Switch Console Archives - Page 7 of 9

PAXAus 2019, being there and slightly square

October 20, 2019 Richard Armitt 1264 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.

Game Reviews Gaming PS4 Switch Console Xbox One

NBA 2K20, PS4 Review

September 22, 2019 Guy 1724 Views 2k, Basketball, Microtransactons, NBA

I’m not a huge player of Video Games in the Sports genre, so loading up NBA 2K20 was very much a fresh experience for me. I came to learn two things about the current state of AAA sports games.

They look and feel amazing to play, with a perfect balance of fun and realism I never thought Video Games would or could achieve and secondly, that micro-transactions seem to have permeated every facet of the genre.

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 1114 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.

Gaming Byte Size Review iOS PS4 Switch Console

New Star Manager, PS4 Review

July 10, 2019 Richard Armitt 1365 Views Goal, New Star Games, Soccer Manager

There will always be room for more takes on soccer manager genre, at least there is if you’ve ever let one get its hooks into you.

For me the Holy Grail has always been CM97/98, many wasted weekends as nights turned to mornings and you’d catch an hour of sleep while a creaky 386 PC ground out the close season update. There have been all sorts of attempts to capture that lightning, sometimes they have just been too complex for their own good.

New Star Manager brings a fresh take and more importantly for consoles a better user interface than suits the medium. No more snapping to and fro between far too many icons, no more floaty cursors relying on your thumbstick that wished it was a mouse, you have to appreciate the design path going from mobile to Switch before PS4 being one of the core drivers here.

New Star is a relaxed and enjoyable take on the manager sim, the pace is fairly pedestrian which makes it a top-corner chill-out game and the mini games along with the in-match controls have raised more than a few smiles in my dugout.

If you are looking for something different that tickles your soccer fantasies, I’d be giving New Star a run out, new signings, fresh legs and all that.

Game Reviews Gaming Nintendo PC / Mac Switch Console

Octopath Traveler, PC review

June 26, 2019 Gerard Campbell 1559 Views 16-bit glory, RPG, Switch, turn based

I had no idea what to expect when my editor asked me if I was keen to take a look at Octopath Traveler on PC.

I’d obviously heard about Octopath Traveler on the Nintendo Switch but that was about as far as it went. That said, I’m about mixing things up, so I said “Why not?”. The game is, after all, a big deal apparently.

It’s fun, too.

Byte Size Review Gaming Indie Game Nintendo PC / Mac Switch Console

My Friend Pedro, Switch Review

June 23, 2019 Richard Armitt 1041 Views Banana, Devolver, indie, Pedro

My Friend Pedro has been coming for a while and every clip I’d seen surface on Social media from developer Deadtoast only got my appetite wetter. Mainly due to it being an ultra violent 2.5D cutout of a shooter with buckets of slow-motion-bulletime-matrix-backflip-shooting to boot.

Once upon a time Jon Woo and Chow Fun Fat brought their movie magic to games with Stranglehold, this is everything they did not achieve; Hi-Octane destruction with very forgiving systems to make it a fun ride.

Byte Size Review Gaming PS Vita PS4 Switch Console Xbox One

Shakedown Hawaii: A dinosaur making his way in the modern world, PS4 and Vita

May 23, 2019 Gerard Campbell 1227 Views 16-bit glory, 80s humour, dinosaur CEO, pop culture

Shakedown Hawaii is a cynical statement about today’s modern age told through the eyes of a dinosaur who is stuck in his ways & is unprepared to change.

Shakedown Hawaii is an open-world game with a mix of driving, shooting and wandering around where missions can be as simple as stealing a speed boat for some misadventure to renaming an unpopular energy drink so it appeals to gamer culture.

You can also literally buy every single building in the game. From shoe shops to clothing outlets to automative dealers that repossess cars, the world is literally yours for the taking. Shakedown Hawaii doesn’t take itself too seriously, either.

Shakedown Hawaii is just the ticket to scratch that 16-bit itch.

Byte Size Review Gaming PC / Mac PS4 Switch Console Xbox One

Byte Size – Mortal Kombat 11, PS4 Review

May 9, 2019 Guy 1626 Views Fighting; Mortal Kombat; Arcade;

We thought it was time to send Guy into a Mortal Kombat to prove his worth, and surprisingly it didn’t FINISH HIM!

I will be the first to put my hand up and say, I can at times be a bit stuck in my ways when it comes to the types of video games I play. Shooters, RPGs and short-form Indie experiences tend to be my ‘jam’ these days.

That said, in recent months I dove back into a genre I hadn’t touched for almost 10 years, Fighting Games, and I have really bloody enjoyed it.

Gaming Hardware Hardware Reviews PC / Mac PS4 Switch Console Video Content Xbox One youtube review

LucidSound LS41 7.1 Headphones, Video Review

April 11, 2019 Guy 1641 Views Chat, Hardware Review, Headphones, Surround

LucidSound is a relatively new kid on the block in the world of headsets, but they have put their flag in the sand and launched with a specific focus on gamers.

LucidSound shipped their first headset in March 2016, but they have some history in the gaming audio space, as the founder Chris Von Huben, was the founder of the very successful Triton gaming accessories company, which he sold to MadCatz in 2014ish, he then went on to start LucidSound.

Von Huben indicated he wanted to bring the aesthetic of Beats by Dre but build in the natural core control schemes gamers need.

The LS41 is the 2019 flagship 7.1 wireless model for LucidSound and it certainly holds true to the idea of being the ‘Beats’ headphones for gamers. Well made with excellent features and are now my go-to PS4 headset, hands-down. I love them.

Check out the full Video Review below and remember to Click, Like and Share.

Feature Article Gaming Nintendo PS Vita PS3 PS4 PSVR Switch Console Video Content Xbox One xbox360

Summer Musings of a Growing Gamer-Girl

January 13, 2019 Guy 1872 Views Gamergirl, Halo Reach, Nina, Portal, Senua

Happy to announce another Feature from resident Gamer-Girl Nina, with a terrific personal insight to the impact modern gaming has had on her.

Take it away kid…

Video games have been a part of my life ever since I was a kid. Dad talks about his Atari 2600 and Sega Master System days with such fondness. But my formative years of gaming are occurring now. I remember, as a young child, watching in awe as my Dad played games like Bastion, Mass Effect and Halo and I could not help but be enthralled by the characters and grandeur of the experiences.

Now I have had the chance to grow as a gamer, I have my own experiences to reflect upon.

Feature Article Gaming PS4 PSNetwork PSVR Switch Console Xbox One

The Koru-Cottage Games of The Year 2018

December 16, 2018 Guy 1553 Views Alienation, Ashen, ESO, Fallout, Firewall, Forza, Microsoft, Moss, Mudrunner, Mutant Year Zero, Nintendo, No Man's Sky, PS4, Sony, Spiderman, Strange Brigade, Switch, XBOX

The end of 2018 fast approaches and what an amazing year of games we have had. Playstation have had more AAA exclusives you can poke a stick at, Xbox has changed the gaming landscape with the amazing offering that is Game-Pass and Fortnite…..well has taken all the money and given us silly dances in return.

But I hear you say, enough talk…….. what are the Games of The Year down at the Cottage?

Well, here we go.