Games I think you should own and play why: Team Fortress 2 I currently lead a slightly disfunctional but fantastic clan in this game. We've been together for over two years now, and last summer we went to i40. i40 is a lan event, which for those of you that don't know, means basically a load of people (2000, in this case) all pick up their computers from their basements and take it to a big room (or several) to play games together IN PERSON. Now, I know a lot of you will probably have reservations about lan parties, or feel that it's not 'proper' for you to do that; but let me tell you, the lan party was a fantastic event and a memory I treasure. We're all excited for i43, the next event when it rolls around in August! Anyway... So we took part in the TF2 tournament at i40, and got mauled, but the final was between Team Dignitas and Epsilon Gaming. The video I'm going to post below has a lot of footage of the tournament, but the best bits are of the final. Extremer going huge, Darn's medic kill, the huuuge spy plays. If you can't bear to watch 10 minutes of fun, skip to 8.33, and watch that sequence. The score was 4-5, or 3-4, or something, and Epsilon had to cap that point to force overtime or Dignitas would take the tournament (and a £5000 prize pot!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVcY6PrdJ5c Aside from the competitive aspect, I'm surely many of you already own TF2, and will agree with me that public play is hilarious. TF2 is a must have, and is a bargain, especially with the steam sale on over the new year. Starcraft 2 Almost everyone has heard of Starcraft, whether you've played it, whether you use the term zerg rush, whether your friend has mentioned it to you (which he should have, I talk about it constantly to two of my friends and they have no idea what I'm on about). Starcraft is a fantastic game with a deep and long learning curve, and best of all, immediate enjoyment. From Bronze league to Diamond, you are having fun. As soon as you understand the mechanics of the game, you can watch higher level games, which are even more fun than playing. It is fascinating to watch any of the big names, Fruitdealer, Jinro, MC, idra, Huk, any of them. What makes Starcraft really great though is one man. Some of you will know him, too many will not. His name is Sean Plott. He's better known by his alias, Day[9]. Day9 has a 5 day a week show, about an hour long, where he performs analysis on Starcraft games and helps lower leveled players get into the game. If you don't play Starcraft, then I am dissapointed, but if you play Starcraft and don't watch Day9, shame on you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch8mFRKeYpo This is a fairly simple, short game which shows off many of the awesome and fun things about Starcraft. It's tough, it requires skill, there are awesome plays you can make and it's always, always exciting. The video you should really watch is this one, though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJztfsXKcPQ This is an hour 50 minute video of Day9 talking about his life since he bought Starcraft, specifically about his experiences in Starcraft. Sounds boring, or weird? Well, it is kind of weird, but it's not boring. It's better than most films, and if you have the time, I wholeheartedly reccomend watching this video. Heroes of Newerth HoN is a dota - defence of the ancients - clone, much like League of Legends or the incoming DOTA2 from Valve. However, HoN is the best. HoN has the steepest learning curve, the coolest devs, the worst community, the best gameplay. I can't think of any amazing HoN videos to show you so I'm gonna be shameless and show you one of mine, I'm not great and this video was taken a long time ago, so that's my disclaimer. Maliken is a hero who has a skill which heals him everytime he attacks, so that's how I am able to stay alive in the video on incredibly low hp for a long time. It's only 2 minutes long! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdFgH92hTWk HoN is a perfect test of your decision making, and is a fantastic game. I've poured hundreds of hours into all of my games, TF2 foremost, but none in such a short a timespan as I have played HoN in. It can be tough to get started, to get past the absolutely horrific community (I mean really, they just want to see you suffer. The enemy team is just glad you're playing.), but it's worth it. Europa Universalis 3 This is a game by Paradox. I won't show you a video of it because it may as well be text based. It's graphics are awful and all they're used for is unit markers and a map. I won't even show you a screenshot incase you run away at that. But let me tell you; This game is amazing. If you've played Total War and felt yourself skeering towards autoresolve, this is something you should try. If you've ever played some sort of game where you took on the world, this is something you should try. If you've ever played a game, this is something you should try. You take control of a country - any country - on a timeline between 1399 and 1821. Then you play it in real time, and decide whether to make your nation into a conquering superpower, a haven for colonists, or just try to survive against the endless hordes of China and The Golden Horde. It's complicated to get into, but infinitely rewarding. If you need more pushing, read Dusty's AAR. This is a retelling of his 'Rise and Fall of the Transylvanian Empire'. It's a great read, especially if you're into history. It showcases the game perfectly and is what convinced me to buy the game myself. You can lose yourself in the world of EU3, and you should. Civilization V If you've heard of turn based strategy, you've heard of Civilization. This is the final game of my 5 games which I consider to be current and unmissable. Civ5 is a game where you build your nation from one village into a sprawling empire, however you want. Sounds kind of similar to EU3, well, it isn't. They offer very different styles and satisfaction, and both are fantastic. The average game of civ takes about 10 hours, and of course you can save and resume whenever you want. [spoiler=The invasion; pictures] This was from my first game of CivV, needless to say I won. It's a game which you'll keep coming back to with a timeless love, and doesn't age. I was still playing games of Civ4 right up to the release of 5, and I expect I'll be playing 5 for a long time yet. -- Those are five games I think you should play right now. They're not genre definers, or classics, but they offer fantastic gameplay and enjoyment and are worth delving into. I could have listed a stereotypical list of Deus Ex, Counter-Strike 1.6, Call of Duty 2, Quake, Morrowind, but I didn't. There are hundreds more games you should play, Bad Company 2: Vietnam, Counter Strike Source, Portal, Trine, Total Wars, Minecraft. -- Oh god I'm a fanboy for Day9
