Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Modern games owe a lot to 1980s action movies: Many of today's coders were yesterday's Schwarzenegger fans, and the influence can clearly be seen. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (more of a spin-off than sequel) embraces its '80s influences: it's at once a thrilling first-person shooter and a loving, reference-drenched tribute to the golden age of brawny blockbusters. In a dystopian future, you play a cyborg tasked with tracking down and kill a war hero who's gone rogue. There are various weapons to use and countless enemies to gun down or avoid, from super-soldiers to dragons. Like the other Far Cry games, it's open-world but with a central storyline, so you can dabble in side missions and exploration. It looks a little less polished than some mega-budget shooters, but it's a damn sight more playable and creative than most. The gameplay, drenched in neon and '80s purple, varies from shooting, to stealth to exploration, all enhanced by a tremendous synthesizer score.