#xcom eu

Lately, both friends and family have come to me with the question, "I want to buy a video game, (for my boyfriend/Girlfriend, me, family, dog, squirtle...ect.) but whats a good one to get?" And they usually catch me with this question at the worst possible time. I respond with a blank stare. My mind goes blank. I stare at them like they're a bear.

SO...i compiled a small list for those who want to buy games for the holidays, er, whatever.

Take note: This list consists of games I HAVE PLAYED and are in no particular rank or rating.

1. Skyrim (PS3, Xbox 360, and PC) - What haven't i said about this game? Enticing, immersible, traditional in its own sense. Skyrim is a cold, harsh world filled with lore, danger, adventure, and reward. You can literally spend 100's of hours on this game and still not discover all of its treasures. It truly is a mark point of what video games have become today, HUGE, dagger sharp graphics, leading story, and design that will make your breathe cold, your arms shiver, and make you want to play with a nice warm Nord coat around you. Dragons, swords, magic, character development, memorable music, beautiful environments, and fun! With DLC (Downloadable Content) already out to make this game more enormous than it already is and another DLC on the way... This game should keep you busy for DAAAAAAAYS.

Over a year has passed since its release, and this trailer still gives me chills. Watch trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjqsYzBrP-M

2. Borderlands 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - A very entertaining shooter that you do not need to have played the first to enjoy! Unconventional humor and dialogue, charismatic villains and anti-heroes, colorful environments, and guns. guns. guns. guns!!! This game gets you hooked on guns and skill sets for your character. You get to chose from 4 (5 if you get the Mechromancer DLC) classes, each with their own special ability that you can tweek to your liking as your progress. The incentive? Loot! Kill and loot, kill and loot. This game is all about progressing the story, progressing your character, and hording anything you possibly can to give you that sharper edge against the enemy. Speaking of which; the villain, Handsome Jack, does not make your journey easy or even ambiguous. He is cold, harsh, evil, and he looks good doing it like that. All the more reason to find the perfect sniper rifle and/or rocket launcher to smoke his ass back where he came from.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW7qO_wpfvk

3. Journey (PS3/Playstation Network) - Hmmm...how to describe this little beauty of an independent game called, Journey? Beautiful! hahaha... This game is simply and marvelously beautiful. Profound and infinite. Naive and wise. This game captures what video games need more these days, a little bit of love. It is difficult to describe it because it is very different than what mainstream games usually feed to us. There is no menu, there are no weapons. No maps or compasses. There is no dialogue and no text. In Journey there is only companionship, struggle and destination. This game has amazing art direction even though it is simple. It moves you with music and visuals that may only come in dreams. It tells a story that was lost but has never been. It just reeks of what independent games make you want to do...and that's hug your TV screen. This game will always be with me. The bummer is, this game is very short. But if you look at it from a film critic's point of view, the game is exactly the perfect length. $15 for the game from the Playstation Network..not bad at all. Flawless.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-W-WvskODM

4. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (PS3, XBOX 360, PC) - This is a rad turn-based strategy game with lots to do! You are the Commander of XCOM, a secret government project directed as earth's first and last defense against a very difficult extraterrestrial threat. As Commander you decide how to build, combat, and progress in an outgunned war. You have much to learn about your enemy and your limited resources are to be used up in either research, engineering, weapons, global defense, or on your troops. You decide what is the best way to gain the upper hand on both the battlefield and your headquarters. You WILL have soldiers die under your command, and you WILL have to use your brain to gain tactical advantage. Good luck, squaddie :D

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPvbF7bG7lk

5. The Mass Effect Trilogy (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - Pure sci-fi grandeur. This trilogy is more than just three games. There are so many games that call for a hero that needs to save the galaxy, over and over. So many games that you can call clones to that formula. Nothing comes close to the Mass Effect story and its characters. The series is very character and story driven. So much that the game has sprouted out almost a whole culture filled with fans and a universe that holds this opus always close to the heart. Memorable characters will entice sympathy, love, compassion, and hate. This a story you play spanning three games and the decisions you make in one game will carry over to the next. It is a trilogy you-yourself can make and it is not without a whole universe to explore. Don't miss out on Mass Effect.

Trilogy Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXD9-Wsgm8Q

6. Portal 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - Simple physics; fast in, fast out. This is how the Portal series affects space and time, or more importantly, how it does not. You are a test subject for a self relying science facility ran by a hilarious diabolical A.I. known as GLaDOS. Her job is to use you. To test you. And to break you. This game is designed with witty humor, fantastic puzzle design, and quick paced action sequences that get your heart and mind going. Like the first Portal, you have a nifty portal gun that shoots both the 'In' and 'Out' points between space and time, except this time around...you will experience other elements in the brain busting rooms you must get out of. Gravity defying beams, friction ooze, matter changing paint and more...all for the name of science, duh. Oh yeah, there's co-op now, so you can play with a bud. NOTE: You don't really need to, but i still I recommend playing the first Portal before this one. FOR SCIENCE!

Co-Op Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC_u9ZwlIUc

7. The ICO and The Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3 Only) - OK...So i kind of did save the best for last. Initially these two games were released on the Playstation 2. The developers re-released them with HD revamps for the fanbase who cried out for them dearly under one collection for the PS3. These two games are very, very unique. Poetic, appalling, maybe even timeless. Both games are settings for a beautiful world where love seems to be forbidden, but love is the only way to get through. Both games are adventures through hardship, struggle, and companionship. This collection ranks among my favorite of all time. I wanted to share that with you so you may know that video games can truly be an amazing art form.

The Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSzDM6k2h0c

That's it for now, I hope the list helps a bit. I've played these games more than enough to know that others can have fun with them, depending the genre. Have fun :D