Summer is one of the best times to be playing video games. For many just getting out of school, it’s a time to get back to the backlog and play some new games. But where’s the fun in that? Sometimes summer is the perfect time to go back to old games. Summer gives someone the perfect time to get back into a game they might have loved in the past or didn’t give enough time to. For these games, I am just going to use ones I have played because I know how they feel like summer to me. However, I am sure you have games that feel like summer to you that aren’t mentioned here.
One of the first games that comes to mind when I think of summer is “Animal Crossing: New Leaf.” This is the last game that was released in the Animal Crossing series, all the way back in 2012 in Japan, 2013 in North America. The game changes based on what time of the year you are playing it in and because of that, any time of year would be perfect. However, summer feels like the best time to start a new Animal Crossing town just because you need to get into the habit of checking your town and doing all the chores. Once the habit is there, that will carry you to times when you actually have things going on.
It also wouldn’t be summer without a massive role-playing game, and one of the best is “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.” Skyrim is one of the most expansive RPGs out there and summer is the perfect time to get into it again or maybe even for the first time. Starting a new character is one of the most fun things to do, and seeing the world open up to the player and the amount of options is great for the amount of time people have in the summer.
Next is the game that feels the most like summer, and that is “Super Mario Sunshine.” This game just feels like a vacation. The music is nice, relaxing and makes the player feel like they are going on vacation with Mario. That’s why the game is perfect for summer. It is the perfect vacation game. There’s not much better than picking up a game that makes the player feel like they are in the game, and that’s one of the things Sunshine does best.
“Stardew Valley” is another game that would be perfect for a summer gaming session. It is one of those games that you can sit down and play, thinking it’s only been 30 minutes, then look up at the clock and see you actually have been playing for 8 hours straight. Just like Animal Crossing the seasons change but it doesn’t go into real-time, each day takes around 15 minutes. Summer is the best time to start a game that can take hours to actually get going.
“Bloodborne” is the last game that would be perfect for summer. Sometimes what you need in the summer is a game that takes time to get good, so by the end of the summer when it’s just about time to go back, you can see the time commitment paid off. All of the FromSoftware games would be perfect for this, but “Bloodborne” is one of my favorites, so that’s why I chose it. Feel free to plug in your favorite of the FromSoftware game in this last one.
Overall, summer is one of the best times to play games, especially because there are times when summer has a barren release schedule. Don’t be afraid to look at the games you have already played when you want to play something.
