THE RETROBATES
WHAT GAME WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO PLAY DURING LOCKDOWN?
DARRAN JONES
No, I’m not going to say Strider, but I will recommend Fire Emblem on the GBA. It’s pricey, but has a great story, deep strategy and won’t hog the family TV.
Expertise:
Juggling a gorgeous wife, two beautiful girls and an award‑winning magazine, all under the same roof!
Currently playing:
Magic: The Gathering Arena
Favourite game of all time:
Strider
ANDY SALTER
Taleworlds released the highly anticipated follow‑up to Mount & Blade: Warband a month ago so I thought I’d give it a go. It turns out to be a massive time sink, as I’m now forgetting to eat and sleep as I hunt down bandits. I lasted about a day before adding mods haha!
Expertise:
Modding games, no ‘vanilla’ versions for me, thanks!
Currently playing:
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Favourite game of all time:
Rome: Total War
DAVID CROOKES
Deus Ex, just to see how life could be if it was blighted by economical inequality and a deadly pandemic. Expertise: Amstrad, Lynx, adventures, Dizzy, and Playstation (but is it retro? Debate!) Currently playing: Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time Favourite game of all time: Broken Sword
DREW SLEEP
By the time you’ve read this, I would’ve re‑subbed to Final Fantasy XIV and you should join me. There’s lots of fun nods to all of the core games, I to XV, and the music is awesome. Moogle server, hop to it!
Expertise:
Hoovering and dusting my home while working… all the time
Currently Playing:
Final Fantasy XIV
Favourite game of all time:
Final Fantasy VIII
IAIN LEE
An ideal lockdown game has to be any Doom game. Mindless blasting has been helping me feel like I have some power during a time when I’m at my most powerless!
Expertise:
Buying overpriced stuff on ebay then never touching it
Currently playing:
Forza Horizon
Favourite game of all time:
Elite (BBC Model B)
RORY MILNE
Donkey Kong Country. It’s a serious challenge and a joyous experience, and its polished gameplay and inventive mechanics work equally well in both solo and co‑op mode. Expertise: The game that I’m writing about at the time of writing Currently playing: Knight Tyme Favourite game of all time: Tempest
NICK THORPE
I usually play Rez in stressful times, as it’s so abstract that it feels like a complete escape from the real world. Early arcade games would probably work, too.
Expertise:
Owning five Master Systems and a Mark III
Currently playing:
Disaster Report 4 Plus: Summer Memories
Favourite game of all time:
Sonic The Hedgehog
PAUL DRURY
If part of coping with lockdown is developing a rich inner world I would suggest playing Scott Adams’ early text adventures, especially The Count and Adventureland. Let your imagination paint the pictures.
Expertise:
Barbie Horse Adventures series
Currently playing:
The Complex
Favourite game of all time:
Sheep In Space
GRAEME MASON
A good lockdown game should be something that immerses you in another world, helping you forget about the current circumstances. So how about Another World?
Expertise:
Adjusting the tape azimuth with a screwdriver
Currently playing:
Rebelstar
Favourite game of all time:
Resident Evil 4