Name: Jason Preston
Bio: Jason is an opinionated, intermittently absent bundle of frequently misplaced enthusiasm.
Students of this Dojo
andyFive Great Games for Netbooks
What's the point in owning a netbook if you can't play video games on it? We all know how handy it is to carry around a $300 laptop that you can whip out at a moment's notice, but these underpowered puppies will have all sorts of problems if you start trying to play Dragon Age: Origins on your lunch break.
What's the solution? Pick up one of these old-school (and somewhat new-school) games that will run like butter on your netbook:
What's the solution? Pick up one of these old-school (and somewhat new-school) games that will run like butter on your netbook:
Diablo II
Blizzard is famous for making games that will somehow run on an abacus. Diablo II, the game-changing action RPG from almost a decade ago, is no exception, and with an endless series of randomly-generated dungeon maps to hack through, Diablo II is the perfect companion for the CPU-challenged netbook gamer.
Deus Ex
One of my favorite games of all time, Deus Ex is a first-person action RPG that takes you through a twisted plot of intrigue and conspiracy theories in near-future but somewhat post-apocolyptic planet Earth. Think Half-Life meets awesome RPG.
Netbook tip: to get the game running in your native resolution, look for the "deusex.ini" file and tweak "FullscreenViewportX" and "FullscreenViewportY" values to fit your screen.
Netbook tip: to get the game running in your native resolution, look for the "deusex.ini" file and tweak "FullscreenViewportX" and "FullscreenViewportY" values to fit your screen.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Everyone remember Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It was that game that got everyone in Washington so mad at video gamers for putting violence and sex on everyone's computer screen. The good news is that this puppy will run great on your netbook, and you'll be hijacking cars in no time.
Half-Life
Speaking of Half-Life, let's not forget that the original world-class title from Valve Software is so old that it doesn't even require a 3D card to run on your computer.
Fire up your old game-of-the-year edition or grab a new copy on Steam for a couple bucks, and you can be tromping through Black Mesa again as Gordon Freeman in no time.
Fire up your old game-of-the-year edition or grab a new copy on Steam for a couple bucks, and you can be tromping through Black Mesa again as Gordon Freeman in no time.
Starcraft
I bet you were expecting me to say Wacraft III, weren't you?
It's true, Warcraft III will run well on most netbooks, but if we're going for old-school fun, there's something about the simplicity, balance, and straightforward RTS-ness about Starcraft that keeps me coming back for more. It's almost impossible not to pick this game back up very quickly, and it'll be a good primer for the upcoming sequel.
It's true, Warcraft III will run well on most netbooks, but if we're going for old-school fun, there's something about the simplicity, balance, and straightforward RTS-ness about Starcraft that keeps me coming back for more. It's almost impossible not to pick this game back up very quickly, and it'll be a good primer for the upcoming sequel.