Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Video Games & Interactive Media 4

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a retro arcade game collection to play.

There are descriptions of eight retro game compilations.

Decide which collection would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Anna wants a collection of 1980s fighting and martial arts games featuring classic retro pixel art. She prefers simple controls that use only two buttons, making the games easy to pick up and play.

2   David is looking for 1980s racing and sports arcade games with a vintage pixel art style. He wants simple controls for easy driving and requires an online leaderboard to track global high scores.

3   Maria wants to play 1980s space shooters cooperatively with her friends. She loves neon pixel art, prefers simple controls, and wants a helpful rewind feature to undo gameplay mistakes.

4   Samuel loves 1980s fantasy and maze arcade games with charming pixel art. He wants simple controls and is highly interested in an included digital museum containing original concept sketches from the game designers.

5   Lily is searching for a collection of 1980s puzzle and platform games featuring bright, colourful pixel art. She needs simple controls and wants a platform compatible with her mobile smartphone.

Retro Arcade Game Collections

A Arcade Action Classics

Focusing entirely on legendary 1980s beat-’em-ups and side-scrolling fighting titles, this compilation showcases stunning, authentic 8-bit pixel art. It features incredibly simple controls using just a directional stick and two action buttons, making it perfect for quick, casual combat sessions without complicated layouts.

B Retro Speedways

This bundle brings together the best 1980s driving and sports arcade cabinets. It perfectly preserves the classic chunky pixel art look of early racing simulators, utilizing simple controls—just steer and accelerate—to maximize the fun. It also includes full internet connectivity to upload your best times to global high-score leaderboards.

C Galactic Defenders Co-op

Gathers beloved 1980s cooperative shoot-’em-ups where players battle waves of space aliens together. Boasting vibrant neon-colored pixel art, the game features simple controls where you only need to move and shoot. It also introduces a modern rewind mechanic to let you undo accidental player deaths instantly.

D Pixel Quest Chronicles

Features popular 1980s fantasy dungeon crawlers and puzzle-maze games packed with nostalgic pixel art environments. Controls are kept simple, needing only basic directional movements to explore. As an extra treat, it includes a digital arcade museum packed with original concept sketches and behind-the-scenes artwork.

E Pocket Puzzle Arcade

This portable compilation specializes in 1980s puzzle games and cute platforming titles filled with bright, cheerful pixel art. The simple controls are perfectly adapted for touchscreens, allowing you to enjoy responsive arcade action right on your personal smartphone or tablet anywhere you go.

F Modern Pixel Mayhem

Features newly developed indie games built in a retro style with beautiful, modern pixel art animations. It offers deep, complex control setups that utilize every button on a modern controller. Note that it does not feature any actual 1980s arcade classics, as all titles are brand new releases.

G Polygon Era Hits

A compilation of 1990s arcade favorites that transitions away from pixel art to showcase early 3D polygonal graphics. While it features excellent space shooters and competitive sports games with global leaderboard support, the complex control combinations and special moves take hours to master.

H Cabinet History Hub

A massive collection of 1980s arcade adventures that includes an extensive digital museum and art gallery. However, the software focuses strictly on complex simulation and text-heavy strategy titles that require deep keyboard inputs, completely lacking simple controls or traditional casual pixel art styles.

Reading 2

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find a fitness and dance video game to play.

There are descriptions of eight fitness and dance games.

Decide which fitness and dance game would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Max wants a game that tells him how much energy he burns during exercise. He loves inviting classmates over for large gaming parties and needs a multiplayer mode. He prefers using his standard controller without buying expensive extra sensors.

2   Clara is looking for an affordable dance game because she has a limited budget. She wants to practice traditional dance movements directly in front of her living room television screen and prefers simple, slow-paced routines.

3   Leo wants to monitor his calorie count and daily fitness progress. He needs video tutorials from expert coaches to learn the steps correctly and wants an application he can easily use on his mobile phone while traveling.

4   Julia and her family want an interactive game for a lively party with guests at home. They want to dance together in front of their main television set and prefer moving to popular modern pop and rock music tracks.

5   Sam wants a digital program that counts the exact calories he uses during a workout. He is keen to learn fast street and hip-hop styles and requires a free trial version before buying a subscription.

Fitness and Dance Games

A Party Fitness

This brilliant title keeps an exact record of the energy your body uses up while working out. It is ideal for entertaining guests, supporting up to eight players simultaneously in a fun competitive mode. Best of all, it works perfectly with your basic equipment, so you do not need to purchase costly plug-in camera accessories.

B Cultural Rhythm

Learn beautiful historic and traditional routines from around the globe with this unique software. It connects easily to your main household television set, giving you a spacious visual guide to follow. This fantastic title is currently on sale at an extremely low price, making it an excellent bargain for students with small budgets.

C Pocket Trainer

Improve your healthy habits while away from home with this portable mobile phone application. The system records your daily burnt energy levels on a helpful calendar tool. It contains dozens of high-quality video demonstrations led by professional athletic coaches, ensuring you learn every step safely and with the right form.

D Family Dance Night

Create an unforgettable evening gathering with this interactive game, designed for multiple players to enjoy together. It projects the routines directly onto your household’s big screen so everyone can follow along. The soundtrack is packed with the latest radio pop hits and legendary rock anthems that will get everyone moving.

E text Game

Master energetic urban routines and modern hip-hop steps with this exciting fitness application. The smart software calculates the exact amount of used power during your routine to help you achieve your goals. New users can explore all features for a two-week period at no cost before selecting a monthly plan.

F Virtual Beats

This lively title features the best modern pop hits and is fantastic for multiplayer celebrations with your friends at home. However, it requires players to wear an expensive specialized headset, meaning it cannot be played looking at a standard television set. It provides an excellent workout, though it does not measure energy use.

G Urban Style

Get ready to move with this budget-friendly street dancing program, which is completely free to download this week. It focuses entirely on fast hip-hop movements and cool urban choreography for beginners. While the dancing is a great way to stay active, please note this simple game does not include any calorie-counting features.

H Mobile Moves

This handheld smartphone application is excellent for busy people who travel frequently. It offers dozens of video walkthroughs created by professional fitness coaches to teach you excellent techniques. The interface looks beautiful on any small screen. However, it is an individual experience without multiplayer modes or any data-tracking tools.

Reading 3

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The people below all want to find an interactive visual novel game to play.

There are descriptions of eight visual novels.

Decide which visual novel would be the most suitable for the people below.

1   Kevin loves games featuring colorful Japanese cartoon drawings. He wants a story where he can choose dialogue options to change the conversation. He doesn’t have any money, so the game must be completely free to download.

2   Sofia enjoys reading lots of text and prefers long, detailed book-like chapters. She wants a science-fiction adventure set in the future and needs a game that she can play offline while traveling on the subway.

3   Mark is looking for a text-heavy game with thousands of words to read. He loves solving murder mysteries like a detective and prefers visual novels designed with beautiful hand-drawn comic animation and characters.

4   Laura wants an interactive story where she can pick her replies during chats with characters. She prefers brief scenes that take only five minutes, and wants an online feature to share her choices with her friends.

5   Daniel wants a visual novel focused on modern romantic love stories. He likes games with long pages of detailed descriptions to read, and is happy to pay a monthly subscription to ensure there are no annoying commercial breaks.

Interactive Visual Novels

A Comic Chat

This amazing application features beautiful animated graphics resembling traditional Japanese illustrations. It is a completely cost-free download with zero fees. Players can read through fun stories and select unique conversational replies that alter your relationships with other students. It is perfect for gamers who love interactive choices but have no budget.

B Future Horizons

Travel through deep space in the year 3000 with this exciting sci-fi visual novel. The game contains detailed, word-heavy chapters filled with thousands of descriptions to enjoy. Best of all, the application requires no network or cellular connection, allowing you to experience the full space adventure anywhere on your mobile device.

C Detective Tokyo

Solve challenging crime investigations and search for hidden clues in this text-heavy game. It plays like an extensive written novel with plenty of paragraphs to read. The entire story is presented using gorgeous hand-drawn comic book graphics, making you feel like you are walking inside a classic cartoon show while working as an investigator.

D Choice Academy

This social game allows you to connect with online buddies to compare your results. The interactive design lets you choose how to answer during discussions with teachers. The story is divided into quick five-minute segments, making it ideal for busy individuals who want to practice making decision-making statements with friends.

E Heartstrings

Immerse yourself in deep relationship and dating drama where characters fall in love. This game feels like a massive book, offering lengthy reading sections that will keep you turning digital pages for hours. By paying a monthly membership fee, you get a premium experience that completely removes all advertisements and interruptions.

F Anime Dream

Enjoy magnificent animated graphics resembling your favorite Japanese shows. This app is free to download from the store and features a sweet romance story. However, it follows a strict single path, meaning players just sit back and watch the scenes unfold without choosing any dialogue options or making conversational decisions.

G Galaxy Chronicles

This epic future adventure contains massive volumes of script and lengthy written lore to read on screen. It is perfect for fans who love complex sci-fi worlds and alien species. Please note that the game requires a continuous high-speed Wi-Fi connection to stream the text, so it cannot be played offline.

H Crime Scene Pro

Step into the shoes of a real investigator with this interactive mystery game. You will make critical choices by selecting dialogue replies to interview suspects. The game features realistic digital photographs of real cities rather than cartoon artwork. Each case offers brief text descriptions, making it a fast experience for casual players.

Exercises:   123456