Winter is coming, the air is cooling and you’re likely to be spending more time in the warmth of your home. So, what are you to do while cooped up inside with your roommates? Play video games.
There’s a flavor of game for whatever you and your squad might fancy. Assembled here are the top four video games that you can play alongside your roommates, friends and family from the same couch.
4. Guilty Gear: Strive
The best traditional fighting game, Strive is a great opportunity for you and a close friend to virtually beat the snot out of each other. This game possesses quite a learning curve, comparatively higher than some other fighting games, but it also has better qualities than other fighting games. It’s less stiff than Tekken, more mobile than Street Fighter and more grounded than Smash. Alongside all this is a banging soundtrack, a surprisingly quality (albeit random) story and some pleasant character design. There are plenty of opportunities to be competitive, to relax and be whimsical. What’s not to love?
What lands it lowest on this list is mostly the learning curve. If you don’t play fighting games, you’ll have quite a bit of trouble learning, as it’s one of the tougher in the genre to get good at. But once you have learned the basics of how to play, it’s very fun and rewarding. The game isn’t for everyone, but I have enjoyed playing it over the years.
3. Overcooked
Coordination and frustration go hand-in-hand in the Overcooked series. Sometimes, a session with the roommates can be a great team-building experience, filled with triumph and finesse that brings you close together as people. Other times, the incompetence of your sous chefs will make you yell like Gordon Ramsey in “Hell’s Kitchen.”
Even failure in Overcooked is fun, and the opportunity for mastery hangs as an ever-present goal in the kitchen. Overcooked provides an opportunity to grow your skills, get to know your fellow humans and spawn inside jokes. This game is all about coordination, cooperation, frustration and fun.
2. Mario Kart
Mario Kart needs no introduction. We’ve all played some version of it at some point in our lives. I personally am a big fan of Mario Kart 8 on the Nintendo Switch. The peak of competition in a video game, Mario Kart, lets you get lost in the weeds of your personal abilities in comparison with your fellow racers. The fast-paced racing lets you easily engage in the fun, and the powerups allow chaos, revenge and luck to disrupt the natural flow of the race. Skill matters, but nobody is completely barred from a podium finish.
The biggest problem with Mario Kart is how it struggles to be casual. Inherent competitiveness isn’t a flaw, but can hamstring this game’s ability to be relaxing.
1. Gang Beasts
Whimsy is a beautiful thing. That being the silly, goofy and non-serious aspects of life. Gang Beasts is a game all about those qualities. Clad yourself in a silly costume and put those hands up, because only the last one standing will win. Across a plethora of wacky battlegrounds, the blows will be flying as you and your adversaries duke it out to find the one true champion.
This game is great for casual gaming sessions. Focus and energy are not necessary. On a bad day, this game will allow you to decompress and bring you closer with your roommates.
This game is a win-win, with no downsides, unlike the other games on this list. Competition is hard to turn toxic in this game due to chance having as much bearing on the outcome as skill does. Getting into it is extremely easy, even if you’ve never played before on account of the controls beng simple and intuitive. The stakes are very low because this game really focuses on the journey, not the destination. Victory only comes with the prize of a title, and the real joy lies in the chaos. This game is easy, fun and a pleasure to play.
