By: Khaleel Walker, kjm6184@psu.edu, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer
During the many hours of downtime during a long commute to school or a during study video games can provide the mental decompression a college student craves.
There are many new games to feature, as videogames are extremely popular outlets for college-age students, but this article will address these 5 games: The Simpsons Tapped Out,
Vector, Asphalt 8, Steppy Pants, and Pokemon Go.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out is a free-to-play sim city mobile game in the world of the Simpsons. It includes the main characters of Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa as well as their 150 cast members.The goal of this game is to rebuild a destroyed city of Springfield from the ground up. Each construction success unlocks new items and characters.
Vector is a 2D side scrolling game that focuses on Parkour. The player automatically moves to the right. As you progress through the game, the levels become more difficult to overcome. Jump over huge gaps and wall jump from building to building to reach the end of the level. Brandywine COMM student Brandon has strong opinions about this game. “This is a pretty intense game. You have to keep going or you’ll get caught. The character uses Parkour to avoid obstacles; there’s this guy chasing him and, if the character hits an object, the guy gets closer.”
Asphalt 8 is a great, arcade-style racing game that has easy-to-understand gameplay and breath-taking graphics for a mobile device. Brandywine COMM student Najla enjoys the game. “This is a fun game. The graphics look really good and has addictive gameplay. You tilt your phone to control your car. As you race, you can unlock upgrades and new vehicles through gaining experience points.” The game is trending on the App Store as of one of the top free apps.
A fun Crossy Road clone, Steppy Pants is a colorful endless runner that is enjoyable for a variety of ages.Brandywine COMM student Alyssa likes its art style. “In this game the objective is to step over the cracks. The game tracks your distance as the player continues. It’s a fun endless runner game with a color, box-like art style.” In detail, the further one can goes, the more coins earned. Those coins can be used for a lottery machine which provides outfits for the character.
Pokemon Go exploded this summer and continues to hold out onto its millions of users. Pokemon is once again a trending phenomenon due to this game. Brandywine COMM student Margot likes how clever the game is. “This is a very clever game. It entices players to go outside your house and explore! In this game, historical landmarks are used as PokéStops where you can battle other players. There are thousands of Pokémon to collect!” In addition to that, Pokemon Go uses Augmented Reality (AR) to display the much loved creatures as if they’re in the real world. Depending on your location, the types of pokemon you get varies. For example, if near a bay or the ocean, the user will likely find a water type Pokemon!
These five games will provide many hours of leisure for times when students do not want to pursue their academics. Look for more reviews in the future.