Barrie Clarke, Author at koru-cottage.com

Gears Tactics Review (PC)

April 28, 2020 Barrie Clarke 944 Views Game Pass, Gears, Gears of War, turn based

In a world full of fear and uncertainty it is nice to return to a world of fear and uncertainty that is worse off than us. Kicking off 12 years before the original Gears of War, Gears Tactics has you taking the role of Gabriel, or Gabe to his friends.

A dedicated member of the Motor Pool who is tasked with a mission well above his pay grade. As you can imagine there is the potential for a LOT of spoilers here so I will say now that this is a spoiler free review.

The Locust Horde is on the rise and it it is up to you to save the people of Sera. But to do this you are going to need some help. So get out there and recruit a team and take the fight to the enemy.

Gaming Game Reviews PS4 Xbox One

Resident Evil 3 (2020) Review (Xbox One X)

April 4, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1033 Views Biohazard, Capcom, Horror, Resident Evil

After the resounding success of last years Resident Evil 2 remake it only made sense that Resident Evil 3 was next on the list. And like my review of Resident Evil 2, this will be spoiler free for those who are yet to return to Raccoon City.

As a fan of single player games it is such a pleasure to see absolute classics being resurrected for the current generation of hardware, and gamers.

Are you ready to return to Raccoon City once more? Trust me. The scares are real, especially alone at midnight, in the dark, wearing headphones…

Gaming Byte Size Review Game Reviews PS4 Xbox One

Warriors Orochi 4 – Ultimate Review (Xbox One X)

April 4, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1511 Views Dynasty Warriors, Hack 'n Slash, Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi

Following several months after the release of the vanilla edition comes the Ultimate Edition of Warriors Orochi 4. What makes it the Ultimate Edition?

Well the addition of 7 extra characters, that is what. You now have 177 playable characters at you disposal. So basically nothing new here.

For those unfamiliar with the Warriors Orochi series it is a 3rd Person Hack ‘n Slash game based on the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors games.

Bayonetta-Vanquish Anniversary - Feature

Gaming Game Reviews PS4 Xbox One

Bayonetta and Vanquish Review (Xbox One X)

March 3, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1712 Views Remaster, Sega, Single Player

I like this idea, I like it a lot. There are plenty of remasters/re-releases coming out these days, and rightly so. There are more than a few games that NEED to be seen by people new to the gaming scene.

Yes, many will seek out past gems and try them out. But a lo-fi game in a hi-fi world won’t get the same response as it did a decade ago. Making a few tweaks to the visuals is the way to go. Especially to grab the attention of the younger generation. And that is exactly what PlatinumGames have done to their two classics, Bayonetta and Vanquish.

Gaming Feature Article Nintendo PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

2019 – How Did It Stack Up? (The Barrie’s Highlights Edition)

January 9, 2020 Barrie Clarke 1319 Views 2019, Barrie, best games, highlights, retrospective

This years highlights for me are a bit tough. Basically because of all the older games I have been playing.

Thanks to Game Pass on the Xbox I have been enjoying a absolute plethora of classic titles and games I would otherwise not have looked at. And on the flip side many of the great releases in 2019 for me were actually remasters or re-releases.

So I will try and rattle off a few highlights, and of course a disappointment or two.

All these titles were played on the Xbox One X.

Gaming Game Reviews Indie Game PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

Don’t Die, Minerva! Review (Xbox One X)

December 10, 2019 Barrie Clarke 1024 Views girl power, haunted, luigi, one more turn, rogue-like

Every second game I have played recently seems to be a rogue-like or have rogue-like elements in them.

Thankfully, unlike the rest of the team, I am not adverse to this as I quite like the format and play style that rogue-likes fall into. That is not to say I don’t throw the odd controller in frustration at my 145th death in 3 minutes.

I have just learnt to throw it gently onto the couch beside me. But with a little Luigi flair this could be fun to play.

Don’t Die, Minerva! looks really nice and plays well. Although there isn’t a huge variety in what you are doing and where you are doing it, it maintains that, just one more run, feel you expect from a good rogue-like.

Gaming Game Reviews PS4 Switch Console Xbox One

Sparklite Review (Xbox One X)

November 25, 2019 Barrie Clarke 1015 Views rogue-like, Sparklite, Zelda

Sparklite is a nice little Rogue-like with some Zelda-esque icing.

Doing a few runs into the world of Geodia is an excellent way to fill in time when you don’t have hours up you sleeve to game with.

It’s not all that original but is well executed, easy to pick up, and deep enough to last a while. Why not give it a crack.

Byte Size Review Gaming PS4 Xbox One

Byte Size – Need For Speed Heat Review (Xbox One X)

November 9, 2019 Barrie Clarke 1224 Views Arcade, EA, Need for Speed, Racing

Everyone knows the Need For Speed franchise. With well over twenty games to its name you would be hard pushed to find any gamer who hasn’t played a Need For Speed title at some point. So how does EA keep the franchise fresh?

Well to be honest, they don’t. Need For Speed is a known litmus test in the arcade racer genre so why mess with a good thing.

This time round Need For Speed Heat has taken a little bit of Forza Horizon and a splash of The Fast and the Furious and added it to the mixture.

Gaming Byte Size Review Indie Game PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

Children of Morta Review (Xbox One X)

October 19, 2019 Barrie Clarke 1102 Views 8-bit, family, indie game, rogue-like

Meet the Bergsons, the Children of Morta. John, Linda, Kevin, Mark, Lucy, and Joey. Good, solid hero names if ever there was. Living in the shadow of Mount Morta and entrusted with its protection, life has been pretty good for the Bergsons. Until an evil corruption takes hold with in the mountain.

Now it is time to take up arms and save the sacred mountain they call home.

When it comes to games, I don’t mind rogue-likes, talk to @nzbrowncoat and you might just get a different response. So thankfully for him, I have Children of Morta from Dead Mage Inc. to review and he doesn’t.

Gaming Game Reviews Xbox One

Vigor Review (Xbox One X)

October 13, 2019 Barrie Clarke 1759 Views Battle Royale, Loot and Shoot, Norway, Survival

So Norway is the last bastion of hope after nuclear war. Nice. Definitely a decent place to spend you last days on this earth looting and shooting. Why games like Vigor continue to portray man versus man when the world is ending is beyond me.

Surely we would all just get along and make the best of a bad situation? But I guess if that was the case I would currently be reviewing The Sims…

Vigor, the latest Free To Play title to hit the scene seems to be straddling the line between Battle Royale and Survival Shooter. The premise and setting here are fantastic, the long loading and wait times, not so much.

Gaming Game Reviews PS4 Xbox One

Frostpunk – Console Edition Review (Xbox One X)

October 13, 2019 Barrie Clarke 1770 Views 1886, Frostpunk, indie, RTS, Victorian

The year is 1886 and thanks to massive volcanic eruptions the world is plunging into anther Ice Age.

Man scrambles and builds massive coal powered generators to try and create enough heat to establish areas where humans can continue to live in this harsh new world. But resources are scarce and plenty are needed to ensure people are fed and sheltered. In Frostpunk you need to decide on the priorities and whether it will be order or faith that will see you through.

It is good solid fun. Nothing more, nothing less.