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Desert Island Games is simple. You’re deserted on a lost island, but don’t fret because it’s got every console imaginable, constant electricity and a decent internet connection. The catch? You can only take three games. This week Brad Gallaway makes his three picks.

Tetris

Being stuck on an island would naturally come with an entire host of problems– where would my fresh water come from? How long would it take me to become sick of eating crabs caught in the nearby lagoon? What happens when I run out of SPF 40? A more serious issue than all of those is, what three games but I possibly want to bring with me? Being the sort of gamer who generally plays through something once and then never touches it again, this question was especially difficult.

The first thing that popped into my mind was Tetris. Truly one of the enduring classics that will never, ever feel out of date or irrelevant, Pajitnov’s creation would be my first pick because it’s one of the very few things that I can play over and over and over without ever really getting tired of it.

Although the graphics aren’t flash and there’s no DLC to be had, each individual session is unique and an experience unto itself — sometimes the blocks drop in your favor, sometimes they don’t. Racking up great screen-clearing combos Can make you feel like a champ, but one wrong slip of the finger invites catastrophe. Recovering from such setbacks with blocks shaped like ‘L’s is a real challenge, and a skill to be honed over time. Deep enough for long-term strategy and acute enough to induce panic attacks once the pace picks up, Tetris is a title that I’ll be able to return to indefinitely.

Culdcept Saga

Vaguely in the puzzle genre, but offering an entirely different kind of play, Culdcept Saga would be another perfect game to have along in the tropics. Being a brilliantly inventive blend of Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly, well-balanced sessions can last for hours with many dramatic triumphs and comebacks before a winner is finally crowned. The way the cards interact with each other is masterful, and players have enough freedom within the system to craft an incredibly varied number of strategies. Depending on how long it would take a rescue plane to arrive, a player could potentially spend years and years crafting their perfect decks in different combinations of color, offense and defense.

For obsessives (*koff*) there’s a huge number of cards to collect, providing ample reason to play the story mode if no one else is around, though the game also sports the ability to accommodate up to three other live players, in the event that some game-playing, bikini-wearing companions can be located on the atoll. Even better, in the absence of any companions, the optional AI bot characters can have their strengths, statistics, and strategies fully tweaked in incredible detail, meaning that Culdcept Saga has the potential to offer an infinite number of unique matches without repetition.

Fallout 3

Although the two games I’ve already brought along would certainly provide an astonishing amount of gameplay to keep me busy underneath the palm trees, I know myself too well to think that I’d be able to retain my mental health without the ability to go on a cracking adventure once in a while. I’ll definitely be craving something juicier; something I can really sink my teeth into. I would sincerely hope that one of the survival crates washed ashore would contain a copy of Fallout 3 and preferably its DLC.

There are plenty of games that are big, but I can’t think of any that possess the proper scope and detail to justify the virtual acreage. The harsh Wasteland outside the security of the Vaults may seem barren and desolate at first glance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Each overturned crate holds a secret, and each cluster of scattered buildings has its own story to tell. With so many choices to make, so many people to meet, so many quests to undertake, and so many instances of ambient storytelling to be found, and there are few games that beg to be pored over in painstaking detail like this one does.

After spending close to a hundred hours fighting off mutants and scavenging for usable relics in the rusted-out remains of civilization my first time through, I honestly felt as though I had only scratched the surface of what the game had to offer. Being able to be fully immersed in such a rich, wonderfully-developed world and have the time to poke around in every corner to my heart’s content would be the perfect complement to lukewarm coconut juice, I’d think.

Check back next Tuesday for another three picks from another writer… In the meantime tell us what you would take in the comments below or check out previous entries.