Gamer's Corner: March

Monday, 22 March 2010 09:24

March can be quite an aggravating month for your average gamer. Following the tremendous money drain at Christmas, the partying of New Year’s Eve and the extravagance of Valentine's Day (yes, believe it or not, gamers do date), wallets across the gaming world are quite empty. Yet, the hunger for playing those titles won't go away.

By Brad McKay

It just doesn't seem fair. Every month, a whole slew of amazing games come out, and you're missing out.

But you don't have to be.

Unless you have an amazing job or absolutely no bills, chances are there are a few titles you have never had a chance to fully enjoy, or possibly even play at all.

Quite recently, I reinstalled the original BioShock on my computer to refresh my memory for this month's review. I had only briefly played the title before and never had a chance to give it another glance.

What I (re)discovered was a game full of amazing graphics, a story most Hollywood writers would kill to craft and an FPS engine that had its own individuality to it. Simply put, I found a game that was worth my time, even though it was almost three years old.

The best part is, I paid a whopping $12 for it at a used games store—a fraction of what new games cost—and was having a good time.

These kinds of games are sitting out on store shelves, waiting for someone to pick them up and play them, and they will cost you very little out of pocket. Some titles exist under a “Greatest Hits” section and usually go for less than $20. Others can be found in stores as “used titles,” and again, go for a lot less than their original cost, which goes down even more as time goes by. Finally, one great, rarely used source for older titles can be flea markets. You'd be surprised at what you can find for next to nothing.

So, while trying to balance your game budget, you won't have to sacrifice good gameplay, or those 3am trips to Taco Bell.

Review: BioShock 2
5 Stars
Ever had something so amazing that you did not sleep for two days, just so you could enjoy it to its fullest extent? Well, if you have not, then you need to pick this title up. The title takes everything that made the original great, improves those features and adds a whole slew of new goodies, creating an experience that will keep the controller glued to your hands. In this follow-up, you play as Big Daddy Delta (yes, you get to play as a Big Daddy), whose only goal is to locate his little sister. They are the first two to actually be successfully bonded together. The graphics are amazing, the sounds will creep you out and the game play is top-notch. If I had to choose a downside to the game, it would be the multiplayer feature, which just feels tacked on.