Slow Summer Days Survival Guide

Those lazy days of summer are upon us and with them they’ve brought along another game release drought.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a few gems out there if you’re into things like crafting stars, but what are you to do to fulfill that console itch?  I’m here to remind you that there are still options for you out there.

The Backlog:

We’ve all got them, the games that have been gathering dust on our shelves for months, or occasionally years, just waiting for you to dive right in.  Now is a perfect time to give them the attention they crave.  Personally, I have a good five or six that not only haven’t been played, but are still shrink-wrapped.  Slow times like these are a great excuse to pull off the wrapping and get going on those forgotten classics.  In addition, if you’ve got some extra cash laying around, take a gander at your local game retailer.  You never know how much the game you’d been meaning to play but never picked up has dropped in price.

The Downloadables:

Despite the fact that Nintendo’s virtual console is barely throwing us crumbs nowadays, there are plenty of fun and affordable times to be had with downloadable games.  Limbo is a prime example of an incredibly fun title that is only available via download.  The price of said games is another good reason to consider this option.  Even if you’re looking for something to tide you over for a very long time, you can get awesome stuff like Grandia or one of the Final Fantasy games as a PSOne Classic.

The Completionist:

Even when you’ve played through everything you own, with trophies and achievements, there is always more to do.  With the recent Dead Space kick I’ve been going through, I went back and got my platinum medal and it was honestly a blast.  Going for that one-hundred percent in a game can be rewarding in many ways.  Sure, you get that wonderful notch on your TV stand, but it also helps you to explore areas of the game you hadn’t considered.  I highly recommend doing it at least once, perhaps with one of your favorites.

It will not be long before the hits start coming faster than you can open your wallet, but take this time and enjoy your games.  Perhaps you can even pull off a triple-threat by getting a one-hundred percent complete on one of the downloadable games in your backlog.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a backlog on my Nintendo 64, so I need to get cracking.