There was once a time where we gamers spent our hard-earned cash and time in arcades. River Falls Mall in Clarksville, IN housed an entire second floor devoted to this kind of enjoyment—along with mini-golf and other such shenanigans—but that was long ago replaced by Bass Pro Shop.
Arcades have dwindled away to small neglected corners in movie theaters. It seems that the age of local gaming is mostly finished with more and more people going online. Folks would rather huddle around their headsets in their empty rooms than stand behind some guy playing Golden Axe or some other arcade classic.
This is the outlook that many have on this sort of gaming: it’s gone, never to return. The simple truth of the matter is that it just isn’t so. Now, more than ever, is the time for local gaming! There are any number of great games either already on the market or coming soon that whet the whistle when it comes to gaming with friends (whilst in the same room) and talking trash.
So, without further ado, here are some local games that will have you salivating and bugging more friends than FarmVille.
1. Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers, from developer The Behemoth, has been an indie darling for years. It has seen so much success, in fact, that the developer is on that edge where some people start referring to it as mainstream. Regardless of the developer’s status, it offers four-player co-op, local and online, with a number of knights that have majorly different talents.
Freeze, poison, flame and generally cause mayhem with your friends across a hilarious campaign.
2. DeathSpank
This is a little game from Hothead Games, the folks that made the Penny Arcade games, and has some major input from Ron Gilbert, a name attached to the Monkey Island series. It has a lot of talent people behind it, plays like Diablo and requires multiple commas to describe accurately. Besides, the hero is named DeathSpank.
The game plays with an angled top-down perspective, numerous weapons and quests, crazy dialogue and the ability to do all of this and more with a friend. Who says arcade experiences are dead?
Comments
Castle Crashers is the amazing little game that provides great big fun. No matter how many times my friends and I ran through it, there was always neat things to do - like unlocking new characters, finding new pets and weapons, and beating each other to bloody pulps. I'm glad you're giving it some very much deserved attention.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!