There’s a new Chief Censor in town. David Shanks, a former director and deputy CEO for the Ministry of Social Development, has barely been in the job three months so we decided to throw Eugenia Woo at him. Pity the job of those they call censors. It used to be so easy when there … Read more
Like a rugby dad whose kids have quit the code, Don Rowe’s passion for video games these days is muted, overweight and plain old sad. Why? And what now? The thing about Nioh: Defiant Honour is that…it’s all getting a bit too bloody much eh. I mused when reviewing Dragon of the North that these … Read more
Kickstarter isn’t only the domain of backpack and fidget spinner innovators; it’s also good for indie board and card game makers. Pitched as a kid friendly card game built around vicious bears and violent babies, Bears vs Babies won some hard earned dollars from Douglas Moore. What’s his prognosis? Hype is one hell of a marketing … Read more
Just how hard is it to win an election and successfully lead a government? Seems easy enough, but there’s only one way to find out for sure: simulate it in a computer game. No actual politics game measures up to the ideal politics game for which I yearn. What I want is basically a straight … Read more
Welcome to Top of the Pile, a gaming series in which the participants are forced to play a game at the top of the ‘just released’ list. In this episode Joseph and José learn a lot about each other was blood and gore and undead horror rain down on them in this topdown Zombie shooter. … Read more
Sam Brooks dives into the new Uncharted game, The Lost Legacy, with two progressively awesome protagonists and the classic cinematic gameplay pioneered by the series. I spent some time being an Uncharted sceptic, mostly out of a fierce loyalty to Tomb Raider, the proud predecessor of the series. I wanted more puzzles! More women punching things! I wanted … Read more
Next up in Sam’s Celebrity Game Reviews is Shady Wars, a game in which Sam has to reconcile his feelings for Eminem while throwing chainsaws at drones. I have a limited familiarity with Eminem. I am aware that Kathy Griffin was in a video he did, he has said lots of homophobic things in songs, … Read more
Not content with plastering billboards and bus stations in the real world, fast food giant Wendy’s are inserting themselves inside virtual worlds too. It’s a trend that makes Don Rowe feel nauseous. Anyone halfway familiar with the term microtransaction is well aware that many of the entities which slither about the swamp we call the … Read more
Welcome to Top of the Pile, a gaming series in which the participants are forced to play a game at the top of the ‘just released’ list. This ep, watch as a cuddly Portuguese man singlehandedly takes down his hapless co-host in a contest of skill and grit: the classic just re-released football game Super … Read more
Superhot, an innovative critique on the dangers of hype culture and gamer identity, has been ported to virtual reality. But something critical is lost in translation, writes Matthew Codd. Superhot was one of the most inventive games of 2016. I don’t just mean in terms of its clever twist on first-person shooter mechanics – time … Read more
Sam Brooks reviews the latest from Gone Home hitmaker Fullbright: a meander through an abandoned space station called Tacoma. If you hated Gone Home, stop reading this now. You’re not good enough for these words and you should go and learn how to get feelings from your videogames like a good honest nerd who also gets feelings from their … Read more
Though the virtual mini-golf market is crowded, there’s at least one game coming in well under-par. Matt Codd reviews Infinite Minigolf, the putt-simulator for the discerning golfer. When I was 10 or 11 years old, my family went on a trip around New Zealand. Though most details of that holiday are hazy (it was a … Read more
Next up in Sam’s Celebrity Game Reviews is Nicki Minaj: The Empire, in which you play a character who becomes fast friends with Nicki Minaj and ends up performing as her opening act. “HEY Y’ALL IT’S NICKI MINAJ!” The unmistakable un-dulcet tones of Nicki Minaj greeted me and the rest of The Spinoff offices when I … Read more
Nintendo fan Eugenia Woo talks to Jason Michael Paul, the mind behind The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, about producing a world-renowned video game music concert. In games, as in film, music is the great unseen signifier. The right soundtrack adds significance or emotion, contrasts themes, emphasises, diminishes, and even manipulates meaning – … Read more
Welcome to Top of the Pile, a gaming series in which the participants are forced to play a game at the top of the ‘just released’ list. After last week’s highs of Tour De France 2017 TOTP returns to its bread and butter by hitting rock bottom with 3d tower defence game thing Dungeon Defenders … Read more
Sam Brooks takes the plunge and reviews the dating sim that not only lets you play as a dad, but lets you date other dads. “Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator is a game where you play as a Dad and your goal is to meet and romance other hot Dads. Are you ready? Hi … Read more
The largest collection of pinball machines in the country resides in a Pukekohe family home. Madeleine Chapman visited the Peck family to see it in the plastic flesh. I tried to look nonchalant as the small metal ball rolled around the bumpers, hit a spring, and shot right down the middle, missing both flappers and … Read more
Next up in Sam’s Celebrity Game Reviews is Sniper X with Jason Statham, in which Jason Statham problematically gets people to shoot other people with their phones. It would be an understatement to say that first person shooters are popular games. Your Calls of Duty, your Battlefield 1s, your Halos are the cultural behemoths among videogames. … Read more
Year on year, board games are selling at historical rates – and one Waikanae dad is cashing in. Douglas Moore speaks with Shem Phillips, full-time board game designer and director of Garphill Games. * So Shem, could you tell me a little about yourself and how you came to be a designer? I’m 33, married with two … Read more
Welcome to Top of the Pile, a gaming series in which the participants are forced to play a game at the top of the ‘just released’ list. This week José and guest Joseph Harper actually play a game they might be good at: Tour de France 2017. Joseph is a dedicated cycling nut, so we … Read more
The Stormblood expansion is finally open to travelers – get in before the trustafarians with our exclusive guided tour by Eugenia Woo. For the uninitiated, Final Fantasy XIV is Square Enix’s answer to the flood of MMORPGs out there. It had a bit of a rocky beginning; it was panned by critics and players alike … Read more
In the second instalment of Sam’s Celebrity Game Reviews, Sam takes a spin on a five year old game fronted by a somewhat successful and famous-within-a-specific-niche sportsman. Previously on Sam’s Celebrity Game Reviews: Demi Lovato – Path to Fame I’m going to be honest with you, when I was scrambling through lists of celebrity mobile … Read more
Welcome to Top of the Pile, a gaming series in which the participants are forced to play a game at the top of the ‘just released’ list. Will they get a shitter? Will they be pleasantly surprised? Will they be amped? This week José and guest Joseph Harper take on the miseries of Vidar, a … Read more
With modern computing grunt it’s now possible to create whole worlds within one’s humble home PC. Using the Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator, a core crew of Spinoff writers construct their best imaginary wars and let the sim do its thing! Don Rowe: WW2 Germans Vs WW2 Americans Vs 300 Spartans Millions of men died in the … Read more
Slap on your rose-tinted sunnies because Crash Bandicoot is back, and he’s aged like a fine wine. Don Rowe gets stuck into the N.sane trilogy and positively bathes in nostalgia. I never had a Playstation as a child. The only one on my street was shared between three families, commune style, and so my gaming … Read more
In the first in this new celebrity-endorsed-and-branded mobile game series, Sam Brooks plays the upsettingly addictive Demi Lovato: Path to Fame. Some disclaimers before we start: I haven’t played a mobile game since the ubiquitous Snake. The entire phenomenon has skipped me, mostly because I’d rather spend my valuable battery power on making nonsense tweets, and … Read more
My First Power Up is an occasional series in which writers reminisce and replay the first video game they ever played. In this inaugural installment Sam Brooks returns to the gag-laden point and click adventure Sam and Max: Hit the Road. Our first video game can really define us. For some people it’s something benign like … Read more
The hype train has left the station and E3 is over for another year. Eugenia Woo watched the whole bloody thing and now lets rip on which games she can’t wait to play – and which should be consigned to the dustbin of history. It’s been an insane few days for the games industry. In … Read more
Welcome to Top of the Pile, a gaming series in which the participants are forced to play a game at the top of the ‘just released’ list. Will they get a shitter? Will they be pleasantly surprised? Will they be amped? In episode three José Barbosa and his guest Calum Hendeson take on the horrors of … Read more