Heavy Rain: Revisited

Heavy Rain: Revisited

September 18, 2021

Marcel recently revisited a game he had played seven years ago: Heavy Rain. Back then, it’s ability to have players choose how the story would unfold was very new and revolutionary. Skip to seven years later, and there have been more and more narrative driven games where the player gets to influence the narrative. How does Heavy Rain hold up to modern standards? Before you read: Heavy spoiler alert. We’ve tried to hide the biggest plot-twists, but we cannot hide them all. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!

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Svoboda 1945: Liberation Review

Svoboda 1945: Liberation Review

August 14, 2021

Last year July, we played Attentat 1942 during one of our streams. Developed by a team of historians and game developers at Charles University in Prague, it revolved around a particularly dark moment in Czech history: the Second World War and the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (and subsequent retaliation by the Nazis). Svoboda 1945: Liberation, the second game made by Charles Games was released on August 3rd. It portrays the situation in the German-Czech border region of Sudetenland just after the war. Once again, Charles Games have managed to make an amazing game, which will not only give you new insights into this often overlooked part of the war, but will also make you think about how heritage is viewed through different personal lenses. Here’s a short review, trying to not spoil the game too much for you.

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Old World Review

Old World Review

July 8, 2021

If you have followed us for some time, you will already know we love Old World, a 4X game developed by Mohawk Games (who you might know from games such as Offworld Trading Company). With Old World being released in Early Access last year, we played many hours of the game. However, July saw the … Read More

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: A (mostly) Spoiler-Free Review

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: A (mostly) Spoiler-Free Review

January 25, 2021

We asked Liam McLeod to write a review of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for us. He’s one of our beacons when it comes to medieval England, so he’s bound to have some good opinions on the game. Liam mainly discusses the landscape and the larger narrative, so no worries about (big) spoilers!

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Pre-review: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

Pre-review: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

May 11, 2020

You might have already noticed it, but Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord went into Early Access at the end of March, and it has been creating a bit of a storm around the internet. oomzer really likes the game, read his pre-review here!

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Hearts of Iron IV: La Résistance review

Hearts of Iron IV: La Résistance review

March 30, 2020

Last February, Paradox Interactive released their latest DLC for the WW2 real time strategy (RTS) game Hearts of Iron IV. Called La Résistance, it is the fifth large DLC since the release of HoI IV in 2016. As a big RTS and HoI IV fan, I had to play and review this game. Before I … Read More

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Games We Dig — Holedown

Games We Dig — Holedown

October 22, 2018

During TIPC2, Mata Haggis-Burridge discussed how games have relatively few verbs available that allow us to interact with the past. This made me think… We shoot, we maim, we strategize, we “press X to pay Respects”, but only rarely do we dig. Which is a pity, because digging can be a lot of fun! Case … Read More

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Games We Dig – God of War

Games We Dig – God of War

June 27, 2018

Boy. It’s been a while hasn’t it, since my last Games We Dig. In the meantime we have gotten a brand new, swank looking website from our God Of WordPress, Megalithic, RoMeincraft has grown beyond anything we could have ever imagined, and soon it’s already time for TIPC2. A lot has happened, quite some time … Read More

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Games We Dig – Skyrim

Games We Dig – Skyrim

July 7, 2017

Skyrim…. It seems ages ago that Bethesda published the last entry in its epic Elder Scrolls Series. I played the game quite a lot when it first came out, but then a PhD thesis had to happen and I never revisited its cold mountains, barren shores, and Viking-boutique towns. Since then, many E3s have come and gone … Read More

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Games We Dig – Herald

Games We Dig – Herald

March 7, 2017

Where do I belong? Ymir finally got to play Herald on his (not so functional) laptop and got all existential as he delved into the many narratives of the game and its social and political messages of inclusiveness, gender, sexuality, and more! Herald was a highly anticipated game for me, as it was for the … Read More

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Games We Dig – Doom

Games We Dig – Doom

February 23, 2017

Yes, Doom is back, and it’s back with a vengeance, a never before seen ferocity that makes most other shooters pale in comparison. I picked it up during a sale late last year, so I was a bit late in joining the fray, but I finished it a while back, and so now it’s time … Read More

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Lores We Dig – League of Legends

Lores We Dig – League of Legends

December 1, 2016

The League of Legends Universe Beta website is out and Ymir is super excited to dive deep into the lore of Runeterra! Many of you who know me, know that I am a huge League of Legends (LoL) fan. It took me a while to catch up to it, to be honest, since I don’t … Read More

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Games We Dig — Kingdom

Games We Dig — Kingdom

November 3, 2016

A little while ago VALUE did a stream on the Post-Apocalypse. We discussed its mechanisms, historicity and representation in Fallout 4, a big-budget game that takes place after the collapse of American society. I do not think Fallout 4 is a particularly good game about apocalypse. Kingdom is. In Kingdom you play as a king … Read More

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Games We Dig – Axiom Verge

Games We Dig – Axiom Verge

September 20, 2016

I don’t often write about games I play mainly due to the fact that I actually rather play games than write about them but also due to the very little spare time I have. However, in this case, I wanted to make an exception, not because I have time to spare, but because Axiom Verge … Read More

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Games We Dig – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Games We Dig – Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

August 22, 2016

If you’ve seen our last stream (Off the Map), you may have heard me admit that I have never played an Uncharted game before. Nor seen an Indiana Jones movie for that matter. Dr. Random very nearly revoked my archaeogamer card. Luckily, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End rapidly drew me in and my archaeogamer status … Read More

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Seven Games to Dig…

August 11, 2016

… when you have just become a dad. Our baby girl was born 7 weeks ago and, as with all newborns, she doesn’t leave mom or dad with much time on their hands. Ninety percent of my waking hours I spend staring in awe at the new family member and the family member who brought forth the … Read More

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Games We Dig – The Witcher 3 – Blood and Wine

Games We Dig – The Witcher 3 – Blood and Wine

July 7, 2016

Sometimes, sometimes an expansion is more than just some extra content and/or missions. Sometimes it’s a new game entirely, with hours of gameplay, a new region, new gear, new skills, and a clear focus on improving the overall quality of the game. Blood and Wine, The Witcher 3’s latest (and last) expansion, falls into that … Read More

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Games We Dig — Fragments of Him

Games We Dig — Fragments of Him

May 19, 2016

Fragments of Him is a game about dealing with loss. The loss of a friend, lover, or family member and how this impacts those who took part in his or her life. It is also a game about how we are all part of an assemblage of persons and things that pattern and punctuate our … Read More

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Games We Dig – Subnautica

Games We Dig – Subnautica

March 9, 2016

Space, the final frontier. A sudden malfunction means that your rocket is careering straight for an uncharted ocean. You awaken in a tarnished escape pod, with nothing but a swimsuit and a few limited supplies to your name. Alone, castaway and on the verge of death, you are forced to venture out into the unknown, … Read More

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Games We Dig – The Witness

Games We Dig – The Witness

February 22, 2016

I went into the Witness a bit biased. Biased, not because I was spoiled on some part of the plot (what plot?), but because of certain negative reviews and some negative feedback from friends. However, Dr. Random, rather easily, talked me, or bought me, into trying the game and I was immediately hooked! Approximately 500 … Read More

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Games We Dig – Firewatch

Games We Dig – Firewatch

February 18, 2016

Firewatch is one of those games. One of those that digs into my sense and sensibilities from the get-go and doesn’t let go. It blends its entrapping story and very human characters with an environment and gameplay mechanics that speak to a deep understanding of how humans experience landscapes. I almost suspect the developers have been paying … Read More

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Games We Dig – Westerado: Double Barreled

Games We Dig – Westerado: Double Barreled

February 9, 2016

I’ll be honest with you, for an “old” and archaeological gamer, I am actually not that much into the retro-style that is so pervasive among  (indie) games today. For me a good retro-game does not have to look old, but has to be like that traditional bridal rhyme: it has to have something old and … Read More

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Games We Dig – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Games We Dig – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

January 27, 2016

Another year has passed with many great games. My GOTY was definitely Bloodborne as you have read in my previous Games We Dig post. But one game ran away with about every single award out there you can think of, beating Bloodborne on virtually every occasion: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (TW3).  Dr. Random and … Read More

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Games We Dig – Uncharted series

Games We Dig – Uncharted series

January 21, 2016

I don’t know where Nathan Drake, the protagonist of Uncharted, has done his archaeological field school, but when I take him out for a day in the field, I am somewhat disappointed in my own professors. They did not teach me how to fire guns, dodge cars and climb a train carriage that is dangling … Read More

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Games We Dig – Sid Meier’s Civilization series

Games We Dig – Sid Meier’s Civilization series

January 18, 2016

Just… one more… turn… Over the decades, VALUE may or may not have missed more than a few paper deadlines thanks to this addicting game series. I am not telling. Why would I? I am the leader of an entire civilization and we don’t have to answer to you! Start out with one settler and … Read More

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Games We Dig – Bloodborne

Games We Dig – Bloodborne

January 14, 2016

Bloodborne has a special meaning to VALUE, as it was the first game we played together. Most of us have in the meantime played Bloodborne and finished it, but none of them went as hardcore as me. I racked up about 300 hours in a total of 7 playthroughs, and that’s not counting the hours … Read More

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Games We Dig – Assassin’s Creed series

Games We Dig – Assassin’s Creed series

January 11, 2016

From running through the streets of Damascus, to climbing the Sistine Chapel, to commandeering a pirate ship through the Caribbean, Assassin’s Creed has proven itself king at the portrayal of geographical and architectural heritage highlights and fictional narratives in historical settings. Jaromirr and Dr. Random talk Assassin’s Creed! It’s action packed with acrobatic jumps that … Read More

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