Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City

Gaming has an image problem. Gamers are typically portrayed as short of attention span, needing a constant fix of explosions or danger to maintain their interest in an activity.

The truth is, for many gamers, nothing could be further from the truth. If you have a patient, meticulous, thinker of a gamer to buy for, Etrian Odyssey III could be just the thing. Exploration, map-making, and strategy are at a premium, and an extremely high difficulty curve will ensure an experience both frustrating and appealing.

Not only that, but one could easily dump a solid 100 hours of time into this game. Prove to the recipient of your gift that you’re not swayed by marketing machines and familiar names. Never mind that it’s on a portable system — Etrian Odyssey III is as beautiful and absorbing as modern games get.