Barrie Clarke, Author at koru-cottage.com

Xbox Series X – The First 14 Days

Nov 29, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1759 Views 4K HDR, Assassin's Creed, Gears of War, Microsoft, Touryst, Valhalla, XBOX SERIES X, Yakuza

I am one of the lucky ones. Despite constant doubt and rumours of supply shortages my Xbox Series X Pre Order was waiting for me instore on November 10th. I was working, it was a long day. This isn’t a deep dive into the hardware, or even the next gen games. This is a overarching opinion piece from someone who has been Xboxing since day one, almost 19 years ago.

I have be enveloped by the Xbox ecosystem, met great people online, suffered RROD, tried to dance and sing, been a rock god, and most importantly, loved the games.

Gaming is in my blood. At almost 50 years old there isn’t a day go by that I don’t play a game or at least do something related to gaming. And to my wife’s dismay, our teenager is following in my footsteps. I have owned countless consoles, PC’s, handhelds, all-in-one’s, and devices. From C64’s to Gizmondos. 386 PC’s to 3DS.

I love all gaming and am definitely not one caught up in fanboy, PC master race, console war rubbish. I want to play games. Nothing more, nothing less.

Gaming Byte Size Review PS4 Switch Console Xbox One

Lets Sing Queen Byte Size Review (Xbox One X)

Nov 21, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1700 Views Lets Sing, Music, Queen

Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. Legends! Queen. Best. Band. Ever!

I have always loved Queen. In some ways it is the soundtrack to my youth. In my younger days I really enjoyed playing all the Lets Sing, Guitar Hero, and Rockband games.

I was never really any good at them but with a few mates and a few more beers, many a good time was had. Now with the experience that comes with age I realise how absolutely terrible I am at singing.

Will that knowledge stop me playing Lets Sing Queen? Well, yes, it probably will.

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

The Survivalists Review (Xbox One X)

Oct 28, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1841 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)

Oct 12, 2020 Barrie Clarke 2259 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)

Oct 5, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1954 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)

Sep 18, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1241 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)

Sep 4, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1562 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)

Aug 28, 2020 Barrie Clarke 2711 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)

Aug 22, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1555 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)

Jul 14, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1819 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)

Jul 3, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1403 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.