Games Podcast: Flight Of Nova & Superhot VR

Games Podcast: Flight Of Nova & Superhot VR

Hello! Welcome to a new edition of the games podcast where I throw superlatives at two of my favourite games so far this year. First, I talk space flight and violent atmosphere-heat death in ‘Flight Of Nova‘, then making John Woo movies in ‘Superhot VR‘.

It’s unscripted again – time, it’s (not) on my side – but back to being double the length! Yay! So settle in and join me actually finding my love for gaming again. Enjoy!

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Games Podcast: Red White Yellow Cruising

Games: Red White Yellow Cruising

It’s back! New year craziness and some technical issues brought the game podcast to a halt, and life found a way (to get in the way), but it finally feels like a good time to restart!

You’ll notice that the games podcast is going to have shorter episodes from now on, both to help make it fit into my schedule, and also because I’m only going to talk about one game at a time. However, it’s now fully scripted, so you can read along if you please! Bonus article!

This week, I’m trying to put into words the greatness of a new music-based block matching game called ‘Red White Yellow Cruising’ on the Nintendo Switch. Enjoy!

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Awesome Friday Games Podcast: ‘Virtual Virtual Reality’ and ‘Half-Life: Alyx’

Virtual Virtual reality & Half Life: Alyx

Hello and welcome to a new episode of our games podcast! This week I travel deep into the Grid for a VR special, with Oculus Quest’s answer to Portal (yes, really), and then a reminder of why Valve is the best in the business of games design. Put on your VR headset of choice* and join me!

*VR headset not required

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Awesome Friday Games Podcast: ‘Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy’ & ‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’

Podcast Guardians of the Galaxy & Modern Warfare 2

Hello there, and the warmest of welcomes to this week’s Awesome Friday Games Podcast!

This week Simon takes a dive into why ‘Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy’ makes such a strong case for game of the year, and also looks into the endless thrills of the Spec OPs missions in ‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’.

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Awesome Friday Games Podcast: ‘Call of Duty: Vanguard’ & ‘Rez’

Podcast Call of Duty Vanguard & Rez

Hello! Welcome to the new Awesome Friday Games Podcast!

This is a new weekly dive into a new game and a classic title from the archives, and pairs beautifully with our movie podcast like Laphroaig and parmesan. As someone who has very little time to play anything these days, I’m always interested in what catches my attention, so I’m looking forward to sharing that with you.

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Aliens Fireteam Elite Review: Old School Thrills With New School Trimmings (PS5)

Alien: Fireteam Elite

Man, I’m a gaming dinosaur. Most of the time I spend with games now is framed with a never-ending, slow shake of the head as I try to comprehend what it even is these days. From open worlds with endless icons pulling me in every direction to entire catalogues of microtransactions that have been carved away to sell for eternal engagement, it’s all a far cry from the titles that got me hooked so many years ago. For me, the shift from PS3/Xbox 360 to PS4/Xbox One was the most noticeable, as suddenly developers could depend on a consumer internet connection, and so games became a service. I feel like the self-contained, more focused AA game is becoming as much of a relic as those that still want them.

Which is why Aliens Fireteam Elite is such a treat. Sure, it has a few modern marketing points ticked – three-player co-op missions (although it’s perfectly playable in single-player with bots) and the dreaded “Seasons” of downloadable content (to go with the laundry list of things you can unlock through normal play) – but, at its heart, it is a game that has a singular focus and it really wants to show you a damn good time.

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Oculus Quest 2 is an incredible leap into an untethered VR future, but at what cost?

Oculus Quest 2

It’s hard to properly capture how amazing it is to slip into Oculus Quest 2’s alternative dimension. I’ve owned and play a plethora of VR headsets over the years – from the second iteration of the Oculus Rift years ago at an expo, where the blurry Godzilla-style city smashing game made me sick to my stomach in seconds, through to my own Gear VR, Oculus Go, and PSVR. Each has dangled the promise of VR immersion, but with enough caveats (overheating, low resolution, screen door effect, clunky setups) to stop them from realising the medium’s potential.

So it’s with a mixture of triumph and trepidation that I can tell you, after two days with the newly-released Oculus Quest 2, the dream is finally here. Triumph, because it not only removes those lingering issues but its cable-free, high framerate/resolution experience exceeds even your highest expectations. The store is packed with great games and experiences. Digital delivery is quick and easy.

But trepidation because this is very much a Facebook machine, in ways you maybe hadn’t anticipated, which could very well outweigh its incredible potential.

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Game Review: Carrion is a slippery, skittering delight

Carrion

That horrible feeling that sometimes follows a decent mid-afternoon nap – who am I, where am I, where is everyone – is the starting point for Carrion. Except here you need to add what am I, as your first action is to slop across the floor in a clot of slopping tendrils, with a tiny razor-lined mouth in a perpetual silent scream. And that feeling never fades, instead driving you forward with a singular motivation: get out. 

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Simon’s Favourite Films & Games of 2019

Best of 2019

As 2019 gradually fades into obscurity, it’s time for my yearly tradition of somehow ranking subjective experiences. This year is easier for me, though, as my free time has virtually disappeared (as you can probably tell from my complete lack of writing). As a result, I’m no longer diving deep into complicated experiences until they yield their goods. My metric is simple – is this fun? Does it inspire me? Does it make me feel? And if the answer is no – from a really early point – then it gets pushed aside.

Movies are easier to get through thanks to a much shorter time commitment than a game, so instead, they just get thrown in the outbox. My list of games, though, is more an example of the need for good design throughout – and how a jump in style can put me off forever. So let’s take a look!

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Marvel’s Spider-Man Makes You Feel Like You’re Spider-Man

Spider-Man

There aren’t that many games that I would consider to be among my favourite games of all time. I have played games on various platforms since I was a kid, but not a lot of them have really stuck with me. The ones that have though have generally stuck because they resonated with me on some deeper level. _Firewatch_ is a great recent example of this, a game that made me cry in its text-based introductory chapter and punched me directly in the emotions at the climax. _Bioshock_ is another, a game that scared me relentlessly for hours before unveiling one of the best video game story twists of all time.

I’ve been thinking about these games for the past few days because I am pretty sure that _Marvel’s Spider-Man_ on the PlayStation 4 is going to end up on my list of all time favourite games.

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