![]() Given the low budget, I don’t think NotGames could have done a game like this using animation. Instead, I have to give it all vague, so suffice to say the writing is pin-sharp and absolutely makes the most of having FMV. I desperately want to talk about specific events and moments that kicked me squarely in the feels or made me laugh or just made me stop and consider things. The tricky thing is it’s difficult to talk about why Not For Broadcast’s excellent story works without spoiling huge pieces of it. That’s not something a videogame does very often. ![]() There was one section in particular that actually left me with a sense of shock, and it took me a solid five minutes to unpause the game and keep going. It’s a difficult line to walk, yet NotGames do an admirable job mixing their brand of dark comedy with poignant moments and properly emotional sequences. Although there’s a serious story at its core, Not For Broadcast loves to dabble in the absurd, including sentient toys, incredibly dumb celebrities and scientists trapped within Dante’s Taint. ![]() No matter the outcome it feels as though your choices do matter.Įverything is conveyed via hours and hours of FMV and is performed by an exceptionally talented cast who seem to be having a blast with the game’s often barmy antics. How will you present a certain celebrity to the world? Will you show that potentially controversial image of them? Will you cut the cameras when things start to get intense? And there’s no awkward good/evil gauge guiding your path – you make choices, you hope for the best and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. The various decisions you make will come back to poke you in the arse in a myriad of ways, culminating in one of 14 different possible endings, providing plenty of reason to go back and replay the 6-8 hour story mode. It’s such a fascinating look at how media affects us every single day and how just one person sitting behind a desk can influence millions even when they don’t intend to. ![]() And it’s not like Advance are depicted purely as evil they have some good ideas and genuinely do some good, but at what cost? At first, the time jumps you experience are a few days at a time, but before long huge swathes of time zip past, giving you a look at how Advance’s ideas and laws change the country and even the world. Eventually, and without spoiling too much, people will begin to fight back against the new regime and you’ll be stuck in the terrible position of whether you should support them by allowing their messages through, or whether to play it safe to support your family. Do the job and you won’t notice that everything blue is anti-government speech or even anything that vaguely pokes at Advance’s ideals.īehind the desk, you have a lot of control over how issues are portrayed based on what images you use during headlines, what speech you censor out, the camera angles selected and even what adverts to run. But the first hints of problems within your job begin when you’re asked to censor anything on the special censor graph that shows up as blue, not just the highlighted red swearing. Y’know, that’s almost exactly how I wound up with this reviewing gig.Īs Advance begin implementing their new ideas, it’s pretty clear that things are going to be rocky. And then Dave kindly informs you that his ferry has arrived and that he probably isn’t coming back so the job is yours. The two new prime ministers, one a boozy bloke and the other an overly smiley lady, are holding a press conference that will lay the groundwork for this new vision of the future. This new job title comes at a tricky time a group called Advance have just come into power and quickly set about introducing huge new reforms, starting with a redistribution of wealth. Despite some issues, this is one broadcast you don’t want to miss because it might just end up being your game of the year.Īs Alex, you’re nothing more than a humble janitor at the National Nightly News studios until you wander into the editing room and get a phone call from Dave who informs you that he needs you to take the reigns for the night. Amidst Not For Broadcast’s crazier moments is a story of people, governments, propaganda, the power that media wields and tough choices. ![]() This little indie game puts you behind the scenes of the Nightly National News program, cutting between camera’s, censoring anything naughty and ensuring a smooth show so that leading news anchor Jeremy Donaldson can deliver the headlines to the nation. Not For Broadcast is one of the most interesting and unique games I’ve played in a very long time. ![]()
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