Best Games for Your (Small) Budget - Microsoft
For the rest of the week, we will be covering some big-name titles that fit inside a specific budget for you all to enjoy. Today, we will be covering the Xbox 360 and PC. Tomorrow, we'll handle the Sony platform, and Friday will be Nintendo's big day. We will also release the full article on Friday as sort of a reference guide for those of you with multiple systems. I will interlink the articles after they have all gone live so you all can navigate between the pages. We hope you enjoy!
If you are anything like me, very rarely are you the kind of the person willing to, say, rush out to the midnight launch of a game to spend that $50/$60 to get the newest game on the block. Rather, I like to wait until months later when the game has dropped at least below half-off mark to make that dive. Nowadays, that moment seems to be happening a lot sooner even for the best titles -- even titles like Mass Effect 2 and Final Fantasy XIII dropped to "budget" status rather quickly after everyone who was planning on picking up a copy already did. Stores are starting to be far more competitive with some games even being offered huge gift cards for pre-ordering (for example, you can get a free $20 gaming credit at Amazon for picking up Fable 3).
Even if you don't consider yourself frugal, it doesn't hurt to be mindful of one's budget in this type of economy. For that reason, I would like to offer you my own personal list of the best games available now at some really incredible prices. The only rule I followed was that all of these games had to be sold at these prices brand new. You may be able to find a lot of these games at even lower prices pre-owned at a store like GameStop, but those can be rather hit and miss in terms of inventory and bundled materials. Just another heads up that any multiplatform games on this list can be found at a comparable price (and sometimes even for cheaper) on the other systems as they tend to stay in line with one another. Please enjoy!
Xbox 360
Under $30
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 is just another example on how masterful BioWare can be in creating an even greater experience on the second go-around (Baldur's Gate 2 being one of them), something that can be difficult to find in any entertainment medium. This science-fiction space opera has plenty of twists and turns, with an overwhelming amount of grandiosity and an appreciative nod towards meticulous ambition. We gave Mass Effect 2 a 95% in our review for the game. For newcomers, though, we definitely recommend picking up the original before giving this a try, of course. Otherwise, you might just be lost in space.
Record of Agarest War
Even if the special edition game arrived with rather... questionable accessories (it was called the Really Naughty Limited Edition and included a pillowcase of the main female protagonist and a mousepad with a picture of a chick complete with fake boobs sticking out of it), Record of Agarest War is a solid strategy RPG where battle takes plays on an isometric grid where each character has a set of moves and SP (special points) are accumulated after ever battle in order to build up to a devastating special attack. The game includes a unique dating sim called the "Soul Breed" system where new characters are created through relationships, with the child being the new protagonist in the next generation (5 generations in total) with the boy inheriting the skills and abilities of his parents. The game only features Japanese voice acting, with a disc-based release only for the Xbox 360 (it was released digital-only on the PS3). As you can probably tell already, the game is rather simplistic on the surface but offers a very deep "breeding" system and a lengthy storyline, with just enough charm, good-natured hilarity, and plenty of sexy anime-licious female characters that might make a fan out of you yet.
You also can jump on the bandwagon and pick up Dragon Age: Origins (Review Score: 84%) and Borderlands (Review Score: 91%) for the Under $30 mark, the latter of which only recently finally became a Greatest Hits title on both the Xbox 360 and PS3. Final Fantasy XIII is also available, but I will be covering that with the Sony article.
Under $20
Fable 2
Need a little warm up before the third title in the series comes out later this month? Why, how about arguably one of the best RPGs to come out on this generation of consoles? Fable 2 is an incredible experience showing just how Peter Molyneux can actually deliver a lot of his promises when he isn't too busy shoving his foot in his mouth. The game can be picked up on the real cheap side (the real low side of $10, to be exact), so if you haven't given this game a try, do so right away! You definitely do not need to have played the first to know what is going on here.
Lost Odyssey
From the creator of Final Fantasy (Hironobu Sakaguchi) comes a fantastic JRPG that embraces the traditional turn-based combat affair of its distant relative with a dash of tactical strategy to lead an all-star performance with great voice acting, a hauntingly beautiful score from legendary composer Nobuo Uematsu, and a highly mature story. With a game that spans an astonishing 4 disks, Lost Odyssey offers dozens of hours of highly-robust enjoyment that keeps finding ways to bring people back for another playthrough even years after its release. This game still packs a lot of value at a very low price point.
Risen
Sure, even if this game set its sights on becoming the next Oblivion and failed at doing so (like so many others), that doesn't mean that Risen is not a bad game. On the contrary -- it actually accumulated some rather positive reviews from critics. It was particularly praised for its powerful atmosphere, strong voice casting (including the works of Mr. Gimli himself, John Rhys-Davies!), and fantastic music that altogether crafts a highly immersive experience. If you're looking for something to fill your fantasy-adventure void until Fable III gets down to the budget line, Risen may just be your cup 'a tea.
Culdcept Saga
Culdcept Saga is a unique beast in that it plays like Magic The Gathering but inside a block-based board game. Players start their turn by throwing dice and moving around the board, claiming the spots that they land in as their own property. Instead of houses or hotels, characters call upon monsters to help defend these spaces against the other players if they attack or take the monetary toll that the opposing player is charged. The first person to make it all the way around the board with the most magic points wins the game. Each player's deck consists of 50 different cards with over 500 cards to collect, but more can be amassed through story progression, although you can still earn cards even if you lose (just a smaller amount than the winner). 4-player online battles can get pretty intense and enjoyable, with matches lasting over 5 hours long in some cases (which can be a pain if the tide changes in the middle of such a long battle). For those still unsure, you can download a demo of Culdcept Saga off of Xbox Live.
Under $10
Xbox Live Marketplace
Just like the PS3, the Xbox 360 offers a lot of great downloadable games. First and foremost, I recommend everyone checking out the Indie Marketplace, where you can find a treasure trove of diamond-in-the-rough RPGs from budding developers that still have that innocence of knowing the types of games we like to play and enjoy. All of these games can be had under the $5 mark, so you'll never have to break the bank to find some way to kill time. Who knows? Maybe it will inspire you to pick up a skill and make your own games.
Of course, there is also their "Games On Demand" feature available to Xbox Live Gold members. This list includes smash hits like Mass Effect, Fable, and Fallout 3. However, just like on the PS3, there are a lot of games here that are priced higher than what you can find in the stores, even with the original Xbox games. Check your closest video game retailer before you go and spend the money on these titles before you decide to max out your hard drive.
PC Games
There are certainly many different digital download services available out there, but for this article and for simplicity's sake, we will be focusing on the most popular one, Steam, as our program of choice. Of course, I recommend checking out sites like Amazon and Best Buy for other great deals on PC games outside of going the digital route. I'd also like to mention that pretty soon, Steam will be starting up its annual Holiday Sale where you'll be able to get a lot of games at incredible deals, so keep an eye out for that which usually begins at the beginning of December. Other digital download services should have their own as well.
Under $20
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
The Witcher is in my opinion one of the greatest RPGs of the decade, which is surprising considering the company had spent years mostly translating some of the biggest RPGs in the genre into their native Polish language including Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment. With a fantastic combat system that encompasses three different fighting styles; a deep alchemy system that allows players to create their own potions, oils and bombs;. and a soundtrack that can be considered to be among the best in the fantasy RPG genre (take a listen on Youtube if you are not convinced) , all of this comes together in a package that has had the entire industry talking. Be sure to pick up the Enhanced Edition of this title that provides a huge overhaul to the game, like cutting loading times by over 80% and over 200 new animations. If you haven't played it yet, you're basically committing a sin and need to repent by downloading this game now.
Recettear
From my review: All of these factors are very compelling, and make the game actually look intelligent in its approach. It makes me think that they have all of their bases covered for the things that would be taken into consideration when opening an item store. I could not help but feel quite pleased from this realization, and for someone like me who has a university degree in Marketing with a Retail focus, that's saying a lot. For a $20 game, you certainly won't be getting a game with the best graphics or the highest production values, but if what you are looking for is a well-made item-crafting, store-running, dungeon-crawling mashup with plenty of charm and humor, fan appeal, and high replayability, Recettear just might be the game for you for the money -- so long as you can bear the sudden upswing in difficulty.
Borderlands
Luckily for you PC owners, Borderlands is available at a much lower price point than on the 360 or PS3 with an MSRP of $20. Of course, you can sometimes find this title on sale on Steam for an even more outrageous $10, so keep a lookout for that!
Under $10
Mount & Blade
Mount & Blade is a superb medieval army-building sim from a husband and a wife who were looking at creating a game that they wanted to play. I really enjoyed having the ability to create a massive army in the thousands, and then going around raiding and pillaging towns and villages all in the name of the great King Zack. There isn't any music and the castle grounds are pretty much barren when you visit them, but what looks simple at first is very addictive under the surface and worth a try.
Free
The greatest benefit of being a PC gamer is, of course, all the free games that are available for download that you guys can check out on your own time.
Standard
Avalanche
It takes Final Fantasy VII and puts it into a third-person combat view, revisiting a lot of the locales found in the original game with the same characters and enemies with the story taking place shortly after the end of the game. Here is the title's synopsis: It has come to light that a hidden mako reactor continues to operate, now outside of the control of ShinRa. Cloud, Barrett, and Tifa take on the task of stopping the reactor, with Rufus gone missing. The player takes on the role of Tifa, with a large arsenal of special attacks and unique items at their disposal. A surprise release in 2009, I'm mystified why more people aren't talking about it considering the popularity of the series.
Super Mario RPG: The Seven Sages
Sure, it may be an RPGMaker-based game taking a lot of the resources from other Mario RPG titles, but there's plenty of original material to warrant the download. The story is as follows: A long time ago, when the word was still young, the lad was separated into seven kingdoms. The Elders of Star Haven foresaw conflict between the kingdoms as the greediness of the people became apparent. These elders requested a meeting with the original rulers of each of the kingdoms. They became Sages, guardians of their respective lands, and were sent back to the world as representatives from Star Haven. Seven Sages features 9 different Power Suits for combat, a full cast of characters from the Mario canon, and a carefully constructed mash up of everything that made the other Mario RPGs fun in a well-polished gift to fans.
Based off the popular RPG game, Dragon Age Journeys is a browser-based game spread across three episodes. Players can unlock achievements and special items by playing and completing this game. It's basically a very simplified version of Dragon Age on a 2D plane serving as one big promotional tool, but hey, it's free, so there's not a whole lot to complain about.
Massively Multiplayer
From Square-Enix comes Fantasy Earth Zero (FEZ), a game that before it was announced led many to believe was their next big MMO after Final Fantasy XI. Despite years in development, FEZ experienced a severe lack of demand and was later canceled. Gamepot, a new startup, picked up the publishing rights to the game back in 2006. It was finally brought live in November 2006 in Japan without a monthly charge. Since going subscription-free, the game currently boasts over 10 million user accounts, finally going live in the US on May 18th of this year. FEZ is a 3rd-person game with a manual point-and-click control scheme that puts a heavy emphasis on Player Vs. Player (PVP) action, with players able to amass armies of up to 50 players and organize a Kingdom vs. Kingdom (KVK, there's a pattern here) war. The graphics aren't great especially so many years after it was first released, but with the high amount of users in the game, I never had a time where there weren't full-blown battles going on, and these can be very exciting to participate in.
I had a chance to play Dragon Nest at this year's E3 when I wasn't getting my hands on another upcoming MMO from Nexon USA, Vindictus, but what I found when I got to play the game was actually a very fun title with an intuitive free-roaming combat system and a well-built physics engine. The writing was solid, with stronger plot elements than what you would usually find in a free MMO. I myself have been enjoying this game a lot as of late, so I recommend it to those looking for a game that is way more than typical fare.
Megaten (aka Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine)
Any fan of the Shin Megami Tensei games should give this surprisingly robust and highly enjoyable MMO, featuring a lot of the same famous characters from the series including Jack Frost. After a short tutorial, players (known as "Demon Busters" receive their own demons to control and use as their avatars to fight the different beasts in the world. Players can get new demons through "negotiating" where terms are agreed upon to create the pact. Players can then fuse these demons together to create even more powerful demons.
There are hundreds of other free MMOs out there, and it is very easy to find one to hook onto and enjoy. RF Online, Gunz, SUN, Gunbound, Ragnarok Online, Runescape... take your pick!
Modifications
For those of you who own other games like Half-Life 2 or Unreal Tournament 3, there are a huge wealth of great mods that are available to you absolutely free of charge. All of these mods provide the best examples for why you should pick these games up again (or dust them off after sitting in your closet for ages). Here is my list of the top RPG mods!
The Nameless Mod is one of the most ambitious projects to ever be constructed. Boasting over 59 levels of gameplay, two parallel story arcs, a built-in karma system, and a story with other 200,000 words of dialogue and 13,000 fully-voiced lines, this mod puts a brand new lease on life on this nearly-archaic title. While sitting around in development hell for many years (the game was finally released 7 years after production began), it certainly is a testament to what a bunch of guys can do out of their homes and without being paid a dime to do it.
To say this game completely overhauls what Diablo 2 is capable of providing its players would be a severe understatement. Median XL is a gargantuan of a mod, which is interesting considering how notorious this game is in its difficult of being moddable. With a brand new highly comprehensive skill tree implementing hundreds of new skills, painstakingly hard monsters, over 30 uberquests (extremely difficult challenges not for the faint of heart), and a ton new impressive crafting recipes, Median XL really is Diablo 2, extra-large.
Nehrim - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Nehrim starts off by creating an entirely new continent far and away from Cyrodiil. What follows is an impressive and polished experience that can be easily sold as a successful expansion pack to Oblivion. This mod provides 50 hours of fresh content, with 60 new quests all fully voiced by professional actors, new equipment, video sequences, and original soundtrack. Just this month, Nehrim finally released a translated version for us English folk, so it definitely deserves your attention.
What else needs to be said that isn't already said in the title? It's Fallout 2 -- ONLINE! It's everything you love about Fallout -- ONLINE, and... FREE! Using factions as a basis for the entire world and its economy, FOnline: 2238 offers many different experiences based on the path that you choose, some of which include: bounty hunting, brahmin trading, crafting, exploring, and general trading. Scavenging for resources, reading books to boost your skills and abilities, and killing and looting the bodies of your enemies are all standard fare in this dog-eat-dog world. So... download it already!
Obviously, I have not listed every RPG that is available at these pricepoints. There are plenty other games out there. If you don't see it on this list, please feel free to post the deals you have found below in the comments section!
As mentioned at the top, tomorrow we will go over what the PS3 and PSP have to offer!