Dig into your archives
AS the lockdown rolls on, it’s time to get inventive about entertainment. Gaming is an obvious solution, but it’s also an expensive one. Turning back the clock is the easiest way to save some money, and revisit some classic games that may have slipped your mind.
Here in Chateau Mullin, we’ve found some of the best games we’d clean forgotten about.
And don’t worry if you haven’t got your original copy of these gems, you can buy them online, or pick them up for buttons second hand.
DESTROY ALL HUMANS! (PEGI 12) XBOX ONE, XBOX 360, PS4, PS2
WITH a brand new version of Destroy All Humans! on the horizon, it’s a perfect time to get acquainted with the original.
Released in 2005, this actionadventure game is set in America in 1959, and parodies the lifestyles, pop culture, and political attitudes of the time.
Playing as Crypto, an alien warrior you must use your destructive weapons and innate mental powers on pesky humans to clear the way for the Furon invasion force.
The missions vary wildly, from frustratingly difficult, to almost mundane. But this game’s real charm is in the script, dripping with dry humour and non-stop jokes about communism and random 50s celebrities.
While it’s not a massively long game, the world it creates at least makes it a very enjoyable visit.
■ Buy it: store.playstation.com: £15.99, marketplace.xbox.com: £14.99, PS2 disc from uk.webuy. com: £2.50
BRAID (PEGI 12) XBOX ONE, XBOX 360, PS3, PC
AS games go, this is one of the most unique I’ve played.
Set aside the fact it gives off a Super Mario vibe, and you’ll soon lose yourself in this gorgeous puzzle-platformer.
You solve the puzzles by manipulating the flow of time. Complete one section of a task, and then rewind to help unravel the next part.
And different objects react to your time-tinkering differently. There’s also parallel realities, and time dilation to get your head around.
Beautiful graphics and a haunting soundtrack combine with the tricky yet satisfying gameplay, to make for a magical and memorable experience.
■ Buy it: store.playstation.com: £7.99, marketplace.xbox.com: £6.75, store.steampowered.com: £10.99
STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTER (PEGI 16) PS4, PS3, PS2
THIS 2002 Star War title landed on the Gamecube and PS2 to tie in with the release of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
You play as bounty hunter Jango Fett, who has been paid to hunt down Dark Jedi Komari Vosa.
The story serves as a bit of a prequel to Attack of the Clones, explaining how (spoilers) the Mandalorian was chosen as a template for the Clone Army.
For the time, it’s got lots of personality, but it can be a little confusing – especially the overly complicated use of weapons.
Fett is armed with his trademark twin blasters, but as the game progresses you get to fight with flamethrowers, gauntlet whipcords, sniper rifles, heavy blasters, missiles, and grenade launchers.
If you don’t want to dust off your PS2, then you’ll find the PS4 port looks lovely – although it does play a little different from the original as the PS4 does not support all the PS2’S peripherals.
■ Buy it: store.playstation.com: £7.99, PS2 disc from uk.webuy. com: £3.50
DARK SOULS (PEGI 16) XBOX ONE, XBOX 360, PS4, PS2, PC
DARK Souls is actually the second in the Souls series, emerging in 2011 as the spiritual successor to 2009’s Demon’s Souls.
It’s one of the toughest games you’ll ever get to grips with, and I know gamers who have given up on it, which is an absolute shame.
The spirit of Dark Souls is that you learn from your mistakes, finding other areas to explore and ways to proceed when you meet with failure – and you will, time and again.
This horror-tinged dark fantasy is relentlessly punishing, but in a perverse way it makes it all the more rewarding when you succeed.
It was the breakthrough game for developer Fromsoftware, and visionary director Hidetaka
Miyazaki, and more than eight years later there is still nothing like it.
■ Buy it: store.playstation.com: £34.99, marketplace.xbox.com, with 60% off: £13.99, PS2 disc from uk.webuy.com: £5
MAX PAYNE (PEGI 18) PS4, PS2, PC
IT’S hard to believe this game is nearly 20 years old.
Max Payne is a fugitive undercover cop who has nothing left to lose. Framed for murder, and being hunted by cops and the mob, Max forges uneasy relationships with questionable allies to bring down the ring-leaders in a major drug operation.
Surprisingly violent for the time, this was one of the first titles to adopt The Matrix inspired bullet time into its gameplay – triggering slow-motion sequences that allow Max to perform special moves.
The graphics might look hellishly dated, but it’s still a surprisingly good game. Just don’t be tempted to watch the movie after you’ve played it – nothing good will come of it.
■ Buy it: store.playstation.com: £7.99, PS2 disc from uk.webuy. com: £1, store.steampowered.com: £5.99