Netbook games... still thrilling as ever
It has been less than a month since Netbookist was started and I realised one fact – netbooks are not merely little playthings that you use to get online and then chuck it aside for a more powerful computer. No doubt, a netbook has its limitations which can rear its ugly head when you play post-2004 games, but then again, if you play games that are pre-2004, you will find that the netbook is a great portable device for entertainment on-the-go.
From the perspective of a hardcore gamer, the likes of Crysis, Far Cry 2 and Mafia II might have put you in a spot where you have very high expectations for graphics, and playing a decade-old game can be a bit daunting and intolerable. And reality is, with a netbook, you cannot expect too much – the average Intel integrated graphics chip only has the power of a 1999 GeForce 256, and the processing power is more or less around that of a 2003 Intel chip.
Perhaps the best representation of this reality is a girlfriend or wife.. At 21, your wife looked great, but give it a decade and often a times, she’ll be like what Deus Ex or Diablo looks like vis-a-vis contemporary game. But as much as it might not be a eye-popping experience anymore, what actually keeps the game fresh is what’s deeper than on the skin of it. Deus Ex, Diablo, Starcraft and many other examples have shown that the game might have dated graphics but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t enjoyable. I don’t think anyone would laud how good Starcraft looks like today, but even with the release of Starcraft II, many people still are on the original Starcraft. Why? Because it is still fun to play. Because there’s still a hardcore community with which you can enjoy the game. Because of the fact that Blizzard built a game that on fundamentally sound principles – some principles include having a good storyline (Deus Ex, Mafia), open-endedness (The Sims), or a great online community (Warcraft 3, because of DOTA).
The best part of playing netbook games is that you know exactly what you want to play, and usually these games come really cheap. Think Terraria, Deus Ex, Diablo 2, or Half Life. Generally, these games can be had for less than $10, and they still can suck you in for hours on hours just like they did when they were new. A good game never dies because of age, and the best part of classics is that you can easily run them on a netbook, and have fun on-the-go – on the plane, in the hotel and while commuting. Netbooks are not merely net-books.
For a full list of games and how to run them, head over to L.O.G.G.O.N.
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