Pass Or Play These Video Games To Check Your Nerd Cred
- by Dylan Dembrow
- – on
- in The Geek Corner
Who would’ve thought we would see the day where people actually wanted to be thought of as nerds? Certainly, not the nerds who grew up in the ‘80s or ‘90s, that’s for sure. But thanks to some massive fantasy and sci-fi franchises in the last few decades, nerdom has gone mainstream, and it’s no longer considered lame to talk about one’s love for sci-fi and fantasy in a social setting.
Video games have certainly done a lot to make this possible, and thanks to the Internet, the type of games that many people used to play at home alone could suddenly be enjoyed with others. So what was once thought of as an activity that rotted brain cells and helped promote staying indoors is now seen as a creative hobby that is much more productive than simply surfing the web. Not to mention the strong community and sub-communities which have popped up thanks to a shared love of video games.
But with pretty much everyone indulging in a nerdy video game now and again, it's a lot harder to separate the true nerds from the casual ones.
So let's pass or play on these popular video games and reveal who actually has some serious nerd cred!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
For nearly two decades, it seemed like Ocarina of Time would forever remain the best Zelda game of all time. But then last year brought us Breath of the Wild, which seriously gave Ocarina a run for its money and had many hailing it one of the greatest games ever created. So did you jump on the bandwagon?
The Last of Us
2013’s The Last of Us had a perfect and fairly finite ending. Yet the game developer Naughty Dog is set to give us a sequel soon. So is there any chance they can create another masterpiece? The story is set to pick up five years after the events of the first and feature Ellie as the new protagonist.
Horizon Zero Dawn
The perfect mishmash of sci-fi and fantasy, Horizon Zero Dawn follows a hunter named Aloy who is tasked with trying to rid her world of the giant, monstrous machines who are wreaking havoc. Anyone who’s a fan of ranged battle tactics will probably take a liking to this renowned 2017 PS4 game.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Based on the series of fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt once again picks up with protagonist Geralt of Rivia, the wandering monster hunter who is on a quest to find his missing daughter. The game was released in 2015 for the PS4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
Dragon Age: Inquisition
If you’re a fantasy nerd, anything with the word “dragon” in the title will probably be an immediate draw. But even if you were underwhelmed by the second Dragon Age game, the third one really turned the series around and went on to be one of the best-reviewed games of 2014.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Nathan Drake is pretty much the video game equivalent of Indian Jones. So if you’re someone who nerded out to Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade as a kid, then the Uncharted series should be a dream come true. The 2009 installment, Among Thieves, is often cited as the franchises best effort to date.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Plenty of mainstream audiences were first introduced to the Elder Scrolls series with 2011’s Skyrim — the fifth major installment of the franchise to date. But true nerds have been following this fantasy epic since the 1990s, back when it was only available on MS-DOS. The series has yet to release another main installment since Skyrim.
Dark Souls
If you enjoy a challenge, then the high fantasy Dark Souls series is notorious for taking enjoyment in punishing its players. The games may be hard, and sometimes seemingly impossible. But most players would agree that the Dark Souls games are never unfair and that they're definitely worth the time investment.
Super Mario Odyssey
Released in October of last year, Super Mario Odyssey defied almost all expectations for how much it managed to reinvent the long-running Super Mario series. Not to mention that the game was just a downright joy to play, which ended up winning it numerous Game of the Year awards and becoming the best-selling game on the Switch.
Destiny 2
Considered a solid improvement of its predecessor, 2017’s Destiny 2 is an online-only FPS which follows the Guardians — Earth’s final hope at saving the world from totally being overrun by aliens. The game has a number of multiplayer modes, which can pit the player against an enemy team while also squaring off against the harsh environment.
Donkey Kong Country
It’s amazing how many Nintendo classics remain just as enjoyable to play today as they were at the time of their release. Donkey Kong Country is a 1994 platforming game which was really the first game to paint the eponymous character in a more favorable light. It also marks the debut for his beloved nephew, Diddy Kong.
Injustice 2
We’ve had decades of getting to watch out favorite DC characters duke it out on the big screen and within the pages of the comic books. But the Injustice series finally gave us a chance to embody our favorite heroes and villains for a mano-a-mano battle against both our friends and the computer.
Red Dead Redemption
This year, we’ll finally get another installment of the Red Dead series when Red Dead Redemption 2 is released for the PS2 and Xbox One this November. Which means now might be a great time to revisit the 2010 classic, which follows outlaw John Marston during the final days of the Old West.
Call of Duty: WWII
Fans of the earlier Call of Duty games could probably not have been more excited for this 2017 release, which found the popular FPS franchise returning to their roots with another WWII installment. The result was Call of Duty: WWII becoming the highest-grossing game of 2017 by a long shot.
World of Warcraft
The most popular MMORPG of all time, World of Warcraft was originally released back in 2004 — though the game has enjoyed numerous expansion packs to date. Even today, the game still maintains a massive community of online players. So do you still partake? Or is this fade past its prime?
Portal 2
Valve Corporation is known for stopping their most popular franchises at only two installments, which means we may never get a third addition to the Portal series. But can the platforming series possible get any better than Portal 2 — which was released in 2011 to universal acclaim and sold over 4 million units.
Resident Evil 4
Often considered the greatest installment of the survival horror franchise, Resident Evil 4 was originally released for the GameCube in 2005. The game follows government agent Leon S. Kennedy, who’s tasked with trying to rescue the president’s daughter in a rural town overrun by zombie-like creatures. The game has since been ported over to numerous other consoles.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
The fourth installment of the cross-over fighting game, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U was released in 2014 for the Wii U (obviously), along with the Nintendo 3DS. The game came with over 50 characters for the player to choose from right out of the box, along with another seven that could be downloaded.
Diablo 3
Released in 2012 for Microsoft Windows and macOS, Diablo 3 allows the player to choose their class of warrior before they set off to defeat the eponymous character, who is also referred to as the Lord of Terror. The game has since been ported over to other consoles, with a Nintendo Switch release actually set for later this year.
Bloodborne
While game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has said he personally won’t be involved with any more installments of the Dark Souls series, he has continued to create other games that very much feel like they’re cut from the same cloth — including the gothic role-playing game Bloodborne, which was released for the PS4 in 2015.
Bioshock
Fans of dystopian sci-fi literature will probably find the Bioshock series to their liking, as many of the story motifs are inspired from the works of authors such as Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. The game is set in an underwater city known as Rapture, which was designed to be a utopia when things seriously went off the rails.
Half-Life 2
Often considered one of the greatest and most-influential games of the 21st Century, Half-Life 2 picks up after the events of its predecessor where Gordon Freeman must fight against the alien Combine to save the human race from oblivion. The game was first released in 2004 and has sold over 12 million units to date.
Journey
A favorite amongst video game aficionados, Journey is a 2012 adventure game that finds the player embodying a mysterious figure who is on a mission through the desert toward a mountain. The game is beautiful in its simplicity, and it features no spoken or written dialogue, leaving much of the characterization and game objectives open to interpretation.
Overwatch
This 2016 game from Blizzard Entertainment allows the player to choose from a roster of characters before they’re broken up into two teams and dropped into a number of different gaming modes, which range anywhere from team matches to capture the flag. Overwatch has since become a staple of the competitive gaming community.
Super Mario World
Often considered the best Mario game ever made, Super Mario World was originally released for the Super NES in 1990, and it was the first game in the series to introduce Mario’s trusty companion, Yoshi. Even nearly 30 years after its release, Super Mario World still offers up its fair share of challenges and secrets to be uncovered.
Fallout 3
After Bethesda bought the Fallout series from Interplay Entertainment, they massively revamped the open world game and turned out the most beloved and technically impressive installment of the sci-fi series to date. In Fallout 3, the player is tasked with trying to find their missing father while fighting against the corrupt system known as the Enclave.
Grand Theft Auto V
Though there hasn’t been another installment of the Grand Theft Auto series since 2013, GTA V still maintains a large online presences thanks to its inventive modding community. But that still doesn’t mean the game isn’t worth revisiting for another exploration of the epic campaign mode alongside protagonists Michael, Franklin, and Trevor.
Pokemon Red and Blue
Though there has been numerous installment of the Pokemon series to date, none have been more influential than the games that started it all: Pokemon Red and Blue. So do you have a soft spot for these classic 1996 Game Boy installments? Or would you much rather play something that was made within the last few years?
Batman: Arkham City
The second installment of the Batman: Arkham series, Arkham City was released in 2011 and the game picks up with Batman trying to thwart the sinister asylum warden, Hugo Strange. The game also featured a number of other Batman staples, including the Joker and Catwoman — the latter of which actually had her own secondary campaign mode.
Minecraft
First released in 2011, Minecraft is a sandbox game that allows the player to construct any number of 3D designs using an assortment of blocks within the game. The game has a number of different modes, which allows the player to do everything from interacting with other players to try and survive the harsh environment by gathering resources and mounting defenses.
