Gaming

Gears of War 5
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Gears 5 Review – Spoiler Free (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1490 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Now, the first thing you may have noticed is that the Gears seem to have lost their ‘of War’ tag. But don’t fret, Gears 5 is well and truly the next installment in the fantastic Gears of War series. And lets just get it out there, it’s a good’un.

Following on from Gears of War 4, Gears 5 has Kait Diaz taking the lead role with all you favourite characters in support, including Jack, the ever helpful robot.  That is all I will say about the story and characters as it is a fantastic, and emotional ride that everyone deserves to enjoy unspoilt. I have even moved away from my own screenshots and used generic promotional shots so nothing can ruin it for you.

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Control Feature
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Control, PS4 Review

Guy 1415 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Control is different to other games I have played this year, yet it still feels very familiar, like a sort of comfort food.

The reality of what is actually happening in Control is like an incomplete painting, masterfully placed just out of reach.

I kept pushing onwards, throughout the game, trying to grasp what the hell is actually going on in this contorted world. It was mind-bendingly magical.  Remedy and 505 Games have made a confusing, engrossing and strangely approachable title….. and I loved every damn minute of it.

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Borderlands 3 Crew in Action
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Borderlands 3 is coming in hot

Richard Armitt 1485 Views ,  ,  , 

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.

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No Man's Sky: Beyond
GamingFeature ArticleGame NewsPC / MacPS4Video ContentXbox One

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

Richard Armitt 1541 Views , 

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.

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Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
Game ReviewsGamingPC / Mac

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Review (PC)

Barrie Clarke 1490 Views ,  ,  , 

Elite, Wing Commander: Privateer, and Freelancer are games I grew up with and still have fond memories of. Many have tried to recreate, or even reinvent, the open galaxy space trader mercenary game (No Man’s Sky) and many haven’t quite hit the mark. Take the stage Rebel Galaxy Outlaw.

Well, all hail Double Damage Games, they have nailed it, really, really nailed it.

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Wolfenstein: Youngblood, PS4 Review

Guy 2072 Views ,  ,  , 

I’ll be honest, this has been a tricky Review to work on. Wolfenstein: Youngblood, thanks to collaborative talents of Arkane Studios and Machine Games, is a weird mash-up of video game ideas that I could have loved.

However due to poor characters, bad gameplay mechanics and literally idiotic design choices around a reliance on Co-Op, I grew to seriously dislike this series off-shoot.

Even the franchises you love can have bad days…

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Game ReviewsGamingPS4Xbox One

Attack on Titan 2 – Final Battle Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 2290 Views ,  , 

To be honest, I’m not sure what I just played… when you enter the land under constant threat from the Titans. And unless you are have seen the Anime series of the same name I’m willing to bet that you will have the same ‘What the hell?!?!’ moment I had.

I guess you could could call A.O.T.2 – Final Battle the ‘Lady Gaga in a meat suit’ of gaming. It is pretty good at what it does, but really? What are you thinking???

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Call of Duty: ‘Realistic’ Warfare.

Guy 1658 Views ,  ,  , 

Another meaty article from Gamer-Girl Guest contributor, Nina. This time sharing some thoughts on games, the media and how they deal with limits being pushed.

For as long as anyone can remember, the relationship between the video games industry and mainstream media has been riddled with misapprehension. Whenever games are involved in News stories, they’re often antagonistic or misrepresent the medium, usually said ‘articles’ come in conjunction with a Rockstar Games release, when we get the obligatory claims that violent video games make kids violent.

Today, I wanted to focus on the a recent example of a game/media clash that  involves a specific game that is rumored to feature very realistic depictions of war.

That game is, of course, the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019).

A reboot of the original Modern Warfare game, the new COD is set to release on the 25th of October, but Infinity Ward has already treated fans and the media to trailers that show off the game’s new graphic engine and direction. And it’s that last part, the new direction, that has people excited, including me.

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Xbox - Lynx (the range)
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Xbox – Lynx (for gamers)

Richard Armitt 2444 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

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.

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Yamagi taking a selfie on Nakamichi Street, Kamurocho.
Game ReviewsGamingPS4

Judgment review: Treading the streets of Kamorucho again

Gerard Campbell 2523 Views ,  ,  , 

I absolutely love Sega’s Yakuza games, a rich, slightly quirky crime series set in the fictional Japanese city of Kamurocho, so it’s no surprise that I have fallen head first into Sega’s Judgment (PS4 exclusive), a game not directly set in the Yakuza universe but there’s some elements that the two games share, nonetheless.

It’s hardly surprising there are similarities in game play, though: Judgment’s made by Ryu Ga Gotuku Studio (Ryu Ga Gotuku is actually Japanese for Yakuza), the same studio behind some of the latter Yakuza games, and while there’s no appearance of the Dragon of Dogma Kazuma Kiryu in Judgment, the setting is a familiar one for fans of the Yakuza series: Kamurocho, a fictional Japanese city modelled on the real-world Kabukich?, Tokyo’s most well-known “red-light” district.

I have to say, it’s great to be wandering the streets of Kamurocho again with it’s bright lights and streets layered with signs and craziness.

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Game ReviewsGamingPC / MacPS4Xbox One

Observation review [PC]: When a sentient AI goes bad …

Gerard Campbell 1420 Views ,  , 

Previously posted at Gerard’s own blog GameJunkieNZ, here’s his view on Observation.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the team behind sci-fi thriller Observation – were fans of movies Alien, Event Horizon and 2001 A Space Odyssey.

The game opens aboard the international space station Observation which is above Earth’s orbit after suffering a catastrophic event. The ship’s medical officer Dr Emma Fisher eventually manages to reboot the ship’s AI Sam [System Administration Maintenance] but Sam receives a strange transmission telling him to “BRING HER”.

Fast forward a bit and after a second event, the Observation finds itself above Saturn, Sam’s core functions compromised and the rest of Observation’s crew missing. Emma tasks Sam with finding out what has happened.

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