately already had one, so I decided to take it back to Wal-Mart to cash it in. I got $45, free for me to spend on whatever I want. This rarely happens to me, so I decided some self-indulgence was needed.

I started researching video games (360 mostly with the occasional PC), and I was just coming up with all of these great games that I haven't played. I tried narrowing it down to just a few, but I found that impossible to do.

Here are some that I came up with, just to name a few: Gears of War Series, Final Fantasy XIII, Red Dead Redemption, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Dead Space Series, Mirror's Edge, Oblivion (for PC, I only have it on 360), Age of Empires III, Alan Wake, Borderlands, Darksiders, and a few others that I am less enthusiastic about.

As you can see, I am generally a fan of everything, and most (I think all excluding Dead Space 2) of those games are in my price range. So, HIH, what do you think? Would you recommend any of those previously listed games to buy, or do you have any other ideas that might be worth buying? I'm looking for a game that has quite a bit of replay value that I can just keep coming back to.

Also, here are the games that I already own:

Oblivion (360), Dragon Age: Origins, Assassin's Creed Series, Bioshock, Fable Series, Halo Series, most of CoD Series, Super Meat Boy, N+, FIFA 11, Mass Effect Series, and The Orange Box. And I have played the hell out of all of these.

Thanks! Sorry for the wall of text by the way...

[harrybob22]

Originally Posted by JTuck

Here are some that I came up with, just to name a few:

Gears of War Series-A great series, now that they are old I'm not sure how much online you would really want to play but as far as what the campaigns have to offer as well as hoarde and not to mention the knoweledge of the games when the third one comes out makes this a good choice.

, Final Fantasy XIII,

Red Dead Redemption, One of the best single games I have ever played, I got really into the story as well as doing all I could in the world. As far as this goes it is a must play at some point, there is also free roam multiplayer and great dlc which i have not played.

The Dark Descent,

Dead Space Series, I loved dead space one and two, I beat them back to back on a sunday and a monday. The first one is a little boring but the second one is just amazing. Do not just play the second one I highly reccomend playing both, however once you beat them for me there was not much reason to go back. I really loved them though absolutely original and entertaining for about eight hours each.

Mirror's Edge,

Oblivion (for PC, I only have it on 360),

Age of Empires III,

Alan Wake A great seven hour game, playing it is like watching a movie. You become really involved and invested in the character and there is also some good dlc. I reccomend this also.

Borderlands,

Darksiders, I think this took me like twelve hours to beat, pretty simple but awesome combat system as well as a good story and awesome puzzles as well as worthwhile collectables make this a good choice.

[/size]

Overall I would have to say that if you can beat them quickly beside red dead and gears of war you would probably get just as much out of them if you rented them. Hope this helps.

[Dark Navi]

Nice list you have going there. I'll jot a few suggestions:

1) Depending on how much you love(d) Oblivion, as well as how many (if any) expansions you have, you may want to buy the PC version (Game of the Year Edition I think) that comes with all of them. The PC version really opens up the game with great mod support, opening up so many more features that make the game awesome.

1b) You may also want to look into Morrowind (TES 3), which was and still is a great game.

1c) I also suggest both of these because the November launch of TES V Skyrim is supposed to be pretty epic.

2) Borderlands is a really fun game. I got a few play throughs (at least two) off of it before it got too boring. I am not caught up with PC modding of it, but last time I checked there was some pretty awesome custom content out there, such as maps and enemies. Fun game for either PC or Xbox 360, but is the most fun when playing co-op with friends (which you can do on either platform).

3) Amnesia... Not so much a fun as thrilling. Had to force myself to play this, but I got bored pretty quickly. Entertaining and cheap, good combo for some people, but I would rather go for a game that keeps my attention for a longer span.

4) Age of Empires is a great game/series (if you are a real fan boy, you need Age of Mythology as well ). If you get the expansions, this game can be pretty entertaining for a while.

5) If you really like RTSs, but don't focus so much on combat, I suggest getting Anno: 1404 (http://anno.uk.ubi.com/pc/). I am not a huge RTS player, but my brother and my cousin both enjoy the hell out of this game. It focuses on building a civilization instead of just war. It is a bit complicated, but I anticipate that you may get entranced by it if you give it a try.

6) I suggest Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas because both a pretty decent games. I would get them for PC because of the expansions being cheap/free.

7) If you are a legitimate gamer, buy Minecraft and play with us!

Anyways, that is my rant. Feel free to ask any questions about anything I mentioned!

[JTuck]

@harrybob
I am definitely considering the Gears of War Series (there is a new triple pack they are selling with 1, 2, and 2's expansion), and with the upcoming release of 3, it would give me the chance to catch up with the series.

Red Dead Redemption is definitely my top console pick right now. I love the western idea, plus the open world aspect of it makes it seem much more worthwhile.

I am looking for a scare, so that is the reason Dead Space is in there. And you aren't the first person to recommend it to me. I will definitely consider picking up the first (since it is so cheap), and I probably could afford the second one (without buying the first), but you said to play the first one, so I may have to wait on getting Dead Space.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

Nice list you have going there. I'll jot a few suggestions:

1) Depending on how much you love(d) Oblivion, as well as how many (if any) expansions you have, you may want to buy the PC version (Game of the Year Edition I think) that comes with all of them. The PC version really opens up the game with great mod support, opening up so many more features that make the game awesome.

Mods would be the main reason that I would also pick up Oblivion for the PC. From what I've read, mods open up so many more possibilities in an already awesome game.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

1b) You may also want to look into Morrowind (TES 3), which was and still is a great game.

Yes, well unfortunately, as of recently I learned that I seem to have misplaced my Morrowind GOTY edition, but I still have all of the mods on my computer... :/

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

1c) I also suggest both of these because the November launch of TES V Skyrim is supposed to be pretty epic.

Skyrim does indeed look sick, yet another reason picking up Oblivion sounds like a good idea.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

2) Borderlands is a really fun game. I got a few play throughs (at least two) off of it before it got too boring. I am not caught up with PC modding of it, but last time I checked there was some pretty awesome custom content out there, such as maps and enemies. Fun game for either PC or Xbox 360, but is the most fun when playing co-op with friends (which you can do on either platform).

That seems to be the general consensus about the game; that it is best played with friends. I just heard that it was a pretty good shooter with good RPG elements in it, but it isn't exactly the highest on my list.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

3) Amnesia... Not so much a fun as thrilling. Had to force myself to play this, but I got bored pretty quickly. Entertaining and cheap, good combo for some people, but I would rather go for a game that keeps my attention for a longer span.

Those are the main reason for me including that game: cheap and can scare the piss out of me. Yet, I did hear that you can finish quite quickly if you spend enough time on it.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

4) Age of Empires is a great game/series (if you are a real fan boy, you need Age of Mythology as well ). If you get the expansions, this game can be pretty entertaining for a while.

Age of Mythology is actually what got me interested in RTS's. After that, I became interested with AoE 2, and then I had a lull (due to the Xbox 360) in computer gaming and soon lost interest.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

5) If you really like RTSs, but don't focus so much on combat, I suggest getting Anno: 1404 (http://anno.uk.ubi.com/pc/). I am not a huge RTS player, but my brother and my cousin both enjoy the hell out of this game. It focuses on building a civilization instead of just war. It is a bit complicated, but I anticipate that you may get entranced by it if you give it a try.

Wow. I'm speechless. I've been looking for a RTS game that focuses more on the building of a civilization rather than the war based RTS games like Civilizatoin and AoE. I am definitely going to consider this game. It definitely piqued my interest.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

6) I suggest Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas because both a pretty decent games. I would get them for PC because of the expansions being cheap/free.

I forgot to mention that I have played Fallout 3 (GOTY edition) for the Xbox, and it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I enjoyed it, but I just couldn't replay it as much as I generally could with Bethesda's game. I didn't follow the series onto New Vegas due to that fact.

Originally Posted by Dark Navi

7) If you are a legitimate gamer, buy Minecraft and play with us!

I hadn't exactly considered Minecraft, but I see some of the pictures you and the other people post in the Minecraft thread which are quite interesting. I don't exactly know anything about it. Would you mind explaining the concept of it?

Thanks for the help guys!

[laser]

I personally like Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (the recent series reboot from Burnout dev Criterion), but it might not be everyone's cup of tea. It's an interesting blend of arcade & simulation, with a semi open-world feel (you do race on tracks, but there's tons of variety and shortcuts).

Excellent graphics, suitable soundtrack. :)

[Shoe]

Mirrors Edge should be super cheap now and it's definitely a worthwhile and fun game. The story isn't very good, but the gameplay is just awesome.

Amnesia is also a great purchase. Scary as f.

[Dark Navi]

I write here today about a new and upcoming game in the works. Minecraft.


I only use the word new because it has yet to reach beta is now beta status, when in reality, the game is almost two years old.

Minecraft is a game about placing blocks while running from skeletons. Or something like that...

The solo developer on this game goes by the name of Notch. This guy has put months into this game, making it the game it is today. As of right now, you can score this game for a measly 10€ 15 now. This purchases the game in its current state, and all future updates, both single player and multiplayer. Minecraft is a must buy in my book.
This game will really bust your blocks the first time you play it. You spawn inside a world that is just for you, customized to your every need, at least after you have your way with it. You must mine, forge, scavenge, craft, and fight for your life as you manipulate the world around you. As you start to cut your first tree, dig your first hole, and punch your first pig, the sun sets and the fun ensues. As the scary monsters come out of the darkness, you must either hide or fight to the death with these viscous creatures of the night. These guys may only be 16-bit, but they pack a 64-bit punch when they hit.
After you sit through zombies blowing the schlapskie out of the base you made of quickly gathered dirt, you will be pleased to see that the sun does indeed rise once more. Then you start all over again; mine, forge, scavenge, craft, and fight your way to the best pokemon trainer adventurer you can be!
Here is a quick montage of the epic-sauce that gets pumped out of this game:

I do indeed like the Mudkipz.

That is right, just like Mario64, it snows.


F-F-F-F-F!


This game has epic landscape generation.

There we have it folks, head over to Minecraft.net to join the 300,000 Over 1 million now happy customers who have bought the game, and over 1 million tons, countless who have played!
Also, did I mention that it comes with a free strategy guide:

Minecraft is that + more.