What if you couldn’t see colours? What if you see different colours to other people? Would you ever know, if you both refer to the colour with the same name? What if your purple is my orange? What if colour was stripped from the world and created alternate realities? You won’t find any of these answers in Hue, but you’ll find a fun little videogame.
I arrived at the bandit hideout as ready as I could be. My rifle was custom made by Dahl with an extra fire element specifically made to burn flesh. The rifle burns through 2 bullets per shot as a consequence, so I loaded up on ammo at the vending machine beforehand. I knew there would be tons of human freaks here. This world was now full of mutant spiders and hungry beasts, but humans were still the worst thing to encounter. It was technology that made us the most dangerous and stupid at the same time. What a combination. Anyway, my goal was simply to purge this place on a mission from Sanctuary. How did these guys become bandits anyway, it’s hard to believe it’s a choice. They have no cause. All they do is run around and die really. We could be rebuilding but we’re just tearing each other apart. I guess I’m not doing this by choice either, oh well.
I’ve been out of work for a while now, but freelance keeps me going. It’s not all roses but it’s enough to get by. Mr Grizz keeps sending us to the same place and then complains that the eggs are drying out. We still get a good haul every now and then but freelancing ain’t what it used to be. I applied for this job to discover new places like this so called Ruins, but here I am back at Lost Outpost. I can’t believe he still sends us out here. The grates here wouldn’t pass any health and safety inspection in my days at Walleye Warehouse. Oh well, work’s work. As long as I did my best I could get by. I was low on chunks and just spent the last of my coins on scrubbing. Time to get to work!
Sometimes all you need is a good story. Whether you’re reading one or writing one, the power of an event unfolding in your mind can not be underestimated. An entire world can come to life right in front of you. Things that are far away can feel like they are right there, if only just for a moment. You can’t have them but you can feel them. Through stories, people’s actions can exist long after they’ve been performed. History can be preserved. A single moment can become its own feeling to go back to. Sometimes you need a bit more though. Sometimes you need a good videogame.
What Remains of Edith Finch is a slow-paced adventure game that takes you to the large Finch family mansion, surrounded by dense forest. Many tragic events have happened here and it has resulted in every Finch family member dying in different ways, and you’re there to investigate what this curse is all about. With no real knowledge of who you even are or what’s waiting in the house, it has a very curious feeling right from the start. All you really know is your character “inherited” this place but hasn’t come here in years. Why would you not visit your gigantic house? It’s this detail that gives a subtle hint of danger and intrigue. How bad could it be? Continue reading “What Remains of Edith Finch – Time Well Spent”
Are you ready to be the best driver in the WORLD? …. No? Well lucky we have created a series of events that will take you to that title, ready or not! There’s a brand new racing series taking off called “World Series Racing” and you’re going to be the first star driver. What an opportunity. You don’t even need to be good, just show up and make the sponsors happy. Heck, you don’t even need a drivers license. Who’s gonna check? You’re already on the grid, good luck!
What is time, but an egg. You can hard-boil your long-term plans or shatter that shell on a hot plate of opportunity. But what happens to time when it shatters? The correct explanation of time travel is that there is none. Quantum Break successful proves how ridiculous it would be, as a concept and a reality. At the same time it accomplishes a thrilling narrative and theorises how it could be possible and what the effects would be in the human world. What happens at the end of time? What happens when time is broken? Is your reality poached or sunny side up?
I’m finally free from the Amadeus facility. I had been locked in a room for 3 months with nothing but a PS Vita, and forced to write about games I had no interest in. An agent from the Department of Sneakin’ was able to free me by taking the keycard off a guard and coming back to bail me out of this room. Apparently they are building a time machine & need my help. I’m not sure how useful I can be as a videogame reviewer, but Major Milestone was adamant I write about solitaire. I was more than happy to.
After submitting a 285 page writeup on the intricacies of solitaire, I stood there while the boss read it all, occasionally nodding his head. It turns out Major Milestone already knew the ins and outs of Solitaire. This was just a test, and the real game I was tasked to review was Never Stop Sneakin’ on Nintendo Switch. This game existed in an alternate reality in one of Amadeus several timelines, & before reviewing I had to sneak back into his facility to grab the game. The Department of Sneakin’ had declared it too dangerous to sneak in again, so they hooked up the Nintendo Switch digitally to give me control of another agent. The logic was sound, as the top-down view I had was a lot more than anyone could see on the ground. Their life was in my hands now.
Forget EVERYTHING you know about water racing games. That probably won’t take much effort, but let’s take Wave Race for example. You know that slow struggle to shift your weight as you set yourself up for the mercy of the waves? Well now you can FORGET that! Hydro Thunder says no to physics as you fly through the water at 350kph. It’s set in the future with advanced boats and stadiums with multi-layered water racetracks… and dinosaurs. What future is this? Forget that too. There’s no story or lore here. That only slows us down. We’re going racing!
After staying woolly and cozy for a couple of years, things were looking up for the Yoshis. The evil wizard Kamek stole their materials and even turned some of them into woolly capsules, spreading them across the world. Some brave Yoshis embarked on an adventure across craft island and reclaimed their friends and their home. Since then they have been lazing about, eating watermelons, rolling around and sleeping between layers of pillows and yarn. Ah, what a time to be a Yoshi.
Continue reading “Yoshi’s Crafted World – Woolly on the Inside”
Welcome to the 64th Annual Running of the Dragon Trail Grand Prix! The cars are making their way to the grid now for what is set to be another thrilling race at the island. We are honoured to have so many guests here both local and from overseas.
Dragon Trail is an island off Croatia with a rich mysterious history. The name originates from sightings of a dragon said to be the guardian of the precious land here, who used to fly around the island in a particular pattern. There is no confirmed documentation of the dragon itself and many speculate it was just a bird with a big shadow, but word spread fast and the legend was born. No matter where it came from, every individual dragon report claimed that it made the exact same path around the island. Thus, the Dragon Trail was born. It was originally a walking track made to honour the guardian, but it eventually became it’s own racetrack to pay tribute to the dragon’s alleged speed.
Mmmmm, nothing like that new track smell. It’s the perfect cure to that nauseating “new car” smell of freshly glued plastic. A new location is a little more refreshing to breathe in, and different to play. I can smell the ocean air and hear the breeze hit the mountain with a calming whoosh. After a somewhat reluctant installation, this is what Gran Turismo Sport needed to draw me in. This wonderful track called Dragon Trail. Where’s that? Nowhere. This is a brand new make-believe racetrack for GT Sport and it brings some much-needed identity to make this feel like a brand new special videogame. As someone who’s played every world circuit track in dozens of racing games before, the new tracks in GT Sport are exciting. Not just because of the new scenery, but it’s a brand new stimulating challenge with new corners and layouts to learn.
What do you get when you mix two of the safest, most repetitive series in gaming together? You guessed it, Dragon Quest Heroes! Nothing to see here right? DQ Heroes mixes the relentless button-mashing combat of Warriors games with the traditional JRPG structure and familiarity of Dragon Quest, but the result isn’t quite as as you’d expect. The game has no more grinding than any series would normally have, instead combining the charm and customisation of each series to make a better version of both. I’ve finally got my hands on the PS4 version after getting tired of waiting for Square-Enix to localize it on Switch and take our money (it’s been “coming soon” for 2 years with no release date still), and I’m having a blast with it.
Continue reading “Dragon Quest Heroes – Heroes of Light Comfy Grinding”
There’s something fishy going on at the insane asylum, who would have thought? It seems there’s more to this one though. You are a journalist who has received an anonymous tip that there’s illegal activities worth recording here for a great story. You rock up in your rickety car that drives itself, and rotate the camera left and right to try and figure out what’s going on. There’s nobody at the gate to let you in. You step out of your car and walk into the front office. Not much here besides a desk and computer. It’s still on but has been logged out or idled, sitting at the login screen. Guess the guard took the day off. It’s time to take this story into your own hands. You approach the side gate on foot. Everything looks dark and grainy, but what could possibly go wrong? It seems perfectly safe to just leave the car there and walk in.
I’m doing a 3 hour challenge in Forza Motorsport 7 that involves driving 69 laps of Spa–Francorchamps, a famous circuit in Belgium. There will be 24 cars competing but it’s just the game’s AI, and the hardest part won’t be racing them, but simply completing it. Driving lap after lap for 3 hours is quite mentally demanding, especially keeping consistent lap-times and enough mental focus to not drive off the track. So I’m just going to document the process in a writeup to give a little insight into what it’s like. Some people might have seen this achievement in the game and you’re wondering, “is it worth it?”. I’m going to say yes because I’ve done endurance races before and found them very rewarding and invigorating. It’s definitely not easy though.
The sky above is clear but there are clouds in the distance. You can tell it’s about to rain. Luckily, you are a Splat Brella main. Lift it up and catch the wind. If it flies back in your face then a storm is coming. You must charge up your own rain to counter it by inking everything around you. Throw that sprinkler down. Launch that canopy across the bridge. Jump around and shoot ink all around the camp yelling Booyah! People will give you weird looks but to use a Brella effectively you must be prepared to take in your surroundings.
Pietriots 