For many people summer break is a time to find jobs, work internships or just to run out to the beach and engage in all manner of recreational activity.
However, it is an inevitable truth that the summer is also a time where many of us at the University of Florida find ourselves swimming in a deluge of extra free time. More often than not, this deluge is wasted away in front of the computer or television as we engage in moments of utter leisure and lack of productivity that we are so often denied during the school year.
Well in order to better utilize that plethora of free time and leisure that you so ardently have, here is a compiled list of long runner video games to while away your summer hours.
Persona 3/4
System: PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
Genre: RPG
Release: 2006/2008
Lauded as one of the best RPG series of the previous decade, either of these iterations into the Persona franchise is guaranteed to create 50+ hours of game play with its rich story and truckload of content. If you own either a PS2 or PSP you can buy a copy for about $15 on amazon for a solid time sink.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
System: PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360
Genre: Action-RPG
Release: 2011
I’m pretty certain that nearly the entire population has heard the stories about the open world of Skyrim. Stories about how some people buy this game and are never seen again for weeks on end, tales of fantasy worlds that enrapture their victims and refuse to let them be. Well, it is my predilection to verify that every one of those stories is true. I promise you that this game will grab hundreds of hours before you even realize where they’ve gone. Be warned, it’s likely that your friends and family may not be seeing much of you if you decide to open the Pandora’s Box that is Skyrim. Buy it on Steam right now for about $29.99
Mass Effect Trilogy
System: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii-U
Genre: Shooter, RPG
Release: 2007, 2010, 2012
If Skyrim mastered the conception of open-world gaming. Then the Mass Effect franchise has long mastered the art of storytelling and character development. This space-faring shooter and RPG has been critically acclaimed for its story and character interactions (opinions regarding the ending aside) and all three games should easily absorb at least 100+ hours of your time before the summer is out. You’re in luck all three games are available for digital download on Amazon for about $30. Considering how much content you’re buying that’s a steal.
