Laptop Gaming: The Best Choices

Today, most non-casual gamers use
something other than their laptop to satisfy their gaming urges.
Compared to dedicated consoles like the PS3, Xbox 360, or even the
Wii, laptops just can't compete in terms of the raw power needed for
high-end games. Even if you do your gaming on a PC, it's usually
a desktop machine that handles the games you can get through Steam
and in stores.

However, that doesn't mean a gamer should go
without on their laptop. Many games exist that take up much less
power and space on your machine. One casual game that can eat up a
lot of time is Plants Versus Zombies, a unique twist on the
tower-defense genre that successfully integrates cuteness into the
game without sacrificing on quality. Older games can also be a way to
go; Starcraft is a classic real time strategy game that today doesn't
take up much power at all, yet packs hours worth of awesome gameplay
into a very tight package. Diablo is another great choice from the
past, if you enjoy adventure-heavy RPGs, and don't mind sacrificing
newness for addicting gameplay.

However, by far, the best choice for laptops
is to try out games that you might not ordinarily play, because they
are underpowered graphics-wise. Deadly Rooms of Death is a great
puzzle game with a humorous story line that sports less than stellar
graphics. The adventuring theme gives the game an interesting play
style, but it should be stressed that the game is made primarily for
puzzle-lovers. (So much so, in fact, that you should not expect to be
able to finish the game sans-cheating without many weeks of
punctuated gameplay.)

The Battle for Wesnoth is one of the
best turn-based tactical strategy games available today. This is
somewhat surprising, because Wesnoth is actually completely free to
download and play. All aspects of the game are created and developed
by the public, with all involved donating their time and effort to
the cause. Obviously, 3-D graphics and the like are not available in
such a venue, but the graphics that are available in the game are
surprisingly good considering the fact that all work done on
everything was given for free.

Despite the emphasis given above on how
the Battle for Wesnoth is maintained by the online community for
free, I cannot stress enough how the game competes very well with
commercially-made games of its genre. It's high-fantasy theme makes
it an easy comparison to Fire Emblem, which is the same genre, though
it uses a substantially different system. Although each is unique and
uses rules that are less similar to one another than at first might
be seen, they share enough qualities for me to make the somewhat
controversial statement that I honestly believe Wesnoth is the better
game.

If you decide to try one of these
ideas, you certainly won't regret it. Every game  in
this article is top-tier, and deserves a play or two from any casual
gamer. Even hardcore gamers should take the time to slow down and try
out games different from what they may have previously dared to try.
Either way, these games are the ideal choices for those who hope to try gaming on their laptop.