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The Roster Presents: "Chokers" by Jake Rumsey

July 4th, 2016. Kevin Durant announces that he will leave Oklahoma City after spending 8 years with the franchise. Leaving his heavily criticized All-Star teammate Russell Westrbook and creating one of the most interesting rivalries in the NBA today. Recently, Kevin Durant’s Warriors faced off against Russell Westbrook’s Thunder and it was clear that this friendship won’t be mended anytime soon. A rivalry this intricate cannot be properly expressed through mere paragraphs of text, but perhaps a song could do the dynamic of the relationship justice.    

-Read while listening to “Closer” by The Chainsmokers

-Yes, Victor Oladipo is Russ’s best teammate, and yes, he does sing.

 “Chokers”

KD and Russell Westbrook

(Russ)

KD, We were doing just fine before you left me

55 wins was that the issue

But I’m okay

KD, Now I’m averaging a triple double,

And I’m never passing to you againnnn

(KD)

Russ I know I broke your heart

Moved to the Bay with 3 superstars

And 8 years, no rings

Now your best teammate is a scrub who sings

And I, I, I, I wont ever come back

No I, I, I, I cant ever come back

(Russ)

So KD come on home to that bed in Oklahoma

That I know you can afford

Look at that pay check from the Warriors

Pull the strings from the front office

And come back to your pal Russell

From 70 wins back to 50

Come on back to Oklahoma

(Russ)

Come On Back To Oklahoma

Come On Back To Oklahoma

(KD)

Russ, You play as well as the day we drafted you

Was it a mistake to leave you,

am I insane?

Russ, why did we blow that 3-1 lead

You never passed and that’s the issue

Ok

(KD)

Russ I know it breaks your heart

Steph might be the better Point Guard

And 8 years, no ring

Now I’m playing in a workingsystem

And I I I I I can’t come back

No, I, I, I, I, I wont ever come back

 (Russ)

So KD come on home to that bed in Oklahoma

That I know you can afford

Look at that pay check from the Warriors

Pull the strings from the front office

And come back to your pal Russell

From 70 wins back to 50

Come on back to Oklahoma

 END

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Bucketscast 7: Stay Me7o

Rob, Jake, S Ren, and Matt talk the Kevin Love injury and its implications for the Cavs, Serge Ibaka's trade to the Raptors, Melo's All-Star berth, and whether or not it's worth trading Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond for the Pistons.

You can also find it on YouTube and iTunes.

Any questions? We'll answer them on the next Bucketcast. Send an email to therostermail@gmail.com, or visit our About Page for more ways to contact us. 

Music is "Energy" from bensound.com.

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Gamescast 7: Elder Scrolls Online, Hitman, and Nioh

Jake, S Ren, Rob, and Matt discuss killing and re-killing and re-killing and re-killing their way through the Paris section of Hitman, how much of Dark Souls is in Nioh, and why Elder Scrolls Online didn't excite in its early few hours.

You can also find this podcast on YouTube or iTunes (soon, it's still processing).

(Our new RSS feed is "www.the-roster.net/homepage?format=rss")

Music is "Energy" by bensound.com

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Gamescast 6: You Wouldn't Steal a Sim

Rob, S Ren, Jake, and Matt run through Final Fantasy 15, the Halo series, and more 2K gripes. Also, some tangents about dash cams, ruining things, and video game piracy.

Get it here:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-roster/episode-6-you-wouldnt-steal-a-sim/s-SqI9x

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmDXeoF3YYo

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

Music is "Energy" by bensound.com

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Titanfall 2 Review

How could you say no to giant flying rocket-firing gun-shooting robots? Titanfall 2 isn’t my usual sort of game, but riding around in and controlling these huge metal Titans sounded too cool to miss out on. And after watching two minutes of gameplay online, I had to play Titanfall 2.

I found Titanfall 2 to be a whole lotta fun whenever I played it. I didn’t play the original Titanfall, so I didn’t exactly know what to expect coming into it, but one thing that got me interested was the idea of a single player campaign, which its predecessor didn’t have. Having a campaign gives you a framework for the multiplayer, and for me a way to work on my skills and seeing how the game works before going online. The plot of the campaign is something we see in a lot of other shooters – the average soldier gets huge responsibility thrust upon him, uncovers bad guys’ plot to create a mini Death Star machine, finds out how to stop it from happening and does so – but the gameplay was something that made progressing through the game more enjoyable. It plays similarly to the recent COD games, bringing platform elements together with parkour and wall-running, but of course with giant death-bringing mechs, it makes for a fun time blowing stuff up and trying to execute stylish quick kills. Speed is an emphasised point in the game, as you’re encouraged to race through some parts of missions efficiently, leading to fast and fun gameplay. But to be honest, the campaign served more as a way to work the mechanics of weapon play more than anything else. The story is predominantly plain and predictable, making the “regular guy” soldier suddenly the most important person in the entire war, and besides one or two interesting gameplay twists in the middle of the story mode, nothing was really surprising throughout. One mission was particularly enjoyable when the player character finds a device which allows him to instantaneously switch between two timelines, leading to the most creative and fun parts of the game, but it was disregarded after this mission when it could’ve been used to create some even more interesting story dynamics.

One emphasis of the game that didn’t really work was the relationship between the main character Jack Cooper and his Titan BT. The game shows that the bond between the two plays a huge role in their success, but there isn’t a lot of depth to their friendship besides the fact that they fight together. The developers give Cooper dialogue options when responding to BT, but these are almost always a meaningless ‘choice’ between a straight-forward answer and a slightly witty answer which both produce a similar response. Why not give some dedicated dialogue that gives Cooper a more consistent personality? These seemed pointless to me, and took away from the connection between Cooper and BT.

Multiplayer is the star of the Titanfall 2 show though, combining the Pilot and Titan elements smoothly. As shown in the single player, speed is the name of the game, and the quick time to kill/die fits the overall experience of the game because of this. The Kill/Death Ratio isn’t an important factor, as the game wants you to get straight into firefights without worrying about your chances of survival. This does however cheapen the importance of your character’s life, as you don’t try to hold onto life after a firefight. The Titan skirmishes bring another element into the matches, as everyone is striving to get their own Titan to fall in order to sway the battle. Of course this is a double-edged sword, as the giant strafing mech of doom is a pretty big target for the other team to attack, but even short stints in the Titans can be a bunch of fun. One knock on the Mulitplayer is that despite the gme mode ‘Attrition’ being a lot of fun, it’s basically the only game mode you can reliably find games to join. There are often very few people playing any other mode, which is disappointing as some sound fun and would be interesting to try out.

Overall, I think Titanfall 2 is a really fun shooter that offers a decent amount of gameplay and should give you 10-20 hours of enjoyment for a casual player. Its campaign is a bit stock-standard, but has a couple of twists and turns that kepp it interesting and worth finishing. Titanfall 2 is really built on the Multiplayer though, which is enjoyable even if it is limited. Have a go if you want a shooter with alittle something different!

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Bucketscast 6: Hey Now, You're Etc

(An All-Star) Matt, S Ren, Jake, and Rob discuss their feelings on the All-Star picks as well as dish out some trade hypotheticals. It only took three tries to get the intro going without S Ren laughing this time!

Get it here:

Soundcloud: 

YouTube: 

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

Music is "Energy" by bensound.com

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Gamescast 5: Titanfall 2, Witcher 3, Dying Light and More :O

I do not want to alarm anyone but in this episode S Ren, Jake, Matt, and Rob discuss video games, specifically Titanfall 2, The Witcher 3, Dying Light, and More (which in this case is Mass Effect and the Nintendo Switch).

Get it here:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-roster/gamescast-5-titanfall-2-witcher-3-dying-light-and-more-o/s-FE6BB

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-5nu9V5T4o&feature=youtu.be

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

Music is "Energy" by bensound.com (it's the top Google search result for "royalty free music" and I honestly wonder how many no-budget podcasts are using this song for their intro/outro).

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The Roster's 2016-17 All-Star Picks

We can't think of any better way to express our excitement about the 2016-17 NBA All-Star game than via a series of tables. Rob, Jake, Matt, and S Ren picked the guys they think will/should make the All-Star team, which will be announced tomorrow. This post is mostly for posterity; when we talk on our All-Star podcast next week about how all our picks are right, you'll know we weren't lying. 

Jake's Picks

Rob's Picks

Matt's Picks

S Ren's Picks

All-Star questions? Send them into therostermail@gmail.com and we'll answer them on our next basketball podcast. 

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Bucketscast 5 [16/1/17]: Trade Rumours

Matt (@LtSurgeArboka), Jake (A message in blood in a eerie alleyway), Rob (@robv389) and S Ren (@stuvren) talk through the Kyle Korver trade, potential upcoming trades, as well as most surprising and least impressive players.

Get it here:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-roster/episode-5-trade-rumours/s-cNi5k

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=draaYWOzlf0&feature=youtu.be

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

Music is "Energy" from bensound.com.

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Gamescast 4 [4/1/17]: Pokemon Sun/Moon

Matt (@LtSurgeArboka), S Ren (@stuvren), Jake (droid hologram), and Rob (@robvc389) talk through Pokemon Sun/Moon, including favourite Pokemon, favourite characters, and potential end of the world theories. Also, a lot of Star Wars referencing. SPOILERS ABOUND.

Get it here:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-roster/gamescast-4-4117-pokemon 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIoLpdpJIJk

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

Music is "Energy" from bensound.com.

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It's a good time to get revenge in New Bordeaux - Mafia 3 Review

Mafia 3 starts out with a lot of confidence in its first two hours. It springs between timelines, splicing a Federal Reserve heist with moments from the week building up to it, as well as clips from a documentary 40 years in the future. Characters are introduced, developed, complicated, and killed, and you really feel for Lincoln Clay and are ready to get revenge by the end of it. Unfortunately, this tight narrative structure falls apart as the game gives you more control.

It’s not that the writing gets worse, or that the story doesn’t follow through. Mafia 3 tells a vicious story of revenge, buoyed by the thematic undercurrent of racism. Lincoln doesn’t just want revenge on Sal Marcano, boss of the dominant Italian mob, but on the world he represents and controls. The problem is that the game places chunks of story after long stints of shooting nameless goons, and often the narrative doesn’t move forward for hours at a time. The loops themselves are actually pretty fun on their own, and they have a build-up and execution similar to an episode of a TV show. Mafia 3’s problem is that there’s too many episodes. It’s established that you’re killing these dudes to weaken Sal Marcano, but I didn’t quite feel the burning desire for revenge when I was running after his accountant. If I’d just been cutting down the Marcano family, who I was getting revenge against would be front and centre.

To get to Sal Marcano, Lincoln needs to take over various districts in New Bordeaux. This means killing the leaders of these districts, which means getting access to them, which means causing them enough financial damage that they reveal themselves. This is done by interrogating mob goons, killing important members of the illicit business chain, or destroying the drugs and weapons the mob plan to sell. These segments are all enjoyable enough, and the battles with the district leaders at the end are highlights of the entire game (not necessarily because the formula of shoot-the-dude changes, but because the setting and spectacle of where you shoot the dude). From beginning to end, taking down a district is a good way to spend 2-3 hours. It just seems like Mafia 3 would be a better game if they cut out all the stuff around the big set pieces and just gave you those instead. It’s an issue of pacing, and the impact of a revenge narrative is numbed when you spend so much time killing nameless mobsters in a warehouse.

It’s hard not to see meaningless side objectives all over the map as Hangar 13, the team behind Mafia 3, kowtowing to the traditional structure of an open-world game. It has to be at least 30 hours, it has to have collectibles, it has to have side-missions. All of this extra stuff (though the characters in the side-missions are as well written as those in the main story) gets in the way of the pace of the main story. I think a hypothetical Mafia 3 that runs for 10 hours is a much better game. I also think it’s a game that is maligned for its length and “content”, and its sales suffer as a result (keep in mind, people were ready to kill due to the fact this game only ran at 30 frames per second when it released).

All that said, the story in Mafia 3 is so well told that I didn’t mind running through repetitive missions to draw out mob bosses. The missions the bosses are fought in have some incredible settings, such as a flooded, abandoned theme park and a crashed, flaming riverboat. Hangar 13 have done a spectacular job with characterisation. Lincoln Clay is a pretty boring guy compared to the cast of crooks around him, and he’s miles ahead of most other video game protagonists. I can safely say that Mafia 3 has the most consistently well-written and well-acted characters of any game I’ve played. The documentary framing of the game only adds to this, and provides a welcome dose of context and emotion as well. Watching Lincoln’s friend Father James berate him in 1968 and then tear up over recalling what Lincoln did in the present day is immensely effective, and I want to see more games take this on.

I have a lot of criticisms of Mafia 3, but it’s because I love this game enough to care. You’re not gonna find a better told story in 2016 video games. It’s a rote revenge story, but Hangar 13 do a superb job telling it when they get out of their own way. It addresses racism in a way no big-budget game has tried yet, and on that alone it’s worthy of your time. If you can get through some repetitive shooting galleries, Mafia 3 is a must-play.

Spare Thoughts:

I’ve heard that this game is pretty glitchy, but I didn’t experience much beyond some weird lighting. During a boxing match, however, I punched a guy so many times he went through the cage and started circling me through the crowd instead, fists raised. Video games!

Some cool other pieces to read if you’re keen on Mafia 3 (like I am): this one, where Dean Takahashi catches up with Hangar 13 post release (I feel like we don’t see enough post-release stuff from the teams behind games), and this one by Robert Whitaker about the historical elements and accuracy of Mafia 3.

I didn’t write a game of the year list (and I was CRUELLY SILENCED on the podcast), but if I did, Mafia 3 would be second (you’ll have to keep reading my words to find out what number 1 is ;) ). 

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Bucketscast 4 [27/12/16]: QuestionTime TM

Rob (www.twitter.com/robvc389), Matt (www.twitter.com/LtSurgeArboka), S Ren (www.twitter.com/stuvren) and Jake (messenger pigeon) run through questions submitted by loyal fans. We cover the Nuggets, the Rookie of the Year race, and Westbrook vs Harden for MVP.

Get it here:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-roster/bucketscast-4-271216-questiontime-tm

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrksW2IpOpE&t=129s

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

"The Memphis Grizzlies Sit Atop Clutch Mountain": http://www.espn.com.au/nba/story/_/id/18272691/memphis-grizzlies-most-clutch-team-nba

Bill Simmons on the Celtics trading for DeMarcus Cousins: https://theringer.com/nba-sliding-doors-demarcus-cousins-boston-celtics-good-boogie-967f2f1b26e4?gi=c616beb01672 https://theringer.com/nba-sliding-doors-demarcus-cousins-boston-celtics-bad-boogie-8eb5898f2821#.9jkc1ql62

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Gamescast 3 [12/12/16]: F*ck You Geoff

Jake, S Ren, Rob, and Matt discuss the Game Awards as well as their personal favourite games of 2016.

Get it here:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-roster/gamescast-3-121216-fck-you-geoff

YouTube: https://youtu.be/DwHJaXiMgDU

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

Music is "Energy" from bensound.com

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A Cool Free Game: Moirai

Go play Moirai. I won’t say anything more, beyond that it’s a small download, it should run on most computers and it only takes 10 minutes. Get it here (or on Steam).

 HENCEFORTH, SPOILERS (PLAY THE GAME)

I didn’t realise until my post-game research, but this is another game by an Aussie dev! The game credits Chris Johnson, Brad Barrett, and John Oestman. Chris Johnson did an interview here which explains his thought process behind the game, which is worth a look.

The bloody farmer I met responded to their questions so eloquently, I didn’t realise it wasn’t scripted. When I came back through the tunnel and realised that it was actually another player who answered, I was so shocked I barely responded to my own set of questions.

I ended up killing the woman, but I don’t think I’m happy with myself. Maybe there’s a way to save her that results in a different set of questions? On one hand, I’m interested to go back and try it the other way, but maybe I should just live with my decision. I got an email saying the next player along killed my farmer, which he (I) maybe deserved.

If you played this, let me know in comments what your bloody farmer said, how you answered the questions yourself, and how you finished the game. 

[therosterblog-blog]

Bucketscast 3: Top 5 NBA Players

S Ren, Matt, Jake, and Rob run through their Top 5 lists from last week with the help of special guest Blake Danaher!

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-roster/top-5-nba-players

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJF6hkqfgLY&t=365s

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-roster-podcast/id1170320886?mt=2

RSS: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:264379479/sounds.rss

You can find our Top 5 NBA Player lists here: S Ren: http://www.the-roster.net/homepage/2016/11/30/s-rens-top-5-nba-players

Matt: http://www.the-roster.net/homepage/2016/11/30/my-top-5-players-in-the-nba

Rob: http://www.the-roster.net/homepage/2016/12/30/top-5-nba-players

Jake: http://www.the-roster.net/homepage/2016/12/2/jakes-top-5-nba-players

 You can find more Blake at the Role Players Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/RolePlayersNBA/?fref=ts

 Visit us at www.the-roster.net or on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roster.net/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rostertweets

Tumblr: https://therosterblog.tumblr.com/

Music is "energy" by bensound.com

(Also if you wanna read that Kawhi Leonard article S Ren mentioned it's here: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/11/27/13756360/kawhi-leonard-spurs-leader-gregg-popovich-sunday-shootaround)

[therosterblog-blog]

My Top 5 Players in the NBA

Trying to figure out who your top 5 players in the NBA are is hard, especially when you’re trying to ignore personal biases (Josh Smith sucks), and I had trouble coming up with my 5. In the end, I decided to choose based on the criteria that they were a player who has shown that they can win, can make their teammates better, play efficiently, and come up with big plays on both sides of the ball in important situations. If I was trying to win the Championship this season and had to pick someone to be the starting point, these are the players I would choose to win my team a title.

 1.       LeBron James

The best player in the game, LeBron has shown in the last 2 Finals series how far he will push himself to win a ring. Offense and defense, rebounding and passing, shooting and driving, he does everything at the top level. No doubt.

2.       Kawhi Leonard

Looking for a number 2? It’s Kawhi. Two DPOYs in a row shows how important he is in this league. He’s become the go-to guy and developed every aspect of his game to now be an all-around talent in every way.

3.       Anthony Davis

Individually one of the best talents in the NBA, and the best bigman going around. Davis does everything for the Pelicans, and if it weren’t for injuries and a below average surrounding cast in New Orleans, he’d be a bonafide top player. Davis might miss some games in the season but if he had a proper team around him, he’d be able to put up the huge games we’ve seen from him so far this year in wins.

4.       Steph Curry

There’s a lot of hate out there for Steph, and personally I don’t think he has shown up and taken over the Finals like he could’ve the past 2 seasons. But at the end of the day, Steph gets wins, and a lot of them. When he’s on, he’ll make the 4th quarter of any game meaningless because he’s hit 8 3-pointers already and sealed the game. I don’t rate him as the best player as his defense is questionable and he hasn’t taken his game to the next level in important playoff games, but it’s hard to argue he’s not one of the best players in the world.

5.       Kevin Durant

Another Warrior who has gotten a lot of hate recently is Durant, but honestly he is still the best flat-out scorer in the league, who gets his shot off against anyone. Like with Curry I also don’t know if he’s done all he can in the playoffs, but OKC has to take more of the blame for their losses than Durant alone, who wasn’t well supported for years. Individually an amazing talent who is so efficient, you can’t say he’s any worse of a player on his new team.

 Who missed out: Russell Westbrook and James Harden, who are both amazing talents, but both have a few drawbacks. Harden has obviously had some well-documented defensive lapses, and similarly Westbrook’s team defense isn’t great. As the leader on his team, Harden couldn’t do anything to get the team to bounce back last season when it looked like they could’ve been a contender after their 2015 playoff run, and while it wasn’t his fault they were so bad, he wasn’t able to turn them around. Westbrook might average a triple-double this season, but these numbers are clearly inflated due to a below-average team. For both of these players, they’re amazing players but, don’t have the all-around abilities or efficiencies of some others. Another factor is turnovers – both are notorious for giving the ball up, and in big games you need to hang on to the basketball.

[therosterblog-blog]

Cool Free Games: Moomoomang’s Australian Satire Suite

Last week I wrote about a game called Centrelink Simulator by Moomoomang, real name Oscar Brittain. As it turns out, this isn’t the only piece of choice Australian satire he has churned out. You should give these games a try:

Centrelink Simulator: I wrote about this last week, but definitely play now if you missed that.

Pauline Hanson Simulator: It makes sense that Pauline Hanson’s existence can be summed up in a minute long browser game.

The Bachelor: Deathmatch: I feel like it was a mistake not to call this the Deathmatchelor.

I used to eat smashed avocado, but now I own a house: Remember this? I haven’t stopped eating smashed avo and I live on the street, so this game is an important warning for our times.

I didn’t know there was an active Australian indie games scene until recently. I vaguely remember LA Noire was developed by a team in Sydney, but I assumed every group collapsed after the financial crisis. Did you know Fruit Ninja was made here?! I didn’t until 2 weeks ago (and this is a good read about Halfbrick, the developers behind it).

Pauline Hanson Simulator and The Bachelor: Deathmatch are a little too on the nose for me, but Centrelink Simulator and IUTESABNIOAH do a better job. Both of them make an effective point in the short time they run for. CS is stressful up until the point you realise you can make money by doing nothing but throwing papers (and phones) in the bin, which is probably the mindset of a lot of overworked Centrelink employees. IUTESABNIOAH does a good job really illustrating the vast difference between a home deposit and some smashed avocado (and the vast chasm between reality and Bernard Salt).

I’d figured the only time social commentary showed up in games was when a big developer decided to throw some real-world parallels into their stories, and maybe some indies if you read between the lines. Brittain’s games suggest another version, more in line with a daily comic in a paper than a big article or a book, one which I’m a big fan of.

You can find more games by Oscar Brittain on his itch.io page.