Gaming

Don't Die Minerva - Feature
GamingGame ReviewsIndie GamePC / MacPS4Xbox One

Don’t Die, Minerva! Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1024 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Every second game I have played recently seems to be a rogue-like or have rogue-like elements in them.

Thankfully, unlike the rest of the team, I am not adverse to this as I quite like the format and play style that rogue-likes fall into. That is not to say I don’t throw the odd controller in frustration at my 145th death in 3 minutes.

I have just learnt to throw it gently onto the couch beside me. But with a little Luigi flair this could be fun to play.

Don’t Die, Minerva! looks really nice and plays well. Although there isn’t a huge variety in what you are doing and where you are doing it, it maintains that, just one more run, feel you expect from a good rogue-like.

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Neo Cab - Drive!
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Neo Cab review (Nintendo Switch)

Gerard Campbell 1013 Views ,  ,  , 

Essentially, Neo Cab is a taxi simulator set in the future.

Where automated cars dominate the ride share business and you drive the only human-driven cab in the region. You play as Lina. A driver for Neo Cab who has uprooted her stable life and moved to Capra City, all for the sake of friendship and maybe love.

Neo Cab’s slow-boil story is not going to be for every gamer. Especially for those with itchy trigger fingers crafted through years of Call of Battlefield or other first person combat games. Neo Cab is a snail’s pace game, one that develops the more you progress.

Worth a look if you like games that try something a little bit different.

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House of Gold on Switch
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House of Golf (Nintendo Switch)

Gerard Campbell 1463 Views ,  , 

House of Golf is exactly what it says on the game cartridge: A mini-golf course set within the confines of a house.

From the main menu you choose to either play the championship or a single  hole (there are also options on ball selection and how to play). There is also a multiplayer mode.

On paper, the Nintendo Switch is perfect for a mini-golf game and House of Golf is a good time-waster when you’ve got a few moments to spare. However, there isn’t enough here to capture your attention for too long.

Especially with some of the other great games out for the Switch at the moment.

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ESPIRE1 VR: Stealth Operative
PC / MacFeature ArticleGamingPSVR

Espire 1: VR Operative, Hands On

Richard Armitt 1164 Views ,  ,  , 

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?

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Borderlands 3 Crew in Action
GamingGame ReviewsPS4PSNetworkXBLAXbox One

Borderlands 3, PS4 review

Richard Armitt 1608 Views ,  ,  , 

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?

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Need For Speed Heat
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Byte Size – Need For Speed Heat Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1226 Views ,  ,  , 

Everyone knows the Need For Speed franchise. With well over twenty games to its name you would be hard pushed to find any gamer who hasn’t played a Need For Speed title at some point. So how does EA keep the franchise fresh?

Well to be honest, they don’t. Need For Speed is a known litmus test in the arcade racer genre so why mess with a good thing.

This time round Need For Speed Heat has taken a little bit of Forza Horizon and a splash of The Fast and the Furious and added it to the mixture.

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Powerwave Controller Phone Mount, Xbox review

Richard Armitt 1596 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

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. 

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Zombieland Double Tap Road Trip
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Zombieland Double Tap: Road Trip, PS4 Review

Richard Armitt 1279 Views ,  ,  , 

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.

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Death Stranding
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Death Stranding, PS4 Video Review

Guy 1686 Views ,  ,  , 

This is a totally spoiler free Review. Not only are the Review embargo restrictions very, very clear about both video and late game content, but I don’t want to spoil some of the big surprises the game offers up both in story and mechanics later on.

Death Stranding has a unique take on almost every modern third person action game mechanic created in the last few years. I loved this game, even with its sizable quirks. I enjoyed the new twist on an afterlife and death, and the deeper meanings hidden at every turn. It was just refreshing to play something so different in the AAA space.

Kojima off the leash, has resulted in something surprisingly cohesive and hugely enjoyable.

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