Titan Race - A White Mason Board Game Critique

It's been a busy few weeks for The Teege and I, and it began with a new source of intrigue. March saw the inaugural board games night event in Aroma, the coffee shop and cocktail bar so close to our hearts - and Mr Mason and I were joined by a fine consortium of compatriots in bringing both simple and complex tabletop play to this most welcoming of venues. Yet as the evening unfolded, it was a comparatively recent game, Funforge's 'Titan Race', which piqued our particular interest.

Chanced upon in the local specialist emporium, this simple jaunt - be the first mythical being to win the titular race - turned out to be a surprisingly nuanced and entertaining caper. Titan Race packs six copyright-friendly figures from legends and folklore together, each riding an almighty mount, and each specialising in their own weaponised means by which to turn the odds back in your favour.

The characters are fun, each pandering to a choice geek demographic - your humble writer was enamoured with the goblin pirate piloting a steampunk robot crab, while The Teege honoured his ancestry in electing for a yeti-riding Norse demigod. Other racers, like the dragon-critter-riding knight and the cultist atop a Lovecraftian monstrosity, each bring their own unique mythos and mayhem to the table.

Each character has access to a unique weapon - a yeti ice punch, a life-sapping dark power, an arsenal of traps to deposit on the track - to further flavour this mad scramble for the finish. In a twist almost like the arcade videogames of yore, Titan Racer has an intriguing mechanic for players who stray beyond the confines of the themed boards that define its racetracks. Indeed, leave the right hand side of the board, and your character appears on the left, as though circumnavigating the tiny world it represents. This opens up a surprisingly deep well of tactical play, which is further reinforced by the power-ups obtainable during play.

These weapons arise if you pass over specified areas of the board, similar to the hovering question mark boxes of Mario Kart games. They range from invulnerability (no lava shall thwart you!), through to specialised weaponry, and even to a summonable portal that The Teege used to devastatingly victorious effect.

So far, so fun. Each board has its own quirk - the ice world contains slippery regions that can help or hinder movement, the pirate island has spaces which incur the wrath of the local corsairs - and the idea is that tight, impactful races in which each player jostles for position whilst crashing, diminishing rivals' hitpoints and coming out on top, ought ensue. And while racing from the bottom to the top of the board in three laps sounds fun, we opted for the optional 'Grand Slam' rule, linking three board-worlds together for a multi-terrain challenge.

However, what sets Titan Race apart above all else is its use of dice. Indeed, the six bundled cubes of chaos contribute anything from straight-out sprints to swerving, trap-laying combos - and each face of the die also has a colour corresponding to a given character.

During a game of Titan Race, players take as many dice as there are players on the board, then roll to create a collective 'pool' of options. The first player in turn order chooses which of the available moves, as presented on the dice, best befits his racer, before the remaining players take turns to pick the remaining options. Furthermore, if you pick a die with the same colour as your player character, you can heal a hitpoint - a vital boon, lest you miss a turn if entirely knocked out. The penalty for full hitpoint depletion may seem mild, but take it from us - missing but a single turn in Titan Race can cost the game entirely. That said, downed players can still pick a die from the pool to thwart advantages otherwise offered to other players, lending a wry strategy to proceedings.

The Teege's Verdict of Titan Race is one of simplicity. It is a superb game, and I would recommend this to new gamers and established tabletop players alike. The idea of Mario Kart in a board game is probably the closest example we could find, and sums up the enjoyment that was created when playing said game (sorry to our buddy Nick for my punching you back to the other side of the lake, but The Teege won)! I give this a 4/5 stars and wait for the second round to begin!


We had a sensational time with Titan Race, to the extent that it's become a surprising hit with our board game community, and a growing favourite among our collection. Were your scribe to muster a complaint, it would merely be that he wants more - more weapons, more racers, more boards to trample through, and more mayhem! 3.5 / 5 Stars to a zesty new game, already packed with promise - but so ideal to become so very much more.

So if you chance upon Mr White and Mr Mason in the wild at a board game event, why not take us on in a race?

Just don't let The Teege near the interdimensional portal...

Retro Gaming! Mr White's Corsair Contrast - Skies of Arcadia VS Rogue Galaxy

Piracy! Although not to be encouraged as a means by which to distribute and acquire games per se, it sure as buccanners and bowsprits is a fantastic topic for a videogame to be about. A couple of years ago, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag summoned a little more sensationalism to mainstream gamers' appreciation of digital doubloons and Caribbean capers. Today though, pirate-themed games are back on the fringes - and if you like Japanese roleplaying games (JRPGs), the pickings are slimmer than a finely shaven pegleg.

Yet there are two JRPGs that immediately spring to mind whenever piratical play is pondered, and it is here that we shall discuss their delights in the salubrious spirit of retro game review jocularity. Indeed, whilst my dear and esteemed Teege hones his Tekken talents and immerses himself in JRPGs of yore, your humble Mr White has mustered all hands to deck to pit Skies of Arcadia against Rogue Galaxy. Aye, me hearties - you read that right!

Skies of Arcadia - where belt buckles happen to your sleeves.

Skies of Arcadia and Rogue Galaxy are often compared, with the former being a Sega game that set sail on the good ship Dreamcast before its remastered rerelease on the GameCube. And although Arcadia is a world of magical steampunk airships and swashbuckling derring-do, Rogue Galaxy - for PlayStation 2 and, more recently, revamped for a high-definition Trophy-enabled rerelease on PlayStation 4 - is an interstellar sci-fi romp featuring some plucky space pirate hijinks. It was developed by Level-5, ingenious inventors of massively popular games like Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven and Yokai Watch.

Rogue Galaxy - when your ship's sterncastle is an ACTUAL CASTLE.

Pit Skies of Arcadia and Rogue Galaxy side by side, and a number of similarities are starkly apparent. For one, the central protagonists are pirates in each game - although not the true definition of piracy, insofar as the attacking of trade vessels and the general penchant for violence is concerned. No no - both games are more akin to those Saturday morning animes we all grew up with, with chirpy shipmates and a general sense of the jolly lot of them being naught more than playful rascals out for a caper and a big load of mythical treasure. Similarly, both games have splendid flying frigates and galleons as a central means of transportation, and both feature evil empires that are planning to unleash ancient evils in an eternal lust for conquest. See? Told you it was like a Saturday morning anime.

Aika - Skies of Arcadia

Kisala - Rogue Galaxy

With oh-so-frequent random enemy encounters, mighty boss battles, and even similarly attired female deuteragonists with indefatigably chirpy personalities, both Skies of Arcadia and Rogue Galaxy could be assumed, at first glance, to be riffing off one another. Yet play each side by side, and their differences soon become apparent. For one thing, where Skies of Arcadia favours the turn-based battles of RPGs of yore, Rogue Galaxy has a frantic and fast-paced battle system that has you and your party members dashing around, urgently attempting to outwit foes who hit like trucks full of ouch-juice.

Furthermore, both games have a broader reach than their anime-eque plots alone. Rogue Galaxy has a rather opaque yet versatile item manufacturing metagame, not to mention bounty hunting and an insect battling and breeding tournament none too dissimilar to a certain monster-catching franchise that's celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Meanwhile, Skies of Arcadia features bounty hunting too, but also a fully realised Discoveries system befitting its world's 'Age of Exploration' era - and you're fully able to pilot a variety of gorgeous sky-ships, in contrast to Rogue Galaxy's singular, impressive yet only-flown-in-cutscenes interstellar galleon. Indeed, Arcadia then throws ship battles into the mix - often challenging and highly strategic, factoring in rival ship captains as well as ancient gargantuans from beyond recorded history. Add to that the crew recruitment metagame Arcadia offers - wherein each member adds new capabilities to both ship and terrestrial battles - as well as the ability to capture an island and set up a customisable pirate base, and it's clear that Arcadia is the world you're going to want to explore.

Getting boots this fine takes ages!

That said, both games offer oodles of secrets, yet Rogue Galaxy suffers a little from its dungeon-crawling modus operandi - the 'space pirate' motif could easily have worked as any other setting, as planets are essentially RPG towns and surrounding dungeons, though these are all wonderfully realised. Well, except for the Gladius Towers, a mid-game double-dungeon of mind-numbing length and tedium, whose constant random battles and labyrinthine structure doesn't so much scream 'filler and padding' as bring the enjoyable jaunt of the whole game screeching to an utterly deplorable standstill. Rogue Galaxy is an excellent game, however, and its rerelease via PlayStation 4 has allowed new audiences to appreciate its fun and finery.


Its status as a more modern game in the first place also has allowed Rogue Galaxy to age better from a technical perspective - the game has full voice acting of a uniformly high standard, and holds up well today. The same can be said of Skies of Arcadia, but there's no doubting it's showing its rough edges far more nowadays. If only they'd make an HD rerelease of it like they do with, you know, everything else ever.

"Look, desert planet or not, a jacket wouldn't have killed you."

Indeed, though Arcadia is the better game - only one planet to explore, but you get to explore it fully, whereas Rogue Galaxy's title is misleading with regard to its scale and scope - Skies of Arcadia is very rarely encountered in the wild. Chance upon a Dreamcast or GameCube edition of the game, and you'll be expected to drop anywhere between £60 - 120 for the pleasure of play. It's a price well worth paying for one of the most unique and enjoyable RPGs ever committed to the digital realm, of course - but in terms of accessibility, Rogue Galaxy wins out. You can cheerfully download it to a PS4 at your leisure.


Both games are fine interpretations of piracy through the fantasy filter, albeit without any freeform
debauchery or raiding or cannonfire or anything beyond thrilling heroics. Why, Rogue Galaxy's pirates are so law-abiding that renewing your travel visa in order to legally fly your starship is a plot point!

We'd love to see sequels to both Skies of Arcadia and Rogue Galaxy, yet their dear mother corporations seem to have their eyes on other prizes - painfully reducing blue hypersonic mascots to laughing stocks and making games about kids with magical watches going ghostbusting, last we checked. It's a shame, but if you've never played these fine piratical capers, we urge you to do so - stories woven around a golden age, formed in the videogame industry's golden age itself.

White Mason Reviews covers everything from restaurants and comedians to bars and videogames - if you've a product, an experience or an idea ready for our appraisal, feel free to get in touch!

Grosvenor Fish Bar -The Teege Critiques

So one sunny afternoon I had the delight of stopping by an old place that's had family owners in the last 30 years, and has always been one of, if not THE, most popular fish and chip shop in Norwich. Taking a traditional view on the way it's served, maintaining the feeling of quick service and an upbeat pace, this place never slows, and you will tend to find the queue lagging somewhere out of the door and around the corner.

Their new and expansive menu has brought questions to your critique's lips though... shark and miso on chips? Now I am a true fan of the finer culinary delights, but placing them in what's marketed as a traditional fish and chip bar is something new altogether.

The variety of choice for fish and sausage, however, has grown vastly since the days of a sausage and chips and a piece of unknown godforsaken fish. With the loss of Hot Chip, the hipster version of fish and chips, this left the Norwich market with Grosvenor Fish Bar as the only contender.

Upon entrance, the newly decorated walls of wood and pop art bring an air of vibrancy to the old chippy. The upbeat Americana music to accompany was an interesting touch... I didn't realise that in the USA they served a traditional English dish...!

The queue had six people in, with varying orders, which were handled swiftly. Upon my order the lady greeted me with somewhat of a fake interest into my presence, which seemed to bother her day...? "Sorry for wanting to purchase your chips," was my first reaction!

Order placed, we were offered our meal to eat in or take away... eating in being the preference this time, we were subsequently told to go downstairs and wait for our order. Sorry, wait, what...? Back up two seconds. You should never tell a customer to do something. That's Hospitality 101! You may advise that there is seating downstairs... anyway. We sat upstairs to watch how the rest of service was handled. Pretty much the same treatment, but overhearing the lady who served us discussing with her colleagues that "we never get to know our regulars" was interesting.

Upon the food arriving, we were excited. Two lots of sausage (no batter), and chips with gravy, cheese and curry sauce. The main ingredients, as far as I'm concerned, are the options available at any good chippy. The chips were as phenomenal as ever - crispy, yet light and fluffy. No excess oil, if only a tad too salty. The sausage was mediocre... I was expecting better. There was far too much salt. The sausage itself didn't have much flavour, beyond some piece of pork... I could tell that much! They could do with a partnership with Pickering's of Norwich, it would add a great twist.

So service and salt aside, The Teege gives this a 3.5/5 Stars. Less salt, more passion, and genuine personality from your staff will bring a whole new level of service to a revitalised old favourite.

I've an almighty fondness for the fishy fineries served at Grosvenor's, together with the friendly atmosphere and jazzy music. The vibrance of the establishment is a credit to Norwich, as is the hard work and commitment of its staff. The Bunker, the labyrinthine underground seating of the place, is a wonderful area in which to commune and unwind, and you can cheerfully take your fish and chips over the street to The Birdcage and eat them there. It's a fantastic part of the community, and if you've never tried it, I have just three words for you - Cha Cha Chips. Try them, and thank me later. It's 4/5 Stars from me!

Gonzo's Comedy Night Review - 29th January 2016

Stalwart Gonzo's, I believe we meet again! There's a lovely vibrant feeling of warmth that encompasses you as you enter this back-alley watering-hole. The staff here are always accommodating as the rhythmic beats pulse away the night with a clutter of conversation. Our choice of beverage is a mocha using only Stranger's finest coffee. Warming, smooth and delightful as always. But we are here on business! The Tome of Judgement in hand, let us begin what is Gonzo's Comedy Night!

It feels like far too long since we last sat down amid the crimson-and-candlelight gloom of perky Gonzo's Tea Room, gazing at the stage in collective hope of jokes, japes and jocularity. Fortunately, one of the premier events amid Norwich's growing comedic calendar is back - Friday 29th January 2016 saw local rising star Nelson T Gombakomba Junior joined by a host of familiar and fresh comic talent from every corner of Great Britain. Naturally, Mr White and Mr Mason attended to appraise the acts set to ensue - and after a previously resounding Christmas show, hopes were definitely high...
 

Our host for the evening was the evergreen Alexander Oliver, who took to presiding as Master of Ceremonies following his initial stint as such in December 2015. Mr Oliver was on remarkably strong form on the evening of 29th January, however, easily eclipsing his previous performance. Taking his penchant for quick-witted audience interaction to hitherto unseen heights, Alex confidently laid down his trademark humour, rich in innuendo, exasperated bluster and his long-standing rivalry with the loud Gonzo's Tea Room coffee machine. A resilient showing in the role of host, yet such was his degree of audience interaction that we ended up missing his own material - we hungered for his humour! 4/5 Stars.


Ah Alex, interactive and delightful as always! His temperament warming the room, slowly bringing the audience ever forward in accepting comedy into their hearts. Upon his opening there was a builder gentleman who decided to heckle - and Alex in all his quick-wittedness shut him down before any further comments could be made. With the audience on side Alex, brought forth some of his own material rather than just MC'ing, which was tremendously refreshing! 4/5 Stars.

Mr Cross... as you may remember, last time I had the "pleasurable" experience of enduring your comedic rant on life, which was to be honest disdainful and boring. So to hear your new works at January's event was, in all honesty, superb! I noted from my colleague that last time you had noted of our antics and it was wholeheartedly received! Your sense of dark humour and your analysis on relationships had me chuckling throughout. Your notes on when wedding dresses would be worn a second time was hilarious. The only thing I could add to this is BRING MORE OF THIS TO LIFE! And don't be scared to interact with the audience, your set has come on leaps and bounds! You have earned yourself 3.5/5 Stars!

The initial act of the evening was Ryan Cross, a returning regular without whom, we daresay, it simply wouldn't be Gonzo's Comedy Night. Notable about his set of the evening was the fact that his usual penchant for humour at the bleeding edge of black comedy seemed to have been toned down, instead replaced with much quipping about relationships and their complexities. It was refreshing to see that each of his jokes and the entirety of his material was fresh to our eyes and ears, yet the audience reaction was frequently muted. Mr Cross is improving, however, and his diligence certainly shows. 3/5 Stars.

The lovely lady Ciara. Alas, what's new... well, not the opening, which was the same leprosy joke as last time, and didn't start all too well. However, the note of your father running around shooting pigeons in a balaclava, spiking the interest with the IRA, was brilliant! Material heavy on political stance and the ineptness of the PM was interesting, but what got the laughs were the family anecdotes! 3/5 Stars for this performance - bring more anecdotes forward and don't be afraid to communicate with the audience.

Another returning face to the fray was Ciara Jack, whose material leaned on her experiences in both writing for BBC Radio Norfolk's comedy programming, as well as performing in 'Jack The Ripper - The Musical' in Norwich last autumn. Her set wove politics, feminism and highbrow class humour to well-paced effect. However, there was somewhat more consulting the notebook onstage than in previous performances we've witnessed, although her killer punchline regarding certain yellow fiends infesting popular culture ("If you don't know what a Minion is, it's basically a small yellow half-blind Joe Pasquale in dungarees...") was met with an eruption of laughter so collective and profound that Ciara herself almost seemed startled. 3.5/5 Stars.

Daniel Offen, a Londoner up in Norfolk... oh no! How will he cope? Well, to start with, a loud opening, and a plush bee? This man is seriously odd, and started with the audience on side. His rant on feminism and action figures was delightful... but alas, it took a turn for the worse. The political rants began and thus the audience began to wane. The jokes were not hitting the mark and when being signaled the set time was up, he carried on trying to win the audience back... repeatedly. Forgetting your set halfway through wasn't the greatest of outlooks either. Not really impressed. 2/5 Stars.

Hot on the heels of the previous act's satire and political musings, Daniel Offen roared onto the stage with impactful gusto, rousing the restless crowd from any stupor they may have been lost within. Tracing his influences to 1980s stand-up comics such as Ben Elton, there was also more than a hint of Ade Edmonson in his delivery and approach, with material that danced from politics and Thatcherism (which he confessed to being too young to have felt any direct impact from), through to puns and pokes at the absurdities of modern life. Although nothing truly stood out, Mr Offen demonstrates an aptitude for stand-up that seems eager to cut loose - I'd certainly welcome the chance to see him perform again. 3/5 Stars.

An interesting man is Jack Shanik. His dry sense of one-liners were short and to the point. Heralding from the northeast, his sense of humour was really "Oh dad, why did you say that?!"... and it had its moments where laughter could be heard. But resoundingly it was quite plain. Towards the end the jokes just got worse and the audience was starting to go and buy more drinks, maybe to scrape away the pain that was being bled through on stage. However, there were delightful notes of the north, but Mr Shanik, your one-liners are terrible. Bring a conversation to light with the audience and you will be a welcomed returning act. 2.5/5 Stars.

Oh me, oh my. Mr White likes to write - thus it stands to reason that Mr White likes wordplay, and this made watching Jack Shanik's performance a true delight. From reciting a tract of a Lewis Carroll classic in an impregnable Northern drawl - proclaiming it to be 'Alice In Sunderland' - Jack went on to zap out zingers including describing wearing a big fuzzy wig and spinning on the spot as a means to arouse himself as his 'Afro Dizzy Act'. More ingenious is the fact that Mr Shanik knows what he's doing and almost seems to welcome the occasional audience groan at a punchline - at one point he even turned to me during the performance and remarked, "It's not easy setting comedy back forty years, mate!" 4/5 Stars to this cheeky chap and his irrepressible punslaught!

The Pope is among us... just lacking the robes and hat. His slow building performance really hit a stride once the audience started laughing. His notes on life of "public school breeding villains" and the "struggles of being an adult when you're still a child at heart" had the room in resounding laughter. Short and to the point, Benedict Pope hit the mark every time, rounding off with a remark about "disarming a bomb with a raw lamb shank" - the room was lifted of the previous maniacal curse of the political gripe. 3.5/5 Stars. Please come back again - you, sir, will go far if you can deliver more material!

Benedict Pope is demonstrably clever. That said, he started somewhat flat and unremarkable in his Gonzo's performance, relating life in London to an audience he then lit up with but a single word. "Milk." Indeed, in chronicling his bizarre experiences with milk deliveries in his London home, Mr Pope turned a simple series of transactions into a hilarious rant about his experience with the milk company, which devolved into a fracas in which his argument - "Please stop sending me milk!" - was met with the counterargument of... well, being constantly sent milk. He also singlehandedly mustered the best quote of the entire evening, when he explained that the woman he had called responded, "But you can't cancel, because then THE MILKMAN WOULD BE SAD." 4/5 Stars!

The one the only MONTY BURNS! Mr Burns opened with a huge entrance, he immediately picked up on the previous heckler and killed him before anything was said. His remarks on Jehovah's Witnesses brought the room into near rapture! He related Robocop to Jesus, and his antics when meeting dates for the first time and asking point blank "have you made a sex tape yet? Because this is as good as your gonna look..." Noting his wife's comments "my wife says that I have boundary issues... well she didn't say that but she wrote it in her diary!", he then treated us to his remarks upon airbrushed models and how men will sleep with anything - "what's the point, we will still sleep with you!" - but ultimately finishing with how his wife always plays to win at Monopoly... and when she does win, screams "Eat my p***y motherf****r", which brought the house down. 4.5/5 Stars for an amazing performance. A great headliner to arrive at Gonzo's!

Hilarity hit a high point with the arrival of Monty Burns to the stage, who seethed into being before us like a furious Scottish Tony Stark. Screaming at the audience until they capitulated, he held the room rapt with his dark wit and familial angst. Tabulating the 'filth' he witnesses on children's TV and the innuendoes he finds there, Mr Burns then swept the acrid cloak of his comedy across the bar, citing an attending couple as resembling a girl group songstress shacked up with Shrek, before shouting that the well-coiffed barman was a protagonist from Twilight. Agitated and animated, Monty hit the mark as the night's strongest comedian by far - no small feat amid such talented peers. 4.5/5 Stars!

Find Monty On Facebook here! Monty Burns Comedy
Follow Him on Twitter! @Montysrants 

The Great Nelson once again presented himself to a stunning audience, laughs of the differences between countries and the contrast of old among newer material was a sly move but it worked. Speaking of his "head" teacher in kind, there were notes of an African doctor coming to England, but the NHS cuts hitting them forcing him to leave. His comments on "all white people looking the same" brought a round of laughs and he even noted "there were many Canadians in the bar". But the finisher were his notes on "if women ruled the world there would be no nuclear bombs... just long text messages", which killed the audience. Not the strongest act of Nelson's, but certainly held his own. 3.5/5 Stars.

The one, the only, the almighty Nelson T Gombakomba Junior rounded off a fine night of comedy in the fine city. Nelson's excitement and zeal were electric - he had just got back from a previous night at London's Comedy Store in which he received one of the strongest positive responses of his career. Nonetheless, on home turf, Nelson was applauded as a local hero, yet his comedy of the night was surprisingly off-the-cuff, seeking input among the audience for 'fun facts' to round off his established wit ("There's a new thing called the 'after-sex selfie', but in Norfolk it's just called a 'family portrait'..."). It's always a pleasure to see Nelson perform, and Gonzo's Tea Room remains his comedic thinktank, in which fresh jokes are blended, poured and refined. 3.5/5 Stars!

All in all a solid night of comedic delights - a fine line up, and some great moments. Nights in Gonzo's are truly amazing and shouldn't be missed just because it's not on Prince of Wales Road! Drop in, try the rum or let the staff make you a cocktail of merit, you will not be disappointed.

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White Mason Reviews appreciates the talent and co-operation of Viktoria DeRoy Photography in chronicling the capers of the evening! Viktoria is a local photographer who frequently attends - and dutifully snaps! - each monthly Gonzo's Comedy Night, with an ever-growing portfolio besides.

White Mason Reviews was approached by Monty Burns to add links to his social media in his review segment - we are happy to accommodate other such promotional requests from featured or forthcoming acts. These requests do not detract from White Mason Reviews' unbiased critiques and are strictly conducted on a not-for-profit basis.

Tekken 3 - Retro Game Nostaliga by The Teege!

So I was perusing the wonder-world of Norwich's Regen Gaming the other day and came across a small gem of the past. My childhood lost many an hour to beating Heihachi... those are truly memories of fondness. So with that said, lets press on into memory lane.

Originally released in the 1990s as an arcade game, and then brought forward to the PlayStation, the game I speak of captivated the world - and still today it stands in high regard, meaning that Tekken 3 is still regarded as the best of its genre and possibly the best fighting game of all time. Using the same core system that was developed for the Namco System 12, it was the last game of the series to be released for the original Sony PlayStation. This held fans in suspense and created a demand for more!

The game play aspect of Tekken 3 was simple. Using different combinations of buttons and directions to use attacks uniquely attributed to each character, everyone had their own favourite. This helped create an audience that could talk about this game even when not playing!

Tekken 3 was the first "beat-em-up" to tone down the jumping element, which in previous Tekken games was unrealistic. The depth and realism this change brought forward unified the Tekken franchise to what it is today.

The plot thickens with this installment, with the previous games' Iron Fist Tournament happening 19 years previously. Heihachi Mishima has established the Tekken Force, a paramilitary organisation dedicated to the protection of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Leading this force into a temple underneath Mexico, they find it has been ransacked by a creature simply known as 'Ogre'. Heihachi saw the power this beast had and wanted to capture it for his own gains.

This is where Jin steps forward. Being Heihachi's son, he already is attuned to martial arts, and upon the sight of Ogre destroying his house and killing his mother, he takes it upon himself to find his father and end this madness. When doing so though, he encounters Ogre, who leaves the devil's mark on Jin prior to his being left unconscious. What happens from there I'll leave for you readers to find out!

The simplicity of the combat system, combined with a strong storyline and the quickening pace of gameplay, brings this stylistic fighting game into a world of its own, be it with friends one on one, or taking it to the AI on Insane Difficulty Mode. This game offers a lot more than just a single afternoon of entertainment - more like a lifetime of it!

The added Force Mode, adding yet more depth to an already packed game, is what made this version of Tekken unique. Having to take down a stream of enemies against the clock at the same time as managing your survival was difficult, even on Normal Mode. 

Tekken 3 survives today with universal acclaim, with an overall score of 9.9/10 from Gamespot, 96/100 from Metacritic and being the first game in three years to have received a 10 from Electronic Gaming Monthly! Among fighters - and even beyond - this is nothing short of almost the perfect game. The Teege humbly gives this great piece of art an overwhelming 4.9/5 - the only improvement could be the graphics, but that is only in comparison to what today can offer.

Thanks to Regen Gaming! - http://regen-gaming.co.uk/ - A great shop in the back alleys of Anglia square! If you have a old game you remember and want to feel that nostalgia, don't hesitate to head over. Find them on facebook and give them a like!

Have a game you want reviewing, a new menu or blend of coffee that is to tantalizing and needs to be shown to the world, contact White Mason Reviews on facebook, twitter or blogger and who knows you could be next!

The Waffle House - The Teege Critiques!

So the Waffle House, a Norwich mainstay for the last 38 years, brings a unique style of food to Norwich. Priding themselves in fresh local produce and their crispy waffles. Each order being individual, their organic produce brings the palate to life - but as always, there is a catch. Most of the time in other establishments, this turns out to be the price, or the quantity... In the Waffle House of Norwich it's neither... just simply that you must be willing to wait.

When we arrived, the queue was winding out the door and it was 6:45PM on a Saturday night! The wind blew hard, but slowly and steadily we moved forward until the warm embrace of the delightful smells enraptured our senses. The greeting from a young gentleman of no more than 22 years of age offered us a table by the window, or round the back by the noisy tables. Naturally reviewing the food, we opted for the window seat to not just peruse the menu, but the chef... who notably wasn't running around, but as each order came through, it was dealt with in a swift manner. 

Modern, sleek black-clad staff trotted hither and thither through the swarthy, comforting waffle-fumes, and noticeably each held a smile and a fondness for their vocation that's so often lacking in the restaurants of today. The Teege's assertion that patience is necessary in order to enjoy the fine flavours of the Waffle House is by no means inaccurate in its veracity, yet the culinary delights that follow such a commitment are frequently worth the wait.

The ambiance of the place is that of a thrumming and quiet bustle, replete with light and welcoming decor and comfortable, sturdy seating. As such, waiting for one's meal never feels tiresome, and it becomes engaging to watch the chef conduct his craft and the waiters thread amid tables hosting families, couples, friends and acquaintances. Just another night for the staff, you might say, but a cosy event for all of whom have chosen to make the Waffle House their chosen venue.

Down to the main event - the order. Drinks of choice were the berry smoothie, refreshing and made thick with fresh Greek yoghurt and berries of the winter variety for oneself, and the chocolate malt milkshake for Mr White, of which he noted, "You can stand a f***ing straw in this! Wow!" ...So I believe he enjoyed. My order was the pan roasted duck with parsnips, kale and a beetroot and horseradish sauce. To test the staff, the replacement of the sauce with cheese sauce was quickly dealt with and they were never bothered in complying. Mr White's order was the ever-amazing bolognese with grated Parmesan to top. His delight was apparent as he began his journey into the intense herb combination and smooth sauce.

Attentive but not intrusive service, - though nothing to note upon - brought a very relaxed nature to the table, and the discussions of future endeavours crossed our lips. Again, no names to remember for the servers, but upon discussion we believed she was of an Eastern European nature with a beautiful accent. The main courses all round received were truly good, nothing to make them stand out nor hide away... just a good solid meal of profound succulent taste and textures.

Discussions of dessert arose, and we concluded in concert that we ought to appraise the namesake foodstuff of the business in earnest - that is to say, we opted for a plain waffle apiece, with maple sauce added individually to taste. Grand slabs of delicious square-flecked splendour were to follow, light and fluffy, yet with a delicately crafted crispness to the outer exterior that welcomed the teeth through into a white, soft interior.

As one would expect, the maple syrup was exquisitely delivered, and stood in the centre of our table in a stylish black receptacle for the entirety of our meal - a silent and vigilant arbiter of sweetness awaiting service. Pleased was I with the application of such liquid, flowing from the jug like molten gold and stirring the palate in its glooping dance amid the canvas of the waffle before me.

In short? A characteristically florid appraisal of a fine and delightful dessert - and one is already planning to try out the breakfast menu when able. The versatility of the waffle has been truly realised through this sojourn with The Teege, but let's be honest - you can't beat a bit of maple syrup, right?

In short... Mr White... Good all round experience, nothing too outstanding but nothing sub-par. I have encountered this restaurant before and had some quality meals... Maybe the standard has dropped over the years as they have begun to rest on their laurels, Time will tell - I'm sure we will return, maybe there will be a change of pace and it will bring a new passion forward, but for now the Waffle House maintains a solid 3/5 stars on the Teege's table.

Having visited the Waffle House for the first time in some years with The Teege upon the night hereupon chronicled, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by both the service and the food. The meals of both savoury and sweet natures were devoured with gusto, the milkshake was of an aplomb not so much inviting the boys to the yard as starting raucous celebrations at its creamy and delectable flavours, and the ambiance was notable in its serenity.

4/5 from Mr White, with the notion to return and consume at a not-too-distant juncture to come - will the Waffle House sustain its brilliance?

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