Danielle enjoys gaming, having won a North West tournament online when she was younger. She has experience of playing PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles so she enjoyed the opportunity to play on some classics in a pop up of arcade machines in the precinct of Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre, next to Emmaus Department Store.
“It was great. I ended up beating everyone at Streetfighter,” Danielle said.
Asked what she thought about buying second hand games from Emmaus charity department store, she added: “It’s all well and good going to a shop on the high street. Here you are buying a game that you want and it’s going to charity. I do think it’s a far fairer price for a second hand game here. Just look at what the name is and how popular it is.”
We asked Danielle for her expertise to pick out a recommended top five computer games from among the preloved books, DVDs and vinyl on the top floor of Emmaus Department Store. Here are her favourites:
1. Tomb Raider – Single Player – PC
“It’s a classic. I have the original Tomb Raider for PS1 and Xbox360 from when it first came out. It’s something different to Indiana Jones. The main character, Lara Croft, is the alternative. It’s good for girls as it’s a girl character, but I think Lara was also designed to attract male players. The game is a good story. She goes around getting artefacts.”
2. Mad Max – PC – 18+
“This is an open map game where you can excel. Believe it or not, it’s got quite a bit of gore in there, but it’s not as gory as games like Resident Evil or Silent Hill. I remember first seeing these when I was eight years old and thought, if this is an 18, it’s not scary at all! In Resident Evil, Nemesis is a bit unnerving and Mr.X, who follows you everywhere.”
3. Gran Turismo – One or Two Player – PlayStation 2
“It’s a platinum edition, that means it is a collector’s edition, so there is only a certain number of copies. Usually, these games come with extras. Gran Turismo is a driving simulator. I like it because I love vehicles and things. Hopefully, I’ll get my licence one day.”
4. The Da Vinci Code – PC – 16+
“It’s basically puzzles, you have to use your head for. I’m very good at the Rubix’s Cube. There’s ingenuity to it. I know Leonardo was a very good inventor, with an interesting mind. They do CSI [Crime Scene Investigation] stuff in there too.”
5. Kinect Adventures! – Multiplayer – Xbox360
“IT’s a classic adventure came, that you need an Xbox Connect for to play. It’s a device that detects motion, like a Wii. It’s good to get moving because exercise is important. It’s a game where you have to move around and do things.”
Computer games and DVDs are on sale at Emmaus Department Store for 50p each.