LJ Best Video Games 2010
By M. Brandon Robbins Jan 6, 2011It's been another big year for video games. The most recent expansion for World of Warcraft was released, the excellent online marketplace Steam came to the Mac OS platform and brought with it some truly great games, developer Bungie gave its swan song to the Halo franchise, and controversy surrounding the Taliban presence in Medal of Honor ignited a discussion on artistic freedom and cultural sensitivity in video games.
In selecting the past year's five top console and PC games for libraries, I considered the following criteria: usefulness to library services and programming, reinforcement of various literacies, and overall quality of mechanics and presentation. Further below, in a section you won't want to miss titled "Looking Ahead: Games in Libraries, 2011," I spotlight three of the most highly anticipated releases of 2011 you'll want to get an early start on ordering (hint: they're all sequels).
BEST LITERARY GAME
Limbo
Platform: Xbox 360 (XBLA)
ESRB Rating: M (ages 17 and up)
Puzzle platformers—games that focus more on solving logic- and physics-based puzzles than on executing tasks of dexterity and timing—are very popular. The highlight of the genre is the challenging Limbo, which is unforgiving in its difficulty and sometimes even forces gamers to kill off the main character just to get a clue as to how to solve their given predicament. What makes this a literary game is its presentation: in black-and-white shadowbox style, it tells a sparse narrative of a boy traveling through dangerous locales and fighting hideous enemies in search of his sister. Limbo is a beautiful and thought-provoking game that invites much discussion of death, loss, and the nature of reality amid its game-play challenges. Ideal for a discussion group made up of mature gamers.
WATCH the game trailer:
BEST GAME FOR AN OLD-SCHOOL BEATDOWN
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360 (XBLA)
ESRB Rating: T (ages 13 and up)
Sadly, newer gamers don't have memories of spending endless hours (and quarters) in their arcade or on the couch in front of their eight- and 16-bit consoles mashing buttons as they guide their player characters on a quest to beat up as many crooked thugs as possible. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, based on the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley (which was also adapted into a 2010 film starring Michael Cera), brings back some of that old-school game play, wrapped up in a pop-culture package as quirky and engaging as the source material. Up to four players adopt the roles of characters from the series to help Scott Pilgrim defeat the seven Evil Exes of Ramona Flowers, his absolute dream girl. The game play is a tried-and-true, side-scrolling beat-'em-up affair, and with retro-styled graphics and a chiptune soundtrack by the band Anamanaguchi, this title serves as homage to gaming's past while still offering plenty for today's young and hip players. A great addition to any game day at your library.
WATCH the game trailer:
BEST GAME FOR SOCIAL INTERACTIVITY & SHARED CREATIVITY
Lord of the Rings Online
Platform: PC
ESRB Rating: T (ages 13 and up)
In massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), players meet one another in a virtual space and work together to accomplish common goals while sharing resources. They build social skills and leadership skills, and the role-playing element (taken more seriously by some gamers than others) allows participants to let their imagination run wild. In other words, they're near-perfect for inclusion in library services. Lord of the Rings Online has been around for a while, but in 2010 it was given something of a new beginning when it moved from a monthly subscription model to a free-to-play model. While having to pay for additional content does establish something of a barrier to this game, it still allows for plenty of options for casual gamers to explore without having to pay a penny. They can master the arts of combat, learn music, or spend their days as a farmer or cook, among many other options. Plus what better services for libraries to offer than a chance to explore one of the oldest and most fully realized fantasy worlds ever to be found in literature?
WATCH the game trailer:
BEST GAME FOR THE HARD-CORE
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M (ages 17 and up)
Hard-core gamers crave competition; they thrive on games that demand tactical precision, teamwork, and fine-tuned coordination. No 2010 release better satisfies these needs than Battlefield: Bad Company 2. In the game's multiplayer mode, players can team up as opposing armies and try either to capture enemy territory or annihilate enemy forces. Gamers can choose to play as a frontline assault trooper, a medic, a long-range sniper providing support from a distance, or an engineer whose job it is to repair vehicles and equipment. All roles are vital to a team's success, so everyone shares in a victory, even if they don't have the most impressive kill count. The variety of game modes allows libraries hosting online or in-house tournaments to sponsor some truly exciting competitive events and sends a message to the gamers in your community that there's more to gaming at the library than family-friendly fun. For those libraries with online consoles and computers for gaming: a wired connection is recommended for this title, as the one complaint often levied against it is unstable connections to the game's online servers.
WATCH the game trailer:
THE GAME YOU SHOULD NOT BE WITHOUT
Minecraft
Platform: Java
[Not Rated]
Minecraft is perhaps the single best video game of 2010, and it's not even completely finished yet (it entered into the beta phase in late December). It was developed by one Markus "Notch" Persson, who worked independently and without the usual big bucks that drive the success of triple-A titles. Imagine being stranded on a planet that is eight times the size of Earth and is covered in vast landscapes composed of numerous elements. You can mine these elements and reassemble them however you like, creating structures limited only by your imagination. You can also combine them to make tools, weapons, armor, chests, and fuel. Armed only with those items you make, you can kill wandering animals for food and clothing. Dangerous creatures emerge at night to hunt you down: zombies, giant spiders, skeletons armed with bows and arrows, and mysterious reptilian monsters that explode on contact. This game, more than any other before it, exemplifies sandbox game play. What's more, it's a subtle examination of primitive survival. Still being in the alpha phase, it has more than a few bugs present, but even in its current state it is a more fun and engaging game than most other big-name titles. As long as gaming is part of your service offerings, Minecraft belongs in your library.
WATCH the game trailer [fanmade]:
Looking Ahead: Games in Libraries, 2011
Gaming is here to stay as a library service, as games will only continue to grow more imaginative and dynamic in the way they tell stories, help to build social and technological literacy, and allow gamers a chance to stretch their mental muscles. This year will see the release of three major games that are sequels to some of the greatest games presented in recent memory. Order early, and be prepared. Be very prepared.
Portal 2 may be the most anticipated sequel of 2011. The original Portal, released in 2007, was a revelation in video game storytelling and physics-based puzzle game play. The sequel promises more of what gamers loved the first time around, plus multiplayer game play. It's an obvious choice for libraries both for its excellent fiction and its brain-boosting demand for critical thinking. You'll want this on your public access computers.
Platforms: PC/Mac, PS3, Xbox 360
Drop date: Apr. 20, 2011
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is the follow-up to the 2007 award-winning, critically praised single-player role-playing game (RPG) The Witcher. Promising nonlinear game play that allows participants to craft their own story and play style, it will be a great game for literary buffs (it's based on the characters from Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy novels) and for a book club–style discussion group among gamers.
Platform: PC
Drop date: May 17, 2011
Batman: Arkham City, the sequel to the 2009 LJ Best Games pick Batman: Arkham Asylum, promises more of the same great game play as its predecessor, plus even more of the familiar Batman villains and a rumored multiplayer component. It is a hotly anticipated title gamers have been clamoring for since finishing the original; it's one you'll want to keep in mind.
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Drop date: fall 2011
Seize the Game
No library should be without a gaming initiative, whether via an intense first-person shooter tournament, a family game day, or simply by putting the games out there and letting your patrons play. The games highlighted here are only the beginning: hit the Internet and your local game store, talk to your patrons, and—above all—grab a controller and get into the thick of things yourself. Find out what works for you, your library, and your patrons, and make gaming happen at your library.
This article originally appeared in the newsletter BookSmack! Click here to subscribe.
M. Brandon Robbins, who writes LJ Xpress Reviews of graphic novels, is Young Adult Services Coordinator at Wayne County Public Library, NC. A winner of the 2009 American Library Association (ALA)/Verizon Libraries, Literacy, and Gaming grant and a 2011 ALA Emerging Leader, he can be found on both Xbox Live and Twitter as @level250geek.
