I’m a big fan of games that force me to make decisions. With that in mind, I consider myself fortunate that these kinds of games are becoming more and more common, from episodic games such as the cult classic Life is Strange series to more mainstream AAA titles such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.…
Author: Brian Hick
Forever hopping between the bright lights of the city and the rural planes of Northernmost Yorkshire, Brian Hick is an admirer of fine food & drink, a player of videogames across all consoles, and a lover of all things automotive. He is a surveyor by trade.
A Way Out – New/Retro Gaming
The last two (or three) generations of console brought with them significant improvement on the overall gaming experience, with regards to graphics, controls, storytelling, and in their ability to connect you to gamers around the world through online play. The downside of that global connection is that it has actually reduced our local one. Most…
What Happened to Cheat Codes?
Schoolyard currency took many forms. For some of us it was collecting Pokémon or football cards, for others it was teaching our Tamagotchi a new trick, for me though (and, since you’re reading this, I suspect you too) it was cheat codes. Cheats brought something to the schoolyard that trading cards and electrical gizmos never…
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm Episode 2 ‘Brave New World’
Much like the effects of the oncoming storm often acted as a metaphor for the character’s relationships in the original Life Is Strange, so too does the forest fire in Before The Storm. By the end of the second episode in Deck Nine’s prequel trilogy, everything is ablaze; Chloe’s place at Blackwell Academy, her relationship…
Life Is Strange: Before The Storm - Episode 1 ‘Awake’
For those that haven’t played Dontnod Entertainment’s original Life Is Strange, I highly recommend giving it a go. It’s one of my favourite episodic games out there (one of the few that has managed to truly evoked an emotional response from me at times) and a breath of fresh air to a genre that is…
Assassin's Creed Origin
I’ve beaten all nine previous (main series) Assassin’s Creed games. It was exhausting. They’ve all kind of blurred into one, to the point that I can’t even remember the plot of the last one, and I only vaguely recall the one before that. It was the really buggy one right? The lead was a French…
The Online Woes of the Adult Gamer
“You’ve got a group of foul mouthed 13 year olds on the right. How do you want to handle it?” “I’ve been sitting on this coke shipment for 2 hours now, if we wait any longer we’ll need another player to help sell it. I say risk it, we’ll fight to the last man!” “You…
The Botanist – Newcastle
Right in the heartland of the North East’s capital, down a little ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ side street, it’s possible to find one of the most surprisingly unique chain restaurants out there. Opening in 2014, The Botanist is located just around the corner from Monument Metro Station, and quickly became the ‘talk of the…
Revisiting GoldenEye 007 on the N64: The Greatest FPS of All Time?
Remember when games were hard? I can recall, as a child, a time when playing various different games I would get incredibly frustrated with a particular level that I just couldn’t get passed. I kept falling off a ledge, or couldn’t work out how to beat a boss. Sometimes I’d ‘rage-quit’ and completely give up…
Revisiting The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
I replay games I like a lot. Particularly those games that offer up multiple experiences and a variety outcomes. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of my all time favourites and given that this year is also the 10th Anniversary of the franchise, what better game to revisit. Full disclosure, this will be my…