Quarantine and self-isolation can be challenging for anyone. At some point, you will run out of Netflix series to watch or books to read. With that in mind, here are three hand-picked video game titles which will hold you over for hours on end. The three games below are picked to cater to regular gamers looking to branch out to different genres, as well as newcomers looking for a place to start.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019
Following a streak of disappointing entries, 2019’s Modern Warfare was a heavy-hitting soft reboot which did a good job at revitalizing the franchise. Here are a few reasons why now is a great time to check it out.
The campaign
Modern Warfare 2019 takes a step back from the Hollywood-style action which defined past campaigns and adopts a more sombre tone and focuses the gameplay more towards tactical gunplay. Franchise veterans will be pleased to see the return of series favourite Captain Price, now voiced by Barry Sloane who fills the shoes well, providing a phenomenal performance.
The Multiplayer
Call of Duty multiplayer has always been a great time sink, and right now we’ve got nothing but time. Fast-paced moment-to-moment gunplay rewards quick thinking and twitch reflexes. While the wide weapon variety and extensive customization is sure to keep the experience fresh for a long time. Additionally, 30 maps spread across 20 game modes provide extensive variety.
Warzone
The last piece of this, rather large offering, is actually a free-to-play standalone experience. Warzone takes a huge map and drops 150 players in at the same time, the last man standing wins. You pick where to drop, from then on, it’s up to you to face the odds. While you can play Warzone solo, teaming up with 2 of your friends to play Squads is the recommended way to play. The best part is it’s free, meaning that convincing your friends to join in won’t be too hard, long as they have the necessary 90GB of space.
Dark Souls
If the isolation hasn’t turned you dead inside yet, then Dark Souls will (in a good way).
Dark Souls is a great way to while away those isolation hours because it provides the kind of challenge that keeps your mind active, not just occupied. Enemies hit hard, health items are limited and if you die all the enemies respawn, you lose all your currency and your health bar gets cut down to half. You’d be forgiven for thinking “That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun” but that punishment provides the framework for one of the most rewarding experiences in gaming because killing that boss after he curb-stomped you the last 25 gives you an unmatched feeling of accomplishment.
Furthermore, the entire game is steeped in this deeply oppressive atmosphere brought forth by meticulous attention to detail in the lighting and environments.
To sum up, Dark Souls definitely isn’t what can be considered a casual experience but seeing as how we’ve all got some extra time on our hands why not dive in and experience one of gaming’s most celebrated franchises.
Minecraft
Even if you’ve never played Minecraft, odds are you’ve at least heard about it. Here’s why now is a great time to see what all the buzz is about.
Minecraft is a game of truly limitless potential, which might sound like an exaggeration, however, the games blocky world generates procedurally the more you explore, infinitely.
It doesn’t matter if you want to build a tiny house or a giant castle, a modern home or jungle treehouse, the game gives you the tools and you provide the inspiration. Furthermore, having to individually mine and acquire each block necessary for your creation makes them feel all the more real and impressive once they are completed.
Furthermore, Minecraft is an excellent choice for casual gamers or someone who has never played a video game. The game mechanics are fairly intuitive and the difficulty is highly customizable and, most importantly, the main goal of the game is to have fun. Seriously, Minecraft doesn’t have a story and while it does have an “end” where the credits roll, that’s not what you’re there for. Truly a sandbox in its purest form.
