Turn your dreams into virtual reality
THERE may be talk of a roadmap out of lockdown, but it’s fair to say we still face a few more weeks stuck at home. And as all this extra time in the house starts to wear a bit thin, it’s only natural to start pondering about life.
What would it be like to own a railroad? Could you cut it as a sophisticated con artist? How would you help little green men conquer the Earth?
Luckily for us there’s a wealth of simulation games, that can turn dreams into a virtual reality. Here are five of the best.
KERBAL SPACE PROGRAM (PEGI 3) PC, PS4, XBOX ONE
THINK you can give NASA a run for its money? This sim lets you help the Kerbal build a rocket program to take them from the confines of the planet Kerbin out into space.
With three game modes – sandbox, science, or career – you can live out your fantasy either building space vehicles, carrying out experiments, or boldly going where no Kerbal has gone before.
While the game sounds light and fluffy, it’s literally rocket science, winning praise for its accurate orbital mechanics, with all objects – except the celestial bodies – simulated using Newtonian dynamics.
Two DLCS, Making History, and Breaking Ground, add extra layers – the cute little kerbonauts the only thing softening the blow of losing a rocket on the launch pad.
Look out for the sequel, Kerbal Space Program 2, due next year.
PLANET COASTER (PEGI 7) PC, PS4, PS5, XBOX ONE, XBOX X/S
UNTIL theme parks are allowed to reopen, this is the next best thing for your rollercoaster fix, allowing you to take control of every facet of your fantasy venue.
Crafting your park from the ground up, you have complete control from sculpting the terrain, building the rides, hiring staff, and stocking the gift shops.
Depending on how challenging you like your games, there are three modes to choose from – sandbox, challenge, and career.
Career mode casts you as the manager, completing tasks such as constructing unfinished coasters or hiring workers. Sandbox mode gives you an empty plot of land on which to start crafting your empire, and challenge mode starts the same as sandbox mode, but with the added difficulty that you have limited funds to play with.
A perfect blend of satisfying and testing, with plenty of DLC to add hours and hours of enjoyment.
MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR (PEGI 3) PC
AS I’m terrified of flying, I won’t be going near this, but I’ve been told it’s the place to start if you have even a passing interest in learning to fly.
From light planes to wide-body jets, Microsoft Flight Simulator allows you to fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft and it simulates the entire Earth, using textures and data from Bing Maps, so you experience what it’s like to be in the cockpit flying over some of the world’s most famous cities and landmarks – better yet, see if you can spot your home as you fly over your town.
You can flex your piloting skills with the challenges of night flying, real-time atmospheric simulation, and even live weather.
Almost like being in the air.
PROJECT CARS 2 (PEGI 3) PC, PS4, XBOX ONE
DEVELOPER Slightly Mad Studios, set out to capture the essence of real racing with this intense, and technically-advanced racing game.
With more than 140 track layouts at 60 different locations and a roster of 189 cars to choose from, the only issue is deciding where to start.
Vehicle handling has been greatly improved from its predecessor, and there’s a new weather system that tracks everything from time of day, to what season it is, and even takes into account things like the track’s height above sea level.
There’s even off-road if smooth tracks become too boring for you.
Unlike most racing games, you don’t feel like a passive participant in the racing process here – this puts you firmly at the centre of action.
JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION (PEGI 16)
PS4, XBOX ONE, PC, Switch
IF there’s one thing guaranteed to lift even the gloomiest of moods, it’s dinosaurs. And what better way to escape dull reality than to build your very own Jurassic Park?
Set on Isla Matanceros, you build an ecosystem, enclosures for your dinosaurs and, more importantly, services for your guests.
So, in between incubating and releasing your creations, you have to build restaurants, toilets, hotels and gift shops to keep the visiting masses happy. You might also want to build a few bunkers too – just in case anything goes wrong...
Creating your magical beasts can be surprisingly tough, a constant loop of sending men out to mine for fossils, extracting from your finds to boost your dinosaurs’ genomes and then incubating them.
And don’t forget, it’s important to keep your exhibits happy, and that means plenty of food, space and water – but also companionship, otherwise you’re left with grumpy dinosaurs ready to rampage.
The disaster simulation part of the game is immense fun – terrified guests quaking in bunkers while your T-rex causes utter destruction.
Playing this game you can sense the deep affection the developers have for the movies and the books, and that’s why it’s so easy to forgive a few minor hiccups.
As fun as it was though, I found it still suffered from the same thing as the Jurassic World movie – not enough Jeff Goldblum... but then, can there ever be enough Jeff Goldblum?