There’s two kinds of people in the world: the kind who haven’t played Pokémon and the kind who formed a deep emotional and transformational attachment with Pokémon. Sam Brooks pays homage to the pocket monster constant in his life. If you’re a 90s kid who was even slightly engaged with pop culture or being cool … 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 this episode José Barbosa and Joseph Harper find themselves playing the monkey mad tower defence … Read more
What’s on the tapes? Pure hype or a genuine ‘reaching out’? The Spinoff’s No Man’s Sky correspondent Josh Drummond on what is proving to be a genuine head scratcher. This post will be updated as the story progresses, so check back often. After a launch that might be charitably described as “mixed” and uncharitably as an … Read more
In the soft, glazed eyes of the Magikarp we see a challenge to love that which is unlovable, or so argues Uther Dean. Magikarp are no one’s favourite Pokémon. Essentially powerless, the limp, flappy fish is famous for its Splash attack that famously, no matter how hard your Magikarp hurls themself into the air, always … Read more
That Dragon, Cancer was one of the most critically acclaimed indie games released in 2016. The point and click adventure’s frank depiction of a family’s battle with illness seemed to push video games into new territory. Tof Eklund spoke with one of the game’s creators about how the game was made and how some critics missed … Read more
Think you can drive the very building blocks of life? Matthew Codd gives the evolution simulator Birthdays: The Beginning a hoon and he bloody learns stuff! Creationists need not apply. Games make fascinating learning tools. I’m not talking about the “edutainment” that many of us remember, with fondness, disdain, or some strange mixture of both, from our primary … 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 the inaugural episode José Barbosa and Joseph Harper find themselves playing the Japanese visual novel game, Gakuen Club. Video edited by Joseph Harper Made with the … Read more
Two grown men sit down to battle, guided only by the cards and fate. Liam Maguren and his board game svengali Douglas Moore test each other in a battle of card stacking with Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game. Marvel is close to world domination. Over the last decade, the comic book colossus has successfully become … Read more
Techweek! Demos, prototypes, presentations, discussions, and keynotes, all radiant with the reflected glow of futurist optimism. Tof Eklund got steeped in digital dreams last week, spending Sunday afternoon at the Magnify VR/AR Expo, and the next day at the subsequent Business Summit. The atmosphere at the Expo was carnivalesque, as techies, gamers, entire families, and … Read more
Don Rowe speaks Seth Luisi, co-founder of Impulse Studios and lead developer on Farpoint, the first legitimate AAA title on PSVR. Read Don Rowe’s Farpoint review here. Don Rowe: I’ve played through the game and I was very impressed, particularly around the locomotion. While I understand there are certain things you can’t control around latency and so … Read more
PlayStation have made a major play in the VR department, releasing the first AAA-quality game bundled with an innovative new controller to boot. Don Rowe straps on his goggles and goes alien hunting with Farpoint. Read Don Rowe’s interview with Farpoint head developer Seth Luisi here. As the initial joy of finally – finally – experiencing … Read more
The Nintendo Switch is the latest piece of gaming gear everyone’s got to have. But spare a thought for what the Switch replaces: the underappreciated WiiU. Liam Maguren takes to the pulpit to share some stories and plead for the maligned console’s legacy. How does one kick off a funeral? Is it insensitive to crack … Read more
The California based devs Giant Sparrow have another hit on their hands. Their new narrative adventure game explores all the great themes, life, death and beauty. Matthew Codd reckons it’s a must play. What Remains of Edith Finch is a game about life, death, and storytelling. What may at first feel like a run-of-the-mill “walking … Read more
The first of three planned DLC expansions for the critically-acclaimed Nioh has been released, but does it address the game’s noticeable faults? Don Rowe reviews Dragon of the North. In the immediate aftermath of the Nioh – aka Japanese Dark Souls – release in February, it was already being acclaimed as the game of the … Read more
It’s likely earth will never be free of Star Wars, not least thanks to the many communities which have sprung up around the property’s various tentacles. In celebration of May the 4th day, José Barbosa tells the story of one such community and what it did for him. Every so often you’ll find what exactly … Read more
Those Russians know a thing or two, mainly how to stress the shit out of people. Hence Tetris, the most addictive block game known to man. Here a bevy of Spinoff writers each play a single round (enforced), compare scores and eventually crown a winner. Previously: The first ever Spinoff Internal Office Gaming Tournament – Snake … Read more
Has there ever been a more video gamey genre than the beat ’em up? Liam Maguren doesn’t think so, and here he explains why he loves them so. Bare-knuckled violence seemed a lot more innocent when I was a child. I remember having to wedge myself in a corner and stand on my toes just … Read more
Auckland based Grinding Gear Games will launch its blockbuster PC game Path of Exile on Xbox One later this year. It’s a big move for the company that has seen continuous growth in player numbers with every expansion and currently boasts a serious player base of 16 million. José Barbosa took a slow train to Henderson … Read more
In association with our mates Bigpipe Broadband we’re livestreaming a different video game every Wednesday at 7pm on Facebook Live. Join José Barbosa and a cast of roped in innocents for these highlights from a journey into utter mayhem. One of 2017’s most eagerly anticipated games is the new Zelda, and José Barbosa and Liam … Read more
In association with our mates Bigpipe Broadband we’re livestreaming a different video game every Wednesday at 7pm on Facebook Live. Join José Barbosa and a cast of roped-in innocents for these highlights from a journey into utter mayhem. True blue real life hunter Don Rowe takes fretful townie José Barbosa on a crash course on … Read more
In association with our mates Bigpipe Broadband we’re livestreaming a different video game every Wednesday at 7pm on Facebook Live. Join José Barbosa and a cast of roped in innocents for these highlights from a journey into utter mayhem. As Easter draws to a close José and special guest Natasha Boyland celebrate the Resurrection with … Read more
Our resident JRPG aficionado Sam Brooks submerged himself in Atlus’ Persona 5 and when he came up for air he had this happy, goofy look on his face. He reveals what made him bliss out. I got into videogames when JRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Games) were huge. They were everywhere, thanks to the now inexplicable … Read more
The games industry here in NZ is taking off and there’s now all manner of small indie teams putting out fun wee titles for your pleasure. Liam Maugren was recently in a room with a whole bunch of them and here’s what he reckons your next purchase should be. Last weekend, Auckland played host to … Read more
Tasked with reviewing the hotly anticipated new Zelda game, Liam Maguren proves himself to be inadequate; both as a critic and as a functioning human being. It’s been a month since the new Zelda came out and I still can’t review this fucking game. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild came out a … Read more
In their Spinoff debut, Tof Eklund examines the way sex and consent are treated in video games, and highlights a few things big studios could learn from indie developers. I’m not a wowzer, I swear. As an American ex-pat, you might even expect me to hold a “First Amendment” view of government censorship. The US … Read more
Spinoff Comedy co-editor Sam Brooks sinks his cyber teeth into the polarising Mass Effect: Andromeda and finds a game that’s passable – but only just. About 12 hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda I came across a side quest almost out of nowhere. I was wandering around the desert, and a little notification came up on my screen … Read more
In association with our mates Bigpipe Broadband we’re livestreaming a different video game every Wednesday at 7pm on Facebook Live. Join José Barbosa and a cast of roped in innocents for these highlights from a journey into utter mayhem. In anticipation of the remastered Crash Bandicoot series coming later this year, José invites avowed Bandicoot … Read more
Adam Goodall has cast off all his familial attachments in favour of a new tribe of loved ones, the Fire Emblem Heroes – a game so addictive he’s calling for the mobile game of the year award to be conferred early. It’s been a couple of weeks since I last called my parents. Truth be … Read more
Summer is over now and with the impending cold comes the roar, when deer go on heat and the stags fight for a mate. Time is ticking away, and only the keenest of hunters will take down an animal. With that in mind, veteran hunter Don Rowe demonstrates how to bag a stag this season. … Read more