Author: Barrie Clarke

GamingGame ReviewsPC / Mac

Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones Review (PC)

Barrie Clarke 1265 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Before getting into modern console gaming I grew up playing cRPG’s like Baldurs Gate, Fallout, Planescape Torment, and Arcanum on the PC.

The play style and isometric view point used in these classics are attributes I hold dear to my heart. So when Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones appeared on the scene, it definitely got my interest. So much so, it made moving back into the office chair from the couch very easy.

But first, a big warning. This is a game for adults. And even some adults may find some of the content offensive. Trust me, I am not easily offended but one conversation with a prostitute even had me taken back.

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The Sojourn - Feature
GamingByte Size ReviewPS4Xbox One

Byte Size – The Sojourn Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 969 Views , 

sojourn

noun

a temporary stay.

“her sojourn in Rome”

Similar: stay visit stop stopover residence holiday vacation

Sounds fantastic. And when you start your sojourn in an unknown and mysterious land full of beauty it is hard not to relax and take in surroundings.

But The Sojourn is a puzzle game and we all know where that can lead. You can’t help but wonder how temporary this stay will be.

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Gears of War 5
GamingGame PassGame ReviewsXbox One

Gears 5 Review – Spoiler Free (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1122 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Now, the first thing you may have noticed is that the Gears seem to have lost their ‘of War’ tag. But don’t fret, Gears 5 is well and truly the next installment in the fantastic Gears of War series. And lets just get it out there, it’s a good’un.

Following on from Gears of War 4, Gears 5 has Kait Diaz taking the lead role with all you favourite characters in support, including Jack, the ever helpful robot.  That is all I will say about the story and characters as it is a fantastic, and emotional ride that everyone deserves to enjoy unspoilt. I have even moved away from my own screenshots and used generic promotional shots so nothing can ruin it for you.

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Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
Game ReviewsGamingPC / Mac

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Review (PC)

Barrie Clarke 1200 Views ,  ,  , 

Elite, Wing Commander: Privateer, and Freelancer are games I grew up with and still have fond memories of. Many have tried to recreate, or even reinvent, the open galaxy space trader mercenary game (No Man’s Sky) and many haven’t quite hit the mark. Take the stage Rebel Galaxy Outlaw.

Well, all hail Double Damage Games, they have nailed it, really, really nailed it.

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Game ReviewsGamingPS4Xbox One

Attack on Titan 2 – Final Battle Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1785 Views ,  , 

To be honest, I’m not sure what I just played… when you enter the land under constant threat from the Titans. And unless you are have seen the Anime series of the same name I’m willing to bet that you will have the same ‘What the hell?!?!’ moment I had.

I guess you could could call A.O.T.2 – Final Battle the ‘Lady Gaga in a meat suit’ of gaming. It is pretty good at what it does, but really? What are you thinking???

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Byte Size ReviewGame ReviewsGamingPS4Xbox One

Byte Size – ESO Elsweyr Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1803 Views ,  ,  , 

OK, so firstly I must apologise for the delay in getting this review done. I have only just been able to consistently log in to the ESO servers in this last week. Now every time a new DLC is released for ESO there is a spike in users and some problems are expected but typically you get in within a few attempts. Not this time.

Welcome to the land of the Khajiiti, cat-like desert dwellers, famed for their prowess in the mercantile arts. Elsweyr is a diverse land of grasslands and canyons. Unfortunately the growing of Moon Sugar has been rudely interrupted by the return of dragons to the area.

Can you save the land from the dragons?

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Game ReviewsGamingPS4PSNetworkXBLAXbox One

World War Z Review – Xbox One X

Barrie Clarke 1287 Views ,  , 

World War Z, the game is based on the 2013 movie which is based on the 2006 book by Max Brooks. But I’ll add a word to that last sentence, LOOSELY, as the movie is loosely based on the book, the game is loosely based on both source materials, very loosely based.

What makes World War Z stand out in the crowded herd of zombie books, movies, and games is pretty obvious for anyone who has seen the movie is the speed and swarm-like behaviour of the zombies. Whether it is stacking up against barriers to use combined weight to bring it down or making a massive pile of zombies to scale over walls, the World War Z zeds are fast, big in numbers, and have an incredibly dangerous herd mentality. For me it is the one thing that saves the game from disappearing into the pile of slain zombie games.

But with its cheaper price point and swarming zombies World War Z is a blast, so check out World War Z or be left 4 dead…

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Byte Size – Dead Or Alive 6 Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 886 Views

The latest in the titillating fighting franchise is here and packs everything you would expect into a nicely rounded package.  Team Ninja have continued with the plethora of scantily clad girls who can kick butt. And thanks to the latest generation of gaming equipment you get to witness all the bouncing and jiggling that goes with the high intensity combat. And just for full disclosure, I am terrible at fighting games and resort to full on button mashing 99% of the time.

The Good – Underneath all the eye candy is a solid and smooth fighting game. There are tons of moves and combos to learn for those who are inclined to do so, but for mashers like me there is still plenty of fun to be had.

The Bad – This is easy, unfortunately. Well for Xbox anyway. The online side of things is almost completely devoid of players. And considering the type of competitive game we have here this is a real problem.

The Unlocks! – So at release there are 27 fighters each with different costumes, hair styles, glasses, and god knows what else to unlock. Now for me this is a nightmare. I like to have everything in a game, call me a completionist if you will. But the time needed to unlock everything here would be huge.

Anyway, if you want a fighting game DOA6 is still one of the breast, umm, best.

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Byte Size – Objects in Space Review (PC)

Barrie Clarke 1101 Views ,  ,  , 

Objects in Space from the self proclaimed smallest of the small game developers, Flat Earth Games, is so strangely familiar to me and any gamers who played through the 1990’s will no doubt feel pangs of good old retro revival.

The Good – Upgrades to not only your ship but also pretty much every subsystem, along with trading, bounties, exploration, and combat makes for a really full on experience. And because of the gameplay, I found Objects in Space to be quite relaxing to play.

The Bad – For me the biggest hurdle was the font used for communications. When dealing with traders and the likes I found myself having to give my eyes a rest after each paragraph or so.

The Overwhelming – As mentioned, there is a fair amount to take on in Objects in Space, you can just stay in safe systems and trade your way to riches or head out to the new worlds, a much more dangerous affair. Then you have upgrades, trade prices, navigation, repairs, the list is endless in the life of a solo space captain.

Closing Comments – As we say down here in New Zealand and Australia, bit of a Marmite game this one. You will either love it or hate it.

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Byte Size ReviewGamingPS4Xbox One

Byte Size – Far Cry New Dawn Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1551 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Returning to Hope County 17 years and a nuclear war after the events of Far Cry 5 finds the county some what brighter than one would expect.

The Good – It is the Far Cry 5 we all know and love, but with and excellent splash of colour and some RPG-lite elements thrown in.

The Bad – Like Far Cry 5 you can have an ally along side to help out. Just don’t rely on them to get the job done.

The New – Since the map is effectively the same as Far Cry 5 the addition of Expeditions has been made to create a bit of variety. The Expedition maps themselves are a good mix and some pretty cool locations too.

Overall I found Far Cry New Dawn more engaging that Far Cry 5, considering this is just a re-skin, and what some would argue should have been just a DLC, it shows it has something special.

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