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Author: Ross Joseph Gardner

Backbone – The Verdict

Backbone – The Verdict

“So much misguided effort pursuing only the shadow of the big picture – why?”

I’d been anticipating Backbone for some time, but I didn’t go into it with an excited smile. Not quite. That isn’t because it was released to polarising reviews, but rather because of the developer’s response to that reception. It goes without saying these developers put everything into their game, and goddamn, they have every right to stand by it with confidence and pride.

I am so very behind that…

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Retrospective – Soul Reaver 2 (2001)

Retrospective – Soul Reaver 2 (2001)

“But suppose your throw a coin enough times – suppose one day it lands on its edge.”

The opening to Soul Reaver is seared into my memory. No matter how many times I watch the introductory cutscene, the booming synth pulls me right back into the Gothic tableau of the Legacy of Kain universe, as if I were discovering it anew. With slick narrative efficiency, it sets in motion a tale of vengeance that spills out across time, daring its protagonists to challenge the apparent indomitability of fate.

And dare they do.

Yeah, I adore Soul Reaver.

So. Soul Reaver 2, then. A challenging game to write about, frankly.

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Overboard! – The Verdict

Overboard! – The Verdict

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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Retrospective – Soul Reaver (1999)

Retrospective – Soul Reaver (1999)

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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Retrospective: Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica

Retrospective: Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica

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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Our Week in Games – Week 139

Our Week in Games – Week 139

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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Resident Evil Village – The Verdict

Resident Evil Village – The Verdict

Resident Evil has taken many shapes since its inception. Survival horror, light gun shooter, third person adventure, online cooperative game, and, with 2017’s Resident Evil 7, first-person horror. This latest shape was fitting, in a way: the very first Resident Evil was conceived as a first-person game, before the limitations of the PlayStation forced Capcom to abandon it. At the time of Resident Evil 7’s release, though, it was a return to the survival horror that once defined Capcom’s multifaceted franchise.

And it was quite good.

Now, after two years of remakes, we at last have the eighth instalment – Village. It, too, is good. Very good, actually.

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Resident Evil 7 – A Retrospective

Resident Evil 7 – A Retrospective

As Resident Evil Village fast approaches, Ross is going to be revisiting some of his favourite titles from a series that has undergone many permutations since 1996—from survival horror to white-knuckle third-person action—reinventing itself whenever the formula became too staid, to varying levels of success. But when it works, it really works.

Let’s dive.

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Resident Evil 4 – A Retrospective

Resident Evil 4 – A Retrospective

As Resident Evil Village fast approaches, Ross is going to be revisiting some of his favourite titles from a series that has undergone many permutations since 1996—from survival horror to white-knuckle third-person action—reinventing itself whenever the formula became too staid, to varying levels of success. But when it works, it really works.

Let’s dive.

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Resident Evil 2 (2019) – A Retrospective

Resident Evil 2 (2019) – A Retrospective

As Resident Evil Village fast approaches, Ross is going to be revisiting some of his favourite titles from a series that has undergone many permutations since 1996—from survival horror to white-knuckle third-person action—reinventing itself whenever the formula became too staid, to varying levels of success. But when it works, it really works.

Let’s dive.

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