Author: Barrie Clarke

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Byte Size – Objects in Space Review (PC)

Barrie Clarke 1272 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 – Far Cry New Dawn Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1729 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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Resident Evil 2 (2019) Review – Xbox One X

Barrie Clarke 1489 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Even though this is a remake I don’t want to spoil anything for first time players or absent minded older gamers who are revisiting Raccoon City.

So consider this a SPOILER FREE REVIEW.

Now you would have to have been living under a rock not to have heard of Resident Evil, or Biohazard for those from Japan. The games have been around for over 2o years, along with comics, novels, toys, several movies, and now rumours that Netflix have a Resident Evil series in the works.

I guess that all this longevity and multi format content just shows how good the story and characters are in the Resident Evil Universe. Obviously this game isn’t the second release in the series but a remake of the 1998 version.

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Byte Size – Hitman 2 Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1438 Views

So everybody’s favourite barcoded bald badass is back and kicking things off in Hawkes Bay, here in good old New Zealand. Who knew we were such a haven for bad guys? Anyone who can make a shaved head and red tie look this good has got my attention, that is for sure. Assuming most, if not all gamers out there will have at least heard of Agent 47.

The Good – Well it’s Hitman isn’t it.

The Bad – If I had to pick on something it would have to be the visuals. Hitman 2, even with One X Enhancements, looks a bit dated.

The Loose Steering Wheel – As you can imagine, there is more than one way to skin a cat, or in this case knock off a bad dude along with other variables in each mission. This means more than a few plays through each assignment will be required.

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2019 on Xbox. What’s to come?

Barrie Clarke 1202 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

So here we are, a new year and a new slew of games to look forward to. Most have been in the mix for a while now so there are no real surprises here but still an impressive list none the less.

Personally I am looking forward to The Outer Worlds and Wasteland 3 the most, but am also keen have a crack at Anthem and Metro Exodus. And lets not forget that all Microsoft Studios titles will release straight to Game Pass so if you aren’t a subscriber what more reason do you need?

Cheers, Barrie.

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New Family Settings and Tools for Cross-Play Now Available on Xbox

Barrie Clarke 1270 Views ,  , 

Microsoft recently announced the availability of cross-play updates to Family Settings on Xbox, which include two new settings parents can turn on and off in supported games, for both cross-network play and cross-network communication on any child or teen account.

With this update, Xbox is giving parents more choice in managing child and teen accounts for cross-network gaming scenarios.

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Byte Size – Farming Simulator 19 (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1439 Views ,  , 

Bit of a niche title this one. So I thought I would try out our new ‘byte size’ review format.

The Farming Simulator franchise has been around for a while now and in doing so proves that there is a market for simulated farming. Who knows, with all the millions of dollars of equipment replicated in the game maybe it is real farmers just wanting to play with the fancy tools of their trade.

The Good – Toys!

The Bad – Clunky controls

The Ugly – It’s a bit like watching grass grow…

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Battlefield V Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1413 Views ,  ,  , 

Following the harrowing World War 1 shooter, Battlefield 1, is the sixteenth Battlefield release, Battlefield V. So the first release was ‘1942’, the third ‘2’, the fifteenth ’1’, and the sixteenth ‘V’… For those trying to work out the naming sequence going on here, please, let me know when you have it. Anyway its back to World War 2 we go and an even more multiplayer centric experience, along with a move away from historical accuracy in the name of fun.

Fair enough, at least we know where we stand and know not to pick holes in the detail.

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1479 Views ,  , 

I’m a bit late to the party this time around thanks to a family holiday so many will have played and finished, or added Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to the ‘I’ll come back to it’ pile (come on, we all have one).

To me it screams Assassin’s Creed Origins, new era and location but still very familiar. Now this is not a bad thing as you can read here, but it still stays out to the side of the Assassins and Templars of old. I guess Ubisoft are opening the franchise up and allowing a good game to emerge without staying too true to canon. Lets face it, recent games have all but done away with the Animus and present time sections.

I should just be enjoying Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as a game on its own merits because lets face it, Spartan kicking dudes off a cliff just doesn’t get old.

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Valkyria Chronicles 4 Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1628 Views , 

This is my first delve into the Valkyria Chronicles and starting with number four has left me playing catch up with the characters and world of the Federation and the Empire. And being a hugely story driven game I really do feel at a disadvantage.

I get that it is fictional, Japanese, and aimed at a certain market but I just can not warm to the characters at all. Even in their totally impractical, and inappropriate, uniforms…

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