Posts

Votes for Women - Solo Review (Board Game)

-
Image
  The only thing missing, I thought – as a cascade of D6s, 8s and 4s clattered across the board during my plays of Votes for Women – is a democracy sausage. For those unfamiliar, here in Australia the democracy sausage is practically written into our constitution. On polling days, whether local, state or federal, the main impetus for many to leave the house is not to vote for one politically troubling party over another, but to satiate a hunger, a hunger for a sausage betwixt bread, possibly a bun if you find yourself in a fancy part of town, smothered in tomato sauce, onions non-negotiable. Not to trivialise the important motivation and message behind Votes for Women, but this board game exists within the sphere of entertainment. This is a game about history, yes, but it sits at the light end of the spectrum, which suits me just fine. I’m not ready for Spreadsheet: The Game just yet. Thus, my fanciful desire for a snag and sauce while waiting for congress to pass the Nineteenth Amen
Read more

Review: The Last of Us: Part II

-
Image
A review code was supplied by Sony Interactive Entertainment Australia Game was completed on medium difficulty with a play time of 20 hours What does The Last Of Us: Part II do well? There’s no denying the artistry on display. The sheer brilliance of how this game looks, combined with the technical mastery that presents some of the largest play areas for encounters I’ve ever experienced, was enough to leave me deeply impressed. You move through enemy patrol zones that are so tightly perfected and so vast in their real estate, that you can’t help but be in awe of what has been achieved here. Despite the constant weight of violence, dread and pressure (this is one of the darkest videogames you'll play), there is a sense of balance in the almost-open-world sections you'll explore and many flashbacks that help to offer breathing space. Writing, dialogue and characterisation are all great, presenting each flawed character as they are, without cutting away from the awful
Read more

Resident Evil 3 Quick Review

-
Image
Summary - an elevator pitch to sum up the experience Resident Evil 3 builds on the concept first delivered in Resident Evil 2 of an unstoppable Nemesis that hunts you throughout the game. This brings tension into every moment and makes you consider the layout of each environment to use it for possible evasion and escape. What does Resident Evil 3 do well? There’s a confidence here, coming hot off the Resident Evil 2 remake, that sees Resident Evil 3 start strongly and keep the pace and pressure up for its entire length. This is a no-fat Resident Evil, with anything that does not serve the narrative and gameplay left out. As such, it’s a very short experience, with a campaign lasting just over four hours, a little more if you want to find everything possible. The environmental detail, lighting and atmosphere is just astonishing. It truly is a gorgeously grisly and terrifying experience. Whenever the Nemesis attacks, you can utilise the new dodge move to avoid his atta
Read more

Hunt: Showdown Quick Review

-
Image
Summary - an elevator pitch to sum up the experience Hunt: Showdown is a perma-death cross between Resident Evil and PuBG. You enter one of two maps, search for clues and hunt a monster (such as a giant spider), collect a token and get the heck out of Dodge - all while fighting off AI zombies, dogs and other nasties, as well as other players. Other hunters will be aligned with your level, so the better you play, the harder things get. And while this is a perma-death game, that particular stress factor doesn't come into play until you pass level 10 - which could be a good 15 hours of gameplay, depending on how well you do. What's the best thing about Hunt: Showdown? The atmosphere, for sure. It is pervasively heavy and stressful. A lot of this is thanks to the sound design, which creates terrifying grunts, groans and other horrific soundscapes. Walk over broken glass or tinkle hanging chains and you'll almost fill your pants. The sound of the spider boss skittering abo
Read more

Death Stranding

-
Image
  Game Verbs - what do you actually do in Death Stranding? Walk – Most of the game is about the act of carrying lots of stuff from one place to another, with tricky terrain in between. Walking is so much the focus that you even need to pack extra pairs of shoes because the ones you wear degrade over distance. Run – although this is rarely possible or recommended. Only when you have hardly any packages on your back should you run. And even then you risk falling over depending on the terrain. Stumble – as your balance shifts due to the varying weight and distribution of packages and materials that you decide to take with you on a delivery. This isn’t like other games where all your inventory is magically stored in a pocket universe. Each ladder, rope, blood pack and pair of boots has weight and must be distributed about your body – or on your back. Thankfully, there is an automatic feature that will distribute your loadout for you. That won’t help you with the tota
Read more

Control

-
Image
Game Verbs - what do you actually do in Control? Shoot – There is a lot of shooting here. It’s an action game foremost and The Hiss will regularly spawn in with the sole videogamey purpose of hindering your progress through the massive building that makes up The Oldest House, where The Bureau of Control resides (alongside a worryingly large collection of paranormal objects of power). The shooting feels almost perfect. It is smooth, punchy and, best of all, you don’t need to worry about ammo. Bullets are unlimited, you just need to account for a gun cool down period. Shift – the form of your gun, known as The Service Weapon. You take on the role of Director as soon as the gun bonds with you. As you kill Hiss, you gain upgrade currency which can be used to unlock different gun forms. There’s a standard pistol, a shotgun-like shatter mode, an automatic fire form, a charge-up mode and more. Personally, I stuck with Spin and Pierce for most of the game and found no need for the ot
Read more

Wolfenstein Youngblood

-
Image
What do you actually do in Wolfenstein Youngblood? Shoot enemies of varying difficulty. The shooting feels great, better in my opinion than Wolfenstein 2. There’s a bit more stickiness to aiming that allows you to move around a lot, which is necessary as the enemy AI is super aggressive and enemies will come at you from every corner. They also respawn very quickly, so there’s never a dull moment, almost to the point of drowning you in the shootery-ness of it all. Emote with your twin to boost yours and her health. There’s another booster, too, but I forget what it is as the health one is all that really matters, especially against some of the Nazi mobs that will flank (read: spawn in) behind you. Traverse sections of Neu-Paris repeatedly, on differing missions of varying difficulty. There are few quiet moments, but those that do exist allow you to breathe in the amazing design of both interior and exterior spaces of a city that feels like it could almost exist in real life
Read more