Hey guys, got another fun, off-topic post for you today! A couple months ago, I did a post about my 5 Favourite PC Games, and while that really just about covers all my favourite games, there are a few games I love that are off PC, whether they be on Nintendo DS, Mobile, or card and board games, so I thought I would talk about some of those games in their own post today!
Nintendo 3DS
Fire Emblem: Awakening
I'm not sure I can accurately or effectively describe what I love so much about this game to a non-gamer, but it is by far one of my favourite games of all time! It's a strategy game with anime/manga-esque character designs, a pretty good story, lots of character building, and you get to make a lot of your own choices as to which characters you use and develop. You can—and should, since it helps characters fight better—build relationships between the characters, many of which lead to you meeting different character's future children in later maps, and the characters you pair together affect what abilities those kid will have.
There's a good balance between complexity and simplicity in this game, with the complex relationship structure and choices you can make, but the base game is very simple, and is based around a triangle very similar to rock-paper-scissors... but instead it's lances-swords-axes, which, once you get used to it, helps you plan out which players will be better against different fighting styles of their own level. It's like anime chess, with a rock-paper-scissors component, and a small dosage of match-making. I love it, and I think you should try it. Or at least try out Fire Emblem Heroes, which I'll touch on in a second.
Mobile / Android
Fire Emblem Heroes
So I just rambled on for ages about Fire Emblem above, but if you love FE, or if you've never played it, this free mobile game is a great way to try it for the first time, or just always have FE in your pocket! I also talked about this game in my Winter '16-'17 video, if you're interested, but basically, it's a small, more basic, chibi (read: adorable) version of Fire Emblem featuring tons of heroes from all (or most?) of the Fire Emblem games put out in the past, including Awakening (my love). It's free, and though there is the option for real-money purchases, they are so unnecessary I've been playing since the game launched and never once had to consider paying anything, so don't worry about it, and give this one a go!
Lifeline
I think I've talked about this one in the past as well. I've tried a couple Lifeline games, and they're good, but the original is of course the best and more engaging. Basically, it's a text-based game that acts like someone out in space has somehow got a message through to your phone, and they're alone crash-landed on a planet and need your help. They describe situations and ask for your input, and you try to help them out. One of the coolest features, though, is the anticipation that builds up because it plays out in real time. For example if the character needs time to do something or think or sleep, you don't hear from them for a reasonable amount of time. It isn't a game that needs your constant attention, instead it's like answering texts when you get them, and I had a lot of fun, especially with the first one.It does cost a couple dollars, but I think it was worth it. Or you can wishlist it and get it when it goes on sale, which it seems to from time to time.
Pokemon Go
I don't think much explanation is needed for Pokemon Go. At this point you've probably either tried it out, or dismissed it as that stupid game people got super obsessed with and then mainly stopped playing. If you haven't tried it out, though, especially if you have any interest in Pokemon, you're missing out. And now that the tracker is back to working better, it's even more fun to go and hunt out pokemon you don't have yet and grow your collection. Oh, and Gen 2 is out now, which is from the era of Gold/Silver/HeartGold/SoulSilver, which is the only game I've ever played, so I'm pretty excited about the release.
On a nice day when you have time to burn, it's a lot of fun to bring this game (and a portable charger! It drains batteries like a bitch!) and go pokemon hunting, hatching your eggs by watching around, and hitting pokestops to collect items. It's really addictive, and really easy to spend longer than you intended, telling yourself things like "ok, just one more pokestop," or "but my egg only needs another 0.5 km" or "but I don't have a squirtle yet, and one just spawned! I have to go get it, and then I'll go home!" I can't wait to hopefully play more when good spring weather rolls around!
Card / Board Games
Bang!
This is a Wild West themed card game for 4-7 players where everyone plays roles like Sheriff, Deputy, Renegade, and Outlaw, and tries to basically be the last man standing. The objective is a little different for each role: The Sheriff needs to kill everyone but the Deputy. The Deputy can win even if he dies, if the Sheriff wins. The Renegade has to kill EVERYONE else, and the Outlaws win by killing the Sheriff. You use cards to build up defences, tear down other people, and fight the other characters. Each person also gets a character, as well as a role, and each one has a special ability that plays a little differently than the others. Some pick up more cards, are harder to shoot at, or are more deadly. With my friends, we like to play with two characters each. It makes it even more interesting, since everyone has two abilities you have to keep in mind when dealing with them. Oh, and the only known character is the Sheriff. Everyone else stays hidden until you die, so you don't know who are your allies and enemies. The base game is $25, but if you love games and have the funds, I'd recommend rel="nofollow">the bullet, which has more optional cards and play styles, and is even more fun than the original.
Cards Against Humanity
Image from CardsAgainstHumanity.com
I feel like this game about being a horrible person is pretty big on the internet, so you've probably heard of it. But if you haven't it's a very simple card game (a bit like Apples to Apples, if you know that one) with black cards that have questions or sentences to complete, and white cards with random nouns that are sometimes completely innocent on their own, and some which are very "WTF?" and each round all but the person whose turn it is puts down white cards to be the best, funniest, or most horrible response to the black card. It's great to play with people you know, because it is way easier to know what their humour is, and which cards will win them over. The person whose turn it is picks the winner each round, and when someone gets to a certain amount of cards, they win. Or you can play indefinitely, which is really fun too. This is a game for people with dark, twisted, dirty, and/or fucked up humour, and it's a lot of fun. You can buy the regular game, some international versions, and tons of expansion packs online, as well as printing blank cards to fill yourself, or you can download the base game for free if you want to print it out.
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Be sure to let me know what you favourite games are in the comments, whether they are on or off PC!
Thanks for reading!
