July 4th Playlist: What’s On Tap For You?

After the last hot dog has been scarfed and the last beer guzzled, you might not be in the mood for fireworks. You might want to sit and play.

Sometimes, it's fun to try a themed playlist when it comes to video games. Publishers sometimes even help by offering holiday-themed content for some titles. However, July 4th isn't like Christmas or Halloween, so you're kinda left to fend for yourself.

I'm trying to think of games out there that are distinctly American. Actually, one that springs readily to mind is Assassin's Creed III , which brought the Assassin vs. Templar battle to the Revolutionary War. Even though I still prefer Italy and France as settings for this franchise, it was still great fun exploring old Boston and New York. The frontier felt fresh and new, too.

There are just so few games set in the US, I've noticed. Obviously, we have a lot of fantasy and sci-fi backdrops, so those don't really count, and many interactive adventures simply focus on fictional settings. But I suppose we could also celebrate American developers as well, which is a lot easier to do today than it was a couple decades ago. Not that this means much; most games we play these days come from Western teams. Although not necessarily US-based developers; Naughty Dog is one example. Is there an Uncharted you didn't finish? What about that Left Behind DLC for The Last Of Us ? Maybe you could make the broad argument to play on Xbox One. 😉

Anyway, what will you be playing this Independence Day?