With the holiday season in full swing we all know the danger you face from spending a too much time with the family, one wrong word, and you know the consequences! The only solution to save your sanity and make your family happy is tell everyone you went for a nature walk to help save the planet, and quickly head for your room, lock the door, put on some headphones for stealth mode, and spend a couple of hours playing some great games. Remember, there are never enough games during the holiday season! Don’t forget to look tired from your hike when you reappear when the food is served. These are the games that make both Owen and Santa proud!
Mac Edition Radio Game Reviewer Owen O’Sullivan’s Top Five Games of 2013:
Owen's Number 5.
Saint's Row IV: The newest edition to the Saints Row series provides a ridiculous amount of fun and mayhem. The Saints Gang has risen through the ranks straight to the White House, and you're the President. If things don't sound ridiculous enough yet, you're fighting off an alien invasion. Get ready for all the guns and explosions of the previous Saint's Row's with a little Alien Tech and Super Powers added in. Your skills will be put to the test when you get put in a simulation of the city of Steelport, which is a revamped version of the Saint's Row 3 setting. The gameplay mechanics are very similar to Saints Row Three, just with a bit of a graphics boost. The addition of a ton of new weapons adds for a whole lot more fun rampage that Saints Row Three offered. They kept the fight for territory and customization of your gang that the previous games had, so you'll almost never run out of things to do while playing. Have fun playing through this ridiculous, fun, fast paced mayhem as you fight for revenge of Planet Earth!
For more information on Saints Row 4 visit: http://www.saintsrow.com
Owen's Number 4.
Assassins Creed 4 Black Flag: The newest Assassins Creed game follows Captain Kenway, a plundering pirate whose only goal is new loot. When he finds himself ship wrecked on an island with a member of the Assassins Brotherhood, he of course hunts him down and kills him. Taking his robes, he plunders and kills in the name of the Brotherhood and meets some interesting characters on the way. The game focuses around the hunt for the sage, a legendary figure who supposedly lives forever. He knows where the Observatory is, a legendary building filled with more treasure than you can imagine. With the edition of pirates in the AC series, you of course need a lot of ships. Take control of the Jackdaw, your prized ship that you can upgrade and customize to your liking. The Assassins Creed 4 map is completely open world, and it’s the biggest map ever to hit the franchise. It provides hours of gameplay and a ridiculous amount of fun. Although the story is a bit confusing, they follow the core mechanics of the previous games, even resorting to a style similar to the older games. So suit up, and get out there because you'll have hours of pirate filled fun!
For more information on Assassins Creed 4 visit: http://assassinscreed.ubi.com
Owen's Number 3.
Grand Theft Auto V: Ah yes, how could I forget one of the most talked about games of 2013. Grand Theft Auto V was quite literally one of the biggest games of this year, with award winning multiplayer and amazing single player modes that provide hours of fun for almost anybody playing. The story takes place in Los Santos, a southwestern city where crime is rampant and you're just waiting to join in the fun. You play as three main characters, Trevor, Michael, and Franklin. Franklin is a young guy living in a poor area of the city and is always looking for moneymaking opportunities. He and his friend Lamar are always getting into trouble with their moneymaking schemes. He works at a car dealership repossessing cars for his boss, and is making very little money. He meets Michael during a car repo, as Michael is waiting in the back seat for somebody to come take it. Michael has a history of big heists and is living in luxury from all the money he's made, he also happens to be in the witness protection program from his last big score. Trevor was Michael’s old accomplice, and is now living in the desert of Los Santos and is not aware that Michael lives there. After finding out through a series of events where he lives, he storms over to meet him. The three eventually start doing heists and other criminal activities together, making more money than you can imagine. The multiplayer is very similar to Single Player, only includes character customization and different jobs. These jobs include survival death matches, store hold ups, drug deals, and much more. Have fun causing as much mischief and mayhem as possible!
For more information on Grand Theft Auto V visit: http://www.rockstargames.com/V/
Owen's Number 2.
Civilization V Brave New World Expansion: Civilization Brave New World is one of the biggest expansions of the already great game yet, including trade routes, new wonders, ideologies, new civilizations, and much more. If you like strategy games, this is a must play. Civilization V is a turn-by-turn strategy game where you take full control of a Civilization and build it up from nothing, starting cities along the way and building up an army to protect them. Civilization is fully customizable and there are different map options, various ways to win the game, and many modifications you can download. Recreate history in your own vision as you choose what Civ's inhabit planet earth, or create a new planet earth if you want to! This is one of the most customizable games I have ever played and is good for anybody who likes full control over their games. The main components of the game are gold, science, faith, culture, military units, and production. These are what make your Civilizations thrive and prosper. Gain gold with different city buildings, trading posts, and luxury resources. Boost your science yield with science buildings and playing it smart. Boost your faith with shrines and temples. Create beautiful structures and wonder to boost your culture and gain new social policies to get a nice lead over other Civ's. Finally build up your military to the point of world conquest if you want complete domination over the game! Civilization is a great strategy game that anybody can pick up and play, and I highly recommend this expansion.
For more information on Civilization V visit: http://www.civilization5.com/
And Owen's Number 1 Game of 2013 is...
Pokémon X and Y: Let's take a break from all the Assassin and Shooting games to talk about my favorite game of this year. Pokémon X and Y is one of the greatest the franchise has put out in a while, with ground breaking new features that make this game one of a kind. I have nothing but good things to say about this game, and having clocked in 140 hours it’s a bit hard to put down. I don't know where to begin with this amazing game so I'll begin with the details. 69 new Pokémon give a nice boost to the game, and a new Pokémon type adds more strategy. While the new Pokémon are a bit cartoonish and cheesy, they're still as fun to use as ever. You play in the Kalos region, a region based on France complete with an Eiffel Tower like structure. It's huge, and includes the biggest city the games have ever seen with the Tower in the center. It's still like the old games; you have to beat 8 gyms and the elite four to win the game while fighting a group of villains on the way who abuse Pokémon for power. Team Flare makes an appearance in this game, which use the new legendary Pokémon to harness enough power to destroy civilization. This game adds a lot of new mechanics, like 3D battles, the wonder trade where you can randomly trade Pokémon with somebody around the world, and super training where you can play mini games to train your Pokémon up the way you like. Over all this game is one of the best in the series, with very few flaws and is great for any age.
For more information on Pokemon X and Y visit: http://www.pokemonxy.com
These games can also be purchased through: http://store.steampowered.com or at a local retail store.
Here at Mac Edition Radio we hope you have a wonderful holiday season, full of great games!
Owen O’Sullivan, Posted 12/23/2013
