Do you like cute dogs? Do you like cute people? Wellington-based Starcolt Studios’ first game, Best Friend Forever, might just be the one for you. When you think game studio, you picture dark rooms with menacingly beeping black machines with Tron blue lights, not a lovely office that shares a floor with a counselling service. … Read more
For the last two months, Animal Crossing’s gentle version of agrarian economics has taken over our gaming consoles, and the internet at large. Sam Brooks looks back at the game that became a lockdown sensation. Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out for the Nintendo Switch on March 20. In the two months since, I’ve never … Read more
Sam Brooks reviews the latest generation of the Pokémon games which finally hits the big-ish screen. “I love Pokémon but I wish I could play it on my TV.” I’ve been playing Pokémon for 20 years and that’s been the main thing I’ve heard from my fellow Pokémon friends/fans. The games have been engrossing, addictive and entertaining … Read more
Toby Morris plays the lo-fi avian puzzle game that’s taken over the internet. “It’s a lovely morning in the village. You are a horrible goose.” And with that, we’re in the world of this week’s surprise hit game: Untitled Goose Game by Australian studio House House. You play a goose – not a super powered … Read more
Fire Emblem: Three Houses perfectly splits difference between staying true to its core while reinventing itself to appeal to a broader audience, writes Sam Brooks. Against all odds, Fire Emblem has become a stalwart gaming franchise. Created by Japanese developers Intelligent Systems, Fire Emblem‘s success is especially surprising considering its first English-language release, in 2003/4, … Read more
Alex Casey plays chaotic cooking game Overcooked 2 and learns some very valuable lessons. Three pots of rice are on fire and one pan of sautéed mushrooms is starting to smoke. I’ve thrown dry pasta all over the floor. The dirty plates are piling up. My colleague is swearing at me from across the kitchen. … 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
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
Among the slew of indie games dropping on the Nintendo Switch, Into the Breach rises to the top. Adam Goodall reviews. When you fire up Into The Breach, a pint-sized turn-based strategy game developed by Subset Games, the team behind FTL: Faster Than Light, you might be surprised at how cute it is. The good guys are … 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
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