Whether you’re new to video games or haven’t had time to play in a while, here are the top 8 games that you need to be playing during quarantine.
8) One of the most awaited games of 2019, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
This game came out on Oct. 25, 2019 and has taken itself back to its roots with more realistic military shooting.
Compared to prior years where developers went futuristic, advanced mobility mechanic are finally retired.
The campaign for Call of Duty is similar to the original but reimagined, as it starts off in Urzikstan with a war happening between the United States and United Kingdom, the Russian occupiers of Urzikstan and the terrorist group known as Al Qatala.
The campaign has many twists and turns but the coolest part is the stunning graphics creating lifelike characters and intense gameplay.
We can’t talk Call of Duty without talking about the changes to their multiplayer.
The first to note is the realistic approach they’ve done with ballistics and recoil.
They’ve also added the ability to mount your gun anywhere and multiplayer maps that sometimes require reading with night vision goggles.
All of this amazing work earned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare the award for Audio Design for 2019 from The Game Awards, as well as nominations for Action, Mobile Game, and Multiplayer awards.
7) Gears 5, released on Sept. 10, 2019.
If you like video games with amazing storylines, beautiful graphics and awesome gunplay, look no further.
The Gears series is one of Xbox’s most successful installments if not, the most successful installment following Halo.
Gears 5 is a third-person shooter, action-adventure game with co-op capability.
The game starts following the events of Gears of War 4, as characters Kait, Marcus and Del are reinstated into the army and refashioned as the new Delta Squad.
The storyline follows as their government starts to become more authoritarian and fascist and their fight against it, and unlike the older Gears games where the story follows Marcus Fenix, you follow the storyline of Kait Daiz.
“The Gears of War series has been uncompromising in its apocalyptic vision, holding the line with the same cover-based shooting, gruff armor-clad heroes, and wealth of multiplayer modes in all of its installments,” Game Informer Magazine reported.
The game earned a 8.8 campaign score and a 9 in multiplayer from Imagine Games Network (IGN).
6) Apex Legends, which came out Feb. 4, 2019.
Apex Legends is a battle-royal game that stands out in the community because of eight enjoyable characters that bring the game to life.
Each character has distinct abilities that are assets in battle, like Lifeline who is a combat healer and Caustic who is a tank mainly with poison and gas attacks to opponents.
With heavy character playstyle and loads of team based features, it is easy to tell why people constantly come back for more.
Apex Legends has exploded into popularity earning itself the title of Best Multiplayer Game of the Year 2019, as well as being nominated for Community Support, Ongoing, and Action Game awards from The Game Awards.
5) Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
As a huge release for the Nintendo Switch on July 26, 2019, Fire Emblem is a turn-based strategy game with amazing character storylines and beautiful battle gameplay that immerses you into their world.
The storyline follows students as they are separated into three houses to fight battles for a militarized church against blasphemers.
This breaks the storyline into three separate stories, almost as if gamers are playing three separate games.
There is a fourth secret storyline that gamers can unlock as well.
The three houses are Blue Lions, Black Eagles, and Golden Deer which hosts a variety of exciting characters that you get to know throughout the game.
IGN stated in a review, “The story of Three Houses is expertly woven into the world it builds up: one that’s full of political intrigue, deception, and even religious dogma.”
The game earned the Strategy Award from The Game Awards.
4) Dreams, created by Media Molecule, the same developer as LittleBigPlanet.
Everyone’s favorite aspect of LittleBigPlanet is the create option allowing you to have more control over your gameplay for the first time and Dreams expands on that.
This game was released on Feb. 14, 2020 and was under the radar, but is one that gamers must check out.
Dreams builds upon the concept LittleBigPlanet started and removes any limitations.
Dreams allows you to create your own games even if you know nothing about graphic design or game development.
Not only does it allow you to create your own games, but it also lets you play creations that other gamers have made too.
Now don’t get me wrong, gamers still must commit a good amount of time learning how the controls and foundation of the game work, but it’s understandable so even novices can quickly pick up and play or create.
Game Informer said, “Dreams is an idealistic vision of game development, where people create, collaborate, and share games purely for the love of gaming. No Dreams game may ever reach the polish of a triple-A title, but they also lack the cynical business side of game development, where test groups and microtransactions take precedence over unbridled creativity.”
Dreams received a 9.5 on Game Informer’s review scale.
3) The Outer Worlds, released on Oct. 25, 2019.
If you love Fallout and thoroughly enjoyed Fallout: New Vegas then you will love The Outer Worlds.
This game remained under the radar for a couple months after its release due to other exciting launches like Call of Duty.
However, this game is a must-play.
Despite it remaining under the radar it managed to get nominations for Game of the Year, Narrative, and Role-Playing Games awards.
This game was released from Obsidian so there is no doubt that there was going to be Fallout comparisons, but this game proved to be much more.
The Outer Worlds starts off on the Unreliable spaceship, requiring gamers to captain and build their crew to help the collapsing colonies.
This game gives freedom unlike many games that don’t have someone to guide players throughout the game.
Recruiting misfits along the way helps significantly, as gamers are left to fend for themselves.
Most of the fun in this game is the dialogue sequences.
Depending on gamers’ answers in sequences, changes affect gameplay or the scenario.
This also changes different stats and how people perceive your character, as players can play the empathetic hero, the heartless mercenary or whoever you want to be in the game.
Additionally, this allows gamers to play over and over again and always have a different outcome.
“The Outer Worlds finds brilliant and fun ways to blend signature aspects of well-known series like Fallout and Mass Effect; it is a space adventure featuring a likable cast and an irreverent-yet-dangerous frontier, with entertaining gameplay bridging the gaps,” Game Informer reported.
2) Resident Evil 2, released on Jan. 25 2019.
If you love heart-pounding zombie games you will love Resident Evil 2. The game is a remake of the original that came out on Jan. 21, 1998, meaning there were a lot of changes from the original such as the graphics which are significantly more impressive.
The updated atmosphere of the game makes walking down an empty hallway much more eerie and terrifying.
The story follows rookie cops Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield in Raccoon City during an outbreak caused by a bio weapon known as T-Virus.
Players fight through hordes of zombies by scraping by with healing objects and ammo which is harder than one thinks.
The storyline follows an investigation of the Umbrella corporation, suspected to be behind the bio-weapon.
With tons of twist and turns mixed in with horrifying fight-to-survive gameplay, gamers won’t want to put the controller down.
The game earned nominations from The Game Awards for Game of the Year, Action/Adventure Game, Audio Design, and Game Direction awards.
IGN said, “Now, instead of pixelated characters running from pre-rendered background to pre-rendered background, Resident Evil 2 is a fully 3D, over-the-shoulder affair with atmospheric lighting effects, impressive facial animations, and the best-looking zombies I’ve ever seen in a game.”
1) Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, released on March 22, 2019.
Sekiro didn’t only win one award, but two for Game of the Year and Action/Adventure Games.
On top of the awards, the game was also nominated for the awards Art Direction, Audio Design, and Game Direction.
Inspired by Dark Souls and Bloodbourne, Sekiro is a force to be reckoned with.
The storyline takes place in 16th-century Japan, known as the Sengoku period, a time plagued by constant warfare.
The main character is known as the “one-armed wolf” who swore his life to protect an ancient bloodline.
Although realistic inspiration was used, a large number of bosses within the game are fantastical creatures such as ogres or fences, which are evil spirits.
The strategy and time this game takes to complete is immense, but it is one of the most satisfying games to play making it a number one binge-worthy game during quarantine.
IGN said, “Sekiro evolves From Software’s formula into a stylish stealth-action adventure that, naturally, emphasizes precision and skill in its combat. It walks the line between deliberate and patient stealth and breakneck melee combat against threats both earthly and otherworldly.”