Master Of Magic, an all-time best 4X loosely summarisable as Civilisation crossed with
Master Of Orion.
In the… uh, semi-heady fog of 2019 came the news that it was getting a remake, and I was muchly excited, for in the interim I’d actually learned the original existed and how good and somehow unrivalled it still was. And finally, in the slight damp of late 2022, that remake arrived. It is a remarkably faithful remake, to a degree I may not ever have seen for such an old game. Some details and flourishes aside, it’s basically the same design, with all the same parts.
Coincidentally, I’ve also finally got into Total Warhammer lately, and spent some time reacquainting myself with Warlords Battlecry, and in between building city walls and crushing stupid aryan elfs, I’ve realised what truly connects all three: balance. They all, correctly, reject it.
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 gleaming radishes from my allotment. I shoot a bandit in the head with a revolver. I send my adoptive daughter to trade some homemade pickles. I partake in a brooding chat, then stamp on a dude’s head. I help a recluse regain his confidence. I have totally forgotten what I was meant to be doing.</p><p><a href=)
Like A Dragon: Ishin feels like a step backward, but in a brilliant way. Kiryu and co. may have moved onto a turn-based future, yet Sakomoto Ryoma and his pals have turned back the clock to an Edo period of brawlin’ and chicken betting that’s most reminiscent of Yakuza 0, only it’s not the roaring 80s but the bloody 1800s. There’s nothing here that will convert those who aren’t keen on the series, but if you’re an ardent fan or a newcomer eager to experience its wild swings between serious and silly, Ishin is an excellent place to start.
Wrestling With Emotions: New Kid On The Block offers. It’s a wrestling dating sim with a splash of RPG, and almost certainly a game that’ll pin your heart in a bear hug and never let go.
Kerbal Space Program 2 is crash landing into early access on February 24th, just under a week, and developers Intercept Games are celebrating with a new gameplay trailer. The trailer begins at the Kerbal Space Center, on the planet Kerbin, as the cute little aliens attempt to build a working spaceship and rocket off into the Kerbolar System. Genuine question: does this make the green minions Kerbites, Kerbals, or Kermen?
Octopath Traveler 2 in a nutshell, a JRPG that follows so precisely in the footsteps of its predecessor that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was suddenly 2019 again and that the last few pandemic years were nothing but a terrible existential nightmare. But alas, here we are in 2023 with another Octopath Traveler game that is, bar a couple of very light tweaks and additions, exactly the same game as what came before it, for better and for worse.
Solidigm P41 Plus 2TB at $99.99, and now it’s time to look at one of the very fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs, the WD SN850x. It’s down to $99.99 for a 1TB model and $159.99 for a 2TB size, a new low price for each capacity and a great deal for our top PCIe 4.0 SSD recommendation.
Veil Of Dust. Unlike some games, Veil Of Dust doesn’t make it sound like any sort of concession; the middle difficulty is called Challenge, and says “it’s pretty tough – you’ve been warned”. I took the warning seriously, and thank God, because even the easiest difficulty had me pouring dandelion tea down my brother’s throat like he was doing a kegstand (and in the game).
podcast, where we discuss the surprising release date of 2029 for 
Wild Hearts came in hot and fast earlier this week. So while other outlets will be delivering their final verdicts on Omega Force’s beast batterin’ simulator today, I’m afraid I haven’t had the chance to play enough of it to give it a fair shakedown yet. It’s good, though! I really like it, and as a huge