I hate to break it to everyone who had the luxury of enjoying a Christmas Break whether they’re being educated at the elementary, secondary or collegiate level, but fun time is over and both Christmas and New Year’s is nothing more than a distant dream. I know that’s hard to swallow as you read this amidst a lecture or lab that is probably only slightly less fun than watching a blade of grass attempt to grow under a snowy wasteland, but no one ever said I had to sugarcoat the truth. Never fear though, there’s something that will not only help you pass the latest semester along, but you might even learn something, incorporate it into a project and receive the loving adoration of your teacher amidst the quiet respect of gamers from here to the cafeteria. So, before your teacher, professor or the graduate student lecturing you catches on that your not paying attention, have a glance at these 10 games that’ll give you something a bit more to talk about in class.
10. Call of Duty 2 – World History: World War I was called, “The War to end all Wars”, and unfortunately it wasn’t, and for a slew of reasons that I’m sure can be found in a plethora of history books, a Second World War erupted when Germany decided it was a good idea to invade Poland. Well, as the name implies, every major world power got pulled into the mix for one reason or another and the warfare had, for the second time in less than three decades, spanned across the globe. From the Soviet Union to France and on to Africa, Allies battled the Axis powers in the hopes of stopping the perpetual roll of fascism and Nazism. That’s where Call of Duty 2 comes in as it illustrates, from the front lines, what the men in uniform did to battle their way across the ever numerous theatres of war. And while it doesn’t go in-depth on the details of the political and socio-economic reasons that initially facilitated the war, it is nonetheless a fairly interesting recount of many notable events that shaped the world for the rest of human history.
9. Dead Rising – Biology: When human tissue endures the process known as necrosis, the skin, cells and everything contain within, for all appropriate comparisons dies. However, when it reanimates, it is a terrifying ordeal of the highest order that has been repeatedly examined in Zombie films, novels and games since the original Night of the Living Dead shocked theatregoers. The interesting thing about Zombification is that it originally was dabbled in via Voodoo Priest of Haiti, none of which ever sought to create an army of undead whose vile bite would create more of them so much as mindlessly humble servants willing to cater to any whim. While there is actually a case in the animal kingdom comparable to a zombie virus, it has sadly been proven that humanity most likely will never experience the awesome scenario of a zombie apocalypse. In the meantime though, it couldn’t hurt to brush up on your Dead Rising; smashing, punching, shooting or stabbing any shuffling undead hapless enough to come within arms’ reach. Just in case.
8. Alan Wake – English: For anyone who fancies themselves a writer or who has ever had a favorite author can attest that the literary command of language is always going to be a difficult proposition, regardless of how naturally it comes to a person or not. Some can write a ten-page essay as if it were nothing, crafting an intelligent argument in the span of those pages, which others have difficulty ever making it past their first sentence. Thankfully though, if anyone was looking for inspiration or simply how to survive if their stories ever come to life and have a taste to kill, it wouldn’t hurt to spend a few hours with Alan Wake. Although the game routinely quote Stephen King, an excellent writer in his own right, it is interesting to see the very intriguing character reactions of Wake as well as the rest of the cast. Overall though, if there is a game that offers a brief study in the written word conjoined with a relatively strong narrative, Alan Wake definitely should be dog-eared to play.
This feature top 10 list continues on the next page, please click below to see our next couple choices for the top 10 games to augment your education.
