Video Games - In Other Words 5 Quiz

Answer: Left 4 Dead

Created by Valve, "Left 4 Dead" is a high-velocity shooter for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 ideally played by four people who, in the wake of a zombie apocalypse, need to fight for their lives and escape zombie-infested locales ranging from fairgrounds to shopping malls to seaside towns.

The popularity of the game led to a quickly-released sequel and years of fan support via mods and additional content. It became a best-seller.

Answer: Rock Band

"Rock Band", one of the more famous games in the music/rhythm genre, allowed players to take on the role of the singer, drummer, guitarists, or bassist (or keyboardist) in a band. You could play along to the song using your specially-designed instruments, hoping to beat scores or other people online. "Rock Band 4" was released in 2015, countering the release of "Guitar Hero: Live" on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

The original "Guitar Hero" games were made by Harmonix who later split off to make "Rock Band" in the mid-to-late 2000s.

Answer: Far Cry

"Far Cry", originally a graphics-intense PC game released in 2004, evolved into its own franchise of almost hyper-real first-person shooters taking players to exotic, often-tropical settings to fight against the foes du jour-- usually pirates or local ballistic missile owners.

The series has often been on the cutting edge graphics-wise, though later iterations of the game found their way to Microsoft and Sony consoles over time.

Answer: Portal

"Portal", a Valve classic making use of physics technology and the famous Portal Gun, forced players to solve puzzles in which they could pass through specially-designed doorways made with their gun. The game, known for its dry humour and ingenious puzzles, won many awards in its early days, integrating itself quickly into video game meme culture. "Portal 2" was subsequently released in 2011, one-upping its predecessor on virtually all fronts.

Answer: Darkest Dungeon

In the PC game "Darkest Dungeon" (by Red Hook Entertainment) you lead a party of sullen adventurers through dungeons of several sorts, fighting monsters as you encounter them and searching for treasures and bosses alike. The catch is that your party members, when killed, don't come back, so building appropriate teams that can survive the increasingly-more Lovecraftian foes can be a challenge, especially if you're short on funds.

This unique, critically renowned dungeon crawler was released in 2016.

Answer: MineCraft

The "RuneScape" of the 2010s, "MineCraft" is simple in concept. You have the building blocks to construct whatever you wish, and with the tools at your disposal, you can follow the loose narrative and live your life. This sandbox game quickly became a video game classic with millions of players behind it, and across countless platforms it grew to become one of the best-selling games of all time; it became available for nearly every active console, handheld, and mobile device by 2017.

Answer: Hearthstone

"Hearthstone", created by Blizzard, is a trading card game played on the PC. Via your account, you can collect specific cards, build decks, and battle others with different powers to win the game. Much like "Magic The Gathering", this one-on-one battle game has had many add-ons over the years, encouraging players to construct new decks via won prizes and micro-transactions.

The game has since become a modestly popular eSport. It was released in 2014.

Answer: The Last of Us

Created by "Uncharted" developer Naughty Dog, "The Last of Us" posited a future in which the world had been taken over by the machinations of a cannibalistic, mind-controlling fungus, forcing its hosts to go mad and kill others. You play as Joel who, along with teenage companion Ellie, need to traverse the world of the game.

The release was highly-anticipated and critics responded with acclaim; it became one of the best-reviewed games of 2013, winning numerous awards.

Answer: Borderlands

"Borderlands", a highly-stylized shoot-em-up series set in a land of bounty hunters and treasure seekers, allows up to four players to complete missions and stop big bad enemies from reigning (from the moon, in one case). Each player character (across the games) is different; you can play someone with an automatic turret, or someone who has magical powers, or someone who specializes in snipers, etc. Either way, your goal is typically to seek out a vault of goodies.

Answer: Bastion

"Bastion", originally released on the Xbox 360 (XBLA) in 2011, was an indie release by Supergiant Games. In this one, you played as a kid who, in a floating world, needed to save the world from total destruction, harbouring in a bastion occasionally, following an event known in-game as 'The Calamity'.

The game featured a sublime soundtrack and was known for its narration which carried on throughout the entire game, speaking out the player's actions at nearly every turn.