Adventure Games buying guide

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Adventure Games

Of all gaming genres, adventure is the broadest and most relatable to everyone. For gift givers, adventure is a fine place to start, because seemingly everyone likes fighting evil with sword and sorcery or roaming undiscovered territory to snag sacred artifacts. Take a look at a few examples of the finest adventure games available.

Consoles

Indigo Prophecy : Play as both detective and perpetrator in this haunting mystery. People are killing one another left and right for no apparent reason, and you sift through clues and do battle to get to the bottom of it all.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City : One of the great "sandbox titles" lets you complete missions as an on-the rise mafioso or just have fun roaming the open-world environment to stir up your own trouble.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend : Don't mess with butt-kicking, cliff-jumping treasure hunter Lara Croft. The sexy video game icon makes one of her top performances in this death-defying adventure.

Star Wars Battlefront II : Recreate a number of battles from the George Lucas interstellar sage. The game lets you play as a Jedi, a Storm Trooper or almost any other character classification in between. The Force is strong with this one.

Handhelds

Daxter : Fans of the adventurous Jak franchise should enjoy this spinoff, in which eternal sidekick Daxter gets to branch out and go off on a quest of his own. Get past the stiff loading times and you'll have a load of fun with this one.

Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror : Expanding on the secret-ops Splinter Cell vibe, this shooter puts you in the silent shoes of a covert military dude who sneaks around, shoots people and saves the world. He doesn't do dishes, though.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo : Sticking to true SOCOM tradition, the single-player mode in this military shooter is doggie kibble, while the online action is filet mignon. Even the tepid single-player mode is more fun than the movie Navy SEALs, though.

Resident Evil: Deadly Silence : Roam an evil-plagued mansion carefully and distribute your brand of carefully planned justice. Either that or run for your life like a freaked-out schoolboy. Either way it's lots of frightening fun.

Computer

The Da Vinci Code : Though the console adaptations of the blockbuster novel turned film were weak, the PC version of the Louvre-exploring, code-cracking game is far more in-depth and nuanced.

Rogue Trooper : Pat Benatar says love is a battlefield, but she's probably never played this game. Grab a gun and help win the war to save the world.

FreeSpace 2 : Take to the not-so-friendly skies in this advanced dogfighting title. The computer keyboard layout makes for excellent control in your banking and missile lock maneuvers.

Battlezone : There's something about computers and war that goes together oh so well. This landmark war title puts you in command of tanks and troops. This is a tough game, but well worth the effort.

Classic

Metroid : Blast your way through a hidden passage-laden alien hotzone in this old-school Nintendo title. Followed by many sequels, this masterpiece still stands strong.

The Legend of Zelda : This innovative exploration-based quest title for NES will always be known as one of the finest games ever created. Search out the land of Hyrule as sword-wielding, green-suited hero Link.

Defender II : This arcade gem, which was also released on the Atari and NES, puts you in the cockpit of an interstellar fighter plane. Blast aliens away and rescue innocent civilians who get kidnapped by tractor beams.

Altered Beast : Ever feel like transforming into a wolf? Altered Beast lets you do that, and then some. The Sega Genesis actioner lets you transform into various creatures to fulfill the warrior's noble quest.

External Links

GameSpot -- One of the top gaming resources on the net.
IGN -- Covers video games as well as the rest of the entertainment world.
Game Informer -- An excellent video game magazine's home page.

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Consoles

Indigo Prophecy : Play as both detective and perpetrator in this haunting mystery. People are killing one another left and right for no apparent reason, and you sift through clues and do battle to get to the bottom of it all.	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City : One of the great "sandbox titles" lets you complete missions as an on-the rise mafioso or just have fun roaming the open-world environment to stir up your own trouble.	Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend : Don't mess with butt-kicking, cliff-jumping treasure hunter Lara Croft. The sexy video game icon makes one of her top performances in this death-defying adventure.	Star Wars Battlefront II : Recreate a number of battles from the George Lucas interstellar sage. The game lets you play as a Jedi, a Storm Trooper or almost any other character classification in between. The Force is strong with this one.

Handhelds

Daxter : Fans of the adventurous Jak franchise should enjoy this spinoff, in which eternal sidekick Daxter gets to branch out and go off on a quest of his own. Get past the stiff loading times and you'll have a load of fun with this one.	Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror : Expanding on the secret-ops Splinter Cell vibe, this shooter puts you in the silent shoes of a covert military dude who sneaks around, shoots people and saves the world. He doesn't do dishes, though.	SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo : Sticking to true SOCOM tradition, the single-player mode in this military shooter is doggie kibble, while the online action is filet mignon. Even the tepid single-player mode is more fun than the movie Navy SEALs, though.	Resident Evil: Deadly Silence : Roam an evil-plagued mansion carefully and distribute your brand of carefully planned justice. Either that or run for your life like a freaked-out schoolboy. Either way it's lots of frightening fun.

Computer

The Da Vinci Code : Though the console adaptations of the blockbuster novel turned film were weak, the PC version of the Louvre-exploring, code-cracking game is far more in-depth and nuanced.	Rogue Trooper : Pat Benatar says love is a battlefield, but she's probably never played this game. Grab a gun and help win the war to save the world.	FreeSpace 2 : Take to the not-so-friendly skies in this advanced dogfighting title. The computer keyboard layout makes for excellent control in your banking and missile lock maneuvers.	Battlezone : There's something about computers and war that goes together oh so well. This landmark war title puts you in command of tanks and troops. This is a tough game, but well worth the effort.

Classic

Metroid : Blast your way through a hidden passage-laden alien hotzone in this old-school Nintendo title. Followed by many sequels, this masterpiece still stands strong.	The Legend of Zelda : This innovative exploration-based quest title for NES will always be known as one of the finest games ever created. Search out the land of Hyrule as sword-wielding, green-suited hero Link.	Defender II : This arcade gem, which was also released on the Atari and NES, puts you in the cockpit of an interstellar fighter plane. Blast aliens away and rescue innocent civilians who get kidnapped by tractor beams.	Altered Beast : Ever feel like transforming into a wolf? Altered Beast lets you do that, and then some. The Sega Genesis actioner lets you transform into various creatures to fulfill the warrior's noble quest.