Those of you who don’t have a netbook might think the concept of gaming on such a tiny little machine is fairly hilarious. And for the most part, you’re right: they’re almost too small to see anything properly, the keyboards are itty bitty (who can WASD on such a small keyboard?), and the processing speed is… well, it’s certainly not your lightning fast [insert gaming computer of choice here], I’ll give you that.
All that being said, there are plenty of reasons to game on your netbook. Primarily for me it’s the ‘I wonder…’ factor. I find myself saying “Hrmm. I wonder if Team Fortress 2 will run on my netbook?…” (answer, btw: Mostly!) or “I wonder how hilarious it would be to run Photoshop on my netbook?” (answer: Pretty hilarious.)
But for those of you looking for a glimmer of hope, here it is — *twinkle* — there are games that run quite well on most netbooks! And, no, they’re not all from 1985, you’re not going to be confined to ghosts and blue dots, or aiding the love life of a guy named Larry in an ugly suit. You can play real games on a netbook, I promise!
I’d also like to take this opportunity to highly recommend that you go ahead and get a Steam client now — there are many reasons why Steam’s the cat’s meow, but top on your list as a netbook gamer is that Steam allows you to purchase and download all your favourite games (at great prices, too) — saves you from needing a cd rom, which most netbooks don’t have. Do it now! And once you have, go ahead and add me — BambiBlue — and we’ll shoot at each other, war with each other, build towers of goo together, maybe you heal me, maybe I water your virtual plants while you’re offline… and be merry!
Here’s a quick top five to whet your fits-in-your-purse/murse gaming appetite!
#5 World of Goo – $19.99
Originally released for Wii’s WiiWare service in North America in 2008, this game’s now available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux (x86 and x86-64):
Innovative, addictive, and delightfully weird, World of Goo is a superb puzzle game. World of Goo is a multiple award winning physics based puzzle / construction game made entirely by two guys. Drag and drop living, squirming, talking, globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins, and giant tongues. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore – but they don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious.
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#4 Civilization IV $19.99
Fantastic time waster. I, personally, have logged more time in this game than I’m willing to admit.
With over 6 million units sold and unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and press around the world, Sid Meier’s Civilization is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now, Sid Meier and Firaxis Games will take this incredibly fun and addictive game to new heights by adding new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilization, all-new easy to use mod capabilities and intense multiplayer modes and options. Civilization IV will come to life like never before in a beautifully detailed, living 3D world that will elevate the gameplay experience to a whole new level. Civilization IV has already been heralded as one of the top ten games of 2005, and a must-have for gamers around the globe!
It is possible that this game won’t work for you right off the bat — so I’ve got a few helpful links for you — here, here, and here.
#3 Torchlight - $19.99
On top of the excellent gameplay you’ll find in Torchlight (do you like Diablo?), this game also connects with the ‘Steam Cloud’ — which basically means that as long as the Steam client is installed, you can play your characters from any computer you choose!
Behold Torchlight, a fresh new Action RPG franchise developed by Runic Games. Torchlight is being developed in Seattle by a veteran team composed of the designers and leads of projects like Diablo, Diablo II, Mythos, and Fate. Our team has spent many years honing and evolving this unique style of gameplay.
The adventure is set in the mining settlement of Torchlight, a boomtown founded on the discovery of rich veins of Ember – a rare and mysterious ore with the power to enchant or corrupt all that it contacts. This corruptive power may have dire consequences however, and players set out into the nearby mountains and depths below to discover the full extent of Ember’s influence on the civilizations that have come before.
#2 Grand Theft Auto III – $2.49-$9.99
I actually bought this game last night — despite never having played it before — because it was on sale on Steam for $2.49 USD. Who wouldn’t buy it? Well, I suppose someone with only $2.49 CAD…
Crime does pay. The hugely successful, highly controversial Grand Theft Auto franchise moves into 3 dimensions in the dark and seedy underworld of Liberty City. With the freedom to go anywhere and jack anyone, Grand Theft Auto 3 puts the dark, intriguing and ruthless world of crime at your fingertips, if you have enough guts to take it.
I bought it without knowing for sure that it would run on my Acer Aspire One. I’m a gamblin’ gal. After it finished downloading I hit ‘Play’ and VOILA! Ran smoother than any other game I’ve played on my netbook. Now if only I were any good at racing the cars to the check point while avoiding police. Practice makes perfect! It’s not like I’ve ever run into that situation in real life… yeah…
#1 World of Warcraft – Subscription based: Various pricing (look around for a good deal)
You may have heard of this game before. I hear it’s pretty popular.
Blizzard made a really smart move by making their most popular game ever remarkably playable on even the lowest grade computers. If I were more of a WoW addict I would have some serious problems now that I’ve seen WoW run at full colour and high quality on my netbook. I tried out a 10 day free trial account just this last week and I’ve played nearly every night and haven’t run into any issues at all — no video lag, no sound issues, no crashing. Kudos, Blizzard.
At last, the world of Azeroth, first glimpsed in the original Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, is brought to life in glorious detail. Join the eight million players (and counting) currently adventuring in Azeroth as well as beyond the Dark Portal, and see what journeys await for those who would plumb the many secrets of this ancient realm. As a massively multiplayer online game, World of Warcraft enables thousands of players from across the globe to come together online – undertaking grand quests and heroic exploits in a land of fantastic adventure.
But don’t take my word for it. Friik has hit the nail on the head: Why should you play World of Warcraft?
Have some great games to add to the list?
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