Month: May 2020

The Entrance to Entry-Level Dungeon Brawling – Minecraft: Dungeons – Humble Opinions

Published by Sali Georges

As an avid lover of Minecraft for the past ten years, I knew I’d have to give Minecraft: Dungeons a shot. After all, what more could I want in a game than for it to be a combination of Minecraft aesthetics and Diablo-esque gameplay? Being a massive fan of ARPGs like Path of Exile and Diablo—which usually promise lengthy playtime, huge replayability, and that addictive feedback loop of grinding for loot—Dungeons appealed to me, as it had been a while since I sunk my teeth into the genre. The game—newly released, and on the Australian PC market for $29—seemed like a cheap enough entry point to not have to wait for a sale. The price point upon release was one of the biggest clues as to what I was diving in to—before even booting the game up. At about half the cost of a full-priced title, I was expecting half the content. And I was kind of right. Firstly, one of the striking things is the aesthetic. Even though Minecraft is not often described as …

Copious Content, Moderate Substance, and a Unicorn – Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey – Humble Opinions

Published by Sali Georges

“Odyssey” is a word usually used to describe a long and eventful journey or experience. In the case of Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, this is a fitting description. Upon release, and especially after the release of Assassin’s Creed: Origins, the game received flak for some of its design choices. Currently playing through—at about seventy-one hours in—I thought I would review some of the criticisms that Ubisoft were faced with upon its release. Are these things really an issue? And for who? Gripe Number 1: The game has too much padding and filler There is no hiding this, that’s for sure. Ubisoft—maybe in an effort to draw out “more value” (a.k.a. more gameplay hours)—perhaps thought it was a good idea to make the game world, and the quests within it, massive. Yes, the world itself is huge—I would say bigger than Origins. Things are plentiful on the map (you won’t run out of things to do for a long time), but that doesn’t necessarily make all of these things fun to do. Even with an abundance of …

Aye – Robert the Bruce – Humble Opinions

Published by Jahanzeb Khan

Braveheat—the classic medieval Scottish pride film starring Mel Gibson—was on TV the other night. The film was meant to depict the conquests and campaigns that took place under the legendary Scottish knight, William Wallace, as he fought to liberate Scotland from the rule of England. As entertaining, epic, and charming as the film was—for all the right reasons—the fact of the matter is that it simply was not an authentic depiction of the real William Wallace, nor the events that transpired during his legendary knighthood. Sadly, his legacy has now become synonymous with Gibson’s charming crocodile smile, much to the dismay of the Scots who revere the legacy of William Wallace and his contributions to Scotland’s odyssey towards freedom. In the very same film was the conflicted Scottish king Robert the Bruce, portrayed by actor Angus Macfadyen, depicted as a cowardly and indecisive young king—which ultimately was a disservice to who he really was historically. Still, there was a layered and conflicted nature to his character as someone caught between England and Scotland. Braveheart ended …

Comedy of Eras – Zoids: Legacy – In Retrospect

Published by Kane Bugeja

What can be said about Zoids: Legacy that hasn’t been said already? Probably a lot, because nobody else I know has ever played the damn game—a travesty if ever I did hear one. So, despite the fact that nobody asked and probably less people care, I shall detail the reasons why I love this game with a passion. Oh, and this isn’t one of those ironic passions either—I legitimately, and without reservation, love this game. In case you were wondering what the hell a Zoid was, allow me to explain. It’s a big animal mech. A bit of a stripped down explanation, but an apt one. Set on the fictional world of Zi, Zoids are the shape which combat has taken. Rather than tanks or planes, militaries based their weapons upon native, techno-organic species—sort of like if you strapped a cannon to a tiger, but also it was the size of a bus…and you sat in its skull. Okay, that sounds horrible, but it’s completely fine in the series…I think. Ethics in Zoids is similar …

Into the Wild – Read Dead Redemption II – In Retrospect

Published by Sali Georges

There was something so addictive about Red Dead Redemption II. No, it wasn’t the engaging story, the beautiful graphics, or the promise of being a cowboy (or cowgirl, in my case) again; although, all of those things helped. A game usually tutorialises you—which is necessary most times—but that’s usually the most boring part, right? Well there I was, learning how I was supposed to ride a horse, which buttons to press, how to trade with NPC’s, the works; then came along one part of the tutorial—and it changed everything… What’s that? You want me to murder this poor little rabbit?! But why? I had to oblige. After all, how was I going to get to that juicy main story content? The game begins to walk me through hunting. Okay, I’ll do it. But I just want to get to the story! Why do they have to pad the game out so much? Here I am, crouched in a bush next to my horse. I activate Dead Eye and track its scent. As I inch away …

One Record Wonder – ‘Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too?’ by The New Radicals – In Retrospect

Published by Luke Halliday

Whether you were aware of it or not, you’ve likely heard a song written by the New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. While the New Radicals only ever released one record—Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too?, which itself produced arguably the most timeless one hit wonder in music history “You Get What You Give” (this writer’s all time favourite song)—Alexander would go on to enjoy a successful career as a song-writer for artists such as Beyoncé, Ronan Keating, The Kaiser Chiefs, Enrique Iglesias, The Struts, and even Santana—just to name a few. Alexander even received a Grammy Award for writing the song “Game of Love” by Santana and Michelle Branch. Despite the countless hits he had written for other artists, it is still the New Radicals one record wonder Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too? that stands as Alexander’s crowning achievement as a musical artist. While the New Radicals are most best remembered for their proverbial one hit wonder “You Get What You Give”, and for good reason, their one and only record is a musical odyssey the …

Hard Truths – The Suicide of Rachel Foster – Humble Opinions

Published by Sali Georges

If you enjoy a good walking simulator—backed by a gripping narrative with light puzzles—then you may want to consider playing The Suicide of Rachel Foster. Usually, these types of games don’t entice me to play, due to the slow-paced movement and lack of stimulating fast-paced action. The movement in these games is slow, yes, that’s true; however, everything accomplished within the game is done so with purpose—to add to the overall experience. That is what makes it worthwhile—the experience. In very brief terms—so as not to detract from the experience for those who have not played it yet—the game follows the story of Nicole, who reluctantly needs to return to her father’s hotel after his passing. She is there to assess the damage to the long-abandoned hotel and collect anything she wants to keep, as she intends to sell it and be done with its (and her family’s) troublesome history. From the moment she steps into the place, she is slowly drawn into an investigation about what happened to a girl named Rachel and her …

Self-Help Fiction – ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho – Humble Opinions

Published by Luke Halliday

The Alchemist is a book I have had recommended to me countless times throughout my lifetime; it is undoubtedly a wildly popular book that has sparked a cult following. Finally conceding, I picked up a copy at the recommendation of my local book store clerk—the 25th Anniversary edition in fact. The book presents nicely and doesn’t fail to intrigue with its curious blurb, which boldly claims that a persons only responsibility in life is to fulfil their personal destiny. It is the type of phrase that is both eye catching and enticing to potential readers, the sort of thing that The Alchemist is full of—immediately intriguing lines of philosophy, written in a simple manner that anyone can understand with little thought. It is in those allegedly philosophical lines that The Alchemist hangs its entire story on. At the half way point of reading this novel, I wasn’t sure if I was reading something genuinely great or absolutely awful. The book plays more like self-help disguised as fiction than it does as traditional novella. This is …