Barrie Clarke, Author at koru-cottage.com

Gaming Game Reviews PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One Xbox Series X

The Survivalists Review (Xbox One X)

October 28, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1685 Views Monkey Army, Open World, Stranded, Survival

Team 17 ventures into well known territory with The Survivalists.

And not a worm or Holy Hand Grenade in sight. The Survivalists has you in a familiar situation of being shipwrecked on an unknown island and having to plan your escape, and survival.

Thankfully you don’t have to go it alone on this island. The local monkeys are willing to help you out for the price of some food or their freedom from caged life.

So if you have ever wanted to raise a monkey army then here is your chance.

Gaming Byte Size Review PC / Mac

Partisans 1941, Byte Size Review (PC)

October 12, 2020 Barrie Clarke 2060 Views Real Time Tactics, real-time strategy

It definitely isn’t all quiet on the Eastern Front in Partisans 1941, as the Germans push forward in an attempt to occupy the Soviet Union in the name of the Fuhrer.

As a proud child of the Motherland it is your duty to gather fellow Partisans and protect your homeland from the invaders.

So gather up your warmest coat, some vodka, and a trusty weapon and lets kick those nasty Germans back to Berlin.

Gaming Game Reviews PS4 PS5 Xbox One Xbox Series X

Ride 4 Review (Xbox One X)

October 5, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1761 Views Crotch Rocket, Forza, Motorbike, Motorcycle, Ride

Here in New Zealand Spring is in full swing and the weather is warming up. Cue all the fair weather motorcycle riders dusting off their leathers. I prefer to take to two wheels in a safer manner, from the comfort of the couch. And the Ride Series has been cruising along since 2015 for just that purpose.

And here in 2020 is Ride 4.

So the time is here to dress in tight leather and stick some high powered machinery between my legs. Lets ride!

Gaming Game Reviews Indie Game PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

No Straight Roads – Byte Size Review (PC)

September 18, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1116 Views EDM, Music, Rhythm Games, Rock

In No Straight Roads self confessed hard core rockers Mayday and Zuke are out to take down the powers of Vinyl City and their music of choice, EDM!

As a big rock fan myself it is easy to side with our rocking duo and take the fight to the evil EDM empire.

There is only one small problem with the pair who are collectively known as the Indie rock band Bunk Bed Junction. That is that their music, in my opinion, is not even remotely rock.

Ignoring that small point, lets rock on and take down that nasty EDM!

Game Pass Game Reviews Gaming PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

Wasteland 3 Review (Xbox One X)

September 4, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1419 Views Action RPG, Fallout, Isometric, Post Apocalyptic, Wasteland

I have made no secret that 1988’s Wasteland from Interplay is my favourite game ever.

It was ground breaking for the good old Commodore 64 and saw many, many hours of play from me. It even accounts for my greatest gaming achievement. So to see a official sequel in Wasteland 2 was just fantastic. A third, Wasteland 3, well, it is definitely a highlight of an otherwise pretty shitty 2020. With names like Deth, Vargas, and Brygo bringing a big smile to my face.

I was ready to return to the Wasteland.

Gaming Game Reviews Xbox One

Pathfinder: Kingmaker Review (Xbox One X)

August 28, 2020 Barrie Clarke 2465 Views Baldur's Gate, CRPG, D&D, turn based

Welcome to the Stolen Lands of Golarion. You are the Pathfinder, the Kingmaker. Under the direction of Jamandi Aldori, ruler of Restov, you have the chance to make a fair chunk of these lands yours. All you have to do is assemble some companions and get rid of the Stag Lord and his bandits. Easy enough.

I’m absolutely loving Pathfinder: Kingmaker. Even despite a few glitches it has. The biggest problem it has? Launching so close to Wasteland 3.

Gaming Byte Size Review Game Pass PC / Mac Xbox One

Battletoads, Byte Size Review (Xbox One X)

August 22, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1411 Views Battletoads, Gamepass, Old School, Reboot, Turtles

Rash, Pimple, and Zitz are the Battletoads. Heroes from another era, back to show gamers how we rolled in the early 1990s. Created to take on those other green anthropomorphic creatures of the 1980s and 90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Battletoads first arrived in 1991 on the NES.

From there we had several games on different systems and even an attempt at an animated TV series which never saw more than a half hour pilot.

So how will our toads fare today? Will they hop to success? Or will they just turn turtle?

Gaming Game Pass Game Reviews PC / Mac Xbox One xbox360

Halo 3, Byte Size Review (PC)

July 14, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1662 Views Cortana, Halo, Halo 3, Master Chief

Originally released in 2007 for the Xbox 360, Halo 3 returned to the Xbox One as part of the Master Chief Collection in 2014 and now in 2020 it comes to PC.

So here we go, a review for a 13 year old game that any gamer worth their salt has played at some point. Hell, even my Wife recognises the Master Chief.

To be honest, even just hearing the Halo theme music brings back memories and a huge smile to my face. And going by previous reviews by Richard and Gerard, it seems we are all in agreement when it comes to how iconic the Halo theme track is.

Let us once more don the green Spartan armour and go kick some Covenant butt.

Gaming Byte Size Review PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

Byte Size – ESO Greymoor Review (Xbox One)

July 3, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1261 Views Elder Scrolls, ESO, MMORPG, RPG, Skyrim

ESO Greymoor heads to Skyrim. A land held in high regard by adventurers world wide. A cold, bleak, and formidable landscape that only the strongest are willing to explore.

This is Western Skyrim, home of the Nords, a 1000 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Five years since The Elder Scrolls Online was released and following the annual major updates of Morrowind, Summerset, and Elsweyr comes Greymoor.

The fourth ‘chapter’ release for the venerable ESO. With plenty of DLC and updates between each of these major releases it is astounding how much content is now included in ESO.

Gaming Game Reviews PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

Desperados 3 Review (Xbox One X)

June 14, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1631 Views Commandos, Cowboys, Real Time Tactics, Spellbound, Western

Old school PC gamers will no doubt have a soft spot for the original Desperados from 2001.

Real time tactics games are a great genre and work brilliantly on the PC. Less so on console.

So with Mimimi Games picking up the franchise from Spellbound Entertainment we see Desperados make its first appearance on console.

Let’s mosey on down to the saloon, have a Sarsaparilla or two, and see how things stack up.

Gaming Game Reviews PS3 PS4 Xbox One xbox360

Saints Row: The Third Remastered (Xbox One X)

June 2, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1944 Views GTA, Open World, Re-Elected, Saints Row

Back in the day when Saints Row first hit the market it was pretty much known as nothing more than an ok Grand Theft Auto knock off. And it was. Volition’s response, over the top silliness. And in my opinion this move worked. Each title after the initial release managed to get even stranger and push the limits of decency.

To the point where Saints Row: The Third is definitely not a game for the kids.

The Saints Row franchise has never hidden its roots, on the contrary, it has dyed them bright purple, and put on a g-string. Saints Row The Third is a solid piece of gaming aimed at the adult market. Even just running around with a giant dildo in hand brings a smile to my face.

We are in a very serious world at the moment. Take this piece of entertainment for what is meant for, to bring a smile and some escapism from real life.