The End is Nigh: 9 Post-Apocalypse Games You Might Enjoy

The Last of Us

The Last of Us only just came out, so now is the time to jump on the bandwagon and enjoy the game before all the spoilers start spilling out all over the internet. The premise is that it’s been 20 years since the humans have been almost all but wiped out and Joel finds Ellie, a teenage girl that he has to help smuggle, for deeper reasons you’ll find out when you play.  It’s already winning a ton of awards and getting ridiculous critical accolades, so it might be in your best interest to not pass this one up if you have a Playstation 3.

Fallout 3

The third installment of the Fallout series can easily be deemed the best. The open, explorable world of post-apocalyptic Washington D.C., set in the future but still weirdly embracing the music and style of the 1950s, is awe-inspiring. It has dozens upon dozens of locations that you can visit in any order you like, tons of side quests, great guns and cool factions. If Fallout 3 isn’t enough. Fallout: getNew Vegas gives you more of the same idea.

Darksiders

OK, so Darksiders is not so much post-apocalypse as it is actually during the apocalypse. The player gets to take control of War, one of the Four Horseman. It is all in a third-person perspective and isn’t just a hack and slash but has a good amount of puzzle-solving in it as well.  War isn’t aligned to Heaven or Hell, making battling through enemies from both sides interesting.

Metro 2033

The original game, before Metro: Last Light was just released, takes place in Moscow in the city Metro. It’s a first-person shooter that’s a lot more immersive than most. There’s no health meter or HUD in general, and bullets are partially visible on every gun so that a player can still have an idea of how many are left and if they have to reload. It has a compelling story and great atmosphere, worth checking out for those who like the idea of a toxic apocalyptic world.

The Walking Dead

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard lots of discussion about The Walking Dead video game. It was one of the best releases of last year and now that it is on so many platforms, it’s worth buying, hands down. It’s not a typical game experience; you have a lot of dialogue and important decisions to make as well as timed action sequences. And you really grow to care about the group of survivors the main protagonist, Lee, tries to survive with. It’s well written and nicely tied into the story of the comics and show.

STALKER

STALKER might be one of the scariest post-apocalypse games right now. It’s a first-person shooter, yes, but it is one of the creepiest renditions of a world where everything has gone insane and mutants roam free. It also has great RPG elements and definitely takes time to get through. It is no easy game, but it’s perfect for those who want a good challenge and an immersive world.

Hellgate London

It’s one of those games that sort of came and went, but it has a great dark fantasy concept that was developed by a team of former Blizzard Entertainment employees. It’s an action RPG that allows you to choose one of 6 classes from 3 factions: Templars, Cabalists and Hunters.  It has random maps and loot, much like Diablo, but a camera angle that allows players to get in much closer to the action. It’s actually a ton of fun, despite it not gaining the popularity of Diablo or Torchlight, other games with a similar idea.

Deus Ex: Invisible War

If you want a game chock full of freedom of choice, this is it. The controls can be admittedly a little clunky, but it’s a pretty strong follow-up to the original Deus Ex. It takes place after Chicago is destroyed by a terrorist attack sometime in the not too distant future. The game has a very non-linear structure, meaning there are main plot points everyone will hit, but plenty of side plots and quests players might never experience at all, depending on their decisions. It allows for a lot of potential replayability.

Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive has recently been released as an Xbox One exclusive and is packed full of mutants and monsters. This colorful and vibrant world paints a cheerier picture of the end of the world as your character grinds, jumps, flies, wall runs, and bounces around Sunset city. This stunning game is lots of fun to play and gives the apocalypse and much-needed paint job.