I’m a few hours into Dredge – the first game from indie studio Black Salt Games, from Christchurch NZ.
The gameplay loop and various tensions (time, materials, fishing/dollars, upgrades, story quests, day vs night) feel very well balanced so far.
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Now playing (always playing): Sea of Thieves
Today (ish, depending on your timezone), Sea of Thieves turned five.
After a few seasons of taking some time away from the seas, I returned late last week with the Season 9 update. It feels almost at the same level of invigoration as the Shrouded Spoils update, with more world events, more lures for pulling players together, more fog, more megs, more… well, everything!
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Impressions: Wo Long Demo
Long way round. I’ve played through the Wo Long demo a few times now, which means I like it a lot.
As someone who’s never played Nioh the systems set-up is new to me, but I’ve found the morale/spirit interplay to be intriguing and super engaging. Why can’t I stop thinking about this game?
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Flight Simulator – NZ Update
Aoteroa. It makes me feel homesick to see all these locations highlighted in such a caring way. Time to reinstall.
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Now playing: Atomic Heart
Mustachioed robots and crispy critters. Despite the wide range of critical reactions to Atomic Heart, Game Pass proves it’s value once again with a Day One release.
First impressions
Firstly, the game is gorgeous. It’s certainly on the short list of most impressive Unreal 4 games to date, and – aside from a few hiccups – runs at what feels like a rock solid 60fps on Series X.
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The 2023 Games Avalanche…
2023 is proving to be a bananas year for games. With so many highly-anticipated releases lined up, I’m starting to feel overwhelmed trying to keep track of everything. So here’s my personal list of
teneleven upcoming games I’ll be playing, with release dates included to keep my brain from overheating. -
Rolled credits: Hi-Fi RUSH
What a rush. Well, that didn’t take long, and I’m already nearly half way through a New Game+ replay already.
Hi-Fi RUSH is an absolute blast to play, and I feel like I’m finally mastering the rhythm based combat as I replay levels and continue to buy upgrades and new combos.
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Now playing: Hi-Fi RUSH
Chai-Fi. Xbox shadow dropped a new game from Tango Gameworks at their Developer_Direct: Hi-Fi RUSH.
It’s absolutely gorgeous, dripping with style and personality and a ton of fun. The rhythmic gameplay is forgiving, but rewards good timing, and the combination of platforming, exploration and combat is paced perfectly.
More thoughts on the game, and how it released, soon…
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Now Playing: Gears 5
Grab a pint. I haven’t played Gears 4, so I’m a little behind the story beats, but Gears 5 is an interesting journey so far.
The environment and character work is excellent, but I do have some hangups with the core gameplay and systems. More soon…
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Rolled Credits: Celeste
Feather touch I bought Celeste in 2018, but for some insane reason I never finished it. I played up to the Mr Oshiro escape and then life* “got in the way” I guess?
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Now playing: It Takes Two
Stirring up the nest. I’m playing with my daughter, and we’re about three quarters of the way through. I have thoughts… to be continued…
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My non-binding, personal favourite games of 2022
Form up! 1. Nobody Saves The World
An action RPG dungeon crawler, with a focus on form switching and ability unlocks. The game really kicks into gear when you earn the ability to combine abilities from other forms into any existing form, giving you the power to remix your character at will.