gaming on the go

July 27, 2009 5:15 PM

I just bought a netbook (a HP Mini 110) and want to buy a couple of games to play on a forthcoming trip. However, most games won't run because of the graphics processor and odd screen size (1024 x 576). What games can you suggest that might run well on this?

I'm looking for strategy and simulation games (civilization and the like), but I have already tried Civilization III and it doesn't run, as it needs a higher resolution screen.

posted by baggers to computers & internet (14 comments total)

Although it's not quite the strategy and simulation genre, if you enjoy adventure games then check out the AGD Interactive remakes of King's Quest I, King's Quest II, and Quest for Glory II. I have played through them on my netbook (albeit with 1024x600 resolution) and they look and play great.
posted by sah at 5:31 PM on July 27 [1 favorite]

Games that work on a netbook. But I'm really just linking that so I can recommend World of Goo.
posted by smackfu at 5:43 PM on July 27 [1 favorite]

I was all about to recommend Dwarf Fortress, because it is like crack for people who like Civilization.

With a little tinkering it should be fine on 1024x600, but it's a huge hassle to make it work nicely with a laptop keyboard. Possible, but annoying.

If you do want to go for it, try starting with the graphical edition
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 5:47 PM on July 27

I'd download an emulator and some super nintendo "back-ups."
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:54 PM on July 27

StarCraft?
posted by Jacen Solo at 6:28 PM on July 27

Settlers of Catan with the "small board" option turned on works on my netbook.
posted by Robin Kestrel at 6:41 PM on July 27

Strongly seconding emulation, though I'm more of a MAME guy.
posted by box at 6:47 PM on July 27

Simcity 3000 should work. Haha, I got a couple of coworkers hooked for a few months. One had an ancient laptop.

If you're feeling hardcore, I remember that the original Medieval Total War (and even Rome: Total War) could be run at custom (lower) resolutions.
posted by porpoise at 8:55 PM on July 27

You can always pick up a SNES emulator or something of the sort. They're pretty much built to run on anything.
posted by Geppp at 9:26 PM on July 27

Fourthing emulation. Also, Civ II will work just fine if you can handle the downgrade in graphical quality. As should Age of Empires, if that's your thing. You shouldn't have any problems running all the old Blizzard games, either -- Starcraft, Warcraft, et al. DosBox may be necessary. And raid some abandonware archives, too (DosBox will also help here). Games like Nethack might be worth a look, too, if you can get in to that sort of thing (I can't).

As a huge shmup fan, I also feel obliged to suggest playing a few. They're not at all what you're looking for, but a lot of the indie ones have minimal system requirements (this goes for any genre really, I suppose). There's a huge database of them here, ranging from commercial to freeware, horizontal to vertical (seriously, there is some in-between), and cutesy to sci-fi themed.
posted by nostrich at 9:48 PM on July 27

Civ II has better AI, and is what I play in similar circumstances. The old Serf City games also work OK.
posted by cerebrum at 5:59 AM on July 28

Fifthing emulation, but also expanding it to Gameboy games (Advance, Color, Classic). The GBA has an enormous library, most of which is usually action or rpg-oriented, but includes the amazing Advance Wars and Fire Emblem series. If you like turn-based tactical strategy, these are among the best.

Roguelike games are an extremely niche genre, but I would recommend Dungeon Crawl, one of the more tactical roguelikes. Unlike most other roguelikes, it plays like a turn-based tactical rpg, and has a (high) learning curve that doesn't rely as much on pure familiarization with the game's quirks like Nethack does. If you spend some time with it, it will give you a unique dungeon-delving experience every time, far fresher and more distinct than just the random twists and turns that most others offer.

But yes, back to strategy and simulation! Perhaps you can try SimCity 2000? If that ran on computers a decade ago, it ought to run on your netbook. You can also try 3000.
posted by ThatRandomGuy at 7:30 AM on July 28

Thanks all for the suggestions. I've already grabbed Starcraft and a couple of others. Pity that Civ IV won't run on my netbook and Steam doesn't offer refunds, tho...
posted by baggers at 3:34 PM on July 28

I play Age of Empires II and The Conquerors Expansion on my HP Mini Note with no problems. It's a little smooshed, but barely noticeable.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 6:20 PM on July 28