Holiday Buyers' Guide to Video Games
TEH. BEST. GAMES. EVAR.
By Andr'e Swartley
Holiday Buyers' Guide to Video Games
Day 2: PC Games
My earliest memory of playing video games at home is watching my brother play Space Invaders on our Texas Instruments TI-99 home computer. I was born in 1979 and the TI-99 was released in 1981, so the timeline fits pretty well. At any rate, for the next 25 years or so, I played all of my games on PC.
Gaming PCs are and have always been the best of the best in terms of raw power and adaptability. And the cost of these advantages is, well, the cost. You can buy a decent gaming rig for under $1,000, but the step from "decent" to "cutting edge" can run you another $2,000-$5,000. However, for those of you buying gifts for those most discerning gamers, the list below is sure to please.
First, a recap of game genres (for more detailed explanations of each, please refer to yesterday's guide to Nintendo games).
Action Game
Adventure Game
Fighting Game
First-Person Shooter (FPS)
Platformer
Puzzle Game
Racer
Roleplaying Game (RPG)
Simulator (Sim)
Sports Game
Strategy Game
Survival Horror
Windows PC
Dragon Age: Origins, $49.99, rated M for Mature
Do you read the Lord of the Rings trilogy every few months? Do you get annoyed when people refer to Lord of the Rings as a "trilogy" when Tolkien CLEARLY wrote the story as six separate books? Are you furious that no one can seem to make an outsanding Lord of the Rings game? Look no further than Dragon Age: Origins. For your money, you'll enjoy a classic 50-hour high fantasy story full of trolls, ogres, mages, and, yes, dragons. The ridiculous amount of sidequests and optional character interaction could easily run you another 100 hours. If you only get one game per year, this one might well keep you busy until next Christmas.
Empire: Total War-Strategy Game, $39.99, rated T for Teen
The Total War series made a name for itself by allowing you to control two distinct levels of warfare across mainland Europe in the 18th century. You expand and conquer your way across land and sea, both as a supreme commander, moving armies across the map similar to Risk, and as a frontline general, commanding individual troops and battalions. You begin with a choice of several countries to represent, and the campaign for each will take days to complete. While fighting is bound to be the dominant part of a game called Total War, there are also portions of the game that require diplomacy. Anyone with aspirations to world domination should check it out.
The Orange Box-First-Person Shooter, $19.99, rated M for Mature
Silent, bearded protagonist Gordon Freeman has been a video game icon since the original Half-Life knocked everyone's socks off in 1998. The Orange Box is a compilation of that game's outstanding sequel, Half-Life2, the two expansions, Half-Life2 Episodes 1 and 2, the online-only Team Fortress 2, and a puzzle game called Portal. A couple of these games have been out for several years already, but every single one of them games would still be worth twenty bucks or more by itself, especially the amazing Portal. The cake is not a lie.
Happy shopping, PC owners! Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Playstation edition of the Icon's Holiday Buyers' Guide to Video Games.
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Saturday, May 3, 2025
- Pirate baseball win vs. Tigers
- Bluffton softball edged in battle of Pirates
- Committee meetings scheduled for Bluffton Council
- #1 recommended attraction in NW Ohio is in Ada
- Mental Health Awareness event with Seth Gehle
- Ohio highway patrol promoting motorcycle safety
- Recap of Bluffton Board of Education meeting for April 2025
- Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term
Friday, May 2, 2025
- BHS seniors exhibit art at Gallery 323 through May 7
- What's in your weekend?
- Pirate softball blanked by Lancers
- Pirate baseball blanked by Lincolnview
- Laman Promoted to VP Retail Credit Manager by CNB
- Local land conservancy hires first Executive Director
- Steiner to present Swiss Family Migration program on May 21
- 850 Days of Caring volunteers will pitch in for Hancock County
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Angel M. Langhals owned LFE/API Meters
- Allen Co. task force targets target sex and human traffickers
- Blessing of the Bikes, May 4
- Metzger honored at 2025 Black Swamp Council meeting
- Volunteer invitation for Bluffton Pathway Count in May
- Pirate tennis edges Ottawa-Glandorf
- Bluffton EMS station staffing goes 24/7 on May 1
- You are what you eat: Link to immune system
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Observation deck added to Motter Park cascading pools project
- Bluffton Women in Business meet May 15
- Four sportsmen stock 200 trout at Buckeye Lake
- Pirate girls, boys 2nd at Minster track quad
- Pirate baseball win vs. Riverdale
- Pirate softball loss vs. Riverdale
- Field reports from NW Ohio wildlife officers