Just some regular humans here, nothing to look at.
Nope, no giant robots equipped with jetpacks, magnets and retractable legs playing basketball.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
A hilarious nightmare, but a nightmare nonetheless.
Its about overcoming awkward controls to climb an ever growing mountain composed of your mates.
Its about cheering when they pull off something impressive and cheering harder when they spectacularly fail.
Thatll earn you the biggest cheer of all.
If you’re after a super serious golf affair, then something likePGA Tour 2K21will fit the bill nicely.
Continuing the friendly theme,Golf With Your Friendsis your ticket to a good hoot with your pals.
On the flipside, it’s also a brilliant way to fall out with them.
Sea Of Thieves sees you don your pirate garb and set sail in search of gold to plunder.
There’s never a dull moment at sea, basically.
And this extends to the simple act of working together to get your ship skimming across the ocean.
Mortal Kombat Xis great fun.
And did I mention it’s one of the smoothest too?
Combos are snappy, movement is responsive, and there’s no wrangling your character around an arena.
Northgard
What else should I be playing:Here’s Brendy’s roundup ofaccessible RTSs.
Northgardis an elegant RTS where winter can pose a bigger threat than an army of axemen.
Every villager adds another hungry mouth to feed, and food is always in short supply.
Especially when the snow starts to fall.
If you even want to.
The dash of 4X in Northgard’s DNA means military conquest isn’t the only route to victory.
Hearthstone’s a competitive card game that’s just the right levels of accessible.
And for that reason, I wouldn’t write it off just because of its microtransaction fast-track.
Fall Guys
What else should I be playing:For a similar tone,Fortnitehits the mark quite nicely.
Think of it as a sort of mash-up of Ninja Warrior with elements of a team-building course.
What makes Fall Guys a great multiplayer choice is its bittyness.
You’re able to jump in for a game, then hop off if you’d like.
Or you could take itveryseriously and channel all your energy into emerging victorious and nabbing that crown.
Towerfall Ascension
What else should I be playing:Samurai Gunn issort oflike a blend between this andNidhogg.
Towerfall Ascension is my favourite local-multiplayer game.
Its got a neat wave survival co-op mode, but thats not why its here.
It goes up to four players, and its best mode is its simplest: last archer standing wins.
Ascension tells engrossing stories with just three verbs - dodging, jumping and shooting.
Plus the jumping feels real good.
Fortnite isn’t only a battle royale, but a messy metaverse, swimming in dabs and franchises.
But accept the silliness and you’ll begin to uncover a polished shooter that’s surprisingly complex.
There’s classic Fortnite, where building structures to aid you in battle is paramount to your success.
TheInsurgencygames are also worth a look if you’re after that semi-realistic, military shooty bang bang.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the culmination of 14 years of development to a genre-defining team shooter.
Five terrorists want to arm a bomb, or defend a hostage.
Five counter-terrorists want to stop them.
You know how CounterStrike works, right?
Theres an exquisite tension to being the last person left alive on your team.
People will tell you tactics are more important than aiming, but theyre lying.
The team playing offense needs to carefully plan their attack, breaching rooms from multiple angles simultaneously.
Valorant is a tactical team-based shooter that’s similar to CS:GO, but with ninjas and cyborgs.
This isn’t a game where you could jump around corners and spray wildly, oh no.
And this is what separates Valorant from CS:GO really.
The fun lies in using these powers in creative ways and pulling off some clutch plays.
The catch being - other squads are also gunning for the same enemy as you.
Oh, and another catch - if you die, you lose your equipment forever.
That’s what makes this game so high-stakes, and ultimately, so much fun.
You’ll hear gunshots ring out in the distance, alerting you to an enemy’s presence.
Footsteps pad on wood.
The creak of a door opening.
It’s quite something.
The holy grail of RTS design, and not for no reason.
Gosh, it’s hard though.
Playing with friends lets you be a little more goofy.
It’s another one where playstyles lead to identities.
Also,Project Wintertaps into the whole “whodunnit” fun.
Ahh, Among Us.
Whenever I play Among Us, I mainly focus on doing themundane jobsand nothing else.
Within the same half hour, Ive dodged geometric shapes while clambering up a slope alongside 30 other people.
Ive built bobsleds, then raced them.
Ive hunted down players posing as inanimate objects, completed obstacle courses and played charades.
For a bit more of a laugh,Heroes Of The Stormis a fun-filled MOBA.
I lost thousands of hours to League Of Legends at university.
I’m actually convinced I put more effort into learning this MOBA than I did my course.
I adored learning each character’s intricacies and how best to work with my team to win important fights.
Hop online and up to 30 players can mess about in sandboxes designed for, well, practically everything.
That’s the thing about GTA Online: it’s very difficult to get bored.
Definitely worth a crack.
Minecraft
What else should I be playing:I’d highly recommend givingTerrariaa shot if Minecraft is your jam.
It’s similar, but has greater direction.
Minecraft, a blocky multiverse of possibilities.
Honestly, you could’t go wrong here.
Those are the two best words to describe Rocket League, a game about playing football with rocket-propelled cars.
That joy kicks in from the very first second.
A well-executed aerial shot is one of the most beautiful things Ive ever seen in a video game.
Otherwise,PUBG, or evenFortniteare options too.
Apex Legends is a blisteringly fast-pacedbattle royale game, where differentcharactersface-off to determine that they’re the top survivor.
Again, that’s something else Apex nails - a good slide animation.
Really, the Spy is all about acting.
Youll have already stabbed him in the back with your insta-kill knife.
Give him a chance, and maybe hell steal yours.
Dota 2
What else should I be playing:Easy,League of Legends.
Dota isnt just a game: its an eternally evolving battleground where limits are tested and friendships are forged.
Youll need to hone reflexes, develop strategies and learn to be patient with both yourself and others.
Dota is stupendously silly.
