What could DICE’s loveletter to fans be?

What could DICE’s loveletter to fans be?

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A new Battlefield was revealed this week, and it makes a nice reference in the title to two games from the past. Using the 2042 reference, DICE are making calls back to the game that started it all, Battlefield 1942, and the only futuristic title in the series so far, Battlefield 2142. Amongst all the hyperbole about 2042 having the largets maps ever and unprecedented scale, the website references a currently ‘Redacted’ game mode which is described as a love letter to the fans of DICE and Battlefield.

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Overboard! – The Verdict

Overboard! – The Verdict

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Attempting to get away with homicide in the presence of a detective is pure folly, but that’s never stopped Agatha Christie’s villains, has it? Still, they all stumble in the end – Poirot and his fellow sleuths are just that good, ain’t they?

Overboard! has no such detective figure (well, not quite), so the plan to push my broke, fascist-sympathising husband into the ocean and claim his life insurance ought to be a doddle. But it turns out – can you believe it? – murder just isn’t that simple.

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ReIterate() – Exceedingly British Spike-Jumping

ReIterate() – Exceedingly British Spike-Jumping

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The word ‘Reiterate’ is defined as being the act of repeating a task or action until hitting a set of spikes for the thousandth time causes you to scream and throw something.

ReIterate() on the other hand is a fast-paced 2D platformer by Zayne Black of Black Country Games. Citing his influences as Kuso and N++, it’s a game with simple graphics but a focus on precision and fluidity, two things I’m not particularly good at. Controlling a tiny little man in his endless quest to go to the right, you must overcome a series of deadly obstacles in order to reach the end of the level. …

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Going Medieval Impresses, Sells Loads

Going Medieval Impresses, Sells Loads

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Going Medieval, a colony builder set during the 14th Century, has had a phenomenal first week in Early Access, selling 175,000 copies. It’s a charming little game which I sunk a few hours into over the weekend, and came away with all of my ‘Sims and SimCity in the dark ages’ fantasies fulfilled. Well, this is a bit more hardcore than those two behemoths. and selling so many copies in the first week is a massive achievement. Hit the break for my hands on impressions.

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Our Week in Games – Week 141

Our Week in Games – Week 141

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Once upon a time, The Reticule was a PC only site, that was until 2011 when the site was relaunched as a multiplatform site. The relaunch saw the original content archived, but some WordPress magic now sees that original content here on the main site.

We hope you enjoy reading our history, for now though hit the break for a review of Our Week in Games.

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Retrospective – Soul Reaver

Retrospective – Soul Reaver

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I’m really into games preservation. It’s important. So, I was quite surprised to see Crystal Dynamics’ Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver had been temporarily pulled from the Steam store by its new owners, Square Enix. The Steam version of Soul Reaver is a tedious chore to get working; it’s not something I can recommend in its present state. There are fixes for the patient, but even when applied there’s no guarantee you won’t run into more problems. My hope is that Square Enix are working to make it playable again, which would be just wonderful.

Because Soul Reaver is something of a Gothic masterpiece.

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Our Week in Games – Week 140

Our Week in Games – Week 140

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It’s been a quiet week for us at The Reticule, in which we’ve indulged some older and beloved titles. I think that’s important, though – something perhaps few of us make time for, given the ever-increasing length of the so-called ‘backlog’. But the backlog never ends; there’s no wrapping up that list, not with so many new titles making their way onto storefronts on a weekly basis. None of us can reasonably be expected to keep up with the pace of releases, but sometimes that pursuit prohibits us from indulging replays, and that’s just no good. So, this week we put aside our misplaced guilt, and delved back into the past…

In gaming news more broadly, though, Sam Machkovech at Ars Technica dropped the news that Valve have been working behind the scenes on a “Switch-like portable PC”, that may be released at the end of this year. Given Valve’s previous forays into hardware (VR aside), it’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out. My Steam controller and Steam link are around here somewhere…

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Retrospective: Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica

Retrospective: Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica

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Resident Evil 3: Nemesis wasn’t intended to be the sequel to Resident Evil 2. It was conceived as an action-based side-story, but owing to a complex mix of financial issues and a delay in the release Sony’s second console, the then Resident Evil 1.9 became 3 and, later, Nemesis / Last Escape. Even after that shift in development, it feels more like an epilogue to the Raccoon City drama than a proper sequel, at least in terms of its length and content. If it were not for Jill Valentine in the lead read, and bringing Raccoon City to an explosive end, it would do little to advance the franchise’s narrative. Sure, it’s an exceptional epilogue, but an epilogue nonetheless.

CODE: Veronica, which debuted on the ill-fated Dreamcast in 2000 and made its way to the PlayStation 2 a year later, is Resident Evil 2’s true successor, interweaving the story of the first two games by uniting the Redfield siblings. Claire, still searching for her brother Chris, is kidnapped by the Umbrella Corporation and detained on an island prison in the Southern Ocean. Shortly after her arrival the island is attacked, once again releasing the experimental T-Virus.

…You gotta wonder if it’s a Claire thing.

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Clearing The Backlog – Control

Clearing The Backlog – Control

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It’s been a few weeks since I completed the main storyline of Control, and perhaps coincidentally the same amount of time has passed since I paused my X-Files re-watch. After completing the main story I decided to pause before making a decision on whether to embark upon the DLC. Reflecting on my time with Control, I think I will make an effort to work my way through the DLC.

Would I contemplate sinking my teeth into the DLC if it wasn’t for the Assist Mode that came with a large update to the game back in August 2020? I think not.

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Our Week in Games – Week 139

Our Week in Games – Week 139

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A change has taken place here at The Reticule, although it’s one we may all live to regret: I (Ross) have humbly accepted the position of editor to help out Chris, which means I’ll be overseeing content for the foreseeable future. That’s kind of mad, but I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in next week. Do you have any ideas on how to improve the site or what kind of content you’d like to see? Well, gimme an email: ross@thereticule.com!

(That’s not to say I don’t. Promise.)

(But do send your best so I can take all the credit for them, natch.)

Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been playing this past week…

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