by Bryce O’Neal; Staff Writer 

The last few months have seen the release of some of the biggest games of the decade, most of which happen to be sequels. Here are a list of a few of them, and whether you should rent it or go ahead and throw in the extra money to buy.

 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

The 5th and perhaps most anticipated installment of the Elder Scrolls series hit the store shelves on November 11th, 2011. This game pretty much has it all. Everything from slaying dragons to taking either side in a rebellion against the empire is included in this game’s boasted 300+ hours of gameplay. If you are a fan of fantasy-oriented games, in-depth storylines, or are just bored, this is a great game for you. The Elder Scrolls universe has some of the most thoroughly developed history, and truly is a world of its own. For hardcore gamers or casual gamers who have a social life they wouldn’t mind ruining, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is definitely a buy.

 Battlefield 3

The 3rd installment of the Battlefield series brings the realism side of modern combat situations. The game also exhibits very beautiful graphics and visuals that rival those of other new games. Unfortunately, the game displays a continuously recycled plot, and really doesn’t bring anything new to the storytelling aspect of the game. The game is also not entirely fulfilling or ground-breaking when playing online in multiplayer. Overall, it is a depressingly subpar game which, if anything, deserves only the hour it takes to play through the campaign. Rent. 

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

The 4th installment of the Assassin’s Creed series continues integrating futuristic science fiction with the mysteries of historical fiction. Its story beautifully correlates with and through factual historical locations, events, and people, while simultaneously incorporating its own spirals of history to liven things up a bit. This game, as well as its past two predecessors, overwrites the 1st game’s repetition. This game has various areas of content including assassinating evil rulers, inspiring uprisings, free-running through the streets and rooftops of 16th century Istanbul, and even includes a love story for those soft hearted assassin enthusiasts.  If you are interested in storylines, and especially if you have more interest in history than others, this is definitely a buy.