This month, we've been asking around the office to find out what games our team are currently obsessed with. In no particular order, here are the indie survival horrors, epic strategy games and base builders that we've been playing.
Rebecca Harrison - We Happy Few, PC
'I’ve been playing We Happy Few, which is an indie survival horror game for PC that made waves at E3 last year. It’s still in Early Access, but I’ve really enjoyed playing the alpha. The trailer completely sold it to me.'
'You start in an Orwellian version of 1960’s Britain. Everyone is *encouraged* to take a pill called Joy, and stay happy all the time. You play as Arthur, who decides to stop taking his Joy and is immediately on the run for being a ‘Downer’. From there it’s action, adventure, stealth, crafting, quests – all against this eerie dystopian backdrop.'
'Clever, funny and good replayability; if you die that’s it, and you start from scratch with a new character and map. I’m not a big gamer, but this had me hooked.'
Gareth Robson - RimWorld, PC
'It's a similar style to Prison Architect, another great game! It's a strategy/survival/base builder.'
'There isn't just one storyline - there are various scenarios to choose from as your starting story and location, then you play out your colony and the story makes itself! You could be playing as a lone wanderer in the middle of a tundra, trying to establish a source of food, heat and shelter - or you could be a large group of adventurers in a food-rich tropical forest, manufacturing weapons in preparation for world domination! Each come with its own challenges.'
'I'd recommend to anybody who enjoys sandbox style games, or base builder games such as Minecraft.'
Dave Scott - Fifa 2017, PS4
'My son and I love footy and spending time with each other. This is another way for us to enjoy both…it’s a win win!'
'Interestingly the student has become the master…I was thrashing my son initially but now, as he plays it more than me, I tend to get beaten heavily…which is great! We compliment each other on our goals and wins- I believe it is good to encourage sporting behaviour! Lots of high-fives going on! Only down side is that now we wish we could control the Newcastle players when watching the real football matches!'
'Superb graphics, superb gameplay. I would recommend it for football lovers, obviously.'
Christophe Duhaut - Clash Of Clans, iOS
'Its a bit like Sim City, but with battles. I used to love Sim City as a kid.'
'Someone recommended this game to me. It's a strategy game. You build your village, go to war, win battles, improve your village, and repeat. Then do the same with other online players. The best part is seeing your village grow.'
I'd recommend to anyone who likes to waste time. And money, because if you don't buy stuff to improve your village, you will always be behind the leaders who do.'
Lee Irving - Life is Strange, PC
'It's kind of like a point and click adventure. But you move around like you would do in a first person shooter'
'You play as this girl, and it starts with her having a dream. She’s at a lighthouse and there’s some weirdness going on. Suddenly she's back in school, and then she realizes she can turn back time. At one point she’s hiding from some bullies, and a kid gets shot in the bathroom, and you have to turn back time to stop it from happening.'
'I bought it because it got good reviews on Steam. And it was on special offer.'
Gaynor Thompson - Resident Evil 7, PS4
'It’s a new storyline from the old resident evil games. You play as this guy who's wife went missing, but he gets a message from her saying that she's alive.'
'It’s a good first person horror. It’s great at creating an uncomfortable atmosphere, and it’s very difficult. You're left virtually alone to figure out how to move forward in the game with plenty of enemies and scares in your path. I'd recommend to anyone who has played the prior games and anyone who enjoys a great horror game.'
'Also, don’t play it using surround sound. It’s terrifying!'
Anthony Karapetredis - Rollercoaster Tycoon, iPad
'Its so old school it made me feel like I was 15 again! Playing it on the iPad makes it much easier and more flexible.'
'You are the owner of a theme park, and you get a certain amount of money to start you off. You need to build attractions, restaurants, plant trees and other stuff to make the theme park more attractive, and more fun for the park visitors. You collect money from the various rides and the restaurants so you can keep expanding. If your park is good the people have happy faces. If not, they have angry faces!'
'Its really addictive. I actually had a dream about how to expand the park.'
Paul Callaghan - Ark Survival Evolved, PS4
'I only picked up the game because my kids wanted to play it, having seen the trailers with people taming dinosaurs - but it's really good. You've been stranded on a mysterious island with nothing but a loincloth and something embedded in your arm, and you survive or die.'
The world is huge and with lots of details. There's great visuals, dinosaurs, ability to tame all kinds of creatures - you can travel around on a bronto. It's kind of relaxing to just explore as well. It's a survival and a crafting game - kind of Minecraft for grown-ups.'
'I'd recommend it to everyone, except vegetarians and vegans.'
Kirk Conway - Crusaders Kings II (Game of Thrones Mod), PC
'I picked this up because its Game of Thrones! I'd class it as an epic strategy game.'
'The best thing about it is that you get to reshape the families and events of the Song of Ice and Fire books to your own liking. I'd only recommend it to anyone who has a lot of time on their hands. Many, many hours can be easily lost in this. It's not a quick game, and involves a lot of thinking and reading.'
'Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms – for as long as possible, that is.'
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