I have been playing video games for a heap of years now…(I’m getting so old). I can honestly say the most important change I have seen to this hobby I love, is the arrival of legit, top tier Indie Developers. They are brave, ingenious, and creative. They tread where big developers are too scared too, and offer such a massive array of experiences.
Exo One is the perfect example of this. Unique, beautiful, fun, and relaxing.
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After 10 years of playing Destiny, being confronted with sitting down at my keyboard to “Review” the penultimate, era-ending expansion, is quite a daunting task.
After the rocky start in 2014, Destiny grew into my comfort food, my hang-out joint and the bane of my life. And in 2024 with the “Light and Dark Saga” coming to a close, what the hell do I do now!?
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Remakes of old games usually do a couple of things for me. They remind me what an amazing experience a particular classic game was back in the day. Highlighting just how “ahead of its time” it was.
Conversely, said Remakes if not done with enough modern vigour, have a damaging effect on my rose-tinted glasses, laying bare how very far video game design has actually come.
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Anyone who doubted South Korea is now a total powerhouse of game development, needs to read the tea leaves. Stellar Blade is the first “AAA” outing for Seoul based developer Shift-Up and they have knocked it outta the park. Part Nier: Automata and part Sekiro but still… unique and most importantly, brilliant fun.
The PS5s arsenal of exclusives is even stronger for having this game in its quiver of titles.
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That sweet middle ground of an immersive open world RPG, combined with the challenge of a From Soft game has always been on my Wishlist.
Now, before you take a breath to scream…” Elden Ring”. Yes, it was wonderful! But for me, the story and world lore were too convoluted to be engossing. And the combat, the bosses in particular, was just too hard for me…….so, a wonderful game, but not fun.
Rise of the Ronin though, seems to sit in this sweet spot though, or I thought it was going to.
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In recent months I have struggled to find a game that really gels with me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played a number of titles recently that I’ve enjoyed. But it’s been a while since something’s really grabbed me- since I’ve played a game that I think about even when I’m not playing.
Then, Helldivers 2 released.
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The Last of Us 2 (TLoU2) was the swansong title for the PS4 in 2020 and it was AMAZING.
Hyperbole aside, it is the best video game ever made. So, Sony have seen fit to drop a native PS5 version and pack in some other goodies, plus a ‘rouge-like’ mode for good measure.
After replaying it all for this review I can say with confidence…it is STILL one of my favourite video games of all time!
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Back in May, I saw the first gorgeous gameplay trailer for Flashback 2 and I was SOLD! I played the hell out of OG Flashback on the Sega Mega-Drive and a modern take of this classic would totally be my jam.
Well….to say I am disappointed is putting it mildly.
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(Guest writer, Nina, returns to give a quick Byte Sized take on Indie game, Trinity Fusion.)
Trinity Fusion is a roguevania platformer and the latest release from indie devs Angry Mob Games. It is quite unlike anything the studio has put out before- up until now, Angry Mob’s MO has been mobile games and the odd Predator tie-in.
But you wouldn’t guess that when playing Trinity Fusion. In fact, you’d probably think these guys were veterans of the metroidvania genre.
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Wartales is an open-world, tactical turn-based RPG and it surprised me out of the gate. It’s a subtle mix of Banner Saga, Baulders Gate and even some Skyrimesque freedom too.
Not what I expected from a game I had never heard of.
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Meta have launched their new self contained 4K VR/AR headset Meta Quest 3 and it looks pretty sweet.
Basically it is a VR beast with no cables… and we like that idea at the Cottage!
It starts at: $929.99 for the 128GB model, from the NZ Meta website
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