Author: Richard Armitt

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Crackdown 3 Review – Xbox One

Richard Armitt 1094 Views ,  ,  , 

A long time ago when the xbox360 was young there were games that defined the console, one of them was Crackdown.

Putting you in the shoes of a super-human Agent, the game had you reclaiming an open world one task at a time and mowing down a hefty roster of bad guys. All sounds pretty familiar, well yes it was, but then there were Orbs and the way you skilled up and the subtle effects that came with those skills, not to mention the small army array of weapons at your disposal. Having recently hit the backwards compatible pile and being free to download I had a recent spin around the original and it didn’t disappoint.

Yes, by today’s standard the open world was fairly bare and the cel-shaded aesthetic wasn’t much to write home about. However, the game had chops, big furry, playable chops and people loved it.

There is a lot to like about Crackdown 3, while it may feel like an older game, it is built using a formula that works and you don’t have to worry about getting chores or conversations. As a great example of keeping it simple we have a Crackdown for people to enjoy, a game that doesn’t get bogged down in drawn out narrative, rather a game that wants you to play it.

Get out there and kick some ass Agents.

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Conviction: An Anthem short movie by Neil Blomkamp

Richard Armitt 1135 Views ,  , 

Anthem will be with us by the end of the month and what better way to celebrate it than give us a surprise Short Movie by sci-fi stalwart Neil Blomkamp (District 9 for example).

Given the design and nature of his movies, bringing the Anthem world and its Javelins to life must have been a no-brainer on both sides.

There is currently a teaser up on youtube.

The full short will be available on the 14th.

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Feature ArticleGamingLEGO

LEGO, James Bond Aston Martin DB5

Richard Armitt 1281 Views ,  ,  , 

It’s a little talked of fact, but LEGO gets more sexy the older you get.

As a small boy I enjoyed my LEGO spaceship (which seemed to be enormous), as an adult I can appreciate the set’s wonderful design, joy to build and marvel at how compact and bijou it was… That was me a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, here I am in my late, very late forties loving LEGO and getting all excited about wonderfully crafted city blocks, Ghostbusters Headquarters and Millennium Falcons.

Then before I could take the plunge and convince the grown up I live with that it was ‘all for the kids’ LEGO undid me, they went and released the Aston Martin DB5, the only car I ever cared about and I had to have it.

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Game ReviewsPS4Xbox One

The Golf Club 2019 featuring PGA Tour – review

Richard Armitt 1136 Views ,  ,  , 

A funny thing happened on the way to the internet… this review was supposed to be published a while ago, so apologies to Reagan Morris, a favourite guest at the cottage who has been patiently reminding us about this one that got away.

So, without further ado, skip the first 18 and get straight to the 19th Hole, settle down and see what he thinks.

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Game ReviewsGamingPS4Xbox One

Just Cause 4 Review, PS4

Richard Armitt 1239 Views ,  , 

Rico Rodriguez, a name that threatens chaos and brings fear to the hearts of many an evil henchman or red barrel.

We’ve loved the Just Cause series since the beginning, playing the first game on the xbox360 was a joy – giving the open world genre a shot in the arm by throwing in crazy vehicle stunts and skydiving, not forgetting one of my favourite achievements ever completed. Rico, in a much younger form was the eighties action hero we all wanted to be.

Rico is older and wider, yes, wider however we will be happily air-dropping tanks or derailing mountain trains together, the possibilities are endless and I will be grappling with them for some time.

Yes, I went there.

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Byte Size ReviewPS4PSNetworkPSVR

Byte Size – Titanic VR, PSVR

Richard Armitt 1245 Views , 

History can’t go past the sinking of the Titanic, it is a story that will run and run, obviously there is the support from Hollywood in various guises and the potential for Mr Clive Palmer and his ambitious reconstruction of actual Titanic v2.

What VR Education have done is taken their Kickstarter project and delivered the all too familiar story with some historical accuracy, wrapped up in a VR learning experience.

The Good – Enjoy an otherwise out of reach experience first hand.

The Bad – The cinematic story is a bit cheesy.

The Ugly – Textures could be crisper, but that’s not so bad.

Titantic VR, may not be perfect but it ticks some boyhood boxes for me and is a good use of twenty bucks.

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Vector by Anki, review

Richard Armitt 1280 Views ,  ,  , 

In the late 70’s I grew up watching Gil Gerard save the day as Buck Rodgers in the 25th Century, while the nuances of plot may have been lost on me one indelible mark was left. 

I wanted a robot pal. I wanted my own Twiki, an independent automation that could be my faithful friend through thick and thin. Well forty years later here we are, me and Vector.

Vector is the latest must have gadget from the creative gang at Ankhi, a natural successor to the Cosmo robot that popped up a couple of years ago he has more going for him technically with a laundry list of tech squashed into his cute roving body.

I guess the burning question is, this. Are Robots just for Christmas?

According to Anki, “Vector is the Robot to Life with”. Cute.

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Feature ArticleGame NewsPS4Video ContentXbox One

Just Cause 4 – Rico Through The Era’s trailers and posters

Richard Armitt 1567 Views ,  ,  , 

It’s no secret, we love a bit of Just Cause action down at the cottage and now just 2 days away from Just cause 4 Square Enix have dropped a clever selection of retro themed trailers and movie posters to go with the launch.

Personally I’m a sucker for the 1960’s and 1970’s versions, but I can see all five of the posters lined up on my office wall soon.

Click for Press Release and Youtube link.

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Byte Size – Dark Souls Remastered, PS4 Review

Richard Armitt 1630 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Love it, hate it or avoid it like the plague – Dark Souls has influenced the last decade, I first reviewed it on PS3 for long gone website Buttonmasher. Back then it was a breath of fresh air, a game that dared to challenge you, make you play against high risk for a bit less reward.

Back then the game brought innovation and didn’t pander to the soft hearted PS3 owners that couldn’t understand why a pause didn’t pause the game or why they couldn’t quick-save at will. I applauded the game for those things, even though I struggled to progress and to be honest still do.

The Good – Look, its a classic game make no mistake.

The Bad – The HD process hasn’t added much and in comparison to recent games it just feels s…l…o…w…

The Ugly – Boss fights, Boss fights are ugly and unfair and repetitive and just not my cup of tea. Anymore.

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Byte Size – when 300 words are enough

Richard Armitt 1362 Views ,  , 

We’ve been writing about games for quite some time in one publication or another and given the obvious changes in culture over those years it makes sense for us to re-evaluate how best to deliver our thoughts.

We have traditionally targeted 800 – 900 words for an average length review, sometimes its easy to be tighter and sometimes its easy to run will up to 1,500 words if the mood takes you. But here’s the rub.

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GamingGame ReviewsPC / MacPS4Xbox One

Fallout 76, PS4 Review

Richard Armitt 1285 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

There’s nothing quite like taking a risk and Bethesda have done that with Fallout 76, you could argue that its a natural evolution along the path of Elder Scrolls online, but disgruntled fans appear to disagree. 

For a game that has made “Country Roads” a re-popular tune, on social media at least and given fans the opportunity they have craved to live in a Fallout world with other people; it was ambitious and has delivered on promises for the most part, but it seems to be the little things that have people most hung up. 

For my part, I quite enjoy it, but I tend to make my own way in Bethesda games. Poking around nooks and crannies, filling my pockets with everything I can carry and generally ignoring quests until I stumble upon them kind of leaves me in a quandary – am I really the target audience?

Fallout 76 does what it says on the tin, its an online multiplayer Fallout game where you can choose to venture on your own or set up with a group.

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