On the 1st of February 2020 the Broughton Astley Scout Group went to London to take part in a Monopoly- Style Competition based across the City. We were split into 5 teams with one adult and one group leader and the aim was to visit the Real-Life Locations on the Monopoly Board in a certain time limit. All of that whilst having certain chance cards and random events taking place throughout the day like filming a baby shark video or taking creative photos.

We started off by setting off from Euston Station early in the morning, and the teams received their packs and set off across the city. There were around 25 locations to find and the scouts had to visit and take pictures of as many as they could. They could navigate their way by using the tube, bus or even walking across the city. Also, Scouts could take creative photos in a number of different ways to earn extra points or do certain tasks sent in by Darren throughout the day like visiting a nearby chocolate shop as quickly as possible.

One Scout described the event as ‘Monopoly Camp was a really enjoyable experience for everyone and a rare chance to visit London. It was a great way to promote teamwork because teamwork was an integral part of success – you had to work harmoniously as a team to choose what decisions to make.’ Monopoly Camp helped the scouts gain there Teamwork and Team Leader challenge badges and to overall boost their Teamwork Skills. It was really good fun and all the scouts had a great time.

The Scouts finished at Leicester Square very and had some fantastic pizzas from Domino’s to finish. They also got time to go and explore Leicester Square and visit shops like The Lego Shop and The M&Ms Store. Personally I enjoyed the freedom of exploring London and Doing everything as Scouts without Leader’s Help and it was fantastic working as a team together.

It’s rare to find a free mobile game that isn’t packed with in-app purchases or full of constant adverts ruining the gameplay, so when I came across Alto’s Odyssey I was surprised to find such a fun, accessible and well polished experience. Here are my thoughts on Alto’s Odyssey and whether It’s worth your time.

Alto’s Odyssey’s controls are simple tap to jump and hold to flip, this makes Odyssey very easy to pick up and play but as you progress the game becomes more complex adding wall-riding and grinding across temple ruins. Playing the game sometimes I achieve massive combos, back-flipping off of balloons and travelling thousands of meters across the desert and it’s a great feeling doing well in this game and it definitely rewards you for playing.

Odyssey’s progression isn’t very deep as you level up by completing certain challenges which progressively get harder as you play, It’s draw for levelling up is unlocking is roster of 6 characters which you earn every 10 levels. I’ve currently got 3 characters unlocked and they aren’t massively different from each other but for example the character Maya can flip much faster than the other characters but has trouble building speed. I would appreciate a reward for levelling up each time but it’s not a massive issue.

Alto’s Odyssey does contain in-game purchases but they aren’t shoved in your face and you earn coins quickly enough that you don’t need to purchase any, the most expensive purchase is £8.99 to unlock all characters but considering it’s free on android they have to make money somehow. Adverts are the other major annoyance in most mobile games but honestly I’ve encountered barely any in my time playing this game and I think most people will be playing offline so ads won’t be a problem.

A small aspect of this game which I love is how this game conveniently displays all the Stats from your time playing Odyssey from your best distance to how many lemurs you’ve startled which I really appreciate having in a mobile game. As well as that there is a workshop where you can purchase items and power-ups which help you during the game using the in-game currency, this can vary your gameplay for example you can buy a mysterious radio which drops something useful during your trip across the desert.

I have to give special credit to the outstanding soundtrack this game has to offer which greatly ties in to the gameplay and how gorgeous the game looks. Headphones are a must for playing this game especially if you are playing Odyssey’s zen mode which is really relaxing and is great if your stressed as there is no score or game over.

This game looks absolutely stunning, as while your cruising through the desert you’ll see the landscape change around you for example Odyssey’s weather system changes your experience whether you surfing through a sandstorm or in the dead of night. Also each run is wholly different from the ones before it as you might see balloons bobbing up and down or shipwreck you can grind across it does a good job of making you want to come back and play the game even after you’ve unlocked all the characters.

All of that said, Odyssey does have some (very) minor flaws for example some chasms seem simply impossible to cross even if I perform the right jump and the occasional lemur chase is very frustrating as your character never seems to be fast enough so you have to constantly jump to avoid it. These are just small annoyances but I felt like I had to mention them in order to give a full review.

Alto’s Odyssey is a stunning, memorable and addictive mobile game which I can recommend for anyone who owns an android device because it’s completely free and it’s such a great experience. So there are my thoughts on Alto’s Odyssey, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this Blog post.

The amount of video games available to play is huge but being a 12 year old boy with an Xbox One restricts that number massively. So I’ve decided to put a list together of 15 video games that I wish I could play. This List includes PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC exclusive games as well as games that are rated above 12. Again, this list is in no particular order as it would take a long time and it wouldn’t make a massive difference

Number 15- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This game is my ultimate video game fantasy it has a beautiful open world, a great story and exciting combat. This Nintendo switch exclusive is one of the only open world game which not rated 16 or 18. It provides freedom to go and do whatever you want in a world full of mysterious landmarks and complex hidden puzzles as well as over 50 hours of gameplay. I’m really sad I can’t play this outstanding game.

Number 14- Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man lets you swing around New York city as one of Marvel’s most iconic character, Spider-Man. It has an excellent action packed story a gorgeous open world to explore and over 28 unique Spider-Man suits to unlock. I am a huge fan of the Marvel films and there is no game like this on the Xbox One. I was so annoyed when they announced a PS4 exclusive Spider-Man game and still am to this day.

Number 13- Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a perfect open world experience with so many things to do and so many things to see. This game seems so much fun the world is huge and the visuals are gorgeous. This game would provide hundreds of hours of entertainment of horse-riding, heists and exploring the massive open world. This game has been given so much praise and many 10 out of 10 reviews, I really wish I could play this game.

Number 12- Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is another outstanding Nintendo Switch exclusive with fun and challenging puzzles and another game with countless hours of gameplay. It also includes some really fun additions like a fun 2d sections a new possession ability and mini games like a jump rope challenge. This game would offer so much fun and entertainment for hours and hours and i’m really sad I can’t play this.

Number 11- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

This is a game with a massive and beautiful open world, fun and engaging combat and there’s dozens of side missions and quests alongside the excellent main story. I have experienced nothing like what’s to offer in this game and it’s one of the best assassin’s creed games so far. It’s cosmetics, upgrades and endless side quests would keep me coming back for more it’s such a shame it’s rated 18.

Number 10- Firewatch

Firewatch is a gorgeous and beautiful game with an immersive world which cannot be missed. It’s been described as a great book and it’s one of the greatest games ever made. It’s story also has amazing writing and outstanding voice acting and it deals with some very adult problems so I might have to wait longer to play this game.

Number 9- Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is an exceptional sandbox adventure with tons of gadgets and abilities and rewards intelligence and creativity unlike any other game. It also let’s you do anything your way and you can live your fantasies of pulling off your own plans and them being a success. It’s a 18 for good reason and it’s even worse that it was a free game with gold several months ago.

Number 8- Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the tomb raider is one of the most praised games of this generation and I can see why it’s an excellent game with a story full of danger and excitement, huge gorgeous environments and challenging puzzles. This is a game I wish I could play and looks so fun to play.

Number 7- The Witcher 3; Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a huge, authentic open world RPG full of so many things to do and a excellent combat system. This game is an excellent game with an open world like no other game ever made and it’s one I wish I could experience.

Number 6- Grand Theft Auto 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 is a masterpiece, it has a massive and dense open world, a funny and amazing story and tons of things to do. There is nothing like driving and flying through this outstanding open world. It also looks graphically stunning and looks like a real lived in world. However this game has tons of violence, bad language and drugs and this game is only for players aged 18 plus.

Number 5- Hitman 2 and Hitman (Episodes 1-6)

Both Hitman Games are extraordinary sandboxes which let you assassinate and kill your targets in your own way all whilst doing it in stunning locations such as the city of Mumbai. There is a huge variety of ways to pull off it’s stealthy kills and it gives you so much freedom to assassinate someone your way. Obviously, this game is a game about assassinating and brutally killing people so I can see why its a 18.

Number 4- Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance is a game full of all-out warfare and dozens of units fighting each other to fight for total domination of battlefield. There’s nothing like seeing huge powerful war machines destroying each other all under your control. This massive sandbox strategy game is one of the greatest strategy games and my laptop probably wouldn’t be able to handle so many units on one screen.

Number 3- Hearts of iron 4

Hearts of Iron 4 let’s you control history and lead a nation to victory in one of the world’s most famous conflicts World War 2 . A massive grand strategy game, Hearts of Iron 4 lets you control massive army’s and there’s something special about taking over the entire world as country’s like The Soviet Union or the United States.This game also has a massive modding community providing dozens of amazing mods. Again, My laptop would definitely not handle this game.

Number 2- Total War: Warhammer 2

Said to be one of the best Total War games to date Total War: Warhammer 2 is the ultimate fantasy factions. Loads of fantasy units all fighting in epic warfare is a sight you must see, you control multiple fantasy factions and you take control of the massive fantasy world. Playing this game looks so much fun and would be so much fun to play.

Number 1- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

This remaster of one of the greatest first-person shooters of this generation is a game I desperately wish I could play. It’s campaign offers tons of fun missions like the chernoybl mission which is regarded as one of the best call of duty campaigns ever. It’s multiplayer is also super fun to play with plenty of maps and fun gun play.

Thank you for reading this fairly long article and I hope you enjoyed it and these games which I really wish I could play as they are superb games.

YouTube is an amazing place where people can share their ideas, learn about new games or movies and much much more. I use YouTube constantly for Xbox Game Pass news, Finding new games to play and new movies to watch. Here is a list of my favourite You Tubers who produce quality content and suit my interests. I will not be including music video channels such as Bastille or major companies such as EA or Ubisoft. This list will be in a random order because they are very different and I like some the same.

10- Sean Chandler Talks About

For me this is an excellent, good quality movie channel where you can learn about new movies and gives you good movie reviews. For example I love his ranking series because it’s nice to see which movies to watch and his opinion on certain movies. His Movie reviews are also great as he does a non-spoiler review and a spoiler review so you can decide whether to watch a film or not. Overall if you want to learn about movies this is a great channel for you.

9- The Infographics Show

The Infographics Show is a fun and entertaining YouTube channel which discusses interesting topics whilst also including colourful animations. I love their military comparisons as I am interested in militaries and it compares major world super powers. Their You vs… series is also very cool seeing you take on characters such as The predator and Thanos as it assess how you could defeat them.

8-WatchMojo.com

WatchMojo.com is probably the most popular YouTube channel on this list and for good reason. They post top 10 videos up to 4 times a day based on lots of different subjects and there is thousands of entertaining videos for you to watch. I love this channel simply because of the massive amount of videos they have and how there is usually one to suit my interests.

7-Xbox On

This channel is the ultimate Xbox One owners channel where you can learn about the latest Xbox news, Xbox game pass updates and tips and tricks.The presenters easily sum up news and updates and this is the channel I use to find out about everything Xbox related.

6- MandRproductions

MandRproductions is an amazing Lego channel it has set reviews, collection videos and ranking videos and it is great for Lego fans. His set reviews are extremely detailed and if you are undecided on whether to buy a Lego set or not this is the place to go. I also love watching his ranking videos and having a look at many different Star Wars sets. If you are a Lego collector this is the channel for you.

5- Maka91Productions

One of the many things I look for when playing a game is how to earn achievements and gamer score, if you are like me then you probably want to check out this channel. His videos include tips and tricks for games which can really help you out and achievement guides. This can really help you out if you are looking for game tips and walkthroughs.

4- Pixelated Apollo

Pixelated Apollo is an excellent channel which lets you witness epic battles without the without the stress of your computer crashing. You can watch him play all sorts of strategy games with some excellent mods included. Strategy games can be hard and frustrating to work as they don’t play well on console and you need a expensive computer to play them so it’s nice to experience them here.

3- Alex The Rambler

Alex The Rambler is a funny and entertaining Strategy games channel where you can see Alex the Rambler take on strategy game challenges such as what if KFC was a nation that ruled the world which are really fun to watch if you like strategy games. I love his channel as I get to see strategy games play out with a great person presenting and some really cool mods.

2- Star Wars HQ

As a huge Star Wars fan this channel is essential for me to learn about Star Wars news, games and any leaks in the Star Wars universe. The updates are great and makes me aware of anything new to do with Star Wars. They cover everything Star Wars from movies to books and video games. Also it’s really entertaining to watch the game play which is sometimes in the background.

1- Gameranx

If you’re a gamer you probably know about this channel, it has everything you can probably imagine to do with gaming. It is a great source for gaming news, reviews and future content which is a must for any gamer. I particularly love their before you buy series which gives you advice and game play of the latest video games before you purchase them. Overall this is just a great gaming YouTube channel.