5 Games That Everyone Should Play

This is one of hopefully not so many lists that will be featured on my blog. Knowing my audience (a group of high school students who may or may not play games), this week's list is all about games that everyone regardless of their gaming experience should certainly give a try. Some of these games may be familiar to you; other games may not be so familiar. Nonetheless, these are games that I have played personally and most definitely feel that you should as well.

1. Super Mario Galaxy 2

It's pretty hard at this point to not have played a Mario game at least once in your life. This is certainly one you should not miss. No other company has been able to master the platformer as Nintendo has with Super Mario Galaxy 2. A sequel to the original Galaxy game on the Wii, this title is leaps and bounds better than its predecessor. With glorious art design that is certainly one of the best on the Nintendo system, a fantastic level design that will please, stimulate, and challenge, and a polish so clean that this is perhaps the best game you can find on the Wii.

2. World of Warcraft
Most people consider World of Warcraft as the mother of all MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games). With over 11 million subscribers (and deservedly so), this game has taken a HUGE chunk out of the MMO market. Since it's debut in 2004, the game has released three different expansions and a plethora of patches and updates to continually tweak the game.

While the game may look like one reserved for the "hardcore" only at hindsight, it is one of the most approachable games ever crafted. World of Warcraft is certainly accessible to the mass audience. It's simple to play and simple to learn. The game is crafted so well that everything new you need to learn and do comes into your face so progressively that there are very few times where you are stressed with so many or very little things to do or learn. The first 20 levels (out of a smackdown 85) are free to try out, so it's worth a shot!

3. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Pac-Man: eat dots, eat fruit, chase ghosts, repeat. Sounds like the same old Pac-Man, right? What Pac-Man Championship Edition DX does is refine a three-decade old formula into something that is surprisingly fresh and new. On top of that, DX improves upon what the original Championship Edition failed to achieve. While you have probably played Pac-Man in some form or another, you have yet to play it like this. And trust me, you will not be disappointed.

4. The Sims 3

The Sims series is one of my guilty pleasures. It's a fantastic game with a premise so simple yet so intriguing. Who wouldn't want to play as God and control people under your own command? Again, The Sims 3 is the most polished and refined game in the series and why I recommend it over the others. While the series is one of the most accessible ones out there, The Sims 3 is the most accessible one in the series.

5. Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is one of the most raved-about PC shooters in the past few years. And what the game was when it first launched and what it is now makes it seem like two totally different games. It's a classic Red versus Blue scenario where you are forced to play as one of nine classes. Hell, they're not even classes at this point, they're characters. From the Bronx-frinetic Scout to the Scarlet-Russian Heavy, each class is a unique and entertaining character full of personality.

And besides, each class plays differently from each other that one can be fully engulfed in playing a single class for hours. Plus, there's always unlocking new weapons for your classes, so if you thought the game was starting to get stale, you finally have something new and fresh that can dramatically change your gameplay. And the best part? It's free! So you really have no excuse to give this game a shot.

Plus, you can collect hats to wear in the game, and everyone knows that hats are awesome.


There are so many more games I can think of off the top of my head that would be perfect on this list! But perhaps more games will be for another time. I'd like to know which games you think are ones that everyone on the planet should at least give a shot.