Budget games that are worth playing

Nathan Mendelowitz

With the abundance of video games out in the gaming world now, it’s hard to find a great game for thegreat price.

Thankfully, some are not as hard to find and provide a great experience at a low price.

Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year Edition, Rockstar Games Rated M $29.99

Red Dead Redemption was originally released in early May of 2010.  It was a breakout hit and a fan favorite that received add-on material and a separate storyline called “Undead Nightmare.”

After two years, Rockstar has compiled all the downloadable content for the game and the separate story into one package for the price of $29.99.

The game follows protagonist John Marston on his road to redemption from the mistakes he has made so he can reconcile with his family.

Depending on how one wants to play, the game can last from 40 hours to over 100 hours of game play in just the campaign.

There are multiplayer options that consist of creating a posse and going around the terrain fighting other gangs. Players can also sit down to play poker and other parlor games.

The second part that makes this a great deal is the “Undead Nightmare” standalone story comes in the package.

“Undead Nightmare” picks up after the main story where a viral zombie outbreak occurs in the games world.  Marston’s journey has him finding out how it happened and how to try and stop it.

Without this game of the year edition, getting the original game with all the add-ons would cost over $100.

Grand Theft Auto 4: Game of the Year edition, Rockstar Games Rated M $29.99

Another game released by Rockstar and perhaps itsbest known series was released April 29, 2008, and is the fourth installment in the popular Grand Theft Auto franchise.

“Grand Theft Auto 4” is known as a “sandlot” game where players get to do anything they want and play missions in any order at any time during gameplay.

Set in present day “Liberty City,” which is based on four of the five boroughs of New York City, players take the role of Nico Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe and follow his travels making a living. Though some missions consist of illegal activities like extortion and murder, the general gameplay is having Nico do odd jobs, making friends and contacts for better and more rewarding work.

With many options like missions and general roaming the city finding unique characters, GTA4 offers hundreds of hours of gameplay to keep any gamer occupied.

The best part of the game of the year edition is it comes with “The Lost and the Damned” and “The Ballad of Gay Tony,” two additions made in 2009 to extend the single player campaign.

Multiplayer wise the game is very similar to Red Dead Redemption where players can form gangs and go through Liberty City wreaking havoc with friends. There are also missions that players can do together or small races with cars and motorcycles.

Priced at $29.99 is a great price for the amount of content offered.

Assassin’s Creed 2: Revelations, Ubisoft Rated M $29.99

The last budget game of the week is not only entertaining but players will learn a little history while playing.

Assassin’s Creed 2: Revelations is the last installment for the Assassin’s Creed 2 storyline and helps set up the finale in the upcoming release Assassin’s Creed 3.

Revelations takes place in the late 1700s in Constantinople, now present day Istanbul, and follows protagonist Ezio Auditore di Firenze as he continues to uncover the plot of the Templars.

The first thing players will notice is the amazing attention to detail Ubisoft has made in making a replica of what Constantinople looked like in the late 1700s. The famous Hagia Sophia mosque is replicated perfectly and reflects the change it underwent when reverting back to a mosque from a Christian church.

Gameplay consists of players controlling Ezio through town moving the story through various missions. There are side missions where players can help groups like mercenaries and thieves complete tasks.  

The main draw of Revelations is getting to play as an assassin and it’s extremely fun. Finding targets and moving through the shadows is fun and can get addictive. Following through on a mission flawlessly is challenging but it’s a rewarding feeling when making it through perfect.

Multiplayer isn’t the main draw but can be satisfying when played with friends.

In multiplayer, players hunt each other down in various locations around the Mediterranean. The game is broken down into two halves where one team is the pursuer and the other team are the ones avoiding danger. The teams switch after a half and whichever team has the highest point total wins.

It’s simple, fun and can get addicting when playing with friends.

So if players want a recap of the story or get caught up before the final game, Revelations is the perfect game to pick up and at half the price of a normal game makes it an easy pick-up.