1. Rock Band/Guitar Hero (PS3/XBOX360/Wii) Ever heard of the phrase, "There's a rock star in all of us"? No? Well neither have I, but if that saying was true, the man who said it must have started the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. I'm sure you know of someone that has big aspirations to make it one day in the music industry. He's spent years honing his craft, but then his voice sounds like the offspring of William Hung and a dying cat. Yet, even when he sings "Livin' on a Prayer" on the Easy setting, he can practically sing it perfectly! In these games, easy difficulty for vocals allow even the most tone deaf of roadside karaoke singers to sing some Guns N' Roses perfectly. One thing that these two series do right is having a low barrier to entry. Anyone can play on Easy. If you’re embarrassed about your voice, then pick up that guitar or sit on that drum kit! The latest iteration of Rock Band, Rock Band 3, now offers keyboards as well. Rock Band also offers downloadable songs at around 2$ each. With over 2,000 songs to download, you'll be there for a while. 2. Ragnarok Online (PC) MMORPGs are such great time wasters, and what better to choose the one that swept the nation almost 10 years ago (but still has a dedicated fan-base up to now): Ragnarok Online. Even those who are inexperienced with gaming can get into this simply because it's so easy. Don’t be intimidated by the numerous job classes, the gigantic world map, or how to build your character. There are many strategy guides online for each and every character you plan to create. One of the best parts about MMORPGs is the fact that they pretty much have no end. And best of all, it's free to download. 3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3/XBOX360/PC) Ah yes, who wouldn't want to play as a hulking barbarian, slaughtering foes throughout a medieval fantasy world populated by the mythical creatures, the undead, and dragons! What's that? Hulking barbarian not to your liking? Then maybe you'd like to play as the sneaky assassin or a master of magic. The latest in the series of Elder Scrolls games, Skyrim, is without a doubt the grandest and most open-ended one yet. I'm sure most of you have seen Lord of the Rings and want to experience a world like Middle-Earth. Skyrim comes pretty damn close. Featuring a colorful cast of characters spanning different races (you’ve got humans, orcs, elves, lizard people, cat people, and more), Skyrim will be a blast even if you're not a gamer.


4. Dance Dance Revolution (Arcade/PS3/XBOX360/Wii) This is pretty much a game that everyone, everywhere has probably heard of, or at least has seen in your local arcade. Taking arcades by storm in the late 90s, Dance Dance Revolution arguably popularized the rhythm game genre. With gameplay as simple and intuitive as "Step on arrow in time with the music," it's easy to see why everyone hopped on the bandwagon, spawning local communities and small tournaments. Do you love doing aerobics? Then Dance Dance is for you! Do you want to find an easy and fun way to burn off some extra calories? Then Dance Dance is for you! Are you so uncoordinated when you dance that you can only move your feet but not your arms? Then Dance Dance is for you! (Say it again: Dance Dance is for you!) 5. Gran Turismo (PS2/PS3) There's always that one person in the family that just loves cars, or at least someone that likes to deck out their cars with pointless stickers, loud mufflers, and deafening sound systems. If you're part of the latter, then this really isn't the game for you. Go and play the Need for Speed series. Gran Turismo has always been the purist's game, and you can see it right there in the game's tagline. Rather than classifying itself as a racing game, it differentiates itself by saying it's a "Real Driving Simulator." Kinda like your friend who persistently claims they have American blood, but in truth it only makes up for 1/16th of their genetics. Under the hood though, you can see why Gran Turismo calls itself a "Driving Simulator." It's almost a love letter to cars in a certain way. I mean, in what other racing game can you find powerhouses such as the Nissan Skyline appearing alongside the Toyota Prius? Anyone infatuated with the history of the automobile would love the sheer amount of content the game has to offer, with Gran Turismo 5 on the PS3 totaling at over 1000 cars. If you own an XBOX 360, then give the Forza series a try, arguably Microsoft's answer to the Gran Turismo series.



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