Fearing the coming heat wave, a reader seeks out a few video games to play while indoors that will remind him of cooler times.
I live in an upstairs apartment in Londonwith no air conditioning and no proper blinds in the living room, so I’m looking forward to the heat wave to come as much as I am the ongoing coverage of the Tory party leadership contest (ie not very much).
I don’t plan on leaving the house until the weather turns, so if I can get something to cover the windows, I’ll be inside twirling my thumbs like the lockdown never ended. I can imagine that many people will be in a similar position and since there hasn’t been much news in a while, the question arises what I’m going to play if I’m indoors all this time.
So I thought it would be fun to make a list of appropriately “cool” video games to play while trying to hide from the sun. As you might guess, I own a Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, so there may be other cold-themed games that I don’t have access to, but this should keep me going for now.
1. Steep
The first game that came to mind with all of this was SSX Tricky on the good old PlayStation 2. Sadly this one is so old I don’t have a working one anymore and there are no SSX games of any kind that are easy to play on the moment – it’s not even on PS Plus Premium. Steep is a lot more serious and realistic than SSX, but it’s still a lot of fun and I feel unfairly overlooked as I’m the only one of my friends who ever talks about it. I just checked and it’s also super cheap right now, and a huge 60% discount on the PlayStation Store.
2. Super Mario Odyssey
I was going to suggest Super Mario Sunshine for this, but a) it just makes you feel hotter and b) it sucks. So instead I would recommend the most recent Mazza game, which is not only much better but also has a really good ice world. Funnily enough, Snow Kingdom has quite an SSX vibe, with all the emphasis on racing, but most importantly, it looks and feels cold. Some games just paint the background white and call it a day, but the visuals and sound effects actually make Odyssey feel cold just playing it.
3. Star Wars: Battlefront
Another game that I never thought would get its full value is DICE’s Star Wars game. Even before the entire microtransaction business, the game seemed oddly ignored by many people, even though I believe it sold well. One of the most underrated things was the quality of the graphics, which are still some of the best I’ve ever seen. The geyser planet is incredible, but so is the recreation of the Battle of Hoth, which has some great snow effects and, again, not only looks good, it feels. Put a few more ice cubes in your drink and you can pretend the heat wave never happened.
4. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
What can I say about Skyrim that hasn’t been said a hundred times before? What about it seems damn freezing cold almost everywhere you go? Everyone jokes about how many different formats it has been and yet the majority of people I know have never really beaten it. They played it and enjoyed it, but never really bothered with the story missions. If that’s your situation, now is the perfect time to wrap it up. Personally, I’ve beaten it twice now, but there’s always room for a third, huh?
5. Elden Ring
I’ve played this for over 200 hours so far and I’m still not done, although I tried to see and do as much as possible on my first run through. However, judging by the map, I’m almost done now, and coincidentally, the last area is based on a frozen mountaintop. That’s also where I wish I was located right now. Like all other areas in the game, the snowy landscapes look hugely impressive, despite not being very high-tech. More importantly, they look cold… which is what we all need right now.
By reader Kobold
The reader position does not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
You can submit your own 500 to 600 word reading at any time, which, if used, will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at [email protected] or use our Submit the page Things and you don’t have to send an email.
LAKE : Elden Ring is now in the top 10 selling games of all time in the US
LAKE : Elden Ring director promises new updates as next game enters ‘final stages’
LAKE : Sony launches new PS Plus gift cards, but doesn’t tell anyone
Follow Metro Gaming on Twitter and email us [email protected]
Use our Submit Stuff page here.
