Must own budget games
I own a very large collection of games (over 300 if you include PC & retro titles), and, admittedly, many of them were quite bad. This list shows my all time favourites which are all available for under £10 ($20, or 13 euros) at today's prices but outclass their next-gen equivalents - even if they are graphically inferior. They are mostly for 6th era consoles or their PC counterparts. Prices are an estimate based on the leading UK retailers and online retailers.
All the PC titles have around about the same minimum system requirements;
1 GHz Processor
256 MB ram
32 MB graphics card - with directX 9.0 or later
Windows - 98/2000/XP (vista is problematic)
The age rating abbreviations;
PEGI - used in Europe, often more condemning of ANY violence than other rating organisations. The UK Government is currently trying to get all titles in the UK judged by PEGI, as part of the video game witch hunt.
ELSPA - Another European age rating organisation, which I believe may be in place in the USA as well.
BBFC - The British board of film classification, an exclusavly British rating system which rates games more fairly, and is therefore being coerced out of rating games by my favourite people in the world; the Government.
1) Star wars Knights of the old republic (KOTOR)
Price - £5-£20
Released - 2003
Developer - Bioware
Publisher - Lucasarts
Platform/s - Xbox, PC
Genre - RPG (Role Playing Game)
Age rating - PEGI 12
A RPG offering real depth, an engaging storyline, good graphics and brilliant Gameplay. Admittedly this game will cost more than ten pounds on the web - which is the only place that can really be found. I would recommend getting the "best of Star Wars" pack, which contains the five best Lucasarts releases (KOTOR, Battlefront, Empire at war, Jedi outcast and republic commando) and is available for £15 to £30.
2) Star wars Battlefront
Price - £4 -£8
Released - 2004
Developer - Pandemic studios
Publisher - Lucasarts
Platform/s - PS2, Xbox, PC
Genre - FPS (first person shooter)
Age rating - PEGI 12
The last star wars game, I promise. This game makes it onto the list for a mixture of good portrayal of the great battles of Episodes 1,2,4,5 and 6 and its gritty soldier-on-soldier representation of the fighting, meaning that you respawn as another unit if you get killed. Unlike other games, you are just as tough as your enemy and have to adapt to more clever methods to turn the tide in the battle.
3) Mercenaries (original)
Price - £6+
Released - 2005
Developer - Pandemic studios
Publisher - Lucasarts
Platform/s - PS2, Xbox
Genre - Free roaming 3rdPS (third person shooter)
Age rating - PEGI 16
As you may have noticed, Mercenaries shares the same Developer & publisher as Battlefront. It follows the progress of the character you chose as he/she work their way around gathering "Intel" from... err ... varied sources (including a paranoid mob leader and a former CIA agent) to find important people in, ands ultimately capture the leader of, a nuclear regime that threatens the world. If any of this sounds cheap, take my word for it - it isn't. In a very simple equation; Mercenaries = brilliant.
4) Grand Theft Auto; San Andreas
Price - £8-£14
Released - 2004/2005
Developer - Rockstar North
Publisher - Rockstar games
Platform/s - Ps2, Xbox, PC
Genre - Free roaming 3rdPS
Age rating - PEGI 18/ BBFC 18
Now officially the bestselling PS2 game, this title includes a very large map, variety of weapons, bodily functions and fitness needs - a real in-depth game that does not lose the heart and soul of what GTA is (like GTA 4 did). But more than this, GTA is based on a sandbox engine so anyone with basic PC knowledge can edit almost anything into the game, from clothing to 100 metre tall bulldozers (my cousins favourite).
5) Fable; the lost chapters
Price - £5-£17
Released - 2004/2005
Developer - Lionhead studios, Robosoft technologies
Publisher - Microsoft game studios
Platform/s - Xbox, PC
Genre - RPG
Age rating - PEGI 16
A good RPG, with World of Warcraft style characters and graphics. It's in a much lower league than games like KOTOR, but still offers good fun, with a humorous approach taken to medieval style violence, a decent length and a huge depth to interaction with the world. This is the extended version, which has been edited in terms if length, items, voices etc.
6) Canis Canem Edit
Price - £6+
Released - 2006
Developer - Rockstar Vancouver
Publisher - Rockstar Games
Platform/s - Wii, PS2, Xbox 360
Genre - Free roaming/ Adventure
Age Rating - BBFC 15
Continuing Rockstar's controversial career is Canis Canem Edit, the most controversial BBFC 15 ever released. It changed its name from Bully because of sheer outrage, and now sits in 3rd place being only GTA and Manhunt in terms of persecution. I would not actually advise this game for anyone under 15 (parents), because, whereas other games may include much more gore, the violence in this game if focused around a schoolyard style setting, where it is much easier to connect with the violence in this game than in other's.
Putting controversy aside, this game is actually quite good. It features the same sandbox engine (no modding due to no PC release) as GTA and incorporates a similar attitude; a lone figure rising to control the corrupt masses, with violence against vigilante figures justified by their own corruption. A very good game for someone who is headstrong enough not to be influenced by its... darker features.
7) Timesplitters; Future Perfect
Price - £3- £7
Released - 2005
Developer - Free Radical Design
Publisher - EA Games
Platform/s - PS2, Xbox, Gamecube
Genre - FPS
Age rating - BBFC 15
The third in the very successful Timesplitters series. It plays as a modded and improved (by maybe 40%) version of the Ultra-Successful Timesplitters 2. Though it has a story mode which bests most FPS games, its main focus is on the hugely in-depth multiplayer, in which game type, characters, strength of characters, weapons, maps, music (list continues for 6-7 more lines) can be chosen. Through the endlessly adaptable multiplayer, additional "league" challenges, online play and a map creator Timesplitters; FP truly solves the ancient FPS curse of non-existent replay value. A true must buy title.
8) James Bond; Nightfire
Price - £3
Released - 2002
Developer - Eurocom, Gearbox Software
Publisher - EA games
Platform/s - PS2, Xbox, Gamecube
Genre - FPS
Age rating - PEGI 12
The cheesy story and flamboyant characters are excused by, another, incredible multiplayer. Despite being released three years before Timesplitters; FP, it holds many of the features, like adaptable bots (you can even choose your bots personality), interactive maps (cable cars, lifts etc) a good variety of famed Bond weaponry (though admittedly no editable weapons slots) and a large choice of game types. Better than Timesplitters? No, but worth looking in to all the same.
9) HALO
Price - £4-£10
Released - 2001/2002/2003
Developer - Bungie Studios, Gearbox Software
Publisher - Microsoft Game studios
Platform/s - Xbox, PC
Genre - FPS
Age rating - PEGI 16
Trying to ignore the fact that I'm suggesting you buy something that enjoys most of its time with degenerate Xbox owners (no wait that's the Xbox 360), so yes I feel no shame in recommending it. The game covers all the basic areas (Sound, graphics etc), quite well, and is actually very engaging for a while. I feel that is has really been let down by the Gameplay, which are (though imaginative & interactive) very repetitive. This game represents a big budgeted, good attempt at a new and innovative type of FPS, and - to a point - it has succeeded. The weapons, characters, enemies, vehicles etc are well modelled, and add up to a large portion of the games success. Overall; should I buy it? Yes. Is it as perfect as Xbox fanboys will tell you? No. Is it worth subscribing to Xbox live for? Only if you have at least 3-4 other good online play capable games.
10) Half-Life
Price - £2-£5
Released - 1998/2001
Developer - Valve Software
Publisher - Sierra, EA games, Valve
Platform/s - PS2, PC
Genre - FPS
Age rating - PEGI 16
Half-Life is based around the black mesa compound, and the events that occur after a "resonance cascade" gives a hostile alien force its chance to teleport across and take the base, for starters. You follow the progress of Gordon Freeman, a young PhD who manages to survive and escape the compound (as well as help others to) due to his hazardous materials suit's (HEV suit) protective properties. You come to work for the mysterious and elusive "G - Man", who will come to a different light in later titles.
So we come to the actual Gameplay. The 2001 PS2 port still was still revolutionary, though not nearly as much as its 1998 PC release. It still enjoys an active playing audience, and its outdated graphics are rarely commented on due to its sheer genius in terms of integrated puzzles and brilliantly evolving Gameplay. Better than COD, Medal of honour or any FPS for that matter. Maybe something for more ... mature gamers. The ultimate PC title.
11) Half life 2
Price - £3-£8
Released - 2004
Developer - Valve Corp
Publisher - Valve Corp
Platform/s - Pc, Xbox (ported to Xbox 360 and Ps3 in The orange box pack)
Genre - FPS
Age rating - PEGI 16
I am not a valve fanboy. I haven't added Halo 2 or battlefront 2 etc because I feel that the sequel does not reflect the original. Half-Life 2 makes its way on the list all by itself. So why is it on the list?
Well first of all it borders on Next Gen graphics, has a physics engine (source) that seems to exceed that of the actual world and, like the hugely expansive map, the story has also boomed onto a whole other level. Basically, in terms of programming, this game is 10,000% of what Half-Life was.
But is it better than Half-Life? GTA4 had more detailed programming than HL2, no doubt, but that failed spectacularly. If you read online forums people either prefer HL1 or can't decide. No one wants to belittle HL1; it more or less introduced the idea of a physic engine, and was the fist modern style FPS. Buy either, or both.
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