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Top 10 Games That Kill Time And Brain Cells

Top 10 Games That Kill Time And Brain Cells

The summer gaming slump approaches. Most major-labels wait until the fall to drop their AAA titles on us. As most of us get out more to enjoy the weather, we find ourselves with only a few spare minutes in which to get our gaming fix. Here’s our list of top ten gaming quickies guaranteed to satisfy.

Fruit Ninja (XBL, PC, Mobile)

Fruit Ninja (XBL, PC, Mobile)

Halfbrick Studios’ entry will have you slicing, dicing, and possibly even cursing away the minutes until your abbreviated gaming session comes to an end. It also manages to make me feel like I need a smoothie. I’m not real sure how that happens, but I digress…

Sine Mora (XBL, PSN, PC, Vita)

Sine Mora (XBL, PSN, PC, Vita)

This game is a side-scrolling shoot-fest that will have you pulling your hair out before you know it. It has a story, sure…but who cares! You don’t have time for that right now. You are too busy blowing stuff up to worry about nonsense things like plot.

Iron Brigade (XBL)

Iron Brigade (XBL)

Tim Schafer is a genius. Don’t deny it. Just give in to the awesome third-person-shooter, tower-defense madness that is Iron Brigade. This game will have you setting traps and murdering aliens by the bushel. And if you have a little more time to burn on the game than you thought, you can even invite some friends to join you online.

Double Dragon Neon (PSN, XBL)

Double Dragon Neon (PSN, XBL)

First off, let me ask if you’ve ever gone to a martial arts blockbuster movie for the plot? No? That’s what I thought. Double Dragon Neon is that blockbuster. Its button-mashing mayhem is sure to sate even your deepest craving to pound someone’s face in. The plot is always the same: “Hey, you stole my girlfriend and now I’m going to kick your ass,” except Neon holds just enough surprises to keep you interested. On second thought, maybe this isn’t a good one to play if you’re short on time.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD (XBL, PSN)

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD (XBL, PSN)

In this game, you can top off a level in two minutes. In those two minutes you can make yourself fly like an eagle and nail every trick that Tony Hawk wishes he could. You can even customize your skate board — all while raging to a great soundtrack. This mindless game is one of the best time-killer franchises ever.

Bloodrayne: Betrayal (XBL, PSN)

Bloodrayne: Betrayal (XBL, PSN)

This Castlevania-esque title will have you cursing in no time at all. It’s a beautifully animated game where you simply hack and slash your way through level after level of blood-sucking zombies. The frustration really only comes once the hordes of baddies become so great that your button finger needs a smoke break…cause it’s on fire!

Dead Nation (PSN)

Dead Nation (PSN)

You and your friends have thirty minutes before class. Grab a crossbow or baseball bat and get to smashing undead skulls! This game reminds me of Hunter: The Reckoning on PS2, which reminds me of Gauntlet, which reminds me of…well, you get the picture. Now get to killin’!

Castle Crashers (XBL, PSN, PC)

Castle Crashers (XBL, PSN, PC)

This is how you rescue a princess, Mario! Grab your sword and shield and hack your way through the droves of enemies until you are the only one left standing. Keep jumping to a minimum, stay away from magic mushrooms, and destroy anything that moves that isn’t you. Unless you’re playing with your friends. If you are, you might want to try not hitting them as well.

Minecraft (XBL, PC)

Minecraft (XBL, PC)

Dig, break, collect, build, smash and repeat – this is the way of Minecraft. This title is like Legos for gamers. You can build anything you want, make nearly anything you want. And if you don’t really like what you’ve built, tear it down and start over. See? Just like Legos.

Poker Night 2 (XBL, PSN, PC)

Poker Night 2 (XBL, PSN, PC)

This is my favorite new time killer. I laughed out loud at the banter between some of the characters in this game. I suck at Texas hold ’em – and really, poker in general, which only makes the dialogue of the characters aimed at “our silent friend” even more hilarious. Brock Samson, Ash Williams, Claptrap, GLaDOS, and Sam make playing poker fun again. And I even get to stare at my one true gamer-crush, Moxxi (she stands behind the bar looking bored as everyone else plays cards). This one will be on my hard-drive for a long, long time.

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