Red Dead Redemption 2 is still creaming it and José Barbosa is still playing it and loving it. But the developer behind it is fast losing its sparkle. If you’d take a moment and have a good squiz around you, you’ll figure out whose image the world has been remade in. We’re living in … Read more
Following the launch of debut game Dr Grordbort’s Invaders, Weta Workshop’s game division invited Baz Macdonald in to discuss the project’s long development and to explore what the future holds for mixed reality gaming. Stepping into Weta Gameshop, the development studio at Weta Workshop, the first thing you see is a gigantic Edwardian-era fireplace decorated … Read more
Another year, another twelve months full of video games that seem to exist only to drain your bank account – but which ones should you be hanging out for? Sam Brooks rounds up the most anticipated games of 2019. Anthem (February, PS4/Xbox One/PC) After the quiet failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem is BioWare’s attempt to go … Read more
Summer reissue: Through clever manipulation of scale and mythos, the latest iteration of God of War makes the most of Immanuel Kant’s theory of the sublime to deliver a truly beautiful game. Don Rowe travelled to Sydney to gets his hands on a preview. This post was first published March 19, 2018. German philosopher Immanuel … Read more
People are loving Red Dead Redemption 2 and its ultra-realistic depiction of the wild west. Nothing says western more than shooting people’s hats off, so we’ve decided to attempt a hat shooting challenge. Our video journalist @morbid_slag_angel_69 takes up the revolver! This post was first published November 22, 2018.
Creative Assembly released another spinoff to the Total War series, this time based around the Three Kingdoms War in China. Sam Brooks investigates why this period is a bizarrely popular one for video games. This post was first published January 12, 2018. Dynasty Warriors. Dynasty Tactics. Dynasty Wars. Destiny of an Emperor. And now, Total … Read more
What did some of our contributors realise about their much-beloved artform – the vaunted video game – this year? Sam Brooks, gaming editor: You don’t have to do it. There’s always a ‘you gotta do it’ aspect to any form of media – be it a film, a television series, an album, a book, a … Read more
Sometimes it pays to focus on the dark side of gaming. Hayden Donnell shares the harrowing story of his own crippling addiction to Dark Souls. This post was first published August 8, 2018. I’ve been going to therapy lately. A therapist will tell you many of your self-destructive behaviours can be traced back to seemingly … Read more
It’s no secret that horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft had bigoted attitudes to race and class. Duy Le examines how these aspects of Lovecraft’s writing are critiqued in FromSoftware’s Bloodborne. This post was first published May 23, 2018. It’s not an exaggeration to say that many of HP Lovecraft’s works are subtly underpinned by his bigotry; … Read more
Welcome back (for the final time!) to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun. “I’m not going to celebrate your straight white mediocrity” The thrilling, violent conclusion to our story, as our Kate, Forrest, Hillardo and Peng face their ultimate enemy…themselves! Just … Read more
Welcome back to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun. Deep inside enemy territory, our heroes encounter horrors old and new in a desperate fight for their lives. A certain someone still refuses to own up to a fart. Starring Nic Sampson, … Read more
Welcome back to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun. Kate, Forrest, Hillardo and Peng finally regroup, and set out to confront Principal Barilla and the remaining teachers once and for all. Someone will hurt a friend. Someone will die. Someone will … Read more
As a homegrown project from a Lower Hutt based studio making its first-ever game, Lee Henaghan desperately wanted Ashen to be awesome – and he wasn’t disappointed. Gaming journalists have always copped criticism from the angriest corners of the internet; some of it deserved, most of it not so much. The chief complaint among the … Read more
We’ve already previewed Playstation’s new nostalgia thirst trap, but now the Classic comes under the real judges: The Spinoff Board of Review. Sam Brooks, gaming editor Even though I’d already spent a few hours having a little spin on the game, where the Classic came alive was seeing a group of people engage with the … Read more
The latest entry in the Smash Bros. series doesn’t just cash in on nostalgia, it builds on it. Sam Brooks reviews Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I write about nostalgia a lot – it’s a fascination of mine. Nostalgia is the process of memory taking up space in your mind and your soul; it takes the … Read more
It’s already being compared to Dark Souls, Breath of the Wild and Journey, and after five years in the making, Ashen is almost ready for release. Lee Henaghan takes an exclusive look at one of the most ambitious games ever made in New Zealand. The rise of the open world action RPG has coincided almost exactly with the … Read more
In a new ecology-focused Civ VI expansion, Kupe leads the Māori in an attempt to dominate the globe through kaitiakitanga. The Māori have been announced as a playable race for Civilization VI, and boy are they bringing the mana. Led by Kupe, who discovered New Zealand while out chasing an octopus, the Māori are a seafaring … Read more
You have to buy a gift for someone, and the one thing you know is that they’re into video games. But what the hell are you meant to buy them without looking like a fool? Sam Brooks has you covered with the gaming gift guide for non-gamers. Christmas is hard if you’ve got people to … Read more
The Spinoff’s gaming journalist morbid_angel_69 returns with an in depth investigation into a true red dead mystery! What is that guy doing in the Valentine hotel behind closed doors?
The Hitman series has been all around the world – Europe, Africa, Australia, other continents – but it’s taken eighteen years to reach our dusky shores. So how accurately does Hitman 2 capture Hawke’s Bay? Sam Brooks investigates. There are scant few games that are set in New Zealand. It’s basically just Jonah Lomu’s Rugby, which is … Read more
People are loving Red Dead Redemption 2 and its ultra realistic depiction of the wild west. Nothing says western more than shooting people’s hats off, so we’ve decided to attempt a hat shooting challenge. Our video journalist @morbid_slag_angel_69 takes up the revolver!
Following in the strong, deep footsteps of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy comes another remaster of a 90s classic. Sam Brooks reviews Spyro: The Reignited Trilogy. The plumber. The bandicoot. The lady with the triangle shaped boobs. The electric yellow rat. All of these gaming mascots have survived into the present day whether through sequel, reboot or … Read more
It’s twenty of the games of your youth in one package – but is the Playstation Classic worth the price tag? Sam Brooks had a swing at the new-old console. Nostalgia is a potent poison – and one that big companies have learned how to effectively weaponise. There’s a reason why one of the biggest … Read more
Welcome back to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun. Our heroes confront a school bully and a trans dimensional toilet. Hillardo tells his best joke yet, and everyone comes extremely close to learning a lesson. Starring Nic Sampson, Brynley Stent, Ray … Read more
Does my soul still burn? After six years, kind of! Sam Brooks reviews Soul Calibur 6. It feels appropriate to start this review of a fighting game by admitting I used to be the kind of person who beat semi-experienced players in Tekken 3 as Eddy by button-mashing. If one was to ever call into question my … Read more
It’s time for the annual Assassin’s Creed game, but 2018’s version doesn’t feel very much like an Assassin’s Creed at all. So why does it work so well? Sam Brooks reviews. The first Assassin’s Creed blew my mind eleven years ago. It was the first game that proved the power of the last generation’s consoles: it was a genuine graphical … Read more
While fakers are playing so-called big budget horror spectacles like Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Zombie mode and Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Black Out, Adam Goodall knows where to find the best and most meaningful scares: a little place called Giraffe Town. Silent Hill 2 has six endings, but the only one I’ve … Read more
Welcome back to Waterdeep Mountain High, a Dungeons & Dragons podcast set in a below average school in the mystical land of Faerun. While Kate and Forrest are taking their incredibly invasive biology class, Hillardo and Peng have to deal with a schoolyard bully and uncover a troubling omen. Starring Nic Sampson, Brynley Stent, Ray … Read more
Not only is Astro Bot: Rescue Mission a platformer on par with anything you’d expect from Nintendo’s moustachioed plumber, it’s also the first ‘killer app’ for PlayStation VR. Lee Henaghan grabs his helmet for the latest game of the year contender. Just as actors’ careers inevitably end up being defined by a particularly memorable role … Read more