I used to post quite a bit about games, both the video and the board kinds, but I haven’t for ages now.
The board games are still there, but the time and people to play with just isn’t for the time being, so while I still have the love, I have to make do without for now.
Video games on the other hand, I do manage to play from time to time. I say games, but in fairness the plural there could make you think I play more than one game, when in truth, I don’t really.
Rocket League.
This one game has single-handedly monopolised my precious free time more than anything else, and I am completely addicted to it. The premise is pretty simple; rocket-powered cars that can jump and roll play football in a big box, smashing into the oversized ball (and the other cars). The beauty comes in the gameplay though. Anyone can drive around and smash into the ball, jump to make a block, but the thrill of twisting through the air on rockets, spiraling over half the map and twisting your car at the last second to make the perfect angled contact for a goal, that’s something special. Or boosting along a wall and jumping off with perfect timing to arc a field-length lob into the top corner.
Seriously, this game is awesome. Buy it. But when you do, practise offline if you like, but play online, that’s where it really takes off. Yes, there’s the usual fair share of mouthy, abusive idiots, but on the whole it’s a great, lag-free experience, which only takes a few seconds to load.
Buy it. Now.
I’ve also just started on a little indie game called Stardew Valley, which is a kind of spiritual successor to the Nintendo Harvest Moon games. At the moment I’m really only just clearing my inherited farmland and starting with a few crops, but I can see there’s a lot more hidden away underneath, and I can’t wait to get stuck into it again.