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2020 Roundup, the year that was.

Richard Armitt 1874 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

How do you have a 2020 Roundup? A year that has put the Annus in Annus Horribulus. The ongoing pandemic notwithstanding its been a year where everybody seems to have shared tragedy on some level. Having lost close friends, dear pets and suffered a weather event catastrophe I’m just glad COVID has not yet reached my door.

Here we at the dawn of a New Year, and just like twelve short months ago. Everybody is wishing that when that calendar clicks over the trend gets better. We should take a quick spin around the highlights of what we managed under such adversity.

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Rainbow Six Siege
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Rainbow Six Siege – The State of the Game 2020.

Guy 2357 Views ,  ,  , 

We love the occasional guest spot from Nina, especially when its about her ass kicking abilities in Rainbow Six Siege…

A few years ago, I wrote an article for Koru-Cottage titled ‘Rainbow Six Siege: Why I Love it so Damn Much’. Since that article, Rainbow Six has seen a lot of dramatic changes.

So with this generation of gaming coming to a close, I thought now would be a good time to revisit my musing on my beloved Siege. To reflect on how the game has changed, discuss the state it is in now, and theorize about the game’s future.

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Destiny 2 Beyond Light
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Destiny 2 Beyond Light, Review

Guy 1563 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Eyes up, Guardian. 

With Destiny 2 Beyond Light, Destiny 2 has received a major expansion and I thought it was time for a reconnaissance report.

Full disclosure, I have been an avid Destiny player for years now. I grant you I faltered early on, as I explained HERE. Since then I have been a dedicated Guardian. Fighting back the darkness going on 6 years now.

In fact, thanks to the PS5s new game-clock, I can sheepishly confirm Destiny 1 and 2 have received in excess of 1000hrs from me.

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Empire of Sin
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Empire of Sin review (PC)

Gerard Campbell 1554 Views ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

When first heard about Empire of Sin (multi-platform). An X-Com style turn-based combat game set in 1920s American and featuring gangsters, I was intrigued.

Who wouldn’t want to be a gangster as he (or she) takes over the streets of prohibition Chicago, aiming for the top and with mechanics similar to the rather excellent X-Com games?

Starting in the 1920s prohibition Chicago, you’ll be taking over rival businesses such as speakeasies, brothels and casinos. In the quest to become kingpin of the city. Once you successfully take a joint from a rival you can then upgrade it with things like extra security, ambience and promotion to add value. As you’d expect during the prohibition, alcohol plays a big part in Empire of Sin and is used as a form of currency to extend your empire’s influence.

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Black Ops Cold War
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Black Ops: Cold War, the 2020 Call of Duty

Richard Armitt 1515 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

Forget your Modern Warfares, this year its time for Call of Duty, Black Ops : Cold War. What a mouthful, that said, you can’t go through Silly Season without a new CoD can you?

Its been a decade since Black Ops first joined the roster, opening ups that whole Treyarch vs Infity Ward fan service argument. Much like the even numbered Star Trek movies it all comes down to taste. Black Ops for me back in the day was a hot mess, the campaign tried too hard to be clever. Throwing hallucinations and reveals at you in artillery style, it didn’t really do it for my taste. Some of the action pieces were superb, a lot of the story elements were forgettable. That was a decade ago, we don’t talk about the things we did then.

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The Survivalists Review (Xbox One X)

Barrie Clarke 1651 Views ,  ,  , 

Team 17 ventures into well known territory with The Survivalists.

And not a worm or Holy Hand Grenade in sight. The Survivalists has you in a familiar situation of being shipwrecked on an unknown island and having to plan your escape, and survival. 

Thankfully you don’t have to go it alone on this island. The local monkeys are willing to help you out for the price of some food or their freedom from caged life.

So if you have ever wanted to raise a monkey army then here is your chance.

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Mafia Definitive Edition
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Mafia Definitive Edition, PC Review

Richard Armitt 2096 Views ,  , 

With the release of Mafia Definitive Edition last month, 2K’s Mafia trilogy is now complete. 

When I reviewed Mafia 2 in August this year, I ended my review (based on the lacklustre Mafia 2 remaster) by saying: “I can’t recommend this package right now, especially given it’s incomplete until Mafia is released in August.”

Well, now that I have finished Mafia Definitive Edition, my verdict is easy: It’s definitely worth your time. Especially with the love that has been lavished in updating the original Mafia for today’s modern gamer.

A game that tells the rise [then fall] of Lost Heaven (New York) taxi driver Tommy Angelo through the ranks of a feared crime family during the 1930s.

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GamingByte Size ReviewPC / Mac

Partisans 1941, Byte Size Review (PC)

Barrie Clarke 1999 Views , 

It definitely isn’t all quiet on the Eastern Front in Partisans 1941, as the Germans push forward in an attempt to occupy the Soviet Union in the name of the Fuhrer.

As a proud child of the Motherland it is your duty to gather fellow Partisans and protect your homeland from the invaders.

So gather up your warmest coat, some vodka, and a trusty weapon and lets kick those nasty Germans back to Berlin.

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Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning
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Kingdoms of Amalur, Re-Reckoning, Re-view

Richard Armitt 1470 Views , 

Kingdoms of Amalur on the xbox360 was a cult hit before it stopped being mainstream. Action RPG fans loved it and even with rough edges, it had popular appeal. There weren’t many gamers of that age that didn’t glass over and have nice things to say about it.

There’s always a game you regret selling or trading, for me this was it.

When I heard that KoA: Reckoning was getting the HD treatment, I was over the moon. One of those games that guided us out of the last generation with fond memories. I thought I knew it fairly well, but the first couple of hours were not lodged in my memory.

I selected my character, for some reason a shapely dark elf (again) and set off.

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Serious Sam 4
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Serious Sam 4 (PC review)

Gerard Campbell 1286 Views ,  ,  ,  , 

The Serious Sam games have always been about staying on the move, especially when the going gets tough and the odds are stacked against you – and in Serious Sam  games the odds are always stacked against you.

The first Serious Same game graced PCs way back in 2001, and in the intervening years there have been a few games bearing the Serious Same moniker.

The series’ core gameplay has always remained the same: throwing countless numbers of enemies against the player, forcing them to keep moving. Circle strafing and running backwards so as to avoid the enemy onslaught and their attacks.

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Control: AWE DLC
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Control: AWE DLC (PS4)

Guy 1711 Views ,  ,  , 

I am a big fan of Control. I said pretty nice things a year ago in my review, such as…”It was mind-bendingly magical”. It was even my Game of the Year for 2019!

So, any offer to dive back into Controls twisted world is met with giddy laughs of excitement and much wringing of hands.

The second and final (AWE) DLC for Control has just arrived. Remedy have fully bridged the world of Alan Wake and Control in this 3-4hr DLC pack. I won’t spoil any story from here on in, but suffice is to say. Mr Wake’s typewriter is hard at work leading Jesse into darkness, hunting an escaped Bright Falls monster who is loose in the Strange House.

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