Bargain Basement Games!

Okay, stop right there. I'm not selling any.

A few years ago, on another web site which will remain nameless, I tried my hand at this endeavor. A review of bargain basement games. You know, those gems you find in bargain bunks, or yard sales or even auctions that go for ten dollars or less. Over the years, I've found a few.

With the emergence of the MMO (massive multiplayer online) type of game, there is one that fits into this category that can also fit into this review. Guild Wars. Unlike other MMOs, Guild Wars manages to join huge numbers of people together in a virtual gaming world of high fantasy without the high cost of a monthly fee to play. Don't get me wrong, I love playing City of Heroes (another game from the same developer, NCSoft), but I also love money in my bank account. If you don't have a credit card, don't worry. Instead of the monthly fee, just pay for two-month game cards. Prepaid time, for about eight bucks more than it would cost if you used a credit card.

As of late, I have been looking for that MMO style of game, and something that harkens back to days of getting together with friends for some time invading a dungeon or two (smattered with discussions about work, the big game and what movies are coming out). Guild Wars gives some of that. It has a relatively easy control system to use and incredible graphics on top of that. And, most importantly, no monthly fee.

Yes, the developer is coming out with an expansion at the rate of one every six months. At 50 bucks a pop, that's about equal to paying for six months worth of online play in City of Heroes or World of Warcraft. But the really great thing is, you don't need the other expansions to play online with Guild Wars. No monthly fee after you buy the game.

The playability is quite nice. Once you start, you are always getting new quests and new areas to go to in the game, so it does have a lot of replay value. One thing as of late that I have found playing a game like City of Heroes, things tend to get boring after a while. The same content, time after time, with every character you can create. And you can create a bunch. Twelve per server in City of Heroes. Guild Wars has one server, four character slots. That might not be much, but it's enough for the casual gamer. The one who sits down for an hour or two of play before going to bed.

Visually, the game is stunningly beautiful. The nice thing is, with machines being made now, you can play this game quite well. I have a desktop machine that is a little slower than most current machines and it runs it fine. My laptop also runs the game quite well, with hardly any lag (video lag) problems at all.

Guild Wars is a relatively new game, so you might wonder why it's in a review of this type, with games for less than 10 dollars. Well, a friend of mine, Pike (who also has a blog that you can read at paperhatpirate.blogspot.com) went to an auction this past weekend (please read post at previously mentioned blog). After he got home and got in touch with me, the discussion of how the auction went began. And it was pretty much as I expected. Some games went cheap, some furniture went cheap, and three to four year old computers went for 50 bucks more than what they should have. The price for Guild Wars: 10 bucks, 20 for two copies. I love happy endings.

Until next time...

Keep 'em flyin'.