Video games to chill with during a winter lockdown
Kazuma Kiryu returns from prison in Yakuza 6: Song of Life and discovers that one of his wards is in trouble and had a baby. Credit: Sega/TNS
While movies, theater and concerts are still on pause, gaming has remained a stalwart pastime. Its flexibility lets it fit in different niches of our lives.
Looking for a five-minute time waster while waiting for the tea to brew? There’s a game for that. Looking for an epic adventure to get lost in? Several games can accommodate that need.
With that in mind, here are games that will tide you over until the worst of the pandemic ends.
THE GAME What the Golf
DETAILS $19.99; Nintendo Switch, Apple Arcade and PC
HOW TO PLAY The goal and mechanics are simple: Players have to get an object in the hole. On touch devices, they do that by pressing their finger to the screen, pulling their finger back and letting go in an almost slingshot motion.
That’s where the similarities to the actual sport ends. What the Golf? is wacky and more like the miniature version. Players will hit multiple balls at once hoping to get one in the hole. They’ll encounter bizarre rules and challenging obstacles. The beauty of the game is how it constantly reinvents and riffs off the rules of golf to create an experience that’s always fun and challenging.
THE GAME Genshin Impact
DETAILS Free with in-game purchases; PlayStation 4, PC, Android and iOS
HOW TO PLAY The overarching plot of the campaign is to find a lost sibling after being separated in a battle against an unknown god. As a Traveler, players will explore the world of Teyvat in hopes of being reunited with their sibling, and they’ll run across a plethora of allies — each with their own fighting style — in the campaign.
THE GAME The Yakuza series
DETAILS $34.99 per game and up; Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
THE LOWDOWN There are eight games, starting with Yakuza 0 and moving up to the latest, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The games are expansive with a story that builds on itself over time. It can feel more like a telenovela than a Japanese video game with odd twists and turns.
With a majority of the games taking more than 50 hours to complete, the Yakuza series has more than enough content to satisfy players over the next few months.
THE GAME Cyberpunk 2077
DETAILS $59.99; PC, Stadia and it is playable on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5
THE LOWDOWN The game leverages its deep sci-fi lore and flexible gameplay to create an engrossing experience. Players customize their version of the protagonist V. and take the hero through a conspiracy-rich campaign in and around Night City. The narrative keeps players hooked and the variety of builds and the open-ended mission design means that players will find new ways to solve challenging problems.
The game runs about 50 hours if you want to really dig deep. With the different build, a player can find new ways to tackle the game increasing its replayability.
Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.
Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.
