Recession Time = Time for Gaming

If you’ve fallen victim of the recession of late, have no fear…it’s time for entertainment! The videogame console war is entertaining enough viewed from the outside looking in, but it’s even more fun getting involved with all the bickering and the occasional fanboy label being thrown around by another fanboy who is mad that he feels his favorite console is getting ripped in fear that someone else might buy into it.

All joking aside, I find that when I am able to work more and make more money, I tend to find more noble ways to use my money that will benefit in the long-run. When times are tough, you work less, or not at all and have much more free time and less money assuming you are receiving a severance package from being unemployed.

I can already feel the people who are reading this now saying “that doesn’t make sense, I’m out of a job and you suggest that I feed my gaming habit?” That’s exactly what I’m saying! Even during the great depression, people who were out of work spent their time going to shows and sporting events, looking to be entertained to pass the time among other things like picking up an alcohol /drug addiction.

Now, I want to keep this positive and ignore the end of that last very small paragraph by moving onto my next point. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but even Blu-ray movies are picking up faster than DVD did in the late 90’s when the economy was “booming“, there were still people using VHS without even thinking twice. Movies, music and gaming are becoming the staple for “getting away from it all” and with recent games offering a cinematic experience, why not kill two birds with one stone and use some of your money that isn’t going towards bills to pass the time and game until things pick back up again?

You have 3 game machines out now that have their own form of entertainment. The Wii (currently $249) offers an online gaming service called WiiWare, loads of family fun and your girl will love you for picking it up while your friends will make fun of you for days, but never mind that, you‘re trying to make your fickle girlfriend forget how broke you are!

The next console is  the XBOX 360 (currently starting at $199) which is a cheaper alternative to the PS3 and supposed to be dropping in price, yet again, offering vast library of games to choose from with the option to pay for NetFlix services for movies that can stream/download right to your console along with downloadable games via XBOX Live.

And last, but not least…the luxury buy out of the bunch, the PS3 (currently starting at $399…OUCH!) is supposed to be dropping in price by the end of this month which means I’m buying lots of PS3 stock!…oh wait, that doesn’t exist, but it has a very decent library with quality games, free internet and a good library of downloadable movies available along with the capability of playing Blu-ray or DVD movies to pass the time.

Now I know you’re already saying “But-but-but The Don, I’m a broke gamer and have very little to buy games on top of having to shell out money for the game system itself”. So true, but you can rent a game, find quality games at a discount price or even download something from either the XBOX Live, WiiWare or Playstation Store. Below, I will list some of the great deals available on each of the 3 major consoles and also deliberately leave a few out so you can read this and correct me on what I “failed to mention”.

Wii

• Shaun White Snowboarding – 29.97 (Amazon.com)
• We Love Golf – 16.31 (Amazon.com)
• Super Mario Galaxy – 49.99
• MadWorld – 44.99 (Amazon.com)
• Wii Play w/ Wii Remote – 44.96 (Amazon.com)
• MegaMan 9 (WiiWare) – 1000 Wii Points
• Lost Winds (WiiWare) – 1000 Wii Points
• Mario Kart Wii w/ Wii Steering Wheel – 49.99
• Additional Wii Steering Wheel – 9.99

Some of these Wii games might be too expensive, but if you want to get one game then these are your best bets as there isn‘t much to choose from for the Wii in the bargain department.

XBOX 360

• XBOX Live 12 Month Gold Membership w/ 1 month bonus – 38.99
• Gears of War 2 (Amazon.com) – 53.99
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (XBL Arcade) – 10.00
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (XBL Arcade) – 5.00
• Contra (XBL Arcade) – 5.00
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope – 56.99 (Amazon.com)
• Mass Effect – 19.99
• Halo 3 – 36.99 (Amazon.com)
• Ninja Gaiden 2 – 27.99 (Amazon.com)
• Grand Theft Auto 4 – 39.99 (Amazon.com)
• Burnout: Paradise (XBL Arcade) – 19.99
• MegaMan 9 – 9.99
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (XBL Arcade) – 14.99
• Gears of War – 27.99
• Lots of free Demo’s to choose from as well.

Playstation 3

• Metal Gear Solid 4 – 39.99 (Amazon.com)
• Killzone 2 – 52.99 (Amazon.com)
• LittleBigPlanet – 39.99 (Amazon.com)
• Grand Theft Auto 4 (Amazon.com)
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma – 29.99
• Resistance: Fall of Man (Amazon.com) – 27.99
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – 19.99
• War hawk (PSN download/Amazon.com) – 29.99 / 27.99 (you can also find the game at Sears with the Headset for about 25 bucks)
• Burnout: Paradise (PSN) – 19.99
• MegaMan 9 – 9.99
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (PSN) – 14.99
• Flower (PSN) – 9.99
• High Velocity Bowling (PSN) – 9.99
• Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty – 9.99
• PixelJunk Monsters (PSN) – 9.99
• Lots of free Demo’s too choose from and don’t be afraid to purchase a used game as Blu-ray discs are scratch resistant.

So there are three different animals available, the Wii being the one most unlike the others, but they all offer great value for the price paid depending on how much you’re willing to spend and the 360 offers a lot for the price, while the PS3 offers more with the obvious higher price tag.
But remember, this is your entertainment value here, so spend it wisely and forget about how the stock market is doing or what stimulus plan Obama has lined up, it’s time to game and take your mind off the current predicament until it subsides!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Related posts:

1. The Evolution Of Next-Gen Gaming
2. 5 Things You Can Do When Not Gaming
3. Have ‘Achievements’ Ruined Gaming?
4. The De-Evolution of Gaming?
5. Xbox 360: The Last Hope?