PENTIMENT is the sort of game that I don't expect is going to appeal to everyone, the point and click narrative game from Obsidian Entertainment ( THE OUTER WORLDS , PILLARS OF ETERNITY) is very dense and it takes its time unfolding. Fans of history and the evolution of culture are in for something pretty special as you walk the labyrinth in contemplation of God, each decision weighing heavily on you, each decision determining what survives and what gets painted over. Read a written version of t...
Dec 01, 2022•8 min•Season 2Ep. 54
GOTHAM KNIGHTS is an intriguing experiment - a superhero action game that is torn between being a solid narrative experience and something else entirely that is soured with odd loot systems, uninspiring character ability trees and a fundamentally flawed mission and world design that feels cut and paste and repetitive in the worst ways. Read a written review on our website: GOTHAM KNIGHTS is a frustrating open world adventure which isn't as fun as just being Batman A copy of GOTHAM KNIGHTS on PC ...
Oct 24, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 53
OVERWATCH 2 brings the team based shooter into the free to play era with some pretty questionable monetisation but ultimately extremely fun multiplayer gameplay. Adam Christou, Mitch Loh and Gianni Di Giovanni share their first impressions of Blizzard's once legendary game. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy , Kyle Pauletto , Fiona Bartholomaeus , Daniel Ang & Adam Christou . Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their su...
Oct 07, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Playing THE LAST OF US PART 1, the PlayStation 5 remake of the original game makes me wish this was the very first time I was playing the series, taking my first steps into post apocalyptic cordyceps infected world. But this game is for better and worse the ultimate version of that 2013 title, which means if you've experienced Joel and Ellie's first story, you've played this excellent game. Read our written review on the SIFTER website : THE LAST OF US PART 1 will make you wish this was your ver...
Aug 31, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 51
CULT OF THE LAMB is one of the best single player games of the year, you'll feel compelled to keep moving through both combat and base building modes as you aim for that next attainable upgrade or giant boss to defeat. Chris Button (Byteside) joins Mainstream to discuss Massive Monster's excellent cult simulator. Read our written review on the SIFTER website : CULT OF THE LAMB is devilishly addictive game with lots of fun systems to play with A copy of CULT OF THE LAMB was provided to SIFTER for...
Aug 10, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 50
STRAY is a new perspective on a post-apocalyptic science fiction, and playing as a cat through this story is a blast. Heavily drawing from cyberpunk aesthetics and some of the anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist themes common in the genre it does however fall into some of the same pitfalls. Heavily influenced by the neon streets of Hong Kong and Kowloon walled city, the game doesn't meaningfully engage with the orientalist imagery in a deep level, as Sisi Jiang from Kotaku succinctly identifi...
Aug 05, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 49
FIRE EMBLEM WARRIORS: THREE HOPES takes the best part of the Warriors franchise and effortlessly mixes it with the core elements of the most recent Fire Emblem series – the dramatic Game Of Thrones style storyline, a charismatic cast of characters, a likeable new protagonist and a strong focus on managing and commanding your troops in the heat of battle. Read our written review on the SIFTER website : FIRE EMBLEM WARRIORS: THREE HOPES is a welcome return to Fódlan and a fun twist on the WARRIORS...
Jul 21, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 48
THE QUARRY by Supermassive Games is a masterwork of genre fiction and really cleverly written ode to those eighties and nineties teen slasher flicks. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy , Kyle Pauletto , Fiona Bartholomaeus , Daniel Ang & Adam Christou . Mitch Loh is Senior Producer and Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Thanks to Omny Studio for their support of SIFTER. Join the SIFTER Discord to be part of the conversation Support SIFTER's independent gaming journalism by hea...
Jun 15, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 47
Grab your joycon, tighten your wrist strap and bowl, smash or spike your way to victory. If you had a Wii you almost certainly played WII SPORTS, the 2006 title sold 82 million copies by the end of that console's life in 2017. NINTENDO SWITCH SPORTS is a slick sequel with plenty of innovation and polish that could become another cult classic. Read our written review on the SIFTER website : NINTENDO SWITCH SPORTS is a stylish and fun multiplayer game, but online progression for cosmetics is a cho...
May 22, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 46
TREK TO YOMI 's crackling and popping of a dusty film reel samurai film aesthetic hits you quickly when you first load into the game.This is a serious cinematic experience. We're doing everything in black and white, there's using gorgeous camera angles. Read our written review on the SIFTER website : TREK TO YOMI, a side scrolling samurai epic and a visual treat A copy of TREK TO YOMI was provided to SIFTER for the purpose of this review. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy , Kyle Pauletto , ...
May 13, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 45
You won't have played anything quite like 13 SENTINELS: AEGIS RIM, this multi-protagonist mecha anime game is so compelling and layered it's actually mindblowing how well all the parts work together. Step into the highschool drama of budding relationships, interschool rivalries in Sakura High School just before the world ends and you need to jump into the cockpit of a Sentinel robot to defeat the mechanised kaiju. Read our written review on the SIFTER website : A masterful branching scifi story,...
Apr 27, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 44
KIRBY AND THE FORGOTTEN LAND the new platformer in the long running Kirby Series from HAL Laboratory is both familiar and new enough to have something for all players. Fiona and Gianni explore this fun new adventure for the most powerful pink ball around which is out now on Nintendo Switch. Read our written review on the SIFTER website : Get absorbed in KIRBY AND THE FORGOTTEN LAND SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Kennedy , Kyle Pauletto , Fiona Bartholomaeus , Daniel Ang & Adam Christou . Mit...
Apr 19, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Heartfelt writing that comes from a deep love of tabletop gaming, and some stellar performances from Ashly Burch, Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes and Will Arnett makes TINY TINA'S WONDERLANDS a fun take on the tried and true looter-shooter format. Gianni a relative newbie to BORDERLANDS series joins Mitch a long time veteran as they enter the Wonderlands which performs a lot better on new consoles. A copy of TINY TINA'S WONDERLANDS was provided to SIFTER for the purpose of this review. SIFTER is produ...
Apr 07, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 42
WolfEye Studios' debut game is a creative isometric action rpg that sees you exploring a world rich with interactivity and intricate systems to exploit. READ OUR REVIEW: WEIRD WEST wants you to play creatively and experiment with its systems WEIRD WEST wants to push back at you. It wants to make every step you take through its dust covered; occult landscape feel layered with consequence. Who are you? How does the world react to you and your choices? Are the people you’ve wronged going to get the...
Mar 31, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 41
If you want to experience the nostalgia of visiting Tokyo, there are few other games that capture the feel of that city like GHOSTWIRE TOKYO , but it's a city devoid of life emptied of the thrum of humanity. This action adventure game set in a world of spirits and magic, is an ambitious departure for Tango Gameworks (THE EVIL WITHIN) but while you can explore much of spooky Shibuya there isn't much motivation to do so, as you find yourself repeating similar tasks over and over. Edmond Tran , Man...
Mar 24, 2022•30 min•Season 2Ep. 40
ELDEN RING, the latest game from Japanese studio FromSoftware, has sold over 12 million copies since its release in late February. This massive, open-world adventure-rpg continues to build on the legacy and foundation of FromSoftware's previous works in DARK SOULS and BLOODBORNE, throwing players into a dark fantasy world filled with rich lore and difficult boss fights and challenging encounters to overcome. Sifter producer Adam Christou joins Gianni for a chat about his time in ELDEN RING, havi...
Mar 19, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 39
HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST is the blockbuster sequel the 2016 title HORIZON ZERO DAWN, a third person action game with wonderfully designed elements that keep you hooked. An early contender for one of the most beautiful games ever produced this game takes the open world exploration and combat of the first game, and fills in the gaps to make a believable human world. John Rogers of Gaming in the Wild joins Mainstream to share stories of this hard scifi world and the 4GB of captures taken in this stun...
Mar 01, 2022•34 min•Season 2Ep. 38
The Pokémon series celebrated 25 years last year and this year POKÉMON LEGENDS ARCEUS is one of the biggest departures from the tried and true format. In a semi-open world where danger is all around you, this game feels like the closest to actually living the world of the anime series. Mitchel Loh and Gianni Di Giovanni share their thoughts on their adventures in the ancient land of Hisui. A review code of this game was provided to SIFTER by Nintendo Australia. SIFTER is produced by Nicholas Ken...
Feb 16, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Welcome to Walkthrough SIFTER 's brand new weekly news recap show. Each Sunday we'll highlight some of the biggest stories in video games to keep you up to date. Your host on each episode of Walkthrough is Kyle Pauletto, an accomplished journalist with a keen interest in bringing you the best gaming stories each week THIS WEEK: Nintendo outlines 2022 and beyond in it's first Direct - Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Mario Kart 8 DLC, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Earthbound GTA V sells 160 mil...
Feb 13, 2022•10 min•Season 1Ep. 1
You might be just a nobody, but it's up to you to take up the heroic mantle in Drinkbox Studios' (GUACAMELEE) new rogue-lite roleplaying game NOBODY SAVES THE WORLD . In this game you change form into bodybuilders, rats, mermaids and necromancers to complete quests, delve through dungeons and fight off the calamity facing everyone. Adam is joined by guest reviewer Chantelle McColl (GamesHub, Byteside) to discuss this game with both fantastic and frustrating design elements that has work its way ...
Feb 01, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 36
It's that time of the year, where we sit down and consider all the amazing games we've played in 2021. This is part two of two episodes featuring the SIFTER team. Gianni Di Giovanni has been loving the historical touches and puzzle solving narrative of THE FORGOTTEN CITY by Modern Storyteller Adam Christou has become lost in the beautiful desert world of science fiction adventure SABLE by Shedworks Daniel Ang has strapped on the armor and jumped head first onto Delta Halo in HALO INFINITE by 343...
Jan 10, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 35
It's that time of the year, where we sit down and consider all the amazing games we've played in 2021. This is part one of two episodes featuring the SIFTER team. Nicholas Kennedy shares the genre-subverting MUNDAUN by Hidden Fields, a horror game that brought a lot of joy Fiona Bartholomaeus teams up with a rag tag crew in Marvel's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY by Eidos-Montreal Mitchel Loh takes time to put everything in it's right place in UNPACKING by Witch Beam Games SIFTER is produced by Nichola...
Dec 30, 2021•31 min•Season 2Ep. 34
HALO INFINITE is a game that has had a rollercoaster ride, first anticipated, then derided then delayed and now lauded, it's one of the best HALO games ever and perhaps one of the very best first person shooter campaigns. With a semi open world structure, 343 Industries pulls from your memories of what HALO was like to play and reframes it in a modern context. Guest reviewer Chris Button (Gameshub, Byteside, Mobile Arcade Club ) joins Mainstream again to jump back into the shoes of the Master Ch...
Dec 08, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 33
DEATH'S DOOR is a delight to look at, inspired by games like the 2D titles in the LEGEND OF ZELDA series, Acid Nerve's isometric adventure makes us question the nature of morality and death. Take on the role of an unnamed crow as you reap the souls of the dead, in a game that's part rogue-lite part, bullet-hell, part narrative adventure Guest reviewer Chris Button (Gameshub, Byteside, Mobile Arcade Club ) joins Mainstream to share his thoughts on a game he throughly enjoyed. A copy of DEATH'S DO...
Nov 26, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 32
SABLE is a third person adventure game drawing inspiration from the artwork of iconic French visual artist Jean 'Moebius' Giraud, the films of Studio Ghibli and the wanderlust evoked by games like THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD. SIFTER's Adam Christou and Gianni Di Giovanni don their Ibexxi clan masks and head out into the wild deserts and mountainous locales of Midden to talk through the success of this unique coming-of-age adventure experience by North-London games studio Shedworks. S...
Oct 31, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 31
METROID DREAD is the first 2D sidescrolling game in the iconic series in almost 20 years, which continues directly on from the 2002 title METROID FUSION for the Gameboy Advance. Games journalist Chantelle McColl (GamesHub, Byteside) and METROID series veteran joins Mainstream to share her thoughts on the game. A challenging entry into the series with lots of new features, there is plenty here to love, but some challenging controls and old fashioned legacy design in parts might leave some new pla...
Oct 14, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 30
KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS is the debut title from visual effects company turned game developers Ember Lab exclusive to Playstation and PC where you play as Kena a spirit guide who helps the deceased move from the physical world into the afterlife. A beautiful unparalleled visual feast that feels like you're playing in an animated feature film and an impressive debut, KENA: BRIDGE OF SPIRITS is not without it's limitations James Morrison speaks to Adam Christou about what they loved and what left t...
Oct 03, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Deathloop is the new immersive sim by Arkane Lyon (Dishonored, Prey) set in a stylish 1970s themed time loop where you must die and repeat the day to break a timeloop. Adam has spent hours replaying the same day over and over, and it's been enough to shift his scepticism around a genre that they didn't usually gel with. Over the top voice acting and outstanding design make for a special game for Playstation 5 and PC players. A copy of this game was provided to SIFTER for the purposes of this rev...
Sep 22, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Dive into Russian folklore and the nature of the self with card battler Black Book by Morteska with Nick, and Adam explores twin stick shooter The Ascent which actually asks a few smart questions about the nature of hypercapitalist cyberpunk future by Swedish developers Neon Giant . Pixel Sift is produced by Scott Quigg , Sarah Ireland , Fiona Bartholomaeus , Daniel Ang & Adam Christou . Mitch Loh is our Senior Producer, Gianni Di Giovanni is our Executive Producer. Brian Fairbanks from Salt...
Aug 16, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Paul Turbett and Anthony Sweet of Perth's Black Lab Games are no strangers to big franchises, they made the critically and fan acclaimed strategy game Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock , but when the opportunity came to work on one of the biggest science fiction universes Warhammer 40,000 they leapt at the challenge. Warhammer 40,000 Battlesector is that game, which has been released this week to rave reviews exploring the stories of the Blood Angels Space Marine chapter in their clashes with the b...
Jul 27, 2021•30 min•Ep. 27
