Overwatch:
Overwatch is not only a First Person Shooter, but also a 6v6 team multiplayer game. The main part of the playing experience is made up of being able to play 32 different heroes with map objectives of either escorting, controlling, or both in around six minutes. Overwatch costs money depending on the platform it is purchased on. It is currently available on the PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Windows.
Justin Tran (Junior)
“Overwatch is a great game, it has a lot of unique heroes with different powers… And although aim and accuracy are important in Overwatch, there are some characters that you could play that don’t require good aim to be good because of the different abilities in the game. That is why Overwatch is enjoyable to many, many players. The game is very fun and easy to learn and has many different types of game modes within it.”
Genshin Impact:
Genshin Impact is an action-adventure role-playing gacha game that provides an open world and multiplayer experience for players. A gacha game is this concept where in-game currency is spent in order to receive an item, which in this case is being able to pull weapons or new high level characters. There are currently 31 characters, with four upcoming characters announced. Genshin Impact is a free downloadable game currently available on PS4, PS5, Windows, IOS, and Android.
Dylan Ring (Freshman)
“Genshin Impact is an open world, gacha game that has a detailed and fascinating story line. You can co-op with your friends or join other people’s worlds to fight bosses, domains, or random mobs that spawn all over the world. The design and graphics of this game are impressive and stunning. I personally like this game because it provides entertainment, stories, and action all in one free game.”
Minecraft:
Minecraft is one of the more well-known 3D-sandbox games, which is a type of game that has an open-world concept and has very little limitations, including a variety of elements that can be used to alter gameplay. It’s uniqueness allows players to either play in survival or creative mode. Survival mode has limited health and hunger status, while creative diminishes that and provides easy access to all the “blocks” and other items in the game. The current update holds 49 different mobs and two main bosses: the EnderDragon and the Wither. Minecraft does cost money, despite which device and edition it is chosen to play on. It is currently available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Mobile, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Jena Clark, (Junior)
“Minecraft is honestly one of the greatest video games ever created. It gives it’s players complete creative freedom to explore the worlds they’ve created, allowing them to do and build practically anything they want. Unlike other video games you can quite literally wander around the map as you please. I personally enjoy the game for the architectural aspects it provides, allowing me to construct buildings, towns, even cities all while connecting with my friends.”
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a “social simulation game.” As a simulation game, it aims to try and recreate real-life activities, with the player not having a strict goal in the game. New Horizons does this through having a mini storyline to follow at first, and when completed opens the ability to reshape their island to their liking as well as fish, catch bugs, get wood, and more. New Horizons currently offers nearly 400 villagers to encounter. New Horizons is Nintendo Switch exclusive, and is around $60.
Cesar Martinez (Freshman)
“Playing Animal Crossing is such an enjoyable experience due to its financial lessons, calming atmosphere, and the friendship experience. There are lots of creative opportunities for your imagination to run wild completely. Overall Animal Crossing is a fascinating and care-free game that anyone can play.”
Terraria:
Terraria is a 2D action-adventure sandbox game, starting the player in “pre-hardmode,” with the eventual goal to reach “hardmode.” Players can explore their world and encounter certain bosses, as well as build housing for NPCs. Pre-hardmode has 7 different bosses available, while “Hardmode” unlocks 9 different new bosses and adds two new biomes, as well as new ores, NPCs, armor, etc. Terraria has finalized with content updates, and currently has 371 enemies, some that are season limited. Terraria does cost money depending on the platform played on, and is available on PC, Linux, Mac, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PS4.
Derek de la Cruz (Senior)
“As a fan of strategy and combat, the game offers many different ways to fight, as well as many bosses and enemies to face. At the same time, the exploration and building aspects give you hours of fun. The soundtrack, modding community, and development team are also phenomenal. Lastly, the game is nostalgic to me because it was one of the first video games I bought and played.”
Pokémon SoulSilver Version:
Most of the Pokémon games follow the Role-Play adventure game style, playing a specific character that has a certain starter Pokémon to aid in challenges and gym leader battles. This game is more specifically unique, introducing new features such as interacting with others, new accessories, an internal clock, and allowing Pokémon to follow outside the Pokéball. SoulSilver is exclusive to the Nintendo DS versions, and the cost does vary depending on the type of DS.
James Ghirardo (junior)
“Pokemon was basically my childhood and is an amazing game in every way. Seeing Pokemon nowadays brings a lot of nostalgia for me.”
Human: Fall Flat
Human: Fall Flat is described as a “puzzle-platform game” controlling a character named “Bob” whose dreams are based on mysteriously falling each time. Players have the goal of trying to navigate Bob safely through the puzzles and perils, and to slowly discover that his dreams are being built off of his own experiences. Human: Fall Flat is available on Windows, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, but does cost money depending on the platform chosen.
Ashleigh Judson (sophomore)
“I love spending the summer playing Human: Fall Flat with my brothers because we get to see who can create the best strategy in order to complete the level the fastest! It’s one of the only video games that we can play for hours without getting bored.”
San Marin Pony Express 