VideoGamer.com Plays, 1st November 2014

Tom Orry, Editorial Director – Football Manager 2015, PC

I got off to a rather rocky start in my new season as Spurs manager. Nine games in and I’d only managed to rack up eight points, I’d crashed out of the Carling Cup, and the board wasn’t happy. My time at the club looked numbered, but Goaldado came good, scoring in games against Sunderland and Aston Villa, earning me two much needed wins. Football Manager still has the magic, and maybe I do too.

Steve Burns, Deputy Editor – PES 2015, PS4, Batman Returns, Mega CD.

This week I’ve not been playing too many games, having only just crawled out from my bunker after having given a certain score to a certain game. Still, I made time to play more of the PES 2015 code that we’ve got, especially the Become A Legend mode, which is excellent. Our full review is coming soon.

I’ve also been playing old Mega CD titles ahead of some retro game night I’m putting together for the other nostalgia-addled 30 year olds I know. Out of curiosity I fired up Batman Returns, which had a reputation for being tough on the Mega Drive. The CD version adds timed driving sections, which are even harder still. Cheers, the 90s. You sucked.

Chris Bratt, Video Man (not an actual man) – Dragon Age: Origins, PC

Messing around with the Dragon Age Keep this week has served as a very timely reminder that I’ve forgotten loads and loads of stuff about my playthrough of Origins. The Keep seems an impressive ol’ thing that helps Inquisition remember all those important decisions that you fretted over and it doesn’t appear to be skimping on the smaller details. That’s brilliant news, but as it’s pulling those decisions from my Xbox achievements (as far as I can tell), it’s not quite as accurate as I would have liked.

I remember reuniting Sten with his sword, despite the Keep stating otherwise, which was very easily fixed. But I don’t remember how I reacted to that prisoner that you meet in Ostagar at the beginning of the game. Did I help him? This Dragon Age Keep seems to think that I did, but what if it’s fibbing again? Why wouldn’t I help the prisoner? I’m sure I would have helped him. Was he a nice prisoner? Does it matter in the slightest? I bet it doesn’t even matter.

I need to replay Dragon Age: Origins. All of it.

Jim Trinca, Video Producer (and actual man) – The Longest Journey, PC

Right, so, a couple of podcasts ago I sort-of implied that you could skip The Longest Journey if you wanted to get up to speed with the Dreamfall, and I was quite rightly called out for that, because you really shouldn’t.

Before any more episodes of Dreamfall Chapters come out, I want the whole story fresh in my mind. Last week I fired onto GOG.com and re-purchased the previous games, because I can’t find my disc copies, because I’m an idiot.

Now, I love The Longest Journey, but I almost dreaded installing it. It’s a game that’s very much of its time, and in Point & Click terms, that means it looks a bit ropey, contains seemingly endless conversations full of boring exposition, and most of the gameplay involves clicking things onto other things and hoping something happens.

I used to love games like that, but in 2014, I have no patience for them. Look, I don’t even read books that don’t have pictures.

Time has not been kind to The Longest Journey, and it is mechanically just as pish as the adventure game genre always was. But its story is incredible. I’ve always loved the way it blends science-fiction and fantasy together, in literal and thematic terms, as I discussed in our recent Chapters video.

The characters have genuine depth, the locations have a real authenticity to them, existing as they do in a universe that is incredibly well thought-out and described. It’s the kind of fantasy story that you wish was real, that you almost convince yourself to believe.

As a piece of fiction, The Longest Journey is absolutely essential. Not just as preparation for Dreamfall Chapters, but as a jewel in the crown of an entire genre that any self-respecting fan of things should experience. I’d like to jump back in time and slap myself in the face for ever suggesting otherwise.

It’s recently been revealed that a “remastered” version is heading to iOS devices, which is lovely and probably a much better way of playing it than having it stretched over a massive HD monitor.