Emily-Maisy Milburn - Gaming Sub-Editor
I finally got around to trying the Half-Life series this summer (after my partner had been bugging me for months), and I definitely enjoyed it much more than I thought I would! My favourite chapter was 'We Don't Go To Ravenholm'; the atmosphere was so intense, and the use of puzzles and the gravity gun was very innovative. I also played Portal 1 and 2 and I thoroughly enjoyed those too! It has been a very Valve-oriented summer for me!
Keyon Snoek - Gaming Sub-Editor
Assassin’s Creed Origins managed to occupy countless hours of my time this summer. Set at the end of the Ptolemaic period, specifically from 49 BC to 38 BC, you play as Bayek, a member of the Hidden Ones, as he travels a huge map of Egypt to hunt for vengeance. The blazing desert setting was amplified by the summer weather, creating a more immersive playthrough of the fantastic mechanics. My personal favourite was the bow and arrow mechanics, which felt snappy and satisfying. The game features the stereotypical Assassin’s Creed play style of stealth and parkour, but revamped the combat to be played similarly to a souls-like RPG, with rewarding boss fights and an intuitive levelling system and skill tree.
Jess Mooney - Head of Current Affairs
This summer, I’ve found myself deep in a very specific kind of nostalgia - the kind that instantly brings back memories of 2016 YouTube videos and glows with the gentle pastel chaos of Slime Rancher.
Originally released in 2016 (or more crucially, introduced to me via an LDShadowLady video), Slime Rancher had an iron grip on my 13-year-old self. The blend of adorable chaos, open-ended farming, and just enough challenge to make my brain feel accomplished? It checked all the boxes. And now, almost a decade later, with more free time than I’m willing to admit, it’s back, this time on my Switch, and somehow even more addictive.
I’ve spent an embarrassing number of hours running around my ranch, determined to create a cat hybrid of every slime imaginable. There’s a lot to show for my dedication: intricate enclosures, strategically placed auto-feeders, a frankly unhealthy amount of plorts… just nothing that will help me survive the looming reality of my third year of uni.
Still, there’s something oddly comforting about returning to a game that once defined an entire summer of being thirteen. It reminds me that joy doesn’t always come from shiny new releases, sometimes it’s about rediscovering the weird, cosy corners of gaming that made us fall in love with it in the first place.
Amy Mescus - Head of Culture
My last assignment of the semester is finally submitted, the second year of university is officially complete… cue the most grueling, boring limbo until the new academic year starts. So I did what any other normal (insane) person would do. Restart my Animal Crossing: New Horizons island for the potential sixth time (I lost count a while ago).
I entered this Animal Crossing phase with good intentions, determined to make incredible progress and to be even more committed than I was during the lockdown of 2020 when the game was initially released. My expectations were low but I am pretty impressed with myself looking back on the last few months on my island.
I don’t think that New Horizons is a bad game but I do think that it’s definitely for a more casual playstyle. Instead, I am my own worst enemy and my greatest flaw is that I pressure myself to log on everyday, shake every tree, find every money rock, collect every fossil, talk to every villager, and collect my bonus nook miles. The strict, daily routine sucks the life out of the game for me very quickly and I catch myself in a rut of, “I haven’t played in forever… I should… but there’s so much to catch up on.”
However, this summer I’ve found that taking everything at its own pace and taking a break from usual island life to play Happy Home Paradise has restored my adoration for the franchise that I’ve garnered over the years since my childhood. Though my Switch 2 and I are sitting waiting patiently for that new Animal Crossing announcement, Nintendo.
Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to try to force Barold and Chadder off of my island.