Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Review – Shadow of Greed

BY BADEN RONIE ON OCTOBER 21, 2017 • ( 2 COMMENTS )

God damn, Warner Bros., you couldn’t just release a game without finding a way to stuff microtransactions into it, could you? Before Shadow of War even hit stores shelves it was revealed that there would be purchasable loot crates, and understandably the Internet was not happy, especially since Warner Bros. had already announced different tiers of the game for you to buy on launch. Having played through the game I can at least confirm that they are optional, but at the same time they’ve clearly influenced the design as the end-game is a brutal slog in order to get a second ending that feels as though it was made with the sole intention of pushing players toward spending real cash. It’s a shame because these microtransactions cash a shadow (see what I did there, eh? EH!?) across what is otherwise a very fun title.

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Numantia Review – More Like Nomantia, Am I Right?

BY BADEN RONIE ON NOVEMBER 8, 2017 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )

The mighty Roman Empire is ingrained in my head, such a big role it has played in history. But while many people can envision marching columns of Roman troops conquering everything they came near there are huge swathes of their history that is much lesser known. It’s in one of these lesser-known eras that Numantia has settled its strategic routes, telling a tale firmly entrenched in reality and embellished with a few heroic characters.

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Seven: The Days Long Gone – There’s Something Good Deep, Deep, Deep Down

BY BADEN RONIE ON DECEMBER 15, 2017 • ( 1 COMMENT )

Sometimes games can be difficult to talk about coherently. Take Seven: The Days Long Gone, for instance; there were times when I was genuinely enjoying its open-world stealth-RPG mechanics and unique world, and yet there were also other times when I utterly hated it. It can be pleasingly willing to let you figure things out for yourself, and it can be annoyingly vague about many things. Its parkour can let you smoothly slide into a heavily patrolled area, and it can be breathtakingly clumsy in its controls. This new game from a bunch of ex-Witcher developers is one hell of a mixed bag from start to finish, and it feels like every 30-seconds of gameplay is a rollercoaster.

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Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Laptop Review – Inspirational?

BY BADEN RONIE ON DECEMBER 23, 2017 • ( 1 COMMENT )

Gaming laptops are tricky business, aren’t they? The idea of having a portable games machine boasting a powerful graphics card is bloody tempting, but it usually comes with an attached price-tag that would make most people have a heart attack. For the same price you can usually pick up a much more powerful desktop computer, and while it’s a bit harder to lug around the truth is a gaming laptop is kind of useless at actually gaming on the go due to the battery power dropping through the floor. However, having something you can plug in at home, play some games on and then take with you to work is appealing for a lot of folk.

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Spellforce 3 Review – RTSRPG? RTRPSG?

BY BADEN RONIE ON JANUARY 9, 2018 • ( 2 COMMENTS )

Describing a game as a mash-up of other titles is often regarded as lazy writing, and I should know because I do it all the time. However, sometimes it’s appropriate because Spellforce 3 is Baldur’s Gate meets Age of Mythology and in its mixture of RPG leveling and RTS base-building you can find mechanics taken from numerous games from across the years. It’s like a Frankenstein’s monster, all stitched together, a little rough around the edges, prone to getting in trouble with local villagers and yet has a heart of gold. Or at least, the heart of somebody.

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Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle Review – You’re A Deck Of Cards, Harry

BY BADEN RONIE ON JANUARY 18, 2018 • ( 1 COMMENT )

The Harry Potter franchise holds a special place in the hearts of millions, especially my generation who grew up with both the books and the movies. I started reading the books as a child, and then the very first movie came out. As I moved through my teenage years the books and the movies grew darker, changing and evolving with my own personality and views. So in other words when a game comes out bearing the Harry Potter license I’m intrigued.

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The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (Xbox One Edition) Review – I See Dead People

BY BADEN RONIE ON JANUARY 23, 2018 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter starts with a warning about how it’s a story-driven experience that doesn’t hold your hand, a rather bold claim given how there’s a substantial portion of gamers who will actively dislike a game if they deem it to be patronising or being too intent on gently guiding the player through its world and mechanics. I was instantly intrigued by this message; did it mean The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, a game that was originally released in 2014 and has only just made it to Xbox One, was going to be full of challenging puzzles that taxed the mind? Would it have a vast world full of mysteries into which you were dropped with no real direction? So many questions.

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Battalion 1944 Early Access Pre-Review – Back To WWII

BY BADEN RONIE ON FEBRUARY 11, 2018 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )

Man, I’m just not sure how I feel about Battalion 1944 after many, many hours in its virtual battlefields full of madly bouncing soldiers careening through the air while they carefully take aim, a truly stunning recreation of what the Second World War was actually like. Yes, what they teach you in school is simply untrue; the Allies won the war purely through an incredible tactical innovation where their snipers would leap into the air and around corners, gunning down all that opposed them.

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Hand of Fate 2 Review – Deal Me In

BY BADEN RONIE ON NOVEMBER 15, 2017 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )

2015’s Hand of Fate from Defiant Entertainment was one of those genuinely wonderful surprises, a game that came out of nowhere with a small budget and a loving team who had a concept they wanted to turn into a reality. So over two years later we’ve got a sequel, and like the first game it has come out of nowhere. I didn’t even realize there was going to be a Hand of Fate 2 until the press release stating it was released landed in my inbox. Is this one a wonderful surprise, too?

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Witches of the Revolution Board Game Review – Hocus Pocus

BY BADEN RONIE ON DECEMBER 10, 2017 • ( LEAVE A COMMENT )

It’s a little known historical fact that the American revolution was supported, and mostly won, by witches whose magic was capable of turning the entire tide of war. It’s a shame that the history books so rarely mention these brave folk who wielded arcane forces, yet their sacrifices for the cause were great. I mean, who else could possibly have dealt with the fact that Paul Revere was actually a werewolf? It is these facts that are so stupidly kept from our children in school in favor of teaching them utter rubbish like maths. Who the hell even uses maths!?

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Razer Basilisk Mouse Review – Touch My Rubber, Baby

BY BADEN RONIE ON DECEMBER 22, 2017 • ( 1 COMMENT )

Ah, the humble mouse. Just imagine what this poor little guy gets put through on a daily basis, it’s wee feet being slid across a mat at insane speeds, all in the name of shooting some pixels. A good mouse that feels comfy to use is something I view as vital if you play a lot of games or spend a lot of time browsing the web, so with that in mind how do I feel about the Razer Basilisk?

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