Richard Armitt, Author at koru-cottage.com

Espire 1: VR Operative, Hands On

November 20, 2019 Richard Armitt 1163 Views Espire1, PAXAus, PSVR, VR

A blur of a few weeks ago at PAX I go to go hands-on with Espire1: VR Operative from Digital Lode. On that day the release had been pushed back to a loose ‘pre-xmas’. It felt appropriate to hold back until a day like today, when the launch date was finally announced.

And that Release Date is THIS WEEK! Yes, THIS WEEK!

The game has been described as a Stealth VR Shooter, Guy has been dribbling over it for months because to him, it’s Splinter Cell VR. Either way Espire 1: VR will certainly tick some boxes.

Espire1 has been put together by a passionate and driven micro team of developers. The game ‘feels’ like a release from a much bigger studio and deserves some attention. I can only hope the install base on the PSVR gives it a strong showing. I for one will be leaping into an Espire unit this weekend. To stealth, shoot, scan, climb and hack my way out of trouble.

Espire1: VR Operative – it’s VR Splinter Cell, what could go wrong?

Gaming Game Reviews PS4 PSNetwork XBLA Xbox One

Borderlands 3, PS4 review

November 12, 2019 Richard Armitt 1606 Views 2k, Borderlands, Cel Shaded, Loot Shooter

It’s been over a month since Borderlands 3 landed.

It feels much longer because we were incessantly hounded by it during the build-up to launch. It took me that long to plough through the game, so it was appropriate to scale down the review. I mean, what don’t you already know from your Influencer Overlords?

Historians will note that being alive in 2019 inevitably meant unavoidable exposure to Borderlands 3. There were campaigns on all fronts, it was a war fought globally. Including watching from the sidelines as special people were flown around for international previews. Even having their ego stroked by being sent roses to crow about the launch of a trailer. Yes, a trailer.

At the end of the day, whether you were ‘influenced’ or not – how did it play?

Hardware Hardware Reviews iOS PS Vita PS4 Xbox One

Powerwave Controller Phone Mount, Xbox review

November 5, 2019 Richard Armitt 1592 Views Bluetooth, Controller Mount, Mobile Gaming, Powerwave, PS-TV, Vita

Powerwave Controller Phone Mount. That’s a mouthful, isn’t it?

Yes, I would say, but then I would also say. Good things come in small packages.

Currently hitting retail across Australia these nifty clip-on mounts really do offer you a better mobile gaming experience. With two models designed for PS4 and Xbox Powerwave have not re-invented a wheel, but they have done a good job making sure theirs is round.

When offered the chance to take a closer look I went with the Xbox unit. The main reasons being that I still actively use my Vita and PS-TV for gaming away from the TV. So with one eye on the future of Xbox streaming I figured it would be worth seeing how the unit fit for Microsoft.

Byte Size Review Gaming PS4 Xbox One

Zombieland Double Tap: Road Trip, PS4 Review

November 3, 2019 Richard Armitt 1276 Views Alienation, Twin Stick, Zombieland, Zombies

There is no doubt, the Zombieland movies have the right mix of grossness and humour to be entertaining.

Zombieland Road Trip is a game that sits between the two movies. The Road Trip being the fab four’s journey to the White House, loosely.

The game is a rare beast, first impressions won’t grab you, but given some time it becomes a fun diversion. Mindnumbing slaughter of zombies may not be for everyone, but once you get the flow going in solo there is zen-like satisfaction.

Being a fan of twin-stick shooters helps, this is no Alienation, but I did enjoy myself and any like minded ZKOTW hunter should. Although you might forgive me if you wait for a sale, I don’t want to be Murrayed.

Gaming Feature Article Game News

The Player 2 Twenty Four Hour Charity Marathon is back.

October 28, 2019 Richard Armitt 819 Views Charity Marathon, Matt Hewson, Player2, Terry Campese

So it’s a mouthful, but the Player 2 Twenty Four Hour Charity Marathon is a pretty worthy deal. Now in its fourth year the marathon sees Matt Hewson (editor of Player 2) streaming a variety of games for 24hrs. He won’t be alone, with a few guests young and old joining the effort to raise funds for the Terry Campese Foundation (TCF).

Not forgetting to keep Matt and the crew company through long, wee small hours. Be sure to keep an eye out for moments of madness once the clock passes 2am, we supported the marathon last year and will again. Will #WWE2k20 make an appearance? Well maybe that’s a donation target.

Either way, take a spin around Player 2 this weekend. It’s for a good cause and you might meet some like-minded people.

Gaming Feature Article Game News Hardware Indie Game iOS Nintendo PC / Mac PS4 PSNetwork PSVR Switch Console Xbox One

PAXAus 2019, being there and slightly square

October 20, 2019 Richard Armitt 1263 Views EB Expo, Expo, indie, Microsoft, PAXAus, Playstation, Sony, XBOX

After all the build up and fervour PAXAus 2019 has been and gone. It was a first visit for me, probably not the last, but my old bones are currently arguing against it. Having become something of a big hitter on the gaming calendar I was keen to see this year what all the fuss was about.

As an eclectic gathering of Gaming, Pop Culture and Cosplay it does the job well, and you can see from the eyes of the consumer that wanders the floors glassy eyed that they are getting all the shiny things they need. I enjoyed the relative tranquility of the table-top game area and retro section, it was a relief from the pressing crowds squeezing through the aisles.

The main event was loud, brash and exhausting, especially when I flew in for a single day with a maximum of six hours on the ground.

But, that’s me, at PAXAus 2019, being there and slightly square.

Gaming Game Reviews PS4 PSNetwork PSVR Video Content

Concrete Genie Review, PS4

October 8, 2019 Richard Armitt 1864 Views Dualshock, Pixelopus, Playstation, PSVR, SCEE

Only last week my wife was watching me play another game and she asked ‘why is it always shooting’? Sadly I knew exactly what she meant, then I fired up my Concrete Genie review code and we both got lost for a few hours.

First party developers Pixelopus have created something new and unique, a game that drips with charm and subtlety. It is fair to say although short by some standards Concrete Genie is a beautiful experience that lifts your spirit.

Concrete Genie tells the tale of a boy saving his hometown Denska from darkness with magical graffiti. It is beautiful, colourful and enriching.

Feature Article LBF NZ PS4 Switch Console taking chemo on the chin Xbox One

WWE 2K20 – Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society Partnership

September 12, 2019 Richard Armitt 1113 Views 2k, Lymphoma, Roman Reigns, taking chemo on the chin, WWE 2K20

2K have partnered up WWE 2K20 with The Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). With cover star Roman Reigns as its figurehead the campaign is set to drive donations for the LLS through September and October. Reigns himself is a second time survivor of Leukaemia.

Having survived Stage 4 Lymphoma myself back in 2005. This is a subject close to all sorts of avenues in my body. There isn’t a day goes by that I don’t think about what might have been or worry about what tomorrow might bring.

Feature Article Game News Gaming PC / Mac PS4 Xbox One

Borderlands 3 is coming in hot

August 25, 2019 Richard Armitt 1167 Views 2k, Borderlands, Co-Op, Loot Shooter

There is no doubt that with a few weeks to go, Borderlands 3 is coming in hot.

Word on the street from Gamescom is full of praise. The hands on demos we’ve seen on social media have been looking great until now, but this feels more straight up.

Its absolutely obvious the Hype Train is at full tilt and won’t be stopping at any stations on its way to September 13th.

Gaming Feature Article Game News PC / Mac PS4 Video Content Xbox One

No Man’s Sky: Beyond (yes, we’re excited)

August 12, 2019 Richard Armitt 1208 Views Hello Games, No Man's Sky

No Man’s Sky has had a journey and a half, considering the theme of the game that’s kind of fair. The team here at koru-cottage have all had dealings with the Hello Games opus. From the early days of those outstanding E3 reveals all the way through to it’s actual release which at the time was PS4 exclusive.

Now we are two days away from No Man’s Sky: Beyond, the game is changing.

Excited, to say the least.

Byte Size Review XBLA Xbox One xbox360

Xbox – Lynx (for gamers)

July 21, 2019 Richard Armitt 1992 Views Grooming, Influencer, Lynx, Smelly, XBOX

I’m not sure how it came about, probably one marketing person talking to another, maybe they wanted to do something about influencers smelling of Bullshit, maybe it was because Gamers alledgely smell of teenage stockpiles stashed under their beds.

Also, it’s been around for well over a month, but sometimes when the PR guys decide not to send you something to review, you have to buy it yourself if you really want to try it out. This is just as true for games and hardware as it is for grooming products.

So here we are, a week after I spent $12 in Coles to try out the Xbox flavour Lynx and to see if it really did lift my game.

Overall, it has been a neat little spike for exposure on both brands, has it won over consumers? Probably not. Has it won over the Influencers, streamers and gang that gushed over their care packages? Well, let’s file that under Anthem shall we.