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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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. 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 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
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. Laden with costly virtual reality gear host José Barbosa and his mate Ashley Noel Hinton tackle … Read more
Is the mainstream video game industry kidding itself and, by extension, us? Eugenia Woo unpacks the excuses often presented as reasons to avoid diversity. This essay was originally posted online on August 25, 2016. The issue of diversity in video games is polarising. BioWare’s Manveer Heir said it best – “there is a vocal crowd in … Read more
It’s a mystery that deserves an answer. Alice, the protagonist of all six Resident Evil films, has not once made an appearance in the video games. This could not be by accident. To get to the bottom of this enduring riddle, Uther Dean interviewed some of the key players in both the films and the video … Read more
Rubbish knock-off licensing seems to hound every mega popular entertainment property out there. (Exhibit A). Among the most questionable products are boardgames based on video games – but the DOOM boardgame might just be an honourable exception, as Liam Maguren discovers. I’ve written about DOOM three bloody times for The Spinoff. I thought I had … Read more
2017 is barely through the turnstile, but already ‘best game of the year’ designations are being made. Leo Rae-Brown suggests that despite its flaws, the vicious Nioh deserves your consideration. To say that Nioh has been long-anticipated is an understatement. It practically fell off the face of the earth for nearly a decade after its announcement … Read more