![]() Everyone just has a way of reflecting this goofy dystopia in their own unique ways, and minus the parts with Alex’s family in between chapters, which are meant to be more serious in contrast, you quickly settle into a groove where you quickly get used to the insanity, chuckling along the way as you decide what ads to play, bleep out the curse words, and such as you work with the silly propaganda at your hands…and then the turning point happens. The Oscars, though, have to go to Paul Baverstock and Andrea Valls as anchors Jeremy Donaldson and Megan Wolfe, respectfully, whose snarkiness and facial reactions as they have to deal with everyone hit that perfect level of comedy. This is a game where any insane stunt can disrupt the news, and every performance sells the reactions to them. The writing is sharp and perfectly absurd, but the performances by the cast are what truly help sell everything, with every guest fully committing to a nice variety of lunacy-infused ham in their own way, be it trying to keep a show going as a set falls around them or suddenly dropping a series of curse words after learning about the current state of the environment on-air. What helps the humor land, though, is the delivery of everyone involved. There’s even a chapter that takes place during a lockdown that was made during and inspired by the real-life COVID-19 lockdown…just one that’s been caused by a plague of killer robot dolls. Not only is the humor still just as strong, but even moreso than in the early game, Not For Broadcast doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to satires of contemporary politics and their extremes or the news media that covers it, taking aim at everyone from socialists to right-wing militias and every talking head trying to discuss or cash in on them. When we had last previewed the game back in early 2020 and detailed the first few broadcasts, it was immediately clear that one of the biggest strengths of Not For Broadcast was its sense of humor, with players having to cover the likes of perfectly-amateur school plays that receive funding from Advance, the insane new sports craze that is Sportsboard, or the growing resistance group against Advance called Disrupt, made up of wealthy people stripping naked to protest that Advance’s wealth distribution means they have to downgrade to a house with.*gasp*…only ONE staircase. But now Alex is in a position where they get to decide just how Advance and their critics are viewed, assuming they can figure out how to properly edits things to begin with… They promise to help improve things in the country, but it becomes clear quickly that there are those who may question their methods, to say the least. To be specific, that editor is fleeing the country because it’s election night, and a radical new party known as Advance has emerged victorious. ![]() Set in Not-Britain during an alternate version of the 1980s, Not For Broadcast sees you paying as Alex Winston, a janitor for the Channel One television network who suddenly finds themselves as the editor for the National Nightly News after the previous one decides to bolt at the last second. In an age such as this, do you still feel that you’re immune to the effects of propaganda? Do you question if social media for the news is truly showing you all of the important details, or keeping you in a bubble? Better question, though: could you handle being on the other side of the looking glass? What would you do if you suddenly had the power to control what gets viewed on the news by millions, especially during chaotic times, and especially when it comes to politics? Would you try to keep things as even and non-biased as possible or manipulate them in a way that benefits you? And most importantly…do you go with the close-up shot of a disastrous apple pie or the reaction of the Gordon Ramsey expy as they curse like a sailor over it? These are the questions NotGames’ FMV “porpaganda simulator” Not For Broadcast poses, and they’re questions that you’ll want to answer. ![]()
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