Video Game Vixen!

Good day everyone! I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, so there is only on thing that means... Video games until my eyeballs fall out! I'm not quite sure what it is, but any time I don't feel well, I pop a game into the 360, grab a glass of Sprite, cuddle up under a blanket and shoot things all day long. I think it might just be the cure to the common cold. The post today is going to be me talking about some of my most favorite games ever. What you need to know about me is that I rarely get a new game. Generally speaking, I find a few games that I really REALLY like, and just allow myself to be consumed by them forever. The following is a list of some of my favorites, in no particular order.

Borderlands- This game is the most addicting game I have ever played in my life. When The Editor and I first got it last winter, we played this game from 6 PM til 3 AM on the weekends, and pretty late into the evening on work days. This game is a FPS, which allows you to gain levels as you gain experience. With the gains in levels, you also get better weapons, and fight harder enemies. you get to pick one of four characters, and each character comes with it's own special abilities that you get to "beef up" as you level up. The game takes place on Pandora, an alien planet, and you're basically just doing favors for different people to try and get to the "final boss". The first time you play through, you'll be like "Wow, that boss sucked. I mean, seriously?!", but then when you access all of the downloadable content, you realize that you have like, 7,000 more hours of game play left! Certainly the most bang for your buck.

Civilization Revolution- This game is a turn-based strategy game which requires you to start as one of 10 different civilizations, and try to make your civilizations beat the others in one of four categories. This game is addicting in the way Sim City was to me when I was a kid. It's really really fun to build an empire, and be attacking enemies, and have enemies attacking you. It's also a great learning tool for kids, because as you play, you unlock "great people", "World Wonders" and you learn about different cultures. It's fun because you're learning, and you don't know it. :-)

Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2- These two are probably my favorite games on the planet. These games are all about trying to survive a zombie apocalypse. There are "regular" zombies, and there are "special" zombies. The regular zombies just munch on you a little, while the specials just try and kill you right away. Each campaign has between 3 and 5 levels in it, so you can generally get a whole game in within an hour or so (comes in handy if you're trying to blow off some steam before a wedding or something). This is by FAR the best game to play if you've had a stressful day at work. You can just name each zombie after a co-worker or boss who upset you off, and just shoot away!

Dead Space- Yes, yes, I'm aware that there is a new Dead Space, however, I JUST got it in the mail yesterday, so I haven't had a chance to play yet. I just started Dead Space about a month ago, and I friggen love it. You're part of a mechanic crew sent into space to check out a space station that has had radio silence for about a week. When you get there, the ship is a mess, and no one is to be found. As you explore the ship, all sorts of nasty alien-monsters jump out at you, and make you scream. When I play this game, at times, I am literally white knuckled grabbing the controller because the game is so suspenseful. Just. Flipping. Awesome.

NBA Jam- This updated version of the classic game is the best co-op game to play. It's 2 on 2 basketball, old school style. As you advance in your division, you gain achievement points and get to unlock classic players like Larry Bird and John Stockton. Super fun game, and one game can be played in less than an hour which makes it another great game to play if you're short on time.

Kinect Adventures- This one gets the award for "Best Substitute for the Gym". The Kinect does motion capture on you, and translates your movements to your avatar. There are a whole bunch of challenges that you have to try and beat. Some of the challenges are things like, whitewater rafting, obstacle courses and kick ball. I live in the Northeast, and when it's below 20 out, I don't really feel like dragging my freezing buns to the gym, and this is a GREAT substitution for the gym. My abs, arms and legs feel AWESOME, and the best part is, it's FUN, so you don't even really care that you're working out. Also, the Kinect takes pictures of you at random while you're completing your quests, the aftermath of which is AMAZING.

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I know there are a whole lot of games that I've left out (Red Dead, Final Fantasy, Call of Duty), and I'm hoping to get to all of those someday when I play them, lol. In the meantime, I'm going to take the next few Thursdays and commission Evan T. and The Editor to share some of their favorites. Til tomorrow, happy gaming!