Video Games for Quarantine - Student Blog Entry
Video Games for Quarantine
Like me, you are probably at home right now, stuck inside but safe from the outside world. You might have work to do but can’t find the energy to do it and currently, Netflix just isn’t cutting it. Here then, are a list of games that I’ve been playing so far to keep me entertained during lockdown, plus a couple of crowd favourites as well.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Fast paced, tactical, 150 player games with both solo and squad based game modes to choose from, this new Battle Royale title will certainly keep you entertained for the coming weeks ahead. Cross-play functionality across Xbox, Playstation and PC for the first time on COD means nobody is left behind, and as of next week Season 3 begins, meaning a brand new Battle Pass for you to unlock new guns, character skins, customisations and loads more for around £8.39.
As times are tough right now, money might play an important role in deciding what games to invest in over the next month or two. Warzone is the perfect choice; it’s completely free.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
If going outside for your daily exercise or emergency shop just isn’t cutting it, Skyrim has your back. The world is vast and beautiful, the storyline is gripping, the soundtrack is nostalgic, and you get to fight dragons. What more do you want?
Without a doubt one of the best games ever created, Skyrim is a timeless landscape perfect for you to escape in during this period of time. If you’ve played Fallout or any open-world RPG, you’ll love it. If not, now is the best time to give it a go, as the main quests take roughly 500 hours to complete. That’s not including the hundreds of side quests and 40+ hours of story for both DLC’s.
Pricing wise, Xbox is currently retailing the Special Edition, with all the DLC’s, at £14.99 for the next 10 days, with the PlayStation equivalent retailing at £15.99, whilst PC is the more expensive of the three at £29.99.
FIFA 20
You already know the drill with this one. It’s online football, player vs player, team vs team, a classic of sporting video games and this year it’s no different. Ultimate is the main attraction as always, spending in-game coins or real money to buy virtual packs of cards, which you can then use to build the best starting XI you can. Online friendlies are back too, going up against a friend or someone online, choosing one of the hundreds of professional clubs around the world. For quarantine though, it has to be Pro Clubs. Round up your mates and get them on, create their own footballer, their height, weight, hair cut, kit style and footballing attributes and play against other virtually created players, club vs club. By far the easiest (and safest) way to play football right now, no toilet roll kick ups needed.
Xbox and PlayStation currently have FIFA 20 on sale for the next couple of weeks at £23.99 Standard Edition, £31.99 Champions Edition and £35.99 for the Ultimate Edition.
GTA V: Online
Another classic franchise, GTA V is still going strong despite coming into its seventh year now. Drive around the fictional, close twin of Los Angeles, aptly named Los Santos. It’s a total open-world parody fest, you can steal cars, rob convenience stores, go on police chases. You can play a round of golf, hike up a mountain, take part in a triathlon. If all of that seems too action packed, take a trip to your local strip club. The world is your oyster.
Where GTA V comes into its own is its Online mode. All of the above still applies, with the addition of online shootouts, races and bank heists. Up to four of you can team up, carry out setup missions and rob a bank for millions of dollars. The soundtrack is a fantastic addition too, an eclectic mix of ASAP Rocky, Simple Minds and the Doobie Brothers, means you and your crew will have plenty of time singing along to a couple of tunes whilst on your way to rob a corner shop. The fictional Cali dream awaits you on GTA V.
On the Xbox store, you can grab the standard version of GTA V for £24.99, PlayStation £11.99 and Steam £24.99.
The Sims 4
The latest addition to the well loved Sims series. The Sims 4 has even more customisation options available for your Sim and for their home. Build a castle, a trailer, or the home of your dreams, then fill it Sims of all shapes and sizes. Each Sim is individual, one can be a neurosurgeon, whilst another could be an officer worker. You can have kids and send them to college and you can even have pets too. Interact online with other Sims, both computer generated or made by other gamers.
The Sims 4 also has a huge selection of expansion packs to choose from, including Island Living, Get Famous and Discover University. Each pack comes with its own unique customisations for your Sims, as well as brand new areas for them to explore. The possibilities are endless and will be sure to keep you entertained for the foreseeable future.
The Sims 4 is currently on sale on Xbox, PlayStation and the Origin store for PC £8.74. A definite bargain.
Animal Crossing
This one was a no brainer for this list. A long time Nintendo classic, Animal Crossing has all the fun of real life packed into one game for the Nintendo Switch. Like the Sims, you can customise your own home and your own character to however you like. It’s funny to see the level of customisation in this game, with people flexing their custom Supreme clothing in game. You can go fishing and catch insects to add to your collection, all while playing with friends online. Tom Nook also makes a welcome return. It is your own little island paradise away from all of your troubles.
Animal Crossing is currently retailing at around £49.99 on the Nintendo store and is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. Time to invest in a Switch!
Vigor
A survival/Battle Royale game, but one that just does not get the recognition it deserves. Set in post apocalyptic Norway, players jump into a game either solo or as a duo, running around one of seven maps, scavenging and looting buildings before escaping the map. If players die before escaping, either to other players or the radioactive storm that roles in, all of your loot, including the weapons and ammo you brought in with you, are lost. The in-game loot consists of various guns and ammo types, plus general loot such as electronic scraps, nails, glass etc, all of which is then salvaged and used to repair your in-game base.
Away from all the fighting, your base is where you can customise the look of your character and their weapons, as well as collect various resources at stations you have built, and practice your aim at the shooting range. Each map has a different feel to it, some are full of buildings and houses, whilst others are vast expanses of the Norwegian countryside, all of which include their own unique weather patterns too.
Vigor is currently free on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam. It is a fairly under-the-radar game, with updates and changes being made all the time. This is definitely one to get your hands on.
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