Most people who read my blog are probably unaware that I am a very keen video gamer, I have played video games for as long as I can remember, from the early days where I remember having a Playstation 1 and a SNES as a child. My love for video games has never gone away and when I met Luke I knew he shared my love for gaming.
When we first started living together we would spend hours playing side-by-side, two televisions, two playstation 3’s and 2 people madly in love with each other. People didn’t get it, how we could just sit and play different games but still be so happy in each other’s company. For us, having two consoles meant we could both do what we loved. Nowadays we have 1 tv, 1 ps4 and a shed loads of games we both want to play and I’m afraid my gaming has probably taken a backseat to Luke’s while Ellie is so little but I am okay with that, being a Mummy will always come first and I do still get a bit of time to sit and game it’s just not the same as we used to.
I thought seeing as I’ve been a bit quiet over here over Christmas and New Year that I would share some of my favourite games that I have played recently and some that I am looking forward to playing this year; I am definitely more of a single player type of gamer but I think some of these may be a bit surprising so here goes.
1) Crash Bandicoot Remastered
This is by far my most favourite game, it goes right back to my childhood memories of the PS1 and I was so excited when I heard it was being remastered but OH MY GOD how infuriating is it! I can’t believe I never found it this difficult as a child however I probably didn’t do the time trials which seem to be the hardest thing ever. I have loved getting to grips with the levels and the boss battles so much but as a keen trophy hunter I like to platinum games and this seems to be one of the hardest due to the time trials. No matter how infuriating it is I keep coming back to it, maybe it’s the childhood nostalgia or maybe it’s just that the game is so damn good.
2) Final Fantasy X
I was a little late playing this one, only finding it around 2008 when Luke introduced me to it. I had dabbled in FF games in the past but the story to FFX gripped me from the start. I love the gameplay, the characters, the chocobo and the summons; every part of the game is simply amazing. I love Yuna and Tidus’ story and I secretly quite like the fact that it isn’t the complete happy ending you expect it to be. The quotes will always have a special meaning to me and Luke and it’s one of the games I am most looking forward to showing Ellie when she is older.
3) Fallout 4
The fallout games are so big and there is so much to do I found it so easy to get completely swept up in the gameplay. I found the story good, I wouldn’t say the story kept me playing though. I found the extra places to explore, those separate quests and the random characters you could meet gave the game a deeper feel. I loved visiting the different vaults and seeing the differences between them all and to begin with I really enjoyed the added element of building your settlement and the different places you could build up although I must admit I did get quite bored of always helping new settlements…damn Preston!
4) A Hat In Time
For me this game was amazing, the game gave me a very similar feel as Mario, the idea that you needed to complete levels from a hub and collect items to create new hats with new powers to then replay those levels and find more collectables; it’s the type of game I relish in! I love a game with collectables (maybe not as say Tomb Raider/Uncharted games) .
5) Red Dead Redemption 2
Okay so this one is a bit of a cheat because I haven’t actually played RDR2 however I have watched Luke play the entire game and the story of Arthur gripped me from the start. I remember sitting in Luke’s old bedroom when he lived with his parents and watching him play RDR1 and this brought back so many of those memories. RDR2’s gameplay was amazing, it was difficult to tell the difference between the cutscenes and the actual gameplay as they linked together so well, the attention to detail amazed me, for instance the blood that stays on the horse and the way Arthur deteriorates over time, all these little details make you want to watch more closely and that is exactly what I did. I can certainly see why it has been one of the most anticipated games of the last year!
Now moving on; there are a few games that are due to be released this year that I am dying to play (and a few released the end of 2018 that I wanna play too!)
1) Crash Team Racing – Remastered
Again, a blast from the past but one I am very excited over. Growing up we didn’t have the Nintendo consoles other than the SNES and never owned Mario Kart; I did grow up playing the PS1 racing games but CTR was by far my favourite; I remember loving the Time Trials on CTR so i’m hoping the trophies won’t make them super hard like they did on Crash Bandicoot remastered!
2) The Walking Dead – Final Season
I am unsure of how “final” this last season is going to be, I have loved watching Clem’s character grow up but I am still feeling the emotional turmoil of Lee’s death! I did everything I could to ensure Kenny stayed alive to find he is just gone in this last season. I found the first 2 seasons so enjoyable and I do like the TellTale Games where there are no missable trophies and you’ve pretty much just got to make a decision; it’s easy gaming but something I actually enjoy. It’s like watching a story you have written come to life. I was incredibly sad to hear that TellTale is no more however feel quite relieved that SkyBound have taken over and have developed the last two episodes so I can actually finish the game and hopefully see Clem walk off in to the sunset or most probably die 😦
3) The Last of Us 2
Just like RDR2 I have no plans to actually PLAY this one but it’s another one I am excited to watch Luke play. We both loved the first game, following Ellie and Joel’s story reveal (see where we partially picked our Ellie’s name from) and I am excited to see where Ellie’s story will take her in the second game even if I do watch most of it from behind my hands 😛
I’ve spent hours researching the new releases for 2019 and if I am honest there isn’t much that gets me excited at the minute, I will definitely be getting Spyro and possibly Lego DC Villains at some point and I am still playing Crash and Lego Harry Potter when I get the chance so there’s no real need for me to follow any new releases until CTR.
I’d love to know which games are you playing or getting most excited about or any games you think I have missed and should look in to a bit more!
Mothering A Rainbow 