Spend quality time alone or with family this holiday season with these five great casual video games.
Whether you’ve been studying for the semester or working hard all year, the Christmas holidays give you an opportunity to kick back and get some much-needed rest and repose. What better way to pass idle moments of the shortest days of the year indoors with a hot cuppa, some warm blankets, and a fun and engaging video game that immerses you?
Below are five fun, casual video games that can bring plenty of joy and excitement during the holiday break:
1. VALHEIM
Although still in early access, this Viking-themed game is a great buy. Discover the vast expanses of procedurally-generated worlds by foot or by sea in a longship with your friends or family (multiplayer is supported), battle ferocious enemies, and build your own custom village with a vast array of building pieces and mechanics.
Valheim has a little bit of everything, so much so that just about anyone can find themselves passing hour after hour in their immersive world. Although it’s casual enough for anyone to enjoy, the difficulty can be daunting at a certain point - but don’t worry, the game can be played at your own pace.
It’s recommended that you play on a device with an Intel Core i5 with a 3 GHz clock speed, so most refurbished laptops will be able to run it easy peasy.
2. MINECRAFT
If you’re a creative type that loves building, you really can’t go wrong with Minecraft. This game is great for children aged 10-99, and it isn’t particularly vulgar or dangerous for children.
Instead Minecraft encourages exploration and resource gathering, although there is some violence in the form of repelling monsters and hunting for animals to gather meat. The blocky graphics and animations, however, render this quite mild in comparison to more violent games aimed at more mature audiences.
One of the great things about Minecraft is that it can be played on just about anything including perhaps a toaster, so a newer refurbished laptop or even tablets can play this favourite without a hitch.
3. PORTAL 2
The concept is simple, but the execution is flawless. Portal and its successor Portal 2 are amongst the greatest puzzle games ever created and they’re engaging enough for just about anyone to enjoy over the holiday break.
Portal 2 follows in the storyline (it’s got an excellent story, especially for a puzzle game) of its predecessor, but in brief you must simply use your Handheld Portal Device to open up portals that become increasingly complex as you progress.
Best of all, both Portal and Portal 2 can be played on a Pentium 4, so pretty much any refurbished device can run these games in their full splendour.
4. BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY
Adolescents and young adults that have fantasised about being Batman, zipping across Arkham City and beating up goons, will surely love the classic Batman Arkham trilogy. Although the first game, Arkham Asylum, was a great success in its day and still plays well in 2022, its successor, Arkham City, improved on the original concept and made it feel even more immersive to play as Batman (or Catwoman).
Arkham City is a little more graphics-intensive than the previously listed games, but any refurbished PC or laptop from the past few years should be able to run it quite well, especially if you’ve got a reasonable GPU.
5. HOTLINE MIAMI
1980s nostalgia may appeal to some of us, and for those into the vaporwave/synthwave aesthetic and 80s Miami culture, ultra-violent gunplay, palm trees, pastel suits, and sunsets, Hotline Miami should be just the fix you’re looking for. Keep in mind that this game does contain substantial gore and violence and is not appropriate for young children.
The gameplay is a simple top-down shooter style mixed with stealth elements, but the storytelling is also quite engaging as you play the role of “Jacket” and must eliminate the Russian mafia in 1989 Miami.
Hotline Miami can be played on most refurbished devices, so long as you’ve got 1GB RAM or more and a processor more powerful than 1.2 GHz.
GET YOUR GAME ON WITH REFURBISHED DEVICES FROM WISETEK STORE
Gaming can be a great pastime whether you’re spending the holiday break alone or with loved ones, especially if it’s cold outside and you simply want to sit back and relax whilst enjoying a compelling story or engaging gameplay.
Wisetek Store has a wide range of gaming accessories such as graphics cards, as well as ‘as new’ high-quality refurbished laptops, desktop computers, tablets, phones, and other accessories at excellent prices.
Customers located in the UK can now purchase refurbished laptops and more at our sister website, Wisetek Store UK.
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