Easily one of my favorites: Orcs Must Die!

Game of the Day

Orcs Must Die!

ESRB Rating: [T] Blood and Gore, and Violence

Genre: Action, Strategy, Indie

This game is much like a tower defense game that many gamers can relate to - even those who aren't so very much into games but play Flash games as well. The only difference between a tower defense game and Orcs Must Die! is that the player is on the ground with his or her traps, troops and enemies, and is able to battle to victory through strategic placement of prior stated traps and troops, and through a vast array of weaponry.

Orcs Must Die! was published by Robot Entertainment in October of 2011, and is still a very popular game among the gaming community. In fact it was so popular that it was given a sibling, Orcs Must Die 2!. This game has been one of my favorites for a while, because it's fun, funny, strategic, hands-on, easy on the eyes and addicting.

In this game the player, known as a War Mage, must protect mystical blue portals known as rifts that the Orcs and other monsters are trying to enter and destroy. As the War Mage progresses through the game's campaign, he (in this game) unlocks new traps and weapons (with upgrade unlocks), new guardians (such as archers and paladins) and skills to invest in. Through investing in these skills or upgrades the War Mage's arsenal grows stronger so he can take on stronger and more numerous amounts of enemies. As the player, you'll encounter flying enemies as well, so you've got to be able to understand your enemies when placing traps or guardians, and being able to think on your toes in order to deal with new enemies as they enter the level to reach your rift! Even though the enemies come in waves, you will have enough downtime to set new traps or guardians, or even sell old ones. The game's controls are easy to get accustomed to. The number keys on the top row of the keyboard select the arsenal the player acquires throughout the campaign. The W, A, S and D keys move the character in the corresponding direction. The Space Bar causes the player's character to jump. The mouse and its buttons will allow the player to look around, set traps and attack with either primary or secondary weapon abilities. There are a few other buttons, but they pop up on the screen when it would be appropriate - you won't miss it, and won't feel silly if you didn't know before you read it!

The quick pace of this game is seamless (ignoring the fact that there are breaks between waves); the music can be quite repetitive but that's not why we're here; the witty remarks and jokes keep this cartoony game laughable but playable; the ability to upgrade any traps, guardians, weapons or skills you want allows for great customization based on individual gameplay; and the amount of time many gamers have spent on this game will ensure that it will continue to provide a sense of replay value.

If you have some spare cash and would want to purchase a simple game that allows hours upon hours of gameplay, but doesn't require you to play hours upon hours per day, I would highly recommend this game. It has elements of familiar Role-Playing Games, interactive like an Action game, thought-provoking like a Strategy game, and doesn't require a lot of knowledge about gaming in general. It's easy to learn, fun, and good for a single level per sitting, or if you want to sit down and beat it in one day.